UNESCO delegates flying to Black Country over Global Geopark bid
International delegates will fly into the Black Country next week on fact-finding mission about the region's bid to establish a UNESCO Global Geopark boosting tourism.
Delegates of UNESCO from China and Finland will be given a tour of key geological sites in the Black Country, including Wren's Nest National Nature Reserve in Dudley, Barr Beacon in Walsall, the geopark exhibition at the Bilston Craft Gallery and Galton Valley in Sandwell.
The four Black Country authorities – Dudley, Sandwell Walsall and Wolverhampton – earlier this year submitted an application to become part of the UNESCO Global Geopark network.
A Global Geopark is an area of international significance that protects and promotes the geological and related industrial and cultural heritage for everyone to enjoy now and in the future. Existing sites include Ironbridge in Shropshire.
The GGN is a non-for-profit organisation, founded in 2004, where members work together and exchange ideas on projects in GGNs.
The delegates from UNESCO will be evaluating the area's internationally important geology.
The Black Country boasts word-class features and the Geopark would link many different heritage sites and features across the area to tell the story of the landscape.
The industrial revolution of the Black Country is at the heart of the bid and proposed Global Geopark. Council leaders said they remain optimistic about securing a Global Geopark and it would be a great boost to the local visitor economy.
Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, cabinet member for planning and economic development, said: "Next week is a big week for the Black Country as we showcase the many areas and features that we believe make the region a perfect example of what it is to be a Global Geopark.
"We are incredibly excited to take the UNESCO delegates on a whistle stop tour of some of the area's highlights and we remain positive about the potential of our application. If we gain this international recognition, it would a great boost to the local visitor economy and something that would well and truly put the Black Country on the international map."
The visit by delegates will be the final step in the UNESCO scrutiny process for the Black Country's Geopark bid.
To find out more about the project, go to www.blackcountrygeopark.org.uk, follow @BCgeopark on Twitter or the Black Country Geopark Project on Facebook.