Coventry's Godiva Festival has won a top regional award, days before thousands are set to descend on the city's War Memorial Park for this year's event.

The three-day family event was named winner in the Best Festival category of the West Midlands Awards last night.

The festival kicks off on Friday with headline acts including The Stranglers, The Darkness and Example and DJ Wire.

It all starts at 18:00 onFriday and runs until 19:00 on Sunday, external.

Lucy Martin
BBC Weather

There's good news and bad news.

The good news is we're forecast a hot end to the week.

The bad news is that we could see heavy, thundery showers on Thursday night.

Warwick Courier

The main building at Kenilworth Station is starting to take shape after its steel framework has been erected., external

BBC Weather Watchers

Our BBC Weather Watchers have been busy - @outwiththedog has sent us this summery snap from Wishaw.

Image source, outwiththedog

You can learn more about becoming a Weather Watcher at our site here.

Coventry Telegraph

A man was taken to hospital after being assaulted in an alleyway in Rugby., external

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Sport

Colin Jackson, the current British record holder in the sprint hurdles, is confident that Stratford-upon-Avon's Andy Pozzi will eventually break his record.

Pozzi came in second at this weekend's Diamond League Meeting and Jackson said it was just a matter of time before his record goes.

Image source, Getty Images

Coventry Telegraph

A group of friends have paid tribute to a man who died in a motorbike crash in Nuneaton. , external

A telescope capable of detecting the signatures of gravitational waves - and described as heralding a new era in astrophysics - has been launched by the University of Warwick.

Image source, University of Warwick

The Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer (GOTO) can pick up the waves which, the university says are, "ripples in the fabric of space-time, created when massive bodies – particularly black holes and neutron stars – orbit each other and merge at very high speeds".

It's hoped the telescope will allow astronomers to probe the distant universe and better understand the nature of gravity.

The machine has been built and operated by an international research collaboration, led by Warwick, at the university's astronomical facility at La Palma on the Canary Islands.

Nuneaton News

A potentially lethal weapon was seized from a suspected burglar , externalas he tried to flee from Nuneaton on a train.

It took 40 hours a week over 10 months, between shifts, to create this intricate model.

Schoolchildren in Stratford-upon-Avon are highlighting the problems in accessing a centuries-old bridge in the town.

Steps mean Lucy's Mill Bridge cannot be crossed by those in wheelchairs or by parents with prams.

Pupils from King Edward VI School are lending a hand to publicise the issues .

Thieves used a 4x4 vehicle to try to remove a cash machine from the front of a Co-op store in Stratford-upon-Avon this morning, police say., external

Image source, Google

Officers said six offenders who were attempting to remove the ATM on Wordsworth Avenue at about 04:00 made off in a number of vehicles - damaging a police car with a hammer as they went.

House-to-house enquiries are being conducted in the area, say police.

Coventry Telegraph

The future of the Woodlands Academy site is to be discussed at an agenda-packed Coventry City Council cabinet meeting today., external

People with allotments in Wellesbourne say they'll fight proposals to move the plots to make way for what they think is residential development.

Growers say they are being offered alternative sites and think the owner, the Diocese of Coventry, has earmarked the allotments for homes.

The allotments' secretary Anne-Marie Ortu told BBC Coventry and Warwickshire the matter was being discussed at a parish council meeting this evening.

The Diocese of Coventry said in a statement that the "sale of any of the land would be subject to planning permission being granted" and "the local community would have the opportunity to express their views".

Nuneaton News

Nuneaton fans have spoken – and in their numbers – as more than 450 voted to go back to the Borough next season., external

A cyclist died after a collision involving a silver Volkswagen Transporter in Kenilworth, say police who are appealing for witnesses., external

The crash happened on the crossroads of New Street, High Street, Bridge Street and Fieldgate Lane on Wednesday 14 June.

Image source, Google

The cyclist, a man in his 50s, was taken to University Hospital in Coventry with head injuries, where he died a few days later.

Coventry Telegraph

Coventry’s three Labour MPs have demanded sprinklers are fitted in all residential high-rise buildings in the city. , external

A rise in car parking charges is set to be approved by Coventry councillors today., external

Image source, Google

The city council is looking to raise about £200,000 a year by increasing charges at short-stay car parks while keeping longer stay sites at about the same level.

It says the pricing review is the first for seven years and offers "good value".

If approved, the new charges will be introduced in August.

Leamington Observer

A courageous Lillington woman has been honoured after rushing to help a woman in a wheelchair who was being attacked. , external

BBC Sport

Warwickshire go into the second day of their Championship match against Middlesex at Edgbaston on 302 for 7.

Image source, Getty Images

They lost Rikki Clarke for 83 just before the close of the first day.

Earlier, Matt Lamb scored his maiden first class half century on his home debut.

County champions Middlesex are looking for their second win of the season, while the hosts are bottom of the table, having yet to earn a victory in their first seven County Championship games.