Finchfield and Castlecroft Community Association are delighted to invite you to a summer of high quality live entertainment, cinema, music and theatre in the delightful grounds of Bantock House.

Since my last blog post I attended Sandwell and Birmingham Mela. It was a like a huge party; perfect weather, people having a boogie and then… Zamana. The stunning show stopped people in their tracks with the spectacle of Heliosphere – a spiralling, spinning helium filled giant balloon with an acrobat attached creating an illusion of flying.

With their opening performances at SO Festival firmly under their sparkly Elvis belt we thought we’d share with you a little taster of what to expect when you venture inside each of Black Country Touring’s Life’s A Beach caravans.

If you go down to the woods today… well not quite the woods but RSPB Sandwell Valley, then you are in for a BIG surprise. Last year, as part of the Imagine That! season Creative Black Country collaborated with RSPB to commission a new sculptural piece at their home.

Capturing the community spirit and shared aspirations of the people of Low Hill in Wolverhampton a new book by the Low Hill Community Centre Group has been produced with images by photographer Nelson Douglas.

I’ve been thinking about blogging for a while and really pleased to kick off my first blog post to share news of Creative Black Country’s relationship with the Mela Partnership.

Louise Byng’s distinctive hand drawn style has become instantly recognisable and she is fast becoming the go-to illustrator to turn to. We’ve been digging her since she produced some great live work for illustration festival Eye Candy several years ago but more recently the Halesowen-based artist produced 12 stunning 2-colour illustrations for a collaborative calendar for Creative Black Country which was printed by risograph masters Rope Press.

70,000 people turn out to the largest Asian music festival in the UK each year which takes place over the weekend of the 1 and 2 July at Victoria Park in Smethwick.

If you have been lucky enough to see Grayson Perry’s wonderful The Vanity of Small Differences on tour then you will have an idea of what Silver Thread Tapestries is all about. A project that brings together the delicate nature of sewing and community, telling stories of people, places and spaces.

To make some of the 100 Masters come to life lead artists Juneau Projects will be bringing their illustration and tech skills to the project.

Creative Black Country have teamed up with independent media company Fused to produce a special CBC edition of Area Culture Guide that includes a brilliant augmented reality cover.

Out of the Darkness is a collaborative art project providing disposable cameras to Wolverhampton’s homeless community.

BBC DJ Noreen Khan is back in town! Noreen hosts a night of comedy with her favourite stand up comics, Sukh Ojla, Sindhu V and Shaista Aziz. For the first time, this all female line up will share more than a few good jokes.

A brand new show premiering in July 2017 through a partnership between Black Country Touring and So Festival in Skegness. The show will draw on stories of seasonal visitors and year round residents.