With Mayoral and London elections – and even a possible European Union in/out referendum – set for next year, would-be voters in Haringey are being urged to make sure they’re registered to vote or risk missing out. As changes to the voter registration system enter their second phase, Haringey Council is leading a drive to get as many people as possible signed up to the electoral roll. Official household enquiry forms will be landing on doormats across the borough from this week.

Former Mayor of Wolverhampton Mike Heap has handed over £15,000 to local charities – the proceeds of fundraising events held during his time in office. Mike, who was Mayor in 2014-15, organised a series of events in aid of good causes, from coffee mornings and auctions to charity dinners and quiz nights. And the £15,000 they raised has been split equally between his chosen charities, Breast Care Nurses Trust Fund, Interfaith Wolverhampton and Mencap’s Wolverhampton Branch.

Dedicated services designed to eradicate homophobic, biphobic and transphobic (HBT) bullying from the classroom to the playground are up and running in Midlands. Three schemes will be run by Educate and Celebrate, the Anne Frank Trust and The National Children’s Bureau after being awarded money from a £2 million government fund specifically aimed at finding innovative ways to help prevent and eradicate the problem in schools across the country.

National Allotments Week highlighted the benefits of growing your own produce regardless of gender and age – but it’s not just people who benefit.  At Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park on Pershore Road, the animals tuck into home-grown fruit, veg and herbs all year round. From lemon balm, lovage and lettuce to blackberries and bamboo, the meerkats, monkeys, lemurs and lynx all enjoy a healthy diet with food grown just whiskers away in the park’s Eco-Garden!

How do you get a tech loving child to step away from the game consoles and tablets and start making memories this summer? Get a dog! A survey by Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, found that parents cite** the family dog as a distraction for kids that are ordinarily glued to tech, 42% say the family take more exercise thanks to the pet dog and (44%) think their dog is their child’s best friend.