Shyamantha Asokan

Midlands

Journalist at BBC

BBC journalist covering Birmingham & West Mids. Formerly @TheEconomist, @FT, @Reuters, @WorkingMums. Into stories about motherhood and also arty things.

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Articles

Shropshire soldier's family reunited with WW2 make-up box gift

1 week ago | bbc.co.uk | Richard Tisdale |Shyamantha Asokan

Image caption, Barbara Carter was reunited with her family's make-up box earlier this monthAt the end of 1944, teenager Aubrey Price sent what would be his last ever Christmas present to his mother in Shropshire. Mr Price had been conscripted to fight in World War Two and he sent a box of French make-up to his mum, who had desperately tried to protect him from being made to join the front line.
Birmingham bin strike staff to hold rally after deal rejected

1 week ago | bbc.com | Shyamantha Asokan

Shyamantha AsokanBBC News, West MidlandsStriking bin workers are to stage a rally a day after the Unite union members rejected the city council's latest pay offer to end the industrial action. More than 350 refuse collectors have been on an all-out strike since 11 March and this latest stand off with the Labour-run council, will lead to bin bags and fly-tipped rubbish continuing to pile up on streets.
Oswestry's Cambrian Station restoration nearly complete

1 week ago | bbc.com | Shyamantha Asokan |Gavin Kermack

Shyamantha Asokan & Gavin KermackBBC News, West MidlandsA listed railway station dating back to the 1860s is to be unveiled in Shropshire following restoration works. A £900,000 project to restore the Grade II-listed Cambrian Station Building in Oswestry began a year ago and scaffolding has covered the structure during the repairs. Shropshire Council said the scaffolding was now being taken down and would be removed in time for Easter.
Shrewsbury beavers named Beryl and Bertie after school poll

1 week ago | bbc.com | Shyamantha Asokan

Shyamantha AsokanBBC News, West MidlandsShropshire Wildlife TrustTwo beavers released into a Shropshire nature reserve this year have been named, after local school children submitted ideas. The Eurasian beavers were released at the Old River Bed in Shrewsbury in February, reintroducing the animals to the area for the first time in 400 years. The pair have now been named Beryl and Bertie, after Shropshire Wildlife Trust (SWT) and Shrewsbury Town Council launched a contest last month.
Old railway station restoration nearly complete

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Shyamantha Asokan |Gavin Kermack

A listed railway station dating back to the 1860s is to be unveiled in Shropshire following restoration works. A £900,000 project to restore the Grade II-listed Cambrian Station Building in Oswestry began a year ago and scaffolding has covered the structure during the repairs. Shropshire Council said the scaffolding was now being taken down and would be removed in time for Easter.
Willenhall locals recall narrow escape from 1994 plane crash

2 weeks ago | bbc.co.uk | Richard Williams |Shyamantha Asokan

Image source, National Association of Retired Firefighters Coventry & Solihull BoroughImage caption, The day a Boeing 737 crashed close to residential streets in Willenhall, Coventry, lives on in residents' memoriesBBC Coventry & WarwickshireA few days before Christmas in 1994, 22-year-old Clel Sneddon was standing in his parents' kitchen when the lights suddenly went off and chaos erupted outside. "It was bedlam.
New dad Lycett becomes tip regular during Birmingham bin strikes

2 weeks ago | bbc.co.uk | Sarah Julian |Shyamantha Asokan

Media caption, 'Birmingham needs morale boosting'Joe Lycett said that, as a new dad, he was visiting the rubbish tip "more regularly than most" during Birmingham's ongoing bin strikes, to offload dirty nappies and wipes. "I go to the tip, I would say, every fortnight. Tyseley's my favourite," the Brummie comedian, who has a six-month-old son, joked in an interview with BBC Radio WM.
Couple convicted of attempted murder of stepmum

3 weeks ago | bbc.com | Shyamantha Asokan

Couple convicted of attempted murder of stepmumShyamantha AsokanWest Midlands PoliceWasif Hussain, 21, and Nabela Tabassum, 19, are due to be sentenced next monthA husband and wife have been found guilty of attempted murder after they attacked the man's stepmother with a knife and hammer in her kitchen. Wasif Hussain, 21, and Nabela Tabassum, 19, had denied the charge but were convicted at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday.
Tribute to great-grandfather from Kidsgrove after crash

3 weeks ago | bbc.com | Shyamantha Asokan

Family tribute to great-grandfather after crashShyamantha AsokanStaffordshire PoliceMalcolm Howell, 75, died after a single-vehicle crash in Kidsgrove on 24 March A great-grandfather who died in a crash has been described as warm and wise by his family. Malcolm Howell, 75, of Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, died on 24 March. Officers said they were called at 16:10 GMT after reports of a single-vehicle collision on Kidsgrove Bank. Mr Howell died at the scene.
Poland exchange scheme offered to Stoke's young ceramicists

3 weeks ago | bbc.com | Shyamantha Asokan

Poland exchange scheme opens for young ceramicistsShyamantha AsokanJenny HarperThe British Ceramics Biennial is based in Stoke-on-Trent and runs events to support artists across the UKYoung ceramics artists are being offered a chance to take part in an exchange with fellow potters in Poland. The British Ceramics Biennial (BCB), an arts organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, has launched a scheme to connect the city's artists with those in Bolesławiec.