Community News

Over a third (38%) of Brits cannot name a local charity in their area, and one in 10 (13%) have never donated to any charity, local or otherwise, new research by TSB has revealed. Half of adults (52%) say they feel local charities play an important role in their community, yet only one in 10 (13%) people can name at least two local charities in their area, and only one in 10 (14%) help their local community by fundraising for local causes.

The Lord Mayor of Birmingham and the Mayor of Sandwell will lead Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations on Sunday, January 24. Holocaust Memorial Day commemorates the victims and survivors of the Holocaust and Nazi persecutions, as well as other genocides around the world.

Relatives of a woman who passed away recently are being asked to get in touch with the City of Wolverhampton Council. May Morgan, who lived in the Wolverhampton area, died in November 2015 aged 88. The council's Court of Protection team is trying to trace her relatives so that her funeral can be arranged.

Former Press Club director Tony Bell has successfully undergone a triple bypass heart operation in Wolverhampton New Cross Hospital. The operation took place last week  and Tony expects to be in intensive care for six or seven days. Full of vigour, Tony said today from his hospital bed:  “It must have gone well.  I think I’m running the place now!” The Phoenix Newspaper wishes Tony a quick and successful recovery!

As many struggle to combat the post-Christmas come down and tackle the ‘January Blues’, new research conducted by leading online pet healthcare site MedicAnimal has demonstrated the huge impact of pet ownership on our health. After ‘Blue Monday’, which is believed to be the most depressing day of the year, MedicAnimal’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Andrew Bucher, flags that the health benefits of pet ownership are not only physical, but also extend to mental health.

Sport Relief have announced exciting new details about this year’s campaign, including Idris Elba donning his infamous Luther coat to uncover a serious case of hilarity in an unmissable sketch. The super sleuth will be joined by Lenny Henry, Rio Ferdinand, David Haye, Denise Lewis, Cecilia Noble, Louis Smith, Ruth Wilson and Ian Wright. This special one off sketch will be shown as part of a star studded night of Sport Relief TV on the BBC, hosted by John Bishop, Gary Lineker, David Walliams, Jack Whitehall and Claudia Winkleman amongst others,on Friday 18^th March.

Banish Blue Monday by booking into a Sandwell library and make the most of a week-long list of activities to lift the spirits. Sandwell Libraries are running lots of inspiring events from January 18-25 to encourage positive thinking on what has been identified as one of the most miserable days of the year.

Appreciate your ambulance service. This is the one New Year’s resolution the ambulance service would like you to keep not just for 2016, but for life. You don’t need an ambulance if you’ve lost your keys. A scary hedgehog doesn’t equate to a medical emergency. If you need a lift home after a night out in the pub, call a taxi not 999. As part of a week-long awareness campaign, WMAS will be releasing audio clips from 999 calls to highlight the shocking examples of inappropriate calls.

City of Wolverhampton Council is on the look-out for an army of community-minded volunteers who are willing to help vulnerable neighbours in the event of snow and ice. The council has today launched its Snow Wolves scheme and wants to sign up 1,000 city residents who will clear snow and ice from pavements and the doorsteps of elderly and disabled neighbours.

A charity for homeless dogs has received dozens of coats and doggy treats following a campaign organised by Pets Corner. 224 coats have been donated to the animal charity ‘Give a dog a coat’, which will be distributed to homeless dogs across the UK to help keep them warm during the cold winter months. The family-run ethical pet retailer asked customers and animal lovers to donate pre-loved, new and homemade dog coats throughout November and December by dropping them off at one of the 102 Pets Corner stores across the UK. 

As the weather turns colder, Public Health chiefs are encouraging everyone to lend a helping hand to vulnerable people this winter. The elderly and those with long-term health conditions are particularly susceptible at this time of year to illnesses and are often isolated. The Met Office issued a cold weather alert for the West Midlands and Councillor Sandra Samuels, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “Anyone can help elderly friends or relatives by checking on them regularly.

Carers can find out what the Care Act means for them at special information sessions over the next few weeks. The City of Wolverhampton Council's Carer Support Team is organising workshops detailing the impact that the Care Act, described as the biggest reform to adult social care in the UK for over 60 years, may have on people who look after a friend or relative. It came into force last April and sets out new rights for carers and the people they look after, including what kind of help they can expect to receive.

The Big Lottery Fund is giving communities and voluntary organisations a reason to celebrate this New Year as they receive National Lottery grants to support people across the West Midlands region. £2,680, 932 will be shared between 67 groups, including projects in Shropshire, Birmingham, Warwickshire and Staffordshire, which aim to help improve local communities and the lives of people most in need.

A pilot project designed to encourage people to dispose of litter responsibility has been hailed a success by Birmingham City Council. The Bin it for Good initiative, run for three months between September and November 2015, has led to a five per cent reduction in litter on streets in the main retail areas of the city centre.

Wolverhampton will remember the victims of Nazi persecution, the Holocaust and other genocides around the world when the city marks Holocaust Memorial Day later this month. The Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Ian Brookfield will lay a wreath during a service at the Cenotaph in St Peter's Square on Wednesday 27 January, 2016 – the 71st anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The West Midlands Police force has been criticized for lack ethnic minority officers, making It unrepresentative of the public it serves. Figures released to The Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that the force was one of the least representatives of Black, Asian and ethnic minorities in the country. Less than nine percent of the West Midlands Police force is comprised of ethnic minorities, despite the fact that eighteen percent of applications received between 2006 and 2014 were from a minority group.