But another point in favour of the scheme is much more salient. Think of the 40-and-50-something people you know who have devoted years of their lives to good causes, and who are thoroughly cynical about the way funding is offered, then withdrawn, and about the way local and national governments give lip service to good projects while undermining them in other ways. Imagine one of these people coming over all excited about the Black Country Urban Park because it represents real money, real opportunity for a host of things that regional organisations have been trying to accomplish for decades.

If people like that are getting excited, then TV ot no TV, it sounds like a good thing.

Sustrans is a very worthy project in developing more cycle paths but it couldn’t be described as transformational – it’s about filling some gaps in the existing network.

Yes, everyone, vote! This is the same competition Brum lost for their City Park scheme for Eastside. Lucky enough Rosa’s Cafe is staying a little longer.

http://blog.rosascafe.co.uk/

But the Black Country project is simple too. It’s the only one that’s all about community involvement.

It’s about where people LIVE. And it’s not about architects and councils doing it FOR them. Many thousands of children, young people and many of our region’s most disadvantaged local communities will be actively involved in a host of transformational environmental projects that will revitalise the area’s greatest historic and natural heritage and will mean that almost everyone who lives in the BC will be within a 15 minute walk of high quality natural greenspace. Loads of creative opportunities for artists in that eh?

I agree it’s a shame it has to depend on a TV vote. But the Black Country has never otherwise received its fair share of Lottery grants. Eden and Sustrans have already had £60m each. Based on its 1m population, the Black Country would actually need to win £90m just to catch up to the national average!

So come on, do it, vote Black Country!

If you read the project summary for each of the bids there all pretty clear, apart from the black country. Money seems just to be going into ‘the region’ instead of one project.

Am I missing something?

That said, I’d feel it a deriliction of duty if I didn’t push the B/C bid. Plus if you vote online you can vote for nothing – and sod the telephone operators (you can also avoid what will probably be an awful TV prog with Trevor McDonald standing reading an autocure).

For those that do, I’ve made a Facebook App too.