As New Year resolutions go, losing weight is a fairly ordinary one. But add to that skydiving and raising funds to support one day of end of life care and something quite extraordinary happens.  In January 2015, John Taylor Hospice CEO Kate Phipps set a sky-scraping personal fundraising target of £14,000 – enough to fund the hospice and all its services for 24 hours.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas from everyone at The Phoenix Newspaper!

Record numbers of older people worried about being alone over Christmas have already contacted older people’s housing and care charity The Abbeyfield Society as its Coping at Christmas campaign gets into full swing. Since the campaign launch in November, Abbeyfield has handled hundreds of calls from isolated older people who face being alone over the extended Christmas period.

With Christmas fast approaching, homes up and down the country will be blooming with festive flora. However, while merry mistletoe, a twinkling pine and ruby red poinsettia will ensure that festive feeling, they’re among several seasonal plants and trees that can be poisonous to cats and dogs.

Sandwell Council’s foster carers have received a boost with a donations of toys for all ages from the congregation at Great Barr Methodist Church. Councillor Simon Hackett, Cabinet Member for Childrens Services, received the donations on behalf of Sandwell’s Looked After Children & Young People from Reverend Rachel Frank and members of the church congregation including Dorothy Clive and Hazel Powell.

A cheque for almost £30,000 has been presented to Birmingham Children’s Hospital following a successful year of fundraising by the NEC Group. NEC Group Chief Executive Paul Thandi presented the cheque for £29,260.66 at the Group’s annual Awards ceremony. “Birmingham Children’s Hospital does incredible work helping thousands of children and their families from across the West Midlands and beyond every year, and the NEC Group staff really got behind it as their chosen charity of the year.