Despite ranking among the most deprived areas in Dudley borough for suicide, child poverty, obesity and unemployment, the wards of Brockmoor and Pensnett are showing signs of a community fightback, according to local councillors Steve Edwards and Alex Dale.
Cllr Edwards said the area has been left behind since the heavy industry that once provided employment faded in the 1980s. He attributes today's socio-economic problems to that lost industrial heritage. Yet during a walk with both councillors, visible improvements were apparent.
New facilities and a rebuilt community hub
Brockmoor Park has seen the addition of two benches, three planters and a solid track for wheelchair users. A £16,000 disability swing has been installed near The Dell Stadium, thanks to campaigning by the councillors.
Fens Pool Community Centre, gutted by a suspected arson attack last year, has been rebuilt. Cllr Dale secured £85,000 in funding from Dudley Council for the project, after concerns about a funding delay and an undervalued insurance claim. Local children raised money through car washes and cake sales, and a local builder started work despite no initial guarantee of funding.
Restoring war memorials and community culture
Plans are underway to restore the names of local war heroes to the lych gate of St John's Church, known locally as Brockmoor Church. Cllr Edwards spent seven months researching names of those who served in the First and Second World Wars. The existing plaques will be sanded and refurbished.
Cllr Edwards said: "For 30 years, we've had no hope in Brockmoor and Pensnett — we've had nothing. Everything's been built on or everything's been demolished. It's like, how can we bring it back together? So, we want to utilize our green spaces, we want to fund youth clubs, which we've managed to get more money for, we want to fund community centres, we want to fund pubs."
Ongoing challenges
During the walk, a burst water main on Leys Road left the street closed and tarmac dug up. The councillors helped residents have their dropped-curbs reinstated after work by South Staffs Water. A bin fire in a resident's garden also sparked concern amid a heatwave, but was put out.
Cllr Edwards added: "We've gone down the route of saying: how can we instil working-class community culture back into where we all belong? We just want to try and fight it, stop all the negativity, and say, 'Let's have a little bit of something to focus on.'" The community centre reopened in March following the fire.
