The dedication of teams of committed volunteers in Wolverhampton has been recognised after seven organisations they represent received the prestigious Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.

It is the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK, presented for outstanding achievement by people who regularly volunteer their own time to enhance and improve the lives of others.

Awards were given to Access to Business, Ashmore Park Community Association, Bilston Town Community Football Club, Hope Community Project, Interfaith Wolverhampton, Jai Jashn Dance and The Haven Wolverhampton.

Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Elias Mattu, whose theme for his Mayoral year is recognising the value of volunteering, said: “Charities and volunteers do tremendous work helping the most needy and vulnerable people in our City, and I am delighted that these seven groups have been recognised in this way.

“We have thousands of fantastic volunteers in Wolverhampton who give up their valuable time to support others, and it is wonderful that so many are now the proud recipients of the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service."

Access to Business provides critical specialist support services for the unemployed, specialising in support for people with disabilities and health problems.

Ashmore Park Community Association offers a welcoming space where all ages come together for a wide range of activities and events which promote physical, social and mental well-being.

Bilston Town Community Football Club provides free or affordable educational coaching and access for young people to watch live sport.

Hope Community Project supports the most vulnerable and forgotten people of all ages living in the Heath Town area of Wolverhampton.

Interfaith Wolverhampton has, for more than 40 years, been dedicated to promoting dialogue, understanding and community cohesion between people of different faiths and cultures.

Jai Jashn Dance delivers Bollywood‐based community classes, exploring the dance heritage of India with members able to positively demonstrate and promote its diversity.

The Haven Wolverhampton works hard to support vulnerable women and children who are victims of domestic abuse and homelessness to regain their place in society.

Access to Business Chief Executive Josie Kelly said: "We are absolutely honoured and delighted to have received our Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.

“For over 15 years we have been providing services for unemployed and disabled people in our City to improve their skills and confidence and support their route to employment.

“Volunteers play a vitally important role in supporting our work and include our volunteer Board of Directors and many local volunteers supporting and promoting our work helping others to improve their lives."

Ann Wood, Chair of Ashmore Park Community Association, said: “I am bursting with pride. This is a great honour and privilege for our charity and all our volunteers who work so hard to provide facilities and activities for others.

“They will be delighted to know that they are award winners – and not just any awards winners, they are now Queen’s Award Winners for Voluntary Service."

Many of the nominations were supported by the City of Wolverhampton Council which worked closely with the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service Lieutenancy Assessment Assessor Sylvia Parkin MBE, from Tettenhall. She said: "I am delighted that these seven worthy groups of volunteers have been recognised in this way.

“It is impossible to overestimate the impact their organisations have on the people of Wolverhampton, and the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service highlights their commitment to the city and its residents.”

To be nominated for the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service an organisation must provide a service that meets a need for people living in the local community, be supported, recognised and respected by the local community and the people who benefit from it and be run locally.

An exciting new opportunity for schools and organisations will soon be available at the RSPCA’s Newbrook Farm Animal Centre.

The animal centre in Birmingham is expanding to include an education centre which aims to promote the importance of animal welfare to children and young people.

RSPCA Newbrook Farm Education Centre will launch in August with school visits, activity days, animal welfare programmes and outdoor learning.

It aims to support families, children and young people develop their compassionate skills, learn about nature and the five animal welfare needs.

Debbie Caffull, animal centre manager, said: “We are so excited to be launching the education arm of RSPCA’s Newbrook Farm Animal Centre this summer. Education is such a vital part in ensuring good animal welfare in the future. The centre hopes to inspire children to love and care for animals as much as we do, and teach them important life lessons along the way.”

Craig Osborne, animal hospital manager, also supports the education centre, he said: “Programmes that teach children and young people compassion towards animals can help them realise the potential they have in their own lives and the valuable contribution they can make to their community.”

Newbrook Farm has recently been awarded a Quality Badge from the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom and is now expanding on this with a dedicated education centre.

Charlie Chan, community engagement manager, who is developing the education centre, said: “All the programmes are completely free and can work alongside the national curriculum or an organisation’s own projects.

“As well as school visits, activity days and animal welfare programmes for schools, youth groups and families, there will also be opportunities for outdoor learning including fun trails to get back to nature.

“The activities are designed to be achievable and rewarding as well as having an element of discovery and learning. Education is key to ensuring that everyone is aware of the five animal welfare needs and how to meet them.”

The Newbrook Farm Education Centre is urging schools, local groups and organisations to get in touch now to find out how they can book into the education centre.

There is also a need for more volunteers to get involved with the Volunteer Speaker Scheme. This scheme sees volunteers delivering talks to school groups and assemblies about the work of the RSPCA and the five animal welfare needs. The role would suit anyone with some spare time who is comfortable speaking to groups, passionate about animal welfare and looking to help.

The education centre could also be a brilliant opportunity for a university student to use as a placement to support and enhance their studies, or for someone looking for work experience in this sector.

For more information and updates, find the Newbrook Animal Centre on Facebook, RSPCA Birmingham Animal Centre and Hospital, or follow us on Twitter @RSPCABirmingham.

After weeks of campaigning and back and forth spiel about their respective merits and problems, the political parties left the future of the country up to the people of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on 8th June. After a tense, few hours the results came trickling through.

No one party won an outright majority, the Conservatives won 315 seats (at the time of writing) and Labour won 261 seats. With 326 seats needed for an outright majority, no one party could claim that right. Consequently, many have begun wondering what this now means, in this article, we shall highlight the possible outcomes of the hung Parliament.

Firstly, a coalition government seems the most likely outcome. The Conservatives are the largest party in Parliament with 315 seats, whilst the DUP have 10 seats, considering the previous working relationship these two parties have, a coalition between the two of them does seem likely. At present with four seats still to declare their results, it is possible that the Conservatives would gain enough seats there to be able to properly form a coalition government with the DUP, though of course there would need to be a lot of negotiation before a proper agreement is reached.

Given that Brexit negotiations are due to start in earnest within the next few weeks, any negotiations cannot take too long, as Britain will want to present a united front when it comes to the negotiation table.

Secondly, Theresa May could if all else fails form a minority government. This would mean that though she does not have an outright majority in the House of Commons, as the biggest party in the Commons, her party would be able to hold the position of government of the United Kingdom, but they would be reliant on other parties to make the passing of laws easier.

This last happened during the 1970s, under Labour and led to a lot of civil unrest, as Labour was held hostage by the Trade Unions and infighting. Consequently, it does not hold much appeal to anyone who has an inkling of history. Furthermore, as previously mentioned Brexit negotiations are fast approaching, and the government would wish for as strong a hand as possible when entering the negotiations.

A minority government would not give them that, due to a belief that they lack democratic legitimacy in some corners. And ensuring that any agreement reached has smooth sailing in the Commons would be much harder, with MPs more likely to stick to their own inkling than toe the party line.

To conclude, this election has produced a surprise result, especially when one considers that Theresa May was twenty points ahead of Jeremy Corbyn when she called the election in April. With her stumbling performance and countless U-Turns on policy, the gaps in her ability to lead have been exposed combined with Jeremy Corbyn’s growth in confidence, and the Hung Parliament begins to make more sense. We are in for a very interesting few weeks.

Hundreds of toddlers will be dressing up and taking part in a mass march around Dudley Zoo in aid of charity next week.

The annual Barnardo’s Big Toddle is due to take place on the mornings of Tuesday and Wednesday, June 13 and 14.

This is the 20th year of the popular half-mile sponsored walk, which sees parents and children either organise their own event or attend one of the larger regional spectacles.

Dudley Zoo hosts the largest Toddle in the UK, and this year’s event has a ‘colour’ theme with children encouraged to dress up in their boldest and brightest outfits.

Admission is free to under-5s, with discounts for adults and older children. Registrations close this Friday June 9th.

Gates open at 10am, with the walk beginning at 11am.

Barnardo’s regional assistant director Emily Phelps said: “The Big Toddle is the UK’s biggest and best fundraising event for under-5s. It’s all about children helping children by taking part in short sponsored walks.

“Nurseries, playgroups, childminders and parents are welcome to organise their own events, but we also have a number of public Toddles - and the one at Dudley Zoo is one of the biggest in the UK.

“It’s a fantastic venue and we’re looking forward to seeing hundreds of happy faces across the two days.”

Children will be welcomed by a costumed mascot and entertainers, with free refreshments for each registered child.

Barnardo’s staff will also be available to talk about how they can help to give children the best possible start in life.

Dudley Zoo marketing manager Andrea Hales said: “We’re delighted once again to team up with Barnardo’s and support the incredible work they do in giving children the best start in life.

“The Big Toddle is always hugely popular. So make sure you sign up soon and have a really wild time helping to raise funds for a very worthy cause.”

Yesterday, Britain went to the polls, to choose a new government. The parties have been campaigning since April, and they have offered a variety of different options on a whole host of issues. There has been the usual rhetoric, slogans thrown about, ‘strong and stable’ performances as well as ‘weak and wobbly’ performances. After nearly two months of campaigning it all came to an end yesterday, and with the increased number of people who have registered to vote, turnout was expected to be high.

However, to ensure that nobody skips out on doing their democratic duty, Scottish Beer company BrewDog offered voters a free pint if they vote. It’s a simple process really, if a voter took a picture of themselves outside their polling station and then enters one of BrewDog’s many bars across the country and shows staff their picture, then they will get a free pint.

During the day, The Phoenix Newspaper decided to take up this offer, and at the bar located opposite Turtle Bay in the city centre, found a packed pub. When a barman was asked about the offer he had this to say. “Yeah, we did something similar with the referendum, and not many people turned up. But since there’s been more people registering to vote this time around, and turning up, I think we’ll have a lot more customers. It’s a good thing you know, people are getting out there and having their voice heard.”

A group of young workers, just finished work arrived at the bar around five thirty, and when interviewed had this to say. “Yeah, we’d normally come here anyway, but the free pint really enticed us down. It’s a great initiative.” Many of them were hoping for a Labour victory, with one member hoping for a hung Parliament!

Certainly, there was no lack of excitement over the election or the offer. A smart initiative by BrewDog and one that is sure to bring more excitement and fun to an already intriguing election season.

Although Suffragette might have you believing only white women were entrenched in the cause for women’s suffrage in Britain, there were a number of Indian suffragettes and suffragists who took part. Most notably, Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, daughter of the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire and goddaughter of Queen Victoria, helped lead marches and played up her perceived ‘exoticness’ in order to bring much-needed attention to the movement. For International Women’s Week, I will shed light on some of her contributions, as well as that of the other wealthy Indian women fighting for suffrage in the 1900s to 1910s.

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