Now is the time for governments to make the use or possession of nuclear weapons illegal through a new Nuclear Weapons Convention. Now is the time to put all bomb-grade material under international control. Now is the time to strengthen the non-proliferation regime and build a secure future for all. Now is the time to make your voice heard.  Sign the petition.

UK-wide research shows that one in 10 people often feel lonely and half think that people are getting lonelier in general. According to a new report released today by the Mental Health Foundation, relationships that are vital to health and well-being are under threat by modern life, which can isolate people from one another and lead to loneliness.

Shami Chakrabarti talks to BMS: Is Christianity under attack in contemporary Britain? Is there a place for public expressions of faith in a society that is becoming increasingly secular? Do issues like homosexuality and religious jewellery or clothing bring some religions into conflict with fundamental human rights?

Industrial Heritage Stronghold has been set up to create physical markers of the disappearing identity of the Black Country, informed and inspired by these sometimes forgotten Industrial communities.

South Asian Concern is for anyone interested in finding out more about South Asians living in the West and the issues they face. You can also explore Asian spirituality, visit our online prayer room, and look at Jesus Christ from a South Asian perspective.

Hope not Hate is a campaign to counter racism and fascism in elections and beyond. They want to make sure that people know the full story about who the BNP are and what they really stand for, providing up to date news, good practice and analysis.

A worldwide competition for innovation has been won by a teacher running a project at Shireland Academy which encourages open debate between pupils from different ethnic and religious backgrounds.The Bearwood Blog of the Sandwell Abbey Ward councillors, gives residents an opportunity to pass comments on about the items featured.

The West Midlands is one of the areas across the country with significant numbers of people who do not have access to mainstream financial advice, affordable credit or banking. In order to tackle these problems Birmingham City Council established a Financial Inclusion Partnership to tackle the problem of financial exclusion by working in partnership with key organisations such as Citizens Advice Bureau, Consumer Credit Counselling Service, Trading Standards, Job Centre Plus, Credit Unions, Banks and Utilities. 

One too many…? outlines the current situation about alcohol misuse and goes on to summarise the measures that are being taken in response. How can we play our part in tackling problems associated with alcohol?

Slavery and the slave trade are connected to the development of Sandwell. Profit from the slave trade is bound up with gun making, chain making, and building the canal network. Commitment to Methodism, Quaker teaching, and the idea of women organising themselves connected Sandwell to the opposition to slavery. Guns, Shackles & Chains is a learning resource for anyone interested in Sandwell's past.

The Skillseeker zone offers information on a variety of services which have been gathered through the help of voluntary and public organisations in Sandwell.

Take Five Café, at Dorothy Parkes Centre, Church Road, Smethwick, has become part of the Community Café network, trying to provide local people with a choice of healthy, fresh  and nutritious food at an affordable price. The café is run in an environmentally friendly way, and their menus include regional produce and Fair Trade food.

Credit crunch. Housing crash. Debt. Redundancy. As the recession bites, it’s tempting to hold on extra tight to whatever money we’ve got, and dream of the stuff we can buy when it’s over. But Jesus challenged us not to worry about money, and to look after the needs of others instead. Simplify is a Church response to the recession. For one month, we will live on the amount of money
we would receive if we were on benefits.
We’ll learn how to economise from people who
already live like this, and we’ll give the money we save away to support those who don’t have the choice.

Scene Central is your online guide to what’s on in the West Midlands. From plays to club nights, exhibitions to book groups, it offers the most comprehensive set of arts and cultural listings in the region.

Bearwood Breeze: local services for local people: if we buy our goods and services locally, then there's a better chance that our money will stay within the community...

It's Fruitless: the government is proposing to double  the amount of money that can be staked and won on the kind of fruit machines found in Bearwood Road's pubs and amusement arcades. We are very concerned about the possible impact these increases will have on problem gambling: join us in urging the government to reconsider.

Reserve and renew library books, book a squash court, check out planning applications,  apply for a school place, report fly tipping: just some of the things you can do with Sandwell Council on line.

Look after yourself. Are you getting your 5 x 30 minutes of exercise a week? There are lots of different ways and places to be active in Sandwell. Love Food Hate Waste: do more to make the most of the food we buy; events and promotions will be held across the Black Country. 70% of smokers say they want to give up. Sandwell Stop Smoking Service is a FREE NHS service who has helped over 1200 people give up since April 2008. EQUIP is an NHS gateway to more quality health and social care information for the West Midlands.

Life Beyond Debt is a response to the current economic crisis. We firmly believe that the Bible is outspoken on issues of poverty and injustice and we want to encourage others to be equally vocal.

Click here for all the latest exciting news and developments from Sandwell Leisure Trust, who run Smethwick Swimming Centre and Hagley Stadium.

Are you in touch with how your shopping choices impact on the people and the planet around you? Take these 10 quick questions to plot your own Ethical Compass.

Ever wonder what heaven will be like? I think it will be like dancing with Matt...

We Are All Born Free: Everybody video from Amnesty about the universal declaration of human rights with Julian Rhind-Tutt.

Get Fair wants to secure the commitment of all major political parties deliver on their
existing commitment to end child poverty by 2020, and to extend this goal to ending
poverty across every generation in the UK.

The Salvation Army has produced The Seeds of Exclusion report in order to understand the indicators in early life which can lead to future problems of social exclusion and to understand the nature, complexity and severity of problems facing people in various regions of the UK.

Options for Life are a registered charity providing a range of day opportunities, leisure, work experience and support services for people with learning disabilities who live in and around Sandwell in the West Midlands.

Thomas organises the Salsa workshops at the Bear Tavern pub function room every Monday at 8pm: "it's a fun exercise class with music".

Take the Future Generator quiz: a game to look at the effect of everyone's attitudes and lifestyle choices and predicts four likely scenarios for city living in the future; while its about London, it applies to all UK Cities.

Adrian Goldberg is The Stirrer: news that matters, campaigns that count for Birmingham, the Black Country and beyond.

Birmingham Alive the number one guide to concerts, music, gigs, theatre, & what's on in Birmingham UK this week. 

Climate Change in Our World: a video demonstrates a new Google Earth layer showing potential temperature change and its impacts during the 21st century. Meanwhile, My Global Impact helps you to calculate how much carbon dioxide you emit, find ways to reduce it, then share what you have to protect poor people from the devastating impact of climate change.

In Transit: stopping the trade in people: watch a short video about work in Albania and Birmingham featuring the 'Cuddles' brothel in Hagley Road.

The Still Human Still Here campaign is dedicated to highlighting the plight of tens of thousands of refused asylum seekers who are being forced into abject poverty in an attempt to drive them out of the country.

Find It In Sandwell: a FREE business networking website that keeps Sandwell organisations in touch with the latest business opportunities, supply and buying needs.

The Love Food, Hate Waste campaign aims to raise awareness of the need to reduce the amount of food that we throw away, and how by doing some easy and practical things in the home we will benefit our purses and the environment.

Eatwell in Sandwell is our local award-winning healthy eating campaign.  Through fun activities with school children, support for shopkeepers, and work with community groups, Eatwell makes it easier for people in the Borough to improve their diet and enjoy the benefits of a healthier way of life.

Sandwell Council's guide to where you can get help with problems with Alcohol,Tobacco,and other drugs.

Abortion: the Human Tissue and Embryos Bill, expected to be introduced into Parliament after the Queen's Speech on 6th November, will open up the entire 1967 Abortion Act to amendment. Pro-choice MPs have pledged to liberalize the law and intend to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Abortion Act this autumn with a push to bring in 'abortion on request' in the first three months of pregnancy.

Pressures faced by those in their 20s & 30s:
a summary of the survey ‘Your thoughts on being 20 or 30 something’ carried out by 2030vision.

IndependentAge helps older people on low incomes to live with dignity and peace of mind by providing a regular extra income, grants for emergencies, equipment to aid independence, the support and friendship of our volunteers, and nursing and residential care homes.

Staying active as you get older can improve your health and quality of life. Just 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity five times a week can make a vital difference. Best of all, you can get your 30 minutes through simple, everyday activities.

Check out “the biggest rock’n’roll People’s Band Of 2007” according to the NME. Bearwood rockers The Twang wrote and practiced their songs across the road from us at Smethwick Snooker Club.

The Black Country Bugle: 'the voice of the Black Country'.

Agewell has for 10 years supported and enabled older people in Sandwell to have a voice in the decisions that affect them: from transport to health, libraries to social care, parks to ‘meals on wheels.’