The 2017 ASTW Awards of Excellence received record-breaking entries this year in a total of 19 categories.

The full list of finalists for the awards, which will be presented at a gala event to be held at Novotel Twin Waters Resort on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday 19 August, 2017 as part of the ASTW Conference and AGM can be found on the ASTW website.

"The ASTW would like to thank the judges, who are non-members from the national and international travel writing industry, and all of the sponsors involved in the awards this year, and who support the ASTW on an ongoing basis."

Most people moan about ‘red tape’, but artists in Birmingham are using over a mile of the stuff to create a new artwork designed to bring very different parts of the city together and make people think.

ASINGELINE is a large-scale outdoor arts project aiming to join two points of the city together with one long straight line. The 2km red line connects Ladywood, one of the city’s most deprived areas, with the city centre, one of the richest.

The red line, created with heavy duty red tape, crosses everything in its path, including public spaces, such as streets and parks, and private ones such as houses, shops and restaurants.

The project, created by German artists Mamaza, was part of BE FESTIVAL, Birmingham’s European performing arts festival, which takes place from 4-8 July.

ASINGELINE aims to connect communities rather than create borders and as a work of art creates a focal point to bring communities together.

Miguel Oyarzun and Isla Aguilar, Directors of BE FESTIVAL said:

“The arts are a vital way of bringing communities together. A year after the UK voted to leave the EU, and with hate crime and inequality on the rise, it’s the perfect time for this artwork in Birmingham.

“It’s an inspiring project to open up the conversation, joining together two places which are so close together geographically, but so far apart in terms of economics.

“As they’ve created the line over the last few days, the artists have encountered all kinds of people from very different backgrounds. It’s been a great way to start conversations about immigration, community cohesion and Brexit. The interactions were filmed and photographed and we will be showing the results throughout this year’s festival.”

ASINGELINE starts from City Road, Ladywood at the site where three young Muslim men were murdered whilst protecting community property during the Birmingham riots in 2011. The completion of the line literally took centre stage last night at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in the city’s Centenary Square to coincide with the opening of BE FESTIVAL.

Fabrice Mazliah and May Zarhy of Mamaza have previously realized ASINGELINE in Belgium, South Africa and Nigeria but this is the first time they have attempted the project in the UK.

After months of keeping quiet behind the scenes, Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity and Wild in Art have announced that over 230 beautifully decorated sun bear sculptures are ‘pre-bearing’ to prowl on to the streets, parks and open places of Birmingham for the region’s largest ever free public art trail, The Big Sleuth.

For 10 weeks this summer, the sleuths of colourful 5ft-tall bears and 3ft-tall bear cubs will inhabit Bear-mingham and its surrounding areas Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, Sandwell and at Resorts World from Monday, 10 July.

The Big Sleuth, so called because ‘sleuth’ is the name of a group of bears, as well as a detective, unites 100 bears individually created by artists, with 137 bear cubs designed as part of The Big Sleuth Learning Programme.

Each striking sun bear on the trail tells a different story including designs from celebrities and artists, such as the very well respected artists Temper and Reuben Colley, pop-rock band star Bradley Simpson from The Vamps, actor Adil Ray A.K.A Citizen Khan, Birmingham Bears and England cricketer Chris Woakes, adventurer Bear Grylls, and a special Peaky Blinders bear endorsed by the show’s writer Steven Knight.

The trail will attract thousands of residents and tourists to the region, inspiring civic pride and the opportunity for people to spend time together and get active whether it is walking, running or cycling. At the end of the trail, the large bears together with the special celebrity bear cubs will be auctioned off in October to raise vital funds for Birmingham Children's Hospital Charity.

“We’re so excited that The Big Sleuth is finally here, we have been planning the bear’s arrival since the owls left and we can’t bear-lieve it’s finally here!” commented Louise McCathie, Director of Fundraising at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. "We hope The Big Sleuth will encourage people to come together to walk, jog, run or cycle the free trail, and consider downloading The Big Sleuth app which allows you to track your trail, collect bears, unlock rewards and/ or take part in our Super Sleuth Challenges, which will raise money for our hospital.”

Sally-Ann Wilkinson, Director of Wild in Art, said: “We’re delighted that this year’s exciting trail is here. The Big Sleuth brings together business and creative sectors with schools and local communities to celebrate Birmingham’s rich culture and heritage, and will leave lasting memories across the region for generations to come.”

The Big Sleuth’s predecessor, The Big Hoot, raised over £500,000 for the charity at auction, and The Big Sleuth aims to do the same. All proceeds will go towards helping the children and young people treated at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. You can support the hospital by texting SLEUTH to 70007 to make a one off £3 donation or download The Big Sleuth app to kick start your fundraising and track your trail, collect bears and unlock rewards.

Public Health England (PHE) has launched a ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaign in the West Midlands urging people to see a doctor if they are getting out of breath doing things they used to be able to do or if they’ve had a cough for three weeks or more. Either of these symptoms can be signs of lung disease or lung cancer, while breathlessness can also be an indication of heart disease. These diseases are some of the leading causes of death in England, causing more than 150,000 deaths each year combined

Early diagnosis can save lives and improve the quality of life of those living with conditions, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a common form of lung disease that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The most recent data shows that in the West Midlands region there are around 111,200 people diagnosed with COPD each year, and almost 200,000 people diagnosed with coronary heart disease (CHD) annually, the main type of heart disease. In 2015, 3,861 people were diagnosed with lung cancer in the region.

The campaign is aimed at men and women aged 50 and above as these people are most at risk of lung cancer, COPD and heart disease. As well as prompting anyone who experiences these symptoms to visit their GP, the campaign calls on people to look out for each other and encourage friends and family to visit the GP if they have either of these symptoms.

This call comes as a new survey found that adults over 50 in the West Midlands are more likely to encourage others to see the doctor than go themselves.

Nottingham is an eclectic, urban hot spot surrounded by the legendary tales of Robin Hood and his most renowned hideout, Sherwood Forest.

More legendary tales will unfold this summer when the city hosts a WORLD EXCLUSIVE exhibition, Dinosaurs of China: Ground Shakers to Feathered Flyers. Featuring dinosaur bones and skeletons never before displayed outside of China, the exhibition tells the story of how dinosaurs evolved into the birds that live alongside us today. This is a real must-see in your summer diary.

Magnificent Wollaton Hall, which houses the city's Natural History Museum - and starred as Wayne Manor in the film The Dark Knight Rises - will host the main exhibition, and feature a staggering skeleton that's as tall as three double decker busses.

If that wasn't enough, there's a fantastic FREE satellite exhibition at Nottingham Lakeside Arts. Get involved to learn more about these incredible creatures and their discovery.

Haringey is set to benefit from thousands of new homes and jobs and improved public spaces and community facilities after Cabinet agreed to set up an innovative development partnership.

The Haringey Development Vehicle (HDV) will bring billions of pounds of investment to the borough through an innovative 50/50 partnership between the council and development partners Lendlease.

The partnership will bring:

New and improved homes for existing council tenants, with a guaranteed right to return on equivalent terms 6,400 new homes – with at least 40 percent affordable Thousands of new jobs in a range of industries Reinvestment of council profits in local services and further regeneration New school facilities for Haringey’s children A new health centre A transformed town centre for Wood Green Investment in schemes such as skills training and community support for local people A £20million long-term social investment programme focused on improving local residents’ prospects, health, environment and sense of community involvement

Cllr Alan Strickland, Cabinet Member for Housing, Regeneration and Planning, said:

“We’ve been clear that successful regeneration has to have the best interests of Haringey’s communities at its heart, and that we’re determined to help more Haringey residents live in quality homes in the borough.

“That’s why I’m delighted that the Cabinet have approved this new development partnership, which will enable us to deliver the new homes, jobs and facilities that local people have made it clear they want to see.”