Back in 2008, Victoria Ganderton was 36 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with an aortic dissection. The aorta is one of the body’s major blood vessels and so when doctors diagnosed heavily-pregnant Victoria as having an aortic dissection the doctors had to act quickly. Of all people who have aortic dissections, 50% die before making it to hospital and of those who do make it to hospital, 50% will not recover.

Amazingly, Victoria had been walking around for ten days before she was correctly diagnosed. After the diagnosis she was immediately taken off for an emergency caesarean. Victoria said: “I got to spend ten minutes with my son Jack and husband Leigh before having open heart surgery under the care of the amazing, late Professor Bonser at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.”

The operation was a success and after a long period of recuperation, Victoria was able to return home to her family. Victoria had follow-up surgery in 2013 and final open heart surgery in 2014. During the course of this operation, Victoria’s kidneys failed, her lungs went into respiratory shock, she contracted pneumonia and her heart began to fail.

Victoria’s life was saved thanks to the ECMO machine at QEHB, one of the few hospitals in the UK to have one, which performs the role of the heart and lungs in order to keep the patient alive. Victoria spent a month in a coma and a total of 56 nights in intensive care. This long period of recuperation was made far easier by the staff at the hospital, Victoria said: “There is nowhere in the world where such care and compassion is shown by all staff, from surgeons to nurses to porters and cleaners. They never failed to greet me with a smile and bring a little light to my days.”

Nearly three years on, Victoria’s husband Leigh is taking on the 100-mile Velo Birmingham cycling challenge, the first closed-road cycling race in the area, this September.

Leigh will be cycling for QEHB Charity alongside England cricketing legend Ashley Giles. Both men have been inspired to take part in Velo Birmingham after the treatment that their wives have received at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

Ashley Giles and his wife Stine set up The Giles’ Trust, part of QEHB Charity, after Stine was successfully treated for brain tumours at QEHB on two separate occasions. Stine said: “It is wonderful to see that other people have been motivated to take part in fundraising events after their loved ones have been treated here at QEHB. I wish Leigh all the best for his training and I look forward to seeing him cycling alongside Ashley on the day itself.”

Leigh is busy preparing for the challenge and said: “I’m really looking forward to cycling for QEHB Charity and raising money to support the amazing research and work that goes on at the hospital. The care that they gave Victoria was nothing short of incredible and it’s really nice to give something back.”

Regional law firm FBC Manby Bowdler, which has offices in Wolverhampton, Willenhall, and Shropshire, is the official legal partner of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, where Ashley is Sports Director, and is supporting the cycling event.

Adam Wilson, an Associate in the Serious Injury and Clinical Negligence Team at FBCMB said: “Leigh is a close friend of mine and knowing about his wife’s treatment and the firm’s links with the cricket club, we wanted to sponsor the challenge.

“The treatment that QEHB provides to people in our region and beyond is nothing short of amazing so we’re delighted to support the fundraising effort for the hospital.”

Cathryn Worth, fundraising manager for QEHB Charity said: “Velo Birmingham promises to be a brilliant day and it will be great to know that Leigh and Ashley are there cycling with the other QEHB Charity cyclists. They’ve both got amazing stories to tell and I know that they’re making their wives very proud. Our thanks also go to FBC Manby Bowdler for their support.”

One in four (24 per cent) parents with school age children have either bought or rented a new property in order to secure an address within their desired school catchment area, according to new research from Santander Mortgages.

The study also found that those families willing to move are prepared to spend a 12 per cent premium for their desired catchment area, equivalent to an extra £26,800 in the current property market. This is just under the average full-time salary in the UK, which currently stands at £28,213.

Parents are going to great lengths to be within these sought-after catchment areas, with their sacrifices going far beyond financial. A fifth (20 per cent) of those who moved changed jobs, while 20 per cent say they were forced to downsize and 19 per cent moved to an area where they did not feel safe. One in four (25 per cent) admit they overstretched themselves, paying more for the property than they could realistically afford and 26 per cent moved to a location that was far away from family or friends.

The bank’s study suggests that the moves made by many of these families are temporary, with only 26 per cent planning to continue living in the area once their child leaves school. More than four in 10 (44 per cent) of those who moved to be within a catchment area said they will leave as soon as their child has secured a place. This figure rises to two thirds (66 per cent) for parents in London.

Amongst families who have moved to be within their desired catchment area, 51 per cent said they had sold their previous property and purchased a new one within their chosen area. Three in 10 (30 per cent) said they purchased a second home in the catchment area, while 19 per cent secured their desired address by renting a property.

This trend looks set to continue as 40 per cent of parents who expect to move house before their children leave school say catchment areas will dictate where they choose to live.

Miguel Sard, Managing Director of Mortgages, Santander UK said: “Living within a certain school catchment area is top of the wish list for many families but often these addresses come at a premium. Our study highlights the significant financial and lifestyle sacrifices that parents are making to be within the catchment area of a desired school.

“Buyers need to do their research as properties in catchment areas often come with a hefty price tag, especially in London where competition for school places is fierce. We urge parents not to over-stretch themselves, but to find a mortgage provider that not only offers competitive rates and products but also has the expertise to ensure that the right deal is secured and the repayments are affordable.”

Staff and volunteers at Haden Hill House Museum in Cradley Heath are preparing for their annual popular live music in the park event to round off a fabulous summer of activities.

Proms in the Park is free and is on Sunday 10 September at the popular attraction off Barrs Road.

"We want visitors to bring picnics, picnic chairs and blankets and sit for the afternoon enjoying live bands and singers, said Councillor Richard Marshall, Sandwell Council's cabinet member for leisure.

The event kicks off at 2pm with Martinique Jazz, followed by easy listening songs with lots of familiar tunes. The afternoon finishes around 6pm with the rousing sound of Halesowen Brass Band and lots of flag waving.

The Friends of Haden Hill Estate are providing great cakes, drinks and snacks in the tearoom and Haden Old Hall will also be open for visitors to look around.

The event co-insides with national Heritage Open Days, which aim to celebrate and showcase England’s heritage across the country.

The event is absolutely free and for more information visit www.sandwell.gov.uk/joininmuseums

A high ropes course which allows wheelchair users to experience a new challenging outdoor adventure has opened at The Lake District Calvert Trust. Based on the shores of Lake Bassenthwaite, it's thought to be the first of its kind in the UK.

The nature of the sloping woods behind the centre allows wheelchair users to access the course, before using the horizontal ropes and obstacles taking them to a maximum height of 10 meters above the ground. Built using a series of trees as the main supports, this unique and specialist facility is 100 meters long and stretches across eight platforms, with seven separate challenges.

The Lake District Calvert Trust is a residential outdoor centre with more than 40 years of experience in delivering adventure holidays for people with disabilities. With this unique high ropes course now up and running, it will be incorporated into The Calvert Trust's existing activities programme which includes sailing, canoeing, horse-riding and abseiling.

To celebrate the opening, a group from the charity BackUp had a sneak preview. The organisation helps people rebuild their independence and confidence after devastating spinal cord injuries.

Julie Hill, Group Leader of BackUp said: “The new addition at the trust is fantastic, as it isn't something we'd be able to do anywhere else in the country. As wheelchair users, we all took great delight during our trip in testing this new activity out before anyone else. As a specialist centre, The Calvert Trust was already a great destination for us, but this is really the icing on the cake.”

Sean Day, Centre Director at the Lake District Calvert Trust says: “We wanted to make our residential stays at the centre more exciting, creating a unique course that could challenge both those with learning difficulties and those with restricted mobility. We already had a wheelchair accessible challenge course and zip wire on site, so our task was to think about how to make a high ropes course accessible so it could get maximum use from our visitors.”

The course was designed and developed by adventure specialist Technical Outdoor Solutions. It cost £84,000 and support from the Harold and Alice Bridges Charity, the Bailey Thomas Charitable Fund, the Leathersellers' Company Charitable Fund, and a personal donation from Michael Toulmin, who until 2015 was a trustee of The Calvert Trust, made it possible.

Energy providers are being urged to do more to promote green energy after a survey revealed just 2 per cent of Birmingham residents are on a green tariff.

Despite years of education and falling costs for green energy options consumers still say renewable energy isn’t a priority.

The poll, conducted amongst energy bill payers and commissioned by ENGIE, revealed:

• A quarter of people in Birmingham say they have done nothing to be environmentally friendly in the last year.
• 1 in 5 (20 per cent) don’t understand enough about the benefits a green tariff would have for the environment.
• Almost half (45 per cent) of consumers in the city say saving money is a priority for them and assume a green tariff will cost more.

Renewable energy tariffs are backed by 100 per cent green electricity – meaning that, for every unit of electricity used, the same amount is produced and put back into the grid from a renewable source.

Paul Rawson, CEO of ENGIE’s home energy business, says: “With so few people in Birmingham choosing green energy tariffs, it is the responsibility of energy providers and the wider industry to offer solutions which appeal to and persuade consumers.

“We don’t believe customers should have to make a choice between saving money and choosing a green option and we are optimistic that increasingly they won’t have to.”

There was some good news in the poll results, which also revealed:

• 14 per cent of people surveyed said environmentally friendly tariffs influence their choice of energy provider, the highest in the UK.
• Half of people in Birmingham said they would be prepared to pay more for a green energy tariff (even though the evidence suggests they won’t).

Paul Rawson adds: “By working collectively we can take a more sustainable approach to energy consumption to the benefit of ourselves and future generations.”

Tate Modern is offering free entry to its hit Soul of Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power exhibition today.

Visitors can see the landmark exhibition of African American art as part of the gallery’s upcoming Uniqlo Tate Late, taking place this evening.

The event, which coincides with the start of Notting Hill Carnival weekend, will also feature music, films and interactive activities.

The show begins in 1963 with the formation of the Spiral Group, a New York–based collective. They questioned how Black artists should relate to American society, with key figures like Romare Bearden and Norman Lewis responding to current events in their photomontages and abstract paintings. Artists also considered the locations and audiences for their art – from local murals to nationally circulated posters and newspapers – with many turning away from seeking mainstream gallery approval to show artwork in their own communities through Black-owned galleries and artist-curated shows. The exhibition will use archive photographs and documentary material to illustrate the mural movement, including the ‘Wall of Respect’ in Chicago and the ‘Smokehouse’ wall paintings in Harlem. The way artists engaged with street activism will be explored through posters and newspapers, such as the work of the Black Panther Party’s Culture Minister Emory Douglas, who declared “The ghetto itself is the gallery”.

The call for Black Power initiated powerful and inspiring images of political leaders such as Malcolm X and Angela Davis and even works of radical abstraction invoking Martin Luther King’s legacy. Soul of a Nation will showcase this debate between figuration and abstraction, from Faith Ringgold’s American People Series #20: Die 1967 and Wadsworth Jarrell’s Black Prince 1971 to Frank Bowling’s Texas Louise 1971 and Sam Gilliam’s April 4 1969. A highlight will be Homage to Malcolm 1970 by Jack Whitten, who was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Barack Obama in 2015, which will be going on public display for the very first time.

Away from New York artists across the Unites States engaged in the Black Art debate. In Chicago in the late 1960s, Jeff Donaldson, Wadsworth Jarrell, Jae Jarrell, Barbara Jones-Hogu, Nelson Stevens and Gerald Williams, formed AfriCobra (the African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists), the only group to devise a manifesto for Black Art during this period. Their striking works offered a unique aesthetic combining bright colours, texts and images in dynamic ways. Meanwhile in Los Angeles the Watts Rebellion of 1965 had a direct impact on the art being produced there, with many artists calling attention to the politics of a divided city. Constructions by Noah Purifoy made use of debris found on the streets of Watts, while the work of Charles White and David Hammons shows the development of a distinct approach to the figure while responding to current events such as the restraining of Bobby Seale at his trial.

Further themes investigated in the exhibition include the emergence of Black Feminism through the work of Betye Saar and Kay Brown, showing how the period marked arevolutionary moment of visibility for Black women, and debates over the possibility of a Black aesthetic in photography featuring work by Roy DeCarava. It will also spotlight Just Above Midtown gallery (JAM), a pioneering New York commercial gallery that displayed the work of avant-garde Black artists and whose legendary programme spanned innovative approaches to sculpture and performance, using materials as unexpected as Black hair and tights.

Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power is curated by Mark Godfrey and Zoe Whitley, with assistant curator Priyesh Mistry.It will be accompanied by a catalogue from Tate Publishingand a programme of talks and events in the gallery. Following its presentation at Tate Modern the exhibition will tour to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas and the Brooklyn Museum, New York.