That's it for our live coverage this week.

We'll be back from 08:00 on Monday with all the major headlines for the West Midlands.

Plans are being drawn up in a bid to help the West Midlands economy recover after lockdown restrictions are lifted.

The move comes as research by the Centre for Progressive Policy predicts that the economies of the Midlands and North West will be the hardest hit in the UK, external.

It expects nine of the 10 worst affected local authorities to be in those two regions.

Image source, Getty Images

Politicians and business leaders in the West Midlands today said they were working on a strategy to secure "an effective and long-lasting economic recovery".

A report for the region said "shire" areas that depend on tourism and hospitality, such as Stratford-upon-Avon, could be worse affected than metropolitan areas like Birmingham.

The report also said 65% of businesses in the area said cash reserves were dwindling fast, external and would be gone within six months.

Ben Sidwell
BBC Midlands Today

An actor says he's singing from his Worcestershire home during the weekly "clap for carers" in tribute to his NHS therapist sister.

Lockdown means triplets Jack and Lilly Montgomery have been unable to see each other and brother William.

Jack and Lilly had a virtual reunion so she could tell him what she makes of his musical efforts.

Tributes have been paid to a Birmingham social worker who has died after contracting Covid-19.

Muhammad Islam worked supporting young people leaving care at Birmingham Children's Trust.

A crowdfunding page set up by his family said he was “always the first to volunteer for a task” and “the last to leave the office”.

Image source, Family handout

Andy Couldrick, Chief Executive of Birmingham Children’s Trust said: "Muhammad was a well-respected, well-liked and highly-valued member of our care leavers’ team who supported many young people in Birmingham."

"Muhammad was passionate about providing the best care for young people and he will be sorely missed by his colleagues and the young people he supported, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

A link to a Guardian article shared by his family , externalon a crowdfunding page described how he had converted to Islam having previously acted as a British National Party activist.

His personal story "exemplified his character," his family said on the page.

Monica Rimmer
BBC News

The owner of a sewing school has made 67 sets of scrubs for staff at Burton's Queen's Hospital.

Suzette Slattery, who lives near Rugeley, operates her school from Sutton Coldfield and was asked if she'd like to help make pairs of scrubs for those on the front line.

Image source, Suzette Slattery

Her supplier was able to get her some fabric for free. In 2011 the same material was sent to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as a wedding gift.

"I traced lots of different sizes and made some samples. I made some step by step instructions for how to make them and I got in touch with my students who said they'd love to help and my partner dropped the material off at their door.

"Within 11 days we'd produced 67 sets of scrubs and used all the fabric, which was beautiful," she said.

"All the staff are thrilled to bits".

Ben Godfrey
BBC Midlands Today

A new Muslim radio station says it's been inundated with requests for advice on how to observe Ramadan under lockdown.

Ramadan Radio Wolverhampton launched in the city earlier this month and broadcasts online and on FM.

The station said as well as helping listeners with the holy month, it's also translated the government's advice into Urdu, Arabic and Kurdish.

Bob Hockenhull
BBC Midlands Today

Public response to an appeal for caravans and campervans to help care home staff during the pandemic has been overwhelming, managers said.

Nightingales care home in Wolverley Court, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, put out the call earlier this month and said a number of private owners came to their aid.

Staff will use the caravans to stay on site as they try to keep it free of Covid-19.

Manager Emily Lote said: "It was so overwhelming to know that everybody wants to help as a community. It was everyone pulling together."

BBC Midlands Today

A district nurse who saw a Facepost post of her singing go viral said she was "very flattered" so many people liked it.

Sara Morrell, from Madeley, Staffordshire recorded herself singing the Bill Withers classic Lean on Me after what she called a difficult night shift.

"I thought I would do something to lift people's spirits a little bit," she added.

Thousands have now seen and shared it on Facebook, external.

The chief executive of Birmimngham's biggest hospital trust has said the city's Nightingale hospital is yet to take its first patient.

Dr David Rosser, from University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB), said "that is a good thing" as it showed NHS services had been able to "absorb the pressure very well".

Image source, PA Media

"It was never going to be a good thing to open this extra capacity simply because it didn't come with new staff - it would have had to be staffed by existing staff - and of course the more beds you open the more you stretch those staff."

"We're hugely proud of the achievement of getting that up and running within a fortnight, but we're actually paradoxically proud of the fact we didn't need to use it."

The shutdown on the domestic and international cricket season across England and Wales has been extended until 1 July.

The start of the season - affecting Warwickshire and Worcestershire teams - had been previously postponed from 12 April until 28 May.

Image source, Getty Images

It also means England's three-Test series against West Indies - set to start in June - has been postponed.

Dyson said the medical ventilator it developed to help treat patients with Covid-19 is now no longer required.

It began developing a device, with housings made by Staffordshire engineering firm JCB, in response to a government appeal for firms to take part in a national effort to increase the number of ventilators.

But in a note to staff, founder Sir James Dyson said demand for ventilators had been less than first envisaged.

Image source, Dyson

The latest data from NHS England reveals another 587 deaths in hospitals of people with Covid-19.

Sixty eight of those were in the West Midlands, taking the total number of recorded deaths for the region up to 2,454.

These figures don't include those who died in care homes or away from hospitals.

Recently the NHS has started publishing the data by the dates the patients died as well as the dates those deaths were announced.

It continues to show that in England the peak for deaths of people with Covid-19 was 8 April, with 841 reported for that day.

Bewdley’s bridge turned blue on Thursday evening in support of the NHS.

The light-up was captured by Linda Withey.

Image source, Withey

Image source, Linda Withey

Image source, Linda Withey

Yesterday we brought you the news that bereavement staff, working in Birmingham had been spat at and assaulted by mourners who were angry at the restrictions placed on the number of people allowed to attend funerals.

Image source, Getty Images

The story prompted Sybill Hill to get in touch as she had just buried her uncle.

She said the behaviour described didn't show "respect for the living workers or the dead lost family".

Of her uncle's service she said: "The funeral directors were wonderful with their explanation of what would happen. The crematorium staff were there to check that all was adhered to.

"We still had a lovely service, read out all the family stories and said our goodbyes lovingly and respectfully.

"Feel proud when you let a loved one go!

"Don’t take your anger out on those trying hard to keep us all safe."

Officers in Sandwell have raised more than £2,000 for the NHS by shaving their heads.

Image source, West Midlands Police

The team of nine, who work in the Oldbury neighbourhood team, smashed their target of £1,000 in 24 hours.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Organiser PC John Batsford said: “These key workers are putting their life on the line every day and compared to that, our concerns about how we were going to look are nothing."

Up to 10 million key workers and their households are eligible to book a test for coronavirus.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Mark Cardwell

Plans for Birmingham’s second tallest skyscraper have been approved despite concerns about “lamentable” levels of affordable housing.

Image source, Glancy Nicholls

The 51-storey One Eastside project was approved at Birmingham City Council planning committee’s first virtual meeting on Thursday.

The £160m development, on the former college and university campus site at Jennens Road and James Watt Queensway, is also set to include a 15 or 16-storey tower and separate pavilion building.

The “luxury” skyscraper designed by Glancy Nicholls Architects will be taller than the BT Tower.

A total of 20 of the scheme’s 667 apartments are planned to be affordable housing, which has previously been described as “appalling” by committee member Councillor Lou Robson.

This 12ft-high (3.6m) straw bale medic wearing scrubs was built just in time to clap for the NHS last night.

Image source, John Baylis

It was built by farmers Ann and John Baylis, who live between Stratford-upon-Avon and Bidford-on-Avon.

The scrubs are made from old fertiliser sacks.

A man has been charged with assault after allegedly spitting and coughing at a police officer, saying he had Covid-19.

The 21-year-old was detained on suspicion of possessing cannabis in Wills Street, Lozells on Wednesday, said West Midlands Police.

He has been charged with assaulting an emergency worker and possession of cannabis, and next expected before court on 30 April.

Department for Transport funding will support "essential services" across England, a spokesman says.