With some 90,000 people expected to line the streets of Digbeth, the annual noon day confetti blast will, as always, signal the start of this year’s St Patrick’s Day Parade which will see Irish dancers to Caribbean dancers, Welsh dragons to Chinese dragons, ready for another fun filled festival celebrating the culture and diversity of Birmingham.

This vibrant fun filled festival celebration of multiculturalism – on Sunday March, 11, will see the parade taking its annual route from Camp Hill through to Digbeth – with an added bonus!

The organising committee of Birmingham’s much anticipated St. Patrick’s Festival, in partnership with Kiely Bros, are calling on the city’s community – as one - to join them in celebrating Mother’s Day at the St. Patrick’s parade this year with a host of activity geared around celebrating mothers.

This year’s Festival theme is ‘Celebrating Iconic Women of Birmingham and Ireland’ and in-keeping with the theme, and the fact that the parade falls on Mother’s Day this year, the Festival team have launched a competition to find Birmingham’s Best Mum, which will see one lucky mother winning a VIP package on parade day.

Festival organisers are also inviting people to celebrate the most iconic women in their lives by spoiling their mums with a special message and well wishes that will be displayed on banners and large media screens on the day.

Leiths have announced that City Harvest will be their Charity of the Year for the second year in a row.

"The charity do incredible work rescuing delicious surplus food from supermarkets and restaurants and delivering it to the hungry, so it's wonderful to be able to offer continuing support."

"As usual, we'll be raising money at our annual Canapé Party in March, but we're also trying something new!"

The Foodie Family Parent and Child Cookery Day will be held on Friday 24th August 2018, and for every child that enrols, Leiths will donate £10 to City Harvest.

Parents get to spend time in the Leiths kitchens with their little food lovers, and their donation will deliver 40 nutritious meals to those in need.

A new campaign to help prevent electoral fraud has been launched ahead of May’s local elections by the Electoral Commission, with the support of Crimestoppers, the independent crime reporting charity, and the Cabinet Office.

The ‘Your vote is yours alone’ campaign materials depict different types of electoral fraud offences taking place in a polling station or in someone’s home as they complete their postal vote. They are designed to empower voters to protect their vote and report any concerns about possible fraud to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their anonymous online form which can be found at crimestoppers-uk.org.

Local authorities have been provided with resources – including videos, posters and a leaflet – which they can use in their local areas.

Claire Bassett, Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission, said:

“Whether you are voting in person at a polling station on 3 May or completing your postal vote at home, it’s important your vote is yours alone. No one should feel pressured to vote a certain way. While proven cases of electoral fraud are rare, it remains a serious crime and those who commit it can be sentenced to time in prison.”

Mark Hallas, Chief Executive of the charity Crimestoppers, said:

“Our democracy has taken shape over centuries and all of us should be aware that a tiny minority of people may try to thwart the outcome for their own personal gain. Electoral fraud jeopardises our tradition of free and fair elections, which is why we are delighted to be involved in this important campaign.

“By highlighting the risks, we can ensure the public’s trust in our country’s electoral process is maintained. We urge people to contact our charity 100% anonymously if they know of someone committing electoral fraud.”

What constitutes electoral fraud is not always well understood by voters. For example, some people may not think that interfering with a relative’s vote could be a criminal offence. Previous research conducted on behalf of the Electoral Commission found that language barriers and a lack of awareness or understanding of how the UK’s electoral system works can make people more vulnerable to electoral fraud. This research also suggested that these factors could disproportionately affect specific groups including women in particular communities.

The Commission is committed to overcoming this and to helping women, from all communities, to understand that it is their vote and their vote only. As part of this effort, posters and the leaflet have been translated in Punjabi, Urdu and Bengali.

All resources have been developed with support and advice from a number of local authorities who have experience of managing an increased risk of electoral fraud in their area.

Robert Connelly, Head of Electoral Services at Birmingham City Council, said:

“Along with a number of other local authorities, Birmingham has been working with the Electoral Commission on the best ways to raise awareness of the potential for electoral fraud. It is an important national issue and it is important that we play our part in increasing awareness and letting people know what to do if they have concerns.

“While we must point out that it is just a very small number of people who would contemplate doing anything illegal around voting, it is important that people know that their vote is theirs alone and this campaign should go a long way to re-assuring people that allegations of fraud will be treated seriously.”

Electoral fraud data and the Electoral Commission’s work with the police

Allegations of electoral fraud reported to the Electoral Commission by police forces across the UK show that in 2017:

• Police forces investigated 336 cases of alleged electoral fraud. Of these, 104 alleged cases related to voting offences and 36 related to registration offences.
• One allegation of personation in a polling station led to one successful prosecution and conviction.
• Two suspects accepted police cautions in relation to personation when voting by post and four suspects accepted cautions in relation to registration offences.

It’s your chance to show your mum just how much she means to you. And this year we’re happily reminding you that Mother’s Day will fall on this Sunday, March 11.

For those with mothers the period leading up to it can be panicky, because the date changes every year – leading to a sickening dread you might miss it.

The event always falls on a Sunday because it’s technically known as ‘Mothering Sunday’ in the United Kingdom.

Have a ‘Happy Mother’s Day!’

The first elected Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, visited the Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham, to meet the families of seriously ill children staying at the ‘home away from home’ accommodation.

In 2017, over 1,000 families stayed at the House, free of charge, while their children were being treated in nearby Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Mr Street met current residents and the team at the Ronald McDonald House, who work around the clock 365 days a year to provide vital accommodation for the families.

The Mayor said: “It was great to see the fantastic work done by the brilliant volunteers and fundraisers at the Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham. They give a first class welcome to the West Midlands to all the families that use the House every day of the year.”

Doug Wright, Chair of the Board of Governors at the Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham said: “We are delighted that the Mayor has taken the time to visit us so he could see the great work and passion of the team here at the House. The House is heavily funded by donations from the community, from kids raising a few pounds for their sponsored PJ Day at school, to large corporate donations.  This House is vitally important and gives all our families the peace of mind they need.”

Ronald McDonald House Charities provides free accommodation to families of children receiving treatment at specialist Children’s Hospitals across the UK. The 14 Houses across the UK offer somewhere for families to cook their own meals, sleep in their own ensuite bedrooms, and to get valuable respite whilst being able to remain close to their children who are being treated in specialist hospitals.