Local News

WALLOP Boxing Club’s director and lead coach, Carl Dickens, insists the club’s weekend show promises to be the biggest and best yet. The show takes place on Saturday, June 27 at Bromsgrove Rugby Club with tickets available on the door. Redditch-based Wallop will face a Midlands Select squad in the first half of the show at Finstall Park. And the second half of the show will pit an Elite Midlands county squad against the UK Armed Forces. Dickens said:…

A REDDITCH foodbank has made an urgent appeal to residents after seeing food donations fall significantly while the number of people needing support continues to grow. Acts of Kindness Foodbank said life for many families across Redditch was becoming increasingly difficult. Rising household costs, unexpected bills, reduced working hours, illness and financial pressures are leaving more people struggling to make ends meet. As a result, more individuals and families are turning to the foodbank for help. At the same…

THE MET Office has upgraded its extreme heat warning from amber to red for Redditch, Alcester and Studley for Wednesday and Thursday. According to the forecaster, temperatures could soar to 37°C on Wednesday and 39°C on Thursday. The red warning is in place for 36 hours – from 9am on Wednesday to 9pm on Thursday. The MET Office predicts significant disruption to daily life and has urged the public to take every effort to make precautions and adapt their…

THE MET Office has upgraded its extreme heat warning from amber to red for Worcestershire for Wednesday and Thursday. According to the forecaster, temperatures could soar to 37°C on Wednesday and 39°C on Thursday. The red warning is in place for 36 hours – from 9am on Wednesday to 9pm on Thursday. The MET Office predicts significant disruption to daily life and has urged the public to take every effort to make precautions and adapt their daily routines where…

MORE than 1,000 singers from Rock Choir, the world’s largest contemporary choir, came together for an ambitious 12-hour charity singathon in Derby and Redditch. Together, the two events created 24 combined hours of live music, making it one of the largest singing charity events ever staged by Rock Choir in The Midlands and surrounding areas. From 9am until 9pm, Rock Choir Members kept the music going continuously in support of two children’s charities – Rainbows Hospice for Children and…

THE CHAIR of Trustees for the Worcestershire Breast Unit Haven (WBUH) charity has been made an MBE as part of the King’s Birthday Honours. Fiona Charny was recognised for services to breast cancer patients. Mrs Charny, has been the chair of Trustees for WBUH for 10 years before previously driving the capital appeal to build the Worcestershire Breast Unit with Steven Thrush between 2006 and when the Unit opened ten years ago in 2016. In addition to her role…

VITALLY-NEEDED improvements have been made by Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service. Its performance rating has risen from “requires improvement” to “good” in the latest inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) In 2021 HMICFRS found a number of causes for concern in the service’s performance. In particular, it was concluded WFRS ‘urgently’ needed to improve the effectiveness of its fire safety regulation. According to the report, high-risk residential buildings had still not been…

THE SCORCHING heat did not stop the crowds turning out for the unveiling of a blue plaque installed in Hunt End in Redditch, marking 125 years of Royal Enfield motorcycles. Organised by the company and World Origin Site, the plaque will commemorate the industrial legacy of the original Royal Enfield  factory in the town. Redditch is the official home of Royal Enfield and the ‘Bullet’ which was made in the factory in Hewell Road, from 1932. The company was…

One in eight Britons could be using weight-loss medication by next year, according to a new report which predicts the number of adults taking GLP-1 drugs will more than double to seven million. Analysis by consulting firm PwC Strategy& forecasts that the number of UK adults using glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications will rise from around three million today to seven million by 2027, equivalent to approximately 13 per cent of the population. The projected growth is expected to be…

Sir Keir Starmer has announced that he will resign as Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party, bringing to an end a tumultuous period in British politics less than two years after Labour’s landslide general election victory. Speaking outside Number 10 Downing Street on Monday morning, an emotional Sir Keir reflected on his time in office and the journey that brought Labour back to power after years in opposition. At points during the statement, the Prime Minister appeared…