Lucie Plant
BBC Hereford and Worcester

Dogs have visited the University of Worcester to help stressed out students.

Every fortnight, Worcestershire charity Pets as Therapy bring dogs to drop-in sessions, for those who need some time out - to talk about things on their mind.

Student Community Wellbeing Service Manager Lucy Sandwell says many students return to university after the holidays feeling anxious and need to talk.

BBC Radio Shropshire Sport

Telford Tigers head coach Tom Watkins believes experience could be key in their two-legged cup final against Sheffield Steeldogs.

The away leg is being played tonight and he said: "I think we've got good experience of being in these games, in these competitions.

"We will be looking for them to lead the younger guys and show them what it takes to win."

Image source, Steve Brodie

Watkins also said the team were really excited to be competing for silverware, but that for the younger players "it will probably be new territory for them, and it's kind of managing emotions and making sure you remain sharp and competitive throughout the game."

The home leg is being played tomorrow at the Telford Ice Rink, with a 19:00 start.

Parkfield School in Alum Rock, in Birmingham has been at the centre of a row about its teaching about same-sex couples.

Hereford's copy of the Magna Carta is travelling to Vercelli to be displayed in Italy for the very first time.

The priceless 1217 copy of England's charter of rights is forming part of a celebration to mark the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the city's abbey.

Image source, Hereford Cathedral

Hereford Cathedral said it hoped the partnership would raise the profile of Hereford and encourage Italians to visit the county.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Shropshire Council has approved its annual budget plans, but its leader, Peter Nutting, says there's uncertainty about the future because "the government is distracted by Brexit and not paying enough attention to local government funding".

The plans include a 3.99% increase in council tax and the Conservative-run authority passed the budget by 40 votes to 19, with one abstention.

The budget was opposed by the Liberal Democrat and Labour groups on the council, with the Lib Dem leader Roger Evans saying, "I cannot support this budget, it is wrong".

He added: "This budget treats the poorest in our society with disdain.”

Despite officers responding to a coded warning at the site of an IRA pub bombing in Birmingham, no effort was made to clear the premises or set up a cordon, a court has heard.

On 21 November 1974, 21 people were killed by bombs in two Birmingham pubs.

Image source, PA

The inquests jury heard that despite a call pinpointing the Rotunda, the location of the Mulberry Bush pub, there was no evidence of attempts to clear the surrounding area.

The warning was registered at 20:11, with the two bombs ripping apart the Mulberry Bush and nearby Tavern in the Town between 20:15 and 20:20.

Earlier in the week, the court heard there were just 15 police officers covering Birmingham city centre on the night of the bombings, with 135 city officers diverted to cover a funeral procession for an IRA member.

It also emerged in court today that some of the police logs detailing the immediate responses on the night of the incident were still missing.

The inquests continue.

Leary Dalton-Byrne, 18, recorded a boastful "confession" after stabbing grandfather Dean Ward.

A fire on the seventh floor of a block of flats in Kidderminster is now "under control" Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service has said.

Two ambulances were also called to the incident on Hurcott Road in the last hour, but at this stage there are no reports of anyone hurt.

Firefighters have been called to deal with a fire at a block of flats in Kidderminster.

Five crews were sent out at 16:20 to the building on Hurcott Road.

There is no news yet on whether people are trapped in the building.

Hereford Times

These are among the headlines in the Hereford Times today:

• Factory closure leads to loss of jobs, external
• Man with motor neurone disease dies after removing mask, external
• Cement mixer comes unstuck in Hereford, external

A teenager, who repeatedly stabbed a man he met in the park, then bragged to friends about what he'd done, has been jailed for 17 years.

Leary Dalton-Byrne, 18, repeatedly stabbed Dean Ward with a carving knife in June 2018, in Finchley Park, Kingstanding after asking him for a cigarette.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Despite being rushed to hospital for emergency treatment, the 45-year-old died a week later from complications caused by his injuries.

Just hours after the attack, Dalton-Byrne bragged to friends about what he’d done. His confession was recorded and circulated on social media, leading to his arrest and subsequent charge, West Midlands Police said.

He was convicted or murder at Birmingham Crown Court in December following a trial, and today was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

A headstone for an Everton footballer has been unveiled in a ceremony in Oswestry this morning.

Charlie Parry, from the town, won the league title with the Merseyside club over a century ago, but died penniless and was buried in Owestry cemetery without a ceremony in 1922.

The Everton Heritage Society has arranged for this headstone to be created and representatives from the clubs he played for and the Welsh Football Association have attended a memorial service for him.

Court action against striking bin workers was described as a "dark day for Birmingham City Council" and there are "many who should hang their heads in shame," said Unite the union.

Image source, Unite

More than 300 workers started a series of walkouts over claims of "secret payments" made to non-striking GMB staff after a dispute in 2017 - claims denied by both the council and the GMB.

After the High Court rejected the council's application, the union called on the council to negotiate a settlement rather than wasting taxpayers' money on "futile" legal action.

Unite assistant general secretary Howard Beckett, said: "The council needs to listen to their own workforce, stop blaming others for the situation they have created, do the right thing, end the disparity and so end the dispute."

It has called off strike action scheduled for Monday to "allow talks to proceed".

Sima Kotecha
Midlands Correspondent, BBC News

More than 600 students have been kept from attending a primary school in Birmingham today in protest of its teaching of same sex couples.

Parkfield Community School, in Alum Rock, has been facing criticism from parents over its No Outsiders programme, which involves story books with same sex couples.

The school has previously said it was promoting diversity and inclusion, and has no plans to change its teaching.

Work is ongoing to move a lorry that struck a bridge and overturned in Nuneaton.

Image source, Keith Kondakor

Buses are being diverted away from the area on Old Hinckley Road, with congestion being reported in the area.

Image source, Keith Kondakor

The lorry driver was treated for minor injuries and discharged at the scene, said the ambulance service.

Image source, Keith Kondakor

The disused railway bridge is set for demolition later this year after being struck regularly by high-sided vehicles, said the council.

In a statement, Eddie Stobart said it was "aware that one of our vehicles has been involved in an incident this morning, and are working with the authorities on this matter”.

A typo in a Ludlow parish service sheet has been voted the nation's favourite.

The top three errors, as voted by a group of Christian organisations were:

• "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from email"
• "The meeting will be gin with prayer"
• "You are butt dust"

Image source, Rev Taffy Davies

Examples of humorous mistakes in parish magazines and other publications are on display at the Christian Resources Exhibition, in Manchester, the self-styled "ideal church show" next month.

Archdeacon Colin Williams officiated at the wedding at St Laurence's Church in Ludlow in 2014 and is due to retire from his current post in Frankfurt at the end of this month.

"The sheet had been printed before I spotted the error, so before we came to the Lord's Prayer I suggested people recite it in the way they remembered it from school," he said.

"It didn't seem to worry the young people anyway."

The finalists were voted on by readers of the Ship of Fools website, external, Facebook group Church Service Sheet Typos, external and the Christian Resources Exhibition, external

BBC Radio Stoke Sport

Two offers to buy Port Vale Football Club have been turned down by its owner Norman Smurthwaite.

Carol and Kevin Shanahan, who'd previously been interested in buying the club, said their latest offer of nearly £4m was refused this morning - although it was less than a previous bid.

Image source, Getty Images

Carol Shanahan said a larger offer, of more than £4m was rejected last month.

Norman Smurthwaite has confirmed that the figures are accurate, but won't publicly discuss the matter until the club is safe in League Two.

Hundreds of thousands "owe their livelihoods" to Lord Bhattacharyya, the business secretary says.

A "very reasonable" offer, made to striking bin workers in Birmingham is "still on the table", the city council says.

The local authority has lost its High Court bid to deem the strikes unlawful, but said it had done "everything we could to avoid going to court".

“We have made a consistent, significant and reasonable offer and we had every reason to believe that the Acas talks, which continued until the last minute, had been productive," it said.

According to a council report at the beginning of February, striking staff have been offered up to £3,000 each.

The council urged further talks "to avoid damaging action" but said the offer to workers was conditional on all current litigation and industrial disputes being brought to an end.

Birmingham City Council has lost its legal bid to prove that industrial action by bin workers in the city are unlawful.

The authority applied for a temporary injunction at the High Court, which has been rejected.

Strike action planned for Monday has been suspended anyway, the Unite union said, to allow further talks with the local authority to try and come up with a deal to end the dispute.

Councillor Majid Mahmood, former cabinet member for clean streets, waste and recycling, tweeted the council's actions had "undermined industrial relations".