Community News

McDonald’s franchisee Douglas Wright, who owns and operates 23 restaurants across the West Midlands, has received his MBE from Prince William who awarded him at a ceremony held at Buckingham Palace last week.

Doug was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list following the Platinum Jubilee with an MBE for ‘Services to the Economy and Charity in the West Midlands’.

Fantasy Forest, a unique festival celebrating the fantasy genre, is returning to the magnificent grounds of Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire from 14 - 16 July 2023 with a weekend of lively entertainment, fantasy-themed experiences and exciting new features.

Each year, Fantasy Forest has continued to attract more and more visitors of all ages from across Gloucestershire and beyond to enjoy a fun-filled, magical summer’s day out for all the family.

WomeninTech.co.uk, a platform dedicated to growing women in technology, has released the results of its recent survey of over 500 women working in technology.

The survey aimed to gain insights into their experiences, thoughts, and opinions on gender diversity in the tech industry. The results are alarming and highlight the ongoing challenges faced by women in the tech sector. The key findings show:

As we start to emerge out of the depths of winter, before we know it, spring will have arrived on our doorsteps. For many homeowners this means that the annual ‘spring clean’ will commence and tidying and organising the home will be a top priority.

It can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to organising the home. However, clever storage renovations can help to create order within every room, whilst enhancing and maximising your living space into a clutter-free haven.

A children’s charity based has received a donation of more than £36,500 from Nottingham-based Barratt and David Wilson Homes North Midlands.

Ben’s Den, based in Ilkeston, is a charity that offers free caravan holidays for families with children who have been diagnosed with cancer. The charity was set up in memory of Ben Parker who passed away at aged 13 in 2003, following a three-year battle with leukaemia.

The e-scooter trial in Birmingham will be paused on Wednesday, 1 March following the end of the current contract with Voi.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) launched an open tender for the new contract last summer and the procurement process is yet to conclude following bids from a number of interested providers.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced that all primary school children in the city will get free school dinners for a year from September, with his £130m plan set to offer all children, regardless of the amount of money their parents earn, a free lunch at school.

One charity, the Children's Food Campaign, said it's "utterly delicious news!", saying it will help London children "concentrate, play and learn."

A member of staff at a Brent dentist was accused of performing procedures on patients that they weren’t qualified to carry out. The practice has had its licence suspended for six months by the health watchdog following a damning inspection report.

Chronos London Dental Care on Chamberlayne Road, which provides both NHS and private dental services, was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on January 6.

Severn Trent is offering free trees to landowners of between 2.2 and 5 acres across its region. The water company is asking interested landowners to get in touch by the end of March to access the exciting offer, which will see Severn Trent assist with pre-planting planning and maintenance costs over 10 years. 

An “incredible, gifted” police officer has been recognised by Birmingham's top bars and clubs for his vital contribution to the city’s successful night-time economy. Sgt Dale Harwood, a member of West Midlands Police’s city centre policing team, was presented with a special Wonders of Westside award, otherwise known as the WOWs.

The Kerbside is commonly known as the part of the road where cars are parked and is the largest public space controlled by Lambeth Council, in London, with an area equivalent to 1,158,000m2 – or 194 football pitches. The Kerbside Strategy will commit Lambeth Council to reclaiming at least 25 percent of this space from vehicle parking and introduce sustainability measures to fulfil a key pledge set out in the Climate Action Plan (CAP).

It was ‘flipping’ fantastic fun as Worcester Cathedral celebrated its legendary annual pancake race this week.

With Shrove Tuesday falling during half term, the choristers donned their cassocks, grabbed their frying pans and headed to the Cathedral’s medieval cloisters a little early this year.

Councillors are being recommended to approve a “significant” increase in the amount the City of Wolverhampton Council pays to adult social care providers of between 11.85% and 20.36% in the next financial year.

A report goes before Cabinet (Resources) Panel today with councillors recommended to approve the proposed increase to 'ensure sufficiency and sustainability across adult social care markets'.

Residents across Haringey are sharing their views and experiences on how and why they recycle and reuse household items in a bid to increase the recycling levels across the borough. 

Tackling climate change is important to residents in Haringey and the one thing that all can do is to improve recycling, reusing and reducing in the borough.

Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu’s agent says the former Chelsea stars’ body was found under rubble of the building he lived in, in Turkey, after last week’s massive earthquakes.

Atsu, who joined Turkish club Hatayspor last year, had been missing since the February 6 earthquakes devastated parts of both Turkey and Syria. Search teams recovered Atsu’s body in the ruins of Ronesans Residence, a luxury 12-storey building where he had been living, in the city of Antakya in Hatay province.

The Interim High Court order banning street cruising across Birmingham stays in force until trial, after a review of the order was heard at the Birmingham High Court on 13 February 2023. The injunction prohibits drivers, and riders/passengers participating in a street cruise anywhere in Birmingham.

Any driver or rider or passenger breaching the order could be arrested immediately, and could face up to two years in prison, a fine, or have their assets seized.