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Cadbury's received a Royal Warrant in 1854 as manufacturers of chocolate for Queen Victoria. After such a successful start the business fell upon hard times and John Cadbury's sons Richard and George struggled with the business after their father retired in 1861. Long hours with little reward and just sheer determination and perseverence kept them going. Cadbury's moved on to become a limited company and after the death of Richard Cadbury the sons of the two brothers joined the firm headed by George Cadbury. This was very much a family business in every sense of the word.

New processes and a new product called cocoa essence helped the business improve so much so that by the turn of the decade they were able to move from the Bridge Street factory to what is now Bournville. The name is derived from Bournbrook with the brook being replaced for the French word 'Ville' meaning town. A shrewd move perhaps considering that French chocolate was regarded as the best in the world at the time. If you're looking for a destination that offers you easy access to some of the UK's top attractions, look no further than here and the heart of England. Major city attractions include Cadbury World, showcasing the history of chocolate, the National Sea Life Centre, with 3000 creatures and the world's first 360 degree transparent tunnel, and the fabulous Jewellery Quarter with hundreds of individual shops producing over one third of the UK's jewellery. Whatever your interests, the region offers a host of fascinating museums, stunning art galleries, beautiful gardens, historic castles and houses, zoos and parks.

Today set to seize the chance in a lifetime to confirm its reputation as a world-class centre for the arts, sport and entertainment. The city has emerged as a front-runner for the title European Capital of Culture 2008 following an announcement this morning by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell. This is the greatest prize any European city can win and obviously we're delighted to be on the short-list, says Stephen Hetherington, director of the bid. It has already achieved a great deal and undergone a remarkable renaissance to make it a very credible European capital city. We are the most culturally diverse of the contenders and it would be a fitting tribute to the collective efforts of all the people and the West Midlands region to win this title. UK cities won't get a chance at the title for at least another 30 years - so this really is the greatest chance in a generation for image to catch up with the amazing reality, Hetherington adds.

Twelve UK cities put their name forward for the title in March this year. This has been reduced to six by today's short-list announcement - with its main opposition believed to be a joint Gateshead-Newcastle bid. Other short-listed cities are Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool and Oxford. topped a national survey published at the weekend. The largest number of people questioned by independent pollsters Taylor Nelson Sofres (16 per cent) said it was best qualified to fly the cultural flag for Britain - just ahead of Cardiff in second place and the North-East bid pushed into third.