Community News

The period between January and June this year was the driest in England since 1976, the Met Office has said. With water levels running low, the National Drought Group met to discuss how to cope with conditions.

The group stopped short of declaring a drought but water companies have been putting the early stages of their drought plans into action by urging people to save water. It comes after the UK's record temperature was broken last week.

Social media is quickly turning into a primary security weak point. A single data breach within one of the major social media networks can result in millions of records being stolen.

Within the past few years, we have seen multiple large-scale data breaches involving companies like Facebook and Twitter. Yet, we rarely see the bigger picture.

Fifteen parks and open spaces maintained by Birmingham City Council and supported by ‘Friends Of’ parks groups have once again been named as Green Flag Award winners for 2022.

The scheme, operated by Keep Britain Tidy, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for their management across the United Kingdom and around the world.

Passengers on board the West Midlands Metro will be able to travel back in time from today thanks to a new 360 mobile experience.

Specially created for the Birmingham 2022 Festival, and in time for the start of the Commonwealth Games, Time Travel Tram uses cutting edge technology to transform an everyday tram journey into an exciting, shared experience that can be enjoyed by anyone with a smartphone and headphones on any West Midlands Metro tram between Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

Pride House Birmingham opened on Friday (22 July) and will have the biggest presence to date by a Pride House at a Commonwealth Games.

Pride Houses are venues dedicated to LGBTIQ+ inclusion, diversity and culture that are established at major sporting events. All visitors are welcome to support and enjoy the various activities, performances and talks, which are supplemented by viewing opportunities of live sport.

Music is in the air at Haringey libraries. All Haringey residents and library users will now have access to high quality musical instruments after the council installed premium digital hybrid pianos in all nine of the borough’s libraries.

All of the libraries will now be home to a Casio GP-310 - a model that was selected for its high sound quality and weighted, wooden touch-sensitive keys that make it as close as possible to playing a traditional concert piano.

The transformative power of the Commonwealth Games was observed by CGF President Dame Louise Martin during a visit to Perry Barr. The area, a suburb in the north-west of the Proud Host City for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, is receiving in excess of £700million of investment - with the event acting as a catalyst for the improvement of the area.

With the cost of living crisis really starting to bite, struggling households across Birmingham are being urged to check if they are missing out on the benefits they are entitled to.

As prices continue to rise, with UK inflation at a 40-year high, organisations across the city are joining forces to offer support and highlight the help available to residents.

Six Birmingham Community Libraries are celebrating the history and culture of countries from the Commonwealth through an art exhibition this summer. With Birmingham set to proudly host the Commonwealth Games next week, local artist Ken Banks has created 72 masks to represent the different Commonwealth nations and territories.

Since 1994, the National Lottery has sponsored £3,167,157,703-worth of projects in the West Midlands. Birmingham absorbed most of these funds (£990,529,164), followed by Shropshire (£207,432,625) and Sandwell (£189,959,873). Meanwhile, Tamworth only ever received £12,527,417, this being the least funded place in the West Midlands.

A Wolverhampton artist and campaigner who has worked tirelessly to support disabled people across the region is to be one of the city’s Batonbearers for the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay.

Worcester Cathedral has this week launched an appeal and is asking for help in supporting in its world-class music department. The Cathedral choristers are preparing for the start of this year's Three Choirs Festival in Hereford next weekend. 

Nursery heroine and tireless charity worker Lisa Potts GM has been unveiled as one of Wolverhampton’s Batonbearers for the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay. She has been nominated to carry the Baton in recognition of her exceptional bravery and ongoing commitment to children and young people.

Athletics legends, Tessa Sanderson, David Moorcroft, and Hannah England have been appointed as the Village Mayors at the three campus villages where athletes and team officials will be staying during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The three former athletes were selected as they all have a strong connection to the host region.

Wolverhampton’s Yo! Summer programme is officially launched and promises hundreds of activities and events for children, young people and their families during the long school summer holiday.

The activities, many of which are free and include food, range from sports, summer camps and fun days out to dance and drama workshops, arts and crafts and more.

A choir from Staffordshire are celebrating after sweeping the board at the inaugural Midlands Choir of the Year competition, organised by Lichfield Festival as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations. 

Cor Bach from Newcastle-under-Lyme beat off five rivals in a concert at Lichfield Cathedral to lift the first Midlands Choir of the Year trophy and were announced as winners of the audience vote too.