Community News

The UK’s Health Secretary has refused to rule out further Covid restrictions for England, as the Omicron variant spreads around the country. A further 12,000 Omicron cases have been confirmed in the UK, although the true number is likely to be far higher.

Asked about possible new rules to slow the spread, Sajid Javid said there were "no guarantees in this pandemic". The government and devolved leaders are to discuss the situation in a Cobra meeting at 17:00 GMT.

A Birmingham Criminologist is leading calls for the government to urgently reconsider a controversial migration policy to avert the tragic loss of life to those seeking refuge in the UK.

Dr Mohammed Rahman, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Birmingham City University, has launched a petition calling upon Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel to scrap the ‘discriminatory’ Borders and Nationality Bill which is currently in the House of Lords. Marking International Migrants Day the petition challenged the government’s Bill which has come under recent scrutiny for criminalising those arriving in the UK without permission, with sentences of up to four years.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is encouraging everyone across the region to look at ways of cutting their carbon footprint to make this Christmas, in the year of the UK hosting COP26, the most sustainable yet.

The handy guide featuring a dozen top tips helps people make a positive impact on the environment and save money.

As we all begin to prepare for our festive feasts, a national vet charity is urging pet owners to think twice about offering furry friends Christmas leftovers and excess treats. With the 2021 PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report revealing that 1.4 million pet owners have fed their four-legged friends more human treats since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, the vet charity is warning that this festive season could be more dangerous for our pets than ever before.

A competition has been launched by organisers of the West Midlands Platinum Jubilee Festival 2022 to find a new anthem for the region’s Jubilee celebrations next year.

The search is on for young musicians aged 18-25 attending University of Birmingham, University of Wolverhampton or Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, part of Birmingham City University, to write a new piece of choral music, initially with piano accompaniment which will be set to a poem written especially for the occasion by Fatma Mohiuddin, Birmingham Young Poet Laureate.

Severn Trent is offering advice this winter to ensure customers can enjoy their festivities without the drama of blocked pipes. The company said that in the last financial year it has cleared over 32,000 blockages, the majority of which were caused by the wrong things being flushed down the toilet or washed down the sink.

A chilled food manufacturer based in Southall, in London, has donated a van to a local charity to help with its distribution of food to those in need. Noon Products Ltd started supporting NishkamSWAT’s community support outreach programme at the time of the Grenfell fire.
Noon provided the charity with microwavable ready meals for people while they were waiting to be re-homed.

Nehemiah Housing Association which has over 1244 properties across the West Midlands has achieved the prestigious Investors in People (IiP) Gold accreditation. Gold accreditation means that you’ve got the policies in place but more than that, it means everyone – from CEO to apprentice takes ownership for making them come to life.

More than 10,000 of a Coventry community’s most vulnerable people have been fed by Foleshill Social Supermarket throughout the height of the pandemic. Since March 2020, the supermarket, set up through Feeding Coventry, has distributed 5,000 bags of shopping to local families.

Essential rail improvement work over Christmas and New Year has been planned to cause the least disruption to passengers travelling between London, the Midlands, North West and Cumbria.

This year the bulk of the £30m bank holiday upgrades will take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, when traditionally most of the railway shuts down, although passengers are advised there is also work taking place outside those dates. The work includes:

A Birmingham-based charity which helps West Midlands youngsters improve their life chances through sports-themed personal development programmes is celebrating after fundraisers notched up nearly 50,000 minutes of activity in a special challenge.

Sport 4 Life UK staged the R15E UP Challenge to mark its 15th anniversary with a call to participants to complete a sponsored physical activity such as running, cycling, walking or swimming during a 30-day period in October and November this year.

Carers in Wolverhampton are being invited to have their say and help shape a new strategy which aims to ensure the right support and services are in place for them and the people that they look after.

Carers are adults, children and young people who provide unpaid care for a friend, family member, child or neighbour who, due to illness, disability, a mental health need or an addiction, would not be able to cope without their support. It includes people who receive Carers Allowance.

A search has been launched for organisations that can help support a range of activities being developed by Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC).

The activities, designed bring people together as a result of the city hosting the Commonwealth Games next year, will form part of the Stronger Communities project - which is utilising an allocation of £500,000 from the council’s £6million Commonwealth Games Community Fund.

A new regional Race Equalities Taskforce is being set up by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and recruitment to the Taskforce is now open. It will be led by an independent Chair, Yetunde Dania, who is Partner and Birmingham Head of Office at international law firm Trowers & Hamlins.

The Taskforce will act to improve equality of opportunity for all communities across the West Midlands: concentrating on race and the extent to which people from different ethnic groups (including White British people) have different experiences and challenges.

The city council has set out how it will support those in need using the remainder of the Household Support Fund allocation. In October 2021 the council was awarded £12.791m and immediately used £1.22m for supermarket vouchers for those eligible for free school meals over half-term.

Vouchers will also be provided for two weeks over the Christmas holidays, using an additional £2.5m from the fund. A report to cabinet sets out how the remainder will be distributed to those in need.

Severn Trent has announced a new focus for its Community Fund to celebrate its partnership with Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Starting in January 2022, the Community Fund will be looking to fund local community projects that specifically aim to take care of nature and the environment.

Grants of £5,000, £10,000 and £20,000 will be available for non-profit organisations and local charities with an income of less than £500,000 averaged over three years.