WME Flickr Focus: June 2016

Well well well, what a dramatic few days it has been - first came all the trauma of the Brexit vote and then we had England's ignominious departure from Euro 2016 at the hands of Iceland, ouch! Thankfully things have been far less turbulent on the WME photostream so let's assess the pictorial ins and outs that took place in June...

Two rival groups have been jostling for snapshot supremacy whereby the combined West Midlands metropolitan constituents (the INs) have traded good-natured blows with representatives of the wider region (the OUTs). Lead campaigner for those within the West Midlands was WME Walsall, where heavyweight muscle was provided by the Wyrley & Essington Canal through a trio of very autumnal views of Holly Bank Basin. Hollanders Bridge (Daw End Canal) and a stanchion remnant for the sadly departed Lane Arms at Bentley also made their considerable presence felt while Farmer Johns in Streetly joined the party too.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with Walsall on the battle bus were WME Wolverhampton and WME Birmingham. The former deployed the Man on the Horse (otherwise known as Prince Albert's Statue) and a Legs Lane bus stop whereas the latter's strategy concentrated on Mere Green (the Old Speckled Hen), the Merry Maid (a Highgate pub interior) and a little bit of Jiggins Lane street sign jiggery-pokery; WME Dudley meanwhile tried to win hearts and minds with a Leasowes Park tree stump and the Top Bell at Lye. WMEs Coventry and Solihull were more understated in their contribution to the 'In' argument although the Marston Green Tavern and a Jackers Road street scene (Aldermans Green) should not be discounted.

Turning now to the 'Out' half of the debate and most vocal among the surrounding Midlands areas was WME Staffordshire. A forceful tactic here involved the introduction of Little Aston (twin town information) and Lower Penn (village boundary sign) alongside more established proponents such as Lichfield (cathedral carving of St Philip) and Longport Station (a peek along the Stoke-bound platform).

Elsewhere, the trio of Worcestershire, Telford and Warwickshire were eager to pitch their views into the mix. Telford busied itself with pubs: Horsehay's derelict Labour in Vain (prompting some much appreciated correspondence - thanks Harry), the Boat at Jackfield and then the Olde Robin Hood on the Ironbridge side of the Severn. Worcestershire was very much of a Malvern persuasion, summoning as evidence a town centre view, a Malvern Link station sign and a Morgan pub sign picture, whereas Warwickshire attempted some floral bribery courtesy of the pretty plants at Leamington's Jephson Gardens.

After all of that, the vote was declared an honourable draw with the result that the WME photostream now displays 2,969 pictures. This means I'm rapidly closing in on the 3,000 photo milestone, so hopefully come July I'll have news of that achievement and things will be clearer for the country at large!