Siobhan Harper

Wedding season is fast approaching, and engaged couples all over Birmingham will be looking for the perfect venue in which to hold their nuptials. The city has a fantastic selection of beautiful churches and hotels that can host weddings, but if you're looking for something a little bit different, there's something for you too. Here are eight unusual wedding venues for the betrothed of Birmingham to consider: 1. The Bond Company  <img id="c73f0f4d-d7e7-f377-6287-82fd91d1f1d7" data-caption="" data-credit="Flickr: Lorna Prescott" data-width-class="100" type="image/jpeg" total="123184" loaded="123184" src="http://media.timeout.com/images/102750850/image.jpg" class="photo lazy inline"> Flickr: Lorna Prescott   If you want to get hitched in the historical heart of Birmingham, the Bond Company is a desirable option. Surrounded by Victorian buildings and facing onto the city's famous canals, it's little wonder that the Bond Company has been voted one of Birmingham's top five wedding venues.   2. The Electric Cinema   <img id="8912f132-7531-0369-4d5c-6678ecd8f100" data-caption="" data-credit="Electric Cinema. Illustration by Peter Bowen" data-width-class="100" type="image/jpeg" total="81448" loaded="81448" src="http://media.timeout.com/images/102750881/image.jpg" class="photo lazy inline"> Electric Cinema. Illustration by Peter Bowen   One for the movie lovers, the UK's oldest cinema hosts unique weddings, with glamorous art deco surround

Are you a newly minted student, off to study in our fair city? Welcome! We're glad to have you. Now, we both know your studies are very important, but what you really want to know is what is where you can go to enjoy yourself, right? Of course you do. So, we've rounded up some of the best night time attractions that Birmingham has to offer. Whether you'd prefer to spend your Saturday night downing cocktails, having a laugh with your friends, or dancing the night away (or all three), there's something here for you. Check out a student club night <img id="4cf7c616-36a0-6f3f-1619-7359ec5216f7" data-caption="" data-credit="Flickr: Elliott Brown" data-width-class="100" type="image/jpeg" total="260989" loaded="260989" src="http://media.timeout.com/images/102784945/image.jpg" class="photo lazy inline"> Flickr: Elliott Brown Ah, the traditional Fresher's Week bonding experience. There's a variety of club nights happening all over Birmingham for freshers, so there's bound to be one for you. There's something going on nearly every night of the week: on Tuesdays, Bar Risa hosts Salsa by Latin Motion, while Players hosts 'Stupid Tuesdays', where three Jagers are just £5. On Wednesdays are the famous 'I Love Tom's Mum' night at Walkabout, and the 'I Love Risa' night at Bar Risa, one of Birmingham's biggest student nights. For Thursdays, check out the Motown, soul and junk offerings at Mechu, or go the Jam House where cocktails are two for one all evening.   Try a balti <img id="

Fellow Longbridgians! (Yes, that's probably just a made up word. It's okay – we're well known for creating things round here). We may have a chequered past, but we're proud of who we are. After all, you know you're from Longbridge when...   &lt;img id="002d685f-d2de-6c1a-c92f-69ef160b97df" data-caption="" data-credit="Chris Allen" data-width-class="100" type="image/jpeg" total="49293" loaded="49293" image_id="102821270" src="http://media.timeout.com/images/102821270/image.jpg" class="photo lazy inline"&gt; Chris Allen ...anyone outside Birmingham asks where you live, you answer 'You know, where the Rover factories were.'   &lt;img id="41e244e4-0418-6544-1c58-59ac97b48003" data-caption="" data-credit="Phil Guest" data-width-class="100" type="image/jpeg" total="1014557" loaded="1014557" image_id="102821273" src="http://media.timeout.com/images/102821273/image.jpg" class="photo lazy inline"&gt; Phil Guest ...you got excited when 'Top Gear' visited. Even if it was to the mostly empty wasteland where the aforementioned factory once stood.   ...you tell people that the old factory also appeared in an awesome Chemical Brothers video.   &lt;img id="fd067fcb-b0d6-a31c-eeae-4fa30bb45541" class="photo lazy inline" src="http://media.timeout.com/images/102821274/image.jpg" alt="" data-caption="" data-credit="Flickr: Elliott Brown" data-width-class="100" data-mce-src="http://media.timeout.com/images/102821274/image.jpg" image_id="102821274"&gt; Flickr: Elliott Br

If you were in the city centre last Saturday, you could be forgiven for thinking you'd walked into the middle of a real-life 'Walking Dead' situation. In reality, you probably just encountered entrants to the Birmingham Zombie Walk. You'll also be relieved to hear that, rather than being out for your brains, these hordes of howling undead were actually after donations.     Another amazing shot from the Zombie Walk taken by @fullerproduction. #selfie #oneplusone #zombiebham #ZombieWalk #zombie #zombies #blood #makeup #letmetakeaselfie #birmingham #birminghamuk #brum A photo posted by Jamie Chapman (@chapperztv) on Aug 10, 2015 at 3:57am PDT   The Birmingham Zombie Walk was set up by Jamie Chapman of Sutton Coldfield seven years ago, in order to raise money and awareness for the Birmingham's Children's Hospital. The funds collected go towards creating child-friendly environments within the hospital, purchasing brand new equipment and funding research into treatments. Since the first walk in 2009, the event has raised over £26,000 for the hospital.     A photo posted by Tracey Louise (@littlemissmarmalade3) on Aug 8, 2015 at 1:52pm PDT   This year, more than 1,500 zombies descended on Victoria Square, ready to cause chaos in the name of charity. Zombies raised money by buying a ticket to take part and then taking advantage of the makeup artists stationed at the march's starting point to get them looking especially gruesome.   Siobhan Harper   There were plenty of spe

Eagle eyed Brummies may have spotted some bizarre scenes in the city over the last few weeks, with abandoned cars littering the roads, alarmingly overgrown foliage sprouting from kerbs and people with guns wandering the streets. Don't worry, though – it doesn't mean you slept through the apocalypse. These scenes were actually part of the film shoot for 'She Who Brings Gifts', the forthcoming movie adaptation of 'The Girl With All the Gifts' by author M.R. Carey. Toby Ford   Starring big name actors including Glenn Close and Gemma Arterton, the film centres around the story of a special young girl named Melanie. Melanie may hold the key to humanity's survival, ten years after an outbreak of a fungal disease that leads the infected to eat human flesh. Arterton plays Melanie's teacher, who teaches a rather unusual group of children. Close plays a doctor looking to cure the disease. Simon Andrews     Filming has centred on the Midlands, with Church Street being transformed into an apocalyptic wasteland. Scenes have also been shot in the abandoned Powergen site in Shirley, the derelict Dudley Guest Hospital and on Cannock Chase. Producer Camille Gatin explained that the decision was made to film here in the Midlands was because there 'were really great locations that fitted this particular storyline. We knew that we could have a central base and within a 40 minute or one hour drive from that base we would be able to find all the locations.'   Amelia Player       As well as f

Birmingham is famous for many different things. We're known for our chocolate, as the birthplace of Black Sabbath and Judas Priest and, more recently, as the inspiration for popular TV drama 'Peaky Blinders'. What you might not be so aware of is that Birmingham is also home to a rich and diverse video game development scene with an impressive heritage. So, whether it is long-established games developers, up-and-coming mobile app makers, or universities training the next generation of software wizards, Birmingham has got it all:    The big guns     A photo posted by F1 Games from Codemasters (@formula1game) on Sep 15, 2014 at 8:04am PDT   Two of the most successful developers in the Midlands – and the country – are Rare and Codemasters, and both have connections with Birmingham. Rare started out in the ’80s creating games for Nintendo, developing a number of popular titles including the infamous 'Battletoads'. They also created fan favourites 'Goldeneye 007', 'Banjo-Kazooie' and 'Perfect Dark'. Rare have received a multitude of awards for its work, including the BAFTA Interactive Moving Moving Images Award in 2000. Most recently Rare became a subsidiary of Microsoft, creating titles for the Xbox franchise, and have opened a studio in Fazeley Studios, in Digbeth, to complement its HQ in Twycross, Leicestershire. Founded in 1986, Codemasters is one of the oldest surviving British gaming studios. It started out making 8-bit titles, including the cult classic 'Dizzy' series.