Goodbye August 2026 – A Summer to Remember ☀️👋

And just like that, we find ourselves saying goodbye to August.

It seems only five minutes ago that the school gates closed, suitcases were being packed, gardens were bursting into colour and we were looking forward to those long summer evenings.

Now the school holidays are almost over, September is waiting in the wings and there is already the faintest hint that autumn isn’t too far away.

But before we turn the calendar over, August 2026 deserves a proper farewell — because it has certainly given us plenty to remember.

☀️ A Remarkable Summer

If there’s one thing we’ll remember about the summer of 2026, it will surely be the weather.

For weeks we’ve enjoyed long, hot and exceptionally dry spells, with plenty of opportunities to get outside and make the most of our parks, gardens, pub gardens and everything Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield and the surrounding area has to offer.

And August certainly turned up the heat.

During the month’s major heatwave, temperatures provisionally reached an extraordinary 38.1°C at Kew Gardens on 13 August, making it the fifth hottest day recorded in the UK.

Closer to home, Pershore in Worcestershire reached 38°C, while dozens of locations across central and southern England recorded temperatures of 36°C or above.

It came during what the Met Office described as a remarkable summer of repeated heatwaves, unusually high temperatures and prolonged dry weather.

Of course, anyone looking out of the window as August draws to a close might be wondering where all that sunshine has gone! 🌧️😂

After such a long dry spell, the weather has certainly reminded us that we do still live in Britain.

🏃 Birmingham Takes Centre Stage

One of the undoubted highlights of August happened right here in the West Midlands.

From 10–16 August, Birmingham welcomed some of Europe’s finest athletes for the 2026 European Athletics Championships, with Alexander Stadium once again providing the backdrop for a major international sporting occasion.

And what a week it turned out to be.

Great Britain enjoyed a superb championships on home soil, finishing with nine gold, eight silver and two bronze medals and narrowly missing out on the top of the medal table to Italy.

There were outstanding performances throughout the week — but one athlete in particular made history.

🥇🥇🥇🥇 Amy Hunt Makes History

What a championships for Amy Hunt.

The Nottingham-born sprinter became the first athlete in European Athletics Championships history to win four gold medals at a single edition.

She won:

🥇 Women’s 100m
🥇 Women’s 200m
🥇 Women’s 4x100m relay
🥇 Mixed 4x100m relay

And that final gold came with an added bonus.

Hunt joined Dina Asher-Smith, Zharnel Hughes and Jeremiah Azu in the mixed 4x100m relay, with the British quartet winning gold in a European record of 39.97 seconds.

It was an extraordinary achievement from Hunt and a wonderful moment for British athletics — made even more special by happening in front of a home crowd here in Birmingham.

There was another piece of history too, as Dina Asher-Smith became the most decorated athlete in European Championships history.

For those lucky enough to have been inside Alexander Stadium during the week, there will surely be memories that last for many years.

❤️ Summer Around Sutton Coldfield & Lichfield

Of course, August isn’t only about the big national and international events.

For many of us, summer is made up of much smaller moments.

It’s a walk through Sutton Park on a sunny afternoon. An evening spent in the garden. Meeting friends for a drink or a meal. Taking the children or grandchildren somewhere during the school holidays. Discovering a local event, watching some live music or simply enjoying the fact that it doesn’t get dark at four o’clock!

Our local venues have continued to keep us entertained too.

As August draws to a close, Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Hall still has plenty going on, including Nostalgic Music, ELO Encounter and the Bryan Corbett Trio celebrating Blue Note and Cool Jazz.

Across Lichfield and the surrounding area, August has also brought live music, heritage events and plenty of reasons to get out and explore.

These are the things that make summer special — and one of the reasons we love sharing what’s happening across our local communities.

🎒 The Summer Holidays Come to an End

For families, the end of August inevitably means one thing…

Back to school! 🎒✏️

Uniforms are being checked, shoes are being bought, lunch boxes are coming back out of cupboards and alarm clocks are preparing to make their unwelcome return!

For some youngsters, September will mean their very first day at school.

Others will be making the big move to secondary school, starting college or university, or simply moving up another year and wondering where their summer holiday disappeared to.

To every young person beginning a new chapter this September — we wish you the very best of luck. ❤️

And perhaps an equally big good-luck message should go to all the parents trying to get everybody out of the door on time on that first morning! 😂

🍂 September Is Waiting…

There’s always something slightly bittersweet about the end of August.

The evenings are getting a little shorter, the first leaves will soon begin to change colour and those wonderfully long days of midsummer are gradually disappearing.

But we’re certainly not putting our feet up.

September is already shaping up to be another busy month across Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield, Birmingham and the wider area, with theatre, live music, community events, days out and plenty more to look forward to.

And we’ll be here bringing you as much of it as we possibly can.

So, before September arrives, there’s just one thing left to say…

☀️ Thank You, August

For the sunshine.

For the holidays.

For the long evenings.

For a fantastic European Athletics Championships right here in Birmingham.

For Amy Hunt’s four unforgettable gold medals.

And for all those little summer memories that don’t make the headlines but mean just as much.

Thank you, August. You’ve been rather wonderful. ❤️

Now then, September…

What have you got for us? 🍂

What was YOUR favourite memory of August 2026?

Perhaps it was a holiday, a family day out, the European Athletics, a local event or simply enjoying the sunshine.

We’d love to hear about it.