I visited 'Oliver Twist' town surviving on community spirit where food banks run dry by midday

A voice loudly bellows out over the din of music, traffic and chatter from the market stalls. On closer inspection, it's a man dressed in a black and white apron standing in the entrance of a butcher's shop, shouting out the products he's got on sale. It's a fine afternoon and rays of spring sunshine illuminate the streets of Willenhall town centre.

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: Birmingham nan's home so infested that rats' bodies fall through ceiling Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp , click the link to join Today, the high street is rather busy with shoppers milling about the outdoor market and rows of shops. One of the stalls is even pumping out dance music near a fast-food van. Despite the cheery scenes, though, this town is often considered the 'poor neighbour' of nearby Walsall, according to residents.

Located on the western fringes of the borough and straddling the edge of Wolverhampton, locals feel this once-industrial boom town has been 'forgotten' and left behind. In the 19th century, Willenhall was the lock-making capital of the world, and it became nicknamed 'Humpshire' due to workers suffering rounded backs from being constantly hunched over. That industry has largely gone nowadays, with the town suffering 'high unemployment', although lock manufacturer Assa Alboy remains here.

But members of the community say there's still a lot going for it, including an annual music festival that attracts more than 4,000 people a year. "

Willenhall is definitely the forgotten town on the Walsall border," explained Willenhall resident Nigel Dutton, aged 68, who was formerly head of corporate events at O2. "

Willenhall's DNA is embedded with good community groups and community activities that have happened over the last 100 years or so, to all of the wonderful, voluntary organisations that operate through Willenhall now. "

It's got a great community spirit, people rally round and support the local community as and when they can." Mr Dutton is the director of the Willenhall Lock Stock Music Festival, which is held at Willenhall Memorial Park on the last Sunday of every September. Now in its ninth year, it draws in 4,500 people and features two stages playing rock, pop and soul music.

The festival's name was a play on the lock-making heritage, alongside a nod to the world-famous Woodstock Festival held in the USA in 1969. "

It's a good time, it's a great family atmosphere and people look forward to it every year," Mr Dutton added. Alongside this, the town boasts the Willenhall Carnival, which has been going since 1920, the Willenhall Transport Show and the Sucha Mela. Other positive steps taking place in Willenhall include the reopening of its train station on March 19 this year - the first time that trains will have called into the town since 1965.

Chris Thompson, 62, a market stall holder from Essington, said: "

There's a lot of good things happening at the moment - the train station will be huge. "

There's development (happening) at the top of the town." Tony Pearce, 63, who runs Buttercups & Daisies flower shop, alongside his wife Zoe, 56, said: ”

We were in Stafford previously, but I wanted to come here in the first place. "

It was difficult to get a tenancy here. It's a good town and a great place to do business." He added: "

The train station is going to be good for the town. We'll be able to reach places such as Shrewsbury and Birmingham ." Willenhall South councillor Simran Cheema added: ”

We've got the train station that's up and coming. "

We've also got derelict sites that are being demolished at the moment to bring new family homes into Willenhall town. "

Hopefully, that will encourage more footfall in the town centre too. "

There are a lot of good people who do good work with me and others to make the town a better place for residents and businesses. "

And it's that community spirit that keeps the town going." Dotted through the town centre are old and eye-catching buildings harking back to bygone eras. That includes the Memorial Clock, built in 1892, set up in memory of a beloved man called Doctor Tonks, who famously charged patients cheaper rates for health care during the Victorian era.

Several yards down the road is The Bell Inn, Willenhall's oldest building, which is believed to date back to 1590.

According to local historians, it survived the 'great fire of Willenhall' in 1659 and was rebuilt the following year. Ralph Jackson, aged 82, from the Willenhall History Society, who co-owns The Bell Inn, said a lot of Willenhall's buildings were "in danger" of being lost. And he claimed that HMOs were becoming an issue that locals were "trying to stop".

Meanwhile, the town suffers deprivation and crime, according to campaigners, including youths who cut Willenhall's Christmas lights last year - which put a 'dampener' on a positive event. John Price, 65, who is manager of the charity Willenhall CHART Centre, explained that a foodbank his organisation runs is having to feed more and more people. Mr Price, who's nicknamed Jack Sparrow after running a bar in Spain, said: "

Willenhall is a deprived place, 100%, there's high unemployment. "

If people have been employed, it's usually on low wages." Regarding the foodbank, he said: ”

The need is growing faster than we can keep up with. "

If you don't get to this community pantry by midday, there's nothing left." Last year, the town's Christmas lights switch-on event was a celebrated one after it was taken out of the hands of Walsall Council, which Cllr Cheema said had put on "poor displays in previous years". She secured funding from a number of companies, including Assa Alboy, and the switch-on turned out to be one of the town's "best attended" events, said Mr Price. ”

Normally, the council would put on a full display in previous years, but this year, I took matters into my own hands," explained Cllr Cheema. "I told the council, 'You are not touching the Christmas lights, I'm taking charge'. "

We managed to get new lights and a Christmas tree." However, a gang of youths ended up cutting the Christmas lights to the tree at around 10pm on the night, said Cllr Cheema, which "put a dampener on things". ”

It was heaving," she said, "

It was a shame the lights got cut on the night but they got repaired. "

The kids got dealt with. They are known to the police and were dealt with via the youth justice system - but they just fall into that cycle. "

There is quite a bit of youth anti-social behaviour that's been an issue in the town." Mr Price agreed, saying: "

We get that all the time." He added: "

We are Walsall's poor neighbour. We have got one foot in Walsall, one in Wolverhampton, and we are right in the middle. "

We are like the Oliver Twist, we get the leftovers."