Colors: Blue Color

A new partnership from a Birmingham school and sixth form centre will enable local community groups to make use of its sports and performing arts facilities on evenings, weekends and during school holidays.

St Edmund Campion Catholic School and Sixth Form Centre has joined forces with School Lettings Solutions (SLS) to manage its facilities and provide leisure venues for various activities, such as fitness classes, dance workshops and craft groups.

SLS partners with schools, academies and colleges to fully manage their facilities at zero cost to the organisations, while linking them with local community groups in need of affordable space.

The school, which is based in the Erdington community, will play host to activities, such as training sessions and sports classes. Local groups can hire its facilities, which include a main hall, astroturf pitch, sports hall and gymnasium, for regular classes or ad hoc events.

It is hoped the partnership will open up new opportunities to the school’s students, as well as people of all ages from the local area.

Gary Smart, strategic business manager at St Edmund Campion Catholic School and Sixth Form Centre, said: “We’re really excited to be opening up the school to the wider community. We’re proud of the facilities we offer our students, such as our astroturf pitch and gymnasium, and it makes sense to us that they are available to use during evenings and weekends as well.

“We’ve already got some great partners signed up to use our facilities and we’re looking forward to getting more on board. This can only be a positive thing for our students and people in the area.”

SLS currently works with more than 140 schools nationwide, helping them to make the best use of their facilities. It provides a fully managed service, including managing bookings and staffing the facilities to ensure rooms are secure and ready for the next school day. The business is expanding across the country and is looking to sign up schools in the West Midlands, which are currently facing hundreds of thousands of pounds of funding cuts.

Paul Andrews, director of SLS, said: “It’s great to welcome St Edmund Campion Catholic School and Sixth Form Centre as our latest partner. The academy has got some brilliant facilities and we’ve already had lots of booking enquiries. We’re passionate about ensuring people have access to opportunities that boost their health and wellbeing, so we’re keen to provide local groups with marketing support to make sure their clubs thrive and are well attended.

“There is huge potential to provide more places like this for people of all ages to come together, which will be really positive for the area. At the same time, our partnerships provide a new stream of income for schools as their budgets come under more and more pressure.”

City of Wolverhampton Council has unveiled its brand-new café and one of the first customers was local Olympic, World and Commonwealth medal-winning gymnast Kristian Thomas.

The eatery – called WV Café - on the ground floor of the Civic Centre provides a wide selection of refreshments for the hundreds of daily visitors to the council’s headquarters as well as employees.

One of the catering staff who work on the café – Lynn Reid - is none other than Kristian’s mother-in-law and she invited the 28-year-old, who still lives in the city, to come and see the facility.

The main feature of the café is a salad and fruit bar offering a range of healthier options which athlete Kristian was keen to sample for himself.

It also provides drinks including Costa coffee, sandwiches, confectionary and a varied selection of hot and cold food.

Kristian said: “It’s a real honour to be invited to City of Wolverhampton Council’s new café. I was pleased to help when my mother-in-law Lynn suggested it.

“She and her team are looking forward to working at the new venue. I enjoyed a wonderful lunch and would recommend visitors to the civic centre or the wider city to call in and try it out.

“There’s something for everyone and I’m particularly impressed with the salad bar.”

His mother-in-law Lynn Reid said: “This is a really exciting time for the catering team here at the City of Wolverhampton Council. The new café has so much more to offer customers, it’s a great place to work.

“I’m so proud that my son-in-law Kristian has helped us promote it. He’s a true Wulfrunian and he’s achieved so much – it’s so fitting that he came to help us tell the people of Wolverhampton about this fantastic new facility.”

As well as the café, the council has also unveiled its completed customer service centre.  The first phase was revealed back in March, but hoardings have now come down revealing a selection of computers and telephones which are free for the public to use.

There are also self-service kiosks for customers who wish to complete their transactions quickly and easily.

Councillor Andrew Johnson, City of Wolverhampton Council’s cabinet member for resources, said: “We are very proud to be opening our completed customer service centre and brand new café to the public.

“These are first class facilities ensuring that the hundreds of people who visit the Civic Centre each day are greeted in professional surroundings and their enquiry is dealt with quickly and efficiently.

“We are making significant improvements to the Civic Centre to extend the life of the building, provide a better service to the public and save taxpayers £500,000 a year by enabling us to close aging, expensive to maintain satellite offices.”

Both the café and the customer service centre are part of the ongoing programme of improvements and essential repairs and maintenance being carried out to the Civic Centre.

The underground car park has been refurbished and the facility won a national award. Extensive mechanical and electrical repairs on all floors of the Civic Centre are taking place.

Outdated systems including electrics, heating and fire alarms which were at serious risk of breaking down are being replaced and asbestos is being removed. Office space is also being modernised to enable staff in outlying offices to move into the building.

The overall scheme will save taxpayers more than £500,000 a year by enabling the closure of outlying offices which are expensive to run and maintain. The programme is due to be completed by Spring 2018.

Law firm Irwin Mitchell is gearing up for National Inclusion Week (25 September – 1 October) by holding a panel event in Birmingham to discuss whether women face additional challenges in the work place.

Irwin Mitchell’s internal gender networking and support group, IM Powered, have organised the event in partnership with the Institute of Directors and Birmingham Hippodrome, where the event takes place on Thursday 21 September 2017.

The inclusive event will feature a panel discussion and Q&A with a number of high profile female guests including Vicky Brackett, CEO of Irwin Mitchell’s Business Legal Services division.

The mother-of-two became the first female member of the law firm’s Executive Board in 2016 after starting her career as a trainee at magic circle firm, Freshfields, in 1994. Vicky eventually left the City and went on to become Managing Partner at Thomas Eggar before the firm merged with Irwin Mitchell in 2015.

Vicky said: “Since starting my career I think slowly things have become easier for women. Of course there is more to be done but for example, taking maternity leave is far less of an issue now than it was in the 90s and thanks to technology, flexible and home-working make it far easier to achieve a better work/life balance.”

“It is interesting to see that many men who want to share parenting responsibilities now the law allows it in terms of shared leave and paternity are now going through similar struggles. My children are 11 and 14 years old and I think, and hope, that their generation won’t consider gender to be as much as an issue but it’s important that we make sure our generation of leaders embrace changes too. Whether you are male, female, transgender or don’t align yourself with either gender it is vital that businesses look beyond the face, the colour and the sex and see the skills, talent, warmth, energy and empathy.”

One of Vicky’s other commitments is as a trustee of a PSDS, a charity she founded following the birth of her son Sam who has Down syndrome, which provides support to children with Down syndrome and their families.

Vicky says as a mother she has always worried about the impact of her work and charity commitments on her children.

She said: “I asked my daughter once if she minded that I haven’t always been able to do the school run or the ‘traditional’ things that are expected of mothers. She said ‘You’re there for everything that matters. Some of my friends’ mums leave the school gates and go for a coffee, my mum goes and runs a law firm, so of course I don’t mind,’ and I really loved that response.

“I respect everybody’s right to make their own personal choices about career and family but I think women should be encouraged to feel less guilty about having their careers and children. Equally I think being a mother has given me a lot of skills that I use every day at work when dealing with people or difficult situations. As long as you have the right people for the job having a diverse workforce will mean you will have richer insights and perspectives to help your business make better decisions.”

Asked with hindsight, what advice she would give to herself at the start of her career, Vicky said: “Be yourself, aim higher than you think you are capable of and don’t underestimate your own abilities. I’d tell myself to slow down and take time because if you work hard, the opportunities will present themselves. I’d also recommend getting a really good mentor so you have someone to talk to.”

Discussing what more needs to be done to help encourage more women into leadership positions she said: “I don’t necessarily think that men are holding women back. I think sometimes we can be our own worst enemies when it comes to confidence in our abilities. I think we could do more to build the confidence of women in business, provide good role models and mentors to help those who have chosen to pursue careers go as far as they want to and are able to go.”

Vicky will be joined by fellow panel members, Dr Jenni Jones – Senior Lecturer, HR & Leadership at University of Wolverhampton, Fiona Allan – Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Birmingham Hippodrome, Jane Sommerville – Managing Director at Bowers & Jones, and Tracy Westall – Former Director of Corporate Service for SCC and Non Exec Director at Innovation Birmingham, Governor at BCU, and a Board member at TechUK.

Suzie Branch-Haddow, Director of the Greater Birmingham Professional Services Academy and MetEnterprise Academy will be chairing the event which will focus on issues faced by women in their respective professions, the positive changes over the years and areas for improvement.

Sporting heroes met the Mayor when the Sandwell Special Olympics team dropped by the council house to show off their recent medal haul.

Sandwell’s mayor Councillor Ahmadul Haque MBE met members of the team from the charity Special Olympics Sandwell and Sandwell Sports Club – a team for people of all ages with a learning or intellectual disability.

Special Olympics Sandwell was part of the West Midlands team who represented Sandwell at the Special Olympics National Games which were held this year in Sheffield.

The mayor heard about the Sandwell sports stars, who took part in games which were held in August.

Three swimmers, eight badminton players and 17 athletes supported by eleven Sandwell volunteers took part and netted 32 medals, six gold, 18 silver and eight bronze medals plus more than 30 ribbons.

From the team ten people achieved their personal bests and were presented with a Special Olympics Ribbon.

Sandwell Mayor Councillor Ahmadul Haque MBE said: “It was marvellous to meet so many Sandwell sporting heroes and learn about their recent achievements – well done to all who took part and of course the volunteers who helped make it happen.”

The inaugural Sainsbury’s Living Well Index, based on a nationally representative study into how Britons feel about their quality of life, reveals the factors associated with living well – and uncovers significant gaps. Sleep quality has the strongest association with Britons’ quality of life – for the typical Brit, improving their sleep to the level of those who are living best would be equivalent to them having more than four times as much disposable income. In the West Midlands, one-in-three (34 per cent) say they feel well-rested just some of the time. Only one-in-four (25 per cent) in the West Midlands say they regularly feel well-rested.

The Index, created by Sainsbury’s in partnership with leading researchers Oxford Economics and the National Centre for Social research, aims to define, measure and track what it really means to live well in the UK today. It has been commissioned to help the retailer understand and engage on the aspects of everyday life that are holding people back.

In the first study of its kind, researchers asked a nationally representative panel of 8,250 people questions covering 60 different aspects of their behaviour, how they live and how they feel. The Index covers everything from their support networks and relationships with friends, families and communities, to how people feel about their jobs, their quality of sleep and the strength of their finances. The same panel will be questioned every six months, enabling Sainsbury’s and researchers to track the effects of how we live on how we feel, individually and as a nation, as well as providing unique insights into the lives of Britons today.

The average Briton has a Living Well score of 62.2 out of a maximum of 100. Those in the West Midlands had a score of 62.1 the study found – below the typical national score.

Those living best are defined as the 20 per cent of the population with the highest scores – falling between 72 and 92. By comparing the lifestyles and behaviours of those living best in Britain with the typical Briton, the Sainsbury’s Living Well Index has revealed the critical factors behind living well.

Income has surprisingly little impact on how we feel. For the typical Brit, a 50 per cent rise in disposable income contributes to just a 0.5 point increase in their Living Well score.

In contrast, controlling for age, income, or personal health, a good night’s sleep has the strongest association with how well we feel we are living. Over time, the research aims to understand the big gaps dividing the nation, and whether associations are causal.

Ian Mulheirn, Director of Consulting at Oxford Economics, said: “Wellbeing is rising up the agenda at a time of rapid change in how we live our lives, and we’ve created a critical new tool that can help us to unpick what’s driving our sense of living well, drawing on a unique, rolling survey of unprecedented breadth and granularity. The analysis within the Sainsbury’s Living Well Index reveals that, in a world that’s never been more connected, the richness of our relationships and support networks remains among the biggest determinants of how well we live – and represents an area of our lives in which we can act.”

More than 220 businesses will come together at Molineux Stadium on Friday, September 29 as part of Wolverhampton Business Week’s ‘Meet the Buyer Breakfast’ event - and there is still time to sign up if you wish to attend.

It will take place between 8am and 11am in the WV1 Suite and is open to anyone interested in hearing about supplying goods or services in the city and where to find opportunities.

City partners are committed to working together to increase support for local businesses and create opportunities for local people.

A key part of this is helping businesses work together to create a supply chain that can bid for public and private sector contracts.

Representatives from the University of Wolverhampton, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Hospital Trust, City of Wolverhampton Council, and Wolverhampton Homes will be available to answer questions.

Exhibitors include Just Patties Logistics, Find It, YPO, Pestokill, BT, Lion FPG, Zeus Packaging, Banner, Galliford Try, Midland Metro Alliance, BSI, Speller Metcalfe, Black Country Growth Hub, City of Wolverhampton College, Something Different, Accord Careers, Enterprise and The Workplace (University of Wolverhampton), The Apprenticeship Hub, Amazon Business, Obillex and Yoo Recruit/Adecco.

Fiona Ward, Head of Procurement at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “This is our third annual event and a great opportunity for local businesses to engage with, not only, public sector organisations but the private sector ones who are also exhibiting. We look forward to another successful event and future collaboration in the sector and region.”

Councillor John Reynolds, Cabinet Member for City Economy, said: “Partners in the city are working together to give local companies local procurement opportunities across all sectors.

“Together, partners are committed that every pound spent should have a maximum impact on our city, our residents and our businesses.

“I am sure suppliers of all shapes and sizes will benefit from meeting some of the biggest buyers in Wolverhampton.

“It is a great way to find out about future contracts and get support on how to tender for upcoming opportunities.”

Birmingham’s historic architecture and changing landscape will be put in the picture at a new exhibition showcasing how the city’s skyline has been transformed over the last 20 years.

Birmingham City University’s Parkside Gallery will host the ‘Brummagem Lost City Found’ exhibition from today (September 18), which brings together a collection of large-scale prints, paper constructions and rare archive materials centred around some of the city’s most iconic sites.

The artworks, which feature artistic takes on Spaghetti Junction, the Inner Ring Road and New Street Signal Box, have been produced by two local artists, Birmingham City University Professor, Andrew Kulman and Sara Kulman.

Both Andrew and Sara are residents of Birmingham and use city’s transformation as the inspiration for the work on show in ‘Brummagem Lost City Found’.

The exhibition has been compiled in a bid to recognise and honour the Brutalist architecture which characterised the  city’s architecture during the 1950s-70s.

Professor Andrew Kulman said: “Over the last 20 years Birmingham has lost much of the Brutalist architecture that characterised the city. Most recently the iconic Central Library was controversially demolished and is being replaced by brand new buildings.

“While it would be hard to deny the benefits to the city, there is an overwhelming feeling of loss as the old buildings fall and the city is reshaped. As the city is regenerated there is a sense of nostalgia among those who called the ‘concrete jungle’ home.”

‘Brummagem Lost City Found’ is free for the public to attend at Birmingham City University’s Parkside Gallery at its City Centre Campus in Eastside.

Sara Kulman added: “Birmingham is a fantastic place for artists to work and exhibit, the changing city is a great inspiration. This exhibition has given me the opportunity to reflect on the city as it is today, to bring new life and a fresh perspective to the remaining structures that defined my youth, a city that I still call home.”

The exhibition will run from September 18 to October 27.

Brits spend 48 days a year on the sofa, with nine out of ten1 people enjoying relaxing on the sofa with their family - and it’s also having a positive impact on our relationships, new research reveals.

ScS, one of the UK’s leading furniture and flooring specialists, surveyed more than 1,000 people to find out about their sofa-time habits. The research found the majority of Brits spend at least an hour a day relaxing on the sofa, with more than half (55%) using that time to catch up with family and friends.

Brits are most likely to spend time on the sofa with their partners too, with over two thirds saying they are more likely to couple up on the couch as part of their sofa-time. Relationship expert, Caroline Brealey explains the positive impact sofa-time is having on couples and their relationships.

Caroline says: “In a relationship it's the little things that count. Big romantic gestures are lovely, but the day to day moments you share are what keep you connected and the relationship healthy.  Cuddling provides comfort and security and after a long day at work spending some quality time cuddled up on the sofa together being close and having physical contact can be hugely intimate and romantic.”

She continues: “Sofa time is also important for people with children as it brings together the family. Time spent with your children on the sofa, whether reading, watching a movie or chatting, is essential for maintaining family ties and creating common interests.”

The poll also revealed the nation’s sofa-time habits. Interestingly, when it comes to where we sit, more than half of respondents admitted that they have a favourite spot on the sofa and get annoyed if another family member ‘steals’ it. This is most common in those aged 45 – 54, with 60% admitting the trait, compared to just 36% of those aged 18-24.

Despite common belief, it’s actually older people who spend the least amount of time on the sofa each day, with 17% of those aged 65 and over spending less than an hour a day on the sofa compared to just 6% of 25 to 34 year olds.

Simon Nicholson, Furniture Buying Director at ScS, said: “With our lives seeming to get busier and busier, fitting in time with the family and our partners can be a struggle, so it’s great to see so many are putting their sofas to really great use as part of this precious family time.

“While it’s tempting to get engrossed in your favourite TV shows and other distractions, it seems that families around the country are using time together on the sofa at the end of a long day to catch up and invest in their relationships, which we think is a real testament to the benefits and comfort offered by the [modest/humble] family sofa.”

Last month marked the 100th anniversary of the death of Captain Noel Godfrey Chavasse VC & Bar, MC;  one of only three people to be awarded the Victoria Cross twice, and namesake to one of the four Help for Heroes (H4H) Recovery Centres.

This week two granddaughters of Christopher Chavasse, twin brother of Noel, visited the recovery centre named Chavasse VC House after the British Medical Doctor. Noel was engaged to his cousin, Frances Gladys Ryland Chavasse, but the captain was killed in action before they could be married. His great-nieces, Camilla Kinton and Julia Hatfield, are some of the closest living descendants. They were invited to the recovery centre to mark the anniversary of their great uncle’s passing and see how the centre has developed since they attended its opening over five years ago.

Camilla said: “This is the best possible memorial to Noel Chavasse as he cared about the whole person; not just the physical but the emotional side too. The Help for Heroes Recovery Centre does just that here; it cares for the whole person. It’s nice to be able to keep the name of Noel Chavasse alive and I feel that he very much would have approved of the recovery centre. Our great-uncle cared for “his boys” and it’s possible that if had lived then he might have opened up his own house to let his comrades recover after the war. It was quite unusual for his a man of his time to be concerned for the wellbeing of his soldiers”.

She continued: ”Noel came from a family of those with a great faith and sense of duty; they always wanted to help others. Even when Noel carried out those acts which saw him awarded the Victoria Cross he didn’t feel like he was being brave. It was just the way he was; he just wanted to help his men”.

Camilla and Julia spent time with beneficiaries of Chavasse VC House hearing how Help for Heroes has assisted them on their road to recovery; both physically and mentally. They also heard how Noel was integral to improving the wellbeing of his comrades in the trenches by setting up recreational areas which he stocked with a gramophone and books.

The Olympic athlete and British Army Officer died on August 4, 1917, during the Passchendaele offensive. He was just age 32. Captain Chavasse received serious head injuries during the battle, but refused to be evacuated and continued to venture into no man’s land and tend to the wounded.

Despite being injured Captain Chavasse saved the lives of an estimated 20 seriously wounded men while under heavy gunfire. A few days later, while resting, his trench was hit by a shell. Mortally wounded, the Captain crawled half a mile to seek help for others. He was eventually evacuated but died of his wounds two days later.

Noel Chavasse was the most highly decorated British Officer of the First World War and had previously displayed courageous acts of bravery during the Battle of the Somme. When the time came to build the Help for Heroes Recovery Centre in Colchester, it was widely agreed that it should bear his name, not only to acknowledge his sacrifice but to those who fell during the Great War.

Colchester Recovery Centre inspires, enables and supports those who are wounded, injured or sick while serving our country, encouraging them to lead active, independent and fulfilling lives, while also supporting their loved ones. With an adaptive gym, an award winning reflective garden (Hope on the Horizon), a Support Hub made up of multiple charities and other organisations, psychological well-being suite, en-suite bedrooms, family rooms and a creative studio, the Centre has been specially designed to offer the very best recovery environment. It supports those from East Anglia, East Midlands and West Midlands.

Steve Schollar, Help for Heroes’ Head of Recovery Services East, said: “No matter when someone served, H4H gives them the support they need to put them back on the road to recovery In recent years we have supported individuals aged from 18 to 90 years, focussing on the five key areas of Medical, Mind, Body, Spirit and Family. The specialist teams here create the conditions for our heroes and their families to recover and move forward with their lives. I’m proud to say that Help for Heroes and Chavasse VC House continue to play a major part in the Nation’s commitment to our veterans”.

Goaty McGoatface the rare Bagot goat is the newest addition at Sandwell Counci’s Forge Mill Farm in West Bromwich.

The six week old kid, who will be known as Goaty, was named by members of the public who suggested their favourite names on Facebook. Goaty was born in August to the farm’s oldest Bagot goat, Ivy, who is 15.

The council is supporting a scheme run by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust to breed the rare goats as there are fewer than 200 registered breeding females left.

Goaty will become part of the farm’s breeding stock, increasing the number of these rare animals for years to come.

Councillor Richard Marshall, Sandwell Council's cabinet member for leisure, said: "Goaty is very cute – and a very important little goat.

“We wanted the public to be involved in naming him. Someone suggested Goaty McGoatface, people thought it was funny and then a few more suggested it. We thought it suited him so we went with it.”

The Bagot is believed to be Britain’s oldest breed of goat with records of them being around in 1389 at Blithfield, the Staffordshire home of Sir John Bagot.

The exact origin of the Bagot goat is unknown - one theory  is they were brought to Britain during the Crusades in the Middle Ages, while others believe they originated from native goats in medieval times.

Sandwell Council is to give the West Bromwich-based People’s Orchestra a special £1,000 grant to help it to replace vital equipment it lost in a recent theft.

The orchestra lost a public address system, cables, wires and IT equipment which were snatched from the back of the van belonging the group in a second theft they have suffered.

Now Councillor Richard Marshall, Sandwell Council's cabinet member for leisure, said he was delighted to be able to announce that the council was to help the group to keep playing music for Black Country enthusiasts.

He said: “The People’s Orchestra is a well-respected organisation who have really been badly affected by two thefts of their equipment.

"They provide excellent entertainment for music lovers and do some excellent work in the community and deserve some assistance at this difficult time."

The orchestra, which is based at West Bromwich Town Hall, is made up of a diverse mix of talented musicians from varied backgrounds aged 18-75 years.

The primary objective of the orchestra is to advance, improve and develop an appreciation for arts and music through public concerts.

It also works to help unemployed people back into work by helping to boost their confidence and gain new skills.

Managing director Sarah Marshall estimated that the stolen equipment could cost as much as £2,000 to replace after the "truly heartbreaking thefts" on their vehicle.

She added: "We are absolutely delighted to hear of the council’s kind offer because we have to work so hard to raise the money to buy this equipment to help people to play music and the unemployed members to get back into work."

Dog owners can get their pets microchipped for free at an event being held in the City of Wolverhampton.

RSPCA Stafford, Wolverhampton and District Branch are working in partnership with City of Wolverhampton Council’s Public Protection team to offer the service at West Park on Saturday, September 23, from 10am to 2pm.

A new law which came into force on April 6, 2016, requires all dogs over eight weeks old in England, Scotland and Wales to be microchipped.

The measures are aimed at cracking down on vicious or illegal dogs as well as helping protect animals that may become lost.

Dogs need to be microchipped and registered with their keepers’ contact details. All keepers, including breeders, will need to keep these details up to date.

The microchip is the size of a grain of rice and its information about the dog and the owner’s contact details will be officially held on an approved micro-chip database.

Councillor Steve Evans, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Environment, said: “Microchipping is a great way to make sure that you and your pet can be reunited should the unthinkable ever happen, and your dog does go missing.

“Unlike dog tags and collars, which can fall off or be removed, microchipping is a permanent form of identification. By microchipping your companion, you can help to increase your chances of being rightfully reunited with your pet, should they ever be lost or even stolen from you.”

If a pet is already microchipped, it is important to remember to keep the dog’s details updated. If people move house or change phone number, they should contact their microchip database provider to let them know.

Not only it is a legal requirement to ensure that contact details are up-to-date, but the microchip is useless without them.

Jenny Stringer, Chair of RSPCA Stafford, Wolverhampton and District Branch Chair, said: “There are so many owners that aren't aware that by law all dogs must be microchipped, so the local RSPCA Stafford Wolverhampton & District Branch have held a number of events to help microchip local animals.

“Thousands of animals are lost every year and many never reunited with their owners - having your dog microchipped reduces this happening. We are really pleased to be working in conjunction with the council to provide this free service at West Park. Microchipping can cost up to £25 so it's a huge saving.”

If a dog without a microchip comes to the attention of the authorities, its keeper could be served with a notice requiring the dog to be microchipped, and may face criminal prosecution and a £500 fine if they do not comply with the notice.

The only exemption is where a vet has certified in writing that a dog is unfit to have the chip fitted.

Cranberry and blood orange liqueur brand, Cranes, names Danilo Sassanelli of Soho based bar, Graphic Bar as the winner of their first cocktail competition.

Competitors were challenged to create innovative cocktails that will 'Paint the Town Red', with the only specification that they included 20ml of Cranes Cranberry & Blood Orange Liqueur.

Danilo of Graphic Bar, London, triumphed over two other competitors in the final of the competition, which took place at the Prince of Wales, Brixton on 11th September.

The contest was judged by Tom Arnold, who also judged the WFA Flair Bartending World Championship; Sean Cambridge, mixologist and Cocktail bar manager; and twin brothers and co-founders of the Cranes brand, Benjamin and Daniel Ritsema.

Danilo was awarded a cash prize, a years supply of Cranes liqueur for the bar he's employed by and also the title of Cranes Brand Ambassador.

The other finalists were Sammy from First Aid Box and Louis from The Shrub and Shutter, who both created exquisite cocktails.

The winning cocktail '160 Cranes' consisted of;

  • 25ml Cranes
  • 30ml Calvados
  • 5ml Aperol
  • 25ml Lime juice
  • 5ml cider vinegar
  • Bergamot bitters
  • Egg white
“It was extremely gratifying to see these amazing bartenders making such exotic cocktails with our Liqueur. They all tasted superb. It was an extremely close competition with Danilo creeping out in front. We had a huge range of people attend the event from influencers to investors, it was a huge success and looking forward to work with Graphic Bar and Danilo in the future.”

The Crowne Plaza Hotel Birmingham on Monday evening played host to an auspicious gathering of BME Civic, Faith, Housing and Community Leaders, amassed for an appreciation dinner in honour of the West Midlands Combined Authority Mayor, Andy Street CBE.

Invited by Nehemiah UCHA Honorary President, Bishop W R Powell, OBE & Chairman Mr Jimmy Ogunshakin, the assembled group welcomed Mr Street and congratulated him on his election to Mayor of the West Midlands.

Nehemiah UCHA are a Housing Association with a portfolio of 1100 properties serving the multicultural African Caribbean, Asian, Irish and European communities within the West Midlands, and the night was as much a celebration of their success over the years as well as honouring Andy Street.

"With such an influential group of leaders from across the West Midlands here, thank you very much for bringing everyone together tonight," Mr Street began, "Part of my reason for coming tonight is to learn from what you all do, and to build those relationships."

"There is no point in saying what you're going to do during a campaign, if you're not prepared to actually do it when you're in office as well. I am determined to continue the engagement of all of the communities, because genuinely I believe that being Mayor has to mean being Mayor of the whole of the West Midlands, not just one community."

Mr Street fielded questions from the room adequetly, talking expertly on the topics of Social Change, Housing, and his first 100 days in office, with his usual charismatic charm shining through, immediately putting everyone at ease.

For someone who stepped into the political arena from a business background, and set out a checklist of promises that by his own admission, he would be judged on, he was brutally honest in his admission that those promises haven't all been hit to the standard he would have liked, yet. A true breath of fresh air from a politician.

With regards to the Homelessness Task Force, Andy agreed with a statement from Nehemiah UCHA Chief Executive Llewellyn Graham earlier in the evening, that "actually the government record on this is poor, we have to lobby carefully to win change and drive improvement in that area, and I'm pleased to say that everyone is coming together to do that."

Nehemiah UCHA have responded to the needs of their customers by providing large homes for those with extended families, specially designed homes for people with disabilities or specific religious/cultural needs, and energy efficient homes to minimise the impact of fuel poverty. They are committed to serving the community and aims to build it into a thriving social unit in which people of all ethnic backgrounds feel at home and valued.

With the help and support of those gathered in the room, and the wider communities they represent, Andy Street definitely has a good ear to the ground to discern exactly what is required. Whether he is able to enact change for the betterment of these communities as he has set out to do, only time will tell.

Wildflowers could be adding a splash of colour to gardens as well as grass verges in Sandwell next summer.

In the spring, Sandwell Council planted wildflowers on grass verges and roundabouts – reducing the need for mowing and creating a haven for bees and butterflies.

Photographs of the flowers received more than 1,500 likes on the council's Facebook page and were seen by close to 100,000 people.

Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for highways Councillor David Hosell said: “We’ve had so many compliments and enquiries from residents who wanted to buy the seeds that we’re working with our supplier to see if we can sell the seeds for people to plant in their own gardens next spring.”

People are being urged to sign up for adult learning in Sandwell.

Sandwell Adult and Family Learning (SAFL) has held three open days where hundreds of new learners have enrolled on a wide range of courses.

Learners have been signing up to courses in English and maths as well as employability courses offering support on writing CVs and interview skills. There has also been a good take-up of the more creative courses such as art, sewing and textiles courses.

Adult learner Moreen Campbell has already completed courses at Tipton College and has again signed up for more courses this term.

After studying English at entry level and Level 1 Moreen is going on to study for her Level 2 in English which is equivalent to a GCSE. While doing her English studies, Moreen learned about the sewing and dressmaking classes on offer and has now signed up for her third term on that course.

Moreen said: "I love coming to the adult learning classes. The staff have given me real encouragement with my studies. My confidence has improved and I'm glad I've been given the opportunity to better myself.

"Before signing up for the sewing and dressmaking course, I couldn't sew at all but now I'm making my own dresses. I'd recommend adult learning to anyone."

Students can enrol on classes for this term until the end of September. Enrolment is taking place at any of the three adult learning centres; Tipton College in Alexandra Road, Ron Davis Centre in Smethwick and Hateley Heath Family Education and Training Centre in West Bromwich.

Councillor Simon Hackett went along to the recent open day at Tipton College and met the staff along with some new learners. He said: "The learners I met were so enthusiastic about the courses they have done and the tutors who taught them. It was great to see them signing up for more courses.”

“I encourage people to have a look at the courses on offer and enrol. There really is something for everyone including GCSE equivalent qualifications.”

To find out more details about the courses on offer please visit www.learnsafl.ac.uk or call 0121 557 0387. Alternatively you can go along to any of our colleges to find out more.