Since its launch back in August last year, The Platinum Group Service Sector within the Black Country Chamber of Commerce has gone from strength to strength. There are now 12 members of The Group all committed to working together to learn and develop, through sharing best practice and deeper business relationships.

The latest companies to join The Group are Nuffield Health Wolverhampton Hospital, Coinadrink and why.

Rated as ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission, Nuffield Health hospital has been named as a top performer in the NHS Partners Network Report of independent sector providers caring for NHS patients. The private hospital, based in Tettenhall, is one of a group of 31 hospitals nationwide, who collectively are the largest not-for-profit organisation in the UK.  This means that any surplus funds are invested back into the hospital for the benefit of patients.

Commenting on their decision to join The Platinum Group, Karen Pattison, Hospital Director at Nuffield Health Wolverhampton, said: “Leadership and development are key to running a top private healthcare service. The opportunities that The Platinum Group provides for leaders across our business to expand their knowledge and learn from others outside of our industry is unrivalled in the region.”

Coinadrink is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of vending machines to businesses, offering a comprehensive vending service, including hire, installation and maintenance.  A forward-thinking company who are committed to the impact that they have not just on the exemplary service that they offer to their customers, but also in the environmental and community impact that they have.  To this end they have several CSR initiatives in place, supporting good causes in both the UK and around the world.

Roger Williams, Managing Director of Coinadrink said: “We are very excited at taking the step to upgrade to The Platinum Group Service Sector.  We will now enjoy many additional benefits such as meeting with other members to share ideas and developments. We see the ability to reach out to other CEO’s and MD’s for support and guidance and to share best practice, as a powerful tool in our continued development.”

whg are one of the West Midlands' leading and most successful providers of high quality homes. Owning and managing around 20,000 properties across Walsall and the wider West Midlands, they provide affordable, good quality homes and community-based services.  Since they were formed in 2003, they have invested over £400 million in their portfolio of homes and developed a range of services that go beyond the traditional role of a landlord.

Gary Fulford, CEO of whg, said: “At whg we believe that everyone deserves the chance to lead a happy and fulfilled life.  We are privileged to be able to provide one of the fundamentals to that – a home.  But we know that bricks and mortar alone cannot automatically create the conditions to help people enjoy better lives.  Maintaining a one-to-one relationship with each of our customers and constantly seeking the very best for them, is what differentiates us. People are at the heart of our business, which is why we are proud of our reputation for being ‘much more than a landlord’.

Joining The Platinum Group Service Sector and being able to interact with like-minded businesses in an open and confidential setting, to learn from their experiences and work together on ways to improve the service we provide, is an exciting prospect for us and I look forward to the opportunities it will bring.”

Commenting on The Group’s expansion, Gail Arnold, Head of Premium Membership at the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are pleased to welcome our latest members to The Platinum Group Service Sector.  Since its launch we have been delighted by the reaction that we have received and by the diverse range of businesses that it has attracted.  This diversity is an important part of the success of The Group, where the non-competitive nature of the members ensures an openness and confidentiality, that provide excellent outcomes for developing leaders and their businesses.”

The new Birmingham Conservatoire has been announced as the leading venue for the prestigious BBC Young Musician competition in 2018, as the contest prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Following the regional auditions later this year, Birmingham Conservatoire will host the Category Finals between Friday 16 and Tuesday 20 March 2018, alongside the Semi Final on Friday 23 March. All performances in Birmingham will be recorded for broadcast on BBC Four.

BBC Young Musician is a part of the BBC’s ongoing commitment to supporting and providing a platform for new and emerging talent. Musicians are judged in five categories ahead of the Semi Final; strings, keyboard, woodwind, percussion and brass.

Birmingham Conservatoire’s new £57 million home, opening in the Eastside region of the city in September this year, will also welcome the BBC Young Musician Jazz Award Final in 2018.

Launched three years ago, the BBC Young Musician Jazz Award runs alongside the established classical music format and aims to showcase another group of exceptional young musicians to audiences across the UK. Current Birmingham Conservatoire student Elliott Sansom reached the finals in 2016.

Professor Julian Lloyd Webber, Principal, Birmingham Conservatoire, said:

“We are delighted to be hosting the Category Finals, Semi Final and the Jazz Final of BBC Young Musician 2018 in our state-of-the-art new building!

“Birmingham Conservatoire will be the first fully-digital music college and it is a tribute to our wonderful new facilities that the BBC has chosen us to host its iconic competition which has launched the careers of so many of the UK’s top soloists.”

Part of Birmingham City University, the new Birmingham Conservatoire will be a unique contemporary building, incorporating five public performance spaces including a new 500 seat concert hall for orchestral training and performance, private rehearsal and practice rooms, and teaching spaces for musicians from a variety of disciplines.

Furthermore, as the first purpose built conservatoire in the UK since 1987, it will be the only one of its kind in the country designed for the demands of the digital age. The venue will also be home to a purpose-designed jazz club – Birmingham’s only permanent jazz venue. Earlier this year, Birmingham Conservatoire Jazz Department launched its Ellington Orchestra, who will be a regular fixture in the new club.

Families looking for half-term fun next week are being reminded about the hit LEGO exhibition at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

Since the show opened at Easter hundreds of visitors have been blown away by Warren Elsmore’s amazing Brick Wonders exhibition.

Using thousands and thousands of pieces of the much-loved plastic bricks the master LEGO artist and author has created more than 70 awe-inspiring models.

Under the theme of natural, ancient and modern, Elsmore has recreated everything from the Great Wall of China, Niagra Falls, the Great Pyramid of Giza, and Old London Bridge, to a modern surgical operating theatre, incredible container ships and a hi-tech airport - all in LEGO.

The Lichfield Street gallery is hosting the exhibition until Wednesday, July 5 and, as well as viewing the creations, visitors can enjoy building their own LEGO models in the gallery spaces.

Marguerite Nugent, Manager of Arts and Culture at the gallery, said: “It doesn’t matter how old or young you are LEGO has an enduring appeal and this exhibition shows what amazing structures you can make with these little plastic bricks.

“While the exhibition does run until July we hope families will take advantage of the half-term break to visit us and enjoy this child and family-friendly show.”

Daredevil Debbie is flying high after realising a lifelong ambition while also raising cash for her chosen charity.

Debbie Pallett, 36, took to the skies in a sponsored wing walk raising hundreds of pounds for John Taylor Hospice.

First aid trainer Debbie wanted to show her support for John Taylor after they provided care for her stepmum, Deb Pallett, in 2016.

“The hospice and all of the staff there were fantastic in looking after Deb and also made us feel welcome when we visited,” said Birmingham-born Debbie.

“Deb and my dad got together when I was about seven years old and from then she became like another mum, big sister and best friend all rolled into one. She was a real family person, would do anything for anyone and had a heart of gold.

“After losing Deb to cancer last year I decided that life was too short to put off fulfilling your dreams. I’d always wanted to do a wing walk and there’s no better reason to do it than in memory of my amazing stepmum.”

To experience the thrill of a wing walk, Debbie travelled over 100 miles from her home in Bournemouth to RFC Rendcomb Airfield in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. Strapped onto the top of the aircraft, adventurous Debbie was in the air for 12 minutes as the pilot performed a series of dives and steep climbs.

“I thoroughly enjoyed doing the wing walk, it was an amazing experience and I was very lucky with the weather being so beautiful,” said Debbie.

“I would like to thank everyone who has sponsored me. Thanks to all of my friends and family who always support me in my crazy adventures but particularly my mum and boyfriend Andy who came to support me on the day too.”

John Taylor’s Head of Fundraising Katie Mitchell said: “We’re very proud of Debbie for achieving something that she’d always dreamed of achieving. She has taken on an incredibly ambitious challenge to raise money for us - even covering the costs of the wing walk herself - ensuring all donations go directly to the hospice and to local families who need our care and support.”

The Birmingham Cross City CCG Dementia Support Team topped the People Awards Pushing Boundaries category.

The category awards those that demonstrate an innovative and adaptable approach which is centred on results for the Society; taking an interest in motivating others and respectfully challenging the status quo.

In the last year the Birmingham Cross City CCG Dementia Support Team have brought about a unique shift in how GPs view dementia, championing the idea that more can be done for people with dementia in their own communities.

The team’s success has led to another year’s funding for the project from the Cross City Clinical Commissioning Group.

The team also advised and supported a neighbouring Clinical Commissioning Group that is aiming to adopt a similar approach in their GPs’ practices.

The Birmingham Cross City CCG Dementia Support Team are: Mary Keddy, Carol Bowsher, Amarjit Sagoo, Joanne Farrell, Shaheda Zaman, Esme Dawson and Mike Ayres.

Carol Bowsher, Dementia Support Worker, said: “The team were really delighted and proud to be shortlisted and it was fantastic to receive a Peoples Award. It is not that often that these sorts of things happen in life. The whole team has worked really hard in making connections with GP practices and building stronger community awareness. The work itself is rewarding in terms of reaching out to individuals who may otherwise fall through gaps. Though this is my third year with the Society I have only been providing direct dementia support for 10 months and have learnt an enormous lot from the wider team and my Line Manager, Mary, who is always there with a listening ear.”

Mary Keddy, the Birmingham Cross City CCG Dementia Support Team Line Manager said; “I am incredibly proud of my team for all that we have achieved over the last year and it is wonderful that our work has been recognised with this award. Our success so far in building connections with GP practices is a great motivation to continue to work hard and support other CCGs to do the same.”

Speaking about the event, Alzheimer's Society Chief Executive Jeremy Hughes said: “Every day Alzheimer’s Society volunteers and employees demonstrate our core values in their roles and interactions with each other and the people affected by dementia we support. This makes me particularly proud to work for this organisation. I’m humbled to celebrate the amazing work of our people and the selfless and relentless way in which they go about it.”

The awards preceded the charity’s annual Dementia Awareness Week (14 – 20 May) in which Alzheimer’s Society urged everyone to come together and unite against dementia.  

Alzheimer’s Society events took place across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.