Community News

Sandwell Council’s foster carers have received a boost with a donations of toys for all ages from the congregation at Great Barr Methodist Church. Councillor Simon Hackett, Cabinet Member for Childrens Services, received the donations on behalf of Sandwell’s Looked After Children & Young People from Reverend Rachel Frank and members of the church congregation including Dorothy Clive and Hazel Powell.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas from everyone at The Phoenix Newspaper!

With Christmas fast approaching, homes up and down the country will be blooming with festive flora. However, while merry mistletoe, a twinkling pine and ruby red poinsettia will ensure that festive feeling, they’re among several seasonal plants and trees that can be poisonous to cats and dogs.

A cheque for almost £30,000 has been presented to Birmingham Children’s Hospital following a successful year of fundraising by the NEC Group. NEC Group Chief Executive Paul Thandi presented the cheque for £29,260.66 at the Group’s annual Awards ceremony. “Birmingham Children’s Hospital does incredible work helping thousands of children and their families from across the West Midlands and beyond every year, and the NEC Group staff really got behind it as their chosen charity of the year.

Exciting crafts and tasty treats are being served up by Bilston Craft Gallery's new café. It has launched a pop-up Craft Café offering a family-friendly environment in which people can enjoy delicious home-made treats while trying out a wide range of creative activities. Visitors young and old can have a go at clay play, painting, ceramic painting and collage, with activities starting from just £3 per person.

Local choirs and bands from Birmingham raised nearly £500 by singing for shoppers and passers-by in Birmingham City Centre as part of Midlands-based national charity, Heart Research UK’s annual “Sing for your Heart” campaign. Hosted by Heart Research UK in the Midlands, the Brindleyplace event was led by the Sutton Coldfield Community Choir along with performances from the City of Birmingham Brass Band and Vivat! Choir.

Months of planning, dedication, hard work and vision were realised on Saturday 5th December 2015 at The Phoenix Newspaper 5th Anniversary Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony at Bethel Convention Centre, West Bromwich. Backed by main sponsor McDonald’s, as well as Crownsway Insurance Brokers Limited, the cold day did nothing to chill the spirits of those present. The morning quiet was broken with the vibrant sounds of the Dhol Blasters heralding the arrival of HRH Nana Agyemang Nyamekye Amlak, the Aduana Head of Kwakye Dida Nsuta Ashanti in Ghana.

Renovation of run-down restrooms and the unveiling of a hidden burial ground will take centre stage in the next wave of Haringey Council’s improvements for Tottenham.Monument Way toilets improvements. Former public toilets on Monument Way have been earmarked for conversion into a new cafe or bar in a bid to bring the elegant unused Victorian building back into use.

The Duke of Cambridge visited the Hall of Memory in Birmingham to unveil ten commemorative paving stones in honour of local Victoria Cross recipients. He was welcomed by Lord Mayor Cllr Raymond Hassall and met with five groups of relatives and representatives from their Regiments.

Fresh from its triumphant year as European Green Capital 2015 – the only UK city ever to hold the title – Bristol is destined to remain in the spotlight during 2016 thanks to its dynamic programme of events and some exceptional new attractions, restaurants, and experiences. Here are some of the best reasons to visit the city in the year ahead.

Playing fields in the West Midlands are being protected against development, new data published has shown. The latest figures, compiled by Sport England, which works to safeguard playing fields for community use, show that 92 per cent of all resolved planning applications in the West Midlands involving a playing field in 2013/14 resulted in improved or secured facilities.

Three-fifths (62%) of older people in the Midlands say they feel more isolated and/or go out less in winter. Meanwhile, just under half (46%) of those aged 65 and over say they have gone to bed early to stay warm at least once. That’s according to a new survey by older people’s charity, Independent Age, to launch their new Winter Wise advice leaflet for older people, their families and carers.

The winners of a competition for youngsters to design the Mayor of Wolverhampton's official Christmas card have been announced. Four-year-old Eliza Hallam, a pupil at St Anthony's RC School, was declared the winner with her colourful, hand-printed Father Christmas stating "I'm going to my favourite place next... Wolverhampton". She won a pack of 20 cards featuring her own design, along with a family ticket for a ride on the Severn Valley Railway.

As December finally arrives, postbags up and down the country will be straining under the weight of millions of Christmas cards and parcels. With that in mind, sight loss charity RNIB is calling on the nation to save their used stamps to help raise vital funds. The charity wants everyone to help it deliver first class support services by donating their used stamps to support the two million people in the UK living with sight loss, including more than 166,000 people in the West Midlands.

A new fund to support Restorative Justice projects in the West Midlands is being launched by the police and crime commissioner. Grants totalling £375,000 will be available to organisations who work with victims, enabling them, if they want to face their offender, to explain how the crime has affected them. Restorative Justice (RJ) also gives ex-offenders the opportunity to make amends for their crimes and repair the harm they have done – by apologising, returning stolen money, or undertaking community service.

Offenders doing Community Payback put in more than 1,200 hours for this year's Safer 6 campaign, clearing more than 33 tonnes of waste across Sandwell's six towns. The offenders, who are supervised by Staffordshire and West Midlands Community Rehabilitation Company, cleared 33.6 tonnes of waste – including collecting rubbish and tidying up overgrown bushes and paths – from 14 sites over 1,242 hours.