Community News

The acclaimed artist, Charlotte Hodes, will be exhibiting new work at Wolverhampton Art Gallery from Saturday, June 3 to Sunday, September 3.

The exhibition ‘Remember Me: Charlotte Hodes’ also includes an ambitious site specific, 12-metre long frieze commissioned especially for the Lichfield Street gallery.

City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor John Reynolds, said: “The gallery has always been a great champion of new art work and we are delighted that Charlotte has agreed to work with us on this exhibition.”

Hodes has established herself as a leading figure within contemporary art, bringing together both fine and decorative arts as evidenced by her critically acclaimed exhibition at the Wallace Collection (2007) and winning the Jerwood Drawing Prize (2006).

For this exhibition, her powerful new work will consist of 120 individual wall-mounted ceramic pieces, arranged to create a single image that combines elegant historic patterns with contemporary and digital imagery.

It will also include a collection of intricate papercuts as well as a table top installation of more than 350 plates, which demonstrate the artist’s incisive and challenging approach to the aesthetic potential of domestic objects, both past and present.

A new sculpture celebrating Scotland's national animal will be unveiled one of the country's leading art attractions this week. The 7ft unicorn sculpture, designed and created by willow artist Woody Fox, takes pride of place within the 55-acre Crawick Multiverse artland in Dumfries & Galloway as Scotland's links to the mythical creature are celebrated across the country as part of National Unicorn Day tomorrow (9 April).

The fabled creature is a proud symbol of nobility and power and has been the nation's favoured beast since the 14th century.

Unicorns were written about by the ancient Persians, Romans, Greeks and Celts, and were often described as an elegant white horse-like creature with a single horn capable of magical properties.

They've been linked to Scotland for centuries and were used as an early form of the Scottish coat of arms by William I in the late 1300s.

VisitScotland Regional Director Doug Wilson said: “We are delighted to have been involved in bringing this sculpture of Scotland's national animal to Dumfries & Galloway and have no doubt it will be a great draw for visitors to the region.

“The Crawick Multiverse artland offers a unique and exciting experience for visitors and is the perfect backdrop for this distinctive sculpture in the year that we are celebrating Scotland's history, heritage and archaeology.

“2017 is the year to delve into the past and discover Scotland's fascinating stories, including those myths and legends about the unicorn.”

Duncan Mackison, director of Crawick Multiverse Trust, said: “We are thrilled to join forces with VisitScotland to play our part in National Unicorn Day by displaying this beautiful sculpture at Crawick Multiverse.

“This is a truly unique location which celebrates art, making it the perfect choice for this special installation.  We look forward to welcoming visitors to the site to see the unicorn which will be on display throughout the coming months."

Artist Woody Fox said: “I was thrilled to be asked to create this unique sculpture of a unicorn to mark National Unicorn Day.

“My previous work includes deer, badgers, foxes and rabbits which bring homes, gardens, parks and public spaces to life. It has been very inspiring for me to work on this noble and spiritual animal for the first time and to help promote Scotland at the same time.”

A regular car boot and market is returning to the West Midlands with the Oldbury Sunday market and car boot sale back on for the rest of the year.

Operated by Groupe Geraud, the market, at the West Bromwich Street car park, will open to car booters and traders from, 6am until 2pm, every Sunday, with entrance off the A4034 slip-road to West Bromwich Street. Entrance for stallholders and car booters is off Dudley Road.

City of Wolverhampton’s first ever Housing Fair proved a big hit with more than 550 visitors dropping in for free help and advice. The event was held at Wolverhampton Art Gallery as part of Residents Week (April 1-7).

There was a host of information available on new homes, homes to rent, help to buy and shared ownership schemes, mortgages, over 50s options, home improvements and energy efficiency.

Exhibitors included Butters John Bee, Connells, David Wilson Homes, Whg, Wrekin Housing Trust, Abbeyfield, L&A Lettings, TSB, RBS, Mortgage Bureau, Complete Advice Services, and Wolverhampton Citizens Advice.

City of Wolverhampton Council’s Rent with Confidence, Affordable Warmth, Housing Improvement Service and planning teams were also on hand.

WV Living, a council-owned housing company, sponsored the fair and showcased new plans for ‘homes you will love’ in Ashmore Park, Bilston and Ettingshall.

Rose Edwards from Penn Fields potentially found a new home to rent at the housing fair. She said: “I’m really happy. The housing fair has come at just the right time for me as I need to move out of my current property.”

James McCue, Manager at Butters John Bee estate agents, said: “The housing fair was a resounding success. We took over 40 new client registrations and we are already looking forward to attending next year’s event.”

Councillor Peter Bilson, City of Wolverhampton Council Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for City Housing and Assets, added: “Supporting residents into housing, jobs, and improving the health and wellbeing of local people are top priorities for the city.

“The Housing Fair has proved a great addition to our Residents Week offer and we hope the next one will be even bigger and better.”

A group of apprentices from Severn Trent have had the opportunity to meet and chat with the Princess Royal. The meeting took place when the Princess Royal opened EEF’s new Technology Hub in Aston which is one of the centres used by Severn Trent’s apprentices for training purposes.

Georgia Brown, one of the Severn Trent apprentices who met the Princess Royal, said: “With more than 100 of our apprentices using EEF’s facilities it was a great opportunity to show off some of the activities they take part in, as well as highlighting the skills that they’re developing.

“We’re by no means alone in using the EEF for training purposes as they’re really great facilities right on our doorstep.”

As part of the event The Princess Royal received a tour of the centre from Neil Withey, EEF’s Director of Training, and Peter Winebloom, EEF’s Technical Director.

She met a number of Severn Trent’s first year apprentices who talked to her about their apprenticeships, the skills they are learning and their future career ambitions.

Other VIP guests at the opening included the Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands, the Lord Mayor of Birmingham and Dame Judith Hackitt, Chair of EEF.

The EEF is the voice of UK manufacturing and engineering and a leading provider of business support.

The NEC Group was recognised for its ‘Excellence in People Development’ at the 2017 Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Awards at the ICC, Birmingham.

The event – which was a sell out with over 1,000 guests in attendance – was hosted by broadcaster Gyles Brandreth and the NEC Group celebrated success against tough opposition including A-Plant, Common Purpose Birmingham, Creative Alliance and Rock Power Connections.

“I am immensely proud of our team,” said Jane Jarvis, NEC Group HR Director. “The success of the NEC Group is entirely down to the excellence of our people and how they support our clients and customers.  Developing our people to realise their potential to be the best they can be in their current role and to prepare for future growth is a key focus of our business strategy. This award is deserved recognition of the team’s efforts across the business to make that happen.”

Russell Jeans, Chief Operating Officer, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and Chair of the Judges, said: “Judges were impressed by a vastly professional and structured programme of induction and continued employee development which is tailored to individual roles.  People development is a key pillar within the overall business strategy and creates clear development paths for employees. This includes an in-house Learning and Development team who provide tailored plans for every stage of an employee’s career.”

Completing a successful week for the NEC Group, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) - the UK’s number one venue - won ‘Best Venue Over 8000sqm’ at the prestigious Exhibition News Awards, also on Thursday 30 March.

The venue was up against key competitors including London’s ExCeL and EventCity (Manchester).

A Birmingham service for children and adults with complex needs received a sneak peak of the new production from leading theatre company Oily Cart. The show, titled ‘Kubla Khan’, has been developed in partnership with the national disability charity Sense, and is aimed at young people with complex disabilities. It is Oily Cart’s first ever production with a version for children and young people who are deafblind; there are also versions tailored to young people on the autism spectrum, and for young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

Over 20 people, across two performances, experienced the new show which is inspired by the acclaimed Coleridge poem.  The audience of children and adults were invited into a multi-sensory pleasure dome that they could touch, taste and smell. From the sounds of a sitar to the feel of a flowing river, they experienced the temperatures, textures and aromas of their journey to meet the Emperor.

Stephanie Tyrell, National Arts Manager for Sense, said: “Oily Cart challenge accepted definitions of theatre and audience, to create innovative, multi-sensory and highly interactive productions for young people with complex needs. It was a pleasure to work them and contribute towards a final production, which has special consideration to a deafblind audience.

Kubla Khan is a vivid, multisensory, interactive performance, incorporating touch, taste, smell, sight and sound. The audience today loved it and it will appeal to youngsters with a wide range of abilities.”

Tim Webb MBE, Artistic Director of Oily Cart, said: “One of the key reasons why I chose to work with this text, apart from the fact that it is filled with verbal descriptions crying out for multisensory interpretation, is that it is written in a rich and intricate style, featuring rapidly shifting points of view and characters and situations that defy ready definition. It offers a multitude of facets that can be appreciated both by the brain and the senses and is therefore perfect for deafblind audiences.”

Earlier in the year, Sense and Oily Cart developed a set of workshops with  the production company and some of the people Sense supports, with the learnings and experience contributing to the final production.

Kubla Khan will tour from August.

Recognising when a pet is overweight is the top issue vets and vet nurses wish UK pet owners knew about their animals, according to new findings released for National Pet Month (April).

More than one in five of veterinary professionals (23%) said the number one thing they wished their client knew about their pet was diet-related, with suggestions ranging from considering “Am I feeding them the right food?” to “Pets need a lot less food than we think!”, and “We have to protect them from themselves and not give into that 'look', especially where food is concerned!”

Over 500 vets and vet nurses across the UK were polled by the Veterinary Animal Welfare Coalition, which is made up of leading veterinary organisations and vet-led animal charities and aims to help pet owners better understand their pets' five welfare needs.

The answers given fell into 26 different themes, covering a wide variety of pet care issues. The top five most frequently mentioned things veterinary professionals wished all pet owners knew are:

• How to recognise when your animal is overweight
• That flat-faced breeds suffer lots of health and welfare issues
• How to recognise signs that your animal is in pain
• You have a responsibility to care for your pet properly and follow the five animal welfare needs
• That your veterinary team is the best place to go to for advice on all areas of pet care, including what pet may be the most suitable for you

“Every owner loves their pet; however, the vet team often see animals with problems that could be avoided. Vets and vet nurses are invaluable sources for pet care information with years of training and experience under their belts, and will be more than happy to answer any queries or concerns owners may have about their pets.”

Every day throughout National Pet Month, the Veterinary Animal Welfare Coalition – the British Veterinary Association, British Veterinary Nursing Association, British Small Animal Veterinary Association, British Veterinary Zoological Society, Blue Cross, PDSA and RSPCA – will be tweeting the various things vets and vet nurses wished pet owners knew. To find out more, check out their Twitter feeds or follow the hashtag #Wewishyouknew.

Samantha Morgan, President of the British Veterinary Nursing Association, said:

“People bring their pets to the veterinary practice when they are sick, however, what they also do not realise is that the Veterinary team can also provide a lot of advice for keeping pets healthy too. From diet and exercise to flea and worming treatments, veterinary nurses and veterinary surgeons have the knowledge to keep pets happy.”

The Veterinary Animal Welfare Coalition was formed to meet the recommendations in the Vet Futures project and aims to deliver awareness raising and behaviour change communication campaigns, based around responsible pet ownership and the five welfare needs as outlined in the Animal Welfare Acts.

Birmingham’s Glee Club has announced its charity partner for 2017 is Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.

A new venture for the multi-award winning city centre comedy venue, The Glee’s vital fundraising activities will include a voluntary £1 donation on all ticket transactions, and a chance to donate more at the venue via secure collection points. There’ll also be a special autumn comedy event, from which all ticket monies will be donated to the hospital.

Tom Hunt, The Glee’s Marketing Manager, said: “We are pleased to be partnering with such a wonderful charity. The work of Birmingham Children’s Hospital changes lives, and we know that every penny our customers can give will go to helping children – and their families – when they need it the most.”

Elinor Eustace, Deputy Director of Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We are incredibly grateful to The Glee Club for selecting us as their chosen charity and can’t wait to work with the team throughout 2017.

“The money they hope to raise will go a long way to making a huge difference to the lives of our brave children and their families, as we continue our plans to improve our facilities – enabling us to treat even more children from Birmingham, the West Midlands and around the country.”

Opened in 1994, The Glee is firmly established as the West Midlands’ leading comedy club. Attracting in the region of 50,000 visitors a year, the Arcadian-based venue has hosted appearances by many of comedy’s biggest names, including Graham Norton, Peter Kay, Jack Whitehall, Jasper Carrott, and Jimmy Carr, as well as such chart-topping music acts as Adele, and Mumford and Sons.

Birmingham Children’s Hospital is a leading UK specialist paediatric centre, offering expert care to over 90,000 children and young people from across the country every year.

Delivering some of the most advanced treatments, complex surgical procedures and cutting edge research and development, the hospital treats one-in-five children from Birmingham, and one-in-eight from the wider West Midlands.

Every patient and family at Birmingham Children’s Hospital will have been touched by the hospital’s charity in some way. As a result it continually strives to do more for the poorly children in its care, whether that’s a newly refurbished playroom or ward, a state-of-the-art piece of equipment, or even a toy at Christmas.

But the impact of fundraising on patient experience is much more than purely financial – it makes a real difference to the services it provides to children and their families during difficult times.

Following the success of the Black Country Chamber Showcase, which saw a sell-out of 37 stands and almost 300 delegates in attendance, the Chamber Annual Exhibition 2017 has just been announced.

Hosted at West Bromwich Albion FC, the Showcase was a fantastic event that featured a Baggies Business Breakfast beforehand, which included an informative talk by Scott-James Eley, Supply Chain Manager – College, Innovation & Culture at HS2 Ltd, who updated the delegates in attendance on the supply chain opportunities available to them. Imran Ishaq, Marketing Analyst at Nant Ltd, commented: “The Showcase event was great value for membership, with amazing networking and lead generation opportunities.”

Following this success, bookings are now being taken for the Black Country Chamber Annual Exhibition, which will be on 28th September at Wolverhampton Racecourse from 9am to 1pm. This is set to be a great event, with more on offer this year, including a manufacturing and international trade section.

Proving itself to the one of the highlights of our annual events calendar, the Exhibition this year will feature approximately 70 stands, nearly 20 more than last year, with the event usually attracting over 500 delegates from the local business community. In essence, it serves as the ideal platform upon which to promote your company and networking with business professional from a variety of sectors.

In addition, this year the Chamber is delighted to have a few more surprises set for the day that will be announced nearer the time.

Following last year’s Exhibition, an exhibitor commented on the quality of the event: “It was a great event to do business and was very well organised. Well done to the Black Country Chamber of Commerce!”

Vying for votes to be the newly formed Metro Mayor of the West Midlands, Labour candidate, Siôn Simon, was busy at his campaign office, the Communication Worker Union office, in Newtown, in Birmingham, to overlook on his campaigners busy on the phone as they gathered his support.

“As Mayor, I will champion our region,” he said. “I would push to take back control-from Westminster-and putting the West Midlands first.”

To make history and be the first ever Mayor, of the region, he said; “There is nowhere in the world that compares to the West Midlands. If we were a nation, we’d be the 58th biggest country in the world and I would bring the united pride in what is the most diverse, multicultural area there is in Britain. And I want to champion that.”

The inaugural Metro Mayor will hold office for three years, with the term length being four years after that. A planned directly elected political post responsible for the metropolitan county – which includes; Birmingham, Wolverhampton Walsall, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Coventry – Simon said; “We have a culture in the West Midlands that is woven with diversity – a key strength here – and as Mayor, I would connect visitors – business and otherwise – to that; whether it be the South East Asian food culture in Ladypool Road for instance, the Chinese Quarter, the newer Eastern European communities, or the number of Caribbean cultural centres that’s away from our central towns and cities. The West Midlands is a fantastic hub for multiculturalism and I for one is hugely proud of that.

"Our region holds an incredibly special place in world; there’s Shakespeare – arguably the most creative figure in history whose body of work is unparalleled - the steam engine - the Lunar men - manufacturers of world-class cars and the spitfire – made in Castle Bromwich, in Birmingham.

The collective geniuses of the West Midlands are game-changers - global and historic leaders. I will see that we celebrate this more.”

A former MP for Birmingham, Erdington, Siôn is one of six candidates for the new post with the election to be held on May 4.

TV star Lorraine Kelly is calling on Britain to get out the aprons, wooden spoons and mixing bowls to help the annual Bake for Heroes campaign smash the million-pound mark.

Supporters of all ages and all around the UK have cooked up more than £850,000 for Help for Heroes (H4H) since the Bake for Heroes fundraiser began in 2009.

Now, as H4H prepares to mark its 10th anniversary in October, Lorraine says this year is the perfect opportunity to rise to the occasion and make the 2017 event the biggest ever.

The ingredients for success are simple – supporters simply sign up for a free fundraising pack through H4H to bake cupcakes, sponges, biscuits, flapjacks or whatever tasty treat they fancy, and sell them off to colleagues, family and friends.

All money raised goes to H4H supporting wounded, injured and sick personnel, veterans and their loved ones.

The Bake for Heroes campaign runs between April 15 and April 30, but supporters can take part whenever it suits them.

Lorraine said: “I’m so proud to be a Patron of Help for Heroes. Every time I sit down and talk to our brave men and women, they tell me how much it means to know the public is behind them and their families throughout their recovery.

I’m determined to help make sure that this vital support is there whenever it is needed. So please join us, it’s very simple to sign up and bake a difference! You could just get some friends together for a cup of tea, have a laugh and have a chat. You really will be helping to rebuild lives and continue the amazing work that Help for Heroes does.”

Bake sales can be as big or small as you want – it could be a tea and cake event at work or school, a coffee and cake morning at the local community centre, or simply an invitation to friends to come round for a slice of cake and a catch-up in return for a donation.

Funds will support the work of Help for Heroes and their four Recovery Centres, which have been purpose-built and support around 4,000 people every year.

Throwing her full support behind Bake for Heroes is Sally Amoore, 62, who lives near Tenby in Wales and has raised around £37,000 for H4H by selling cakes over the past eight years.

Her son, Captain James Amoore, now 32, was seriously injured in Helmand province in Afghanistan after stepping on a Taliban mine in 2009.

James, a platoon commander with 2nd Battalion The Rifles spent four months in hospital, undergoing 15 operations.

With the prospect of more treatment ahead of him, Sally has pledged to do all she can to raise money for H4H.

Sally said: “James should have been a triple amputee, but he somehow managed to keep all of his limbs.

“He is among 66,000 ex-military personnel who will need support to deal with life-changing injuries and illnesses.

“Without charities like Help for Heroes, these brave men and women who we ask so much of would never get the support they deserve and so badly need.

“These men and women look strong and capable, but behind the brave façade, they face daily challenges. For some, the first challenge of the day is to fit their prosthetic legs or arms, for others it may even be battling their anxiety of leaving the house.

“As the public and media focus is no longer on Afghanistan or Iraq, it is critical we maintain support for them for years and years to come.

“I love Bake for Heroes because it’s something that everyone can take part in and do their bit. It’s not a huge effort to bake a cake! It’s just a very friendly and fun way of raising a bit of money for a good cause.”

Free health checks are being offered in the City of Wolverhampton as part of Residents Week (April 1-7). Go along and get blood pressure, height, weight, cholesterol and sugar level readings, as well as lifestyle information on smoking, increasing physical activity, reducing alcohol and healthy eating.

The sessions are being run by the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Healthy Lifestyles Team

Councillor Paul Sweet, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “The Healthy Lifestyles Team have a key role to play in improving the health and wellbeing of people living in our city.

“I would encourage anyone who wants to get in shape to take this opportunity to arrange a health check with a member of the Healthy Lifestyles Team and take the first steps towards improving their health and wellbeing.”

Health checks are available on the dates below, at venues across the city:

Friday, April 7 (10am and 2pm) Mander Centre Upper Mall, next to New Look.

Free health advice sessions are also on offer on the dates below at venues across the city:

Tuesday, April 4 (10am and 1pm) Ashmore Park Health Centre, Griffiths Drive.

Tuesday, April 4 (4pm and 7pm) Wolverhampton Racecourse, Gorsebrook Road, WV6 0PE.

Wednesday, April 5 (10am and noon) Bilston Library, Mount Pleasant, WV14 7LU.

Thursday, April 6 (9am and 5pm) New Cross Hospital, East Entrance, Wolverhampton Road, Heath Town, WV10 0QP.

A team of Ophthalmology Consultants at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, including eye doctor Alastair Denniston and his blind brother, Richard Denniston, are ditching their scrubs in favour of cycling vests and helmets to cycle 100 miles in one day at Velo Birmingham, to raise money for the official hospital Charity.

Alastair, an Ophthalmology Consultant who has worked at QEHB for five years, is one of five cycling enthusiasts from the Ophthalmology department who will join QEHB Charity’s team at Velo Birmingham. His career choice was inspired from a young age by his brother, Richard, who has been blind since shortly after birth and who will join Alastair and his colleagues on the ride.

Alastair said: “I have always been very aware of how precious sight is. To train to be an Ophthalmologist is a long road, but it is definitely worth it. I get to help save people’s sight on a daily basis – how good is that!”

The 42-year-old, who lives in Harborne, Birmingham, with his wife Sarah and two sons Arran and Ewan, helps to diagnose disease and provide treatment for patients who have problems with their eye sight.He explained: “Like other parts of medicine, the job is to first be a detective and then to provide the treatment.

We have to ‘join the dots’ connecting the patient’s symptoms with the subtle changes that may be occurring in the eye. Because so much of the eye is transparent, we can see right into it. Thanks to QEHB Charity we now have such high resolution equipment that we can see down to a thousandth of a millimetre within the eye. This state-of-the-art equipment means we can detect disease earlier and treat people with confidence.”

Along with his brother, Alastair will be joined by staff from the Ophthalmology department at QEHB, including Tim Matthews, Andrew Jacks, Simon Dulku and Mike Burdon, who will all join 15,000 thousand others, many of whom are raising money for QEHB Charity, at Velo Birmingham; a 100-mile closed-road bicycle race that is coming to the second city on Saturday 24 September.

Alastair said: “We have a wonderful eye department at QEHB – everyone is very committed. Over the last few years QEHB Charity has helped us buy £300,000 of the most advanced laser and imaging equipment to help us care for patients. We are committed to working with the Charity to raise money so that we can continue to provide world-class treatment here in Birmingham.”

To sponsor the Ophthalmology team, please go to www.justgiving.com/QEHBEyeAppeal

The Government has announced that the National Living Wage will go up, from £7.20 per hour, to £7.50 with the current National Minimum Wage (NMW) for those under the age of 25 still applies.

Introduced in 2016, the rate, which changes every April, is:

• £7.50 per hour - 25 yrs old and over
• £7.05 per hour - 21-24 yrs old
• £5.60 per hour - 18-20 yrs old
• £4.05 per hour - 16-17 yrs old
• £3.50 for apprentices under 19 or 19 or over who are in the first year of apprenticeship.

For example:

If the Pay Reference Period starts on the 19 March - 19 April- the pay between the 1 April - 18 April will be based on the NMW rates- The allocated pay from the 19 April - 19 May would be at the new NLW rate because this is the first full pay reference period after the 1 April.

The same rules apply when a monthly paid employee reaches the age of 25. For example if the employees birthday falls on the 25 May and the next pay reference period starts on 10 June, the employee is entitled to receive the NLW pay rate on the 10 June and not their birthday.

There are a number of people who are not entitled to the NMW/NLW.

• Self-employed people.
• Volunteers or voluntary workers.
• Company directors.
• Family members, or people who live in the family home of the employer who undertake household tasks.