HERE are some of the top stories which you might have missed this weekend from across our sister papers in the Black Country and North Worcestershire.

A CARING Sedgley man is ready to follow in his father’s footsteps – as fast as he can – by running a marathon.

Scott Bates hopes to raise enough cash to grant the wish of residents at the care home where he works, who want to eat fish and chips by the seaside.

The 32-year-old activities coordinator at Ditton Priors Care Centre, near Bridgnorth, has always dreamed of running the Carver Wolverhampton City Marathon – just like his dad, Christopher Bates, did in the early 1980s.

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FIREFIGHTERS were called to Kidderminster Road in Bewdley on Sunday night, following a crash between two cars.

Emergency services were alerted to the collision at 9.40pm on Sunday, August 28.

Fire crews from Bewdley and Kidderminster rushed to the scene.

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AN investigation into the cause of Thursday’s devastating fire at Hickory’s Smokehouse is now underway.

The popular Wall Heath restaurant went up in flames at about 2.30am on Thursday morning (August 25), with more than 100 firefighters from across the West Midlands tackling the flames at its highest.

On Friday morning (August 26), fire investigators were able to venture onto the site after it took crews almost the entirety of Thursday to bring the fire under control to make the building accessible.

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A DETERMINED Redditch mother who spent four months battling to prove her innocence after being accused of faking her son’s autism has said more needs to be done to educate people about the condition.

Bernadette Louise, aged 34, was accused of causing significant emotional harm to her four-year-old son, then three, who she asked not to be named, after saying she believed he had autism, specifically pathological demand avoidance (PDA).

The disorder causes severe anxiety, language delay, mood swings, impulsivity and obsessive behaviour.

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A COLLEY Gate man has been charged with wounding with intent after parents began fighting at a Halesowen children's football match.

Tempers flared at the Halesowen Town Colts and Halesowen Harriers U14s match Sunday, March 20, at Newfield Park, Whittingham Road.

West Midlands Police this week confirmed one man had been charged in connection with the incident.

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A WEST Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic has spoken out about the shocking treatment he and his colleagues suffered during a shift in the region on Saturday night, (August 27).

Providing an insight into what the ambulance staff go through, paramedic Cameron McVittie described how a patient was violent, and then another person wanted to fight the paramedic.

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Posting on twitter about the busy Saturday night, Mr McVittie wrote: "I'm truly shocked at the last two hours of this shift.

"One patient refusing to accept help and wanting to thrash around a moving ambulance, meaning he had to be restrained by police.”