This weekend (4-5 Dec), the Widows Sons Masonic Bikers Association (West Kent) held its annual ‘Toy Run’, where members dressed-up as Father Christmas and elves to deliver more than 500 gifts to excited children via motorbike.

The children received toys, games and gifts purchased with donations received from local Freemasons throughout the month of November.

Severn Trent is encouraging customers to start wrapping… their pipes. With temperatures set to dip again this week, the water and waste company is advising customers to take steps to ensure their pipes don’t freeze this winter.

Cold weather can wreak havoc on water pipes – when water freezes it expands, putting more pressure on pipes and joints, which can cause pipes to split or joints to pull apart. But there are a few easy ways to prepare your home for winter:

Providers have welcomed a package of support from the City of Wolverhampton Council and partners to help the health and social care sector through what promises to be another difficult winter.

Announced last week at the launch of the new Wolverhampton Cares campaign, it includes an increase in the hourly rate paid by the council to homecare providers and reablement providers, the creation of more 'step down' residential beds to support people who need reablement at home but have no care available, and a commitment to work even more closely with care providers to understand how the council and other organisations can support them.

Following the success of the Yo! Summer and October half-term events, the City of Wolverhampton Council is planning a festive treat for children and young people. It is lining up a packed programme of events and activities for youngsters and their families throughout the Christmas holidays, many of them free, with something for everyone from sports activities and festive arts and crafts, music and dance workshops.

A Royal Sutton Coldfield resident, and Army Reservist, has gone viral on social media after sharing news about receiving a special recognition medal from the military.

Captain Jay Singh-Sohal VR tweeted a photo in uniform holding up the Volunteer Reserve Service Medal (VRSM), and a message:

Local campaigners are celebrating success at the rejection of a planning application to turn the Cross Keys Pub into a 15-bed hostel. The Council received 153 letters of objection including from Erdington Councillor Robert Alden, who led the campaign locally to stop the hostel application.

Residents raised the following objections to the Council about the application: -