Moya Cole Hospice partners with Just Helping for the 2026 Christmas tree recycling appeal across Greater Manchester. Register your tree for collection to raise vital funds. Bookings close January 5.
Test your knowledge of 2025's biggest UK stories, from cultural milestones and royal events to viral trends and sporting triumphs. How many can you remember?
Two men face charges after a shooting on Wordsworth Road in Willenhall left a man in his 20s with life-threatening injuries. Police continue to appeal for information.
UK police can now revoke driving licences on the spot if motorists fail a simple roadside vision test. Experts urge drivers to get regular eye checks to stay safe and legal.
Over 25,000 back a petition for a new tax code, doubling the personal allowance for state pensioners to combat unfair taxation on small pensions. Will Parliament debate it?
UK state pensioners will see a 4.8% payment rise in April 2026, alongside a pension age increase and a Pension Credit boost. Learn the key dates and figures to plan your finances.
Millions on Universal Credit, Housing Benefit and ESA will get a £150 cost-of-living payment off their energy bills this winter, with many receiving it in January. Find out if you qualify.
UK state pensioners will see a 4.8% income boost from April 2026, but must also prepare for a rising pension age. Get the essential details on the three key changes.
Callum Nightingale, 26, from Walsall, has been remanded in custody over alleged dangerous driving offences following a police helicopter pursuit in Sandwell. Read the full details.
A new report warns raising the state pension age to 70 is 'necessary' due to the 'unsustainable' Triple Lock. Discover the proposed reforms and their impact on retirement.
Some UK state pensioners and benefit recipients will see payments arrive early on 31 December due to the New Year's Day bank holiday. Check your account and plan your budget.
Sandwell Council approves plans to replace a Bearwood shop destroyed by a major fire with a new building containing nine flats and a ground-floor retail unit. The blaze involved over 70 firefighters.
Majinder Singh Virk sentenced for dangerous driving after hitting moped rider in Bilston. The victim suffered catastrophic injuries and now lives with a permanent disability.
East Cheshire Hospice thanks its community for funding 16 new beds. The 2026 Starlight Walk date is announced after a year of successful fundraising events. Discover how you can get involved.
Nine million state pensioners are being urged to check bank statements for a key 6-digit code as Winter Fuel Payments are rolled out. Find out if you're eligible and what to look for.
A proposal to turn a 4-bed semi-detached house on Morar Close into a House in Multiple Occupation for five people has been submitted. The application highlights low local HMO density and aims to meet housing demand.
Shocking police bodycam videos from Birmingham in 2025 show arrests of a gun smuggler, firework yobs, and dangerous drivers. Watch the dramatic footage and read the full stories.
As the King's New Year Honours 2026 are confirmed, we look at famous figures who declined royal recognition, from Benjamin Zephaniah to David Bowie. Discover their reasons.
Seven years after Brian Egg's dismembered remains were found in a chemical-filled fish tank in his San Francisco home, his killer remains at large. Police face criticism over the unsolved case.
Jamie-Lee Arrow, daughter of Sweden's 'Skara cannibal', details years of psychological torment. She found closure after a final, chilling meeting with her father. Read her harrowing story of survival.
West Midlands Police want to identify this man after a stolen bank card was used to make purchases at several Birmingham shops in July. Can you help?
Police Scotland is searching for James Fitzpatrick, 36, who absconded from an approved visit. Last seen in Irvine, he may have taken a bus to Ardrossan. Do not approach.
A woman in her 50s was airlifted to hospital after a serious dog attack in Carlow. The animal, believed to be a restricted breed, was put down at the scene. Enquiries are ongoing.
A woman in her 50s suffered severe injuries in a dog attack in Carlow. The restricted breed dog was euthanised. Read the latest on the investigation.
The DWP has activated £25 Cold Weather Payments for 6,000 homes in Cumbria and Northumberland as temperatures plummet. See the full list of eligible postcodes.
Detective Constable Mark Plant and Police Staff Officer Justin Thomas from West Midlands Police have been recognised in the New Year Honours list for their decades of service and community work.
A man in his 20s has been arrested after attacking staff and patients with a crowbar at Newton Community Hospital. Five people were injured. Police are appealing for witnesses.
Police in West Bromwich have arrested five people and seized over 100 wraps of heroin and crack cocaine in a raid on Trinity Street. One man was detained in the garden. Follow for more crime updates.
West Mercia Police arrested a man after discovering Class A drugs and £1,000 cash on the M54 near Telford. Read the full details of the early-hours bust.
A parliamentary petition calls for the DWP's £10 Christmas Bonus to be raised to £180 to match inflation since 1972. Over 4,000 have signed, needing 10,000 for a government response.