Customers of The Rajdani Indian restaurant in West Kingsdown, near Sevenoaks in Kent, raised £1185 at a special charity lunch.

The restaurant which was named Best Indian Restaurant in the South East at last year's prestigious Asian Curry Awards, served a selection of its acclaimed dishes, for which 69 regulars paid £15 each.

A further £150 was raised through a prize raffle.

The proceeds will be divided equally between the St Edmund's Church in West Kingsdown and Rohingya refugees through Global Aid Trust.

Rajdani owner Rob Khan said the lunch was a great success, raising money for two excellent causes.

Rohingya people are one of the most persecuted minority groups in the world, according to Khan, who points to the genocide which has led to over 600,000 refugees to flee their homes in Myanmar, in fear of their lives.

St Edmund's is the centre of a vibrant Christian community within the village and is involved in many charitable works.

“People often say charity should begin at home, which it should – but it should not end here,” said Khan, whose restaurant, which marks its 20th anniversary this year, has long been involved in fund-raising for good causes.

In October last year the restaurant raised £1700 for ABF The Soldiers' Charity, which supports soldiers, veterans and their families.

The Rajdani is looking to host another event involving St Edmund's Church later in the year.

The restaurant hopes to feature again in the Asian Curry Awards which is being held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on 18th November 2018. In a bid to retain his titles, Head Chef Jimmi Shab, has recently returned from a culinary tour of the sub-continent and is redesigning a shorter, gourmet menu where current favourites will be complemented by a greater choice of fish, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan dishes.

There's a cracking selection of eggciting activities on offer at Wolverhampton's libraries this Easter.

There will be Easter egg hunts with the Code-a-piller – a toy which children can programme to move forward, left, right, wiggle or dance – at Penn Library on Tuesday 3 April from noon-1pm and Wednesfield Library on Wednesday 4 April from noon-1pm, both of which are suitable for children aged four to eight.

Warstones Library will be hosting an extended Easter storytime session for pre-school children on Tuesday 3 April from 2.30pm-3.30pm, while Central Library is offering a creative writing workshop for seven to 12-year-olds on Thursday 5 April from 2.30pm-3.30pm.

Central Library is also the venue for a Spring Code-a-piller session for four to eight-year-olds on Thursday 12 April and Fun With Numbers for children aged eight and over on Friday 13 April, both of which run from 2.30pm-3.30pm.

Spring into Spring story and craft sessions for children aged four and over are taking place at Bilston Library on Thursday 5 April from noon-1pm, Spring Vale Library on Friday 6 April from 10.30am-11.30am, Ashmore Park Library on Tuesday 10 April from 2.30pm-3.30pm and Central Library on Wednesday 11 April from 2pm-3.30pm.

All events are free but please contact the venue in advance as places are limited. In addition, free tickets are required for all events at Central Library.

Robert Johnson, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Chief Librarian, said: “If you’re after something to keep the children occupied during the Easter holidays, then look no further than our libraries which have something for everyone, from Easter egg hunts to stories and crafts.”

It is free to join Wolverhampton's libraries. To find out more, please visit www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/libraries.

Nura Ali, Executive Director of Allies Network and Charlotte Holmes of Birmingham Museums Trust Collecting Birmingham Team held an afternoon knowledge sharing event and celebration of the First Somali Cultural Artifact ‘Xeedho’ to be displayed in a West Midlands museum.  People came from across England and Wales included artists, activists, community workers, curators and leaders of the City of Birmingham to explore issues around material culture, power and untold stories of the Somali Community of the West Midlands.

This event marked the close of Collecting Birmingham a unique project that has, with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England, significantly developed the relevance and accessibility of Birmingham’s collections. During this three-year project we worked with Nura Ali and her mother Fatumo Shabele to consult with them about the Somali cultural artifact ‘Xeedho’’ and understand the history behind the artifact. Also understand the family story behind the artifact before the museum acquired it, giving the family direct influence on the acquisition of artifact ‘Xeedho’. Nura Ali said The ‘Xeedho’ is at Birmingham Museum now and is accessible to the citizens of Birmingham for many years to come.’’

A three-part toolkit which cuts through the confusion and political rhetoric surrounding Brexit is launched today by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) – exactly a year before the UK leaves the EU.

The first part, which calls on businesses to get Brexit ready and “Communicate, Research, Prepare and Seek Support”, is on the GBCC website today.

It includes straightforward tips on how businesses can start identifying areas of their business that may be impacted by Brexit and get thinking about their response, alongside a “Brexit dictionary” and case studies from local businesses already preparing for Brexit.

Part Two, a “fact pack” on the potential impact of Brexit on the region and businesses views on Brexit, will launch in one week.

Part Three, a manifesto for stakeholders, will launch the week after that.

Henrietta Brealey (pictured), director of policy and strategic relationships at the GBCC, said: “There is a whole lot of jargon, political positioning and confusion around Brexit.

“With part one of our Brexit toolkit, we want to cut through this uncertainty to give businesses straightforward information about Brexit and what it means for them.

“As of today, we are 12 months to Brexit and 33 months until the end of the transition period (based on the current timeline). Any business should start pinning down areas of their organisation that are exposed to Brexit-related risks (and opportunities) and be thinking what they are going to do about them.

“Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, there is no denying that Brexit will bring change. With change comes the need for businesses to adapt in order to remain as competitive as possible.

“The resources that we have published today are designed to give businesses the information they need to get thinking practically about how they can get ready for Brexit.

“We may not know what the final deal will be but we do know a lot about the areas most likely to be affected by Brexit which for many businesses is enough to get started on their Brexit strategy.

“The most forward thinking businesses we’ve spoken to are seeing Brexit as a catalyst for getting their business as fit and healthy as possible.

“While the initial impetus for action was Brexit, the steps they are taking make business sense regardless and are all helping them gain and maintain a competitive edge. We are publishing some of these case studies today as part of this resource, which we hope will help inspire more businesses to get Brexit ready.”

Birmingham City University’s Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and Elmhurst Ballet School are inspiring music students to experience the working life of a professional ballet pianist with its Placement for Pianists Programme.

Due to overwhelming interest and a successful inaugural first year, launched as a pilot scheme in September 2017, organisers of the initiative are pleased to announce it will continue with a second cohort in the 2018–2019 academic year.

The programme provides a very rare opportunity for music students to explore the highly specialised artistry and technique of ballet pianism during mentoring, observational and practical sessions with pianists working full-time at Elmhurst Ballet School, the associate school of Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Following initial meetings between Mikael Petersson, Elmhurst’s Music Planning Coordinator and pianist, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s Luan Shaw, Head of Pedagogy and Community Engagement and Katharine Lam, Piano Tutor and Pedagogy Lecturer, Petersson and Jeanette Wong, a pianist from Birmingham Royal Ballet, were invited to speak to over 100 Conservatoire music students with the aim of introducing them to the fascinating world of ballet pianism.

Uptake to join the Placement was large and after an audition process, piano students Connor Wilcox and Yung-Li Chen were selected to take part in the scheme – marking the first collaboration between the two Birmingham-based educational establishments.

Julian Lloyd Webber, Principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, said: “Royal Birmingham Conservatoire pays care and attention to musicians as entrepreneurs, preparing our students for the opportunities and challenges presented by the future of the profession, and with the intention that they leave us as employable music professionals. Unique partnerships such as this one with Elmhurst Ballet School ensure that we are continually fulfilling our promise.

“I am delighted that this partnership with Elmhurst has come to fruition – the combination of some of the country’s best young dancers and pianists working together is simply electrifying, and exemplifies our joint ethos of wanting to further embed ourselves within the city we serve. It is fantastic that the Placement will continue next year and I am excited to see in which other directions our partnership follows.”

Over the last four months, Connor, from Burntisland in Fife, and Yung-Li, from Yilan County in Taiwan, have attended ten programme sessions at the Edgbaston-based ballet school, have observed and played for ballet classes, have spent a day observing pianists at Birmingham Royal Ballet and have benefitted from one-to-one tutorials with Elmhurst’s pianists Mikael Petersson and Elaine Li – both also graduates of the renowned Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, which was granted its Royal title by Her Majesty The Queen in 2017.

Mikael Petersson, Elmhurst’s Music Planning Coordinator and pianist, said: “The art world needs to be accessible to more people, so it’s vital for arts venues, training establishments and artists to reach out to wider audiences. It can begin with projects like the Placement Programme for Pianists, where young musicians meet with young dancers and new ideas are born.

“As a former Conservatoire student, I realised during my student years the importance of establishing a professional network well before the completion of the degree. Finding work is increasingly dependent on an individual’s ability to take initiative and reach out to work places. This scheme facilitates taking those first steps so entering the profession is a little easier. I hope by working together in this way, two of the world’s leading performing arts institutions and their talented students will continue to inspire each other.”

A special exhibition celebrating the work of Sandwell-born cartoon artist Charlie 'Chas' Grigg as an illustrator for The Beano and The Dandy is to be launched in Wednesbury.

The exhibition at Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery, which will highlight his work as illustrator of Korky the Kat and Desperate Dan, will start on Wednesday 4 April and be open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

It will contain artefacts, original drawings, letters, unseen and unpublished images, plus a chance to see video interviews with Charlie who lived in the Rood End area of Langley as a young boy.

Arts officer Alex Howell said: "This is an opportunity for fans of The Beano and The Dandy to find out more about Charlie, the man who drew some of their favourite cartoon characters.

"Visitors will be able to admire some of his brilliant work, including drawings in cartoons and comics and in caricatures."

The exhibition will run until November 2018 before touring in a smaller form around local libraries.

It will be open at Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery on Wednesday and Thursdays from 11am-4pm and on Saturdays from 2-5pm. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing.

During the exhibition run, there will be many other events, such as the launch of the book Our Best Kept Secret written by Billy (Dr Brian Dakin) which tells the story of Charlie's life as well as the project itself.

There will also be an opportunity to buy exclusive commemorative T-shirts produced by Black Country T Shirts.

The exhibition is the latest move to mark the work of Charlie and follows the installation of a blue plaque at Rood End Primary School where he was a pupil in his younger years.

The plaque for Charlie, which describes him as a children's comic illustrator,  celebrates his work for the two comics and describes him as one of the best illustrators in British comics.