Walsall solicitor, poet and playwright Ian Henery performed during the closing celebrations of the Blast!  Festival of Photography, Talks and Walks between 24th May - 29th June 2019.  The Festival took place over 6 weeks shining a light on each of Sandwell`s 6 distinct towns: West Bromwich, Tipton, Rowley Regis, Oldbury, Smethwick and Wednesbury. It was open to everyone and was free.   

"It was a Blast!" said Ian Henery.  "The only thing missing was Walsall.  I thought "I`m not having that!  I am not having that at all!"  I metamorphosed into Liam Gallagher.   I am proud to be from Walsall.  My wife is Malaysian and from Chinese ethnic descent and she lives with me and our 4 children in Walsall.  We wouldn`t live anywhere else.  This project was  about pride of place and they had a caravan exploring the 6 towns of Sandwell.  What has Walsall got?  Where`s our caravan?  So I thought "Right, here comes Walsall."   I was loving it!"  

The Blast! Festival was like no other festival because it was produced with and for local people.  The Festival invited outstanding photographers, artists and curators to showcase work, develop projects and collaborate with communities to present extraordinary stories about everyday life.  With exhibitions, film screenings, events, talks and walks, Blast! was presented on the streets, the Metro line, in shops, libraries and pubs, on historic buildings and in community halls. 

  "It didn't include Walsall so I took Walsall to them for a Blast!" explained Ian "and to Wednesbury Library on Friday 28th June after the drama students from Stagecoach Performing Arts had finished giving a preview of my latest play to Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands that was recorded by Birmingham Television and captured on film by the Aldridge Photographic Society.  Andy Street had got £80,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund for his Mayor`s Community Weekend  He needed to see what Walsall people can do."

  After watching a preview of his play with the Mayor of the West Midlands, Birmingham Television, Aldridge Photographic Society  and corporate sponsors Red Moon Brewery Ian  headed for the closing ceremonies of the Blast!  Festival in Wednesbury.     "The Library is in Walsall Street and has a Walsall postcode", said Ian.   "That was enough for me to bring Walsall`s culture to the Blast! Festival."  

Ian is currently working on a commission to empower recovering alcoholics and drug addicts through poetry and spoken word.  Ian is using the symbolism of the Black Country Flag as a tool of empowerment and enrichment for the community.  Ian sees engagement and participatory arts as the way forward.    "The Black Country`s flag is black and white in unity" explained Ian "like it`s people.  Race and migration are the most divisive topics in society today because of Brexit and Islamphobia whipped up by the tabloids.

  The other colour on the Black Country`s flag is red and we all bleed the same colour.  The links in the chain is a symbol for our common humanity that binds us all."   Another theme Ian Henery is using for his Addiction Recovery Workshops is Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.   

 "In these times of austerity and Government cut backs no one has any sympathy for the homeless or drug addicts" Ian argued.  "There are no votes attached to the homeless junkie asleep in a doorway surrounded by empty take-away food wrappers and vomit.  Article 2 is the right to life.  We are all addicts on a sliding scale of unhealthy habits and attachments holding our  lives together: food, bad relationships, drugs, alcohol, sex, money, love and fame. 

We are all organic entities like trees with codes stored in our embryonic forms that are set to grow to completion.  A tree doesn`t face the kind of obstacles of  a highly socialised mammal.   It might get chopped down or pruned but it`s never going to need freedom from addiction."   Ian is on a mission to free addicts from their addictions with poetry and spoken word workshops.  He promises it will be a Blast! 

  "We call this process "recovery" because I am going to help addicts recover who they were meant to be or are capable of being ", he said "by focusing on the Black Country flag and calling up Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights.  It`s recovery of who we are all meant to be."