Darlaston Walsall
West Midlands
Staffordshire

Moorcroft Wood
Hawkswood Drive
Darlaston
WS10 8GA

Darlaston is a Black Country town with a historical industry of mining for coal and iron ore which lead to its fame for the manufacture of gun locks and nails. Darlaston was one of the larger villages in Staffordshire until it became part of Walsall Borough Council in 1965.

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Free graffiti removal service from all Darlaston area private properties by walsall council. A new initiative to remove graffiti without charge from privately owned residential properties has been launched by Walsall Council's Street Pride team subject to the owners signing disclaimers. Graffiti is one of the issues being targeted by the council as part of the Wipe It Out section of its ongoing Cracking Environmental Crime campaign. Between January and December 2009 180 reports were received of graffiti and 198 removals took place. Previously the Street Pride team was only able to remove graffiti for free from publicly owned land, street furniture and buildings. It is hoped the new approach will help improve the overall appearance of Walsall borough and encourage more people to report graffiti. The scheme will initially run on a six month trial basis upto approx December 2010 and if successful could be made permanent. Andy Ody, Street Pride Grounds Manager, said: "Traditionally people tend not to report graffiti and instead just accept it as part of the street scene. "Probably the one area which causes real concern to people is graffiti appearing on private properties. In the past we have been able to remove this but only at a charge. Service standards set by the council relating to publicly owned land, street furniture and buildings outline racist and offensive graffiti will be removed within 24 hours and the remainder as quickly as possible. Graffiti in parks will often by removed by park rangers with the more difficult cases referred on to Street Pride. On the spot fines of £80 can be handed out to anyone caught spraying graffiti. If a prosecution is pursued through the courts, the maximum punishment available is a 10 year prison sentence if the case is sent to crown court. Graffiti can be reported to Walsall Council on 01922 653344 or by e-mailing streetprideemail@walsall.gov.uk

Darlaston Big Tidy Up event, linked to the Keep Britain Tidy national campaign, part of a series of Sunday clean up efforts across Walsall parks and open spaces takes place on Sunday 4 July Kings Hill Park, Darlaston. Meet in the car park, Forge Street from 11am to 1pm, and is an opportunity for residents to make a difference to their community. Equipment including litter pickers and bags will be provided and there will be a full briefing on the day. Anyone interested in taking part should meet just before 11am for a briefing by the park rangers. recently Walsall Council's Street Pride team and Community Payback have also been out and about taking part in litter picking and general tidy up work in the community. Areas being covered include litter picking and removal of flytipping at Pelsall Nest Common, general tidy up at Barnes Lane Pool in Rushall and litter removal from several alleyways in the Area Partnership covering Pelsall, Rushall, Shelfield and Brownhills. Councillor Anthony Harris, Walsall Council cabinet member for leisure, culture and environment, said: "It is important we all take responsibility for keeping our communities clean and tidy and these Sunday tidy ups are a great way for people to get involved. "We know from listening to residents one of the things they often highlight as an issue is rubbish on our streets and parks. Walsall council is working hard to keep our environment clean and tidy and for the next few weeks we are asking residents to join and support us in this ongoing work." Among those lending their support to the Big Tidy Up is Walsall Housing Group (whg)who will be holding a series of estate tours for their customers throughout June and July when residents can raise any concerns about their area.

Darlaston town centre has signed up to take part in Europe's largest horticultural competition, Britain in Bloom. Aldridge entered the regional Heart of England in Bloom competition, urban community category, and if successful could be entered into the main Britain in Bloom event. The competition annually attracts over 1,350 entries from small villages to large cities. Walsall Council's District Centre Management Team is co-ordinating the entry, supported by the Town centre business partnerships. Judging will be around three main categories which are horticultural achievement, environmental awareness and community involvement. Darlaston residents are also being urged to play their part by adding their favourite photos of the area to Flickr by following the link http://www.flickr.com/groups/wda-in-bloom/. Areas featured can cover everything from the local park to a residential street but should illustrate why residents and the wider community should feel proud about the area. The winning picture in each area, as judged by members of the business partnerships, will receive a £20 voucher for a photographic shop and the most popular images of each district will be displayed locally. The deadline for entries is Friday 18 June. Councillor Adrian Andrew, Walsall Council cabinet member for regeneration, said: "This event will give us the opportunity to show off three of our district centres and I'm sure the judges will be impressed by what they see. "A lot of work takes place throughout the year to keep our district centres looking great and hopefully this competition will give these areas the recognition they deserve." Councillor Anthony Harris, Walsall Council cabinet member for leisure, culture and environment, said: "This competition is about promoting pride in our communities and striving for excellence. "It is not simply about floral displays and making the area look great on judging day but about achieving improvements which will benefit these communities year after year." Judging will take place in July.

Every Tuesday morning from 6th April 2010, Moorcroft Wood in Moxley, Darlaston is the latest venue to be added to Walsall council's Walk On programme aimed at encouraging people to become more active.
The walk, covering around a mile, will take approximately 30 minutes and is ideal for beginners. People interested in taking part should meet at Moorcroft Environment Centre, Hawkswood Drive, at 10.15am for a 10.30am start. There are plans to introduce further walks in the Moxley area over the coming months catering for more advanced walkers.
Richard Upton, Walsall Council's Active Lifestyle Officer (Older People and Specialised Conditions), said, "Walking is one of the best forms of physical activity you can do. Regular walking has many benefits including weight control, keeping your heart healthy and reducing stress, these walks are an ideal way to introduce people to gentle exercise and they can also lead to new friendships."
For details of the full Walsall Walk On programme call sport and leisure development services on 01902 605500.

Darlaston residents invited to give views on its future regeneration
Tens of millions of pounds could be ploughed into Darlaston to bring about its transformation and plans have been drawn up by Walsall Council following detailed discussions with the community in March 2010.
This is the third consultation event on proposals for the town, before the document is considered by Cabinet in April 2010.
Councillor Adrian Andrew, Walsall Council deputy leader and Cabinet member for regeneration, said: “They deserve a town which they can once again be proud of.
Darlaston was once famous for its industrial heritage and the hard work and inventiveness of its people - it’s about time this was recognised again.
“The final regeneration document will be used by Walsall Council and its partners to realise the potential in the area.
“In these difficult economic times, strategies such as this help to identify funds to deliver the vision on the ground.
For further information on the proposals, people can contact Walsall Council Regeneration Officer Rob Andrews on 01922 652514