The independent charity Crimestoppers is urging anyone who has information about those carrying a gun to tell us 100% anonymously what they know. The appeal is part of a 4-week campaign to make Birmingham’s streets safer.

Throughout 2017, the charity’s UK Contact Centre received nearly 500 pieces of information about gun crime from the public in the West Midlands who trusted us to pass on information. They did so in the certainty that they would always remain anonymous.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that gun crimes are up in England and Wales by 27% in the year to June 2017. Last year a surge in gun crime across Birmingham included incidents such as a drive-by shooting.

Pauline Hadley, West Midlands Regional Manager at the Crimestoppers charity, said: “Like all major cities, Birmingham has its fair share of gun crime and last year saw a particularly worrying rise in gun-related incidents. Join those 500 people who are already helping to keep our streets safe from gun crime, by telling us what you know.

“We urge anyone who has information to come forward and speak to us 100% anonymously. We are a charity giving people the power to speak up to stop crime. We won’t ask your name and we won’t judge. We’ll just listen to what you know. Please speak up and stay safe.”

If you have any information, please contact Crimestoppers charity 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through the non-traceable Anonymous Online Form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

A nursery school has been praised for setting high expectations for children, parents and staff after it was rated Good by Ofsted.

Inspector Heather Simpson visited Phoenix Nursery School in Blakenhall last month and found that Executive Headteacher Susan Lacey, her leadership team and governors "share a clear and ambitious vision" for their school.

Mrs Lacey managed the federation with Ashmore Park Nursery School "seamlessly and without disruption to children or staff", and has used the successful practice at Ashmore Park Nursery to further develop the quality of teaching and raise outcomes for children at Phoenix.

The steps the leadership team have taken have "made a positive difference", accelerating the pace of development and continuing to build on the school's strengths.

The learning environment has been improved with the refurbishment of the main classroom and the creation of additional space, while the quality of teaching has been improved through high-quality training. The governors are "very supportive" and have "invested heavily in improving facilities and teaching".

Teamwork is a strength and morale is high, with staff "proud to work at Phoenix". Children are "happy, safe and well cared for" and enjoy "excellent relationships" with their key workers.

Activities are "well planned and purposeful", and the "very good" ratio of adults to children ensures that all children receive "high levels of nurture and support", meaning they "thrive and get off to a good start in their education". Parents have very positive views of the school and have a good understanding of how well their children are doing.

Ofsted noted that Phoenix Nursery recognises the importance of "high-quality professional development" and strongly promotes this in a number of ways, including forming an international network between four schools in the West Midlands and five pre-schools in Sweden. The school is also taking part in a research project looking at the use of digital technology by young children, which is having a “strong impact" on their skills.

Inspectors also found a strong safeguarding culture within the nursery, with robust procedures in place.

Mrs Lacey said: "I am very proud of the team at Phoenix Nursery School and how the school has been transformed in the three years since the last inspection, both in terms of the environment and the quality of teaching and learning.

"The school is now involved in a further Erasmus research project which will enable the team to work with schools in Romania, Spain and Sweden which we hope will continue to improve the quality of education on offer at Phoenix Nursery School."

Councillor Claire Darke, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Education, said: "I would like to congratulate Susan Lacey and her team on this very positive report which demonstrates the good progress that Phoenix Nursery School is making, and the benefits that its federation with Ashmore Park Nursery is delivering to both schools.

"Good early years’ education is so crucial to the development of our children, and it's fantastic to read that Phoenix Nursery School is providing just that."

More schools in Wolverhampton are now rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted than ever before.

Coventry will be welcoming international businesses including Google, Facebook and Barclays to help Midlands firms boost their digital capabilities at the Department for International Trade (DIT)’s Selling Online Conference next month.

The free event is an opportunity for business owners to learn about a variety of digital-based skills - from cyber security to app development and handling international transactions - through a series of interactive workshops and 1:1s with digital experts. These include representatives from Google, Facebook, Push Marketing, Bing, Marks & Clerk, Western Union, PayPal, parcelhero and Barclays.

The DIT’s Director of Export & Investment Midlands Engine, Simon Hall, will deliver the keynote speech along with Google, Barclays and PayPal to businesses on how they can reach new markets overseas through trading online.

One company taking advantage of online exporting is Northampton-based Stephensons Online Ltd. Established in 2010, they recently celebrated reaching £10million turnover with support from DIT to boost its digital skills. The business, which primarily sells beauty products, started by selling items through an eBay account and now operates a 7,500 sq ft warehouse and receives an order every 20 seconds.

Ian Harrison, Director of Exports, at Department for International Trade, comments: “Selling online allows companies of all sizes to extend their reach around the world and tap into new markets, something that would have taken an extraordinary amount of effort and investment without e-commerce.

“Midlands businesses can register for free and meet with inspirational speakers from the digital world, finding out first-hand what it takes to become a global success. It’s also a great chance to browse our digital expo and network with other businesses exploring the opportunities online.”

Grant Barber, Head of Marketing at Push Group, commented: “Push is a proud partner of the Department of International Trade and, alongside Google, will be bringing the latest in digital marketing innovation and thinking to the Midlands. At the event, we’ll be addressing topics from boosting your online sales with Google Shopping to staying ahead of your competitors through online lead generation, to help attendees understand how online advertising techniques can drive international expansion and navigate business in a digital world.”

The Selling Online Conference is one of a number of key upcoming events that will provide British businesses with the tools and platform to showcase their strengths to the worlds. Over the coming months, DIT will lead a delegation to Mobile World Congress (26^th February – 1^st March) and host the GREAT festival of innovation in Hong Kong (21^st – 24^th March).

The findings of the latest Quarterly Economic Survey (QES), carried out by the Black Country Chamber of Commerce and in partnership with the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), indicate that skills shortages throughout the region are reaching critical levels. For Q4 2017, the number of businesses that reported experiencing recruitment difficulties was 82%, which sees an increase of 25% on the previous quarter.

Of the service sector companies hiring, the number reporting recruitment difficulties rose to 74%, amounting to an increase of 19% on Q3 2017 and 31% on Q4 2016. Furthermore, this current figure sees recruitment difficulties for the service sector standing at the highest level since records began. In particular, managerial and professional positions have proven to be difficult to fill.

In the manufacturing sector, the number of those recruiting who reported greater difficulties is at the highest level since Q4 2014, with figures currently standing at 63%. These latest figures highlight that skilled technical positions were the most difficult to fill for manufacturers, with 58% stating that they had experienced problems in filling these roles within their respective organisations.

However, despite the reported difficulties in recruiting, businesses throughout the Black Country have reported an increase in domestic sales of 5% on Q3 2017, whilst levels of business confidence have risen on the previous year.

Corin Crane, Chief Executive of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, commented: “In recent years, both manufacturers and service sector organisations have consistently informed us of the recruitment difficulties they have experienced. Whilst there is positivity relating to increased levels of confidence, this is something that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency if we are to ensure that the business climate is conducive towards growth.

“As a Chamber, we are working to increase the engagement between businesses and education providers, which we hope may help to address the skills gap. In addition, through our Making The Future campaign we aim to work closely with relevant bodies and stakeholders in order to provide clarity for businesses regarding changes to skills policy.”

Stewart Towe, Chair of the Black Country LEP Board, said: “The Black Country economy continues to grow with the total GVA growing by 2.5% from £19.6bn in 2015 to £20.6bn in 2016. Whilst this growth is great news for the Black Country, surveys such as these show us that there is still work to do and in particular with relation to skills.

“The skills shortage is a key area of on-going development for the Black Country and the LEP has been working hard through programmes such as the Black Country Skills Factory to connect schools and businesses to ensure we are addressing skills shortages across key sectors building a skilled labour force as well as providing expert career advice and pathways for young people in the Black Country.

“We will ensure we make the most of the data shared through the Quarterly Economic Survey to continue to drive forward economic growth across the Black Country.”

With Blue Monday having just passed and Help for Heroes, (H4H), having just released new research about mental health, (below), Veteran Ryan Lewis from Colchester is hoping that by sharing his experiences he will encourage others to come forward.

The former Sergeant served for just under 15 years in the 7th Parachute Royal Horse Artillery; touring Iraq and Afghanistan. The 33 year old, who was born in Germany but grew up in Aldershot, left in 2014 after being admitted to a psychiatric hospital earlier in 2012.

“In 2004 my regiment moved and I found myself in Colchester. I felt incredibly isolated as I was away from my family and had a young family of my own. Trying to balance my job in the army and my life at home was becoming too much. I also started having panic attacks in 2009 and wasn’t sleeping because of nightmares from what I’d seen in Iraq. In 2012 I tried to commit suicide but thankfully stopped myself. It was then that I got admitted to a psychiatric hospital. After being discharged I went back to work but people just didn’t know to handle me. It was when I left the army that I felt lost more than ever”.

Ryan decided to get in contact with Help for Heroes and visited the Recovery Centre near his home in Colchester. After signing up as a Band of Brother he now attends the centre regularly.

“When I first stepped through the doors of Chavasse VC House I didn’t want to mix with anyone. I kept my head down and didn’t want to talk. There was no pressure from anyone though. They just gently let me know that when I was ready they were ready. I started seeing a Psychological Wellbeing Advisor who helped me to see things from a different angle and enabled me to be more proactive when it came to problem solving. I’d had a lot done for me in the army, such as paying bills, so I had to learn how to take responsibility for my own budget”.

He continued: “I immediately saw the benefits and it changed my whole outlook on myself. As I grew stronger I started to talk with other veterans and realised that they had been through similar experiences. It was nice to be able to grab a brew and just be really honest about your feelings. I even took park in the Hero Ride in 2015; a fundraising event which saw 100 injured servicemen and women collectively cover 18,000 miles”.

Although the road to recovery can be long Ryan has come a remarkable way. After responding to a Facebook advert about extras being needed to play soldiers in a TV programme he has now signed up with an agency and has regular extras work. His first job was with Olivia Coleman in the Night Manager but Ryan has also worked on the Netflix Drama The Royals and the Inspector Morse spin-off Endeavour. More recently he has done films with Will Ferrell and Woody Harellson.

“It’s the hardest thing to make that phone call admitting that you need help. You have a fear of rejection or being judged. But nobody does. There is only acceptance. And plenty of others who are going through a similar situation. You feel like you’re the only person in the world feeling like this but you soon realise that’s not the case”.