Community News

Motorists are being warned ahead of stricter new laws around using your mobile phone while behind the wheel coming into force this week.

From Friday 25th March, the new stricter laws will mean drivers cannot use a hand-held device while behind the wheel for any reason. This could be to scroll through music playlists, call somebody or even just picking it up to unlock it or check the time.

Councillors have given their backing to an action plan to further improve the 'Good'-rated Wolverhampton Youth Offending Team (YOT).

Members of HM Inspectorate of Probation visited Wolverhampton in October to assess the services provided by the multi-agency team, comprising staff from health, social care and education services, the police and the National Probation Service who work with 10 to 17-year-olds involved in the criminal justice system.

In celebration of the upcoming Sikh New Year festival, Vaisakhi (April 14) Birmingham Metro Bank is appealing for food to be donated in its High Street store in aid of a local charity - SIFAs Fireside. SIFA Fireside is a Birmingham based charity which supports adults who are homeless or vulnerably housed.

“As a community bank, Metro Bank is integral to many local fundraising events”, explains Birmingham Metro Bank store manager, Beth Freeman.

An exciting £30m tourism project that will whisk people back in time to the Black Country’s post-war heydays is set to get a major investment boost from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

The Black Country Living Museum is planning a range of new attractions at its site in Dudley, offering visitors a unique chance to experience what life was like in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60s.

Pots of inspiration and well-being tips, from health boosting to rest and relaxation, will be dispensed by the show gardens and new feature gardens at this year’s RHS Malvern Spring Festival, taking place at the Three Counties Showground between May 5 and 8.

TV and radio presenter and keen gardener Jo Whiley has been working with Alan Williams from Landform Consultants, whose Parsley Box Garden won the People’s Choice Award at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2021.

He was a “larger-than-life” character and a leading mentor to the present, and next, generation. So, the death of Handsworth-born Barrington Patterson will stay – reverberating around his home-city of Birmingham for years to come. 

A well-known community campaigner, the former member of Birmingham City F.C.'s Zulu Warriors hooligan group, ‘One-Eye Baz’ – as he became known as - would later go on to work with young people, boxing groups and anti-gang initiatives throughout the city and far beyond.

The people of Birmingham have been recognised for their compassion in the way communities have supported each other during some of the most difficult times, by being crowned the UK’s first Compassionate City on the 14th March.

Accredited by Compassionate Communities UK, the key to gaining this recognition is bringing together all areas of the local community, including Birmingham City Council, NHS, schools, cultural organisations and employers, to provide support, space, togetherness and understanding for those undergoing the experiences of death, dying, loss and caregiving.

It has been revealed that Brummies are most likely to judge people on how they speak, a recent survey finds.

Close to three out of four Brummies admitted to having previously judged someone based on their dialect. A close second was judging someone by what they wear, with only 2% less admitting to having judged someone by their outfit.

Parents smacking their children is now illegal in Wales, with First Minister Mark Drakeford calling it a historic day for children as it becomes the second UK nation to ban physical punishment - meaning children would have the same rights as adults.

With the legal defence of reasonable punishment being removed, anyone who smacks a child in their care could be arrested and prosecuted for assault.

Birmingham is missing out on £3.6bn in productivity as more than 1.6 million residents do not have quality public transport links to the centre of the city, research by Centre for Cities has found. Data published yesterday (Tuesday 22^nd March) shows just 34 per cent of Birmingham’s population can reach the city centre via public transport in less than 30 minutes.

People from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences have been appointed to the region’s new Race Equalities Taskforce set up to find new ways to ensure all communities share the region’s success.

The taskforce was set up by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Board to advise on policy and launch action to ensure that all communities can reach their full potential and benefit from the investment in transport, housing, skills and jobs across the region. 

Further cracks have been found in the bodywork of trams as services on the West Midlands Metro line have been suspended, with the operator saying that it’s for detailed inspections by the manufacturer after bodywork cracks were found on older trams.

Full services had only resumed in February after a stoppage which began in November when cracks were found in some trams. Midland Metro Ltd apologised for the inconvenience.

Young people in Haringey are being encouraged to do and think more to prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG), through a new campaign putting young people at its very heart.

The campaign centres around a series of three videos each focused on a different group: young women, young men and professionals who work with young people.

New research from online investment service Wealthify reveals a fifth (20%) of UK parents try to save for their children because they fear life will be harder for them. This follows the news that the cost of living has soared to its highest rate in 10 years.

Almost a quarter (22.8%) of UK parents feel like they don’t have enough income to save for their children - despite 45% earning more than the average UK salary (£31,000). Nearly one quarter (22.8%) of parents in the UK haven’t set up any savings for their children while over three quarters (76.4%) plan to:

According to domestic abuse campaigners the strip search of a Black schoolgirl was "sexual assault".

The 15-year-old was pulled out of an exam for the search, which has also been condemned by Hackney MP Diane Abbott, as racist. Sistah Space, Ngozi Fulani, the CEO of charity said: "Everybody involved should face charges.

Bradford, County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham have made the shortlist to be named UK City of Culture for 2025. A different location is given the title every four years.

The winning place will be announced in May and will be the fourth holder, after Derry-Londonderry, Hull and the current City of Culture, Coventry. The title has brought £172m to Coventry, according to the government, as well as events like the Turner Prize.