Liz Ellis
Presenter, BBC Radio Stoke

A woman from Crewe has been named one of the country's top unsung heroes in a newspaper's happy list.

Natalie Ravenscoft who works at Belong Crewe care home in the town has been included in The Independent's Happy List., external

Image source, Belong

It's because of her work setting up Silver Pride, an event which celebrates LGBT culture for older people.

The annual list celebrates "people who make life better for others".

Jaguar Land Rover is using a self-driving robot to gauge the behaviour of people crossing the road.

Hereford Times

Here's a selection of stories to feature online today:

• Care home residents at risk of dehydration and malnutrition, external
• Robbery victim assaulted by three men in Hereford, external
• Views of residents and businesses sought on housing plans, external

A convicted money launderer has been told he must repay £480,000 or spend a further four and a half years behind bars, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has said.

Kashaf Ali Khan, 44, of Prospect Lane, Solihull, appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday 23 August.

The court heard how Khan had benefited from £673,857.89 of criminal cash.

Khan's father Malik Abdullah Farooq had originally claimed he had given his son money from his 123 prize-winning Pakistan lottery tickets which he said Khan had used to pay for his house, the NCA said.

Image source, National Crime Agency

However, the NCA's expert doubted this, saying it was as likely as winning the UK National Lottery jackpot for 40 weeks running.

Khan later admitted he used laundered money to pay for his £412,000 house as well as using criminal cash to pay an earlier money laundering conviction.

He was convicted last year and sentenced to 22 months behind bars for two counts of money laundering.

He now has three months to repay the £480,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act, the NCA said.

The chief constable of West Mercia Police has published a self-assessment of the force, external - which includes £24m of savings to be made in the next four years.

Chief Constable Anthony Bangham emphasised that at the same time as making cuts, policing "must remain fit for purpose".

He highlighted some of the work local policing teams have carried out, including training hundreds of hotel staff to focus on clues that child exploitation is taking place, as part of its continuing work in Telford.

Plans for the future include a modern police station in Shrewsbury.

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

Warwick Castle bosses say they're reviewing their options after they were refused retrospective planning permission for the maze that replaced an historic rose garden.

It was ripped up two years with the castle management saying they didn't think they needed permission for the move.

A spokesman for Warwick Castle said it did "understand the sensitivity" around the application.

He added: "The maze has become a successful additional attraction for many castle visitors, especially children. A retrospective application was submitted in agreement with Warwick District Council as it was identified that elements of the completed maze do require planning permission."

Aimee Challenor quits the Green Party deputy leadership race after her father is jailed for 22 years.

A father appears alongside six others who also deny involvement in an "acid attack" on the boy.

The UK's reigning hot air ballooning champion has bagged himself another award in Austria.

Dominic Bareford, who first went up in a balloon as a toddler and qualified as a pilot aged 16, came first in the 23rd FAI World Hot Air Balloon Championship over the weekend., external

The 25-year-old from Cookley, near Kidderminster, has previously won the the British National Hot Air Balloon Championships three times in a row.

Nicola Beckford
Reporter, BBC Midlands Today

The father of a three-year-old boy who was seriously injured following an alleged acid attack in Worcester has denied conspiring to commit grievous bodily harm.

The boy suffered serious burns to his face and arm at a Home Bargains store in the Tallow Hill area of Worcester on 21 July.

The boy's father, who is not being named for legal reasons, and six others appeared together for the first time at Worcester Crown Court today.

The six - five men and one woman - also pleaded not guilty to the same charge. All seven are due to reappear at the same court next month.

Championship side West Bromwich Albion sign defender Tyrone Mears on a rolling contract until January.

BBC Radio Stoke Sport

Stoke City manager Gary Rowett says Saido Berahino offers a lot to the team, despite not scoring for them in more than 18 months.

Stoke host Huddersfield tonight in the second round of the League Cup.

Image source, Getty Images

Police are appealing to find a BMW that was involved in a fatal collision with an electric bike last month.

Saqalain Ahmed, 21, pictured, died two days after he was struck by a car while riding his bike on Avon Street, Coventry, on 27 July.

The car police are hoping to trace is a BMW X5 second generation model with tinted rear windows.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Sgt Alan Hands from the force's serious collision unit said the car had suffered damage to its bonnet, grille and windscreen.

A male driver and passenger were in the car at the time, police added.

BBC Hereford and Worcester

A Worcestershire father wants to see DNP, a substance contained in diet pills which led to his daughter's death, reclassified as an explosive substance.

Doug Shipsey is calling for a change in the law after his daughter Beth died after taking tablets containing the substance in February 2017.

Image source, Family handout

He believes that forcing people to have a licence to possess it could restrict its sale.

Explosive expert Dr Sidney Alford says just 35ml of DNP can be used as an explosive and he wants to see it classified as one.

A surgeon wants to raise the profile of a procedure that replaces the organ when it is diseased.

A teenage boy has been stabbed in the back in a Birmingham park.

The 16-year-old, who has not yet been named, was attacked in the York Road area of Handsworth Park on Monday at about 18:40 BST, West Midlands Police said.

Image source, SnapperSK

He remains in a serious condition in hospital. A 15-year-old girl also suffered minor injuries in the incident, police added.

No arrests have yet been made.

Hampshire Constabulary refers itself to the police watchdog after the arrested man was taken ill.

A murder suspect has suffered a "medical episode" while in custody, prompting a police force to refer itself to a watchdog.

A 26-year-old man was taken to hospital after his arrest on Saturday, Hampshire Constabulary has said.

The force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The arrest came after a 26-year-old man from Wolverhampton was found fatally injured at a home in Salisbury Road, Totton, on Saturday evening.

A 19-year-old man was arrested on Sunday, also on suspicion of murder.

BBC Shropshire

AFC Telford United remain unbeaten in the National League North following a back-and-forth 2-2 draw away at Leamington. , external

Shrewsbury Town start off in the Checkatrade Trophy tonight hosting Manchester City's under-21 side.

Kick-off is at 19:00 at the Meadow.

Overnight roadworks will close part of the A5 around Shrewsbury later.

Street lights are being replaced at the Woodcote roundabout and the road will be closed from 21:00 to 06:00 this week.

The works will continue until the beginning of October., external