Alright bab! Hope you’re all having a lovely weekend ♥️ Some more live date announcements coming very soon and something else too.. wonder what it could be 🤔 Big Love ❤️

A cluster of bright bluebell flowers growing in long grass at the base of a large tree, with a red‑brick house and garden visible in the background on a spring day.

A close-up of bluebell flowers with delicate purple-blue petals rising through long green grass, with trees and garden foliage softly blurred in the background.

A small grassy area neae a canal lock with bluebells and pale yellow flowers in the foreground, two wooden benches among trees, and a paved path leading toward the lock and a fence.

A wooden bench beside a towpath in a wooded area, with white and purple-blue spring flowers growing near a large tree and dense greenery behind

No Green Team yesterday due to a shortage of supervisors for our DofE volunteers, but Borrowcop Locks Canal Park is still looking stunning. 🌿

Can you help our green team on Saturday mornings? Get in touch.

#WeDigCanals #Lichfield #Staffordshire

Record number of homes in Great Britain turn to green energy as fuel prices soar Iran war drives demand for solar panels, heat pumps and EVs, with energy bills expected to rise 18% from July

Heat pump orders up 2x in a month. Solar panel inquiries up 250%. EV leases up 85%.

The Iran crisis has made energy security feel personal.
I understand why: I have solar panels, a heat pump & EV on a flexible tariff. When gas prices spike, my bills barely move.

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Steam locomotive 4709 – update released A pair of vacuum reservoir tanks and the front and rear drawhooks have been ordered for the project to construct new-build 2-8-0 No. 4709.

Steam locomotive 4709 – update released www.railadvent.co.uk/2026/04/steam-locomotive... #GreatWesternRailway #The_4709Group #tyseley #warwickshire

Alliance Works #Hanley #ThePotteries #StokeonTrent

"The streets, backs, courts, and beaches are not just places to play; they’re the crucibles where football’s future is forged"

Out 17 August via Pitch Publishing

'Street Football: The Real Grassroots of the Beautiful Game'

#StreetFootball

📸 Toby Binder

The Lady of the Lake boathouse, Rudyard Lake. Built by William Larner Sugden

#Leek #NorthStaffordshire #UKTownofCulture2028

The application has remained stable since approximately 9 PM PDT, April 16 despite ongoing Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks.
We have not seen any evidence of unauthorized access to private user data.
We will provide our next update on or before the morning of April 20.

Prenton Park - Tranmere Rovers

#FloodlightFriday

13th & 14th June
Middleport Pottery Canal Festival
10am to 4pm
FREE ENTRY
Back by popular demand, it's bigger & better than ever before! Two days of family fun and entertainment. Narrowboats, Stalls, Kid’s Fun, Live Entertainment and so much more!
Tickets: re-form.org/heritage-bui...
#stokeontrent

Enjoy Afternoon Tea at the award-winning Packing House Café!
This delicious afternoon tea is served on hand crafted Burleigh ware that is made right here onsite.
Only £21.95 Adults, £12.95 Children
Call 01782 499766 to book (24 hours pre-booking required)
#afternoontea #stokeontrent

"It's a time to be backing the BBC, not blighting it."

Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary responds to BBC’s plans to cut around 2,000 jobs.

A white metal lift‑bridge sits within a fenced construction area, with large cylindrical components and pivot arms visible. The ground around it is excavated, with soil and construction materials scattered. Houses and trees stand behind the site under a cloudy sky.

A white metal bridge structure stands on uneven ground inside temporary fencing. It includes a platform with railings and a tall overhead frame. Orange safety netting lies in a pile nearby, with trees and houses in the background beneath a cloudy sky.

A newly installed white metal liftbridge rises above a fenced construction site. A printed information board stands in the foreground. Behind the structure are brick houses, trees, and an overcast sky.

A roadside view of a white metal liftbridge behind temporary fencing. A blue truck and cars are parked beside a small building with a “fish face” sign. Houses and spring trees are in the background.

Rob Clayton has taken these brilliant shots of the new liftbridge and it’s looking absolutely stunning.

The last photo shows the view as you approach along Tamworth Road. You can already tell this is going to become a real local landmark.

#Lichfield #WeDigCanals #UKCanals

Have you heard the new single yet from Charm?

Expect it in all its glory when the band play this year's Community show @wolverhamptonarts.bsky.social on Sat 27th June.

Tickets available here:

wolverhamptonartscentre.co.uk/events/commu...

#livemusic #Wolverhampton #localbands #gigs #localgigs

Superb new for Wolverhampton Arts Centre, the curry and surrounding area. Well done to the staff, board, volunteers and groups who do great stuff for people to see and get involved in.

..sweet melodious birds
Be unto us as is a nurse’s song
Of lullaby to bring her babe asleep.

Titus Andronicus - Act 2, scene 3.

Glass by Archibald John Davies of the Bromsgrove Guild at St Peter & St Paul Deddington. 1936.

#shakespearesunday #stainedglasssunday

🚘 TRAVEL with Brsk 🚘

Police have closed the road at the junction of Stourbridge Road and Bagley Street after an RTC.

Please avoid the area.

A sunny canal‑side garden with narrowboats moored along the water. A white house with a dark roof sits on the right, with gazebos and people gathered for an outdoor event. A small arched footbridge crosses a stream leading into the canal. The garden has benches, plants, and a greenhouse, surrounded by lush greenery.

People gather outdoors beside a canal, standing near tables with displays and items for sale. A white building marked “Whittington Wharf” is behind them. A narrowboat is moored to the right, and a brick bridge and trees frame the background. The scene is a lively community event.

People sit and stand under a blue gazebo in a garden beside a white house. A table with cups is in the centre, and attendees in warm clothing chat and relax during an outdoor community event.

Two people stand at an outdoor display board about the Lichfield Canal. One, wearing a pink safety vest, points to a map while the other looks on. A table nearby holds mugs and small toy animals in safety vests.

What a day at Eric’s Easter Garden Party - blue skies, full crowds, and incredible support!

We sold out of cakes and almost all the BBQ, and early totals show around £1,000 raised for the Lichfield Canal. Six new members joined us too.

Thank you, everyone!

#WeDigCanals #UKCanals

When visiting Middleport Pottery have you stepped over the road and visited Harper Street?
Home to “The Way We Lived at Harper Street Exhibition & to:
Muddy Publishing Ltd
Gilders Wheel Gallery
Betty and Grace Personalised Gifts & Crafty Circle
Darwin’s Dog Grooming
#shoplocal #stokeontrent

Rural #StreetFootball

Out on 17 August via Pitch Publishing

'Street Football: The Real Grassroots of the Beautiful Game'

www.waterstones.com/book/street-...

📸 Roger Jones

When visiting Middleport Pottery have you taken a stroll along Port Street Range?
Home to the Bottle Oven & Mould Store, & to some amazing creative talent.
Canadian Pine Co
Alex Allday Ceramics
Potteriesimages
Burslem Pottery
OPENING 7th APRIL – Loveknott Creations
#shoplocal #stokeontrent

NUJ members join historic Together Alliance march NUJ members joined thousands who gathered in London on 28 March for the Together Alliance demonstration, in a powerful display of solidarity and resistance to the far right.

On Saturday, we marched for love, hope and unity. For many NUJ members, the demonstration was an opportunity to stand up for media freedom, diversity and the right to report without intimidation.

www.nuj.org.uk/resource/nuj...

Brick wall with large dark‑brick Roman numerals ‘MMXXVI’ visible now that the scaffold platform has been lowered. Metal scaffolding and orange safety netting stand in front of the wall, with a blue hard hat resting on one of the bars.

Construction site with several empty wire gabion baskets laid out on reddish soil. An excavator sits on the slope above, with trees in the background under a clear evening sky.

Curved brick wall in progress, with loose bricks placed along the top. Behind the wall is a slope of exposed soil, wooden planks, and construction materials, with scaffolding visible further back.

The scaffold is down at the Narrows, which means the Roman numerals are fully on display, and they look fantastic.

Work is moving on quickly - the gabion baskets are being prepared, ready to be added to the top, and you can really see the wall is nearly ready for them.

#Lichfield #WeDigCanals

MIDDLEPORT POTTERY OFFERS ROOM HIRE!
The historic rooms here at Middleport Pottery have always provided an iconic backdrop to Baby Showers, Birthday Parties, Anniversary Celebrations, Wakes & Corporate Events
For more info visit www.re-form.org or email events@re-form.org
#stokeontrent

The world in 2026 feels heavy. Ongoing global conflicts & a sector under sustained pressure have reshaped what international touring means. Yet artists & organisations are finding new pathways - touring with greater intention, depth & purpose.

Join us to explore this further tinyurl.com/ynkcawjm

Cornwall Street Birmingham.

#windowsonwednesday #wallsonwednesday

Enjoy Afternoon Tea at the award-winning Packing House Café!
This delicious afternoon tea is served on hand crafted Burleigh ware that is made right here onsite.
Only £21.95 Adults, £12.95 Children
Call 01782 499766 to book (24 hours pre-booking required)
#afternoontea #stokeontrent

Lichfield Cathedral.

#steeplesaturday

A quiet rural canal scene with a small white liftbridge crossing over calm water. A dirt path runs alongside the canal, bordered by green grass and low vegetation. Yellow blossoms on branches frame the foreground. On the opposite bank are leafless trees and a small wooden structure. Soft late‑afternoon light casts a warm glow across the landscape.

A peaceful canal at sunset with a white metal drawbridge on the left. The still water reflects the sky and surrounding trees. A gravel path follows the canal’s edge, bordered by grass and low vegetation. In the distance, the sun sits low on the horizon, colouring the sky with warm orange light over open fields and trees.

A narrow rural canal at sunset with still water reflecting the sky and leafless trees. A dirt path runs along the right bank beside a wooden bench. Power lines cross the sky diagonally, and the low sun casts a warm orange glow across the landscape.

A quiet canal scene at sunset with calm water reflecting the sky and bare trees on both banks. A gravel path runs along the left side, while a dirt path follows the right. Power lines and pylons stand in the distance, and the low sun creates warm light and long shadows across the scene.

Rob has been out with his camera again and aren’t we glad he has.

Just look at these stunning shots from Darnford Moors Ecology Park.

📷 photos by Rob Clayton

#Lichfield #WeDigCanals #Staffordshire #UKCanals 🌅