January 5th – Errands in Brownhills before a well-deserved evening with good friends found me dashing up The Parade in Brownhills. I notice there’s been a lot of work done here on the north of Holland Park by Walsall’s countryside services team. One of the things they have done is to cut down the scrub and hedge that screened the former cricket club car park from the road. Previously, it was a haven for antisocial behaviour and other mischief, but thanks to a bit of lateral thinking, now it’s not a place to hide.

Just one of the small, but significant things a busy team does to make lives better. Well done, folks.

February 16th – There are some things that Wasall Council does very well. It’s countryside services and estates team are wonderful. Rangers, craftsmen and volunteers work hard to look after the acres and acres of common, heath, park and woodland that the borough covers – most of which remains unknown and unexplored to the majority of citizens, which is sad. Here, taking a spin round Brownhills Common on a grey Thursday I noted that someone is gradually repairing the boardwalk, and appears to be doing some coppicing. Excellent stuff.