Community News

18-month-old Daisy Blakeley, from Kingswinford, is set to be the star of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Foundation Trust Annual Christmas Concert.

Taking place at St Martin in the Bullring on Wednesday 13 December at 7pm, the event is set to be bigger and better than ever as it’s the first time the two hospital charities will host the Christmas Concert as a joint initiative.

The event will treat guests to Christmas carols and fundraising festivities for the £2 million Critical Journey’s Appeal - a cause very close to Daisy’s family’s heart.

The Appeal will raise money to kit out four Critical Care Ambulances with the latest, life-saving medical equipment. This will enable the KIDS/NTS service to respond faster and more effectively, helping critically ill patients and their families in the West Midlands get to the right place, at the right time, for the right treatment.

At just seven-months old and following her first trip to see Father Christmas, Daisy began to have breathing difficulties and was later diagnosed with severe bronchiolitis. After reaching the final stage of her treatment she needed an urgent transfer to a different hospital to be ventilated.

Dad, Andrew, remembers: “The KIDS/NTS team arrived very quickly, straight-away we were put at ease and felt totally reassured that Daisy was in the best possible hands. Both of us were able to travel in the ambulance and the team were absolutely fantastic throughout the whole process, they told us what was happening and why.

“As a family, we know without the fantastic support the KIDS/NTS team provided Daisy, she may well not be with us today. We can’t thank them enough for everything they did.”

Daisy’s family have shared their story to help raise awareness of the appeal and Dad, Andrew, will be sharing more of his story on the evening following performances from The School of Theatre Excellence, Signature String Quartet and Benson Community School. Daisy is just one of over 2,000 babies, children and young people moved by the Critical Care Ambulances every year.

Miranda Williams, Public Fundraising Manager at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Daisy and her family to our annual Christmas Concert as their story is at the heart of our Critical Journeys Appeal. The money raised from the concert will transform our vital KIDS/NTS service an advice, stabilisation and transport service dedicated to the management of critically ill babies, children and young people across the West Midlands.

“Our Christmas Concert is a fantastic evening full of festive fun and it’s not too late to get your tickets so come along and join us for yuletide treats and Christmas carols whilst showing your support for the Critical Journeys Appeal.”

Discover the real 'Behind the Scenes' at Blenheim Palace, in a fascinating limited edition tour for 2018. 'Restoration & Conservation' will be the theme of the guided tours which will begin in the New Year as part of the extended opening season experience offered to visitors at the Oxford World Heritage Site.

The 'Restoration & Conservation' tour will be exclusively available from 5th January – 28th February, running twice per day excluding Sundays. The new tours will tie in to the annual deep clean of Blenheim Palace which will now be on full to visitors during this period. The tour will give an in-depth look into what is being done in each of the State Rooms.

Kate Ballenger, House Manager at Blenheim Palace: “Each year, when the Palace is usually closed, the Operations team, accompanied by various specialists, complete the 'deep clean'. This process is much more than just cleaning, it is the careful review of the entire collection followed by a thorough cleaning programme alongside the ongoing conservation and restoration work.

This tour of the Palace gives insights into both the deep clean and the conservation and restoration that is happening at present and has happened in the past.”

The new tours will look at two very important aspects of running a 300 year old Palace, including restoring a piece of art, building or tapestry to its original condition, as well as the preservation and repair of the historical and cultural site and its artefacts. The tour will also examine the theme of renovation, exploring how Blenheim Palace must also modernise and remain as a comfortable family home and appealing to visitors.

From the necessary continuing restoration of the 'Capability' Brown Cascades and Bladon dams, work which will total approximately £2m when completed to keeping the Palace safe for its inhabitants and visitors, the tour will look at which projects are undertaken, when and why.

The fascinating tour will also look at the most impactful projects including The Eyes in 1928. Painted for the 2nd wife of the 9th Duke, Gladys Deacon, these have a great visual impact on visitors. Exposure to the elements over 80 years had caused the painting and plaster work to degrade to a point where they were barely visible.

From clocks to paintings each piece of work often requires specialist and niche attention, with specialists sought from all over the world to complete the painstaking tasks of restoring priceless pieces of history.

The job of cleaning the China collection used to fall to the 10th Duchess and her unfortunate administrator, Archie Illingworth – he used to dread the call, 'Mr Illingworth, today we are going to clean the China!' The Duchess would wash the China and it was Archie's responsibility to dry it.

One of the recent renovations is the Bouchain Tapestry, the priceless 18th century tapestry depicting one of Britain's most important military victories is 25ft wide and almost 15 feet high. The giant wall hanging is made of wool and silk and was woven in the Brussels workshop of the Flemish weaver, Judocus de Vos.

Part of a set of 10, the tapestries are the most accurate and detailed contemporary records that exist of the campaign, not least because the 1st Duke, John Churchill, provided accurate battle plans and portraits of the principal characters. After being painstakingly removed from the walls of the Palace's Second State Room, the tapestry was carefully rolled up before being transported back to the city it was originally created in for renovation. It took a year to completely renovate!

From keeping the rain out, Blenheim Palace has over 7 acres of roof, to protecting ceremonial robes, the Marlborough's Coronation Robes were beginning to deteriorate in the sunlight, there is much to learn and lots of exciting facts to discover.

Princess Cruises announced today its fourth Royal-class ship will be named Sky Princess. Sky Princess is scheduled to launch in October 2019 on a series of Mediterranean voyages and will be a sister ship to Royal Princess, Regal Princess and Majestic Princess.

The 3,660-passenger vessel will include a number of the signature elements that feature on Royal-class ships. These include:

· A three-deck central Piazza-style atrium · Multiple dining, entertainment and retail venues · A top-deck outdoor “Movie Under the Stars” theatre · 80 percent of all staterooms with balconies · The adults-only Sanctuary · Camp Discovery youth and teen centres · Dining venues including the Salty Dog Grill, Alfredo's Pizzeria, Vines Wine Bar, Chef's Table Lumiere and World Fresh Marketplace

Sky Princess will also include various new innovations with details to be revealed shortly.

Sky Princess' Mediterranean voyages feature 10 departures on eight itineraries, sailing from Barcelona, Rome or Athens.

The first is a seven-day Mediterranean and Adriatic cruise from Athens to Barcelona on October 20, 2019. The voyage can be combined with the following seven-day Barcelona to Rome cruise to form a 14-day Western Mediterranean & Adriatic Medley.

The season will end in November 2019 with a 14-day Spanish Passage from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale, USA, which can be combined with the previous seven-day Mediterranean cruises to form extended 21-day or 28-day Grand Adventure sailings.

Sky Princess' Mediterranean voyages are available to book from December 14, 2017. Princess guests holding Elite status will have the opportunity to secure their booking a day earlier on December 13, 2017.

Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises and Carnival Australia group president, said: “Sky Princess continues a Princess Cruises legacy and honours one of our previous ships. When Princess merged with Sitmar Cruises in 1988, Sky Princess joined our fleet and sailed with us for 12 years. Now more than 30 years later, a new Sky Princess will join the fleet featuring our modern design platform and contemporary innovations, offered to exceed our guests' expectations.”

City of Wolverhampton Council yesterday (Monday) welcomed representatives from the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to the city.

It was the start of a three-day visit as part of an international exchange programme with Access to Business and the Black Country Chamber of Commerce.

The ten Bulgarian delegates were greeted by the Deputy Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor Phil Page, Leader of the Council, Councillor Roger Lawrence, Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor John Reynolds, and Managing Director, Keith Ireland, at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

They heard a presentation on regeneration in the City of Wolverhampton and were also given an overview of the Black Country’s enterprise teams.

The aim of the visit is to exchange experience, good practices and models for promoting self-employment and entrepreneurship.

Rositca Antonova, Shumen Municipality Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, said: “We have had a fantastic welcome and we are really impressed with the regeneration in the City of Wolverhampton.

“We were also surprised by the strength and importance of the Wolverhampton economy to the region and the UK, in terms of manufacturing.

“The organisations in the city also seem well connected in helping young people gain the skills that businesses need.

“It is clear there is strong political leadership and we have learnt many things.”

Councillor Reynolds said: “We were delighted to welcome our visitors from Bulgaria.

“We are always keen to share our knowledge and spread the word about our great city on a global stage.

“This is just one of many international delegations we have welcomed to the city.”

The remainder of the trip will see the Bulgarian delegation visit Black Country Chamber of Commerce, the new University of Wolverhampton Science Park, Black Country Growth Hub, and Access to Business.

From a succulent roast dinner with all the trimmings to fruit-laden puddings, cakes and chocolates - not to mention nuts, mince pies and smoked salmon - Christmas Day is all about eating.

And it’s not just as we like to indulge, but our much-loved four-legged family members too. It’s hard to resist slipping them scraps or even their own Christmas dinner from our leftovers, however, we need to be mindful that not everything on the Christmas menu should be shared.

With this in mind, and to give pet owners a helping hand this festive season, insurer MORE TH>N’s qualified vet Andrew Moore has devised the ultimate Christmas dinner guides for cats and dogs, ensuring all the family can join in safely on the fun and the food this year.

Andrew Moore, MORE TH>N’S veterinary consultant, explains: ‘We all overindulge at Christmas, but festive food in human-sized quantities is more no no no than ho ho ho for our pets. Most festive food is fatty, rich and can sometimes even be downright poisonous to cats and dogs. However it’s not all Bah Humbug, there are certain foods that are fine to feed your pet for one festive meal. When it comes to our pets and food, it’s all about moderation - so the one occasion you should act like Scrooge is to keep the festive treats small and then your pet can enjoy their very own Christmas meal this year, without any nasty repurr-cusions.’

Christmas Dinner Guide For Dogs

Starter

FISH: Whilst salmon is a favourite amongst us, humans, it’s also a great starter for your dog as it is high in protein and Omega 3 fatty acids, which help support a dog’s immune system and also add shine to a dog’s coat. Choose plain salmon in spring water over smoked salmon though.  Prawns - as long as they are well cooked and shelled - will also go down very well.

Main

MEAT: Treat your pooch to some turkey this Christmas. Choose small amounts of boneless and skinless breast meat, which can be added to your dog’s meal in moderation. 

VEGETABLES: To bring a bit of variety to their Christmas bowl, add some sprouts, swede mash, potatoes, green beans and parsnip, ideally served plain – before any butter or oil is added. 

Dessert

Pudding is just as important as the main in our opinion and there’s no need to leave your dog out once the dinner is over. Low in lactose desserts like yoghurt and ricotta cheese in moderation are a great option, as they are excellent sources of calcium and protein. You could also swap grapes and raisin-based desserts for blueberries and dried cranberries, which are both safe for dogs.

TOP TIP: Don’t forget to remove a little bit of their normal food to even things out!

Christmas Dinner Guide For Cats

Starter

FISH: Cats too can tuck into a fishy starter with small amounts of canned tuna, which is a great source of protein in moderation 

Main

MEAT: Small amounts of lean meats like skinless turkey breast can add some variety to their moggy menu 

VEGETABLES: Sprouts, swede, carrot and parsnip mash add some colour to their festive feast, but just make sure they don’t contain butter, seasoning or anything toxic such as onions or garlic.

Dessert

Sugar, spice and everything nice hold no interest for a cat, so don’t feel guilty when tucking in to your fourth dessert of the day – cats would much prefer to be eating savoury foods

TOP TIP: Don’t forget to remove a little bit of their normal food to even things out!

It’s not just the Christmas dinner our dogs and cats want to get involved with during the festive season. Andrew Moore’s veterinary team has recalled some funny tales from clients who had to “paws” the festive fun to deal with some pets who took it a step too far during the festive season…

‘I once pulled a very long string of tinsel out of a Labradors throat, which never seemed to end’.

‘A dog ate an entire Christmas cake (seconds after they had drizzled it with brandy and lit it on fire) while it was still engulfed in flames!’.

‘A very small sausage dog came in after eating an entire box of Twilight dark chocolate mints in their wrappers on Boxing Day…three years in a row – setting quite the Christmas tradition for the family’. 

John Ellenger, Head of Pet Insurance MORE TH>N, added: “Eating the Christmas dinner has to be one of the most exciting parts of the festive period, so we wanted to make sure the whole family, including those with four legs, could come together and join in this year. We are, however, aware that there are also a lot of don’ts when it comes to feeding pets over the merry season, so we have also developed guides online with information on what our pets should avoid to ensure trips to the vet are kept to a minimum!’ 

We can’t forget that there’s a number of festive no-no’s that need to be avoided on dogs and cats festive menus this Christmas - the main foods being grapes, raisins, nuts, onions and chocolate. 

Black Country Chamber of Commerce is officially named a ‘Fairtrade Workplace of World Changers’. This is following the launch of the Black Country Chamber Social Impact document that was released back in June at a special event.

The Chamber is committed to supporting businesses to better their social impact whilst also implementing a plan of action internally. With this in mind, following conversations with the local Wolverhampton City Fairtrade Partnership about how they can engage more with local organisations, the Chamber decided to lead by example and become a Fairtrade workplace.

Becoming a Fairtrade workplace is a straight forward process that all businesses could achieve, by visiting the Fairtrade website and certify your workplace as Fairtrade by providing coffee, sugar and tea products carrying the Fairtrade Mark available to staff and visitors.

Barbara Gwinnett, Chair of the Wolverhampton City Fairtrade Partnership, commented: “Wolverhampton City Fairtrade Partnership congratulates the Black Country Chamber of Commerce on becoming a Fairtrade Workplace of World Changers. They are giving inspiring leadership to other businesses and helping to ensure that farmers in some of the world's poorest countries will get a fair price and a social premium for their produce. Well done to the Black Country Chamber of Commerce.”

Corin Crane, Chief Executive of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, added: “We want to lead by example with our social impact work and this is our first step towards more responsible business practices. We are proud to be supporting such a great initiative that helps to make a difference to the lives of the people who grow the things we love, and would encourage other businesses to do the same.”

Three-quarters (75%) of students and recent graduates in the West Midlands feel that emotional rewards in their future career are equally – or more important – than practical ones. New research released today shows that millennials, the newest entrants to the job market, are looking for personal fulfilment in their careers with 53% wanting to feel their job is worthwhile.

The survey of over 3,000 students and graduates, for the national Get Into Teaching campaign, found that this generation are motivated by altruistic goals with 38% in the West Midlands wanting to make a positive contribution to society. Over a third (34%) are also looking for a job that will make them feel proud.

Coming of age during the recession, and the changing world of work, may have influenced West Midlands-based millennials - 53% report that good job security is an important practical element of their future career, with a further 35% saying clear progression routes are a key consideration.

Given these factors, the research found that this audience view teaching as a career positively with almost two-thirds (61%) feeling that being a teacher would provide more daily emotional rewards than most other careers. Moreover, two-fifths (40%) of current degree-level students and recent graduates in the West Midlands say they have experience of working with young people on a voluntary basis, and over three-quarters (79%) believe they would make a good teacher. Over half (52%) of all the West Midlands respondents felt a teaching career would offer the opportunity to make a positive impact every day.

Commenting on the findings, Roger Pope, spokesperson for the Get Into Teaching campaign, and Chair of the National College for Teaching and Leadership, said:

“As a lifelong teacher myself, I see how young people’s attitudes and ambitions change with the generations, which is something that helps to keep the teaching profession fresh too. It’s fantastic to hear that so many students and graduates believe they would also make a good teacher.

“The research also shows that students and graduates in the West Midlands are looking for secure, fulfilling and impactful careers, which is why teaching should be a real consideration for them. It marries the things that this cohort cares most about: helping make a difference to other people and the world around us, whilst also allowing committed and dedicated professionals to pursue their own career goals. Pupils in school today will go on to do jobs that haven’t been invented yet, so this generation of tech-savvy, passionate graduates would do well in teaching, guiding our children and young people as they enter a world which is changing at a faster rate than we’ve ever seen.”

Furthermore, 92% of students and graduates in the West Midlands also believe teaching would be a fulfilling career most or all of the time, with 37% believing teaching to be in the top five jobs that make a positive impact on society.

Craig Smith, a newly-qualified PE teacher from Ark Kings Academy in Birmingham, said:

“Teaching is a job that I’m incredibly proud to do. As a graduate I had lots of choices of potential careers, but I was drawn to teaching. Ultimately, I wanted a career that was rewarding and teaching ticks all the boxes – I get to inspire people in a subject I’m passionate about, it is full of emotional rewards and I feel like I’m doing something worthwhile every day. It is also a structured profession where I am supported and encouraged to develop my skills and look to progress. I would encourage anyone looking for a truly meaningful career to find about more about teaching.”

The Get Into Teaching team organises a whole calendar of online and face-to-face events where students and graduates can speak to those within the profession and find out more about the teacher training options, school experience and the benefits a career in teaching offers.

Last month the funding available to trainee candidates in a range of subjects was announced. You could get a £26,000 tax-free bursary to train as a teacher in key subjects including science, computing, geography and languages. This year candidates could get £30,000 to train to teach maths – a £20,000 tax-free bursary while training as a teacher and a further £10,000 after tax once in teaching. Alternatively, prestigious scholarships of up to £28,000 are available in priority subjects for graduates with a 2:1 or above who are passionate about their subject and have the potential to be teachers.

Britain's boozers, already amongst the heaviest drinkers in Europe, are responsible for one of industry's biggest headaches – how to deal with the waste products of both production and consumption.

These are the findings of one of the UK's leading waste management companies, which says that alongside the familiar sight of bottle banks and tin recycling, brewers and distillers are having to cope with the ever-growing mountain of by-products from their business.

While bottles and tins are easily and readily recycled, some brewers have traditionally just poured away their waste products, the BusinessWaste.co.uk company says.

"The consumer would be shocked if they knew of the waste behind their favourite tipple," says BusinessWaste.co.uk spokesperson Mark Hall, "but the truth is that they're only just coming to grips with a centuries-old problem."

According to official statistics, every year Britons get through

• 1.5bn bottles of wine
• 108m bottles of vodka
• 70m bottles of Scotch
• 30m bottles of gin

Around 70% of British people say they drink alcohol on a weekly basis, with larger numbers of younger people bucking the national trend which had previously shown a decline in adult drinkers.

"Aside from the obvious health risks, we can report that up to 50% of alcohol containers aren't recycled and end up in general waste bins," says Hall. "As an environmental health check for the nation, that's not particularly good.

"That means millions of tons of glass and aluminium not being recycled every year, and that's a terrible waste."

But it's in the brewing and distilling trade that waste is just as pressing.

Figures show that the Scotch whisky industry alone produces 500,000 tons of solid waste every year, and a staggering 1.6bn litres of waste liquids. While the solid waste (called "draff") is usually spread on agricultural land, the liquid ("pot ale") is sometimes just poured down the drain.

There's hope that chaff and pot ale can be turned into other products, and a process has just been revealed that turns the two into useful chemicals such as acetone, and fuels like butanol and ethanol.

"That's the kind of 'out of the box' thinking that could save the distilling industry thousands every year," says BusinessWaste.co.uk ‘s Mark Hall. "Not only in cutting their waste bills, but selling their by-products as a premium product."

BusinessWaste.co.uk says that other sectors of the drinks industry should take a look at their by-products to see if there is a viable alternative to waste.

"With raw commodities becoming more expensive every day, it means that the gap between waste and value is narrowing," Hall says.

"New processes could save the booze industry from a financial hangover, but they've got to invest first."

Starting mid November and now stretching into January, thousands will enjoy a few drinks with work colleagues at their works Christmas do. However whilst most will have a few drinks and call it a night, research from office provider Desk.co.uk suggests some have a desire to take things further with an office co-worker.

Jonathan Ratcliffe spokesman for Desk.co.uk said: “We were staggered at the findings, 1/3rd actually plan to take a work relationship further. Whether or not it actually works out is in the hands of the love gods I guess”.

While many single people will meet their future love interest at work, there is a darker side to it all. The new research suggests that 36% of men and women admit to having an affair with a co-worker, and 35% of men and women admit to cheating while on a business trip.

With the stresses of work reaching a fever pitch at Christmas, and plenty drinking too many free drinks, the Christmas party has long been the place where tensions can run a little high. Fights, arguments and fumbles are commonplace across the UK at this time of year.

"We’ve all seen with our own eyes what happens after a few drinks," says Desk.co.uk spokesperson Jonathan Ratcliffe, "We all know one or two people in the office who are at it don’t we - and some of these are married and in relationships”

It’s not just married workers who see the festive season as prime time to kindle a love affair. Many single people find approaching fellow office workers difficult, especially in smaller workspaces. The Christmas party gives them the perfect testing ground to see if their target feels the same way too.

Jane, 42, from Leeds, said: “I’m recently single so yeah I will be seeing if I can pull - why not! I work in a call centre and it’s basically like a nightclub the office party, lots of new faces.”

Mark, 32, from London, said: “I’ve pulled at work parties before, and cheated. Nothing came of it, but it’s a great time to go for it, everyone is happy and having fun”

Judith, 58, from Birmingham, said: “I met my ex-husband at work and we had our first snog at the works do - 30 years later we’re still together”

"Just don’t forget your mistletoe! " says Desk.co.uk spokesman Jonathan Ratcliffe.

Supervised offenders doing unpaid Community Payback cleared nearly 15 tonnes of rubbish from Sandwell’s neighbourhoods as part of the Safer 6 campaign.

Figures out today reveal offenders carried out a total of 817 hours during the six-week campaign, removing 14.96 tonnes.

Sandwell Council’s estate maintenance team works with Staffordshire and West Midlands Community Rehabilitation Company to get offenders cleaning up sites.

Places where offenders worked during campaign were as follows:

Oldbury:

• Cleared dumped rubbish from a passageway/communal area on the Lion Farm estate and cut back an overgrown area at an old allotment site in Beeches Road

• Cleared overgrown bushes in Perry Park Road, tidied up an area by garages at Falcon Place and helped at a major community tidy-up at Mousesweet Brook Nature Reserve

• Cleared rubbish, fly-tipping, moss and weeds at the side and rear access paths in Roslyn Close, to make them safer to use

• Cleared rubbish and overgrown areas at Upper Church Lane open space, and joined councillors, neighbourhood officers and police cleaning up Fred Perry Walkway

• Cleared overgrown shrubs at the pedestrian underpass and cycle route in Dudley Street, to make it safer for people to use

• Cleared dumped rubbish and overgrown areas at the Harwood Street to Mason Street walkway and Wood Lane garage site, and cleared dumped rubbish and overgrown areas at Wallface, Hill Top, on the West Bromwich/Wednesbury border

“I would like to thank our estate maintenance team and Staffordshire and West Midlands CRC for making this happen.”

The council’s estate maintenance team, neighbourhood officers, Litterwatch, volunteers, councillors, Serco and other partners also held clean-ups and litter-picks at places across Sandwell for the campaign.

City of Wolverhampton Council's gritting crews are on standby 24 hours a day, ready to swing into action whenever ice, frost or snow are forecast.

The city has a plentiful supply of 4,500 tonnes of rock salt in stock for the winter season. There is also a fleet of 9 gritting lorries and a team of drivers who each have a specific route to treat around the city should temperatures plummet.

City of Wolverhampton Council routinely treats 239 miles every time the gritters go out - that is more than 50% of all roads in the city. They are divided into priority 1 and 2 routes.

Each gritting run uses approximately 40 tonnes of salt and takes between 3 to 4 hours to complete.

Councillor Steve Evans, cabinet member for city environment, said: "Keeping people safe and the city moving is our priority and vast amounts of work behind the scenes takes place to make that happen.

"Our gritting crews are on standby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - including over Christmas and New Year. That call out could come at any hour of the day or night and they have to be ready to respond immediately.

"There is also a dedicated team which constantly monitors the forecast - including data coming in from across the region and information specific to Wolverhampton - to be able to choose the optimal time to send the gritters out. It really is quite a scientific operation and there is a lot more involved than many people think."

Last winter, the gritters were called out in the city 47 times which meant they treated 11,233 miles of road (this is the equivalent of driving from Wolverhampton to Bolivia and back) and used 2059 tonnes of rock salt.

Shocking new figures show Shelter received a call for help from the West Midlands every 5 minutes in the run up to Christmas last year, and the charity is warning that the situation this winter could be set to get worse.

New research from Shelter and M&S shows that in 2016 the charity’s national helpline received nearly nine thousand calls from the West Midlands in the two months leading into Christmas.

And crippling combination of rising homelessness, sky-high rents, problems with Universal Credit and a dearth of affordable homes means this winter the charity is preparing for huge numbers of people struggling with homelessness and housing problems to come to them for support.

And with calls from people in the West Midlands to the free Shelter helpline increasing by 26% over the past year, their expert advisers are overwhelmed with pleas for housing help.

The Shelter helpline is funded by M&S customers throughout the festive season, with 5% of every purchase made from the ‘Festive Collection for Shelter’ going directly to the charity. This means the helpline can offer housing advice and support every single day of the year for people battling bad housing and homelessness.

Mark Cook, a helpline adviser for Shelter, said: “Every Christmas I speak to parents in despair as they face the trauma of homelessness, when they should be filling stockings and looking forward to Christmas dinner.

“Even though I’ll be working at Christmas, I think myself so lucky to be able to go home at the end of the day when there are so many families having to go without such a basic need.

“No family should face the agony of losing the roof over their heads, which is why we’re calling on people to get their lunch from M&S’s Festive Collection for Shelter. Something as simple as buying a sandwich could make the world of difference to a family whose home is on the line this Christmas.”

Mike Barry, Plan A Director at M&S, said: “We know our customers care about this issue and purchasing lunch from our Festive Collection for Shelter is a small, simple way they can make a big difference this Christmas. With calls to the Shelter helpline increasing by 25% over the past year it’s more important than ever we support this important cause.”

During December last year and January (2017), 9,152 incidents were reported to the RSPCA in West Midlands* with 234 of those happening across Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

New figures from the animal welfare charity show that during the same period (Dec 2016/Jan 2017), the charity received 118,799 calls across England and Wales - 1,916 calls a day. (79.8 calls an hour, 1.3 calls a minute.)

From poorly, unwanted pets callously dumped on the streets to animals and wildlife deliberately cruelly treated, RSPCA inspectors are preparing to see heartbreaking cruelty and neglect this festive season.

The animal welfare charity expects to take in around 19,000 animals in need this December and January and desperately needs your help to care for them.

RSPCA superintendent Simon Osborne said: “It’s a sad fact that every day at work throughout the year can be tough for our inspectors and animal welfare and collection officers, but winter really does come with its own challenges and issues. In fact, we expect to take in somewhere in the region of 19,000 animals this winter alone.

“During the festive season alone last year, we rescued over 25,000 animals, many of whom had been cruelly abandoned, injured or abused. But we also saw so many acts of kindness by animal lovers, from the passer-by who rescued a shivering and sick puppy days before Christmas, to those who reported suffering animals to our cruelty hotline or volunteers caring for animals in our centres and branches. We are asking animal lovers across the country to show kindness this Christmas by supporting our winter appeal.”

To help the RSPCA to continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals in desperate need of care, and to support the charity’s ‘kindness’ campaign, please visit www.rspca.org.uk/winterappeal.

Many of graduates in the West Midlands have not benefitted from or used their degree in the world of work. New research conducted by Able Skills, found that 64% of graduates in the region felt they could be in the same position without a degree while (21%) said their degree was a waste of money. A third (33%) of the region’s graduates think they could be earning more if they had starting working straight from school.

Almost half of all graduates surveyed across the UK (48%) believe they could be earning more if they started working straight from school and (35%) wish they didn’t go to university at all. Perhaps because they are not using their degrees, almost three in ten of all (27%) graduates have never used their qualification at work. But this doesn’t look set to change, over half (58%) of employed graduates have no plans to move jobs to make use of their studies.

Gary Measures, Managing Director of Able Skills says: “The education, education, education boom in the 90’s has had a knock on effect. Many graduates seem to have taken this on board without seriously considering what they wanted to do post study. Evidently, further education is not the best career route for everyone and is such an investment that young people seriously need to consider their skill set and future before taking on such a commitment of their time and money. More needs to be done to educate young people on the other options available to prevent another generation making the same mistakes when they could be earning and on a career ladder.”

A lack of planning could be the problem as (31%) of graduates in the West Midlands didn’t know what they wanted to do with their degree after studying.  Able Skills offer construction training courses in electrical, plumbing, gas, plastering, carpentry, tiling, decorating and bricklaying.

Tesco's 10th Food Collection takes place in all stores across the UK this weekend, with Tesco topping up customer donations by 20% to help charity partners FareShare and The Trussell Trust feed even more people in need.

Tesco is inviting shoppers across the UK to help people in need this Christmas by donating long-life food to its Food Collection, which takes place in all Tesco stores from Thursday 30 November to Saturday 2 December.

The Food Collection, now held annually ahead of Christmas, is part of the retailer's ongoing work to support its partners FareShare and The Trussell Trust, which help a wide range of people across the UK.

Tesco's support for its food charity partners has been a key part of this year's Christmas campaign, which celebrates the many ways people come together at Christmas. Alongside the Food Collection and its ongoing surplus food redistribution scheme, the retailer is donating £1 for every fresh turkey sold to help people in need, and its second television advert shines a light on the difference food donations from Tesco can make.

Since the Food Collection began in 2012, more than 40 million meals have been donated by generous Tesco customers.

Matt Davies, UK & ROI CEO at Tesco, said:

“I'm always amazed and humbled by the generosity of our customers at Christmas time with the support they give to our Food Collection.

"Last year, we provided more than 4 million meals worth of food to help people in need through our different schemes, and this year hope to provide even more support with extra little helps like donating £1 for every fresh turkey purchased at Tesco.”

Lindsay Boswell, CEO at FareShare, encouraged people to give to the collection:

“If you're heading down to your local Tesco today please do remember to donate a can or packet to the food collection at the front of the store. For charities doing their best to feed some of the most vulnerable over the Christmas period, these donations make a huge difference.

"What's more, Tesco will top-up your donation by 20% which enables our charity to help more and more people in need.”

Samantha Stapley, Operations Manager for The Trussell Trust, said:

“Trussell Trust foodbanks across the country will be doing all they can to provide emergency support so people don't go hungry – but to make sure we're prepared for what could be our busiest December yet, our network needs your support.

"During every Food Collection we've been humbled by the staggering generosity of Tesco customers, store colleagues and volunteers, and as we look to the start of the 10th collection, we would love to have your support once again. Your generosity will help stop hunger this Christmas.”