"DUDLEY's great. Nothin' wrong with Dudley" that’s the message for everyone to now see loud and clear.

The bold statement comes from one of the town’s most well-known and well-liked figures - comedian Sir Lenny Henry, who recently unveiled an inspirational paving stone in Buffery Park, close to where he grew up.

The Comic Relief co-founder was honoured last month with the MOBO 'Paving The Way' award, which aims to recognise and celebrate pioneers of British music and culture.

Each recipient receives paving stone laid in a place that shaped them, with the aim of inspiring future generations.

On receiving the award, the star said he was delighted, and that it had slightly edged his knighthood.

The engraved slab contains the quote "Dudley's great. Nothin' wrong with Dudley" chosen by Lenny, from his Drama, Danny and The Human Zoo released earlier this year.

"It's a legendary place, Dudley," said the 57-year-old.

"And Buffery Park is a legend within that legend, so I can't forget it and it's great that the MOBO paving stone is here, it deserves to be here."

Lenny's fondness for the park stems from his own memories of his first snog, first puff of cigarette, first attempt at northern soul dancing and where he first did impressions for his friends.

Joining Lenny, to mark the historical moment were his family and friends, representatives from The Friends of Buffery Park charity, the Mayor of Dudley, Councillor Steve Waltho and his wife Jayne, members of the public as well as the MOBO Awards founder Kanya King MBE.

In a speech, Cllr Waltho said he was "proud' to be there to celebrate the comedian's achievements.

Recently, Dudley Council backed plans to demolish Dudley Hippodrome and agreed to move forward with its proposal to replace it with "a new multifunctional area of open space".

When asked about his opinion on the move, the usually cheerful star looked serious and said: "I have no comment to make. I am not part of a campaign or anything but if the Hippodrome is being knocked down- that is a shame."

He did add though: "Unless it’s going to be something better."

On the recent ITV blunder, where footage of cookery mastermind Ainsley Harriott was cut to during a segment on Sir Lenny Henry's recent knighthood, the funnyman joked the slab would contain a spelling error or in fact the celebrity chef's name instead.

"The response from Twitter was hilarious," he said.

"That’s not Lenny Henry, Denzel Washington is Lenny Henry, that’s not Lenny Henry Dizzee Rascal is Lenny Henry," he recalled.

He praised ITV for their quick response, adding: "You know what, they made a mistake and they fixed it."