Community News

VisitEngland has announced that this year’s VisitEngland Awards for Excellence will be held at the Library of Birmingham on 8 June.

Finalists will be invited to the nationally recognised awards where Gold, Silver and Bronze winners will be announced across 15 core categories from the ‘Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award’ to the ‘Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year’ and from the ‘Pub of the Year’ to the ‘Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award’.

National Gardening Week takes place from 2–8 May and there’s no better place to find inspiration and advice or stock up on beautiful plants than the RHS Malvern Spring Festival, which takes place the very same week.

Set against a backdrop of the majestic Malvern Hills, this much-loved event is the first RHS show of the season.

Bournville residents were joined by Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, at a tree planting in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The event was organised by ExtraCare’s Bournville Gardens Retirement Village and residents were delighted to get involved. Resident Hubert Powell, 87, came up with the idea, he said: “Having met the Queen, I wanted to do this. These things only happen once in hundreds of years when a monarch can celebrate such an anniversary. It’s beautiful to think the tree will remain to remind those in the future of this.”

An exciting new photographic exhibition celebrating local sporting communities has opened at multiple venues across Birmingham and Sandwell, as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival. People, Place and Sport by award-winning artist, Jaskirt Boora, in collaboration with community arts organisation Multistory, will shine a light on twenty-five individuals and hubs where grassroots sport take place.

50 % of the country’s Muslim homes will not have adequate dollars to eat just after fasting every working day during Ramadan these 12 months, a British Islamic charity said.

Like other Muslims all around the globe, British Muslims across the United kingdom will fast all through the day next thirty day period in honour of 1 of the key pillars of Islam.

Just four days after lead singer, Donald ‘Tabby Diamond’ Shaw, was killed, Reggae group Mighty Diamonds, lost a second member after singer Fitzroy ‘Bunny Diamond’ Simpson passed away at an undisclosed hospital after a long battle with diabetes. He had reportedly been battling diabetes for several years.

Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal has officially inaugurated the new Sea Cadets Port Edgar Boat Station in Edinburgh’s picturesque Port Edgar Marina on Friday, 1 April 2022. As Admiral of the Sea Cadet Corps, the event provided the opportunity for The Princess Royal to meet with cadets and watch them as they paraded and got out on the water, enjoying boating, sailing, rowing and paddlesports activities.

People in Birmingham are actively looking for alternative energy sources based on recent price hikes and ongoing global instability with 66% stating that they would switch to an alternative energy source such as solar panels if their electricity bill increased in 2022. According to a survey released today by Project Solar UK, 49% of respondents in or around Birmingham think the advantages of solar panels are because they create cheaper electricity, 24% say solar panels add value to a property and 23% say solar panels help with sustainability plans to become carbon neutral.

Wolverhampton Art Gallery has launched a new community project to enhance its arts educational offer after securing £60,000 in funding.

‘Making Space’ is about reimagining an exhibition space in the city centre gallery for collaboration, creativity and cohesion.

More than 90 delegates representing 58 Commonwealth nations and territories have visited the West Midlands this week as part of their preparations for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The delegates who represented nations and territories from all six regions of the Commonwealth, were able to tour venues, visit villages and meet with key members of staff from Birmingham 2022 and the Commonwealth Games Federation, to discuss important topics such as sport, village accommodation, accreditation, ceremonies and transport.

Evocative images taken by renowned photographer Vanley Burke will join archival material from his personal collection, in a new exhibition opening at Soho House, Handsworth in May, as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, taking visitors on a journey through the artist’s history and the Black British experience.

Opening on Wednesday 25 May, Blood & Fire: Our Journey Through Vanley Burke's History, will see Burke re-examine his personal collection.

Warwickshire's Royal Connections make it just the place to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. 

To mark the anniversary of Elizabeth II's accession to the throne in 1952, Visit Warwickshire has created a new guide, "In The Footsteps of Royalty", packed with royal-themed ideas about what to do and see and where to eat, drink, and stay. During her 70-year reign, the Queen has visited Warwickshire on many occasions.

Birmingham 2022 is looking for BMX and mountain bike riders from across the West Midlands to volunteer to be a part of the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony.

The Opening Ceremony will take place on the 28 July at the newly transformed Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr in front of a 30,000 capacity crowd. It will also be broadcast across the globe to millions of people.

Warwickshire Cricket Board (WCL) is building on the success of its Midnight Ramadan Cricket League, which launched last summer, by developing a new adult tournament which is open for registration.

Over three weeks of Ramadan, the opening times of the Edgbaston Cricket Centre are extending to midnight on Tuesday and Thursday to deliver the Ramadan Midnight League. Youths aged 16-24 will play on Tuesdays as part of the Chance to Shine Street programme with the adult tournament taking place on Thursdays.

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games continues to grow as two further additions are made to the sponsor family. The two new providers join Birmingham 2022 at a crucial time, with less than five months to go until the opening ceremony.

The eyes of more than a billion people around the world will be fixed on the West Midlands this summer, and the resources and knowledge offered by these new sponsors will ensure an incredible showcase of sport, culture, and community events across the region.

Work has started to demolish an eyesore former Lanesfield pub to pave the way for potential new homes. The Rookery Tavern site on Wood Street has been subject to arson attacks, vandalism and fly-tipping since the pub closed almost seven years ago.

The current owner, Mohammed Adeel, took over the site in October 2021 and has moved quickly to start demolition after working closely with the council to ensure he meets the necessary building regulations.