Community News

The University of Wolverhampton has secured an additional £460k funding to deliver training for Degree Apprenticeships to non-levy paying companies.

The allocation of money was approved by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) recently and means that the University can widen its support for local businesses looking to upskill their workforce.

The University is already offering Higher and Degree Apprenticeships in Chartered Management (CMDA), Higher Apprenticeship in Construction Management with pathways for Civil Engineering & Built Environment, Chartered Surveying, Chartered Legal Executive and Healthcare Science Practitioner Degree Apprenticeships.

Future Higher/Degree Apprenticeships will include Digital Technologies, Manufacturing Engineering, Product Design & Engineer, Civil Engineering, Policing, Social Work, Nursing, Nursing Associate and Paramedic Degree Apprenticeships.

Having been awarded £250,000 funding from the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) in 2017 to develop its Apprenticeship offer, over 150 apprentices are already studying for Higher and Degree level qualifications at the University.

Michele Roberts, Head of the Apprenticeship Hub at the University, said:  “This is fantastic news for the University and will really help us to build on the work that has already gone into developing our industry-standard Degree Apprenticeships.

“Companies with a wage bill of under £3 million are eligible for 90% funding for Degree Apprenticeships and this additional money will allow us to increase our offer and support more and more businesses looking for Higher/Degree level Apprenticeships for their employees.

“For example, companies will only pay 10% of the course fees, with the other 90% being funded by the government through this allocation. Other incentives will mean that for SMEs with less than 50 employees and who recruit a 16-18 year old the training/course element of the Apprenticeship will be fully funded.”

Derby man Phill Alcock has backed Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) Charity’s appeal to bring the revolutionary Heart in a Box to the hospital, saying that it has the potential to change the lives of people like him who are waiting for a heart transplant.

Heart in a Box keeps a heart waiting to be transplanted alive outside of the body, greatly increasing the window of time that surgeons have to transplant it into the recipient before the organ begins deteriorating. QEHB Charity is fundraising to bring Heart in a Box to the hospital and doctors estimate that it will increase the number of heart transplants carried out at QEHB by up to 50%.

This will make a world of difference to patients such as Phill Alcock who is currently awaiting a heart transplant. Sadly, 20% of people on the waiting list for a heart transplant will die before an organ becomes available.

Phill has had four heart attacks in the past ten years, with the first occurring in 2007 whilst playing football. He made a swift recovery and was playing football again within seven weeks however; a year on Phill was once again playing football when he was hit by a second heart attack.

Phill went on to recover from this second heart attack only to have a third, two years on in 2010 after coaching his football team Holbrook Sports to the fifth round of the FA Vase. Phill said: “I started to feel unwell during extra time of the match and the next day I had a heart attack, my third in only three years.”

After being taken to Papworth for tests, Phill was told that he was not healthy enough for a heart transplant due to high pressure on his heart and lungs. He then faced years of waiting for his health to improve to the state where he could be considered for a transplant.

In 2015, Phill had a fourth heart attack whilst playing walking football and was taken to QEHB where Dr Lim decided that Phill required an LVAD machine to be installed. An LVAD is an artificial pump that keeps a patient with heart failure alive. It works through battery packs that the patient carries around with them, and can also be plugged into the mains.

The decision to fit Phill with an LVAD was taken around his50^th birthday and this proved to be a tough time, he said: “I thought that I was going to have to say goodbye to everyone and that I wouldn’t make it. This was especially tough on my daughter Olivia who was only 15 at the time.”

Phill had separated from his wife over the previous years and said that he was “determined to carry on for my daughter’s sake.” He decided to take a trip to Liverpool with his friends and family before being admitted to hospital for his procedure.

On the Sunday night before his operation, Phill went to see a local band, The Modest, with friends when he happened to get chatting to a woman called Sarah, telling her of his reasons for going to see the band and the procedure that awaited him the next week.

Sarah said that this first encounter came out of the blue: “He initiated our first-ever conversation and came and sat down next to me. We chatted lots and made each other laugh. I remember he touched on the fact that he was going into hospital the next day, I was impressed as I would have chosen to be at home, worrying, rather than out having a good time.

“I had no idea just how inspirational to my life I would find this man in the future and when I found out the extent of the operation I was blown away by his attitude to life.”

The LVAD operation was a success and two months later Phill was well enough to leave hospital. Upon leaving, Phill returned to see The Modest, where again he bumped into Sarah. Sarah said: “He had only just come out of hospital and I was struck by how he had chosen to ‘live’ the rest of his life, his determination to live and not choose to lie on the sofa all day.”

Phill said: “I never intended to find love, I was focused on my health and taking care of Olivia but it was wonderful to meet Sarah.”

In November 2015 Phill received some wonderful news at his six month assessment; he was told that the valves in his heart and lungs had recovered sufficiently that he could go onto the list for a heart transplant. “I finally had a plan B” Phill said, “I decided that it was high time that I asked Sarah out on a date.”

Sarah said that Phill asking her out was “The best birthday present ever. Life definitely began at 40!”

However, following a couple of incidents including the bag carrying his LVAD batteries being pulled by a bystander at a gig, and falling and hitting his head on the counter at home, Phill had a bleed on the brain and went into a fit.

Phill’s family were told that he was unlikely to survive the ambulance journey. Against all the odds, Phill made it to hospital and received life-saving surgery to remove the pressure on his brain and spent the next two weeks in a coma.

Whilst Phill was in a coma, Sarah was in contact with his sister-in-law who told her that Phill had confided in her some time ago, saying that he was in love with Sarah.

He spent weeks in hospital surrounded by his family and Sarah, who said: “These weeks went by very slowly, everyone was really supportive of me, telling me all the lovely things that he had said about me. His family and friends kept me strong. I refused to believe that I had found my one and that he was going to be taken away from me.”

Phill recovered well and upon leaving hospital they were finally able to go on a date. Phill said: “It was a little surreal; she had met my entire family by this point so it was hardly a traditional first date!”

Since then, Phill and Sarah’s relationship has gone from strength to strength as Phill’s recovery has continued. Phill said: “Sarah is a wonderful person; she is always there for me and has given me a confidence and hope for the future.

“She’s had a positive impact on the whole family, especially taking the pressure off Olivia and my mother when it comes to caring for me. She is able to help me with my LVAD machine, helping to charge the batteries and plug me into the mains!”

Sarah is glad to have been able to make a difference not only to Phill’s life, but to Olivia’s too, saying: “I recognised from early on that Olivia, his daughter, had put all the pressure of keeping her father alive on her own shoulders because she wanted her father in her life for as long as possible.

“I wanted to give her the support and security that she had been without for so long.  At the same time, she had been used to being Phill’s main carer for so long that I couldn’t expect her to give up this role straight away.

“Between us we shared the responsibility and Olivia grew confident to know that she could spend time away and her father would be cared for and that I would contact her for help if I needed her.”

Phill’s recovery continues, saying: “I’m in a much better way physically, I’m back up to 11 stone from a low of just eight, I’m back doing some DJ-ing and even coaching the occasional football match. My life use to revolve around my health to the point where every conversation I had was about it. Now, I just want to talk to people about things that I like. Sarah and I are planning on going on holiday next which proves how much better I am now!”

Speaking of life with an LVAD machine, Phill said: “It can be tough. Every time I go to Sarah’s house I have to take two suitcases full of batteries and other things to keep me going. Whenever I’m on the road I’m worried about my batteries, we all hate it when our phones die on us but I’ve got even bigger things to worry about!”

Phill knows that the long term plan has to include a heart transplant and is still waiting on the call to come through to say that there is a heart ready for him. One thing that keeps him going is the thought of competing in the transplant games: “I love to play sport and I really miss that aspect of my life, it would be amazing to be able to compete again if I have a heart transplant.”

Speaking of the difference that Heart in a Box would make, Phill said: “It sounds like an incredible invention. At the moment it’s hard to stay positive whilst waiting for a transplant, I know that the chances of a suitable heart becoming available for me are slim.

“A lot of the difficulties come from basic factors like geography. If a heart becomes available in Glasgow it’s going to take a long time to get to where I need it and during this time it’s going to be deteriorating. The longer it’s out of the body the less chance you’ve got of it being accepted by the recipient’s body.

“Heart in a Box can change this, and I know that it will have such an amazing impact on people like me who are waiting for a heart to become available.”

Justine Davy, Head of Fundraising for QEHB Charity said: “Phill has been through such a lot and his story of survival is frankly incredible. It means a huge amount to have his support for the Charity’s appeal, Phill’s story highlights the need for this amazing piece of equipment and demonstrates the difference it will make to people’s lives.”

“The generous donations that the Charity receives will make it possible to bring Heart in a Box to QEHB, changing lives and increasing the number of transplants carried out at the hospital.

“I look forward to hearing the stories of patients in the future who have benefitted from Heart in a Box and I wish Phill and Sarah the very best for the future.”

To find out more about Heart in a Box and to donate to the appeal, go to qehb.org/heart

Some of the images from the Celebration of Life of Cyrille Regis MBE at West Bromwich Albion Football Club

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Winnipeg may not be the first place you think of for a city break but one that will not disappoint.   A small compact city where you will find arts and culture with world-class museums, live music, dance and theatre. Winnipeg is the type of city visitors need to get underneath the skin of to find hidden gems that the locals know.

For a romantic getaway you need a place to stay, and the one Winnipeg hotel tailor made for romance is Mariaggi's Theme Suite Hotel, a highly rated hotel where every room is an exotic, worldly location. TripAdvisor has li

sted Mariaggi's as one of the 10 most-romantic hotels in the world.

Start the day exploring the city on tandem bikes. With two locations in the city, including The Forks, The Forks and Assiniboine Park, these bike rentals (Bee-2-Gether) are ideally situated to see some of the best, and romantic, spots in the city.

Select The Forks route, to explore all the curves along the river and then pedal over the Esplanade Riel, Winnipeg's stylish pedestrian bridge, to St. Boniface, Winnipeg's Francophone neighbourhood which is oozing with French culture and flavour.

On a quiet street corner tucked-in behind the St. Boniface Cathedral you'll find La Belle Baguette . The bakery itself smells like heaven, while the pastries, breads and baked goods that come out of its kitchen are guaranteed to be love at first sight.

St. Boniface is teeming with delightful patios, and one of the best is found at Promenade Café and Wine, which provides stunning vistas of the downtown. Promenade itself is an excellent restaurant for French cuisine.

From here take a trip along Winnipeg's winding rivers with Splash Dash Guided River Tours. These river taxis take off and pick up passengers at multiple stops throughout the Assiniboine and Red rivers while providing stunning perspectives of Winnipeg's riverbanks and architecture.

For a leisurely stroll through gardens and past wondrous works of art head to Assiniboine Park , Winnipeg's verdant 1,110-acre masterpiece. From the abundance of flowers in the Formal English Gardens to the tree lined paths leading to the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden. This tranquil garden contains more than 300 awe-inspiring works from Mol, the renowned Ukrainian Canadian sculptor. Throughout summer free jazz performances are a regular occurrence here, adding to the ambiance.

Have a picnic amongst Assiniboine Park's expansive green spaces. Pick up lunch from The Park Café at the Qualico Family Centre then take a seat in one of Assiniboine Park's six other gardens where floral fragrances hang in the air.

For another way to relax try Thermëa by Nordik Spa-Nature , a Scandinavian spa in the Fort Garry neighbourhood, All you need is a bathing suit, a robe and some flip flops, and this place will do the rest with its hot thermal pools, steamy and dry saunas, and cold pools and waterfall, which are all meant to use in a hot-cold-hot cycle. Thermëa is ideal for couples, as you'll need someone to rub the invigorating and exfoliating lavender salts on your back between steam room sessions. Plus, they have tantalizing cuisine for lunch and dinner where dining in robes is mandatory.

The Inn at the Forks' Riverstone Spa is cited as one of the best hotel spas in Canada. Riverstone has three different couples packages — Spa for Two, the Aaaaahhh Package and Together We Will Escape — that involve massages, hand and foot therapy, an overnight stay in the beautiful hotel, and breakfast in SMITH restaurant, the ultimate 24-hour pampering treat.

As night falls, head out to one of Winnipeg's celebrated tapas restaurants because nothing entices like sharing bites. In Osborne Village you can savour Spanish flavours at Segovia — Winnipeg's most acclaimed restaurant. If you get there early be sure to get a seat on the charming little patio where you can sip some cava and enjoy delectable bites.

Children are being given a love of books from an early age thanks to trailblazing library scheme in Sandwell.

The Booktastic scheme gives reception age children at every Sandwell primary school a special library card and encourages them to visit their local library to borrow books.

Four and five-year-olds borrowed almost 12,000 books over the last school year and there are now a record number of young children who are library members - standing at nearly 13,000 members through the Booktastic scheme.

This week, children from Mesty Croft Academy visited Wednesbury Library for a session called Buzz Buzz Bumble Bee and to be presented with their library cards.

Each reception child across Sandwell is given a special Booktastic membership pack, including a membership card, folder and information about the library service.

Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for children’s services Councillor Simon Hackett said: “It’s so important that children learn to love books and reading from a young age.

“I set up the Booktastic scheme and it’s now in its fourth year - it’s really popular with children and families. It raises awareness of how great our libraries are and how valuable it is for children and their education to enjoy reading.

“Children who read for pleasure have higher literacy levels and achieve better results at school, so our libraries are great places for children to come along, choose some great books and really learn to love reading.”

An academic from Birmingham City University has been working with PhD students at the University of Rwanda (UR) to help them advance academic research in the East African country and the wider region.

Senior Lecturer Dr Peter Samuels previously volunteered at UR in 2016 and 2017 before returning in December last year to teach a group of doctoral researchers on a trip made possible with an International Credit Mobility from Erasmus+.

Dr Samuels is based in Birmingham City University’s Centre for Academic Success, which equips students with the skills they need to make the best of every opportunity during their studies.

The Centre offers advice on study skills, helps students improve their academic writing and bolsters competencies in maths and statistics in both one-to-one tutorials or group workshops. It was using this model that Dr Samuels was able to assist these African PhD students towards their own academic goals.

In 2016, the World Bank Board approved the award of 24, competitively-selected, African Centres of Excellence (ACEs) for eight countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, with four being based at the University of Rwanda.

During his recent visit, Dr Samuels spent time teaching 26 students at one such Centre – the African Center of Excellence for Data Science (ACE-DS) – based in the College of Business and Economics in the country’s capital Kigali and in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).

The Center is aiming to produce 40 academically qualified PhD students from across Eastern and Southern Africa within the next five years. Dr Samuels supported the first cohort with contextualised teaching that is assisting them in formulating project proposals and writing in an academic style, using an objective, evidence-based and formal voice.

Dr Peter Samuels, Senior Lecturer, Birmingham City University, said: “By encouraging scholars in ACE-DS to think differently, it allows them to be more engaging and understand how their research can not only change their lives, but have a positive impact on their country, continent and the wider world. In more established education systems, this is perhaps something that is taken for granted, but in Rwanda a lot of what I was teaching the students had never been shared with them before and it was humbling to see a methodology used back in the UK making an immediate impression on the way they took ownership of their ideas and studies going forward.

“As well as helping them prepare for postgraduate study, we also spent time exploring how one goes about writing for publication and how to maintain a good relationship with their supervisor, which are all important milestones in the development of an outward, globally-conscious academic.”

In the growing and interdisciplinary area of data science, ACE-DS will combine expertise from statistics, economics, business, computer science and engineering to use big data and data analytics to solve some of the 21st century’s biggest challenges across the continent.

It aims to serve an important role of helping the region to satisfy the aims of the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA) 2024 by collecting, sharing and analysing data. It will also provide expertise to measure and monitor the United Nation’s new Sustainable Development Goals and the African aspirations for 2063.

Reflecting on Dr Samuels’ course, one student commented: “Before attending the course, I knew little about academic writing, especially for journal papers. Throughout the course I learnt a lot in terms of critical thinking and analysis, paragraph writing through structured arguments and how to use different argument styles. In addition, I learnt how to use evidence properly in academic writing.

“Furthermore, I practiced a lot all the tips and guidance from the course to improve my PhD research proposal and I have seen a big improvement and difference in my academic writing before and after the course. You could say that I am a completely different person in terms of academic writing.”

Dr Samuels’ third trip to the University of Rwanda took place in December 2017. He also visited the African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Science (ACEITLMS) at the institution’s Rukara Campus in the east of the country, and plans to work more with this Centre on future visits.

Incidentally, the Vice-Chancellor of UR is Birmingham-born Professor Phil Cotton, a former GP and Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners. As well as his role at UR, Professor Cotton is a Methodist Preacher, founding chair of a Scottish fair trade organisation and Board member of several development charities working in Africa.

Last year, Professor Cotton was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to education in Rwanda.

Durham City has another accolade to add to its collection, after being shortlisted as one of the ten most romantic UK city break destinations by TripAdvisor-owned site HolidayLettings.co.uk.

According to research generated by the online holiday lettings company, Durham received the second highest percentage of reviews mentioning 'romance', and the vote is now open for the public to choose their winner.

Michelle Gorman, managing director at Visit County Durham, said: “We are thrilled that this shortlist is shining a light on Durham as a romantic city. With our award-winning eateries, luxury accommodation, breath-taking scenery and world-class spas, Durham is a year-round destination for romance and winning this award would be an incredible way to showcase Durham as a romantic getaway destination”.

Spokesperson for Holiday Lettings Laurel Greatrix added: “Durham's vibrant history, stunning architecture, and proximity to the Durham Dales, makes for a perfect romantic getaway travellers will enjoy”.

Voting is open until Tuesday February 13, with the winner being revealed on Valentine's Day.

A Surrey woman will be busking in 15 cities across the UK, in three days, in a bid to raise vital funds for Alzheimer’s Society.

Kitty Pandya hopes to raise more than £500 for the charity, during the first weekend of March this year. She will start her journey from Winchester, to Southampton, through the West Midlands and finishing in London.

The 23-year-old said: “I decided to take part in this challenge for Alzheimer’s Society because of both my personal experience and the challenges dementia causes to society and people living with dementia.  My nana was diagnosed with dementia around three and a half years ago, and it was only then that I began to understand exactly what the disease entails.

“I’m one person out of millions affected by Alzheimer’s disease – directly or indirectly – and my hope with this challenge is that I can do a little to help fund both the vital research conducted and support offered by Alzheimer’s Society.

“It’s great to think that I will be raising funds to help support people to live well with dementia and to fund research to one day find a cure for dementia.”

Alzheimer's Society community fundraiser for Coventry, Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent, Lisa Courtney welcomed Kitty’s decision to boost the charity.  She said: “It’s great that Kitty is giving her time to support Alzheimer’s Society. Dementia can happen to anyone and there is currently no cure. But with the right support, people can live well with dementia.​

“As a charity, we rely on the generosity of individuals like Kitty to help us continue our vital work so that Alzheimer's Society can continue leading the fight against dementia.”

Work has this week started on landscaping the open areas of Bilston Urban Village. The City of Wolverhampton Council project ties in with the Garden City concept commissioned by the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Up to 450 homes will be built by private developers on the former brownfield land, which will be connected by around 14 hectares of land designated for public open space and a nature conservation.

idverde, who boast award-winning landscaping works such as Media City in Salford, and award-winning maintenance of prominent sites such as Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in their portfolio, are carrying out the open space landscaping works, which are expected to be completed this summer.

The aim is to improve biodiversity and recreation, with works to include developing a network of paths for walking and cycling, clearing overgrown trees and shrubs, and providing fencing to properly define and protect areas.

Work will also be undertaken to significantly improve the nature conservation value of the sites. This will involve a range of activity such as woodland management, development of ground flora, meadow creation, tree planting, hedge planting, development of the attenuation pond, possible creation of a community orchard, provision of bird and bat boxes, and actions to increase biodiversity along the edges of the canal.

All this will lead to a significant enhancement of the open spaces within Bilston Urban Village, and it is proposed, on completion of the works, to declare the open space sites a Local Nature Reserve (LNR).

Councillor John Reynolds, Cabinet Member for City Economy, said: “This is a major milestone for Bilston Urban Village.

“People are already moving into the first of up to 450 new homes being developed.

“The open space strategy will see idverde deliver a green environment for the community to enjoy and thrive in as it becomes established.”

Phil Topping, Operation Director for idverde, added: “We are delighted to have been awarded the landscape improvement contract located within the Bilston Urban Village development area.

“We look forward to working closely with the wider project team in ensuring the successful delivery of this important recreational area, and improving access arrangements with the provision of new footpaths, planting, fencing, creation of meadow areas and lighting.

“Very importantly, we are privileged in being able to assist with the development and improvement of the nature conservation elements of the scheme.”

The council has secured a £681,000 boost from the European Regional Development Fund for the Bilston Urban Village Open Space Development Strategy.

The remainder of the £1.5 million needed for the landscaping scheme will be funded from £156,000 Section 106 private sector money already secured from developers, and council investment.

A Steering Group for the Bilston Urban Village Open Space Development Strategy is in place, consisting of City of Wolverhampton Council, Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust, Canal & River Trust, University of Wolverhampton, local residents, the Land Trust, and Ormiston South Wolverhampton and Bilston Academy.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) are calling on residents in the West Midlands to take part in a World Record attempt and help fund life saving research, by visiting their local BHF shop.

Heart shaped messages have been filling BHF shop windows in the run up to Valentine’s Day for over a decade, but this year the public also have the chance to have their personal messages displayed in a record-breaking chain of paper hearts.

For Valentine’s Day, the BHF are attempting to break the world record for the longest chain of paper hearts, which currently stands at 8525. With the help and support of people in the West Midlands, the charity is hoping to break this record as a mark of solidarity for the 7 million people in the UK fighting a daily battle with heart and circulatory disease, which includes 655,800 people in the West Midlands.

To get involved and become a record-breaker, pop down to one of the 42 BHF shops across the region, make a donation towards life saving heart research and write a message on a World Record heart to be included in the impressive final chain.

What you write on the hearts could be anything from a thank you or dedication in memory of someone, to a message for a loved one, best friend, family member, work bestie or even your pet.

The World Record hearts will be sold in BHF shops across the country in the run-up to Valentine’s Day and will be sent to London to be included in the World Record attempt, where they will be strung together to create the giant chain.

Allison Swaine-Hughes, Retail Operations Director at the BHF, said:

“Heart and circulatory disease is one of the UK’s biggest killers and bringing messages of love, support and hope together from people all across the country, shows we are all standing united against these devastating conditions.

“BHF research has helped halve death rates from heart and circulatory disease over the past 50 years but there is still a long way to go. Through the public’s generosity the BHF will fund half a billion pounds of new research by 2020.

“So visit your local BHF shop today, make a donation and write a message to take part in the World Record. You’ll be sharing the love and saving lives in the process.”

A rise in `car key burglaries’ – where your home is broken into specifically to take your car key and steal your vehicle – has led independent charity Crimestoppers to launch a campaign warning the public to keep your car keys safe.

The criminals involved target high-powered, high-value vehicles and can often `cruise’ around an area in the hunt for opportunities.

Latest police crime data shows the biggest rise in car thefts across the West Midlands were in Solihull, although the area still has the lowest rate of car crime in the region. In August last year, a car that was stolen in a car key burglary later smashed into another parked car in Allsey in Coventry and the driver fled the scene.

Nationally, in the twelve months to June 2017, over 100,000 vehicle thefts were recorded by police in England and Wales which is a rise of around a fifth.

Pauline Hadley, West Midlands Regional Manager at the Crimestoppers charity, said: “Thieves are finding new ways to overcome impressive security measures being introduced by manufacturers. This is why in recent years they are resorting to new technics beyond the conventional when stealing cars – hence `car key burglaries’.

“The best way to protect your vehicle, especially if it’s high-value and therefore more at risk, is to keep your car keys somewhere safe and out of sight. It’s also recommended to use extra security systems such as immobilisers and visible security locks.

“We are a charity that gives people the power to speak up to stop crime. We won’t ask your name and we won’t judge. We’ll just listen to what you know. Please speak up and stay safe.”

If you have any information, please contact Crimestoppers charity 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through the non-traceable Anonymous Online Form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. We urge anyone who has information to come forward and speak to us 100% anonymously.

A builder and his team from Birmingham is in the running to win £2,500 and the MyBuilder ‘Job of the Year’ award - after a local resident nominated him for the amazing job he did for her mother.

MyBuilder.com, the leading online marketplace for homeowners to find quality tradespeople, launched its ‘Job of the Year’ competition this month. The competition aims to find the top tradespeople in the country - the person or team who went above and beyond to do a brilliant job, no matter what it took.

More than 2,000 homeowners from all over the UK have already entered, nominating great MyBuilder tradesmen they’ve used in the past year and telling the stories of how they saved the day in their homes. If their tradesman wins, the tradesman and homeowner share a £5,000 prize.

Members of the public have already cast over 40,000 votes - and one story that has caught people’s attention comes from Birmingham resident Jane Humphries.

Jane explains why she thinks Darren Coy, of CCM, deserves to win: "Words cannot do justice for the service that Darren and his team gave. Mum’s house needed bringing in to the 21st century. She also didn’t want to move out so the team had to work around her. They were kind, considerate and the work standard high.

"Without Daren and his happy band of caring workers this could not have been achieved. Mum misses them now the job is finished but they still pop in to check on her and say she can call them 24/7 with any problems. True stars."

Commenting on the competition, MyBuilder CEO and Founder Ryan Notz said: “Tradesmen up and down the country are hard at work every day doing amazing jobs in people’s homes. Here at MyBuilder, we’re always looking for ways to celebrate the work they do, and the Job of the Year competition is our chance to congratulate those that went the extra mile.”

Worcester Wolves players stopped by Birmingham Children’s Hospital last week to help lift spirits among the children, young people and families.

Four players including Elvisi Dusha, Brandon Parrish, Dallin Bachynski and Mike Ojo took time out of training for this weekend’s final to spend time on the Renal Unit signing autographs, posing for photographs and giving out gifts.

This year, the Transplant Games are coming to Birmingham on 2 – 5 August, and the Birmingham Children’s Hospital team are returning to the games as reigning champions. 10-year-old Kristof Polgar, a gold medallist member of the Transplant Games team and former liver transplant patient at the Children’s Hospital, came back to help show the players around.

Sara Clarke, Transplant Games Team Manager for the hospital, said: “The games are so important to transplanted children. They act as a motivation for children to get fit after a transplant while also providing a unique environment where children and their families can meet and gain support from each other.

“This partnership offers an incredible opportunity to raise awareness of the benefits of organ donation, encouraging people to sign the organ donor register and have that all important donation conversation.

“We’d like to thank everyone at the club who helped make the visit happen and also the British Basketball League for their on-going support of the Transplant Games – we’re really grateful.”

A Birmingham couple are supporting an urgent campaign to find more foster carers to look after the UK’s most vulnerable children.

Dr Thomas Barnardo started fostering children more than 130 years ago and since then the charity has helped hundreds of thousands to grow up happy and healthy.

Now the charity is calling for more people to consider providing caring and stable home environments to help transform young lives, as there’s a pressing need to find more than 7,000 foster carers in the next 12 months to support children desperately in need of loving families.

The campaign is being supported by Birmingham couple Shakeel Ahmed and Zahida Bibi, who are foster carers for Barnardo’s.

YouGov research for the charity reveals nearly half (46 per cent) of people think a lack of support from fostering agencies is likely to put people off fostering, 62 per cent say they think people may not be confident they can look after a foster child, and 45 per cent believe not having any training on how to be a foster carer could be an issue.

However, in stark contrast, a poll by Barnardo’s of its own foster carers reveals that more than 8 in 10 carers (82 per cent) are happy with the level of support and advice they receive from their Barnardo’s fostering service and believed it was “excellent” or “good”, while three quarters (75 per cent) said they would recommend their Barnardo’s fostering service to others.

Barnardo’s foster carers rate the support and training they receive highly, with almost 80 per cent saying the out-of-hours support was either good or very good.  Almost 90 per cent also rated Barnardo’s supervising social workers as good or very good.

Barnardo’s support includes 24-hour access to a qualified social worker, training, access to foster carer support groups, short breaks and a generous financial fee.

Marcia Briscoe is the operations manager for the Barnardo’s West Midlands Fostering & Short Breaks Service, based in Halesowen.

She said: “Children who have been taken into care have sometimes experienced trauma or difficult circumstances making everyday challenges more difficult to overcome.

“Having a foster carer to support them through the difficult times can help enormously but our carers can only do this if they're properly supported too. That’s why we ensure they have everything they need - including advice, training and peer support - to feel confident they can help transform a young life.”

To find out more about becoming a foster carer, or the support Barnardo’s can offer visit www.barnardos.org.uk/fostering or call the Barnardo’s West Midlands Fostering & Short Breaks Service on 0121 550 5271.

Heeran Basi, one of the company’s apprentices who works as a technician in Derby, won the PeoplePlus Award for Advanced Apprentice of the Year at the National Apprenticeship Awards.

Mark Smith, Learning and Development Advisor from Severn Trent, says: “We’re over the moon with Heeran’s win, he’s passionate and committed to his apprenticeship programme, and a real worthy winner of this award.

“Not only has Heeran massively helped raised the profile of our apprenticeship programmes, he’s also an integral part of Severn Trent who helps make a difference for our customers every day.”

Severn Trent received more than 3,000 applications for its apprenticeship scheme in 2017, and offers successful applicants the opportunity to combine hands-on experience with studying, while earning a competitive salary.

The National Apprenticeships Awards, which took place in London and is in its fourteenth year, aims to celebrate individuals and employers for their commitment and dedication to apprenticeships.

“We’re confident that with Heeran’s ambition and talent he will have a successful career at Severn Trent,” adds Mark. “Winning this award reinforces the contribution he’s already made to our company, as well as showing others how rewarding our apprenticeship programmes can be.”

Heeran, 21 from Derby, said: “I’m ecstatic to be named as one of the top three apprentices in the country, this is a massive achievement for me. Throughout school, I struggled to know what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go, but since joining Severn Trent, I now have goals and aspirations which drive me to work to the best of my ability.

“My apprenticeship has given me all the tools and skills needed to be successful, and this win strengthens that. I’m really looking forward to taking on new challenges and learning more as my career develops at Severn Trent and sharing my experience with others.”

Birmingham residents rose to the challenge of recycling a record number of Christmas trees to raise £49,000 for local charity, Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice.

2,630 homes across Birmingham took part in ‘Treecycling’ this weekend (Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 January) – the city’s largest tree recycling scheme – in which festive firs were collected from residents’ doorsteps in return for a donation.

Over 100 volunteers took part in the initiative, which saw them collect trees from a range of postcodes across Birmingham and Solihull. The trees were then recycled into compost or biomass fuel.

One of the key corporate champions supporting the campaign was civil engineering contractor, Fitzgerald, who generously provided staff and vans for the collection weekend.

All funds raised from Treecycling went towards Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, which provides vital care and support to local families living with terminal illness across Birmingham and Sandwell.

Hamish Shilliday, head of fundraising at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, said: “Before Christmas, we set the residents of Birmingham and Solihull a challenge to increase the amount of trees recycled across the West Midlands – and we’re thrilled that they succeeded.

It’s fantastic to have collected 1,000 more trees this year than in 2017 and to see the scheme go from strength to strength. Thank you to everyone who donated and to the volunteers who worked tremendously hard over the weekend. We are also grateful to Fitzgerald for their generous commitment in continuing to support Treecycling – our success would not have been possible without their support.

“Raising £49,000 is an impressive amount and will make a big difference to the local families living with terminal illness that we care for.”

Treecycling was part of the Hospice’s ‘Care at Christmas’ campaign – a festive appeal which aimed to boost support for individuals and families living with terminal illness. So far, the appeal has raised an impressive £135,000, enabling vital care, compassion and comfort to be available to more people, wherever and whenever they need it.