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Midsummer festival to showcase 'hidden gem'

Susie Rack
BBC News, West Midlands
City of Wolverhampton Council Three me and four women stand on a balcony surrounded by railings, with a sign saying Tettenhall in the background. A man in the centre in a hat, brown leather jacket and green shirt is sat with his fingers on a keyboard. A women behind his right shoulder in a black-and-white spotted shirt holds a microphone to her mouth. A man on her right is wearing a dark polo-shirt and tros and posing with his thumb up; on her left is a man in a suit with a grey beard, wearing a black turban.City of Wolverhampton Council
Candy Woods and Don Gwinnett, from Just in Time, will be performing, pictured with councillor Bhupinder Gakhal

Yoga, nature walks and bug hunts will take place at a "hidden gem's" summer solstice festival.

Smestow Valley Midsummer Festival in Wolverhampton also promises visitors live music from local band Just in Time, children's crafts and refreshments from the reserve's cafe.

Organisers want to let people know more about improvement works at the site, which have included the planting of wildflower meadows and the restoration of ponds.

The 4.5km-long (2.7 mile) canal-side site, off Meadow View Terrace and next to a railway line, forms part of the Black Country UNESCO Global Geopark.

Last year, City of Wolverhampton Council, the Canal and River Trust and the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust were given £217,000 in lottery funding to develop £2m restoration plans.

Their application will be submitted next year and, if successful, funds will be used to restore a 1914 railway bridge, know as the Meccano bridge, and other structures on the disused railway line.

The council said it had also worked with Wildside Activity Centre, Friends of Smestow Valley and Waterside Care on developments at the nature reserve.

A spokesperson says they hope the valley will in time attract more school visits, volunteers and community events.

City of Wolverhampton Council A steel railway bridge over a canal. The sun is shining on the canal and its reflection can be seen in the water, as well as surrounding trees and shrubs. A canal towpath runs along the right-hand-side, under the bridge.City of Wolverhampton Council
The council and partners hope to use £2m in funding to restore a railway bridge, known locally as Meccano bridge

Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal said people were coming together to "create a green space that we can all be proud of".

"Smestow Valley is a real hidden gem in the city", he added.

The event takes place from 10:00 to 15:00 BST on 21 June.

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