Express & Star

Marvellous memories at Willenhall town heritage day

Residents of Willenhall came together in a celebration of everything which makes the town great.

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The Willenhall Heritage Day 2016 saw local historians share their photographs and memorabilia of the towns history in an effort to educate the public on the history of their area.

Pictures of Willenhall Town FC's trip to Wembley in 1981 were shared alongside exhibitions detailing the lock making history which the town continues to pride itself on and local artists work detailing the changes the area has gone through over the years.

This image of the old Yale works in Willenhall in 1962 forms part of the exhibition

Local market traders also set up stalls to keep the crowds, which totalled around 300, satisfied throughout the day.

Held at the Willenhall Chart Centre on Gomer Street, members of the public paid just £2 for a history lesson that will last a lifetime.

Organisers from the Willenhall Heritage Trust declared the day a 'huge success' and said they were looking forward to more of the same next year. Trust secretary Julia Saint said: "Apart from a bit of bad weather at the start of the day everything went perfectly.

Locksmith Ralph Jackson with a Hampton Court lock and a Victorian Elephant lock

"The sun even came out after an early scare. Importantly there was a lot of people coming through the door, all showing a lot of interests in our exhibitors and local societies.

"I have been told a few society have gained a few more members thanks to the day so it really worked wonders. We put this together to keep people informed of what is going on in the town currently, as well as their history and heritage. This years event was a huge success, topped off by the fact we got more people to sign up to sponsor a brick for our lock makers memorial."

Simon Hall with some memorabilia from Willenhall Town FC's clash at Wembley in 1981

Willenhall councillor Diane Coughlan, who is also a member of the Willenhall Heritage Trust, said: "It was a brilliant day.

"We had around 300 people come through the door from all over the Black Country. Even those who turned up from outside of Willenhall were complimentary, which is a big win for us."

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