The warm weather has finally arrived – and about time too!  This inevitably means that people will be heading into the garden to start getting ready for summer, and Severn Trent has some great tips on how to look after your garden and be water savvy at the same time.

Doug Clarke, water efficiency manager at Severn Trent, said: ““We all want to keep our gardens looking their best and now is the time that people will be planting bedding plants and seedlings.  These can take a lot of watering in, and the biggest temptation is to get the hosepipe or sprinkler out and leave it running.  But this can use as much as 1,000 litres of drinking water in just one hour. To put it in perspective, that’s more water than a family of four would normally use in a whole day!

“We’re also urging gardeners not to worry about the health of their lawns just yet – in fact, watering established lawns is not only unnecessary, but can cause many common lawn problems.  Watering encourages shallow rooting, which in turn means the lawn is more at risk in dry conditions.  So once you start watering, you can’t stop.

“When we do get a shower or two, and no doubt we will – the warm weather never seems to last long - that’s probably all your garden needs.  And it’s also the perfect time to collect April showers in a water butt, that way you can keep the garden watered without using water from the tap, and save money too!”

It’s been over 20 years since Severn Trent last had a hosepipe ban in place and while the company is confident it has enough supply to meet demand, it's still encouraging customers to save what they can.

Doug continues: “Our reservoirs and other water sources are in a healthy position and looking good for the summer ahead, despite the rainfall over the winter being less than average.

“Now, we’re asking our customers not to be complacent and to think about being ‘water wise’ in whatever they do.  If there’s even a chance that it’s going to be a long dry summer, then we need to get into good habits now.”

At the Gaumont State Cinema in Kilburn last night, thousands turned out to greet the Jamaican Prime Minister The Most Honourable Andrew Holness to hear him speak about issues both at home in Jamaica and over here in the UK, including Crime, Business, Finance, Debt, and the hot topic of the moment, the Windrush Generation in the UK.

So much of his speech was met with rapturous applause as the cinema was filled out with people of Jamaican descent, friends of Jamaica, and interested onlookers.

Check out the full story in the May edition of The Phoenix Newspaper.

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Time is running out if you want to see the popular children’s and family entertainment exhibitions currently running at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

It is free admission to ‘Clangers, Bagpuss & Co.’ a V&A Museum of Childhood touring exhibition and ‘TV Puppets: Icons from 80 Years of Entertainment’, with the final day for both on Sunday, April 29, at the gallery on Lichfield Street.

Oliver Postgate’s voice and Peter Firmin’s puppets shaped the childhood memories of millions since they started collaborating in the 1950s. As well as telling the story of Bagpuss and the Clangers, the exhibition from the V&A Museum of Childhood goes behind the scenes of some of their other creations, including Pogles’ Wood, Noggin the Nog and Ivor the Engine.

Enter the world of Smallfilms to discover original puppets, sets, and filming equipment and see how characters developed over time and learn how Oliver and Peter developed their stop-frame animation techniques. You can also have a go yourself using 21st-century technology.

Alongside ‘Clangers, Bagpuss & Co.’ visitors to the gallery will also be able to see ‘TV Puppets: Icons from 80 Years of Entertainment’ curated in partnership with the National Puppetry Archive.

From the earliest TV puppets such as Soko and Muffin the Mule to familiar characters that have entertained recent generations, this exhibition features a delightful array of original creations. Exhibits range from simple hand puppets such as Iver from The Hoobs to elaborate marionettes such as Lady Penelope and Parker from Thunderbirds. Audience favourites such as Basil Brush and caricatures from ITV’s Spitting Image are also on show.

Carol Thompson, Curator for Wolverhampton Art Gallery, said: “The exhibitions have been really popular and we have welcomed thousands of people of all ages through the doors.

“We hope visitors take these final couple of weeks to see these two exhibitions and are inspired to share their memories of these iconic characters and TV shows.”

The gallery opening times are Monday to Saturday (10.30am – 4.30pm) and Sunday (11am – 4pm).

His Excellency, Seth George Ramocan, High Commisisoner of Jamaica invites you to a Town Hall Meeting with the Prime Minsiter of JAmaica The Most Honourable Andrew Holness O.N. M.P.on Friday 20th April 2018. Full details below!

City of Wolverhampton’s Bantock House Museum is holding a Dolls House Fair today (April 22) between 11am and 4pm.

Visitors can wander around stalls at the Finchfield Road venue (WV3 9LQ), see wooden cottages, dolls houses and caravans for sale in the most popular scales.

Stallholders will offer all of the intricate details doll enthusiasts need to complete the scenes for their doll families, including wooden furniture, soft furnishings such as rugs, cushions and curtains, lamps, fireplaces and kitchenware.

Tracey Spillsbury, organiser of the Dolls House Fair, said: “We love being at Bantock House Museum and we have seen the fair grow each time we do it.

“Visitors of all ages are welcome and we hope they will be able to find that something special to complete their scene.”

Visitors can also enjoy the Courtyard Café and take a look around the museum which showcases Edwardian life and local history.

Most Britons hate litter, but are too nervous to confront people dropping rubbish in the street, it seems.

News stories of people being assaulted or even killed after they've faced up to litter louts have made many Britons think twice about doing the same themselves, a major waste management company has found.

This fear of 'street rage' doesn't stop a significant number from dropping litter themselves if there isn't a rubbish bin nearby, BusinessWaste.co.uk has learned.

"People's attitude to litter is the stereotype of the British character in a nutshell," says BusinessWaste.co.uk spokesman Mark Hall, "We put up with a lot of inconvenience and rude behaviour, but we are generally to polite or too nervous to speak out."

A poll of over 3000 people conducted for the company found that:

• 94% would not confront someone they saw dropping litter
• 3% said they would confront a litter lout, depending on the circumstance
• 3% didn't know

"Definitely not if they looked like a yob," one person told us, while another said "It would probably be OK but manners have disappeared and I should have to say anything."

The 94% were overwhelming in their reasoning: "I don't want to get beaten up" and "Not my problem" were the two most popular answers. These answers have a minor grounding in reality, with small numbers reporting abuse or worse in return:

• 12% said they had confronted somebody and got rude comments in return
• One person said they had confronted somebody and have been physically attacked

In fact, assaults and serious incidents leading to death are relatively rare, but cause nervousness among the general public because they get wide publicity.

The third most popular reason for not calling out litter louts came as a surprise: "I don't want to be one of those people who moans all the time", and "I don't want to be seen as a 'do-gooder'", people told BusinessWaste.co.uk researchers.

"That's a depressing sign of the times," says Mark Hall, "We're living in a world where doing the right thing is frowned upon because it gets you the reputation for being a moaning Victor Meldrew character."

However, it's not entirely about people's reluctance to be seen as do-gooders, with the poll finding one unexpected outcome when it comes from canine littering:

• 6% said they'd make a comment about somebody letting their dog foul the pavement or a park without picking it up
• This rises to 18% if the witness is a fellow dog owner

Despite saying they disliked litter, asked if they would drop litter in the street if there wasn't a bin nearby and there weren't any witnesses, the answers were just a little bit depressing:

• 31% said they would
• 69% said they'd find a bin or take their rubbish home

BusinessWaste.co.uk ‘s Mark Hall says that street litter – which costs councils tens of millions of pounds every year – wouldn't be a problem if people's attitude to dropping litter changed.

"Friends don't let friends drop litter in the street," he says, "But it's the fear of unpredictable strangers that puts people off speaking out more often."