Midlands Lithuanian Community (MLC) is celebrating the first sucessful year of its volunteering activities. Among other significant achievements, we have started the following projects:

1. MLC established Children Activity Centre with school. Kids are being encouraged to participate in local community parties and celebrations. Also special attention is being paid to maintain socio-ethnic background whilst integrating into local society.

2. We also started to organize "The Tea Club" - unofficial meetings for our community members which proved to be more popular and fruitful, as the official meetings were too structured and demanding for some people in the organisation. The members are sharing their ideas and discussing issues once a month, normally the first Sunday of the month. The subjects are for example how they can receive help and find solutions to deal with practical problems. But also the members are having discussions and helping to organize events + chosing the lecturer for the next session. Lectures include a wide range of useful subjects like health issues or how to start your own business.

3. MLC started and sucessfully continuing to develop health care programs like monitoring blood preassure and blood sugar levels among the members. Advice is being given how to eat sensibly, and also yoga classes have been started.

4. Co-operate with local police has been put into place. Both of the parties feel huge benefits from this relationship.

5.  A library in Friends Meeting House, Wolverhampton has been established. People who are non-English speakers can read books and up to date magazines. These are not only in Lithuanian, but also in Russian and Latvian languages (it is almost impossible to find a selection of readings in these languages in local libraries).

We are very happy that in 2008 our community grew bigger and stronger. Above mentioned projects developed publicity; and now MLC is well known by most local government institutions within Midlands area. Also a significant achievement is that we have expanded our activities from only Lithuanian people to almost all new wave migrants.