A wonderful seasonal start to Christmas will sound out when Sandwell’s mayor hosts the 126th annual Civic Carol Concert at West Bromwich Town Hall. And there'll be plenty of mince pies to tempt the taste buds during the interval. The popular concert, compered by the BBC’s Mike Wyer, features the Langley Band, Sandwell & District Scouts Choir and well-known singer Maggie O’Hara.

The RSPCA is searching for the owner of a cat which is thought to have travelled more than 250 miles trapped inside a car engine. The furry stowaway, who has been nicknamed Phileas Mogg, was rescued by the RSPCA and an AA patrol after pitiful mewing was heard from under the bonnet.

The borough’s brightest sporting talent took centre stage on Wednesday at the Haringey Celebrating Sport Awards. Gongs were given out in a host of categories as the glitzy event enjoyed its ninth year at Tottenham Green Pools and Fitness. The awards – backed by the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, Haringey Sports Development Trust; Tottenham Grammar School Foundation; Fusion Lifestyle and Haringey Council – recognise sporting excellence, top quality coaching, volunteering and performance through 12 categories.

Green-fingered council tenants and leaseholders spoke about the joy their gardening gives to their communities, at the annual Birmingham in Bloom awards ceremony at the Council House. Around 50 district winners and their guests attended the ceremony in the Banqueting Suite.  City-wide winners in each category received a trophy, cash prize and gardening tools from the city’s Lord Mayor, Cllr Raymond Hassall.

Christmas comes around just once a year, but by joining in with ActionAid’s brand new fundraising initiative Faux Ho Ho, the festival fun can be doubled while raising money to  help change the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable women and children. 

Housing and homelessness charity Shelter is urgently appealing for support for its helpline, after receiving over 35,000 calls from the West Midlands in the last year alone – equivalent to 96 calls from the region every single day. In the last year, the number of calls to the charity’s free helpline from the West Midlands, which is part-funded by Marks & Spencer, has increased by 5,510.