The government announced Birmingham will be placed in tier 3 when the national lockdown ends on December 2 – this is the highest alert level of local restrictions. As of the 25 November, 18,213 people where tested positive for Covid-19 in Birmingham. There are three levels of alert in the three-tier system; medium (Tier 1), high (Tier 2) and very high (Tier 3). https://twitter.com/andy4wm/status/1331936196268859394 Here are the restrictions in areas placed in Tier 3: You must not meet socially indoors or in most outdoor places with anybody you do not live with, or who is not in your support bubble,…
Author: Laura Wood
Author AA Abbott, known to her friends as Helen, has released her new novel ‘Bright Lies’ in time for White Ribbon Day to raise awareness on the cause. White Ribbon Day, taking place today, is dedicated to men standing up and saying no to violence against women. Bright Lies by AA Abbott Bright Lies is a psychological thriller which highlights violence against women. The protagonist is an older man (David) who exploits a crush from a 12 year old girl (Emily). The book is about how Emily is taken in by David and the ‘bright lies’ that he tells to…
This week is anti-bullying week. According to Anti Bullying Alliance, 33.5% of children in England say they have been victims of bullying in the last six months. Birmingham lifestyle blogger Louna Walker, 23, shares her experience of bullying and how she overcame these external challenges. Louna is working alongside the Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity campaign ‘Fight For All The Feels’ – a campaign aimed to raise awareness on mental health impacting Birmingham youth . Her journey started when she was 6 years old, after she developed trichotillomania. A stress disorder that makes you pull your hair out, causing Louna to…
The Birmingham Contemporary Art Gallery is introducing a programme to help Black, Asian and ethnic minority creative artists get a better start in the industry. Throughout Black History Month, the gallery, which is next to the Sealife Centre in the city, is hosting an exhibition showcasing black talent from Birmingham. https://twitter.com/thebcag/status/1274031796221628416 The ‘Black Artists for Black History’ exhibition is giving under-represented talent more visibility in the contemporary art space. The gallery claims it will be an opportunity for all communities to learn about Black history and its links to British history in a ‘fun and educational way.’ Beyond Black History…
Birmingham’s residents and all local businesses are being urged to share their views on the council’s proposals to address the inequalities that affect all communities in the city. The events of the past few months, including the socio-economic crisis created by coronavirus, have shown the extent to which predjudice and discrimination impact our society. https://twitter.com/BhamCityCouncil/status/1313420486399930368 The Leader of the council, Ian Ward has pledged to ensure the council’s workforce reflects the communities they serve. “We are working to introduce a ‘Rooney rule’ for shortlists to address the current, visible imbalance in gender and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic representation across…
As everyone is well aware, the UK went into lockdown on March 23 and was officially in ‘full lockdown’ for 3 months. Even though, at the start, this seemed like the worst thing in the world, the extra time it gave people to pursue things they never had time to before has allowed people to explore different hobbies and even change the path of their life and find spirituality. It seems that, for many, lockdown was a blessing in disguise. One person in particular that has taken lockdown as a chance to change her life is Naomi Osei, who during…
COVID-19 has currently been declared a worldwide pandemic, and while there is no evidence that this disease is of any more harm to pregnant women, the current NHS advice is to self isolate for up to 3 months. The current number of Coronavirus cases in the UK is 22,141 and rising daily, with the number of deaths currently sitting at 1,408. The Royal College of Gynaecologists is advising that, if you get the virus, there is no known increase of miscarriage, however, pregnant women still need to follow the self-isolation advice and continue to regularly wash hands, avoid non-essential travel…
Renovations are underway on the Grade II listed internationally renowned renaissance baths in Balsall Heath, Birmingham. The baths were closed in 2003, but in April 2018, the Moseley Road Baths Actions Group and Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), including the ‘Friends of Moseley Road Baths’ took over running the baths as a non-profit community enterprise. They are now working with heritage partners The National Trust, World Monuments Fund and Historic England, alongside Birmingham City Council, not least because the building retains many of its original features. The Friends group wanted to keep the building open, and they’ve been hosting activities and…
Amarno Inai is a 24 year old artist from Birmingham. Saturday night saw The Gap in Birmingham transformed in to a gallery showcasing the best of Amarno’s ‘Katharsis’ work. ‘Katharsis’ is a journey through Amarno’s mental health, and what methods he used to cope. The work displays feeling of anxiety, depression and even glimpses into an existential crisis and identity crisis, all happening at the time the art was created. Under each piece, the cards had individual songs on them, that matched the mental and emotional states the artist was in when creating the pieces. The exhibition was accompanied by…
Daisy Oldershaw and Laura Wood reporting After a consistent voting-in of Labour MPs since 1992, is Selly Oak on track for another year of the same? Counting down the days until the election on December 12, the constituency, best known for the University of Birmingham and its large number of student residents – is set to vote for its favourite candidate. Here’s who’s in the running – Running for the Labour Party, Steve McCabe. Steve McCabe is 64 years old and originally from Port Glasgow on the banks of the River Clyde. He’s been based in the area for decades…