With 2016 now upon us, national charity Suzy Lamplugh Trust is urging all West Midlands residents to keep personal safety in mind when making New Year’s resolutions. Common resolutions, often based around lifestyle changes, may inadvertently place individuals at risk, so the charity is encouraging people to factor in their own safety when making pledges for the New Year.

Former refugee and The Apprentice star, Mergim Butaja, is taking on a charity challenge to support families fleeing ongoing conflict. The 23-year-old whose emotional farewell speech highlighted the importance of remaining strong and determined in the face of adversity has joined with 50 other volunteer fundraisers from international humanitarian charity Penny Appeal to run Coventry’s Half Marathon at the end of February.

Wishing all of our readers, advertisers and friends a happy, healthy, prosperous and blessed 2016!

City of Wolverhampton Council will once again be collecting people’s real Christmas trees for recycling once the festive season is over. The council, through its waste and recycling partner Amey Plc, will take real trees only – not fake ones – during January. The service will be free and all people need to do is put their tree out on their normal recycling day next to their bin on the kerbside. Real tree collections will take place from Monday January 11 to Friday January 22.

The funeral service of radio presenter and former “boy band” member Saminder Sagoo was attended by hundreds of people. Saminder, 76, who helped found one of the first Sikh temples in Birmingham, died on 5 December, having suffered from stomach cancer. Renowned for his work as one of the first presenters on commercial Asian station Radio XL, the temple where Saminder’s funeral was held was packed with mourners, who gathered in front of an open coffin.

The spirit of Christmas was in plentiful supply when staff and customers at building society the West Brom staged festive cake and coffee days in aid of charity. The Society’s 37 branches across Birmingham and the Black Country collectively raised nearly £4,000 from the Care for a Cake events, with all proceeds going to the Edgbaston charity Edward’s Trust, which provides bereavement support for parents, children and carers from across the West Midlands.