Summary

  • Updates from Monday 2 March to Sunday 8 March

  1. Young YouTuber on mission to save animalspublished at 14:18 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March 2021

    Six-year-old conservationist Aneeshwar Kunchala is hoping his videos will help make a difference.

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  2. Bridgerton star to play influential ceramic artistpublished at 14:12 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March 2021

    Phoebe Dynevor will play Clarice Cliff, "a female pioneer who quite literally broke the mould".

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  3. Covid-19 vaccination figure set to pass 500,000 markpublished at 13:36 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March 2021

    Local Democracy Reporting Service

    The number of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent residents receiving the Covid-19 vaccine is set to pass 500,000 this week, and a target to offer all adults their first dose by the end of July could be met several weeks early.

    Vaccine - genericImage source, PA Media

    The area has topped a national "league table" for vaccine administration, health bosses told a Staffordshire County Council meeting on Tuesday.

    And there is capacity to give more than 150,000 jabs a week locally, through a combination of larger vaccination centres, hospital hubs, GP-led sites and venues run by pharmacies.

    "What we’ve done literally is set up a medium-sized supermarket chain within a matter of four or five weeks to jab people," said Marcus Warnes, from Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Clinical Commissioning Groups.

    "We have got the lowest stock levels of pretty much any system in the country – when we get it, we jab people with it."

    Mr Warnes said he was "absolutely confident" the 15 April deadline to do priority groups one to nine would be delivered and it would "probably" be done by the end of March.

    "We’re expecting around 80,000 doses of the vaccine this week – the highest week to date is 53,000."

  4. More bleed kits installed after funding green lightpublished at 10:44 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March 2021

    Thirty more bleed kits will be installed across the West Midlands after funding was granted to The Daniel Baird Foundation.

    Lynne Baird, whose son Daniel, 26, was killed in a dispute outside a pub in the city in 2017, set up for the foundation to provide kits to people involved in stabbings.

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    The bleed control cabinet is designed to prevent a catastrophic bleed while paramedics travel to the scene of a stabbing.

    It contains a tourniquet, bandages, scissors and gloves which can be used by members of the public, accessed through a code provided by the ambulance service.

  5. Parish council opposes 'poor relations' mergerpublished at 10:30 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March 2021

    Handforth Parish Council, which saw a rowdy meeting go viral, votes against a merger with Wilmslow.

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  6. JCB jobs boost as equipment demand 'soars'published at 09:41 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March 2021

    The digger manufacturer says it will employ an extra 450 agency staff at its three UK factories.

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  7. Number of empty homes in Coventry 'doubles'published at 09:10 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March 2021

    Local Democracy Reporting Service

    The number of empty homes in Coventry has doubled to more than 3,000 in 18 months, figures reveal.

    The city council, which has been taking action to address the problem, said the pandemic was partly to blame as many student properties had been “unoccupied since July last year”.

    Councillor David Welsh said it was a problem in cities “across the country”.

    Coventry city centreImage source, Getty Images

    In February, Coventry had 3,212 homes which had been empty for six months or longer, compared to 1,451 in October 2019, a Freedom of Information request to the council found.

    “We are working hard to bring unused and empty properties into use as it’s such a key priority for the council – and a home where families can move into is absolutely vital,” Me Welsh said.

  8. Thieves and burglars to be fitted with GPS tagspublished at 08:57 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March 2021

    Police will be able to cross-reference data with crime reports to see if offenders were in the area.

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  9. 'Day and night waiting game' for son's transplantpublished at 06:14 Greenwich Mean Time 17 March 2021

    Vinnie, aged four, has had three open heart surgeries but is now in heart failure, his family says.

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  10. Mother's anguish over parallels with Everard casepublished at 18:47 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2021

    Bea Jones has been left "distressed" by the similarities with the murder of her daughter Moira in 2008.

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  11. Woman's body was dismembered 'neatly and cleanly'published at 18:46 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2021

    It is impossible to find out how she died, a pathologist tells the trial of her alleged murderer.

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  12. Surge testing after South African variant foundpublished at 18:46 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2021

    People over the age of 16 are being asked to get tested even if they have no symptoms.

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  13. Funding for new rural bus servicespublished at 16:30 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2021

    Rural bus services in the West Midlands are being given £2m by the government, to help them become more "innovative".

    The money is being split between Staffordshire County Council, which will receive £1,038,090 and Warwickshire County Council, which will get £1,020,000.

    Bus stopImage source, Getty Images

    Staffordshire plans to use the money to pay for on-demand minibus services for Leek, Ashbourne and Buxton.

    Warwickshire County Council plans to buy four vehicles to serve Kenilworth and in rural Warwick.

  14. Police chief to retire after 'amazing career'published at 15:31 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2021

    The chief constable of West Mercia Police has announced he will retire in September.

    Chief Constable Anthony BanghamImage source, West Mercia Police

    Anthony Bangham, who joined the force as a constable 30 years ago, said he had enjoyed an "amazing career with every day bringing new challenges".

    "I have served as a police officer across West Mercia in many roles and different ranks and have always done so with great pride," he said.

    Mr Bangham, who was assistant chief constable for the Avon and Somerset force, said he had been "delighted" to finish his career with West Mercia, serving the area where he had spent most of his life.

    The force's Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion praised Mr Bangham as "a determined leader in challenging times" and said he had always put the public at the heart of his work.

  15. Thousands raised to get teacher home from Chinapublished at 15:24 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2021

    Bob Allison had a stroke while abroad and his family set up a fundraising page to help get him home.

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  16. Three charged with modern slavery offencespublished at 15:22 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2021

    In total, eight people face modern slavery and theft charges following an investigation, police say.

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  17. Police chief urges change to Covid protest rulespublished at 13:44 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2021

    Police forces are challenged for being "over tolerant or cracking down too hard," Sir David says.

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  18. Charity who sent food to stranded drivers gets award nodpublished at 13:19 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2021

    Charity volunteers from Coventry who travelled to Dover to take food to lorry drivers stuck in queues at the border over Christmas have been shortlisted for an award.

    Langar Aid took about 1,000 food parcels to Kent to feed the lorry drivers who found their passage to mainland Europe blocked by the travel ban between the UK and France.

    The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has shortlisted the organisation for a Community Organisation Hero Award at this year’s Outstanding Citizens Awards, which will take place on Friday.

    Lorries in KentImage source, Getty Images

    Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Waheed Saleem, said: "Not only have they supported the people of Coventry and the West Midlands, but they also went out of their way to deliver food for the lorry drivers who were stuck in Dover over Christmas."

    Avtar Kaur Project Manager for Langar Aid said: "All of our volunteers have gone out of their way to provide food and support for the vulnerable and isolated."

  19. Calls to turn street lights on over safety fearspublished at 11:27 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2021

    Chloe Fojtik says she was "touched" by the death of Sarah Everard, adding "everyone should feel safe".

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  20. National Forest to plant nine millionth treepublished at 09:10 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2021

    Wallace and Gromit star, Shaun the Sheep, helps the environmental project mark a new milestone.

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