Wednesday 25th November 2009 New MG for Longbridge
MG’s Chinese bosses have announced that the new MG6 hatchback will be
produced in Longbridge from 2010. Production of the new car is to
start before the end of this year in China and then move to the south
Birmingham site. Work on the existing MGTF has been halted to save
money ahead of the new model.

The original MG Rover factory was closed after it went into
administration in April 2005. The companies assets were transferred to
China after they were bought by the Chinese auto maker Nanjing, 6,000
jobs were lost with the factory’s original closure. West Midlands

Wednesday 16th September 2009 Enjoy a ramble around East Park
Wolverhampton City Council's rangers will be leading a leisurely ramble around East Park on Saturday, 26 September. The guided walk will give people the chance to learn more about the history of the Victorian park. The rangers tell the walkers about the historic clock tower and bandstand, and the wide variety of flora and fauna which present in the park.

Councillor Matthew Holdcroft, Wolverhampton City Council's Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture, said: "East Park is a fascinating public space and one that we are working hard to restore to its former glory. The guided walk led by our park rangers will be an enjoyable way to find out about its development over the years, and to discover more about some of the wildlife which can be found within its grounds."

The walk begins at 11am and is expected to last two hours. To take part, meet by the changing rooms just before 11am. West Midlands

Friday 21st August 2009 Black Country on the map at last
For the first time in history the Black Country has been put on the
Ordance Survey Landranger maps. The latest edition of OS Landranger
Map 139 clearly shows the region marked as ‘The Black Country’.
Indeed, even the map itself has been re-titled as “Birmingham and
Wolverhampton including the Black Country”.

The move comes after an intensive campaign by the Black Country
Chamber of Commerce to get the region on the map. An official
presentation of the new map will take place at the Black Country
Chamber of Commerce’s Exhibition and Awards in September. The area is
thought to have got it’s name from the seam of coal that rises to the
surface in the region. West Midlands

Tuesday 11th August 2009 Transformation for Birmingham’s New Street station
A £598m scheme to transform Birmingham’s mainline railway station will start in September. New Street station was built in the 1960s and the current work, The New Street Gateway Project, aims to make it a “landmark, 21st Century transport hub”.

Preparatory work for a new concourse will come first on the part of the site that is currently a car park. The construction work will not effect passengers using the station, according to Network Rail. The new concourse is planned to be three times larger than the current one. It will feature an large, light-filled atrium and is due to open in 2012. West Midlands

Monday 3rd August 2009 Birmingham Carnival a huge success
The Birmingham Carnival held on Sunday, August 2 attracted massive crowds and has been hailed as a complete success.

The Mardi Gras style street festival featured a decorated floats, steel bands and dancers. The carnival left Handsworth Park and made its way to Perry Park in a three hour fun-filled procession.

After arrival at Perry Park the festival continued in full flow with events, on-stage entertainment, competitions and stalls selling Caribbean food and crafts. Thousands of dancers came from all across the UK to join in the celebrations at the festival. West Midlands