Liam Chase, a 9-year-old old boy from Hinckley, Leicestershire, who is fighting his second brain tumour, had his dreams come true after meeting his favourite WWE Superstars at the Birmingham Gentley Arena on Wednesday evening.

Liam knew that his parents had tickets for WWE Live, but he was thrilled when he was then surprised with the chance to meet his wrestling idols Randy Orton and AJ Styles backstage, ahead of the show.

Liam is treated at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, where CLIC Sargent, the UK’s leading cancer support charity for children and young people has an independent team of professionals who help whole families manage the devastating impact of illness on their lives with emotional and practical support.

After hearing that Liam was a huge WWE fan, CLIC Sargent contacted WWE bosses who organised the meet for the young wrestling fan, and arranged free tickets to WWE Live for Liam and his family.

Liam was originally diagnosed with a pilocytic astrocytoma brain tumour in May 2015 and underwent surgery to remove the growth.  But sadly in February 2017 it was found that Liam’s tumour had returned, and he underwent major brain surgery.  Following the operation Liam spent three weeks in hospital, and he has been left with a number of side effects, including left side weakness and mobility issues.  But despite his ordeal he remains in good spirits, and is now having physiotherapy to help him learn to walk again.

Faye Beardsmore, Liam’s mum said: “The look on Liam’s face when we surprised him and told him he was going to meet AJ Styles and Randy Orton, as well as watching the show, was a picture.

“Liam has been through so much, but he’s a fighter too.  And even though he’s out of hospital now, we have a long road ahead of us as he learns to walk again, but he’s staying positive.

“CLIC Sargent has been a great support to Liam and our family throughout all of this, and we’re really happy that the charity and WWE were able to organise this special surprise for our little superstar.”

Last year CLIC Sargent supported over 7,100 young patients across the UK.   CLIC Sargent’s independent cancer care teams that are based at hospitals in the East and West Midlands supported more than 1,100 children and young people like Liam last year, and awarded over £161,700 in financial grants to help families cope with the extra costs a cancer diagnosis brings.  For example, travel for specialist treatment which can be many miles from home.  According to CLIC Sargent’s research on average parents face extra living expenses of £600 a month when their child is on active cancer treatment.   

A spokesperson for CLIC Sargent said: “Our support workers and nurses fight tirelessly for children and young people with cancer like Liam, who go through so much during treatment.  We are so happy that AJ Styles and Randy Orton were able to grant wishes for our children during their UK tour, and thankful for WWE’s ongoing commitment to helping the dreams of children like Liam around the world come true.”

The University of Wolverhampton celebrated its investment of £100 million in a construction super campus at a prestigious event at the House of Lords in London.

The investment is part of the University’s ‘Our Vision – Your Opportunity’ £250 million ambitious project to invest in world class education and training in support of economic growth in the region.  The regeneration of the former Springfield Brewery in Wolverhampton has brought together businesses and the education sector with the aim of creating jobs and providing technical and professional experts required by the industry.

The derelict 12 acre site, a former Grade II listed brewery, is currently being transformed into Europe’s largest specialist construction and built environment campus, providing a pathway for construction education and training from the age of 14 through to senior professionalism.

The transformed site is currently the home of the newly opened West Midlands Construction University Technical College with plans in place to start work on the University’s School of Architecture and Built Environment.  A hub for the Elite Centre for Manufacturing Skills is due to open in September this year.

The event at the House of Lords, hosted by the University’s Chancellor, Lord Swraj Paul, brought Faculty of Science & Engineering staff together with key people from construction companies, education trade and technical awarding bodies and former Springfield Brewery employees to celebrate the completion of its first phase.

Professor Geoff Layer, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “The House of Lords celebration event recognised the efforts and commitment of partners who have invested time and money in the first phase of this ambitious project whilst at the same time highlighting that there are opportunities for developers, investors and partners to work with us on phase two of the project.

“Construction is a vital growth sector for the Black Country with the global construction industry forecast to grow by more than 70% over the next ten years.  The new super campus will be well placed to take advantage of this rising international demand with strengths in architecture, engineering and sustainable construction – all designed to address the national skills shortage of engineers and construction workers.”

Chris Blythe, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Builders, who was a guest speaker at the event, said:  “The construction industry isn’t different to any other industry.  We have the ability to pull together many strings of activity and we can’t continue to have wistful and wasteful concepts for growth.  We need innovative approaches to skills and training.

“Building is at the heart of quality of life for people and we need a seamless transition from the past to the future.  Springfield will most certainly make that difference.”

James Hewitt was the Brewery Manager at Springfield, following in the footsteps of his father Geoffrey, who had been head brewer. He said: “I loved working at Springfield; the people were lovely and the atmosphere of the whole place was really good. I very much enjoyed visiting the site and seeing the marvellous reconstruction that is occurring.”

The Springfield site was originally purchased in 1873 by William Butler to house his growing brewing business, with the Springfield Brewery opening in 1874 under the William Butler and Company name.  The brewery closed in 1991 and a fire destroyed much of the historic structure in 2004.  The University purchased the site in 2014.

Chosen from nearly 1,200 milkmen and women across the country, Camberley milkman Darren Barnes has been crowned milk&more Milkman of the Year 2017.

The milk&more Milkman of the Year 2017 competition shines a light on the great work milkmen do in their communities. Darren was nominated by his customers for the exceptional service he provides.

Darren, a milkman for 31 years with Britain's largest milk delivery service to the doorstep, milk&more, has gone above and beyond to help his customers and local community throughout his career. In addition, Darren recently raised over £5k for children's charity Whizz-Kidz, having completed his first marathon at the age of 50.

Commenting on his win, Darren began by thanking his customers: “I am over the moon at being crowned milk&more Milkman of the Year 2017 and want to say a big thank you to my customers, many of whom I have been delivering to for years. Over the last three decades, I have always aimed to provide a reliable but friendly service for my customers, many of whom have such busy lives; so to be recognised by them for a job I love is amazing.

“Not only did some of them attend my wedding, but many of them also sponsored my marathon run, contributing to the funds I raised to help transform the lives of disabled children – and I'll be donating my winnings (£1,000 worth of high street vouchers) to the charity too. I'm looking forward to helping to spread the word to remind the public that after over 150 years, the tradition of the milkman is alive and well and we even still deliver fresh milk in those iconic glass bottles!”

Patrick Mueller, Managing Director of milk&more said: “milk&more is for the community, from the community and part of the community and Darren is a fantastic example of why we believe that every neighbourhood deserves a milkman. Our milkmen and women are an integral part of their local communities and Darren epitomises all that is great about this British tradition – which we are working hard to ensure will be here for generations to come.

“Home delivery is a growing industry, and as a trusted institution, there's a real opportunity to grow here. We've got exciting plans for the future – watch this space!”

Proton Packs at the ready as the highly anticipated Playmobil Ghostbusters sets are here to “save the world in miniature".

The six new sets, created by Playmobil, mark the toy manufacturer’s first venture into entertainment brand licensing and hit toy shop shelves around the UK this month.

Children will recognise many a famous Ghostbuster scene in the new sets, which contain the well-known characters, infamous landmarks and of course the baddies of the beloved film.

From the famous Firehouse Headquarters to the Ecto-1 vehicle, fans will be able to create their own scenes of the iconic film locations and tackle the villains, such as the giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. This badly behaved ghost stands at over 13 centimetres retaining his presence as the giant we all know by dwarfing other Playmobil characters - and with moving arms and rotatable hands he can grip the ghostbuster characters and accessories.

Fans can also catch and contain troublesome ghosts and ghouls within the “Ghost Containment Unit”, and take on the greedy ghost Slimer as he tries to eat his way through the hotdog stand. Or simply re-create your favourite scenes again and again from the comfort of your own home.

As a top manufacturer within preschool toys, Playmobil knows the importance of allowing your child’s imagination to take over, so sit back and relax whilst they take on the role of their beloved characters. From Raymond Stanz, to Louis Tully and Egon Spengler, there are hours of endless play ahead of them.

Jamie Dickinson, Marketing Manager from Playmobil said: “This is the first licensed brand range to ever be produced by Playmobil and we are looking forward to seeing children enjoy bringing to life their Ghostbuster sets using their own imagination. Who knows what spooky scenarios we may see children create using Stay Puft or Egon.”

On Tuesday 16^th May, the Labour party launched their manifesto, and with three weeks to go until the general election 8^th June, it has come at an opportune moment. The four policies that really stand out in the manifesto, are the economy, Brexit, healthcare and housing.  This article will seek to explore the key proposals of these four key policy areas in some detail.

The economy has always been a somewhat contentious issue for politicians, and with it having been a Labour government that was in charge when the recession hit, this current Labour party have the incentive to show that they can do better. Using low interest rates, the Labour party plan on creating a National Transformation Fund that would help deliver investment and protect small businesses through preventing the more restrictive small business policies of the current government. Furthermore, to help small businesses, the Labour party wish to create a National Investment Bank that they state will bring in £250 million in private capital to the country. The party also wishes to nationalise the railways, the Royal Mail, the energy and water networks to ensure better quality services for the population.

On Brexit, the Labour party is clear that they wish to maintain the benefit of the single market and the customs union due to the potential economic benefit that this would bring to the country. Whilst also wishing to protect the rights of EU citizens already settled in the UK, and wanting the rights of UK citizens already settled in the EU protected, the Labour party is clear that freedom of movement would be ended under their government. In acknowledgement of some of the issues associated with immigration in the vote to leave the EU, Labour has also promised to stop overseas only recruitment and to ensure that there are thorough investigations into the working conditions of companies, and that they are paying at least the minimum wage for homegrown employees. Acknowledging the need to create new trade agreements with countries outside the EU, the Labour manifesto promises to use their recently launched Just Trading Initiative to develop free trade and investment agreements that remove trade barriers and promote skilled jobs and high standards.

Healthcare is a very important issue to many within the UK Labour has promised to ensure patients have access to treatment within eighteen weeks, and to reduce waiting times in A and E to four hours, by using resources more effectively and efficiently. Labour would also increase funding for GP services, and halt pharmacy cuts, they would also remove the post code lottery on health treatment currently in existence. They would also invest a further £30 billion into the NHS, to help improve the quality of training that doctors and nurses are receiving, and to create a Child Health Index to monitor the development of children’s health throughout their lives. In tandem with this they would create a National Care Service to help the elderly, to lower the strain on the NHS.

On housing, by using brownfield sites, Labour hopes to build 100,000 new homes during the course of the new Parliament, 4000 of which would be for those with a record of sleeping rough. They would also introduce controls on rent rises, provide more secure three year tenancies, proper landlord licensing and provide new consumer rights for renters. Labour would also reintroduce housing benefit for 18-21 year olds to reduce the number of young people sleeping rough on the street.

by Vivek Rajkhowa

Calling all classic car fans! Blenheim Palace is hosting the Pre-50 American Auto Club 'Rally of Giants' on Sunday 9 July. This superlative gathering offers a rare opportunity for collectors and admirers to see the finest and most valuable examples found anywhere in Europe.

There will be more than 400 classic American vehicles attending, including some of the best examples of motoring history and the most valuable. Dating from the early 1920's through to the 1970's the Rally of Giants is a must visit for those with a passion for American motorcars. For those with only a passing interest in motoring avocation expect your interest to be piqued with this remarkable collection of American motorcars, trucks, military vehicles and bikes.

Attracting collectors from the UK and continental Europe to Blenheim Palace the rally provides the perfect backdrop for admiring, purchasing and selling classics. Visitors can enjoy a full day out in Blenheim Palace, Park and Gardens with delicious food and refreshments available in the new Orangery Restaurant which overlooks the private Italian Gardens.

To find out more information about the Pre50AAC and the 'Rally of Giants' visit the Pre '50 American Auto Club website: pre50aac.com