A 93-year-old grandfather-of-five has given a resounding thumbs-up to autonomous driving technology currently being developed by Nissan – saying it has the potential to keep older motorists like him mobile and independent in later life. Brad Ashton from Enfield, experienced the ground-breaking tech for himself this week as Nissan marked the culmination of its evolvAD research project. He was invited by Nissan to take a ride along rural roads near the company’s Technical Centre in Cranfield, where work on autonomous driving (AD) systems continues apace. Brad, a retired comedy scriptwriter who has prepared material for the likes of Groucho Marx,…

Councillor Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council, volunteers from Veolia and Aldi, and staff from the Council’s Planting Our Future team joined together this week to plant 500 new saplings at Katherine’s Wood in Lavender Hall Park, Balsall Common. The new saplings, which include Field Maple, Red Maple, Alder, River Birch, Downy Birch, Beech, Oak, and Willow, will complement and further enhance the existing two-acre woodland at Katherine’s Wood. In addition to the woodland extension, members of the Berkswell Society have planted a community orchard at the park. The orchard includes apple trees, pear trees and plum trees. Aldi, the…

Soccer Aid for UNICEF is proud to announce Suzuki as a Principal Partner for this year’s event. As one of the world’s leading automotive brands for families, there is a perfect alignment with Soccer Aid’s mission of engaging and entertaining a nationwide family audience. As Principal Partners, Suzuki will be authentically integrated throughout the Soccer Aid campaign, with opportunities for fans to win exclusive prizes and experiences – alongside creating engaging pieces of content with the Soccer Aid talent to bring the features of the Suzuki vehicles to life, ahead of the exciting release of the new e Vitara later…

The Wolverhampton Local Plan to guide future development in the city up to 2042 has been submitted to the Secretary of State for an independent public examination. It sets out City of Wolverhampton Council’s commitment to regeneration and building on brownfield land first. Following its submission, the plan will undergo an independent examination by the planning inspectorate. Every local authority must prepare a local plan to guide regeneration, investment and planning application decisions for at least 15 years. The Wolverhampton Local Plan identifies environmental areas to protect and enhance, sites to allocate for housing development and employment use, key transport…

Thousands of pounds worth of illegal vapes, cigarettes and tobacco have been seized from a shop in Castle Bromwich, in the biggest haul of its kind. Police Officers from the Smith’s Wood and Castle Bromwich neighbourhood team joined up with colleagues from Solihull Trading Standards for a visit to the shop on 7 March. Inside, they found more than 25,000 illegal cigarettes and 1,200 vapes in addition to 80 bags of tobacco, making this the largest seizure of goods ever recovered in the borough. The visit is part of our ongoing work against illegal and counterfeit vapes and tobacco, which…

If you eventually decide to sell the organisation that you have nurtured, parting ways with it and moving on to a new project can If you eventually decide to sell the organisation that you have nurtured, parting ways with it and moving on to a new project can be even more difficult, for a number of reasons. To effectively manage this process, you not only need to understand how to sell a business, but also why you might want to take this step and what obstacles lie in your way. From the first discussion to the final negotiations, here Business…

Nearly every business has to go to the bank for funding assistance at some point, so I thought it would be helpful to outline some of the key ways to help yourself in getting the bank manager to say “yes”. Banks are the major source of finance for small business in the UK. When applying for finance from your bank it helps if you follow procedures. Firstly, always have a business plan. The main areas to be covered in a business plan are the management team background with details of qualifications and experience, the type of business and previous trading…

To celebrate the milestone of reaching 1.5 million active Kia Connect users, Kia Europe reflects on the recent evolution of its connected vehicle ecosystem. “Since its launch in 2019, Kia Connect has been demonstrating the company’s commitment to innovative, customer-centric solutions,” said Pablo Martínez Masip, Vice President Product & Marketing at Kia Europe and COO at Kia Connect. “By offering seamless connectivity, high-tech features, and personalised services, it has transformed the driving experience for millions of customers across Europe.” A closer look at Kia Connect users The Kia Connect user base reflects a broad spectrum of drivers who are…

An ambitious national plan to reinvent work experience for schoolchildren is to be tested in the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). New pilot guarantees 10 days’ worth of modern work experience starting earlier in secondary school and building skills for every child the workplace West Midlands Combined Authority chosen as one of four national pilots The pilot is targeting disadvantaged young people in the region to break down barriers with high-quality provision for all as part of efforts to prevent young people becoming NEET WMCA Careers Hub are working in partnership with the City of Wolverhampton Council to identify and…

Nearly every business has to go to the bank for funding assistance at some point, so I thought it would be helpful to outline some of the key ways to help yourself in getting the bank manager to say “yes”. Banks are the major source of finance for small business in the UK. When applying for finance from you bank it helps if you follow procedures. Firstly, always have a business plan. The main areas to be covered in a business plan are the management team background with details of qualifications and experience, the type of business and previous trading…