Telford Journal 01-Dec-2022

Blankets for baby bank

By Dominic Robertson

Amotherhasvoicedherfrustra tionafterherfour-year-oldson’sop erationwascancelledtwiceatshort notice–oncejustanhourbeforeit wasduetotakeplace.

Lisa Leneveu, 44,fromLawley, Telford,saidthathersonAlbertis awaitingtheremovalofhisadenoids andatonsillectomy.Theyoungster isduetohavetheoperationatPrin cessRoyalHospitalinTelford,inan attempttosolveaproblemwherehe repeatedly suffersfromtonsillitis –andisalmostconstantlyonantibi otics.

Shesaidtheissuecausessevere problems with Albert’s sleep, with theyoungsterfrequentlywakingup severaltimesinthenight.Shesaid thataswellasthefrustrationover thedelaytogettinghisissuessorted, therewasalsothedisruptioncaused toarrangementstolookafterother membersofthefamily

MrsLeneveuhassixchildrenand saidherhusband,whoworksinTamworth,hadtakentimeofffortheop erationstoensuretheycouldlookaftertheirotherchildrenandgetthem toschool.Theyhavereceivedafresh datefortheoperation,althoughshe

FEATURE SPORT

Spotting Lady of theStream Page 10

Thinking time forthe Tigers Back Page

aboutitbecauseheknowshowpoorlyhegetsanditdoesmakehimvery upset.”

Shesaidtherewasalsothedif ficultyofmentallypreparingthem selvesforAlberttoundergoanop eration whichrequiresageneral anaesthetic.Shesaid:“Itisfrustrating.Everythingyouputintoitand mentallyprepareyourselfandthen itdoesn’thappen.”

Sheadded:“Iunderstandthatyou canneversayiftherewillbeemer genciesbuttomeifyouhavethings like that,especially with children, youwouldthinkthereisaplanin actionthatifyouaremassivelybusy thereissomewayofpreventingit.”

HayleyFlavell,ExecutiveDirectorof NursingatTheShrewsburyandTel fordHospitalNHSTrust,said:“While we cannot comment on individual cases,wewouldliketoapologisefor thecancellationofthisplannedprocedureontwooccasions.Wewantto reassurepatientsthatwearedoing everythingwecantominimisethe number of operationsthatrequire rescheduling.

“Weareworkinghardtoprovide safeandeffectivecarewhilstfacing significantwinterpressuresand delaysduetotheimpactofthepandemic.”

Areportbyfood andfarming charity Sustain recognises Telford &WrekinCouncilasanationallead erwhenitcomestoclimateaction aroundfood

TheEveryMouthfulCountsreporthighlightsthatsixin10councils omitfoodandfarmingfromtheircli mateplans.Itsaysthebestcouncils have plans to supportsustainable farming,tacklefoodwasteandbuy higherstandardfoodforschools.Out ofnearly200localauthoritiesana lysedacrosstheUK,only21councils –includingTelford&Wrekin–were foundtohavemadesignificantad vancesintheirclimate,natureand foodstrategies

Climateplan leadingway Customers help charity

AcommunityinTelfordhasbeen thankedforraisingalmost£300in onedayforMacmillanCancerSup port Staffatthecharity’slocalbranch turnedtotheirfriendsattheRotary ClubofWrekinwhotookpartina bucketcollectionatTescosuperstore inMadeleylastFriday

Volunteersfromtherotaryclub collecteddonationsfromshoppers throughoutthedayandmanagedto raiseatotalof£286.17pforthechar ity.SueHarrisoftheRotaryClubof Wrekinsaid:“Atleast75percentof Tescocustomersmadedonations.It justseemedtobesuchafriendly,giv ingandgenerouscommunity.”

LisaLeneveu andherson Albert,who isawaiting hisoperation

People backing twoA&Es

Theoverwhelmingmajority ofpeoplequestionedinasurvey bycampaignerssayShropshire needstohavetwo fully-functioningA&Edepartments.

Atotal of 96.3 percent of thosequestionedinarecentsurveyof1,500Shropshirepeople wereinsupportofthecounty keepingbothits A&Edepart-

ments.ThecurrentShrewsbury &TelfordHospitalNHSTrustFutureFitproposalswouldseethe RoyalShrewsburyHospitalbe comethecounty’sonlyfullA&E Undertheplans,urgentcare serviceswouldstillbeavailable atthePrincessRoyalHospital, butemergency care wouldbe deliveredprimarilyfromRSH’s

newpurpose-builtemergency department

Shropshire GreenParty ‘Healthy Greens’group asked morethan1,500peopleacross 11 Shropshire townsifthey thoughtShrewsburyandTelford A&Esshouldremainfullyfunctional.100percentofpeoplein Telfordrespondedwitha‘yes’ Green Party protesters

Trusttoreviewtreefelling plan amid coppice concerns

By Dominic Robertson

Thetrustoverseeingacop pice in theIronbridgeGorge saysitwillreviewwhichtrees willbecutdownduetosafety concernsaboutfallingbranches causedbysquirreldamage.

Severn Gorge Countryside Trust(SGCT)madethedecision atameetinglastweekaftercon cernandoppositionfromsome residentsoveritsplanstofellup to140treesintheDaleCoppice.

Inastatementthetrusthas apologisedformarkingtreesto befelledbeforetellingthepublic ofitsplans.Oneofthecriticisms oftheproposalhadbeenabout theimpactonthevisualeffect ofthecanopyovertheSabbath Walk routethrough thecop pice.Thetrustsaidtheinitial planshadbeendrawnupover concerns that squirrel-dam aged branches couldfalland injurepeople.Initsstatement thetrustsaid:“Wewillreview andidentifytreesforretention, fellingortreesurgery.Wewill aimtomaintain, wherepossi ble,practicalandeconomically viable,the visual appearance Therevisedworkstotreeswill bemarkedwithtreetags.”The trustwillalsosubmitaplanning applicationforthework,which residentswill be able to commenton.Itwillalsolooktoad dressareaswhereopeningsare createdinthecanopy.

Pubonmission to spreadjoy

Openingdateisrevealed

Atown’snewPostOfficewill open before theend of January with longer openinghours than before,the companyhas confirmed.

Thenew Dawley Post Office willbeopendailyattheLifestyle Express shop offBurtonStreet fromJanuary24,undertheleadership of postmaster Gurjinder Singh.

Thepostofficehadbeenbased attheCo-opintheHighStreet,but itsfuturewasputindoubtwhen the firmannounced it wasleav-

ingthepremises.KulwantDosan jh,PostOfficenetworkprovision lead,said:“Wearedelightedtobe restoringPostOfficeservices to Dawleyasweknowhowimpor tantaPostOfficeistoacommu nity–theopeninghourswillalso makeitveryconvenienttovisit.

“Weknowthatthe communityisreallykeenforthisbranch toreopen”DawleyPostOfficeis duetoopenonJanuary24at1pm OpeninghourswillbeMondayto Saturday:8amto7pmandSunday: 10amto4pm

ingourdisplays

“But we were determined to stilllightthestreetsofDawleyup this Christmasand bringjoy to everyoneandraiseawarenessof heartdisease

“Bothdisplaysare on every dayfrom4pmuntil10pmandwill berunninguntilNewYear’sDay.”

OvertheyearsthePickerings

havenearlyraised£10,000,with thehelpofThe Wrekin Housing Groupmatchfundingeverything

Johndiedin2019attheageof 59fromheartdisease

Johnwaswellknownforhis lightsdisplaysandwasalsoabig supporterofmentalhealthaware ness.HeleftbehindsonsShaun andRyan, daughter Louise and grandsonsLeonandMckenzie

People candonateateither location or if they like they can donatestraighttotheJustGiving Pageatjustgiving.com/fundrais ing/shaun-pickering

Supportfromwater firm

Severn Trent hasrampedup supportefforts fore customers whoarestrugglingfinanciallyin thecostcrisis.

TheWestMidlands-basedfirm said it haschanged theincome thresholdforitssupportpackage toallowmorecustomerstoaccess savingsofupto90per cent on theirwaterbillsinthefaceofsurg inginflation.SevernTrent,which supplieswateracrosstheregion, unveiled a£30 millionfundin

Maytohelpanother100,000customersonlowincomes,addingto itsexistingschemethatsupports 215,000customersinneed

Itsaid20,000customershad alreadyappliedfortheextrasup port,butthatithasnowincreased theannualincomecut-offtojust under£19,000from£16,000previouslytoallowmorepeopletoac cessthescheme.Italsoannounced aprogrammetohelpaddresspov erty across theWestMidlands,

whichwillseeitofferworkexperienceto300childrenbytheendof nextAugust,risingto500by2032

Thegroup –the UK’s second-biggestwaterfirm–willalso give10,000hoursoffreeskillsand employabilitytrainingincommu nitiesandschoolstosupportpeo pleintotheirfirstjob,orbackinto workthroughoutthe Midlands, whichitsaidishometoalarge numberofhigh-deprivationpost codes.

The Pickering family israising moneyinmemoryoftheir dad Johnwho diedin2019

Dawley’snew Post Office isto open onJanuary 24

TheTelford Crisis Support charityisbestknownforitsfood bank,helpinghundredsofpeople feedtheirfamilieseveryweek.

Butitalsoprovidesahostof servicesforpeopleinneed,whether kittingout theirchildrenin schooluniformorgettinghelpand advicewith energycostsorbed poverty.

Oneofthemostpopularser vicesisthebabybank.Tenantsand staffatTheWrekinHousingGroup haveworkedtogethertoknitblan ketstodonatetothebabybank runbythecharity.Atotalof108 volunteerhourswentintocreating

Venuewelcomestop chef

Acountryestateusedforwed dingsandfunctionshaswelcomed itsnewchef

LilleshallHouse andGar densnearNewporthasunveiled Mark Bannon,who forthe past eightyearshasworkedwithwellknownTVcookAntonyWorrall Thompson. Mark Bannon has spentthelasteightyearsatThe GreyhoundinHenley-on-Thames, therestaurantWorrallThompson runswithhiswife,butnowhe’s embarkingonanewchallengein Shropshire. Mark hasrelocated

as his daughter,Kaya, accepted aplaceattheprestigiousHarper andKeele Veterinary School to studyveterinaryscience

Mark said:“Ilovedworking withAntonyandJayandTheGrey houndteam. Antony,alongwith MarcoPierre-White,isatruefood hero of mine andalthoughI’ve beenaprofessionallytrainedchef forover30years,working with himwas like attendingthe best training collegeinthe world –I learntsomuchandhavesomuch tothankhimfor

eightcolourfulblanketsaspartof aprojectforWrekin’sfirstDiversi tyandInclusionDay.Theblankets representinclusionacrosstheorganisation,asstaffweregiventhe chance to learnabout different culturesandbackgrounds.Emma Rogers, Social ValueCo-ordina toratTheWrekinHousingGroup, said:“Therearesomanypeople throughoutourcommunitiesthat havebeenheavilyimpactedbythe cost-of-livingcrisis

“Whenwe heardthe heart-breaking accounts of how somefamiliesandtheirchildren werenotabletoobtainthethings

theyneeded,itbecameapparent thatwecouldreallyhelp.

“We’reveryfortunatetohave lotsoftalentedandcreativeknittersamongstbothourtenantsand staff.Everyonehasralliedaround to gather as many donationsas possible,andithasbeenincredibly rewardingtoknowthatwehave helpedfamiliesinthearea.”

Link WorkerTamsinMeredith fromTelford Crisis Support thankedthegroupofknittersfor theirdonations.“Wewouldliketo extendourheartfeltthankstothe tenantsand staffatTheWrekin HousingGroup.”

Online business support

Acouncilsaysitisgivingbusi nessesahelpinghandduringchal lengingfinancialtimesbylaunch inganonlinesupportportal.

Telford&WrekinCouncil’s businesssupportteam,Enterprise Telford,isrespondingtothecostof livingcrisisbyprovidingtheplatformdesignedtohelpbusinesses accessthe essentialadviceand guidancecurrentlyavailable EnterpriseTelfordhastheresources,connections, andexper

tisetohelpbusinesses,including supportthatfocuses on understandingenergyuseandreducing it wherepossiblethrough fully fundedschemes by theCouncil, likeCoolShropshire&Telford

Theportalcanbeaccessedvia theEnterpriseTelfordwebsite

CouncillorLeeCarter,Telford &WrekinCouncil’sCabinetMem berfor Neighbourhood Services, Regeneration,andtheHighStreet, said:“Asacouncilwhichisonyour

side,wearecommittedtosupport ingbusinessesacrosstheborough, whetherthat’sthroughfreebusi nessadviceorhelpingthemaccess grantsandfundingwhichcanhelp themlaunchnewproductsorservices.Thesearechallengingtimes forbusinessowners,butwewant toreassurethemthatsupportis availablewhichcanhelpthemto keepcostsdownandlookatnew waysofworkingwhichcanreduce theiroverheads.”

TelfordCrisis Supportisknown for itsfoodbankbutitalsorunsababybank

ChefMarkBannon

Howworld oftoyshasbeena launch padfor global success

Someofusarejustbigkidsat heart.Asadad,poppingintoatoy storeisastapleofmyshoppingtrips.

Andwhile my ten-year-old daughterEleanoriswide-eyedand eagertohavealookatthenewest rangesofdollsandall,secretly,my interestisalsosparked.

IfIcouldseeabigpianoonthe flooranywhere,I’msureI’dbehead ingstraighttoit,recreatingthatfa mousscenefromthefilmBig,with thelateRobertLoggiaand Tom Hanks.

SoIhavetoadmitatingeofjeal ousytowardstheteamwhoworkat GoldenBearProductsLtd,especially whenBrandManagerKathyLesser explains:“We aresurroundedby toys allday long.Justlaptops and toys.Wearefullyimmersed!”

Thebusiness launched in 1979 when JohnHales andChristine Nicholls were eagertostart their owntoy company, having gained considerableexperienceintheirpre-

By MatthewPanter

viousrolesatChadValley

Withgreatenthusiasm,theycreatedGoldenBearProductsLtdwhich rapidlybecamealeadingmanufacturerofsofttoysandthecompany hasgonefromstrengthtostrength eversince.

Indeed, this year hasbeen rightupthere with themostspe cialwiththecompanyrevealingits award-winninginteractivesofttoy rangeCurlimalsisnowbecominga hugesuccessglobally.Theyarebeing launchedinmorethan25countries andacrossallcontinentsnextyear followingphenomenalsuccessinthe UK.Curlimalswillalsolaunchacross AmericaandCanadaafterthecompanysignedadistributiondealwith USfirmBasicFun.

Butthe companyisabout far morethanthat.“Thecompany’sbig gestsuccesswasprobablyTeletub

biesinthelate1990s,”saysMDBar ryHughes.“Wehavedonealotof pre-schoollicences,everythingfrom PeppaPigtoThomastheTankEn gine.ThefirstlicencewedidwasEd theDuck,andmorerecently,Inthe NightGarden,HeyDuggeeandBing

“Wehavestartedfocusingmore on developing toys ourselves. It’s greatthatlicensedTVshows can drivedemandbutit’sabitoutofyour controlasthoseprogrammesneed togetontherightchannelsandin therightmarkets

“Bingisonthenumberonechan nelinItalybutit’snotoninSpainor Australiasowecan’tselltothose.So wethought,‘wehavesomuchexperienceourselves,whycan’twestart tryingtocreateourownproducts?’ sowearen’treliantontheTVshows.”

EnterCurlimals– Higgle the hedgehog,Bibithebunny,andBlue thebadger– adorable woodland creaturesthatrespondtotouchwith over50soundsandreactions.They

reactbytalking,gigglingandsneez ingandeachhastheirownsounds andphrasesreflectingtheirindi vidualpersonalities.Whentheyare tired,theycurlupintoacuteballand snoresoftlybutpetthemagainand theywakeupreadytoplayagain.

Kathyadds:“Wehaverelation shipswithinventorsacrossthe world.Curlimalsstarted as some thingcompletelydifferentbutwhat wasinterestingwasthemechanism –thefactitcurlsup.Thatisunique Therearen’tanyothersofttoysthat curlupandgotosleep.Kidsfindthat reallycutesowesawsomethingin thatinventionandbroughtitintothe UKteam

“Weturneditintothisbrand, thesecharacters,whoallhavethese personalitiesandstories.Theyare aboutfriendship.Wehavetakenan inventionandturneditintoabrand thathaslotsofethosaroundit

“Weareexcitedtobuildthatnow intoallsortsofthings.Wedon’tknow

whereitwillgo.Itcouldexplodeinto publishing,animation,content–who knows?Theskyisthelimit.Weare allexcited.”

Barryadds: “It’sa really local success storywhenyou thinkof thebig companiesweare battling against,ontheshelvesofretailers, such as Lego,Mattell andHasbro. Thisissomethingdesignedandmar ketedhereinTelford

“Itissomethingweareproudof Irememberwedidresearchandwe sawthereactionthekidshadtoit Weknewtheproductcoulddowell.”

“Weare adults so you never knowuntilit’sinachild’shandshow theyfeel,”addsKathy.“Itwasareal lyoutstandingreaction.Itwasamaz ing.Thefinalproofofthepuddingis salesontheshelfandit’stakenoff.”

n Adedicated website– curli malstoys.com –isproviding con sumerswithengagingcontentand activitiestointroducethecharacters andtheirwoodlandadventures

Supply of eggs cracking up

Lookingforeggsforyourome lette, or in preparation foryour Christmascake?

Chancesareyouwillhaveseen fewerthannormalontheshelves,or evennonetobefoundatall.

Aftertheshortageofflourand pastaduringlockdown,itisnowthe turnofeggstoenterthegroceryen dangeredlist.

Theproblemshavebeencaused byaperfectstorm,withanumberof factorscombining.

TheUKiscurrently facing its largesteverboutofbird flu,com poundingexistingshortagescaused byproducerscuttingbackonoutput or leavingthe industry duetoincreasedcosts

Russia’sinvasionofUkrainehas been drivingupfarmers’energy

bills,alongwiththecostofchicken feed,hensandpackaging

Demand foreggsisalsoupas consumersseekoutcheapersources ofproteintooffsetsoaringfoodbills.

Waitroserecentlypledgeda£2.6 millioninvestmentinitseggsuppli ersasitremainsoneofthefewsupermarketsnottoimposepurchase limitsoncustomers.

Marks&SpencerandMorrisons arethelatestgrocerstojoinTesco, AsdaandLidlinrationingthesaleof boxesastheimpactsofrisingcosts andbirdflucontinuetotaketheir toll

HoweverWaitrosesaidithasno planstointroducesuchlimits,addingthatitisconfidentithas“strong availabilityofBritish free-range eggsavailableforpurchasebothon-

lineandinourshops”.Sainsbury’s andtheCo-ophavealsonotintroducedanylimits,withCo-opsaying itiscontinuingtomonitorthesituation.Waitrosesaidits£2.6million investmentwillgodirectlytofarmerstosupportthem with soaring productioncostssuchasenergyand chickenfeed.

Waitrose executivedirector JamesBaileysaid: “Withoutour farmers,wecan’tfunctionasabusi ness.We’vecultivatedlongstanding relationshipswithoursuppliers,and payingourfarmersfairlyandofferingourcustomersfree-rangeBritish eggsarecommitmentsthatwesimplywon’tsacrifice,evenwhenthego inggetstough.Wecontinuetohave agoodsupplyof100percentBritish free-rangeeggs.”

GoldenBear Ltd MDBarry Hughes withsome hi-techfootballs

KathyLesser withthe Curlimals, which areproving amassivehit Bing isapopularchildren’stoy

Little ones love HeyDuggee

Empty shelves as people panicboughtduring thepandemic

Gulf Warsoldier’s explosive diaryliftslidonreality of war

In theimmediate aftermathof theGulfWarin1991,asvictorious soldiers prepared to return home, itwasmadecleartoJohnWolfinno uncertaintermsthathisdiaryofthe conflictmustbeburnt.

Buthemanagedtokeepholdof it,andfornearlythreedecadessat on it,anexplosive real-liferecord whichifpublishedwouldhaveended hiscareerandeven,hewaswarned, gethimsenttojail

Becomingaciviliandefusedthe threatsofthemilitaryestablishment andtheresultwasthatthatdiary hasfinallybeenpublishedasabook calledTheRealityofWar

AndironicallyJohn,wholivesin Shropshire, says thefeedbackhas beensurprisinglypositive

He talksofaBritish Army in which,atleastintheunitinwhich heserved,rankcountsformorethan expertiseandknowledge,andordi-

narysoldiersoftenfindthemselves ineffecttreated,inhisview,asof ficers’slaves

SenttotheGulfaspartofBritain’sresponsetoSaddamHussein’s invasion of Kuwait, Johnstarted keepingthe diaryafter afemale Americansoldiersenthimablank book.

“Ikeptadiarymainlybecause it wassomething new, something differentatthetimeanditgaveme somethingtodoaswell,”hesaid

“AstimewentonIstartedrealis ingtherewerelotsofthingsgoingon andyouthink‘thepublicknownone ofthis’.

“Myperceptionofwhatwarwas likeandwhattoexpectwasnotwhat happened.Meand friendswould chatandsay‘peoplewillneverbe

lievethis,neverbelievewhatgoes on.’Ithought‘I’mgoingtowriteit alldown’.”AtfirstArmycolleagues werealittlescaredaboutwhathe wasdoing,butastimewentbythey startedtocontributeandofferinfor mation,althoughhedidnotinclude itifitwasnotrelevantorwastheir personalexperience

“Attheendofthewarmycommandingofficer wanted thebook burnt,”hesaid.

“IwasthreatenedthatifIwasto publishtheywouldgoallbellsand whistlesandgetmejailedfordoing it.”

Hiscolleaguesknewwhatwas initbecausehehadallowedthemto readitsotheycouldfactuallyverify itashewentalong.

Clearlyhis revelationsheldan embarrassmentfactor

“Our officersespeciallyare a breedwhicharesounique.Unless

youservedinacavalryregimentand cameacrossthemyouwouldnotbe lievewhattheywerelike.”Onesur prisingwarzonetaskinvolvedlay ingagreencarpetinoneofthebig tentsinthedesert–withanycarpet leftoverbeingusedonthefloorsof theArmyvehicles.

An additional factor causing himtodelay publication wasthat hewantedtoavoidthepossibilityof giving encouragement to potential adversariesbymakingthemthink that theBritish Army wasnot as goodasitlikedtobelieve.“Ididn’t wanttoputpeopleinharm’swayby puttingabookouttellingthetruth aboutwhatwearelike.”

John,whois57,served37years inthemilitary,startingoutindivisional reconnaissance andending his career as an instructor on the Apache helicopter.His servicein cludedatourinAfghanistan.

He movedtoShropshire when heworkedatRAFShawburyandal thoughnowacivilian,hisworkisstill military-related“IteachinEurope Iteachmilitarypilotshowtooperate in combat zones,”he said.Having served in Afghanistan, he prefers nottomakehisrealnamepublic–of course,his Army colleagues know hisidentityanyway–andhaschosen theauthor’s pseudonymJohnWolf forastraightforwardreason.

“I have always loved wolves. Theyaremyfavouritecreature

Thebookisavailable through Amazon andalsohas adedicated websitetherealityofwar.com

Hesaid:“Ithoughtsomeoftheofficersfrommyregimentwouldbuy thebookandbeveryantiit.Ihave hadfourofficerswhohaveboughtit andsaidthatit’sbrilliant–‘Yes,we reallyarelikethat.’Thatreallysur prisedme.”

By Toby Neal

John pictured taking anApache helicopterforanairtest

John, aged 57,served for37years

Adestroyed Iraqitank

John’sbook

Ayearofchangeand huge achievements

How’sthisforamouthwatering mixture? Free mincepies. bacon butties. educationadvice andaflu jab!

That’s preciselywhat’sonthe menuatTelfordCollege’sWellington campusonDecember10whenwe hostaSaturdaymorningopenevent withadifference.

Theevent,startingat10am,is designed to showcaseour grow ingrangeofadulteducationcours es, includingdistancelearning programmes you candofromthe comfortofyourownhomes.Many ofthemarefreeforqualifyingstu dents,andlotsstartinJanuary.

Werecognisethisabusytimefor everyoneintherun-uptoChristmas, sowe’realsoservingfestivemince piesandbaconbutties–andoffering peoplethechancetogettheirfree winterflujabatthesametime

We’veteamedupwithLloyds Pharmacytoofferthisflujabser vice,whichisavailabletoeveryone whoregistersfortheevent.Allthe detailsare at www.telfordcollege. ac.uk

It’sbeenayearofchange,cele bration,and considerableachieve mentforTelfordCollege.

Achievinga‘Good’ratingfrom Ofsted wasarichly-deserved re wardforallthehardworkofstaff, andstudents,butwehavenotrested onourlaurels.We’vecontinuedtoin vestinfacilitiesaroundthecampus,

WORKINGFOR YOU

andexpandedourcourseofferingto include atrailblazingnew ‘Future IV’programmewhichisperfectfor A-levelstudentswithaninterestin conservation,geologyandtheenvi ronment

NewT-levelsarejustaroundthe corner too, andwe’ve builtsome fantasticlinkswithlocalemployers aheadoftheroll-outofthefirstpro grammesinSeptember

What else?Inthe past month we’vebeencommendedinthe na tionally-recognisedBeaconAwards forour‘highlevelofinnovation,im pactandsustainability’,whichisfab ulousnews.It’salwaysgreattohear aboutthesuccessofourformerstu dents,andoneofthem,SaqibUddin, saysheis‘livingthedream’bycover ingthefootballWorldCupinQatar

He’saformermediastudentof ourswhoisnowanassistantproduc erforbeINSports,basedinDoha.Sa qibtoldus:“Ifsomeonehadtoldme Iwouldhaveexperiencedthismuch atthisstageofmycareerIwouldnot havebelievedthem.”

On behalf of thewhole Telford Collegeteam,wewishyouallahap pyandhealthyChristmas.

Thoseneedinghelp

IfyouspendtimeinTelfordtown centre,atprettymuchanytimeof day, at anytimeofyear, you will probablynoticesomeoneormultiple peopleaskingforsparechange–es pecially by theparking ticket ma chinesinthecarparks.

Thesepeople,whoinmyexpe riencearethepictureofpoliteness, tendtomakeshoppersuncomforta bleastheywalkbyorqueuetopay fortheir parkingbeforeheading home.Oratleastthat’stheimpres sionIget–manypeopledon’tseem toacknowledgethem,orevenlookat them

Inaway,theymakemeuncom fortable too, becausetheymake meconfrontmyownprivilegeand goodfortune.Ihappenedtobeborn toanextremelyhard-workingand self-sacrificingparentwhohassup portedmeallmylife,andIhappened tohaveaskillsetandtemperament thatmeantIdidwellacademically –bothofthosethingstogetherhave givenmearelativelycomfortablelife thatI’mgratefulfor,butnotevery bodygetsasluckyasIdid

Isee thesepeoplebegging for changeandIseehumanbeingswho havefoundthemselvesinpositions thatsurelynoself-respectingperson woulddreamofbeingin.It’saposi

tionanyofuscouldhavebeeninif notforanaccidentofbirth

Andiftheyaren’tself-respecting people,whatcould have happened tothemtobringthemtothisplace? Whatcantakeawaysomeone’sdig nitylikethat?Researchshowsthat homelessness oftengoeshand-in hand with mental health issues, addiction andtrauma. Thecharity Crisissaysthat45percentofpeo pleexperiencinghomelessnesshave beendiagnosedwithamentalhealth issue.Thisrisesto8outof10people whoaresleepingrough. Whenever theissueofbegging isbroughtup,therearethosewho warnthatpeoplewhobegformoney onthestreetsaren’tactuallyhome less,and go home to comfortable

accommodationafteradayofasking strangersformoney.

Evenifsomeofthatistrue(but in increasingly cashless andaus teretimes,cantheyreallybemak ingenough to be consideredcom fortable?),Icanthinkofsomevery well-remuneratedcareerpathsthat contributeverylittletosociety

Iwouldn’tdreamoftellingan yonewhattodowiththeirmoney, especiallyaswearelivingthrough aseeminglyunendingseriesofcri ses.Butcompassionforotherpeople isfree,andwillbemoreimportant thaneverinthemonthstocome

HomelesscharitieslikeStayTel forddovitalworkandhavedonefor morethan30years.Learnmoreat staytelford.co.uk

Sophie’sastarcarer

Sophie Nisbet hasmadea greatstart to hercareerin care.

SheonlyjoinedSupreme Home Care in June 2022,aged19, andat thecompany’s recent staffapprecia tion awards shewas awardedthe top ‘You’reaStar’ accolade

Sophie wasnominated by oneofher regularclients, Mr Phil Link, who askedfor hertoberecognised‘for showingmaturitybeyondher years, understandinghis needs andcomplet ingher workefficiently’

Sophie said:“It wasa completesur prise to receivethisaward,itwas so

thoughtful of Phil to nominate me.I thoughtIwas just doingmyjob.”

AmyHutchings,the Registered Care Managerfor SupremeHome Care,add ed:“We aresoproud of Sophie andhow well shehas settled into this responsi blerole. Shereallyseems to have found hervocationand has fitted so well into ourteam. We love to recruityounger carers andsee them blossom.

“Doyou thinkyou couldbeSupreme HomeCare’snextSophie? If so,why not find us on Facebook or look on our website www.supreme-homecare.com”

Homelessness oftengoeshand-in-handwithmental healthissues

With Graham Guest

TALKINGTELFORD WithRob Smith

Carer SophieNisbetwith Sue Robson, director of SupremeHome Care

COMMERCIAL FEATURE

Bringcomfort to wilderness

TheLadyofthe Stream

CROSSTALK ON THEWILDSIDE

With Dave Treweeke

Christmascomes with good newsandbadnews.Ithasalways beenthatway.

Thebirthofababy…buttheking wantsthebabydead.Thecomingof asaviourintotheworld…butthis saviourwilldieonacross.Christ mastreesaredecorated…butinthis costoflivingcrisissomanypeople arestrugglingtocope.Scienceand technologycreatemedical break throughs buthospitals andcare homesstrugglewithinsufficient stafftomeetdemands

Twoandahalfthousandyears agotheprophetIsaiahwrote:“Com fort,comfortmypeople,saysyour God.SpeaktenderlytoJerusalem.” Howdowecomfort people?What tenderwordsdowesaytoourJeru salem?WeknowthatChristmasgifts don’tjustappearunderthetree…not unlessyouareachildandsomeone lovesyouverymuch.Forusadults, withourChristmaslists,Christmas ishardwork.LikeIsaiahleteachof usdoourownlittlebittobringcom fortintothewildernessofour‘Jeru salem’withamessageofhope,joy andlove

By Ben Waddams

Wehavehadafairamountofrain overthelastweekorsoandthishas rathermuddiedthewaters,literally Foroneofmyfavouritethingstodo onaclearwintersdayisgoforawan der,fish-spotting

TheparticularspeciesIalways hopetoseeatthistimeoftheyear is one that fewpeoplehaveever seenbefore.Askthegeneralpublic tolistsomeBritishfreshwaterfish andtheymaygiveyouapike,eeland acarportwo.ButIfearfewwould mentionthegrayling.Yetwinteris agreattimetoseetheseelusiveyet beautifulfish.

Lovers of well oxygenated and clearrivers,theyarejustasathome inthestreamsthatmakeupthevari oustributariesoftheSevernandoth errivershereinShropshire.Ihave seentheminveryshallowwateron theRea Brook, just SouthWestof Shrewsburyforexample–awater courseingoodhealthwithaquatic invertebrates, kingfishers,dippers, otters,eels,salmonandgrayling.

Sowhatexactlyisagraylingand howcan you tell that you’veseen one?Wellthey’reratherspecialin

thattheybelongtothateliteclassof fish,thesalmonids.Thesearefish, suchastroutandsalmonthatpos sessan‘adipose’fin–thesmallbump onthedorsalsurfacebetweenthe maindorsalfinandthetail

They aredelicateand stream linedbutwithmuchsofterfeatures thanthesalmonandtrout

Theyprefershallowwater,often

closetothe aforementioned bank andwhenanyexcessrainwaterhas flushed through, youhavea good chanceofspottingasmallshoalof theminourstreams.Indeedgray ling feel morelikea‘stream-fish’ thanariverfishandareknownfor alltheabovereasonsastheLadyof theStream.Theyareallthemore incrediblefortheirrelativelyshort

lifespans. A7yearold fishwould beanoldone,whereascarpcanlive formanydecades.Whenitcomesto paintingagrayling,Iamnotmuchof afishartistalas,sotobreathesome colourintomystudyhere,whynot tryandspottheLadyoftheStream foryourself?

n Ben’swildlifeartisonshowin Callaghan’sGallery,Shrewsbury

Grandfatherinjured in shower‘explosion’

Agrandfatherwasleftwithlumps ofglassembeddedinhisskinwhena shower doorathis home“exploded” withoutwarning

GrahamCorfieldwashavingawash inoneofhishome’sthreebuilt-inshow ersonSaturdaymorningwhenthere wasanalmightybangandhewasleft shocked,injured,andstandinginapool ofblood.

“Mytwoyounggrandchildrenusu allyusethatshower,”saidMrCorfield, 63,fromTibberton,nearNewport,who ownsaircraftrampmakingfirmAvi rampinTelford.“Iamgratefulthatit wasmeintheshowerandnotthem.It probablywouldhavekilledthemtobe

honestwithyou.”Hesaid:“AsIpushed itopenitjustexplodedandImeanex ploded.Therewasglasseverywhere.It isafour-year-oldshowerthatcostabout £700,soitwasn’tacheapone.Thebang wassoloudthatmywifeLisaheardit downstairsandsherusheduptosee myrightforearmcoveredinbitsofem beddedglass,pieceseverywhere,and scratchesonmyhandandrightfoot.

“Ihadtosteponpillowsonthefloor tobeabletogetoutandevennowthat wehavecleaneditupwekeepfinding littlebitsofglassonthefloor.”

MrCorfieldsaidpiecesofglasswere removedfromhisskinandhewasgiven stitchesandpatchedupwithbandages

Winterisagreat timetosee elusive yet beautiful grayling

GrahamCorfieldwas ‘stitched andpatched up’following an explosion

Collegeoffersaworld of possibilities

TelfordCollege offers alively andsupportive campus that hasbeen purpose-builttooffer awiderange of course choices, includingaca demic, vocational,apprenticeshipsand more.

Tlevel courseswill be offeredin September 2023.The newvocation-

COMMERCIAL FEATURE

al qualificationsare the equivalent to threeA-levelsin UCAS points andrecognisedbyall universities

Initially, thecollege will be offeringT levels in health, scienceand digital.

TelfordCollege’s apprenticeship team is continuouslynetworking with localemployerstogivestu

dentsachancetogainvaluable qualificationsalongside real-world workexperience

Part-timeadult learning courses areoffered forthose whofancy a career change or maynot have had theopportunitytodo so when they finished school

Coursesrange from level 2-5, and includeaccounting, education, hair dressing,healthand socialcareand humanresources.

If you can’tordon’t want to phys ically go to college, thereare several shortcoursesthatcan be done on line whereyou will gain alevel 2or 3qualification

Thecollege’s next open eventis on Wednesday,November 30 from 5pmuntil 7.30pm

Theadult open eventisonSatur day,December 10 from 10am until 12.30pm,where TelfordCollege are offering free flujabstoany adult

whoattends theSaturdayopen event.

To book on either open eventsee www.telfordcollege.ac.uk/join-us/ open-events/our-open-events/

If you’dpreferamorein-depth look at thefacilities TelfordCol lege hastooffer,orifyou’refeeling anxiousabout starting college, you canalso booka1:1 tour by emailing marketing@telfordcollege.ac.uk or by calling 01952642200.

ThecampusatTelfordCollege offers state-of-the-artfacilities andhas been purpose-builttooffer awiderange of course choices, including academic,vocational andadult learning courses

Santa’sfriends arereadyto send letterstoyoungsters

Withthewinternightsdrawingin,there’snodoubtthatChrist masisfastapproaching

In theNorth Pole,Santa and hiselvesarebusygettingreadyto giveeverychildamagicalChrist mas.

Santaisonceagainexpecting toreceivemillionsoflettersfrom children around theworld with endlesslistsofwhatthey’dliketo receiveintheirstockingswhenthe

bigdayarrives.Toensurechildren living with avision impairment intheUKgetareplyfromSanta, hehasteamedupwiththeRoyal NationalInstituteofBlindPeople (RNIB)tomakehislettersavailableinmoreaccessibleformats,includingaudioandlargeprint

This year,Santa’s friendsat cardcompanyHallmarkhavealso helpedhimwriterepliesinbraille so everychildwithavision im

Repair the damage caused by Brexit

Everyone is sufferingfrom “longBrexit”,unlikelongCovid whichaffectssomeofourcitizens. TheresaMayfirstpromisedtoget Brexit done, then Borissaidget Brexitdone,followedbyLizand nowRishi

Thereality is,six andahalf yearsafterthereferendum,Brexit isnotdone–itwillneverbedone orgoawaybecauseofthedamage andon-goingdamagetoourecono myandstandardofliving.Thelist ofBrexitfailuresgrowsweekly.

Thepound hasbeenperma nentlydevaluedby20%;thevalueofoureconomyhasgrownata thirdtherateofGermanyandthe US sincethe referendum;many small companieshavestopped

tradingwiththe EU;companies aremovingtheirbusinessesoutof theUK;Governmentfiguresshow thatBrexitpaperworkonourborderscosts£7billioneachyear;last weekitwasleakedthatParishas surpassedLondonasthe largest financial centre in Europe;and therearemanymorenegatives

WhenwillUKpoliticiansface uptotherealities,tellthetruthto thepeopleandstarttorepairthe damage?Inthelastfewdaysthere aresignsthatsomeinGovernment know thedisaster Brexit is,but feartheirhardBrexiteers.Sadly, thingswillonlygetworseuntilthe “Brexiteer Tory”government is votedout

BillMcClements,Telford

pairmentcanreadtheirletterin dependently

Ifyouknowachildwhohasa visionimpairmentandwhowould lovetoreceivealetterfromSanta, pleasesendtheirChristmasletter to:SantaClaus,RNIB,Northminster House, Northminster, Peterborough,PE11YN

MichaelOwen, PRManager,RNIB

Bigger cut of proceeds

Many self-employed, hard-working,law-abidinglocal peoplearenowaddedtothehigh ertaxrate.Ifwechargeacustomer£100,about£16goesonVAT. Another£33inincometax–plus £9NationalInsurance,leavingapprox£42.

Whatcustomernowhas£100 topayforourservicesintheirpost ‘AutumnStatement’taxincome? Chancellor,ifyouwantusto workharder, perhapsprovide a biggerincentive,otherthanpay ingoff yourself-inflicted debts. Weallneedabiggershareofthe proceedsfromallourblood,sweat andtearstryingtomakeanhonestliving.

Nameandaddress supplied

Number of ‘Pauls’ is growing

Itmayruncountertoallprevailingwisdom,butIamgoingto putthe argument anyway.The ideasthatgoverntheworldofpoliticstodayathomeandabroadare fundamentallybad.Ithascometo bebelievedthatitisthedutyof governmentshereandabroadto pursue egalitarianism, aformof equalityofoutcome

Themostcriticaldemandtodayisthatwehaveamoreequal

andsociallyjustworld.Theprob lemisblindinglyobvious,however,thatratherliketheemperor’s newclothesthereisactuallynothingmeaningfultoshowforallthe efforts,allthesocialengineering andbillionsandbillionsspenthas donelittletobringaboutthisideal state.Thepooreststaypoorandin developedsocietiesonlythelower andupper middle appear to see benefit.Thisislargelyduetothem

beingplentiful enough to vote throughmeasuresthathelpahead oftherealpoorwhocontinueon thesinkestates thrown scraps fromthebenefitstable

Thedifficultytodayhoweveris thatthe‘robPetertopayPaul’idea isrunningupagainstthefactthat thenumberofPetersisreceding andthePaulsgrowing

Nameandaddresssupplied

Night

With Dogs Trust

Name:Night Breed:AmericanBulldogCross Age:2yearsold

Nightisgentlegiantwithaheart of gold,who came into Dogs Trust Shrewsburywhenher owners could nolongercareforher

Sheisincrediblyhappy around peopleandlovesattention–especially iffoodortoysareinvolved!Theteam sayNightmakesthemlaugheveryday withhersillypersonalityandit’shard nottofallinlovewithher.

Nightweighsinaround68kg, sothereisalottolove!Shewillneed ownerstobe able to handle heron

lead,especiallyaroundotherdogs,as duetopreviousexperiences,shecan reacttothem.Nightiscurrentlyona weightlossprogramwhichwillneed tobecontinuedinhernewhometo achieveheridealweightgoals

SadlyNight hashad herears cropped.Earcroppingisillegalinthe UKandDogsTrustdoesnotbelieveear cropping is acceptable.The Govern mentiscurrentlyconsultingontheir proposalstobantheimportofdogs withcroppedears,planswhichDogs Trustsupport.Ifyouhaveaheartand homebigenoughforNight,shewillbe anamazingfriendforlife!Tofindout morepleasegotohttps://www.dog strust.org.uk/rehoming/

Ex-sailorkeeps eyeonsea of traffic

By Mark Andrews

Whenitcomestopredictingthe weather,itissomethingofamilitary operationforexpertKerryFarrell.

AsaformerNavalofficer,Kerry joined National Highways in 2019 andswappedseafaringforSpaghetti Junction

SheisnowworkingintheWest Midlands as aNational Highways networkoperationsmanager

With record-breakingtemperaturesonlyafewmonthsagoand winteroperationswellunderwayat NationalHighways,Kerrysayssheis relishingherrole.

Herjobistokeepaneyeonthe weatheranditsimplicationsformo toristsusingthemotorwaynetwork –andmajorA-roadsintheWestMid lands.Thatmeanskeepingtrackof weatherchartsandhighlightingthe riskoficeorsnowsothattheroad networkcanbetreatedintime.

Gritters have alreadybeenout insomepartsoftheregion.Butwith theprospect of freezingtempera turestocome,aswellasriskslike flashflooding,Kerry’sroleisconsid eredkey

“Ilovethechallengeofincident managementinmycurrentjob,it’s soincrediblyvariedandeveryday canbedifferentandposedifferent challenges,”shesaid.“WhenIleftthe

RoyalNavy,Iwantedanotherrolein operationsandworkingforNational Highwaysintheregionaloperations centreprovidedanopportunityfor metodrawonmyexperienceinmeteorologywhilealsohelpingtotrain colleaguesaroundplanningforwin terweather.”

Aftergraduatingwithadegree attheUniversityofDerbyinglobal hazards–acoursewhichcombined geologyandgeography–Kerryal waysknewshewantedtoworkin

meteorology.Sheservedasaregular intheRoyalNavyfor10years,hav ingjoinedin2009asanAbleSeaman hydrographerandmeteorologist.

ShealsospenttimeattheNaval airstationsinYeovilton andCul droseasaweatherforecaster,aswell asnumerousdeploymentsatseaon destroyersandminehuntersinthe MiddleEast

In 2013,Kerry,who livesnear Lichfield,achievedhercommission, passingoutofBritanniaRoyalNaval

Collegeasawarfareofficer,subse quentlygainingherticketfordriving warshipsandwaspromotedtolieu tenant

Kerrysaid: “Itgavemesome fantastic experience in leadership andoperations,builtmyconfidence hugely andtravellingthe worldto seeplacesyouneverordinarilymay visitonaholiday

“Mymostinterestingdeployment wasaglobaltrip,sailingthroughthe PanamaCanalouttoHawaii,where

Iwasfortunatetobeinvolvedina RemembranceceremonyattheUSS Arizonawreckageforthoselostat PearlHarbour.Mylastdeployment wasonsurveyshipHMSScottinthe Atlanticmappingtheseafloor.”

SincejoiningNationalHighways at itsofficeinBirmingham,Ker ry says heroperational andcrisis managementskillshavestoodherin goodsteadforkeepingtheroadnetworkmoving.

Sherecentlyworkedcloselywith thelocalauthorityandpartnersto planfortheCommonwealthGames. Andherattentionsarenowfocused solely on working with operation alcolleaguestoensuregrittingand winter plansare inplace to keep trafficmoving.

Awayfromwork,Kerrysaysshe likestounwindbykeepingfitand active andhas recently re-joined theNavycyclingteamasaveteran Shealsospendsalotofherfreetime trainingforroadcycling.

Sheadded:“I’mquitesportysoI playalotofgolfandI’malsoakeen runner.IrecentlycompletedDerby HalfMarathonandI’vealsocomplet edtheTamworth10kmracewhich wasinOctober

“Oneofthemainperksofmyrole isthatIcanpredictwhenit’sgoingto rain,sowhenIdogetupearlyfora gameofgolf,IcanmakesureI’vegot thewaterproofclothingreadytogo.”

Hairdresserenjoys greatday atPalace

Ayoungentrepreneurhasbeenrecognisedbyroyaltyandwasinvitedto meetHisRoyalHighness,KingCharles, inacelebrationofsmallbusiness

Brooke Evans,owner of hair and beautysalon,BEIronbridge,wasinvitedtomeettheKingattherecentSmall BusinessReceptionheldatBuckingham Palace

Thereception sawsmall business ownersfromacrosstheUKgatherto celebratetheir contributionstotheir localcommunitiesandtheBritishecon omy

BrookeopenedherIronbridgesalon in2019,andintheshorttimesincehas facedflooding,lockdownsandnow,fi nancialcrisis.Brookesaid:“Smallbusi-

nessowners,suchasmyself,havehad areallytoughcoupleofyearsandwith thecurrentfinancialcrisisIdon’tthink itwillgetanyeasieranytimesoon,so it’sgreattoseethenewKingbringing everyonetogetherinthisway.

“BuckinghamPalace,whatagreat placetonetwork!

“ThisisamomentIwillremember forever.

“I’mreallyproudofeverythingthat BEIronbridgehasdonetosupportthe localcommunity.

“I look forwardtocontinuingto do Shropshire proudand to working with ourneighbouringbusinesses to strengthenourlocalcommunity,”she added.

Kerry passing out at officertraining in2014

Kerry Farrellinthecontrolcentre

Brooke Evans, ownerofBEIronbridge, wasinvited tomeetthe King

Memoriesto make at zoo

Christmasisuponusand for anyfranticparentslookingtobook inmemory-makingeventsforlittle ones,

ASnowPrincess Christmasis HooZooandDinosaurWorld’sfes tiveofferingthisyearanditdoesnot disappoint

ThinkofalltheTelfordattraction hastooffer.Yes,there’sthefamiliar zooanimals,dinosaurs,adventure playground anda bounce pillow –but addtothisawhole host of Christmassparklesettoabackdrop ofthousandsoftwinklinglights.

Excitedyoungsterscan enjoy walkingthroughawinterwonder landtoseeSantainhiscosywood landgrotto,FrozenfavouritesElsa andAnnabeltingoutalltheclassics inasing-along,snowflakemaking, storytimeand aphoto shoot. For Frozenfanaticsthere’sa chance tomeetandgetaphotowithAnna andElsaandforthosedino-loversa walkdownthroughtheCretaceous Christmasleadstothedinosaurscel ebratingtheirownholidayswitha favouritebeingthefestiveT-Rex

Theevent is running on select datesfromDecember2toDecember 23from3pmuntil9pm.Butthebest partisthatadmissiontoHooZoofor thewholedayisincludedinthetick etprice.Bookticketsathoo-zoo.com

Time to eat, drink and be merryatBlistsHill

Visitors caneat,drink andbe merrywhilesoakingupthefestive atmosphereatBlistsHill’slate-night eventsthisChristmas,the first of whichtakesplacethisweek.

Newfor 2022,the Christmas Lateswillgivepeopletheopportuni tytowanderthroughBlistsHill’sfes tivestreetsbylamplight,withahost offestivefoodandentertainmenton offer.Aswellasroamingmagicians andmusicians,visitorscan pur suetheuniquerangeofgiftsinthe town’sbeautifulshopswhilesipping aglassofmulledwine

BlistsHill’smuch-lovedresidents willalsobeon-handtoprovidesome Christmascheer–withaVictorian twist,ofcourse

TheIronbridgeGorge Museum Trust, whichruns Blists Hill,says thosewhoenjoytheatmosphereof thepopularChristmasmarketsare suretorelishinthefestivefunofthe ChristmasLates

AbbieKing,ChiefOperatingOf ficeratTheIronbridgeGorgeMuse umTrust,said:“Weareincredibly excitedtowelcome visitors to our Christmas Lates, so that they can experience ourbeautiful Victorian Townbynight–whetherit’stheof

ficeChristmasnight-out,acouple’s datenightorfunwithfriends–we know peoplewill have abrilliant timewithus.Thereissomuchin store–fromseasonalentertain menttogetyouintotheChristmas spirit,tofestivefoodandwonderful giftideas.There’llbesomethingfor everyone.We’realsoexcitedtosay thatourmusicalofferingwillchange forevery event to ensure thereis somethingtoappealtoall.”

ForChristmasLates,BlistsHill willbeopenfrom7pmuntil10pm, andwilltakeplaceonDecember1, 8,16and17,runningfrom7pmuntil 10pm Ticketscost£17.50for adults –which includesafreeglass of mulledwine–and£10forchildren Discountedentryisavailableforall eventsfor PASS PLUS holders. For furtherinformation andtobook ticketsvisitironbridge.org.uk

Festivefun on thebill

Pantomimefun is,naturally, high on thelistofexcitement for manywithSnowWhite&TheSeven DwarfsheadingtoTelfordTheatre fromDecember8toJanuary2.

It stars former EastEnders fa vouriteandDancingOnIcewinner SamAttwaterasThePrince,localfa vouriteChloeBarlowasSnowWhite and90sPopStar‘Lolly’–AnnaKum ble–asTheWickedQueen

Beautifulscenery,colourfulcos tumes,amazingspecialeffectsand lotslaughsshouldmakeitoneofthe must-seeeventsinthetown

Ticketsareavailablebyvisiting telfordtheatre.com

n TelfordChristmas Market, meanwhile,issettoopenonDecem ber1andwillrunupuntilDecember 23

n Telford’sChristmasFunRunis alsosettotakeplaceat10.30amon Sunday,December4,withrunners takingona2kmanda5kmcourse. Although SantaClaus,elves and reindeerarethemostpopularfan cydresscostumesofchoice,festive wearisnotrequiredtotakepart.

Pre-registration is encouraged beforethedaytoavoiddisappoint ment.The event,byMidlandsAir AmbulanceCharity,takes place in TelfordTownPark. Ticketsare availableatmidlandsairambulance. com/2022xmasfunrun

WanderthroughBlists Hill’s festive streets by lamplight

£23,000 nowraisedasTreeofLight continuestohonour ourloved ones

By Daniel Morris

Thisisourfourthlistofnames thatarebeingrememberedaspart ofthisyear’sTelfordTreeofLight Appeal

RunbythefourRotaryClubsof Telford&District,theTreeofLight enablesthecommunitytoremember theirlovedonesandsupportlocal charitiesoverthefestiveperiod.

Inreturnforaminimum£5donation,namesaredisplayedaround thetreeinTelfordShoppingCentre TheyarealsoprintedintheTelford Journalinbatcheseachweek.

So farinthisyear’scampaign, 1,500applicationshavebeenprocessed, with 3,500loved onesremembered anddonations amount ingto£23,000

SevernHospiceandHopeHouse Children’s Hospices will receive themajorportion of fundsraised. Theremainder will be shared by ShropshireProstateCancerSupport Group,2nd WellingtonScouts,Tel fordAfterCareTeam,Telford&Wre kinYoungCarersServiceandJayne SargentFoundation

Amongthenamesremembered are:

GlenysAdams;JaquelineAdams; Beatrice&EdwardAinsworth;Brian Ainsworth;FrancesAllatt;Alfred& ElsieAllbutt;JohnEdwardsAllford; SylviaAndrews;JohnAAnson;Ma visJeanArnold;MidiArnold;Kate &AlanAston;AlecAttrill;Derek Attrill;EdieAttrill;ElsieAttrill;Ian Bannister;IsaBannister;ColinBarnfield;IlsaBarnfield

Bill &KathBates;EricBates; Kathleen &Peter Bates; Mandy Baugh;ChristineBaxster;IvyBayliss;FredBeach;HildaBeach;Arthur Beard;GertBeard;MichaelBecous se;AlbertBeddow;MaryAnnieBed dow;Betty,Terry&MichaelBennett; Mary&SidneyBennett;Elsie&Ger ryBent;Gordon“TheGeneral”Bent; RayBent;WilliamBent;JanetBent neéBuffham.

DavidBiggs;PhilipBiggs;Frieda Bigler; Roma Bishop; RonBishton; Martin Blackett;Cyril (Dad)Bliss; Doreen(Mum)Bliss;AliceBogdan; KazymyrBogdan;Michael Bohan; DoraBooth;LesleyBooth;William Booth;Bertha& TomBooton; Ada Mary&ErnestGeorgeBott;George Bottomer;JohnBoughey;Josephine Bourgaize;SamBourgaize.

DorisBourne;JohnBourne;Clif fordBowen;RaiBowker;EnidBowyer;HelenBowyer;DennisBoyden; EricBoyden;RobertBradley;Edith Bradshaw;Barry Brasenell; ColinReubenBray;Margaret&Leslie Brayne;Lily&BenBrazier;George Breeze;MurielBreeze;EileenBrem mell;LeslieBremmell; AnnBrent nall;DavidBrentnall.

Jeff Brentnall;Joseph &Evelyn Briggs;Lynne Briggs;Roy Briggs; DorothyBroad;HenryBroad;Jenny Browning;Dorothy&WalterBryan; JoanBuckler;WarrenBufton;Lesley Bumstead;BrianBurns;RoyBurns; FrederickButtery;Reg&AlanBut tery;RegButtery;VioletButtery

DianneCadman;LizzieCaldwell; DerekCarline;ShirleyCarline;SydneyJohnCarr; Fred Carrington;

Gerald Carrington; Phyllis Carrington; RoyCarrington; Sandra &Roy Carrington; WilliamCarter; GeorgeHenryCartwright;Gerald& Paul Cartwright;Olive Cartwright; CharlesEdwardCarver;SandyCaswell;Brian Chatter; Derrick Chet wood;Edith Chetwood;Richard Chetwood;BettyChilds;CisChilds; George ChildsGladys Childs;Lilian Childs;Carol Churm; ChrisClarence;Avis&GrahamClark;Trevor Clarke;RosaCleaver;PhilipClemp son;CharlesVictorCole;GladysCole; CyrilColley;Joyce&CharlesColley; LilianColley;JohnCollins;SarahCol lins;Nicholas Conley;Sandra Conley;DaphneCooper;GeraldCooper; BrettCorbett;RobertCorbett;Colin John Cornes;Lil Cottam;Albert& EthelCotton; Cyril&Joyce Crane; TrevorCrane;GloriaCroft;Annie& CharlesCurtis;DoreenCurtis;Mary Curtis

MauriceDarlington;JaneDavies; Janet& NormanDavies; Winifred &HoraceDavies; Joan Davis;Les Davis;SylviaDavis;EdnadeMen donca;Frank de Mendonca; Diane Deakin;PatricaDesolla;JeanDins dale;PeterDixon;Albert&Dorothy Douglas;BillyDrown;JoyceDrown; Ben&MaryDudley;ChristineDunn; HeatherDunwell.

AliceEdgerton;DaisyEdgerton; Frank(M.M.)Edgerton;Mary&Jack Edgerton; Pete Edginton; Frank & MarieEdwards;Marjorie&Albert Edwards;MichaelCharlesEdwards;

FrancesElcock;EthelEllams;Marie Ellams;AndyElliott;AndrewEvans; JoshuaEvans;JosieEvans;KeithEv ans;Lill&BillEvans;Nancy&Ver nonEvans;RalphEvans;RoyEvans; WilliamJoseph &Florence Lilian Evans.

AneitaFalla;TomFarmer;BarryFelton;VioletFelton;FrankField; VioletMaudFiltness;Stanley Findon;Stanley &MaryFletcher;Bill Forrester;DerekFoyle;SarahFran cis;PaulineFrost;RonFurber;Sybil Furber

BrendaGellatly;SandraGill;Maz Gillis;StevenGlaze;Thomas&KathleenGleeson;Jack&LilGoodall;Kim Goodall; RaymondGoodall; Adrian Goulty;JohnGoulty; OliveGoulty; Victor Goulty;EileenGreer;Wil liam/DorisGregory;DavidGriffiths; AnnGuy;Matther ColinGwatkin; PatrickGwatkin

Wilf Halford; BerylHall; Fred Hall;GeoffHall;George&LucyHall; KathHall;MargaretHall;Matthew Hall;StuartHall; DelhaHamer; RonHamer;EdnaHamilton;Ernie Hammerton;MichaelHancox;Kelly Handley;Nell,Stan&JohnHarding; BarbaraHardman;RayHardman.

Arthur Hardy; WillamenaHar dy;Doris&AlfredHarper;Edith& JamesHarper; WallyHarper; Les Harris;LucasHarris;MaureenHar ris; RoyHarris; Stan Harris; Chris Hartland;Doug&Norma Haseley; TomHaseley;NelsonHaynes;Harry &BettyHayward;ErnHeath;Sarah

LouiseHeighway;JessyHester;Noel Hester;HildaHigley.

RonHigley; RobertHitchin;Ei leenHodgson;JackHodgson;Carol Hoggins;GlenHollyhead;JanetHolmes;Bob Holyhead; Harold Hoofe; FlorencaHoulston;HaroldHoulston; MaryHounsel;AdrianHowells;Da vidHughes;LeslieHughes;Winifred Hughes;ChristineHumphreys;John &MarjorieHunt; AliceHyelman; MarjorieHyelman.

Mary Ingram;Gordon Inions; MollyandJackInsall;JoanIreland; KenIreland;Simon (Dad)Ireland; SimonIreland.

PatrickJackson;GloriaJames;Is abelJasper;GeorgeJenkins;Albert& JeanJennings;DeborahJennings;Ha zel&JeffJervis;GillianJinks;James Joseph(Jim)Johnson;AlfJones;Al lanJones;Bryan Jones; Catherine Jones;EileenJones;EvaJones;Frank Jones;Freda&HoraceJones;George EdwardJones;GordonJones;Helen Jones; HildaJones; Joseph Edward Jones;MarjorieJones;NormanJones; RayJones;Raymond(Taffy) Jones; RegJones.

Alan Kearton; Jennet Kearton; Edna Keeffe;DaveKilroy; Doreen Knight;EricKnight; SarahKnight; WalterKnight;JohnKnott HeatherLamb; Robert (Bob) Lamb;Cyril&DollyLatham;Barbara June Leach; Dennis Leach; Betty Lewis;VeraJeanLewis;Glynn;Ruth Lister;JeanLister; Michael Lister; Ruby&TomLister;Jean&TerryLit

tleford;Brian&CathLloyd;Harold JamesLocklin;Kate&HaroldLocklin;NevLowe;LucyLyons.

JimmyMaguire;SusanMaguire; LenMaholland;Chris Mahon;Lil ianMalvern;RichardMalvern;Joan Mansell;Rene&DaveMansell;John Mapp;JohnMarsh; Sheila Marsh; Joan &James Marshall;Michael & Maurie Marshall;JoanMartin; Jo sephMartin;Fred&Linda(Radford) Mason;Albert&LouisaMassey;El sieMassey;Alice &Harry Master man;DesmondMayhew

JuneMayhew;Glynn&Katrina McCormick; StanleyMcCormick; VeraMervinMcCormick;MaggieMc Master;WilliamMcMurtrie; Esme &JoeMcNamara;AliceMead;John Mead;IngridMears;JohnMears;Muriel&LeonardMedlicott;Laurence Megson;JoanMenice;DavidWilliam Meredith;MaryMeredith;Bernard Merrington;EvaMerrington;Gladys &KenMerrington;DavidMethven ElsieMethven;Allan Meth ven-Johnson;DuncanMethven-Johnson; Jean &Frank Miles; Michael Miles; Fred Mitchell;MonaMitch ell; Arthur Moore; George Moore; Marjorie Moore; CharlesMorgan; Kathleen Morgan;WilliamJMor gan;CharlesMorris;GeorgeMorris; Kath Morris; Nicola Morris; Hugh &EvelynMorris-Roberts; Kenneth Mottershaw; Margaret OlwenOllie Muir;WilliamRobb(Jock)Muir;Eve Mullinder; Kathleen Murray;MichaelMurray

Arthur &MurielNickless;Jane Norton

OliveOldcorn; Ronald Oldcorn; GusOlivares; ChristineOnions; Lil Orange;Hannah&WilliamO’Sulli van;Bob&BettyOwen;IvyOwen; Jabez&IlseOwen;JohnOwen;Mat thewHenryOwen.

DerekPalmer;ChrisParker;John Parker; LenParker; Mark Parker; Keith Parker O.B.E.; Edith Parnell; Fred&GertParry;Margaret&Roger Parry;DavidParsons;DerekGeorge Parton;CharlesPaterson;Elizabeth Paterson;EmmaLouisePaton;Ernest&AmeliaPatterson;BertPayne; RonPayne;ViPayne;JanePeake; FlorencePeart;HaroldPeart;Joyce Perkins;AlanPerks.

JohnPerks;VioletPerks;Walter Perks;CliffordPerry;AnnPhillips; Dennis Philpotts; Lester Phoenix; MichaelPhoenix;VeraPhoenix; RoyPickavance; FrederickPolden; Phyllis Polden;Brian Arthur Pook; George&CicelyPoole;JackPorter; AnnPowell; George Powell; Carol Priestley; Di Pritchard; George & LucyPritchard;TonyProctor;HowardPryce;BillPugh;WilliamPugh.

MaryQuinn;PatrickQuinn

LeahRathbone;NormanHenry Rathbone;TimReed;EdwardReynolds;PatriciaReynolds;AlfredRich ards;MaryRichards;BertieRichardson; Gertrude Richardson;Gordon “Dick”BrotherRichardson;Leonard Richardson;Norah Rigby; Karen Robinson;Elsie Rochelle;Tom Ro chelle;ArthurRogers;KenRogers; TracyRogers;AlfredRowley;Keith Rowley;VioletRowley; Bernard Rushton;Frances Rushton; Gordon Russell;NikRussell;PaulineRussell; AlbertRutter

Smiling attendees atthelaunchofthe Tree ofLight inTelfordShopping Centre

Firm found for project Reminderof Clare’sLaw

Specialistshavebeenappointed foratowncentreregenerationpro ject

ShropshireCouncil hascon firmedthe appointment of Riving tonHarktoleadtheregenerationof Riverside andSmithfield areasin Shrewsbury,whichincludetheRiv ersideandPrideHillshoppingcen tres

RivingtonHark, whichled the development of ChesterNorth gate whichincludesthe newand acclaimed ChesterMarket, will be leadingtheprojectthataimstore connectthetwoareastothewider towncentre

ShropshireCouncilsayithopes theprojectwillunlocktheriveras afocalpoint,whilstmaintainingthe naturalbeauty,architecturalhisto ry,andheritagethetownhastooffer.

RivingtonHarkwill be respon siblefor coordinating each phase ofthedevelopmentwhichincludes planningapplications,design,oper ationsandlogistics,andcommercial liaison–allofwhicharesubjectto therelevantapprovalandscrutiny procedures.

Lezley Picton,leaderofShrop shireCouncilsaid:“Thisisanexcit ingandpivotalmomentforShrews burytown.Followingarigorousand competitiveprocess,RivingtonHark willtakethereins.”

Pony racerLeximeets champion jockey hero

Ayoungponyracerwhometa GrandNational-winningjockeyhas describeditasthe“bestmomentof herlife”

Lexi Everington,fromShrews bury,wasleftintearswhenshemet herhero,RachaelBlackmore,atthe BetfairChaseDayatHaydockParkin Merseyside

GrandNationalandCheltenham GoldCup-winningjockeyBlackmore tooktimeoutofherdayonNovem ber19tomeetsuperfanLexi,who attendedtheracecourseasaguest withherfriendsandfamily

The10-year-old,who attends HarlescottJuniorSchoolinShrews buryandraceswithherownpony, MrJerryHimself,wenthomewith asignedpicture,apairofthejock ey’s racing goggles, andmemories tolastalifetime.Themeet-upcame afterpony-madLexiwrotealetter, laterpublishedinthe Grassroots Gazette,inwhich shespoke about herfavouritejockey.Theletterthen reachedBlackmorewhoresponded in avideomessagetothe school girl.General manager of Haydock

Racecourse,MollyDingwall,reada newsarticleaboutthepairandmade it hermission to create an oppor tunityforthemtomeet–achance whichcamewiththeBetfairChase, with Blackmoretravellingoverto theracecourseforherrideonAPlus Tard.Speakingabouttheexperience,

Lexisaid:“Rachaelhasbeenahero of mine sinceshe won theGrand National(in2021onMinellaTimes) andsincethenI’vefollowedherand watchedherineveryrace.

“Shewasreallykindtomeand honestly it wasprobablythe best momentofmylife.”

Policeareremindingpeopleofa schemethatwillrevealifsomeone hasahistoryofdomesticviolence

AspartofOperationBow,acam paigntotackledomestic violence duringtheWorldCup,WestMercia Police areremindingresidentsof Clare’sLaw.AlsoknownastheDo mestic ViolenceDisclosureScheme (DVDS),Clare’s Lawisascheme whichallowsindividualstorequest informationfromthepoliceifthey believetheirpartnermaybeathreat.

Amemberofthepubliccanalso askabout thepartner of aclose friendorfamilymember.Ifthepo licedecidetosharetheinformation itwillusuallybewiththepersonat risk.Thesubjectwillnotbetoldthat theyarebeingcheckedout

Clare’sLawisnamedafterClare Wood,whowasmurderedattheage of36byGeorgeAppleton,anex-boy friend,inSalfordinFebruary2009

PolicewereawareofAppleton’s violent history andhe hadserved threeprisonsentencesbeforehisre lationshipwithClare.

Followingherdeath,Clare’sfam ilysaidshewouldnothaveentered into arelationship with Appleton hadsheknownofhisviolentpast, andherfathercampaignedtocreate legalmeansforpolicetowarnpo tentialtargetsofabuseoftheirpart ners’violentpasts.

Report by Eleanor Lawson

Lexi andRachaelshare alaugh. Photo:AdamKenrick Photography.

Raisemoney by selling toys or find bargains second hand

Gentle parentingcan be acalm middle-ground foryoungsters

LISA SALMON PressAssociation

If beingsmackedand shoutedatwas howyou were raised,you may feel theremustbea betterway to bringupyour ownchildren.

With moneybeing tightfor many this festiveseason, parents can find alternative ways to buytheir kids thetoysthey’ve askedfor withoutforking outfor brandnew items.

Buying second hand is agood option forsecuringabargain for thebuyer,and raisinga littleex tra cashfor theseller.

Here areNetVoucherCodes co.uk’stop tips forbuyingand selling toys this Christmas: Forsellers:

n Take plenty of pictures showingthe toys at theirvery best.Ifthey’ve been in theback of acupboardtoupthe loft, give them agood wash down so they look as good as new. However, there’snopoint trying to hide anyimperfections

n Writeadetaileddescrip tion,describing theitems as ac curately as possible to avoid any confusion.Don’t be misleading It’s always importanttobehon estin yourdescription.

n Be prepared fora haggle Lots of buyers will offeryou a pricelowerthanyou areselling for. Be awareofthisand price accordingly.

n Have alookonline to see what thesameitems aresell ingfor,you don’twanttomissa sale because you’veoverpriced Likewise,you don’twanttoun derprice andnot getthe amount theitems deserve.

n Don’tsettleonthe firstof fer. It’s likelythatyou will re ceiveafew offers afterposting youritem. Hold outaday or two to be sure you getthe best price.

Forbuyers:

n Trytobuy itemsin your lo calareaand collect them wher ever possible. Often, sellerscan create theirown fees fordeliv erysoit’salwaysworth saving yourselfafew pounds by picking theitems up yourself.

n If you thinkthe pictures don’tdepictthe item clearly, ask formore. Youwanttobesure that you getwhatyou’repaying forand that it’s in thecondition they have stated.Particularly importantifyou’reshoppingfor theitemasagiftand you want it to look as good as new.

n If you have anydoubts aboutthe qualityorcondition of an item,ask lotsofquestions It maybethatthe seller wasn’t clearenough–it’salwaysbetter to erronthe side of caution.

Butifthe otherextreme –‘per missiveparenting’, wherethere’s very few boundaries and little or no discipline– is asteptoo far, could ‘gentleparenting’beagoodmid dle-ground?

Gentle parentingfocuses on four keyelements: respect, empathy, boundaries andunderstanding Andwhileit’sall therageonsocial mediaatthe moment,thisschoolof thoughthas been around underdif ferent namesfor alongtime.

As consultant clinical psycholo gist Emma Citron(citronpsycholo gy.co.uk)explains: “Gentleparent inghas likelybecome anotherfad, butit’smerelyadifferent name for oldrope.

“Any type of parentingshouldbe encouraged to be gentle parenting –inpsychology, we call it positive parenting.

“It’sbased on theideathatweno tice thepositive things children do andmakeafussofthem, butignore thesillythings, becausethe mod el is encouraginggood behaviours rather than poor.”

Shesaysthere’s no need forpun ishments or negativity ifyou have agood relationship with yourchild, basedonlistening andgentlecom munication

So,for example, insteadofsay ing, ‘Get yourfeetoff thecouch’, it’s more helpfultosay,‘I’dpreferyou not to putyourfeetonthe couchbecausethe mudgetsonand Ihaveto wash thecovers’.

“You canhaveconsequences,” explains Citron, “but there’sno need to raise voices or be negative or punitive –all that does is erode therelationshipand thetrust and communicationbetween you.”

Mum-of-one KellyMedina Enos “stumbled across” gentle parenting when herson George,now three, was18-months-old, andshe posted avideo on TikTok about himhitting herand asking foradviceonwhat to do

“Atthe time,Iwas just defaulting on howmyparents broughtmeup, whichwas authoritarian-style, with astern voiceand saying,‘No,you do not hitme!’ Somebody mentioned gentleparentingand Istarted look ingatvarious books,” shesays.

TheYorkmum has sinceem braced it so wholeheartedly that she nowposts videos of hergentlepar enting journeyto389,000 followers on TikTok.

“Research says childrenbrought up with gentle parentinghavemore regulatedemotions, andthere’s less chance of them having depression,” says Enos.“They’remoreemotion ally intelligent andabletocommu nicate thosefeelingstopeople. But Idon’t read toomuchintothe stats,

Ijustknowitworks formeand my family.”

Here,Enossharesher take on gentle parenting: n Usepositive language

Positive language is powerful, says Enos:“Just change afew things yousay to them.Insteadof ‘No, getdownfromthere’, it’s ‘Feet on the floorplease’.Insteadof‘Stop running’,it’s‘Walkingfeet, please’. There’snot a‘one sentence wonder’ foreverychild,you have to find out what works forbothofyou

“Ifyou say, ‘No! Don’tyou dare draw on that wall!’,childrendon’t tend to hear thewords ‘no’ and ‘don’t’, they just hear thepart after andthink,‘Oh,Iget to draw on the wall’,”addsEnos. “Sosay some thinglike, ‘Pensare forpaper’. You have to change theway youspeak to them.”

n If they ignoreyou…

Enos admits this will stillhappen andgentleparentingisnot “a mag ic wand that works overnight” says Enos.Explainingthather sonloved climbing on thetable:“I’dsay,‘Feet

on the floorplease’

“Ifthatwas ignored,thenI’d say, ‘Doyou feel safe up there?’Ifthey saytheydo feel safe,ask themhow they’regoing to get down.And as alastresort you mightsay,‘Either you canget yourselfdown, or mum my canhelpyou’.”

n Dealingwithhitting

Insteadoftelling achildtostop hitting andpunishing them,Enos explains that agentleparentmight say: “I won’tlet you hitme. If you continue to hitme, I’mgoing to move away to keep myself safe.”

If thechildgetsupsetwhenthe parent movesaway, you couldsay: “I understand you’reupset, butI will notlet you hitme.”

n Facing tantrums

Enos says parentsneedto“be the calm in yourchild’s storm” when tantrums occur. “WhenGeorgewas having atantrum,Ijustsat down on the floorand gave himenough space andallowed himtofeelhis feelings,” shesays. “Whenthere wasabreak in thecrying, I’doffer a hug, andifhesaidno, I’dsay Iwas

therewhenheneeded me

“I’d remain calmly sitting, mod el deep breaths, andifhegot abit more verbal,I’d discusshow deep breathscould help himwhen he’s really frustrated.Expectingthem to regulate theiremotionsontheir ownat this ageisimpossible.”

n Give themoptions

If you find yourself in apower strugglewithyourchild,givethem options, suggests Enos.For exam ple: It’sbathtimesoon–doyou want me to setthe alarmfor five minutes or 10 minutes?Or: How much more playingdoyou want to do, twominutes or five minutes?

“They’ll feel really in control of theirroutine,” says Enos.“And you’restill respecting them, but you’regetting them to do what you’d likethemtodo.”

n IntroducethemtoHappy

TheHoglet

NewITV children’s series,Happy TheHoglet–about ababyhedge hogwho learns howtobuild inner strength by tackling hisbig feel ings –could be ahelpful waytoget young children more familiar with this approach.Enossays: “We’ve started watching[and] that’s been absolutelyamazing –you cansee theanimals having emotionsand everybodycomingtogether, helping them resolvethatemotion.”

n Teachthembreathingexercises

Enos says herson uses a‘breathe board’,which hasaninfinity loop shaped groove in it that thechild runs their finger alongone side as they inhale,and down theother side as they exhale.“Andyou can do aclever thingwhere youput five fingersinfront of them andpretend they’recandles andask if they want to blow them out,”she says.“They blow allyour fingersdown, andthat really helpstoregulatetheir emo tions–not smack-bang in themid dleofatantrum,I’lladmit.”

n Create a‘calm down corner’

Enos suggestsputting cushions, books, abreathe board, non-stimu lating ‘fidget’ toys etcinone space –she’s usedacupboardunder the stairs wherethe door waskept open,offeringittoher sonwhen he wasgetting frustrated. “A lot of people thinkit’sinplaceofthe naughtystep, butthe difference is thatachild goes to thenaughty step to thinkabout what they’vedone, whereasthe calm-downcorneris forwhenyourchild’s emotions start to rise,” sheexplains.“It’s nota placeofdiscipline.”

n Don’texpecttobea ‘perfect’gentleparent

“Gentleparenting –especiallyif you’vebeenbrought up in avery differentway –isevenmoretricky,” sheadds. “But if parentsare even changing just oneortwo things that theirparents didwhen they were growingup–for instance,ifthey were smackedand they chosenot to smacktheir ownchild –they’re still breaking thecycle.”

n HappyThe Hoglet airs in the UK everyweekday at 10.40amon ITV’slittleBe

Budgeting advice to make surenothing is wasted

From budgetingshockstocostof-livingchaos,we’re allkeento save afew quid at themoment,and TikTokissteppingintohelppeo pledojustthat.

Food pricesare through the roof, making it harder to feed our familiesand keepthe cupboards stocked.

Food anddrink inflationsurged to thehighestonrecordagain last month, with Britonswitnessing mammothincreases on everyday items. Prices of food andnon-alco holicdrinks rocketed 16.2%inOc tober. So,manyofusare taking to TikTokto find greatwaystosave, andluckily thereare plentyofbril

liantcreatorstryingtohelp. Gina Zakariahas become ahugename on MoneyTok (the money-saving communitywithinTikTok) and shehelpfullyshowsher audience some incredible food-related hacks.

Oneofher best tips is aboutpro cessingyourown food.Withthings likecheesegoing up in cost,buying it pre-prepared is just notfeasible.

So,Gina suggestsgrating and slicingcheese,and then freezing it forfutureuse.Fewer additives, less money, less waste. Yousee some thingonoffer in thesupermarket, it goesoff tomorrow,but is so well priced.Whatdoyou do?Well, The Gleason Co have theanswertothis

dilemma. They advise taking say, chickendrumsticks, laying them outona covered tray, part freez ingthem(foranhour),thentaking them out, baggingthemupand freezing them fully. Because they arepar-frozen, they won’tall stick together,makingiteasiertotake outexactly what you need Ever opened thefridge andfound somethingyou totallyforgotwas in there? Creating ahandy inventory that you canbuild shopping lists with will save on wasteand cash That way, you canmealplanand look forrecipes basedonwhatyou alreadyhave, not what you will spend.

Thinkcarefully before cutting back on your pensionsavings

VICKYSHAW PressAssociation

Rising billsmeanpeople

are findingitstressful to plan forthe future.

Paying forthe ‘hereand now’ as living costsrise canmakeplanning forlater lifeseemevenmorediffi cult

Around threein five people say they feel stressed when thinking about retirement planning,and seven in 10 areconcerned theirre tirement fundswon’t be enough,ac cordingtonew research from Aviva.

With billsonthe rise,LucyCart er,49, says shecan’t afford to puta lotintoher laterlifesavings right now.

“I can’tput alot into apension pot, as Ineedmostofmywageto live on,” says Carter,who livesin York andhas twoteenage children

“I understandthatpayingmore into yourpension each month is the best idea,but howcan you do this when Ineedmywagetoactually live on?

“I wouldliketostart saving,but thecost-of-livingatthe moment meansIcan’t.”

RosDonaldson,fromEdinburgh, whohas an adultson,isalsocon cerned abouther longer-term fi nances

The55-year-old says:“Ihaven’t checkedmypension recently,so Idon’t know how much Ialready have saved, or how much I’ll have in my pensionpot when Icome to retire.Ishouldprobablycheck

“One thingI do know is that I’ll need to save more over thenextfew yearsifIwanttohavethe lifestyle I desire in retirement

“It’sthat, or I’mgoing to have to worklongerbeforeI canput my feet up.”

Meanwhile, 27-year-oldElleMac kenzie from London,says: “I cur rently have no pensionplan– so I’m worried that Iwillnever startand then nothaveanythingwhenI need it.”

Mackenzie, whosaves into aLife

time Isa(whichcan be used to help buya firsthome or forretirement), says:“I’maprobablystill 40 years offretiringsoI’m nottoo concerned at themoment –Iguess it’s some thingyou always thinkisyears away andyou canstart tomorrow, butifIkeepgoing at this rate,I’m not goingtohavemuchsaved at all.”

Alistair McQueen, head of sav ings andretirementatAviva,says: “Withinflationata41-year high, it is understandable that many are working hard to make ends meet

“Cutting back on ‘non-essentials’ is wherewetypically turn to make savings. Butweshouldthink care

fullybeforeputting ourpension on this list.” Giving some generaltips, he suggests getting afreestate pen sion forecast from Department for Work andPensionsasastarting point(gov.uk/check-state-pension).

Pensionproviders also have free online retirement planners,which couldhelpwithunderstanding the impact that anychanges made now couldhaveonlong-term finances

People couldalsoconsiderdial ling up or down theamounts saved into pensions each month –soif you’re findingsavingtough right now, you couldtemporarily reduce yourcontributions –ratherthan stopping completely.

McQueenemphasises it’s impor tant to remember to increase your pensioncontributions as yoursitu ationimproves.

Younger adults may find that even if they only save smallamounts ini tially,the interest earned will grow significantly overtime.

Forpeopleinmidlife, McQueen suggests possiblyconsidering con solidating pensions in oneplace Over-50s canbookfreeguid ance sessions with theGovern ment-backed PensionWise service (available viamoneyhelper.org.uk).

Some people mayalso benefitin thelongertermbypayingfor finan cialadvice.

Alwaysbeon your guardfor scams andlook outfor red flags

With hisdistinguishedmilitary background,Jason “Foxy” Foxisn’t someone you’d ordinarily expect to make an errorofjudgmentwhile underpressure.

But, showingjusthow easy it can be foranyonetobecaughtout by scams, Fox– whohas foundhimself in many high-pressuresituations during hiscareer–admits he was once caught outbyabogus text whilehewas busy

TheSAS:Who DaresWinsstar hasnow teamedup with online bank Marcus by GoldmanSachs, sharingtop tips to help people com batfraudsters.

“I liketothink I’mpretty switched on –but fraudisevery wherenow andanyonecan get

caught out,”explainsFox,46. “Once, Ifellvictimtoatextscam becauseIwas busy at workand got distracted.”

ThetextFox received waspur portingtobefromatrusted deliv eryservice,askingfor asmall pay ment

He says that,with“amillion oth er things”onhis mind,hepaidit immediately–and it wasn’t until laterwhenhe took astepbackfrom thesituation that he realisedwhat he haddone.

“Now,everytimeI geta text, phone call,orhavetoshare my card details, ImakesureIstop everything else I’mdoing,” says Fox.

“I give it my full attentionand really thinkabout what I’mbeing askedtodo.”

Giving histipstohelpothersstay safe,hesays: “I’d remind people to puttheir guardupiftheyever feel they’reput underpressure.

“Someone mightphone andag gressively tell you to make an im mediatetransfer, or you mightget an emailtelling you you’ll miss a deal if you don’t actnow

“Pressureisatechnique used in the field–and by fraudsters,”he adds.“Take an extra 30 seconds to startthinkingrationally: whyis this person applying this pressure?

“Mostofthe time,it’sa red flag, andyou need to find away to escape thesituation.”

He add: “Ifyou sense danger or areunsureofsomething,recruit thesupport of your friendsorfam ily.

“Ask if it feelsrighttothem. The best operations always come from working as ateam.”

Pension providershave free onlineretirement planners

Interest will growonfundsovertime

Notthe time cut pension budgets

JasonFox of SAS: WhoDaresWins

SATURDAY

Dirty Dancing (1987) (Channel 5, 6.20pm)

Frances ‘Baby’Houseman(JenniferGrey)goestoasummercamp with herwell-heeled parentsand stepsinwhenresident danceinstructor JohnnyCastle(Patrick Swayze)needssomeonetofillinfor hispartner(CynthiaRhodes).Soon, sheisreceiving lessonsinlove as wellaslifts.

SUNDAY

Cow(2021) (BBC2, 10.30pm)

Cowisthedebutfeaturedocumentaryofaward-winningBritish director AndreaArnold, exploring theday-to-daylifeofadairyanimal calledLuma.

Workingwithcinematographer Robbie Ryan,ArnoldfollowsLuma asshefulfilsdaily demands, punctu ated by moments whensheandthe herd arereleased on to greenpas turestograze.

Paneltakes achance on ErasurestarAndy

ICan Hear Your Voice (BBC One, 9.15pm, Saturday

Stop!Givealittlerespect,break those chains of love andtakea chanceonICanHearYourVoice.

Sometimestheshowfeaturesa surprisingbutwonderfulguest,and that’scertainlythecasewiththelat estepisode–bonafide1980spop superstar Andy Bell,frontmanof Erasure,isjoininginthefun.

He’llbeassistingregularcelebrity investigatorsJimmyCarr, AlisonHammondandAmandaHolden when they trytohelptwo sisters fromLeedsfigureoutwhichsingers havethevoiceofanangel,andwhois tonedeaf–simplybywatchingthem lip-synctoawell-knowntune.

LikeTheMaskedSinger,theformatstartedlifeinSouthKoreaand hassincebeenremadearoundthe world.The BBC version is givena down-to-earthBritishfeelbyitshost PaddyMcGuinness.

Helovestheseries–butit’snot necessarily thecompetition itself that promptedhim to take on the

presenter’s role.Hesaid: “WhenI heardtheformatandwatchedthe Americanpilot,Iinstantly knew I hadabitoffreerein.ThereasonI loved Take Me Outwas becauseI hadthatelement.Thereisthescript butafterthatyoucanhavefunwith it,andthat’swhatIcandowiththis

show.Thereisalotofsingingand dancing,allnon-scripted–muchto theproducer’sdisapproval–butIgo withit!”

Let’shopetheproducerisparticularlyannoyedthisweek,because thoseimpromptumomentsareoften whatmaketheentireshow.

EastEnders (BBC1)

Jack(ScottMaslen)waitstofind outifhecankeephisjob,whileAmy blamesherselfforhispredicament WhitneyandStaceyboththinkthey mightbepregnantandendupdoing theirteststogether.Whitneydiscov ersshe’s carrying Zack’s baby but wondersifhe’sreallydadmaterial. Janinecontinuestostrugglewithher paranoiaoverMickandLinda.

Coronation Street (ITV)

ElaineandStephengrowcloser butGailsmellsaratandTimwants to know what Stephen’s intentions towardshismotherare.Hopeisback inclassandplanningtocontactJohn Stapevia aseance. Sean’splanto inviteLaurenceforChristmasgoes downlikealeadballoonwithTodd

Emmerdale (ITV)

Chloereveals she’spregnant. Gabbyfindsshehasarivalforthe Home Farm job andKylemakes hisownmemorial toAl.Cathybreaks down when she andAprilgohead to-headforaspot inCharles’choir.

Editor’s weekend pick

Films for the weekend

Your guide to the soaps

Andy BelljoinsPaddyMcGuinnessand the panellists

Dirty Dancing Scott Maslen

fill the festiveair with cheer

Fragrances that

Christmassycandlesanddiffuserscan haveamagicalglow

Alongside atwinkling Christmastree, theflickerofcandlelightmakeseverything feelalittlemoreluxeduringthistimeofyear.

AsThomasGibson,co-founderofdesign erdupefragrancefirmNotedAromas(note daromas.co.uk),says:“It’sthemostwonder fultimeoftheyear,whichmeansit’stimeto switchupyourhomefragrancewardrobeto somethingdelightfullyfestive.”

Fromthedelectablysweetsmellsofgin gerbreadandcandycanestothefreshand invigoratingscentofthetree,Gibsonsays festivefragranceshavethepowertoevoke memoriesand feelings of nostalgiafrom Christmasespast.Scentedcandlesarethe unsungheroesofChristmasdecorations–mood-enhancingandstress-busting,itonly

By Sam Wylie-Harris

takesafewminutesofalitcandletoputyou inafestiveframeofmind.

As well as theusualbrightcitrussy scents, Chloë Luxton,founder of Bramley (bramleyproducts.co.uk)recommends playingaroundwithfestivefragrancenotes, suchasclove,frankincense,orange,myrrh, andpine.

Thisyear,candlejunkieswillloveESPA’s limitededitionmidnightbluevessel,which hasthe enticingscent of Christmasspice andallthingsnice

KatySimpson,founderandCEOofNoble Isle(nobleisle.com),says:“Fragranceisas importantforahome,asdécorisatChrist

mas–addingtotheatmosphere.”Hereare somefestivefragrancestotry:

n NotedAromasChristmasTreeCandle, £19.99

n LoafChristmasEveSmellyReedDif fuser,£29

n StEvalFiggyPuddingScentedChrist masTinCandle,£13.45

n RichardPomeroyXBramleyWinter Candle,£50,Bramley

n TheWhiteCompanyMyrrhSignature Candle,£20

n NobleIslePinewoodLuxuryScented Candle,£42

n ZestyLemonsHoHoHoChristmas ReedDiffuserinEnchantedForest,£16(was £20)

n AndSoToShopChristmasReedDif fuser,£33-£36.50

Gettingthe best deal on trees

Christmasisonthewayandformanyof us,thismeanschoosingatree.Butthisyear morethanever,keepingcostsdownisatop priority

ThemostpopularrealChristmastree, theNordmannfir,anon-dropvariety,can cost upwardsof£50 dependingonsize, makingalargeholeinanalreadystretched budget

So,howcanyougetthebestdealona realChristmastree?

Shoparound

“Searchfordealsatsupermarketsand otherstorestotryandfindthebestprice,” says ReenaSewraz, moneyand shopping editor of Which? (which.co.uk). “In2020, wefoundAldiofferedthemostcompetitive pricefora1.5-1.75mcuttree.

“Aswellasthebigretailers,it’sworth checkingoutyourlocalgardencentre.Keep aneyeoutfordealstoo.Forexample,Ikea willbeofferinga£10voucherwhenyoubuy arealChristmastreefor£25overtheChrist masperiod.”

Bagasmallertree

Ifyouneedheightbutdon’thavealotof spaceforbigbranchesatthebase,consider buyingasmallertreeandplacingitinits standonatableoronanupturnedpot,sug

gestsMarcusEyles, horticultural director atDobbiesGardenCentres(dobbies.com).A smallertreealsomeansfewerdecorations, whichwillalsosaveyoumoney.

Rentatree

“Inrecentyears,therehasbeenanex plosioninChristmastreehirecompanies, andmanyplantnurseriesandgardencen tresarenowofferingaChristmastreerental service,”saysSewraz.Youhireatree,useit foraboutthreeweeks,makingsureyouwa teritregularly,andthenreturnittothesup plier,whowillre-plantitandleaveittogrow untilthenextChristmas.Rentingatreealso makescompletesense forsustainability, giventhemillionsofChristmastreeswebuy eachyear,mostofwhichendupinlandfill.

Makeitlast

“Toensureyourtreeremainsingood condition,buyitaslateasyoudare–ideal lytheweekendbeforeChristmas,”saysSe wraz.Thesecretofalong-lastingChristmas treeistocareforitproperly,soitdoesn’t dropitsneedlestooquickly

Useclippingstosaveondecorations

Ifyoubuyatreewhichneedstrimming, savemoneybymakingdecorationsoutof theclipping,NataliePlumbridge,horticul turistatRHSGardenWisley,suggests. Make themost

AndSoToShopChristmas reed diffuser, from £33 to£36.50

LoafChristmas Eve smelly reed diffuser, £29

of yourChristmas tree

Deaths

BYRNE

Noel James

Ex GKN Sankey

Of Trench.

Passed away peacefully at Lightmoor View Care Home on November17, 2022, aged 84 years.

Devoted Husband of the late Val, Much loved Dad of Donna and Sean,cherished Grandad of Sophie, Chloe and Charlotte.

Noel will be sadly missed by all Family and Friends.

Funeral Service 10.30am Monday,December12at Telford Crematorium.

Family flowers only by request, but if desired donationsfor The Severn Hospice Telford would be appreciated.

Inquiries to

LEWIS Joan

Of The Rock, Telford, formerly Pe nn, Wolverhampton.

Passed away peacefully surrounded by her Family on November,21, 2022.

Aged 94 years.

Devoted Wife to the late Robert (Bob).

Dearly lovedMum to Janet and Mother-in-law to John.

Adored Nan to Pete, Roband Nicky

Cherished Great-Nan to Hannah, Poppy, Izzy, Ethan, Madeline, Esme, Jacob, Olly and Max and aFriend to many,loved and sadly missed.

Funeral Service to be held at St. John’sChurch, Lawley on Wednesday,December 14, 2022at10am followed by Committal at Wombridge Cemetery.

Fa mily flowers only, donations if desired please to be split betweenAdmiral Nurses and TheAlzheimer’s Societyfor whichpurpose acollection boxwill be provided in Church.

Inquiries to

HEDGES

Reginald Henry Of Leegomery.

Passed away November 24, 2022, aged 97 years.

He will be sadly missed by all of his Family and Friends.

Funeral Service 9.15am Friday,December 16,2022 at Emstrey Crematorium, Shrewsbury.

Fa mily flowers only by requ est but if desireddonations to the Alzheimer’s Society would be appreciated.

All inquiries please to

HUGHES

Geoffrey Charles

Of Haybridge Hall Bungalows, Hadley,formerly of Primrose Grove and Festival Gardens, Wellington.

Passed away peacefully at home, after ashort illness, aged82years,onSunday, November 13, 2022.

Beloved Husband of the late Janet, much loved Dadof Helen, Rachel,Karenand Joanna, loved Father-in-law, devoted and proud Grandad of Thomas and Emma

FuneralService at Telford Crematorium on Tuesday, December 6at10.30am.

No flowers please but any kind donations willbefor Help for Heroes.

All inquiries please to HARRYEDWARDS AND SON

Funeral Directors High Street, Wellington Telephone 01952 244949

McLEAN Alistair (Alstar)

Of Oak Road, Overdale, Telford.

Passed away peacefully on November 21, 2022.

Aged 56 years.

Loving Partner of Liz, Step-Dad, Dad, Brother,Son and Grandad.

Funeral Service 9.30am Thursday, December 8, 2022 at Telford Crematorium.

Please wear red or afootball top of your choice.

Donations if desired for the Severn Hospicewouldbe appreciated.

All inquiries to

PHILLIPS

Jose

Of Priorslee, Telford.

Passed away unexpectedly at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on November 13, aged 90.

Beloved Wife of the late Leslie Phillips, muchloved Mother of Lynn and her HusbandRoy,cherished Nanny of Kate and Sophia and Great-NanofRuby, Rupert and Oscar

Formany years abank cashier at TSB Oakengates and Wellington.

Funeral Service will be held at Telford Crematorium on December 14, 2022 at 2.30pm.

Family flowers only but donations if desired to Parkinson’s UK. Forwhich purpose acollection box willbeprovided at the Crematorium.

All inquiries to

TITLEY Brenda Of WrockwardineWood, Telford.

Passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her Family on November 10, 2022. Aged 90 years.

Abeloved Wife of the late Arthur

Amuch loved Mum to Valand Andy

Dear Nan to Amy and a Great-Grandmother to Max.

Dearlyloved and sadly missed by all her Family and Friends.

Funeral Service to be held at Holy Trinity Church, Wrockwardine Wood on Tuesday,December 6, 2022, at 12.30pm. Followed by a Committal Service at Telford Crematorium.

Family flowers only please.

Donations if desired for the Severn Hospice for which purpose acollection boxwill be provided in Church.

Inquiries to

PREECE

James (Jim)

Of Hollinswood.

Passed away peacefully on November 12, 2022, aged 74 years.

Much loved Partner,Dad and Grandad who willbesadly missed by all.

Funeral Service 11.30am Wednesday,December 14 at Telford Crematorium.

Family flowers only by request but if desired donations for MS Society would be appreciated and canbegiven onlineat www.memorygiving.com

Inquiries to

WILBY

Michael David (Mick)

Of Rose Manor,Ketley formerly of Castleford, Yorkshire.

Passed away peacefullyin the presence of his Family on November9,2022, aged 74 years.

Devoted Husband to Sheila, much loved Dad to Martin and Julie.

Proud Grandad to Natalie, Katie,Sophie, Craig and Amy

Great-Grandad to Effie, Jake and Albie.

‘Safe Journey To The Green Fields, Fear Naught’

Funeral Service 3.30pm Monday,December 5, 2022 at Telford Crematorium.

Donations if desired for Scotty’sLittle Solider’s would be appreciated.

All inquiries to

Funeral Services

FENN’S MEADOW GREEN BURIALS

ECO/GREEN BURIALS &INTERMENT /SCATTERING OF ASHES Tel01948 880 002 www.shropshiregreenburials.co.uk

Lost &Found

LOST MAGGIE

Missing since August 25, 2022 from Greenfields area. No sightings and may have got into acar. Microchipped and wearing an orange collar. Much loved and missed. 01743 271564.

Love news?Lovetalking to people?

Want to makeadifference?

Britain’slargest independentregional news companyislooking to recruit senior reporters.

The Midland News Association, publisher of the Express &Star and ShropshireStar, is lookingfor people with experience and enthusiasm to join its team.

We areparticularly looking for:

•SpecialistCrime and Courts Correspondent–Achance to work one of Britain’snewsiestregions, offering an understanding and insightintothe challenges facing police as well as covering major court cases.

•SeniorNewsCorrespondents –Reporters with relish who will bring in hardnewsstories and human interest features, bringing in frontpageleads and substantial onlinetrafficand able to take on lively and interesting background news features.

These arerolesfor ambitious, dedicatedand enthusiastic journalists with aproventrack record

As amulti-media journalist, youmustbecomfortable producing content forall of our printand digital platforms–fromin-depth news features forour newspapers, to breaking news articles for our websites, as well as covering stories as theyhappen on live blogs.

We arelooking forNCTJ-trained journalists, able to deliver accurate,entertaining copy to meetstrict deadlines. Afull, clean driving licence is required.

We will also consider NCTJ Diploma trained journalists who are working towardstheir NQJ.

This is abrilliantopportunity to joinour newsroom, covering a diverse, vibrantand busy patch.

Benefits include acompetitive salary, 25 days’annual holiday and the chance to develop your career at Britain’slargest independent regional news company.

If youare interestedin this role, please send acopyofyour CV and covering letter forthe attention of theeditor-in-chief, MartinWrightbyDecember 19, to:hr@claverleygroup.co.uk

01902

BoroughofTelford&Wrekin

TheCouncil

BoroughofTelford&Wrekin

TWCLP03817

Electrifying performancefromGV60

BILLMcCARTHY

When it comestostyling, theall-electricGenesis GV60 is abit of ashowstopper–a caroffering luxury,performance anddecentrange –apremium vehicletomatch anything theestablished German andSwedish brands canoffer.

It looksgreat with itsquad lamps, large clamshellbonnetwith adistinctive,yet familiarbadge and lowercrest grille, togetherwith stylishalloy wheels

Thecoupe-likedesignhas astrik ingsideprofile,and this modelfea turedanunusual matt paint finish that stillhad ametalliclookand Thunderbirds ‘FAB’numberplate It never failed to attractattention

Packed with high-specequipment toocomprehensive to list,itoffers cutting-edgetechnologyand in this four-wheel drivetwinmotor model, supercar performance.

Innovations includethe Preview-ECS whichusesthe frontcam eraand navigation system to recognise potentialbumps andpotholes, likespeed bumps, then adjust the suspension accordingly.

It is also the firstinthe stable to featureatouch-controlled Connected CarIntegrated Cockpit, apan

oramic displaythatcombinesthe instrument andnavigationscreen acrosswhatseems thewidthofthe dashboard

It receives real-timeupdateson navigation andhas smartphone connectivity viaApple CarPlayand AndroidAuto.

Thereare threemodelstochoose from:Premium;Sport or Sport Plus.The so-calledentry at 48kis rear-wheel drivewhilethe other twodrive allfourwheels.

Theinterior centrepiece is the ‘Crystal Sphere’. Once that starter is pressed, thesphererevolves

around to presenttothe auto gear selector.Switchitoff anditrotates back to deliver subtle ambientlighting.

It is housed on a“floating”con sole,which also contains arotary controller for the touchscreen and otherfunctions

Theinterior is roomy andcom fortable with high qualitysoft touch finish andcomfortable and supportive poweredleather seats. Thereisenoughspace forthe rear seatstorecline andtheycan also be folded to increase boot capacity from 680 litrestoa capacious1,580

litres, whichcan be accessed viathe poweredtailgate.

It is becoming abit of atired phrase these days,but performance from the360 kW/490 PS dual mo tors on this modeliselectrifying.

It deliversamaximum torque of an impressive 700Nm, to deliver straightlinespeedtomatch most performancecarsonthe road.Itis quickenoughanyway, buthit the boostbuttonand you arethrown back in yourseattoreach 60mphin justfourseconds

Allthatpower demandsmaximumgripand stability andhere

thetorquevectoring system sends drivetothe correctwheelstomax imise grip

Additionally,the electroniclimit ed-slipdifferentialaddscontrolin treacherous roadconditions.

Thevehicle also offers acomprehensivelistofadvancedsafetykit, includingahostofwarningsand alerts

Theclaimed rangeis289 miles,I gotnearer200,but that couldhave somethingtodowithenjoyingthe sparkling performancetoo much TheGV60iscompatiblewith standard,rapid andsuper-rapid chargers andwiththe latter canbe charged from 10 percentto80per cent in just 18 minutes

FACTFILE

GENESISGV60DUALMOTOR SPORTPLUS

Price: £65,405

Mechanical: 490PS,dualmotor driving allwheels wheelsvia auto gearbox

Maxspeed: 146mph 0-60mph: 4seconds

Combined range: 289 CO2 emissions: 0g/km Warranty: Five years/100,000 miles

EV6GTbecomes newKia flagship

Kiahas discontinuedits striking-look ingStinger,withthe electric EV6GT taking themantleasthe firm’s new flagshipinstead.

Firstintroduced in 2016,the Stinger showcased anew,moredynamic side to theSouth Korean firm,withthe car’s 3.3-litre twin-turbocharged V6 makingitKia’s fastest-accelerating car formanyyears.Itcould manage the 0-60mph sprint in 4.5 seconds.

However,the arrivalofthe newEV6 GT with its577bhp all-wheel-drive electric setuphas dashed theStinger’s performance figures. It cangofrom 0-60mph in under3.5 seconds, in fact, andtakes theplaceasKia’s most powerfulproductioncar to date

Paul Philpott, presidentand CEO of KiaUK, said:“Thelaunchofthe Stinger will go down as atransformative moment forKia.Its driver-focused ‘grand tourer’credentials, paired with Kia’sreputationfor vehicle qualityand

KiaStinger

design,madeitanincrediblycompelling carfor drivers. At thesametime, it also hadatransformativeeffectonhow people sawKia.”

Kiahas stated that theStinger will remain in production in itsnative SouthKorea andall existing UK customerorderswill be fulfilled.The EV6 GT,meanwhile,isnow availabletoorderahead of firstdeliveriescommenc ingin the finalquarter of 2022

Philpott added: “The EV6GTisthe ideal cartotakethe batonfromthe Stinger in theUK. Ourfutureproduct plan hasamajor focusonelectrifica tion,and globally Kiaplans to offera line-upof14EVs by 2027

“Combining high-performance capa bilities with an incredible design and along-rangeelectricpowertrain,the EV6GTisanimportant part of this plan,and atruenew flagshipfor the Kiabrand.”

Kia’snew EV6GT

Winnersinthe spotlight on anight of celebration

MALCOLM FLETCHER

Memories of thepast came flooding back as Shropshire’s biggest bowlingleaguesuccess fullyre-launched itsan nual presentation dinner.

TheSPS Whitchurch League’s 2022 titlewinnerswerehonoured at thefunctionatthe town’s Civic Centre when 110peoplewere bookedtoattendafterathree-year hiatus causedbyCovid

Guestsofhonour included reigningBritish Senior Meritchampion Callum Wraight–who plays forArchibald Worthingtonin the league –countypresident Mike Potterand Warwick&Worcester presidentPhilEllett.

“It’sbeenalongtimesince we have been able to gettogetherto celebratethe season,” said happy league secretaryJulietteSire.

“Butweremembered thosewe

have lost with aminute’ssilence

“Itwas greattohearplayers chatting andcatchingupinarelaxedatmosphere, with greatfood andafew laughs too.

“I lost my voice–whichproved tricky trying to do theraffle! –and allin allitwas alovely evening.”

County presidentPottercon curred,saying: “Itwas agood eveningcelebrating theachieve mentsofteams/clubs andindividual

players throughthe 2022 season.”

Theicing on afantastic campaign fortreblestars Woore–winnersof the firstdivision, Shropshire Star Cupand JubileeDoubles triumphs –was forkey manGaryBefftobe presentedwiththe Individual Merit trophy.

Otherindividualtitle winners: Norman Ford Classic&Under-25 Merit, Ed Proudlove (Adderley);La dies Merit, HelenHinton(District);

Over-60s Merit, Alan Boulton(Ad derley); Under-21Merit,Ben Hin ton(District); Under-15 Merit, Ben Cutler (Edgmond).

St Alkmunds Trophy,Mike Mullock(District)&Dee Simcock (Chester Rd); Doubles, GeraintWil liams&AideHumphries (Ifton); Judith Purcelltrophy, Marie& Phil Scott(Hanmer); MixedDoubles, DerekWright& Mo Corley (Wem USC)

Younggunsare making theirmarkinShropshire

It’s forever been agamethathas struggledtodispelits traditionally stuffy image.

Even today, when people think of chessclubs many will conjure up images of middle-agedmen sitting in thecorners of socialclubs huddledover chessboardsinnear silence.

Andwhile there’snodenying that thegameretains many of itstra ditional virtues, when it comesto thoseplaying thetimes area-chang ing, writes PeterKitchen

Morewomen andjuniorsare play ingthe game across Britainand the world –and nowhereelseisthat more clearthanhereinShropshire.

ShropshireJuniorsChess Club’s team is in astrong position to gain promotion in its firstseasonin the

national junior online league.The team lies eighth outof32teams in division five of the4NCLJuniorOn line League with oneround to go andthe topeightgoing up

Some of theclub’sconveyor belt of talent is also making thetransition to senior chess. SamHollands, CharlieBethune andRohan Easton have joined theShrewsbury-based Telepostclub,withHollandsand Bethunemakingappearances for theclub’sEteamin division twoof ShropshireChess League

Both Bethuneand Hollands pickedup victoriesasTelepostE secureda surprise 3-2derby win over senior clubmatesTelepostD last week

Thejuniorshavejoinedalong with promisingteenagerDan

Hilditch-Love, whoassists at the junior club andhas transferred from Newporttoplaytop board for Telepost Binthe county’stop flight. AnotherofTelepost’smembersis Kate Walker,who hasmadeaname forherself in recent yearsonthe weekendcongresscircuit picking up anumberoftop prizes in theface of verystrong competition.

Nick Holmes,a spokesmanfor the club,saidHollandshad rejoined the club aftergaining experience with ShropshireJuniors,and that the youngsterswerebeing mentored by club member Paul Billingtonand beinggiven theopportunitytogain experience of over-the-board competitive chess.

He addedthe club wasdelighted to welcome a“true newgeneration

of players” whichhesaidwas a “promising show of health forthe club andthe game”.

ShropshireJuniorshavewon theirpasttwo 4NCL Junior On line League matches4.5-3.5,with HilsmarkJuniors1 theirlatestvic tims.RudiBedford wonbothofhis matches, whileHollandspickedup awin andadrawand Henry Bedford pickedupone win.

Meanwhile, elsewhereinleague action it wasagreat week forthe TelfordclubinShropshireChess League division two. TelfordA made it four wins outoffour, going twopointsclear at thetop ofthe ta blethankstoa4-1 winover New port B. AndTelford Balso enjoyed a bigwin,winningalocal derbyaway atMaddocksC4.5-0.5

Maddocksduo aretargeting Doublescrown

It wasthe turn of theGraham CoopeDoubles first roundand quarter-finals to take centre stageinthe Bridgnorth Snooker League

Andfour-time winnersSimon Thomas andDaveSiddons, from Chelmarsh, madeitthrough to anothersemi-finalfollowing a walkover in the firstround and then a2-0 victoryoverSt. John’s Mark Jonesand JasonBrown

On fire Paul Harper (Mad docks) must nowlay claimto beingthe league’s number one seed.Herecentlyknocked in an 88 breakas he,Tom Maxfieldand DanMorrisreached thesemi-finals of the3-a-Side knock-out. ThetriobeatMick Crawley, Mark Jones andMark Worsdell from St. John’sbyan aggregatescore of 263-91

Harper hasalready recorded thehighest breakofthe season to date,anexcellent 92,and last week he notchedanother55.

Andnow,along with James Brennan, he is eyeing silverware aftersecuringa placeinthe last four of this competition.

Progress

Theduo knockedout Chelmarsh’sChris Lewisand hisson, Richard, 2-1and then beat MartinLippitt andJosh Summers (St. John’s) 2-0toprogress.

Lippittand Summershad knockedout five-timewinners Mike Brezwyn and Nick Carson from Broseley in the firstround Andy Carsonand Owen Hughes (Broseley),runners-up last season,are also through.

They sawoff Woodfield’sNeil andCameron Drewett2-0 and then overcame themuch-fancied IanPostans andCarlWalker (Chelmarsh)bythe same score.

Postansand Walker hadprevi ouslybeatenSt. John’sduo Mike Crawleyand KevinSmith, also 2-0.

Beamer Jones andChris Petford,representingChelmarsh, make up thesemi-finalfour somesinwhatcan only be de scribedasone of thescrappiest of thenight’ssessions.

Andfor Petford, oneofthe league’s topseedsitwas anight to forget,despite making it through.

Having said that,Petford and Jones cruisedthrough their first roundmatch,easilydispatching Alveley’sSteve Coldecottand BrianArnold2-0

It wasinthe quarter-finalthat things were not as they should be.Petford lost 71-1 to Broseley’sMattSmout,but fortunate ly forhim Jones outplayedBrian Edwardstosendthe matchtoa doubledecider.

Once again, Petfordwas outof sortsbut Jones helped seethem overthe line

Smoutand Edwardshad reached thequarter finals by beatingAlveley’s ChrisJepson andReg Burton.

Thesemi-finals and finalwill be played at ChelmarshonTuesday,April 25

Whitchurch League winnerstakecentre stageatthe awards nightastheyshowoff thespoilsoftheir success

sports@mnamedia.co.uk

Double trophywinnerEdProudlove is pictured receiving onehis rewardsfromLinda Potter

Edgmond’s Shirley Hadley picks up thebestkept green awardfromW&W presidentPhilEllett

League presidentIsobel Jonesand officerSimon Fullardwith theveteransinter-league shield

League chiefs move to explain afternoonplans

MidShropshireBowling League chiefs have movedtoallay thecon cernsofother leaguesabout plans to launch anew afternoondivision next year.

They have writtentoofficers of theHighley,Shrewsbury Ladies, MidShropshireSeniorCitizensand TelfordLadiesAfternoon leaguesto explainthe proposal.

Theideaofa six-a-side division forbowlers of allagesand playedon either TuesdaysorThursdays af ternoons is thebrainchildofSteve Wall,the vice-chairmanofthe Mol sonCoors-backedMid Shropshire League

Andthe league’ssecretary Mal colm Fletcher hasnow contacted officials of allthe otherleagues as they have fixtures or competitions on thosedaystotry andexplain the situationfully.

“Delegates of our25clubs have been askedtogobacktotheir clubs to seeiftheyhaveany interest in joiningsuchadivisionnextyear–andonwhich afternoontheywould prefer to play,” said Fletcher

“Wehopetoget abetterideaby ourmeeting on December6,and if thereislittleinterestthe proposals will be withdrawn.

“Butifthere is ademand, the MSBL will caterfor it –and two clubshavealready expressedaninterest andwehavea potentialsponsorinthe pipeline.”

nn nn

Aworryinglackofinterestand cancelledbowls competitions is a growingconcern forShropshireLa dies association

Trying to find remedies wasdis cussed at thebody’sjoint endof season meetingand presentation eveningwiththe Shrewsbury La dies League held at Sinclair BC in Ketley,Telford

County secretaryHelen Clee said:“It wasa veryinformalaffair.

“The main comments from my self were around thefuture–or not –ofthe county,given thesmall numbersinterested in beingconsidered (for selection)

“And thefactwewereunableto play themajorityofour competi tionsdue to lack of interest.”

Such adropininterestisdisap pointing,given that Shropshire have such agood recordinthe Brit ishLadiescountychampionship, beingrunners-uptoYorkshire last season

nn nn

Achangeofheart hashelpedease ShropshireCrown GreenBowlingAssociation’s manpower crisis Mike Potter’syearascountypresidentwill endatFebruary’sAGM andhehad previously announced that thewishedtostand as county competitionsecretary at thesame time

ButTelford-based Potter told the latest county executivemeeting that, having received pleastocon tinueinchargeofcomps, he would nowstand forre-election.

If re-elected,Potterwillbein charge of next year’s Senior County Merit, from whichfourShropshire bowlerswill qualifyfor theBritish finals

Shropshirechiefs arestill search ingto find anew treasurer anda safeguarding officerfor 2023

Howell strikes to claimawinterwin

Quality, notquantity, wasthe key to success of the firstwinter onedaybowls competitionwithknock outtiesinShropshire.

Biggunsled by Callum Wraight, DerekWright, Stuart Rutter, Cedric Bancroft andAndyArm strong contested Saturday’s promo tion at Whitchurch’s District Club

ButitasAdderley’s IanHowell whocameout on topofthe 27 en triesashebeatPhilJones of Nant wich Park Road in the final.

AndorganiserJamie Brookes, the manbehindNorth Shropshire Parks’ boomingwinterseries, was happywiththe level of interest “BeforeI advertisedthe competi

tion Iwould have been contentto getbetween 16 and20entrantsin theinaugural onedayer,”hesaid.

“Sotostart offwith27taking part is brilliantand really encour aging.

“Itwas runwiththe sixround robingroup winnersand 10 next best in theaverages progressing into a13-up handicappedround of 16

“Fromthe quarter-finals it still handicappedbut 21-up–but I’mal ways open to suggestionssoaslight change in format mightbeconsid ered

“The finalwas wonbyIan How ell– whoqualified in 16th spot!He

beat Phil Jones 21-17and therewas some greatbowling throughoutthe day.”

Thetwo finalistsand Rutter all enjoyed sixwinsonthe dayand therewerefoursuccess forWraight, Will Brookes, CraigJones,Gary Whitehalland organiserBrookes nnn n Blooming success!Clubsponsor David Austin from DavidAustin Roseswas guestofhonourat Al brightonBowling Club’s annual dinner andpresentationnight.He presented allthe prizes,including the Rigley CuptoHelen Blunt,a keymember of Albrighton’s teams in theMid Shropshire League

Club going from strength to strength five yearson

Shrewsbury School of Boxing is celebrating five yearsinexistence andisthe only club in thetownregisteredfor boxers to take part in active bouts.

They have 40 people training with them on aregular basisat theOld Grange School on Mount PleasantRoad, including17junior fighters andtwo females, with eight beingmembersbeing active in tour naments.

Recently,atNewdigate Colliery Sports andSocialClubinBedworth, Welshpool-basedLennoxMcDonald took part in theWestMidlands fi nals of theNationalAssociation of Boys andGirls Clubscompetition Boxing in the70-75kg category, the18-year-old faced IsaacVander puye of StokeStaffsABC,and frus trated himwithslippingand great

PAUL JENKINS paul.jenkins@mnamedia.co.uk

lateralmovement.

McDonald landed multiple overhand rights alongwithsomeleft hookstobring aunanimous points win.

He then movedontothe quar ter-finals by beatingQasim Khan,a national championand EnglandinternationalfromOne Nation ABC, whohad an impressive record of 26 wins from 33 bouts.

ButMcDonaldwas unfazed, and boxedwithconfidencefrombellto bell,commandingthe pace of the bout andcounteringKhanagain andagain to againclaim aunani mous points win.

Buthis hopes of progressingto thesemi-finalended in heartbreak before theboutwhenhe fractured hisright thumbinsparringand had to pull outofthe tournament

Kian Evanshad alreadyhad to

pull outofthe same tournament at thestart duetounforeseencir cumstances,but he didenjoy success in onelastmonth hosted by Brooklands ABCand held at Bag geridge in Dudley

He faced apowerful lookinghome boxer ZidanHines butstopped him in theopening round afterlanding multipleshots whichprovedtoo fast andtoo accurate forthe Brooklands boxer to respond. Athree-shotcom binationsaw thereferee give Hines astandingcount,withhis corner throwing in thetowel shortlyafter.

Paul Dowler,who helped startthe Shrewsbury School of Boxing,said theclubhad gone from strength to strength sincestartingand they were lookingtobecome more active in competitions

He said:“We arethe only club in Shrewsbury registered forladsto boxand we have eightsofar,with an 80-per-centwin rate sincewe started, whichisprettygood for

such ayoung club.

“Meand Sam(fellow coachMa jski)are tryingtobring fighters through when they areready while encouraginganall inclusivefeelto theclubwhich includes youngsters, femalesand thosewho just want to trainbut don’tnecessarily want to fight.

“Boxingtrainingisagreat wayto keep fitand forthose with thetal entordrive to go on andparticipate in tournaments, theopportunities arethere

“InLennox’scasehewas very unluckytosustain thehandinjury as he wasgoing well in thetournament –but he looked greatin his twobouts, full of confidenceand twogood forexperienced fighters Histimewill come again.”

Shrewsbury School of Boxing is open threenightsaweekfor train ing, formoreinformation call 07536 003904 or e-mail shrewsbury schoolofboxing@outlook.com

LennoxMcDonald with coachesPaulDowlerand SamMajskiand right, alongsideanother of theclub’syoungboxersJackMacken

DavidAustinpresentsthe Rigley CuptoAlbrighton’sHelenBlunt

Worfieldsignoff theseasonwith aspecial night

WorfieldCricket Club have official ly putthe 2022 season to bedafter hostingasuccessfulannualawards evening.

Theseasonreportwas present ed by CharlieFox-Davies, whosaid it hadbeenatesting year forall teamswiththe first, second,and women’s firstelevensmaintaining theirleaguestatusdespite aseason plaguedwithinjuryand availability problems.

The firstteam finished theircam paignin stunningstyle,winning threeout of theirlastfourgames to remain in theBirmingham League Division Twowhilethe secondsalso finished strongly to maintain their ShropshireLeagueDivisionOne status

Thethirds finished mid-table in SundayDivisionone whilethe women’s firstteamcontinued their rebuilding by finishing fifthinthe West Midlands WomenLeaguePre mier Division

Some of thestand-out perfor mances were by firstteambatter BasitZaman,who scored 909Bir mingham League runs, 708ofthem in boundaries.Zaman will be back in themiddle forWorfieldnextsea sonafter recently agreeing anew deal with theclub.

CharlieCallaghan scored over a1,000 runs forthe club andOllie Wood scoredaseasonhigh208

Offthe field, Jennie Joneswas presented with an awardfor long servicetoWorfieldjunior cricket whilethe eveningalso sawpresidentRichard Garbettjoinedby seven otherformerpresidentsfor a photograph.

Dawley arethe talk of the town afteranother victory

Thereisjustnostopping Dawley Town this season, whatever thecom petition.

TheSalop LeisureLeaguePre mier Division leadersturnedtheir attentions to theShropshireSat urdayChallenge CuponSaturday, butthe outcome wasthe same as usualastheyextendedtheir perfect record to 14 wins from 14 gameson theirway throughtothe semi fi nals

Visiting Broseley hadnoanswer to theirfree-scoringhosts in as they were sweptaside 6-1.

CharlieKnowles ledthe charge with ahat-trick,and wasjoinedon thescoresheetbyDanielBeddows, George Lees andsubstituteBrodie Mcleod.Asa Deangrabbedalate consolation forBroseley Church StrettonTownalso booked theirplace in thelastfour but needed penaltiestoedgeout GobowenCeltic

Ed Rogers firedCelticinfront twiceduringtheir firsthalfonlyfor thehosts to hitbackthrough Jack Briscoe andJames Hill to make it 2-2atthe break.

Therewerenofurther goalsand it wasStrettonwho triumphed 5-4 from thespot.

Hodnet’s cuphopes areoverafter they went down 3-1awaytoWest Midlands League Division Oneout fitAllscottHeath

An owngaolgaveHodnetthe ad vantageathalf-time butHeath hit back in thesecondhalfthanks to twogoals from Ryan Mansell and onefromAiden Jehu

TheSalop League action saw PreesUnitedgogoalcrazy in their PremierDivisionclash with SAHA FC

Preesplundered 14 goalswithout replywithSamuelFlorytakingthe individual plaudits with ahat-trick

Alex Kirk,JoelBrowne, Daniel Whelan andLiamMoore allstruck twice. TomClive,Matthew Owen andan owngoalcompleted therout.

MadeleySportsbagged three goalsand threepointsatthe ex pense of Ercall ColtsJuniorsEvo lution

JasonIllingworth,Shaun Davies andRyanEdwards were on target forSportswithEricMensahbag ging oneinreply forErcall.

Shrewsbury Up &Comersleft it late to secure victoryawaytoSt Martins.

Thehome side ledathalf-time afterLogan Richards hadscored direct from acorner.

Jordan Bailey equalisedfor Shrewsbury with 75 minutes on theclock andthenOwenRothwell grabbedadramaticwinnerinstoppage time

MatthewStuartbagged both goalsasWrockwardineWood JuniorsbeatWem Town 2-0.

Wood’s victorypushwas also

helped by goalkeeper Kareem Zaman saving apenalty

Therewas just onegameinDivision Oneand that sawtitle hope fuls AFCBridgnorth Development Squad beat BrownClee2-0

Thethree points left second-placedBridgnorth levelon points with leadersWellingtonAmateurs Development having played agamemore.

Saturday’s fixtures -Premier

Division: Dawley Town vSAHA FC;Madeley Sports vChurch StrettonTown; PreesUnitedv St Martins; WemTownv Hodnet; Wrockwardine Wood Juniorsv Shrewsbury Up &Comers;Ercall ColtsJuniors EvolutionvGobowen

Celtic Division One: EllesmereRangersvWellingtonAmateursDevel opment;ShrewsburyJuniorsDevelopment vErcallColts Juniors Revolution Colts.

League Cup: Ercall ColtsJun iorsRangersv BrownClee.

Bridgnorthpull clearfollowing awelcome win

Twogoals in five second-half minutes earned AFCBridgnorth apriceless away victoryatrelegation rivals Ingles

Atense affair in Leicestershire sawthe sides– whobothstarted theday on 18 points just outside therelegationzone–goalless at thebreak,withneither unableto breakthe deadlock

Butthe Meadow Men burst into lifeafterthe interval with a quickfire doublethatcould prove crucialinthe race to climbaway from thedottedline.

Firstitwas thefamiliar fig ureofnine-goal topscorerCraig Knowles, whocoollyconverted a ball in from Will Reid

And, minutes laterwithIngles shell-shocked, ShaquilleOlogiteremadenomistake to adda second afterbeing foundbyMatt Dean.

Ingles struck back shortlyafterwards to create atense finale butthe visitors held on to put threepointsbetween themselves andtheir hostsand,moreimpor tantly,seven points clearofthe drop zone

Shawbury United areasin glepoint better offthantheir countyrivalsBridgnorthafter an important 2-1 victory of their ownagainst mid-tableSmeth wick Rangers.

It wasanexcitinglateshow for thehosts, whofound themselves agoaldown, whileCianFenlon wasinthe sinbin,withjust20 minutes to play butshowed characterinbucket-loadsto spark aturnaround.

Former Shrewsbury Town youngster MarcoAdaggio slid in at thefar post fora crucial equaliser.

It gotevenbetterfor thehosts down in Ludlow as ex-TNS and Cardifffull-back Ryan Pryce noddeddownand in at theback post from acornertocomplete theturnaround.

Apostponementsaw Haughmond drop to thefootofthe tableas rivals CradleyTown pickedupapoint elsewhere.

Mond,whose clashagainst leadersDudleyTownwas washed out, aresix points from safety butdo have acoupleof gamesinhandonsome rivals

In thePremier Division, Shif nalTown closed thegap on leadersWalsall Wood, whowere washed out, to eightpointswith a2-1 home winover Stourport Swifts.

Thewin wasinspiredbyAFC Telfordloanyoungster JezAbbey, who fireda first-half brace.

Whitchurch Alport versus Highgate United and Market DraytonTown’s home clash with DarlastonTownfellfoulto theweather.

EllesmereRangers were dramatic late winnersinthe NorthWestCountiesLeague Edward Case Cupsecondround

It appeared theSwans were headingout thanks to a1-0 defi citatCheadle Town,but quickfire goalsfromJackHarrisand Karl Bailey inside the final10 minutes turned thetie

PresidentRichard Garbettisjoinedbya number of WorfieldCricket Club’s former presidents at theawardsevening

Run-machine Charlie Callaghan with presidentRichard Garbett

JennieJones receives herlongserving awardfromGarbett

OllieWood,who scored aseason high 208, picks up hisaward

NICK ELWELL

nick.elwell@mnamedia.co.uk

HAIRDRYERISNO USESAYSWILKIN

RICH WORTON sports@mnamedia.co.uk

playersare a‘fragile’

Achastening3-0 defeat atCur zonAshtonsaw theBucks remain lodgedtothe foot of thetable and Wilkin confessedthe strugglesare becoming tougher.

TheBucks collapsedin thelast 15 minutes of adamaging firsthalf againstthe Nash Wilkin said:“Half-timecouldn’t come soonenough, whereyou can regroupand getaroundthe lads, you’vejustgot to keepencouraging themand getting them to feel in a better place.

“It’sdifficult whenit’s3-0 at half-time, butwecameout in the second half andthere were periods there wherewepassedthe ball OK, andthenperiods whereappeared to decide to do what we wanted to do, rather than what’s best forthe team

“Those momentswereevident throughoutthe game again, to be honest,but look,that’swhere we find ourselves

“Megivingthemthe hairdryer treatment is probably notthe right thing forwhatisafragile groupat themoment.”

Wilkin andhis teamweredelayed in GreaterManchesterbyroadworks on theM6,forcingthe closure of themotorwaytoremove the trafficcontrolmeasuresand hold ingthe Bucksupfor over an hour en route, forcingadelayedkick-off.

That wasn’t ideal, andneither waslosing twomoreplayers to alengthy list of absentees,with captainMatty Brown(illness)and Jordan Piggott (kneeinjury) outof consideration.

Food forthought forTigerscoach

Hornets

beaten

by high-fliers

TelfordHornets sawabattling displaygounrewardedagainst promotion-chasing Edwardians Hornetsmadethe trip for theCounties1MidlandsWest (North)clash with amuchchanged back line butstunned theirhosts with an earlyscore

ScrumhalfNathanDeclamer wasthe manonthe mark.After picking up theballfromthe base of amaulonhalfway,hespotted aslightgap,wriggledthrough twotacklersand then sprinted roundthe coverdefencetoscore JamieCombe addedthe conver sion forseven-point lead after threeminutes

ButHornets’joy wasshortlivedashigh-flying Edwardians respondedwithtwo converted triesinasix-minutespell

Hornetsrallied andwere able to reduce thedeficittofour points throughapenalty from Combe.

Edwardians hitstraight back andtheir lively backline added twofurther convertedtries by the30-minutemarktoextend theirleadto28-10

Thesecondhalfwas domi natedbythe defensiveactions of both teamswithneither side able to addtotheir tallyas the hoststookthe spoils

ThedefeatleavesHornets ninthinthe table, butnine points clearofthe bottom three.

This Saturday’s action will seeHornets welcome aLongton side sittingtwo places andthree points above them

TelfordTigerssufferedadisap pointing weekendonthe iceasthey slippedtoback-to-back NIHL de feats.

Saturday nightsaw them return home empty-handed from theirtrip to SwindonWildcatsfollowing a5-2 reverse.Vladimir Luka netted both goalsfor thevisitors.

Head coachTom Watkinswas bitterlydisappointed by hisside’s defeat andsuggested that thepostmatchgrubwas theonlyhighlight of thetrip. He said:Ithink theonly

positive Ican take from theday is that thepost-game fish andchips were as good as ever

“Our powerplaynever gota sniff of agoaldespite five or sixchanc es andwehad a5-on-3power play wherewebarelygot apucktothe net.

“Afterthe firstperiodwewere second best in everydepartment.”

Sundaysaw Tigers edged out5-4 at home by Bees

CharlieWebb, SamWatkins, Luka andJason Silverthornwere

on themarkfor thehosts “Itwas adisappointingresult,” saidWatkins.“Ithought we were sloppy throughthe firstperiodbut in thesecondperiodwewerepretty much camped in theBees’zone. That period ends tied as we were guilty of not taking chances, executing on thepower play andwer en’t clinical.”

Tigers areonthe road to Basing stokeBisononSaturdaybeforewel coming SheffieldSteeldogs to the TelfordIce Rink on Sunday. 97 71 35 21 54 949

KevinWilkinadmitshis

groupafter AFCTelford United’s latestNational League Northdefeat.

JasonSilverthorn hits thebackofthe net for TelfordTigers during theirlosstoBeesPicture:Steve Brodie