INTERNATIONAL delegates visited Dudley this week on a fact finding mission about the Black County’s bid to become a UNESCO Global Geopark.

Last year, the four Black Country authorities, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton, submitted an application to become part of the UNESCO Global Geopark network.

A Global Geopark is an area of international significance that protects and promotes the geological and related industrial and cultural heritage for everyone to enjoy.

There are many world-class features in the Black Country and the Geopark would link many different heritage sites and features across the area to tell the story of the landscape.

Two of the best known are Wren’s Nest National Nature Reserve, home to 700 different fossils – 86 of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world, and Barr Beacon Local Nature Reserve in Walsall, one of the original beacon sites that warned off the approaching Spanish armada.

The Black Country Geopark team took UNESCO delegates from China and Finland to the two sites on Tuesday.

They also visited Saltwells Local Nature Reserve in Netherton, Bilston Craft Gallery and Galton Valley in Sandwell to assess the application and feedback to the international committee.

Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, cabinet member for planning and economic development, said: “This week was a big week for the Black Country as we showcased the many areas and features that we believe make the region a perfect example of what it is to be a Global Geopark.

“We were incredibly excited to take the UNESCO delegates on a whistle stop tour of some of the area’s highlights and we remain positive about the potential of our application.

“If we gain this international recognition, it would a great boost to the local visitor economy and something that would well and truly put the Black Country on the international map.”

This evaluation mission was the final step in the UNESCO scrutiny process.

A decision about the application will be made early next year.

To find out more about the project, visit www.blackcountrygeopark.org.uk, follow @BCgeopark on Twitter or Black Country Geopark Project on Facebook.