War is coming to Warwick Castle with an all-new horseback jousting spectacle which runs to the 3rd September.  Families must pledge allegiance to either the House of York or the House of Lancaster and join a 2,000-strong cheering crowd in the jousting arena as the pummeling of horses’ hooves and the splintering of lances reverberates throughout Wars of the Roses LIVE.  .

In the Wars if the Roses, two sides of the same fractured royal family battled, besieged and betrayed each other for three bloody decades of the fifteenth century.  Across England, brother fought brother, cousin slayed cousin, all vying for the English crown. History books tell which side triumphed and who was slain, but now families visiting Warwick Castle this May half-term can feel the heat of battle for themselves as their hearts pump for the glory of England!

An all-new live action horseback battle with jaw-dropping special effects, the Wars of the Roses LIVE is set in a specially-constructed riverside arena and promises to be a fist-thumpingly spectacular show of knightly heroism, demanding bold battle strategy and fearless fighting from both sides. The spectacle is included in castle admission at no extra cost.

The arena holds a crowd of 2,000 and evokes magnificent mediaeval jousts recorded in historical sources. Wars of the Roses LIVE breathes new life into the extraordinary events that ripped apart England six hundred years ago. Key players in the wider Wars of the Roses story with direct links to Warwick Castle include Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick - known as The Kingmaker, who switched sides from York to Lancaster and imprisoned Edward VI (whom he had helped to ascend the throne) at the castle; and The Kingmaker’s daughter, Anne Neville – born at Warwick – who became Queen of England upon marriage to Richard III.

A leading member of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) executive committee is taking a major role in the response to the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy.

Aftab Chughtai (pictured), an ABCC executive committee member for more than ten years, has been named by the government as one of four members of a taskforce that will oversee and support the local council’s long-term recovery plan in the aftermath of the disaster.

More than 80 people lost their lives in the fire, which ripped through the West London high-rise building on the evening of 14 June.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid has said that the independent Grenfell Recovery Taskforce that has been set up will support the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) in the development and implementation of a plan to help the survivors of the fire.

Mr Javid said the taskforce would provide him with the assurance that RBKC had the capacity and capability to deliver an effective plan for the Grenfell residents, taking into account their views.

Joining Mr Chughtai – also chairman of the West Midlands Police Independent Advisory Group – on the taskforce is another well-known Birmingham figure, Javed Khan, formerly assistant director of education in the city.

Mr Khan is now chief executive of Barnardo’s. The other two members of the taskforce are Jane Scott, leader of Wiltshire Council and Chris Wood, a partner at Altair housing consultancy, and former director of housing for three London boroughs.

The government said that the taskforce members had a wealth of experience in local government, housing and the voluntary sector, as well as a track record of effectively engaging local communities in key projects.

The taskforce has been asked to look at whether RBKC has the proper arrangements in place to engage with the local community and ensure that all the immediate housing needs resulting from the fire are fully and promptly addressed.

Additionally, the taskforce will support the council to significantly improve its housing management, including addressing weaknesses in the tenant management organisation.

Aftab Chughtai said: "I am pleased to be appointed to the Grenfell Recovery Taskforce which will have a vital role ensuring that the right support and plans are in place to help the local community move on from this terrible tragedy.

"Getting the relations between the local community and Council right is key and I hope to use my experience in community engagement in the West Midlands to make a real difference in Kensington and Chelsea. I look forward to working with my fellow taskforce members and the Council and starting this important work."

Sajid Javid said: "I am determined that everything possible is done to support the local community following the disaster. This includes ensuring an effective recovery plan is developed that takes into account the views of the local community.

"The new taskforce has extensive experience in this area and will provide the council with the expertise needed to deliver this important work."

Mr Chughtai runs a department store in East Birmingham. He received an MBE in this year’s New Year honours list, which was awarded in recognition of his services to business and community relations in Birmingham.

He sits on the board of many community-based organisations, including Saltley Business Association (of which he is vice-chairman) and Birmingham Muslim Burial Council.

He is also a trustee of Washwood Heath Multi Academy Trust and chairman of Birmingham East Independent Advisory Group, West Midlands Police.

ABCC director Anjum Khan said: “The creation of this taskforce is hugely important in helping the council deal with the aftermath of the fire and re-establish trust with the local community.

“The work being carried out will be done under scrutiny from the whole nation, so it is clear that the government has opted to choose the best people it can possibly find to form the taskforce.

“It is a huge honour for both Aftab and the ABCC for him to be part of the taskforce and the important work that it will be carrying out.”

On Saturday evening, hundreds gathered at The Robin 2 Hotel in Bilston to watch the institution that is Magnum play their hometown gig. Magnum, a band formed in 1972 had a string of hit singles and albums in the 1980s and 1990s, and are currently enjoying a new lease of life that has brought in countless new generations of fans. On Saturday, this was quite clearly on display, as the age range was somewhere between sixteen and sixty. As one concert attendee said. “It’s fabulous seeing so many people here, and of such a different age range as well.”

As the doors opened at seven thirty, a murmur of excitement spread through the crowd, this was going to be the first time Magnum had played in Bilston in a long time, and as such, a lot of people wondered what would be included in their setlist, would they go for a set full of old classics, a set filled with new songs or a mixture of both?

Before that question could be answered however, the opening act in the fantastic Rebecca Downes gave the crowd a lot of bang for their buck.  Rebecca and her band tore through killer song after killer song including a roaring rendition of the Janis Joplin classic “Take A Little Piece of My Heart.’ When they were done there were loud cheers and calls for more.

After Ms Downes and her band had left the stage, the anticipation built up even more and as David, a fan of Ms Downes and Magnum said. “Magnum have got a lot to follow now.” Sure enough when the band got onto the stage, the crowd roared with joy, and that roar only got louder as the opening notes of ‘Solider of The Line’ were played. That was then followed by what could arguably considered one of the greatest songs ever written ‘On A Storyteller’s Night.’

Rip roaring rocker ‘Sacred Blood Divine Lies’ followed, and the crowd kept going, jumping and singing along. This continued through another series of classics and newer songs such as ‘Blood Red Laughter’ and ‘How Far Jerusalem’, and on it went. Bob Catley, the lead singer for the band at one point between songs smiled and said. “You’re a rowdy crowd tonight Bilston!” And that they were.

Magnum finished off their set with four classics. “Les Mors Dansant’, ‘All England’s Eyes’, ‘Vigilante’ and ‘Kingdom of Madness’ and when they were done the crowd was cheering, roaring and in one or two cases crying. It was a fantastic show, and a brilliant reminder of why rock and roll is the greatest type of music around.

Nominations for the twentieth edition of the UK Coaching Awards are now open.

Do you know a coach who goes above and beyond the line of duty? Have they transformed someone’s life or had a significant impact on their local community? Now is the time to show your appreciation for all they do and nominate them for the UK Coaching Awards.

Hosted by UK Coaching, the showpiece annual event is seen as one of the most prestigious within the coaching community and this year will be held at The HAC, City of London on Thursday 30 November.

The principle of Awards is to recognise the contribution coaches make in transforming lives across the UK. Previous winners include coaches making a huge difference in their community as well as the greats of sports coaching across a wide variety of sports.

Chief Executive Officer at UK Coaching, Mark Gannon, said:

“I’m very pleased to announce nominations for this year’s awards open.

“This is a particularly special year for the Awards, as we celebrate its twentieth birthday and its first under our new remit of UK Coaching.

“The awards are a unique opportunity for us to recognise and reward the work of excellent coaching at all levels across sport and physical activity, from community to high performance and I have high-expectations that the coaching community in its entirety will be out in force to nominate this year.”

Eddie Van Hoof MBE, Head National Coach for Men's Artistic Gymnastics and current UK Coach of the Year, said:

“I was honoured to have been named UK Coach of the Year at the 2016 UK Coaching Awards. To have your work recognised beyond your sport is truly gratifying and a great feeling.

“The Awards are quite unique in the sense they showcase an entire spectrum of coaching. It really is a pleasure to go to the event and hear stories of the amazing work other coaches are undertaking to aid the needs of their participants and help transform lives."

Sunil Birdy, current Community Coach of the Year, said:

“Winning Community Coach of the Year in 2016 was a fantastic personal achievement for me, and one of the highlights of my career so far. A lot of work goes in to making sure there are adequate opportunities for disabled people in my local community.

“All athletes start somewhere, and I know so many brilliant coaches and individuals across the country who continue to do incredible work, enriching, contributing and providing opportunities to their communities, despite facing numerous barriers. I was delighted for myself and the people that support me at PACE, to receive this recognition and confirmation that we’re doing a great job engaging people in sport.”

In line with UK Coaching’s recent rebrand to include a wider definition of coaching – acknowledging its impact on physical and mental well-being, as well as individual, economic and social and development – it is stressed that nominations on behalf of coaches, instructors, leaders, teachers, trainers and others who support people to achieve their sport and activity goals are all welcome.

There are 12 award categories in total, eight for coaches, three in support of coaches and an overall UK Coach of the Year award.

The Awards for Coaches are given to individual coaches who have excelled and shown outstanding commitment in a certain area, or to an individual and/or group over the last 12 months. They are:

• Community Coach of the Year
• Children’s Coach of the Year
• Disability Coach of the Year
• Heather Crouch Young Coach of the Year
• Lifetime Achievement Award
• Performance Development Coach of the Year
• High Performance Coach of the Year
• And the Coaching Chain, which recognises contributions made by individual coaches throughout an elite athlete’s life in helping achieve their potential.

• Coach Developer of the Year
• Coaching Culture Organisation of the Year
• Coaching Intervention of the Year

Landing in Birmingham as part of a major new UK tour this July, this new production of Miss Saigon features an international cast of 38 plus 15-piece orchestra – one of the largest currently touring in the UK.

Since its London premiere in 1989, Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s West End and Broadway blockbuster Miss Saigon has become one of the most successful musicals in history. Last seen on the Birmingham Hippodrome stage in 2005, this new UK touring production stars Red Concepcion as ‘The Engineer’, Sooha Kim as ‘Kim’, Ashley Gilmour as ‘Chris’, Zoë Doano as ‘Ellen’, Ryan O’Gorman as ‘John’ and Gerald Santos as ‘Thuy’. At certain performances ‘The Engineer’ will be played by Christian Rey Marbella, and ‘Kim’ will be played by Joreen Bautista. Marsha Songcome will play ‘Gigi’ until 1 August when Na-Young Jeon will take over the role.

Winner of a record-breaking nine Whatsonstage awards including Best show, Miss Saigon tells the story of the last days of the Vietnam War, in which a 17 year-old Kim is forced to work in a Saigon bar run by a notorious character known as the Engineer. There she meets and falls in love with an American GI named Chris but they are torn apart by the fall of Saigon. For 3 years Kim goes on an epic journey of survival to find her way back to Chris, who has no idea he's fathered a son.

The original Broadway production of Miss Saigon opened on April 11, 1991 with what was the largest advance sale in Broadway history ($37 million).  The show went on to play for nearly ten years and 4,063 performances seen by more than 5.9 million people.

Miss Saigon has been performed in 28 countries, over 300 cities in 15 different languages, has won over 40 awards including 2 Olivier Awards, 3 Tony Awards, and 4 Drama Desk Awards and been seen by over 35 million people worldwide. In March, this production of Miss Saigon opened on Broadway where it plays to nightly ovations.

When the smash-hit run of this production opened in London in May 2014 to record-breaking advance sales and critical acclaim, Dominic Cavendish in The Daily Telegraph wrote, “This thrilling new production spills out beyond the theatre and speaks directly to the times we live in”. The show swept the board at the 2015 Whatsonstage.com awards winning a record breaking nine awards, the most awards ever won by a single show in the 15-year history of the awards including: Best West End Show and Best Revival of a Musical.

Miss Saigon runs in Birmingham until Sat 23 September.

Internationally acclaimed baritone Roderick Williams OBE has taken up a new role at Birmingham Conservatoire as Visiting Consultant in Vocal Performance.

London-born Williams, who won the Singer of the Year award in the 2016 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards, enjoys relationships with all the major UK opera companies and is particularly well-known for his notable interpretations of Mozart's leading men.

He has also sung world premieres of operas by composers including Michael van de Aa, Sally Beamish, David Sawer, and Robert Saxton.

The appointment will see Roderick Williams visit Birmingham Conservatoire on a regular basis, where he will give recitals, individual coaching and masterclasses for the students, as they seek to be amongst the next generation of great performers.

Williams has sung concert repertoire with all the BBC orchestras and many other leading ensembles throughout the world. His many festival appearances include the BBC Proms (including the Last Night of the Proms in 2014), Edinburgh, Cheltenham, Aldeburgh and Melbourne in Australia.

In 2015 he sang ‘Christus’ in Peter Sellars’ staging of the St. John Passion with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.

He is also an accomplished recital artist who can be heard at venues and festivals including Wigmore Hall, Kings Place, LSO St. Luke's, the Wiener Musikverein in Vienna and on BBC Radio 3, where he is frequently played.

His numerous recordings include Vaughan Williams, Berkeley and Britten operas for Chandos and an extensive repertoire of English song. He was awarded an OBE in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to music.

On his appointment, Roderick Williams OBE said:

“It gives me great pleasure to cement my relationship with Birmingham Conservatoire formally and I am thrilled to be taking up a position as a Visiting Consultant in Vocal Performance, giving me the opportunity to consider alongside these talented students what it actually means to be a performer.

“That this appointment coincides with the Conservatoire’s move to its new home is a happy bonus for me and I look forward to sharing in these exciting times.”

Part of Birmingham City University, the new Birmingham Conservatoire will be a unique contemporary building, incorporating five public performance spaces including a new 500 seat concert hall for orchestral training and performance, private rehearsal and practice rooms, and teaching spaces for musicians from a variety of disciplines.

Furthermore, as the first purpose built conservatoire in the UK since 1987, the £57 million institution will be the only one of its kind in the country designed for the demands of the digital age, when it opens in September this year.

Paul Wingfield, Head of Vocal and Operatic Studies, Birmingham Conservatoire, said:

“We are absolutely thrilled that Roderick will be joining us at this exciting and dynamic time in the history of the Conservatoire. Roderick is already known to many of our students for his inspirational masterclasses and his unwavering commitment to young voices. I am sure that we will all benefit enormously from the wealth of his experience both on the operatic stage and the concert platform.

“His presence at the Conservatoire will help ensure we are at the leading edge of vocal training in the UK.”

Williams’ appointment follows hot on the heels of the Chinese cellist Jian Wang’s arrival as the Conservatoire’s International Chair in Cello beginning in September 2017.

With a history dating back to 1859, Birmingham Conservatoire is one of the leading music academies in the country. Internationally renowned cellist Professor Julian Lloyd Webber took up the role of its Principal in 2015.

Professor Julian Lloyd Webber, Principal, Birmingham Conservatoire, said:

“I am delighted to welcome Roderick Williams to Birmingham Conservatoire’s vocal team as our new Visiting Consultant. Roderick is one of the finest baritones on the international scene and already his work with our students has produced outstanding results. We look forward to seeing him in our wonderful new Conservatoire!”