Last Saturday 6^th November the big day came… we went to Stiperstones. Setting off at 9am in the morning with a coach load of people from Smethwick. Some of the group were schoolchildren from St Phillips with their families. Others were local users of the CAP centre. In all, there were just under forty, ranging from two 3-year olds to some 60+.

Fortunately we were blessed with a beautiful, un-seasonally warm  autumnal day. The activities were fantastic and caught the attention of the group. They included a walk up the Stiperstones, well deserved lunch, a mask workshop with Vamos Theatre, a visit to a former local mine and visit to Blacksmith’s workshop, tea and cake, a performance by Nachda Sansaar ending in us all dancing bhangra with them on stage.

Many of the Smethwick visitors were able to contrast and compare their respective urban life style and day to day living with that of the rural setting. A number of the visitors were also able to relate to the rural experience because of their background. This included second and third generation Jamaican and more recent Serbian communities. Consequently, our eyes have been opened and we have embraced the rural experience of community, in its true sense.

The day couldn’t have gone any better. As a result of this, the ambassadors and I have to go back to the drawing board in order to ensure that the return visit to Smethwick in January is as spectacular as our visit to Stiperstones………….!

Mark Williams, CAP Centre Development Manager, Smethwick.