A special school in Oldbury is thrilled to be benefiting from volunteers from Network Rail who have transformed their school grounds.

The Meadows special school, on Dudley Road East, initially contacted Network Rail to ask for donations of sleepers to use in their memorial garden.

Network Rail responded by sending a team of volunteers who have given the school’s memorial garden a complete make-over.

The memorial garden area of the school was previously inaccessible for pupils and families who are wheelchair users and the school council and parents group wanted to improve access so everyone could have the opportunity to remember those pupils and staff that have passed away.

The team from Network Rail, headed up by Allun Edge, Infrastructure Maintenance Protection Coordinator, provided all of their labour on a volunteer basis, and used part of the ‘5 volunteer days’ that they are entitled to each year to support this worthwhile project.

Sixth Form students at the school kept the volunteers fed and watered providing them bacon and sausage sandwiches and gallons of tea and coffee.

Jo Cliffe, Head Teacher at The Meadows said: “We are absolutely stunned by the work that has been done by this wonderful team of volunteers from Network Rail.

“We would like to thank the Network Rail team for everything they have done and want to welcome them back soon for the official opening ceremony.

“When organisations engage with special schools, it is of benefit to our pupils, but also wider society – helping everyone to understand how important it is to accept diversity and celebrate the individual skills that each of us bring.

“Our pupils, families and the staff team at The Meadows are incredibly grateful for the work that has been undertaken and wish to express their heartfelt thanks for all that has been done in their behalf.”

Allun from Network Rail added: “It was a real pleasure for all of us to visit The Meadows, meet the brilliant pupils and help make the memorial garden a special place for them to enjoy. And those bacon sarnies were amazing!”

Work is still under way to get the garden finished. The school hope to raise some money for the centre piece sculpture by the local artist and sculptor, Luke Perry. This piece of artwork has been designed by Luke, along with the bereaved families, to remember the individual pupils in a personalised manner.

It's all about Christmas at The Glee this December as the famed Birmingham comedy club celebrates the festive season in style, with top-notch comedy line-ups and a luxurious menu.

Perfect for work parties and seasonal treats, December’s three-course meal has been especially designed to cater for a variety of tastes, and kicks off with a Xmas Starter Plater, featuring a selection of meat and fish pate, roast pepper hummus, olives, caramelised onion chutney, focaccia, flat bread and Gressini.

The main course boasts five mouth-watering choices.

For those looking for a traditional festive meal, look no further than the Individual Three Bird Roast: turkey, duck and corn-fed chicken, wrapped in bacon with a cranberry and sage stuffing, served with a cranberry and red wine jus, gratin potatoes and winter vegetables.

Or if you prefer to save your Christmas dinner for December 25, why not opt for Slow Cooked British Pork Belly glazed with an apricot and thyme sauce, or Cod Loin wrapped in smoked salmon with a lemon and basil sauce? They’re both available as gluten-free options too!

There's also Pulled Turkey Burger, with red cabbage and cranberry slaw, topped with a sage and onion stuffing ball and a pig-in-a-blanket, and served with sweet potato fries, plus veggie and vegan options: Grilled Portobello Mushroom and Fried Halloumi Burger (vegetarian) and Grilled Portobello Mushroom and Fried Tofu Burger (vegan). Both come with red cabbage and cranberry slaw, sage and onion stuffing ball and sweet potato fries.

And if you’re still peckish after that seasonal chow-down, head to the festive Dessert Grotto where you’ll find an enticing selection of cheesecakes, tortes, pastries and fresh fruit.

Meanwhile, on stage, enjoy a cavalcade of outstanding comic talent who’ll ensure you’re well entertained, including award-winning Irish podcaster Jarlath Regan, Canadian Dana Alexander, Aussie artist/ comedian Bec Hill, star of cult C4 hit Almost Royal Ed Gamble, and the ever-excellent Zoe Lyons.

But the fun doesn’t stop once the show’s over as The Glee’s resident DJ will keep the party atmosphere going well into the wee small hours.

Prices for The Glee’s Christmas celebrations begin at just £20 (comedy only)/ £35 (comedy and food), with parties running from Thursday 30 November to Saturday 23 December 2017.

The West Midlands’ longest-running comedy venue, The Glee can be found at The Arcadian Centre, Hurst Street, Birmingham B5 4TD.

KIDS across the country are being encouraged to Be Kind in an effort to curb bullying ahead of the Diana Award’s Anti-Bullying Week (13-17 November).

The Be Kind campaign – which aims to inspire kids to Speak Up, Stand Out and Be Kind – launched by ITV’s This Morning Show, is now being strongly supported by the popular stationery and gifts brand Smiggle.

Kids are being invited to visit their local Smiggle store in the West Midlands from Thursday 9th November to pick up a FREE, limited edition Smiggle #BeKind wrist band, to show their support for the cause.

150,000 bands have been produced by Smiggle and will be available across the country for anyone who wants to show their support. Celebrities appearing on This Morning throughout the week will also be showing their support by wearing a Smiggle #BeKind band.

John Cheston, Managing Director of Smiggle, said: “The happiness of our fans means everything to us – after all, Smiggle is where a smile meets a giggle. We want young people to speak out to a trusted adult if they’re being bullied, stand up if they see bullying taking place and choose kindness.

“We are proud to be working with the team at ITV’s This Morning to support the health and happiness of all young people by standing up against bullying.”

This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby said: “We really want this campaign to help children, their families and even bullies themselves to realise what they are doing. How much better would the world be if everyone was just that bit kinder to each other?”

Co-presenter Philip Schofield added: “I’m 100% behind this campaign. I hope we can save young lives and show the bullies how catastrophic one tweet, one snapchat or one text can be.”

This Morning Editor Martin Frizell said: "This Morning's Be Kind campaign has the power to save lives. Every single time somebody stands up to a bully they are stopping the devastating effects bullying can cause. So many children every day suffer in silence.

"We are grateful to Smiggle for their support. Let's all band together and Be Kind to stop bullying."

People taking part in the campaign are being encouraged to wear their free Smiggle wristbands and upload their photos to social media throughout the week to show their support, using the hashtag #BeKind.*

Visitors to the National Sea Life Centre Birmingham are invited to meet Santa in his Antarctic Grotto from the 25th November to 23rd December 2017.

All admission tickets to the popular city centre attraction include the chance to meet Santa stationed with his North Pole neighbours - the Gentoo Penguins - in the Chilly Ice Adventure area.

The centre’s family of Gentoo penguins are a firm favourite amongst visitors of all ages and the lovable waddling birds have expanded their numbers this year with the addition of the aquarium’s first ever baby chicks, born in June.

Plus, don’t miss Sea Life’s underwater Christmas tree located in the amazing 360 Ocean Tunnel, and discover how staff make sure all creatures have a very Merry Fish-mas! All this plus meeting Santa and a free gift from the man himself is included within all admission tickets for the perfect festive experience this holiday season.

Amy Langham, General Manager at the attraction said: “We’re honoured to have Santa choose our family attraction to base his North Pole HQ and look forward to welcoming many guests to experience the chilly Ice Adventure and see the cheeky Gentoo penguins when they meet him this Christmas.”

Plus, if you are looking for a fantastic festive gift, how about a unique VIP Feed experience with some of the centre’s most loved creatures? Prices start from just £65 with Molokai, the Giant Green Sea Turtle. For penguin lovers, there’s the opportunity to feed the adorable Gentoo penguins, firm favourites with visitors at the centre. Alternatively, visitors can brave the sharks and give them their tasty lunch time treats.

Every experience makes a great gift and includes priority admission, a Sea Life goody bag and of course the opportunity to meet an Aquarist and learn more about the lives of some of the ocean’s most fascinating creatures. Get those questions answered that have forever been burning in your mind and discover all about the special diets of the sea creatures.

The UK’s exit from the EU will exacerbate recruitment problems for the veterinary profession, making the placement of vets on the Shortage Occupation List an immediate priority, according to British Veterinary Association (BVA) and Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in their joint response to the Migration Advisory Committee’s Call for Evidence on the impact of the UK’s exit from the EU.

Recruitment and retention of vets has been a growing concern in the UK. The joint submission points to evidence from recent surveys indicating a current workforce shortage of 11% in small animal practice and an overall deterioration in the ability of practices to hire suitably qualified staff (see notes for editors).

There have been previous calls for the profession to be placed on the Shortage Occupation List, which would reduce restrictions on recruiting veterinary surgeons from abroad, and this will become a necessity post Brexit. Following the exit from the EU, existing shortages will likely worsen, whilst changes in trade could increase the demand for veterinary skills, producing a shortfall in the UK’s capacity to ensure animal health and welfare, food safety and public health.

Currently about half of vets registering each year in the UK are graduates from the EU. If there are no appropriate immigration measures in place when the UK leaves the EU, this EU contribution could decline, leaving a large gap in the veterinary workforce. Research among BVA members has indicated that since the EU referendum, about one fifth are reporting that recruitment has already become harder. Whilst a study commissioned by the RCVS has shown that nearly a third of vets and vet nurses whose nationality is non-UK European are considering a move back home.

Although the veterinary profession is relatively small (around 23,000), it performs a range of roles that are vital to the UK’s economy and maintaining standards in society. Agriculture and food production would suffer from a lack of veterinary input, potentially reducing its livestock outputs worth £12.7bn in 2016, whilst the equine industry and aquaculture would also struggle. The companion animal veterinary market, that has a turnover of £3 billion, could experience significant losses due to workforce shortages.

Veterinary surgeons from the EU make a particularly significant contribution to critical roles in public health with estimates suggesting that 95% of Official Veterinarians working in abattoirs are from overseas and the large majority of these are from the EU. Reducing the veterinary presence in slaughterhouses would increase the risk of food fraud, provide the potential for animal welfare breaches and remove a level of public health reassurance.

While the number of UK veterinary graduates has increased year-on-year from the established veterinary schools, with potentially more schools in the pipeline, it is unlikely that UK universities can meet this increased demand in the short timeframe required. BVA, RCVS and Defra recently launched the Veterinary Capability and Capacity Project (VCCP) to help ensure the veterinary sector can continue to play its role in society.

British Veterinary Association Senior Vice President Gudrun Ravetz said:

“Our members have been reporting problems with recruitment and retention of vets for several years and this situation will only worsen under Brexit unless appropriate measures are in place. Vets are vital to our society. Across the UK vets are needed to certify imports and exports, conduct cutting-edge research, prevent disease outbreaks, ensure food safety in abattoirs and achieve our world leading standards in animal welfare.

“We are setting out a very strong case to add the profession to the Shortage Occupation List now to help us manage the immediate shortfall in critical veterinary roles, while the UK negotiates a longer term immigration policy that must meet the UK’s veterinary workforce needs post-Brexit without creating disproportionate administrative burdens for veterinary businesses.”

Chris Tufnell, RCVS Senior Vice-President and Chair of the College’s Brexit Taskforce, said: “The first of our recently published Brexit Principles is that ‘vital veterinary work continues to get done’. In order to ensure this is met we want the Government to recognise that there are significant current and potential shortages in the profession that can only be mitigated by putting it on the Shortage Occupation List so that animal health and welfare and public health is safeguarded.

“Our ideal outcome is that EU veterinary surgeons currently living and working in the UK are allowed to stay indefinitely and that, in terms of any post-Brexit immigration system, graduates of European schools accredited by the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE) are allowed to work here with the minimum of restrictions.”

The results are in for the Safer 6 campaign's third week, which had a special focus on Tipton.

From clean-ups and neighbourhood walkabouts, to speed operations, safety checks and talks at schools on knife crime, road safety and fireworks, the week was packed with activity.

A highlight of the week was a skateboarding event at Victoria Park, Tipton, where a wide range of services and organisations promoted safety, crime prevention, health and careers advice to young people.

The Mayor of Sandwell Councillor Ahmadul Haque MBE, deputy council leader Councillor Syeda Khatun and Tipton town lead member Councillor Ann Jarvis all joined in the event.

Sandwell Crime Prevention Panel volunteers spoke to 84 people, giving out 68 'no caller at the door' cards, 45 security torches/whistles, 39 purse bells, 32 security cords, 11 cycle coding kits and eight personal attack alarms. They also advised young people on mobile phone security.

The cannabis information trailer was there too, with officers giving advice on the risks of growing and using drugs.

The many activities in Tipton during the week including the following:

• Town lead Councillor Ann Jarvis, deputy lead Councillor Bill Cherrington and Councillor Pete Allen joined police and council neighbourhood officers for a speed operation in Toll End Road. More than 200 vehicles were checked, with 10 drivers warned and three speeding tickets issued.
• Fire crews carried out 86 'Safe and Well' visits, offering advice on anything from vehicle safety and smoke alarms to stopping smoking.
• Fire crews gave fire, road, firework and bonfire safety advice to children at Wednesbury Oak and Tameside primary schools. They also visited Burberry Court to offer fire safety advice to residents.
• Police and fire crews supported the Teamworx partnership programme at Malthouse Outdoor Activity Centre, getting young people involved in a range of fun and positive activities.
• The council's road safety officers gave an assembly at Silvertrees Academy and chatted to parents and children about child car seats and gave 'Be Bright/Be Seen' advice at Summerhill Primary, St Paul's CE Primary and Jubilee Park Academy.
• Offenders doing unpaid Community Payback cleaned up rubbish and cleared overgrown areas at Upper Church Lane open space, and joined councillors, neighbourhood officers and police cleaning up Fred Perry Walkway.
• Police talked to pupils at secondary schools and youth groups about the dangers of carrying knives and visited Glebefields Primary and Tipton Green Junior schools to raise awareness about community safety and 'stranger danger'.
• Council neighbourhood officers and Litterwatch held a litter pick on the Tibbington estate. Tipton Local, the council's anti-social behaviour team and police held a litter pick at Arnhem Way/Discovery Close following reports from a councillor. Litter picks were also held in Tipton Green and Jubilee Park.
• Council wardens issued two dog mess fines duing the week, including one at Jubilee Park, Tipton. The other was at Harry Mitchell Park, Smethwick.
• Councillor Bill Cherrington joined a walkabout with police and council neighbourhood officers on the Tibbington estate, chatting to residents about local issues.
• Public health officers held alcohol awareness session at Tipton Local office, talking about safe drinking and encouraging people to sample non-alcoholic beer and wine.
• Police, neighbourhood and anti-social behaviour team officers, the community alcohol awareness team and local councillors held a walkabout in Great Bridge, talking to a number of street drinkers and rough sleepers, seizing alcohol and signposting four people to organisations for support.
• Police held bike security marking and registration sessions at Farmfoods and at the Little Nippers Club at St Mark's Church Hall to help prevent thefts.
• South Staffs Water held a talk at Tipton Muslim Community Centre, helping people find a cheaper tariff.
• Trading standards carried out tobacco and alcohol test purchases. Of the five shops visited for alcohol and seven for cigarettes, none sold to the underage volunteer.
• Police attended a Parenting Pals session at Tipton Christian Church and a community lunch event at Jubilee Community Centre, giving advice on a range of issues.
• Trading standards and neighbourhood officers visited older residents to provide advice on doorstep security and scams.

"Organisations work closely together all year round and these results are just a snapshot of the ongoing efforts to improve the town."