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…

Walsall Council is marking National Allotments Week 2025, which runs until Sunday 17 August, by celebrating the growing role allotments play in supporting physical and mental wellbeing across the borough. The theme this year is “Allotments and Wellbeing” and focuses on the positive impact of allotment gardening on health, nutrition, and community connection. Walsall’s allotment sites offer residents a chance to grow fresh produce, stay active, meet others, and enjoy the outdoors. Some events are scheduled to take place across Walsall’s allotment sites this August, starting with a special growing show and friendly competition hosted by the North Walsall Allotment…

Leader of Walsall Council, Councillor Mike Bird, presented his report at a meeting of full council last night (Wednesday 30 July), highlighting the impressive plans to transform Walsall Town Centre. CGI of walsall saddlers centre The Town Centre Connected Gateway project is already underway, with the downstairs area of the Saddlers Centre set to complete construction in Autumn this year. Major works to transform the town centre by creating a clearer link between the town’s rail and bus stations and improve the surrounding area to make the town centre more appealing will then commence in early 2026, with contractor Kier…

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.…

Poundland founder Steve Smith Steve Smith launched the retail chain Poundland in 1990. From humble beginnings he worked his way up from selling on market stalls to running the multi-million-pound retail business which he went onto sell almost 20 years ago. Speaking recently at the first ever We Are Walsall 2040 conference, Smith originally from Willenhall, was optimistic about the future of the borough: “It is the people of Walsall who make me most proud to come from this area. I built my business with good people and with good people, who work hard, you can achieve a great deal.”…

M6 J9 resurfacing areas of closure – National Highways network (Blue) local authority network (Red) Carriageway resurfacing works on the M6 Junction 9 roundabout will be taking place every night from Sunday 20 July to Friday 8 August between 10pm and 5am. Whilst working is taking place the whole roundabout, including exits from, and accesses to, the motorway will be closed. Anyone passing through or intending to use Junction 9 is advised to plan ahead of the roadworks taking place and be aware of the diversions in place if travelling northbound or southbound of the M6 or passing through…

A three-day pop-up exhibition celebrating the borough’s inspiring women through art will take place this July. ‘My Queen’ will run from 15 to 17 July 2025 at The New Art Gallery Walsall, with a special open day on Tuesday 15 July at 12.30pm. Organised by LGK in The Community, the exhibition marks the launch of Queens of the City, a flagship project funded by the Heritage Lottery and part-funded by Walsall Council. This pioneering initiative celebrates Walsall’s rich and diverse heritage by uplifting the stories of women from both migrant and established communities through food, art, and storytelling. As part…

Walsall Council’s planning service has been recognised for its significant progress and transformation following a recent Planning Peer Challenge conducted by the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) in March 2025. The Peer Challenge, held from 5–7 March at the Council’s invitation, provided an independent and honest assessment of the planning service’s performance. The findings highlighted a service that has made substantial strides since its last review in 2021, evolving into a high-performing, customer-focused operation that consistently exceeds national targets. “ We are very proud of the progress our planning service has made. This recognition…

Bookings have gone live for Walsall Council’s successful Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme. Eligible families can book activities for the summer programme that will take place for four weeks this summer: Monday 28 July – Friday 1 August Monday 4 August – Friday 8 August Monday 11 August – Friday 15 August Monday 18 August – Friday 22 August The council works with over 75 providers in the borough to offer children and young people aged 5 to 16 years old, fun, local activities, while providing the opportunity for learning and developing new skills. The programme enables children…