Godawful? Brum is a city of surprises
GoVERnMEnt minister Heather Wheeler has apologised for describing Birmingham and Blackpool as ‘godawful places’.
Following a backlash of criticism over her remark and to her credit, she has accepted an invitation from Birmingham Mayor Andy Street to visit the city to enable her to make a more informed judgment about its merits. the mayor is thinking of taking her on the no 11 bus — a circular route connecting Kings Heath, cotteridge, Harborne, Perry Barr, Erdington and Acocks Green — and has asked for other suggestions. i’m confident Ms Wheeler will discover that Britain’s second city has many attractions. Famously, it has more miles of canals than Venice and their restoration after years of neglect has attracted top-quality bars and restaurants. it has the highest number of Michelin-starred restaurants in Britain outside London. the Bullring has state-of-the-art shopping while retaining its traditional indoor and outdoor markets with raucous, bantering street traders, soapbox orators and an atmosphere of good-humoured hustle and bustle. it’s a highly entertaining place to visit, with a wonderful fish and meat market and
myriad stalls selling every conceivable
item. We have a magnificent convention centre and symphony hall and the Jewellery Quarter is one of the bestpreserved early industrial areas in Europe. the thriving contemporary art scene is complemented by the museum and art gallery, while the historic town hall is a popular concert venue. the
pick of the suburbs has to be Bournville, established by the cadbury family in the 1870s. We have more parks than any European city and the glorious Lickey Hills are a magnet for visitors. i hope Ms Wheeler enjoys her
visit to beautiful Birmingham. PETER HENRICK, Birmingham.