Penn Library has reopened to the public following recent improvement works.

The £60,000-plus investment by the City of Wolverhampton Council has seen the library redecorated and its back office space reconfigured to create a new community lounge and meeting room.

The layout of the main library area has also been reviewed to make better use of the space, while old shelving has been replaced.

Councillor John Reynolds, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for City Economy, said: "This improvement work at Penn Library is further evidence of our commitment to developing a strong and sustainable library network for the people of Wolverhampton by creating modern and vibrant community assets.

“It has made Penn Library much more community-orientated and will hopefully increase the number of people who are able to make use of this vital facility on a regular basis.

“This work was carried out in response to feedback from local people which we received during the development of our 10-year strategy for Wolverhampton’s libraries, and I would like to thank customers for bearing with us while these improvements were completed.”

Penn Library is at the junction of Penn Road and Coalway Avenue. Its normal opening hours remain the same – these are Tuesdays 9am-1pm and 2pm-5pm, Thursdays 10am-1pm and 2pm-6pm, Fridays 9am-1pm and Saturdays 9am-1pm and 2pm-4pm.

An official reopening event will be held on Tuesday 20 March, 2018, at 3pm.

The University of Wolverhampton is raising the bar on studying at a higher level with the launch of its new Chartered Legal Degree Apprenticeship.

The new qualification offered by the University of Wolverhampton Law School has been developed in collaboration with sector-leading employers and professional body, the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx).

The practice based programme builds technical understanding and professional behaviours needed by future Chartered Legal Executives and Solicitors.

The six year part-time degree qualification covers criminal law, conveyancing, civil litigation, family law, contract law and legal research skills with options to specialise in the final year.

Five students, three from Wombourne based property lawyers, Connolley and Company, and two from the City of Wolverhampton Council, have enrolled on the course.

Sukhninder Panesar, Head of the Law School at the University, said:  “It’s wonderful to welcome the first cohort of Degree Apprentices to the Business School.  We’ve been teaching Law for over 60 years and, during that time, we have been committed to reflecting the changes to practices over the years.

“Our new students will be trailblazers and are leading the way for change in the industry, applying their learning while they are working.  The new Degree Apprenticeship can be used by companies to upskill and retain their existing employees, to attract innovative talent into their organisation and develop a workforce that can meet their clients’ future needs.”

Jesse Salter, 19 from Wombourne, is a Legal Assistant at Connolley and Company.  He said: “I’m looking to further my career, and whilst I studied for A Levels, I didn’t go to University to study for a degree.  This gives me the best of both worlds – but what I’m learning on the Degree Apprenticeships will actually help me do my job. I can ask my employer for help during the course of my studies whilst at the same time bring what I’m learning back into the workplace.”

Sharon Lelkes, Director at Connolley and Company, said: “Without a doubt, the new Degree Apprenticeship scheme benefits the legal profession as a whole.  To have staff professionally trained and backed by a government scheme is such a benefit to this company and without the non-levy funding we would not be able to do it. The bottom line is that, at the end of the course, I’ll have three qualified legal executives that will undoubtedly bring huge benefits to this business.”

Having been awarded £250,000 funding from the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) in 2017 to develop its Apprenticeship offer, over 150 apprentices are already studying for Higher and Degree level qualifications at the University.

The University of Wolverhampton has secured an additional £460k funding to deliver training for Degree Apprenticeships to non-levy paying companies. The allocation of money was approved by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) recently and means that the University can widen its support for local businesses looking to upskill their workforce.

The University offers Higher and Degree Apprenticeships in Chartered Management (CMDA), Higher Apprenticeship in Construction Management with pathways for Civil Engineering & Built Environment, Chartered Surveying, Chartered Legal Executive, Nursing Associate, Manufacturing Engineering, Product Design & Engineer and Healthcare Science Practitioner Degree Apprenticeships.

Future Higher/Degree Apprenticeships will include Digital Technologies, Civil Engineering, Architecture, Policing, Social Work, Nursing and Paramedic Degree Apprenticeships.

Fundraisers can stir up support for John Taylor Hospice this April by taking part in Coffee Morning Month.

The annual event encourages families, friends and work colleagues to get together to host or join in with coffee mornings and fun activities.

Last year dedicated hospice supporters served up afternoon tea parties, whipped up delicious cakes for sale and challenged each other to bake-off competitions - raising thousands of pounds to ensure people can access expert care at the end of their lives.

Hospice supporter Sue Nation is planning to invite neighbours, family and friends to a coffee morning at her Streetly home next month. Sue’s husband Dave Nation was cared for by John Taylor teams in 2012 and the family are regular supporters. Sue and her daughters, Emma and Lisa, feel that the hospice was a home from home for Dave and fundraising is their way of saying thank you.

"They did everything for him – and for us," said Sue. "One of us stayed every night and we were all made to feel so welcomed and comfortable. When we needed the hospice it was there for us and we want to make sure it will be there for the next people who need it too.”

Kerry McGrath, Community Fundraising Manager at John Taylor Hospice, said: "We've dedicated the whole of April to our Coffee Morning Month campaign and we'd love as many people as possible to get on board with our fundraising.

"Whether you plan to host your own bake sale or be a guest at a friend’s afternoon tea party - every penny you raise means so much to us. Your money will be used to help patients living with a terminal illness to access compassionate care and support and it will ensure their loved ones are looked after too.

"If you've never fundraised before then don't worry as hosting an event is great fun! We're here to help you and we'd love to hear what you have planned so please do get in touch."

The RSPCA Coventry and Nuneaton branch are appealing for the paw-fect people to become volunteer fosterers and help them care for rescue cats and dogs.

The branch takes in animals who have been injured, neglected and abused to rehabilitate and rehome them - but they desperately need more fosterers to help them.

Jade Mason, from the RSPCA Coventry and Nuneaton branch, said: “We need both dog and cat fosterers but particularly dogs as there is a real shortage at the moment.

“Fostering an animal can help change their lives. Some pets don’t get on well in a cattery or kennel and need a home environment, sometimes the cat pods or kennels can be full to bursting and we have no space for more animals, and other times a dog or cat may be part of a prosecution case and need looking after for a longer period of time.

“For you, fostering means you get to experience the joys of caring for an animal without the lifetime commitment. There are no vet bills as the branch will cover medical costs and provide food and equipment. It is also very rewarding to give a pet a loving, temporary home where they can come out of their shell and thrive.”

Without fosterers there could be longer waiting times for new animals coming into RSPCA care, as fostering an animal frees up a space at a centre. Fosterers are a vital part of the work the RSPCA continues to do each day.

Simon Clark from Kenilworth near Coventry has been a dog fosterer for the branch for the last six weeks. He is caring for three-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier Lola who was found roaming around Coventry alone with infected ears which had gone untreated.

Lola has had an operation on her ears to save her hearing so the branch thought being in a foster home would be less stressful for her than being in the kennels.

Simon said: “I’ve shared my home with cats and dogs throughout my life. We had a cat for a long time until four years ago when 19-year-old Elsa died. Now the kids have moved out and I work from home it seemed the perfect timing. I wanted to do a little bit more than socialising and walking dogs which I’ve done as a volunteer previously. We don’t know if we would like to commit to having a dog just yet but if you can help lots of different dogs that are needy then that is a better contribution.

A Birmingham man, who is deafblind, will attempt to complete an epic 52 mile trek in the summer, walking the distance of the RidgeWay, a historic national trail in the South of England, helping to raise money for the national disability charity, Sense.

44 year-old John Churcher, from Erdington, has a hearing impairment and only 3% vision. His friend, 49-year-old Mark McGowan, from Glasgow, will be John’s sight-guide for the walk, assisted by Jay Owen (27) who is autistic.

John, who has Usher Syndrome, is no stranger to great feats. Over the last decade he has become an accomplished climber, competing at the Paraclimbing World Championships, and being recognised as the first blind person to climb to the summit of the Eiger.

John Churcher, a trustee for Deafblind UK, said: “I’m really looking forward to the walk in the summer. I don’t feel nervous, only excitement about taking on another challenge.”

Mark McGowan, who has become friends with John through climbing, and acted as John’s sight-guide for the Eiger climb, said: “I had a great experience doing the RidgeWalk last year, so invited John along this time. I’m a little nervous, as sight guiding for 52 miles straight will be mentally, as well as physically, exhausting.”

The RidgeWalk begins at Barbury Castle, an Iron Age hill fort in Wiltshire, and will see John travel through the night, walking the oldest road in Britain, past landmarks such as the Uffington White Horse, before reaching the finish line at Field Farm in Watlington.

The RidgeWalk will take place on June 9 and 10.  If you are interested in participating please visit www.sense.org.uk/ridgewalk

To donate towards Mark and John’s challenge, please visit: www.justgiving.com/Mark-McGowan4

Scientists at the University of Birmingham are to investigate how a chemical found in a common garden plant could be better used to help heart patients.

Dr Davor Pavlovic has been awarded £170,000 by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to study how different patients respond to digoxin – a chemical found in foxgloves.

Digoxin was first discovered in 1785 by a noted botanist William Withering who lived and worked in Birmingham. It is currently used in medicines to treat patients with a common heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation and heart failure. Digoxin works by slowing the heart rate and reducing the strain placed on the heart muscle.

Recently, there has been debate between doctors about the safety and effectiveness of digoxin because, in some patients, it doesn’t always work as well as expected. But Dr Pavlovic and his team think that they may have discovered why.

Dr Davor Pavlovic, the lead researcher at the University of Birmingham, said: “We have found that a hormone in the blood - called cardiotonic steroids – may interfere with how the body responds to digoxin.

“Levels of cardiotonic steroids in the blood are higher in people with heart disease, but vary from person to person. This could be why digoxin works for some heart patients, but not as well in others.

“In this project we’re going to develop a new laboratory test for measuring cardiotonic steroids in the blood and also study their effect on heart cells in the laboratory.

“We hope that we can then use these results to propose new ways to personalise treatment for patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure.”

Colleague Professor Wiebke Arlt is the William Withering Chair in Medicine at the University of Birmingham, commemorating the contributions of William Withering. She says “I am excited to work on this project and examine the roles of digoxin and related cardiotonic steroids, thereby going full circle back to William Withering.”

If successful, this test will then be applied to patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure enrolled in the RATE-AF clinical trial led by Dr Dipak Kotecha.  The RATE-AF clinical trial is funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), which supports research within the National Health Service (NHS) in order to improve the health of the nation.

Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, added:

“Atrial fibrillation and heart failure can severely impair quality of life of people with these conditions, and current treatment options can be unpredictable.

“By funding this work we hope to answer some fundamental questions about why digoxin works less well in some patients than others. It is only because of the generous support of the public that we can invest in projects like this which seek to improve the treatments and lives of heart patients.

More than half a million people are living with heart failure, and at least a million people have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in the UK. By finding answers to important research questions, the British Heart Foundation is working to ensure that patients receive the best treatments possible. None of this would be possible without people’s generous donations in the fight against heart disease.