'Horsefair and Proud' proclaims the new artwork, the words sending a defiant battlecry to the outside world.
It's a message of welcome but also a declaration that things are changing rapidly in the Horsefair and its surrounding streets.
For too many years, the name has been cheap shorthand for the shady, the shoddy and the down-at-heel. Once a rough end of town where (you guessed it) horses were traded, it's now a busy thoroughfare of shops, terraces and flats, divided by a busy A road; but its reputation for seediness has managed to stick around.
Any community with high levels of deprivation, where 30% of the kids are in poverty, where ill health, disability and crime are above average, and where more than half of the properties are rented, is going to face similar challenges,
But those foot high letters, painted on a wall facing the busy ringroad, are an invitation to reconsider this community and look again.
The Horsefair and Proud movement, now with dozens of active supporters, is battling on all fronts to improve the environment and raise the profile of the area in a positive way.
The group grew out of the BigLocal DY10 partnership, part of a pioneering social experiment funded by the Big Lottery Fund to empower residents and improve life in deprived areas.
Community activists are now working wonders to beautify the area, teaming up with shopkeepers, other residents and community groups to bring a sense of pride back to the area.
There is no quick fix - but what is emerging gives genuine hope for the future.
Lifelong Horsefair resident Leanne summed up in a single phrase the general impression that prevailed about Horsefair through the 1990s and into the new century:
"When I was growing up you wouldn't admit to coming from the Horsefair!"
Leanne shared her impressions of Horsefair then and now during a community event in the park last summer in this short video:
URBAN VILLAGE: THREAT OR OPPORTUNITY?
Just off the Horsefair, a triangle of empty industrial units and red brick former factories dominate the landscape. By 2020, it's likely to have been replaced with a so-called 'urban village' of 300 homes.
The scheme, called Churchfields, was first mooted nearly a decade ago and is expected to come to life over the next two years.
It could be the making of the Horsefair, breathing new life and people into this end of town.
The entire road network into and out of the neighbourhood will be altered in the first phase of work early next year, including a gyratory-style system around the Horsefair. The idling traffic which has turned the junction of Blackwell Street, Broad Street and Radford Avenue into a pollution blackspot will be diminished by a one-way system; and the area around the famous horse statue will be redesigned.
Detailed plans are being finalised. At the moment concerns are being raised about the fate of the area's famous horse statue, currently located right in the Horsefair; and about where a beautiful crowd-funded Horsefair clock will be sited.
There is also a campaign to save blue brick paving outside the Peacock pub, earmarked for replacement with tarmac.
This aerial shot by Wyre Forest District Council shows the extent of the Churchfields project area. The new homes will be in the central area labelled Churchfields.
Watch this space for regular updates.
IT'S BIG, IT'S LOCAL, & IT'S MAKING A DIFFERENCE
A million pounds sounds a lot of money, especially when it's handed over not to a local authority or commercial organisation but to 'the masses' - the residents themselves.
Horsefair, Greenhill and Broadwaters make up the BigLocal DY10 area which secured funding six years ago as part of a national social experiment funded by the Big Lottery Fund.
Quietly, there's since been an uprising and uplifting of community spirit in this part of Kidderminster. The project is bringing together residents with a shared love of the area and its history, a recognition of the challenges it faces and a determination to raise the quality of life for all.
Jayne Nicholl, assisted by a willing team of partners, is the Big Local coordinator charged with supporting residents to maximise the opportunities available during the lifetime of the project.
When I first see Jayne, she is walking from her car, laden down with boxes, and heading towards a gazebo in the middle of The Green in Usmere Road, Broadwaters.
Whether due to her twinkling smile or the eight large pizzas in her arms, she's soon surrounded by excited kids. There are around 30 of them here to enjoy lunch, aged from three to about 12 or 13, along with a handful of parents and carers.
Most of them had emerged an hour or so earlier from the homes circling the Green and the neighbouring streets to join in the free summer activities and picnic, part of a busy calendar of events put on for and with residents.
One dad had cycled over on his bike, his little lad enjoying the ride on the child seat behind him.
A cricket set, play mats, colouring and craft materials, and a swing ball are laid out around the gazebo, little huddles of youngsters at each.
A queue has formed at the smoothie bike - youngsters create their own fruit smoothie using pedal power, under the watchful eye of volunteer staff from Wyre Forest Leisure Centre's People for Places company.
Within seconds of Jayne's arrival, the children have left whatever they're doing to check out the pizzas, forming a neat line under Jayne's watchful eye.
"Pepperoni or cheese?" Jayne asks of each child in turn, before slipping a generous slice into their proferred paper bag, each one decorated during an earlier activity.
She reminds one little girl to take an apple from the fruit box, while over her shoulder an older lad announces his arrival by popping a wheelie. He walks over for a pizza slice and a drink, exchanges a few pleasantries with Jayne, before making a quick getaway. "Don't forget the skateboard luge tomorrow!" she shouts to his disappearing back. He raises a hand in acknowledgement
During the course of the two hour picnic, around 40 children in all have joined in the activities. It's one of a daily programme of events at different locations around the area, with a final Big Picnic due to mark the end of the summer holidays on August 30th.
Some of those who attended today's picnic were probably from families often referred to by social care professionals as "hard to reach"; those deemed to be among the most vulnerable or needy but, for a range of reasons, the most reluctant or unable to seek or take help that's offered.
Says Jayne: "It's great to just come down into the middle of the estate like this and make it easy for people to join us. Through these events we encourage people to get involved, find out from them what would improve their lives, and discuss ideas.
"Some parents would now like to see permanent play equipment here on the Green, so that's something we'll keep talking about. We can also subtly share messages about healthy eating, for example, with the smoothie bike and fruit treats."
Also present is Sam Littleton, a family group worker for Wyre Forest Homestart, who makes sure parents know that help is available if they need it.
One mum is chatting to a friend on her phone, sharing what a great morning she's had. "It's really good, he's loved it," I hear her say. "Come with me next time?"
In its review document from 2016, partnership chair Brenda Lines said: "Our DY10 Big Local area has been developing the principle of being 'community led' for many years. We already have established groups of residents who volunteer for many locally led schemes.
"We want to build on our history and attract others to join us in this exciting journey as we deliver our plan."
"This Plan has grown from work that resident volunteers have either already started or have identified for future development. We recognise that we have to embrace the young in our plan – they are our future and we want to make sure that we incorporate their vision for the area too." You can view the full plan here
The programme of summer activities is listed on the Big Local DY10 website here.
DISCOVERING HORSEFAIR
You reach Horsefair from the middle of Kidderminster by crossing from the town centre, most easily via an underpass beneath the ringroad that slashes through the town like a scar, cutting off neighbourhoods from the centre.
The first thing you'll spy as you emerge into Blackwell Street is a vintage shop, crammed with knick knacks and unique finds, located next door to the town's only remaining sex shop.
Directly across the road Amsterdammed, a shop specialising in smoking and specialist paraphernalia of a Dutch variety, has recently shut down, its facade dirty and broken.
Venture further down the street and you'll find a burnt out building, a relic from a tragic flat fire in 2014 which remains abandoned and untouched.
It's not the greatest introduction to a neighbourhood, and it's bound to give visitors pause for thought.
But that would be to ignore some of the thriving businesses here, and those that have stood the test of time: Hudson's florist, Pinky's tattoo parlour, Stef's Pizza and Grill, food takeaways and Mr Tee's record shop among them.
Data for the area illustrates it is indeed crying out for help and support, from national and local government.
Around 40% of reported crimes in the area are for anti social behaviour; over a quarter (28%) are for violence and sexual violence.
Health inequality and high numbers of 'poorly people', as one observer describes them, are evident when walking around Horsefair. Neighbourhood statistics for the ward of Broadwaters show this perception is borne out by the data. In 2011, just over 20% of residents who completed the national census described their health as very bad, bad, or fair (1,677 people out of 7,933).
An area profile drawing on this and other data, compiled in 2014, uses other examples to illustrate the challenges facing the area. It found 30% of children in the community are "living in poverty" based on government deprivation measures; nearly a third of all adults have no qualifications. More than half of the households are in rented or insecure accommodation.
Politically, it is a traditional working class community in the midst of a Conservative-controlled local authority. The MP for Wyre Forest, which includes all of Kidderminster, is Conservative, and the seat is deemed to be safe, by all recognisable measures and predictions. Turnout is traditionally low, with voter apathy outweighing electoral involvement.
The website Electoral Calculus drew some interesting conclusions by pulling together 2015 general election voting outcomes, most recent district council election outcomes, and 2011 census data around health and economic measures to predict voting patterns ward by ward for the 2017 election.
Follow this link for a full ward by ward predictor and explanation of methodology.
The majority of residents across Wyre Forest voted Leave in the EU Referendum. In Broadwaters ward, 2,922 voted to Leave (62.88%) and 1,725 voted to Remain (37.12%)
Broadwaters is the most multicultural community in Kidderminster, with more than 230 households describing themselves as of Bangladeshi origin. (2011 Census).
Other wards contain as few as zero similarly described households. The area is home to a Mahadani mosque, visited regularly by Muslim men in the town and beyond. There is also a significant minority defining themselves as eastern European in origin. This data is already out of date but reflects on the two main non-white-British communities in the ward, which is otherwise almost entirely populated by white English people.
So far, then, the data would seem to support immediate impressions about the Horsefair, while also kicking back against its reputation as the area's crime and trouble hotspot.
Local team vicar Rev Nigel Taylor is a relative newcomer to the area. He took over as team vicar for Kidderminster Ishmere parish two years ago and has also 'adopted' the workplaces in Horsefair as part of his chaplaincy. He spoke honestly about his first impressions of the Horsefair, the challenges it faces and his hopes for the future.
One of the community groups who have been particularly involved in raising the community spirit in the area is the Friends of St George's Park. One of the friends, Nicky Griffiths, shared her enthusiasm for the community projects and also spoke of the challenges ahead.
One small project aimed to clear a derelict patch of land behind a crumbling building and create a 'pop up garden' there instead. The patch of land was a real eyesore, so in April this year the Horsefair and Proud group adopted it as their next project.
With support from the local district council (who own the land) residents met up and got to work tackling the overgrown bracken and grass.
The main image above shows some of the workforce at the end of a hard two hour session, treated with cakes from neighbour Chrissy who had spotted the team in action and hastily baked some cakes to share with them.
Dawn Anglin, a local businesswoman and one of the driving forces behind Horsefair and Proud, said this was typical of the impact the group was having on the community's sense of togetherness.
"So many people stop as they see us working to thank us and to say how much better it is looking - it all slowly adds to a sense of togetherness, which is so important."
UPDATE: Unfortunately, the crumbling old post office pictured has since collapsed and been demolished. The empty space has now been purchased by Wyre Forest District Council as a housing development plot.
LOOKING BACK: THE HORSEFAIR AND CARPETS
It's impossible to look ahead to a future for Horsefair without reflecting on where it has come from. Its greatest claim to fame remains its once proud standing as the carpet capital of Europe.
Its woven floor coverings were once the envy of the world - carpets made in Kidderminster were laid in the White House and royal palaces across the globe.
It was home to 25 factories, employing more than 15,000 people.
At the heart of what was once a boom town was Horsefair. It was a street teeming with life and noise; home to dozens of carpet weavers and loom operators. Today Horsefair is still abuzz, but mainly with traffic noise. The looms are silent, the chimneys that crowded the skyline all but gone.
Local historian Melvyn Thompson, one of the driving forces behind the opening of Kidderminster's Museum of Carpet, open five years, eloquently describes here the changing fortunes of Kidderminster generally from the post war boom to the pre-millennium demise.
Today, just a handful of carpet companies remain, of which only two still manufacture in the town. The number employed in carpets is in the low hundreds. It's been a difficult transition period for the working people of Kidderminster, many of whom have endured redundancy and hardship in the years since. Ian Parkes, a former carpet weaver now living in Horsefair, talked about his experience.
Next chapter: Exploring the new communities of Horsefair...coming soon
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