Housing and homelessness charity Shelter is urgently appealing for support for its helpline, after receiving over 35,000 calls from the West Midlands in the last year alone – equivalent to 96 calls from the region every single day. In the last year, the number of calls to the charity’s free helpline from the West Midlands, which is part-funded by Marks & Spencer, has increased by 5,510.

Almost 460,000 children in the West Midlands live in families facing cuts to their tax credits, research by The Children’s Society shows. The charity is warning that the cuts, targeted at 230,000 mainly low-paid families across the region, risk pushing many more children into poverty. Last month the House of Lords voted to delay the changes and Chancellor George Osborne agreed to come back with measures to soften the impact on families.

Last week, Neena Gill MEP (Labour, West Midlands) hosted the European Parliament´s first ever Diwali Event. Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is observed widely by Indians across the world to celebrate light overcoming darkness. The event commenced with prayers for victims of the recent attacks in Paris, as well as victims in other atrocities across South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

This November, Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice officially launched their Memory Tree- a beautiful piece of artwork situated in the Hospice reception. The wooden structure which is made up of 600 leaves offers a unique and special way for people to keep memories alive. Families can choose either a gold, silver or bronze leaf to inscribe with the name of their loved one; each colour has a different donation value.

Statement by Bhai Sahib, Bhai (Dr) Mohinder Singh OBE Spiritual Leader and Chair of Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha (UK) regarding the recent attacks in Paris. As the horrific events of Friday 13^th November in Paris unfold and we get more information about the tragic occurrence, our thoughts and prayers go out to all the loved ones of all who have lost lives and suffered.

Food, glorious food, is central to the Christmas experience but the opportunity for feasting and sharing festive fun and laughter can be thin on the ground for older people who live alone. This year’s Abbeyfield Society Coping at Christmas campaign is putting the spotlight firmly on food and is inviting over-55s who live alone into its 500-plus homes and houses around the UK to share free Christmas meals, cake and of course companionship, laughter and warmth.