Time to nominate your Young Citizen of the Year

Time to nominate your Young Citizen of the Year

Nominations have opened for the 2024 Wolverhampton Young Citizen of the Year awards.

The awards, now in their 11th year, recognise the achievements of young people in the city who have gone that extra mile to help others.

Previous winners include youngsters who have raised funds for charity, supported other members of their community, and made a difference to the people around them.

The awards, which are run by the Rotary clubs of Wolverhampton, were launched in memory of Tom Warren, a former Rotarian and the city’s Education Director for a quarter of a century.

Vice chairman of the organising committee, former Wolves player Mel Eves, said: “The Young Citizen of the Year awards have gone from strength to strength over the years. Last year, we selected ten young people as finalists and invited them with their guests to an awards ceremony, with many others receiving a certificate of commendation for their efforts.

“This year, we look forward to seeing plenty more fantastic nominations.”

This year’s awards ambassador, Wolves Captain Max Kilman, said: “Young people who use their initiative and show kindness to others deserve to be recognised, so I am very pleased to support the awards.”

There are two age categories for the awards, 13-18 and 19-25. Anyone can nominate candidates, who must live or go to school or work in Wolverhampton.

This year’s awards are backed by, Collins Aerospace, the Wolves Foundation, the Express & Star, Wolverhampton City Council, Carvers Building Supplies, the James Beattie Charitable Trust, WCR fm and West Midlands Magazines.

A ceremony will take place later this year, to reveal the winners of these prestigious awards.

For more details and to make a nomination, visit: wolverhamptonyoungcitizen.org.uk/

Photo shows Wolves Captain Maximilian Kilman with previous winners Luis Enache, Imane Sbihi, Eva Abley and Ex-Wolves player, Mel Eves from the Young Citizen of the Year Committee

National recognition for primary school in Sandwell

National recognition for primary school in Sandwell

A primary school in Friar Park has been celebrating after gaining four accreditations in recognition of teaching standards and values.

During the last year, The Priory Primary on Dorsett Road, Wednesbury has been awarded The Artsmark Gold Award from Arts Council England, a Primary Geography Silver Quality Mark to teacher Jennifer Credland-Ballantyne, Enhanced Quality Mark as a Values-based School and the RE Quality Mark Gold for religious education. The Priory Primary is currently rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted.

Councillor Simon Hackett, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education visited the school in recognition of the awards and to thank staff for their efforts and hard work. He said: “The Priory Primary is working hard to give children the best start in life and these national awards are recognition the staff really care about providing quality education. Well done to all involved.”

Headteacher at Priory Primary School, Phillip Butcher is very proud of the efforts made. He said: “Rather than resting on our laurels, it is practice here at The Priory that we proactively assess and validate the quality and impact of our curriculum through a variety of external quality assurance processes. These rigorous external evaluations serve as a testament to our dedication and validate our belief in the strength of our educational provision.

“Recent accolades and awards received underscore our relentless pursuit of excellence. The awards not only recognise the hard work and collaboration of our team but also confirm our own evaluation of our curriculum’s efficacy.

“External assessors have praised our school for its “innovative and forward-thinking approach” and applauded our efforts to engage students in meaningful learning experiences. Their feedback highlights our commitment to providing enrichment opportunities that extend beyond the traditional classroom.

“These awards serve as significant milestones, reflecting the dedication and passion of our entire educational community; including teachers, students, parents, and governors. However, we recognise that maintaining high standards requires ongoing dedication and effort.

“As we move forward, our commitment to excellence remains steadfast. We are determined to not only meet but exceed these high standards, ensuring that we continue to provide the very best education for our students. At The Priory School, we understand that standing still is not an option – only by pushing the boundaries of innovation and excellence can we truly progress.”

National recognition for primary school in Sandwell

Cancer awareness events to help residents spot signs and symptoms and get screened

A series of free community events are set to take place during February and March to help residents across Walsall increase their awareness of cancer, identify signs and symptoms and encourage screening.
The events will take place at Willenhall Chart Centre on Wednesday 21 February, Pelsall Community Centre on Wednesday 6 March and Bloxwich Active Living Centre on Friday 22 March, all from 10am to 2pm.
The events have been organised jointly by Public Health Walsall and the Black Country Integrated Care System (ICS). Each event will raise awareness of cancer screening and support services available, how residents can reduce their risk and create opportunities for anyone affected by cancer to meet others, as well as getting support from clinical specialists, local providers and experts.
Free health and diabetes checks will also be offered at these events.
Councillor Gary Flint, Portfolio Holder for Wellbeing, Leisure and Public Spaces at Walsall Council, said:
“All events are drop-in, and you will have the opportunity to talk to a range of NHS providers, independent organisations and charities about screening, how to spot signs and symptoms and prevent cancer, as well as getting support.
In addition to the community events, a double-decker cancer bus run by the Black Country ICB will make a stop in Walsall Town Centre on Wednesday 28 February from 9:30am to 4pm. Located on Park Street, the bus will offer information on cancer screening and general health and wellbeing advice to people in and around the town centre.
National recognition for primary school in Sandwell

New childcare recruits in city to be offered £1,000 sign-on bonuses

The City of Wolverhampton Council has been chosen to take part in a pilot scheme offering £1,000 tax-free payments for those starting childcare jobs.

The ‘Do Something Big’ recruitment campaign has been launched by the Department for Education.

As part of the campaign a trial initiative – covering 20 local authorities including Wolverhampton – will see new-starters and those returning to childcare roles given a cash bonus payment shortly after they take up post.

It aims to help ensure nurseries and early years providers have the staff required to offer more childcare places for parents.

The move comes ahead of April when eligible working parents of two-year-olds will get 15 funded hours on top of existing childcare provision –­­ ultimately putting more money in parents’ pockets at the end of the month.

The rollout is set to save working parents using the full 30-hour entitlements up to £6,500 a year.

Councillor Chris Burden, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “We welcome the opportunity to take part in this national pilot scheme.“The recruitment drive will help support our efforts to ensure nurseries and early years providers have the workers they need to be able to offer more childcare places for parents as provision is expanded.

“This will allow more parents to stay in work, supporting the local economy in the knowledge their children are receiving good childcare, laying the foundations for them to achieve their full potential.”

The campaign will look to boost recruitment across the sector by highlighting the array of childcare career routes and progression opportunities offering on-the-job training and flexible hours.

Wednesfield Magazine marks 10 years since first issue!

Wednesfield Magazine marks 10 years since first issue!

Dear Reader, well…we made it!

10 years ago, I had the daft idea to start a magazine and as I live in Wednesfield, I thought that would be the ideal place to start.

They said it wouldn’t work…They said there wouldn’t be enough content to fill a magazine every two months. Others said, give it a try and see what happens.

I did and we’re still here. And it’s all down to you, the readers, our hugely valuable advertisers and those who contribute…So thank you for being part of the adventure. Read more about this journey on page 16 of this issue.

The next issue will cover April and May and will be out on 29th March so if you want to be in it, please contact me by 8th March.

Simon Archer
Publisher
West Midlands Magazines Ltd.