Three West Midlands apprentices received a special accolade when they attended the House of Commons for an event showcasing the vibrant pub, bar, brewing and casual dining sectors during National Apprenticeship Week.

Over 100 apprentices aged between 16 and 59 were invited to attend the event, but only nine of those were nominated by their employer to receive a Certificate of Outstanding Recognition for making a significant impact during the course of their learning.

Three of those were from the West Midlands:

·      Ben Shaw, apprentice kitchen manager at owned Toby Carvery in Norton Canes was nominated by his employer Mitchells & Butlers

·      Vickie Craig, from JJ's in Coventry, nominated by Deltic

·      Dave Albon, a 59 year old apprentice chef from the Brasshouse in Birmingham, nominated by the Stonegate Pub Company

The apprentices were presented with their certificates by Andrew Griffiths MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility.

Delighted to receive his award, Ben said: “I want to do my level four, work my way up in the business and get myself to a place where I can open my own restaurant.

I have real career aims and goals. Every day I wake up with a bit more of a drive to do better in life.

"When I first started my job, I was 21 stone. I worked for a year and I lost 10 and a half stone. It made me feel 100 per cent better and more confident in what I wanted to do with life. It just made me feel like a better person in general. Once I had done all my courses I realised I wanted to do cooking. I am hands on and hospitality was right for me. My mum has worked in the hospitality trade for 10-12 years and she is now in a team leader role at the same place as me. I work with my sister as well.

“The passion of wanting to be better has made me work harder, more efficiently and has made me lose my weight. I just worked harder. Instead of scrubbing the floor in 10 minutes, I’d do it in five; instead of pot washing down in 20 minutes, I’d do it in 10. That intensity of going faster and harder made me lose my weight.”

At 59, Dave was the oldest apprentice at the event. He said: “We're learning about back-of-house leadership and it has definitely improved what I am doing. It brings everything back and hones in on the major things. I would recommend becoming and apprentice to both junior and senior colleagues because it is something you are doing to learn and being paid to do it at the same time.”

This was the second Apprenticeship Showcase event organised by the Perceptions hospitality industry group, which saw over 100 MPs in attendance, as well as 30 employers from the hospitality industry and Great British Bake Off star Candice Brown, who challenged MPs to 'have a go' at whipping, whisking, pint pulling and wine tasting.

Chairman of the Perceptions hospitality industry group and CEO of multi-award winning Beds & Bars, Keith Knowles, said: “Showcasing our industry to government and demonstrating the vast opportunities from kitchen and bar roles to those in marketing and finance, highlights the diversity of our vibrant sector.

"It is not unusual for our apprentices to start at grass roots on minimum wage and progress to senior management positions. For young people, career progression can be rapid, with many progressing to a management role within three years.”

The hospitality sector supports 2m jobs, represents 10% of UK employment, 6% of businesses and 5% of GDP. It is the third largest private sector employer - double the size of financial services and bigger than automotive, pharmaceuticals and aerospace combined. The sector is forecast to grow by 4.3% creating 19,000 more jobs by 2020.

The first city-wide celebration of oysters will take place in London from Saturday 21 to Sunday 29 April 2018.

London Oyster Week will see venues across the capital joining together to demystify oysters and raise awareness of the benefits of eating them, as well as raise funds for oyster education and restoration.

Over 25 restaurants, bars and pubs – including Bentley's, Wright Brothers, Noble Rot, Northbank, and the Hawksmoor group – will develop featured oyster dishes and serve special oyster-matched drinks and cocktails, designed with event sponsors, to encourage customers to try oysters, and help them understand the environmental and health benefits.

Select venues will also be hosting feature events, including exclusive masterclasses, oyster roasts, film screenings and oyster mixology.

London Oyster Week has been founded by Katy Davidson, an oyster evangelist whose passion has seen her convert thousands of doubters to become oyster-lovers at food festivals and events throughout the UK.

“I'm so excited to be organising London's first oyster week, and I'm ready to incite an oyster revolution by helping people see just how delicious this food can be,” said Katy.

“There are so many incredible ways to eat oysters, be it raw, cooked, or even in cocktails – which is why we're delighted to be partnering with Remy Cointreau and their fantastic spirits brands. I want to make sure everyone has an opportunity to try oysters, and it's a joy to be able to do this while raising important funds for The Oyster Academy International.”

The Oyster Academy International is a community interest company dedicated to formalising and promoting oyster culture around the world, while fundraising to support the oyster industry, education programmes, and restoration efforts.

Katy continued, “Farmed rock oysters are a prolific, sustainable, ethical and delicious foodstuff in the UK, yet wild native oyster populations are close to extinction. They need our help, as they are a keystone species and have a positive impact on the environment.”

Oyster Passports are available to purchase on the London Oyster Week website (londonoysterweek.co.uk/oyster-passports), which will entitle holders to exclusive offers at venues across the city. Noble Rot, for example, is offering two Maldon Rock Oysters with a glass of Muscadet Sèvre et Maine for £10, as well as developing a special Rock Oyster Raveneau dish, which combines oysters with the flavours described in the tasting notes of a vintage Chablis from Domaine Raveneau.

Other venues have tapped into London's historical connection with oysters, such as Three Cheers Pub Co., who will be adding a traditional steak and oyster pie to the menu at its pubs throughout London, including The Bolingbroke in Battersea and The Abbeville in Clapham.

Passport holders will also receive preferential rates on the feature events programme and exclusive offers from event partners and sponsors.

The first confirmed feature event will take place at Northbank on Tuesday 24 April, and is a special opportunity to try as many different oysters as can be sourced, all under one roof. Oyster farmers from the UK and Ireland will be attending with their produce, and ticket holders will be treated to all you can eat oysters, and some very special drinks and cocktails from sponsors Remy Cointreau, Bruichladdich and Mount Gay Rum.

Richard Corrigan, chef patron of Corrigan Restaurants, which operates Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill, said: “We are passionate about oysters, and we shuck around 1,000 a day from sustainable sources in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

“We're delighted to be working with London Oyster Week – it's wonderful to be part of something that will only increase the popularity of oysters, as well as raise awareness of their incredible health and environmental benefits.”

Further details on the feature events programme will be announced in the coming weeks via the London Oyster Week website: www.londonoysterweek.co.uk.

A dog breeder from Coventry, West Midlands has won the Kennel Club Breeders’ Competition at Crufts, the world’s greatest dog show.

Margaret Anderson whose team comprised Zentarr Brockman handled by Margaret, Champion Zentarr George handled by Leah Scales, Zentarr Matthew handled by Beverley Manners and Croatian Champion Zentarr Tobias handled by Belinda Yaxley, won the ultimate breeder’s title with their team of Lhasa Apsos in front of a packed Genting Arena at the NEC, Birmingham. The team beat 31 other breeders to win the competition.

Judge Ronnie Irving selected Margaret’s team of Lhasa Apsos for the prize as the breeder with the best overall quality evident in their dogs.

Margaret will be familiar to dog lovers, as her Champion Zentarr Elizabeth was crowned as Crufts Best in Show winner in 2012. All four dogs in this year’s Crufts team are descended from the famous Elizabeth – her son, grandson and two great grandsons, all bred under Margaret’s Zentarr kennel name.

Speaking about her win, Margaret said: “I am always shocked when I win anything. When we were shortlisted among the final ten teams, I said I was more than satisfied with that. However, then the judge walked towards us and I couldn’t believe it. I thought all the ten final teams had some stunning dogs – it was a great honour to win against such beautiful examples of their breed. One of our handlers, Leah, is only 14 years old and it was super to see how much she enjoyed the whole experience.”

Reserve best breeder was awarded to Ruth Gee from Worksop, Nottinghamshire with her team of Norfolk Terriers which she breeds under the Watercroft kennel name.

The competition, sponsored by Agria Pet Insurance, made a welcome comeback at the show last year as a stand-alone competition. Each team comprised three or four dogs of one breed, all bred by the same breeder or breeding partnership.

Gerald King, Crufts Chairman, said: “We are very pleased for Margaret on her excellent achievement. She and Ruth are clearly both very talented breeders. Their dogs are a testament to each of their breeds, and it is fantastic to celebrate the time and effort they put into developing sound breeding practices to produce healthy and happy dogs for the show ring.”

Birmingham’s first female councillor was honoured by having a room at the Council House dedicated in her name.

Ellen Pinsent was elected as a Liberal Unionist councillor for Edgbaston on 1 November 1911, a ward she served for two years, during which she chaired the council’s Special School Sub-Committee.

Honorary Alderman Theresa Stewart, the city’s first female Leader (1993-99), unveiled the Ellen Pinsent Room (formerly Committee Room 1), watched by Dame Ellen’s great-grandson Randal Keynes plus staff and children from Dame Ellen Pinsent School in Kings Heath.

Cllr Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “It’s fitting that we are honouring the first female elected councillor in Birmingham on International Women’s Day – and that the ceremony was overseen by her family and the city’s first female Leader.

“The Ellen Pinsent Room will be a place where the city’s notable women – and their achievements – can be rightly recognised.”

Alongside Dame Ellen’s pictures, there are portraits of Suffragist Catherine Osler, President of the Birmingham Women’s Suffrage Society, and Louisa Ryland, who donated much of Birmingham’s parklands to its citizens, alongside photos of female councillors and Lord Mayors taken in February, to mark the centenary of the Representation of the People Act 1918.

Mr Keynes, who is a conservationist and author, said: “I’m so pleased to see this room renamed as the Ellen Pinsent Room, after my great grandmother. She was passionate about her work for the people of Birmingham as a councillor, and from her teens she felt a passion about women taking their part in the management of Government’s social issues and tackling them.

“I think she would’ve been very pleased that it’s part of the celebration of the 100 years since the vote for women. Certainly, she would have been so grateful to be remembered in this way on International Women’s Day."

Many tourism stakeholders, both from the private or public sector were disappointed when the new secretary-general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili, canceled the annual meeting at ITB of the World Tourism Network on Child Protection. The group had met since 1995 at every ITB.

This disappointment, however, turned into a good day on Friday when it comes to child protection after all. Not only did SKAL International sign THE CODE, but the first meeting of a special interest group on child protection met at ITB Berlin today. This special interest group for child protection was formed under the umbrella of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP).

Juergen Steinmetz, chairman of ICTP and publisher of the eTN Group of publications, is a long-time member of this group and responded to UNWTO’s cancellation in forming a special interest group on child protection. This group and those interested in child protection today met in Berlin at ITB. The event was hosted by Deepak R. Joshi, CEO of the Nepal Tourism Board, at their stand.

Steinmetz said: “I am very pleased to see such a great response to our call for a meeting here at ITB. I would like to thank our friends at the Nepal Tourism Board for their support in hosting our meeting today and hope this will be only one of many more.

“We will provide our own stand at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai and IMEX in Frankfurt for the Special Interest Group on Child Protection to meet.

“I hope the new UNWTO leadership will cooperate with our effort on this important initiative. I am pleased to hear child protection will be on the agenda set by the UNWTO Secretary-General for the upcoming executive council meeting of the Americas.

“Finally, I am encouraging anyone wanting to add to our initiative or send us statements, best practices, and news on child protection to do so. It’s important for the world to stay informed and allow good initiatives to be repeated.”

Joanna Rubinstein from Childhood USA related: “There is a great momentum after the Solutions Summit to End Violence Against Children in Stockholm last month. Around 60 governments participated in the meeting that was hosted by the Swedish government and the Prime Minister and HM Queen Silvia, the founder of Childhood. Also the DSG of the UN, Amina Mohammed, joined the meeting together with the new heads of UNICEF and WHO.

Penn Library has reopened to the public following recent improvement works.

The £60,000-plus investment by the City of Wolverhampton Council has seen the library redecorated and its back office space reconfigured to create a new community lounge and meeting room.

The layout of the main library area has also been reviewed to make better use of the space, while old shelving has been replaced.

Councillor John Reynolds, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for City Economy, said: "This improvement work at Penn Library is further evidence of our commitment to developing a strong and sustainable library network for the people of Wolverhampton by creating modern and vibrant community assets.

“It has made Penn Library much more community-orientated and will hopefully increase the number of people who are able to make use of this vital facility on a regular basis.

“This work was carried out in response to feedback from local people which we received during the development of our 10-year strategy for Wolverhampton’s libraries, and I would like to thank customers for bearing with us while these improvements were completed.”

Penn Library is at the junction of Penn Road and Coalway Avenue. Its normal opening hours remain the same – these are Tuesdays 9am-1pm and 2pm-5pm, Thursdays 10am-1pm and 2pm-6pm, Fridays 9am-1pm and Saturdays 9am-1pm and 2pm-4pm.

An official reopening event will be held on Tuesday 20 March, 2018, at 3pm.