After months of keeping quiet behind the scenes, Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity and Wild in Art have announced that over 230 beautifully decorated sun bear sculptures are ‘pre-bearing’ to prowl on to the streets, parks and open places of Birmingham for the region’s largest ever free public art trail, The Big Sleuth.

For 10 weeks this summer, the sleuths of colourful 5ft-tall bears and 3ft-tall bear cubs will inhabit Bear-mingham and its surrounding areas Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, Sandwell and at Resorts World from Monday, 10 July.

The Big Sleuth, so called because ‘sleuth’ is the name of a group of bears, as well as a detective, unites 100 bears individually created by artists, with 137 bear cubs designed as part of The Big Sleuth Learning Programme.

Each striking sun bear on the trail tells a different story including designs from celebrities and artists, such as the very well respected artists Temper and Reuben Colley, pop-rock band star Bradley Simpson from The Vamps, actor Adil Ray A.K.A Citizen Khan, Birmingham Bears and England cricketer Chris Woakes, adventurer Bear Grylls, and a special Peaky Blinders bear endorsed by the show’s writer Steven Knight.

The trail will attract thousands of residents and tourists to the region, inspiring civic pride and the opportunity for people to spend time together and get active whether it is walking, running or cycling. At the end of the trail, the large bears together with the special celebrity bear cubs will be auctioned off in October to raise vital funds for Birmingham Children's Hospital Charity.

“We’re so excited that The Big Sleuth is finally here, we have been planning the bear’s arrival since the owls left and we can’t bear-lieve it’s finally here!” commented Louise McCathie, Director of Fundraising at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. "We hope The Big Sleuth will encourage people to come together to walk, jog, run or cycle the free trail, and consider downloading The Big Sleuth app which allows you to track your trail, collect bears, unlock rewards and/ or take part in our Super Sleuth Challenges, which will raise money for our hospital.”

Sally-Ann Wilkinson, Director of Wild in Art, said: “We’re delighted that this year’s exciting trail is here. The Big Sleuth brings together business and creative sectors with schools and local communities to celebrate Birmingham’s rich culture and heritage, and will leave lasting memories across the region for generations to come.”

The Big Sleuth’s predecessor, The Big Hoot, raised over £500,000 for the charity at auction, and The Big Sleuth aims to do the same. All proceeds will go towards helping the children and young people treated at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. You can support the hospital by texting SLEUTH to 70007 to make a one off £3 donation or download The Big Sleuth app to kick start your fundraising and track your trail, collect bears and unlock rewards.

Public Health England (PHE) has launched a ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaign in the West Midlands urging people to see a doctor if they are getting out of breath doing things they used to be able to do or if they’ve had a cough for three weeks or more. Either of these symptoms can be signs of lung disease or lung cancer, while breathlessness can also be an indication of heart disease. These diseases are some of the leading causes of death in England, causing more than 150,000 deaths each year combined

Early diagnosis can save lives and improve the quality of life of those living with conditions, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a common form of lung disease that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The most recent data shows that in the West Midlands region there are around 111,200 people diagnosed with COPD each year, and almost 200,000 people diagnosed with coronary heart disease (CHD) annually, the main type of heart disease. In 2015, 3,861 people were diagnosed with lung cancer in the region.

The campaign is aimed at men and women aged 50 and above as these people are most at risk of lung cancer, COPD and heart disease. As well as prompting anyone who experiences these symptoms to visit their GP, the campaign calls on people to look out for each other and encourage friends and family to visit the GP if they have either of these symptoms.

This call comes as a new survey found that adults over 50 in the West Midlands are more likely to encourage others to see the doctor than go themselves.

Nottingham is an eclectic, urban hot spot surrounded by the legendary tales of Robin Hood and his most renowned hideout, Sherwood Forest.

More legendary tales will unfold this summer when the city hosts a WORLD EXCLUSIVE exhibition, Dinosaurs of China: Ground Shakers to Feathered Flyers. Featuring dinosaur bones and skeletons never before displayed outside of China, the exhibition tells the story of how dinosaurs evolved into the birds that live alongside us today. This is a real must-see in your summer diary.

Magnificent Wollaton Hall, which houses the city's Natural History Museum - and starred as Wayne Manor in the film The Dark Knight Rises - will host the main exhibition, and feature a staggering skeleton that's as tall as three double decker busses.

If that wasn't enough, there's a fantastic FREE satellite exhibition at Nottingham Lakeside Arts. Get involved to learn more about these incredible creatures and their discovery.

Haringey is set to benefit from thousands of new homes and jobs and improved public spaces and community facilities after Cabinet agreed to set up an innovative development partnership.

The Haringey Development Vehicle (HDV) will bring billions of pounds of investment to the borough through an innovative 50/50 partnership between the council and development partners Lendlease.

The partnership will bring:

New and improved homes for existing council tenants, with a guaranteed right to return on equivalent terms 6,400 new homes – with at least 40 percent affordable Thousands of new jobs in a range of industries Reinvestment of council profits in local services and further regeneration New school facilities for Haringey’s children A new health centre A transformed town centre for Wood Green Investment in schemes such as skills training and community support for local people A £20million long-term social investment programme focused on improving local residents’ prospects, health, environment and sense of community involvement

Cllr Alan Strickland, Cabinet Member for Housing, Regeneration and Planning, said:

“We’ve been clear that successful regeneration has to have the best interests of Haringey’s communities at its heart, and that we’re determined to help more Haringey residents live in quality homes in the borough.

“That’s why I’m delighted that the Cabinet have approved this new development partnership, which will enable us to deliver the new homes, jobs and facilities that local people have made it clear they want to see.”

Most people moan about ‘red tape’, but artists in Birmingham are using over a mile of the stuff to create a new artwork designed to bring very different parts of the city together and make people think.

ASINGELINE is a large-scale outdoor arts project aiming to join two points of the city together with one long straight line. The 2km red line connects Ladywood, one of the city’s most deprived areas, with the city centre, one of the richest.

The red line, created with heavy duty red tape, crosses everything in its path, including public spaces, such as streets and parks, and private ones such as houses, shops and restaurants.

The project, created by German artists Mamaza, was part of BE FESTIVAL, Birmingham’s European performing arts festival, which takes place from 4-8 July.

ASINGELINE aims to connect communities rather than create borders and as a work of art creates a focal point to bring communities together.

Miguel Oyarzun and Isla Aguilar, Directors of BE FESTIVAL said:

“The arts are a vital way of bringing communities together. A year after the UK voted to leave the EU, and with hate crime and inequality on the rise, it’s the perfect time for this artwork in Birmingham.

“It’s an inspiring project to open up the conversation, joining together two places which are so close together geographically, but so far apart in terms of economics.

“As they’ve created the line over the last few days, the artists have encountered all kinds of people from very different backgrounds. It’s been a great way to start conversations about immigration, community cohesion and Brexit. The interactions were filmed and photographed and we will be showing the results throughout this year’s festival.”

ASINGELINE starts from City Road, Ladywood at the site where three young Muslim men were murdered whilst protecting community property during the Birmingham riots in 2011. The completion of the line literally took centre stage last night at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in the city’s Centenary Square to coincide with the opening of BE FESTIVAL.

Fabrice Mazliah and May Zarhy of Mamaza have previously realized ASINGELINE in Belgium, South Africa and Nigeria but this is the first time they have attempted the project in the UK.

New research has revealed the extent to which the West Midlands are frightened by the effects of dementia on them and their loved ones.

In a survey by Asda Pharmacy, half (49%) said that a loved one being diagnosed with dementia and taken into care is their worst fear. Whilst more than a third said the possibility of being diagnosed with dementia themselves is a greater concern than suffering from a terminal illness, losing mobility, or losing financial security.

However, despite this fear of the condition, people are often reluctant to seek help. Of those suffering from any early indicators that something is wrong, many are hesitant to confide in anyone about it, whether that be a family member or a health professional. Over half of the region (53%) said they would wait some time before speaking to a GP about memory loss. More than one in 10 (11%) said that they would only consider seeing a GP about it as a last resort through fear of wasting the GP’s time.

A quarter (25%) of the West Midlands would also avoid speaking to a loved one about memory health concerns until they had discussed with a Doctor first. However, people’s hesitancy to speak to a GP means many are missing out on early diagnoses, something which is essential to treat the condition effectively. Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer*, but the survey showed that only 12% of the region knew this, instead believing that cancer (50%) and heart attacks (28%) were the most common fatal causes.

In fact, there is an assumption amongst a significant number of the region (60%) that memory loss is just ‘part and parcel’ of growing old. Whilst forgetfulness is a natural occurrence, there is a thin line between this and dementia.

Maq Din, Healthcare Clinical Services Manager at Asda Pharmacy, says:

“Those experiencing age related memory loss will more often than not recall what they have forgotten in time, however dementia sufferers lose their memory much more permanently.”

Asda Pharmacy are training all pharmacy employees to recognise the early signs of dementia to ensure that they are able to spot when patients may be developing the condition. The move is to assist more dementia sufferers in getting the all-important early diagnosis as soon as possible.

As Maq explains:

“Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and dementia is absolutely essential to treat the conditions effectively, which is why at Asda Pharmacy we are training all staff to recognise the symptoms. Quite simply, the sooner a diagnosis is made the more informed and resourced the sufferer and their loved ones can be. By planning carefully for the future and taking the correct medication in good time, you can have far better control over the progression of the illness.”

There are steps and exercises that can be undertaken to give the brain the best chance of avoiding dementia and having an active mind is highly important. However only 29% of the region are currently opting to use such techniques.

Jennie Bond, Television Presenter, has personal experience with dementia as her mother is currently in the advanced stages.  She says:

"She doesn’t know who I am, or who she is. To some extent she has passed beyond the point where she is constantly frightened. She's generally in a calmer, more peaceful frame of mind.”

“We were too late in seeking help for Mother. Perhaps she could have had some medical support if we had asked for a diagnosis sooner.  It's a condition that follows a clear pattern so I'd encourage people to get help as soon as possible and face up to the illness. But it's important to act sensitively and keep in mind quite how frightening it is for the sufferer.”