Bristol Street Motors Beadford Renault, Dacia and Nissan dealerships have given a welcome boost to a weekly activity group which brings together older people in the Bradford community, with a grant.

Lidget Green Elders Group (LGEG) in the west of Bradford was chosen to receive the grant after the neighbourhood project applied to the Social Responsibility Awards, a community initiative backed by Vertu Motors plc, the Group which operates Bristol Street Motors, Vertu Honda, Vertu Toyota, Vertu Volkswagen and Farnell franchises.

The grant will help support LGEG’s wide range of activities and events which the members participate in and enjoy every week, including cook and eat sessions, gardening, drama, craft and basic computer skills workshops.

The group’s aim is to help residents in the community learn the benefits of a healthy lifestyle with nutritious meals through the growing and eating of their own produce, keeping in touch with family and friends online to address the issues of isolation and pass on their cultural experiences to the younger generation through short plays and poems.

The funding will help to continue the vital community links with older people in Bradford. Although established in 2009 and growing in popularity, the LGEG was closed due to the passing of the group leader and was recently brought back together following a consultation with its regular members.

Doreen Campbell, coordinator for LGEG, said: “Over 90 percent of the Lidget GreenElders Group felt that they were socially and emotionally isolated from family and friends. A group of volunteers ran a pilot scheme with a four to six-hour activity session each week, which was hugely welcomed. Now members are very keen to continue with the project to further improve their health and mental wellbeing, which had deteriorated during the group’s absence.

“With the additional grant, the group will have the opportunity to meet and work with other groups in the community and share their knowledge and experience to build lasting relationships and strengthen community links.

“We thank Bristol Street Motors for the kind donation, which will help to make a real difference in older people’s lives in Bradford.”

Andy Brown, general manager, Bristol Street Motors Bradford Nissan, said: “The LidgetGreen Elders Group offers an invaluable service to the Bradford community. Through the dedication and commitment of its volunteers, the community group will continue to improve the physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing of the elderly to ensure they are living fulfilled lives.

“We are delighted to support the LGEG initiative and hope it continues to offer residents an opportunity to be part of something special and share in the life of the whole community.”

Vertu Motors plc is working in conjunction with New Testament Church of God (NTCG) to deliver community-based social support schemes which offer opportunities for local people to improve their wellbeing through its Social Responsibility Programme.

Commonwealth Secretary-General the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC has received a Distinguished Champion award at the WEConnect Gala in Washington DC for her tireless efforts to empower women and achieve gender equality across the world.

WEConnect International is a global network that connects women-owned businesses to qualified buyers across the globe.

Organisers spoke of the Secretary-General’s “commitment to transforming the lives of women”, adding that “it is not just her personal achievements that have inspired females – but her forceful pursuit of progressive change in each of her various posts”.

In her acceptance speech, the Secretary-General said: “I am particularly pleased the WEConnect award ceremony had such distinguished representation from major corporations – especially female business leaders of such a high calibre and talent.

“Business and the public sector working together locally and internationally can do so much to protect the safety of women and to enhance opportunities for potential to be recognised and fulfilled.

“The occasion for me is made all the more significant by the fact the gala is taking place three years to the day since I took up the responsibilities entrusted to me by the Heads of Government of Commonwealth of our 53 member nations and became their Secretary-General.”

The event was attended by more than 200 guests including government officials, thought leaders, and philanthropic and civil society organisations, who are champions for women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.

The Government and Parliament must break the Brexit deadlock and find a way forward warns the Federation of Master Builder (FMB), in response to the latest Construction PMI data, which shows another drop in construction output.

The March 2019 PMI data revealed an Index score of 49.7, up slightly from 49.5 in February, against the no change threshold of 50.0. This points to a sustained decline in construction output, representing the first back-to-back fall in construction output since 2016. While the residential building sector enjoyed an upturn, commercial construction was the worst performing area.

Commenting on the results, published this morning, Sarah McMonagle, Director of Communications at the FMB, said: “The construction industry is being seriously affected by Brexit uncertainty as evidenced by two very worrying sets of results for construction output in the first quarter of 2019. Businesses have been waiting for politicians to come to some resolution for far too long now, and it’s time that this deadlock was broken. It’s not surprising employers are finding it hard to plan for the future, when we don’t even know when, or indeed if, we’re leaving the EU. Today’s results are a reminder of just how vulnerable the construction industry is to political turmoil as confidence among consumers and contractors continues to wobble.”

McMonagle concluded: “Brexit uncertainty and the construction skills shortage have created a perfect storm in our industry. Around 9 per cent of construction workers in the UK are from EU countries, but we know from speaking to small construction employers that many of these skilled workers are starting to return, whether that’s because of strengthening economies elsewhere, or that they simply don’t feel welcome anymore. This is compounding an already severe construction skills shortage, and I’m worried that the Government’s post-Brexit immigration system will make it even worse. For example, the system will not allow Level 2 tradespeople to live and work in the UK for more than 12 months at a time. At the same time, the Government’s figures last week show that the number of Level 2 apprenticeship starts among our domestic workforce is dropping. It’s quite simply not possible to build the homes and infrastructure we need without bricklayers, carpenters and plasterers. The Government and industry must work together to attract more people into the industry, by offering them high quality training with clear career pathways for progression but in the meantime we need sustained access to tradespeople of all skill levels for the industry to continue being open for business.”

Good progress is being made towards Wolverhampton's pledge to become an Autism Friendly City, but there is still more to be done to ensure that people affected by autism are afforded the same opportunities as anyone else.

Autism affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people, and how they see, hear and feel the world around them. People with autism experience it in different ways, but typically face challenges in social communication and interaction.

Around 1 in 100 children and adults – approximately 2,500 people in Wolverhampton – are estimated to have an autism spectrum condition.

Last year, Wolverhampton announced its intention to become an Autism Friendly City by 2021 and, ahead of this year’s World Autism Awareness Week, which begins today (Monday 1 April) Wolverhampton's Joint Autism Strategy has been refreshed to focus on three key themes – increasing awareness and understanding of autism, improving services for people with autism, and helping people with autism to become more independent.

Emma Bennett, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Director of Children’s Services, said: "We and our partners are committed to offering as much help and support as possible to people young and old with autism and to their families.

“We want Wolverhampton to be a place where people with autism feel safe, understood and supported, have the same opportunities as anyone else, can live the life they choose, receive personalised support when they need it, enjoy meaningful activities and, most importantly, play an active part in their community."

Wolverhampton's Joint Autism Strategy was launched in 2016 and is being implemented by a group including people with autism, parents of children with autism, representatives from the council, Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group, the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, the Black Country Partnership Foundation Trust, voluntary sector groups and local schools.

It has already helped bring about a number of improvements, including the development of a new diagnosis, assessment and support pathway for adults which has led to more people having assessments, reduced waiting times and improved satisfaction levels among service users. An improved pathway for children and young people will come into place next month, and work is also underway with the voluntary sector to develop a network of services to support people with autism and their families.

Work is taking place to ensure there is the capacity and resources needed within both mainstream and special schools to meet the needs of all pupils with autism. Wolverhampton’s Special School Outreach Service is training teachers from mainstream schools to become Autism Leaders, and also provides training for parents of children with autism. A new specialist centre for autism at the City of Wolverhampton College is supporting a dozen students between the ages of 16 and 25, and additional places for children with autism have been created at Tettenhall Wood School.

As well as education, people with autism are being supported into the world of work, with employment service Enable providing individual support, including help with CVs, interviews and job coaching. Other programmes such as Thrive, Black Country Impact, Wolves Workbox and Wolves at Work are supporting people with autism into employment, while a number of local businesses are committed to becoming "disability confident employers".

Meanwhile local businesses and retailers such as supermarket chain Morrisons are offering “autism hours”, turning down lighting and music for the benefit of their customers.

In the months ahead, the focus will be on increasing awareness, understanding and support, with the City of Wolverhampton Council, the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and the University of Wolverhampton all working to become autism friendly organisations, and a network of autism champions being established to promote awareness and understanding within organisations across the city.

Further work will also take place to improve service pathways and ensure more people with autism are able to access services that promote employability and independent living, and make the transition between childhood and adulthood as smooth as possible.

David Watts, Director of Adult Services, said: “We have made significant progress over the last couple of years in improving understanding of, and services for, people with autism, but there is much more we can and will do so that they are able to live their lives to the full.

"Every one of us has a role to play, and we hope to use World Autism Awareness Week to highlight some of the steps Wolverhampton is taking to become more autism friendly, and the small changes which businesses and individuals can make which will mean a big difference to people with autism."

World Autism Awareness Week runs until Sunday (7 April). On World Autism Awareness Day tomorrow (Tuesday 2 April) the council and its partners will be holding a #SmallChangesBigDifference drop-in session at the Civic Centre between 10am and 3pm for people to find out more about autism and the help and support which is available to people with autism and their families.

There will also be the opportunity for people to share the small changes that people and businesses can make which can have a big difference to people with autism.

This summer visitors to London can be transported back to the golden-age of Victorian steam-powered travel as London Transport Museum and Transport for London run a vintage steam train into the heart of the Capital for what is expected to be the final time.

The special steam-powered journeys will celebrate 150 years of London Underground’s District line serving Londoners and tourists visiting the city.

Three return journeys will take place along the line between Ealing Broadway and High Street Kensington on both Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 June 2019. Tickets are on sale now on London Transport Museum’s website.

The commemorative trips will mark the final time steam trains are expected to travel into central London on the Underground network due to signalling modernisation that will provide more frequent services and improved reliability for customers on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines from 2021.

Steam trains first served the District Railway when it opened to the public between South Kensington and Westminster on Christmas Eve, 1868. Today, the District line serves 60 stations – the most of any Tube line.

Sam Mullins, Director, London Transport Museum said: “Passengers on these special finale journeys will be transported to a by-gone era of Victorian steam-powered travel, giving people a rare opportunity to experience the sounds and sights of travelling on the District line when it first opened 150 years ago.”

Nigel Holness, Managing Director of London Underground, said: "The District line has been a vital part of London's transport network for 150 years and it's amazing to think how many billions of journeys have been made in its lifetime. This is likely to be the final time we are able to run a steam train on the Tube network though central London so offers transport enthusiasts a fantastic opportunity to be a part of Underground history.”

London Transport Museum will continue to offer its heritage steam train outings on the outer reaches of the Metropolitan line towards Chesham.

People can discover more District line history at the next Open Weekend at the London Transport Museum Depot in Acton Town, West London on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 April.

Visitors looking to enjoy other heritage days out can book to board a beautifully restored red double-decker bus for day-time excursions from Covent Garden to Kew Gardens on 16 May 2019 and Greenwich on 17 October 2019.

Tickets to ride aboard the District 150 steam train, visit the Museum Depot Open Weekend or join an excursion by bus to Kew Gardens and Greenwich can be booked at: www.ltmuseum.co.uk 

Moda, a leading developer, owner and operator of homes for rent, backed by JV partner Apache Capital, has appointed Irish construction giant John Sisk & Son to deliver a new 42-storey skyscraper in Birmingham, which will be the city’s tallest residential building.

The 483-apartment scheme has been designed exclusively for rent, offering hotel level service and a whole host of on-site amenities including a 200m podium running track – one of the first in UK housing.

The £183m project will transform the derelict site of the former Click Club at Burberries, which hosted bands such as Blur and Primal Scream, into one of Birmingham’s tallest buildings and underpin the regeneration of the Broad Street area. Work is due to start in April this year, with completion expected in 2022.

The start on-site is a major vote of confidence in both Birmingham as a city and also Britain’s emerging build-to-rent sector despite the ongoing uncertainty caused by Brexit.

Offering a range of apartment sizes - from studios to three-beds - alongside a host of amenity spaces spread across the building, the Broad Street scheme will appeal to Birmingham’s growing army of professionals, while long-term yet flexible tenancies of three to five years will give families peace of mind.

The Broad Street site features a 60,000sqft podium with over 30,000 sq. ft. of dedicated communal space including residents lounge, dedicated health and wellness zones, co-working space, indoor/outdoor dining club featuring a demonstration kitchen as well as a range of ground floor commercial spaces. A 24-hour hotel-style concierge and a round-the-clock maintenance will help raise the bar for renters locally. Access will be through the ‘MyModa’ app – tech that acts as a key and allows residents to manage their tenancies and daily life within the building.

With a focus on health and wellbeing, Moda will be working with hero, a digital wellness platform set up by the former UK managing director of WeWork, which will help track and improve the health and fitness of residents. Residents will also be able to access advice from Premier League nutritionists and wellbeing coaches, hero will also provide mental health ‘first aid’ training for Moda building staff.

The appointment of John Sisk and & Son marks the next phase of delivery for Moda and joint venture partner Apache Capital. The JV is actively delivering thousands of high quality rental homes across the UK.

John Sisk & Son celebrates 160 years of building this year and the company has been active in the UK for over 40 years. The Broad Street site will be Sisk’s biggest Midlands scheme to date. Other high-profile projects the £96m Circle Square mixed-use scheme in Manchester, as well as Quintain’s huge Wembley Park 7,000-home build-to-rent development.

Tony Brooks, Managing Director at Moda Living, said: “Birmingham is a key city for Moda – as the UK’s fastest growing regional city and the number one city to relocate to from London. Our aim is to provide high quality housing to match the city’s ambition and growth.

Not only will this be a landmark building, it will also help raise the bar for rental in the city, offering unrivalled amenities and putting residents in control – offering flexible and long-term contracts. With a keen focus on health and wellbeing, the building includes a running track, landscaped terraces and shared spaces.

As a long-term partner to the city, it’s our responsibility to create social, healthy and connected communities.”

Guy Fowler, Regional Managing Director at John Sisk & Son, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed by Moda to deliver this landmark scheme in the heart of Birmingham. We look forward to working in partnership with all our stakeholders and in particular the local community to create a lasting legacy. As a family-owned business we are committed to people and that is what makes us successful in delivering complex projects.”

Backed by Apache Capital Partners, Moda has a £2bn development pipeline of 7,000 apartments across 10 UK cities. The first project to finish will be £154m 35-storey Angel Gardens in NOMA, Manchester, which will offer 466 homes designed specifically for rent. First residents will move in this Summer.

Andrew Parker, Director of Projects, Moda, said: Moda are extremely pleased to be working with John Sisk and Sons on this landmark project. The teams have worked constructively together over many months to reach this milestone and we look forward to a successful project being delivered. Sisk were selected as they represented the open working values that Moda also prides itself upon, the family heritage which supports both businesses, aswell as the experience, appetite and capability to undertake such an exciting project for the city.