Community News

The £5 million works include the refurbishment of Brierley Hill Library and upgrading the public toilets, as well as improving transport links and access. It will also see new seating, plants, trees and cycle facilities installed along the street to improve its appearance for visitors.

There will also be improvements to the area around the Brier Rose sculpture and the locally listed drinking fountain, as well as at St Mary’s Church.

As the Christmas holidays approach, leading developers Barratt and David Wilson Homes have enlisted one of Santa’s little helpers to send out an important message encouraging children to think about elf ‘n’ safety.

Busy Barratt and David Wilson Homes staff are working on new developments across Leicestershire, many of which have families with children living nearby.

Those looking to get out and about this Christmas and New Year were reminded today that they will still have a large number of buses, Metro and even local train services to choose from despite on-going rail strikes.

Those travelling to visit relatives, do some Christmas shopping, or heading out for some festive cheer will have a comprehensive network of services to consider.

Following the issue of a Level 3 Cold Weather Alert by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) covering all of England until the end of the week, Severn Trent is reminding customers on how they can protect their home this winter.

Head of Water Treatment, Stephanie Cawley, said: “As the weather gets colder the likelihood of customers experiencing frozen pipes on their property increases.

As forecasters predict an end to freezing temperatures next week, leading rural insurer NFU Mutual is warning to people to beware of the signs of frozen pipes and take steps to avoid repair bills which can run up to £8,000 and beyond.

Extreme cold weather greatly increased the chance of water in pipes around the home freezing. When the water in pipes freezes, it expands, causing the pressure inside the pipe to build up.

Ngozi Fulani returned to Buckingham Palace to receive a face-to-face apology from her interrogator, Lady Susan Hussey. In a statement, the palace said Ms. Hussey, who served for more than six decades as a lady in waiting to Queen Elizabeth II, pledged to deepen her awareness of the sensitivities involved.

British born Ms. Fulani accepted the apology, with the palace stating that it appreciated that no malice was intended, adding that there was “warmth and understanding” during the meeting.

A community is being asked to vote on plans to set up a neighbourhood council that would act like a parish authority, overseeing certain services. Proponents say the proposal, for Balsall Heath, in Birmingham, would benefit the community as local people would act on their behalf.

It would, however, involve a precept being added to council tax. Birmingham City Council said the city already had two neighbourhood councils in operation.

A government regulator has found widespread failings at the housing association that rented out a mouldy flat to the family of Awaab Ishak. The two-year-old died from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to the mould, a coroner ruled.

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) said Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) had failed to treat Awaab Ishak's family with fairness and respect; saying that it was addressing failings and making changes to its board.

Retail trade union Usdaw has welcomed the support of the shopping public for supermarkets to keep their doors closed on Boxing Day.

A YouGov opinion poll of 1,763 UK adults, commissioned by the union, has found that 79% support their local supermarket closing all their stores on Boxing Day. Usdaw’s own surveying found that 97% of supermarket workers also want the closure.

London community organisation, BTWSC/African Histories Revisited, will mark the 58th anniversary of the passing of Claudia Jones with an online conference this Saturday, entitled ‘Repairing Histories 2: Commemorating Claudia Jones @58’. The aim of the Repairing Histories conferences, which mixes academic and community historians, is to have papers that improve or expand the knowledge of the subject, mainly by highlighting the little-known aspects of that history, or challenging the received wisdom.

With the big holiday getaway about to kick off, new booking data revealed by Saber shows improved travel confidence and emerging holiday destinations of choice for global travellers. Saber's analysis reveals that booking windows for the holiday period are approaching pre-pandemic levels, while the number of Christmas and New Year bookings have skyrocketed compared to last year.

Children from a Birmingham school visited Edgbaston Stadium to kindly lend their support to the BrumWish Christmas gift appeal.

The pupils from Anglesey Primary School, in Lozells, spent time unboxing and sorting out some of the thousands of presents donated by members of the public, Bears fans and businesses.

A group of Muslim women are hosting their first-ever Christmas Market to foster better relationships with the local community. The women have been working on arts & crafts projects throughout the year and will be showing off their wares at the Saathi House community hub in Aston, in Birmingham.

Worcester Cathedral is preparing to welcome the local community to celebrate a packed programme of services, concerts, and events this Christmastime.

Christmas Tree Festival

Birmingham-based pay-as-you-can bakery, Lil's Parlour CIC, is going all out in making sure that every child can see Santa this Christmas. The grotto, run by Lucy Scott, owner of Lil's Parlour, in Northfield, will open its door so that all the children in and around the area will have access to a handmade treat regardless of their circumstances.  

Flowers, balloons and soft toys were left by mourners gathering for a vigil after the deaths of three boys who plunged into an icy lake.The three, aged eight, 10 and 11, were pulled from a lake in Babbs Mill Park, Solihull, but later died.

Police said searches of the water would continue throughout Tuesday but have stressed there is no suggestion anybody else is missing.A six-year-old boy who was also rescued remains in hospital.

Dozens gathered for the vigil in Kinshurst.Members of the public and police officers initially went into the water to try to get the children, before the victims were reached by specialist water rescue-trained firefighters who got the group out.A police officer had to punch through the ice to rescue to boys, West Midlands Police said.

Solihull councillor Ian Courts said: "We are completely stunned at what's happened.Clearly our thoughts and prayers have to be with the families in this situation. I can hardly imagine what the families are going through."

At least one of the boys attended St Anthony's Catholic Primary School which shut on Monday after the incident. The school reopened on Tuesday morning.

Chair of governors,Marcus Brain, said: "It's a very, very close-knit community, we've got families that have been here for five generations, everybody knows everybody else.Everybody I've spoken to... are in an utter state of shock."

Mother-of-four Comfort Konfor said she had not been able to sleep and had just kept praying. "The image keeps coming to mind of children," she said.

Pastor Emil Kerekes, from Connection Church Kingshurst, said he wanted the families to know they were here to support them. All the other church leaders and group leaders in the local community, we want to get together and maybe come up with a plan to somehow help them," he said.

Police believe there were a number of witnesses at the lake they are yet to speak to and are urging them to come forward.Supt Harris said the families affected by the tragedy were "absolutely devastated".

He added: "Also this time of year, it's on the run-up to Christmas, so close to the event itself, also adds to that tragedy.The force said they were doing their very best to support the families.

The Phoenix Newspaper sends its condolences to the families of the children involved.