The NEC Group has been announced as Large Company Management Team of the Year (Midlands) at the 2017 British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA) Management Team Awards in Birmingham.

The awards, now in their ninth year, are an annual celebration of UK companies, recognising and rewarding brilliant businesses that have been backed by UK private equity and venture capital investors.

NEC Group CEO Paul Thandi said: “Our driver for external investment was to realise our business plan and beyond.  Deliverability and pace are essential for us in responding to market opportunities, and bringing on board an external investor with the experience and breadth of LDC has brought a renewed energy and confidence to our teams and business, which has been essential in our progress.

“We have a clear strategy focused on data, customer experience and optimisation. Our key initiatives are helping us to push out the right messages, at the right time, to the right audience. We’re transforming our regional and national offer through a focused business and leisure destination strategy to give our visitors more compelling reasons to visit, and we’re extending our footprint through consultancy, management and operational expertise internationally.

“LDC have backed our management team since day one. Together we have changed the way we work and operate, and that speed of focus and speed of decision making has been fantastic for us; it’s injected huge energy into our company. We know we can grow our business exponentially over the next few years and LDC have been the catalyst for that, giving us a real singularity of focus.”

The Judges said: “Backed by LDC in 2015, Paul Thandi and his team impressed the judges by the way in which they are developing the commercial potential of this venue, notably the launch of Resorts World. Their management of the day-to-day business was also impressive, including their investment in people and in data capture technology.”

As regional winners, the NEC Group will now represent the Midlands in the national final at the BVCA Gala Dinner in London on 30 November.

One of Britain’s best loved value home and garden retailers, Wilko is looking for green fingered locals to enter the 2017 ‘Wilko Amateur Gardener Of The Year’ competition.

Research suggests the UK is a secret haven of garden enthusiasts – with 88%* of UK residents rating having a nice garden as important, according to a national survey.

Six lucky entrants from across the UK will be picked as category winners, shortlisted by an experienced garden judging panel, including Dominic Cole, President of The Gardens Trust and award-winning garden designer, Andrew Fisher Tomlin, before being selected by a public vote on the Wilko social media channels.

The categories to enter are:

Best Allotment

Best Garden Design

Best Hanging Basket/ Container

Best Junior Gardener

Best Wildlife Garden

Best Upcycled Garden

The competition is open until  30 June 2017 and the winners of each category will receive a £100 Wilko gift card and trophy. One of the six finalists will be crowned overall Wilko Amateur Gardener Of The Year 2017 and receive an additional £250 Wilko gift card.

To be considered, simply email an image of your garden to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. including name, email address, telephone number and the category you wish to be considered for.

Full competition details and terms and conditions can be found at: www.wilko.com/show-by-departmet/garden/icat/wilkogarden

Finalists will be informed on 21 July 2017 if they have been shortlisted for the categories.

Lloyd Taylor, Head of Garden Category, from Wilko said:

“We know that UK residents are garden lovers and we want to celebrate those skilled amateur gardeners who might not otherwise be recognised for their talents. We’re spreading the word to encourage entries and look forward to seeing the work of garden enthusiasts from up and down the country.”

So if you think you have the expertise to be the next Wilko Amateur Gardener Of The Year 2017 - enter now.

Work will start early this summer to demolish an eyesore building as part of City of Wolverhampton Interchange’s development plans.

The former Mill Street Garage sits on land next to the old Sack Works off Corn Hill in the city centre – beside the railway line and facing the canal.

Once the derelict garage is razed it will enable the removal of the dilapidated roof structure on the Sack Works and the stabilising of its walls and gables for its future development.

Ion Development is leading on the works on behalf of the Interchange Partnership.

They are expected to take around a month and will pave the way for the whole Sack Works site to be marketed for commercial use.

City of Wolverhampton Council Head of City Development, Paul Lakin, said: “This is another important step forward for the wider Interchange project.

“The old Sack Works site sits in a prominent location within the Interchange area and this is the start of bringing it back to life after decades of lying empty.

“It presents an excellent commercial opportunity and we will ensure any development is also sensitive to the history of the building and the surrounding area.”

Steve Parry, Managing Director, Ion Development said: “The demolition of the former Mill Street Garage is the pre-curser to a development which will become mixed use leisure and office.

“The old Sack Works site is in a perfect setting, next to the canal, to offer an excellent environment for both leisure and business use.”

The works form part of the Interchange masterplan and follows the announcement in March of the i9 development – designed by Glenn Howells Architects.

This eye-catching modern office development is to be built on Railway Drive, and emerged as a scheme following the success of the award-winning i10 building opposite.

It is hoped i9, which will provide 50,000 sq ft of Grade A office space and will become a national or regional headquarters for a major business.

Other land earmarked for development beside the railway and canal as part of the Interchange project includes the Banana Yard and Boat Yard at Broad Street Wharf.

Spot Liverpool landmarks as award-winning artists The Singh Twins exhibit their latest works at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

The Lichfield Street gallery is now showing The Singh Twins; Mersey Miniatures, which feature famous Liverpool landmarks set in colourful Eastern motifs.

Running until Sunday, July 23, the exhibition is an absorbing look at cross-cultural themes where east meets west and tradition runs alongside modernity.

Marguerite Nugent, manager of arts and culture at the gallery, said: “These might be miniatures but they pack a lot in and are really captivating in both their use of colour and subject matter. Anyone who knows Liverpool well will spot many mini landmarks.”

The Singh Twins are contemporary British artists of international standing whose award-winning paintings have been acknowledged as constituting a unique genre in British Art.

They have brought about the revival of the Indian miniature tradition in a modern art practice, which in 2011, was officially recognised when they both received an MBE for Services to the Indian Miniature Tradition of Painting in Contemporary Art.

In 2015 they were awarded Honorary Doctorates from the University of Chester for their outstanding contribution to British Art.

The Mersey Miniatures series features ten mixed-media original artworks.

The charity Remembering Srebrenica is looking to sign up young players for their biggest ever memorial football tournament in July.

The 8-3-7-2 tournament is named in honour of the 8,372 men and boys who were killed due to their Muslim faith in the genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1995. Thousands of boys and girls across the UK have taken part in this tournament in memory of the victims over the past two years and this year the charity wants to reach even more people.

Dr Waqar Azmi OBE, Chairman of Remembering Srebrenica, says:

“What more powerful way is there than football to unite our young people and inspire them to help kick racism, hatred and intolerance out of our society?

“The schools who sign up to play in this tournament on July 12 stand united with us in remembering Srebrenica through football and learning the lessons from the past to create a better, safer future.”

The tournament is supported by the FA, English schools FA and Kick it Out, as well as a number of high-profile footballers, including Chelsea and Bosnia goalkeeper, Asmir Begović and former England Women’s football captain Casey Stoney MBE, who explains why she supports the tournament:

“We don’t just play football, we are ambassadors and we have the power to make change. I think we should celebrate difference. We should celebrate the fact that we’re all very individual and that should never be something to be held against you. Srebrenica teaches us that it is really important that those issues are raised, we are aware of them and don’t ever forget them.”

Asmir Begović was forced to leave Bosnia as a child and adds:

“I'm proud to support Remembering Srebrenica's 8-3-7-2 Tournament which brings young people together through football to remember the victims and survivors. It's a really powerful way to help the next generation to learn about the importance of tackling hatred and intolerance and help us to build a stronger society."

A Coventry mother has partnered with Bliss, the premature and sick baby charity, in order to promote the benefits of skin-to-skin contact for all babies after her son was brought back from the brink of death.

In 2008, Leigh Dumighan’s son Warwick was born 11 weeks early and fighting for his life. The doctors told the family that Warwick would not make it and Leigh and her son were discharged from the hospital so that he could pass away peacefully at home.

Warwick was given palliative care but he began to respond to the skin-to-skin contact – known as “kangaroo care” and fought on. He is now a happy and loving older brother to four-year-old Wade.

Leigh has gone on to run Kangaroo Care UK, a social enterprise business to educate parents and health care professionals about the benefits of prolonged skin to skin contact.

The company also retails specialist wraps made by Vija Designs that help parents hold babies comfortably for long periods of time. Vija Designs already donate £1 to Bliss for every product they sell on their website.

In order to celebrate Kangaroo Care Awareness Day earlier this month, Vija Designs are also donating 50 per cent of profits made to Bliss on specially designed t-shirts that share the message of the importance of skin-to-skin contact.

Leigh Dumighan said:

“Our teeny weenie is our miracle man as he stayed with us. He's now eight years old and the power of skin to skin is a life saver. He didn't 'suit' the incubator.  He wanted real love and touch. He craved Mommy's warmth, safety and smell and he felt content when he had it. It felt normal for him and he felt better when he was on me. He loved it so much that our kangaroo care cuddles made him strong enough to fight to stay with us.

"We designed t-shirts for mums and dads that share the message 'skin to skin, heart to heart' the position where babies are placed during Kangaroo Care, which is where Warwick found the strength to keep going.  We are donating 50% of the profits from these t-shirts to Bliss with the aim of raising £1,000 for the charity's work supporting parents of premature and sick babies."

Caroline Lee-Davey, CEO of Bliss said:

“We are really pleased that Vija Design is supporting Bliss. We know the huge difference that Kangaroo care and skin to skin contact can make - boosting babies’ development, protecting and enhancing their growth and overall health, and supporting bonding with mum and dad. In the long term it also helps parents to feel closer to their babies and more confident in caring for them.”