Community News

Soho Road Business Improvement District (BID) has just elected leading local businessman Rav Singh to be its new Vice Chairman. He is part of a well-established family business called C&S Homestore he has been involved for many years with representing the interests of local firms via the Handsworth Trader Association where he was formerly Chairman before it merged with the BID.

Wolverhampton’s popular late night Safe Haven scheme is to be extended after the city’s BID (Business Improvement District) announced it was investing £95,000 over the next five years into the scheme. The Safe Haven, based at the Epic Youth Café on Lichfield Street, provides a warm and friendly place for people of all ages to wait for a licensed taxi after a night out in the city centre. 

Downing Street announced that the Reverend Anne Elizabeth Hollinghurst is to take the position of Suffragan Bishop of Aston in the diocese of Birmingham.Anne is currently vicar of St Peter’s Church in St Albans, a ‘small, historic city’, where she describes her role as ‘growing a vision for an outward-focused mission and ministry’.

To capture her spirit and remind people of the importance of the nursing profession, a memorial statue is planned for the grounds of St. Thomas's hospital, in London, in memory of Crimean War heroine Mary Seacole.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) are investigating the decreasing number of Black, Asian and other minority races working in television before informing programme-makers about the glaring discriminate. Figures show that the number of Black, Asian and other minority groups working in the TV industry has fallen by 2000 in the last three years alone.

Visitors to Birmingham’s Cathedral Square on Colmore Row will be transported by extraordinary sounds, words and visual art as Birmingham Cathedral celebrates 300 years at the heart of the city with a weekend festival of outdoor arts.

Community-minded citizens in Wolverhampton are in with a chance of winning £75 every time they place litter or dog mess in a public bin. City of Wolverhampton Council wants to encourage and reward responsible residents and visitors who do their bit to keep Wolverhampton clean and tidy.

Sutton residents are reminded that they’ll receive ballot papers and background information through the post next week concerning the proposal for a Town Council. The consultative postal ballot takes place from 25 June to 16 July 2015 and is part of a wider consultation which has included conferences, round table discussions, feedback from residents, an online questionnaire and area briefings.

Oyez, oyez Sandwell’s official town crier Adrian Holmes has lots to shout about after notching up a trophy haul in a series of national town crying competitions. The 61-year-old, who has volunteered as Sandwell’s town crier since 2010, clinched first prize in the recent Huddersfield Town Crying Championships in June.

On Sunday 21st June 2015, the lives of the Wu family were turned upside down as 2 sisters fell victims of a horrific car crash; Shelly aged 6 years (Left) and Lily aged 7 (Right) lost their lives in such tragic circumstances. The family were heading to Sunday school as a car travelling at excessive speed overtook a bus and plunged into 5 family members causing them to immediate collapse.

The Birmingham-based blood cancer charity took the decision to call off the tournament, which includes former players from Aston Villa, Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers, at the Barclaycard Arena, in the city, as the event – due for July 11 – might not be seen as profitable enough for the blood cancer charity after ticket sales failed to reach last year's levels.

97% of the West Midlands’ over-60s say they feel younger at heart than their actual age. People over the age of 60 in the region feel 17 years younger than they actually are – or 50 years old – on average, according to a new survey by working animal charity, SPANA.

A new cultural partnership between the British Library and the Library of Birmingham has been announced. It follows discussions with the British Library about ways in which the two organisations could work more closely together, and will build on the unique strengths of both organisations’ collections and expertise.

Bullring Shopping Centre is thrilled to announce its exclusive partnership with Birmingham Children's Hospital ahead of The Big Hoot, the city’s biggest mass participation art event. As one of just four standalone children's hospitals in the UK and a world leader in paediatric healthcare, Birmingham Children's Hospital is renowned for its cutting edge research and advanced treatments, making it a worthy benefactor of The Big Hoot.

Green energy company Ecotricity has launched a competition to find four young green visionaries to take to the stage at the WOMAD festival– and each young environmentalist is to get a celebrity mentor to help them deliver their ideas.  

For Muslims, the holy month of Ramadan – which began on 18 June 2015 – is a time for benevolence, fasting and generosity. As well as performing daily prayer rituals and fasting between sunrise and sunset, giving money to charity to benefit the poor and needy, known as Zakat, is one of the Five Pillars of Islam – and many Muslims choose to make their donations during Ramadan.