Oscar-nominated actress and UK Global Dementia Friends Ambassador Carey Mulligan and Alzheimer’s Society announce today that a staggering two million people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have united to become Dementia Friends.

This includes Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry and Warwickshire where 343 Dementia Friends Champions, who are volunteers aiming to help raise awareness about dementia, have helped 61,225 people become Dementia Friends.

Alzheimer’s Society’s initiative Dementia Friends was launched in 2013 to tackle stigma that results in social exclusion for people with dementia and since then it has been transforming the way people act, think and talk about the condition.

Dementia is the biggest health and social care crisis facing society today. Someone develops the condition every three minutes and too many are facing it alone. The award-winning star has experienced first-hand the devastating impact of dementia, and is speaking candidly for the first time since her grandmother died with the condition earlier this year.

Carey Mulligan said: “Dementia can devastate lives – I’ve seen first-hand through my grandmother exactly how hard it can be and find the idea of people with dementia being excluded from society deeply distressing.

“Dementia Friends has made huge strides in tackling the social isolation many people with dementia experience and the two million milestone is an incredible achievement – but we have a long way to go before society is fully accepting and need people everywhere to unite against the cruel stigma associated with dementia.”

Carey became a Global Dementia Friends Ambassador for Alzheimer's Society in 2016, having been a long-term supporter of the charity. Her grandmother Margaret, known as Nans, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2004 and sadly passed away with the condition earlier this year. In her role, Carey has been committed to spreading greater awareness of the condition across the world and bringing continued attention to the urgent need for a dementia friendly society.

Steve Hayward, Services Manager in Birmingham and Solihull at Alzheimer’s Society said:

“It’s encouraging to see what a difference can be made when people become Dementia Friends. Up and down the country, many people are no longer being excluded in their own communities

“The public response so far has been phenomenal, but we must not lose momentum as dementia continues to be the biggest health and social care crisis of our time. We need all of society to unite with us against dementia by becoming a Dementia Friend.”

Birmingham City Council’s residential tower blocks are to be fitted with sprinkler systems and other fire suppression measures following the Grenfell Tower tragedy in London, where 79 people are known to have died.

City Council leader John Clancy has confirmed that the council will as a matter of urgency look at the 213 blocks of flats it owns to assess what work needs to be undertaken to reassure tenants that their homes are safe.

Cllr Clancy said he was prepared to find up to an estimated £31 million to retro-fit measures which reduce the risk of fire and help tenants to feel safer.

The council leader wants Britain’s biggest councils to lobby the Government to help pay for fire suppression measures in all of the country’s local authority residential tower blocks and has written to the leaders of Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield councils asking for their support.

The nine cities plus Birmingham form the Core Cities group, representing the largest councils in the UK and are home to scores of tower blocks.

Cllr Clancy said he hoped Core Cities and other local government organisations would put pressure on the Government to come forward with a financial package to help councils meet investment in fire suppression measures such as the cost of fitting sprinklers.

Cllr Clancy intends to prioritise council spending on a rolling programme to install sprinklers, regardless of whether the Government makes a financial contribution.

One idea under consideration if Government funding is not forthcoming is to pay for the tower block fire prevention strategy from capital receipts – cash raised through selling assets owned by the council.

Cllr Clancy said: “The dreadful events in London have understandably triggered an outburst of public anger and demands that councils need to do far more to protect tenants living in high-rise blocks.

“I became council leader pledging that every child, every citizen and every place matters. Now is the time to underline that promise by recognising that as a council we have a duty to provide the best possible fire protection for our tenants, and we will do whatever it takes to keep people safe.

“But the cost of doing this for all local authorities with tower blocks is certain to be substantial and beyond the means of austerity-hit councils to afford in a timely fashion.

“The Government should accept this is a national emergency that fully justifies establishing a fund to allow councils to fit sprinkler systems as a matter of urgency.

“If the Government fails to respond appropriately, I believe our tenants would expect work on less important building projects to be delayed so that we can make sure our tower blocks are safer places to live in.

“It should also be recognised that a city-wide programme to fit fire-suppression measures will generate significant employment opportunities for Birmingham, creating skilled jobs and apprenticeships and underpinning the council’s commitment to inclusive economic growth.”

A plan to make it as easy as possible for residents to dispose of waste at the city’s five Household Recycling Centres (HRCs) will see businesses using vans charged to dispose of their waste from 10 July 2017.

The proposal, devised in recognition of the fact it is the law for firms to have suitable waste arrangements, means the HRCs will continue to be free of charge for all Birmingham citizens wishing to dispose of household items. The change will also enable better management of queues at busier times, reducing the time visitors will have to wait to dispose of their waste.

Under the new system, anyone with a van will need to call by telephone to pre book a slot. For residents this will continue to be free, but for businesses there will be a cost of £75 per visit. Businesses will also only be permitted to use James Road HRC in Tyseley.

Timeslots for residents wanting to take their waste in vans to the HRC will be Monday to Friday (10am-6pm) and weekends (8am-4pm).

Timeslots for firms wanting to take advantage of the service will be Monday to Friday (8am-10am and 6pm-7pm).

Standard “Transit”-sized vans and minivans will be accepted on site – but “Luton” vans, cage vans and tipper vans are all prohibited. Anyone hiring a van to take advantage of the new chargeable service is advised to book their slot before booking their van, to ensure they don’t get the wrong type of vehicle as per above.

Cllr Lisa Trickett, Cabinet Member for Clean Streets, Recycling and Environment, said: “The key point about this new service is that there will continue to be no charge for Birmingham’s citizens who have waste from their own home that they wish to dispose of. The £75 charge for vans will only apply to businesses depositing waste at the HRC.

“This is about ensuring fairer use of our HRCs and ensuring that taxpayer money is spent in the most effective way possible. Businesses have a legal obligation to dispose of their waste responsibly and this offers an easy and convenient way for many firms to do this.

“By creating a hub for this service at the Tyseley site, we will also be releasing some of the pressure than can build up at our other sites during peak times.”

UK seasonal fruit and vegetable growers are already experiencing the beginnings of a migrant labour crisis pending the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, according to a specialist employment lawyer.

Kate Gardner, a partner in the employment & HR team at national law firm Clarke Willmott LLP, said there is a fear amongst the farming community that they will not be able to access the labour they need once the EU free movement law no longer applies in the UK.

This combined with the lack of clarity from the Government as to the post-Brexit immigration policy for those citizens of states remaining in the EEA, is leading to fears that the British fruit and vegetable industry could be crippled.

Kate Gardner said: “Whilst a migrant labour crisis in both the agriculture and horticulture sectors is to be expected with Brexit and the loss of free movement of workers, the general uncertainties associated with Brexit as well as the weak pound have already impacted on the seasonal growers, with employers reporting to be experiencing the worst labour shortages since 2004.”

The UK agriculture and horticulture sectors have long relied on migrant labour. Recent surveys estimate that 27,000 people from other EU member states worked in UK agriculture last year.  A further 116,000 EU nationals worked in the UK’s food manufacturing sector. During peak seasons, farmers are further dependent on a large temporary workforce, thought to be around 75,000 strong, to supplement regular permanent staff in harvesting crops.

Kate continued: “The Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme which was introduced in 1945 to address post-war labour shortages, allowed fruit and vegetable growers to employ migrant workers from Bulgaria and Romania to do short-term low-skill agricultural work such as strawberry picking and other fruit harvesting for a maximum of six months.  This was extremely useful and beneficial to UK farmers but unfortunately the Scheme was closed at the end of 2013.

“Submissions have been made to the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee that a new Agricultural Workers Scheme needs to be implemented with immediate effect. The Government says it currently has no plans to introduce a new scheme but it does recognise farmers’ concerns and advises that farmers should be encouraged to boost productivity by making full use of farming technologies.

“Yet whilst Brexit has given the research and development of technologies such as robots a fresh impetus, experts predict that we are at least five years away from the development of a robot that can pick delicate soft fruits such as strawberries with the speed and delicacy of a human.

“As with any aspect of Brexit, this is an evolving situation and one which we continue to watch carefully.”

Award-winning Birmingham artist Reuben Colley will be transferring his fine art onto a 3 Dimensional sculpture for the first time, after it was revealed he will be designing one of this year's The Big Sleuth bears.

The Big Sleuth, so named because sleuth is the collective noun for a group of bears, is the highly-anticipated sequel to The Big Hoot, which attracted more than 800,000 visitors in 2015 and raised over £625,000 in total for Birmingham Children's Hospital Charity.

During his 20-year career, Reuben has become a well-respected artist in the Birmingham area and is now set to make his mark on the city once again with this unique project which gets its paws into the region from 10 July.

Reuben grew up in Birmingham within sight of the Aston Expressway and is now celebrated for his gritty Birmingham cityscapes. He describes designing this bear as a nostalgic process for him.

“I chose to paint this landscape on the bear as if the bear was actually there, and the painting is a reflection of its surroundings.

“Areas of scrubland amongst the city always gives me a sense of freedom. It demonstrates there is still a part of the city which hasn't been tamed, a reminder of childhood and a brief return to nature. Yet at the same time the Aston Expressway forms a continuous loop around the bear, never ending and inescapable.”

The bear, named Xt as a reference to a piece of graffiti which appears in the painting, is sponsored by business relocation specialists and The Big Sleuth logistics partner, Harrow Green.

Xt will also be printed as a limited edition landscape painting with just 50 available to buy and a percentage of all sales donated to Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity. Reuben has been so touched by the charity, he has also donated his artist fee straight back into the fundraising pot.

Presented by Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity in partnership with creative producers Wild in Art, The Big Sleuth will see up to 100 beautifully designed bear statues appearing throughout the region over a 10-week period this summer with satellite trails in Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, Sandwell and also at Resorts World.

Louise McCathie, Director of Fundraising at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It’s really special to have such an incredibly talented and renowned artist such as Reuben involved in The Big Sleuth. We are really grateful for his support throughout this project. The Big Sleuth will encourage residents and tourists to get active, enjoy being outdoors and explore parts of city they may not have been to before. We also hope to raise over half a million pounds at the auction to support the pioneering work we do here every day.”

Sally-Ann Wilkinson, Director of Wild in Art, said: “One of the fantastic things about The Big Sleuth is that it showcases well-known artists like Reuben alongside undiscovered talent.  Our public art projects also have a proven track record of increasing community engagement and were excited that residents and visitors alike will not only get to discover many artists, they will also discover the city through this visually stunning sculpture trail.”

Anyone interested in an apprenticeship with Sandwell Council is invited to find out more at an event next month.

The council will be taking on hundreds more apprentices over the coming years. Anyone interested in starting their career with the council is urged to come along to the Council House in Oldbury on Thursday 6 July.

The event, which is on from 2.30pm until 6.30pm in the council chambers, is open to people of any age.

Council apprentices who are already working for the council as well as the council’s employment team will be on hand to give advice, chat about vacancies and how to apply.

Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and investment Councillor Paul Moore said: “Apprenticeships are a great way to earn while you learn, get work experience and put some money in your pocket without leaving you with debt.

"They're not just for school leavers either, we want to hear from people of all ages who want to start a new career, gain experience and hopefully secure a great job for the future.

"Many of our apprentices go on to full-time posts with the council or their apprenticeship helps them secure future employment thanks to their new qualifications. "The apprenticeships we offer range from business admin and finance to grounds maintenance and gas services and everything in between.

“We will have some of our current apprentices on hand to tell visitors what to expect from an apprenticeship."