Midlands Today TV news join forces with local heroes to ‘Rewind and Revisit’

For 60 years, BBC regional news has been telling the stories of people and places in every corner of England. It’s a service that remains hugely popular and highly valued by audiences, with our 6.30 programmes on BBC One combining to rank consistently as the most-watched news slot on British television.

In reporting from hundreds of cities, towns and villages every week, we’ve contributed many treasures to the BBC archives, and from this week, Midlands Today in Birmingham is putting that resource to imaginative use.

The Midlands Today “Rewind and Revisit” project will see the programme team embark on a series of outside broadcasts around the region, each taking its cue from a piece of archive film to celebrate the power of community spirit.

In special pop-up cinema screenings, we’ll show local people how a story from their area was told on TV decades ago, and in turn, unlock new stories about life there today.

The first event took us to the Stoke Heath area of Coventry, where – back in 1977 – the BBC Open Door programme documented how a group of local people set up an emergency shelter for people who’d fallen on hard times.

For the many people it helped get back on their feet, 84, Valley Road was known simply as The Family Home. From that single council house which could sleep six people at a time they can now provide 55 people with a safe haven. They help a range of vulnerable people, including teenage mums and women who’ve escaped from abusive partners.

There’s lots more support in the form of counselling, education and training to help people get their lives back on track. Our local screening attracted around 40 people and helped us bring the story of Stoke Heath right up to date, reflecting a continuing and very real sense of community.

Record producer Pete Waterman, regularly heard today as a radio presenter on BBC WM and BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, grew up in Stoke Heath and we took him back to the area to find out if the esprit de corps he remembers as a child is still a force for the good today.

It will all be shown on BBC One in a special Midlands Today programme from Stoke Heath at 6.30pm on Thursday, April 13.

Taken together with radio, online and social media coverage, we hope the project will add a new depth and richness to the way we reflect the extraordinary work that can all too easily go unrecognised in local communities.

We hope viewers find the stories as interesting to watch as we found them rewarding to uncover. And 40 years from now, I’d be rather surprised if Midlands Today isn’t continuing to return to places like Stoke Heath to report on the inspiring stories there for the finding in the lives of everyday local heroes.

David Jennings is Head of Regional and Local Programmes, BBC West Midlands

• Watch Midlands Today from Stoke Heath at 1830 on Thursday 13 April at 6.30pm.