THE heavens above Halesowen were filled with love for the town - as hundreds of people rallied against a claim that it is “where dreams go to die”.

The “throwaway” remark, recently posted by a member of the Twitter social networking site, raised the passions of members of Zion Christian Centre, who wanted to send a message that it was just not true.

And, as the church group celebrated its 35th anniversary, members decided to launch 500 balloons – each with a card representing a dream someone had for the town.

Senior pastor Leon Evans said: “We read on Twitter that Halesowen is the place dreams go to die.

“Well, we don’t believe that and neither do the hundreds of people who gathered that afternoon.

“So we wrote down dreams we have for this town and sent them into the air – on bio-degradable balloons, can I add?”

Zion Christian Centre building manager Chris Neville said he believed the comment about Halesowen being “where dreams go to die” was posted on Twitter after a recent road accident and was alluding to congestion around the town.

Mr Neville added: “It was a throwaway comment.

“But Halesowen is a place with hope – our own church is growing incredibly and we are bringing more life to the communities in the town.”

Festivities at the 35th anniversary event included a bouncy castle, ice cream van, “silent” disco, face painting, live music, dance performances, workshops and clowns.

Hundreds of people turned out for the celebration before heading on to the centre’s Birmingham Street car park to release the balloons.

Among the 'dreams' sent up into the skies were that Halesowen would thrive as a town and bring communities together.

Zion Christian Centre’s own dreams are well on the way to fruition, after congregation members pledged a total of £942,000 during the anniversary celebration to give their building a facelift.

Work on the refurbishment of part of the church centre is now due to start in the middle of next year and will include improvements to the cafe and auditorium, as well as a new lift.

Tomorrow (Friday October 31) Zion Christian Centre is holding a family fun night for the local community, including a disco, bouncy castle, football and sumo suits.

Tickets cost £1, with free admission for under fives.