I visited an area of Wolverhampton with big ambitions, where the local community is fighting to keep the high street thriving with several independent businesses
Those familiar with the Black Country will know defining the area of the bustling neighbourhood of Penn can be somewhat controversial.
Including Upper Penn and Lower Penn it is one of the largest areas of Wolverhampton, and, to add to the confusion, it also has Pennfields on its doorstep.
Penn has plenty going on and a great sense of community. There are some main routes where activity is centred, including Warstones Road and Penn Road.
This is the area we visited on a chilly autumn morning, and were immediately met with a warm welcome from employees and customers at local businesses.
It is believed that the name Penn is derived from the Welsh language, signifying a hill or promontory, and is believed to refer to the hill on which local church 'St Bartholomew's' stands.
That site, which is understood to have had a church on it since before the Norman conquest in 1066, sits in the old village, nestled close to Penn Common. The area has a very local feel, with a village hall and quaint terrace houses. And its postbox is always adorned with a knitted decorative topper, put together by local volunteers and changed frequently to match the seasons.
Coming into Penn from the Coalway Road takes you down Warstones Road, which is lined with shops, pubs and independent businesses to serve the local community.
One of those, Evoke Coffee, was especially busy, given the weather, time of day, and it being in midweek. It has become an established place for people to meet for a coffee or a snack.
"It's not unusual to be this busy," Eve Painter, a staff member for almost three years, said. "It's a wonderful little café and we have lots of regulars that come in and speak highly of us.
"It's such a wonderful place to work, and it's such a lovely community for people to come into.
"Penn is a lovely little local area, and you've got a bit of everything that you need here. There's the Co-Op, there are little shops, there's the Greggs for your mornings on your way to work.
"Working here you get to know a lot of people so you kind of feel like a family almost.
"I really like the area. I've lived here for coming up to ten years now and I love Penn, it's a wonderful area."
As we left Evoke we grabbed a word from a customer, Ian Cresswell, who has lived in Penn all his life and has seen the area change a lot over the years.
"I've lived here all my life and it's good, but parts of Penn are going down a bit at the moment," he said. "There's some crime going on nearby, but other than that it's good, and we usually come to Evoke once a week.
"This are seems to have hopefully set the standard for the rest of Penn."
The people of Penn are well served by places to meet. The Penn Road is lined with pubs, including the recently opened Fox and Goose, which has been taken on by the team that used to run the Barley Mow on Penn Common. The Mount Tavern has become popular, with a range of ales and an extensive cocktail menu, and often with live music at weekends. The Rose and Crown is always packed on Thursdays for its pub quiz, the Springhill is a great foody pub and there is the traditional Roebuck and family dining at The Hollybush.
Our final stop was at Lads and Lasses School Wear, a well-known shop for anyone who has been to or knows people who have been to school in the Black Country.
It is always busy, but especially at the start of term when parents are busy stocking up. Schools it serves in the immediate area include Highfields and Smestow as well as primaries like Warstones and Woodfield.
"It's brilliant working here," Danny Bourke, manager at the store, said. "We've been in this part of the community for over 20 years, and have met a lot of families, a lot of schools and headteachers, and we've seen a lot of different staff members come and go.
"We've seen a few businesses open on Warstones Road and it's starting to flourish again now with a few more shops opening.
"It's a good little street to work on because there's a lot of business and a lot of footfall from the road, it's non-stop out there, but there are some great shops and some great people around here.
"The community is great and everyone chips in. We recently did a charity event here and had a lot of the local companies get involved, and we raised over £3,000 which just shows the spirit around here.
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