As many people across the region prepare to celebrate the wonderful heritage and culture which is all around us, we'd like to wish everyone a very Happy Black Country Day.
Today’s date was chosen to mark the region's industrial heritage, as it was the first day that the newly designed Black Country Flag was raised to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the invention of the World's first steam engine, the Newcomen Engine, built in the Black Country in 1712.
As part of the build-up to the first Black Country Day a competition was held by the Black Country Living Museum in order to find an official flag for the region and saw several designs submitted.
After receiving more than 1,500 votes a design by Stourbridge schoolgirl Gracie Sheppard was announced as the winning entry with her back, white, and red design beings flown at Eland House, the headquarters of the Department for Communities and Local Government on the first official Black Country Day in 2013.
As always, we're extremely proud to be from a region that both played such a major part in the industrial revolution and continues to be somewhere where modern industries can thrive.
#ProudtobeBlackCountry