Black Country councils joining together for citizenship ceremony
More than 40 people living in each of the four Black Country local authority areas will receive their British Citizenship at a special ceremony on Black Country Day.
Walsall, Wolverhampton, Sandwell and Dudley councils will join together for the first time to conduct a Black Country-wide joint citizenship ceremony on Monday to enable 45 adults to become British nationals and Black Country citizens.
The event will take place at Dudley Town Hall, which was the first place in the region to fly the Black Country Flag.
The ceremony will be accompanied by the Black Country Anthem, 'I Vow To Thee Black Country', sung by the band Empty Can.
Councillor Rachel Harris, Dudley council cabinet member responsible for corporate resources, said: "This is the first time that Black Country Day will be celebrated across the region. To commemorate this we decided that it would be appropriate to host a citizenship ceremony for the whole Black Country in keeping with our 'Love Your Community' campaign.
"We are delighted to organise this so that as we welcome our soon-to-be British nationals they can also appreciate the Black Country's culture and heritage and enjoy becoming part of local history."
The ceremony will be overseen by Priory Hall superintendent registrar Penny Fulford.
During the ceremony those attending will have to perform an 'oath of allegiance' or an 'affirmation' and a pledge, meaning they promise to respect the rights, freedoms and laws of the UK.
They will then be presented with a certificate of British citizenship and a welcome pack.
