Birmingham Dispatch

Dear readers — welcome Brummies, yam-yams, Wulfrunians, all tribes from across this great region of ours to your Monday Briefing. If the weekend read has taught us anything at The Dispatch, it’s 1) our readership hails from far across Mercia and 2) there remains plenty of appetite among you all for perhaps the bitterest and most divisive row of the 21st century.

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Dear readers — fresh off a chain of hits featuring guerilla litter pickers, Sutton Coldfield Town FC superfans and the Cliff Richard-led 1973 film Take Me High(in which Richard plays a merchant banker sent to Birmingham), Shaun Patrick Hand today returns with a piece sure to appeal to an even nicher subsection of the Dispatch readership: Those who remember the UK’s first Asian soap opera, set on these very streets.

Dear readers — Good morning all. It’s been announced that Birmingham will be examined by the national grooming gangs inquiry, launched last April to investigate child sexual exploitation across the country. That’s the focus of today’s briefing — we’ve got the full lowdown below. But first some quick housekeeping. From today we’re welcoming a fresh set of faces.

February, 2012. German disco group Boney M dance on the stage, head to toe in matching metallic outfits. A sweaty crowd jumps underneath purple fluorescent lights as Curtis Pritchard, of TOWIE fame, flaunts his topless body in front of a dozen cooing fans. This is the relaunch party of the iconic gay club, The Nightingale, which has recently been taken over by a new owner: Lawrence Barton.

Dear readers — before we crack on with today's read, a public service announcement: there are still a few free Dispatch subscriptions for 16-25 year olds available. These have been generously paid for by the Postcode Lottery as part of their commitment to strengthen local communities by supporting journalism, and to help young people access trustworthy information.

It’s not every day a local poet and author lands on the shortlist for one of the world’s most prestigious literary prize with a novel about a man wearing a giant bag. But then again, Brum has always done things a bit differently, hasn't it? Not a member yet? Let's fix that. Join The Dispatch today to enjoy 50% off each ticket, unlock full access to our exclusive journalism, and the warm fuzzy feeling of backing local independent media in Birmingham and the West Midlands. It's a no brainer really.

We recently published an article by Dan Cave about BMAG’s latest show: an exhibition of art works by the comedian Joe Lycett called EVERYTHING MUST GO. Dan wrote that the exhibition is more about Lycett's celebrity status than the art itself, that it is less “serious” than the gallery’s world-class collection, much of which is currently hiding in a store room. He also argued for more critical engagement with local art. You can refresh your memory here. The article proved quite divisive.

Huge news, readers: today we can announce that we have partnered with Postcode Lottery to fund 150 annual subscriptions to The Dispatch for 16-25 year olds. This is part of Postcode Lottery's commitment to strengthen local communities by supporting journalism, and to help young people access trustworthy information. Please forward this on to anyone who might be interested. To claim your subscription, hit the button below and confirm your age with our ID verification service.

Dear readers — we hope you had a great weekend. Welcome back, and an especially warm hello to the new members who joined our ranks over the past seven days. Thanks to you, we not only reached our goal of hitting 2,000 paying subscribers by Sunday, but far surpassed it. There are now 2,040 of you — a brilliant leap on our journey to world domination. Or, failing that, a sustainable newspaper that will be read by Brummies for years to come.