Birmingham pianist Lauren Zhang has been named as a finalist in the prestigious BBC Young Musician competition, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2018.

Lauren impressed the judges during the regional auditions in late 2017 and is now one of five musicians to have progressed to the Keyboard Category Final. All five Category Finals – strings, keyboard, woodwind, percussion and brass – will take place in Birmingham between Friday 16 and Tuesday 20 March 2018.

The 16-year-old musician studies at the Junior Conservatoire, part of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, with the music and acting college also hosting the Category Finals of the competition, as well as the Semi Final on Friday 23 March.

The Final will take place at Symphony Hall Birmingham, led by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Mark Wigglesworth. The competition will be broadcast on BBC television and BBC Radio 3.

Lauren Zhang said: “The fantastic musical education, supportive environment and long-lasting friendships that I have made at the Junior Conservatoire have always inspired me and immensely helped my musical development.”

Lauren is taught by Dr Robert Markham at the Junior Conservatoire, who himself was a finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition in 1986, where he was awarded the Piano Prize. Lauren also studies violin at the Junior Conservatoire under Sam Mason.

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Lauren applied for the Junior Conservatoire in 2010 while her mother, Hui, was taking a sabbatical year in Birmingham. Despite planning to return to the USA, after Lauren began working with Dr Markham her family decided to remain in the UK as a result of what Hui calls “the power of music tuition at the Junior Conservatoire.”

Lauren began her piano lessons with Madeline Ignazito in the USA when she was four years old. Since studying at the Junior Conservatoire, Lauren has enjoyed musical guidance under Terry Coulton, Kenneth Hamilton, Madeline Ignazito, and Rebecca Omordia.

The Junior Conservatoire offers specialist training to young musicians between the ages of four and 18 with exceptional potential and the ability to achieve that potential. They train young musicians to a level where they could gain a place at a senior conservatoire or music college, as well as offer preparation for the Associated Board exams to Grade 8 and Diploma levels.

Timothy English, Head of Junior Conservatoire, said:

“It is very exciting that one of our own young musicians has qualified for the Category Finals in one of the first major competitions to be held at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

“Lauren has been a student at the Junior Conservatoire for the past eight years and it has been a great privilege to watch her develop into an extraordinary young pianist. She is a musician of exceptional talent and commitment, and this latest success is richly deserved.”

Lauren achieved distinction in the Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music exam in piano performance and the Licentiate of Trinity College London in violin performance respectively, at the age of 12. She achieved the fellowship of Trinity College London in Piano recital at the age of 13.

Lauren has won many classes at local, regional and national festivals and competitions. In 2016, she was the first prize winner of the 15th Ettlingen International Piano Competition. She was also a prize winner at the Young Pianist of the North International Competition in 2015. She won the first prize of the European Piano Teacher Association (UK) in the 15 years and under category in 2015. She also secured third place in the Beethoven Intercollegiate Junior Piano Competition at the Austrian Cultural Forum London in 2015.

In 2016, Lauren was awarded the first prize in the prestigious Emanuel Piano Trophy which is open to the winner of the top senior piano award at any music festival held in the previous year.

The competition was adjudicated by Christopher Elton, Professor Emeritus of the Royal Academy of Music, who said of her performance of Ravel:

“She played a remarkable ‘Scarbo’ and was really impressive – not just her virtuosity, but the ability to make the piece sound ‘French’ and to play with subtlety.”

Lauren is interested in history, biology and physics and in her spare time she enjoys reading, fencing and chamber music.

BBC Young Musician is a part of the BBC’s ongoing commitment to supporting and providing a platform for new and emerging talent.

Part of Birmingham City University, the new £57 million Royal Birmingham Conservatoire which opened in the Eastside region of the city last September, will also welcome the BBC Young Musician Jazz Award Final in 2018.

Launched three years ago, the BBC Young Musician Jazz Award runs alongside the established classical music format and aims to showcase another group of exceptional young musicians to audiences across the UK. Current Royal Birmingham Conservatoire student Elliott Sansom reached the finals in 2016.

Nominations are now open for the Wednesbury Community Awards - a chance to celebrate Wednesbury people who help improve the town.

It's an opportunity for local people to be recognised for their outstanding contributions to the town and its people.

The Wednesbury Community Awards Panel is seeking nominations for six categories to recognise the work of people in the community and voluntary sector in the Friar Park, Wednesbury North and Wednesbury South wards.

The categories are: Outstanding Volunteer Award, Outstanding Young Person Award and Outstanding Good Neighbourhood Award, for someone who has helped their neighbours.

There is a Community Project Award, for a scheme that has made a difference in the town, and a Community Special Ward for an individual who has contributed positive lifelong service.

The Outstanding Partnership Award is for someone (or a group) where partnership working has made a positive contribution to local people.

To nominate local people, go to the awards website www.wednesburycommunityawards.com by 23 February.

Councillor Pam Hughes, town lead member for Wednesbury, said: “This awards scheme is an excellent way of rewarding people for the outstanding work that they do in the town.

“Wednesbury has a great tradition for community-minded people getting involved in voluntary work and the panel is anxious to recognise the work they do as individuals or in a group.

“People who have been helped by these hard-working volunteers should get involved in the scheme and nominate those they believe should be recognised.  We hope that there will be a good response to this to mark the excellent work done in the town by so many community-minded townspeople.”

Selected finalists will be invited to an awards evening to be held on Thursday 15 March at Wednesbury Town Hall.

Trailblazing women who successfully fought for the right to vote have been honoured in a life-size paper tribute handcrafted in the UK to mark 100 years of women’s suffrage.

Students on Birmingham City University’s Design for Performance course used 1,600 metres of brown paper and 500 metres of corrugated cardboard to craft an exhibition which features key figures from the Suffragette movement in the run up to the 1918 Representation of the People’s Act – which first handed women the vote in the UK.

Among the iconic characters on show are Christabel Pankhurst – daughter of perhaps the movement’s most famous name Emmeline Pankhurst – Flora Drummond who was nicknamed ‘the General’, and Ethel Smyth who was famed for conducting protests from her window using a toothbrush.

It also includes a full-scale horse and carriage being drawn through the streets of Georgian London, an act of civil disobedience, as a protester throws a stone through a shop window while two policemen look on, and a Suffragette who has chained herself to the railings of a government building.

The installation comes almost 100 years to the day (6 February1918) that the Act was first passed and at a time when women’s rights are in the spotlight following the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements and the Presidents Club Charity Dinner scandal.

Students were given three weeks working around the clock to produce the exhibition which will be open to the public from tomorrow (Wednesday January 31) to Friday February 16 at the University’s Parkside Building.

Eleanor Field, who teaches the module at Birmingham City University, said: “For centuries, it has been a given that, in moments of sharp civic discontent, you and I and everyone we know can take to the streets, demanding change.

“People, often against tremendous odds, answer a call to show up and be counted for what they believe in.

“To celebrate 100 years of certain women getting the vote, the students chose to focus the installation on The Suffragettes and the lengths they went to make their voices heard.

“With links to modern day movements and protests the students have been keen to explore how, with the current state of the world, it is important to be inspired by The Suffragettes and have the courage to stand up for what we believe in and that there is still work to be done if this world is going to be a fairer place.”

The exhibition commemorates the prominent figures in the movement during 1918 and even has a nod to the Cat and Mouse Act which the government introduced in 1913 in a bid to counteract the hunger strike protests of imprisoned activists.

Student Becks Hazell said: “It’s pretty hectic and you end up finding brown paper everywhere in your life. In your pockets, in your hair - it follows you everywhere.

“The theme is great timing with it being the anniversary. But even then, that first step was only for women over 30 who were married, so there was still some way to go.”

First-year students were initially given the idea of ‘protest’ to base their exhibition around and after discussions opted to commemorate the centenary of women’s suffrage.

Student Peter Hollands said: “When the theme of ‘protest’ came up, it seemed like a no brainer to pick the Suffragettes with it being the anniversary. With everything that is going on at the moment we are still seeing women’s protests right now and unfortunately it’s problem something we’ll still be seeing in another 100 years.”

Student Willow Smith said:  “Because it’s such a serious and important theme you want to make sure you do it justice. These are real people from history that you’re modelling so you have to make sure things are correct and that everything is accurate.

“We’re all so used to seeing people and human form that it’s easy to spot a mistake, so we’re spending a lot of time making sure all the body shapes and movements of the active models look right.

“We’ve had a lot of late nights, staying at university until 11pm working and ordering pizzas because you have to give 100 per cent to a theme like this.”

According to Lloyd’s of London boss, Igna Beale, Brexit negotiations are causing anxiety for UK businesses, many of whom “can’t live with this uncertainty”. As pressure mounts on central government to provide increased clarity relating to Brexit, the Black Country Chamber of Commerce have announced they have received funding from the European Commission to deliver the Europe Direct Information Centre (EDIC) for the Black Country, a local information contact point relating to Europe and the ongoing Brexit negotiations.

Furthermore, during the Brexit negotiation process, the Centre will work to ensure that businesses and residents of the Black Country are kept up-to-date with the latest developments through a series of events and workshops, as well as dedicated newsletters.

“Locally, business confidence in the Brexit negotiations has been relatively low, and this lack of confidence has led to nervousness about exporting and importing, both inside and outside of Europe. As part of our manufacturing campaign, Making the Future, Black Country businesses stressed the importance of clarity on future trading relationships and post-Brexit immigration policy. Hopefully, the information provided as part of our EDIC programme can deliver the clarity over our future relationship with the EU that local businesses and residents desperately need.”

Helen Tomblin and Jamie Bloomfield, who are part of the team that have delivered Make, Move & Munch Clubs across Sandwell since 2016 have been recognised for their work working alongside the National Charity Partnership, a partnership between Tesco, Diabetes UK and British Heart Foundation. The Make, Move & Much Clubs are a programme where mums are supported and motivated to improve their health through physical activity and healthy eating.

Helen was honoured with the Working in Partnership award and Jamie received the Most Improved Use of PR at the third annual National Charity Partnership Awards - a black tie event at the Riverside Park Plaza hotel in central London on Thursday 25 January 2018.

Helen who works for Accord Group has transformed the way Make, Move & Munch Clubs are delivered in Sandwell to ensure a lasting legacy. She commissioned five different local providers, trained them and has since led the team to outstanding results. In 2017, 170 clubs were delivered with 700 people taking part.

Jamie who works for Groundwork West Midlands (one of the five providers who deliver the Clubs) embraced a new approach to increase the profile of the Clubs which were funded by the National Charity Partnership. He coordinated a successful taster event with several local partners and secured TV coverage in the West Midlands. Furthermore, he rose to the challenge of his first media interview hitting all the key messages with confidence.

Mr Bloomfield said “I’m very proud to win this award. I felt it was important to provide an opportunity for the delivery partners and funders to work together on an event that would really demonstrate to the public what fantastic work everyone was doing on MMM. It was an extremely successful programme that made a huge difference to many people’s lives and made a lasting impression on the public’s health going forward.”

Ms Tomblin said “I am delighted to have won the award for ‘Partnership Working’ but credit must also go to those I have working in partnership with; our programme delivery partners Kaleidoscope Plus Group, Complete Kidz, Ideal for All, Groundwork, and My Time Active. We have also continued to develop strong relationships with Sandwell Public Health enabling us to build on the legacy of the National Charity Partnership and secure more programmes with the Sandwell Learning Communities in 2018. On Friday, Accord are very excited to be holding a dissemination event with Public Health England which will bring together all the learning, as we continue to explore how we develop this work further across the West Midlands.”

Jenna Hall, Director of National Charity Partnership said “I’m delighted that Helen and Jamie have been recognised for all the hard work they have contributed to making a success of the partnership. This dedication, enthusiasm and creativity has seen not only local families engaged but also the wider public and I’m excited to hear their contribution to changing health behaviours in Sandwell will continue in 2018.”

BRITISH lovebirds will be nesting at home for Valentine’s Day this year, according to new research. A survey of 1,012 UK adults carried out by lighting store, LED Hut, found that 52% are planning on staying at home for their date this Valentine’s Day.

Cooking and enjoying a meal (45%) topped the list as the number one thing to do at home for couples on Valentine’s Day.

This was closely followed by watching a movie, with 38% of the votes.

33% of those surveyed said listening to music was what they plan to do when staying in with their sweetheart.

Not as popular as music, but remaining in the top five, making cocktails came in fourth place (29%).

And more than 1 in 5 (21%) said that they play a board game when at home with their significant other on Valentine’s Day.

Paul Garner, Ecommerce & Marketing Director at LED Hut commented: “Ahead of Valentine’s Day, many partners have already started to think of how to sweep their loved one off their feet, which is great to see. Whilst going out is always going to be a popular option, many Brits want to add their own unique touches, and what better place to do so than in their own homes?

“This trend is being prompted by Netflix, boxsets and the fact that it is taking people longer to get on the property ladder, which means it is becoming more customary for people to spend time together at home.”

Paul continued “By planning ahead and setting a romantic mood using everything from the food served to special mood lighting, the perfect atmosphere can easily be created for your admirer in the home. Valentine’s Day is a great time to show your other half just how much they mean to you and how much you value them, which is why staying at home is now such a popular option.”

Cost was also an important factor when it comes to deciding to stay at home, as 34% of Brits said it was less expensive than going out.

The data also revealed that this trend of staying in at Valentine’s Day is most prevalent amongst a younger demographic of those aged 18 – 24 years old.