Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash hit West End production of School of Rock – The Musical will hold open auditions on 15 July in Birmingham and 23 September 2017 in Liverpool, for the opportunity to join the band as part of the kids’ cast of the hit musical currently playing at the New London Theatre.  If you’re between 8 – 12 years old and play the drums, keys or the electric or bass guitar, they want to hear from you!

Tom Abisgold, 13 years old from Cheshire, one of the original West End cast said: “I’ve had the best time ever being part of the band at School of Rock.  I made my West End debut playing the guitarist Zack – how cool is that?!  When I auditioned for the part I never imagined that I’d be joining an actual band and working with Andrew Lloyd Webber and the rest of the amazing cast and crew.  I am so glad that my Mum and Dad encouraged me to audition in the first place. I have been on TV, walked red carpets and won an Olivier award*.  It’s been hard work and we practise hard but it’s really a dream come true, and I’d encourage any kid who plays one of the band instruments to come and audition, you’ll have the time of your life!”

Jessica Ronane, Children’s Casting Director, said: “We look forward meeting with the next generation of rockstars, as we continue our auditions in Sheffield, Birmingham and Liverpool.  If you can play the drums, keys or the electric and bass guitar, we want to hear from you, and if you’re nervous about skills just get in touch and we can give you more details.  Come and ‘pledge allegiance to the band!’”

School of Rock features music from the movie, as well as new music written by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Glenn Slater and a book by Julian Fellowes.   The production was winner of the 2017 Whatsonstage Best New Musical Award and is nominated for three 2017 Olivier awards, winning Outstanding Achievement in Music for the Kids Bands in the show.

Based on the iconic hit movie and with a rocking new score by Andrew Lloyd Webber, School of Rock – The Musical follows slacker and wannabe rock star Dewey Finn turn a class of straight-A 10 year old students into an ear popping, riff scorching, all conquering rock band!  Dewey poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school to make ends meet, and when he discovers his fifth graders’ musical talents, he enlists his class to form a rock group and conquer the Battle of the Bands.  As Dewey falls for the beautiful headmistress, can he and his students keep this special assignment secret as they learn to fully embrace the power of rock?

For a third time since its West End premiere School of Rock - The Musical recently announced a further booking extension with tickets now available to 14 January 2018.  Acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, the record breaking West End production of School of Rock - The Musical opened to rave reviews in November 2016 and has played to packed houses every night, with the cast also making appearances on some of the UK’s biggest TV shows including The X Factor, The One Show, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show and Tonight at the London Palladium.  In New York, the Broadway production now in its second year, continues to play to packed houses at the Winter Garden Theater.

School of Rock — The Musical is produced in the West End by Andrew Lloyd Webber for The Really Useful Group and Warner Music Group & Access Industries with Madeleine Lloyd Webber as Executive Producer.

To register your interest and for more details visit www.schoolofrockthemusical.co.uk/opencall

In response to the Manchester Arena terror attack, tattoo artists from across the country have come together in unity to support the Manchester Tattoo Appeal. The campaign has now raised an incredible £519,762 which equates to 10,000 bee tattoos and makes it the 5th largest crowdfunding page on the site.

Tattoo parlours across the UK pledged their own time and resources to tattoo as many Manchester Bees as possible as a lasting symbol of Manchester's courage, strength and defiance to raise money for the families affected by the terrible tragedy.

On the JustGiving page it says: “There has been an overwhelming response from studios across the UK, Europe and the World who have opened their doors in solidarity.

“We are hugely grateful to all the studios and artists taking part, and we ask that all funds raised are donated through the official Manchester Tattoo appeal JustGiving page, so as to keep an accurate running total.”

A supporter who left a message on the site said: “I had my tattoo today and donated £50. It just shows at this tragic time we all support each other and stand together.”

In total, over £4.7 million (including gift aid) has now been raised, from over 900 online JustGiving fundraising campaigns and over 143,987 donations, to support the victims and their families.

Ask any pet owner and the thought of losing their pet is their biggest fear, that’s why Pets at Home has launched an innovative 24 hour pet finding service, Find My VIP, that allows lost pet alerts to be sent via the Pets at Home app, making printing off lost pet posters a thing of the past.

According to research*, one in three pets will go missing at some point, so, the new app, the first of its kind in the UK, will improve the chance of finding a pet quickly.

The app works by using Pets at Home’s VIP Club, consisting of 5 million members, who effectively become one huge search party. To use the service, owners simply need to purchase a Find My VIP collar ID from their local Pets at Home store or online at www.petsathome.co.uk/findmyvip, and register the unique 8 digit ID on the tag online or via the Pets at Home app, which is free to download, to activate it.

If the worst happens and your pet goes missing, you can immediately then send out an alert to VIP members in your local area notifying them. They will receive a notification with your pet’s missing information including a photo of your pet, their name, breed, temperament and last known location.

With more than 5 million VIP members, your missing pet’s information will be circulated quickly to a network of likeminded owners who will then be on the lookout for your missing pet. If one of the search party, a VIP member, finds your pet they can call the 24 hour finders helpline and reference the unique 8 digit code, found on the back of the collar ID.

If your pet needs to go to the vet as a result of going missing, Pets at Home will cover the cost of any treatment given** and the finders helpline will then arrange for the owner and pet to be reunited as soon as possible.

Peter Pritchard, CEO of Retail, said: “Find My VIP is a revolutionary service, the first of its kind in the UK, that will give owners peace of mind. If the unthinkable happens and your pet goes missing then you know you can rely on a network of more than 5 million pet owners to help find your pet quickly.”

Oscar-nominated actress and UK Global Dementia Friends Ambassador Carey Mulligan and Alzheimer’s Society announce today that a staggering two million people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have united to become Dementia Friends.

This includes Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry and Warwickshire where 343 Dementia Friends Champions, who are volunteers aiming to help raise awareness about dementia, have helped 61,225 people become Dementia Friends.

Alzheimer’s Society’s initiative Dementia Friends was launched in 2013 to tackle stigma that results in social exclusion for people with dementia and since then it has been transforming the way people act, think and talk about the condition.

Dementia is the biggest health and social care crisis facing society today. Someone develops the condition every three minutes and too many are facing it alone. The award-winning star has experienced first-hand the devastating impact of dementia, and is speaking candidly for the first time since her grandmother died with the condition earlier this year.

Carey Mulligan said: “Dementia can devastate lives – I’ve seen first-hand through my grandmother exactly how hard it can be and find the idea of people with dementia being excluded from society deeply distressing.

“Dementia Friends has made huge strides in tackling the social isolation many people with dementia experience and the two million milestone is an incredible achievement – but we have a long way to go before society is fully accepting and need people everywhere to unite against the cruel stigma associated with dementia.”

Carey became a Global Dementia Friends Ambassador for Alzheimer's Society in 2016, having been a long-term supporter of the charity. Her grandmother Margaret, known as Nans, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2004 and sadly passed away with the condition earlier this year. In her role, Carey has been committed to spreading greater awareness of the condition across the world and bringing continued attention to the urgent need for a dementia friendly society.

Steve Hayward, Services Manager in Birmingham and Solihull at Alzheimer’s Society said:

“It’s encouraging to see what a difference can be made when people become Dementia Friends. Up and down the country, many people are no longer being excluded in their own communities

“The public response so far has been phenomenal, but we must not lose momentum as dementia continues to be the biggest health and social care crisis of our time. We need all of society to unite with us against dementia by becoming a Dementia Friend.”

Cineworld Birmingham Broad Street is pleased to announce the arrival of action-packed blockbuster, Spider-man: Homecoming, in the multi-sensory cinematic experience of 4DX from 5 July 2017.

Stimulating all five senses, 4DX works in perfect synchronicity with the film to give the viewer a true taste of the onscreen action in a truly distinctive and personal way. High-tech motion seats will have the audience gasping as they experience the effects of wind, water, fog, snow, tickling, strobe lights and vibrations in sync with Peter Parker. There are now a total of 10 Cineworld 4DX screens in the UK.

4DX has been adopted by the big Hollywood Studios with more than 75 movies, including recent blockbusters such as Fast & Furious 8, Transformers: The Last Knight and soon Despicable Me 3 all screened in 4DX. Projected to be one of the most immersive experiences in 4DX yet, Spider-man: Homecoming will be available in both 2D and 3D formats, and 4DX, which is exclusive to Cineworld.

The 4DX auditorium at Cineworld Birmingham Broad Street houses 269 specially designed seats, plus a curved screen – bigger than a double decker bus.

Paul Millington, General Manager at Cineworld Birmingham Broad Street, comments: “Over 600,000 people have tried the 4DX experience and loved it, so we’re really excited to give our visitors the chance to experience Spider-man: Homecoming in this format. We’re continually improving and updating the sensory effects available to our customers, with the hotly anticipated Spider-man: Homecoming film sure to thrill fans in 4DX. 4DX is exclusive to Cineworld in the UK, and we cannot wait to see customers’ reactions when they watch this film!”

Spiderman: Homecoming will be available in 4DX at Cineworld Birmingham Broad Street from 5 July 2017.

A plan to make it as easy as possible for residents to dispose of waste at the city’s five Household Recycling Centres (HRCs) will see businesses using vans charged to dispose of their waste from 10 July 2017.

The proposal, devised in recognition of the fact it is the law for firms to have suitable waste arrangements, means the HRCs will continue to be free of charge for all Birmingham citizens wishing to dispose of household items. The change will also enable better management of queues at busier times, reducing the time visitors will have to wait to dispose of their waste.

Under the new system, anyone with a van will need to call by telephone to pre book a slot. For residents this will continue to be free, but for businesses there will be a cost of £75 per visit. Businesses will also only be permitted to use James Road HRC in Tyseley.

Timeslots for residents wanting to take their waste in vans to the HRC will be Monday to Friday (10am-6pm) and weekends (8am-4pm).

Timeslots for firms wanting to take advantage of the service will be Monday to Friday (8am-10am and 6pm-7pm).

Standard “Transit”-sized vans and minivans will be accepted on site – but “Luton” vans, cage vans and tipper vans are all prohibited. Anyone hiring a van to take advantage of the new chargeable service is advised to book their slot before booking their van, to ensure they don’t get the wrong type of vehicle as per above.

Cllr Lisa Trickett, Cabinet Member for Clean Streets, Recycling and Environment, said: “The key point about this new service is that there will continue to be no charge for Birmingham’s citizens who have waste from their own home that they wish to dispose of. The £75 charge for vans will only apply to businesses depositing waste at the HRC.

“This is about ensuring fairer use of our HRCs and ensuring that taxpayer money is spent in the most effective way possible. Businesses have a legal obligation to dispose of their waste responsibly and this offers an easy and convenient way for many firms to do this.

“By creating a hub for this service at the Tyseley site, we will also be releasing some of the pressure than can build up at our other sites during peak times.”