Community News

TV’s Paul O’Grady’s real life ‘Love of Dogs’ has been reflected by the British public in a new poll naming his dog Olga as their favourite celebrity dog for 2016. Dog lovers in the Midlands voted EastEnders’ ‘Princess Di’ as their second favourite pooch and Simon Cowell’s Squiddly and Diddly as their third favourite.

Give it a go! That’s the message from WV Active @ Bert Williams Leisure Centre, where a morning of free activities is being held on Tuesday, March 15 as part of Residents’ Week. There is something to suit everyone between 9am and 12.30pm on the day, with a range of exercise activities available, including aqua aerobics, a mini-circuits taster, gym inductions, lane swimming, and a group walk in partnership with the brilliant ‘Beat the Street’ team.

Tesco customers will decide which of three local community projects in their area will receive the lion's share of the money donated through the Government's 5p plastic bag charge. Through the scheme, called 'Bags of Help', grants of £8,000, £10,000 and £12,000 will be awarded to charities and groups across the UK for spending on environmental improvement projects.

The drive by the Electoral Commission and the National Union of Students asking people to use social media to inspire their friends to register to vote ahead of the elections which are taking place on Thursday 5 May has begun. Utilising the power of social media, they are asking young people across the UK to encourage their friends to register to vote by sharing photos of their ‘voter cross’ and using the hashtag #RegAFriend.

The most deserved of people in our life is to be celebrated and honoured as Mother's Day, approaches us. A day to heap the world of praise and prayers, on mothers and other mother figures, such as grandmothers, stepmothers and mothers-in-law, this Sunday, March 6, will see gifts bought in abundance, cakes, flowers, chocolates, jewelry, and luxurious clothing flying off the racks – some on Sunday morning first thing.

The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Youth Summit took place last week with hate crime, knife crime and personal safety high on the agenda. As the previous eight Youth Commissioners step down, Commissioner David Jamieson welcomed the six new Youth Commissioners to the role

This year’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) History Month theme is ‘Religion, Belief and Philosophy: A Leap of Faith’ , and the month closes with a debate on ‘Faith and the LGBT Community in 2016′ at the Council House today. Organised by SHOUT Festival (a project of Birmingham LGBT) and Birmingham City Council’s LGBT Employees & Allies Network, the multi-faith panel  will consider the question ‘Faith and the LGBT community in 2016 – where are we now and what next?’.

The 29^th February offers the unique opportunity to create a completely fresh, national date in the diary, according to the #Make29Matter campaign. The idea is to establish a national day shaped by contemporary values and society, to stage extraordinary activities across the UK for the greater good. Its unique occurrence every four years automatically gives 29^th February a special feel and while it’s unlikely to happen in 2016, the four years to 2020 gives organisers plenty of time to plan.

People in the West Midlands who volunteer say it makes them feel happier and helps them contribute to their local community. These are the findings of new research about volunteering by sight loss charity RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People). The survey also found that 56 per cent of respondents in the region who do not volunteer said they want to in the future, with nearly a quarter most keen to share their technology skills.

Birmingham City Council has joined forces with two city charities to help improve the lives of hundreds of homeless people. From 22 February Midland Langar Seva Society (MLSS) has been offering a hot meal service for homeless people from the Digbeth headquarters of SIFA Fireside. The service, from 6.30-8pm, will operate every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Sikh charity MLSS has been providing free hot food every weekday evening in Birmingham City Centre for almost two years.

A one-off sponsored reading of Bishop Francis Asbury’s journals is being staged to mark the 200 anniversary of his death – and Sandwell people are invited to join in the fun event. The affectionate tribute – which will last several hours – will give a wonderful insight into Asbury’s character. The non-stop reading, inspired by Asbury’s extensive writing, will help raise awareness of his amazing rise from humble origins in Hamstead to becoming one of America’s founding fathers.

A vision for the sustainable transformation of the area between the City Hospital and Edgbaston Reservoir has been approved. The Greater Icknield Masterplan provides guidance on how over 60 hectares bordering the west side of the city centre can be developed. It is the largest brownfield housing-led redevelopment proposal in Birmingham, with the potential to provide around 3,000 new homes and 1,000 job opportunities.

Every taxi driver in Wolverhampton is to be offered training to help in the fight against child sexual exploitation (CSE) in the Black Country. The City of Wolverhampton Council is encouraging its licenced taxi drivers to act as "eyes and ears" in the fight against CSE, a crime in which perpetrators groom youngsters and emotionally and sexually abuse them.

People across the city are being urged to make sure they are registered to vote in May’s local elections. Individuals who fail to register to vote will be unable to have their say at in the local and police and crime commissioner elections, which will be held on 5 May 2016.Also, residents of Sutton Coldfield could miss their chance to vote for their new town councillors.

Registration is now open for Wolverhampton's fantastic new walking, cycling and running game Beat the Street, and people young or old are being encouraged to sign up now to take part in the city-wide challenge – with some fantastic prizes up for grabs for those clocking up the highest scores. Players receive points for the distance they travel on foot or bike between special sensors called Beat Boxes which are being erected on lampposts around Wolverhampton.