Community Recycling Venture (CRV) are working in partnership with Sandwell Council to provide a household recycling collection to homes in the borough.

CRV is a community based organisation, with 10 years experience in the delivery of a range of environmental services and job creation programmes. Registered as a private company limited by guarantee (not-for-profit). CRV is also an Environmental Trust body. CRV's primary goal is to create the link between the ethical issues of developing a more sustainable environment, and the social issues of enabling economic regeneration and employment for community groups and individuals in areas of social exclusion.

Currently CRV is the largest community kerbside recycling scheme in the UK which is not core funded and it owes its growth and consolidation, to a policy of partnership between the community, the voluntary sector, the statutory sector and the private sector.

CRV currently provide recycling collections from homes through the green bag recycling collection scheme to over 60,000 homes, which is being enhanced to the green box recycling collection scheme to a further 30,000 homes.

Sandwell Council work with Community Recycling Venture (CRV) to provide recycling collections from homes through the following schemes:

• green box dry recycling collection
• green bag dry recycling collection

To check if your home is included in either the green box or green bag recycling collection scheme please call Contact Sandwell on 0845 359 7501 or email contact@sandwell.gov.uk giving your full address.

A unique £200,000 project to train 600 Midland residents in ‘going green’ and employ 20 Community Climate Change Champions has been launched.

The Fit for the Future campaign, backed by Advantage West Midlands, aims to help the region develop its role as an economic hub of green technology.

It is being delivered by the Accord Group in partnership with Family, Black Country, and Sandwell Homes. The project is also being backed by the Energy Saving Trust.

Throughout 2010 up to 600 residents from across the Midlands will be provided with a free 2-hour training course on Energy Conservation. Up to 100 will be offered further training on a Level 2 accredited one-day course.

There are also up to 20 jobs as paid Community Climate Change Champions to carry the message out into the neighbourhoods where they live. The Climate Change Champions are being employed by Groundwork Trust West Midlands through the Future Jobs Fund. The roles are open to anyone who has been out of work for 6 months.

More than a dozen community 2-hour training events will be held across the Midlands between now and September 2010.

Mark Pearce, Corporate Director for Economic Regeneration at Advantage West Midlands, said: “Advantage West Midlands is committed to helping the region’s businesses and residents seize the economic opportunities from the transition to a low carbon economy but we recognise that we will need to learn important lessons along the way.

“That’s why we have provided £200,000 to support the exciting Fit for the Future pilot project to look at new ways to develop skills and knowledge in the people, businesses and new technologies that will drive the region’s economic transition and play a vital role in reducing carbon emissions.

“With more than 600 residents receiving this specialist training I am confident that this pilot will shape how we develop these crucial skills for the future.”

The next free training session are being run at:

Monday 22nd February - Sandwell Homes, Operational and Development Centre, Roway Lane, Oldbury

Tuesday 23rd February – Innovation Works @ Rubery Owen, Booth St, Darlaston

Monday 15th March – Innovation Works @ Rubery Owen, Booth St, Darlaston  

Monday 22nd March - Jervis Court Meeting Room, Dog Kennel Lane, Walsall

Contact Laura Guest for further details about how to register for courses by calling 0121 568 7070 or by emailing enquiries@nrcce.org.uk

The search is on again for young people in Sandwell who are shining stars in their communities. 

Professionals working with young people are being encouraged to nominate teenagers who deserve recognition for their achievements. The Sandwell Teenagers Achieve Recognition (STAR) accolades will celebrate the hard work and dedication of the borough’s teenagers. The awards aim to honour and highlight young people who have made great personal achievements or contributed to society.

Young people are also encouraged to nominate adults who they feel go out of their way to support them, whether that is a teacher, youth worker, learning mentor or organisation.

Former Blue Peter host and TV presenter Konnie Huq will present the awards at The Hawthorns on 12 March 2010. Categories include:

• Young carer award
• Young achiever award
• Young volunteer award
• Dedication award
• Sporting individual and team awards
• Young voice, youth group and school council awards
• Arts and performance awards
• Young hero/heroine award
• Youth worker, teacher, personal advisor and leaning mentor awards
• Sandwell's brightest star award

Organisers from Sandwell's Shadow Youth Cabinet have also invited local comedian Dave Savage, from Wolverhampton, to entertain guests. There will be a photo opportunity for the winners and some of the young people nominated for awards will provide entertainment.

Sandwell Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Councillor Ian Jones said:

"The STAR awards are an excellent way of recognising young people's achievements and contributions to their communities, as well as encouraging them to fulfil their dreams and aspirations."

The closing date for nominations is Friday, 12 February 2010. Download a nomination pack here.

If you know a young person whose contribution should be recognised, or if you would like to nominate a special organisation or adult in your life, go to www.justyouth.org.uk

Alternatively call Tariq Karim or Shobha Sharma on 0845 352 7541 to request a nomination form by post.

Housing chiefs at Sandwell Homes are reiterating the safeguards they have in place to protect residents from potential bogus callers.

The advice comes following a spate of distraction burglaries across the borough targeting five pensioners in a week.

In one of the reported incidents callers posed as officials from Sandwell Homes, the organisation which manages the borough’s 29,000 council homes.

Repairs and maintenance director, Chris Poulton said: “The vast majority of visits we make are from our repairs teams and are by appointment only.

We operate a system with a unique password known only to the tenant and our repairs operative, so anyone in doubt as to the validity of the caller can ask them to quote this password.”

Mr Poulton added: “Any genuine caller from Sandwell Homes or one of our partner organisations also carries a photographic ID card with a contact telephone number on the reverse which can be called to check their identity.

“The numbers are 0121 569 5242 during office hours and 0800 844112 at all other times.

“We would rather our employee have to wait a few minutes while their ID is checked, if it ensures residents have peace of mind.

“If they are in any doubt, they should refuse to let the caller in and contact the police.”

Every Voice Counts is an initiative which is running through the National Empowerment Partnership. This FREE course is running on 16th February 2010 and is open to any disabled person who lives or works in Birmingham, Sandwell or Walsall.

Are you a disabled person who wants to increase your knowledge of the issues that affect disabled people in society?

Do you want to develop your confidence and understanding of the methods and techniques available to get your views, priorities, concerns acknowledged and listened to?

Are you someone who wants to show that disabled people can make an informed, valuable and worthwhile contribution to issues in their local community?

Would you like to become a member of the Regional Disability Network (RDN) and have a voice in influencing the West Midlands regional agenda on disability issues?

If your answer is yes to any of the above then the exciting and innovative Every Voice Counts project is for you!

Benefits include: 

• New experiences
• Training support
• Mentoring opportunities

Date: 16th February 2010

Location: Bierton Road, Birmingham, B25 8PQ

Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm

All refreshments included and travel costs reimbursed up to £20.00   

To book a place please call Lisa Wiggins on 024 7671 6217 or email lisa.wiggins@cdp.org.uk