Rachel Stretton

DVLA figures show that 14,570 drivers with Coventry postcodes—around 2% of drivers in the area—currently have at least six penalty points on their licences. The local rate is slightly below the 2.1% national average, while Halifax has the highest reported rate. The data also indicates that men are nearly three times as likely as women to have six or more points.

A 1979 calypso single titled “West Bromwich Albion,” featuring vocals by Coventry musician Ray King, is being re-released on a limited-edition CD by Jenny’s Feather Factory. The release honours pioneering Black West Bromwich Albion players Cyrille Regis, Brendon Batson and Laurie Cunningham, while also commemorating King, who died in July and was an influential figure in Coventry’s 2-Tone movement. The song was commissioned by music impresario Jim Simpson and recorded with local musicians including drummer Bob Lamb.

Coventry Live highlights several Christmas 2026 events already available to book in Coventry and nearby Kenilworth. The programme includes an Albany Theatre production of A Christmas Carol, Santa experiences and festive activities at St Mary’s Guildhall, the charity Carols at the Castle concert at Kenilworth Castle, the Belgrade Theatre’s Beauty and the Beast pantomime, and the Christmas by Candlelight concert at Coventry Cathedral. Dates, ticket prices and booking information are provided for each event.

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust showcased pharmacy automation to Coventry North West MP Taiwo Owatemi. Self-check-in kiosks are reducing outpatient queues, while inpatient robots can select and verify up to 1,600 medicine packs per hour. The Trust has also introduced a national-first integration of Omnicell automated dispensing cabinets with its Electronic Patient Record, giving clinicians real-time medicine availability and enabling safer digital ordering at the bedside. The changes are intended to improve medication safety, reduce waste and free pharmacy staff for more clinical support.

Coventry Live revisits the city's notable nightclubs of the 1970s and 1980s, including Mr G's, Busters, the Pink Parrot, Shades, After Eight and Top Spot. The piece uses archive photographs to recall venues that have since closed or changed names; the Pink Parrot site later became Kopoda and now operates as Players.

Four people were arrested or reported to court following separate overnight crashes and suspected drink-driving incidents across Warwickshire. The cases involved collisions near the M69 and A46, a car driven into a hedge in Wellesbourne, an alleged failure to provide a specimen in Warwick, and a suspected drink driver found on the M6 hard shoulder. Warwickshire police warned that alcohol- and drug-impaired driving contributes to fatal collisions and said enforcement would continue.

Charlotte Jolliffe founded Freddie's Wish after her 13-month-old son Freddie died in a car crash a decade ago. The Warwickshire charity has since supported more than 400 families across 40 counties and raised nearly £450,000. Its 10th-anniversary Summer Ball at Coombe Abbey generated almost £22,000, which will fund expanded bereavement counselling and first aid training for preschools and primary schools across the UK.

Brothers Shane and Keith Johnson were sentenced for burglaries at The Graded Gallery in Rugby and Celestial Collectables in Warrington. Shane received 45 months and four weeks in prison after pleading guilty, while Keith had already been sentenced to 29 months. The raids caused more than £12,000 in combined damage and involved the theft of Pokémon cards worth £62,000 from the Warrington shop. Cheshire Police linked the brothers to both scenes through CCTV, vehicle evidence and property recovered from Keith’s home.

The Firebird Singers, a choir from Meriden, have dedicated their 2025/26 concert season to raising money for the RNLI in memory of Callum Baker-Osborne. Callum drowned at Poole in July 2021 after rescuing his mother, sister and young relatives from a tidal surge. He was posthumously awarded the King's Commendation for Bravery, accepted by his family at St James's Palace in March 2026. The choir's concerts and fundraising events, including a recent double spring concert attended by more than 250 people, have directed their proceeds to the RNLI.

West Midlands Police data obtained through a Freedom of Information request revealed the 10 highest speeds recorded on West Midlands motorways over the previous 12 months. A Skoda topped the list after being clocked at 137mph on the northbound M6 near Coventry. All 10 incidents occurred on the M6, M5 or M42; seven were detected by speed cameras and three by police officers. BMWs appeared most often, while the vehicles were recorded travelling between 125mph and 137mph on roads subject to either the national 70mph limit or a temporary 60mph limit.

Coventry’s Albany Theatre has immediately banned all smart glasses from its premises, including devices used by staff, volunteers and attendees at events under its control. Trustees cited concerns about secret filming or audio recording of children, vulnerable adults and other people without consent, as well as possible copyright violations. Safeguarding trustee Julie Ashby-Ellis and theatre trust chair David Meredith said they could see no legitimate need for such devices at the venue and noted that other public organizations were taking similar action.

Trenton Lewis, 27, of Stratford-upon-Avon, has been charged with racially aggravated grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent, and two counts of racially aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The charges follow a series of reported assaults in Stratford-upon-Avon between 1am and 3am on August 14, including an incident in The Willows that left a man seriously injured. Lewis was remanded in custody and due to appear at Coventry Magistrates Court on August 15.

Nick Eastwood, the former Wasps chief executive and co-chair of UHCW Charity, died aged 66 on July 24. The charity paid tribute to his leadership, expertise, thoughtful advice, warmth and generosity. UHCW Charity supports University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust by raising funds for equipment and providing support for patients, families and staff.

A 24-image archival gallery revisits Coventry and Warwickshire fish-and-chip shops across several decades. The photographs document anniversaries, award nominations, charity fundraisers, shop openings, sustainable-fishing activity and celebrity visits, including Muhammad Ali’s 1983 appearance at Jack’s Chip Shop and The Specials’ 1980 visit to The Parson’s Nose. Featured establishments include Pete’s Chippery, Torrington Fish Bar, Alfie Grimshaw’s, The Spires, Frydays Seafare, Holyhead Fish Saloon and others, reflecting the enduring place of local chippies in Coventry’s community and cultural life.

A fundraiser launched by the Heart of England Community Foundation aims to raise £4,500 for families whose homes were destroyed or damaged by fires across Warwickshire and the West Midlands. The appeal will provide emergency living expenses, household items, clothing, replacement belongings and longer-term recovery grants. The fires included a Stourbridge blaze that destroyed 19 homes and a major grassland fire near Salford Priors, which caused dense smoke and the closure of the A46. The government issued an emergency fire-risk alert and banned the sale of disposable barbecues following weeks of drought.

The Ivy Collection has released artist’s impressions of its new Stratford-upon-Avon brasserie, due to open in September inside part of the former Debenhams store at Bell Court. The venue will be the brand’s first in Coventry and Warwickshire, create 100 jobs and be managed by Richard Chiswell with Marc Chiong as head chef. Its menu has not yet been announced, though dishes from the Birmingham location provide an indication of the likely offering.

A-Level results data shows that North Warwickshire recorded the lowest proportion of A or A* grades in Coventry and Warwickshire, at 14.6%, followed by Nuneaton and Bedworth at 15.8%. Coventry’s rate was 23.3%, below the West Midlands average of 24.2% and the England average of 28.3%, while Warwickshire averaged 29.3%. Stratford-on-Avon performed best locally at 35.1%. Nationally, the City of London had the highest rate at 65.4%, while Harlow had the lowest at 7.0%.

HS2 has structurally completed the Balsall Common, Marsh Farm and River Blythe viaducts on the approach to Interchange station in Solihull. The structures span wetlands, waterways, floodplains and a Site of Special Scientific Interest, with designs shaped partly by local residents and measures intended to protect wildlife and reduce visual and noise impacts. Final work includes parapets, acoustic barriers and waterproofing. The project is expected to improve long-distance journey times and increase capacity on the West Coast Main Line.

A 67-image CoventryLive gallery revisits A-Level and AS-Level results-day celebrations across Coventry, Warwickshire and Nuneaton from 2007 to 2017. The archive photographs show students from local schools and colleges opening results, celebrating high grades and discussing university, apprenticeship and career plans, while highlighting the enduring emotions associated with results day.

Latest PollCheck polling indicates that Labour would retain all three Coventry constituencies if a general election were held, with support rising sharply after Keir Starmer’s resignation and Andy Burnham’s appointment as prime minister and Labour leader. Labour leads Reform by 15.2 percentage points in Coventry East, 11.4 points in Coventry North West and 18.5 points in Coventry South. Coventry South would be classed as a Labour hold despite Zarah Sultana’s departure from the party to establish Your Party with Jeremy Corbyn. In Warwickshire, the projections include Conservative holds in Kenilworth and Southam and Meriden and Solihull East, Reform gains in North Warwickshire and Bedworth and Nuneaton, and Labour holds in Rugby and Warwick and Leamington, while the Liberal Democrats are projected to retain Stratford-on-Avon.

Reverend Geoffrey Studdert-Kennedy, a Rugby-born First World War army chaplain nicknamed “Woodbine Willie,” is remembered for entering No Man’s Land under heavy fire at Messines Ridge to rescue wounded soldiers from both sides. He also distributed cigarettes, preached to troops, wrote poetry opposing war and poverty, and continued serving poorer communities after receiving the Military Cross. A new peace garden and memorial boulder at St Andrew’s Church in Rugby will commemorate Studdert-Kennedy alongside Dr Rex Pogson, supported by a fundraising campaign.

The Grosvenor Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon is among 13 UK hotels confirmed to have stopped housing asylum seekers. The hotel, which entered the scheme in September 2022, has reopened to regular guests, while the closure of another Warwickshire site, the Episode Hotel in Leamington, was announced in June. The Home Office says the closures will save £51 million, with fewer than 160 hotels now used for asylum accommodation compared with 400 under the previous Conservative government. Immigration minister Anna Turley said the government aims to end hotel use and move asylum seekers into larger basic facilities, including former military sites. The Refugee Council welcomed the end of hotel accommodation but warned that military sites could be isolating and inadequate while slow Home Office decisions continue to prolong asylum support.

Coventry Live publishes a selection of recent death notices, funeral arrangements and memorial tributes from Coventry and surrounding areas. The lead tribute remembers Vibert Edmund Cornwall, known as Ray King, who died aged 87 and is credited with helping inspire Coventry’s ska and 2-Tone music era while supporting West Indian communities and encouraging young people to pursue music. His funeral is scheduled at Coventry Cathedral on 19 August 2026, with donations requested for Prostate Cancer UK. The notice also includes arrangements and family tributes for numerous other people who have died or are being remembered.

Khushi Grill, also known as The Hub, on Wheelwright Lane in Coventry has received planning permission for a single-storey rear extension and an enlarged beer garden. The project will add 138 square metres of floor space, around 50 customer covers, extra toilet facilities and 18 parking spaces, bringing the total to approximately 48. Coventry City Council said the development would support an established local business and provide economic benefits without unacceptable effects on highway safety, neighbouring properties or the area’s character.

Amelia Howe, diagnosed with soft-tissue cancer at 15, describes gruelling chemotherapy, radiotherapy and proton beam treatment in the United States before entering remission in 2018. In a TED Talk, she challenges the military language commonly used around cancer, arguing that being told to “fight” or “win” can make survivors feel pressured, guilty and disconnected from the trauma of treatment. She advocates asking people how they want to discuss their illness and recognizing that cancer is complex, devastating and never a consequence of insufficient effort.

A photo gallery recalls 22 well-known shops and retailers that have disappeared from Coventry’s high streets, including Debenhams, BHS, Woolworths, IKEA, Goldsmiths, Phones 4U and JJB Sports. It places the closures in the context of changing shopping habits, the impact of Covid lockdowns and the cost-of-living crisis, while inviting readers to identify the businesses from archival photographs.

Fiona Crichlow has retired from University Hospital Coventry after almost 40 years in nursing, ending her career on the hospital’s 20th anniversary. She began as a student nurse in 1988 and was in charge of the emergency department when the hospital opened in 2006. Colleagues marked her retirement with celebrations, while fellow long-serving nurse Lindsay Fitzpatrick reflected positively on the hospital’s supportive culture and her work with lung-cancer patients.

Coventry City Council’s planning committee is expected to consider plans for a replacement two-storey commercial building, including a restaurant, at the former NatWest site on Earlsdon Street. The bank was demolished without planning consent in late 2024, prompting enforcement action and a stop notice. Officers recommend approval of the application. The committee is also due to consider plans for two homes on part of The Auction House pub’s car park in Tile Hill and extensions to a detached home on Cannon Hill Road; officers recommend approval of all three applications.

Home Office figures for the year ending March 2026 show that Nuneaton and Bedworth had a sexual-offence rate of 4.1 per 1,000 people, higher than Coventry’s rate of 3.9. Coventry recorded more offences overall—1,428 compared with 580—because of its larger population, but ranked lower nationally by rate. Nuneaton’s rate was the highest in Warwickshire, while sexual-offence reports rose in most local areas, including by 19% in North Warwickshire and 9% in South Warwickshire; Rugby recorded a 5% decline.

A nostalgic gallery revisits Ikon nightclub at Coventry’s Skydome Multiplex, featuring 24 photographs from its October 1999 launch. The venue became a major nightlife destination, known for large crowds, themed entertainment, £10 entry, drink promotions and alcohol-free nights before fading from the city’s nightlife scene.

A roundup of major Coventry, Warwickshire and West Midlands criminal cases resulting in prison sentences during July. Cases included armed home invasions, large-scale cocaine trafficking, violent assault, a fatal road crash, child sexual abuse material offences, illegal firearm possession, theft of rare Pokémon cards, ATM cash-trapping and attempts to smuggle drugs and phones into prison.

Warwick midwife Holly Hawkesford has spoken about losing her son Jasper, who died seven hours after being born in 2014, and how Edward’s Trust helped her family cope with the bereavement. Now working as a fundraiser for the charity, she is supporting its emergency “Without Us” appeal as it seeks £200,000 to continue providing free bereavement services across the West Midlands. Acting CEO Christine Bodkin cited rising costs, changes in charitable giving and fundraising challenges as threats to the charity’s future.

Home Office figures show that West Midlands Police recorded 1,428 sexual offences in Coventry in the year ending March 2026, including 553 rapes. Sexual offences rose 5% year on year, with a charge rate of 5.3%, above the national average of 4.7%. Coventry ranked 66th among local authority areas for sexual-offence rates, while its overall crime rate fell 7% and placed it 75th nationally for crime excluding fraud.

Coventry Live lists planning applications submitted to Coventry City Council during the week commencing July 27, 2026, grouped by ward. Proposals include the redevelopment of the former Allesley Hotel into 55 homes, ancillary and commercial buildings, home extensions and loft conversions, tree works, an artists’ studio, surgery subdivision, and demolition of an industrial chimney at Amtico Company Ltd.

A UK study of major trauma patients found that e-scooter riders faced substantially higher risks of traumatic brain, internal organ and vascular injuries than cyclists and motorcyclists. Helmet use was rare, women were more likely to suffer serious injuries, and incidents were more common in deprived areas. The Department for Transport said its controlled e-scooter trials are intended to inform legislation, while privately owned e-scooters remain illegal on public roads. Official figures recorded 1,312 e-scooter collisions, 1,390 casualties and six deaths in 2024.

Warwickshire County Council leader George Finch says council libraries and public buildings should remain politically neutral, opposing Black History Month displays, LGBTQ+ promotional stands near children's sections and staff displays of political or identity-related flags. He insists the council's review was not coordinated with Reform UK's national leadership and says relevant books should remain available in age-appropriate sections rather than being banned. Finch argues that public institutions should present a broad, balanced account of history and leave discussions about sexuality and gender primarily to families, while critics have raised concerns that removing displays about marginalised communities could send an exclusionary message.

Construction at the A46 Stoneleigh Junction improvement scheme in Warwickshire has reached a major milestone, with workers completing four concrete wingwalls for a new bridge. About 225 cubic metres of concrete were poured in July, and teams are now installing steel reinforcement for the next structures. The project will proceed to building the bridge foundations and road approaches, with the scheme intended to improve traffic flow, increase capacity and support regional economic growth.

Warwickshire County Council leader George Finch says voters will remain loyal to Reform UK despite four councillors defecting to Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain. The defections have reduced Reform’s representation to 17 of the council’s 57 seats, leaving the authority’s political balance more fragile ahead of local government reorganisation. Finch dismissed the defectors as disgruntled and said the key test would be the May 2027 elections for new unitary councils. Former Reform councillors, led by Luke Cooper, rejected that description, citing loss of faith in the party’s Warwickshire leadership, alleged anti-democratic directives and dissatisfaction with national policy.

Construction has begun on a new regional distribution centre for Volvo Group at SEGRO Park Coventry. Volvo has committed £24 million to the facility, which will serve its UK and Ireland operations and include automated storage and picking technology capable of processing more than 1.3 million order lines annually. Glencar is delivering the project for SEGRO, with completion expected in January 2027. The facility is designed to meet BREEAM Excellent and EPC A standards and will include solar panels, rainwater harvesting, electric-vehicle charging and other low-carbon features.

A new 14-bed specialist mental health rehabilitation residential service is due to open at Hawkesbury Lodge in Coventry in October 2026. The facility will support adults with severe or prolonged mental illness from Coventry and Warwickshire, helping them develop daily living skills, independence and community connections while reducing reliance on out-of-area placements. Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust has renovated the former inpatient unit following an NHS England application and has selected Rethink Mental Illness to operate the residential service and a co-located Care Hub. The Trust will retain clinical oversight and work with Rethink to maintain care standards.

Construction has begun on Faseman House, a supported housing development in Coventry that will provide 50 modern, energy-efficient homes for families who have experienced homelessness. Citizen is working with Markey Construction and Coventry City Council on the scheme, which will replace the 44-home Frank Walsh House and accommodate six additional families. Frank Walsh House will remain open until the new development is completed to ensure continuity of support.

Tributes have been paid to Josephine “Josie” Frisby, a Coventry and Warwickshire publican who ran The Alma Tavern, The Miners Arms, The Fox, The Attleborough Arms and other local pubs. She died at home on 19 July 2026 aged 83 and is remembered by her family and community for her warmth, humour, kindness and generous spirit. The piece also publishes a selection of local death and funeral notices, including details of services, family tributes and preferred charities for donations.