Community News

With the summer season drawing to a close it's not just a tan British holidaymakers are coming home with this year. New research by Travelzoo, the UK's top travel and leisure deals company, sheds light on some of the purchases that seem like a great idea when you're abroad but disappoint on home soil. 

More than 5,000 streetlights across Sandwell will get new LED bulbs, saving the council a further £140,000 a year on electricity bills. The new lights, which use 74% less energy than standard bulbs, will be installed between now and Christmas. More than 4,500 new LED streetlights have already been installed in neighbourhoods across Sandwell – saving £240,000 a year in energy costs.

Gardeners in the West Midlands are losing their green fingers as nine in ten young people struggle to identify common garden plants, new research reveals. A study of 2,000 Brits aged 25-35 found that time pressures and lack of knowledge meant that the majority struggle when it comes to nurturing their gardens. Over three quarters of those living in the region couldn’t identify a tulip when shown a picture of one, while 88 per cent struggled with a geranium.

The Oxford English dictionary has announced that the word Hangry, amongst others, has made the cut for this quarter. This announcement comes as new research reveals just how people can suffer from becoming bad tempered or irritable as a result of hunger. Research has shown that people who make decisions on an empty stomach are nearly twice as likely to make the wrong one compared to people who have eaten.

The number of four and five-year-olds regularly borrowing books from Sandwell libraries has more than doubled, thanks to a council scheme that introduces them to reading early in life. The number of reception age children regularly borrowing books topped 3,280 in 2014/15, compared with just 1,620 the previous year. The government has now announced that it wants to roll out similar schemes across the whole country.

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Out of seven billion world population, Six billion people have cell phones and it is projected that by the end of 2016 there will be 18.9 billion network connections; almost 2.5 connections per person on earth. This was revealed by Chief Information Security Officer, Central Depository Company of Pakistan Limited Syed Hassan Aslam while giving his presentation on “Current Trends in Information Technology” at a seminar organized by Computer Science Society of Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, Karachi.

Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park is helping to safeguard the future of the Waldrapp Ibis, one of the top ten endangered birds supported by zoos and aquariums. The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), which promotes the values of good zoos and aquariums, has compiled a list of the top ten birds benefitting from the work of zoos and aquariums in the UK and Ireland.

With time ticking until the opening of Wolverhampton’s new Youth Zone, General Manager, Alice Davey, has been busy recruiting the first team members, who are to help deliver The Way’s high quality provision come opening in January 2016. The Way Youth Zone will enable positive relationships with young people to develop providing them with inspiring role models. A mixture of 40 full and part-time staff will be recruited as well as 100 volunteers by the time of opening.

Eighteen years after a surreal idea – Youth Hostelling with Chris Eubank -was pitched to TV execs by the fictitious TV presenter, Alan Partridge, a creation of comedian Steve Coogan, it has been brought to life by YHA (England and Wales) and Hostelworld. A 55 second YouTube film 'Youth Hostelling with Chris Eubank' has become an overnight Internet sensation. The film follows Twitter confusion last week after users kept asking him about Youth Hostels, with Chris' confused responses soon going viral.

A new hit squad of enforcers have taken to the streets of Wolverhampton to issue on the spot fines to people caught dropping litter in the city. City of Wolverhampton Council has appointed Kingdom Security Ltd to hand out £75 fines to litter critters. The team of uniformed enforcers spent last week training on their new patch and have now commenced working full time out and about in the city.

Her Majesty the Queen will become the longest-reigning British monarch in history next month and 50 lucky Wolverhampton children have the chance to attend a special party to mark the momentous occasion. The Queen will reach the milestone on September 9 and the Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor Ian Brookfield, is to host a party for city youngsters aged 11 and under who share their birthday with the milestone date.

Relatives of a man who recently passed away are being asked to get in touch with the City of Wolverhampton Council so that his funeral can be arranged. James Forbus Watt, who was 57, had been living in the Pendeford area of Wolverhampton but it is believed he previously came from Birmingham.

With Mayoral and London elections – and even a possible European Union in/out referendum – set for next year, would-be voters in Haringey are being urged to make sure they’re registered to vote or risk missing out. As changes to the voter registration system enter their second phase, Haringey Council is leading a drive to get as many people as possible signed up to the electoral roll. Official household enquiry forms will be landing on doormats across the borough from this week.

Former Mayor of Wolverhampton Mike Heap has handed over £15,000 to local charities – the proceeds of fundraising events held during his time in office. Mike, who was Mayor in 2014-15, organised a series of events in aid of good causes, from coffee mornings and auctions to charity dinners and quiz nights. And the £15,000 they raised has been split equally between his chosen charities, Breast Care Nurses Trust Fund, Interfaith Wolverhampton and Mencap’s Wolverhampton Branch.

National Allotments Week highlighted the benefits of growing your own produce regardless of gender and age – but it’s not just people who benefit.  At Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park on Pershore Road, the animals tuck into home-grown fruit, veg and herbs all year round. From lemon balm, lovage and lettuce to blackberries and bamboo, the meerkats, monkeys, lemurs and lynx all enjoy a healthy diet with food grown just whiskers away in the park’s Eco-Garden!