Walsall`s bid to become part of the  world-famous UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) Global Geopark with the Black Country  has been secured. The Executive Board of UNESCO has confirmed that the Black Country has been welcomed into the network of Global Geoparks as a place with internationally important geology because of its cultural heritage and the active partnerships committed to conserving, managing and promoting it.     There are 109 Global Geoparks in the world ranging from Torbay and the Scottish Highlands in the UK to volcanic sites in Iceland and Japan. Geopark status recognises the many world-class natural and important cultural features in the region and how they come top tell the story of the landscape and the people that live within it.     It was back in 2016 when Walsall, together with the other 4 Black Country authorities (Dudley, Sandwell and Wolverhampton) with the backing of the UNESCO National Commission submitted an application to become part of the UNESCO Global Geopark family.     A geopark is described as an area of international significance that protects and promotes the geological and related industrial and cultural heritage for everyone to enjoy now and in the future.  It is hoped the designation would provide a significant boost to the region, not least through the additional tourism.  Existing geoparks include Ironbridge in Shropshire.   One highlight in the bid is Walsall`s Barr Beacon Local Nature Reserve which is one of the original beacon sites that warned off the approaching Spanish fleet the Armada when England was threatened with the invasion by Spain in the Elizabethan era.     Barr Beacon has a quarry that provided much of the sand and gravel that built Birmingham and is scarred by a deep valley created at the end of the last Ice Age, 20,000 years ago.  There are many world-class features in the Black Country and the geopark would link many different heritage sites and features across the area to tell the story of the landscape and the part it played in the story of the Industrial Revoliution.   To find out more about the project go to www.blackcountrygeopark.org.uk, follow @BCgeopark on twitter or the Black Country Geopark Project on Facebook.