31 people from Birmingham and the West Midlands abseiled 200ft down the Holiday Inn Express, Snow Hill in Birmingham, and raised over £6,000 for the charity Parkinson’s UK.

Amanda Cresswell from Walsall did the abseil for her mum, who has Parkinson’s, and has raised £430 so far.

Amanda said: “A few years ago my mum was diagnosed with Parkinson's, but I had no idea how much more there is to this horrible condition and just how debilitating it is. I really want to try and raise more awareness.”

Emma Tromans from Lichfield did the abseil in memory of her dad who sadly passed away in 2016 after living with Parkinson’s for nine years, she has raised over £220 so far.

Emma said: “I had a truly fantastic day.  I felt very emotional on the way down thinking about my dad, but I know how happy and proud he would be.

“When people asked if I was scared about the abseil, all I thought was this is my choice - my dad didn't have a choice, and he lived day to day not knowing how his future was going to be.

“I had a fantastic experience even when I was thinking I was about to plummet to my death!”

The event was sponsored by Recycling Management Ltd, from Aston, Birmingham, with Director Yvonne Hawkeswood joining with staff members and her family to take part, and raising a staggering £3,000 between them.

Yvonne said: “The day was such fun and although I was very nervous there was a great team who made me feel like I could get through the worst bits and make it to the ground safely.  All in all, a brilliant day for a brilliant charity!”

 Gayle Kelly, Regional Fundraiser, Parkinson’s UK, said:

“It was an amazing day - blue skies, sunshine, tears, laughter, an impromptu Zumba session on the roof, and as the last person was abseiling we had the Salvation Army brass band playing below us - fantastic.

“We had a great turnout from family and friends, and community spirit was alive and well as we had 10 volunteers helping us out with the event too.

“Now every penny raised by our brave fundraisers will go towards finding better treatments – and one day a cure - for people living with Parkinson’s.”

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition for which there is currently no cure and Parkinson’s UK estimate that there are more than 40 symptoms.

As well as the most widely known symptom - tremor - these range from physical symptoms like muscle stiffness to depression, anxiety, hallucinations, memory problems and dementia, but Parkinson’s affects everyone differently.

Parkinson's UK is the leading charity driving better care, treatments and quality of life for those with the condition. Its mission is to find a cure and improve life for everyone affected by Parkinson's through cutting edge research, information, support and campaigning.

The City of Wolverhampton is gearing up for a whole programme of events as part of the national Armed Forces Day celebrations taking place at the end of the month.

Armed Forces Day, which this year takes place on Saturday June 30, is a chance for people to show their support for the entire Armed Forces community - from currently serving troops to service families, veterans and cadets.

City of Wolverhampton will be marking the occasion with an action-packed programme for both the day itself and during the lead up to it.

Celebrations will begin with a flag-raising ceremony on June 25 outside the Civic Centre when the Armed Forces Day flag will be proudly flown.

On 26^th June there will be a free interactive workshop looking at the role of faith in the armed forces at Light House Media Centre from 7pm-9pm with guest speaker the Rt Revd Clive Gregory, area bishop of Wolverhampton.

On 28^th June there will be a guided tour of the city centre’s various war memorials, incorporating both public and private tributes to the fallen. The event, which will last approximately two hours, is free and people should meet outside the main entrance to the Civic Centre, St Peter’s Square ready for a prompt 2pm start.

On Armed Forces Day itself, the city centre will be buzzing with activities for people of all ages as it becomes the focus of family celebrations.

In Queen Square between 11am and 4pm, the stage will be set for a host of lively performances following a welcome by the city’s Mayor, Councillor Phil Page, featuring retro harmony singing trio the Miss Fortunes, Cosford  Military Wives Choir, Joe James Thomas (George Formby tribute act), the Royal Air Force Air Cadets Military Band, City of Wolverhampton Council and Royal Wolverhampton Hospital Trust choirs and many more.

In Dudley Street, people can test their aerodynamic skills when the Royal Air Force host a paper airplane challenge and the University of Wolverhampton’s School of Sciences will be bringing mind-blowing experiments and fun challenges. There will also be the opportunity to chat to veterans and gain information about becoming a cadet or joining the armed forces.

Meanwhile, the city’s award-winning Central Youth Theatre will be joined by Wolverhampton Orpheus Male Voice Choir to stage three individual performances at  separate venues looking at how the First World War effected the people of the city. ‘Down Our Street’ will be performed at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Lichfield Street at 10am, ‘Roses of Wolverhampton’ will take place at The Courtyard, Living @ Sunbeam, Paul St at 11.15am and 12.45pm and ‘The Forgotten Returned’ at St Peter’s Church at 2.30pm and 4.30pm. Tickets are available by calling 01902 572091.

The day will finish with a military parade and flag lowering ceremony in Queen Square at 3.15pm.

Mayor of the City of Wolverhampton, Cllr Phil Page, said: “As a city, we have a special relationship with our armed forces. Armed Forces Day is an opportunity to celebrate all that the forces do to defend the nation at home and abroad.

“We have a fantastic programme of events and entertainment lined up to mark this year’s Armed Forces Day. I would love to see as many people as possible come along and have a great time while showing their support for the forces.”

The nation's favourite coffee shop, Costa Coffee, is proudly displaying its true colours with the launch of the first ever limited-edition rainbow coffee cups to celebrate Pride across the UK.

With Costa Coffee a founding partner of GLOW (Gay Lesbian Out at Whitbread) the activity has strong support from staff, with many Costa team members taking part in Pride parades across the country for the third year running.

GLOW is a group of over 1,000 members that champion equality and inclusion in the workplace, ensuring all employees feel strong and supported in the company, no matter their background or personal preferences. This reflects Costa Coffee's commitment as an employer that provides equal opportunities and inclusivity to give colleagues courage and pride in who they are.

The limited-edition Pride cups will be available for a short time in selected stores across the UK* in Edinburgh, Essex, London, Glasgow, Brighton, Leeds, Manchester and Cardiff – with Edinburgh and Chelmsford first to proudly offer them from today. Available a week ahead of and on the day of Pride marches in each location, the cups help to spread the messages of celebration and inclusivity.

The cups will be ordered in place of the red for each store to reduce waste and will be recyclable in the same way.

Jason Cotta, Costa Coffee's Managing Director UK & Ireland commented: “Our all new rainbow cups are a fun way to celebrate Pride and reflect Costa Coffee's values of equality, and diversity. We are passionate about championing team members rights to work in an inclusive, supportive environment.We're so proud of the achievements of the GLOW team and look forward to seeing them marching at the many of the Pride Parades across the UK.”

In previous years, Costa Coffee has shown its support of Pride with the launch of limited edition Rainbow Lattes as well as changing its iconic red sign at key stores to rainbow. This activity all ladders to Whitbread PLC's commitment to being the most inclusive employer in hospitality.

Employees from the City of Wolverhampton Council and the city’s schools have raised over £3,300 for former Mayor Councillor Elias Mattu’s charities by taking part in a dress down day.

The Proud To Be Wolves event last month was organised by the council’s education team and invited schools, their pupils and council employees to celebrate everything positive in the city. Participants were encouraged to wear bright clothes and share what makes them proud of Wolverhampton using the hashtag #Proud2BeWolves.

In doing so, they raised £3,314.57 for the late Councillor Mattu’s chosen charities – Street Pastors, Sickle Cell Care, Interfaith Wolverhampton, the Alzheimer’s Society, Central Youth theatre and Acorns.

His widow Councillor Asha Mattu said: “I’m absolutely thrilled by the amount raised by the city’s schools and employees at the council.

“The money raised will make such a difference to the charities and the local people that they support.

“The statements shared by the young people of what makes them proud of their city were heart-warming, and their parents and schools should equally be very proud of such positivity displayed by their children.”

All schools that took part were entered into a prize draw with St Luke’s CofE Primary School winning a class visit to the Mayor’s Parlour and Rakegate Primary School scooping a visit from Wolverhampton Wanderers mascots Wolfe and Wendy.

Others who took part included Bantock, Castlecroft, Fallings Park, Field View, Grove, St Andrew’s, Stow Heath, Oak Meadow and Westacre schools, and a slideshow of Proud To Be Wolves charity day activities can be seen at https://youtu.be/nkH9tyUJ-9Y.

Councillor Lynne Moran, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: “It’s great to see so many of our fantastic schools taking part in this very worthwhile event, having fun, celebrating their City and raising lots of money for charity in the process.”