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ANNIVERSARY OF BRITAIN'S FIRST FREE DAILY PAPER
Local free newspaper The Daily News will soon be celebrating its' 20th. birthday.
The Daily News was set up by entrepreneur Chris Bullivant and first appeared in October, 1984.
The paper, later owned by Reed, was delivered to up to 340,000 homes in Birmingham and Solihull four mornings a week and is also credited with being Europe's first free daily.
It soon established a respected voice and earned a reputation which led it to win a number of awards. Many staff went on to greater things on national newspapers and in broadcasting or public relations.
The product was a prototype for similar papers in other cities. But a severe recession and a fierce advertising war led to its demise in 1991 when it became a weekly and changed its name to Metro News.

DRIVERS URGED TO SHOP AROUND FOR CAR INSURANCE
People living in the Midlands are most likely to have faced a hike in their premiums when they came to renew their cover, with 48% saying the cost of their insurance had gone up, followed by 43% of people in the North West, Wales and the West.
More than a third of motorists have faced increased car insurance premiums despite growing competition in the market, research showed today.
Around 35% of drivers said last time they renewed their motor cover their premium was higher, rising by an average of 8.9%.
A further 17% said their premiums had stayed the same, while only 24% had seen a reduction.
But Sainsbury’s Bank claims the majority could see the cost of their insurance fall if they shopped around, particularly if they looked beyond traditional providers.
It estimates that motorists could reduce their premiums by an average of £90 each by scouring the market for the most competitive deal, a collective saving of more than £2 billion.
Joanne Mallon, car insurance manager at Sainsbury’s Bank, said: “Competition has increased in the car insurance marketplace, which is good news for motorists if they are prepared to shop around for cover. They can increase the quality of their insurance and also reduce their premiums.”

SUSPECTED TERRORIST RELEASED
One of the 13 detainees interned in Britain for nearly three years as suspected international terrorists was released yesterday from ahigh security prison by the UK home secretary, David Blunkett, without any detailed explanation being offered.
The release of the Algerian national, identified only as D, comes just three months after he was said by a special judicial commission to have a ``long history of involvement in terrorist support activity'' and the ability and commitment to resume that work were he at liberty in Britain.
His solicitor, Natalie Garcia, said last night she had broken the news to him: ``He was absolutely choked. All he could say was `I don't understand'. He feels he's been locked up for three years just on a whim.''
Mr Blunkett in a statement to British MPs said yesterday he had made the decision because ``the weight of evidence'' no longer justified D's continued detention and he was revoking the certificate branding him a suspected international terrorist. A UK Home Office spokeswoman would not elaborate on the reasons for the decision other than saying that the decision was made ahead of the second statutory review of his case. She added that the home secretary had always promised to act on new information or a change in circumstances.
The Algerian man walked free from Woodhill high security prison near Milton Keynes in south-east England yesterday afternoon and has been given ``discretionary leave to stay'' in the country for six months with ``a range of assistance'' from the national asylum support service.
Mr Blunkett told British MPs yesterday: ``In revoking D's certificate I have made clear that any further activities that are assessed to be a threat to national security could lead to him being certified again.''
The decision mystified human rights campaigners who said it raised questions over the accuracy of the intelligence used to detain him. The Algerian national lost an appeal against his internment last October when the special immigration appeals commission (Siac) backed Mr Blunkett's decision to detain him indefinitely. He was among the original 13 detained in December 2001 when the government's emergency anti-terror laws came into effect.
Mr Justice Ouseley, the Siac chairman, described him as ``a practiced and accomplished liar''. He was said to be an active supporter of the GIA, the Algerian armed Islamic group which is banned in Britain. The Siac ruling said he was based at a Birmingham bookshop where he developed links with Abu Qatada, the Muslim cleric accused of links to al-Qaida who is also interned under the anti-terror laws.
Amnesty International's director, Kate Allen, welcomed his release, but added: ``The irony is that the UK home secretary's decision is, like the internment process itself, secretive, part of a shadow justice system rather than the rule of law.''

TWO STABBED IN SEPARATE CITY CENTRE ATTACKS
A woman died and a man was taken to hospital after they were both stabbed within yards of each other in two separate incidents, police said today.
The woman was attacked near a hairdresser’s on Ladypool Road in the Sparkbrook area of Birmingham shortly after 2.30pm.
She was taken to the city’s Selly Oak Hospital where she died a short time later.
A West Midlands Police spokeswoman said that a man was also found stabbed in Birchwood Road, just off Ladypool Road.
He was also taken to hospital but his condition is not yet known.
It is not clear at this stage whether the two attacks are linked but the area has been cordoned off while investigations continue.
The dead woman’s identity has not yet been released.

APPLE TO OPEN BIRMINGHAM STORE
Apple Computer has confirmed it will open a second retail store in Great Britain in early 2005. The new Apple Store will be located in Birmingham.
News of the second store came on Apple's employment Web site, seeking people to fill job openings. Unlike it's flagship store which will open Saturday, November 20 in London on Regent Street, the second location will be at the Bullring shoping center in Birmingham, which is 120 miles northwest of London. The Birmingham area has a population of about one million people.
It is not known how large Apple's new location will be.
The Bullring has over 1.2 million square feet of retail space and over 140 shops and kiosks, according to the centers Web site. The shopping mall was recently awarded Retail Project of the Year 2004 as part of the inaugural Builder & Engineer Awards.

MURDER SQUAD DETECTIVE FOUND DEAD
Colleagues today expressed their shock at the death of a former murder squad detective who was found with a fatal shotgun wound to the head.
The body of retired West Midlands Police Detective Chief Inspector Michael Slough, 53, was discovered at his home near Pershore, Worcestershire, early on Friday.
Mr Slough had retired from the Crime Support Unit, based at force headquarters in Birmingham, in 2001 after a two-year spell in the National Crime Squad.
Before that he had worked as a murder squad detective at Bournville Lane police station in Birmingham and spent time on the force’s drug squad.
Paul Tonks, chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, said officers had been shocked to learn of Mr Slough’s death.
Mr Tonks said: “Mick was a well-liked and popular police officer. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to his family at this tragic time.
“He was an extremely experienced detective whose views and opinions were well regarded and it would be fair to say you would struggle to find anyone with a bad word to say about him.
“He was a genuinely nice man. That is why I am absolutely shocked and stunned by his death.”
A spokesman for West Mercia Police, whose officers were called to Mr Slough’s home, said: “A shotgun was recovered from the premises and a coroner’s report is being compiled.
“We believe that the victim died as result of a shotgun wound to the head and we are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.”
An inquest into Mr Slough’s death will open at the coroner’s court in Stourport-on-Severn tomorrow.

CHILDREN'S CHARITY IN VOLUNTEER PLEA
A national children's charity today made a plea for volunteers to come forward and become ambassadors in their local community.
KidsOut aims to provide fun and happiness for disadvantaged and special needs children throughout the UK. The organisation is looking for volunteers who can act as KidsOut Ambassadors to help raise the profile of the charity, look for local
disadvantaged children who need help and identify fundraising initiatives.
Volunteers would have to give up just a few hours each month to help children where they live and make a difference to their local community.
KidsOut helps children from a range of backgrounds. Some have learning difficulties or are physically handicapped, while others are seriously deprived or abused, are carers, in women's refuges, hospices, hospitals or special schools.
The foundations of KidsOut were firmly laid in the 1960s when
Littlewoods 'founder Sir John Moores began The Liverpool Motorists' day out, where car owners took disabled and disadvantaged children out for a trip.
It evolved when, in 1990, Sir John's daughter, Lady Granchester, formed KidsOut with help from the Rotary Clubs of Great Britain and Littlewoods.
The organisation now not only provides fun days out for children, but also operates a successful grant aid system for assistance in the purchase of special equipment, toys, and holidays.
It helps individuals, families and groups by offering opportunities to be involved in special projects, such as drama, art and sport, and provides counselling, advice and respite care for children and their carers.
In 2003 the charity helped more than 38,000 children in the UK and aims to increase this number to over 50,000 in 2004/2005.
For more information and an informal chat call KidsOut on 01525 385 252, send an email to kidsout@kidsout.org.uk or visit www.kidsout.org.uk.

ENJOY STUNNING VIEWS AND HELP OTHER TO SEE
Sight Savers International is calling for volunteers to walk across the stunning Malvern Hills on Sunday 3rd October. This annual event is in its 32nd year and raises money to support the charity's work preventing and curing blindness in some of the poorest countries in the world.
Community Fundraiser for the area, Viv Brinsdon says: "The Malvern Hills are incredibly beautiful and, with checkpoints between two and two and a half miles apart, participants can choose a short stroll, an invigorating hike or something in between. The distance from north to south is six and a half miles and quite a few walkers opt for the full 13 mile round trip. Whatever distance people choose, the sponsorship money will help to save someone's sight."
Sight Savers works with local partner organisations in 32 countries to provide simple and cost effective medical treatments to prevent and cure blindness. For example it costs just £17 to restore the sight of a person blinded by cataracts, and just 75p to protect a family from river blindness, a disease that threatens the sight of over 135 million people in Africa.
Viv continues: "It's an outrageous fact that 4 out of 5 blind people in the world today are needlessly so - their blindness could be prevented or cured. Last year's walk raised an impressive £10,200; enough to restore sight to over 350 children who are blind from cataracts. We are hoping that this year we can raise even more, to help us at make sure that unnecessary blindness becomes a thing of the past."
If you, your school, church or community group would like to register for the Malvern Hills Walk on Sunday 3rd October, please telephone 01373 452272 for a Walk Pack or email frome@sightsavers.org.

22nd.September 2004

MAN IN COURT OVER CITY STABBINGS
A man has been charged with murder and attempted murder following a double stabbing in city streets, police said today.
Sadie Hemmings, 39, was attacked near a hairdresser’s on Ladypool Road in the Sparkbrook area of Birmingham on Monday afternoon.
A post-mortem examination revealed she sustained stab wounds to her neck and chest and died from her injuries.
An 18-year-old man was taken to hospital after being found stabbed in nearby Birchwood Road.
West Midlands Police said a 40-year-old man was charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with the attacks on Tuesday night.
He is due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court today.

FIRST ISLAMIC BANK OPENS
The new Islamic Bank of Britain's branch on the Edgware Road
The UK's first Islamic law compliant stand-alone High Street bank is to launch in London on Wednesday.
The Islamic Bank of Britain's first branch will open on Edgware Road, popular with London's Arab community.
The venture was given the go-ahead by the City regulator the Financial Services Authority in August.
The bank will be run along strict Sharia Law Muslim guidelines, which forbid interest payments and stipulates charges should be agreed in advance.
A spokesman said that all banking services will be overseen by a Sharia Supervisory Committee - experts in the interpretation of Islamic law and how it can be applied to personal finance products.
According to the principles of Islamic banking, all money must be invested in purely ethical industries
The giving or receiving of interest is forbidden
Money cannot be simply traded for money
Money can be used to buy goods or services, which can then be sold for a profit
The committee will meet on a regular basis to review all contracts and agreements relating to transactions, as well as to advise and sanction any new products or services.
From Wednesday, the bank will offer savings accounts at its Edgware branch and also nationally via postal and telephone banking.
The savings account will not offer interest on savers' funds; instead the bank will trade in Sharia compliant investments and share the profits with savers.
The bank plans on setting up other branches around the country, in Birmingham and Leicester in November 2004, with a further eight branches planned in 2005.
Internet banking will be launched in April 2005.
"We are delighted to be opening our first branch," said Michael Hanlon, managing director.
"It marks a new era in Islamic banking in the UK and the beginning of our work to broaden our product offering and branch network."

£6 MILLIOM WASTED IN JUST A CLICK!
More than £6 million of public money has been wasted on a scheme which has trained just 450 people on how to use a computer and log onto the internet.
The plug has been pulled on the Click! Sandwell project after just 18 months.
The £22m project has already cost around £13,000 a head to teach people how to use the internet. The scheme had aimed to train 27,000 people over eight years.
Six workers have been made redundant and an investigation will now be carried out by a watchdog scrutiny committee.
The scheme was an attempt to encourage people to use the internet, and to deliver training and help people get jobs.
The project was to have 120 learning centres across Sandwell, stocked with computers to allow people to use the internet.
Work-related training was to be given to people in work while other courses would show over 60-year-olds how to use the internet and send e-mails. But, although it managed to train 450, demand for the courses was far lower than expected.
Now an investigation has been launched to discover why so much taxpayers' money was spent on a scheme that helped so few people.
It will also investigate how much Sandwell Council money has been spent on the project, which has been largely funded by the publicly-funded Advantage West Midlands organisation.
The scheme was unveiled in March 2002 and was due to have £22m poured in over eight years.
So far, £6 million has been spent on salaries, equipment, software and other start-up costs. Click! Sandwell has also failed to hit the target of raising £9 million of money from the private sectors - with just £500,000 pledged from companies.
Sandwell Council confirmed that a decision was taken to wind down the project in private session of the authority cabinet on Wednesday.
The decision was prompted after Advantage West Midlands stopped its financial support.
Sandwell Council argues that the project has had some success and has linked every Sandwell school to broadband internet helping benefit thousands of children.
Councillor Steve Eling, deputy Sandwell Council leader, said: "We must remember that Click! Sandwell is a partnership programme with its own board, which is responsible for how it is run.
"Advantage West Midlands does have a place on that board and therefore some influence and responsibility."
The authority is now looking at the risk to the council of continuing to act as an accountable body to Advantage West Midlands on other projects, he said.
A report will be presented to Sandwell Council to reveal the number and size of projects the authority runs with the regeneration body.
The council is seeking legal advice and a meeting with West Bromwich East MP Tom Watson with a view to raising the subject at Westminster.

CHARITY BIKE RIDE BILLIONAIRE SEEKS UNPAID SUPPORT STAFF
Britain's seventh richest man made a public appeal today to find a masseur and a driver who will work for him for free.
But businessman John Caudwell insists he is not basking in the luxury of his fortune. Instead, he said he needs support staff to help him complete a 2,300-mile charity bike ride next month.
Mr Caudwell, 52, who set up and owns Phones 4U, said his team had been let down at the last minute and needed to find replacement personnel.
His preparation for the 18-day Athens to Stoke ride was also
complicated when his ?5,000 bike was stolen from the London City Hall bike rack while he attended an Olympic torchbearers reception inside.
The billionaire, who was seventh in The Sunday Times "rich list", is due to take receipt of his replacement bicycle in the next few days, before starting the challenge on October 18.
The businessman, who promised employees a £1million bonus on achieving certain targets, warned potential staff it would be a hard slog.
He said: "This won't be a gentle trundle. We'll be going at race pace across five countries - and that takes its toll.
"We've been let down at the last minute by both a masseur and a driver, so we need both - fast. The job may suit somebody involved in sport who's out of season, possibly a student on a gap year. But they'll need energy, and they'll need to be resourceful and upbeat."
Mr Caudwell has a personal fortune of £1.4 billion and is a keen
cyclist who regularly rides 160 miles from his business HQ in Stoke, Staffordshire, to London for business meetings.
The Caudwell Charitable Trust which he heads has raised millions for children's charities in the UK.
Applicants for the two posts should call 01782 600869.

MAN DIES AFTER ATTACK IN TOILETS
A man died in hospital today after being stabbed in the eye following a dispute in public toilets, police said.
A murder inquiry was launched into the death of a 36-year-old man, from Coventry, who was found lying in the road outside facilities near the city’s Highfield Road stadium.
The victim is thought to have been involved in an argument with his attacker which spilled out into the street.
Police responded to an anonymous 999 call on Sunday evening and found the man collapsed at the junction of Far Gosford Street and Binley Road.
He was taken to the Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital where his condition deteriorated and he was pronounced dead at 8.40am.
West Midlands Police are appealing to anyone who witnessed the attack, which happened at around 11.15pm, or the earlier dispute to come forward.
Officers are particularly keen to speak to the man who made the emergency call as they believe he may have vital information.

23rd.September 2004

FUNDING WINDFALL FOR MINORITY GROUPS
Black and minority ethnic groups in the East Midlands were celebrating today after discovering they could be in line for a slice of a £700,000 windfall.
East Midlands-based groups are now being encouraged to apply for funding of up to £60,000 to improve their local communities.
Bosses at the Big Lottery Fund have earmarked groups in the region for grants after recognising that many had lost out in the past.
Gurjeet Lail, outreach officer for the Big Lottery Fund East Midlands regional office, said: "At present we are not getting enough smaller grant applications from black and ethnic minority organisations."Grants of up to £60,000 can make a real difference to new groups, as well as larger more established organisations."We want to fund groups that can make lasting changes and improvements to their communities."
Big Lottery Fund is the joint operating name of the New Opportunities Fund and the National Lottery Charities Board, which made grants under the name of the Community Fund.
Launched in June, the Big Lottery Fund is distributing half of all
National Lottery good cause funding across the UK.
Black and ethnic minorities are just one of the priorities for funding in the East Midlands, and grants are also available for projects supporting older people, carers and groups in deprived wards.
Any black and ethnic minority groups who want to find out how to apply should contact Gurjeet Lail or Georgina Heath on 0115 934 9300.For further information on how to apply for a Big Lottery Fund grant in the East Midlands please call 0115 934 9300.

CYCLE INDUSTRY GETS PAT ON BACK FOR SCHOOLS SCHEME AND WEBSITE
School children from Derby and Leicester met with Transport Minister Charlotte Atkins at the opening of the Cycle Show 2004 in Islington, London today (23 September 2004). The Minister opened the show by highlighting the bicycle industry's innovative new way of funding cycle-to-school schemes and a new website dedicated to promoting cycling for all.
The Minister met with children from Granby Primary School in Leicester and Cherry Tree Hill Primary School in Chaddesden, Derby, who are benefiting from the Bike It schools scheme and have tried out the new cycling portal - www.bikeforall.net
The schemes have been funded by the ground breaking Bike Hub levy on sales of bikes and equipment, with the proceeds of the levy going to fund the Bike It scheme that aims to make cycling to school more attractive, safer and easier. The scheme provides co-ordination of high quality cycle training, secure bike parking and safer cycling routes to school.
The second scheme has seen industry working in partnership with the National Cycling Strategy Board and the Department for Transport to produce user friendly eye catching bikeforall.net to promote cycling to potential cyclists of all ages.
Charlotte Atkins said:
"The Government is committed to promoting cycling. But we need to persuade more children, and their parents, that they can cycle to school safely. As well as being fun, cycling improves health, reduces school-gate congestion and pollution and provides children with independence. The Bike It scheme is a step in the right direction to persuade more children to cycle more safely, more often.
"The cycle industry is to be congratulated for its far-sighted
investment in the Bike It scheme for schools and the bikeforall site. It has taken considerable vision to reinvest profits in the future of cycling and I hope that the whole industry will support the industry levy that has made these schemes possible."
Parents and children want to know where can they get training, where are the safest traffic-free routes and what sort of bike should they buy.
Bikeforall.net is designed to provide answers to these and other
questions.The cycle industry has so far funded 4 full-time Bike It co-ordinators to pilot the scheme at a total of 40 schools in Bristol and South Gloucestershire, Leicester and Derby, Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, through the sustainable transport charity, Sustrans. It is hoped that the Bike It scheme can be extended still further by utilising a network of more than 250 school travel advisors, funded by the Departments for
Transport and Education, to create Bike It schools in their own areas.
Paul Osborne, Sustrans' Director of Safe Routes to Schools said:
"Through our work with schools we know that young people are
enthusiastic about cycling and walking. They recognise the positive effect it has on themselves and their environment as well as giving them independence and freedom to be with their friends. The Bike It pilot scheme has been supplying resources and support for forty cycle-friendly schools, harnessing young peoples' enthusiasm and giving them practical help such as
cycle training and advice on safe routes to school. We are grateful for the support of the Government, and also the cycle industry who, through the Bicycle Association, are helping us to nurture a new generation of confident, responsible and enthusiastic cyclists."

LOCAL STUDENT "SET" FOR SUCCESS
A Warwickshire student has won the 2004 SET (Science, Engineering & Technology Student of the Year) Award for Britan’s Best Mechanical Engineering Student.
Graham McShane, who recently graduated from Cambridge University with a First Class degree in Mechanical Engineering, won the award for an important breakthrough in micro-technology. Modern micro-electric mechanical systems rely on very thin film materials. Working with extremely small test samples (64 within an area of 5 square millimetres!) Graham’s project looked at new ways of measuring these films and calculating their mechanical properties.
Graham grew up in Rugby and attended Lawrence Sheriff School where he studied for his GCSEs and A-Levels.
The SET Awards (Science, Engineering & Technology Student of the Year) are Britain’s most important awards for science and technology undergraduates. Supported by industry, and leading scientific and technical institutions, the SET awards are multidisciplinary to reflect the wide range of degrees our universities have to offer.

Graham McShane Receives the 2004 SET Award from GKN’s Richard Clowes

The 2004 SET Awards were presented in Guildhall London, by BBC television presenter Kate Humble, before an audience of leading academics, senior industry executives; and senior figures from government, scientific and technical institutions and the media.

CUTTING CRIME AND MAKING COMMUNITIES SAFER IN WEST MIDLANDS
Jeff Rooker launches prolific and priority offender scheme in Wolverhampton whereby the 700 most prolific, anti-social and disruptive offenders in the West Midlands will be targeted by their local police and criminal justice agencies.
As the scheme goes live law enforcement agencies will go on the
offensive to target the small core of prolific offenders, which are
responsible for the most crime. The initiative is a key plank of the Home Office's five-year strategic plan to build safer, more confident communities.
Visiting Wolverhampton today, which is targeting a minimum of 36 prolific offenders, Jeff Rooker marked the regional roll out of the scheme. This will continue throughout the month as Ministers across Government visit other schemes up and down the country.
Jeff Rooker said:
"Across the country, a hard core of just 5,000 offenders commit one million crimes each year. A handful of individuals can wreak havoc in a community, blighting whole neighbourhoods and making the lives of the law-abiding majority a misery. The costs to our communities are huge and we are not prepared to tolerate it.
"From today, the efforts of the police and all the criminal justice
agencies across the country will focus on this high-offending group, not only to catch them and bring them to justice but to stop them re-offending in the future.
"Offenders will be targeted with intensive programmes like drug
treatment to help steer them away from crime and closelysupervised to make sure they stick to them. If they do not comply they will be fast-tracked into the criminal justice system, their case closely followed throughout and once back in the community they will be monitored using hi-tech tagging and tracking technology.
"By targeting these resources intensively on the offenders causing the most harm, we can achieve real benefits for the local community, for the offender and for their families.
The prolific and priority offender scheme uses police intelligence to target the offenders who are responsible for the most crime, ensuring that all agencies concentrate their resources on these offenders. The strategy is designed to tackle both prolific offending and its roots by:
* preventing and deterring - to stop people becoming prolific offenders;
* catching and convicting - tackling those who are already prolific offenders; and
* rehabilitating and resettling - working to increase the number of offenders who stop offending by offering a range of supportive interventions.

HUGE FUNDING BOOST FOR SCHOOL PLAYGROUNDS
A pioneering £3 million scheme to improve school playgrounds throughout the UK has been launched by a leading charity with help from major corporate partners, it emerged today.
The Supergrounds project has been developed by The Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest in tandem with national school grounds charity Learning Through Landscapes and neighbourhood improvement organisation, Groundwork.
Over the next three years Supergrounds will transform 450 school playgrounds into fun and stimulating places where children can learn and play in safety.
Recent research commissioned by The Royal Bank of Scotland and Natwest revealed children spend long hours playing outside.
The research reveals that almost half of youngsters spend more than three hours a day watching television or playing computer games, more than a third never play outside and nearly two thirds of parents are worried about letting their children out alone.
Ken Davies, chief executive of Learning through Landscapes said:
"The long-term effects of children spending less time playing outside have negative consequences for their development and a sedentary lifestyle is inevitably bad for their social life and health. Outdoor activities encourage interaction between children and the development of social skills.
"School grounds are one of the few safe havens where children play and learn together on a regular basis. While school buildings and classrooms have changed dramatically over the last 5 years, many schools still have uninspiring and impoverished playgrounds.
"The Supergrounds programme represents the biggest single private sector investment in school grounds improvement to date and will bring real tangible benefits to hundreds of thousands of school children.
"Studies show that improved school grounds lead to enhanced attitudes amongst pupils to learning, a dramatic increase in the numbers of children enjoying their time at school, a reduction in bullying, anti-social behaviour and accidents and long term improvements in children's health and well being."
Stephen Twigg, parliamentary under secretary of state for schools, said: "We warmly welcome this significant investment by Supergrounds in supporting school grounds improvement across the country.
Tony Hawkhead, chief executive of Groundwork said: "School playgrounds are vitally important for children. Indeed for many children who do not have access to a garden or live near a park, school grounds may be their only experience of their local environment. Supergrounds will help schools make the most of their playgrounds, creating the stimulating environment for learning and fun that all schools need."
Learning through Landscapes (LTL) is a national school ground charity established in 1990 to work with schools to achieve maximum benefit from school grounds.
During 2003 LTL conducted research amongst 350 schools which had taken steps to improve their school grounds during the previous four years. Of the schools surveyed, 65% believed that school grounds improvements had improved attitudes to learning and 52% said they had seen an improvement in academic achievement. The schools also said they had
experienced considerable improvements in behaviour (73%) as well as a significant reduction in bullying (64%) and improved social interaction (84%).
Groundwork is a federation of local trusts working with partners in deprived areas to improve the quality of the local environment, the lives of local people and the profitability of local businesses.
Last year Groundwork encouraged volunteers to give more than 300,000 days of their time to improve their local neighbourhoods. Supergrounds is the largest ever private sector investment in school grounds. Over the next 3 years more than 450 school grounds, nominated by Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest employees, will be transformed through Supergrounds funding. More information can be found by logging onto
www.rbs.co.uk/community

CHERIE HONOURS SUPERGRAN
Cherie Blair marked her 50th birthday today by presenting an award in recognition of one of the nation's top grandparents.
The Prime Minister's wife was guest of honour at the Age Concern Grandparent of the Year awards ceremony as she passed her half-century milestone.
Jean Boyd, 56, from Telford, Shropshire, scooped the accolade for the love and support she has shown for her 16-year-old granddaughter Melissa Wolfe. Mrs Boyd not only sat by Melissa's bedside when the young girl was suffering with a brain tumour but also helped make her life as normal as possible after a freak trampolining accident left her paralysed at just
12 years of age.
At the ceremony, Mrs. Blair said:-I think this award is a very positive way to highlight the contribution that grandparents make to their families."
Receiving her award, Mrs Boyd said: "I don't think that what I do for Melissa is any more than any grandparent would do for their grandchild. I am very proud of all my lovely grandchildren and just want them to be
healthy, happy and safe.
"My hope is to see Melissa walk again. I couldn't believe that Melissa had nominated me. I love being a grandparent and for me, it is its own reward."
Every month, Mrs Boyd drives Melissa 1,000 miles to a clinic in France where she is receiving specialist treatment.
She also fund-raises to make sure that Melissa receives the best possible care, and has completed the Great North Run three times. She will be running again next weekend.
Melissa said: "I have always been close to my Nanny and she has always been there for me. Now I need her more than ever and she does everything she can to make life better.
"She gives me really good advice and is the person that I go to
whenever I have a problem. Plus, she's a real daredevil and quite mad sometimes which makes her fun to be with."
Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern England, described Mrs Boyd as a "thoroughly deserving winner".
He added: "All of our regional finalists have inspired us, as their
families are the most important thing in the world to them. It is clear that they are all winners to their grandchildren and we are honoured to have met so many fantastic grandparents today."
Last year's winner was 82-year-old Hilda Taylor, from Wednesbury, West Midlands, who supported her family when their house was badly damaged in a fire, even giving up her bed while they stayed with her.

POLICE HUNT DUO AFTER ROBBERIES
Police have named a man and a woman they want to trace in connection with a series of robberies.
Officers have issued a picture of 26-year-old Andrew John Henry who, together with Natalie Robinson, aged in her mid 20s, are wanted in connection with raids across the West Midlands.
Police said screwdrivers and tyre levers have been used during attacks on stores across the region.
The latest raid was at the Threshers shop in High Street, Bromsgrove, on September 21.
Another store in the same chain was targeted in Walmley Close, Sutton Coldfield, on September 6, and the Hilton Travelodge, off the M6, was raided on September 12.
West Midlands Police said the pair book into hotels using Robinson’s name, or false details, and have used accommodation in Castle Vale and Bromsgrove.
Henry is 6ft, slim, with short dark hair. Robinson is 5ft 5ins, has long brown hair, usually tied back in a ponytail, with no fringe.
Police urge any member of the public who sees the pair not to approach them but to dial 999 immediately.

MAN IN COURT ON PUBLIC TOILETS MURDER CHARGE
A 41-year-old man has been charged with murder following a fatal stabbing outside public toilets, police said today.
Etus Burke, 36, sustained a stab wound to the eye and was found lying in the road outside facilities near the Highfield Road stadium in Coventry.
Police responded to an anonymous 999 call at around 11.15pm on Sunday and discovered the man collapsed at the junction of Far Gosford Street and Binley Road.
Mr Burke, who lived locally, was taken to hospital where his condition deteriorated and he died on Tuesday morning.
West Midlands Police said a local man had been charged with murder and was appearing before magistrates in the city today.

CONSTRUCTION SITES IN THE WEST MIDLANDS VISITED BY HEALTH AND SAFETY
ROADSHOW
Key health and safety messages for construction workers and employers are today being launched at the Skanska site at Walsgrave Hospital, Coventry, as part of the 2004 Working Well Together (WWT) Roadshow.
The WWT Campaign promotes best practice and encourages everyone in the industry - workers, supervisors, managers and directors - to take action to improve health and safety performance. The Roadshow is sponsored by HSS Hire, with additional sponsorship from Bovis Lend Lease, CITB
Construction Skills, Skanska and Taylor Woodrow. It is also supported by Constructing Excellence, Trades Union Congress, Makita, Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Rosi Edwards, HSE's Head of Operations, Construction, for the Midlands, Wales and the South West, said: "Last year, eight construction workers were killed in the West Midlands region alone and hundreds more were injured and suffered ill health. The WWT Roadshow aims to reduce the number of people injured and made ill by delivering vital information and advice to workers on site.
"The support for the Roadshow is a positive sign that the industry is working together to improve its health and safety record.
"At sites where health and safety is proactively managed and both sub-contractors and employees are informed and involved, a safer, healthier and more productive environment is created."
Over the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004, fatalities in the West Midlands region were as follows:West Midlands Conurbation - 4Staffordshire - 2Herefordshire - 1Shropshire - 1Warwickshire and Worcestershire - 0
During the next two days, the WWT Roadshow will also be visiting West Midland sites at Park Central, Lee Bank, Birmingham, on 22 September and Leys Depot, Leys Road, Brierley Hill, on 23 September.
At each venue, workers walk through an interactive information display on the 'High 5' ways to reduce risks, receive an 'Absolutely Essential Survival Kit' and enter the WWT Roadshow competition by completing a health and safety quiz.
Now in its sixth year, the WWT Roadshow has reached over 25,000 workers with health and safety messages since it first began.

24th.September 2004

LAND ROVER WORKERS VOTE FOR "ROAD MAP

Workers at motor giant Land Rover have accepted changes in working practices aimed at securing the future of their factory, it was announced today.
Members of the Transport and General Workers Union and Amicus backed the so-called road map for the plant at Solihull, West Midlands, by 63%.
The changes are designed to improve efficiency and quality at the site, which employs thousands of workers.
Tony Murphy, national officer of Amicus said: “We are delighted with the ballot result and will be pressing for the company to follow this with commitments for greater investment at the plant and a solid declaration that further models will be sourced from Solihull.”
The union’s officer for Land Rover in Solihull, Tim Parker, said the outcome of the ballot had been affected by the decision to end production of Jaguar cars at the Browns Lane factory in Coventry. Land Rover and Jaguar are both owned by Ford.
“Ford will need to work hard to convince a sceptical workforce that their agreements securing the future of their plants are real and firm guarantees.”
More than 2,000 Land Rover workers voted against the road map in a ballot of more than 6,000 shop floor workers.

PROJECT TO ASSESS HYDROGEN POWER
The uk’s first house to be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell is being built in a secret location in the West Midlands by Black Country Housing & Community Services Group.
All the energy it uses is generated by the hydrogen cell but there is a back-up connection to the mains in case of a problem with the cell.
News of the project follows last week’s speeches by prime minister Tony Blair and Conservative leader Michael Howard on climate change and sustainable development.
Black Country built the house with its subsidiary E2S, an environmental consultancy, as a nine-month pilot project to find out whether hydrogen is viable as an alternative energy source.
The two-bedroom bungalow was financed with the association’s own money, £154,000 from the Department of Trade and Industry and £20,000 from gas provider BOC.
Richard Baines, senior environmental consultant at Black Country, said: “We’re still in the very early stages of developing the hydrogen fuel cell system for the house, but it has such great potential for the future of energy-efficient homes.
“If it is successful, we could see the use of hydrogen in domestic services provision by 2030.”
Sandwell council will nominate 12 families to live in the house. They will be interviewed by Black Country and one family selected.
The successful family will be able to live in the house permanently, but will be asked to sign a contract, stating they are willing to have their electricity supply monitored throughout the nine-month pilot, which will start in November. After the project, they will get their power from the mains.
* Thousands of homes throughout Great Britain are to get new heating after the government awarded more than £15.5m to 17 different schemes last week.
Under the Community Energy programme, councils, housing associations and hospitals will be able to tackle fuel poverty and improve heating and energy efficiency.
An estimated 19,000 people on low incomes will save money on heating bills, while harmful carbon emissions will be cut by almost 10,000 tonnes a year.
The government awarded the largest grant, £4.35m, to Southwark council, south London, for a new heating network that will serve almost 2500 homes and 14 public buildings.

HOMELESSNESS CHARITY AIDS WILDLIFE TRUST
A Nottingham homelessness charity has branched out its service today by building bat and bird boxes and donating them to a local wildlife trust.
Flatpack, an initiative developed by the Framework Housing Association, normally regenerates flats for homeless people to move into, but now they have started rehousing bats and birds.
Over the course of four weeks Flatpack offers the chance for a group of homeless or vulnerably housed adults to make a council flat habitable. Once completed one member of the group will then move into the flat on a permanent basis paying rent to the council.But the groups have now turned their hands to woodwork, making bat and bird boxes for the local wildlife trust.
Omied, 26, is a Flatpack worker and runs the new class. He said: "We decided it would be good for clients' development to get out of the flat that they had been working on and spend time in an alternative environment.
"We were offered a workshop space at the Marcus Garvey centre on Lenton Boulevard and thought this would be the ideal way to expand our service."
The team got in touch with the local Wildlife Trust who were grateful of the donations as they could be used in county parks and local schools.
Dave, 38, who, with the help of Flatpack, has recently moved into his own one-bedroom flat in Worksop, said of the project: "I wanted to learn a few new DIY skills and get back into the routine of work.
"Flatpack has helped set me up in my new flat. This extraservice helps because we feel we are able to put something back into the community."
Flatpack is still in its early stages but has been a success so far
with three flats successfully completed in Nottinghamshire.
Framework Housing Association is Nottinghamshire's largest homelessness charity and is the biggest provider of support for homeless and vulnerably housed people in the area.
For over thirty years they have been at the forefront of support for homeless people in the city of Nottingham. Recently Framework has extended its activities with new projects in the county and support for people living in the community who are vulnerably housed.The charity's services for homeless people include residentialprojects and day centres, emergency and supported accommodation, move-on support and specialist projects for women and children and older homeless people.

FIREFIGHTERS HELP TO SAVE LIVES IN PAKISTAN
Fire engines were flown to Pakistan to help locals train as fire fighters and use the UK models to help beat blazes.
A total of three engines were donated by the West Midlands fire and rescue service in March and were sent over by the Friends of Sahiwal organisation in Rochdale.
Another two fire engines have been donated by Greater Manchester Fire Service.
The engines have been sent to Jhelum, Rawalpindi and Chakwal.
Many of the towns in Pakistan do not have fire engines and water tanks are often used to put out fires.The new engines would mean that fire will be put out quicker and more lives will be saved.
Abdul Chowdry, the chair of the Friends of Sahiwal said :
"Currently water tanks are used to put out fires and this is not always an effective measure. The only fire engines that are around, are those that are used in airports or at the docks, otherwise local people do not have access to them.The engines will help put out fires at a much quicker pace and local people feel many more lives will be saved because of this."
The engines will be used in the three main towns and the surrounding areas.
Over 200 local people are being trained as fire fighters on the UK fire engines.
Mr Chowdry said: "British fire fighters trained people in the UK who then went to Pakistan to train the locals. This is a great initiative and will benefit people enormously in the future."