Residents urged to show their support for Brierley Hill
An event is being held to celebrate Brierley Hill and its heritage and culture in the town centre this weekend.
The Hug Your H! Street event – organised by Brierley Hill Cultural Consortium and Community Forum in conjunction with Dudley Council and Brierley Hill Market - will take place on Saturday March 5.
The centrepiece will take place at Marsh Park at 1.30pm, when members of the public will be invited to show their support for the High Street by taking part in the formation of a giant love heart which will be captured by aerial drone photography.
There will be family activities running from 10am to 3pm at the Moor Centre, including family craft workshops, circus performers and more.
The Midland Fretted Orchestra will perform on the green in front of Brierley Hill Civic from 11am to 12 noon, while there will be a vintage fair at Arena Combat Archery along Little Cottage Street from 10am to 3pm.
And a ‘Blinder of a Day’ is promised at Brierley Hill Market, where from 10am to 3pm there will be a Peaky Blinders themed event with vintage singer Claire Louise, tap dancing by Katie Lewis and the Supreme Showgirls.
Councillor Simon Phipps, cabinet member for regeneration and enterprise, said:
This promises to be a fantastic free event offering lots of fun for the whole family. The High Street is very much at the heart of our communities and this event has been designed to make that very point.
I would urge people to go along and support Brierley Hill Community Forum, Brierley Hill Market and the various community groups who work really hard to promote and celebrate Brierley Hill town centre and its community.
Tim Sunter, chairman of Brierley Hill Community Forum, said:
Brierley Hill Community Forum has been working behind the scenes on the setting up of a Cultural Consortium for Brierley Hill.
I am delighted that one of the first events being launched by the Consortium is focused on the importance of the High Street to the local community and visa versa.
Frank Chamberlain, Cultural Consortium project co-ordinator, said:
This is one of a number of events being promoted and delivered by the Brierley Hill Cultural Consortium.
It has been made possible thanks to lots of hard work from volunteers in the local community and from funding and support made available from Historic England and Dudley Council through the High Street Heritage Action Zone and from ERDF through the Welcome Back Fund.
More information about the Cultural Consortium and events in Brierley Hill is available by following www.facebook.com/brierleyhillculture and visiting https://www.dudley.gov.uk/residents/planning/historic-environment/brierley-hill-high-street-heritage-action-zone/
Notes to Editors
About High Streets Heritage Action Zones
Historic England is working with local people and partners through grant funding and sharing our skills to help breathe new life into high streets that are rich in heritage and full of promise - unlocking their potential and making them more attractive to residents, businesses, tourists and investors. The High Streets Heritage Action Zones scheme, backed by government funding, aims to help with the recovery of local high streets from regenerating historic buildings to helping to engage local communities through art and cultural projects .
About Historic England
We are Historic England the public body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England’s spectacular historic environment, from beaches and battlefields to parks and pie shops. We protect, champion and save the places that define who we are and where we’ve come from as a nation. We care passionately about the stories these places tell, the ideas they represent and the people who live, work and play among them. Working with communities and specialists we share our passion, knowledge and skills to inspire interest, care and conservation, so everyone can keep enjoying and looking after the history that surrounds us all.
The Welcome Back Fund and European Regional Development Fund
The Welcome Back Fund https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welcome-back-fund is providing councils across England a share of £56 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to support the safe return to high streets and help build back better from the pandemic. This funding builds on the £50 million Reopening High Street Safely Fund (RHSSF) allocated to councils in 2020 and forms part of the wider support government is providing to communities and businesses.
Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.