A religious community has spoken up about how it can help people struggling during the cost-of-living crisis to get a hot meal.

There was excitement in the air as fans waited to catch a glimpse of their Take That hero.

The Ladder for the Black Country is working with the Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance to further its cause of promoting social mobility, diversity, inclusion and equity in apprenticeships.

Two teenagers have been taken to hospital with serious injuries after being stabbed in Birmingham city centre.

The owner of a shop selling items for dog owners has urged the public to shop locally this Christmas and support the high street during the cost of living crisis.

Profits at the British arm of supermarket chain Lidl have more than quadrupled as it continues an ambition expansion of stores.

Chief executive Simon Thompson vowed to do ‘whatever it takes’ to turn the group around after interim results showed it fell to a £219 million loss.

A raffle organised by a Black Country tyre centre has raised more than £3,000 for Birmingham Children's Hospital.

A Staffordshire district council has confirmed the start of a pedestrianised trial at the start of next year.

Police are searching for a man who smashed the back window of a lorry and made off with a petrol strimmer.

People have voiced a lack of hope regarding the Chancellor’s expected announcement on an increase in benefit payments.

Health organisations around the Black Country took to social media to give a rare “behind the scenes” look into life in the NHS.

Council leaders have accused the Government of making authorities "do their dirty work" over potential changes to how much council tax can increase.

Bin man by day, and rapping bingo caller by night – a Wednesbury local has just released his debut single.

Fly-tippers have dumped huge mounds of rubbish next to a football field in Wednesbury which is used by local sports teams.

Planned improvements to a rail line through the West Midlands are hanging in the balance after the scheme was placed under review.

A -based company is using algae in an attempt to tackle climate change and strip carbon dioxide from the air in the atmosphere.

A second car has been dumped in a Black Country canal in the space of just three days.

A Dudley secondary school has paid tribute after the "devastating" loss of one of its teachers, who suddenly died this week.

In this age of revolving doors in Downing Street, no fewer than seven former prime ministers lined up for the Remembrance ceremony in Whitehall on Sunday. At this rate, any guesses on how many ex-PMs will appear next year? Eight? Ten? Twenty?

Not many people would want to be in Jeremy Hunt’s shoes as he presents his mini-budget today.

A Black Country Palliative Care charity is in the running for an award around its innovative use of technology to support patients.

A pub has won acclaim for the quality and standards of its toilets – in the Loo of the Year Awards 2022.

Lovers of the great outdoors will be heading to the region as a popular camping and outdoor pursuits show is set to return.

Malorie Blackman's teen novel about star-crossed lovers in a racially segregated world took the world by storm when it hit the shelves in 2001.

A crumbling old pub site in Walsall which has become a ‘dumping ground’ could be torn down to make way for new housing.

Dudley Council is scouring the borough's town centres for vacant offices to bulldoze and replace with homes.

A nursery in Wolverhampton that provides daycare facilities for children aged 2-4 has been rated as outstanding in a recent Ofsted review.

Administrators said the business will continue to trade and shops will stay open while they ‘assess options for the business’.

World Cup fans have the chance to get their hands on limited edition McDonald's McDelivery bags as football's biggest tournament kicks off.

A company has been handed an industry award for carrying out an "excellent and extensive" renovation at a hotel in the West Midlands.

Police have released images of two people they wish to speak to after suspected chocolate thieves assaulted staff at a B&M store.

Other major retailers including Tesco, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer and Co-op reassured customers that they continued to receive good supplies.

Jaguar Land Rover's French chief executive has announced his resignation for personal reasons.

One of three people who was arrested after a police chase in Dudley is being questioned in connection with 11 robberies committed across the region.

Sandwell Council’s gritting lorries are ready to combat plunging temperatures and snow covered roads.

A lorry driver has pleaded guilty to causing the death of a Black Country nurse in a crash on the M6 after failing to give himself enough time to safely switch lanes.

Former Villa striker John Carew has been jailed for 14 months in Norway after being found guilty of tax evasion.

Almost 1,500 firefighters in the West Midlands and Staffordshire will decide on whether to vote for strike action after a five per cent pay rise was rejected.

An adventure golf course costing £500,000 and featuring a rock climbing wall, zip line and small amusement park could be heading to Stourbridge.

Dog owners in the West Midlands expect to spend £96 on average on gifts for their pets this Christmas, despite more than half being worried about the cost of presents this year, according to a charity.

Yellow-stickered reduced items were previously deposited on unmarked shelves at certain times of the day but will now have a dedicated space in shops.

The Cannock-based Alternative Parcels Company, which is recruiting to fill 130 jobs, saw profits fall in its latest financial year.

The owner of retails parks in Stafford and Walsall has seen growth in profits for its latest half year.

A man has been found guilty of the murder of his own father who he headbutted and punched in a Wolverhampton street during a row.

Police are investigating a crash after a van hit a pensioner and a house in Tipton.

A University of Wolverhampton professor has been named as one of the most important researchers in the world.

A bank card was stolen during a burglary at a home in Willenhall.

Drivers have been warned about an abnormal load which will be travelling through Staffordshire with a police escort.

More than £15,000 worth of tech will be hidden in central Birmingham for treasure hunters to find this weekend as a leading online retailer fires the starting gun early on Black Friday.

A supermarket in Wolverhampton has been given the go-ahead to extend with the addition of a new bakery, trolley bay and improved staff canteen.

A PE teacher is preparing to defend her European boxing crown this weekend.

A Wyre Forest village school has joined Severn Academies Educational Trust which runs five primaries and two high schools across the district.

Hard work by pupils and staff at a Stourport school to become global citizens has been rewarded with a Bronze Award from Christian Aid.

Around £1.2 million could be saved if two councils agree to share their teams amid the "significant financial pressures" they both face, a report has said.

Plans to turn a retail unit on a Wolverhampton housing estate into a car showroom have been given the go-ahead after going before planning bosses for the third time.

Residents in the Black Country and Staffordshire are being warned of heavy rain on Thursday which could lead to some flooding in the region.

A notorious railway bridge in Staffordshire has been named in the top 10 for being the most lorry-bashed in Britain, according to a new report.

Two friends are helping scores of people in their community with subsidised food.

There's barely a ticket to be found as an acclaimed singer, songwriter, composer and producer hits the stage in the region.

Plans to build two new homes in the grounds of an existing Stafford property have been thrown out by councillors.

Taxi fares are set to go up for passengers who hail a cab in Stafford borough after the trade requested a rise.

Commuters were facing some delays after a crash blocked a road in Walsall causing bus services to be diverted.

The cost of low-fat milk has increased by 47.9%, pasta and couscous by 34%, and olive oil by 28.3%.

Police say a vehicle has been seized and a learner driver reported after taking to the road on a provisional licence with no insurance.

A headteacher has said he feels the government is working against him as he battles spiralling costs.

Strikes which threatened to disrupt the region’s transport network have been called off at the eleventh hour after an improved pay offer was made.

More than 10,000 tickets have already been sold for next year's Camp Bestival at Weston Park, says the organiser.

Transport infrastructure group Hill & Smith saw revenue from continuing operations rise 18 per cent in the four months to the end of October

People across the Midlands have been called on to return their unused antibiotics to over 300 pharmacies to help prevent people from developing antibiotic resistance.

Police have recovered a suspected stolen moped after being called to a retail park in Wednesfield.

Foundry group Castings has seen growth in both sales and profits for the six months to the end of September.

Britain faces an "insurmountable problem" in its efforts to tackle illegal immigration despite a new deal with France to clamp down on Channel crossings, Staffordshire MP Michael Fabricant has said.

Police want to speak to this man following a knifepoint robbery at Dudley bus station.

The threat of all-out strike action by West Midlands Metro workers which is still hanging in the balance has been met with a mixed response.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that inflation jumped to a higher than expected 11.1% in October – the highest rate since October 19

Wolves ay we! Club legend Steve Bull has launched his own clothing collection with each containing a handwritten signature – and a special message.

The autumn statement will mark an abrupt about-turn on Kwasi Kwarteng’s disastrous mini-budget.

A family have been left devastated after their son was found to be suffering from a rare form of childhood cancer.

Britain's canals and waterways are at risk of falling into "disrepair" when a funding deal worth more than £1 billion ends, a Staffordshire MP has warned.

A former Dudley Council leader has been suspended by the Conservatives amid a row over the Black Country Plan.

A former Sainsbury's store in Wolverhampton city centre will not be redeveloped for another three years when the lease for the property expires, it has been revealed.

A lorry driver's carelessness killed a Black Country mother-of-two on the M6, a court has heard.

There are plenty of road closures in and around the Black Country and South Staffordshire this week.

A school has been busy collecting donations in aid of good causes and to help struggling families.

A man has died after the car he was driving hit a tree on the roadside on a route in Staffordshire.

Staff and children at a primary school are mourning a much-loved Kingswinford teacher who died of cancer aged 44.

A £1 million scheme designed to tackle congestion and ease traffic flow in Brierley Hill has been completed three weeks early – ahead of the Christmas rush.

Three people have been arrested in Dudley following an armed robbery in Bridgnorth.

Up to £1,100 could be handed out to people most in need across the UK under plans which have been tipped to appear in the Chancellor's autumn statement.

An appeal has been launched after a poppy tin at a community centre in the Black Country was stolen in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday.

An appeal for help locating the owner of a collection of lost medals has been launched by a city council.

Sandwell council has asked its chief executive to consider waiving fees for temporary road closures ahead of the coronation of King Charles III.

A former pub which has sat empty for more than a decade could finally be transformed into a shop with new apartments in Brownhills.

A man was taken to hospital with 'potentially serious injuries' following a fire at his home in Wolverhampton.

A man from the Black Country has escaped prison after being found with pictures of abused children and breaching a court order banning him from having mobile phones.

Police are investigating after an "unknown man tried to collect a child from nursery" in Walsall.

One food establishment across the Black Country and Staffordshire area has been given a one-out-of-five hygiene rating in the latest scores given out by the Food Standards Agency.

Gotta collect 'em all! A Pokemon trading card collection is set to go under the hammer in Staffordshire later this month – and could fetch up to £75,000.

Vinyl lovers will be descending on Bilston this weekend for the Black Country Record and CD Fair.