The Library of Birmingham has been included in a set of new Special Stamps issued by Royal Mail that celebrate 10 iconic buildings in the UK.

Designed by Francine Houben, of the Dutch architectural practice Mecanoo, the Library of Birmingham has been designed to be a “people’s palace” – a grand structure that celebrates the importance of learning but which also “promotes the informal” and “seduces people into coming in”.

Houben believes that libraries are “the cathedrals of nowadays” and “the most important public buildings”.

The exterior of the ten-storey building is wrapped in broad bands of gold and silver cladding, overlaid with a filigree pattern of interlocking circles in thin sections of aluminium.

Inside, a large cylindrical void rises through the centre, criss-crossed by blue-lit escalators and giving access to many different uses, including adult and children’s libraries, a musical collection, a studio theatre, an exhibition gallery and the Shakespeare Memorial Room, whose ornate timber interior was originally created in 1882 and reinstalled at the top of the new building.

Cllr Ian Ward, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “The fact that the Library of Birmingham is included in this series of stamps seals the city’s national and international reputation –  Birmingham is now officially first class!

“The Library of Birmingham has become an iconic part of the city’s skyline and it attracts visitors from around the city, the UK and the world who come to see our Shakespeare collection, beautiful terraces and admire its architecture. I’m thrilled Royal Mail recognise it as a landmark building.”

Francine Houben, Founding Architect of Mecanoo, said: "Our dream was to create a People's Palace: inviting, welcoming, and inspiring for all ages and backgrounds. Where visitors embark on a journey of discovery, moving from one floor to the next through a sequence of rotundas. The repeating circles of the facade create a continuously changing world of light, shadows and reflections inside the building. To have a building on a UK stamp is a great honour for a Dutch architect."

Philip Parker, Stamp Strategy Manager, Royal Mail, said: “These new stamps celebrate visionary buildings which combine stunning architecture with great engineering.”

The images on the stamps capture the distinctive lines and shapes of the structures that have become famous landmarks.

Also featured in the set are: the London Aquatics Centre; the SEC Armadillo, Glasgow; the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh; Giants’ Causeway Visitor Centre, Northern Ireland; the National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff; the Eden Project, St Austell; the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool; the IWM North, Manchester and the Blavatnik Building – formerly Switch House, Tate Modern, London.

The past two decades has seen a surge in the construction of new public buildings in the UK.

A great many of these adventurous and innovative structures, serving culture, sport, government and business, have since become popular and integral parts of their local landscapes, often playing a part in regeneration.

Some were initiated by central government, some by civic leaders of major cities, and others were the ideas of passionate individuals.

There has also been a renewal of confidence in British architecture led by world-famous architects including Zaha Hadid, Lord Richard Rogers and Lord Norman Foster, along with a host of other talents.

Learners, their tutors and volunteers have been recognised for their achievements and commitment to adult learning in Sandwell.

Sandwell Adult and Family Learning (SAFL) hosted a Festival of Learning celebration at The Bethal Convention Centre, West Bromwich which saw around a dozen awards presented.

The event highlighted the benefits of learning and the achievements of adults who have used learning to transform their lives, and to encourage everyone to embrace lifelong learning.

The awards evening recognised both learners' achievements and the valued contributions made by all those involved in creating and inspiring effective learning across Sandwell.

Each person nominated for an award has either overcome personal challenges to acheive and learn, or made a significant contribution to support learning across Sandwell.

The awards were presented and the winners congratulated by the Deputy Mayor of Sandwell, Councillor Susan Eaves and Councillor Simon Hackett, cabinet member for children's service who also has responsibilities for adult learning in Sandwell.

"It was a great privilege to be invited to attend this amazing event.

"All the winners of these awards have shown outstanding qualities and commitment to adult learning in Sandwell.

"I have also come back to learning as an adult so really appreciate how much dedication and effort goes into both learning and tutoring.

"I want to congratulate everyone who got an award and hope this will encourage others to look at the benefits of adult learning."

The winners were: * Outstanding group award: Coneygre Performing Arts Group who performed a dance routine at the event. * Community learning award: Andrea Treagust * Commitment to learning: Shardaben Patel * Support staff award: Kirit Vadukul * Learning towards employment award: Sandra Blake * Outstanding volunteer award: Lynette Simmonds * Functional skills towards employment award: Pershi Dujja * Tutor award: Parmjit Bedesha * Functional skills progression award: Marie Lodge

Sandwell Adult and Family Learning (SAFL) offers a massive range of courses to suit learners' abilities and needs.

From learning English and maths skills, gaining qualifications or learning a new language, SAFL provides courses in a wide range of subjects.

They also offer courses to help with CV writing and interview skills and even courses to learn a new hobby such as knitting.

The countdown is on as nominations open for the fifth annual Haringey Outstanding for All awards.

The awards celebrate the fantastic achievements of the teachers, students, staff and governors whose phenomenal efforts have helped make education in Haringey top class.

Accolades are up for grabs in a range of categories that highlight exceptional achievements in teaching and learning, and this year’s ceremony will see the introduction of an Apprentice of the Year Award.

Cllr Elin Weston, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, said:

“With Haringey’s schools continuing to go from strength-to-strength – with all secondary and special schools, and almost 98 percent of primary schools, rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted – this year’s awards will be a great opportunity to celebrate and say thank you to the exceptional people that make education in Haringey amongst the best in the country.

“Every day, school staff across the borough make a huge contribution to children’s learning development, while pupils and students are going above and beyond with exceptional achievements. The Outstanding for All Awards are our opportunity to shine the spotlight on those success stories. If you know of any individuals or schools that deserve recognition, make sure you nominate them for the Outstanding for All awards.”

The twelve categories are:

Support Staff of the Year Award Achievement in Arts Award Achievement in Sport Award Early Years Champion Award Governor of the Year Award Teacher of the Year Award STEM Achievement Award – Primary STEM Achievement Award – Secondary Overcoming Adversity Award Community Hero Award Apprentice of the Year Award The Councillor Egan Achievement Award

Thousands of households across the Midlands could be missing out on lower water bills because they are unaware they can trial a meter for up to two years, the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) has warned.

The consumer watchdog is concerned only one in five water customers of Severn Trent Water and South Staffs Water who pay fixed charges know they can trial a meter and switch back for free if they don’t save money or decide it’s not for them.

The findings emerged from CCWater’s Water Matters survey, which also showed that one in eight water customers felt their water bills were not affordable.

CCWater is now urging customers to use its online water meter calculator to see whether they might be better off switching to a meter, before taking the plunge.

Professor Bernard Crump, Central and Eastern Chair of the Consumer Council for Water, said: “A water meter will not benefit everyone but we know that in some cases households can save more than £100 a year. Even the smallest saving could make all the difference to customers who are struggling to make ends meet.”

“Almost everyone who opts for a meter chooses to stick with it, but many customers need that assurance they can switch back anytime within the trial period.”

As a general rule of thumb, it’s worth a customer considering a water meter if they have the same or more bedrooms than people living in their property.

CCWater’s water meter calculator has helped almost 270,000 consumers identify potential annual savings totalling more than £14.5 million during the past year.

Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah has announced a final chance for British fans to see him compete on the track at the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham on Sunday 20 August.

Farah, one of Britain’s sporting legends, will receive a hero’s send-off from his legions of loyal fans as he races at the Alexander Stadium in the prestigious IAAF Diamond League event.

Farah said: “I’m really looking forward to what will be my final track race in Britain at the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham on August 20, and I’m sure it will be a day I remember for the rest of my life.

“To get the opportunity to say goodbye to the track in front of a British crowd is something that means a lot to me and I hope I can take everything in. I’ve run many great races at the Alexander Stadium over the years, and have a history there, so it’s a fitting venue for my last track race.”

Farah was victorious at the Müller Anniversary Games on Sunday as he finalised his World Championships preparations with a win the 3000m with a time of 7:35.15.

The five-time world champion could well be sporting two more gold medals at the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham, as it takes place exactly one week after the end of the IAAF World Championships in London which run from 4-13 August.

Farah added: “The meet is only a week after the World Championships so it will be a great chance for the fans who didn’t make it down to London to see me race.

“I’ve had fantastic support throughout my career from people all over the UK, and the atmosphere in Birmingham is always amazing, so I’ll be looking for a good final performance to thank the fans for all their support over the years.”

A host of Olympic and world medallists will also compete at the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham, many of whom will have recently won medals at the IAAF World Championships in London.

Councillor Ian Ward, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, who support and help to organise the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham, said: “We are delighted that Sir Mo Farah has selected Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium as the venue for his last ever British track race. We are lucky to have witnessed some amazing performances from Mo in Birmingham and I’m sure this race will be no exception.

“Birmingham loves sport, and athletics in particular, so I am sure that people from across the city will flock to the stadium to give this legend of the sport the send-off that he truly deserves, as he calls time on his illustrious track career.

“The Birmingham Alexander Stadium is steeped in athletics history and is the home of British Athletics, so there couldn’t be a better venue for a race of such significance and for this Diamond League event. This venue will continue to be the perfect stage for world class athletes to perform on, for many years to come.”

Respite holiday charity Revitalise has responded to Carers UK’s State of Caring 2017 report, echoing its call for immediate practical action in order to make a difference to carers’ lives.

The findings of the report strongly echoed research conducted by Revitalise over recent years, painting an all too familiar picture of the plight of the UK’s estimated 6.8 million unpaid carers.

In agreement with Carers UK, Revitalise’s research found that many carers maintain their role for long periods of time, with little or no time off. A third of carers told the charity they had not had any significant time off since they started caring, with 90% not able to access proper holidays away from caring.

In a separate study, the charity also found evidence that being unable to access respite breaks has a noticeable impact on carers’ emotional and physical wellbeing. 60% of carers admitted that they felt unable to ‘switch off’ from their caring role, with over 6 out of 10 (63%) saying that they felt mentally exhausted and over half (52%) saying they didn’t know how they would be able to cope if things continued the way they were.

Revitalise’s research also made clear that the concerns expressed by carers did not lend themselves to an optimistic outlook for the future. 4 out of 10 unpaid carers also voiced trepidation that they would end up ill, in chronic pain or disabled themselves.

In light of Carers UK’s State of Caring 2017 report and its own research, Revitalise is showing its support for unpaid carers all across the UK, calling for immediate action and greater statutory support for social care services, particularly in the respect of greater provision of respite breaks.

Revitalise CEO Chris Simmonds commented:

“While the recent report by Carers UK has quite rightly been receiving the media attention it deserves, it saddens me to say that to charities like Revitalise, which supports disabled people and carers, this news is all too familiar.

“Unpaid carers give so much, day in, day out, to support the person they care for, but need the escape valve of regular time off in order to continue their caring role.

“This is why we are demanding better statutory services and funding - and especially access to proper breaks – for carers and those they care for.”

Revitalise is a national charity providing respite holidays for disabled people and carers, combining 24-hour nurse-led care with a real holiday experience at its three accessible UK holiday centres in Chigwell in Essex, Southampton and Southport. Each centre offers a wide range of accessible activities and excursions in a holiday environment.