Meco Alley, Wilks Walk and Happyland Walk in St John's named officially

Meco Alley, along with its adjoining footpaths, has been well known to residents for years but until recently had not officially been named.

Now the alleyway, named for the Bromyard Road factory that was bombed during the war, has a shiny new road sign, as do Happyland Walk and Wilks Walk.

One of the new signposts for Meco Alley

St John’s councillor Richard Udall said there was a practical reason for making the names of the footpaths official.

“Last year a fire broke out in a litter bin in Meco Alley, but when people dialled 999 for the fire service and mentioned the location, fire control could not find any location with the name Meco Alley,” he said.

“Luckily, local knowledge took over and a fire appliance was correctly dispatched to the scene.

Happyland Walk will now appear on maps

“A lot of footpaths and alleyways in St John's have never been named. They mostly have local names which local people use, some of which are not repeatable, but officially they have no name and do not appear on maps.”

Cllr Udall said the process of giving footpaths and alleyways official names can be a long one but that finally the names were agreed and approved.

'The name Meco will forever be remembered'

“Meco Alley, Happyland Walk and Wilks Walk will now all appear on official maps and the street name plates have been erected.

Councillor Richard Udall in Meco Alley earlier this year

“The footpath will now forever be known as Meco Alley and will stand as a memorial to all the people who worked at the factory over many decades and the industrial workers who gave their lives when the works were bombed in the Second World War.

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“The Meco may be gone, and its successor company may be leaving soon, but the name Meco (Mining Engineering Company) will forever be remembered.”

The factory, now called the Joy Mining plant and owned by Japanese firm Komatsu, is due to close by 2023.

Wilks Walk is named after a former mayor of Worcester

Wilks Walk, like nearby Wilks Close, is named after Albert Wilks, a former St John’s councillor who became the first Labour mayor of Worcester in 1980.

“The surrounding roads, McIntyre Road, Rowley Hill Street and Buck Street, are all named after former mayors,” said Cllr Udall, “so I felt it was appropriate to continue the tradition with naming it after a former Labour mayor who once represented the area.”