If Obiter were a poet laureate for any town, we’d choose a rhyme-friendly location such as Poole or Neath. So we don’t envy wordsmith Ian Henery, the solicitor who has been tasked with creating poems for his home town of Walsall.

‘It’s not too difficult to get round it - I tend to use "Black Country" if I want to refer to the place,’ explains the poet, who runs Ian Henery Solicitors in Willenhall.

Accession to laureate has been a long process. The 47-year-old first put his name forward in 2004, before the post even existed. He honed his skills at recitals in clubs in the area and charity work for local good causes. His dream came true in December when Mayor Garry Perry decided to create the role of laureate to promote Walsall.

So how easy will it be to extol the virtues of this Midlands town? ‘Walsall has so much going for it that I have lots to write about,’ says Henery. ‘Our most famous son is Noddy Holder (pictured) - what better standard-bearer could there be?’