The skies of Birmingham were lit up to mark a year until the city hosts the Commonwealth Games.

The New Vic Theatre in Staffordshire has postponed a forthcoming production of Marvellous due to the impact of Covid-related absences and self-isolation.

It said it now hopes to bring the show to the stage as part of the spring 2022 season.

Image source, Google

The theatre said it has notified all actors and freelance staff contracted for the project and will honour all payments for those employees.

Its box office team is also contacting existing ticket holders for the show to discuss their options with them.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

A 39-year-old man has been jailed for 14 years after being found guilty of sexually assaulting four girls.

Leicestershire Police said Gareth Berry committed the offences at addresses in Leicester and Northampton between 2011 and 2016 and that the youngest victim was just 12 years old when Berry began abusing her.

An investigation began in 2016 when two victims reported the abuse to police.

Two other victims also then identified themselves to police.

Image source, Leicestershire Police

Berry, of Houldsworth Crescent in Coventry, denied the allegations but following a trial at Leicester Crown Court he was found guilty of 12 counts relating to child sexual abuse.

In addition to his prison sentence Berry was given an extra year on extended licence, an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and has been placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Det Raj Pahal, from Leicestershire Police, said: “All four victims were children when Berry began abusing them.

"He took advantage of them for his own sexual gratification in the belief that they wouldn’t tell anyone about what he was doing.

“However, as they got older they realised what had happened and reported his crimes to police."

BBC World News

Coventry-born gymnast Danusia Francis believes athletes should have a choice when it comes to their competitive outfits.

Francis, who is representing Jamaica at Tokyo 2020, has been inspired by the German women's team, who wore full-body suits at the Olympic qualifiers.

Speaking to the BBC's Claudia Redmond, she said: "Whether it's for culture reasons, whether it's for reasons of periods, whatever it might be, women have to be able to have that choice."

Campaigners are worried fly-tipping will increase as people struggle to get rid of waste.

Motorists are being warned that two lanes of the M6 are closed due to a collision.

Highways England said officers are on their way to the scene between junction 14 for Stafford and junction 15 for Stoke-on-Trent.

The charge is branded a "stealth tax" by opposition councillors in a divided council meeting.

BBC News Travel

A road has been shut this lunchtime in Shrewsbury due to falling masonry, police said:

Lucy Fox was given a hospital order after being diagnosed with a paranoid illness.

Birmingham's city council has unveiled the first of its new hydrogen buses.

The fleet of 20 vehicles will be run by National Express and are due to be on the streets from the autumn.

Image source, Birmingham City Council

Manufactured by Wrightbus, the double-deckers are similar to a fleet earmarked for London.

They work by reacting hydrogen with oxygen in a fuel cell to generate electricity. The only direct emission is water.

Unlike electric vehicles, ones powered by hydrogen can be refuelled quickly, but there are very few filling stations around the UK.

Hydrogen for the Birmingham buses will be produced and dispensed from a new hub at Tyseley Energy Park.

Councillor Waseem Zaffar, responsible for transport and environment, said the new buses would mark "a significant step towards our net zero carbon target".

Birmingham City goal keeper Neil Etheridge has thanked hospital staff who supported his treatment for coronavirus.

"You are truly incredible at what you do and I’ll be eternally grateful for how you cared for me during those tough days and nights," he said.

"To be in the state I was in to where I am now. I will always be thankful."

The Philippines international was hospitalised at the Queen Elizabeth in Birmingham earlier this month, before continuing his recovery at home.

He also thanked fans who sent him messages of support while he was unwell, saying he "read every single one of them".

"They really pulled me through the extremely tough time myself and my family were going through."

BBC Radio CWR

Staff at a Coventry pub have been left baffled after an ornate urn of ashes was left on its doorstep in the middle of the night.

CCTV footage from the Flying Standard in the city centre showed someone with a backpack deliberately leaving the urn outside the pub at about 02:30 BST on Friday.

"The urn was discovered upon arrival by my kitchen manager," manager Gavin Healy said. "He knew he needed to get it inside straight away, was slightly shocked and it’s been quite the talk among the team.

"We’ve had several working theories. A regular coming for one last drink who loved the pub, perhaps someone who has some association with the building either since we’ve had it or before," he said.

Although the urn has "become quite the fixture", staff are keen to see it back "to its rightful home", Mr Healy said.

Organisers blame the "pingdemic" and people's anxieties about returning to venues.

A woman who has had sickle cell disease, external since she was a baby has urged new blood donors to come forward.

Shelley Falconer, 34, from Erdington in Birmingham receives six units of blood every four weeks in a red cell exchange.

Image source, NHS Blood and Transplant

NHS Blood and Transplant said it urgently needs more black people to give blood to meet the increasing demand for black African, black Caribbean or mixed ethnicity donors.

It said it needs to recruit 16,000 new donors nationwide from the black and mixed black communities.

Shelley said: “I have fewer crises and have not been hospitalised for years all because the blood transfusions I receive help control sickle cell disease.

“When receiving the blood transfusion, I always think about the generous donors who have donated.

"They have such a positive impact on people’s lives, I am forever thankful."

In Birmingham there are currently 782 black and mixed black blood donors - around six per cent of the overall active donor base.

Tuesday night's friendly between the Saddlers and Baggies had to be called off due to a waterlogged pitch.

Image source, Getty Images

West Bromwich Albion were due to play Walsall away at the Banks's Stadium, but heavy rain across the region meant the match could not go ahead.

Walsall FC deemed the conditions were unfit for play, so called off the game an hour and a half before kick off.

Fans will receive an automatic refund, the club said, and a new date is yet to be announced.

A road in Shropshire is closed due to a gas leak.

Police in Bridgnorth have urged people to find alternative routes while part of the B4376 is closed through Barrow.

It's a muggy start to Wednesday but we'll soon see yesterday's showers picking up again.

Image source, cazbar/ BBC Weather Watchers

The rain should blow through the region fairly quickly as the wind picks up and you'll notice that affecting the temperature which is set to be slightly below average.

Expect highs of 20C (68F).

As Team GB secure another gold in the Olympic pool in the 4x200m freestyle relay in Tokyo, the family of one of the champions, Matthew Richards, have spoken of their pride.

Image source, Getty Images

Richards, 18, was born in Droitwich and went to school in Wolverhampton.

His parents, Amanda and Simon, "had a room full" of loved ones to watch him and the team come within 0.03secs of the world record and take home a gold medal.

"He swam out of his boots," Mrs Richards said. "It really meant a lot to him."

Image source, Getty Images

The couple told the BBC how their son's love for swimming had started on a family holiday to Tenerife.

"We were in the pool, he was five, he got out of the pool and took his armbands off and threw them on the floor in huge disgust," Mr Richards said.

"He then turned and launched himself into the deep end of the pool," he continued, and when they returned home he started lessons at Droitwich leisure centre, going from strength to strength.

"He knows we're incredibly proud of him, we've been proud of him for a long time."

A man is in a critical condition in hospital after being injured by fire at a petrol station in Staffordshire.

Image source, Google

He had to be airlifted to hospital in Manchester from the garage on The Green in Cheadle late on Tuesday afternoon.

Both he and a car were on fire, Staffordshire Police said, and his injuries were said to be life threatening.

The force said it's not thought that anyone else was involved.

Welcome to our live coverage for Wednesday.

We'll be bringing you the latest news, sport, weather and travel updates until 18:00.

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