Community News

Micromobility specialist Beryl is launching a brand-new e-scooter hire scheme on the streets of Birmingham. The first phase of the scheme will see 200 e-scooters made available to hire in the city centre and surrounding neighbourhoods, from today, with a further 700 to be rolled out in a phased manner by the end of September 2023.

Almost 1,200 sewage overflow pipes discharged in England and Wales’ most sensitive wildlife habitats for over 300,000 hours last year, all of which are supposed to be officially protected under conservation rules, Greenpeace’s investigative unit Unearthed can reveal. This includes 589 hours by Thames Water and 33,939 hours by Southern Water.

Unearthed mapped water company data on sewage spills in 2022 onto maps of England and Wales’ Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Special Area of Conservation (SACs), Special Protected Area (SPAs) and Ramsar sites (wetlands of international importance) to identify every pipe that discharged within 50m of a protected nature site - Defra’s own definition of a “high priority” discharge site. 

SOFTSWISS, a cutting-edge iGaming software provider, shares its experience in implementing AI tools into its everyday practice. AI has proven to be a valuable asset, revolutionising real-time data analysis, player management, content personalisation, and design.

The Anti-Fraud team within SOFTSWISS' Managed Services helped operators save EUR 16m+ in 2022, having processed 61,810 requests. It is hardly possible to analyse such data volumes by hand. That is where AI stepped in.

With only 124 days left before COP28 UAE, COP President-Designate Dr. Sultan Al Jaber today urged G20 nations to take a leadership role on climate action, and said that their decisions will have an enormous influence on the outcomes for all countries. In a speech at the G20 Climate Sustainability Ministerial Meeting in Chennai, Dr. Al Jaber expressed his concern that his call at last week's meeting in Goa to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 has "yet to find expression in G20 outcomes," despite its importance to the goal of keeping 1.5C within reach.

She was the first Black woman to be ordained as a vicar in the Church of England and she brought what was an illustrious, colourful career to an end as she said her last goodbye at the Holy Trinity Church of England venue in Birmingham. And, marking the effect Canon Rev. Eve Pitts had on the thousands of people whose lives she touched over the years, for those who managed to grab a spot where it was possible, her final service was testimony of what she meant to so many.

Birmingham City Council has published the Commonwealth Games Community Fund Impact Report. The impact report analyses the £6million investment from the city council which delivered on maximising the benefits of hosting the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The Commonwealth Games Community Fund was created with the aim of connecting all areas of the city to the Games, providing a host of fun free-to-access initiatives that were designed, led and delivered by local people and organisations for their communities.

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has produced a report that outlines the critical need for action to protect, promote, and conserve the world's under-threat natural environments and critically threatened species. RCU has identified these needs in collaboration with its strategic partner IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), and they will be working together to address these important conservation issues.

Bringing the retirement community closer together and nurturing a sense of independence is at the heart of one leading UK retirement developer – and last week’s summer garden party is proof of that.

Described as ‘vibrant, lively and enjoyed by all’, retirees across Shirley joined local homeowners at McCarthy Stone’s Wheatley Place Retirement Living PLUS development to celebrate the warm weather. There was a hum of excited chatter and dancing as guests sipped summer tipples, enjoyed light refreshments and a live performance from swing singer, Sammy Dean, in the beautiful communal lounge.

Amazon has warned there are two new circulating scams targeting its customers, as UK Google searches for ‘Amazon Scams’ have surged by 825% over the past 48 hours. The two scams are called ‘Prime membership scams’ and ‘Account suspension/Deletion scams’. 

Tech platform BettingApps have highlighted a huge spike in searches for various terms related to these scams as well as revealing what each scam entails, and how customers can be vigilant whilst shopping on Amazon. 

Data from over 3,950 pension transfers in the 2022/23 financial year has found on average, consumers must wait almost one month (29 days) for ceding companies to transfer their pension funds to a new provider.

This year, the festival of lights, Diwali, will be celebrated in a free City of Wolverhampton event at Phoenix Park on Saturday 14 October. The Diwali Mela takes place between 4pm and 8.30pm at the park, off Dudley Road in Blakenhall, and is hosted by the Shri Krishan Mandir and The Elias Mattu Foundation.

A year since the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has seen "Raging Bull" Ozzy finally in his permanent home at the city's New Street station.

Standing 10 metres high, the sculpture formerly known as the "Raging Bull" made its grand entry at the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony at the Alexander Stadium. The name Ozzy was revealed last month after a public poll and is in honour of rock singer and Black Sabbath lead vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, who grew up in Birmingham.

Birmingham’s biggest taxi and private hire vehicle operator, A2B Radio Cars, has donated £500 to the Solihull branch of Guide Dogs.

A2B Radio Cars, a regional hub of the UK’s fastest growing taxi and private hire technology platform Veezu, stepped in to donate to the worthy cause through their new community support programme ‘Funded by Veezu’. The programme is a way in which local not-for-profit initiatives can apply for grants between £500 and £1000.

It was announced that Irish singer, songwriter and activist Sinéad O'Connor has died. In a statement, the singer's family said: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad.

"Her family and friends are devastated and request privacy at this very difficult time." She was best known for her rendition of the Prince-penned song ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, which reached number one worldwide following its release in 1990. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar paid tribute to her, saying her music "was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare".

Irish President Michael D Higgins described O'Connor as ‘authenticity’ as well as having a beautiful and unique voice. "What Ireland has lost at such a relatively young age is one of our greatest and most gifted composers, songwriters and performers of recent decades, he said. “She had a unique talent and extraordinary connection with her audience, all of whom held such love and warmth for her."

Born Sinead Marie Bernadette O'Connor in Glenageary, County Dublin, in December 1966, the singer had a difficult childhood. As a teenager, she was placed in Dublin's An Grianan Training Centre, once one of the notorious Magdalene laundries, originally set up to incarcerate young girls deemed to be promiscuous.

One nun bought her a guitar and set her up with a music teacher - which led to the launch of O'Connor's musical career. She released her first critically acclaimed album The Lion And The Cobra in 1987, which entered the top 40 in the UK and US. Her follow up was I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, which included Nothing Compares 2 U.

O'Connor, who was outspoken in her social and political views, released 10 studio albums between 1987 and 2014. In 1991, she was named artist of the year by Rolling Stone magazine and took home the Brit Award for international female solo artist. The following year, one of the most notable events of her career took place when she ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II on US TV show Saturday Night Live, where she was the invited performer.

Following an acapella performance of Bob Marley's War, she looked at the camera and said; "fight the real enemy", a protest against child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Her actions resulted in her being banned for life by broadcaster NBC and protests against her in the US, which saw copies of her records destroyed in New York's Times Square.

O'Connor's last studio album, I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss, was released in 2014. Converting to Islam in 2018, the Dublin singer changed her name to Shuhada' Sadaqat, but continued to perform under her birth name. She released a memoir, Rememberings, in 2021.

In 2022, her 17-year-old son Shane was found dead after being reported missing two days previously. Writing on social media following his death, she said he had "decided to end his earthly struggle" and requested "no-one follows his example".

The singer later cancelled all live performances for the rest of 2022 due to her "continuing grief" following the death of her son. She was 56!

O'Connor paid tribute to Shane in one of her final tweets, calling him "the love of my life, the lamp of my soul, we were one soul in two halves".

Belfast filmmaker Kathryn Ferguson, one of last few people to speak with O'Connor before her death, said she was "devastated" by the news.

Prior to the singer's death Ferguson had been working on a documentary film about O'Connor, titled Nothing Compares, which is set to be released this Saturday.

"She is one of the most radical, incredible musicians that we've had. And we were very, very lucky to have had her."

Social media was also flooded with tributes to the singer after her death was announced on Wednesday evening.

Singer Alison Moyet said O'Connor had an "astounding presence" and a voice that "cracked stone with force by increment".

"As beautiful as any girl around & never traded on that card. I loved that about her. Iconoclast."

Irish comedian Dara O'Briain said of her death: "That's just very sad news. Poor thing. I hope she realised how much love there was for her."

Musician Tim Burgess of the Charlatans said: "Sinead was the true embodiment of a punk spirit. She did not compromise and that made her life more of a struggle. Hoping that she has found peace."

Irish author Marian Keyes described O'Connor's death as "heartbreaking".

"How she suffered. Poor, poor Sinead. Rest in peace, you amazing, brave, beautiful, unique wonder."

Journalist Caitlin Moran posted: "She was decades before her time, and fearless. Rest in power, queen."

Irish film director Mark Cousins added: "Sinead O'Connor was our Irish wild side. Such a big part of our imagined lives."

Irish Deputy Prime Minister (Tanaiste) Micheal Martin said O'Connor was one of Ireland's "greatest musical icons".

In a statement on Twitter, he said he was "devastated to hear of [her] passing".

"One of our greatest musical icons, and someone deeply loved by the people of Ireland, and beyond. Our hearts go out to her children, her family, friends and all who knew and loved her."

Singer Bryan Adams, who had collaborated with O'Connor, wrote: "RIP Sinéad O'Connor, I loved working with you making photos, doing gigs in Ireland together and chats, all my love to your family."

Streetfest, which took place on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th June, with a donation of £1,000. Streetfest is an annual event which is part of the Ashbourne Festival that has been running for 24 years, and David Wilson Homes was one of this year’s four leading Streetfest event sponsors.

This year’s Streetfest saw roughly 5,000 people in attendance on both of the days, which accommodated free street entertainment from international performers. From 17th June to 2nd July the Ashbourne Festival also attracted big names from the world of art, science, literature, music, drama and comedy.

An open forum discussion on African identity in the context of the UN's 2015-2024 International Decade Of People Of African Descent.

BTWSC/African Histories Revisited and TAOBQ (The African Or Black Question) present in association with Friends Of Marcus Garvey Bust Collective and Brent Museum and Archives the sixth Marcus Garvey Annual Pan-Africanism Presentation 2023: Identity.