Updates from Friday 9 September 2016
People in a Shropshire town are being urged to put their homemade VE Day decorations on display tomorrow.
Great Dawley Town Council appealed, external to residents this week to fill windows, gardens and houses with poppies under lockdown.
Image source, Great Dawley Town CouncilSunshine and blue skies have sent our BBC Weather Watchers scurrying out to take photos of the glorious scenes across the West Midlands today.
These three are from users Ken M in Lydbury North, Shropshire, Mr Twister in Leek, Staffordshire and BoardWalk in Cofton Hackett, Worcestershire.
If you're going out for your daily exercise, why not take a camera with you.
Image source, Ken M
Image source, Mr Twister
Image source, BoardWalk
Allen Cook
BBC News
We do enjoy seeing the videos of people, now recovered from coronavirus, being applauded as they leave hospital.
Here's one of 87-year-old Beryl Hewlett.
Beryl Hewlett being clapped as she left hospital
She spent more than a month at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, in Gobowen, after at first breaking her hip in a fall while shopping.
Hospital officials said, external she then tested positive for Covid-19 at the end of March and, despite only showing mild symptoms, had to wait to get a negative test result before being able to leave.
Nurses and doctors gave her a guard of honour as she left the hospital yesterday to return to her assisted living accommodation in Whitchurch.
Demand has been "tremendous" in the past few weeks, the Shropshire Cycle Hub says.
Read MoreAs well as all the bunting that's going up, some of Telford's roundabouts have been decorated to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day on Friday.
Here's an aerial shot of one of them, from Telford and Wrekin Council.
It's also been painting roads to thank NHS staff and other key workers.
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Local Democracy Reporting Service
A deep cleans of schools, play areas, parks and other community facilities will "almost certainly" have to be carried out before the lockdown can be lifted in Telford, the leader of the council has warned.
Shaun Davies made the comments in an online question and answer session and said guidance would also be given to businesses on making their premises safe and clean.
Image source, Telford and Wrekin CouncilMr Davies also said it was now "highly unlikely" that schools would return to normal before September and that once they do, he doesn't want to see families fined if they keep their children away for self isolation reasons.
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Telford's conference centre is looking to expand, but the project could be delayed by the coronavirus outbreak.
Outline planning approval for an extension to the Telford International Centre was granted 10 years ago, for land between the existing centre and the ice rink, but a full application still needs to be approved.
Image source, LDRSDetails of the plans have not yet been made available, but they are for "additional conference and exhibition venues".
Reports of an explosion at the Lacon Childe School in Cleobury Mortimer turned out to be a firework rocket, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service has said.
A fire crew was called there at 17:49 yesterday evening, but didn't need to take any action.
Image source, Google
Rob England
BBC News
With councils across England reopening tips, some areas have seen heavy queuing as people dump excess waste accrued during the lockdown.
Today, Buckinghamshire tips opened, causing queues of up to an hour at some sites.
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Meanwhile Knowsley Council reported waiting times of up to three hours, external at its tips today.
Telford and Wrekin Council, which also observed large queues, external, has urged residents that the recycling centres are open for essential use only.
Masked men armed with knives have attempted to rob a man in a Shrewsbury alleyway.
West Mercia Police said the victim was forced into the alley near Racecourse Avenue by three men at 22:15 last Friday.
Image source, West Mercia PoliceThe three men are all thought to be in their 20s and spoke with Shrewsbury accents.
It's another good day to go outside for some exercise and the BBC Weather Watchers have been taking full advantage of their daily trip outdoors.
These photos were taken at Rushbury, Southam and Birmingham.
Image source, Peter Steggles
Image source, Little Acorns
Image source, Triggy StardustAttempts are going to be made to hold Telford's balloon fiesta later in the year.
It was due to have taken place this weekend, but had to be called off because of the coronavirus lockdown.
Image source, Telford and Wrekin CouncilThousands of people attended the two-day event in the town park last year and the council said "one way or another" it hoped to send the balloons up again this year.
West Mercia Police officers have been paying tribute to a colleague who was shot dead in the line of duty 13 years ago today.
PC Ricky Gray was killed after being called to deal with a domestic argument in Shrewsbury.
The firearms-trained officer, who was born in Dundee, had previously won recognition for his part in the arrests of two armed men.
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Local Democracy Reporting Service
A church is set for the Southwater area of Telford town centre.
The Diocese of Lichfield has been given permission to convert part of the enlarged Meeting Point House
The application says Telford Minster aims "to be used throughout the week, not only for their regular Sunday service, but as a rentable venue for events, conferences and performances".
Second City and Second Town want a first-rate slice of the pot.
Read MoreA 30-year-old man has died after his motorbike hit a roadside barrier in Telford.
West Mercia Police said it happened in the Brookside area yesterday afternoon at the junction of the A442 and the A4169.
Image source, West Mercia PoliceThe force has referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, because of "the proximity of a police vehicle at the time of the collision".
The rider died at the scene.
Brown bins are set to be picked up from 275 streets in Stoke-on-Trent today.
Crews are clearing a backlog of garden waste after collections were stopped because of lockdown.
And there are queues outside recycling centres in Shropshire, including Telford, which have re-opened this morning.
Lockdown could cost Shrewsbury Town Council £500,000, it estimates.
It's missing out on income from the facilities it owns, such as leisure centres, markets, sports pitches and community rooms.
Government funding is being given to larger authorities including Shropshire Council, which has received £18m, but is under no obligation to pass it on to other authorities within the county.
The leader of Shropshire Council, Peter Nutting, has written to the secretary of state for local government, urging them to give more money to town and parish councils, adding his authority has nothing spare to offer.
He said: "However much I would like to help [other councils], I have to look at the greater good of the county as a whole and protect statutory functions."
The clerk of Shrewsbury Town Council, Helen Ball, said it could cover the losses through reserves, but she had concerns for authorities without the money in the bank.
BBC Shropshire
A horse sanctuary looking after dozens of horses during lockdown is appealing for donations as its running costs continue to mount.
Image source, Hopton Rehab and Homing CentreNormally, Hopton Rehab and Homing Centre in Clee Hill, Shropshire, would be running events in spring and summer to raise funds.
But, with the Covid-19 outbreak, all its visits to care homes and shows are cancelled and charity trustee Bob Woolnough told BBC Shropshire it still has bills to pay.
"Between the sanctuary and the rehab centre, we've got something like 12 sites. Now all these sites are rented so we have to pay the landlords every month and between us we've got around near enough 50 horses to care for," he said.
The centre's organised an appeal, asked for free grazing for the horses and urged people to keep unwanted rugs, external so they can be donated when the lockdown eases.
BBC Shropshire
A care home's been inundated with cards, letters, drawings and paintings after appealing for people to make contact with their residents.
Image source, Doddington LodgeBack when lockdown was just starting, staff at the Doddington Lodge Care Home, between Clee Hill and Cleobury Mortimer, in Shropshire, wanted to stop people there getting lonely.
However, manager Scott Stevens told BBC Shropshire staff only expected a few responses, but instead have had more and more each day.
"We want it to really carry on because it is making the residents smile so much and lifting their moods," he added.
Image source, Doddington Lodge