Community News

The countdown to Vaisakhi has begun, with thousands of visitors expected at Wolverhampton's premier park for the annual celebrations in May. The event, which has been postponed for the last two years during the coronavirus pandemic, will see the popular cultural festival return to West Park on Sunday, May 8, between 12pm and 5pm.

A community leader has slammed the government’s anti-terror Prevent programme for failing to stop radicalisation but instead sowing the seeds of suspicion and hate towards ordinary Muslims.

Mashkura Begum, chair of community empowerment organisation Saathi House, in Birmingham, features in a special Dispatches programme aired on Channel 4 which explored failures in the government’s anti-radicalisation Prevent programme.

Industries across the board are facing staff shortages and vacancies. Over the long Easter weekend, mass disruption is expected across all travel sectors, and industry experts warn the delays could last the year. Other badly affected industries, such as hospitality and healthcare, barely survived the pandemic and are now finding that they still can’t get the staff – and this impacts health and safety and the quality of work completed.

A scheme offering financial support to help community groups and regional organisations looking to put more people in touch with nature has received dozens of applications.

After launching in late January, the West Midland Combined Authority’s (WMCA) Community Green Grants scheme has already seen more than 40 applications come in from across the region.

NFU Mutual is calling for visitors to the Midlands countryside this Easter to keep their dogs under control to protect new-born lambs in the region’s fields.

From its claims figures, NFU Mutual estimates that farm animals worth £242,000 were killed or injured by out-of-control dogs in the Midlands in 2021.

Freemasons are donating 20,000 Easter eggs to thousands of children, care homes, hospitals and food banks across England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

Freemasons have been rolling up their sleeves and distributing Easter eggs across the country once again this year. The donations are helping children and families in most UK cities.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to make a long-delayed trip to India this week in a bid to strengthen security ties with the country.

He will meet his counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday, with talks focused on defence and trade. It will be Johnson's first major trip to India as PM after previous visits were postponed due to Covid.

The Forum for Global Challenges will see some of today’s most influential thinkers and doers gather in Birmingham at a major international meeting to showcase and generate solutions to some of the most pressing challenges faced by our planet and its people.
Organised by the University of Birmingham, the 1,000-delegate event, will combine a face-to-face conference at the ICC Birmingham with a fully online interactive format.

Worcester Cathedral’s Eco Group is leading the green agenda, having secured National Lottery funding to encourage local people to join them in taking climate action. And now they are inviting the local community to come together for ‘Living Gently on the Earth’ - a series of community events, talks and workshops on caring for the planet and living a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

New research from Birmingham City University has documented the feelings of vulnerability and incidents of exploitation that those living on the streets experience, by gathering first-hand accounts from some of the city’s rough sleepers. 

Direct testimonies form the basis of a newly published paper titled Living Rough, An exploratory study on the vulnerabilities of rough sleepers in Birmingham, United Kingdom. 

A North East woman is proud to be representing the region as an official baton bearer for the 16th official Queen’s Baton Relay ahead of the Commonwealth Games this summer. This is a particularly poignant honour for Nicola Wood, who set up The Wonderful Wig Company as a second business after being diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2016, when she was 36.

Having first announced its ambition in 2019, the Midlands’ airport remains steadfast in achieving its 2033 target. Its roadmap prioritises zero-carbon airport operations while minimising the use of carbon offsets.

The plan builds on a decade of learning and investments that have already seen emissions, which the airport controls, reduce by 33%. This has been achieved through the use of solar, electric vehicle transition and energy-efficiency measures.

April is National Pet Month in the UK, and West Midlands housing association Bromford is marking the occasion by sharing their top tips for moving house with pets.

Catherine Jarrett, Director of Sales and Marketing at Bromford, said: “At Bromford, we understand that pets are part of the family, which is why we wanted to share some tips to help them feel more comfortable during what can be a particularly stressful process for them.”

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has today confirmed the inspirational people from communities across the West Midlands who will take on the role of Batonbearer in the Queen’s Baton Relay this summer. The Queen’s Baton will return home to the West Midlands on 18 - 28 July, in the final ten-day countdown to Birmingham 2022. The successful Batonbearers have been specially selected to represent the West Midlands and carry the Baton through local communities.

A recent discussion between Integrative Psychotherapeutic Counsellor, Liz Ritchie and stationery designer Youcef Bendraou from Pukka Pads has revealed new professional opinion, which confirms that pen and paper remain the most effective learning and development tool for children, even with continuing digital and technological advances.

Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has today unveiled the uniform that thousands of volunteers and staff members will be wearing at the Games. The uniform design for technical officials and the formal outfits for delegates have also been revealed. 

The uniforms will be worn by over 14,000 people from across Birmingham, the West Midlands and beyond, who make up the ‘Commonwealth Collective’, a community of passionate and dedicated people who will play a vital role in helping to deliver the biggest multi-sport event in the UK since London 2012.