Regeneration takes shape in 'town like a village'

The centre of Wednesfield in Wolverhampton is gearing up for a £3m regeneration project, which city leaders hope will make it better place to live and do business. But what do people who live there think of the town and how it has changed over the decades?

Norma Thompson has called Wednesfield her home since 1963, a long way from her Montego Bay, Jamaica, where she grew up.

But over a cup of tea at St Thomas' Church, the 84-year-old told the BBC she could not imagine living anywhere else.

"It's a village," she explained. "Everyone is friendly and everything is here."

The revamp is aimed at better connecting areas of the town, with the City of Wolverhampton Council hoping to bring back "vibrancy" to the centre and make it more welcoming.

Ms Thompson has become well-known in the local community through her church work over many decades.

She said convenience, transport links and safety already made Wednesfield an enjoyable place to live, with her only gripe being a lack of shops selling women's clothing.

"I love Wednesfield and the people," she added.

"The buses run through to Wolverhampton and we can walk anywhere at night without any problems."

Jason Lucker feels the same.

The 62-year-old has lived in the town for more than 30 years, having moved with his wife from London.

He has retained his southern accent, but now thinks of himself as an adopted "Black Country boy".

"I would never move back down to London," Mr Lucker said.

"I class myself as a local now because I've been up here for 30 years.

"I'm a Black Country boy. I've been up here half my life and I wouldn't move anywhere else."

The council's Invest Wolverhampton website tells how Wednesfield "suffers from high levels of deprivation and low levels of footfall along the main high street, and the lack of connectivity between the out-of-town retail park Bentley Bridge and the traditional high street".

The high street works are aimed at improving that, but another development is on the way around Bentley Bridge, where new homes are planned on a long-vacant site near the shopping area.

On a pleasant June afternoon, a nearby park was packed with people sitting, chatting and enjoying their lunch in the sunshine.

But Ian Wright, who has lived in Wednesfield for 60 years, said it wasn't all rosy.

The 67-year-old said shops elsewhere were shutting and the market was becoming smaller.

"It can be a bit rough in places," he said. "It's probably in the evening though."

In February, police patrols were stepped up at Bentley Bridge after reports of anti-social behaviour.

But Michael Bannon, another local from the Ashmore Park estate, said the good outweighed the bad.

"Some people do get a bit fed up with the outer areas [but] you get that anywhere," he said.

"It's got a lot to offer."

Back at St Thomas' Church, Jill Ellson said Wednesfield was a "community-based place".

The lay minister and church warden explained people were working together to make the area the best it can be.

"Some people do fall through the net," the 76-year-old said.

"We try and help them all we can or point them in the right direction to get help.

"People tend to think it's a little Black Country place but there is an awful lot of kindness and love here."

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