It was fantastic to see so many local organisations and people from across the Black Country come together as one, to support the latest event celebrating Dudley’s unity. The Dudley ‘CommUNITY’ day of celebrations followed on the back of the hugely popular and national award-winning Funday Sunday event held earlier in the year.
Both events were a huge success - boosting trade and presenting a united front, following the numerous protests which have disrupted the town centre in recent months.

Both events showcase and mark the vibrant and diverse range of communities within the borough and the richness they bring to the area.

The  CommUNITY event, which I was privileged to be a part of, was supported by the Dudley Borough Inter-faith network  and the organisers of the Black Country Festival, who brought together local schools, businesses and members of the local community. The result was a packed programme of music, dance, entertainment and stalls which were great crowd pullers.

It really was a great day out and was proof – if proof were ever needed – that Dudley is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together. They are tolerant of each other’s beliefs and cultures, which is in sharp contrast to a very small minority of people who have sought to divide us.

Witnessing first hand the goodwill and mutual respect which was very much in evidence at the commUNITY event reminded me of the words Martin Luther King:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”