Sandwell’s ever-popular Big Spring Clean campaign is back for 2017 – and local people and organisations are invited to get involved with litter picking, graffiti removal, planting and painting. The campaign will launch with a community litter-picking event at Victoria Park, Smethwick, on Friday 3 March. Sandwell Council has teamed up again with waste partner Serco and local charity Litter Watch to recruit volunteers for the 11th annual Sandwell Big Spring Clean.

Two years on, the Midland Langar Seva Society, which is supported by HomeServe’s van and volunteers, has delivered more than 17,000 hot meals and 17,000 goodie bags to those in need of help. An inspirational charitable partnership which is helping to feed, clothe and support homeless and vulnerable people in towns and cities across the West Midlands is going from strength to strength two years on.

In aiming to provide a facility where local people can get together to socialise, support and contribute to the building of a safer community, the Sheldon Community Initiative is looking to run a range of  weekly and monthly activities for local children, young people, the elderly, single parents and others groups. And in order to aid much-needed fundraising for the centre - which houses a local food bank as well as other annual events - they have set up a special Sheldon Outreach Family Centre Open Day/Launch at their Sheldon Heath Road venue in Birmingham.

Celebrate Mums all weekend at Blenheim Palace from Saturday 25 – Sunday 26 March. On Saturday treat mums to a special brunch with bottomless Mimosas; and on Sunday enjoy a delicious Afternoon Tea in the Orangery Restaurant. The elegant Orangery Restaurant overlooks the 12th Duke of Marlborough's private Italian Gardens.

To mark the 20th anniversary of World Book Day on 2nd March 2017 new research from VisitEngland shows that more than half of British holidaymakers would visit a literary attraction on holiday in England. Findings also show that one in four Brits visited a literary location in England during a holiday break in the last year. The same amount had read literature relating to a place they had visited in the country. 

The clean-up at Black Patch Park in Smethwick has begun after a group of travellers were evicted earlier this week. Tonnes of rubbish including more than 300 tyres, rubble, black bags, furniture, beds and double glazed windows were left behind after the group were evicted by bailiffs. Sandwell Council bosses say the bill will run into thousands of pounds – with rubbish costing £110 a tonne to dispose of, plus the cost of cleaning the area, equipment and staff.