An award winning Wolverhampton social enterprise has welcomed support from the city council in the form of a new long term lease agreement on its headquarters. Aspiring Futures provides education, training and support to women and girls across a range of ethnic groups within the community from The Saplings in Parkfield Road. Following approval by the council’s Cabinet, a 25 year lease on the council owned facility – adjacent to Windsor Nursery School – will be put in place. The modern single storey building was previously part of the nursery school but was vacated in 2018 due to funding. The…

PM2.5-related exposure. Larissa Lockwood, Director of Clean Air at Global Action Plan said: “Lighting fires in our homes is now the largest source of toxic fine particle air pollution in the UK, presenting a range of serious health risks including heart and lung disease, diabetes, and dementia. “Despite growing evidence of the UK’s burning problem – like this new research from the University of Birmingham – many people are still unaware that wood burning is harming our health and the planet. “While many work to communicate these harms through moments such as Clean Air Night, we need urgent action from…

The annual report of Wolverhampton’s Director of Public Health, John Denley, is now available – and, for the first time, is presented in an online, interactive format. The report, Our Children, Our Future, outlines the support which is being provided for the city’s children and young people, and how the city is working together to support the next generation to live healthier, happier lives. It includes audio from Health Champions at Bilston Primary School and Heath Park School, enabling the voice of the child to be heard on topics including infant feeding, healthy behaviours and physical activity. There are also…

Over 80 volunteers undertook a huge community clean up and the volunteers filled over 300 refuse sacks but also discovered discarded plastic, sofas and even a fridge freezer. Many volunteers had travelled from as far as London, Bristol and Plymouth. A huge thank you to the Dakok Support Group and their members who worked tirelessly throughout the morning, working in a positive and professional manner, and making a real difference to the local area and community. Many residents and dog walkers stopped to thank the group for all the hard work and efforts. The Dakok Support Group helps and assists…

Drone: The new tool in the council’s fight against fly tipping in the city. (LTR) Thomas Hawkins, section leader – fly tipping, Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services and Ian Crutchley, senior compliance officer A new drone will help City of Wolverhampton Council to keep fly tippers in its sights as the authority continues its fight against the crime. The ‘eye in the sky’ will allow officers to easily scan areas that have been victim to fly tipping and collect high quality footage to assist with prosecutions. It will also identify hot spots to target…

November is Men’s Health Awareness Month – and people in Wolverhampton are being encouraged to seek advice and support whenever it is needed. Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults and Wellbeing, said: “Men’s Health Awareness Month is a national campaign that focuses on raising awareness and to encourage us to talk about some of the key aspects of men’s wellbeing. “Men, for whatever reason, are generally less likely to talk about their health – and in particular their mental health – and we want to change that, and in particular highlight the issues of…

Today (Monday 18 November, 2024) marks the start of International Fraud Awareness Week, and the City of Wolverhampton Council is reaffirming its commitment to protecting public funds and services from fraud. Public sector fraud costs the UK billions annually, affecting the NHS, schools and other vital services. The council works collaboratively with the Public Sector Fraud Authority, wider Government and with external partners to find and prevent fraud. Councillor Louise Miles, Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “The council has a policy of zero tolerance towards public sector fraud. It is far from a victimless crime, and its impacts ripple through…

carbohydrates. The food that a person consumes should have vitamins, minerals and fiber. A lot of this can come from oats, rice, potatoes and cereals. The best still come from vegetables and fruits since these have phytochemicals, enzymes and micronutrients that are essential for a healthy diet. The second is fat which can come from mono and poly saturated food sources rather than animal fats. Since fat contains more than double the number of calories in food, this should be taken in small quantities to gain or lose weight. Another way to stay healthy is to give up some…

Woodburning has a major impact on air quality in Birmingham and the West Midlands – accounting for a substantial proportion of all fine pollution particles and representing a significant risk to public health, a new study reveals. University of Birmingham researchers found that biomass burning, primarily from woodburning activities, such as heating homes using woodburning stoves or logs on open fires, contributes significantly to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels in the region – accounting for some 20% of the total PM2.5 mass. Publishing their findings in Atmospheric Environment, the researchers call for targeted measures to mitigate health risks associated with…

Birmingham City Council is encouraging local businesses to find out more about retrofitting and how they can benefit from being involved in carrying out energy improvements to homes across the city. It is estimated that around 270,000 homes require retrofitting in Birmingham alone. For this reason, the council is looking to grow existing supply chains and the people, skills and organisations needed to deliver the work. Retrofitting is a process that makes homes warmer, less damp and more comfortable while making them more energy-efficient and cheaper to run. As well as saving on energy bills retrofitting also reduces carbon emissions.…