Walsall Council is continuing its commitment to supporting families access essentials through the cost of living crisis with the launch of two new community shops in the first week of August. Official launch of Lucy’s Pantry community shop in The Saddlers Shopping Centre Lucy’s Pantry officially opened the doors to its new, expanded premises at Saddlers Shopping Centre on Tuesday 5 August, offering a dignified, low-cost food shopping experience to residents across the borough. This will be followed two days later by the opening of the Love Blakenall Community Hub at Blakenall Village Centre on Thursday 7 August. “ We’re…

Twelve primary school pupils from across Walsall have been announced as the winners of a borough-wide competition to design banners promoting litter picking and tackling environmental waste. The competition, open to Key Stage 2 pupils, asked children to create artwork for Walsall Council’s Community Litter Watch Facebook page, aiming to raise awareness of litter issues and encourage residents to take pride in their communities. The winning entries will be featured as the page banner image—one each month for the next 12 months—highlighting the importance of community action to keep Walsall clean and green. Winning pupils were invited to a special…

Lakeside Live festival returns to Walsall on Sunday 17 August 2025, promising a day of electrifying performances, family-friendly fun, and diverse food options, all completely free to attend. The annual community music festival will take from 12:00pm to 6:00pm at the Walsall Arboretum Bandstand. The line-up of this year’s festival features 20 local acts, showcasing a vibrant mix of genres including rock, funk, reggae, folk, and blues. Fun-seekers can look forward to performances from contemporary folk singer Aayushi, live music from Ancient Champion Notion of Fortune, the Goddam Band, and Midnight Crossing. “ We are proud to bring back the…

440 families in Walsall have already signed up to the council’s newly launched Summer Adventure Passport. Summer adventure passport The passport is a free activity booklet packed full of fun, educational challenges aimed at families with children aged 0-5. Since 11 July, parents have been able to collect their passport from libraries and Family Hubs across Walsall, collecting stamps for each activity they complete together. The passport is an active step forward in the council’s vision to create a child-friendly borough by 2040, and ensure all children and young people are happy, healthy and are given the opportunities to thrive.…

People are being encouraged to share their views as the City of Wolverhampton Council recommissions local specialist domestic abuse support services. The council wants to hear from local residents, people affected by domestic abuse, and professionals from across Wolverhampton to help shape priorities and intentions for the new services to ensure they are effective, accessible and respond to local need. Domestic abuse specialist support services provide victims of domestic abuse with practical help, advice, and guidance. In Wolverhampton, support is available to women, men, and children who are either living in the community or in accommodation such as a refuge.…

More than 160 passionate and ambitious leaders, residents, and partners from across the borough came together at the first We Are Walsall 2040 conference. They celebrated shared successes and explored new ways to collaborate, working towards making Walsall the most improved borough in the region by 2040 and a vibrant, thriving community people are proud to call home. The event, held on Tuesday 24 June 2025 at the University of Wolverhampton’s Walsall Campus, also marked the launch of the first We Are Walsall 2040 biannual report, showcasing the significant progress made in the 18 months since the strategy’s inception. Sacha…

Walsall Council’s libraries across the borough are preparing to launch this year’s Summer Reading Challenge on Saturday 5 July 2025 to encourage children to maintain their reading habits during the school holidays. The challenge will run until Saturday 13th September 2025 under the exciting theme, ‘Story Garden – Adventures in Nature and the Great Outdoors’, which is designed to inspire children aged 4-11 to discover connections between storytelling and the natural world. “ This initiative is a great way to help children maintain a culture of reading over the school holidays, and I’m looking forward to seeing more children than…

Birmingham City Council is backing the UK-wide campaign for Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Awareness Week 2025, taking place from 30 June to 6 July. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the impact of ASB, support victims, and promote stronger, safer neighbourhoods for all. The week, led by community safety organisation Resolve, is supported by the UK Government, Local Government Association, police and fire services, housing providers, and community partners across the country. As part of the city’s contribution to this year’s campaign, Birmingham City Council is launching a series of actions under the theme #MakingCommunitiesSafer, with a strong focus on:…

We’re delighted to announce that our colleague Bart Shirm has won the regional RTPI Young Planner of the Year Awards for Planning Excellence 2025! The Royal Town Planning Institute’s award recognises the brightest and most outstanding planners who can demonstrate significant career achievements. Bart clearly showed this through his work to secure funding for the Tipton Town Centre Regeneration project and unlocking housing delivery on brownfield sites. Bart spoke about his career at the council: “I’m honoured to have been named RTPI Young Planner of the Year for the West Midlands. Since moving from the private sector into my role…

Mel Chevannes and Lord Lieutenant Derrick Anderson CBE shaking hands in front of Mel’s bust at Wolverhampton Art Gallery Dignitaries and members of the public joined together as the City of Wolverhampton Council celebrated Windrush Day with a flag raising and the unveiling of a bronze bust in honour of the city’s first African-Caribbean councillor, Mel Chevannes, on Sunday (22 June). Windrush Day is celebrated annually and honours the contributions made by the Windrush generation and their descendants to British society. Dignitaries and residents gathered outside the Civic Centre for the flag raising ceremony as speeches were made by…