Families are being urged to take some simple steps to make sure they safely enjoy visits to farms and petting zoos this Spring. To avoid illness and enjoy a fun day out the UK Health Security Agency advises people to: always wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm running water immediately after contact with animals (including touching pens or fencing) and before eating or drinking – remember, hand gels and wipes do not kill these types of germs. if a dummy drops on the ground, it will need sterilising. when leaving a farm, boots, shoes and pushchair wheels should…

A hi-tech new Civic Centre car park system is to make it more welcoming and convenient for visitors, while helping improve traffic flow in the city. The work – part of City of Wolverhampton Council car park upgrades – will provide a faster, ticketless entry and exit. It will enable live data to be fed to the council’s electronic roadside signs so people can see where parking spaces are available. This will allow drivers to make decisions on approach to the city centre, easing traffic at peak times. Interactive digital screens at the car park will also be able to…

Work to build a new state-of-the-art Household Waste Recycling Centre and Waste Transfer Station in Walsall has ramped up on Middlemore Lane in Aldridge. In the last few weeks, tarmac has been laid to create the bays where residents will be able to recycle their waste for years to come. External cladding has also been fitted to buildings on the site, with both the waste transfer station and reuse shop now taking shape. Work at the site is expected to be complete by summer 2025, with a view to operations starting later in the year. “ The site is progressing…

A new five-year strategy to address and reduce the risk of infant mortality in the Walsall borough will be considered for approval by the Health and Wellbeing Board when it meets on Thursday 20 March 2025. The Walsall Infant Mortality Prevention and Reduction Strategy 2025-2030 aims to reduce infant mortality in Walsall to below the national average by 2030 and recognise and highlight the importance of a multi-agency approach to prevent infant mortality through collaborative working. It also aims to ensure people of childbearing age and expectant parents have access to information, services and help at the right time to…

Children in Oldbury are urging safe and responsible parking around their school after taking part in a street sign competition run by Sandwell Council, with the winning design created by pupil Sarina. The competition encouraged pupils at Brandhall Primary School to submit designs for a road safety sign to be displayed around the school entrances. Sarina’s design was selected by the council’s Road Safety Education Team as the winner and has been made into a sign for lighting columns at key points around the school to remind parents, carers and other motorists about the importance of safe parking. Pupils’ creativity…

Pop Voices and Boogaloo Babes member Anya Small, The Mayor of Solihull Councillor Shahin Ashraf MBE, and Solihull Council Councillor Wazma Qais A variety performance showcasing the best musicians and performers that Solihull has to offer will help celebrate the grand reopening of The Core Theatre. ‘We are Solihull’ will be the first performance in the main auditorium since August 2023, following the completion of remediation works to the roof. Hosted by The Mayor of Solihull, Cllr Shahin Ashraf MBE, to celebrate her year in office, the variety performance brings together an eclectic mix of music, dance and spoken word…

New College, Oxford has commissioned the world-renowned British Sculptor Paul Day to create a unique work of art which will celebrate the College’s role as the official birthplace of the MG marque. The unique bronze sculpture is due to be unveiled in the summer of 2026 and will be sited in a courtyard garden behind the Longwall Street building where William Morris and Cecil Kimber formally founded MG in May 1924 when the iconic MG Octagon was registered as a trademark of Morris Garages. Miles Young, Warden of New College, explains: “New College’s remarkable history dates back to 1379, however…

The Council wants to know what you think the borough’s information and advice service for adults should look like in future. The current service, run from community advice hubs in Chelmsley Wood library and The Core in Solihull town centre, provides information and advice about topics including finding and arranging care, support to manage disabilities and health conditions, applying for benefits, managing debt and energy efficiency. Councillor Tony Dicicco, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, explains that feedback will help the Council to decide on the new approach to community information and advice which will start in April…

An outline planning application for a new warehouse on a section of open space off Neachells Lane is set to be considered at Planning Committee next Tuesday (25 March). If approved the details of the plan, such as the design of public footpaths, layout, appearance, landscaping, lighting and noise mitigation measures, will be subject to extensive community engagement by the developer and scrutinised by planners under reserved matters, before any works start on site. The land was formally a coal mine and was later used as a landfill site before becoming a public open space in the 1990s. The indicative…

These events are part of a five-year project called Better Research for Better Health, creating a Health Determinants Research Collaboration in Sandwell, which is funded by the National Institute for Health Research. The aim is to improve how the council gathers and uses information to make decisions about local services. By listening to residents, the council can make sure that services truly meet the needs of the community and provide good value for money. The council wants to hear from people about what matters most to them when it comes to health and wellbeing. The roadshows will also give residents…