Willenhall Healthy Walks

Since March this year (in fact I joined on the first day of Spring) every Tuesday afternoon has been dedicated to a ramble through the Willenhall countryside. The aim is health and fitness, under the guidance of our Walks Leader, Rachel. We meet up at 2pm outside Willenhall Library, come rain or shine, and strike out from there in whatever direction the fancy takes us.So far I have managed 22 walks, but there are keen members of the group who have never missed a single one.




Bat boxes in the woods: they have a ladder of mesh so the bats can crawl up to their refuge


These walks have brought home to me just how lucky we are to have so much green space in which to wander freely. The River Sowe contributes so much to our area: it's beautiful, ever-changing, and because of its liability to flood, it guarantees us a large area which can never be built on.

Part of the Seven Arches Viaduct over the Sowe

On rare hot afternoons, we strolled through Willenhall Woods, where we came across a very strange carving on a tree stump, which really intrigued us.




A mysterious character


We have really got to know the secret paths and remote spots where the noise of the traffic seems very far away and you could imagine yourself in deep countryside. We've watched the seasons change, as buds became blossom and the berries ripened. Now we're into Autumn, and I for one am looking forward to wrapping up warm and seeing what our wonderful landscape has to offer as the days shorten and the year turns.

So why not come and join us? 2pm, outside Willenhall Library, next Tuesday? It's a date!

Sunshine on Heritage Day

The September sun shone down on us last Saturday (8th September) when we held our Heritage Open Saturday at St John the Divine Church. A steady stream of visitors came to look at our displays, which included a special tribute to Sir Basil Spence, the architect not only of Coventry Cathedral, but of three suburban churches: St Chad's in Wood End, St Oswald's in Tile Hill and our very own St John the Divine.

Many thanks go to Katrina Scott, the Vicar of St John the Divine who hosted the event so warmly, also the churchwardens and helpers. This is the second time the Willenhall Local History Group has joined forces with St John the Divine for this occasion, which provides an excellent opportunity to showcase church and community history.

I'd also like to use this space to acknowledge the contribution of the young artists who came to the two heritage art workshops during the summer holidays. Some of their art was featured on Saturday; unfortunately we didn't have room for the big scroll the children are working on as an ongoing project, so here are some details from Willenhall's very own rival to the Bayeux Tapestry.

Heritage Saturday at St John the Divine Church, Willenhall

Here's a reminder about our event at St John the Divine Church, Willenhall, on Saturday 8th September from 12 noon till 4pm.

We are celebrating 55 years of church and community life in Willenhall, as part of Heritage Open weekend.

 Come along and join us to chat about local history and look at our displays, have a tour of the church or maybe just enjoy some of our delicious home-made cakes.

The Willenhall Local History Group and St John the Divine Church have joined forces to organise this event