Two innovative housing schemes in Sandwell have been awarded prestigious Black Country Garden City status by a panel of planning and regeneration experts. They are a new £9.6 million supported living scheme off Oxford Road, West Bromwich, built by Engie on behalf of Sandwell Council, and a development of private homes, Regis Park in Doulton Road, Rowley Regis, built by Countryside. The accreditations follow visits to both projects by the Black Country Garden City panel, part of the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership. The schemes were assessed against a rigorous scoring system measuring them against ten Garden City design principles…
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Two teenagers suspected of robbing motorbikes after threatening owners with machetes and a firearm were arrested following a West Midlands Police pursuit. Officers patrolling Shard End at 8.30pm were flagged down by a member of the public reporting a gang of armed moped riders trying to steal a scooter in Hartshill Road. Traffic cops and the police helicopter pursued three bikes for several minutes through Ward End and Castle Bromwich as the suspects − each with a pillion passenger − sped on the wrong side of dual carriageways and along pavements. One bike was cornered in Shopton Close in Shard…
More than 40 City of Wolverhampton businesses became the latest to join the Aim for Gold business growth programme. It provides small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with one to one coaching, bespoke growth planning and peer to peer learning valued at up to £2,000. The part-funded European Regional Development Fund programme led by City of Wolverhampton Council’s business development team, also offers a further opportunity to access a cash contribution, averaging £10,000, towards the value of their business. The 3 year programme will support 120 companies, with a further 2 cohorts to be announced in autumn 2019 and winter 2019/20.…
Residents across Sandwell are being asked for their views on highways and transport services as part of a national survey. Anyone who receives the National Highways and Transport Public Satisfaction survey in the post is being urged to fill it in. The answers will be compared with the views of other members of the public across England and Scotland. In last year’s survey, Sandwell was ranked top out of the 12 West Midlands councils for overall public satisfaction across highway and transportation services. Sandwell was also named in the top three metropolitan councils for public satisfaction on work such as…
Staff at Sandwell Council put on an afternoon tea event for people with dementia and their carers as part of Dementia Action Week. Nearly 4,000 people in Sandwell are diagnosed with dementia. The event was officially opened by Colin Marsh, a service manager at Sandwell Council, who spoke about the importance of such events and how the council is looking to create a secure future for those diagnosed with dementia. More than 100 people came to Wednesbury Town Hall to see the Creative Arts group perform a show called The Good Old Days, which got everyone singing, dancing and clapping…
A call for communities to give what they can to save the hospice in Walsall. The adored hospice in Walsall has released devastating news that they are now facing closure due to failing donations and rising costs. A significant amount of posts and fundraising pages have been set up on social media, exploring ways in which the community can come together and save the hospice. One page set up by Colin Plant stated “Raising funds for Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust because it would be devastating for so many sick children.” The family of Isabella Lyttle, a Walsall school girl who…
Pastor Wesley De Costa wants to use music to help youngsters. A pastor from The Potters House Christian Fellowship Church, Wesley De Costa, has launched a campaign to tackle the increase in knife crime. He states “Violence – it doesn’t care about relatives. It’s not after anyone in particular; it’s after everyone.” Wesley has experienced the effects of such crimes following the death of his cousin, who was a victim of knife crime 11 years ago. The 25-year-old said “Knife crime, it’s always been around, but recently it’s been in the news a lot more and there has been an…
A Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) at the Beechdale Estate in Walsall has been extended for a further 3 years by Walsall Council. The Order which is supported by West Midlands Police was introduced in June 2016 to tackle a range of anti-social behaviour issues on the estate. As the original Order had been in place for three years, Walsall Council recently undertook a public consultation to gauge support for an extension – and this proposal was met with considerable public approval. PSPOs are an important tool that helps the council and partners to tackle ASB and to improve the…
People can enjoy a number of events at the Dudley Council run Himley Hall and Park this month. There will be an open day at the Earl of Dudley’s Memory Garden on Saturday 8 June from 11am to 4pm and on Sunday 9 June from 1pm to 3.30pm. The evocative Earl of Dudley’s private garden is the last resting place of actress Gertie Millar, wife of the second Earl of Dudley as well as the fourth Earl and his wife the film star Maureen Swanson. There will be stalls, organ music and refreshments on Saturday 8 June and people are…
Local mother-of-three Dani Saveker has completed her own legacy of kindness after performing one single act of charity every day, for the last three years. From leaving a free packet of sweets on a stranger’s car to baking her friend a cake for her baby shower – Ms Saveker believes that it’s the small selfless acts which can really uplift someone else’s day. The 46-year-old from Sutton Coldfield states her definition of kindness as “to give without exception or expectation… with most of the kindness acts, I don’t know how the recipient will have received them.” However, Ms Saveker doesn’t…