BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester

A drive-through clinic has been set up at a hospital in Worcester to speed up checks on patients with pacemakers.

Image source, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Bosses at Worcestershire Royal Hospital said, external waiting lists had built up in their cardiology department due to the pandemic.

They have set up a pod in their car park for people with pacemakers and implantable cardiac loop recorders.

Patients park in the pod, are handed wireless equipment and it downloads information which doctors can then review within minutes.

Will Foster, from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said the drive-through clinic would free up capacity in the cardiology unit.

"We do not just need to go back to our previous level, we need to do more so we are trying to aim to do 125% of what we were doing pre-pandemic," he said.

Three men used a digger to steal the phone box, belonging to Chelford Parish Council, police say.

BBC Sport

Birmingham Phoenix will take on Oval Invincibles in the women's Hundred eliminator this afternoon as they bid to reach the final at Lord's on Saturday.

Image source, PA Media

The side were on the brink of elimination earlier this month but won three games in a row and leapt from sixth to third in the table after their last win.

Bowler Issy Wong said the side saw anything as a bonus and felt they had a bit of momentum.

"For us to have got there, the fight we have shown the last two weeks, we are going into [the eliminator] on a high," she said.

While in the men's Hundred, Southern Brave take on Trent Rockets tonight, vying for a place in the final against Birmingham Phoenix at Lord's tomorrow.

Express and Star

From the Express and Star today:

• Wolverhampton one of 20 places to battle for City of Culture accolade, external
• Family overwhelmed as tribute planned for RAF veteran, external
• Major retrofit scheme launched to improve water supply, external

BBC Weather

Mainly dry and cloudy today with some bright spells this morning and scattered showers moving in later this afternoon. High: 21C/70F.

Image source, BBC Weather Watcher Stormchaser Al

Things will be overcast this evening with some spots of rain around and a band of heavy rain is expected to push into the region overnight. Low: 15C/59F.

You can get the latest forecast for your area at any time from the BBC Weather website.

For the first time groups of towns or areas have been able to bid for the cultural capital title.

BBC Midlands Today

The work of NHS staff and other key workers during the pandemic is being celebrated with 51 sculptures in the centre of Birmingham.

They've each been decorated by a different artist and they're going on display in Chamberlain Square tomorrow, before being taken to Manchester, London and Edinburgh.

Charlie Langhorn, the managing director of Wild at Art said it had been pointed out to him that they look a bit like Oscars and he said that wasn't the intention, but it was fitting because both celebrate "great work".

Dominic Allan needs a metal plate to protect a part of his brain covered by skin and no bone.

Judges say Jamie Taylor must spend longer in prison due to "disgusting" racism before his fatal blow.

Carvel Bennett, 74, was jailed for 1970s rape after his daughter's DNA was used as evidence.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A sweet chestnut tree that has stood in Solihull since the reign of Henry VIII could "be nearing the end of its lifespan", forestry experts have advised.

One of the boughs of the tree in Elmdon Park broke recently, damaging metal railings, and Solihull Council commissioned an inspection, which revealed "evidence of internal decay which is typical of many veteran trees".

The report by forestry experts also suggested branch pruning should be carried out before October to make it safe.

Image source, Steve Dixon

Some sweet chestnut tree are known to have survived more than 700 years and this one is believed to have started growing in 1518.

It is held in great affection by people living nearby and one local woman said she had known it as “the octopus tree” as a child.

Another resident said her family sang it "happy birthday" every year.

Laura Heath also denies child cruelty charges following the death of her boy Hakeem Hussain, seven.

BBC Sport

Birmingham Phoenix will contest the eliminator on Friday in the Women's Hundred to try and make Saturday's final at Lord's.

Image source, PA Media

They are in the match after London Spirit beat Welsh Fire in the final group game but failed to overhaul Phoenix's run-rate.

The Birmingham side will face Oval Invincibles on Friday with the winners facing Southern Brave in the final.

BBC CWR

Rooms in a four-storey block of student flats in Coventry could be offered to non-students, because the pandemic has led to lower demand than expected.

The agents for Casselden House, in Greyfriars Lane, have asked the council for permission to offer up the top two floors.

And they have asked for this change of use to continue until September 2022.

BBC Radio Stoke

There are plans for a giant duck sculpture trail around Stoke-on-Trent landmarks.

Local artist Megan Rose has come up with the idea to help people discover the city and its cultural heritage.

The plan is to put them in places like Middleport, football grounds and the city centre and people will be able to download an interactive map to find the ducks, designed by celebrities and local artists.

A National cricket centre for deaf people is set to open in Birmingham.

The England Cricket Association for the Deaf will open the centre on 2 October.

It will be a training hub for the 1st XI squad, academy players aged 13-18 and a new women and girls section.

The association, which started in 2002, works with the England Cricket Board to promote deaf cricket across the UK and has produced players for England’s deaf national teams.

Players are eligible who require one hearing aid, right up to profoundly deaf BSL users.

Image source, England Cricket Association for the Deaf

Darren Talbot, CEO of England Cricket Association for the Deaf, said: “Deaf people are twice as likely to suffer from mental health issues and so the social side of the game is critical, especially over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic which left many of our members socially isolated.

“This is why we are excited to open our national deaf cricket centre as it will provide our members with the opportunity to play cricket on a regular basis all year round, keeping them active and more importantly helping them socialise with teammates."

The Covid-19 rate has continued to rise steadily in almost every part of the West Midlands, the latest official figures show.

Twenty-four out of 30 local authority areas saw small rises in their rates in the seven days up to 14 August, compared with the week before.

However, Birmingham, the biggest local authority in England, saw a small drop, with 3,671 new cases - down from 3,847.

Image source, PA Media

Herefordshire saw the biggest rise in the same period, with new cases more than doubling to 547 - although they remain very low, compared with many other parts of the country.

Solihull continued to have the highest rate in the West Midlands, with 371 new infections per 100,000 people (a 3% rise on the previous week).

By way of comparison, parts of Yorkshire, East Midlands and Devon saw more than 500 new cases per 100,000 people.

Express and Star

The Express and Star is covering these stories today:

• Black Country councils ready to take in Afghan families, external
• MP launches campaign to save green belt land earmarked for more than 800 homes, external
• £9.7m funding for electric vehicle battery project, external

A set of 350-year-old embroideries have gone back on display after 10 years of painstaking restoration.

The bed hangings are now around the 17th Century bed in the room where King Charles I stayed in 1642, at Birmingham’s Aston Hall.

The linen had rotted away so badly that the embroideries were in danger of being lost forever, but in 2009 the conservation team at Birmingham Museums enrolled the help of heritage volunteers from The Arts Society in Arden, Solihull and Friends of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery to help prevent further damage.

Image source, Birmingham Museums Trust

Jane Thompson-Webb, Conservation Team Leader at Birmingham Museums said: “Before the start of the restoration project, they were very dirty, the colours were dull, and it was obvious that the embroideries were in a fragile state and at risk of being lost forever.

“They’ve been superbly restored thanks to our dedicated team of volunteers – with their hard-work these historic embroideries and their fabulous colours, intricate scenes and delicate details have been preserved for many more years to come.”

BBC Weather

A cloudy morning with a band of light rain set to pass over the area before the cloud breaks up this afternoon with some sunny spells, mixed with scattered showers. High: 20C (68F).

Image source, BBC Weather Watcher Sue Snaps

The sunny spells and showers will continue this evening before a mainly dry night with a few clear spells. Low: 13C (55F).

You can keep up-to-date with your local forecast at any time by going to the BBC Weather website.