Latest news with #Willenhall
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Callout for groups to manage Willenhall community centre
Groups and organisations are being urged to apply to manage a community centre owned by City of Wolverhampton Community Centre on Hill Road in Willenhall has been vacant since the previous community association left in December council said it remained committed to exploring all options to ensure the building was retained for community wants interested parties to submit expressions of interest by 31 May that either involve taking on the centre through a community asset transfer or by leasing it as a community association. The site contains an activities hall with 75-person capacity, lounge, playroom, meeting room, kitchen, storage, office space and council warned applicants it was a commitment requiring resources and finance and proposals would be assessed for viability and sustainability to ensure the successful organisation was able to deliver valuable services to the Paula Brookfield said: "I would urge people to come forward with their proposals or simply have a conversation with us about what is possible."We have numerous examples of community asset transfers in recent times that have had a positive impact on communities and we are supportive of the work community associations do. "Both routes enable new and innovative means of local service delivery that bring benefits to our communities and contribute towards the council's aims and objectives."Anyone interested should contact the council for more information. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
07-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Willenhall group hopes dig will uncover remains of historical estate
Dig hoped to find remains of historical estate 8 minutes ago Share Save Rachel Alexander Local Democracy Reporting Service Share Save LDRS The Willenhall History Society said remains of the Leveson family's estate could be under the surface of Moat Street A community group has welcomed plans to carry out an archaeological dig, which could uncover the remains of an estate belonging to a family who arrived in the town more than 900 years ago. The Willenhall History Society (WHS) believes remains of the former Leveson estate and the surrounding moat lie just beneath the surface of Moat Street. The Leveson family is one of the oldest families in Willenhall, arriving as part of William the Conqueror's army in 1066. "Most people just assume that Willenhall started during the industrial revolution with locks. We want them to know we are much older than that," WHS member Jacqueline Read said. "I think it's important for people to know where we started and be proud of where we started." While the Leveson home had gone by the turn of the 19th Century, the grounds and surrounding moat remained until the area was redeveloped in the late 1800s. No known records Moat Street is now one of several roads covered by a regeneration project called the Willenhall Masterplan, which aims to build 107 homes. Walsall Council granted provisional planning permission last year to demolish the remaining buildings across the site, most of which are derelict, but one of its conditions was that an archaeological investigation was carried out. WHS has welcomed the condition but said they were "holding their breath" until the dig actually took place. A council spokesperson said the local authority would work with Keepmoat, the site's developer, to ensure that the condition was met. WHS said there were currently no known images or architectural records of the estate, although it was documented as having 10 hearths in the 1666 Hearth Tax return, making it the largest residential building in Willenhall at the time. "There's a possibility that the old foundations of Leveson manor are still here under the ground," said Ralph Jackson, vice chair of WHS. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
