The countdown to Vaisakhi has begun, with thousands of visitors expected at Wolverhampton's premier park for the annual celebrations in May.

The Council of Sikh Gurdwaras in Wolverhampton together with the Asian community is holding the popular cultural festival at West Park on Sunday, May 6, 2018, between 10am and 5pm.

It promises entertainment for all the family, including a fun fair, stalls and prominent Asian musicians and singers performing live on stage.

There will be speeches by religious leaders, a variety of local organisations will showcase their services and free food will also be served throughout the day. Entry is also free.

Keren Jones, Director for City Economy, said: "Vaisakhi is always hugely popular and with less than a month to go preparations are underway by the Council of Sikh Gurdwaras in Wolverhampton and the Asian community to ensure another fun filled family event.

"The City of Wolverhampton Council urge everyone to put the date in their diary and see West Park come alive to the sights and sounds of the Vaisakhi Festival."

Beforehand, there will be a parade from the Guru Nanak Satsang Gurdwara on Cannock Road to West Park, starting at 9am. Motorists are advised that temporary road closures will be in place while the procession makes it way to the park.

Vaisakhi is one of the most important dates in the Sikh calendar. It is the Sikh New Year festival, and this year marks the 319th Anniversary of the Creation of the Khalsa Order and making of Saint-Solider by Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1699.

More than two-thirds (68%) of people in West Midlands think the UK should do more to help the welfare of animals, according to a new poll by the RSPCA.

Figures from the charity reveal that although a massive 85% of people in the region consider themselves animal lovers, 34% feel a lack of money and 27% cite a lack of time as barriers to doing more to help animals. Worryingly one in ten (11%) people felt that their actions couldn’t make a difference.

This week, the RSPCA is launching its new #AnimalKind campaign which aims to encourage people to join it in creating a world which is kinder to animals. The campaign aims to give people practical advice about what they can do to ensure that all animals are better protected and cared for and has produced a free guide to show how little acts of kindness can make a big difference.

Klare Kennett, Assistant Director of External Relations, Marketing and Communications at the RSPCA, said: “It is really encouraging to see that we still consider ourselves to be a nation of animal lovers but we want to show people that it doesn’t take a lot of time or money to do your bit to help create a world that’s kinder to animals.

“We at the RSPCA are dedicated to improving the lives of animals everywhere but we cannot do it alone. We know so many people want to do their best for animals, be it pets, wildlife or those reared on farms, but they may not know how they can help.

“We wanted to give people ideas of little things they can do, such as signing a petition, doing a litter pick, or volunteering to walk a dog, which do not take lots of time or money, but change animals lives for the better.”

In the survey of more than 2000 people across Great Britain, carried out by YouGov, respondents in West Midlands said that the animal welfare issue they were most concerned about (39%) was animals being used in blood sports such as badger baiting or cock fighting.

However, just seven per cent said a lack of homes for animals was a major concern. Twenty-three percent, more than the national average of 17%, said farm animal welfare was one of their main worries.

While blood sports undoubtedly cause horrific suffering to animals, the numbers of animals involved are relatively small. However, in the UK each year hundreds of thousands of rescue pets are waiting in adoption centres looking for homes, and nearly a billion animals are reared on farms in the UK.

Klare added: “People are rightly concerned about barbaric and illegal blood sports which cause the animals involved untold suffering. However, the numbers remain, thankfully, relatively small.

“What many people perhaps don’t realise is that rescue centres are bursting at the seams with animals needing homes, and that kennel-life can be stressful and difficult for many animals who wait for weeks, months or even years for their forever home.

“Similarly, people probably don’t know that millions of farm animals are kept in conditions which just aren’t good enough, and currently only a relatively small proportion are in higher welfare schemes.

“So by choosing to adopt rather than buy a pet, or checking food for the RSPCA Assured label, you could be making a difference.”

With litter and plastic high on the public agenda, 33% of people revealed they were concerned about the destruction or damage to wildlife habitats and 21% worried about litter and plastic being hazardous to animals.

Since their inception in 1981 Culture Club have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, with a stream of classic hits including; ‘Do You Really Want to Hurt Me’, ‘Karma Chameleon’, ‘Church Of The Poison Mind’, ‘Victims’, ‘It’s A Miracle’ and ‘The War Song’ .

The group is fronted by singer/songwriter Boy George, universally recognised as one of music's most iconic artists. George was recently presented with the Ivor Novello lifetime achievement award in 2015 for his contribution to the music industry.

Roy Hay, Mikey Craig and Jon Moss make up the remaining original line up for one of the most exciting tours of the decade!

The Life Tour: starring Boy George & Culture Club will also feature 80’s pop sweetheart Belinda Carlisle and new wave, synth pop artist Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey, the tour will visit 11 cities across the U.K, stopping at Arena Birmingham on 16 November 2018.

‘We put together an amazing show that is going to be filled with hits and fabulous memories, we know it will be hands down this summer’s best night out,” says Boy George.

Culture Club will be at Arena Birmingham on 16 November 2018.

A RARE and precious jewel, given to a West Midlands Army regiment over a century ago and valued as one of the most expensive items ever on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, has been unveiled in the Black Country.

The Faberge flower, a five-inch pear blossom set in rock crystal, gold, silver stamens and diamonds, is set to feature in the first episode of the Antiques Roadshow, hosted by Fiona Bruce, on 15 April.  

The jewel was on display at Himley Hall and Park near Dudley today.

On 21 June 2017 Stamford Cartwright, Honorary Colonel of The Royal Yeomanry’s B (Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire) Squadron, brought the Faberge flower to the Antiques Roadshow which was filming at the Black Country Living Museum.

Fiona Bruce said “word quickly got around that something very special had been brought in,” adding: “We weren’t disappointed.”

The Antiques Roadshow’s jewellery expert Geoffrey Munn described how his “pulse was racing” at the sight of the precious object.

When the episode is broadcast on Sunday, viewers will see that it is one of only three items to be valued at £1million in the Antiques Roadshow’s 40-year history. Previous items given a valuation of over £1million are a model of Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North and the FA Cup which was presented between 1911 and 1992.

Colonel Cartwright said:

”This is a very special piece that is a focal point for the regiment, veterans and serving soldiers. It reminds us of the sacrifice of fallen comrades and our links to the past. Despite uniforms and personnel changing, the jewel is a symbol of continuity that goes back over a century.”

The Black Country soldiers thought the pear blossom sculpture was worth around £50,000 and for decades used it as a centrepiece at formal dinners and events. According to Colonel Cartwright, it became “part of the furniture”.

Rachel, Countess of Dudley, presented the jewel to the Queen’s Own Worcestershire Hussars on the soldiers’ return to the Midlands from the Boer War in South Africa in or around 1904. Rachel’s husband was William Ward, the second Earl of Dudley who, at the start of the twentieth century, was a major in the Queen’s Own Worcestershire Hussars.

Despite the staggering valuation, the jewel will keep its place as a table decoration for Army dinners.

Major Will Mawby, Officer Commanding B Squadron, also known as the Black Country Cavalry and the modern-day successor to the Worcestershire Hussars, said:

“We are very proud of the jewel but gone are the days when it would come on exercise and be kept under the Squadron leader’s bed. It is kept in the most secure of locations. On special occasions it sits in front of me but I daren’t touch it with my butter fingers!”

Two tonnes of rubbish has been collected from the Sandwell side of Forge Lane in West Bromwich after extensive fly-tipping was cleared from the side of the road.

Carpets, fridges, bin bags and kitchen cabinets had been dumped at the spot close to Sandwell Valley.

The clean-up took place on Sunday (8 April) with the road being closed from 6am - 12pm so a cleansing team could safety collect the fly-tipped rubbish.

Now that the rubbish has been cleared, CCTV cameras and banners have been put up warning fly-tippers they face a fine of £400 if caught.

Sandwell Council has issued more than 50 £400 fines to fly-tippers after a new enforcement team started patrols.

The team began issuing £400 fixed penalty notices in May 2017. The latest seven fines were issued at the end of last month, taking the total to 55.