City of Wolverhampton Council’s preferred developer for housing at Bilston Urban Village has submitted an initial planning application for enabling works.

If approved, Countryside will start detailed profiling of the land levels in preparation for housing on the site ahead of their residential planning application.

The award-winning home builder and regeneration specialist is lined up to develop 450 homes across 27 acres of land south of Bilston town centre and the Black Country Route.

City of Wolverhampton Council Director for City Economy, Keren Jones, said: “We are working closely with Countryside to finalise the scheme and this is a major milestone for housing development on Bilston Urban Village.

“Our plans to develop up to 500 homes on the site will make a significant impact in achieving our housing targets in the City of Wolverhampton.

“The council has spent a lot of time making sure there is good road access, and ensuring that, with a bus-only link, cycle ways and pedestrian routes, the new housing will be well connected to the town centre.

“The urban village is a key part of the wider regeneration of the city, bringing new homes, new jobs and more investment. It demonstrates our commitment to Bilston and ensures it will continue to be a thriving area.”

John Gilbert, Regional Operations Director for Countryside’s Midlands division, said: “With a wealth of experience in regeneration and community building, our aim is to fulfil the council’s vision for rejuvenating the area by transforming this brownfield site into a high-quality housing development.

“This scheme will play a critical role in the city’s regeneration activity and, with our strong partnership model in place, the plans for Bilston Urban Village would provide residents with a vibrant, mixed-tenure neighbourhood, where the new homes are both affordable and accessible for a wide range of people.”

People have already moved into some of the two, three and four-bedroom homes being developed by Kier on two other Bilston Urban Village plots either side of the entrance to Carder Crescent.

Works are also underway on landscaping extensive areas of open space on the site, with a network of paths for walking and cycling being created, clearing overgrown trees and shrubs, and fencing to properly define and protect areas.

The first phases of Bilston Urban Village produced significant investment in the building of the Bert Williams Leisure Centre and South Wolverhampton and Bilston Academy – improving health and increasing opportunities. A commercial development plot fronting the Black Country Route and the newly-named Bert Turner Boulevard linking the site with the town centre was also created.

This has been followed by the recently-opened Marston’s family pub/restaurant, the White Rabbit, and a planning application to build a new Loxdale Primary School on the site.

Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity is calling on its kind-hearted supporters to get involved in its much-anticipated second annual Fun Family 5.

Taking place in Sutton Park on Saturday 16 June, the eventful sponsored 5K walk will raise vital funds for the sick children and families at the hospital, and aims to top last year’s event which saw over 400 participants raise nearly £20,000.

One of the first to put their name down for this year’s event was Cheryl Beardmore, 42, and her husband Mark, 47. Since July, their three-year-old son Oscar has come to know Birmingham Children’s Hospital all too well, after undergoing 13 rounds of chemotherapy in his battle against rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer.

“We are indebted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity,” says Cheryl. “There aren't enough words to say how we feel and how grateful we are to the hospital. Their work is amazing, and the oncology ward and clinic are fantastic. We've got so much thanks for them and everything they've done for us.”

Along with Oscar’s cousins Isla, Madison, Flyn and Kye, and grandmother Diane, the Beardmore family will be raising funds to show their gratitude to the doctors, nurses and support staff at Birmingham Children’s Hospital who have cared for them since Oscar was diagnosed with the disease.

“We did the Fun Family 5 last year,” says Cheryl. “Oscar was in hospital up until the evening before, but on the day he walked the 5k himself along with family and friends. We managed to raise over £5,000 for Ward 15, which is the Oncology ward.”

Miranda Williams, Public Fundraising Manager at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, adds: “We’re really excited to welcome supporters for the second year to our 5km fundraising walk, Fun Family 5. We love seeing families, friends and patients coming together to take on the course, collect their medals and enjoy some family time. During its first year in 2017, our amazing supporters raised almost £20,000 for the sick kids like Oscar who are in our care, and we know this year will be bigger and better – we can’t wait!”

The event promises to be fun for all ages, with activity zones featuring a circus skills workshop, face painters, a bouncy castle, arts and crafts and sporting entertainment.

Families are encouraged to bring a picnic or enjoy one of the food stalls on offer after conquering the 5km walk around one of Birmingham’s most picturesque parks.

To sign up for the Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity Fun Family 5 and receive a fundraising pack, visit https://www.bch.org.uk/Event/funfamily5

From skipping to scooting and hopscotch to handstands, the streets of Haringey will be buzzing with outdoor fun for the Weekend of Play.

Building on last year’s success, Haringey’s second Weekend of Play will offer children and families the chance to come together outside to enjoy all the borough has to offer.

Residents are encouraged to ditch their TVs, video games and mobile devices for three days of activities to be held in local parks and closed off streets from April 20-22.

Various primary schools and community organisations will mark the Weekend of Play by hosting their own activities.

Events will be held in parks across the borough, including cycling with Pedal Power in Finsbury Park, a range of free sports opportunities at Albert Road Rec, an interactive activity trail at Alexandra Park, and much more.

The Weekend of Play is supported by Haringey’s Obesity Alliance, aiming to tackle childhood obesity in a fun and practical way by promoting healthier living.

Jack Russell Terrier Sheldon has bounced back and is looking for his forever home thanks to kind members of the public who funded his life-saving surgery.

Two-year-old Sheldon was brought into the RSPCA’s Coventry branch last summer and was diagnosed with a grade five heart murmur. He urgently needed a scan and surgery to fix his broken heart.

Surgery to fix the hole in his heart cost £1,500 and was generously raised by supporters who had been touched by Sheldon’s story.

Jade Mason at the RSPCA Coventry, Nuneaton and District branch said: “We can’t thank our supporters enough for raising the money needed to fix Sheldon’s heart. The surgery was a success and he has made an amazing recovery which means we are confident he can now live a long and happy life without further complications.

“We are looking for a loving home for him with someone who has had experience of terriers previously. He would like to live in a home without other pets and will need to live with families who have teenagers or older.

“Sheldon is a loving, happy boy and he is quite a character.”

A new 750 place secondary school in West Bromwich has been given the go ahead by the Department for Education.

The school will be built on Kelvin Way, West Bromwich, subject to planning permission.

It is hoped the first 150 year seven pupils will start at the school in September 2019 and parents will be able to apply for a place from July 2018. The school will eventually accommodate 750 pupils.

It is being sponsored by Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust who run a number of successful schools including Shireland Collegiate Academy in Smethwick, consistently rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted.

Chris Ward, Director of Education, Skills and Employment said: "This will be the second new secondary school to open in Sandwell in the last ten years, following on from the successful Q3 Academy in Oldbury which opened in 2016.

"The Shireland Collegiate Academy in Smethwick is giving young people an outstanding level of education and we hope to continue this in the new school in Kelvin Way.

"This is a much needed school in West Bromwich where it is expected there will be increasing demand for secondary school places in the next few years.”

The next steps will be to confirm funding streams and obtain planning permission before work can start on site.

Chief Executive of the Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust, Sir Mark Grundy said: “We are incredibly proud to have been asked to work with Sandwell Council on the development of this new school.

"Shireland has consistently been judged as Outstanding by Ofsted coupled with exceptional Progress 8 levels of achievement and the development of the West Bromwich Collegiate Academy will allow us to establish this quality of provision for the families and the community."

Future Faces – the young professionals’ arm of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce - is extending its reach to Solihull.

It follows on from a record-breaking year for Future Faces, which more than doubled its membership in 2017.

The first Future Faces social event in Solihull will take place on 3 May, at Revolution Solihull and is being sponsored by Prime Accountants Group.

Anna Assinder (pictured), Future Faces manager, said: “We’ve seen such fantastic growth this past year, it only felt right to extend our membership further to members of the Solihull business community in order to help them to develop their ambitious young professionals.

“We’re looking forward to seeing more Solihull faces at our networking and professional development events, it will only help strengthen networks and ties across the region further, and contribute to the development of Solihull’s fantastic business community.“

Kevin Johns, president of Solihull Chamber and director of Prime Accountants, said: “Here at Prime we have always supported young talent and take great pride in developing our team and preparing them for the next step in their careers.

“We have often looked to promote from within and currently have many individuals in senior positions that have been promoted through our firm.

“In order to continually develop our staff we provide training and look for opportunities for the team to gain experience. Future Faces provides the environment to gain networking experience and build a professional network with others at a similar level.

“Solihull has a fantastic business community with lots of young talent coming through across a wide variety of industries.

“Launching Future Faces in Solihull is an excellent opportunity to give the future faces of Solihull the opportunity to meet new contact and establish relationships that they will keep throughout their careers.”