22:31, Wed 27 Mar
What Andy said except I spell a certain word Bollocks.
22:35, Wed 27 Mar
Thanks for your reply MM. Another dictator on this forum 👍

Is it being so cheerful that keeps you going?
00:49, Thu 28 Mar
Andy
Bollox, the people in the West Midlands are some of the friendliest, most unassuming people going. Pretty hedgerows are great but our people are what make it special.

Mercia will rise again.

Rule from Wessex has failed. The time for Merxit is nigh.
06:23, Thu 28 Mar
Im glad someone else is thinking it.
12:05, Thu 28 Mar
TresorLuntala
You mean Greater Birmingham?

As someone not originally from Birmingham, that's how I see and refer to the wider West Midlands metro area.

I know there's a reluctance to be lumped in with Birmingham from the likes of West Brom, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield etc, I personally as an outsider see all of these places as just Greater Birmingham.

London has Greater London, Manchester has Greater Manchester, I see no issue with using the term Greater Birmingham.
12:13, Thu 28 Mar
John Drake
No

Are you under 60?
12:23, Thu 28 Mar
Worcestershire is not in the West Midlands
12:34, Thu 28 Mar
Wired and teary
Worcestershire is not in the West Midlands

It really is...

[www.smallheathalliance.com]
23/01/20 Mad: I'll stop moaning now.
12:48, Thu 28 Mar
I think people are mixing up the West Midlands travel zones with the interpretation of the full region.
13:14, Thu 28 Mar
The hard to please Jonathan Meades writes quite well about our part of the world

[www.theoldie.co.uk] (Worcestershire, west of the Severn, is the loveliest part of England)

[thecritic.co.uk]

and his 90s Birmingham doc on Youtube is worth a watch.
14:03, Thu 28 Mar
West Midlands county should be called Greater Birmingham.

West Midlands region should be the Heart of England.
14:04, Thu 28 Mar
The hard to please Jonathan Meades writes quite well about our part of the world

[www.theoldie.co.uk] (Worcestershire, west of the Severn, is the loveliest part of England)

[thecritic.co.uk]

and his 90s Birmingham doc on Youtube is worth a watch.

You can't beat a good chunk of Jonathan Meades ... a beautiful writer of whom i seldom tire
14:37, Thu 28 Mar
His tv programmes are always lots of fun and stimulating too. Plus I think he has really good judgement.

The linked articles are v good.
15:02, Thu 28 Mar
Ricky Blotto
Whilst I must admit to having a bit of a love/hate relationship with the city of Birmingham itself (sorry...), I honestly believe the West Mids is one of the best regions in the UK. Particularly Worcestershire, which I'm most familiar with.

It's a fantastic place to live, unrivalled transport links, loads of beautiful countryside, incredible restaurants, and some cracking towns and cities..and the people are ace; full of spirit and character.

Literally the only downsides I can think of, are we're a bit far from the sea, it's home to the vile (fannys), and our police force are tossers.

Anyway, I'm pissed, up the west mids.

I have a love/love relationship with the city of Birmingham: it's ace, and many many times better than the city of my youth (I'm 59). Great place to live and a great place to go out. Some very passable suburban centres (and plenty of crap areas too, I will admit). Sad to see some great pubs disappear over the years, but overall the trend feels like onwards and upwards to me. We're lucky to have our young vibrant community. I know it's not all perfect, but mostly it's sound. The wider West Midlands Region is great, esp. Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. My daughter seems to think that Coventry city centre is starting to get its act together. The Black Country metropolitan boroughs seem to have lost their identity to me. All sprawling dual carriageways and warehouse units.