Making brilliant banners, a toy town and medals are among a host of fun creative activities lined up in Wolverhampton during next week’s February half-term. Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Bilston Craft Gallery and Bantock House Museum are all hosting fun family events during the school break. Youngsters aged from four to 12 can drop into Wolverhampton Art Gallery on Monday 15 February from 1pm-2.30pm to design their own textile banners using rich textures and colourful fabrics.

Volunteers of all ages are being asked to donate their time and support to their local library. Sandwell’s 19 libraries need people willing to help out in a variety of roles - from sorting books and filling shelves, to helping put on events or volunteering at the café at Central library.

The restoration of a 1979 Mini 1275 GT is at the heart of a new narrative work by critically-acclaimed artist Stuart Whipps, looking at the history and heritage of the famous Longbridge car factory in Birmingham. Whipps has been commissioned by WERK, as part of the Longbridge Public Art Project (LPAP), designed to support the ongoing regeneration of the former car factory site.

The online fundraising platform JustGiving has announced its top fundraisers of 2015 – and John Taylor Hospice’s CEO Kate Phipps is delighted to be one of them. Out of 532,124 fundraisers worldwide, Kate’s JustGiving page for her tandem skydive was one of the most successful last year, raising more than £14,000 for John Taylor Hospice.

A search has begun to find the children and their families featured in iconic photographs of Birmingham’s shocking housing conditions in the 1960s. As part of Shelter’s 50th anniversary, the housing and homelessness charity is hunting for the people behind the pictures and is urging Birmingham residents to view the images to identify family or friends.

Birmingham’s Chinese community is preparing to welcome in the Year of the Monkey today, Sunday, February 7, with an afternoon of celebrations aimed at the whole family. Organised by the Birmingham Chinese Festival Committee in conjunction with Southside Business Improvement District (BID) and supported by Birmingham City Council, the event will include Chinese music, stalls, dance and performance.