Black Country survey: Huge response shows it's still a bostin' home

Not only did hundreds take part in the survey but almost every one included comments, ranging from five words to long letters detailing what needs to be done to improve the region.

The combined West Midlands authority plans were one of the most controversial issues while readers were also very vocal about what the definition of the Black Country actually is.

"BC. The best in the world."

"The flag only represents Stourbridge and Cradley Heath/West Bromwich, not Sandwell."

"Sad as the amount of crime and rude ignorant people seem to be making a once lovely area I grew up in a place I'm looking to leave."

"Hate being referred to as Black Country or Brummie when I live in South Staffs!"

"We must for the future unite under a Greater Birmingham banner."

"I was born and bred in the Black Country and consider myself to have been lucky to have been raised in the environment that I have.

"I was was raised from the ages of three to 22 in Wordsley and could not have had a better place to grow up in."

"I think our local heritage is very important and should be passed on to younger people."

"I used to love where I live and although I am still very proud of our heritage, I would now move away from the area if I could afford to do so."

"We all should be proud of our Black Country."

"What about Gornal as the capital of the Black Country ? After all it is locally referred to as 'God's own Country'."

"The entire area is going down hill have had to move further out to a nicer area. There is no option if you could not care less about any brewery!"

"Wolverhampton city centre is in a terrible state and what should be a thriving historical market can only be described as an outdated disgrace. Unfortunately I have seen the city (if it can be called that) deteriorate over the past 15 years."

"If the flag is shown outside the county people will think we only produced chains when in fact mining was the backbone to all the trades."

"The traditional industries closed 30 to 40 years ago - it's now just folklore."

"By all means encourage Councils to co-operate for the general good, but to force them to 'merge' would be a disaster."

"I would prefer a return to the old municipal boroughs prior to the boundary changes of 1966 and also a return to the county status South Staffs."

"I lived in the south for 58 years. People outside the Midlands have generally never heard of the Black Country."

"Don't tie up with Birmingham we will lose our identity."

"I'm from Walsall, but have lived in the SE of England for over 10 years. I think my pride in being a Blackcountryman has grown since leaving the area. Always a Yam Yam."

"Why can't we be consulted/hold a referendum over this proposed merger with Birmingham?"

"Long live the Black Country. Fantastic place to live. Wonderful people. Brilliant accent."

"People I know are fiercely loyal to the traditions and dialects although they they don't normally speak the dialect on a day to day basis. They're very proud to be Black Country folk and know much about its heritage."

"Rather than city region why not a Midlands region with Scotland/Wales powers with counties and cities underneath - with Black Country & Brum seperate but together as part of the Midlands."

On the subject of linking up with Birmingham, Gill West said: "Great combinations always fail eg West Midlands County Council. Politicians never learn."

While G Biggins of Dudley said: "The heart of the Black Country is Dudley. The Black Country is where a Black Country man says it is."

And he claimed Dudley had not received enough funding for regeneration, adding: "Dudley has suffered and the truth is Dudley has a run down town centre because of this."

And an anonymous respondent to the survey online said: "l wish the area wasn't called West Midlands anymore and put back into the county it was in before 1974.

"Either Worcestershire or Staffordshire. Get rid of the West Midlands Conurbation it's not working."

Another said: "With so much history about, The Black Country should be shouting from the rooftops what we have to offer."

And there were also calls for more to be done to help the region compete with the big cities.

A reader said: "We need an underground rail way linking up the towns and cities within the Black Country to ease congestion on the roads. Manchester has one and so should we. The Black Country should be part of a combined authority with Birmingham as the capital, other wise we could lose out to Manchester."

Debating the Black Country boundaries, one reader said: "I live in Wolverhampton but was born in West Bromwich. Wolverhampton was not part of the original Black Country which covered West Bromwich, Walsall, Wednesbury, Dudley, Halesowen, Tipton, Cradley Heath.

"The Black Country dialect us reputed to be the closest to the old English dialect spoken in the times of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Proud to be Black Country." There were also fierce defences of the Black Country's industrial heritage, harking back to the days of the Round Oak steelworks in Brierley Hill – which was replaced by the Merry Hill centre – with one comment stating: "We allow people to mimic our accent for fun. Yet our area was a major factor in the industrial revolution and slowly but surely , the likes of Manchester are being allowed to steal this heritage playing on how great they are at PR the Black Country can skin and heel Manchester. But where's the national PR campaign?"

But not all responses were positive, with another arguing: "I used to love where I live and although I am still very proud of our heritage, I would now move away from the area if I could afford to do so. I don't think that we will ever get back what we one had here the community has been fractured beyond repair I feel." And one person called for a 'sense of community' to return. They added: "The majority of people my age & older miss that. It was alive & well when I was a kid, we had street parties etc where everyone took part as a community and everybody looked out for each other. Black Country and proud of it!!"

Joyce Major, of West Bromwich, added: "I have worked in Bilston, studied in Dudley and Wolverhampton. I have shopped in many more districts of the area but I have never heard anyone use the term 'yam'. 'Yowm', yes and many other regional words. Rhythm of speech, dialect, words and accent is acceptable - sheer bad grammar is not."

Black Country Day 2015

Mrs E Preuan, from Old Hill, said many younger people do not know the Black Country's history and added: "I loved living in the 40s, 50s or early 60s. There was not much money but a close community. It was the worst thing when Sandwell took over in the 70s, spreading out to parts that are not really the Black Country like Bearwood and Great Barr.

"I think it is a disgrace to think we should be Greater Birmingham. We had a lot more heavy industry and heritage than Brum not to mention raw materials." And P Giles added: "I hate being called a Brummie – especially on holiday. I always say: 'No, the Black Country.'" There was also plenty of support for Black Country Day, with 74-year-old Ruby Boffey typical of many of the comments when she wrote: "I'm a Black Country wench and proud of it. I will put my flag in my window on July 14." A reader going only under the name of Edward said: "The true Black Country is defined by the exposed area of the South Staffordshire coalfield but in modern times we have to accept the definition as the four local authorities for clarity and simplicity in expressing ourselves to the outside world. But perhaps this should be called the Greater Black Country."

Claire from Cradley Heath was 'disgusted' with the suggestion that Walsall, Wolverhampton, Bilston, Tipton and Willenhall are in the Black Country. The 35-year-old, who did not supply a surname, said: "The real Black Country is Old Hill, Cradley Heath, Quarry Bank, Dudley."