Community News

Birmingham 2022 Festival and Fierce today announce Yale as official sponsor of Key to the City and that the location of the ‘Key Exchange Ceremony’ site will be Birmingham New Street Station. Security experts Yale will produce 15,000 keys (and their respective locks), which will give recipients access to 22 locations around the city region that, combined, create a compelling portrait.

Philip Richardson, head of employment law at Stephensons Solicitors, commented following the announcement by London law firm Stephenson Harwood, saying it would allow staff to work remotely but pay them 20% less than their current salary.

He said: “Post-pandemic, many firms are trying to navigate a completely different world of work. How and where that work is conducted has changed completely.

Prayag Patel, a renowned conveyancing solicitor, has joined Talbots Law to spearhead the firm’s move into a flagship new premises at the Waterfront in Brierley Hill. In his 18 years with Premier Property Lawyers, which formed part of the original MyHomeMove and, more recently, the Simplify Group, Prayag saw his role grow from newly qualified solicitor to Head of Conveyancing, taking responsibility for the Leicester and Newcastle sites and doubling the size of his team in just 5 years at the helm.

Leading consultancy Marrons Planning is growing its presence in Worcestershire with the appointment of senior planner Reiss Sadler, following a significant uplift in demand for planning services in the county.

With more than seven years’ experience working with Wychavon District Council as a senior planning officer, the move to Marrons Planning will see Reiss support house builders, land promoters and landowners in the area to secure planning permission for key developments.

As more professional Muslim athletes emerge, British sports clubs and governing bodies are being more proactive in how they look after their Muslim stars, especially during important periods like Ramadan.  

Athletes fasting while playing competitive sport has already made a lot of press this Ramadan.

The Sikh festival of Vaisakhi was celebrated in Leicester as thousands turned up to commemorate one of the largest religious festivals in the county as a huge burst of colour and culture flooded the streets in a huge public procession.

The annual event was louder and prouder than ever as the Sikh community came out in full force for the first time since the pandemic.

Thirty young people from across the UK who have all experienced homelessness came together to influence positive change as they took part in national Youth Homeless Parliament.

An idea inspired by the late Jack Dromey MP, a man who was fiercely passionate about ensuring children and young people could experience the democratic process first hand in the heart of Parliament, Youth Homeless Parliament (YHP) aims to ensure that the voices and lived experiences of young people who have experienced homelessness are heard, and that Government has the information it needs when making policy that impacts young people across the country.

People took the opportunity to gather together, on large-scales, to celebre the end of Ramadan, with Eid al-Fitr returned in full, after a two-year break caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the UK, cities like Leicester, Birmingham, London and Manchester the shackles of restrictions were released, with Eid – falling on 1 or 2 May, depending on the sighting of the new crescent moon – saw open-air events back in full flow.

Councillors in Gloucestershire have backed the "unprecedented" removal of a 248-year-old statue with links to the transatlantic slave trade. Stroud District Council voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to "pursue" taking down the Blackboy clock that sits on a Grade II listed building.

Under a law introduced last year, the communities secretary can now call in any decisions by local authorities. Councillor Natalie Bennett said the statue was likely to be a "test case".

The funeral arrangements have been made for popular community campaigner and Birmingham City’s legendary fan Barrington Patterson, following his recent, and sudden, death.

The successful kickboxer, mixed martial artist, cage fighter and leading community campaigner died of a heart attack.

Details have been released explaining why London Euston station must be closed during essential railway improvements over the Early May Bank Holiday.

Network Rail is investing millions of pounds upgrading sections of track in Watford and Wembley to improve future journeys on one of Europe’s busiest mixed-use passenger and freight rail routes.

Samsung has apologised for a recent advert which showed a woman getting up at 02:00 to go for a run through the streets of a city alone.

The advert has been criticised by some women's running groups and safety campaigners for being "unrealistic". Samsung said it was never its intention to be insensitive to ongoing conversations around women's safety.

An incredible £31,172,643 of National Lottery funding went to projects in Birmingham in 2020/21, according to new figures released today to mark the launch of this year’s National Lottery Awards. A total of 644 National Lottery grants were allocated in this period, providing crucial support to arts, sports, heritage and community organisations in Birmingham. 

A replacement memorial to a British-Nigerian man who drowned after being chased by police has been vandalised. The laminated copy of the tribute to David Oluwale was placed on Leeds Bridge on Wednesday after the original blue plaque was stolen shortly after being unveiled on Monday.

City of Wolverhampton Council has extended the deadline to Tuesday, May 3, for city residents and organisations to apply for a free road closure to celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee with a street party.

Forty applications from across the city have so far been received to mark Her Majesty the Queen becoming the first British monarch in history to reach the milestone this June.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has appointed construction firm VolkerFitzpatrick to build three railway stations on the Camp Hill line in south Birmingham. 

It is part of the £61 million scheme to reintroduce passenger train services to Moseley, Kings Heath and Hazelwell for the first time in 80 years.