Two days of events marking the Mayor’s Community Weekend have been hailed a success.

Over a hundred events took place across the West Midlands including Black Country Radio opening a new public-facing studio in Merry Hill as part of its commitment to local broadcasting.

The Mayor’s Community Weekend encourages different groups to come together to strengthen connections and build new relationships. Alongside live broadcats there was performances from musical acts including ‘The Busketeers’ and ‘Got2Sing Show Choir’.

Black Country Radio now has a presence in the centre, as part of a partnership with Black Country Hub. The new space will be used for live broadcasts, performances and wider community engagement.

The weekend of community-led activity returned thanks to a partnership between the Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street; West Midlands Combined Authority and The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK.

Communities across the region were invited to apply for grants between £500 and £2000, to host activities. The Mayor popped along to support the station on Sunday as part of a tour of the region to see the raft of activities that were taking place. A spokesperson for Black Country Radio said:

"We want to say a huge thank you to Andy Street and The National Lottery Community Fund for supporting us and to Merry Hill for helping to develop a community hub in the centre.

“Whilst some broadcasters and other media outlets are cutting back on localness, we’re investing in the community aspect of what we do and opening a brand new studio in one of Europes busiest shopping centres.

“The opportunity to be here at the start of this exciting new chapter is testament to the amazing work our team do day in, day out.”