Plans to keep major entertainment events in the City of Wolverhampton that attract thousands of visitors and generate hundreds of thousands of pounds have been announced.

The move comes following the news the Civic Halls will be closed until the Autumn of 2020 for a major £38 million full restoration to create a state-of-the-art venue.

In the meantime, councillors were determined to keep high-profile events in the city rather than risk losing them to other venues.

Full Council has approved that key events already booked in at the Civic Halls for 2018 will now be switched to City of Wolverhampton Council-owned Aldersley Leisure Village (ALV).

This includes the Grand Slam of Darts and a number of premier comedy acts.

The Civic Halls are crucial to the cultural and economic life of the city. The current venue brings in thousands of visitors, directly supports 360 jobs and contributes £4.3m to the local economy.

The ability to switch these events to ALV gives these big acts a home in the City of Wolverhampton until they can return to the Civic Halls.

Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor John Reynolds, said: “The Grand Slam of Darts puts the city on map, is watched by millions of people across the globe, attracts thousands of visitors to the city and brings in thousands of pounds.

“Following the announcement about the Civic Halls, many people told us it would be a disaster to lose these events from the city. We have listened, secured their future, and with it further investment.

“It is great news that we have been able to keep this key event in the city.

“We’re also engaging with local councillors and residents to ensure the events runs as smoothly as possible and any disruption, mainly traffic related, is kept to an absolute minimum.”

PDC Chairman Barry Hearn said: "The bwin Grand Slam of Darts is synonymous with being held in Wolverhampton, and though the Wolves Civic is currently closed it's great that we can keep the tournament within the city.

"We've received great support from fans in the West Midlands and the City of Wolverhampton Council over the past decade, and I'm sure that the Aldersley Leisure Village will prove a popular new home for the event this year."

Customers who had already purchased tickets for Civic Halls events are being kept fully informed about their options. Ticket information for the bwin Grand Slam of Darts will be confirmed in due course.

A new free exhibition revealing the hidden story of how civil engineers transform lives and help safeguard our future is on show at the award-winning Institution of Civil Engineers Infrastructure Learning Hub in London this Easter.

Unveiled to celebrate the ICE's 200th anniversary, 'Invisible Superheroes' uses cutting edge technology to highlight the unsung heroes behind some of the world's most amazing engineering projects.

Designed to appeal especially to young people, the exhibition features real-life engineers as cartoon superheroes on their mission to save the planet from dangers such as climate change, flooding and the spread of disease.

Films, animations, interviews, quizzes and games help bring the untold stories behind incredible feats of civil engineering to life.

There's also the chance to experience a virtual reality dive into world of engineering and visitors can put their own skills to the test by building a bridge or tunnel boring machine.

Earlier this year the Infrastructure Learning Hub (ILH) was recognised as a 'Hidden Gem' visitor attraction by VisitEngland in recognition of the quality visitor experience on offer.

Open to the public at the ICE's One Great George Street headquarters in central London, the ILH is the UK's first learning centre to focus on engineering achievements and its role in tackling global challenges.

“We're proud to bring civil engineering to life at the ILH, not only providing a rich educational experience but a fun and memorable one for visitors of all ages,” said Nathan Baker, Director of Engineering Knowledge at the ICE.

The year-long exhibition is part of ICE's bicentenary celebrations - ICE 200 - with events planned around the UK to showcase and explain civil engineering to the public.

The wait is almost over! Group travel expert Red7 has come one step closer to crowning Britain’s Best Bridesmaid and the competition is fiercer than ever, with nearly 500 nominations received in total.

Brides from across the country nominated the top team players from their #wedsquad and the judges carefully examined every entry. Now, Red7 reveals its seven regional winners in the race for the title.

Not only will the ultimate winning bridesmaid receive the prestigious title of Britain’s Best Bridesmaid (and major bragging rights!), she will also be whisked away on her very own ‘BridesmaidMoon’, a fantastic Red7 cruise to Bruges and Amsterdam.

Introducing Jamie Leigh Branston, the winner for the Midlands. Jamie, from Leicester, earned her place in the final seven by stepping in to save little sister Rachel’s wedding day from disaster.

“Honestly, the day would never have happened without her,” says Rachel, whose wedding day had not one, not two, but three disasters. Jamie, a mum of five who knows how to run a tight ship, was there for her sister every time fate threatened to ruin the special day.

First, the bridal party were left confused when no photographer arrived. Realising that it had been overlooked, Jamie kept her cool and quickly paid for a professional to arrive at the last minute.

Next, Rachel faced every bride’s worst nightmare when her dress tore right before the ceremony. “I was in full scale meltdown mode!” she confesses. It took some time to calm Rachel down, but Jamie was the perfect bridesmaid for the job. After the (understandable) bridezilla moment had passed, Jamie came up with a way of repairing the dress.

With the bridal gown in tact and the photographer booked, Rachel and her bridesmaids set off to the late wedding at speed, hoping that the drama was over for the day. Unluckily, they were so late that the venue tried to refuse to marry the couple.

Rachel thought that her dreams of a happy wedding day were forever dashed, but her big sister was not about to let that happen. Jamie used her gift of the gab to talk the venue into allowing the wedding to go ahead, performing her third miracle of the day. “Not only is she a fantastic sister but she was my absolute outright lifesaver,” says Rachel.

Red7 founder Ian Lucas commented: “Congratulations to our magnificent seven! 

“We are confident that we have selected a dream team that represents the best of British bridesmaids. 

“Jamie’s bridesmaid story stood out for her quick thinking and ability to make the impossible happen – she reminded us of ourselves!”

With innovative thinking, leadership and continued public-private sector collaboration, the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) has a good opportunity to further develop its cruise tourism sector, reports Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty.

However, Commissioner Nicholson-Doty - who held bilateral talks with a number of cruise line executives during last week's Seatrade Cruise Global cruise industry convention - warned that the landscape of the tourism industry continues to be challenging as lines reposition itineraries to the Western Caribbean and passengers demand a greater diversity of experiences.

She noted that during a meeting with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association's (FCCA) top brass, the Ports of the U.S. Virgin Islands was commended for the progress made to implement harbor transportation in the Charlotte Amalie Harbor, which they described as "the single most important thing we can do for cruise tourism on St. Thomas."

The Commissioner reported that the U.S. Virgin Islands was preparing to respond to the trend of purpose-driven travel and voluntourism by rolling out a number of projects that will be available for both cruise ship passengers and stayover visitors.

The Territory will also continue to prioritize providing authentic Virgin Islands experiences for visitors, such as food tours, historical site visits, educational rum distillery tours and the ability to purchase locally made art and products.