Grab your pirate hat, binoculars, wellies and a picnic and head for the top heritage gems along the country's beautiful waterways this summer.

Rich in history, with colourful canal boats and wonderful watery wildlife – the Canal & River Trust has over 2,000 miles of canals and rivers throughout England and Wales to explore. Whether you want to spot a family of ducks or the flash of a kingfisher, watch boats travel across soaring aqueducts or through a flight of lock gates, try a fishing taster course or simply enjoy spending time together - the whole family can enjoy an adventure for free at one of the Canal & River Trust's historical treasures.

To help you choose which of the country's miles and miles of canals and rivers to visit the Trust has put together a collection of local maps and activity sheets downloadable from www.canalrivertrust.org.uk. Simply choose your destination and have a fun family day out.

New for family festival goers:

Across the country the summer waterway scene attracts hundreds of floating markets, fayres and music festivals – this year the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is set to host a major new waterway festival - the East London Waterway Festival on Monday 28th August 2017.

Celebrating London's local rivers and canals the festival marks the completion of Carpenters Road Lock that will allow boats to travel from the Old River Lea to Waterworks River for the first time in 40 years.

The celebration will include a boat flotilla, dragon boat racing, canoeing, stand up paddle boarding, rowing, pedalos and free boat trips. There will also be live music and dance performances, children's activities, heritage walks, food stalls, craft beer and more. In the evening Nomad Cinema will be hosting a screening in the lock, of the film 'How we used to Live', introduced by the writer Travis Elborough. Directions: Easy to access by train, tube or bus. From central London take either the Jubilee or Central Line to Stratford. Take the escalators up to 'the Street' and follow pedestrian signs. Carpenters' Lock, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London E20 2ST.

For fishing fun:

Let's Fish! Join the Canal & River Trust for free fishing taster sessions during the summer holidays. Gather your family and friends and head to your local waterway to experience the joy of catching big and little fish. Learn how to identify the variety of fish you find and enjoy the fun to be had counting your catch. Across the country the Canal & River Trust will be holding Let's Fish events – with professional fishing coaches to introduce you to the joy of fishing.

To find your nearest event and to book your free place visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk

For wildlife lovers:

Built through a gap in the Chilterns near Tring, the Grand Union Canal changed this area forever with the building of four reservoirs to provide water – Tring Reservoirs. Today the reservoirs create a 263 acre Site of Special Scientific Interest and is one of the best birdwatching spots in southern England. In the summer watch swifts and common terns swooping over the water and in the evening spot pipistrelle bats hunting for insects. Directions: Tring Reservoirs, Startop's End Reservoir car park, Marsworth, Buckinghamshire HP23 4LJ.

Niantic Labs, the developer and publisher of Pokémon GO, The Pokémon Company International and Big Heritage, the UK heritage organisation, have partnered to curate historical locations throughout the ancient city of Chester within Pokémon GO to encourage community engagement and education.

On the weekend of Saturday 22^nd and Sunday 23^rd of July, events will be staged across Chester, including activities based at Chester Castle, which will be open to the public for the first time in 20 years. Visitors to the city will be able to take part in a number of fun trail activities, with in-game and real-world surprises for Pokémon GO players. The weekend of events coincides with the annual Chester Heritage Festival, which celebrates the heritage of one of the world’s most historic cities.

Chester will play host to Pokémon GO Trainers visiting the UK from around the world, turning historical sites into PokéStops that players can interact with. Big Heritage will also be working with schools across the Cheshire and Merseyside regions as part of an initiative to encourage young people to explore and learn about their local area by playing Pokémon GO together.

Niantic CEO and founder John Hanke said "I am incredibly excited about this partnership linking local history and Pokémon GO.  We love the idea of using mobile games as a motivation for families to play outside together and perhaps to learn something interesting while they are at it!"

Big Heritage founder Dean Paton said “We are so excited about working with Niantic Labs, who are true innovators in their field, and as passionate as we are about getting people exploring and learning about the world around them. It’s a genuine coup for Chester to be the ‘test bed’ for some amazing new ideas, and we hope we can use the game based on the iconic and beloved Pokemon brand as a tool for helping more people get excited about the past.”

Get involved – use the hashtag #PokemonGO and let us know if you planning to join the festival by “attending” the event on the Big Heritage facebook page.

Contrary to the doom and gloom predicted by many due to the uncertainty of Brexit, it seems that many within the West Midlands are quietly optimistic about the economy and their own job prospects.

Recent research conducted by YouGov on behalf of specialist recruiter Reed showed that out of the 2,000 people they asked 44 % of employees felt optimistic about their career prospects. With 45% of respondents saying they were looking for a new job or preparing to look for a new job. With 30% looking for a new job to improve their skills, and 33% saying they were looking for a new job to ensure they had a better working environment. These figures suggest that despite the gloomy predictions of many with the uncertainty over Brexit, many within the West Midlands are optimistic about the chance for economic prosperity and betterment within the next few years.

A further 53% of those surveyed said that they had been given a pay rise in 2016 compared to 37% who said they had when asked in 2015. The employees it seems are benefitting from the initial positive economic growth the UK experienced despite the Brexit vote.

As Claire Harvey, Senior Divisional Director of REED in the North said: “UK workers and businesses are confident that 2017 will be a great year for them and those in the Northern half of the country are no different. The jobs market always proves to be a good barometer for the economy and we believe this promising early indication is a sign of things to come. This research for 2017 shows that workers are confident to look for a new job despite the wider backdrop of leaving the EU.”

Clearly, despite the negativity of some, the people of West Midlands are positive and upbeat about their economic future and are working hard to ensure that that positivity is well justified and earned.

The confidence of workers across the West Midlands has not been shaken by uncertainty around leaving the European Union, with 45 per cent admitting that they are looking for a new job this year, according to REED.

The YouGov research commissioned by specialist recruiter REED, which asked more than 2,000 people about their careers in 2017, found that 44 per cent of employees are feeling optimistic about their career prospects despite a lack of clarity created by the Brexit vote.

Optimism and confidence are high among employers too, as 53 per cent of those surveyed in the West Midlands said they had been given a pay rise in 2016, compared to just 37 per cent who were asked the same question in a previous REED survey from 2015.

While an increase in salary is still the primary motivation for workers in the West Midlands to look for a new job (45 per cent), other reasons were also revealed.28 per cent would move for an improved work-life balance and a third (33 per cent) for a better working environment. And pensions have a major impact on attracting and retaining workers with 55 per cent of people across the UK saying a pension plan is an important part of the decision to either stay in their current role or look around.

The research, commissioned to mark the launch of the REED 2017 Salary Guide, also discovered that those in senior positions have noticed a widening skills gaps among their staff. Almost half (47 per cent) of those in management, and 54 per cent in supervisor positions, now recognise a lack of skills within their organisation. This is in comparison to 42 per cent of managers and 45 per cent of supervisors¹ who observed the same trend in previous research commissioned by REED last year.

Claire Harvey, Senior Divisional Director of REED in the North, said: “UK workers and businesses are confident that 2017 will be a great year for them and those in the Northern half of the country are no different. The jobs market always proves to be a good barometer for the economy and we believe this promising early indication is a sign of things to come. This research for 2017 shows that workers are confident to look for a new job despite the wider backdrop of leaving the EU.”

Among the next generation of workers, more than half (51 per cent) of those between the ages of 18 and 24  would move to have more opportunities to learn and develop their skills, 49 per cent for better career prospects and 45 per cent for a better company culture. More than half (61 per cent) of 18-24 year olds would still move for a better salary.

Harvey added: “Along with marketing and creative, digital has been a particular growth area in 2016 as more clients realise their online presence really needs to stand out in order to attract business. Job satisfaction is incredibly important and often when an employee outgrows their role, they will need to leave to continue to get job satisfaction. As such, a company that is unable to offer longer-term challenges may suffer with higher turnover.  If employers can offer young, talented workers the opportunity to learn and help this eager generation hone their skills, then companies will attract the right talent; continuing this trend of optimism into a post-Brexit world.”

Clarke Willmott LLP’s 5-a-side football team has won the 2017 Birmingham Charity Football tournament raising money for the Child Brain Injury Trust.

The annual competition is organised by a committee of local businesses, coming together to support the Child Brain Injury Trust, a charity that supports children, young people and their families.

Helping them to come to terms with brain injury, which could be the result of accident, an illness such as meningitis or encephalitis, a poisoning, a stroke or a brain tumour, the charity offers guidance on how to deal with the uncertainty that the future may hold.

The tournament, organised by Kings Chambers, attracted a large turnout of 15 teams from local law firms, Barristers’ Chambers and other Birmingham businesses. After a league phase followed by knockout rounds, the final was a keenly contested affair between the team from Clarke Willmott LLP and No 5 Chambers. The final was a spectacle of end-to-end, attacking football, eventually won by a last minute goal by Clarke Willmott.

Philip Edwards, a Serious Injury expert and Corporate Social Responsibility Partner for Clarke Willmott said: “I am incredibly proud of our Clarke Willmott team in coming home with the trophy from this amazing event, and it was brilliant to see so many teams turn up and compete. Much more importantly, significant funds were raised for the fantastic Child Brain Injury Trust.

“I have seen first-hand the work they do to support young brain injury survivors and those around them. It really is invaluable, and makes such a difference.”

The local fund raising committee will now turn their attention to other events, with an afternoon tea and Christmas quiz planned – with the aim of raising more money to help the Child Brain Injury Trust support children who sustain brain injuries.

Clarke Willmott LLP is a national law firm with seven offices across the country, including Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton and Taunton.

From July 7th until September 3rd, The Elite Series, will take place every weekend in London at the Gfinity Esports Arena, the home of UK esports. Fans will be able to catch all the action on GfinityEsports.com and can follow this intensive nine week schedule:

o      Fridays:  Street Fighter V – 6:00pm - 10:00pm

o      Saturdays:  CS:GO 10:00am – 10:00pm

o      Sundays:  Rocket League 12:00pm – 6:00pm

The Elite Series season one starts with the regular Season, during which eight teams - with a total of 160 players - will play seven crucial matches. There will be three independent leagues - one for each game: Street Fighter V, CS:GO and Rocket League. After each team has had their one-time face off against the others, the top four will progress to the league’s playoff spots.

Playoffs will feature two semi-finals, with the winners ultimately meeting head to head in a final showdown for their share of the £225,000 prize fund and the glory of being crowned the Elite Series League Champion.

In addition to the three independent leagues for each game, Gfinity will, for the first time in esports history, be running a franchise championship, for the overall winners across the entire tournament.