Decision day on caves bid
Residents and officials were today praised for rallying and getting behind a bid for £50 million of Lottery cash to transform the Black Country.
Residents and officials were today praised for rallying and getting behind a bid for £50 million of Lottery cash to transform the Black Country.
The region has "reached new heights of solidarity" because of the bid – regardless of the outcome, organisers say.
It has also demonstrated how proud people are of the region's past, they say.
An announcement was due at lunchtime on which of four bids will be awarded the cash following the outcome of a vote following a televised campaign.
The Black Country Urban Park project aims to reopen caverns and canals beneath Dudley as a major tourist attraction, improve Wolverhampton's canals network, create a 12-mile "green" corridor between Walsall and Sandwell and upgrade 20 open spaces.
It is up against three rival bids – Sustrans improvements to cycle paths, development of Sherwood Forest and an expansion of the Eden project in Cornwall.
The Black Country Consortium has been leading the region's bid and its chief executive Sarah Middleton said the Express & Star had provided "magnificent support" for the campaign.
"I feel, regardless of the outcome, we have reached new heights of regional solidarity," she said.