Wolverhampton City Sports Advisory Council held a celebration to mark its 50th anniversary last week.

Since 1967 the Sports Advisory Council has promoted and represented sports clubs across Wolverhampton, as well as supporting individuals and celebrating their achievements.

It has also worked closely with the City of Wolverhampton Council to launch the Sporting Hall of Fame, held at WV Active Aldersley, which recognises and celebrates the achievements of dozens of sportsmen and women who have represented Wolverhampton on an international stage, from athlete Denise Lewis to Wolves footballers Bert Williams and Billy Wright.

To mark its golden anniversary this year, sportsmen and women past and present, along with others who have been involved with the council over the years, were invited to a special celebration event at the Diamond Banqueting Suite on Wednesday 24 May, 2017.

Chair of the Sports Advisory Council Peter Holmes MBE said: “We are celebrating 50 years of dedication to sport.

“In this time, we have successfully put the City’s sporting achievements in the spotlight to show the people of Wolverhampton the benefits and contributions of our City’s sportspeople and sports clubs.

“Ultimately, their fantastic achievements enhance Wolverhampton’s reputation and the image of the City itself.”

Among those in attendance was Deputy Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Phil Page who said: “The City of Wolverhampton is proud of its athletes and their success over the years, and it was great to see so many sports represented at this event.

“On behalf of the City of Wolverhampton Council, I would like to congratulate Wolverhampton City Sports Advisory Council on its 50 years and thank it for all the help it has given to sportsmen and women in our area. Here’s to the next 50 years.”

Speaking at the Laureus Sport for Good European Summit, Pete Edwards from Manchester-based organisation The Running Charity - which using running to build resilience, confidence and self-esteem in homeless youth – said; “I’m leaving here with hope. Where there is sport, there is hope,” which proved poignant words in light of recent news from the city.

One of the world’s greatest football coaches Fabio Capello attended the Summit, in Stockholm, in Sweden, joining small group conversations and learning about the day-to-day work of the programme leaders in attendance. The hugely successful Capella offered his own personal experience of football in countries across Europe, before delivering a motivational message to programme leaders, encouraging them to instill a winning mentality within their organisations.

“Throughout my playing and managing career, I’ve seen first-hand the impact that sport can have,” he said. “It brings people together, gives them a common purpose and instils confidence in young people. I always worked in organisations with a winning mentality; I encourage you to adopt a winning mentality within your organisations. Be the best you can for the youth.”

The Laureus Sport for Good European Summit, hosted in partnership with the Swedish Postcode Foundation, brought together more than 50 programme leaders from organisations across Europe who uses sport to change the lives of young people. The event aptly took place in the sporting surroundings of Bosön on the outskirts of Stockholm, a picturesque campus which serves as a training facility for many of Sweden’s leading and aspiring athletes.

With seven events dropping in to six cities, AX throws together an intoxicating mix of world-class indoor Motocross racing, high-flying Freestyle Motocross and a show to rival any music festival including lights, lasers, pyro and a pumping soundtrack. With over 60,000 fans streaming through the doors each year, it doesn’t matter if you’re a life-long two-wheeled super-fan, or this is your first AX visit – there are few better ways to banish those winter blues.

Heading into its sixth year, AX is an international affair with athletes from around the world travelling to compete in arguably the most prolific indoor race series Europe has to offer. Young racing warriors from the age of seven will take to the track too and, like their aspiring heroes, will engage in fierce competition with a single-minded determination to claim Arenacross glory.

Away from the racing, the crammed tour programme will include radical Freestyle Motocross, where the giants of FMX showcase their breath-taking skills with tricks and backflips, some sixty foot above the arena floor. This must be seen to be believed!

With its highly-charged atmosphere, thumping beat, lasers, lights, and presenter hype, fans are left in no doubt that being an Arenacross spectator means they’re as much a part of the show as the racers themselves. And whether it’s children’s favourite, MAX the AX mascot, meet and greet the pro riders or up-grading your tickets to arrive early and walk the track with the stars, the action doesn’t get any better than this adrenalin-fuelled night of entertainment that will leave you on the edge of your seats!

A fiercely entertaining day out for everyone this half term is a brand new, £1m attraction opens tpday at Playgolf in Bournemouth – Mighty Claws Adventure Golf.

Open seven days a week, this prehistoric paradise is home to some of the largest and fiercest animatronic dinosaurs on the Jurassic Coast. Suitable for the whole family, kids can swing, cut and slice their clubs through 18 holes of prehistoric thrills and near life-sized dinosaurs before devouring some of the best pizzas on the South Coast at The Kitchen Club.

Nestled between an erupting volcano and a five-metre high waterfall, the terrifying – almost life-sized moving 'Iron Jaws' can be found throughout the 18-hole course, breathing, moving and even roaring. Visitors will also get to know the friendly 'Sweet Claws' dinosaur characters along the way as they try to navigate the flowing streams, play three hidden holes in the awesome echoing cavern and follow the jungle paths before completing the course with a rest stop in a dramatic Dino Jaw Throne.

Taken from the children's storybook 'The Invasion of the Iron Jaws', created by Michael Volokh, the impressive course is based on the first episode in the adventures of a small group of lovable dinosaurs from Sweet Claw Valley, who must undertake a series of fearsome adventures in order to free their valley from the evil Iron Jaws. A number of Mighty Claws Adventure Golf courses are planned to open nationwide, each themed around one of the many adventures of the Sweet Claws dinosaur chums.

Leading precious metal asset firm, Rosland Capital, chose the 2017 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix to unveil their latest coin collection - designed in collaboration with the Ayrton Senna Institute (Instituto Ayrton Senna) - celebrating the landmark first win at the most renowned circuit in F1 by its most famous son thirty years ago.

Six 30oz Gold Coins (a number specifically chosen to mark this special anniversary) along with a further 180 2.5oz Gold & 300 2.5oz Silver Coins all bearing the iconic image of the legendary Brazilian driver have been produced as part of a wider series of celebratory events that took place in Monaco to commemorate the first of his record six wins in Monte Carlo - in 1987 while driving for Team Lotus.

The limited number of coins created mark them out as timeless collectors’ items for any true F1 and Senna fan. Each individually crafted coin, featuring his unmistakable image, is minted by Swiss-based PAMP S.A., one of the world’s finest coin producers and celebrates the enduring legacy of one of the most iconic racing drivers of all time, with a share of the proceeds going directly to the Ayrton Senna Institute.

Rosland Capital CEO, Marin Aleksov presented Senna Institute Director and the late icon’s niece, Bianca Senna, with the Gold & Silver coins after the unveiling of a commemorative plaque for the three-time F1 World Champion by HRH Prince Albert II of Monaco at the Fairmont Hotel, Monte Carlo during the Grand Prix weekend.

Aleksov was thrilled to showcase this special coin collection to Bianca Senna in Monaco: “We are honored to be part of this wonderful celebration of the anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s first win in Monaco thirty years ago. We know how important his legacy is to all Formula 1 –and indeed all sport - fans – and as such we feel very privileged to have been asked by the Ayrton Senna Foundation to produce this special range of gold and silver coins. With a share of the proceeds going towards the incredible work of the Foundation, this is a project that we are extremely proud to be associated with.”

Bianca also commented on the celebration of her uncle’s legacy: “It was an unforgettable weekend at the Monaco GP due to the tributes in honor of the 30th anniversary of Ayrton's first win in Monte Carlo, opening the series of six victories that still stands as an F1 record.

The launch of these coins immortalizes these celebrations by engraving in gold and silver such a special moment for us at the Ayrton Senna Institute and my uncle's fans in Brazil and all over the world."

With Wasps having won only four of the past 15 Premiership meetings between them and the Exeter Chiefs and back Kurtley Beale being ruled out of the Premiership final at Twickenham, the Wallaby’s absence may prove pivotal in the outcome of what is already a tight match to call.

The Chiefs make one change to the starting XV which overcame Saracens, with wing Olly Woodburn replacing top try-scorer James Short, whilst Willie Le Roux switches to full-back, with Josh Bassett starting on the wing.

Despite their knock-back, though, Wasps Director of Rugby Dai Young said: "We have a lot of respect for Exeter Chiefs, who are a quality team and a quality club. We've had some memorable battles over the past couple of seasons and know how well drilled and coached they are, so we will have to be at our absolute best to win.

Exeter Head Coach Rob Baxter said: "We're probably a stronger group going into this game than we were last week, which is always nice. But we've got to make sure that we don't expect that having a bit of experience from last year will be that big a factor. We've got to demand that what the big factor is, is the quality we play at."

Wasps finished Aviva Premiership in 1^st place, with Exeter finishing 2^nd but in 14 past Premiership finals, the league winners have only gone on to win at Twickenham five times (Sale 2006, Leicester 2009 and 2010, Harlequins 2012, and Saracens 2016) – which makes this one very hard to call.