Rising energy prices are something we all have to put up with, but help is at hand this week!

Wolverhampton Citizens Advice Bureau will give practical advice throughout Big Energy Week (16-21 January 2012) to help people cut their fuel bills and get all the financial support they are entitled to.

An exhibition stand with advice from Wolverhampton Homes and Age-UK will be held on Friday 20th January in the Wulfrun Shopping Centre.

£59 insulation offer

Council staff will be on hand to provide information about grants and support available, including a £59 offer for cavity wall and loft insulation for all households and Black Country Care & Repair will be promoting their free home energy visits.

Each householder will be given recommendations on how to make their home more energy efficient together with an energy saving pack.

If you’re looking to save money on fuel bills, why not visit the exhibition stand and pick up a leaflet with tips and advice or visit www.bigenergyweek.org.uk for more info.

Photo: Steven Depolo

Following Asda’s purchase of the Netto supermarket chain, the Heath Town branch on Wolverhampton Road has been converted into ASDA store.

The new ASDA supermarket is set to open it’s doors at 10am on Tuesday 25th October.

Opening times are as follows:

Monday: 8am – 8pm
Tuesday: 8am – 8pm
Wednesday: 8am – 8pm
Thursday: 8am – 8pm
Friday: 8am – 8pm
Saturday: 8am – 8pm
Sunday: 10am – 4pm

Following Asda’s reported £778 purchase of the Netto supermarket chain, several stores across Wolverhampton, including the Heath Town branch on Wolverhampton Road will be converted into ASDA stores.

The re-vamp of the site began around 10 days ago and according to ASDA’s website work should be completed soon.

Yesterday morning our tweeting PCSO’s @WednesfieldN issued a series of tweets (that we subsequently retweeted) that read;

“Been to Barclays bank in W’Field H’St after a fraud device has been fitted to the cash machine last night. Check cash machine before use – Look for anything out of place or any loose fitting objects! If unsure DO NOT USE and alert bank staff or Police immediately!”

With cash point crime potentially taking place this close to home we thought we’d share with you LINK’s, the UK’s cash machine network, guide to cash machine fraud prevention. It explains the scams that criminals use to get hold of cards and card details, as well as providing advice on how to stay safe from fraud when using a cash point.

You can download the full guide from the Action Fraud website but to summarise:

• Always look closely at the card insertion point of a cash machine before using it. If it looks like it may have been tampered with, do not use it.
• If you realise the machine has been tampered with after you have inserted your card, call your bank while still standing at the cash machine if it is safe to do so.
• Always shield your hand when entering your PIN into a cash point keypad.

Stay vigilant and if you spot something out of place report it!

Wolverhampton needs YOUR vote to be Curry Capital of Britain 2011.

We have some amazing curry houses in the city centre and, as discussed previously on our facebook page, so do we right here in Wednesfield with Ranga Mati, Burburchi and Diva coming out as our readers favourites – So lets show our support for one of our local, and city-wide, favourite cuisines at the ballot box by voting Wolverhampton as the Curry Capital of Great Britain.

The restaurants representing Wolverhampton this year are Anise, Bilash, Cafe Rickshaw, and Massalla Club

Register your vote by emailing vote@currycapitalwolves.co.uk and putting‘WOLVERHAMPTON’ in the subject box. Ballots close on 22^nd September 2011 and as an extra incentive fpr you to send that email you will also be entered to win a year’s supply of beer from Cobra or Patak sauces, chutneys and poppadoms in the national competition or 8 bottles of Banks’s UCB (Ultimate Curry Beer) in the local draw.

For full details visit www.currycapitalwolves.co.uk or follow on twitter @currycapitalwlv

Image used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of Magical-World

Members of the City Council’s Cabinet last night approved proposals to scrap evening charges at Fold Street, School Street, Market, Peel Street and Church Lane car parks in Wolverhampton city centre.

Motorists will be able to park for free from 5:30pm onwards at five council-run car parks in Wolverhampton city centre from next week. (Evening charges are currently £2 per visit).

According to a Which? survey, parking in Wolverhampton is already among the cheapest of the 20 major UK cities with a total of 1,354 free parking spaces available to motorists visiting the city at night.

Councillor Roger Lawrence, Leader of Wolverhampton City Council, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer evening visitors to Wolverhampton free parking at five of our main car parks in the city centre.

“We know that people are finding the current economic climate very difficult and Members agreed that we should be doing anything we can to support businesses in the city centre and help their customers to enjoy a great value night out in Wolverhampton.

“Meanwhile, we hope that allowing free parking at Fold Street on Saturdays December 10, 17, 24 and 31 will help both shoppers and traders over the Christmas period, which is clearly a very expensive time of year.”

Source: Wolverhampton City Council
Image: J Mark Dodds used under Creative Commons license.

A new furniture store has opened on the High Street in Wednesfield this week – CT Homes stocks a wide range of affordable, re-used quality household furniture.

This new venture is another asset to the already successful CT Home & Office which has a showroom warehouse based in Bilston, containing household and office furniture for sale.

Black Country Re-Use & Recycling Manager, Colin Knott gave his thanks to Wolverhampton City Council for their support when commenting on the new shop, adding that this new venture shows the commitment the organisation has to the citizens of Wolverhampton.

CT Home & Office are helping the environment by reusing home and office furniture that would otherwise be sent to landfill, this initiative also helps people on low incomes and benefits to furnish their homes on a tight budget.

CT Home & Office are part of the national charity Community Transport, which operates Recycling and Re-Use Services, Passenger Services and Training.

As we mentioned during our live updates from Tuesday 16th August PACT meeting, Steve Male (who we incorrectly named as Steve Hale at the meeting) from Wolverhampton City Council Parks department was there to talk about the use of the parks in Wednesfield and asked if anyone would be willing to fill in an on-line survey.

We now have all the details and if you have 2 minutes to fill in this short (very short) 5 question survey I’m sure Wilf  the Park Ranger would be grateful.

The park survey can be found here.

You can read updates from Wilf and find out more about the work the park rangers do on the Wolves Parks blog “Wilf’s World”

UPDATE: TK Maxx moved from Wolverhampton City Centre to Bentley Bridge in October 2011.

Plans for an ASDA living store at Bentley Bridge Retail Park have fallen through, but it now looks like clothing retailer TK Maxx may open a store at the revitalised shopping park.

The Express and Star reports that the company is in talks to open a shop in November taking on a 17,000 sq ft building next door to the Dreams bed store after planners agreed to relax rules that limited what could be sold in the unit.

UPDATE: Have your say in our Facebook Poll.

Traders in Wednesfield are calling on residents to join them in voicing opinions over what they are calling “major issues” with people drinking in the High Street.

Wednesfield Business Association chairman Jason Gessey is calling for ‘no drinking zone’ around the High Street in order to combat the problem of people drinking and being drunk whilst loitering outside local shops and business frontages.

Residents and local tradespeople are being asked to post their views on the Wednesfield Business Association forum so that comments can be passed onto local Councillors.

You can register and post your comments on the Wednesfield Business Association’s forum here.

If you wish to send letters on this issue, please send them to: Andy Dixon, 31 Lichfield Road, Wednesfield, WV11 1TF or email info@wednesfieldbusinessassociation.co.uk.

If you are have any difficulties registering and using the forum, please contact Andy Dixon on 01902 858143, he will be more than happy to assist.