Community News

Birmingham Bach Choir mark Passiontide, the final two weeks of Lent, with an inspiring revival of rarely performed choral works by Howells, Tallis, Leighton and more (30 March 2019, St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham).

The concert, which is part of the choir's centenary celebrations, includes Antonio Lotti's timeless Crucifixus, written in the early 1700s by the German-born contemporary of JS Bach, and two motets by Austrian composer Anton Bruckner, Ave Maria and Christus factus est.

Sixteenth century choral composers Thomas Tallis' In ieiunio et fletu, and Orlande de Lassus' Tristis est anima mea are also included, as is JS Bach’s better known and loved Ruht Wohl, first performed in 1724 in Leipzig, and taken from the second part of his St John Passion.

However, the heart of the programme lies in two 20th century small-scale masterpieces, both with a personal connection to the choir's longstanding conductor, Paul Spicer.

Kenneth Leighton’s powerfully dramatic cantata Crucifixus pro nobis - a mini Passion for choir, organ and tenor soloist - was written for the choir of New College, Oxford in 1962 and Paul was a boy chorister in its first performance. The almost electrical charge of the music is heightened by the final movement, a setting of Phineas Fletcher’s beautiful words ‘Drop, drop slow tears’, being left completely unaccompanied.

The other great work in the programme is Herbert Howells’ extraordinary Requiem. Written in 1932, Requiem was originally intended for the choir of King’s College Cambridge, but never submitted and remained unpublished until 1980. However, elements of the piece later formed the core of Howells’ large-scale choral and orchestral work Hymnus Paradisi, written as a memorial for his nine-year-old son Michael, who died of polio in 1935. With its unusual structure, the searingly moving Requiem expresses not just deep grief but also eternal hope.

Paul Spicer studied composition under Howells at the Royal College Of Music, London, and went on to publish the definitive biography of the composer, Herbert Howells: Border Lines, in 1998.

Says Paul: “I shall cherish performing the Leighton and Howells again: singing at the premiere of Leighton’s powerful Crucifixus pro nobis was an unforgettable experience for me as a young impressionable boy, while Howells’ Requiem is one of his most powerful works and holds a special place in my heart."

Birmingham Bach Choir: Music For Passiontide, with tenor Robin Morton, is at St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham, on Saturday March 30.

A regionally co-ordinated cycling strategy with funding targeted at 26 priority routes was backed by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

Ambitious plans, including goals to raise cycling investment to at least £10 a head each year, were set out in a report endorsed by the WMCA board at its meeting in Birmingham.

In considering the report, which also listed potential investment of up to £250m to improve cycling infrastructure, the board reaffirmed its commitment to see more people making the switch to pedal power.

The co-ordinated, region-wide approach to cycling, which is a first for the West Midlands, puts forward 26 priority corridors for investment, covering nearly 200km through Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry and Solihull.

The report, drawn up by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), also sets out plans for:

The appointment of a Cycling and Walking Ambassador

A flagship cycling corridor and support for councils to deliver local schemes

The co-ordination of events into a family festival of cycling

New West Midlands Cycling and Walking brands

Working with communities to create great places to cycle and walk

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said: “Cycling can reduce traffic congestion, improve health and wellbeing and reduce pollution. It is good for the cyclist and good for the wider travelling public so we have set out ambitious targets to increase the number of journeys made by bike in the region.

We have already made a significant start and have also now launched one of the country’s biggest bike share schemes with nextbike. Once fully rolled out that scheme will see thousands of bikes for hire on the streets of the West Midlands.

One of the biggest barriers to cycling is safety, so we are planning to focus investment on 26 key routes that link communities across the West Midlands and offer people a genuine alternative to their cars.

Cycling and Walking Minister Jesse Norman, said: “Getting people cycling and walking is key to improving air quality, encouraging healthy exercise, and boosting our high streets and economic productivity.

These new safe cycle routes, which the Department for Transport is supporting through the Transforming Cities Fund, will help to make cycling the natural choice for journeys across the region.

We are also investing around £2 billion to support cycling across the country as part of our long term Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.”

Cllr Roger Lawrence, WMCA portfolio lead for transport and leader of the City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “We are witnessing a revolution in transport in the region with investment in new rail, tram and rapid bus routes. This report sets out how we are also being equally ambitious for cycling.”

The WMCA board has already allocated £6 million from the region’s Transforming Cities Fund and this will now be used to deliver one of the priority cycle routes set out in the report.

Artist Martin Firrell has partnered with Out of Home media owner Clear Channel UK, to display a series of his new public artworks that explore the idea of power and gender. The project includes perspectives from women and men on the understanding and experience of men and women in power.

Do women understand, hold and use power differently from men? 

What can be learned from the experiences of women in positions of power that might contribute to a happier and more benign use of power in society? 

Firrell explores these questions in 12 digital billboards with the participation of:

• Inga Beale, former CEO of Lloyd’s Insurance market

• Liv Garfield, CEO Severn Trent and the youngest women to head a FTSE 100 company

• Alex Mahon, CEO Channel 4

• Annie Rickard, former Global President Posterscope, now steering committee member and Director of the Women’s Equality Party

• Clare Short, Former Secretary of State for International Development

Clear Channel will be displaying ‘Power and Gender’ artwork across their digital Out of Home network nationwide through to March 8. Running across Storm, Adshel Live, and Wrap sites, the project also aims to show how the power of Out of Home can be used to drive public discourse and positive social change.

If the project Martin says: "I believe men and woman regard power differently and I want to ‘open up the layers of that difference’ in front of the public. My residency with Clear Channel makes that possible. If you can create debate, eventually change will follow.”

Clear Channel CEO, Justin Cochrane, says “Clear Channel’s national digital network of screens is uniquely positioned as the perfect “art gallery” to broadcast Martin’s thought provoking work. We’re proud to be supporting this project that opens up public conversation on progressiveness and promotes Fairness – one of Clear Channel’s core values.”

Martin Firrell is a French public artist who stimulates debate in public space to promote positive social change. His work has been summarised as 'art as debate'. Working as Clear Channel’s Artist in Residence, this first project entitled ‘Power And Gender’ is the first part of socialart.work, a mass public art project looking at women's equality and masculinity, alternative forms of economic and social organisation, Black power, and solidarity between people from different backgrounds and ethnicities.

An improved Solihull bus network with routes to support the local economy and make it easier for people to take jobs will come into effect this weekend.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is providing funding to pay for new services to key employment sites including the Blythe Valley Business Park and the Jaguar Land Rover site at Fen End.

Both sites, which employ hundreds of people, have not had regular and convenient public transport on a consistent basis during recent years.

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said: “The new network is a good example of how we can step in and subsidise services that can make a real difference to people’s lives -making it easier for them to get to where jobs are available.

“So we hope these new services will better connect people not just to jobs but also health care, education and leisure pursuits. That in turn will help support the local economy and wider efforts to improve air quality.”

The new TfWM subsidised routes will see Elmdon-based LandFlight run two services to Blythe Valley while Henley-in-Arden based Johnsons will operate the 87 and 88 to Fen End.

Winning the contract to run the new services on behalf of TfWM has seen Land Flight take on 24 new drivers locally.

Cllr Bob Sleigh OBE, leader of Solihull Council joined the Mayor in meeting up with Danny Matthews, director of business development at LandFlight ahead of the new services taking to the road.

Cllr Sleigh said: “Unfortunately places like Blythe Valley and Jaguar Land Rover at Fen End, which are outside the urban area, have not always enjoyed the best public transport.

“That has made it difficult for people, and especially young people, to take advantage of the job opportunities available at such locations so we believe these new services can improve people’s job prospects while also making it easier for people already working at those locations to switch from car to bus.”The sustainable travel team at Solihull Council will also be working with businesses based at Blythe Valley and with Jaguar Land Rover to help staff make smarter travel choices and take advantage of the new services.

Lewis Payne, development director at IM Properties which owns Blythe Valley, said: “We welcome the introduction of the new bus service to Blythe Valley Park.

“This is a hugely positive step forward, providing proper public transport connectivity for some 3,300 people working at the park, linking key residential areas around Solihull as well as public transport nodes such as Solihull and Dorridge stations.”

The services are due to start on Sunday (February 24) with passengers also benefitting from low floor, low emission buses on most of the new routes.

The new network follows a public consultation held last October which saw more than 1,300 individual responses, helping to shape routes and frequencies.

This March, Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice will be celebrating 40 years of care across Birmingham and Sandwell – and to mark the occasion, the Hospice is inviting local people to a very special gala dinner.

On Friday March 1, the well-known and much loved charity will be hosting a black tie event at Edgbaston Stadium, which will include a drinks reception, three-course dinner, musical entertainment and live comedy from the self-proclaimed ‘most popular housewife in Kings Heath’ Barbara Nice. 

Barbara (mother-of-five, keen ‘Take a Break’ reader and stage-dive enthusiast) is a character created by comedian Janice Connolly and will be entertaining guests at the prestigious event. She will be joined by Antique Roadshow’s Will Farmer, who will be hosting a live auction, and former Baggies legend Brendon Batson, who is a patron of the charity.   

The event kick starts the Hospice’s 40^th anniversary celebrations and will honour the care and support it has provided across the city and beyond for the last four decades.

Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice was founded in 1979 by Monica Pearce and was the first independent hospice in the Midlands. A former NHS matron, Monica’s vision was to ‘enable anyone with a life-limiting illness to live their life to the full’ – a mission that the Hospice’s staff and volunteers still stand by today.

Doctors and nurses at the Hospice – which was first known as ‘St. Mary’s Hospice’ – cared for its first patient on Monday 5 March 1979.

Tina Swani, chief executive at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, said: “Monica Pearce was a remarkable woman who worked tirelessly to provide vital end of life care to local people. She pioneered hospice care in the Midlands, after recognising that much more needed to be done to support people who are living with an incurable illness.

The 40^th Anniversary Gala Dinner is our way of honouring Monica’s legacy, as well as highlighting how crucial hospice care still is in our city today. It’s set to be a fantastic evening and I look forward to welcoming Barbara Nice, Will Farmer and our wonderful supporters to a night of dinner and celebration.” 

In 1979, Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice provided care at its ward only and had a maximum bed capacity of 25. Four decades later and the Hospice is supporting over 400 people every day across Birmingham and Sandwell, providing care in people’s homes, in the community, at its Day Hospice facility and at the Hospice’s Inpatient Unit.

The vibrant Rum and Reggae Festival is returning to Birmingham this year.

The night is set out to give visitors a real reggae experience a the night features carnival dancers, steel performances and a range of authentic food.

Birmingham’s own Global Reggae Band will also be performing on the night.

On arrival at the event all guests will be greeted with their own rum atlas to get an insight into where the different types of rum are from.

The 19-date tour will have Rums from the West Indies, Philippines, Mauritius, Australia and South America.

Festival goers will then get the opportunity to create their own cocktails at demonstrations which will be going on throughout the night.

There will be special rums available on the night including Columbian tipple La Hechicera; which is typically aged for up to 21 years; Dark Matter Spiced Rum and Wray and Nephew.

On scale there will be a range of rums and service that allows customers to order and have rum posted to them after the night.

Pirates from the Caribbean Kitchen will be at the festival, serving classic Caribbean dishes such as jerk chicken and rice and peas.

The Rum and Reggae Festival is at The Mill, Digbeth on May 18.

More than £10m has been earmarked to expand park and ride sites at several rail and tram stations in a further boost for commuters, the economy and cleaner air.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has already ploughed around £17m into providing more than 8,500 car parking spaces at 38 rail stations and three Metro stops over the last two decades.

With congestion costing the West Midlands economy more than £2bn a year, the park and ride facilities have bolstered the transport authority’s wider efforts to reduce the number of cars on local roads and improve air quality.

Now TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), has announced plans to extend several park and ride sites, many of which are so popular they are typically full to capacity before the end of the morning rush hour.

The plans come as Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street and Councillor Mike Bird, leader of Walsall Council, marked the official start of work on a new £2.6m park and ride facility for the West Midlands Metro tram stop at Bradley Lane which currently has no on-site parking.

Mayor Street said: “Park and Ride has been very successful in encouraging people to use public transport for the main part of their daily commute.

It is a useful tool for helping to tackle traffic congestion and poor air quality but it’s fair to say that park and ride has become a victim of its own success and many facilities are full to bursting by 8am.

That can have knock on effects with people parking inconsiderately in nearby residential streets or simply choosing to continue their journey by car so we are focusing on expanding those sites that can bring the most benefit.”

The Bradley Lane park and ride scheme will provide 196 spaces and is due to open this summer. The start of construction follows several weeks of preparation and exploratory work due to former coal mines under the site.

Cllr Bird added: “The future prosperity of our region will rely to a great extent on efficient public transport.

This investment in the Metro system along with proposed improvements to the local rail network is a positive step forward and I very much welcome it.”

Meanwhile planning permission has now been approved for park and ride expansion schemes at Longbridge rail station, including plans for a decked car park, and at Tipton station which could see its 71 space capacity nearly double.

TfWM is also working with Coventry City Council on adding capacity to the existing 330 spaces at Tile Hill.

Transport chiefs expect to see the schemes carried out over the next four or five years with money coming from a variety of sources including the WMCA’s HS2 Connectivity Fund and Capital Programme.

Cllr Roger Lawrence, WMCA portfolio lead for transport and leader of City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “We are looking at investing over £10m in developing and expanding park and ride sites across the West Midlands over the next few years.

We are also looking to establish temporary park and ride sites for the Commonwealth Games and work is already underway to identify suitable locations.

Together with local councils we are developing a Park and Ride strategy that will provide a West Midlands wide approach to future expansion and development so we can bring the maximum benefit to both passengers and residents.”

Subject to further funding being found on top of the £10m, a number of other sites are also being looked at in close liaison with local councils for expansion.

These include Dudley Port, Sandwell and Dudley and Tame Bridge Parkway.  TfWM is also working closely with Solihull Council on plans to increase capacity and improve accessibility.

With the number of adult children sharing the family home with parents at an all-time high, new research from Charter Savings Bank shows they are not always quite so good about sharing details on their finances.

The nationwide study found nearly 69% of parents are open about their finances with their adult children and a further 21% would be happy to discuss money with their adult children, but are never asked. Adult children mainly reciprocate with 69% saying their parents know how much they earn.

But when it comes to debts and savings the 26%² of 20 to 34-year-olds who live with parents – around 3.4 million people – are not as forthcoming. Nearly half (45%) have either debts, savings accounts or both, which their parents are unaware of.

Nearly one in five (18%) have both savings accounts and debts their parents do not know about, while some have secret savings accounts (15%) and others have secret debts (12%).

Adult children living at home are on a good deal, the research shows. Nearly half (47%) of parents do not charge rent for living with them, and the average rent charged by those who do is just £161 a month – a significant saving on average private sector rents.

This reduction in rent is highly beneficial to young adults, as three in ten (30%) admit they would not be able to save for a home if they did not live with their parents. It can, however, be difficult agreeing how much to contribute towards living costs between parents and their adult children, and there are vast differences between families.

Some parents ask for contributions towards food (31%), energy bills (23%), phone and broadband (17%), for example, but a third (33%) do not ask for any contributions at all.

This is at odds with what their children believe they are contributing towards, with 85% believing they put money towards food bills, and a high proportion saying they help parents towards TV and entertainment subscriptions (67%), maintenance (66%) and energy bills (62%).

What Parents and Adult Children Say

The study found that, on the whole, children are honest with their parents about general spending, although sometimes this is only because they are asked directly. Just over a third (35%) openly tell their parents how much they spend on gym or health club memberships, and a further 52% would do if asked.

The aspect of their spending that adult children are least forthcoming about with their parents is transport costs, with a sixth (15%) admitting they wouldn’t tell their parents how much they spend on their car, or taxis and Ubers.

Paul Whitlock, Executive Director, Charter Savings Bank, said: “Keeping debt a secret from close family may be tempting, but a problem shared can be a problem halved, as discussing finances may help alleviate stress.

While living at home, young people have a fantastic opportunity to work towards clearing debt and start saving towards their goals, whether that be buying a property, travelling or further education.

Saving as much as possible from an early age is a great habit to get into; even a small amount will soon grow. It also means people are used to setting aside some of their income each month, which is good practice for when they move out of the family home.”

Ghulab Chandio played an important role in the renovation of Arts Council of Pakistan, he was from very initial people who initiated with us. He was a great actor and a human being. When we started a new group to maintain Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi, he contested in the election, we often see him helping people silently.

Said by President Arts Council of Pakistan Muhammad Ahmed Shah in the condolence reference of famous TV and Film actor Gulab Chandio. On the occasion, Saadat Jafri, Abid Naveed, Sikandar Gill, Tasleem Rana, Rehana Ameen, Asif Mughal, Safi Ur Rehman, Dr. Ayub Shaikh, Sinhala Qureshi, Wakeel Farooqui, Syed Asjad Bukhari, Manzoor Garaz, Munawar Saeed and Ali Gulab also addressed at the Condolence reference including many other family members, friends and those who loved him.

President Arts Council said that Arts Council of now an unbiased institute for the poets, writers, actors, philosophers, and Artists, we are helping these people and giving them opportunities in our capacity. Arts Council is being own by the society and we are working with the help of the society. Member Governing body Arts Council Karachi Iqbal Latif has said Gulab Chandio was a great actor but at the same time he was a greater human being, he worked in different TV shows and films and he did a theatre for us. we spend a great time all together and people like Ghulab Chandio can be born in a hundred years. The other people appreciated his work for film and TV and paid tribute to him.

Children across Birmingham and the West Midlands are being offered the chance to win art materials in a competition to picture their favourite moment.

The winners and runners-up will also see their artwork featured in a special month-long exhibition at a popular Birmingham café.

Organised by John Taylor Hospice in partnership with Oikos Café on Erdington High Street, the Moments that Matter competition is open to children aged 11 or under.

Youngsters are being urged to draw, paint or colour special moments as part of the hospice’s work to encourage families to discuss what matters to them.

John Taylor Hospice Head of Community Engagement Mark Jones said: “Our hospice’s motto is every moment matters so we would like children across the region to create a picture of their special moment. It could be a collage of their favourite holiday, a drawing of their pet, a painting of their family or simply a picture of something they love to do.

We are looking forward to seeing these special moments which are what make life so worthwhile. As a hospice we are there for people as they approach the end of their lives and we also encourage everyone we care for to celebrate their lives – and all their special moments.”

The Moments that Matter competition has been launched by the hospice as part of the Birmingham-wide festival A Matter of Life and Death which aims to encourage people of all ages to have open and honest conversations about living and dying.

The competition forms part of the hospice’s community engagement work with schools, groups and local businesses.

Erdington High Street’s Oikos Café will host the exhibition featuring the winning artwork during the month of May. The winners will also be invited to a special Café Arts Evening of Creativity at Oikos Café on Friday 17 May from 6pm where their prizes will be presented.

Oikos Centre Manager Ben Jeffrey said: “We are really looking forward to hosting the exhibition during May. We know from our creative sessions here at Oikos that children and young people can create amazing works of art and we are delighted to be able to share their achievements with the local community.

Their pictures will be on view to café visitors during our opening hours and we look forward to welcoming the children, their families and their schools to see their art on our walls.”

Closing date for the competition is Wednesday April 27. Entry forms are downloadable from the hospice website and are also available at Oikos Café, John Taylor Hospice charity shops and the hospice reception.

For more information and

House of Fraser’s much-loved Christmas Grotto raised an incredible £10,413 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.

The annual winter wonderland, which was located on the fifth floor of the department store, donated £1 from every ticket purchased throughout the festive season to the charity’s Moments of Magic Christmas campaign.

Nirmal Madahar, General Manager at House of Fraser, said:“We’re delighted to raise over £10,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity. This is the eighth year we’ve run our Christmas grotto and the second year we’ve supported the hospital charity – a real worthy cause.

The fantastic final amount raised is thanks to our loyal customers, as well as the team involved behind the scenes in making the grotto such a huge success.”

Kirsty White, Corporate Fundraising Officer at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We were incredibly grateful to House of Fraser for choosing to support us over the Christmas period and helping to raise such a phenomenal amount for our Moments of Magic Christmas campaign.

The money raised will go a long way in making a huge difference to the lives of our brave children and their families by providing magical moments throughout 2019. Whether that’s helping a child to find their smile with a visit from a Giggle Doctor, a sing-a-long session with our Singing Medicine choir or a distraction bag filled with toys, games and puzzles to help keep little ones busy and occupied during medical procedures.”

Steve Hewlett, BID Manager at Retail Birmingham, the business improvement district for city centre retail businesses, said: “The traditional grotto at House of Fraser has again proved to be very popular at Christmas. Birmingham Children’s Hospital is such an important part of our city, with amazing staff and kids and we are thrilled that it has raised such a wonderful amount for the charity.”

To find out more about Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, you can visit; www.bch.org.uk.

Dozens of local residents turned out for the inaugural Love Your Community event in Low Hill this week – and found out about some of the things they could do to improve the quality of their life and the lives of others.

The event, organised by the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Community Support Service, took place at Low Hill Community Centre on Tuesday (12 February) and brought together a wide range of local organisations and voluntary and community groups which showcased their services.

Visitors could find out about the help and support available from organisations including the Bushbury Buddies, Memory Matters, Hope Community Project, Wolverhampton Homes, Skills for Life, Step Ahead, Social Prescribing, Revolution, Spurgeons Young Carers and the Volunteer Library Service, as well as the City of Wolverhampton Council's Carer Support Team, the Community Support Service, Headstart Wolverhampton, WV Active and Low Hill Strengthening Families Hub.

Councillor Sandra Samuels OBE, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Services, said: “There are some great things happening in our communities, and this inaugural Love Your Community event celebrated them.

We know that even little things can make a big difference to a person’s quality of life, and it was great to be able to showcase the support available to local people in Low Hill from a wide range of voluntary and community groups, as well as highlighting some of the things people can do to help themselves and others."

Many of those in attendance asked for similar events to be held in other parts of the city, and plans are already underway for a second Love Your Community event, this time in the Heath Town area, in the future.

The Community Support Service provides help and support to people to remain independent and improve their wellbeing.

Birmingham-based recruitment agency, Encore Personnel has raised an impressive £18,000 for three children’s charities.

Every year, staff from Encore, which is based on Lower Temple Street in Birmingham, nominate charities to support which are often influenced by causes close to their hearts. Last year, the team chose three vital children’s charities - The Sick Children’s Trust, Cardiac Risk in the Young and CLIC Sargent (Cancer Charity for Children and Young People).

An exciting year of fundraising has seen Encore climb, cycle and bake their way to raise the much-needed funds. During the summer, employees raised £9,000 by taking on the highest mountain in the UK, Ben Nevis which stands at a 1,345m above sea level, while others rallied together to hold regular dress down days, cake sales and sporting sweepstakes across each of the offices.

The monies raised will now be shared amongst the three charities, helping to support children and young people in different ways – The Sick Children’s Trust provides free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation supporting families with seriously ill children hospital, keeping them just minutes from their sick child’s hospital bedside. Cardiac Risk in the Young work to reduce the frequency of young sudden cardiac death (YSCD) and CLIC Sargent is the UK’s leading cancer charity for children, young people and their families.

Chris Hockey, Director at Encore Personnel, said: “From fancy dress to reaching new heights, our staff have been dedicated and determined over the past 12 months to raise a substantial sum of money for these three vital charities.

We saw more staff than ever before get involved and we also had a selected charity champion in each one of our nine offices in charge of organising exciting regional events. It is brilliant to see that all their hard work paid off.”

Fundraising Manager at CLIC Sargent, Claire Herrick, said: “We are so appreciative of the support from the whole team at Encore Personnel. Their fundraising will make a massive difference to the lives of children and young people with cancer and their families. We know that cancer costs - hospital parking, food, and additional travel soon adds up. £6,000 could pay for CLIC Sargent grants for over 35 families to help stop cancer costs spiralling.”

Charlotte Webster, Corporate Partnerships Manager at The Sick Children’s Trust added: “The amount raised will make a big difference to many families with sick children in hospitals around the UK. It costs The Sick Children’s Trust £30 to provide a family with warm, comfortable family accommodation for one night in a ‘Homes from Home’, making it possible for families to stay close to their sick child in hospital. The amount raised by Encore Personnel will provide over 200 nights of accommodation and with the average stay at one of our houses being 12 nights, Encore’s fundraising efforts will have an impact on around 17 families with seriously ill children in hospital.”

Encore’s previous charities of the year have included: Help for Heroes, Multiple Sclerosis Society, The British Heart Foundation, Crohn’s & Colitis UK, Breast Cancer UK and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Chris added: “At Encore, we understand the importance of corporate social responsibility and giving back to the community and charities that make a significant difference to people’s lives.

As part of this, we have always encouraged staff to put forward charities that have impacted them or a family or friend. It creates a fantastic team spirit as our staff come together with a common goal to raise as much money as possible. I can’t wait to see Encore raise even more money next year.”

Some of the finest British actors, writers and directors, each with a personal connection to the Windrush story, tell the story of the African-Caribbean community in modern-day Britain through a series of monologues to broadcast on BBC FOUR from tomorrow.Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle’ is a Young Vic co-production with Douglas Road Productions, in collaboration with BBC ARTS.

Set in the front room of an African-Caribbean home, the series explores the highs and lows of one family from the 1940s to the present day through their hopes and desires, challenges and shattered dreams.

Curated by Young Vic Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah , the series of eight 15-minute monologues is led by four female directors and has been developed by eight leading British writers.

Can love overcome fear? Can perseverance overcome ignorance and racism? What does it cost to belong? ‘Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle’ challenges our collective understanding of what it means to be part of the African-Caribbean community in modern-day Britain.

Eunice arrives into 1940s England full of hope and ambition, and we follow her dynasty across leaps of a decade to the present day. Each self-contained monologue links to the original arrival of the enthusiastic, young nurse. We hear of Eunice’s baby, conceived out of wedlock with a runaway white doctor, and of Cyrus – her knight in shiny overalls – who offers his heart and loyalty by agreeing to marry her and put his name on the child’s birth certificate, despite the fact that Eunice doesn’t love him.

Sir Lenny Henry said; “Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle is a wonderful entry point for anyone who wishes to take the psychic temperature of a diaspora generation. I’m proud to be associated with this project and I hope you enjoy it. We tell these stories because they are a gateway to understanding for our children.”

The impressive cast of nine includes Vinette Robinson (Black Mirror, Doctor Who, Sherlock) as Yvonne; Sir Lenny (The Long Song, Broadchurch) as the older Cyrus; and Montserrat Lombard (Upstart Crow, Ashes To Ashes, Love Soup) in the role of Samantha.

A number of rising stars feature in the younger roles: Danielle Vitalis (Attack the Block, Youngers, Afro Punk Girl) as Eunice; Clifford Samuel (McMafia, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll and A Guide For The Homesick) as young Cyrus; Gamba Cole (Damilola: Our Loved Boy, Guerilla, Lucky Man) as Malcolm and Elliot Barnes-Worrell(Poirot, Jericho, Ready Player One) as David. Whilst, Jonathan Jules (Invasion Earth, The Battle Within, Dave Allen at Peace) plays the role of Kev, and, Olivia-Mai Barrett (Disney’s Alex & Co, Penny on MARS) is Michaela.

 “This has been an incredibly personal project for me: as a storyteller I’ve felt a huge sense of responsibility in exploring this history,” Kwame said. “Having the chance to honour my late parents and the pioneering Windrush immigrants – as a generation begins to slip away – has felt incredibly moving. I hope that the series will draw viewers to question their own story and how we collectively move forward.”

The all-female team of directors are led by Bafta Award-winning writer-director Tinge Krishnan (Been So Long, The Exorcist TV series), and includes 2013 London Film Festival Best British Newcomer Destiny Ekaragha (Silent Witness, Gone Too Far); Christiana Ebohon-Green (Holby City, Eastenders, Doctors); and Dionne Edwards(We Love Moses, That Girl).

Lamia Dabboussy, BBC Arts, says: “Following the success of Queers and Snatches, it’s fantastic to once again bring television and theatre together in this way, supporting established as well as emerging writers, directors and producers to deliver this highly moving series of stories. It’s been wonderful to work in partnership with the Young Vic theatre and Douglas Road Productions in making this a reality.”

Inspired by ‘Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle,’ you can join Sir Lenny Henry, Kwame Kwei-Armah and host Afua Hirsch for an evening of lively discussion about the Windrush generation, Afro-Caribbean culture and heritage, and ideas around identity in Britain today.

The series is on at 10pm each evening, through to Wednesday February 20 - or catch up later on BBC iPlayer.

Councils across the West Midlands have teamed up with Skills for Care to help boost recruitment in adult social care throughout the region.

The ‘Every Day Is Different When You Care’ campaign is being led by the Department of Health and Social Care and supported by the West Midlands Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (WM ADASS) which represents local authorities in the region.

All 14 councils in the West Midlands, including are supporting the campaign, establishing for the first time, a regional approach to raise the profile of adult social care across the region.

Councillor Sandra Samuels, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Adult Services, said: "There is more to adult social care than meets the eye, offering an extremely varied and rewarding profession with opportunities to suit every type of carer, and so we're very keen to encourage as many people as possible to consider a career in care.

This new campaign will help people understand more about adult social care and the various job roles available in domiciliary care and residential care, tackle any myths they have about the sector, and explore whether a job in social care would be right for them."

As well as providing a valued and critical service to some of the country's most vulnerable citizens, adult social care provides an occupation and an income for hundreds of thousands of people.

In the West Midlands alone, around 160,000 people already work from 4,100 locations and it is estimated that demand for their services is such that by 2030, somewhere between 45,000 and 70,000 new jobs will need to be filled.

Andy Begley, Chair of West Midlands ADASS, said: “This is a very productive and exciting time in adult social care. The rapidly growing sector continues to evolve and transform in creative and innovative ways, bringing exciting new job vacancies and lots of opportunities to develop and progress. There’s never been a more exciting time to be part of this vibrant and dynamic sector.

The sector is also one of the biggest employers in the country, by some estimates employing more people than the NHS, and contributes literally billions of pounds to the West Midlands’ economy.

Demand for its services will grow and grow for the foreseeable future. We therefore want to encourage people across the West Midlands to see what great career prospects, and opportunities for progression there is in social care across the region.”