Wolverhampton Symphony Orchestra and young musicians from Wolverhampton Youth Orchestra raised the roof at the city’s premiere music venue as they put on an incredible display of live music for more than 2,500 local students on Tuesday 11 February, 2025. Wolverhampton Music Service provided free tickets to secondary and special schools across the Black Country for 2 concerts at The University of Wolverhampton at The Halls. Students were able to learn about the development of orchestral music through the years, with performances of pieces by Charpentier, Beethoven, Mozart, Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Holst, Christopher Tin and John Williams, and there was also…

This is a balanced budget for 2025/26, subject to the outcome of the final local government settlement. It includes proposals for spending, efficiencies and council tax. “ The Government must address funding for local authorities to enable councils to meet rising demand, particularly in social care. Walsall Council has a track record of strong financial management, but it is not sustainable for us to keep raising council tax and using our reserves to balance the budget. This is a national crisis that this council can’t solve on its own. What is needed is a fair, multi-year government settlement in future…

Wolverhampton’s Young Poet Laureate and Primary Poet Champion were officially unveiled at this year’s Wolverhampton Literature Festival. Young Poet Laurate Agneta Krieva, from Ormiston SWB Academy, and Primary Poet Champion Florence Ehigie, from SS Mary & John’s Primary Academy, were chosen from dozens of budding poets after winning a competition organised by Wolverhampton’s library service. This year, children and young people are asked to write a poem about friendship entitled ‘Life is better with friends’. Councillor Obaida Ahmed, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Digital and Community, said: “For the past 5 years, our library service has been…

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is offering grants of between 20,000 and £14.642 million to not-for-profit organisations for projects that take surplus food off farms and into the redistribution system with the aim of helping to fight hunger in communities in England. Proposals need to: Build stronger collaborations with farmers to access surplus food. Expand logistical capacity to transport and distribute rescued produce efficiently. Invest in critical infrastructure such as refrigeration, storage facilities, and transport vehicles to keep food fresh and safe for redistribution. Procure packaging and labelling equipment to streamline the handling of surplus goods.…

In the spirit of Valentines Day, Walsall Council is encouraging residents to love their environment by disposing of their waste responsibly. Each year in the UK, approximately 220 million roses, 25,000 tonnes of plastic and cardboard packaging, 25 million cards, and 13,500 miles of gift wrap are sold. Walsall Council is encouraging residents to think mindfully about their gift purchases and ensure that waste is disposed of responsibly. presents to reduce waste. By being mindful of our choices, we can all help make Walsall cleaner and greener and avoid contributing to landfill. “ Councillor Kerry Murphy, Portfolio Holder for…

Bentley owner’s love of the marque begins in childhood, and the owner of the third of twelve Speed Six Continuation Series is no exception. In his case, it was a ‘Models of Yesteryear’ scale model Blower Bentley, given to him by his uncle, that sparked a lifelong fascination with the pre-war Bentley racing cars. The owner and his wife enjoy a stable of Crewe-built Bentleys, including a first-generation Continental GT, a motorsports-inspired Continental GT3R, second-generation Continental Supersports and First Edition Bentayga. Pride of place however goes to his Continuation Series ‘Blower’ 4½ Litre Supercharged and the latest addition, a Continuation…

Image from www.sandwell.gov.uk The Restoration of the historic community buildings was completed by the people for the people. The award is sponsored by Hortons’ Estate Limited. The 2024 award recognises the restoration of the High Street’s striking Grade II Town Hall and Library. The Town Hall was designed by Alexander and Henman, opening in 1874 –5, with the Central Library by Weller and Proud, added in 1907. The Central Library was a gift to the people of West Bromwich from the astonishingly generous Scottish-American philanthropist and industrialist, Andrew Carnegie, who endowed 660 libraries in the United Kingdom alone. The Victorian…

Birmingham’s annual settlement to fund public health services has been announced to be £108 million in 2025/26. This confirms an increase to the existing annual public health grant of 3%. The government funding, announced on 7th February, will be used to continue driving vital services such as smoking cessation, addiction recovery, health visitors, school nurses, sexual health clinics, and public health support for local NHS services. It supports the government’s 10-year plan to shift the focus from treatment to local prevention programmes tailored to communities, which it hopes will reduce pressures on the NHS. This, in turn, supports Birmingham City…

Amrik Sangha, a Health Improvement Officer with the City of Wolverhampton Council, with one of the vape kits that are available to people who want to Swap to Stop smoking Smokers in Wolverhampton are coming forward to take advantage of help and support as they look to ‘Swap to Stop’. The Government aims for the country to become ‘smokefree’ by 2030, and is offering a million free ‘Swap to Stop’ vaping kits which, combined with behavioural support, are designed to help them quit smoking. The City of Wolverhampton Council has made these available at a range of community venues,…

In September 2019, the council declared a climate emergency, later committing to a Net Zero target of 2041. The Walsall Net Zero 2041 Strategy sets out the priorities and actions needed to achieve net zero into six themes. These are: Energy: Focusing on reducing energy consumption, increasing efficiency, and transitioning to renewable energy sources. Circular and Green Economy: Promoting sustainable production and consumption, reducing waste, and supporting green skills and business opportunities. Homes, Workplaces, and Public Buildings: Improving energy efficiency in buildings, retrofitting existing buildings, and ensuring new buildings are net zero ready. Transport and Travel: Reducing emissions…