Community News

Visitors to Wolves Pride on Saturday, September 30 will also have the chance to become world record breakers as part of the ‘Big Howl’.

The Wolverhampton LGBT Alliance celebration, being supported by City of Wolverhampton Council, University of Wolverhampton and Wolverhampton Homes, will play host to an attempt to get the most number of people wolf howling continuously for a minute.

It runs on from the city’s largest public arts event – Wolves in Wolves – and will take place at 4pm at St Peter’s Car Park, off Wulfruna Street, in Wolverhampton city centre.

The current world record stands at 803 people and is held by Great Wolf Lodge, who broke the record at Niagara Falls on July 1, 2017, as part of the 150th Canada Day.

More than 4,000 free tickets for Wolves Pride have already been snapped up and organisers are calling on people to rally behind the world record attempt in a bid to break the 1,000 barrier.

City of Wolverhampton Council’s Member Champion for Equalities, Councillor Paula Brookfield, said: “Wolves Pride is an important event in the calendar and this year the ‘Big Howl’ record attempt gives us a chance to put the city’s rich diversity on the world map.

“The Big Howl is just one of the many family activities on offer throughout the day as the City of Wolverhampton comes together to help raise awareness of LGBT+ equality messages.”

Emma Bull, Director of Organisational Development, University of Wolverhampton, added: “As a sponsor of both Wolves Pride 2017 and the Wolves in Wolves art project, the University of Wolverhampton is proud to be supporting The Big Howl. We are working with students from our nationally-renowned Photography, Video & Film Production, and Journalism courses to support the official recording of this unique event. With campuses in the heart of the city, we know better than anybody that Wolverhampton has a lot to shout about!"

Ben Howley of Wolverhampton Homes and Chair of Wolverhampton LGBT+ Alliance, said: “As one of the sponsors behind the Wolves in Wolves project, we can’t wait to see people come together for the Big Howl, which we hope will see us take the world record and put the City of Wolverhampton on the map.

“Wolverhampton Homes is proud to be one of the organisers behind this year’s Pride event. We’re passionate about diversity and have supported Wolves Pride since 2012. This year’s Pride will see the launch of Wolverhampton LGBT+ Alliance, a network of organisations and businesses that have joined forces to improve services to the local LGBT+ community.”

Two of the city’s much-loved Wolves in Wolves - ‘Rainbow’ by Julie Fletcher and Support Life by Alex Vann - will be part of Wolves Pride.

As well as the world record attempt, it will feature a broad range of music, live entertainment and performers, as well as a fantastic range of street food, bars, information stands, merchandise stalls.

There will also be a family fun area with activities for children, including special arts and crafts workshops with some of the Wolves in Wolves artists.

Harry Potter's 20th anniversary sees fans across the world unite to celebrate The Boy Who Lived. With the theme music a firm favourite of The People's Orchestra, they make their return to West Bromwich Town Hall for their Autumn concert; Fantastic Beats and Where to Hear Them. Opening at 19:30 on Saturday 14^th October, the orchestra promises to offer audiences a night of orchestral enchantment and magical music, an evening of fantasy pieces from film, TV and classical sources.

Tickets are now on sale with audiences from across the Midlands expected to descend upon West Bromwich Town Hall to enjoy classic orchestral pieces such as Hall of The Mountain King, Devil’s Dance and Mars, straight through to more contemporary fantasy pieces from Lord of The Rings, Game of Thrones and Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban.

“It’s a wonderful time to return to West Bromwich, it’s our home town. We couldn’t be happier to return with for a performance which will see The People’s Orchestra doing what they do best!” Orchestra Director Sarah Marshall said upon request for comment. “It’s sure to be a night that our audience will not forget”

Sadly, The People’s Orchestra were devastated to find out that thieves had targeted their van and stolen sound equipment, instruments and other items.

Sarah Marshall, MD, said “We estimate that about £2000 of equipment has been lost but it may be a while before we find out the full extent of what’s been taken. It’d truly heart breaking after fundraising to buy the kit, that someone has taken it”

The People’s Orchestra, who use live music performance to help and support unemployed people back into work in The Black Country were rehearsing for the upcoming concert.

A fundraising page has been set up to help the charity recover from  the loss.

“Remember the name, and see them when you can, we have a feeling that tickets for future performances will be difficult to get your hands on once word spreads” – Phoenix Newspaper, July 2017

The introduction of polymer notes to replace old paper money is proving popular with consumers, new research from Consumer Intelligence ahead of the launch of a plastic tenner on September 14^th.

The Bank of England introduces the new £10 note next month featuring literary legend Jane Austen to join the plastic £5 note which was launched last September.

Plastic cash has been the focus of controversy with religious groups and vegans and vegetarians objecting to animal fats being used in their production as well as a campaign to ensure famous women are represented on the notes.

But the majority of people back the new currency – 51% say they prefer polymer notes to the old paper money which is being gradually phased out with a polymer £20 note due by 2019 featuring artist JMW Turner. Some 29% said they preferred the old paper money, and the remainder said they didn’t care either way.

The top reasons for the new notes’ popular was the belief that the new notes feels cleaner and more hygienic (67%) and that the plastic cash feels modern (52%).  Around 6% of people claim to like reading the new serial numbers.

But the new note’s toughness is more important than its security features, according to the study. Around two-fifths (40%) prefer the new note because it doesn’t fall apart after being in the washing machine, whereas 27% prefer it for its anti-forgery security features which were the main reason for the Bank of England’s switch. Around 77% say plastic cash is more robust.

Of those who don’t like the new fiver, 59% don’t like how it feels; a third (33%) believe it’s easier to lose than the old fiver; and 30% believe the new notes are prone to sticking together.

Nearly two-fifths of adults in the UK (39%) have never read an Austen novel and have no intention of doing so. However screen adaptations of her works have proved more popular as 51%  say they have watched Pride and Prejudice on TV.

Ian Hughes, Chief Executive of Consumer Intelligence said: “Change is often not popular and there has been a lot of controversy about the polymer notes over the past year.

“But there is clear public support for the new currency and in an age where contactless payment is growing fast it is fascinating that the public remain so invested in cash.

“There are no plans as yet to convert the £50 note into plastic so supporters of paper money have something to hang on to.”

Around 14% of adults asked for Princess Diana’s image when asked to choose one famous British woman for the next new note ahead of 11% who want Margaret Thatcher. Other choices included authors Beatrix Potter and Agatha Christie and singer, Adele.

Yorkshire Bank is announcing a significant new expansion into Birmingham and the West Midlands as it opens a next generation B store in Birmingham city centre, showcasing the Bank’s digital innovations and committing £100m a year in lending to SMEs in the region.

Yorkshire Bank – which is owned by CYBG PLC, alongside Clydesdale Bank – launched its award winning digital banking service, B, in 2016. B is built around a smart current account and linked deposit account app designed to help customers manage their money.

As well as being a fully operational branch, the eye-catching B store on Birmingham’s New Street will be a digital showcase for B.

The store’s design is inspired by Yorkshire Bank’s successful innovation lab, Studio B, which the Bank opened to the public in April this year. Innovations designed and tested in Studio B will be regularly showcased for customers in the new B store, offering an insight into the sorts of technologies and services that could be available to bank customers in the future. This includes new voice activation technology being developed by the Bank using Amazon’s Echo device.

Within the B store, Yorkshire Bank will also be opening an enhanced business banking centre for its Yorkshire Bank business customers. This will house the expert business team, as well as facilities for customer use, including meeting rooms, conference facilities and event space.

Speaking ahead of the opening, David Duffy, CEO at CYBG, said:

“Our core strategy is to support our customers’ ambitions and sustainably grow the business both in the North of England and Scotland, as well as selectively on a national basis. The launch of our next generation B store in Birmingham is a hugely exciting milestone on this journey.

“B continues to go from strength to strength - we now have over 100,000 B customers and our new store provides an exciting and inspiring new location to let customers experience the digital innovations we are delivering right across our business.

“It also enables us to increase our SME banking presence in one of the UK’s most vibrant regional economies.”

Speaking about selecting Birmingham as the new choice for CYBG's expansion, David said:

“Expanding into Birmingham is a natural extension of our existing business – it’s a market that is growing significantly.

“The number of businesses setting up in the city is twice the national average, its home to a wealth of skills across both manufacturing and services sector, and the tech and creative industries are emerging as a hub for top new talent. Not to mention the fact that Birmingham has been named the most investable city in the UK for the past two years.”

Yorkshire Bank’s new Business Banking Centre will be the home for the Bank’s Commercial and Corporate & Structured Finance teams.

The centre will be led by Paul Reeves who has been appointed as Head of Customer Banking in Birmingham – a new role created as part of the Bank’s new push into the City. Paul Reeves will work alongside Steve Pamely, heading up Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks Corporate & Structured Finance, and Gareth Jones, running the Bank’s Commercial banking team.

The NHS, working with Public Health England (PHE), has annoucned a new drive to prevent heart attacks and strokes saving thousands of lives by taking a more integrated approach to cardiovascular care.

New PHE analysis suggests that there is now an opportunity to prevent more than 9,000 heart attacks and at least 14,000 strokes over the next three years with better detection and management of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and atrial fibrillation.

Sir Bruce Keogh, the National Medical Director of NHS England, will say that closer working between NHS organisations and local authorities will "create new opportunities to get serious about prevention and bear down on two of the biggest killers, between them responsible for one in four premature deaths".

Speaking at the NHS Expo conference in Manchester, Sir Bruce will urge the new sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) to take coordinated action to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of these life-threatening conditions.

Sir Bruce Keogh, the National Medical Director of NHS England, will say: “Cardiovascular disease kills more people in this country than anything else," the former heart surgeon will say. "We know how to treat the resulting heart attacks and stroke, but everyone knows that prevention is better than cure. Prevention of these devastating consequences is everybody’s business from our schools, to the food and tobacco industries, to local authorities and the NHS."

At the same time, Duncan Selbie, the Chief Executive of PHE, will highlight the initiative at his annual conference today.

Some 5.5 million people in England have undiagnosed high blood pressure and nearly half a million have undiagnosed atrial fibrillation, which are both usually symptomless conditions that substantially increase the risk of stroke, heart attack, dementia and limb amputations.  Treatment is effective at reducing risk but under treatment is common among those who are diagnosed.

The new analysis shows the scale of the prevention opportunity across England over three years if treatment of these high-risk conditions is optimised:

• Achieving optimal treatment in all people with diagnosed high blood pressure has the potential to avert up to 9 710 heart attacks and 14 500 strokes saving up to £274m.
• Achieving optimal treatment those diagnosed with atrial fibrillation has the potential to avert up to 14 220 strokes, saving £241m.

“Too many people are still living in poor health and dying from a largely preventable disease. The good news is that we know how most heart attacks and strokes can be avoided. Scaling up CVD prevention locally is a major part of reducing the overall burden on individuals, families and the NHS, and will help to ensure a person’s health is not defined by where they live”.

PHE and NHS England have today written to all 44 STPs, drawing attention to the prevention opportunity, and sharing with them the data for their local area.

By working across larger populations, STPs can mobilise clinical leaders across a geography and drive larger-scale improvements such as increasing access to blood pressure testing in the workplace, and using the wider local authority and third sector workforce to carry out health checks in community settings.

The majority of STPs have identified prevention of cardiovascular disease as a priority.

They are likely to drive improvements in two ways.  Firstly through partnerships that support widespread implementation of initiatives such as healthy workforce schemes, active transport plans, the Active 10 app, and smoking cessation programmes. Secondly, they have the ability to roll out the NHS Right Care CVD Prevention Programme across a much wider area.

The NHS Right Care programme will help GPs and local areas to ensure more patients get proven treatments by organising local services differently. This will include more testing and treatment in pharmacies, increasing uptake of NHS Health Check, more self-monitoring, more access to blood pressure testing in community and workplace settings, and new digital tools such as the One You Heart Age Test.

The NHS Health Check is offered to all eligible people between 40 and 74 every five years. As well as supporting people to reduce lifestyle risk factors, it provides a systematic way of identifying people with undiagnosed high-risk conditions like high blood pressure and atrial fibrillation. But currently only a half all eligible people take up the offer.

Dr Matt Kearney, the NHS’s National Clinical Director for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, adds: “We know that there are many ways that people can prevent heart attacks and strokes - by being more active, not smoking and having a healthy diet. What the NHS Right Care programme and the STP partnerships bring is an opportunity for the NHS to improve treatment of the high-risk conditions, at scale across an area, and prevent thousands of heart attacks and strokes”.

A series of activities is taking place as Wolverhampton marks World Suicide Prevention Day.

Organisations across the city are encouraging people to raise awareness of the importance of good mental health and wellbeing – while also helping to tackle some of the stigma which surrounds the issue.

Nationally, there were 6,188 suicides recorded in 2015, with the highest rate among men aged between 40 and 44. Female suicide rates are currently at their highest level for a decade. In Wolverhampton, 66 people, mainly men, sadly took their own lives between 2013 and 2015.

The events taking place around World Suicide Prevention Day (Sunday 10 September) aim to get people thinking about their own mental health and wellbeing and that of others, and to highlight the help and support

which is available locally.

They include a special walk around West Park on Sunday (10 September) led by Wolverhampton’s Walking for Health scheme starting from the tea room at 10.30am, and a Five Ways to Wellbeing workshop open to the public which is being held at the Refugee and Migrant Centre on Tuesday (12 September) from 1pm-3pm.

Wolverhampton Healthy Minds, the psychological therapies service for people experiencing common mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and stress, is hosting free emotional wellbeing checks at the Phoenix Walk-in Centre in Parkfield Road, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Monday 12, 13 and 18 September and Central Library on Wednesday 14 September. There will be a special workshop for members of the media and other organisations on best practice around reporting and covering cases of suicide. It takes place at Bantock House Museum on Tuesday.

Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and the Wolves Community Trust have shown their support with players sending out a message to people to seek help and support when needed. Laura Cowley, from Wolves Community Trust, said: “Suicide impacts everyone but we know men are more vulnerable to taking their lives by suicide.

“With our Club, the Trust and players sending out strong messages of seeking support we hope our fans and people further afield take notice and seek help when they need it.”

Meanwhile, members of Wolverhampton's pioneering HeadStart programme, designed to improve the health and wellbeing of 10 to 16-year-olds, have recorded a podcast to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.

It brought together a panel made up of Pooky Knightsmith, a national expert in child mental health, and a group of young people who work for HeadStart to discuss a range of issues related to how adults and organisations can support young people who are either experiencing suicidal thoughts or are at risk of doing so. To listen to the podcast, please visit www.headstartonline.co.uk/latestpodcasts/suicidepreventionday2017.

Councillor Paul Sweet, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “The council and its partners are committed to tackling stigma around mental health and discrimination.

“These activities are not only designed to raise awareness of the issues, but also highlight the help and support which is available to people who are going through a troubling period in their lives.

“The message is clear; if you or someone you know is in a dark place, don’t suffer in silence – help and support is out there.”

Samaritans’ Wolverhampton provides confidential emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which could lead to suicide. However, many of its calls are not about suicide, but from people who feel upset or confused and want to talk to someone.

James McCready, Branch Director, said: “People can contact us at any time of day or night. There are many ways to get in touch, including email and text, as well as by phone and visiting the branch to speak to a volunteer face to face.”

The Belgrade Theatre has hosted an anniversary party to celebrate 10 years of its B2 auditorium this September. Special guests were invited to join Belgrade staff for a glass of fizz and a slice of cake in celebration of B2’s 10^th birthday, as well as hearing from speakers including Artistic Director Hamish Glen, Associate Director Justine Themen and Coventry’s Lord Mayor, Tony Skipper.

B2 opened in September 2007 following an 18 month closure whilst the £14million refurbishment and expansion capital project was undertaken. This flexible and intimate second space was the vision of Artistic Director Hamish Glen, who insisted on the construction of B2 when he arrived in Coventry in 2003, after spending over 10 years at the helm of the Dundee Rep.

Seating between 200 – 300 audience members, the B2 auditorium has allowed the theatre to stage risk-taking and innovative work, cementing the theatre’s reputation as one of the most dynamic producing houses in the country.

During its 10 year history, B2 has attracted some of the UK’s top theatre makers to the city. Their landmark production of Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes From A Marriage, was directed by Sir Trevor Nunn and starred Game of Thrones actor Iain Glen alongside Imogen Stubbs.

A key part of the artistic policy for B2 has also been to bring the history of Coventry to life on stage with productions such as the hit Coventry Blitz play One Night in November, Too Much Pressure, which was set amid the decline of the city’s motor car industry, FA Cup play, We Love You City and more recently, the 2 Tone musical Three Minute Heroes.

The Belgrade youth company also present regular high-quality work in B2 that bears witness to the stories of the city with shows, such as Walk For Your Life telling the story of a Zimbabwean refugee and Imperfect, exploring some of the of pressures on the city’s young people.

Hamish Glen said “B2 has been the saviour of this theatre. It has allowed us to produce high-quality and ground-breaking work alongside our popular main stage programme, and appeals to a broader and more diverse theatre-going audience. We’re enormously proud of the work we have produced in B2 over the last 10 years, that has helped to establish the Belgrade as a top regional producing theatre and attracted so many internationally renowned artists, performers and creatives to Coventry. I’m excited to see what the next 10 years bring!”

Justine Themen, Associate Director said, “B2 is an essential place to showcase work created by the communities we engage with from a diverse range of backgrounds, helping to develop their confidence, creativity and performance skills. This work also provides fertile ground for growing new talent in the city – with the Belgrade’s Critical Mass programme growing new-writing for the stage and the Springboard Initiative developing emerging companies. Without a space like B2, none of this would be possible.”

Taking to the B2 stage this October, Pink Sari Revolution is the Belgrade Theatre’s latest co-production with Curve Theatre Leicester and tells the story of Sampat Pal, the leader of India’s famous pink sari wearing Gulabi Gang, based on the book by Amana Fontanella-Khan.

B2 will host the Belgrade’s first ever Dementia Friendly Performance of Finding Joy on Sat 18 Nov at 1.30pm. This funny and heart-warming play by the UK’s leading full-mask theatre company Vamos, will be specially adapted to suit audience members living with Dementia and their carers.

New Black Showcase will return to B2 for the fifth year presenting work by graduates of the Belgrade’s Critical Mass playwriting programme, and new work by Midlands based theatre company futuretheatre.

The Theatre has introduced monthly comedy nights in B2 this autumn from acclaimed comedy clubs Screaming Blue Murder and Desi Central. These will feature an eclectic line up of top local comedians and some of the best acts on the British Asian comedy scene.

Solihull’s tastiest fun run, the Chocolate 5k, has raised over £10,000 for Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice – its biggest chocolate run in the area to date.

Over 320 sweet-toothed runners took to Elmdon Park Nature Reserve last week to help raise vital funds for the local charity.

The unique event blended exercise with indulgence, allowing participants to snack on sweet treats as they tackled the 5k challenge.

Runners were handed bars from a number of chocolate stations and received support on the sidelines from Willy Wonka and his Oompa Loompas, to give them that extra boost to reach the finish line.

This is the third time the local hospice has hosted its Chocolate 5k in Solihull and this year was its most successful yet – with more participants raising more money than ever before. The previous two runs took place at Dorridge Village Hall in 2015 and 2016.

All funds raised from the run will go towards Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, which provides vital care to individuals and families living with terminal illness across Birmingham and Sandwell.

Lucy Watkins, events manager at Birmingham St Mary’s, said: “This year’s Chocolate 5k in Solihull was our sweetest yet and it was fantastic to see even more runners join us to help raise crucial funds for our Hospice.

“£10k is an incredible amount of money and will allow us to continue to provide expert care and support to over 1,200 local families. All of our services – whether they are provided at the Hospice, in people’s homes or in the local community – are completely free of charge and so we rely on the generosity of others to keep our Hospice running.

“I would like to thank everyone who joined us on the day – your brilliant support really will make a big difference.”

Poetry by a lecturer at Newman  University, Birmingham, has been published in an annual anthology showcasing the best contemporary poetry published in the British Isles over the last year.

Swims – a long poem documenting a series of wild swims across the UK – by Dr Elizabeth-Jayne Burnett, senior lecturer in Creative Writing at Newman University was selected for inclusion after being highly commended in the Forward Prize for Poetry.

This year’s judging panel was chaired by journalist and television presenter Andrew Marr, and included poets Ian Duhiq, Sandeep Parmer and Mona Arshi, as well as artist Chris Riddell.

Well-known poets whose work has previously been included in the anthology include the likes of Ted Hughes and Carol Ann Duffy.

Dr Burnett, said: “I’m thrilled to have my work recognised in this prestigious prize and highly commended by the judges. It is wonderful to see the exciting and diverse work being rewarded by the Forward Prizes.”

The publication marks the continuation of a successful year for Dr Burnett, who was also announced as one of 12 winners of Penguin Random House’s WriteNow programme, earlier this year. As a result, she is also now working alongside a mentoring editor at Penguin Random House to develop a further manuscript, making it ready for publication.

The Forward Book of Poetry 2018 includes the 15 shortlisted and 50 highly commended poets from this year’s Forward Prizes for Poetry. Selected by the prize’s judging panel, the final recommendations give a strong sense of the variety, vitality and wit of poetry today, making the anthology valuable to both first-time poetry readers and those keen to find more poetry to enjoy. The anthologies are published annually by Bookmark, with the new issue available for pre-order

The RSPCA is appealing for information after a man drove up to an RSPCA animal centre, got out of his car and abandoned a dog at the gates before driving away.

CCTV footage captured the man driving into a disabled parking bay in a black Mercedes, taking the dog out of his boot and walking towards the gates of Birmingham Animal Centre, in Frankley Green, at around 8.05am on Saturday 26 August.

The Staffordshire bull terrier-type dog, who has since been named Roxy by RSPCA staff, wasn’t found for 40 minutes until a member of staff arrived for work.

The footage shows that moments after being dumped, the dog runs behind a parked car to hide. She is now being cared for at the centre.

The RSPCA’s chief inspector for Birmingham, Rebecca Cooper, said: “It is so sad to think that someone thought it was okay to do this. Being abandoned must have been extremely stressful and poor Roxy wasn’t found straightaway.

“A vet has checked over Roxy and found that she seems to have a problem with her legs - this could be arthritis, but we are not sure yet until further tests are carried out. She is a lovely dog though and she is getting a lot of fuss.

“We are urging anyone who recognises the dog, or the person in the footage, to contact us in complete confidence on 0300 123 8018 so we can look into this further.”

As Meghan Markle opens up for the first time on her romance with Prince Harry one bookmaker are making it 6/4 that the couple will get engaged this year

And it’s 3/1 that they will tie the knot next year.

“We have had a lot of interest in odds on whether the couple would get engaged this year,” declared bookies, Betfred. “The article in Vanity Fair where she reveals how in love and happy they are together is sure to add to that interest and speculation that we can’t be far off another royal engagement and we have odds of 6/4 of that happening this year.

We also make it 3/1 that the couple will actually marry next year, which would make 2018 a huge year for the Royals following on from the news yesterday that the Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant and due around March or April next year.”

Shocking research reveals 200,000 school kids* could lose access to breakfast at school due to slashed budgets and cuts.

Worrying findings released today revealed 43 per cent of teachers say their school breakfast club will have to close in the next three years – including those that operate in the most deprived parts of the UK.

In the report by Kellogg’s titled ‘The future of school breakfast clubs: a funding crisis in the UK’ teachers were asked to list the reasons they fear their clubs will close: 86 per cent said school funding was the main reason.

Troubled teachers also told how the new requirement for extra staffing in clubs (44 per cent) will make them more difficult to run.

In a bid to keep the clubs open, a quarter (26 per cent) of schools have redirected funds from other parts of the school budget such as school trips, making staff cuts and buying fewer classroom resources.

Now some schools have also had to rely on donations from private companies, charities and parents.

Worried teachers warned the closure of their breakfast club will lead to a rise in naughty behaviour in the classroom (34 per cent) and worsen attendance (33 per cent).

More than a third (36 per cent) of teachers surveyed from schools with breakfast clubs that have already closed down said they have since noticed a decline in exam results following the closure.

John Coe from the National Association of Primary Education comments: “Breakfast clubs are at a critical point in their work and the overriding reason is that cuts to school funding over the next three years threaten the closing down of clubs which serve children and young people. The impact upon disadvantaged communities will be particularly severe.

“Teachers testify to the educational gains which stem from a healthy breakfast and the positive effect on school and family life has been confirmed by the Department for Education. Policy makers should listen and then take decisive action to provide financial support.”

Not only will schoolchildren be affected by these closures but working families will feel the impact also. More than a quarter (27 per cent) of parents say the absence of a breakfast club would mean at least one parent would be forced out of work.

David Lawlor, Kellogg’s managing director said: “Great progress has been made since the 1990s to increase the number of schools offering pupils a safe and fun environment that provides a nutritious breakfast. That’s why each year the Kellogg’s Breakfast Club Awards celebrate the fantastic people who make these clubs happen every day in schools up and down the country.

“But the future for these vital breakfast clubs is at risk. The challenge for schools, government and partners in private and third sectors is to ensure that we help to sustain as many pre-school clubs as possible. We will continue to offer grants to schools breakfast clubs because we believe that every child deserves the best start to the day.”

The much-anticipated African Caribbean Community Initiative (ACCI) Gala Dinner event will be taking place September 16^th , to celebrate 30 years of the charity serving the community.

As one of the longest surviving community based charities in the field of mental ill health, ACCI aims to develop, co-ordinate and deliver culturally appropriate and consistently high standards of supported care/advice for members of the African Caribbean community and their families affected by mental ill health.

The theme of the Gala event sponsored by; Paycare, The Good Patty Company, Firewalker gym is “The Journey” and will celebrate service members, long serving employees, carer groups and volunteers who’ve supported the charity over the years.

To mark the occasion, guests will be greeted on arrival to music from steel pan band, Mighty Jamma, followed by a two-course authentic Caribbean meal with feature performances from Lovers Rock singer, Peter Spence, Claire Angel, 2016 winner of Britain’s Got Reggae and top Jamaican comedian Penguin.

Alicia Spence, ACCI Centre Manager is excited about the 30 years celebration. She said: “The Gala event is a special day to look forward to, as the event has grown year on year attracting people from all over the West Midlands and become a prominent fixture in the ACCI calendar”

“It’s also great to see how much support we’ve had from local businesses such as; Accord Housing, Terrence Higgins Trust, EC Electrical Services and Higher Level World.”