Two Birmingham-based charities have teamed up to strengthen their support for vulnerable individuals living in the Midlands.

Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice and St Basils have come together for the first time ever, to help raise crucial funding to support the Midlands community.

Collaborating on a first-of-its-kind event, the two charities are working in unison to extend their reach within the Midlands, allowing them to identify and assist more people in need.

The Hospice, which provides vital care and support to families living with terminal illness, and St Basils, which works with young people who are homeless, are hosting a challenging, nine-hour relay race to bring more people together within their local communities.

The ‘Sunset Squad Relay’ event – which takes place on Saturday 22 July at Cofton Park - sees the charities working together equally, with all funds raised going towards the two causes.

Lucy Watkins, events manager at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, said: “Night time is usually the most difficult period for people in a Hospice and for people who are homeless, and it was this connection that initially brought Birmingham St Mary’s and St Basils together.

“Working in partnership has been hugely beneficial - not only are we able to pool our resources but we’ve both been able to connect with more people, helping to raise awareness of the vital services we provide.”

Barrie Hodge, head of fundraising and communications at St Basils, added: “We are delighted to be working with Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice on this event. We love working in partnership and this is an example of two of Birmingham’s most important organisations working together to make our city better for all. It is going to be a fantastic event and we can’t wait to welcome everyone taking part.”

The renowned Elysium Hotel, located on the Greek island of Mykonos, which predominantly caters to an exclusive LGBT clientele, has recently undergone an extensive programme of refurbishment designed to consolidate its position as one of the premier boutique hotels focussing on the luxury LGBT market.

In addition to this refurbishment, the hotel has also made service-level enhancements to double its staff-to-guest ratio, thereby providing a level of excellence and attentiveness that exceeds its customers' needs.

This philosophy accompanies the guest experience from the moment of booking, and throughout the stay. The hotel offers a unique 'straight-friendly' experience. It presents one of the most extensive entertainment programmes on the island, with daily evening cabaret shows featuring international acts that welcome straight as well as LGBT guests.

The cabaret is now also supported by the Daily Sunset 'Live' programme, where guests can sip cocktails by the pool and on the refurbished terrace lounge, accompanied by live piano performances. Just 300 metres from the UNESCO-listed Mykonos town, the Elysium offers a beautiful panoramic view over the Aegean Sea.

The property features a large swimming pool, fully-equipped Kinesis gymnasium and a pool-side Jacuzzi, hot tub, massage programme and Yoga lessons. There is an on-site restaurant, and the lively Sunset Bar, where the main entertainment is held.

The hotel offers 44 luxurious en-suite guestrooms with free internet access and modern amenities. This refurbishment represents a move to position the hotel as one of the more exclusive and unique accommodation experiences that Mykonos has to offer.

Bullring hosted the first Breakfast Club in partnership with Birmingham Mind. The event was presented by Free Radio's Sparky and speakers included local rapper Smiiffy, Virtual X's Creative Director and Mike Jeffries, a representative from Birmingham Mind. 

Below are some of the statistics that were discussed during the event.

Provided by National Mind and Statistics

·      THIS WEEK IN THE UK

·      104 people will take their own life

•       250,000 people will visit their doctor about a mental health problem

•       750,000 prescriptions for antidepressants will be issued

•       ACROSS THE UK

•       Only 14% of people report living with high levels of good mental health

•       More than 4 in 10 people say they have experienced depression

•       Over a quarter of people say they have experienced panic attacks

•       Nearly 3 in 4 people living in the lowest household income bracket report having experienced a mental health problem, compared to 6 in 10 of the highest household income bracket.

•       Nearly two-thirds of people say that they have experienced a mental health problem . This rises to 7 in every 10 women, young adults aged 18-34 and people living alone.

Compiled by the Men’s Health Forum, June 2016 (Updated January 2017.)

•       Men account for just over three out of four suicides (76%) from the ONS total figure for suicides of 6,188 in 2015.

•       12.5% of men in the UK are suffering from one of the common mental health disorders

•       Men are nearly three times more likely than women to become alcohol dependent (8.7% of men are alcohol dependent compared to 3.3% of women).

•       Men are more likely to use (and die from) illegal drugs

•       Men are less likely to access psychological therapies than women. Only 36% of referrals to IAPT services are men.

•       There is considerable debate about the true level of common mental health disorders in men - In a 2016 survey by Opinion Leader for the Men’s Health Forum, the majority of men said that they would take time off work to get medical help for physical symptoms such as blood in stools or urine, unexpected lumps or chest pain, yet fewer than one in five said they would do the same for anxiety (19%) or feeling low (15%)

•       Men report significantly lower life satisfaction than women in the Government’s national well-being survey – with those aged 45 to 59 reporting the lowest levels of life satisfaction.

•       73% of adults who “go missing” are men

•       87% of rough sleepers are men

•       Men are nearly 50% more likely than women to be detained and treated compulsorily as psychiatric inpatients

Pupils from across the City of Wolverhampton have produced some outstanding art as part of a schools’ competition run to celebrate Armed Forces Day.

Students were asked to submit a piece of art based around the theme of the Armed Forces – and entries, including poems, paintings, drawings and flag designs, came in from nine schools.

Sergeant Scott Brooks, Major Sylvia Parkin and Squadron Leader Charlotte Morrison carefully selected the winners in the three categories of best poem, best art and best flag.

All the entries received are being showcased in Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Lichfield Street, this week as part of the armed forces exhibition.

The week started with the Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor Elias Mattu, raising the Armed Forces flag.

On the same day, he presented poetry winner, Mya Perry, aged 11, of Bilston Church of England Primary School, with her prize of a £25 Love2shop voucher, in the Mayor’s Parlour, at the Civic Centre.

The judges were impressed by the emotional language used in her poem entitled ‘Daddy Please Don’t Go’, and agreed it was a mature piece of writing for a young lady.

Mayor Mattu said: “It was a real pleasure to present Mya with her award and it is great to see the children in the city honouring our Armed Forces through this art work.

"We owe the men and women of the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force a debt of gratitude. “These Armed Forces Day events are a fantastic way for us all to do that, while at the same time finding out a little bit more about our Armed Forces and recognise the crucial role they continue to play today."

Sami Al Abadie, ten, of The Royal School was the winner in the best flag category and Olivia Greybanks, 11, of Stow Heath Primary School was the winner in the best art category.

Both will receive their prizes as part of Saturday’s Armed Forces Day celebration event at the Mander Centre from 11am to 4pm.

It will feature drumming, rigging, semaphore and drill displays by Army, Air and Sea Cadets and physical training demonstrations by the Military Preparation College, and offer people the chance to meet members of the Armed Forces past and present.

There will also be musical performances by the RAF Cosford Voluntary Band, the City of Wolverhampton Council Choir and vintage vocal harmony trio The Bluebird Belles. Plus, a range of military vehicles on display in Queen Square and Dudley Street, along with a flight simulator.

Amazon, in partnership with the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has announced the regional results of the ‘Design a Drone’ competition in West Midlands. Over 1,700 students participated in the competition from across the UK.

Sutherland Primary Academy in Stoke-on-Trent topped the leader-board, taking first, second and third places.

Harley T was awarded the top spot for designing the Angel drone which would deliver food, medicine and plasters to people in need. Second place went to Sapphire G for her Mrs Smile drone, which would safely deliver parcels to children, and third place was awarded to Ellie-Mae L for her Automatic 101 drone.

The successful young engineers were awarded their prizes in a special ceremony during a school assembly. Winning students took home gift baskets of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) prizes. The first place regional winner also earned a cash donation of £1,000 for her school, to be spent on in-school STEM resources.

One national winner will be selected from the 12 regional finalists and have the opportunity to travel to the Amazon Prime Air Lab in Cambridge, UK, where their design will be exhibited for a year.

The competition helped raise awareness of the CAA’s Drone Code, a simple set of rules and guidelines which outline how to fly drones safely and within the law in the UK.

All primary school students in Years Two to Five in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were eligible to enter the competition. Students were asked to design their interpretation of a delivery drone to serve a humanitarian purpose or improve society, such as first-response medical aid, sending flowers to a loved one who is unwell or delivering toys to children in need.

Jonathan Nicholson, Assistant Director of Communications at the CAA, said: “All the entries were absolutely amazing and it was great to see so many students showing an interest in drones. By the time they are adults, drones could well be playing key roles in everyday life. But for that to happen we need everyone who flies a drone now to do so safely.”

Lauren Kisser, Operations Director at Amazon Prime Air, commented: “I’m delighted that the Design a Drone competition encouraged these students to unleash their creative thinking on how drones can be used to improve society. The entries we received were full of innovative and thoughtful ideas that could very well change the world one day.”