Stories to make you smile from across the West Midlands

With so many heavy headlines, the news can sometimes feel overwhelming, but there are still moments worth celebrating - and we want to highlight them.

Across the West Midlands this week we spotted a girl who was gifted a t-shirt by Coventry City boss Frank Lampard, the daring rescue of nine ducklings from a drain, and a celebration of asparagus.

Take a look at some of our positive news stories from across the region.

In Birmingham, an off-duty firefighter was praised by paramedics after he rushed to the aid of a seriously injured woman, who had been hit by a car.

Firefighter Matthew Horne was driving home with his wife when he noticed the victim lying in the road.

He quickly took control of the scene, carrying out vital initial assessments and reassuring those nearby before handing over to medical staff.

Horne also stayed at the scene to support paramedics called to the scene, until the patient was taken to hospital.

Coventry City manager Frank Lampard made a 10-year-old fan's day after he gifted her his Championship title shirt.

Elsie and her mum Melissa went to the game against Portsmouth on Tuesday with a "We love you Frank" sign in hand.

And after the final whistle, Melissa said Lampard spotted the pair on the front row, waved at them and "flew over the barrier" to give Elsie a big hug as he presented her with his "Champions 26" commemorative shirt.

A bhangra dancer, from Wolverhampton, said it was an "amazing" experience to win a prize on the revived game show Blankety Blank.

Rana Singh, who works as an IT manager, also runs Back2Back Dancers, a group that combines bhangra with street dance and hip hop.

He appeared on series five of the BBC One show and went home with a roller-skating experience as his reward.

The show was revived in 2020 after it's original incarnation's first outing in 1979.

Meet Gus the Asparagus Man in Worcestershire, complete with a painted green face and costume.

The giant asparagus spear joined Morris dancers and other "colourful characters" at the start of the British Asparagus Festival this week.

The festival blended "humour, tradition and serious support for local growers and kicked off two months of asparagus-themed events across the region", organisers said.

In Shropshire, motorbike stuntman Sam Coulter is set to follow in his father's footsteps by reviving his touring show, thanks to a loan.

Coulter performs wheelies, jumps, tricks and rollovers on his quad bike as the Kangaroo Kid, continuing the legacy of his dad Matt, who performed across the world for 35 years, breaking records with his jumps over jets, boats and trucks.

He said the £25,000 loan will help him buy quad bikes and ramps, ahead of a summer of shows across the country.

And in Stoke-on-Trent, nine ducklings were rescued by a team of firefighters after getting stuck down a drain.

Firefighters lifted the drain cover away before the ducklings were rescued and released in a nearby pond to be reunited with their mum.

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