In March Birmingham will once again prove that it loves sport when the city hosts three major sports events in three Commonwealth sports, all in one venue - Arena Birmingham.

The city centre venue has a rich sporting heritage and has been hosting sports events for over 26 years and next month will play host to the IAAF World Indoor Championships from the 1 to 4, the All England Badminton Open Championships from 14 to 18 and the Gymnastics World Cup on the 21 and 22 March.

The IAAF World Indoor Championships is returning to Arena Birmingham following a triumphant staging of the event 15 years ago, when praise was heaped on the venue and the city. With around 600 athletes from 150 countries taking part, the event will be the largest indoor sports event that has been staged in Birmingham for many years and it is the biggest global athletics event to be held in 2018.

The opening session on March 1st will see the men’s and women’s high jump being held simultaneously for the first time ever and with the world’s best expected to compete it will provide a spectacular opening to the Championships.

British number one, Robbie Grabarz, was at Arena Birmingham today, to celebrate the city’s love of sport and said: “I love competing at Arena Birmingham. The atmosphere is always fantastic as the spectators are so close to the action. I know the high jumpers will do their very best to put on a great show to kick start the Championships and with some fantastic performances already this season it’s definitely going to be an exciting competition.”

Claudia Fragapane, recently announced as one of the British gymnasts who will compete in the Gymnastics World Cup on the 21 and 22 March was also at Arena Birmingham this morning and is excited about coming back to the venue in just over a month: “The Gymnastics World Cup will bring the best gymnastics nations and gymnasts to Birmingham. I’m really excited to be part of a strong British team and I can’t wait to perform in front of local crowd. This is an amazing time to be a sports fan in Birmingham with so many great events coming up and the Commonwealth Games happening here in four years’ time.”

The hat-trick of sporting events in March will be completed by the Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships which returns to the city for the 108^th edition of the Championships. With 155 matches and over 50 hours of live badminton to enjoy, the 2018 event will serve up five days of world class action.

Birmingham has long been known as a city of sport, a label which it has truly earned after staging a multitude of international sporting events, as well as major participation events, in and around the city and with the Commonwealth Games having been awarded to Birmingham for 2022, this reputation is set to be further enhanced in the coming years.

Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council said: “Birmingham loves sport and it’s something which this city is extremely passionate about. Hosting major sports events puts Birmingham in the spotlight, brings thousands of visitors to the city and helps to inspire young people from across the city and beyond.

“March is going to be a special month for Birmingham with three major events in three Commonwealth sports and it will give local people a taste of what’s to come in four years’ time.”

Phil Mead, Managing Director for Arena Birmingham added: “These prestigious events will not only bring the world’s best athletes, but will also attract audiences from across the globe.  All of them provide a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase what the Arena and Birmingham has to offer to sport and the live events industry.”

The sporting action will actually get underway this weekend when Arena Birmingham will host the Spar British Athletics Indoor Championships, when Robbie Grabarz will be joined by hundreds of other British athletes attempting to gain selection for the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for the IAAF World Indoor Championships.

Keith Pryce-Jones will travel to Atlanta, Georgia in the USA to compete in World’s Toughest Mudder. This is a 24 hour timed event with Keith aiming to do 24 laps, covering 60 miles raising money for Muscular Dystrophy UK. Keith has the condition Type 2 Myotonic Dystrophy.

Keith became a regular on the Tough Mudder scene after taking on the challenge of completing 10 laps of UK Tough Mudders in 2016 to help raise funds to fight muscle-wasting conditions. Last year he really showed his love for the event, completing another 15 events, all whilst proudly wearing his Muscular Dystrophy UK top.

Whist this would be a huge challenge for anyone, it is an even bigger one for Keith as he explains;

“A few years ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 Myotonic Dystrophy following the confirmation of my father suffering the same condition. I am trying to raise money for the charity as a whole to support people who suffer from muscle-wasting conditions, as well as helping fund research into treatments and cures.”

“The symptoms of my condition include an elevated risk of heart disease, degeneration of skeletal muscles, and Myotonia which means certain muscle groups don't relax properly. I get this symptom most frequently in my legs.”

Taking part in World’s Toughest Mudder with a muscle-wasting condition makes this an extraordinary challenge. Keith is very aware of how challenging any Tough Mudder can be and he has come together with other members of the community to form the Vagabond Legion.  This is a team that welcomes anyone new to the mud obstacle event or who has no one to run with.

“It doesn't matter if it's your first or 50th Tough Mudder, but anyone is welcome to join provided they adhere to the Tough Mudder principles: teamwork, camaraderie, and light-heartedness.”

Rachael Voss, Regional Development Manager for Midlands and Anglia said: “We feel proud that Keith has chosen to rise to this challenge for Muscular Dystrophy UK and to help us change the lives of thousands of families living with muscle-wasting conditions for the better. We hope that people will show him all the support he deserves. Keith is aiming to raise £1000 which would fund almost four full days’ work for a scientist developing treatments for muscular dystrophy.”

Keith can be supported here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/keith-pryce-jones1

A University of Wolverhampton lecturer is crowdfunding to get a unique art project off the ground to raise awareness of migration and settlement in the UK.

Gavin Rogers, Senior Lecturer in Fine Art in the University of Wolverhampton School of Art, has set up a crowdfunding page to bring a flock of migrant red stork sculptures to the West Midlands.

His idea is based around the migration of storks from the East African Savannah towards Southern, Central and Eastern Europe.

He said:  “Many people across mainland Europe welcome these multi-continental migrants each year as they are the bearers of good luck, life, health and vitality.  Once nested, pairs of storks will return for the same nest every year for the rest of their life.

“Interestingly, storks have not nested in the UK for over 600 years until, in 2014, a pair found their way to Great Yarmouth and they are now starting to settle in the UK in small numbers.”

Gavin is offering individuals, venues and businesses across the West Midlands the chance to buy, host or adopt a migrant stork sculpture during Spring 2018, from March to June, for display on buildings or grounds.

Gavin said:  “I am currently working with cultural venues and workplaces across the West Midlands, with some great venues already confirmed from galleries to builders’ merchants – all of whom employ migrant European Union workers.  I’m hoping for a really positive response to ensure this project has a good regional impact.”

All the money raised will contribute towards the manufacture of the 2D storks and there will be community events, talks and workshops surrounding the project.  The aim of the project is to bring all of the storks together in one place in Spring 2019 to coincide with the UK’s exit from the European Union.

“The stork re-appropriated as a silhouette in multiples has the potential to provoke debates and conversations about belonging, nostalgia and migration for both for home and/or migrant citizens,” Gavin said. “This is a topic which really resonates in the recent political landscapes.”

The story of The Shepherdess has been set to music with narration by Conservatoire composer Cam Athanasiades and additional music by Soul Zisso.  Paintings and animations by Birmingham City University Visual Communications student Daniella Allen, based on the originals in the book, have also been created as part of the project.

The Shepherdess will be performed on the final day of the Festival by 70 young players from across the UK and marks the 30^th anniversary of the death of the recorder player and early music scholar Walter Bergmann.  It was to Bergmann that the original, unpublished, book was dedicated.

Walter Bergmann (1902-1988) escaped to England from Germany in 1939 and spent the war years interned on the Isle of Man.  His associations with Michael Tippett and the countertenor Alfred Deller led to a revival of the countertenor voice.  He was a key figure in the Society of Recorder Players encouraging playing by amateurs, and his role at Schott’s publishers enabled the publication of arrangements and new editions for recorder.  He is remembered not only as a fine music editor and scholar, but also for his tireless and generous support of young recorder players.

The concert will also feature Bergmann’s final (unpublished) recorder and piano quartet arrangement of Mozart’s piano sonata for four hands K381, plus his solo recorder sonatas and other music for children.

The Festival, which takes place over four days, features over 30 different events and includes headline performances by Birmingham’s own folk-world outfit the Bonfire Radicals, Synth-Bach with The Art of Moog, marking the 50^th anniversary of Wendy Carlos’s seminal album Switched-on Bach, and   Baroque music and dance from the London Handel Orchestra in Baroque Rebellion.  As well as concerts, the Festival includes workshops, masterclasses, an Early Music market and demonstrations such as Tim Cranmore Makes a Recorder from a Carrot – sure to be one of the tastier sessions.

Birmingham International Recorder and Early Music Festival runs from 15-18 February at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.  The Walter Bergmann 30^th Anniversary Concert, featuringThe Shepherdess, is on Sunday 18 February at 3pm.

Progress on delivering a new eye-catching modern office development at the heart of the City of Wolverhampton Interchange reached a major milestone.

A planning application has been submitted by Interchange partner and leading property developer, Ion, for the proposed i9 building on Railway Drive

It has emerged as a scheme following the success of the award-winning i10 complex on the opposite side of the road, which was fully let within nine months of its doors opening.

i9 will provide 50,000 sq ft of stunning Grade A office space for a national or regional headquarters for a major business when completed in 2020.

The proposals were well received at a public consultation event at the city’s Light House last month.

It is the next step in building a thriving commercial quarter at the heart of Wolverhampton Interchange - bringing further investment and jobs.

City of Wolverhampton Council and Ion selected Glenn Howells Architects’ design for i9 as the winner from a strong field of ten UK leading architects and urban design practices.

They are the architects behind the Paradise Birmingham scheme - one of the biggest city centre development projects in the UK.

Councillor John Reynolds, Cabinet Member for City Economy, said: “Since i10 was completed we have seen increasing demand for quality office space in that location of the city, particularly from large space users.

“i9 was always envisaged to satisfy that demand, and it is great news that the official planning application has now been put forward for consideration.

“We want this building to become the design and quality benchmark for future developments in the city and to demonstrate our ambition for the city centre.

“This important site ideally lends itself to a distinctive, high-quality headquarters building. We know there are inquiries swirling around the market for that kind of building.”

Steve Parry, Managing Director of Ion, said: “The i9 competition attracted some excellent submissions, but Glenn Howells design stood out as an iconic building that is sympathetic within its environment, whilst still demonstrating City of Wolverhampton’s ambition to compete as a prime city centre office location.

“The development of this quality of building will broaden the appeal of City of Wolverhampton to a range of office occupiers who are seeking the highest standards. The proximity of transportation hubs and availability of cafés and restaurants on the ground floor will reinforce this part of the Interchange as a place to spend leisure time.”

“Rock Form”, the much-loved sculpture by renowned artist Barbara Hepworth, will go on temporary display at Wolverhampton Central Library while the city’s art gallery undergoes a refurbishment.

The popular piece was being moved out of the Lichfield Street gallery today ready for its move to the main foyer of the library in Snow Hill.

“Rock Form” has been housed at the art gallery since 2015 after its owner, Royal Bank of Scotland, agreed to keep it on long-term display in the city.

The bronze sculpture has a long association with the City of Wolverhampton having been on public display in the Mander Centre since the 1968 after being donated by the Mander family.

The art gallery is undergoing significant improvement works which means “Rock Form” requires a new temporary home.

Cllr John Reynolds, City of Wolverhampton Council’s cabinet member for city economy, said: “Rock Form has a long history with the City of Wolverhampton and the art gallery has been proud to house this iconic piece for the last two and a half years.

“We need to move it temporarily for the next year or so while improvement works are carried out at the gallery and Central Library is the perfect venue. It means it will still be very much on public display where lots of people, including children, will be able to appreciate this magnificent work of art.”

Rock Form will be installed in the library next month after some minor works are carried out to its plinth.

Barbara Hepworth created Rock Form in 1964. It is one of 6 similar bronze castings - the others are held in the at Edinburgh Royal Botanic Gardens, Truro, The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, The Association for Public Art in Philadelphia and the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena.

Hepworth is considered one of the most significant sculptors of modern times. Her work is internationally famous and during the 1950s and 60s she was one of the most successful artists in the world.