A major exhibition by the renowned British painter Anj Smith is to be staged at The New Art Gallery in Walsall which re-opens its doors this week.

Staff at a community hub, which celebrates ten years this summer, say they are supporting more children than ever, who are facing mental health challenges.

A Black Country supermarket has donated 10 new laptops to St Michaels CE Primary School.

The Duke of Cambridge, who is left-handed, received the jab in his right arm.

More than £75 million of funding to revitalise high streets and help them bounce back from the pandemic has been confirmed for the West Midlands.

Researchers are studying how our genes can influence the body’s response to conditions such as Covid-19 and sepsis.

Union leaders have expressed dismay after plans aimed at saving GKN Automotive's car parts factory in Birmingham from closure were rejected.

A new public sector body named Great British Railways will be created.

EU ambassadors have agreed on measures to allow fully vaccinated visitors in.

The country’s health ministry on Wednesday reported 4,529 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Tensions with Democrats are rising over the mask issue as GOP politicians risk fines by refusing to wear masks.

Spain is focusing promotional campaigns on its key markets: the UK, France, Germany and other EU countries, which in 2019 made up 75% of visitors.

Popular summer hotspots such as Spain, France, Italy and Greece are among the countries on the list.

Matt Hancock said the number of patients waiting for care is “far larger’ than official figures show.

England’s deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam urged caution as people exercise new freedoms in England.

Scientists want people who received their first dose of either Pfizer/BioNTech or AstraZeneca in December or January to sign up.

Leading medical organisations have come together to call on the Government to make sure there is a dedicated mental health support service.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council said that nurses and midwives have left the register because of too much pressure and a negative workplace culture.

The Sutton Trust charity is calling on the Government to put the development and wellbeing of pre-school children at the heart of its recovery plan.

The vaccination programme is branching out to younger age groups.

Moves to combat the Indian coronavirus variant feature among a range of stories on Thursday’s front pages.

People who had had coronavirus were found to be more at risk of ongoing health issues than people in the other groups.

The low-cost airline reported underlying losses of £701 million for the six months to March 31 against £193 million a year ago.

The shift to online shopping saw the postal service enjoy huge profits with parcels overtaking letters for the first time in the company’s history.

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said the NHS would ‘turbo-boost’ the jab rate, with 34-year-olds being invited to book a vaccine.

Children and staff at a school in West Bromwich will be tested after two positive cases of the Indian variant of Covid-19 were discovered.

Pubs across the region got a much-needed boost – with figures showing some areas were selling more than 170 pints a minute at the height of reopening.

Pubs and restaurants group Marston's is poised to restart recruitment as its business returns toward normal levels.

Two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder – as detectives continue to investigate a shooting in Walsall.

“I promised I would keep his name alive and that is what I have done.”

The New Art Gallery in Walsall has reopened its doors to the public for the first time in months.

Local leaders have spoken of their disappointment at vandalism in a Black Country town.

Boris Johnson stressed that people should not be going to an amber list country for a holiday.

West Mercia Pc Benjamin Monk denies the murder and manslaughter of the former Premier League star.

‘Being supportive and taking an interest is really good, but stepping into the policing arena is not’, Gareth Morgan said.

Councillors in Stafford have approved a proposal to share a chief executive with neighbouring Cannock Chase District Council.

One new coronavirus death has been confirmed in a hospital in Birmingham – but none in the Black Country or Staffordshire in the latest figures.

Councillor Terry Wood has been elected as the new town mayor of Sutton Coldfield.

A Wolverhampton refuge for women and children fleeing violence and abuse looks set to be increased in size to meet a demand in the city.

Emergency services and Highways England chiefs have signed up to a new agreement which will see incidents on roads dealt with more swiftly.

Government investment will help put Wolverhampton at the "forefront of excellence" in housebuilding and ease pressure on the green belt, an MP has said.

Rare stamps and a unique postal history archive have fetched thousands of pounds at auction in Lichfield.

Downloaded readings show the weapon was used for a total of 81 seconds before Atkinson’s death in 2016.

People across the West Midlands have been called on to support tourist attractions to help them bounce back after the impact of Covid-19.

A huge “exciting” canalside development featuring more than 350 homes in Wolverhampton looks set to get the go-ahead.

A spate of burglaries has been reported in Staffordshire with thieves targeting elderly women.

Stone’s new mayor has taken on the chain of office in a virtual ceremony.

Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has joined health chiefs to call on fans to get tested for Covid-19 before their home match on Sunday.

A thug who bit an Alton Towers security guard and cut a police officer's frontline career short when he threw him to the ground after a chase through the Black Country has been jailed.

Plans to regenerate Stafford town centre have moved forward with applications submitted to demolish the town’s former magistrates’ court and create a business hub at the historic Shire Hall.

A football club in the Black Country is set to host a fire-walk to help raise money for a children's charity.

More than 75 people have objected to plans to build two bungalows on green space in a Stone neighbourhood.

A teenager reported missing in Gloucester could now be in the Black Country, police have said.

Neighbours fear “screaming kids” will ruin the enjoyment of their gardens if a Wolverhampton pub is allowed to create a new outdoor area.

The former headteacher of a Black Country primary school has been allowed to carry on teaching after she was convicted of assaulting a pupil.

A biker from Wolverhampton has blamed smart motorways for a life-changing accident which left him with serious injuries

A young Black Country man who acted as a drug dealer’s driver has been jailed for three years for his part in supplying heroin and crack cocaine.

Maintenance company manager Dominic Atkiss has been getting some strange looks as he walks barefoot to the shops.

Discount retailer, B&M, has announced that it will be making the move across a retail park to a much bigger site.

Plans for an Arts Park by the Grand Theatre, the City Learning Quarter's new technical centre and improvements to markets will all be part-funded by a £25 million pot from Wolverhampton's Town Deal Board.

A hit-and-run driver who killed a grandmother as she made her way to morning prayers has had his jail term increased.

More than 1,000 jobs will be created through a "join venture" which will build HS2's station in Birmingham, transport chiefs have said.

More than 7,700 food parcels will be delivered to families across Wolverhampton over the May half-term to ensure children don't go hungry.

Workers at Severn Valley Railway say rapidly deteriorating conditions at their Shropshire base have prompted the launch of a six-figure appeal.

A man was taken to hospital after an incident in the Black Country.

"I was emotional when I found out I had a ticket, not just for the football, but for the feeling of normality about it."

A new chief executive has been appointed for parcel delivery giant DPD.

Castings and engineering group Chamberlin has won a three-year contract to supply components for diesel engine generators that will start in July.

Firefighters are reminding residents to take extra care – after they were called out to a kitchen fire in Staffordshire which started after items were left on top of a cooker.

Residents are protesting about a bus stop in the Black Country being moved which has left elderly people struggling to get out of the house.

Jeremy Daw, known to friends as Jack, died last month when his ambulance was struck by an object as he responded to a 999 call in Herefordshire.

A budding wild bird photographer from Wolverhampton has won a national amateur photography competition run by wilko.

Pub group Marston's slumped to a £105.5 million pre-tax loss in the 26 weeks to April 3 as the lockdown and restrictions during the winter months hit hard.

Home cooking helped drive an "outstanding" year for Mr Kipling owner Premier Foods.

Water company Severn Trent is seeking to raise £250 million through a share placing in order to fund six new green projects.

A man accused of murdering a 21-year-old outside a bar in Walsall carried a hammer during their initial confrontation, a court heard.

Eight-year-old schoolgirl Annabelle Findon has collected donations and raised money for the Black Country Foodbank after taking on the Captain Sir Tom Moore challenge to carry out 100 tasks for charity.

Four inspirational sports-people from across the Black Country have been celebrated ahead of next year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

A Black Country hospital trust has been told it must make 'significant improvements' to its medical services within three months following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission.

Dream projects like the Grand Theatre’s vision for a multi-million pound arts park will help shape the future of the area, a council chief has vowed.

A theatre will come alive with performance tomorrow after more than a year of being mothballed.

Singer and song-writer Sam Lambeth is raising his voice for charity and helping protect animals placed on the World Wildlife Fund's critically endangered list.

Staff and children at a Halesowen school are celebrating after becoming the first in the Dudley Borough to receive an accreditation from the National Autistic Society.

A Shropshire chef has tasted the sweetness of success after reaching the finals of TV's The Great British Menu – so much so his Whitchurch restaurant is fully booked until January.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has visited a manufacturer in the Black Country to see some of the mental health measures put in place.

There were smiles, laughs and not a few tears as family members got to hug for the first time in months at a Black Country care home.

Aspiring pilot Jared Chohan has seen his childhood dreams of attaining his solo flying licence come true at the age of 16.

Debenhams is to shut its doors for the final time in its 243-year history.

Professor Andrew Pollard said vaccine inequity was ‘plain to see’.

The next stage of England’s route out of coronavirus restrictions is scheduled for June 21 at the earliest.

The number out of work in the West Midlands fell in the three months to March and the numbers claiming unemployment benefits last month were also down.

And almost every single person had antibodies after two doses of either the Pfizer of AstraZeneca Covid-19 jabs.

Tourists flying from England began returning to the Portuguese island on Monday after the Government eased its foreign travel restrictions.

One of four men sentenced to life for murdering teenager Keelan Wilson was captured by police with hundreds of pounds worth of drugs near Telford just a few weeks after the murder.

Jenny McGee cared for the Prime Minister in intensive care at St Thomas’ Hospital.

Drivers face 10 months of delays on a busy road through the region while a bridge is repaired.

The spread of the Indian variant is threatening the final set of coronavirus easings planned for June 21 in England.

The Good Law Project and EveryDoctor have brought legal action against the Government over how PPE contracts worth over £650 million were awarded.

Penny Mordaunt described allegations raised by opposition MPs as based on ‘speculation, innuendo and smear’ rather than fact.

A golf academy targeted by thieves who stole thousands of pounds worth of astroturf says police have told them they will call to see them "on Friday".