Mum and baker Helena Maffei was the "heart and soul" of Kidderminster, her daughter says.

Staff at Coventry and Warwickshire hospitals have been abused more than 600 times in the pandemic.

Coventry-based artist Laura Nyahuye was asked to design the Commonwealth Games baton.

Dylan Price had been walking home on the night before his 18th birthday when he died.

That's the end of Wednesday's live coverage.

We'll be back with news, sport, weather and travel updates from 08:00 on Thursday.

A man has been charged with a string of offences against women in Stoke-on-Trent.

Staffordshire Police said officers responded to four incidents involving women earlier this month.

The 38-year-old man, from Hanley, was arrested on Monday and has since been charged with sexual assault, stalking and harassment.

He was also charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, one count of assault by beating as well as theft from a shop and criminal damage.　

He was remanded in custody after appearing before magistrates earlier, police said.

Dylan Price's family are searching for answers over his apparent hit-and-run death.

BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester

A Worcester cycling campaigner has welcomed the confirmation of a new walking and cycling bridge for the city but said more still needs to be done to get people out of their cars.

The multi-million pound project will see a crossing between Gheluvelt Park and the old Kepax site, with the aim of improving foot and bike links through Worcester.

Image source, Worcestershire County Council

Dan Brothwell, from the campaign group Bike Worcester, says existing bridges and the new one still won't go far enough in making the city accessible to non-drivers.

"They are not really joining up key attractors," he said.

"As good as this bridge is, I'm not entirely sure it does actually displace many journeys currently by car and replace them by foot or bike."

A rape is reported at the Rocket Club leading to an urgent hearing to suspend its licence.

Monica Rimmer
BBC News

England football team's kitman has revealed he's bought 27 pairs of trainers as a memento from Euro 2020.

Baggies fan Pat Frost doesn't get to keep an England shirt - despite his apt role - but does have a love for trainers.

To celebrate the "brilliant" tournament, Pat had the 27 pairs customised in England's colours of red, white and blue and every squad member has their name engraved on the Adidas trainers - including a pair for the main man himself - Gareth Southgate.

Image source, Pat Frost

"I'm a lover of trainers for some strange reason," he said.

"I don't get match shirts, some staff have them... but I spent the money I earned [at the tournament] on the trainers."

Image source, Pat Frost

Pat, who lives in Telford, said his plan is to eventually display some of the pairs in a rotating cabinet in his outdoor gin bar.

But for now he's preparing for the next round of international matches, starting with a visit to Andorra.

BBC Radio Shropshire

A petrol station near Whitchurch said it has not been affected by the shortage of HGV drivers.

It comes as business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said soldiers will be delivering fuel in the next couple of days in a bid to ease petrol supply issues.

DA Roberts Fuels said it has its own fleet of lorries to collect fuel from a supplier.

Image source, Google

Company accountant Ricky Allman said: "It has been a huge help.

"The reason we first started it was because the demand for fuel has been high over the summer holidays, I think with less people going abroad there has been more cars on the UK roads so we have been collecting our own fuel for a couple of months.

"The reason we can do it so we don't run out of fuel, otherwise we would have had shortages."

A groundsman for Wolverhampton Wanderers got a nice surprise last night when two of the team's stars joined him at his retirement party.

Image source, Ken Bates

Ken Bates has worked at the club for 16 years. "I've got a lot of stories," he said.

The team gifted him a signed shirt on his final day on Tuesday, but captain Conor Coady and goalkeeper John Ruddy made the extra effort to join him at the The Five Ways, Lower Gornal for his leaving party.

"They were there for well over an hour," Mr Bates said. "They're two of the nicest people I've met in football. They made the night."

He said the club was "like a family" and he had "enjoyed going to work for 16 years". However Mr Bates nevertheless said he enjoyed his first day of retirement and will soon be jetting off to Tenerife to enjoy a break, although "people still want me to do their lawns".

The groundsman said he will be returning to the Molineux as a spectator but will enjoy "sitting back and relaxing" during games.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Nearly £50m has been allocated for the building of a new school in Whitnash even though there were suggestions that it will be in the wrong place.

Councillors at Tuesday's full council meeting of Warwickshire County Council approved that £49.5m be allocated to the capital programme so that the Oakley Grove school can be built.

But while there was unanimous support for the scheme, hoped to be completed by September 2023, Labour group leader Councillor John Holland said the location is "not what was planned".

“The site we had wanted and planned is in the centre of the housing estate so that the pupils could walk or cycle to school in some safety and which completely fits into our transport plan which talks about children not being driven," he said.

"This report talks about a car park with a school attached."

Image source, Warwickshire County Council

Council leader, Councillor Izzi Seccombe said: “This was deemed to be the place where the district council wanted the school. We had a lot of dialogue with them about the appropriateness of it being in the centre but houses have gone in the centre and this has gone on the edge.

“There is an active travel plan and a cycleway going through the new country park. It will be a fabulous all through school and it will be in a wonderful setting for those children to grow up and learn about activities and nature.”

“It has been years in the planning and we may have wished to have it in a different site which would have been cheaper for us in the end. However, this was deemed where it should be."

BBC Radio Stoke

A woman from Newcastle-under-Lyme has been arrested on suspicion of a race hate crime.

It relates to an alleged incident during a protest outside Walleys Quarry landfill in Silverdale on 20 September.

The 53-year-old, who was detained on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence, has been released on bail, police said.

Lauren Biggerstaff says starting her own business was something she did not think possible.

Relive the action from day three of Warwickshire against Lancashire in the Bob Willis Trophy final at Lord's.

Tributes have been paid to a 20-year-old who died in a crash near Kidderminster.

Owen Bate was killed when his black Vauxhall Corsa left the northbound carriageway of the A451 Stourbridge Road at Ismere.

No other vehicles were involved in the collision and inquiries are ongoing, West Mercia Police said.

Image source, West Mercia Police

In a statement, Mr Bate's family described him as "always on the go" and having a "real love of motorbikes and cars".

“He always had time for everybody he met," they said.

"There was nobody quite like Owen. His beautiful character touched us all.

“He was taken from us too quickly and has left a huge hole that can never be replaced.”

Officers have appealed for anyone who may have seen the car in the area to come forward.

Patients are being warned about a training event taking place at a hospital today.

The multi-agency exercise is going ahead at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and will see hospital staff responding to a simulated scenario in readiness for if they should ever be required to respond to a real major incident.

During the event, staff will wear chemical protection suits and a decontamination tent will be erected outside of the A&E.

Signs will be in place to explain that a training exercise is taking place, Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust said, adding there would be no disruption to hospital services.

Image source, Google

A Warwickshire company is shipping specially designed flatpack trucks to Africa as a market alternative to conventional vehicles.

Warwick-based OX began with all-terrain diesel trucks for Rwanda but are now making an electric version.

The flatpack vehicles are reassembled overseas and used to take goods to market.

Worcestershire make their fourth new signing for the 2022 season -ex-Lancashire left-hander Taylor Cornall.