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Month: June 2025

Free Summer Cycling Sessions for Local Children and Families

Walsall families are being invited to saddle up this summer with a series of free cycling sessions designed to boost confidence, safety and skills on two wheels.

Walsall Council’s road safety team is teaming up with Bikeability and Active Travel England to offer a fun-filled programme of cycle training for children and young people of all abilities over the school holidays.

Running for four weeks from Monday 28 July 2025, the sessions will be split by age and experience, making them ideal for both first-time riders and those looking to improve their on-road skills.

Learn to Ride at Walsall Arboretum

This friendly, supportive session is perfect for beginners aged 7 and up who are learning to ride a bike for the first time or building up their confidence.

Bikeability Level 1 & 2 at Oak Park Active Living Centre

Aimed at young people aged 10 and above, these practical sessions focus on developing cycling skills and road safety awareness, giving riders the tools they need to cycle more independently.

Cllr Gary Flint, Walsall Council’s Portfolio Holder for Culture, Health & Wellbeing, said:

“Encouraging children to embrace cycling is a fantastic way to promote physical activity.
These sessions are ideal for youngsters who are either learning to ride or looking to boost their road safety skills.
Led by our dedicated road safety officers, these sessions cater to children and young people of all skill levels. Best of all, they are free to attend. Just bring your bike and helmet, and enjoy learning to ride in the sunshine.”

All sessions are led by trained road safety officers and are completely free to attend. Participants just need to bring a bike and helmet—and a willingness to learn!

Places are limited and filling fast, so early booking is essential. To reserve a spot or find out more, email bikeability@walsall.gov.uk.

Free Wildflower Seeds Available Across Sutton Coldfield to Help Residents Grow Greener Spaces

Sutton Coldfield Town Council is inviting residents to brighten up their gardens, balconies, or window boxes with a free packet of wildflower seeds – part of a community-wide effort to support pollinators and create a greener, more biodiverse town.

Distributed through a number of community venues, these seed packets are part of an initiative to inspire locals to grow their own mini wildflower patches.

Each packet contains a mix of wildflower seeds native to the UK, specially chosen to attract bees, butterflies, and other important pollinators. The seeds can be sown at any time of year, making it easy for residents to join in whenever they’re ready.

You can collect your free wildflower seeds from the following public venues across the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield (please check individual venue opening hours before visiting):

  • Olive Branch Café, Four Oaks Baptist Church

  • Second Thoughts Charity Shop

  • Harvest Fields Centre

  • Sutton Coldfield Town Hall

  • Sutton Coldfield United Reformed Church

  • Trinity Centre

  • Walmley Library

  • Mere Green Library

  • Boldmere Library (available from Thursday 12 June)

Whether you have a garden, a few pots, or just a patch of soil to spare, growing wildflowers is a simple way to make a big difference for local wildlife.

For helpful tips on how to get started, visit: www.wwf.org.uk/wildflowers/how-to-grow-wildflowers

New Youth Hub Coming to Walsall Town Centre This Summer

A brand-new youth hub is set to open its doors in the heart of Walsall town centre this summer, offering young people a safe and welcoming space to relax, connect, and have fun.

The former Clive Marks school uniform shop in the Saddlers Shopping Centre is being transformed into a vibrant hub created by young people, for young people. It’s one of fifteen exciting regeneration projects across Walsall made possible by a successful £20 million funding bid from the UK Government.

Responding to direct feedback from young residents, the youth hub aims to provide a much-needed space to meet up, unwind, and try out new activities.

Due to open in the coming weeks, the hub will be free to access and packed with activities including gaming consoles, arts and crafts, pool tables, chill-out areas, and free Wi-Fi. It’s designed to be a modern take on the traditional youth club – shaped with input from local young people themselves.

Walsall Council has worked closely with a youth advisory group who’ve played a key role in shaping the plans, from deciding what the space will offer to influencing its overall design and layout.

Councillor Adam Hicken, Portfolio Holder for Resilient and Safer Communities at Walsall Council, said:

“Young people have told us that they want more safe spaces to meet with each other in the town centre, and that’s exactly what this youth hub will deliver with them and for them.

We know over time, the traditional youth club that once was, has somewhat phased out of society, and it’s great that Walsall is going against the grain and bringing a space back where young people can enjoy some downtime.

Whilst this is a resource specifically aimed at our young residents, we hope the news of the hub brings some positivity to our wider town centre community too and demonstrates that we understand and are listening to their views.

The Saddlers shopping centre unit is a temporary location which will remain in place until the end of the year, and following that, will move to a permanent premises so it isn’t affected by some of the wider regeneration works planned.

So, please do watch this space as we will be sharing more information soon!”

Initially, the youth hub will open on weekday evenings and will be staffed by Walsall Council youth workers.

Keep an eye out for updates and opening announcements in the coming weeks.

Walsall Marks Armed Forces Day with Special Flag Raising Ceremony

Walsall came together on Monday 23 June 2025 to honour service personnel past and present with a special flag raising ceremony outside the Council House to mark Armed Forces Day.

This year’s event was particularly poignant as it coincided with the 80th anniversary of VE Day, commemorating eight decades since the end of the Second World War in Europe. In a moving tribute, Mayor’s Cadet Gina-Lyn Tanue, from Bloxwich Academy, proudly raised the Armed Forces Day flag.

The Girls Venture Corps also joined the ceremony, highlighting the continued involvement of young people in honouring the sacrifices of the Armed Forces community.

Leading the proceedings was the Mayor of Walsall, Councillor Louise Harrison, who paid tribute during a short civic service.

“Today, we stand united in pride to honour our Armed Forces. This isn’t just a date; it’s a day to recognise the unwavering dedication of our past and present service members, who have made our world a better place and to commend their families for their incredible resilience during the world’s conflicts. On behalf of our borough, we stand to honour them.”

Also in attendance was Councillor Adam Hicken, Walsall Council’s Armed Forces Champion, who reflected on the day’s deeper significance:

“Armed Forces Day is our chance to recognise the sacrifice of our service men and women. This year, we celebrated the Victory in Europe Day and Victory in Japan which marked the end of the second World War.

I encourage you all to come out to the community events that have been planned and see if you can attend any of these events to honour and celebrate our Armed Forces.”

The ceremony welcomed a wide range of guests from across the borough and beyond, including Deputy Lieutenant David Frost CBE DL, the Deputy Mayor of Walsall, the Deputy Lieutenant’s cadet, senior council officials, cadets from the Girls Venture Corps, Freeman of the Borough Mr Ian Shires, local councillors, Walsall Rotary, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, West Midlands Fire Service, West Midlands Police, veterans’ groups, and representatives from Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust.

Celebrate Armed Forces Day This Weekend

Residents are warmly invited to attend several free local events happening across Walsall this weekend to continue the Armed Forces Day celebrations:

  • Walsall Community Association at The Black Country Commonwealth House
    📍 36 Wolverhampton Road, Walsall
    🕚 Saturday 28 June 2025, 11:30am – 11:00pm

  • Armed Forces Community Network Event
    📍 Pelsall Village (Co-op and Memorial Garden)
    🕘 Saturday 28 June 2025, 9:00am – 3:00pm

  • Royal British Legion Bloxwich Branch Armed Forces Day
    📍 All Saints Church Grounds, All Saints Church, Bloxwich
    🕥 Saturday 28 June 2025, 10:30am – 3:00pm