The fire which began at Silver & Co accountancy, based on the first storey of the shopping complex soon burnt through the ceiling into the Penguin Cafe below.

Cafe Owner Diana Jones told the Express & Star:

“We were in early and could smell something burning but didn’t think anything of it because sometimes they burn things around the back,” said the 67-year-old, who has run the cafe for eight years.

“The ceiling is completely ruined and I am waiting for the insurance to come out to find out the exact amount of damage.

“We have lost three freezers filled with prawns, burgers and bacon though and that is thousands alone.”

Business affected by the fire include Elegant Frames, childrens’ shop Oh Baby and Portland Opticians, as well as several other firms in the block.

Jason Baso, who runs Elegant Frames told the Express & Star:

“We have had to throw away a few things like office chairs that have been smoke-damaged but I can assure all of the customers that all their precious pictures are safe,” he said.

“They were all locked away safely in cupboards and have not been touched at all. You can’t replace memories and a lot of people would be concerned about their pictures, but they are all safe.”

Firefighters from Fallings Park and Walsall were called  just after 7am on Saturday. There have been no reports of anyone being injured in the incident.

Police are now investigating and anyone with information should call Wednesfield Police Station on 0345 113 5000.

Read the full story at the Express & Star: Arson attack forces closure of precinct

Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is a long-term programme of investment and change in Wolverhampton. It will provide in excess of £300 million to transform education for secondary age students by providing 21st century learning environments that engage and inspire young people, their teachers and the wider community.

It’s about modernising buildings, facilities and ICT so that they can support the development of world class teaching and community provision in every school in the city that serves secondary age students.

For anyone who missed yesterdays announcement  all of the schools in Wolverhampton who were destined for improvement will be unaffected by yesterdays cuts.

Good news for Coppice, Deansfield and Wednesfield High who are all scheduled for improvement work under this scheme.

For a full list of schools and their status after yesterdays cuts is available in the Birmingham Post website

The show is visiting several locations across Britain, appealing directly to the public for help in solving crimes that affect everybody and is presented by ex-detective Rav Wilding and new co-host Ginny Buckley.

Wednesfield North PCSO Matthew Bailey recently told WV11 “Crimewatch is turning the spotlight on West Midlands Police during this week and on Wednesday 30th June at 9:15am to 10:00am BBC One will be at St Gregory’s Church, Wednesfield. The show is well worth a watch to see if you can help the police with enquiries about local crimes.”

Not sure if you live in Wednesfield North or South? Check our map below – the red line is the Wednesfield North border and the purple line is the Wednesfield South border.
View Wednesfield North & South Police Borders in a larger map

It would seem that Max was not only a local legend but was also admired throughout the UK by members of soul music community. The Facebook group set up in tribute to Max now has over 1,000 members, many of whom have left very personal stories about their memories of Max.

According to the South West Soul Club’s website, Max’s funeral service will be held at St. John’s Church in Essington on Wednesday 23rd June at 1pm – all are welcome – followed by a private ceremony at Bushbury Crematorium. Details of the wake at The Stables, Brookfields to follow.

Photo: Stuart Mattison / Facebook.

Max, 67, from Wednesfield was one of the original Soul DJs of the 1960’s Northern Soul movement and was known as DJ Blue Max. He also owned and ran Max Millward’s Records, a popular record shop in Wood End which closed in 2008.

A Facebook Group has been set up in tribute to Max asking for those who knew him to add stories and photos for his family and friends to remember him by.

Visit the Facebook tribute group here R.I.P. Max Millward… A True Legend, you will be missed and read a BBC article featuring Max here Northern Sould alive in the Black Country.

UPDATE: Funeral service details have now been announced.

Photo: Stuart Mattison / Facebook.

The day is finally upon us – today is your chance to have your say in both local and national elections! Be sure to check out our Election 2010 posts here.

Polling stations are open from 7am – 10pm and you can find out where you local one is here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This powerful video highlighting the plight of 106 year-old Louisa Watts who was evicted from her care home Underhill House in Bushbury recently appeared online. The video urges voters to ‘evict’ the 8 councillors who voted to close the home.

Louisa’s 78 year-old son Derek Watts (of Ashmore Park) is standing as an independent candidate for Wednesfield North in the upcoming local election.

Read more about Louisa’s plight at the Express & Star.

General Information

When polls open for voting on Thursday 6th May you will have the choice to vote in both local council elections and national parliamentary elections. At a local level Wednesfield is split into two wards;  Wednesfield North and Wednesfield South. Nationally Wednesfield comes under the Wolverhampton North East constituency.

More info on wards and constituencies:

• Wolverhampton North East (wikipedia)
• Wednesfield North (wikipedia)
• Wednesfield South (wikipedia)
• Wolverhampton Council Election Stats (wikipedia)

Local Candidates

Candidates standing for 2010 parliamentary (national) elections in Wolverhampton North East constituency:

Click here for more information at YourNextMP.com

Candidates standing for 2010 local elections in Wednesfield North ward:

Voters in Wednesfield North will be entitled to 2 votes due to Conservative Charlotte Quarmby resigning her position as Councillor earlier this year.

Candidates standing for 2010 local elections in Wednesfield South ward:

Who to vote for?

If you’re registered to vote and are still unsure on who to vote for there are several useful websites that will help you match your views to those of a political party. Most of these sites encourage you to ‘vote for policies not personalities’ – it’s easy to be charmed by the major party leaders, but are you voting because a party leader seems like a nice chap, or because you think his party’s policies are best for you and the rest of the country?

aboutmyvote.co.uk
A site run by The Electoral Commission which explains how voting and the various local and national elections work, and how to register to vote.

voteforpolicies.org.uk
Vote for policies, not personalities! Complete our unique survey based on policies alone to find out who you should be voting for at the next election.

votematch.org.uk
A quick and simple tool for finding out where the parties stand in the UK elections.

BBC.co.uk
BBC News coverage of the 2010 election.

yournextmp.com
Detailed information on the candidates standing for 2010 parliamentary (national) elections in Wolverhampton North East.

Election Leaflets

You can view some (but not all) of the election leaflets for candidates in Wolverhampton North East below that have been uploaded by the public to www.thestraightchoice.org.

Where to find other information?

You can find more information on local and parliamentary elections (including polling station locations) on the Wolverhampton City Council website.

Wednesfield & Fallings Park neighbourhood partnership officer will hike up the highest mountain in Britain to raise money for Cancer Research UK after his own father was diagnosed with the illness.

Simon Hamilton, who works for Wednesfield and Fallings Park Local Neighbourhood Partnership, will be attempting the arduous task along with his friend Diane Crutchley, a rehabilitation assistant at Warstone’s Resource Centre, in July.

Simon walked up Snowdon Mountain last year, but this time around the trek will have added significance as he hiking with his dad.

“I walked up Snowdon last year for my 40th birthday with my brothers – this year we decided to do it again but for charity,” said Simon.

“My dad had cancer of the bowel but is in remission now and is back at work and enjoying himself.

Those of you who would like to donate to Simon and Diane’s cause can visit their just giving site by clicking here: http://www.justgiving.com/Simon-Hamilton69. Alternatively, you can get in touch with Simon by calling 07814549416.

WV11.co.uk will be donating a month’s worth of our advertising revenues to Simon’s cause – we hope you join us.

“I’m really excited because last year it was the first time all my brothers came together  as a family for years but this time we will be walking with our dad too, who although is 61 is very fit for his age and celebrating that he is in remission.”

Simon already donates to the charity every month but felt he wanted to do all he could to help others who found themselves in his dad’s position.

“With my dad’s treatment, we thought it would be a good idea to support the huge amount of research that is already being carried out, which helps to save so many lives,” added Simon.

Diane is best friends with Simon’s wife and asked if she could be a part of the slog too.

“I like walking and completed a half marathon – it’s good to stay fit but I’ve never done it for charity,” she said.

“I’m not really getting worried as it’s something I love to do. I’ve started to go out rambling on the weekends in preparation and am really looking forward to it.”

As well as raising cash for Cancer Research UK, some of Simon’s brothers will also donate money to Compton Hospice after it helped the family during an illness that was suffered by a relative.

Simon’s dad Ken added: “I’m really looking forward to the hike with my sons and am proud that we are raising as much as we can for two such good causes.”