Community News

A 3.5m tall puppet of a 9-year-old Syrian refugee named Little Amal was welcomed by hundreds of Erdington residents as part of her 8,000km journey, The Walk produced by Good Chance Theatre in association with Handspring Puppet Company

Hundreds of Erdington residents lined the high-street to welcome Little Amal to Birmingham. The 3.5m tall puppet of a 9-year-old Syrian refugee made a visit to Birmingham as a part of her 8,000km journey titled The Walk that began in Turkey on 27 July and will end in Manchester on 3 November.

A Smethwick man has raised over £4,000 for Parkinson’s UK through sales of his book.

Mark Lanyon, 58, from Bearwood, donated his June and July earnings from the Amazon sales of ‘Who Stole Grandma?’ - the story of his time with his mum Geraldine after learning she had Parkinson’s. 

Archaeologists in Buckinghamshire working on the HS2 project have uncovered a set of incredible rare Roman statues whilst excavating a Norman Church in Stoke Mandeville.

In the final stages of the excavation at the site of the old St Mary’s Norman church in Stoke Mandeville, archaeologists were excavating a circular ditch around what was thought to be the foundations of an Anglo-Saxon tower.

A landowner has been found guilty of breaching a Community Protection Notice over land at Goldthorn Hill, which was left in a completely unacceptable condition.

Mr Primpal Jangra, of Lea Road, Wolverhampton, was served with the Community Protection Notice and a deadline to clear the land after he repeatedly ignored council officers’ requests to clear waste at the former residential property.

A new consumer behaviour change campaign is calling on 13 million UK households not to heat their homes any higher than 21 degrees and consider other ways to get cosy instead.

The ‘Wear Warm’ campaign was launched after research undertaken by Utilita Energy - the only energy company created to help households use less energy - revealed that almost half of the nation’s homes are heated to 24 degrees centigrade for half the year - the same temperature as Barbados.

A protest held outside a police station after allegations a police officer "forcibly removed" the turban of a Sikh man in custody.

West Midlands Police denied it happened or that the turban was stamped on and said images shared on social media were misleading. The man has been charged with obstructing a police officer and driving offences.

Community groups joined forces to host a Diwali celebration for local residents at the Graiseley Strengthening Families Hub. 

It was organised by Hit the Dhol and supported by the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Parent Champion volunteers and the YMCA. The event showcased how communities came together to celebrate the festival of light and proved how important it is to celebrate diversity through true partnership working with voluntary groups.  

In a month where news headlines have sadly been full of harrowing stories of violence and sexual abuse against women, a powerful art project is being launched to empower women to share their own experiences of trauma using blank postcards as a canvas.

The Let Her project provides a platform where women can freely and safely share their stories via art on a postcard and submit it anonymously.

The latest and final venue for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has been confirmed, with Victoria Square in Birmingham city centre revealed as the official finish area for the Marathon which will be held on Saturday 30 July 2022.

The square will be a welcome sight for the finishers in all four races that will be held on the first Saturday of the Games, with the men’s marathon, women’s marathon and the men’s and women’s T53/T54 events all taking place on the same course which will start at Smithfield, another Birmingham city centre venue that has previously been announced as the home of beach volleyball and basketball 3x3 and wheelchair basketball 3x3 during the Games.

New research has found that Stoke-on-Trent is the most garden friendly city in the UK with 94.4% of addresses having access to private outdoor space.  

The study by home cleaning and maintenance service company Fantastic Services analysed ONS data on private outdoor space in more than fifty of the biggest areas of the UK to determine the city where a property is most likely to have a garden. 

All 22 of Haringey’s council-run parks and open spaces have cemented their award-winning credentials once more and will have Green Flags raised above them again this year.

Managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Green Flag Award scheme recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of recreational outdoor spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is calling for an end to the October clock change in order to save lives on the roads, improve wellbeing and help people reduce their fuel bills. Instead, the charity is calling for the UK to keep to British Summer Time (BST) all year.

Last year, pedestrian road deaths increase by a shocking 30 per cent after the October clock change.

Nearly 500 children have benefitted from closer contact with a parent through the child contact centre at The Salvation Army Birmingham Citadel in St. Chads, Queensway. The centre celebrates 21 years of operation this year and Salvation Army leaders have acknowledged the hard work, thanking the founders and its volunteers.

Councillor Sharon Thompson, cabinet member for children and vulnerable families, has praised a group of young people with additional needs for their campaigning work. The RISE Youth Forum has sent a powerful message about their lived experience.

Cllr Thompson said: “I spoke recently about the importance of the language we use to describe individuals and their needs.

The government’s offer of grants to replace gas boilers with heat pumps will be useless for most consumers, experts reveal.

Myles Robinson, heating expert at Boiler Central, said: “The plan is misleading for UK consumers. The government is suggesting that all homes can have heat pumps to replace gas boilers, when in fact only a small percentage of UK homes are suitable for them.

Birmingham’ Frankfurt Christmas Market started taking shape this weekend, as the city prepares for the festive attraction’s return next month. The distinctive chalets, bars and landmark Christmas tree, have started to take shape after work on building the market began on October 23.