Enjoy Staffordshire, the official tourist board for Staffordshire, is celebrating South Staffordshire this week for it's first ever Enjoy South Staffordshire Week (May, 15th-21st 2023), and needs your help!

Send in your images of South Staffordshire, home to the grandeur of Weston Park and Wightwick Manor, the family fun of Lower Drayton Farm, the peace and tranquility of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal,  and the jaw-dropping history of Kinver Edge & Rockhouses, Boscobel House, and Moseley Old Hall.

The prize is a family ticket for Lower Drayton Farm, worth up to £68!

The winner will be announced on May, 22nd. The winning entry, and a selection of other entries, will also be featured, with credits, on the Enjoy Staffordshire website, Photography Competition - Enjoy Staffordshire, and social media channels. 

There are some rules; for more information click here.

Share them before 5pm on Sunday May, 21st, on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, with the hashtag #EnjoySouthStaffs - or email them to info@enjoystaffordshire.com. 

The Chairman of the Council, Councillor Dr Matt Ewart will be carrying out his final duties as Chairman of South Staffordshire Council as he steps down from his role at next Tuesday’s Annual General Meeting. 

2022-23 has been a jam-packed term of office for the Chairman.  Key highlights included: the Council achieving notable successes such as being awarded the iESE Council of the Year in March 2022; the official opening of the Codsall Community Hub in July 2022 which was combined with the Queen’s Baton Relay and the unveiling of the Brian Edwards MBE memorial. During the period of official mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II the Chairman held a commemorative service for Members and welcomed King Charles III ascension to the throne.

The Chairman’s fundraising activities for his chosen charities Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support have been extremely successful with a whopping £6,691.28 raised.  This amount will be divided equally between the two charities. Pauline Lewis, Cancer Research UK’s representative said “Wow, what a fantastic amount of money Councillor Ewart has raised for both Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancer Research UK during his term as Chairman”.

The Chairman said “I have had a fantastic term of office with so many significant events taking place.  I cannot thank everyone enough for their generosity in donating to my chosen charities, the amount of money that has been raised is simply amazing.  I would like to say a special thank you to both members and staff of South Staffordshire Council for making it an outstanding Council…long may it continue”.

The NPLQ course is  a week-long course consisting of a combination of pool work and theory work. 

On successfully passing the course, candidates will be qualified as a pool lifeguard.

• Monday, May 29th to Saturday, June 3^rd, 9am-5.30pm at Wombourne Leisure Centre
• £280 (£70 non refundable deposit)
• Must be 16 years at date of examination (June 3rd)
• Must be able to swim 100m on front and 100m on back
• Must be able to jump into the deepest part of the pool to retrieve a manakin
• Must attend 100% of the course.
• Places are limited. Booking is essential.

To find out more and book your place call Wombourne Leisure Centre on 01902 898202.

School holiday activity camps will be available at Codsall and Wombourne Leisure Centres between Tuesday, May 30^th to Friday, June 2^nd.

• The camps are aimed at 5-14 years old
• No block booking required
• Save with early bird and sibling discounts. Plus emergency workers can also enjoy 10% off

To find out more and book visit https://www.aspire-sports.co.uk/active-camps

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type. It is high blood sugar levels due to your body not making enough of a hormone called insulin or what it makes not working properly.

Treatment includes eating well and moving more. Some people may also need to take diabetes medication such as metformin or insulin. 

Type 2 diabetes can go undiagnosed for years if symptoms are missed. Left untreated high blood sugar levels can cause serious health problems called diabetes complications.

Anyone can develop type 2 diabetes but it mostly affects people over 25 often with a family history.

Over 1.3 million people have now been referred to the ‘Healthier You’ NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme.

Click here to check your risk of type 2 diabetes using the @DiabetesUK risk tool – it could be the most important thing you do today.

To highlight the benefits of walking; May is nominated as the walking month.

But every month can be a walking month!

South Staffordshire Council provides a great range of Health and Wellbeing schemes which will not only help you to get fitter and improve your health, but they're a great way to meet new people and are easy to access too. 

Weekly programmes of activities are held at various locations across the district and include instructor-led Wellbeing Walks and gentle exercise classes; these are free!

Click here to view the timetables for both walking and gentle exercise.

Below are some comments from walkers who have already joined. 

"Great walk, good leaders, good company!"

"Not only a wellbeing walk but great social activity."

One walker found through talking to fellow walkers that many had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. They encouraged him to take the relevant blood tests and found that he too had signs of this cancer. Having radiotherapy and with the support of the group means that he was able to get the through the treatment. 

To learn more about prostate cancer, click here.

Two apprentices are helping a disabled fitness company’s expansion of its production and sales of a revolutionary wheelchair treadmill.

Invictus Active, based in Four Ashes, Wolverhampton, was set up by Scott Smith and Paul Cooksey, who are both full-time wheelchair users following spinal cord injuries.

Launched in 2015, the company is now focusing on the market growth of its Invictus Active Trainer, a lightweight, portable fitness machine, similar to a treadmill, which helps wheelchair users to get fit.

With the help of the Ladder and local training provider Performance Through People, Invictus Active has recruited Kenzy Wilkins, aged 16, from Wolverhampton, on a Lean Manufacturing Level 2 Apprenticeship, and Michael Hogg, aged 22, of Wombourne, on a Business Administration Level 3 Apprenticeship.

Invictus Active supplies many disability products across the world, as well as providing online wheelchair fitness sessions, with the aim of enabling anyone to be as fit and active as possible.

The Invictus Active Trainer has sold more than 1,000 since its launch, and the company is now developing links with gyms and international dealers to accelerate its growth.

The Ladder team assisted Invictus Active in accessing grants from the Staffordshire Means Back to Business campaign to recruit the two apprentices.