Market Drayton Advertiser - 1-Dec-2022

FORMER MP BIDDINGTO CLEARNAME

Paterson statementclaimsheisinnocentoflobbyingcharge

NorthShrop shireMPOwenPaterson hasissuedastatement abouthis suspension from theHouse of Commons whichled to his resignation.

Throughthe statementissuedby hislegal team,the former Northern Irelandand EnvironmentMinister says he is completely innocent of anychargeoflobbying.

He hasdecidedtogotothe Eu ropean CourtofHuman Rights to clearhis name –the very body he campaigned forthe UK to quit duringthe Brexit campaign.There is, says hisstatement,no UK mecha-

nism enabling himtoseekjustice Lawyer PhilipBarden,fromthe firm Devonshires,saidthatin Octo ber, Mr Paterson wasfound by the HouseofCommons Committee on

Standardstohave, in thecommittee’swords,“used hisprivileged po sition as aMemberofParliamentto secure benefits fortwo companies forwhom he wasapaidconsultant”

Thecommittee describedMrPat erson’salleged actionsas“an egre giouscaseofpaidadvocacy”.How ever,MrBarden said:“Mr Paterson didnot engage inlobbying, nor did he usehis position to secure bene fits forany company. He is innocent of anychargeoflobbying.”

Thestatement says theformer MP wassupported by statements from no fewerthan17witnesses

“The committee refusedtocall anyofthose witnesses.Other than Mr Paterson’sown testimony, no witnessesorevidence were produced andthusthe committee’s conclusionscould notreasonably andfairlyhavebeenreached.”

Restaurant savedasnew bosses take over

Apopular restaurant hasbeenres cued from closure by abusinessman whoalso operates premises in Market Drayton.

ThefutureofThe PeachTreein AbbeyForegate, Shrewsbury,which openedin1997, looked uncertain after itsownersannounced it was closingwithimmediate effect However,the venue, alongwith neighbouringHavanaRepublic cocktail barand Spirit Venue, are

nowbeing operated by MichaelHal ford andThe ShireCollection. Mr Halfordisleasing thebusinesses.

Mr Halfordisthe director of The ShireCollectionLtd,which also runs TheButtercrossinMarket Drayton.

An announcement on ThePeach Tree’s Facebook page said:“We are thrilled to announce that Michael Halfordand TheShire Collection arenow officiallythe newbosses

at ThePeach Tree,HavanaRepublic, andSpiritVenue.Michael andhis team have lotsofexciting creative plansfor thefuture–but theirimmediate focusistorollup theirsleeves andbring themagic of ChristmastoThe PeachTreefor each andeveryparty bookingthis December!”

Bosses have told thosewithbookings they will hear from therestaurant sooniftheyhaven’t already.

Schoolpupilsbring touchof Christmasmagic to library

Votesare nowopenfor members of thecommunity to pickout the ‘prettiest’ Christmastreeafter they were decoratedby 11 Shropshireschools

Adornedwithgingerbread men andtinsel, bees andbaubles,the Christmas trees have made staff feel likethey’relivinginaCSLew is novel.

Thelibrary team launched the projectthisweekand invitedlocal schoolsinthe area to take part in decorating theirtreeinany way they want

Tori Watson, from Market Dray tonLibrary,said: “It’sbecome a real talkingpoint.Theyare on displayfromthe lights switch-on untilChristmas Eveand we are

hoping that we aregoing to get anew footfall of familiesthatwe usuallydon’t see. We want to get as many people in as possible;it looksslightlylikeNarniainhere andweare hoping to continue it next year.”

Theproject is supported by the FriendsofMarket DraytonLibraryand thewinningtreewill re ceivea£50 cheque fortheir school

“Wewanted to find away to involveall of thelocal primary schools,”Torisaid. “Weare quitea ruralareasowecontacted nine or 10 of them andended up with 11.”

To castyourvote, visitMarket DraytonLibrary.The winner will be announcedatthe Christmas partyonDecember 10

Tori Watson andAlice Machin at Market Drayton Librarywith atree decoratedbyAdderleyPrimary pupils

Former

Former MP Owen Paterson

MP hits at Tory ‘incompetence’

MP HelenMorganhas hitout at ‘Conservativeincompetence’ for creating chaos in themigrationsys temwhich hasled to asylum seek ersbeing putupin hotels in Shropshire.

TheLiberal Democrat MP for NorthShropshirecriticisedthe Government’slackofconsultation andsaidConservativepolicieswere failing communities andfailing asylumseekers

Ms Morganasserts theGovernment hasrun outofappropriate accommodationfor asylum seekers andisnow spending taxpayers’ moneyonrentingout hotels

Whyissupplyofeggs to stores cracking up?

Purchase limits forcustomers introduced by supermarkets

MARK ANDREWS newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

Lookingfor eggs foryour omelette, or in preparation foryourChristmas cake?

Competition to find bestlights

Residents andbusinessesin Market Draytonare beingurged to deck theirhomesinlightsfor atowncouncil competition.

Householders areencouraged to decorate theirhomes, while shop owners cancompete in theirown category

Entryforms canbedownloaded from thewebsite,orcollected from thetowncouncil office from Monday to Friday between 9amand 1pm.

Theclosing date forapplica tionsisDecember 8. Judging takesplace from December 12

Driversavoiding smart lanesuse Granddonation goes to causes

Morethan£1,000 will be hand ed outtocharities next week thanks to theGinger&Spice Festival

Thesum of £1,018.50was raisedatthe grand finale jazz andblues eventand will be handed over by sponsors Dour ishand Dayestateagentsto Severn Hospiceand St Mary’s Church on Tuesday.

Thegrand finale to thefes tivaltookplace in St Mary’s Church in September andfea turedthe ColinBrowneBand andFriends

Teenager raped in toiletsatclub

A19-year-old womanhas been rapedat aTelford nightclub.

Officers areappealing forinfor mation afterthe sexattackwhich happened betweenmidnightand 12.30amonSundayinthe toiletsat MatureClub&CocktailBar on The Parade,Wellington.

Detective InspectorJoWhitehe ad, said:“We believethere were a number of people in andaroundthe club toiletsatthistime. If you were therewe’durgeyou to come forward.The victim is beingsupported by specially trainedofficers andis beingkeptupdated as theinvestigation progresses.”

Chancesare you will have seen fewerthannormalonthe shelves, or even none to be foundatall

Afterthe shortage of flourand pastaduringlockdown, it is now theturnofeggstoenter thegrocery endangered list.The problems have been caused by aperfect storm, with anumberoffactors combining.

TheUKiscurrently facing its largestever bout of bird flu, com pounding existing shortages caused by producerscutting back on outputorleaving theindustrydue to increased costs.

Russia’s invasion of Ukrainehas been drivingupfarmers’energy bills, alongwiththe cost of chicken feed,hensand packaging.

Soaring

Demand foreggsisalsoupascon sumers seek outcheaper sourcesof proteintooffsetsoaring food bills.

Waitrosehas pledgeda £2.6 mil lion investment in itsegg suppliers as it remainsone of thefew supermarketsnot to imposepurchase limits on customers.Marks &Spencerand Morrisons arethe latest grocerstojoinTesco, Asda andLidl in rationingthe sale of boxesasthe impactsofrisingcosts andbird flu continue to take theirtoll.

However Waitrosesaidithas no planstointroduce such limits, adding it is confidentithas “strong availability of Britishfree-range eggs availablefor purchase both on line andinour shops”

Sainsbury’shavenot introduced anylimits,whileCo-opsaysitis continuing to monitorthe situation.

TheNationalFarmers’Union (NFU)has called foran “urgent investigation” into theegg supply chaindisruption.

Damage to Covidmemorial

Damage causedtoaspectacular sculpturededicated to theNational Health Service, care andkey workersduringthe Covidpandemic, has been described‘distressing’

TheCovid memorialsculpture hasbeenlocated at thebackofthe libraryinMarket Draytonfor nine months.It is believed astone was thrown at oneofthe stainedglass panels –the lightbluecoloured glassdedicated to ‘key workers’.

Suzanne Edwards, whowas the main project organiserfor theme

morial statue,said: “I’m more distressed at thedisrespect, as it’s a memorial to theNHS.”

Thesculpture,which cost £2,000, wascommissionedbythe Market DraytonCommunity Enterprise Groupand theMarket Drayton CommunityArtsFestivalteam.

Suzanne hassaidshe is consid eringputting aclear sheetoverthe statue to protectitand hascalled on anyone whomight be able to help with repairs. Getintouch viasznnedwards@gmail.com

Nearly half of driverssay they frequentlyoroccasionallyavoid using lane oneonsmart motorwayswithoutahardshoulder, anew survey suggests

TheRAC,which commissioned thepollof1,904 motorists, claimed theresearch “completely undermines” themainreasonfor turning hardshoulders into runninglanes, whichwas to boostroadcapacity.

A fifthofrespondents whohave driven on all-lane runningsmart motorwayssaidtheyfrequently stay outofthe left-handinsidelane, with 77 percentcitingfears over hitting astationaryvehicle

Food premises ownerbanned

A79-year-old pizzashopowner hasbeenhandedaseven-month suspended jail sentence and banned from runningfood premises againafter admitting breachingfood hygienelaws.

Acomplaintbya member of thepublicled to acouncil visit to Momma’sPizza,Market Street, Oakengates,onAugust 2018 andanumberofhealthissues were identified.

Choudury pleadedguiltyat Shrewsbury CrownCourt to five breaches of theregulations Recorder AnthonyWarnerimposedcosts of £500

LocalresidentLinda Cummingslooking at thedamaged memorial

Ribbon is cuttounveil200-homedevelopment

A200-home development in Mar ket Draytonhas hadits official launch with promises of improve mentstoinfrastructureand sup port forwildlife.

TiliaHomes’ Montgomery Place, on Greenfields Lane,helda ribbon cutting during an officialvisit by Market Draytonmayor,Councillor Mark Whittle.

He officiallyopenedthe 209 home development,aswellas learning more about what facilities andpropertieswill be availableto thelocal housingmarket

When completeMontgomery Placewillsee arange of threeand four-bedroom properties.Itwill featurea play area andpocketsof greenopenspace spanning the23acre development

Lizzie Burda, salesand market ingdirector, TiliaHomesCentral, said:“Montgomery Placepromises to be averyspecialdevelopment andwe’re thrilled to have already welcomedsuchan integral part of theMarket Draytoncommunity.”

TiliaHomes’haspledged nearly £1.3mtoMarket DraytonTown

Counciltosupport localwildlife, traffic, andinfrastructure. The fundingwillsee newpedestrian, cyclistand road

Darren

‘Momma Bear’Lynda hopes forsweet successwithshop

DAVIDTOOLEY david.tooley@mnamedia.co.uk

Lynda, 62,openedher Momma BearsbusinessinMarket Drayton, in Octoberand is lookingforward to providinglocalswithretro sweets andall kindsofdecorative itemsin therun-uptoChristmas

“SomeoneIworkedwithmany yearsago called me MommaBear anditstuck,” said Lyndawho workedasan area managerinthe sweetindustrybeforebranching outonher own.

Treat

Nowhappily installedin her smallshopinWilkinsonWalkshe’s hoping that peoplewilldecide that it is importanttohavealittletreat nowand againevenduringthe cost of living crisis

“AslongasI cantickoverIwill be happy,”saidLynda. “I haven’t gottorockthe world.Iamkeeping my prices rightdownsoeveryone canafforda 50pbag of sweets every so often.

“I am worried aboutthe cost of living butatthe endofthe daywe

HELENMORGAN MP FORNORTHSHROPSHIRE

Lookingafter your mental health is really important. This is truefor everybody: wherever you live,whatever yourbackground andregard less of yourage.SoIwas de lightedtolearn that thenext generation in NorthShropshire arebeing taught how to prior itise theirwellbeing.OnFri day, Ijoinedabrilliantbunch of pupils andteachersatBun tingsdalePrimary School and presented them with thebronze Carnegie Centre of Excellence Awardfor Mental Health

Thepandemichad ahuge impact on mental wellbeing, particularly on children who missed outonsomuchinterac tion,learningand fun.

Keepingyourself healthy mentally is justasimportant as protecting yourphysicalwell being. It’s worth remembering this as we enter the festive pe riod as Christmascan be atime wheremanypeople feel down This maybethe casemorethan usualthisyear, as many fami lies struggling with thecostof-livingare forced to prioritise groceriesover presentsand en ergy billsoverextravagance.

If you areone of themorefor tunateamongus, please take thetimetoconsiderhow your friends, familyand neighbours aredoing.Sayinghello,orhap py Christmas, or justasking how someone is canmakea huge amount of difference to many people’s days

Andifyou’renot feelingsoup beat this festiveseason, please do speakupand sharethat with oneofyourfriends,family or neighbours.Itcan make the world of difference.Weall have ourown worries,particularly at Christmas, butthatdoesn’t mean we can’ttakethe time to checkonsomeone else.For toolong, mental health hasnot been takenseriously.It’sbril liantthatour young children arenow growingupknowing thatmentalhealthmatters

OwnerLynda WilliamsatMommaBearssweet shopinMarket Drayton

routes as well as protecting localwildlifewithbuff er zonesalong the railwayand the StychBrook watercourse

Humphreys, regional managerfor TiliaHomes, said: “Montgomery Placeticks allthe boxes, whetheryou’reaprofession al requiringaccess to commuter linksorfamilies whoneed access to strong Ofsted ratedschools and localsportsand socialclubs.”

Ribbon cut on thedevelopment

WITH

Garage charging ‘lowestprices since thespring’

Fuel prices at oneShropshire filling stationhavereached theirlowest levels formorethaneight months, providingabit of relief to driversin thecostoflivingcrisis.

DA RobertsFuelLtd at GrindleyBrook Garage in ChesterRoad, Whitchurch,was selling unleaded at 141.9p anddieselat163.9p.

In comparison,the latest nation al averageis163.24p forunleaded and187.42p fordiesel.

TheEssar-brandedforecourt had been selling fuel atthose prices for severaldayslastweek.

RickyAllman, financedirectorat DA Roberts, said:“It wasmonths agowewerelastatthisprice,you’re lookingatearly March.

“Over thelasttwo or threeweeks prices have come down almost every day.

“Overall, prices have dropped quitedramatically.”

Thegarage’spriceshavebeen hailed on socialmedia,withFacebook postsadvertising itsprices receivingmorethan800 comments andsharedmorethan900 times this week

He said:“Onepostreached more than 650,000people,comparedto theusual20-30,000,and that has ledtomoresales on theforecourt “We’ve hadpeoplecomingfrom 20-30miles away because it’s 35p cheaperthanwhere theylive “Wehad someone come from the othersideofStoke.”

MP in pleafor carers to get financialboost

NorthShropshireMPHelen Morganhas calledfor carers to be given the financialsupport they need BackingNationalCarersDay 2022 shesignedaparliamenta ry motion tabled by theLiber al Democratswhich urges the GovernmenttoincreaseCarers Allowanceatleast in line with inflation.

Themotionrecognises the “financial, mental andemotion al burden faced by millionsof unpaid carers”and commends Carers Rights Day, whichispro motedbyCarersUKtoensure carers areaware of theirrights andwhere to find support.

This year’s themeis‘caring costs’,including the financial, employmentand social impact whichcaringresponsibilities have on carers

HelenMorgansaid: “Every dayofthe year,peopleofall ages andbackgrounds areworking extremely hard to care forloved ones across north Shropshire “Carerscarry ahugeresponsibility butalsohavetocope with the financialcostofsup portingfriends andfamily. It’s time thecountry caredfor carers.

“The cost of living crisis is forcingmanycarerstomakereally difficult decisions.”

Countryestatevenue welcomes topchef

Acountry estate used forweddings andfunctions haswelcomedits new chef

LilleshallHouse andGardens near Newporthas unveiled Mark Bannon,who forthe past eight yearshas workedwithwell-known TV cook Antony WorrallThomp son.

Mark hasspent thelasteight yearsatThe GreyhoundinHenleyon-Thames, therestaurantWorrall Thompsonrunswithhis wife,but nowhe’sembarking on anew chal lengein Shropshire

He hasrelocated as hisdaugh ter, Kaya,accepted aplace at the prestigiousHarperand KeeleVet

erinary School to studyveterinary science.

Mark said:“Iloved working with Antony andJay andThe Greyhound team.Antony, alongwithMarco Pierre-White,isatruefood hero of mine andalthoughI’vebeenapro fessionallytrained chef forover 30 years, working with himwas like attendingthe best trainingcollege in theworld –I learnt so much and have so much to thankhim for.

“I’vereallyfallenonmyfeet with this newrolethough. The

placeitself,Lilleshall,isstunning, andthere’s so much potentialfor growth acrossthe estate

“Into2023, I’ll be lookingto make more of thelocation, intro ducing more game dishes into the menu,asthere’s an abundanceof qualitygamearoundhere.

“These will be dishes that local people will have grownup with, but forsomereasonmay have fallen outoffavourwithmoderntastes. I want to bringbacksome of theclassics,but give them a21stcentury twist.

“I want to intriguepeoplewith my food, andget them excitedabout eating here

Help ourNHS by practising self-care, urge health experts

Health expertsinShropshireare advising residents to practise self care when possible,asA&E depart mentsare settoget busier over the coming months.

ExpertsatNHS Shropshire, Telford &Wrekinsay “wemustall play ourpartinaccessingthe right care forour healthcare needs”by self-treatingathome if possibleto do so.Anew campaign launched this week recommends that medicinecabinetsathome arekept #stockedandlocked –stocked with essentialmedicines andproducts, as well as locked andout of the reachofchildren.

Both pharmacistsand GPs ad vise that medicine cabinets should includepainkillers,suchaspar acetamol andibuprofen, indigestion treatments, anda firstaid kit containing athermometer, plasters andbandages.

Theseover-the-counter treat mentsare availableinhigh street stores andsupermarketsand are oftencheaper than prescriptions

Pharmacists also offerfreehelp andadviceonmanyminor illnesses, such as colds, coughs or fever,and canrecommend themosteffective medication to safely treat symp toms at home withoutthe need to seeadoctor.

Dr IanChan, TelfordGPand place-basedcareclinical lead at NHSShropshire, Telfordand Wrekin, said:“This winter allNHS serviceswillbeverybusy, so we must allplayour part in accessingthe rightcarefor ourhealthcareneeds.

“WithA&E departmentsand mi nor injury unitsset to geteven busieroverthe coming months, we’re asking people acrossthe county to practise self-carewhere possible.”

Mission is to ‘savecharacter’ of villagefacingdevelopment

Residentsofa village near Market Drayton have launched acam paign fighting apropos al to build230 houses in thevillage.

TheLoggerheads Save OurVil lage groupisbitterlyopposing the building application, whichwould seehousesbuilt on agricultural land in MucklestoneWood Lane

As well as striving to save the greenbeltland, thecampaigners areconcerned about theeffectthe developmentwould have on lifein thevillage.

Thegroup said:“Enough is enough.Doyou know thereare currently238 housesunder constructioninLoggerheads?Anextra 984-plus people will be living in Loggerheads very soon.

“AshleyDoctors’Surgery already

ELEANOR LAWSON Community News Reporter

has4,655 patients registeredwith them.How many more children canHugoMeynell School accommodate?

“Doyou know that Shropshire Homesproposes to buildanother 230housesonopen fields offMuck lestoneWood Lane?

“Thismeans thatanother 690plus extra people will come andlive in Loggerheadsand another460 cars on theroads “Another1,000 people maybe competingfor localjobs.”

Facilities

Thegroup estimatedthese fig ures on thepremise that there arethree peopleand twocarsper household.

They went on to say: “Weare a

village, nota town,without anylocalfacilities

“Joinour missiontosavethe characterofour village.”

Thegroup haslauncheda peti tion,and rana‘Craftand Sparkle’ eventtoraise moneyfor theircam paignonSundayafternoonatAsh leyMemorialHall.

Therewas alarge varietyofhandmade gifts, bakedgoods andcrafted piecesonoffer forpeopletobrowse, as well as afreeglass of fizz,mulled wine or amocktailfor attendees.

Membersofthe groupwill also be selling copies of theirLoggerheadscalendar, whichincludespho tographs takenbymembersofthe communityoflocal landmarksand beauty spots.

Aspokespersonfor thegroup said:“This is the firstevent of many that theSaveOur Villagecampaign will be hosting, andthe aimis to

raise fundsand awarenesstohelp fightthe proposed applicationfor 230houses whichwould be builton agricultural land in thevillage

“There arealready five active developments in thevillage, which serveno benefittothe residents, butcontributetoongoing misery foreveryonewhose livesare surroundedbythe constant building, noise andtraffic.

“Above allitisabout thevillage: giving residents abit of lightin these difficult times, andbringing together acommunity who, likeso many others,isfacinguncertain timesand deserves abit of festive cheerontheir doorstep.”

To sign thepetition, go to ch an ge .o rg /p /n o- to -m uc kl estone-wood-lane-housing-development

Chef MarkBannon hasjoinedLilleshall Houseand Gardens

ELEANOR LAWSON newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

Lady Chatterley’s

Lover film is givenits release in cinemas

Thelatestscreenadaptation of Lady Chatterley’sLover, filmed on a Shropshireborderestate,has beenreleased in cinemas.

TheSony/Netflix film wasmade at Brynkinalt Hall betweenChirk andStMartin’s.

It tellsthe DH Lawrence storyof thesteamy romancebetween Lady Chatterley,playedbyEmmynom inee Emma Corrin (The Crown) andJack O’Connell (SAS Rogue Heroes).

Born into alifeofwealthand privilege, Lady Chatterley fallsout of love with herhusband andbegins aanaffairwiththe gamekeeper on theirestate.

Scenes are filmed both inside Brynkinalt Hall,aGrade ll listed building,and in thegrounds,which straddle theEnglandWales border

Itsrelease this week hasseenthe film hailed by TheTimes’top critic, KevinMaher as “immensely subtle andmoving”

ThecustodiansofBrynkinalt Hall,Iainand Kate Hill-Trevor, said that they were incredibly proud to have hosted the film crew and have some of Britain’sbesttalent on theestate.

“Pleaseremember Brynkinalt is privatepropertyand is notopento thegeneral public,exceptfor specific events,”saidKate.

Sheadded: “Pleasesee ourweb site andfollowour socialmedia for updatesondates when thehouse andgardensare open fortours or events.”

Lecturerssupported as they startstrike

University lecturersand support staffhavestarted threedaysof strike action over payand working conditions

Alarge picket formed at Harper AdamsUniversity,nearNewport, on Thursday wheretheyweregiv en mincepiesbystudentsand hot drinks by management to sustain theircampusprotests.

They were also duetojoininwith thenationalactionyesterday.

Deena Webster, whochairsthe Harper Adamsbranchofthe University andCollege Union(UCU), said:“Harper Adams is traditional-

david.tooley@mnamedia.co.uk

ly notapicketingcampus, we have hadlow numbersbefore.

“Butwithinthe last fewyears we have grownstrongerand theturn outtoday showsthe strength of feeling.

“Wehavelotsofsinglemothers andfamilymemberswho have to trytopay theirmortgages andput food on thetable.Wedonot getlots of money, in fact we have hadan effective33per cent paycut com-

paredtowhatitshouldhavebeen to cover inflationsince2009.”

Labmanager Victoria Talbot said:“People areleaving theuni versitysector-there will notbeany universities left if everyone leaves If we want thebestpeopleyou have gottopay adecent wage.”

Ms Webster agreed that there is asense of solidarity amongher membersasother unions, on the railways andRoyal Mail,and nurs es were striking over essentiallythe same issues

“All publicservicesare beingaffected.”

Factory is at theforefront of more eco-friendly packaging

Market Drayton’sMuller factory is at theforefront of making packaging more environmentally-friendlyacrossthe UK.

Thecompany hasalready teamed up with supermarket Waitroseto putclear caps on plasticmilkcon tainers. NowAldiisfollowing suit

Aldi is trialling clear caps on milk bottles in itsShropshirestoresina bidtofurther improve therecycla bility of itsproducts.

Thesupermarket chainisscrap ping thegreen bottletopsonits BritishSemiSkimmed Standard Milk products in favourofclear caps, whichare easier to recycle.

Thetrial,inpartnershipwith Müller,was introduced last month in itsLudlowstore

If successful it couldberolledout to allMüller-suppliedstoreswhich wouldsee an additional 60 tonnes

peryearofrecycledHigh-Density

This comesfollowing Müller’s coloured capreplacement trials in partnershipwithWaitroseearlier this year

Lookingtoreduceplastic waste, thetrial sawthe switch taking

placeacross331 Waitrosebranches andaccordingtoMüller’s research, eightout of 10 shoppers said they wouldwelcome thechangeand choose aclear capoveracoloured one

“The humble rHDPEmilkbottle is alreadyatremendous exampleof thecirculareconomy,but we want ed to do more,” Müller CEO Rob Hutchisonsaid. “Wewanttobethe

partnerofchoice forour custom ers, so we will continue to deliver outstandinglevelsofservice and quality, butalsoinnovateand lead on issues likethiswhich arehugely important, notonlyfor shoppers, butfor ourcustomers too.”

In August,Müller ranasustain ability driveacrossits creampots, converting 75 percentofits cream volume to rPET pots whichare 100 percentrecyclableand contain82 percentrecycledmaterial.

Important

RichardGorman, plastics and packagingdirectoratAldi, said: “It’sbecomingincreasinglyimpor tant to ourcustomers that their everyday products areenvironmentally-friendly,and we areconstantly reviewingwaystobecome amore sustainable supermarket

“By trialling clearmilkcapswe aremakingour milkbottles easier to recycle, so they canbeturned back into newpackaging.”

Road closures fortown’scarols

Road closureshavebeenannounced foratowncentre’s Christmascarol concert.

Shrewsbury’s annual Carols in theSquaretakes placeonDecember14, starting at 5.30pm

Shrewsbury Town Councilisorganising theconcert,which will be broadcastliveonBBC RadioShrop shire.

MusicwillbeprovidedbyShrewsbury BrassBandwithmembers of Shrewsbury Male VoiceChoir lead ingthe crowds with renditions of classicChristmas carols including Hark!The Herald Angels Sing,Silent Nightand JingleBells

Theconcert will also be available to watch on-linethankstoShrewsbury-basedcompany,MicroVideo, with live-streamingvia thetown council’swebsite at carolsin thesquare.com/

To allowthe eventtobeheldsafely,there will be road closuresin placein thetowncentre

Crowdinfluence on refs probed

Ateamofuniversity research ershavebeeninvestigating whetherfootballcrowdsare in fluencingreferee behaviour.

Theexperts, from theUniver sity of Wolverhamptonand the University of Portsmouth, have compared thereferee’s actions in ‘crowd vs no crowd’ games, consideringthe number of home andawayred andyellowcards that were recorded

Thepandemic provided an opportunitytoassessthe in fluenceofcrowds, duetotheir absence.AlanNevill,research professorin thefaculty of education health andwellbeing at theUniversity of Wolverhamp ton, said:“Ourstudy provides overwhelming evidence that crowds areabletomanipulate professional referees to award significantly more redand yel lowcards to away players.”

Businesses set forcreative fair

Morethan40businessesare set to attend the10thannualShropshire Handmade andCreative Christmas Fair in Shrewsbury this weekend.

Theevent transformsSalop Leisure andLove2StayinShrewsbury into an indoor andoutdoor gift andfood hall,withastreetmar ket rammed full of thebestgoodies from Shropshire’s finest makers andbakers. This year,organisers arecelebrating their10thanniver sary of helpingsellthe waresof Shropshire’screativeresidents OrganiserCarrieHughesbegan Pink Pebble Events Ltd, with a friend in 2012.She said:“It’s grown andgrown.Now my staffand Iget to putonamazing events likethis one. We’vegrown this wonderful communityoftraders whocome back time andtimeagain.”

Entryis£1. Book online at:www pinkpebbleevents.co.uk/event-de tails/shropshire-handmade-and-cre ative-christmas-fair-2022

Students Jo Flowerand Pahaghiota Holehanded outmince piesand supporttotheir lecturers

DAVIDTOOLEY

TheMuller factoryinMarket Drayton

Timeless appeal of boardgames

Lego,board gamesand puzzlesare amongthe giftsthatparents are most likelytobelieve will standthe test of time,accordingtoa survey

Bikes, Barbies, footballs, and theRubik’s Cube were also popular choicesasthe toys that parents believeare themosttimeless, Gumtreefound

Nearly nine in 10 parentsfeelunderpressuretodeliver giftstheir children will be pleasedwiththis year,according to the findings.But morethanhalfofchildrenaged be tweensix and12years oldwho were surveyed said they wouldnot mind if agift wassecond-hand.

Presentstoppedthe list of what children said aremostexcited about,followedbytimeoff school, eating Christmasdinner andplayinggames with friendsand family.

Hannah Rouch, chiefmarketing officeratGumtree, said:“Toys and gamesholdsuchpreciousmemories forchildren.”

Driver in crash goes to hospital

Acar driver wastaken to hospitalfollowing acollision with a lorry that ledtoroadclosure

TheblackBMW andlorry col lidedonthe B4176bythe roundaboutand ShellgarageinSut tonMaddock shortlybefore6am last Wednesday

West Mercia Police urged peopletoavoid theareawhile the road wasclosed. Crewsfrom West Midlands AmbulanceSer vice andShropshireFire&Res cueService also attended Four fire appliances were sent from Telfordwithanoperations officeralso in attendance

Aspokeswoman forWestMid landsAmbulance Servicesaid: “The driver of thecar,aman, hadalready gothimself out. Ambulancecrews assessed him forminor injuries before conveying himtoPrincessRoyal Hospital forfurther treatment.”

Festivedateto mark 10th year

AShropshirechamber orchestra is hostingafestive concertaspartof its10-year celebrations

Bridgnorth Sinfonia will perform at St Mary’s Church on December 17 at 7.30pm,conducted by James Ross andled by Margaret Wright

Themusical programmeincludes Copland’sFanfare forthe Common Man, Humpderinck’sHanseland Gretel Overture,Rimsky-Korsak ov’s Introductionand Polonaise, Delius’s Sleigh Ride,and Anderson’sChristmas Festival Overture

Aspokesman said:“Having grownfromjusta fewmembers, to becoming afullorchestra, Bridgnorth Sinfonia arenow look ingforward to theirnextten years.”

Ticketsare £12, free forun der-16s, availablevia theTicket Source website or on thedoor.

To help with theserving of re freshments at Sinfonia events, emailkatebedford@yahoo.co.uk or cottamkate@gmail.com

Changing climatebig threat to roses, warnsgrower

Aworld-renowned flower growing business hasspokenofthe impact climatechangeishavingonits ros es,takingthe “brave decision”to retire popularvarieties

DavidAustinRoses, basedinAlbrighton, is famous globally forits blooms andhas been on amission forthe last 60 yearstooffer itscus tomers “themostbeautiful anddis ease-freeroses”.

But, theongoing challenges of global warmingand theincreasein pests, meansthatthe business has been forced to retire popular flower varieties, includingthe Munstead Wood andAShropshireLad Paul Constantine, of David Aus

tin Roses, said:“As theleading ex pertsinrosebreedingand care for over 60 years, we arewell-placed to witnessthe environmentalchanges that impact thehealthofthe na tion’s favourite flower

“Wecannotstand still andob serveaswesee diseases andpests evolve as conditions andclimates change,threateningthe health and success of some of ourmostpopular varieties. We arepassionateabout beingcustodiansofthe roseand arecommitted to doingeverything we cantoguarantee ourcustomers plants that thrive,thereby safe guarding thefutureofthe rose.

“Thismeans re-trialling allour

releases and, in some instances, re tiringverypopular varieties.

“Whilst these plants maycontin ue to do well in some circumstances,inthe longtermthe changing conditions mean that we recommend alternative varietiesthatare better suited to thechangingenvironment.

Decision

“Thisisnot an easy decision and maywellresultin lowerrevenue, butwemusttakethe bravedecision to retire them.”

TheMunsteadWood is adark, velvetyrosewhich wasintroduced in 2007,whileA Shropshire Ladisa

lightpeachy rosewhich wasgrown at DavidAustinfor morethan20 years. DavidAustinRoses says the varietieswill “alwaysremainpart of ourhistory”but that it made sense to pursuemoreclimate-adaptable flowers.

Mr Constantineadded: “Our simple aimistoget thebestroses possible into ourcustomers’hands, thereby ensuring them thebest chance of success andhappiness.

“Our breedingprogram is con tinually striving to bringinbetter varietiesinterms of health, perfor mance, beauty,and fragrance– not an easy challenge but one we remain as committed to.”

Re-imaginingoffamiliar story steeped with theatrical magic

ALICEINWONDERLAND NewVic,ByJohnHargreaves

TheWhite Rabbit is apracticing illusionist andthe hole Alicefol lows himdownisthe trapdoorof thetheatre in whichherehearses. It brings a fitting literalnesstothe over-usedexpression‘Themagic of live theatre’.

This versionfromdirectorThe resa Heskinstakes itscue from a posedphotographofAlice Liddell, themodel forLewis Carroll’sstory, dressedupinragsand barefoot,her hand cupped forbegging

Shemakes herAlice an illiterate butinquisitive urchin,senttotown

by herMam to scavenge something fordinner Aliceusesher trickcards to fleece puntersinthe market placeuntil trickedherself by amastermagician.

Shetumbles,ever hungry,intoa peculiarworld whereshe is alltoo eagertofollowthe instructions ‘Eat me’and ‘Drink me’afterlaboriously sounding them outphonetically.

Alicegrows enormousand then shrinkstoeight inches with the theatrical wizardry forwhich the NewVic’s musicalfamilyplays are famous

Shespins herway through doors andwindows,timeand logic, en countering theeerilydisjointed

CheshireCat,the single-(bloody) minded QueenofHearts, theMad Hatter whosetea partytempts (“Take atart, they’restolenyou know”) butwon’t deliver This no-nonsense Alicefaces so much nonsense she’sdriventotan trums(“Eleven-and-a-halfissuch an uncomfortable age”)but she’s learning too.

Theme

Thetheme of playingcards merg es with that of chess, forHeskins hastaken characters from both Wonderland andThrough theLook ingGlass

Anarrative of sortslinks theepisodes as Aliceadvancesasa pawn acrossagiant chessboard,meeting theJabberwock(an awesome Heath Robinsonhorrorbreathing fire)

amongothersand transformingat last to aqueen when shereaches thefar side.The finale is as moving as it is mysterious

Woven throughthe storyare el egantlychoreographedsongand dancesequences,withinstrumen talsolos from chorus membersornamentingthe music. LewisCarroll is recognisable in many of thelyrics andthere’s ajocular Victorianmusichallfeeltomuchofit.

Arecentgraduateofacting school,Eleanor Franschplays Alice with anuanced mixofinnocence andstreet savvy.

Theaccomplished ensemble working with herbothfeed and draw on herenergy.

l AliceinWonderland runs at the NewVic Theatre,Newcastle-un der-Lyme,until January28, 2023.

AliceinWonderlandat theNew Vicisanenchanting re-imagining of thefamiliarstory steeped with theatrical magic.

Eleanor Franschstars as AliceinAlice in Wonderland at theNew Vic

PurviParmar as RedQueen.Pictures:Andrew Billinton

Landowner movestobegin restorationofwetland habitat

MATTHEWPANTER matthew.panter@mnamedia.co.uk

Fields aretoberestored to wetlandundera nature partnershipproject launched on land near Newportonthe Shropshireborder.

Bradford Estatesistransforming an area near Brineton as part of a scheme delivered with Shropshire Wildlife Trust, drawinguponfundingfromthe EnvironmentAgency’s WaterEnvironment Improvement Fund

On threehectaresmostrecently usedfor livestockgrazing,Bradford Estatesisdeploying fundstocreate wildlife-friendly “scrapes”, shallow depressionswithgently-sloping edgeswhich will temporarilycollect rainwater, with theaim of attract ingwetland wildlife to thearea.

Theproject also includes thefellingoftrees across thestreamwhich runs throughthe land to enhance thewetland at peak rainfall times. As well as seeing plants such as sedges andrushesrestoredtothe area,itishoped insects andwading birdslikesnipe will return

Thepartners have shaped the transformationtoslowand stop sediment beingcarried from farm land to thenearbyAqualateMere National Nature Reserve, reducing

Chance to enterlightscompetition

thedecline of thenatural lake

Thesurrounding fencingis being replaced to supportconservation grazingofthe newlyimprovedwet land with theBradfordEstates spe-

cialist flock. FarmsdirectorOliver ScottsaidBradfordEstates haddecidedtorestore the wetlandaspart of its100-yearplantoshape itsfuture around responsiblepractices

He said:“Rather than theland beingintensivelygrazedand result inginthe loss of itswetland plants, we arereinstatingthe conditions forthishabitat to recover andatthe same time stop silt beingwashedtowardsAqualateMere. We arehappy forthisareatobeusedaswetland as an exampletoother landowners andfarmers to follow.”

Pete Lambert, head of land and water,for ShropshireWildlife Trust, said:“WItisgreat to work with asympathetic landownerto conservewet grasslands anduse thesitetohelpprotect more sensitive locationsdownstream. The wetter this land remainsthe better forthe biodiversity andthe environment.”

AlexanderPearson, athirdyear BScenvironmental land manage ment studentat Harper Adams University,nearNewport,worked on theproject as part of hisplacement year with Bradford Estates.

He said:“It hasbeeninterestingtosee how theproject haspro gressed.”

Higher level of asylum-seeking childrenincounty

Thenumberofunaccompaniedasy lum-seekingchildrenbeing looked afterinShropshireisupfromlast year, figuresshow

Data from theDepartmentofEducationshows31loneasylum-seek ingchildrenwereincareinShrop shireonMarch 31,upfrom24the year before

Fifteen were in care in Telford &Wrekin, up from seven theyear before.

TheChildren’sSocietyiswarningthatlocal authorities, already stretchedtocapacityand strugglingto find placementsfor chil dren in care,are leavingyoung peopleat risk

The figuresshow that asy lum-seekingchildrenrepresent a smallfractionofthose in care in the region -just0.37per cent

Overall, 7,411children were be inglookedafterinShropshireat theend of March in theareawith 426placed in foster care,5,067 chil dren were beinglookedafterin Telford &Wrekin, with 320placed in foster care

MariekeWidmann,Children’s Societypolicyand practice advisor said:“Children arrive here alone, afteratraumatic anddangerous journey, separatedfromtheir fami lies andlovedones–some mayeven have been trafficked to theUK –it’s absolutelyessential that they get theright supportand protection in placeand quickly.”

Pete Lambert ofShropshire Wildlife Trust, centre, withAlexander Pearson andOliverScott of Bradford Estates

COMMENT

Concerns areexpressed,the publicpanic buys andshortages getworse whilepeoplebulkbuy itemsthattheywill notuse

We have seen it with petrol in thepast, even with flourand pastaduringlockdown. Toilet roll wasanothereveryday commodity that became subjectto thevagariesofthe market

Nowitisthe turn of eggs They areinshort supply and retailersare rationingthemso that they do notrun out. The shortage is partly down to in creaseddemand, in addition to bird flu, alackofsupplyand in creasedcosts

Farmerssay they warned supermarket chains that in creasedcosts meantpriceshad to rise or they wouldstoppro ducing eggs.Thisnow appears to have takenplace. Supermar kets’ supplies have been disrupted andtheyare having to limithow many eggs people can buyinorder to limitthe impact, butmanyofuswill have been metwithempty shelvesinrecent weeks.

It is crucialthategg farmers stay in theindustry. TheUK needs to have adegreeofself-re liance on such an essentialcom modity,justasitneedstohave energy security andcontrolover othersectors of theeconomy

That meansegg farmers must be helped throughthe bird flucrisis, making sure they are notsentunder by rising energy bills. Supermarketsalso have a role to play in giving farmersa fair deal.All thoseactionpoints mayleadtoa fewpence added to ahalf-dozen, butitmay be a pricewehavetopay fora guar anteed supply of eggs on our shelves. It is importanttokeep cool headsand make sure those whoneedshort-term help are assisted,lestwecause structur al damage to an industry upon whichweall rely so heavily.

Type2 diabetes is one of thebig gest dangerslooming overour society anditislargely aproblemofour ownmaking. Today we offersomeideas on how to avoidit.

Most will be familiar to us all –althoughwho knew teacould staveoff diabetes?

Even so,itdoesn’t hurt us to be reminded againthatwecan take positive choicesand live more healthylivesinwhich we avoid seriousillness

We live in asociety of excess, even with thecostoflivingcri sis. It is up to us allwhether we embrace that excess or decide to take responsibility forour own health

We live in an advanced nation wherewehaveaccesstogoodinformationand knowledgeabout health

We know therisks andthe consequences of living un healthylives.

We must alllooktodoour bit to avoid expensiveand unhappy illnesses,whether we arewell offoronalow income

How to avoid joining Britain’s Type 2Club

If youdon’t have type 2diabetes, thechances areyou know someone whohas.

By 2030,DiabetesUKpredicts that five-and-a-halfmillion people in theUKwill have thecondition

Andthe West Midlands is one of theworst areasaffected,withobe sity levels in urbanareas especially above thenationalaverage.

Thebestadvice, as always, isto preventthe conditionfromhappeninginthe firstplace

Thereare some really simple ways to reduce yourrisk of developingtype2 andimprove your over allhealthatthe same time

DietitianDrCarrieRuxton, who also works with theTea Advisory Panel, hascarried outextensive re search on thecondition

He says:“Diabetesisacondition whereblood sugarlevelsrun out of controldue to alackofthe hormone insulin, leadingtodangerous health complications such as blindness andkidneydamage.

“Morethanninein10cases are type 2diabetes, whichunliketype1 is preventablebecause it’s linked to ourdietand lifestyle.”

So,whatsteps canwetaketo avoidjoining those statistics?Here areafew tips

1. KEEP AN EYEONYOUR WEIGHT

Everyone knowsweightisanissue Whileitisn’t everything when it comestohealth, beingoverweight canimpactyourchances of developingtype2diabetes.

“Withmorethantwo-thirdsof adults in theUK carrying toomuch weight, it’s ashockingstatistic that you areupto80times more likely to develop type 2diabetesifyou areobese,comparedwithhaving abodymassindex under22,”says

Dr Ruxton.“Scientists thinkthisis because thebodycells of overweight people become increasingly resist anttoinsulin, forcingthe body to

Dr Ruxton says anew report by theTea Advisory Panelfound simpledietstrategies,suchasdrink ingblack or greentea daily, can help boostour intake of polyphe nols –“naturalbioactive plant compounds, whichhelptostabilise blood sugarlevelsand reduce in flammation”.

Astudy in BritishMedical Jour nalfound that having morethan threecupsoftea dailyisassociated with lowerriskofType2diabetes.

4. TAKE BREAKS BETWEEN MEALS

Dr Ruxton suggestsalongerfast betweenmeals is better forblood sugarcontrol

War, likehistory,tends to repeat itself.And if there’sarecurring themeinthe warin Ukraine, it’s theone wherehighly-respected Westernexperts tell us that Putinisrunningshortof missiles followed,afew days later,byPutin demonstrating that he’s gotshedloads of thethings.

When this bloodywar is over, as it surely will be oneday,mil lionsoftonsofgrain will again flow from Ukraineand billions of barrelsofgas from Russia. Inevitably,food andenergybills will be cutand an entire Euro pean countrywill need rebuilding. How longcan this warlast when thereissomuchmoneyto be madefromendingit?

Qatarmay welldeserve ales son, armbands andall,inhumanrightsand inclusivity. But arewesurethatEnglish professionalfootballhas anyright to do thelecturing?Our bitter experience is that some of our pampered andgrossly overpaid players arenot exactlybeacons of moralenlightenment.

Ihavesome sympathy with the “blundering barrister” who wasupbraided by ajudge for arriving at courtinNewport in Waleswhenheshouldhave been 150miles away foracase in Newportonthe Isle of Wight. Upbraid: good word, notused enough

keep producingmoreand more. This overuseexhauststhe pancreas –the organin thebodywhere insu linismade–and theproductionof insulinthendwindles.”

2. GETINTO FITNESS

There’snogetting over thefactthat exercise helps, even if it is justa walk to theshops andback.

“A report in theWorld Journal of Diabetesfound that,while vigorousexercise wasbestfor cutting risk,evenwalking foratleast 30 minper daylowered therisk by around half,” notes Dr Ruxton “Whatweput into ourbodies, how we recharge,and howwemove are thethree keypillarsofmaintaining ourhealth. Irecommend acombina tion of cardiovascular andstrength trainingfor optimal fitness.”

3. DRINKING TEAHELPS

Maintaininghealthy blood sugar levels couldbevital forhelping keep type 2diabetesatbay

“A plan whereyou sticktowater, regulartea or herbal tea between 7pmand 11am givesyourpancreas abreak andhelps to stimulate fatburning.Ifyou can’tfacethat, trytokeepyourcarbs formealtimesonlyand sticktolow-sugar, high-protein snacks, such as nuts, seeds, cheese,yoghurt,ordark chocolate,”she says

5. TRYWHOLEGRAINS

Astudy published inDiabetologia foundthateatingmore fibreisas sociatedwithareduction in type 2 diabetes risk of around a fifth.

Many people pull afacewhenyou mention fibre, butthere is plenty of food outthere that is healthyand also enjoyable to eat.

“Fibre is foundinwholegrain bread, pasta, andriceaswellas oats, beans, vegetables,and fruit,” saysGP, Dr Gill Jenkins.

“Scientistsbelieve that wholegrain cerealtypes arebet terfor blood sugar controland re ducing theriskofdiabetes, butall sourcesare good forgeneral health

“Weshouldaim for30g aday,but intakesinthe UK arecurrently less than half of this.”

Anyway,there areanawful lot of Newports, includingtowns of that name in Yorkshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, Highlands, Pembrokeshireand Shropshire. To addtothe merriment there’s Newport-on-TayinFifeand NewportPagnell near Milton Keynes.Yet thereisnoevidence of what these places were called before they became Newports Scouring theAAroadatlas,I can’t find asingleOldport.An historical mystery.

Whichleads neatly on to the newTVseriesAncient Apocalypse (Netflix)inwhich author, former journalist andalterna tive historianGrahamHancock suggests highly advanced civili sationswereonthisplanettens of thousandsofyears before most historians believe

Iinterviewed Hancocka coupleoftimes in hisearly career andhewas always goodvalue In 1995 he told me howthe ancients’fascination with the afterlifechallengedhis own atheism. In asoberingmoment he said:“Ithink it is morerational to keep an open mind Youwould be wise to putmoney onthe probability of life after death.”Assuming, that is, you could find someonetoaccept the bet

Fearsabout shortagesfre quentlybecomeaself-fulfill ingprophecy

Diabetes levels areincreasing

Time needed to repair damage done by allthe Brexit failures

Everyone is sufferingfrom “longBrexit”, unlikelongCov id whichaffects some of our citizens

Theresa May firstpromised to getBrexitdone, then Boris said getBrexit done,followed by Lizand nowRishi

Thereality is, sixand ahalf yearsafter thereferendum, Brexit is not done –itwill never be done or go away because of thedamageand on-going dam agetoour economyand stand ardofliving.

ThelistofBrexit failures growsweekly.

Thepound hasbeenper manently devalued by 20 per cent;the valueofour economy hasgrown at athird therate of Germanyand theUSsince thereferendum; many small companieshavestopped trad ingwiththe EU;companies aremovingtheir businesses outofthe UK;Government figuresshow that Brexit paper workonour borderscosts £7 billion each year;lastweekit wasleakedthatParis hassur passed London as thelargest financialcentre in Europe;and thereare many more negatives.

When will UK politicians face up to therealities,tellthe truthtothe people andstart to repair thedamage?

In thelastfew days thereare signs that some in Government know thedisasterBrexit is, but fear theirhardBrexiteers

Sadly, things will only get worse untilthe “Brexiteer Tory”governmentisvoted out.

Then it will take yearstone gotiatenew positive termswith EU.The UK will suffer agener ationofdecline

TheUKvotershavetoaccept theirpartin this disaster

Fifty twoper cent of voters believed theLeave Campaign ledbyBoris andMichael Gove, twojournalists whowere“eco nomicalwiththe truth”,mas termindedbyDominic Cum mings, andlet’snot forget NigelFarage.

Nigeldeceivedthe people with hispopulist messages just to feed hisown huge ego!

We canonlyhopethatthe younger generation insist that politicians sort outthe mess andcreatea positive wayfor ward

To do this, they have to find astrongleaderfor ourcountry Bill McClements,Telford

PICTURE FROMTHE ARCHIVE

Teachmaking do andmending

Together we learnedtosupply ourselves with naturalmateri alsbyusing plants, wools, fur (combedfromdogsetc)and, yes, offcutsoffur

We included leatherand any thingwecould layour handson to produceclothes,gifts, bags etc. My friend stilldoessoin anothercountry.I’vestopped nowand regret it

We madesinglebed linenand even nappiesout of half-worn materials.

Ourfamilieswerekeptwarm andclean by thethese ways in thosedays, whichare frowned upon today.

Food wasbasic,atwist was able to be addedfromtimeto time.Any extra wasprepared andkeptinjars. At times we didlongfor an onionora change

Collars, cuffsand anylove lybitsoffabricwereusedto enhanceour clothes. Patches were used,not just on clothes butkettles andpans.

Idon’t want theworld to go backwards, butwemustpre

pare to make do andmend, to curb ourwishestomeetour needs

Startnow andteach the youngstershow to do it.How to live with feweraids, live well andlivelong. Enjoy asimpler life

BAFlowers, Newport

Best ‘warmhub’ if

With allthe talk aboutmanag ingenergybillsand warm hubs therecan be none better than theHouse of Lords.

Doze offina comfy, red leather-clad seat,cocoonedin warmth andget paid forbeing there!

If you wake up peckish, there’sasubsidisedbar and restaurant nearby andanex penses-paidtaxitotakeyou home

Sadly, entranceisrestricted to this place.

Mike Crump,

We shouldn’t turn ablind eye

Thereisanundeniablefact aboutwar that everyone should face up to.Ukraine andthe West have been buildingup evidence of alleged warcrimes carriedout by Russianforces. From what we have been shown andfroma goodnumberofwit nesses it seemsasthoughthese chargesare most probably cor rect.There have also been al legationsofUkrainian soldiers committing acts that couldbe construedaswar crimes Historytells us warcrimes occurona regularbasis dur ingconflicts.Duringthe First WorldWar therewerereports of soldiers surrendering, being shot.Asimportant as it is to notlosesightofthe fact that Russia is responsiblefor this war, we cannot andshouldnot turn ablind eyeataccusations of warcrimescarried outby theUkrainian forces.Asal ways thevictors will writethe history.

Shropshire

John Green, West Midlands

address and telephone number. Letterswill only bepublished anonymouslyinexceptional circumstances.The editor reserves theright to condense or amend letters

youcan getin!

TheforecourtofLondonRoad Motors in Crickmerry, Market Drayton,photographedprobablyabout 1960

Prison market is back again

Shrewsbury PrisonChristmas Market is back forits second year and will runovertwo days in December

Ticketsare free forthe festive market,which will showcasegifts, crafts, clothes, games, toys, and street food supplierswithits 65 stalls

Allofthisisset within the groundsofthe prison, Shropshire’s top-ratedtourist destination and winner of TripAdvisor’sTravellers’ Choice 2022 Award.

Themainmarket is situated in thebuildings at therearofthe prisonsite, whichinclude thevisits area,the chapel,and sports hall Street food vendorscan be found in theexercise yard,serving food includingdeliciouscakes, mince pies andmulledwine.

Themarket will be open on Saturday10and Sunday, December 11, from 10am until4pm each day.

Visitshrewsburyprison.com/ events/christmas-market/.

Show home opensdoors

Ahousebuilderhas unveiled a newshowhome at anew development in Shropshire Jessup Partnerships has opened itsBeechshowhome at TheWoodlandsdevelopmentin LightmoorVillage, Telford.

Thedevelopment, locatedon WellingtonRoad, features amix of two, three, andfour-bedroom homeswhich areperfect for families andyoung profession als. Each is builtwithecologi caland environmentallivingin mind andtoagenerousspecifi cation

LightmoorVillageisa joint venture betweenBournvilleVil lage Trustand Homes England, modelled on theprinciples of a Garden Village.

Prices startfrom£255,000 forathree-bedroom home.For furtherdetails visitjessupthewoodlands.co.uk

Golfers donate to garden appeal

Acountygolfclubhas raisedover £1,000 forThe Robert Jones and AgnesHuntOrthopaedic Hospital’s currentfundraising appeal –Gar den forAlice

Thecaptain of ArscottGolfClub Seniorsnamed theappeal, which will fund an inclusive, sensory garden forpaediatricpatientsand their familiesatShropshire’sspecialist orthopaedichospital, as theirwor thycause of theyearof2022, rais ing£1,100for thecampaign. The golf club andits 90 membershosted arange of fundraisingeventsto supportthe cause

NigelEaston, ArscottGCSen iorscaptain,said: “InSeptember 2017,Ihad successfulbilateral knee replacements undertaken at RJAH,and went from enduring in tense frequent discomfort to being healthyand pain free “Asaway of saying thankyou I decidedtocontributesomethingto thehospital.”

Record crowds forswitch-on despite footy

ThousandsgatheredinNewport to watchthe officialChristmas Light Switch-OnlastFriday, despiteit clashing with Englandplaying the USAinthe WorldCup NewportTownCouncil hoststhe free communityevent everyyear, anddespite thefootball, this year’s eventhad arecordturnout

Thetownsquarewas transformed with astage marquee covered in twinklinglights, andNova FM kicked offproceedings from here with seasonal musicat4.30pm

TheNewport Male VoiceChoir then treated thegathering crowds

ELEANOR LAWSON newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

to some festive carols,followed by characters from Nova Panto’s Beauty &the Beast, whogot the crowdintothe swingofthings, as they waited forthe imminentarriv al of Santaand thebig switch-on.

TheNewport SalvationArmy marchingbandled Newport’stradi tional ChristmasParade, whichleft theGuildhalljustbefore6pm

They were followed by areindeer-drawn sleigh carrying the

Christmas card competitionwinner andher guardian,and theRotary Lite sleigh ferrying Santaand the Mayor,Councillor IanPerry

Theprocessionmadeits way alongthe High Street to thesquare, wherethe competitionwinner,San ta andthe Mayordisembarkedand made theirway to thestage forthe officialproceedings.

Just priortothe switch-on, a shorttribute waspaidtoPeter Taunton, Town Crierfor Newport since2008. Peterhad beenbooked to performthe switch-on, butsadly passed away in September

Menare urged to take stand againstviolence towardswomen

Telford&WrekinCouncil called on mentotakea standagainst crimes of violence againstwomen andgirls forWhite Ribbon Day2022.

Taking placelastFridayWhite Ribbon Dayencouragesmen and boys never to use, excuse or remain silent aboutviolence againstwom en

UntilDecember 10,Telford & Wrekin Counciland otherlocal partners will undertake16daysof action to supportthe global move ment againstmaleviolence

The WhiteRibbonFacebookpage will raise awareness, Southwater will be litupwhite,and whiterib bonstickers will be appliedtolocal taxis, as well as West Mercia Police, Shropshire Fire andRescueServices andcouncil fleetvehicles.

An eventtosupport andengage business in Telford&Wrekin’s nighttimeeconomy on drink-spik ingand othersafetyissuesaffecting womenisalsotakingplace on De cember 9.

AFCTelford United andTelford HornetsRFC arealso taking a standagainst domestic violence and areencouraging others to think about how they canmakeapositive difference.

Councillor KellyMiddleton,the council’scabinet member forleisure,publichealthand wellbeing, equalities andpartnerships, said: “Womenare disproportionallyaffected by domestic violence,as well as stalking andharassment.

“SincebecomingaWhite Ribbon town in 2011,wehavelongsince championedsupport andpreventa tive measures in Telford&Wrekin allyearround.”

LibDemswarnof£54 million repair bill at county’s hospitals

NorthShropshireMP

HelenMorganhas warned that thecounty’s hospitalsare in a “chronic stateofdisre pair”as figuresreveal they need more than £54 millionofrepairs.

Thecashisneededtorepair crumblingbuildings andclear the maintenancebacklog,according to newanalysis by theLiberal Demo crats. Theanalysisrevealedhospi tals in thecountyare facingarepair bill of £54.7m,withtwo thirds of this takenup by theShropshire’s twoemergency hospitals.

RoyalShrewsburyHospitalhas £23.4mworth of outstandingrepairsand Princess RoyalHospital needs £15.7m of work. Meanwhile, theOrthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen is waitingon£11.95m of repairs.

Thereis£3.6m of work outstand ingacrossShropshireCommu

MEGANJONES megan.jones@mnamedia.co.uk

nity Health Trust’ssites,which includeWhitchurchHospitaland Bridgnorth Hospital

Last week’s Autumn Statement revealed cuts to theDepartmentfor Health’s capitalspendingbudget next year,which is usedfor buildings,facilities,and infrastructure

Now, theLib DemMPfor North Shropshire, is calling on theGov ernmenttohalttheir plans, while theLib Dems propose urgent in vestmentintohospitalbuildings.

MP HelenMorgansaid: “Justlike waitingtimes,the repair bill forour crumblinghospitals is gettingbig gerand bigger.

“Unsurprisingly, people arewor ried aboutthe conditions theirloved ones arebeing treatedin.

“Now theGovernmentwants to make patients andstaff payfor theireconomicmess andare cutting thebudgettomakeessential

repairs. Shropshire deserves better

“The chronicstate of disrepair in ourlocal hospitalsisascandal in itself.But it is also asymptom of theConservativegovernment’sdire mismanagementofour NHS.

“PeopleinNorth Shropshire are fedupofwaiting hoursfor an am bulanceand months forahospital

referral only to then be seen in an outdatedand decaying building

“The faultliessquarely at the feet of Conservativeministers.It is theirinactionand disinterestin thehealthservice whichhas ledus to this disastrous point. TheGov ernmentshouldlay outaplanto recruitthe staffweneed.”

MembersofRotaryLitewith Santa. Photo: NewportTownCouncil.

RoyalShrewsburyHospitalhas £23.4m worthofoutstanding repairs

MP’s concerns aboutschool’s musicfunding

An MP hasraisedconcernsabout thelossoffunding fora Shropshire school musicproject in theHouse of Commons.

Lucy Allan, MP forTelford, called foradebateinthe Housefol lowing theArt Council decision to withdraw fundingfor musiclessons at Old Park PrimarySchoolinMalinslee.

TheMPwelcomednewsthatthe Ironbridge GorgeTrust Museum, aWorld Heritage Site,would be receiving£2.25 million over three yearsfromthe Arts Council’slevel ling-upfund.

But, addressing Leader of the HouseofCommons PennyMor daund, sheraisedconcernsabout loss of fundingfor theprimary school project.

Shesaid: “The Arts Councilhas also withdrawnfunding from afab ulousmusic projectatOld Park Primary School in Malinslee, in which everychild learns an instrument andexperiences thepride andjoy of playingwithanorchestraatcon certs. Does theLeaderofthe House agreethatlevelling up is about creating opportunitiesfor communities such as Old Park Primary School,which serves adisadvantaged area?” sheasked theLeader ofthe House.

“Can we have adebateonArts Councilfunding andlevelling up?”

Councilpays£4,000 to manforcedtoliveincar

Acouncil hasbeenordered to pay £4,000 to aShrewsburyman who wasforcedtolivein acar afternot beinggiven suitable accommodation.The LocalGovernmentand SocialCareOmbudsman found that Shropshire Councildid not understand itsresponsibilities to wardshim

TimDraycottapproachedthe authoritywhenhebecamehome less in theautumn of 2021,and he wasprovidedwithinterim accommodation.However,hesoonmoved outashesaidhe wasunableto standproperlyand in pain because theceilingsweresolow.The coun cilmadeno furtheroffer of inter-

im accommodation, even though it latertoldhim it couldhavedoneif asked. Mr Draycott movedtolive in hiscar,withnoaccess to facili ties,and spentsome time living in agarageoverthe winter TheLocal Governmentand SocialCareOmbudsman investigatedthe case afterhehad been through thecouncil’scomplaints process. TheOmbudsman’s in vestigationfound thecouncil did not review thesuitability of the interimaccommodationwhenMr Draycottcomplained. This meant he missed outonachancetohave been offeredanalternative MichaelKing, LocalGovernment

andSocial Care Ombudsman, said: “Thiscasehas highlightedacon cerninglackofunderstanding at ShropshireCouncilofits statutory duties towardshomeless people in thecounty. Sendinga letter which simply acceptsitowesa duty is not enough –itshouldthengoonto make an offerofaccommodation.”

Aspokesman forShropshire Council said:“We have accepted the findings of thereportand will abidebythe actionsrequested.We aredisappointed that despitetry ingtoworkwiththe individual to addresstheir concerns we were un able to come to aresolution.Wewill be reviewingour processes.”

Driver jailed fornineyears for causing teen cyclist’sdeath

LISA O’BRIEN lisa.obrien@mnamedia.co.uk

MrsMordauntreplied that she believed such adebatewould be well supported Telford’sConservativeParty facesmajor upheaval aftersix membersofits management committee resigned.

Upheaval as Tories resign

Thesix membersinclude the chairofTelford Conservatives, Councillor TammyWood, and Telford&WrekinCouncillor for Horsehay andLightmoor, Jayne Greenaway.

Both Councillor Wood and Councillor Greenawayhavealso resignedfromthe party. The move meansonlyone member of themanagementcommittee re mainsinplace.Itisunderstood thatafurther threeTelford Conservatives have also stepped down from thegroup’s executive –which decidesonthe re-adop tion of MPsahead of aGeneral Election

Both Councillor Greenaway andCouncillor Wood said part of theirdecision hadbeenbased on frustrationswiththe direction of thenationalparty –and theway national leadership contestshad takenplaceinrecent months.

Councillor Wood said that she hadalso become disillusioned with overtlypolitical rows, whichshe said do littletoaddressthe concerns of ordinary residents

Shesaidshe andotherswere hoping to setupanindependent groupofcouncillorstobetter representthe public

Florentine Chinanga–Choudied afterhis bicyclewas struck by ared Vauxhall Corsa in theearly hoursof November27, 2020

ChristopherTalbot, of Orchard Road,Bridgnorth, pleadedguilty to causinghis deathbydangerousdriving when he appeared at WolverhamptonCrown Courton Tuesday afternoon. The38-year oldalso pleadedguiltytoburglary, drivingwhilstdisqualified,with outa licenceand insurance. The case relatestoanearlier burglary at Boots, in Dudley Street,Wol verhampton, afterwhich thesame carwas in collision with Mr Chinanga–Chou ashorttimelater.Mr Chinanga–Chou,fromDarlaston, wastreated by emergencyservices followingthe collision,but despite theirefforts he wasconfirmed dead at thescene

HisfamilysaidMrChinanga–Chou hadbeenstolenfromthem “inthe cruellestofmanners”.

As well as thejailsentence, Judge StephenThomasbannedhim from drivingfor 14 years.

In mitigation, Mr Harinderpal Dhamisaidthe immediate build-up to thecollision wasshort-livedand Talbot lost controlofthe vehicle.

Attendees gathered aroundthe blue plaquefor

Plaque unveiled at restored Regencyhome

ARegency villahas been restored, with ablueplaquehonouring its most famous former resident.

Thepropertyin Much Wenlock hasnow been turned into two modern dwellingsin aprime lo cation at theentrancetothe town butlastweekThe High Sheriff, the Hon MrsSelinaGraham, unveiled aplaquetothe most renowned formerresidentofthe house;D.H.S Cranage, thechurch archaeol

Reservoirs fill up amiddownpours

Theautumn deluge hasseenres ervoir levelsrise rapidly,accordingtowater companies.

Levels in reservoirs,including thoseserving theWestMidlands, areupbyabout 20 percentcom paredtothe summer

Droughtwas officiallydeclared in August acrossmostofEngland followingthe driest July for50 yearsand thedriest first half of

theyearsince 1976.SevernTrent appliedfor adrought status in the summer,but neverimposedany restrictions on waterusage and recent heavy rainfall hashelped to replenishstocks.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday Thames Water, whichsupplies 15 million people,announced it waslifting thehosepipeban it im posedinthe summer

LAWSON newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

ogistand writer.Cranagelived from 1866 until1957and eventu ally became theDeanofNorwich He started outas ayoung curate at Holy Trinity, thetown’sparish church,where he excavatedthe ruinsofthe ancientpriory. Here, he uncovered remainsofthe An

glo-Saxonchurchestablished by theAnglo-Saxon abbess,princess andlater saint, Milburga

Cranage’sworkhas neverbeen supersededand he went on to createwhatisstill themostcomprehensivearchitectural accountof allShropshire’schurches

Theplaquewas unveiled in the presenceofthe mayor andvicar of Much Wenlock, theownersand membersofthe restorationteam.

Womaniskilled in two-carcollision

Awoman hasdiedfollowing atwo carcollision in Telford.

Emergencyserviceswerecalledto theA442, near to Long Lane Café, north of Wellington, at 3.46pm on Sunday,.Fire, police andambulancestaff includinga Midlands Air Ambulancerushedtothe sceneof thecollision

AWestMidlandsAmbulance Service spokesmansaid: “Onarrival crewsdiscovered twopatients, one

from each car. Awoman wasfound to have suffered critical injuries in thecollision andsadly,itquickly became apparent nothingcould be done to save herand shewas confirmed dead at thescene

“A man, from thesecondcar,was treated forinjuriesnot believed to be seriousbeforebeing takento RoyalShrewsburyHospital.”

Theroadwas closed forseveral hoursafter theincident.

AShropshireman has been jailed fornineyears forcausing thedeath of a19-year old cyclist by dangerousdriving.

TimDraycott

D.H.SCranageinMuchWenlock.Photo:Bob May.

ELEANOR

Good time to spot ‘Ladyof theStream’inshallow water

ON THEWILDSIDE

With BenWaddams

We have had afair amount of rain overthe last week or so andthis hasrathermuddiedthe waters,literally.

Forone of my favourite things to do on aclear wintersday is go fora wander, fish-spotting

TheparticularspeciesIalways hope to seeatthistimeofthe year is onethatfew people have ever seen before.Ask thepublictolist some Britishfreshwater fish and they maygive you apike, eeland acarportwo. ButIfearfew would mentionthe grayling.Yet winter is agreat time to seethese elusiveyet beautiful fish

Loversofwelloxygenatedand clearrivers, they arejustasathome in thestreamsthatmakeupthe varioustributaries of theSevern andother rivers here in Shropshire Ihaveseentheminveryshallow wateronthe ReaBrook,justSouth West of Shrewsbury forexample–

awatercourse in good health with aquatic invertebrates, kingfishers, dippers, otters,eels, salmon and grayling

So what exactlyisa grayling and how canyou tell that you’veseen

one? Well they’reratherspecial in that they belong to that eliteclass of fish,the salmonids. These are fish,suchastrout andsalmonthat possess an ‘adipose’ fin–the small bump on thedorsalsurface between

themaindorsal finand thetail.

They aredelicateand stream linedbut with much softerfeatures than thesalmonand trout

They prefer shallow water,often close to theaforementionedbank andwhenany excess rainwaterhas flushedthrough,you have agood chance of spotting asmall shoalof them in ourstreams.

Indeed grayling feel more likea ‘stream fish’thana river fish and areknown forall theabove reasons as theLadyofthe Stream

Decades

They areall themoreincredible fortheir relatively shortlifespans Aseven-year-old fish wouldbean oldone,whereas carp canlivefor many decades. When it comesto painting agrayling, Iamnot much of a fish artist alas,sotobreathe some colour into my studyhere, whynot tryand spot theladyofthe stream foryourself?

n Ben’swildlifeart is on show in Callaghan’sGallery,Shrewsbury

ASHLEY METHODIST CHURCH WITH RONLUCAS

AdventSunday, the firstinthe ChristianSeasonofAdventwas celebrated at ourchurchlast Sunday.

In welcomingour minister, RevMarkLawrenceand our congregation,our stewardKeith Harrison, also helped us to celebrate this special dayashelit the firstoffourred candles.

Hope wasthe themeasKeith proclaimed that “today we light acandleofhope, andatAdvent we thinkabout thegiftofJesus whobringshopetothe world”.

At thebeginningMarkspoke abouthis excitement at thein troductionofanAlpha Course to be held forten weeksatLoggerheadsFireStation from Tues day, January10, afterwhich Mark showed an AlphaCourse introductoryvideo.

“There are20 biblefacts whichspeak of thereturnofJesus”saidMark, as he introduced histopic of hope forthe world in Christ’s second coming

He gave abrief outlineofeach with thehelpofaudio visual images.His scripturalmessage was“He will come in justice and mercy; He will come with power andgreat glory”.Wewereinvit ed to stand firm andholdonto soundteaching.

Next Sundaythere will be a carolservice at 10.30 ledby Rev Mark Lawrence.All welcome

Journeytonew lands to explorebreathtaking destinations, fascinatingcultures and exceptionalcuisine in the comfortofour Ambassador ships,withnoexchangerateworries; all for thebest value.

Winter is agreattime to spotgrayling in rivers or streams

Trusttoreview tree-felling plan amid concerns

Thetrust overseeing acoppice in theIronbridge Gorgesaysit will review whichtrees will be cutdowndue to safety concerns aboutfalling branches caused by squirreldamage.

Severn GorgeCountryside Trust(SGCT)madethe deci sion at ameeting last week af terconcern andopposition from some residents over itsplans to fell up to 140trees in theDale Coppice.

In astatement thetrust has apologisedfor markingtrees to be felled before telling thepub licofits plans.

Oneofthe criticisms of the proposal hadbeenabout theimpact on thevisual effect of the canopy over theSabbath Walk routethrough thecoppice. The trustsaidthe initialplans had been drawnupover concerns that squirrel-damagedbranches couldfalland injure people

In itsstatement thetrust said:“We will review andiden tify trees forretention,felling or treesurgery.Wewill aim to maintain,where possible, practicaland economically viable, thevisualappearance. The revisedworks to trees will be marked with treetags.”

Thetrust will also submit aplanningapplication forthe work.

It’s time to eat, drink andbe merryatBlists

Visitors caneat,drink andbemer ry whilesoaking up thefestive at mosphere at Blists Hill’s late-night events this Christmas,the firstof whichtakes placethisweek.

Newfor 2022,the Christmas Lateswill give people theopportu nity to wander throughBlistsHill’s festivestreets by lamplight, with a host of festivefood andentertain ment on offer. As well as roaming magicians andmusicians, visitors canpursuethe unique rangeofgifts in thetown’sbeautifulshops while sippingaglass of mulled wine Blists Hill’s much-loved residents will also be on-handtoprovide some Christmas cheer–withaVictorian twist,ofcourse.

TheIronbridge GorgeMuseum Trust, whichrunsBlistsHill,says thosewho enjoythe atmosphere of thepopular Christmas marketsare suretorelishinthe festive funof theChristmas Lates.

AbbieKing, chiefoperating of ficeratThe Ironbridge GorgeMuse um Trust, said:“We areincredibly excited to welcome visitors to our Christmas Lates, so that they can experience ourbeautiful Victorian Town by night–whether it’s theoffice Christmas night-out, acouple’s date nightorfun with friends–we know people will have abrilliant time with us

“There issomuchin-store–from seasonal entertainmenttoget you into theChristmas spirit,tofestive food andwonderful gift ideas.”

Children and dogswelcome at pubwithfamilyatits heart

Historic venueaimstooffer afun atmospherefor adults andyoungstersalike

TheSwanInn,inNewport,is centuriesold,but todaythe fami ly that runs thebusinessaimsto make it avenue wherefamilies cangoand enjoy themselves.In fact they feel that turningtheir pub into afamily-funvenue where children canenjoy themselves just as much as adults is auniquesellingpoint

Nottobeleftout,dogsare also made to feel welcome

Husbandand wife teamEdand Danielle Davies runthe pubtogether,along with theeight hotel roomswhich have become popular in thetown.

Experience

Danielle,35, initiallytookover therunning TheSwanInn in March 2021 alongsideabusiness partner, butinAugustthatyear, Ed joined too. Sincethenthe pair, both coming from salesbackgrounds, have used theirexperience of customerservice andand interactiontotheir advantageto make theirexperienceswithcus tomers apleasantexperience

Ed,39, previously workedin business-to-business sales, selling electronicequipmentinEurope, butafterBrexit affected hisworkingrelationshipwiththe EU,he decidedtoquitand joined hispartner, Danielle andjointhe hospitalityindustryfull time

Ed said:“It wasabig career change,but thereare also some form of similarities in thejob be cause of therelationshipyou have with people.You have to be apeo plepersonin this job, andsoIenjoythataspect.

“The salesbackgroundofmeetingand greeting people –there isn’tamassive difference,of course thedifferenceisthe terms of trade,but essentiallypeopleare coming in to buyaproduct or service,soitmakes it natural.

“Ithelps that we areverysocia blepeopleand enjoy meetingand greeting people –the interactions we getwithcustomers isgreat.”

They both also live at thepub too, alongwiththeir four children,

whoall enjoythe experience of having thebusiness

Alongsidethe pubisa hotel whichhas eightrooms available andEdsaidthishas been apopularplace to stay in Newport.

Ed added: “Wehaveahotel whichisavailable on Booking.com –it’sessentially likehavingtwo businesses in one, andweget alot of trade from it

“There aren’t many places to stay around Newportand so it certainly keepsusbusy.

“Plusthe pubitselfisquite historic, andfromwhatI know,itisat leasthundreds of yearsold,but I do notknowhow oldexactly.”

Thepub hasaverytraditional look both inside andoutside,with classicopen firestogiveawarm, cosy feeling. Speaking aboutthe family theme, Ed said:“We have runkid’s Halloweenevents, a pumpkincarving event, andwe

will be hostingaChristmas grotto

“Wefeelthatthisisour USP, by runninga lot of familyevents. Some pubsare abit sporty butwe do nottry andcompete with that andsothisisour theme.

“Itiscertainly differentfrom thenormalpub butithas been re ally successfulfor us,and it makes forquite afun,pleasantatmos pherearoundthe place.

Pleasing

“Customers andfamilies come here knowingitwillbea pleasantexperienceand kids will enjoy themselves.”

Alongwithmakingfamiliesfeel welcome at thepub,Edand Daniellehavealso madethe pointthat dogs arealso welcome

TheSwanInn will be hosting aChristmas eventonSaturday, December 10,where theteamwill

be putting on afun dayincludingakids’ Christmas partywith market stalls with lots of food and drink, gifts– making it acosy, fun, Christmas spirit filled day.

Thepub also hostskids’ movie nights whichEdsaidare really popular.

Like many otherpubsnationwide,the business has been affect ed by theongoing energy andcost of living crisis

Ed added: “Itcertainly is tough, anditistough forany brewery in general, butwe’re happythat it does getbusyaroundthistime of theyearapproaching Christ mas, andwefeelthatour fami ly-themedUSP helpsus, alongside thewarmthfeelofthe puband the events

“Weget agood blendofpeople coming in –itistough butweare getting throughit.”

Shropshirehas arich history of beinghome to pubs dating back centuries– each with a storytobetoldand a unique character.

Ed Davies,DanielleDaviesand 12-year-old AlfieDaviesatthe pub which hasastrongfamilyatmosphere

TheSwanInn,Newport, hasatraditionalfeel

CustomersAnne Blakeand SueOvery at TheSwan

Mother’s fear mouldmay be impactingdaughter’shealth

MEGANJONES megan.jones@mnamedia.co.uk

Ayoung mother in social housinginShropshire hasspokenofher fear that shemight bury her daughter afterdealing with months of mouldin herhome.

ChloeDaley andher one-year-old daughter Ophelia, areone of an es timated120,000 households in so cialhousing in Englandthathave problems with condensation and mould, accordingtoofficial figures.

The21-year-old,who recently suffered amiscarriage,said: “I lost my sonthree monthsago andI’m scared.Idon’t want to bury another child.

“Mydaughter’sgetting poorly andIcan’t do anything to help her.”

Window

Chloe, asinglemotherfromLaw ley, Telford, said theproblem has been ongoingsince summer,and that when shecontactsSanctuary Housing –the association in charge of hernew-build flat –she is simply told to open awindow.

“Itdoesn’t make adifference.” Chloesaid: “Theyjusttellme everyone is getting mouldthistime of year.Theyweremeant to send a surveyor outbut that wascancelled andI’venot heardanythingelse. I’m phoningeveryweek, asocial workerhas gotinvolved.”

PhotographssharedbyChloe show mouldgrowing inside oneof Ophelia’ssofttoysaswellasalong windows, doorsand walls.

Chloesaidshe believes themould is causingher daughter to become ill andhas takenher to concerns to thedoctor.

“She hasareallychestycough,”

Chloeexplained,“Itookphotosof themould to thedoctorand they said it wasprobablydowntothe mould.”

An inquestintothe deathoftwo year-old AwaabIshak in Rochdale hasled theGovernmenttowarn housingproviders that they will not hesitate to actiftheyignorecom plaintsfromtenants

Theinquest revealed thetwo year-old died from severerespira tory problems with fungus later foundin hisblood andlungs after beingexposed to “chronic”mould in thefamilies home

Rochdale BoroughwideHousing, whichmanaged theproperty, later

admitted to making “false assump tions” aboutthe family’sbathing habitsand lifestyle, andfailedto adequately addresscomplaints.

CoronerJoanneKearsleysaid thedeath of AwaabIshak must be a“defining moment forthe housing sector”.

Funding

In response,Housing Secretary MichaelGove said thecompany wouldnot receiveits £1 million of publicfunding

Mr Gove said last Wednesdaythat therulingshouldact as awarning to housing association

He said:“Everyone deserves the righttoliveina safe,decenthome andthisGovernmentwill always acttoprotect tenants.”

Aspokespersonfor Sanctuary said:“In recent monthswehave carriedout anumberofrepairs at Ms Daley’shome,including an emergencycall-outtoinvestigate a reported issuewiththe immersion andboiler.

“Whileonoccasions in thepast we have been unabletogainaccess to this property foragreedappoint mentsas part of ourongoingproac tive programmetotreat mouldand damp,wehavespokentoMsDaley andarranged an inspection.”

Ipredict asell-out! Fans snapup allChiefstickets

Ticketsfor atop indierockband’s summer gigataniconicsouth Shropshire venue have nowsold out.

Promoters of theKaiserChiefs’ show in theinner bailey at Ludlow Castle saytheyhaveexperienced veryhigh demand forthe 5,000 ticketswhich cost up to £85.25 for ‘premium’level tickets.

Postcode pre-sale ticketswhich were madeavailable forlocal peoplefor thegig in July,soldout in advanceofthe generalsale.

ChelseaBakewell, of theLeedsbasedpromoters Futuresound Group, said:“We have seen bigdemand from Ludlow forthisunique event.

“Weare very closetoselling out andare anticipating selling outby theend of theweekend at thelat est,”she said last week

Only ahandful of premiumticketswereavailable at theend of last week andthese,along with allthe

generaladmissiontickets,priced at £60.50, were allsnapped up by eager Chiefs fans

Theindie rock band famous for thehitsIPredict ARiotand Ruby will be performing at theinner baileyaspartofthe Within theWalls at theLudlowCastleonJuly21.

Thebandhaveasimilar style show planned forWarwick Castle

Ticketsfor Bastillehavesoldout fortheir Ludlow gigonJuly23.

AndChelseasaidmoreannouncementsfor theWithinthe Wallsserieswerein thepipeline.

Butshe wasstaying well and trulytightlippedabout possible bignames in theline-up

Generaladmissionticketswill be availablefromvia futuresoundgroup.com andEnts24.

Fordetails visitLudlow Castle’s facebook page:facebook.com/Lud lowCastleOfficial.

Progress ‘being made’inreport on baby deaths

Health chiefs saytheyare workinghardtochangethe culture of atrust that runs Telford’s andShrewsbury’s hospitalsfol lowing thebabydeathsscandal They saytheyare making goodprogressonthe 210actions they need to carryout following theOckenden Report that was carriedout followingthe sscandall

Aspokespersonfor The Shrewsbury andTelford HospitalNHS Trustsaid: “SaTHwill continue to deliver theremainingreportactions as outlined

“There is acommitmentand focusondeliveringmeaningful change to serviceusers,followingrobust governanceand as surancemechanismstomeet agreed timescales.”

A finalOckendonreportwas publishedinMarch 2022 in cluding93Local Actionsfor Learning whichare forSaTH only.There were also 117action required forimplementationat allproviders of NHSmaternity care in England.

Amedia briefing meetingon Monday wastoldthat“SaTH arenow in aposition where thereare safe staffing levels in maternity”

Health leaderssay they have delivered 46 of the52actions from the firstOckenden Report

Diphtheria cases areidentified in asylum seekers

Asylum seekershavebeenidenti fied with symptoms of diphtheria in theregion, accordingtoofficial informationfromaGovernment agency

It comesasministers spokeof planstoput potentialsufferers into isolation afterarise in thenumber of infections amongthose coming to theUK.

Theimmigration minister told MPsthatmigrantsshowingsigns of thehighly-contagious diseasewill be separated fora “shortperiod” at theManston processing centre in Kent or held in “secureisolation hotels”whiletheyare treated Anyasylumseekers whomay have theinfection butare already in hotels will be told to isolate in theirrooms whiletheyare treated, Robert Jenricksaid.

It wasrevealedthatthere had been diphtheria casesinthe West Midlands,which includes Shropshire, butgavenoother detailsoth er than to saythere hadbeen“fewer than five”cases

ThelatestHealthSecurityAgency (UKHSA)reportsaidthe region hadidentified cases alongwiththe SouthWest, NorthEastand the NorthWest. It declined to give a furtherbreakdown of wherethe caseswereidentified.The majority of cases–38–werereported in the SouthEast.

At least22hotelsinthe West Midlands arecurrently beingused to houseasylumseekers

Ticketsfor theKaiser Chiefs at Ludlow Castle sold fast. Picture:EdwardCooke

Chloeand herdaughter and, inset, themould problemattheir homeinTelford

County punters offeredfreebeer forWorld Cup

Football fans across Shropshireare beingoffered free Heineken beer duringthe WorldCup

Anyone goingtoa Marston’spub canget theirhands on Heineken or Heineken 0.0 everysingleday duringthe football tournament

Theoffer is in conjunctionwith theFANZO app–so, allcustomers need to do is download theapp for free on theirmobiledevicevia ei ther theApple storeorGooglestore, checkin at aparticipatingpub on anygameday to claimthe free beer

Once acustomerhas purchased aHeinekenorHeineken0.0 beer, they will be entitled to anotherfor free,and theoffer is availableat150 Marston’spubsacrossEnglandand Wales.

Thevenuesparticipating in Shropshire includethe Crownin Bridgnorth andthe Honeysuckle Inn in Newport.

DomCollingwood, co-founder of FANZOsaid: “Footballbringspeo ple togetheracrossthe world like nothing else

“Withacostoflivingcrisisand growingsocialdivisions,the coun tryhas felt increasinglydivided of late

“Sportisuniquelypowerfulin bringing people together.Nothing says togetherness likeacoupleof friendsenjoying90minutes of foot ball in agreat puband sharinga free beer with thegame.”

Full informationonhow to re deem theoffer canbefound on the FANZOwebsite:fanzo.com

Flying Salopian

flag in Qatar

ASalopianEngland supporter abroad in Qatarfor his first WorldCup in the fleshisdaring to dreamfootballcould be cominghome forChristmas JamieWallis, 29,isfollowingEngland throughthe group stageofthe 2022 WorldCup in Qatarwitha groupoffellow Shrewsbury Town fans

AgroundworkerfromDitherington,Jamie goes to as many England gamesashecan but it’s the firstWorld Cuphehas been to,havingmadethe deci sion last Christmas to flyout to Qatarfor thetournament.

Almost ayearlater,heand hisfriends Steven Fox, Kieran Croft, Conor Bannister, Josh Herbertand ScottPhillips ar rivedinQatar in time forEng land’s firstgameonMonday.

“First impressionswerefan tastic -fromthe airporttothe metro andwhenarrivingatthe hotel,everything wasstate-ofthe-artand thestaff were welcoming whilst doingtheir best to go theextra mile

Theparty explored Doha to soak in theatmospherebefore headingtoEngland’sGroup B opener againstIran.

Despite some technical issues andamisplaced Shrewsbury flag,Jamie andcogot to their seatswithout incident andenjoyed watching the ThreeLions sticksix goalspastIran.

Fans daring to dreamafter overcoming disappointment

DEBORAH HARDIMAN newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

Have dispatchedIran6-2 in their openinggame, Englandmadeheavy weatheroftheir second match againstthe United States,before assuring theirqualification with an improveddisplay againstWales on Tuesday evening, winning3-0

TheAdvertiserjoinedfansgatheringatThe CrowninAlbrighton forthe USAmatch on Friday

Happy

Amongthemwas JennyOwen, 40,ofAlbrighton, whowatched the groupstage match at thepublic housewithpartner Will Gibbs,42, anddaughterIsabella, aged eight.

Will,aWolvesfan,saidhehad beenhappy about theteam’schanc es untilnow

“Itwas slow,disappointing,pon derous andboring. Awastedoppor tunity.

“I wasn’t toosureabout our chanceswhenIsaw theteamlist, buttheyhavedonewellsofar.It’sa winningteam.

“JudeBellingham is aclass play er.Beenthe best on thepitch with

Iran.Ijustwishhewas playingfor Wolves.” .”

AmyMitchell, ownerofWolver hamptonbusinessTin CanComms Ltd, wasamong agroup of former pupils of Idsall School,inShifnal, hopefulofawin

Shesaid: “I thinkEnglandhave gotthe best chance that they can hope for. It’s ayoung team. Ijust hope thepolitical issues won’tget in theway of thefootball.

“The Lionesses wonthe Eurosin thesummer.There’s no reason why theboyswon’t wintoo.”

Former TelfordUnitedand

Shrewsbury youthplayerSteve Meyrick, 63,gavehis verdict: “That wasdisappointing.I expected them to win. They will beat Wales. Iexpect them to progress

“I thinkit’safantastic team They should gettothe semi finals I’mlooking forHarry Kane to score to boostconfidence.

“There is averygoodatmosphere here.The owners have just taken over thepub andit’smakingabig impact on thecommunity andpeo plehavecome outtoget behind them andthe team.”

Engineer SteveTrevor, 39,said

he thoughtthe performanceagainst theUSA couldonlybedescribedas “pathetic” buttraininginstructor Adam King,40, of Cosford, was more positive

He said:“We aregoing to win theWorld Cup. We have gotthe strength anddepth in thesquad.I do thinkBrazilisthe teamtobeat, butifwewin this tournament it will be thebiggest national achievement in my lifetime.”

Outwardbound instructor Alex Steele,38, of Albrighton,said: “It’s goinggoodsofar.I thinkWales have toomuchofanageingsquad.”

Englandfootballfans saytheyremainoptimistic that theteamwill bringhomethe World Cup–despite signsof theteamfaltering afterabrightstart to the tournamentinQatar.

Englandfans at theCrown in Albrighton: Leighana Bethell,Amy Mitchell,DeniseFoulger, JessicaStevenson

Watchingthe tensegamelast night Flyingthe flag were DanCoppins,SyFoulger, SteveAdeyand Ed Hudson

Fans Adam King andAlexSteele

CheersfromChrisSheppard andShane Dicken

Youngfans MiaCook,seven,Kai Cook, five,and Isabella Gibbs,eight

Remodelled familyhome

MUXTON

Offers over£325,000

This is agreat remodelled detached family home

It hasahighly desirable open plan re fitted kitchendiningroomwhich furtheropens outtothe lounge and throughtoalarge conservatory.

The first flooraccommodation of fers amainbedroom with en-suite as well as threefurther bedrooms andabathroom. Thegaragehas also been partiallyconverted to providea largeutility roomand bike store.

Thepropertyhas good-sized frontage andgarden access to the bike store.

Thereargardensare of agood size with laurel hedgingcreating greatscreening forprivacy To view this lovely property please contactBarbers’Newport of fice on 01952820239

An attractive modern house

NEWPORT

OIRO£500,000

This is ahigh-qualitymoderndetached house situated in thepop ular hamlet of Pave Lane within a shortdistanceofNewport andwell situated forlocal commuter routes

Both very attractive andspa cious, it offers athrough entrance hall,ground floorW.C., dining room/study,highquality kitchen, utility,veryspaciousloungeand a largeconservatory.

Thereare also four bedrooms as well as an en-suite andafamilybathroom. Thereisunder floor heatingtothe ground floor.

Outside, thereisagood-sized parkingarea, garage andattractive rear gardens.

Formoreinformation or to ar rangeaviewing of this property, call Barbers’ Newportoffice on 01952820239

It just oozescharacter

Rudyardisacharming, tradi tional andmuch-loveddetached three-bedroomhome in theheart of Market Drayton.

Thehome in CheshireStreet oozescharacter andneedssome TLCtobring outits potential.

This pretty property hasloads of kerb appeal andagravelled drivewayproviding parkingfor several cars.The accommodationincludes areception hall,lounge, sunroom, sitting room,diningkitchen,util-

MARKET DRAYTON

OIRO £425,000

ityand clocks/W.C.Onthe first flooristhe principalbedroom with en-suite,two furtherbedrooms andafamilybathroom.

Externally,the property has alarge mature rear garden set mainly to lawn with apatio entertainingarea, alarge covered pergolaand agarage.

Fordetails, call 01630 653641

Spacious,traditionalproperty hasplentyoforiginalfeatures

MARKET DRAYTON

OIRO £600,000

TheCedarsisa large, doublefront ed,traditionalpropertywithin walkingdistanceofMarketDraytontowncentre

It’s asubstantial property in Prospect Road, full of original featuresand with agarden to match.

Entering thepropertythrough thelarge conservatory, it’s hard not to take aseat, relaxand take in the lovely viewsoverthe rear garden

Offthe conservatoryisaninner hallwaywithcloaks/WC andutility cupboard,and thekitchen where abrick arch openstothe dining area with agas fire setina brick fireplace. Theloungehas alarge baywindowtothe frontand French doorsout to thepatio at thesideof theproperty–and alovely Minster stone fireplacewithanopen fire. Thediningroomhas asimilar feel with abay windowand open fire

On the first floor, is ashower room,principal bedroomwithensuite, andthree furtherbedrooms.

Theoutside space is veryspecial as,the property sits in aplotofapproximately0.56acres

To view this unique property,call Barbers’ Market Draytonoffice on 01630 653641

Recently renovatedtoprovide flexible spaces

OIRO £400,000

Setalong aquiet countrylane, but just afew minutes’drive from the heartofHodnetvillage, TheGables hasrecentlybeenrenovated andoffers spacious, flexible familyaccom modation

Throughoutthe hall andthe re ceptionfooms the floors areeither newlyrecarpeted or have newoak laminated flooring

Thereisalounge, sittingroom/ bedroomfour, dining room,shower room andkitchen as well as three furtherbedrooms andafamily bathroom.Call01630 653641

HODNET

Fearsraisedat qualityofwater

Astudy of theWye andother riversinareas of intensivelivestock farminghas foundtheycontain antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” whichcould pose athreattohuman health

ConservativeMPfor Ludlow PhilipDunnesaidthe studyhighlights “the risk in ourriversfrom emerging antimicrobialresistance” resultingfromroutinely giving an tibioticstofarmanimals

“Thisisanothergoodreasonwhy waterquality monitoring needsto be ramped up to avoidpeoplebecoming gravelyill,” said Mr Dunne, whochairsthe parliamentaryenvironmentalaudit committee,and hasfrequentlyraisedissuesofriver waterquality

In what it says is the firstre search of itskind, WorldAnimal Protection (WAP)workedwiththe Alliance to Save OurAntibiotics andthe Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ)totestwater and sediment from waterwaysnear12 poultryand pigfarms, includingin theWye valley

Therespected Fera Sciencelab foundthatE.coliand S. aureus bugs in thesamples showed resist ance to aclass of importantantibioticsknown as sulfonamides,more so downstream than upstream of thefarms, “suggestingresistance is entering theenvironment from thesefarms”the BIJsaid.

Fera Sciencedid notrespond to confirm itsinvolvement.

Golden Valley volunteergroup RiverDoreCitizen Sciencetweet ed:“Delighted to take part in this study. Horrificresults.”

Councilhailed forclimate plan

Areportbyfood andfarming charitySustain recognises Telford &WrekinCouncilasanational leader when it comesto climateactionaroundfood

TheEvery Mouthful Counts report highlights that sixin 10 councils omit food andfarming from theirclimate plans.

It says thebestcouncilshave planstosupport sustainable farming, tackle food wasteand buyhigherstandardfood for schools.

Outofnearly200 localauthoritiesanalysedacrossthe UK,only21councils– including Telford&Wrekin– were found to have made significant ad vances in theirclimate,nature andfood strategies

Thecouncil wasthe only West Midlands authoritytobe ranked in this category

Councillor CarolynHealy, Telford&WrekinCouncil cabi netmember forclimate change, greenspaces, naturaland historicenvironment andcultural services, said: “Telford & Wrekin Counciliscommitted to tackling climatechangeand creating amoresustainable world,and we embedthese valuesacrossall of ouroperations.

“I’d liketocongratulateour catering teamfor their‘local first’ approach to food sourcing andtheir workinschools.”

Awardfor programmetacklingknife-related crime

West Mercia Police’s SteerClear programmehas received national recognition, winningaHoward League Community Award2022.

SteerClear is atargetededuca tion andengagementprogramme aimedatyoung people whoare be lieved to be in some wayconnect ed to knife-relatedcrime,orthere areconcernstheymay become in volved

Officers will visitthe young per

sonathome andworkwiththeir families or carers, inviting them to monthly workshops held in the localcommunity,inorder to safe guardthemand preventcriminal activity in thefuture.

SteerClear,fundedbythe po lice andcrime commissioner and deliveredbyWestMercia Police, wasawinner in the‘Liaisonand Diversion’category. ChiefCon stable PippaMillssaid: “Congrat

ulations to everyone involvedin theaward-winningSteer Clear programme. This awardisgreat recognitionfor an innovative, in telligence-ledprogramme that is making arealdifferencetothe livesofyoung people.”

Police andCrime Commissioner JohnCampion,who hasinvested more than £30,000 in SteerClear, said:“Iamproud to seethisinvestmentmakingarealimpact.”

Gulf Warsoldier’sexplosive diarylifts lidonreality of war

In theimmediate aftermath of theGulfWar in 1991,asvictorioussol dierspreparedtoreturn home,itwas made clear to John Wolf in no uncertain termsthathis diary of theconflictmustbe burnt.

Buthemanaged tokeephold of it,and fornearlythree decades satonit, an explosive real-liferecord whichifpublished wouldhave endedhis career andeven, he was warned,get himsenttojail.

Becoming acivilian defused the threatsofthe military establishment andthe result wasthatthat diaryhas finallybeenpublished as abookcalledThe RealityofWar AndironicallyJohn, wholives near Whitchurch, says thefeedback hasbeensurprisinglypositive

He talks of aBritishArmyin which, at leastinthe unit in which heserved, rankcountsfor more than expertiseand knowledge, and ordinary soldiers often find them selves in effect treated,inhis view, as officers’slaves.

TOBY NEAL toby.neal@mnamedia.co.uk

Sent to theGulf as part of Brit ain’sresponse to Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait,Johnstarted keepingthe diaryafter afemale American soldiersenthim ablank book

“I keptadiary mainly because it wassomething new, something differentatthe time anditgaveme somethingtodoas well,” he said

“Astimewenton Istarted realisin therewerelotso things goingonand youthink ‘thepubli know none of this’.

“Myperceptiono what warwas like andwhattoexpect wasnot what happened.Meand friendswould chat andsay ‘people will never believethis, never believe what goes on.’ Ithought ‘I’m going

to writeitall down’.”At firstArmy colleagues were alittlescaredabout what he wasdoing,but as time went by they startedtocontributeand offerinformation,althoughhe did notinclude it if it wasnot relevant or wastheir personalexrience

“Atthe endofthe war my commandingofficer wanted thebookburnt,” he said

“I wasthreatened that if Iwas to publish they wouldgo allbells andwhistlesand get me jailed fordoing it.”

Hiscolleaguesknew what wasinitbecause he hadallowed them to read it so they couldfactually verify it as he went along.

Clearlyhis revela tionsheldanembar rassment factor

“Our officers es pecially areabreed whichare so unique.Unlessyou served in a cavalryregimentand came across them youwould not believewhat

they were like.”One surprising war zone task involved laying agreen carpet in oneofthe big tentsinthe desert –withany carpet left over beingusedonthe floors of theArmy vehicles.

An additional factor causinghim to delaypublication wasthathe wanted to avoidthe possibility of giving encouragement to potential adversaries by making them think that theBritish Army wasnot as good as it liked to believe. “I didn’t want to putpeopleinharm’sway by putting abookout telling thetruth about what we arelike.”

John, whois57, served 37 years in themilitary, starting outindivisional reconnaissanceand ending hiscareeras an instructor on the Apache helicopter. Hisservice in cluded atourin Afghanistan.

He movedtoShropshirewhen he workedat RAFShawburyand although nowa civilian,his work is stillmilitary-related.“Iteach in Europe –Iteach military pilots how to operateincombatzones,” he said.Heprefers nottomakehis real name public andhas chosen the pseudonymJohnWolf.

Steer Clear hasbeen commended

John picturedtaking an Apache helicopter foranair test. He endedhis longmilitary career as a flying instructor

John,aged57, served for 37 years

Adestroyed Iraqitank

John’s book

County lines drug dealer caught with heroin andcrack cocaine is jailed

Acountylines drug dealer caught with heroin andcrackcocaine hasbeenjailedfor more than five years.

Liam Brownwas stopped by po lice in Shrewsbury in September.A search revealed that the23-year oldwas in possession of 73 wraps of heroin and41wraps of crack cocaine.

In totalthe drugswereestimat ed to have astreet valueof£1,241.

AppearingatShrewsburyCrown Court, Brownwas sentenced to five yearsand twomonthsin jail.He hadoriginallybeencharged with twocountsofpossessionwithintent to supply acontrolled classA drug.Brown,ofLiverpool,admitted both chargesatanearlier hear

ingatthe courtinOctober Detective Sergeant SteveMill er,ofWestMerciaPolice, said the forcewas committed to preventing dealersbringingdrugs into the county.

He said:“This is agreat result as part of ourongoing worktotackle countylines acrossthe countyand keepingdrugs offour streetsand

protecting ourcommunities

“Drugdealers take advantageof vulnerable people andruins lives, andweare determined to protect ourcommunities.Thissentence showswewill prosecuteanyoneinvolved in drugssupply.

“Weurgeanyonewithany concernsabout drug crimetoplease getin touch.”

Businesses face ‘frightening’ future as billscrisisdeepens

MATTHEWPANTER matthew.panter@mnamedia.co.uk

Businesses have spo kenofthe uncertainty caused by notknowing howthe government planstotacklethe en ergy bill crisis beyond March.

Findings from theBritishChambers of Commerce suggestedsmall businesses across thecountyfear they will struggle to paytheir en ergy billsnextyearunlessthe government’s financialreliefschemeis extended

Thesituation hasalready been describedas‘incredibly worrying’ by theShropshireChamber of Commerce.

Nowbusinesses have spoken of thedifficultiescausedbyrising energy bills. HarryHaralambous, ownerofSalop Fish BarinOswestry,saidthe situationremains ‘frightening’for firms.

“It’sstartingtobeachallenge,” he said.“Things areveryvague,in termsofsupport moving forward, with no definite idea of what to ex pect.There’s no clarityand you just can’tplanahead

“Wehad our firstgas bill fortwo monthslastweekand it was£3,900 Thepreviousone hadbeen£300.

“Weare still waitingfor an elec tric bill so it’s tough. It really is a case of battlingthrough.Weknow thenextfew months aregoing to be astruggleso you just have to wait

andsee what happens. Hopefully, come thesummer,wecan come out theother side and, with anyluck, prices will come down or helpwill be there.

“There have always beenchallenges at certainpointsbut Idon’t thinkit’sever been as it is now. The worry forus, of course,other than rising bills, is the question –will customers, whoare goingtohaveto payextra in termsofenergy, going to be prepared to buyatakeaway?

“Wehavemanaged to keep our customers at thelevelswehaveso farbut will that be thecaseifpeople startrunning outofmoney themselves?”

Bill Barrass, of NewportEngravers, admitted he wasconcerned about thenextsix monthsorso.

“Wehavehad hadaprettygood year consideringeverythingthatis goingoninthe world,”hesaid.

“Butweare paying ahellofalot more forour electric andgas,like everyone else,and it’s toughgoing forany High Street business at the moment.Everythingisgoing up andwehavetotweak ourprices accordingly, otherwise we would go bump.”

Ruth Ross,deputychief executive of Shropshire Chamber, said the chamberwill be readytosupport thoseinneed

“We(Shropshire Chamber) have membersand partners with solutionswhich couldsavemoney forbusinesses, andwe’re keen to spread theword.

“For example, smallcompanies that areona nightand daytariff canchargea batteryduringthe evening, anduse thepowerstored during theday,makingsignificant savings.

“Wecan signpost businesses to this kind of support, whichisavail able rightherein Shropshire.”

OneTelford companyhas spoken of thelongand short-term ways in whichbusinesses canstart to cope with thechallenges of spiralling en ergy costs.

Mark Thompson, managing di rector of AceOn Group, pointed to a‘window of opportunity’ for firms to tackle issues surroundingenergy bills.

Storage

“Unfortunately, thegovern ment’s planstosupport businesses through theenergycrisiswill only provide temporary relief from the pain of rising energy costs,”hesaid.

“Asthe ChamberofCommerce rightlypointsout,battery storage can be an effectivemeans of re ducing energy coststhrough peak saving –chargingitwhen tariffs arelower overnight foruse in the day. Businesses andorganisations caninmanycircumstances reduce theirbillsand even earn extra in come simplybyinstalling battery storagethatcan trade andsupport theGrid.”

Firefighters to vote on strike as offerisrejected

Morethan700 firefighters in Shropshireand MidWales will de cide on whethertovotefor strike action aftera five percentpay rise wasrejected

Fire Brigades Union(FBU) chiefs turned down theincrease anddeemedit“absolutelydisgust ing” as they reiterated callsfor a boostin line with inflation.

Membersacrossthe area are nowset to be balloted in thecom ingweeks.Iftheyvotein favour it will be the firstnationalstrike over paysince 2003.

Theindustrialactionwould af fect 136full-time firefighters at

Shropshire Fire andRescueSer vice,53retained firefighters and nine controlroomstaff.A further 350full-time firefighters, 191re tained firefighters and23control staffat Midand West WalesFire andRescueService areset to be balloted.

Andrew Scattergood, executive council member forthe West Midlandsinthe union, said:“Strike action is always thelastresort, it’s somethingevery firefighter wantstoavoid.But over10years of payrestrainthas resulted in a real-terms paycut for firefighters “We’ve got firefighters using

food banks, theyare choosing be tweenheating andeatingover the Christmas period andthe payofferthey’ve made does notaddress these concerns

“It’simportant that thegovern ment recognises thecutsthatthey have made andhow they’veimpacted on the fire service– it has impacted on ourability to respond (toincidents)and it’s impacted on stafftoo.”

Theindustrialactionwould also affect 1,334whole-time firefight ersatWestMidlandsFireService

Voting will startonMonday, De cember 5, andend onJanuary 23

Plea issued for thoseatriskto take up booster

TheNHS in Shropshireisurging adults with long-termhealthcondi tionstotakeupthe offerofafree flu jaband Covid-19 boosterassoonas possible to protectthemthiswinter

Thoseathigherriskofserious symptoms from Covidand fluin cludepeoplewithlungproblemsincludingasthmaorchronic obstructive pulmonarydisorder,people with heartdisease, chronickidney or liver disease, cancer,aweakened immune system or people whohave hada stroke or thoselivingwithdementia

AlisonBussey, chiefnursing of ficerfor at NHSShropshire, Telford andWrekin, said:“Iurgepatients whoare at risk from fluand Covid, particularly thosewithhealthcon ditions, to have both vaccinations to protectthemselves,their family andfriends this winter

“Havingthese jabs reducesthe chancesofcatching fluand Covidat thesametime, whichcould be dangerous or even life threatening.

“Itis safe to have both vaccines at thesametimeand if this is offered then pleasetakeitup, butpeople mayneed to book them separately

“You don’tneed to wait to be contacted to get vaccinated as you can book online forabooster or contact yourGPpracticefor an NHS flujab or at apharmacythatoffersone.”

Visit: nhs.uk/conditions/vaccina tions/flu-influenza-vaccine/

Hunger to get outisaboost forTravelodge

Budgethotel chainTravelodgeis benefitting from ahungerfrompeo pletoget outand enjoy themselves

It says increasedrevenue in London broughtonbythe Queen’s deathduringthe summer hasbeen addedtobybig demand as people look forshortbreakstorelax

TheWorld Cupand Christmas hasspurred people on to getout and enjoythemselves,often taking on shortbreaks. Thecompany,which controversially planstocreatea 436sqmhotel next to iconic Rowley’sHouse in Shrewsbury,already has595 hotels acrossthe UK,Ire land andSpain

It said that by theend of thethree monthstoSeptember,ithad already beaten thefull-yearresultnotched up in 2019 before the pandemic struck.Underlyingearningshit a record £93.8million forthe quarter, up from £87million ayearago,afterrevenuesjumpedto£278.6mil lion –up21.5per cent on ayearear lier and33.5per cent higher than thesameperiodin2019.

Last year’s Omicronoutbreak createduncertainty andcancellations, butwithlifegetting back to normalbookingsare nowsignifi cantly up,boostedbythe WorldCup andChristmas.Thishelpedthe ho telchain notch up a22.7% rise in underlying revenues versus 2019 to £669.9million forthe firstnine months of theyearsofar.Underly ingearningsfor theninemonths stood at £164.4 million,upfrom £102.2 millionin2019.

Opportunity –Mark Thompson,the managing directorofAceOnGroup

Breedenjoys prominence

Newmystery shopperresearch hasshownBritish Ab erdeen-Angus beef is themost prominentbrand acrosspremi um supermarket meat ranges

Analysiscarried outbythe Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society hasrevealedthe native breed is thebeefofchoiceinthe premium meat productlines across arange of supermarkets from Aldi andAsda, throughtoWaitroseand M&S.

Robert Gilchrist, thesocie ty’s CEO,saidthe findings of themystery shopperresearch areincrediblyencouraging and testamenttothe hard workAberdeen-Angus farmersput in to producingbeefwithsuchahigh meat-eatingquality

“Itisespecially reassuring to seesucha strong brandpresence in both discount retailers andthe more high-end supermarkets,”hesaid. “We’re proud to be ableto fill theshelvesat everyprice point.”

Theresearchlookedateight of themainsupermarketsin theUK andtheir own-brand premiumlines of beef –looking specificallyatburgers, steaks, mince, androastingjoints–to investigatewhether abreed was specified andits countryofor igin.Aldi, Asda,Waitrose and Marks&Spencer allrepresent ed astrong brandpresenceof Aberdeen-Angus

Groupbacking useofnew label

Bosses at theOrganic TradeBoard (OTB) say they believe environmentallabelling will help consumers make more informed,sustainable andeducateddecisionsatpoint of purchase.

Aspokespersonfor thegroup said:“We supportand encourage ourmembers, alongwiththe wider organicindustryinthe UK,totri al theinternationally recognised Planet Scorelabel

“Westronglybelieve theobjective of anyenvironmental labelshould be to reflectthe keymetrics that result in amoresustainable food production approach,deliveringa moretransparent andhonestlabelling system.”

Thespokespersonadded: “The increase of eco-activesinthe UK population will seearisingnumber of shoppers highly concernedabout theenvironment andwantingto take more seriousactions to reduce theirimpact.

“The rightenvironmental label will be awelcome tool in achieving this

“The OTB,onbehalfofthe UK organicindustry, is fullysupporting thedevelopment of environmental labelling on food anddrinksprod ucts that will furtherhelpconsumersinmakingbetterand moreinformed choicesfor themselves and theplanet.

“Weneedtomakesurethatthis labelisasclear andtransparent as possible,aswellasavoidingany po tentialgreenwashingwhich could misleadconsumers.”

Sustainableproductionwas thekey themeatmeatevent

DAVIDBANNER newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

More than 700people flockedtoWynnstay’s

Sheep and Beef event.

Theconversation focusedonpro moting sustainable meat produc tion to combat misinformation and improve margins.

Gareth Davies,Wynnstaychief executive, said whilethere is alarge amount of uncertaintywithinthe sector,there area wealth of opportunitiesfor farmerstoproduce high qualityfood, in asustainable,effi cientand profitablemanner.

“The complexsustainability subject wasmentioned by everyspeak er at theevent,but theoverriding advice wastomakesmall changes to improve efficiency,” said Mr Davies

Linked to sustainability,the challengeofindustryperceptions wasalso akey topic. “While as an industry we know that we’renot the biggestcontributor of greenhouse gasemissions –one of ourbiggest challenges is promoting this wider andchallenging misinformation,” Mr Davies added.

Speaking at theevent,James

Ruggeri from Hybu CigCymru Meat PromotionWales,saidmar gins aretightand whilethere are opportunitiesinbothsectors,much of these arereliant on improvedefficiency

“By making smallchanges,such as improvingfeed conversion or fertility,enhanced financialand environmentalsustainability im provements canbeachieved,”said Mr Ruggeri.

Beef farmer Paul Williamssaid theindustry“cannot go greenifwe arein thered”.

“Inthe beef sector,there are

MARKET REPORT

MONDAY NOVEMBER 21,171 BARRENCOWS, CULL BULLS &OVERAGE CLEANCATTLE(Green Market)A fewmoreforward andalarger show of plainand worked cows in themix andthese found astrongertrade throughoutwithveryfew cows under 100p.Lightonexporttypecowsand these certainlysoldtoapremium andmoreurgently wanted to meet interest

Topcalls on thenight rang outto216por £1,645.92for sucklers, 216p or £1,283.04for clean, 187p or £1,410.56for dairyand 184p or £1,780.66for bullswithanoverall market average of 136p.107 Dairies- Little bitmorespark around thering for allweights, grades andnationalities returning atop priceof187p(£1,058.42) fora youngblack andwhite from TheWild Family, Blythe Bridge

TheCottonFamily, Gratwich saw177p(£888.54) for ayoung feeder,Mr DavidLea &Family, Westfieldscow to 167p (£1,239.14),Montbeliarde from JH.& MR.Rushton&Sons, Kingstone sold to 165p (£1,168.20)and S.R. Lewis& Son, Eyton Montbeliarde sold to 156p (£1,104.48)and black andwhite to150p(£1,068.00).PRF.&EA. Stone &Sons, Little Stokecow to 154p (£988.68), Mr S.R. Nash,Leigh cowto151p(£1,153.64) and Mr CharlesForrester,Northwood cowto150p (£903.00)

In thelumpThe Reading Family, Warrington cow returned at £1,410.56tomention afew Thesection averagereturned at 123p (£780.64). 44 Sucklers-Onthe nightonlyacouple of export cows forwardand these breechedthe 200p mark with aBlue sellingto216p(£1,645.92) from AF.& DV.Shallcross,Tan House andThe JonesFamily, Llaneliden Limousinto200p(£1,256.00).A regular Cheshirevendorsaw 186p (£1,484.28)for aSaler, 178p (£1,302.96)for Simmental, 176p (£1,108.80) for aHerefordetc.Glyn Morris& Family, Tushingham Limousinto181p(£959.30),Angus to 173p (£1,162.56)etc.The section average returned at 156p (£1,025.86). 6Bulls -Cross bred dairystock bull tookpoleat184p(£1,177.60) from TheWhitfield Family,Audley. Angusto161p (£1,780.66) from Jonathan Jackson &Family, Longpools and148p(£1,275.76) from ParkHouse DairyLtd,Ashley. Welsh Blackto148p(£1,074.48) from AP.&AR.Jones,Arenigand Jerseybulls to 134p twice(£737.00and £707.52) from Grafton FarmsLtd,Tilston. Theoverall average returned at 153p (£1,125.55). 14 Clean-Glyn Morris & Family, Tushingham toppedboththe steers and heiferswithLimousins to 216p (£1,283.04)and

196p (£1,113.28)respectively.Nativetypes saw Angusheifer to 194p (£1,156.24)fromMrEric Callwood,BrownsBank. Black andwhite steersto 162p (£1,134.00)fromThe Evans Family, Llanelian. 110PIGS21CullSows-Bestsowsgood to sell at 60pto 70ptopping at 86pand 85pfromD.J Shakeshaft &Son,ColdHatton. Mediumsowsat 30p to 50pwithboars still remaining hard to sell butall finding homes.

Bestheavy sows coming to over£200topping at £239.20.15Fat Pigs-Demand outstripping supply todayafter thelastsale with vendorsnot so keen to presentpigsbut those who didwerewell rewarded Atotal one offI wouldimagine butfat pigstopped at 250p andaveraging 170p/kg. 74 Store&Weaner Pigs-A bumper entryand atailoftwo halves Bestquality stores at 31kg to 40kgmade£70 and £60fromMrT.W. Goldstraw,KinseyHeath.Best of theweanersto£42 from Mr Jube Wickstead, LilacHouse.Ingeneralweaner tradeat£10 to £20but very plain or cold typesat£1to£5. 309 WEANLINGSA nicehandy entryofweanlings forward forour second sale in November.Trade good throughoutespeciallyfor those well reared fleshysorts.Coldand smallfor agecattlea little harder to place butmostly findingnew homesata price. Only twenty-two bulls forwardtoday topping at £550and £500 forLimousin bull from Mr K. Van Straaten,Staylittle.

In general best bullsat£380to£450withyounger typesat£330to£360. Asuper entryofsteers forward this sale with thevastmajoritybeing 3to 6monthsofage with hardly any7to 8month old ones.Beststeersat£500to£550topping at £600 for aHerefordfromRG.&EA. Cornes,School Lane Thoselovely youngBlues at 3to4monthsold sold at £420 to £480 topping at £500.Eighty-eight steersforward to average £441.Heifersa very similarstory to thesteerswithagain mainly 3to 6month old ones on offer.Bestheifersat£480to £540 topping at £570 forAngusheifersfromJ.H Lightfoot& Sons,Burton.Those 3to 4month old sortstrading at £380 to £420 lookingwell sort Just afew figuresfor foodfor thought- 118Blue heifersaveraged£438!!And all185 heifers forward averaged£436!!!

WEDNESDAYNOVEMBER23,226 CLEANCATTLE &YOUNGBULLS Aniceentryofcattleonoffer selling to afasttrade throughoutfor allweightsand grades.Meatedcattleasalwayswereinstrong demandand sold to a flying tradewiththe best to 304p for bulls,318pfor heifers and283pfor steers.

things allfarmers candotoimprove efficiency to achievebetterreturn on investment,aswellas reducing emissions. Forexample, reducing the ageof firstcalving andcalving intervals, andincreasingcalfsur vivalcan allmakesignificant im provements across allareas of the business,” said Mr Williams.

He said agriculture, andin particularthe beef sector,seemtoalways be the firstindustrytoreceive criticismwhenitcomestogreenhouse gasemissions,and so he in vestigated hisown farm’s emissions to gain agreater understandingof

farm level impact.“We took part in aFarming Connectproject which looked at thecarbonfootprints acrossavariety of beef farmsin Wales. Theresults from this high lightedthatthe averagecarbon footprintonWelsh beef farmswas 11-16kgCO2e, whereasthe global averagewas 37kg CO2e,which rein forces whyweneedtopromote what we’redoing in theUK, as many of the figuresmakingthe headlinesare global,” he explained.

MatthewSmith,vicepresidentof Alltechand head of AlltechE-CO2, reinforced this messagebysaying measurementand dataiskey to improve efficiency andthiswill not only enhancemargins butreduceenvironmentalimpact.

Author JayneReesBuxtonpro videda similar opinion on emis sionsfromagriculture.She started researchingabout thetopic of food, health andthe environmentwhen shenoticed that plant-basedmes saging wasdominating thedebate andthatmuchofthe data beingused to promote theplant-basednarra tive wasincorrect

“The daily‘stop eating meat’headline sparkedmetodo moreresearch anditbecameclear how much misinformationwas outthere,” shesaid.

101Bulls -Morebulls on offerwithsome better qualityand meatinthe mix. Topprice was304p for acracking Limousinbull weighing 644kgs to gross£1,957.76 from Mr Edward Evans, Lane Farm.The sameman achievedtop pricein thelumpof£1,970.76(Limousin) 694kgs and further bulls£1,969.74 (Limousin) 706kgs and £1,958.40(Limousin) 680kgs.Other notable prices as follows:-£1,935.68(736kgs)Blonde Wells FarmingLtd,£1,851.66 (762kgs) BritishBlue Mr D.H. Bromilow, £1,850.36(668kgs)LimousinJ.E Reynolds&Co, £1,845.08(777kgs) Simmental D.&A.Warringtonand £1,761.20 (740kgs) ShorthornI Holmes&Co. Thesection average wasreturned at 231p or £1,472.60. 54 Steers -A goodtrade throughoutwithmeatedcattlea flyer andheavier cattle selling well with afew more further finisherstrying to precurecattlewith potentially more finishtobehad. Topbook was283pfor aLimousin steer weighting 556kgs to generate£1,573.48 forMaestruan Farming Ltd,Llanelidan. Topprice in thelumpwas £1,850.08for aLimousinsteerweighing 746kgs from Mr Darren Young, Balterley. Other notable prices as follows:- £1,814.12(682kgs)British Blue Mr G.L. Noden, £1,765.00(706kgs)Limousin G.E. Wright &Son,£1,740.02(722kgs) SalerH Evans &Sonsand £1,682.10(630kgs)Simmenta Mr G.L. Noden to mention afew.The section average wasreturned at 236p or £1,452.38. 71 Heifers -Some properfed shapelyheifersraced away to 318p for British Blue heifer weighing 534kgs to gross£1,698.12for Mr D.C. Smith, Wrexham. Topprice in thelumpwas £1,915.80for aLimousinheifer weighing 620kgs forGwynJones &Partners, Kerry. Mr ChrisLoynton,Hatton came aclose second with hisheifer selling to 314p for a Limousinweighing492kgstogenerate £1,544.88. Thesection average wasreturned at 240p or £1,358.22. 63 DAIRYCATTLEAmuchmore selective tradethanoflatewiththe bestmilkers selling really well butthe lesser quality andfaulted onesbeing alot moredifficult to place.The top price of £2,500 wasfor acalved heifer

Heifers over£2,000 included£2,400Andrew Ball,Sandbach, £2,400 and£2,220Wyndford Wagyu,Newport,£2,250and £2,200Will May, Bromsgrove, £2,200HankinsHeysFarm, Nantwich,£2,120David Monk,Ormskirk, £2,100 DH.KS.&JS. James, Magor.Cowspeakedat £2,300 fora thirdcalver. David Monk sold asecond calver for£2,150and afourthcalverfor £2,000 Drycowssold to £1,420 and£1,400and Spring

calving cross-bred cows to £820.Stockbulls sold to £2,200for aSimmental (19months) and Angusbulls at £2,200(18 months)and £2,100 (19months).Averages:Top 10 Heifers £2,229,39 Heifers £1,735 (all in), Top4Cows£2,063, 8Cows £1,735 (all in). 244STORE CATTLE Greatnumbers forwardthisweek boostedbygoodnumber of breedingstock.Trade very quickinall sections andmoreare neededtomeetdemand.Cowsand calves topped at £1,500 and£1,460for Angus outfits from Messrs T.A.J. Campbell,Cheadle who also sold agreat runofin-calf Angusheifersat mainly£900 to £1,000 toppingat£1,060onthree occasions.

Agood number for Friesian steers forward attracting very briskbidding with thebestat£900 to £1,050 topping at £1,080 from Mr K. McBride Astley Moss.Farmingtypes sold well at £750 to £900 with cattle generally trading at 180p to 200p andaveraging 186p/kg. Yardingcattlea dreamto sell todaytopping at £1,405 forAngussteersfrom Mr K.F. Watson,Marton.

Allthe bestcattleat£1,100to£1,300and even thetop endnative heifers at £800 to £950 with afew bestgetting over£1,000.Trade mainly at 200p to 220p/kgtoday with onlythe very best 220p to 240p/kg.Farmingand youngercattle found some moregotoday with better bred steers at £800 to £900 gettingto £920 for eightmonth oldLimousins from MG.&VE.Hudson,Little Bridgeford. 1,088PRIME LAMBS Asmall show on offer selling to averypleasing tradethroughoutto return an overall market averageof247p. Lights sold to 253p for29kgs to return £73.37 forMrG.H. Beeby, Woolstanwood Standardshit 269p for38kgs to return £102.22 for R. Brown&Sons, Church Lane.Mrs J.A. Fox, Barthomley achieved260pfor 39kgsto realise £101.40. Mediums hit314pfor 43kgstoreturn £135.02for Mr C.R. Swinnerton, DoleyManor. Othersasfollows:-£130.07(43.5kgs) Mr C.R. Swinnerton,£130.06(43.5kgs) Lipley Beltex £124.23 (41kgs)R.Swift &Sons, £120.40(43kgs) L.T. Farm Account,£119.72 (41kgs)R.Swift & Sons. Heaviessold to 278p for 51kgstoreturn £141.78for Mr L.P. Atkin, Whitgreave. Topprice in thelumpwas £147.20 for64kgs for R.W. Richards &Son,Hafod.Lambs Graded :- Lights to 253p (£74.71) average221p(£65.36). Standardsto 269p (£102.22)average 241p (£86.43).Mediums to 314p (£135.02) average253p(£106.57). Heaviesto278p(£147.20) average 232p (£122.60).

Therewas plenty of conversationsatthe WynnstaySheep andBeefevent

Support group is delightedwith itsaward of happiness grant

ThePrince’sCountryside Fund and Waitrose&Partnershavelaunched theirnew jointHappinessGrants.

Thegrantswill fund community grassrootsprojectsaddressingchallenges such as food poverty,mental health, skillsand development op portunities, andlonelinessand iso lation

The firstsix projectsaspartof this partnershiphavenow been announced andinclude Shropshire RuralSupport

Thefunding will be used to im prove access to emergencymental health and financialservicesfor farmers, andtosupport asustain able farminggroup to help share environmentally-friendly farming practicesinthe community Andrew Bebb, of ShropshireRuralSupport,said: “Thisgrant from ThePrince’sCountryside Fund and Waitrosewill give us theopportu nity to increase ourhours of operation andextendour support.

“Itwillalsohelpusraise awareness of theissue of mental health in farming, andhelpbreak thestigma by gettingyoung farmersinvolved.”

KeithHalstead, director of PCF, said:“We’d liketothank Waitrose fortheir continuedsupport.This significant investment is making a real difference to people’s livesand responds to theneeds of farming andrural communities.

“And that is whetherour funding is empowering community-ledpro jectslikeStoke FerryCommunity Enterprise in Norfolkormeeting day-to-day runningcosts of farm supportgroupsthereby ensuring familyfarms have access to prac tical, localhelpwhentheyneed it.”

Appointments made to conference board

TheOxfordFarming Conference (OFC), theUK’sleading agricul tural, business andfood event, has made threenew appointments to its voluntaryboard of directors.

CEO of TheFarming Commu nity Network, Jude McCann,head of news at FarmersGuardian,Abi Kay, andproject manager(rural) at Scottish Enterprise,JuliaLatto, will join thecommittee afterthe next conference in January.

Jude McCann grew up on afam ilyfarminNorthernIreland,and hasastrong understandingofthe challenges facingagriculture,hav

DAVIDBANNER newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

ingspent seven yearsasCEO for RuralSupport,a charityinNorth ernIreland that supports farmers andtheir families. In 2020 he was appointed CEO with theFarming CommunityNetwork(FCN),and nowworks acrossEngland and Waleshelping those facing hard ship AbiKay haswon several awards forher journalism,including the InternationalFederationofAgri-

cultural JournalistsYoung Leaders accolade andthe BobDaviesMemorial Awardfor raisingthe profile of Welshfarming.She hasastrong background in politics,working for arural MP in Westminsterand as alobbyistfor NFU, prior to joining theFarmers Guardian team. Julia Lattohas over 25 yearsofexperience in economic development,and leadsonawideportfolio of national programs forScottishEnterprise, includingthe Scottish RuralLeadership Programme.

Visitofc.org.ukfor detailsabout theconference.

Correcting thecarbonmyths ‘could help bringcashboost’

UK agriculturecould benefitfrompayments worthas much as £500m everyyearifmyths around carbon markets arecorrectedand farm ersare presentedwith thebestinformation aboutthe opportunities on offer, ameeting has heard.

Growerscould top-up theirannual incomesbythousands of pounds if they monetise thecarbonthey captureeachyearthrough sustainable farmingpractices such as re ducing theintensity of theirtillage andplantingcover crops.

Andifincompleteinformation presentedtogrowers abouthow carbon marketsoperate is corrected,morefarmers standtobenefit, industry expertsagree

Speaking at acarbonmarkets

DAVIDBANNER newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

myth-busting meeting, hosted by agronomy firm Soil Capital, more than 20 expertsfromacrossagricul ture discussedwaystocorrect the most importantmisunderstandings abouthow carbon marketsworkso that more growersfeelempowered to enterthe market

Topofthe list washow to help producersrealise carbon markets payfor carbon savedoradded to thesoilon-farm eachyearafarmer participates in acarbonprogramme —not forcarbonlockedin thesoil in thedistant past

“Fromour experiencesofbring ingEurope’s firstcertified carbon paymentprogramme to themarket in theUK, France andBelgium,we cansee wherethe biggest information gaps about thecarbonmarket areinthe UK,” said Andrew Voysey, Soil Capital’sheadofimpact andcarbon.

“British growersshouldunder standthatcarboncertificatescan be bought by crop buyers, notjust high-emitting businesses unrelated to farming, so that cropsand carbon canbekepttogether, in line with in dustry netzeroexpectations.

“Equally,carbonpaymentscan reward thefarmer’stransitionup to netzero, rather than only being availableoncenet zero is reached, andwaiting forhigherpricesmay mean that growersare no longer meetingthe market’sexpectations that carbon improvements must be newtoberewarded.

“Inthese areasand more,farmers have been presentedwithincomplete information, whichiswhy it’s so importantthatindustrybod iesand expertsfocus on sharingthe best advice available.”

Farmer Andrew Randall, who hosted theround tableonhis 320ha arable farm,signeduptoSoilCap ital’s owncarbonpayment scheme earlierthisyearafterresearching

themarket andrealising much of what he’d heardabout carbon marketswas incorrect.

He told attendeesheexpects to make about£50/hain his firstyear by utilisingsustainable farming practicessuchasdirectdrilling, growingmulti-species cover crops, reducing nitrogenuse andspreadingorganic matter across240ha of hisbusiness.

“Whenpeoplestarted talking about carbon payments Irealised we were ticking alot of boxeswith ourplanned practicesand that we couldcapitalise on that,” he said

“A lotofthe farm-level chat has been ‘don’t sell therights to allthe carbon under your feet’,which is a huge myth that needs to be busted.”

“I’m notselling abankofcarbon —I’m benefitting annually from thepractices we do on farm,and if we don’tbenefit financiallyfrom thoseenvironmental gainswe’re making,it’ssimplyawasted opportunity,”headded

Viewssought on pilotscheme

Theviews of Englishfarmers who have chosen not to take part in the Government’s LandscapeRecoveryPilot Scheme arebeing sought by Harper AdamsUniversity re searchers.

Theschemeforms part of theDepartment forEnvironment,Food andRural Affairs’ Environmental Land Management Scheme

The firstround of projects fo cusedonrecoveringand restoring England’s threatened native species.Intotal,22successfulbidsfor pilotprojectswereannounced this September

However,the Harper Adamsresearch teamiskeentohearfrom thosewho chosenot to take part, with itsstudy aiming to help poli cy-makersunderstandwhy English farmersmadethischoice.

Completing thesurveyshould take around 15-20minutes andcan be foundonthe university’s website

Forestry values areonincrease

Commercialforestryvalues have escalated by at least15per cent in thepastyearaccording to an industry report

Increasing demand fortimber assets driven by netzeroambitionscontributed to rising pric es in amarketcharacterisedby fewer, smaller, buthighervalue salesin2022.

Scotland “spearheaded the charge foreconomic forestry” with an 84 percentshare of UK commercialforestrysales Thelandavailable fornatural capitalprojectsincluding native afforestation, peatland restoration andrewilding also trebled over thepastyear, asectorled by England.

The figuresare included in theUKForestMarket Report 2022,producedbyTilhill and specialistforestry firm Gold crestLand&ForestryGroup

University looks to ‘growits own’

TheRoyal AgriculturalUniversity (RAU)has launched aunique recruitmentinitiativeina bidto “growour own” academic and teaching staffand develop thefuture leadersinthe land-basedsec tor.

Theuniversity is recruiting fora newposition of Doctoral International Teaching Fellow –RAU Vice Chancellor Scholar. Theposition wouldgivethe successfulcandidate theopportunitytostudy foraPhD whileteachingRAU students and withthe RAUcoveringthe PhD fees

Theproject is thebrainchildof ProfessorDavid Main,the RAU’s ProVice-Chancellor (Academic Planning &Resources). He said: “Thisuniqueopportunitywillcom bineapart-time PhDprogramme of thesuccessfulapplicant’s choice with ateachingpositiondelivering undergraduateteachingtoour in ternationaland UK programmes.”

Projectmanager (rural) at Scottish EnterpriseJuliaLatto

School project is commended

AShropshirebuildingcontractor hasbeenhighly commendedfor itsconstructionofnet zero carbon school facilities at an awards cere mony celebratingthe topproperty projects in theWestMidlands.

Pave AwaysBuilding Contractors received theaward forits work at Harlescott Junior School in the West Midlands Property Awards at Birmingham’s Metropole Hotel

The£9.1m project, completed earlierthisyearfor Shropshire Council, involvedanumberofnew buildingsand therefurbishment of theexistingVictorian school,all to highly sustainable andenergyeffi cientstandards

Thebuild allowedthe Haughmond Federation to bringits infant andprimary provisiontogetheron one site in Featherbed Lane

It included anew nursery setting, 18 classrooms, apupil supporthub, ahall, kitchen, officesand meeting rooms.

Lack of ‘flexible’ jobsonoffer

Fewerthanathirdofjob ad vertslist flexible working op tionseventhoughmorethan half amillion people arelooking forpart-timework.

Thenumberofadverts mentioning flexible workhas only increasedbyfourper cent in the past year,researchsuggested Flexible working groupTimewise said thenumberofpeople workingpart-time to fitinwith issues such as caring respon sibilities or ill health hasincreasedfrom5.8 million in 2017 to 8.4million this year

Itsstudy of sixmillion jobadvertsfound that threein10listed anykindof flexible working options.

Despite theshifttoworking from home as aresultofthe pandemic,Timewisesaidonly around oneineightadvertsofferedhybridworking

Carproduction cutatJLR site

Luxury carmanufacturing group Jaguar Land Rover is reducing production at afactory in theWest Midlands untilthe spring.

It is duetocontinuingproblems in obtainingenoughcomputerchips forits latest models

Thereduction at factoriesin So lihull andinHalewood, Merseyside, is expected to affect theoutputof theJaguarF-Paceand Land Rover DiscoverySport

Themove is understood to be temporaryand JLR, whichhas its engine manufacturingcentre at the i54, north of Wolverhampton, will focusinsteadonits more profitable models

Thelatestcarsare heavilyreliant on computer chipstocontrola varietyofonboard systemsincluding anti-lock braking, emissionscon trols, satellite navigation andin-car entertainment. Supplies from East Asia have been heavily disrupted in thewakeofthe Covidpandemic

Ian’snew role with AceOnGroup

UK batteryand renewableenergy specialist,AceOn Group, has appointed anew director to the boardtofurther increase itstechnicalexpertise andenergyindus try experience

IanWassman hasstarted in thenewly createdroleofTechnicalSales Director,witharemit to elevate thecompany’s salesand technicalsupport functions.

He will be working closely with thesales teams to sharehis re al-world experience of theenergy sector andadd valuetocustomers by showinghow AceOn’s products fitintothe widerpower system Iansaid: “I thrive on achallenge, so when Imet with Mark andthe team at AceOn,Iknew therewould be plentytoget my teethinto.”

Fundingisvital to help jobsmarket

Asupported employment andtrain ingcharity haswelcomedthe Chan cellor Jeremy Hunt’s commitment to gettingmorepeopleintowork butwarnedprojectswhich currently supportedthose furthest from thejob market were at risk of losing vitalfunding

SoniaRoberts, chiefexecutive of supportedemploymentand train ingcharity Landau,said: “Whilst we welcome theChancellor’s pledge

to supportthe unemployed,whatwe really need is some firm decisions on thelevel of fundingthatmight be availablesothatwecan continue to deliver life-changing projectsand getpeopleintowork.

“Weneed to be ensuring as many peopleaspossiblecan secure employment and, withoutthiscom mitmentfromgovernment,werun theriskofalienatingthose whoare alreadyhardtoreach.”

Businesses urgedtogofor a granttomakebig difference

MATTHEWPANTER

matthew.panter@mnamedia.co.uk

Time is runningout for businesses to gettheir handson£10,000 EU grants to help them pay forvital equipment.

Morethan£670,000fromthe SmallEquipmentGrant pothas alreadybeenpaidtobusinesses in Shropshire,Telford &Wrekinand Herefordshire, helpingtocreate more than 70 jobs

Cash is still availablefromthe SEGproject butprogramme manager Caroline Cattle says thedeadline forapplicationsisJanuary 31, 2023

Thegrant scheme is supportedby theMarches LocalEnterprise Part nershipand itsbusinesssupport arm, theMarches Growth Hub, and receives European Regional Development Fund assistance

“SEG moneyhas alreadyhelped 91 businesses in theMarches to buy vitalequipment to help theirbusi nesses grow anddevelop, butthis moneyisn’t goingtobearoundfor much longer,” said Caroline

“A grantofupto£10,000 could make allthe difference to asmall or medium sizedbusiness andcould be thedifferencebetween beingableto expandand just standing still.”

Detailsofthe schemeare available throughthe MarchesGrowth Hub– marchesgrowthhub.co.uk/ support/marches-small-equipment grant/

Hugh settotakeonheadroleatlegal firm

Toplegal firm Aaron& Partners hasappointed anew head of its Shrewsbury office CorporateFinancePartner Hugh Strickland,who hasworked in thebusinesssince 2014,will take on therolefollowing signif icantgrowthinterms of people andrevenue forthe firm’s Shrop shire-basedoffice in recent years.

He succeedsStuartHaynes, a Corporate&CommercialPartner,

MATTHEWPANTER

matthew.panter@mnamedia.co.uk

in therole. Stuart continueshis focusongrowing the firm’s inter national practice,inadditionto supporting hisclients

StephenTaylor, aPartner in theDispute Resolution Team,has been appointed as Deputy Head of theShrewsbury office

Nick Clarke,Senior Partner andHeadofDispute Resolution at Aaron& Partners,said: “Hugh leadsmuchofour banking, finance work,and is highly respected in Shropshireand beyond.Hugh’s reputation in theShropshirebusiness communitytogetherwithhis understandingofthe business and itsculture mean he’s theperfect fit. We look forwardtohim lead ingthe office.”

Company celebrates fifthbirthdayinrealstyle

AthrivingShropshirebusiness

ownerhas celebrated hercompa ny’s fifthbirthdaywitha special partyatacountystately home

Ishbel Lapper,owner of HR SolutionsShropshire, invitedaround 50 guests to sharethe business’s birthday milestonewithher at a partyatWestonPark.

Ishbel,who has25years’experience in theHRsector, startedthe Telford-based business in 2017 af terleaving thecorporate world.

Shetoldguestsatthe partythe business nowhad more than 50 clientsand continuedtogo from strength to strength

“Itwas always adream of mine

to be my ownboss. Having takena year offfollowing thebirth of our beautifuldaughterWillow,wehad decideditwas nowornever andI embarkedintosetting up thefoundationsofmybusiness

“I have been blessedwithworkingwithsome greatpeopleand companieswho have been afantastichelpand arealadvocatefor my business.Despite thechallenges of Covid, Brexit andthe cost-of-living crisis, thebusinesshas grownyear on year whichistestament to my fantasticclients andthe faiththey have placed in me.”

HR SolutionsShropshirehas been shortlistedfor awards by

both Shropshire Chamberand na tional business organisationsand Ishbel hasregularly contributedto TV,radio andmedia acrossShrop shireand theMidlands.

HollyBrookstein, financeand commercialmanager of Telford-basedFerco Seating, was amongthe guestsat thespecial eventand said:“It is very reassuringhavingIshbelthere to call on forall ourHRneeds. Sheisvery supportive andoffersaveryprofessional serviceatall times.”

Stuart Smallwood, of Shrews bury-basedE-drive West Midlands, added: “Ishbel givesfantasticadvice.”

Deputy head of office StephenTaylorand NickClarkewith Hugh Strickland, CorporateFinance Partner

ACROSS

7. Literary prize won jointly in 1992 by Barry Unsworth and Michael Ondaatje (6)

8. School of painting initiated by Braque and Picasso (6)

10. Herring fillet rolled around onion slices and pickled (7)

11. Cruciferous plant whose leaves areused in salads (5) 12. 1854 battle of the Crimean War (4) 13. The second largest Italian city (5) 17. William, captain of The Bounty cast adrift in 1789 (5) 18. Hawaiian dance performed by a woman (4) 22. Robert, former lead singer with rock group Led Zeppelin (5) 23. Japanese island, largest of the Ryuku Islands (7) 24. Nonmetallic element, symbol C (6) 25. In communications, code wordfor the letter S (6)

DOWN

1. The peninsula consists of Spain and Portugal (7) 2. The derived SI unit of electric charge (7) 3. Enrico, Italian nuclear physicist awarded a Nobel prize for physics in 1938 (5)

4 Capital of the Madeira Islands (7)

5. Single dot on a computer screen (5)

6. US and Canadian Mennonite sect (5)

9. Antelope of southern Africa (9) 14. 1986 film which won aBest PictureOscar award (7)

15. Comtesse ---, mistress of Louis XV (2,5) 16. Alanguage of Catalonia (7) 19. The Islands was the former name of the Moluccas (5) 20. African republic whose capital is Kinshasa (5) 21. The southernstates of the US (5)

WORD WISE

VEHEMENT

former Côte d’Ivoiremidfielder at Newcastle 2010-17 (5)

Steve Scotland striker who moved from Spurs to Barcelona in 1984 (9)

Brian .’........, Ireland captain in their 2009 Six Nations Championship-winning season (9)

Upright wooden sticks that form part of acricket wicket (6)

Andy ....., former Sheffield Wednesday striker between spells at Huddersfield Town (5)

Kevin first ever player to be sent offinanFACup Final (5)

Charlie former Rangers and Scotland midfielder released by Stoke in 2019 (4)

QUICK QUIZ

Which actress plays crime solver Agatha Raisin in the Sky

drama of that name, based on the novels of M. C. Beaton?

8-ball and straight areforms of which game?

For which government department is MOD an abbreviation?

For which expression is COD an abbreviation?

In which continent is the Kalahari Desert?

Of which party was the Militant Tendency afaction?

What does an early birdcatch according to the proverb?

This puzzle has no clues. Instead, every number printed in the grid represents a letter,with the same number alwaysrepresenting the same letter.For example, if 8turns out to be aV,you can write in Vwherever asquare contains8.Using your knowledge of words, completethe puzzle.

Helpingpeopleto keepmovingisMarcus’saim

Gettingpeoplebackontheir feet andbacktoenjoyingthe sportthey love is theaim of Marcus Slade.

As asportstherapist,heworks with clientsfromall walkstolife, helpingthemtorecover from inju ries,ironout achesand painsand preparefor thelikes of marathons andtriathlons.

Marcus,who livesinNorton Canes, graduatedfromUniversity CollegeBirmingham with aBSc (Hons) degree in sports therapyin 2015

Shortlyafter finishinghis stud ies, he setuphis ownbusiness, PaeonInjuryand Fitness, as a part-timemobileinjurycareunit.

It went from strength to strength andthree yearslater his full-timesportstherapy clinic was up andrunningat premises based within Chasewater CountryPark

in Staffordshire. “I setthe busi ness up within the firstmonth of graduating andtofundthe venture Isoldsomeold collectables whichgavemeenoughcapital for equipment andmy firstweek’srent –thiswas around £150 total,”explains Marcus

“I likethe idea of walkingmy ownpathand building my own idea from thegroundup,”headds.

Over thepastseven years, he hasbuilt up ateamofqualified and experienced therapists andnow thousandsofpeoplevisit theclinic each year fora rangeofservices from injury assessmentand treat ment to conditioning andexercise rehabilitation

When someone is sufferingfrom an injury,atherapist will carry outanassessmentand create a personal treatment plan including

aftercaretoensureasuccessfulrecovery.All rehabilitation provided in clinic is supported by homework aftercarewhich includes exercise recommendations, progress mark ersand continuedsupport

Sports massages areone of the conditioning methodsby team and aresaidtobeagreat waytoiron outknots, replenishsofttissueand tackle aching,tired muscles. Customers seekinghelprange from membersofthe public to am ateurand professional athletes,includingthose representing Great Britainin sports such as kick-box ing. Paeonhas also supported a wide rangeoflocal andnational organisations, includingSnapFit ness andIronman UK. ButMarcus says he is also pleasedtostill be working with same groupofclients he started with back in 2015

Denise Lewisonhitting 50 andstill staying fitand well

PRUDENCEWADE Health Correspondent

Like many eliteathletes, Denise Lewisadmitsto feelingadriftwhenher careerasaprofessional athletecametoan end.

Afterwinninggoldinthe women’s heptathlon at the2000OlympicsinSydney, thestarwho grew up in theWestMidlandsannounced herretirementatthe ageof32in 2005

How didshe deal with this tran sition?“Notwell,”saysthe 50-yearold. “Because you have to setnew goalsfor yourself.You’renot aper former in thesamesense –you’re not thinking about thenextchampionships. Youbecome adifferent being, becausethe hoursyou spend on trainingare removed, andyour identity as ahigh-performing athlete changes

“Withinthat, you’vegot to grow andlearn to accept that that part of your life is over,and trytocome to an understandingthatyou’renot only definedbythatperformance, or thenextchampionships.”

Andyet Denise,who grew up in Pendeford, Wolverhampton, suggeststhisisn’t so differenttoany one goingthrough abig lifechange –elite athleteornot

“There is adefinite transitionpe riod that is very uncomfortable, but isn’tany change uncomfortable?” sheasks. “Whenyou’rechanginga newjob,it’suncomfortable because you don’tknowwhatthe next phase is goingtolooklike, andsoyou have to startaskingyourselfquestions about what it is you want to do.How do you feel dealingwiththe anxiety andnervousnessofstartingover?”

NowDenise,who hasasportshall namedafter heratKing’sSchoolin Wolverhamptonwhere sheattended,has launched anew podcast Runtethered,where shechats to a

rangeofpeopleabout how they got into theirchosensport

Some 17 yearsonfrompro athletics,she says shehas more clarity on “Deniseas an athlete” andwhat she’sliketoday

“I thinkback–itwas very much focusedonresults,and very much focusedonwhatI needed to do to getbetter,”she reflects.“So the mind wasengaged in understand ingmeand understandingmylev els, andpushing myself to be better.

betweenbody andmindisverydifferent to what Ifacenow as amother-of four,and having allthose differentchallenges –relationshipchallenges,raising yourchildren, beingaworking mum –there’s alot morein my sphere nowthatI have to navigate.”

Onething shedoesstrugglewith as amother(heryoungestisfour yearsold andher eldest is 20)is findingtimefor herself. “Me, Den ise,and what Iwant. does get

squashed,” shesays. “It becomes very small. So Ihavetobeverycon scious of making sure I find that time

“I have to highlightlockdown, because it wastransformationalfor me.Havingbeenthatworking mum andbusy, Istarted really focusing back on exercise andwhatitreally meanstome. It reignitedthatpas sion againfor me,and Irealised actually,it’smorethanjustlooking good.It is very much about that re leaseand emptying thebrain during that 30 or 45 minutes of exercise.”

Denise knowsshe needstomake time forherself,but shesays: “I’m a workinprogress, because –and Iget this from my mum, I’msure–Idon’t liketosit down.Ifeellikethere’s al ways somethingtodo.

“SoI’vehad to forcemyselfto have thosemomentsofcalm. Hence thewalking,listening to arelaxation apporsomethinglikethatwhere I feel calm.”

Afterturning 50earlier this year, Denise is on thecuspofa newphase in herlife. “WhatI find at this glori ousage,istosit back andsay,‘Wow, you’vedonegreat,you’vegot to this age’.I’veaccomplished some amaz ingthings, andhad opportunities untold

“Asa woman, youare entering an otherchapter –which is inescapable Menopause –I’m glad it’s high on people’s agenda,it’sa talkingpoint now. Butit’slooking at ways Ican starttodealwithany symptoms

“Sofar,Ithink I’mOK, some wouldargue Ihavea little bitof brainfog,but that’s OK,itfeels manageable rightnow

“Butbeing open to newchallenges,creatingnew experiencesfor yourself, it stopsyou beingone-dimensional, it enriches you

“Fromthe things I’ve done,wheth er through sportorentertainment, it’s thoseexperiencesthatreallydid me aboost.”

l Thepodcast Runtetheredwith Denise LewisisonSpotify

ANTIQUES

WITH JOHN RIDGWAYOF OLDMILLANTIQUESCENTRE

Christmas is thattimeofyear when many people will be plan ning mealsfor anumberof guests...and perhapsrealisingtheir dining tableisjustnot bigenough! Even if you aimto eatinthe kitchenratherthana dining roomthe tableisreally importantifyou aimtocater for more than just afew

Butdon’t panicifyourexist ingtable doesn’tappeartobe suitable,you can find agreat vintageone at an affordable priceand getitdelivered in time if youstart lookingfairlysoon, If you plan to serveChristmas mealsina dining roomitmight be goodtofor amoreformaltable, thereare some lovely ones around in oakand mahogany that wouldbeideal.And fora kitchen, reclaimedoak andvin tage pine always fitinbeauti fullywithbothperiodand modernsurroundings. If you have limitedspace butare expecting alarge number of guests you couldbuy atable with fold-down leaveswhich couldtheneasily be used allyearround

Youmay also discover you mightnot have enough suitable

chairs, again look at what vintage chairs areavailable and don’tworry if they won’t match yourexistingones, they will still look goodand you canadd cush ionpadstocomplementcolour schemes. Youcan useall sortsof vintageitems to make your diningtable lookfestive,beginning with atable runner andifyou can’t find agenuinely oldone go forareproductionversion

Asilver candelabra makesa perfectcentrepiece andthese look amazingdecorated in re production ivy, as do acollection of matching candlesticks

Or you coulduse alarge vintage china tureen and fill it with festivegreenery. Go forsome lovely oldchina plates,bowls andserving dishes andlookfor some coloured wine glassesand even asilver punchbowlifyou can find onefor mulled wine

Useanold china cake stand foryourmince pies. Don’tforget therestofthe dining area,put coloured candles invintage candlesticksonwindow-ledgesor over your fireplace.

Olympic gold medallist DeniseLewis

Sports therapistMarcusSlade

Vintagestyle Christmas table

“Thatconversation

Risotto makes idealdinneron achillyevening

Actor’sdebut cookbook pays

much-loved dad

KATIEWRIGHT PressAssociation

MUSHROOMRISOTTO

Ingredients: Serves four/six 1tbspolive oil

50gbutter

1onion or shallot, chopped 1leek, finely chopped 300g mushrooms, chopped 4garliccloves,finely chopped 1large sprigofthyme leaves 400g risottorice

100mlwhite wine/Vermouth 1.5l chicken/mushroomstock

50gParmesan, grated Salt andblackpepper

To garnish:

15gbutter

250g mushrooms, sliced 2garliccloves, crushed

Method: Heat theolive oiland half thebutterinalarge sauté pan. Addthe onionorshallot andthe leek andcookverygen tly, stirring regularly, untilsoft andtranslucent Addthe mushrooms. Turn up theheatand fryuntil they have given outtheir liquid andlook drybut glossy.Add thegarlic andthyme andstir.

Addthe rice andstiruntil glossy with butter.Seasonwith salt andpepper. Pour in the wine andlet it bubble untilalmost evaporated.

Addalarge ladleful of thehot stock. Stirconstantlybut slowly untilmostofthe liquid hasbeen absorbedbythe rice,thencon tinuetoadd ladlefulsofstock untilthe rice has plumpedup andisaldente andthe sauce around it is creamy

Addthe remainingbutterand theParmesanand beat it into therisotto –thiswill make the risotto extra creamy.Taste and adjust theseasoning if necessary.Cover andkeepwarm.

Placeafryingpan over ahigh heat andadd thebutter. When it is foaming, addthe mixed mushroomsand frythemvery quicklyuntil well browned. Add thegarlicand stir foracoupleof minutes,thenseasonwithsalt andpepper.

Servethe risotto garnished with themushrooms andmore grated Parmesanfor people to addat thetable

Butreading JoeSwash’s odeto hisfatherRicky,who passed away suddenly when theLondon-born ac torand presenter was11years old, is incredibly moving “Hewas aLondontaxidriver buthewould do alot of half mar athons, he wouldrun threeorfour timesaweek,”Swash recallswith pride, speaking to me from the home in Essexheshareswithwife Stacey Solomon andtheir children Rex, three, andone-year-oldRose, as well as Zac, 14,and Leighton,10 (fromSolomon’s previous relation ships) andHarry,15(from Swash’s previous relationship with Emma Sophocleous)

“Hereallyate healthy. Likehe wouldcut thefat offhis bacon–I love thefat on my bacon! Thedoc torsaiditwas athing called sudden deathsyndrome,” Swashexplains.

“Itwas an undetected defaultin hisheart that couldhavehappened [atany time]. He couldhavedied when he waseight,he couldhave died when he was80. It wasjusta matter of time.”

Now40, theformerEastEnders star,who hasjustreleasedhis first recipe book,sayshehad difficulty coming to termswithhis griefasa child.

“Mymum andmysisters were crying –Isortofcouldn’tever open up anddothatmyself. I’donlyever cryorshow anyemotionsifI wasby myself,” he recalls. “Itwas areally sad, sadtimeinmylife. Isortofdetached myself from it alittlebit.It almost feelslikeI’m talkingabout anotherlittleboy,not really me.”

Swash– whogot hisbig breakin 2003 when he wascastas Mickey Miller in theiconicBBC soap –says hestill felt theimpactofhis dad’s deathas an adult.

“It’ssomething that’salways been with me,something thatIfeel

changed me quitealot.Ialways wonder what I’dbelikeifmydad wasstill with me,you know.Some of thebad decisionsI’vemadein life, wouldtheyhavehappened?”

Whilehe’snever hadcounselling, Swashsayshe’salwaysfound cook ingtherapeutic,which is whyhe’s themainchefinhis household: “I really getabuzzfromit. Although Stacey thinks it’s amazing that Ido it,Isortofsecretlydoitfor myself, it’s really goodfor me.”

It wasaftertakingpartinCelebrityMasterCheflastyearand reaching the finalthree that the amateurcookdecidedtoput pen to paper: “Itreallygavemealot of confidenceinthe kitchen. Irealised, youknow, I’maprettygood cook.”

Thebookaimstohelpother busyparents putwholesome meals on thetable.“Likealot of people, we’vegot families,webothwork.

It’s allthe sort of things that Stace andIdotomakeour liveseasier,” says Swash.

Alongsidefamilyfavouriteslike cheese andMarmite scrools, turkeyburgers andTottenham cake, Swashchronicles“my childhood andall thebig thingsinmy life like EastEnders,the Jungle,meeting Stacey –and allthe foodsthatrep resent thosemoments”.

AfterwinningI’m ACelebrity in 2008,Swash recallshow he “secretly fell in love”withSolomon when shetookpartinthe reality TV series twoyears later.

Hostingthe Extra Camp spin-off show,hegreeted theQueen of the Jungle readyfor herexitinterview only to find theobjectofhis affec tionswas –likemanycelebswho emerge afterweeks withouttoiletries –abit whiffy,tosay theleast

“I’m notsurewhether Stacey

wasthe worst smelling,orwhether Ihad such high expectations of her smelling so beautiful,” he says with alaugh.“Thesmell hitmelikea brick.”

Thepairstarted dating in 2016 andmarried earlierthisyear. Familylifewitha brood of five canbe hectic,but thekidsare happyto help outinthe kitchen.

“Theyloveabit of baking,” Swashsays. “Theyloveanything that’s messy, likemeringues.They take alot of pride in what they’re doing, so it’s lovely to see.”

They trytoprioritise family mealtimesasmuchaspossible, he adds:“It always gave me afeeling of security when Iwas akid,and it’s somethingI really want formy kids.”

Swashwants to create thelov inghome lifeheexperiencedinhis earlyyears,eventhoughtheir time together wascut short.

“Overall,I’vegot to thankmy luckystars that Ihad himfor the amount of time Idid,and theimpact he hadonmylife,”saysSwash.

“I hope he looksdownonmeand he lovesseeingusall together,try ingtodo what what he didwhen we were kids.”

n Joe’sKitchen:Homemade MealsFor AHappy FamilybyJoe Swashispublished by Pavilion Books, priced £22.

Mixthe

and-a-halftotwo hours untilithas puffed up to about twicethe size. Turn thedough onto a floured surfaceand knockthe airout of it so it deflates.Shape it into a largerectangle –about 35 x25cm

Roll up thedough alongthe long estside, then cutitinto12rounds. Arrangethe rounds over abaking tray linedwithbaking paper. Cover with adamptea toweland leaveagain untilthe dough has increasedinsizebut is stillquite firm.Preheat youroven to itshigh estsetting

Brushthe rounds with beaten eggand sprinkle with cheese.Bake for20–25 minutesuntil they are adeepgolden brown. Servewarm from theoven.

It’s notoften acookbook canbring youtotears (unlessyou’retalking aboutthe onionchop ping-induced variety).

Actorand presenterJoe Swashhas released acook book

JoeSwash’s newcookbook

Mushroomrisotto

Delightful dishes settodazzle dinner guests this Christmas

ANDY RICHARDSON andy.richardson@mnamedia.co.uk

Christmas is around the corner andit’stimeto startpreparing recipes that will dazzlethrough theholiday season.

So Maldon Salt hascreated araft of deliciousrecipes that will add glitterand sparkle to thefestive spread

SALMON PATE WITH MALDONSMOKED

SALT

Ingredients: Serves four 150g smoked salmon,cut up 180g creamcheese

2tbspcrème fraiche

Zest andjuice of 1lemon

Smallhandful of dill Smallhandful of chives

1tbspcapers, drained and rinsed

1tsp smoked Maldon salt and crackedblackpepper

Method: Putthe ingredientsinto amixingbowl. Mixtogetherso everything is combined.Serve with ryebread, lemon wedges, andanextra sprinkle of dill

MALDONSALTCHOCOLATE& AMARETTOTRUFFLES

Ingredients: Makes12 220g dark chocolate, chopped 120g double cream

1tsp almond extract

2tbspamaretto

90gunsaltedbutter, cutinto small cubesatroomtemp 1pinch of Maldon salt

Coatings: finely chopped pistachios,desiccatedcoconut, cocoapowder

Method: Placethe finely chopped chocolateinalarge heatproofbowl. Putthe creamintoasaucepanand heat untiljustboiling,thenremove from theheatand pour over thechocolate.Allow it to sitfor a fewminutes before whisking until smooth.Add thebutter, amaretto, almond extract,and pinchofMal donSaltand then whiskagain until smooth

Transfer to ashallow tinand allowtocoolatroomtempbefore adding to thefridge to firm up (two hours).Whencooled, rollthe ganachetruffles in yourhands in balls, keepinginthe fridge whilst you do therest. Then roll thetruffles in either desiccated coconut, finely choppedpistachiosorcocoa powder

IN SEASON

by Andy Richardson

Addthe milktoasaucepanand whiskin thecornflourand apinch of Maldon Salt untildissolved.Stirinthe sug ar andpistachio creamand place onto theheat. Allowthe mixtureto

come to theboiland then continue stirring untilthe mixturethickens (three to five minutes).Thenre move from theheatand cool.Once cool placeinthe fridge to cool completely.

Preheatthe ovento180C and placea baking trayinthe oven to heat up (thiswill help thesouffles rise). Preparethe ramekins by greasing with butter andthe dust ingout with icingsugar.Set aside.

Placethe eggwhitesinabowland whiskuntil foaming. Then slow ly addthe sugar, atablespoonata time.Keepwhiskinguntil allthe sugarisaddingand themeringue hasreached medium soft peaks.

Measureout 300g of thechilled panade mixtureand addthe fi nal20g of pistachiocream.Then carefullyfoldinthe meringue egg whites beingmindful not to knock theair outofthe mixture. Spoon the mixtureintothe ramekins and smooth offthe topwithapalette knife. Then use acutlery knifeto “top hat” around thetop rim. Place into theoven on thebakingsheet foreightto10minutes (donot open thedoor)

Remove from theoven, dust with icingsugar andserve immediately with pistachioice creamand cran berrycoulis.

MALDONSALTPISTACHIO &DARK CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Ingredients: Makes15 150g unsalted butter

castersugar

yolks

self-raising flour 30gcocoa powder 50gdarkchocolate, finely chopped

Forthe topping: 100g dark chocolate, melted 50g finely choppedpistachios

PinchofMaldonsalt

Method: Line abakingtraywith baking paperand preheatthe oven to 190C

Creamthe butter andsugar to gether with an electric whiskuntilpaleand fluffy.Beatinthe egg yolks, andthenadd the flourand cocoapowder. Kneadinthe chopped chocolateuntil smooth andwell mixed. Roll into arough disc and wrap in cling film,thenplace in the fridge to chill

On alight flouredsurface,rollthe dough untilisit2cm thickand then usea7cm cutter to cutroughly 25 cookies. Placeontothe baking tray andbakefor eightto10minutes Take thecookies outthe oven and allowtocool. Once cool,dip onehalf in themeltedchocolate andsprin klewith finely choppedpistachios andasprinkleofMaldonsalt.

Mushrooms areperfect for winter eating

Winter is here.Not that you’dnotice.The weatherhas been unseasonallymild, whichhas extended theautumn growingseason. Some cropshavebeenfooledintothink ingit’sspring, whichwon’t auger well when frosts starttobite– as inevitably they will

Thereare still plenty of good cropsavailable andin season,not leastmushrooms

Wild mushroomsare ajoy and make forperfect late-autumn/ear ly-wintereating.

Panfried chickeninamushroom sauceisafabulous, creamy Frecnh recipe that mixesmixed wild mush roomswithchicken stock, drywhite wine anda potofdoublecream to make adelicioussauce

Anothercreamymushroomdish is creamofmushroomsoup. Use porciniand wild mushroomsto make this filling yetlight supper for cold nights.The basicingredients aredried porcini, butter,onions, garlic,thyme,mixed wild mush rooms, vegetablestock,crème fra-

iche or creamand plenty of truffle oil. It is best served with croutons andchives.

Wild mushroom tartlets area greatway to use an abundanceand make sure to useplentyofparme sanand asmall handfulofparsley leaves when toppingyourall-butter puff pastry.Mushrooms lend themselves well to risottoand adish featuringchicken,bacon andwild mushroom is adelight.It oozeswith rich winter flavours andisperfect foracurl-up-on-the-couch evening. It works best by combiningporcini mushroomswithchestnut mush rooms, alongsideplentyofstreaky bacon, parmesanand leftover chunks of roastchicken.Makesure toseasonitwithalittleparsley.An alternativeisabarley, chickenand mushroom risotto,which is alow fat wonder if it’s made with pearl barley,ratherthanrisotto rice

Mushroomsalsopairperfect ly with beef,for instance,ina braisedbeefstewwithred onions andwildmushrooms.Rich, sticky andpacked with flavour, this is thekindofbeefdishthatputsa smileoneveryone’s face,even on thebleakestwinter day. Usepor cini again, if you can find them,or halved chestnut mushrooms. Use braising steak, thicklysliced,and cook it lowand slow

Chocolateand Amaretto Truffles

Pistachiosouffles

Smoked salmonpate

Porcini aretastyifyou can find them

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

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

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.

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

Rail heritage meets fine dining in York

There’sanenergetic buzz about TheGrand in York,and it’s not alldowntothe beehives on the roof, writes AmyCrowther.

Thetwo colonies of industri ousresidents arebeing brought up to strength by an experienced beekeeper, butare alreadysup plying honeytoThe Grand’s newest restaurant –Legacy.

TheGradeIIlisted building housingmostofThe Grandis hard to miss when you arrive by train.Justa couple of minutes’ walk from York station, you slip throughawidearch in themedievalcitywalls andThe Grandis directly ahead, redbrick warm againstthe ancientgreystone

It wasopenedin1906 as the headquarters forthe North EasternRailway andconverted to ahotel in 2010 with thepar quet flooring andkeystone-cor nicedarchesretained, along with thequirky numbersthat designated office doorsrath er than suites.Hugewindows facing thecitywalls still contain theclever Edwardiandou ble-glazing fitted to keep outthe clattering noise of horse-drawn vehicles

Oneofthese rooms with heritageglazing intact is home to Legacy,the intimate neweight course tastingmenudevisedby head chef AhmedAbdalla. Open sincelateAugust, it seatsjust 26 covers.

Nowafter asympathetic rede sign that pays homagetoindus triouspioneersofYork, with art deco lighting andarchitectural designsofthe hotel writ large on thewalls abovecurvedban quettes, it is awelcoming and intimate spacewhere diners getthe full attentionofAhmed andrestaurantmanager Derek Scaife.WhenIchecked in,there wasaVikinginmybed –Viktor, acharmingsofttoy included in welcome packsfor children.He provesacompanion not just for exploring thecity, butalso the hotel, as there’sa scavenger hunt mapoffeatures to help younger guests find theirway around York itself is atreasuretrove of activity forfamilies, from the famous Jorvik Viking Centre, to Clifford’s Towerwithits new roof deck offering unrivalled cityviews.The National Rail wayMuseumisbarely10min utes walk from TheGrand and thewidearray of spooky ghost toursare more treat than trick in what is said to be themost hauntedcityinthe UK.

Tampaisstealing limelightas theplace forsavvy travellers

BY SARAHMARSHALL

America’sSunshine Statehas long luredus across thepondwith thepromise of sublime coastalscenery,glamorouscitiesand some of thebesttheme parksin theworld.

Andwhileit’salove affair that showsnosignofsubsiding –more than 157,000 of us visitedinthe firstthree monthsofthisyearalone –savvy travellersare now looking beyond thetheme parksofOrlando andthe art deco delights of Miami.

Stealing thespotlight is Tampa. Located on Florida’spleasingwesterncoast andlappedbythe warm watersofTampa Bayand theGulf of Mexico,it’sacitythatdeliverson historyand culture, as well as ad venture,relaxationand allthe finer things in life.

So,it’slittlewonderVirginAtlan ticchose it as itsbrand newroute –its third destination in thestate afterMiami andOrlando

Andthe airlineispulling out allthe stopsfor Tampabyserving the newdaily servicefromLondon Heathrow with itsnew state-of-the artaircraft: theAirbusA330neo

The first flightwas celebrated in typical Virgin stylewiththe sightof SirRichard Bransonzipping across TampaBay on ajet ski, joined by membersofcabin crew.Here’swhat to expect

1. Tampa’s first5-starhotel

Boutique meetsbotanical at The Edition(doubles from £430;edi tionhotels.com), locatedinthe newly-developed WaterStreet district

Thousandsofhouse plants domi nate thelobby to create an incrediblerainforest-esquespace.Beyond theferns andfoliage,there are172 comfortableand chic rooms, adark anddecadentnightclub,and arooftoppool.

2. Contemporary cuisine Tampa’semergingculinary scene hassomething forall tastebuds andbudgets. Oneofthe most ex

citing eateries is NakedFarmer (eatnakedfarmer.com),afarm-to tablerestaurantserving seasonal, uncomplicatedand contemporary cuisine, with producefromfarms around Tampa.

Want somethingalittlemorerus tic? Reserveatable at Willa’s(willastampa.com)and feastondishes such as seared gulf snapperwitha tomato andthyme vinaigrette.

Satisfyyoursweet toothwitha visittoMayday (maydayicecream com),anice-cream parlourserving up scoops of handcrafteddairy perfection. Thetangy keylimepie with toastedcrackersisespecially good.

3. Beautifulbeaches

No trip to Floridawould be completewithout some beachtimeand theTampa region is blessedbeyond belief when it comestosandy shores.About 45 minutes from downtown TampaisStPetersburg andClearwater,home to 35 milesof sand

If you canbeartodragyourself away from thesunlounger, stretch yourlegsalong thecraft beer walk ingtrail that weaves itsway from Tarpon SpringstoTreasureIsland.

Alternatively, visitthe Clearwater Marine Aquarium,which is lookingfresh afteran$80million refurbishmentthatincludesa new habitat forrescueddolphins

4. Ybor City is amust-see

Thegleamingglass-fronted skyscrapers of Downtown Tampamay give theimpressionthe city has appearedout of nowherebut that couldn’t be furtherfromthe truth, andthere’s no better placetodis cover itscolourful past than the Ybor City neighbourhood

Dating back to the1880s,itwas foundedbywealthy Spaniard Vi centeMartinez-Ybor andquickly became knownas‘CigarCity’ due to thebooming industry he established –one that wouldgoonto transform Tampa’sfortunes

At itsheight, therewere232 cigar factoriesproducing more than than 500million each year.It’salegacy that livesontoday.Takea stroll down 7thAvenue,passing theher itagebuildings,boldstreet artand striking Spanishtiled murals,and you’llsee anumberofspecialistcigarstoresand bars.Pop inside one andyou mayevensee them being hand-rolledbehindthe counter.

As well as cigars,YborCityisfamous forits chickens.Protectedby law, thebirds arefreetoroamthe district andare acommonsight in allareas of theneighbourhood

5. Wonderfulwaterways

Oneofthe most novelwaystoexperience Tampaisonthe water. Ur banKai (urbankai.com) offers fun andinformative guided tourswith adifference.

Setting offtoexplore thewater ways around Downtown,you can choose to either sitdowninakayak or stand-upona paddle board

Tampaiscurrently stealing theFloridaspotlight

UrbanKai paddleboarding in Tampa

Ybor CitySeventhAvenue,famousfor itscigar stores andbars

TheGrand HotelinYork

Festivefragrancesto fill the airwithcheer at Christmas

SAMWYLIE-HARRIS PressAssociation

Christmassycandles anddiffusers canhavea magicalglow.

Alongsideatwinkling Christmastree, the flickerofcandlelight makeseverything feel alittlemore luxe during this time of year

As Thomas Gibson, co-founder of designer dupefragrance firm Not ed.Aromas(notedaromas.co.uk), says:“It’s themostwonderfultime of theyear, whichmeans it’s time to switch up yourhome fragrance wardrobe to somethingdelightfully festive.”

From thedelectablysweet smells of gingerbreadand candycanes to thefreshand invigoratingscent of thetree, Gibsonsaysfestive fragranceshavethe powertoevoke memories andfeelingsofnostalgia from Christmases past

Heroes

Scented candlesare theunsung heroes of Christmas decorations–mood-enhancing andstress-busting, it only takesafew minutes of alit candle to putyou in afestive frameofmind.

As well as theusual bright citrussy scents, ChloëLuxton, founder of Bramley(bramleyproducts. co.uk) recommendsplaying around with festive fragrancenotes,such as clove, frankincense,orange, myrrh, andpine.

This year,candlejunkies will love ESPA’s limited edition midnight blue vessel,withthe enticing scent of Christmasspiceand allthings nice

Katy Simpson, founderand CEO of NobleIsle(nobleisle.com),says: “Fragrance is as importantfor a home, as décoris at Christmas adding to theatmosphere.”

Andbeyondthe festive scents of Christmas trees,frankincense and myrrh, herseasonalfavourite is the smellofwhisky, saying it “evokes afeeling of sittingwithasmooth

dram of whisky by the fire”.

Theuplifting scentofpinecones canalso empowerfeelingsofwellbeing. “Pinecones makefor perfect holidaydecorations –and areeven better when they arefragranced,” says Luxton

Shesaysyou firstneed to collect abunch of fallen pine cones–either straightfromyourgarden or awin terwalkinthe woods.

“Dry yourcollected pine cones andpresent them in adecorative bowl,” sheadvises, then spraythem with acinnamon-scentedoil Gibsonisalso allabout bringing atouch of theoutdoorsinside, saying:

“Seasonalplantsand flowers are notonlylovely to look at,but they also addfreshness andalovely

scenttoboot.”

Morefestive fragrances to try…

Noted. Aromas Christmas Tree Candle,£19.99

Loaf ChristmasEve Smelly Reed Diffuser, £29

St Eval FiggyPudding Scented Christmas TinCandle, £13.45

RichardPomeroyXBramley Winter Candle,£50,Bramley

TheWhite CompanyMyrrh Sig nature Candle, £20

NobleIslePinewoodLuxury ScentedCandle, £42

ZestyLemonsHoHoHoChristmasReed DiffuserinEnchanted Forest,£16 (was £20);Xmas2022

Christmas Scented Candle in EnchantedForest, £12.50

AndSoToShopChristmas Reed Diffuser, £33-£36.50

Don’tget the needleover theprice of Christmastrees

Christmas is on theway andfor many of us,thismeans choosing atree. Butthisyearmorethan ever,keeping costsdownisatop priority.

Themostpopular real Christ mastree, theNordmann fir, a non-drop variety, cancostupwardsof£50 dependingonsize, making alarge holeinanalreadystretchedbudget.

So,how canyou getthe best deal on arealChristmas tree?

Shop around

“Search fordeals at supermarketsand otherstorestotry and find thebestprice,” says ReenaSewraz, moneyand shop ping editor of Which? (which co.uk).“In 2020,wefound Aldi offeredthe most competitive pricefor a1.5-1.75m cuttree.

“Aswellasthe big retailers, it’s worth checkingout your localgarden centre.Keepan eyeout fordeals too. Forexample, Ikea will be offering a£10 voucher when you buyareal Christmas treefor £25overthe Christmas period.”

Bagasmaller tree

If you need heightbut don’t have alot of space forbig branch es at thebase, consider buying asmaller treeand placing it in itsstand onatable or on an upturned pot, suggestsMarcus Eyles, horticultural director at DobbiesGarden Centres(dob bies.com). Asmaller treealso meansfewer decorations, which will save money.

Rent atree

“Inrecent years, there has been an explosioninChristmas treehirecompanies,and many plantnurseries andgarden centresare nowofferinga Christ mastreerentalservice,” says Sewraz. Youhireatree, useit forabout threeweeks,making sure youwater it regularly, and then return it to thesupplier, whowill re-plant it andleave i untilthe next Christmas.

Make it last

“Toensure your treeremains in goodconditionobuy it as late as you dare –ideally theweekendbeforeChristmas,” says Se wraz. “hesecretofalong-last ingChristmas treeistocarefor it properly,soitdoesn’t drop its needlestoo quickly.

Buyapot-grown tree

If youare prepared to look afterit, apot-grown tree(not potted)may be good investment

ChristmasEve Smelly Reed Diffuser,£29,with aromasof firtrees,cedarwood andcinnamon,Loaf

AndSoToShop Christmas Reed Diffuser, from £33.00 to £36.50BramleyRichard PomeroyXBramleyWinterCandle, £50

Thereare many ways to make themostofyour Christmas tree

Katy Simpson,CEO of Noble Isle

GRANITE HARBOUR

BBC1, 7.00pm

Aberdeen is known as the Granite City,which is such astriking nickname that it’s clearly just crying out to be the setting of adetective drama. The good news is that TV bosses have now recognised that fact and are bringing us the new three-part series Granite Harbour The BBCisexcited at the prospect. Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning at BBCScotland says: “Weare thrilled to have commissioned this new drama for the BBCScotland channel and BBC One. Audiences will be treated to an intriguing and captivating story with strong characters that will play out against the dramatic city scape of Aberdeen and the North East.

“Weare delighted to be working with our colleagues in BBCiPlayer to bring high quality content based in Scotland to audiences across the UK as part of our co-commissioning strategy.”

Aberdeen isn’t the only starofthe drama though. The cast is headed by rising talent Romario Simpson, whose credits include Noughts + Crosses, the Lovers Rock episode of Small Axe, and the recent Star Wars spin-off Andor

He plays Lance Corporal Davis Lindo, who has just completed his final tour with the Royal Military Police and now dreams of being adetective at New Scotland Yard.

So, he’s abit taken aback to discover that he’s instead of pounding the mean streets of London, he’s instead being packed off to Old Scotland to train as aDetective Constable.

It’s going to be something of aculture shock for the former soldier but, luckily,hewon’t have to navigate this new landscape entirely on his own. It turns out he has apotential ally in his mentor,DCI Lara ‘Bart’ Bartlett (Hannah Donaldson, who has

Scottish detective drama previous thanks to roles in Rebus and Shetland).

She’s sharp, streetwise and anative Aberdonian, meaning she’s the perfect person to show him the ropes. However,inthe grand tradition of maverick TV cops, she’s used to working alone, so she has an adjustment of herown to make now she has a partner

The duo aren’t going to be eased intotheir new working relationship gently,asthey discover their first case involves the murder of one of Aberdeen’s most recognisable faces from the oil industry

The crime has stunned the city, and Lindo realises that not only does he need to get to grips with a city and force that are completely alien to him, he’s also going to be dragged into acorporate battle between old and new energy.But it also seems that this high-profile investigation may have historic roots…

The supporting cast includes Dawn Steele, Gary Lewis, Fiona Bell and Bhav Joshi, and the good news for anyone who can’twait to find out what happens next is that all three episodes are available to watch as aboxset on iPlayer

6.00 Breakfast (S). 9.15 Morning Live (S). 10.00 ExpertWitness (S). 10.30 Claimed And Shamed (R) (S). 11.15 Homes Under The Hammer (R) (S). 12.15 Bargain Hunt (S). 1.00 BBC News At One; Weather (S). 1.30 BBC Regional News; Weather (S). 1.45 Doctors (S). 2.15 Planet Earth: AMonkey’s Tale (R) (S). 2.30 MOTD Live: Fifa World Cup 2022 South Korea vs Portugal. Kick-off is at 3pm (S). 5.15 Pointless (R) (S).

6.15 Homes Under The Hammer (R) (S). 7.15 Bargain Hunt (R) (S). 8.00 Sign Zone: Trawlermen: Hunting The Catch (R) (S). 9.00 BBC News (S). 10.00 BBC News (S). 12.15 Politics UK (S). 1.00

FILM: HeartOfThe Holidays (Corey Sevier 2020) Festive drama, starring Vanessa Lengies (S). 2.25 Beechgrove Repotted (R) (S). 2.45 MOTD Live: Fifa World Cup 2022 Ghana vs Uruguay.Kick-off is at 3pm (S). 5.15 Flog It! (R) (S).

6.00 Good Morning Britain (S). 9.00 Lorraine (S). 10.00 This Morning (S). 12.30 Loose Women (S). 1.30 ITV News; Weather (S). 1.55 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 2.00 James Martin’s Great British Adventure (R) (S). 2.30 Tenable (R) (S). 3.29 ITV Regional Weather (S). 3.30 Tipping Point (R) (S). 4.30 The Chase (R) (S). 5.30 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 5.45 ITV News; Weather (S).

Regional

Weather (S). 11.05 The NFL Show Action from New England Patriots vs Buffalo Bills (S). 12.00 Shop: Ideal World 3.00 Keeping Up With The Aristocrats (R) (S). 3.50 Unwind With ITV1 (S). 5.05 James Martin’s Great British Adventure (R) (S). 5.35 James Martin’s Great British Adventure (R) (S).

Sport

6.05 Countdown (R) (S). 6.45

Cheers (R) (S). 7.10 Cheers (R) (S). 7.35 Everybody

Loves Raymond (R) (S). 8.00

Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 8.30 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 9.00 Frasier (R) (S). 9.30 Frasier (R) (S).

10.00 Frasier (R) (S). 10.30

Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA (R) (S). 11.25 Channel

4News Summary (S). 11.30

Chateau DIY (R) (S). 12.30

Steph’s Packed Lunch (S). 2.10

Countdown (S). 3.00 APlace In The Sun (R) (S). 4.00 Sun, Sea And Selling Houses (R) (S). 5.00

Four In ABed (R) (S). 5.30 Come Dine With Me (R) (S).

6.00 The Simpsons Bart falls for the wrong girl (R) (S).

6.30 Hollyoaks Juliet continues to push Peri away (R) (S).

7.00 Channel 4News (S).

7.30 Unreported World A devastating drought being suffered in Kenya (S).

8.00 Grayson’s ArtClub: The Exhibition The series’ third national exhibition, staged in Birmingham (S).

9.00 Gogglebox Theamateur critics share their thoughts on the week’s telly (S).

10.00 The Last Leg Acomic review of the past seven days (S).

6.00 Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Vine (S). 12.30 Bargain-Loving Brits In The Sun (R) (S). 1.25

5News At Lunchtime (S). 1.30

FILM: Christmas Together (David DeCoteau 2020) Premiere. Drama, starring Vivica AFox (S). 3.15

FILM:Sugar Plum Christmas (Eric Close 2021) Premiere. Festive drama, starring Jamie Gray Hyder (S). 5.00 5News At 5 (S).

PAKISTAN VENGLAND

6.00 The Early Rundown (R).

6.30 The Early Rundown (R). 7.00 Sky News Breakfast (R). 7.30 Sky News Breakfast (R). 8.00 Hope ForWildlife (R) (S). 9.00 Nothing To Declare (R) (S). 9.30 Nothing To Declare (R) (S). 10.00 Supergirl (R) (S). 11.00 NCIS: New Orleans (R) (S). 12.00 NCIS: New Orleans (R) (S). 1.00 Hawaii Five-0 (R) (S). 2.00 S.W.A.T (R) (S). 3.00 Big Cats: An Amazing Animal Family (R) (S). 4.00 Will &Grace (R) (S). 4.30 Will &Grace (R) (S). 5.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 5.30 Futurama (R) (S).

6.00 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records (S). 6.35 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records (S). 7.00 The Cabins (S). 8.00 Love Bites (S). 9.00 Love Bites (S). 10.00 Dress To Impress (S). 11.00 Dress To Impress (S). 12.00 Rolling In It (S). 1.00 Family Fortunes (S). 2.00 Supermarket Sweep (S). 3.05 One Tree Hill (S). 4.00 Chuck (S). 5.00 Chuck (S).

6.00 Classic Coronation Street (S). 6.35 Classic Coronation Street (S). 7.00 Classic Emmerdale (S). 7.35 Classic Emmerdale (S). 8.05 Man About The House (S). 8.35 Maigret (S). 10.25 Maigret (S). 11.35 Heartbeat (S). 12.35 Heartbeat (S). 1.40 Classic Emmerdale (S). 2.15 Classic Emmerdale (S). 2.50 Classic Coronation Street (S). 3.20 Classic Coronation Street (S). 3.50 ATouchOfFrost (S).

8.55 Kirstie’s House Of Craft (S). 9.15 APlace In The Sun: Home Or Away (S). 10.05 APlace In The Sun: Home Or Away (S). 11.05 Find It, Fix It, Flog It (S). 12.05 Find It, Fix It, Flog It (S). 1.10 Heir Hunters (S). 2.10 Four In ABed (S). 2.40 Four In ABed (S). 3.15 Four In ABed (S). 3.50 Four In ABed (S). 4.20 Four In A Bed (S). 4.50 Kirstie And Phil’s Love It Or List It (S). 5.55 Escape

To The Chateau: DIY (S).

11.05 The Big Narstie Show (S).

11.55 Spaced Daisy and Tim throw ahousewarming party (R) (S).

12.25 Spaced (R)(S). 12.55 Spaced (R) (S) 1.25 Spaced (R) (S). 1.50 FILM: Misery (Rob Reiner 1990) Oscar-winning thriller,starring James Caan (S). 3.45 Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas (R) (S). 4.00 Come Dine With Me (R) (S).

6.00 Holidaying With Jane McDonald: The Caribbean Jane heads to St Lucia (R) (S).

7.00 Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out The comedian explores the historic city of Oxford and the Chilterns (S). 7.55 5News Update (S).

8.00 The World’s Most Expensive Christmas Cruise Yuletide on the world’s most expensive cruise ship, the Seven Seas Explorer (R) (S). 9.00 The Big Fight Live: Kelly vs Williamson Josh Kelly vs Troy Williamson (S).

7.00

TopOfThe Pops

Performances by M-People, U2 and Björk (S).

7.30 TopOfThe Pops (S).

11.05 FILM: Rise Of The Footsoldier (2007) Premiere. Fact-based crime thriller,starring Ricci Harnett (S). 1.25 The LeoVegas Live Casino Show (S) 3.25 Eggheads (R) (S). 3.50 Eggheads (R) (S). 4.15 The Funny Thing About Growing Up (R) (S).

8.00 TopOfThe Pops Featuring Eddy Grant, Jona Lewie, AC/DC, the Boomtown Rats and Abba (S). 8.30 TopOfThe Pops (S). 9.00 Elaine Paige At The BBC Archive performances by the West End star (S). 10.00 Elaine Paige: I’m Still Here Highlights of the West End star’s farewell concertatthe Royal AlbertHall (S). 11.00 Evita: The Making Of ASuperstar Suzy Klein travels to Argentina to discover the real Eva Peron (S). 12.00 Peaky Blinders (S). 1.00 Peaky Blinders (S) 2.00 Peaky Blinders (S). 3.25 Close

8.00 The Simpsons Homer’s Las Vegas “wife” turns up (R) (S). 8.25 The Simpsons (R) (S). 8.50 The Simpsons (R) (S). 9.15 Rob&Romesh vs West End The comedians trytocrack the world of musicals (R) (S).

10.15 Resident Alien Harry comes face to face with his greatest enemy Last in the series.

11.15 Late Late Show Best Of The Week Highlights of the talk show

(S).

6.00 Futurama Part two of four.Leela protests against the Wongs’ new business venture (R) (S). 6.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 8.00 Bob’s Burgers Bob secures anew meat provider (S). 8.30 Bob’s Burgers (S). 9.00 FILM: Wedding Crashers (2005) Comedy,starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn (S).

6.55 Escape To The Chateau The startofthe wedding season sees Dick and Angel at their busiest (S).

SOS (R) (S).

Doctor (R) (S).

And Posy (R) (S)

Radio

11.25 Family Guy Stewie is traumatised by avisit to Santa (S). 11.55 Family Guy Meg and Quagmire become a couple (S). 12.25 American Dad! (S). 12.50 American Dad! (S). 1.20 The Stand Up Sketch Show (S). 1.50 The Stand Up Sketch Show (S). 2.20 Hey Tracey! (S). 3.00 Teleshopping 7.00 Dress To Impress David, Tunji and Ryan battle

7.55 Grand Designs

Following the building of ahandcrafted house in Herefordshire, 10 years in the making (S).

6.00 Heartbeat Aspate of vandalism appears connected to Lord Ashfordly’s godson (S). 9.00 Astrid: Murder In Paris The body of adeceased man vanishes. In French (S). 10.15 24 Hours In A&E A 12-year-old is airlifted to St George’s (S). 11.15 24 Hours In A&E Junior doctor Silas works his first ever shiftinresus (S).

12.20 Rescue: Extreme Medics (S). 1.25 8Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown (S). 2.25 24 Hours In A&E (S). 3.25 Food Unwrapped (S). 3.55 Close

CLASSIC FM

BBC RADIO 1 6.33am Radio 1’sBestNew Pop. 6.57 Newsbeat 7.00 Radio 1Breakfast With Greg James. 10.00 Radio 1Anthems. 10.30 Newsbeat 10.32 Radio 1Anthems. 11.02 KatieThistleton. 12.45pm Newsbeat 1.00 Matt And Jamie. 3.00 Radio 1’sParty Anthems. 4.00 The Official Chart On Radio 1WithJack Saunders. 5.45 Newsbeat 6.00 Radio 1’s Dance PartyWith Danny Howard. 8.00 Radio 1’sFutureDance With Sarah Story 10.00 Pete Tong. 12mdn’t Radio 1’s Essential Mix. 2.00 Radio 1Dance Presents. 3.00 Danny Howard 4.00 Radio 1’sWind Down Presents. 5.00 Radio 1Relax-X1. BBC RADIO 2 6.30am The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show 9.30 KenBruce 12noon Jeremy Vine 2.00 Scott Mills. 3.30 Scott Mills’WonderYears. Thehostplays back-to-back tunes. 4.00 Sara Cox. 7.00 Michelle Visage. 8.30 Michelle Visage’sHandbag Hits. 9.00 TheGood Groove With DJ Spoony.Joyful floor fillers, soulful houseand lyrical garage tunes. 11.00 The Rock Show WithJohnnieWalker 12mdn’t Quincy Jones: FortyThousand YearsOfFunk. 1.00 TBA. 2.00 Radio 2UnwindsWith Angela Griffin. 3.00 Sophie EllisBextor’s KitchenDisco 5.00 Radio 2InConcert BBC RADIO 3 6.30am Breakfast. 9.00 Essential Classics. 12noon Composer Of The Week: Chopin. 1.00 Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert. 2.00 Afternoon Concert. 4.30 The Listening Service. 5.00 In Tune 7.00 In Tune Mixtape. 7.30 Radio 3In Concert. The London Philharmonic in Tippett’s oratorio AChild of Our Time 10.00 The Verb 10.45 The Essay: Listen Harder 11.00 Late Junction. 1am Tearjerker With Sigrid. 2.00 Downtime Symphony 3.00 Through TheNight. BBC RADIO 4 6am Today. 8.31 (LW) Yesterday In Parliament. 9.00 DesertIslandDiscs. 9.45 (LW) Daily Service. 9.45 (FM) Book Of The Week: How To StandUpTo ADictator. 10.00 Woman’s Hour 11.00 Britain’s Communist Thread 11.30 Unite 12noon News. 12.01 (LW) Shipping Forecast. 12.04 FDR’sFour Freedoms. 12.57 Weather. 1.00 The World At One. 1.45 Understand:The Economy 2.00 TheArchers. 2.15 Drama:Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Firewall 2.45 Why Do We Do That? 3.00 Gardeners’ Question Time. 3.45 From Fact To Fiction. 4.00 Last Word. 4.30 Feedback. 5.00 PM. 5.54 (LW) Shipping Forecast. 5.57 Weather 6.00 SixO’Clock News. 6.30 TheNow Show. 7.00 The Archers 7.15 Add To Playlist. 8.00 Any Questions? 8.50 APoint Of View 9.00 Past Forward: ACentury Of Sound. 10.00 The World Tonight. 10.45 Book At Bedtime: Beautiful World, Where Are You. 11.00 Americast. 11.30 Today In Parliament. 12mdn’t News And Weather 12.30 Book Of The Week: How To Stand Up To ADictator 12.48 Shipping Forecast. 1.00 As BBC WorldService 5.20 Shipping Forecast 5.30 News Briefing 5.43 PrayerFor The Day 5.45 Four Thought BBC RADIO 4EXTRA 6am TwoWay Cut. 6.30 TheMindOfMrJG Reeder. 7.00 Romance And Adventure. 7.30 Now You’re Asking WithMarian Keyes And Tara Flynn. 8.00 Parsley Sidings. 8.30 Married 9.00 Act Your Age 9.30 Bleak Expectations. 10.00 Barry Lyndon 11.00 The Reunion. 11.45 David Attenborough’s Life Stories. 12noon Parsley Sidings. 12.30 Married. 1.00 TwoWay Cut 1.30 TheMindOfMrJGReeder 2.00 Packing My Library. 2.15 Ordinary Heroes. 2.30 The Etymology Of Entomology 3.00 BarryLyndon. 4.00 Act Your Age. 4.30 Bleak Expectations. 5.00 RomanceAnd Adventure. 5.30 Now You’re Asking With Marian Keyes And Tara Flynn. 6.00 Psycho 6.15 The Haunting Of Hill House. 6.30 Musical Genes. 7.00 Parsley Sidings. 7.30 Married. 8.00 TwoWay Cut 8.30 The Mind Of Mr JG Reeder 9.00 TheReunion. 9.45 David Attenborough’s LifeStories. 10.00 Comedy Club. 10.00 ComedyClub: Now You’reAskingWith MarianKeyes And Tara Flynn. 10.30 ComedyClub: Mitch Benn’s Crimes Against Music 11.00 Comedy Club: Mark Thomas: The Manifesto. 11.30 Comedy Club: James Acaster’s Perfect Sounds 12mdn’t Psycho. 12.15 TheHauntingOfHill House. 12.30 Musical Genes. 1.00 TwoWay Cut. 1.30 TheMind Of Mr JG Reeder 2.00 PackingMyLibrary. 2.15 OrdinaryHeroes. 2.30 The Etymology Of Entomology 3.00 Barry Lyndon. 4.00 Act Your Age. 4.30 Bleak Expectations 5.00 Romance AndAdventure. 5.30 Now You’re AskingWithMarianKeyes And Tara Flynn. BBC 5LIVE 6am 5LiveBreakfast 9.00 Nicky Campbell 11.00 Chiles On Friday. 1pm ElisJames And John Robins. 2.00 World Cup 2022. 3.00 World Cup 2022. 5.00 World Cup 2022. 5.30 5LiveNews. 6.30 WorldCup 2022 7.00 World Cup 2022. 9.00 WorldCup 2022. 10.00 Stephen Nolan. 1am Hayley Hassall 5.00 5Live Boxing. BBC 6MUSIC 7.30am Lauren Laverne. 10.30 MaryAnne Hobbs 1pm Craig Charles. 4.00 SteveLamacq. 7.00 ThePeople’s PartyWithAfrodeutsche. 9.00 Tom Ravenscroft. 11.00 TheRaversHour 12mdn’t 6 Music’s IndieForever 1.00 6Music’s Emo Forever 2.00 FocusBeats. 4.00 Ambient Focus

ICAN HEAR YOUR VOICE

BBC One, 9.15pm

Stop! It’s time to give alittle respect, break those chains of love and take achance on ICan Hear Your Voice.

Sometimes the show features asurprising but wonderful guest, and that’s certainly the case with the latest episode –bona fide 1980s pop superstar Andy Bell, frontman of Erasure, is joining in the fun. He’ll be assisting regular celebrity investigators Jimmy Carr,Alison Hammond and Amanda Holden when they try to help two sisters from Leeds figure out which singers have thevoice of an angel, and who is tone deaf –simply by watching them lip-sync to awell-known tune

Andy may have more of achance of guessing correctly –after all, despite having abrilliant voice, he was forced to mime many,many times during performances alongside his bandmate Vince Clarke during their appearances on Topofthe Pops back in the day

It promises to be acracking edition of the game show which is now in its second series. Like The Masked Singer,the format started life in South Korea and has since been remade around theworld. The BBCversion is given adown-to-earth British feel by its host, Paddy McGuinness. He promises that at the startofeach programme, he’s as much in the dark about who’s good and who’s bad as the competitors and everyone watching at home.

“I like it that way because otherwise Ithink I’d be the type of person to be giving the contestants a wink,” he laughs. “It’s always asurprise at the end, and although Ihave my own opinions, Idon’t share those with the guys as I’m not there for that, I’m there to host the show.That is the job of the celebrity investigators, they are there to help the contestants

with any little nuggetsthey have spotted.

“So, on that final round, when the singer sings, whether they are good or bad, Ialways think the otherway around! Ialways think abad singer is going to be good, and agood singer is going to be bad. So, every show is asurprise for me.”

McGuinness loves the series, but perhaps not for the reasons you might think –it’s not necessarily the competition itself that prompted him to take on the presenter’s role.

“When Iheard the format and watched the American pilot, Iinstantly knew Ihad abit of free rein,” he explains. “The reason Iloved Take Me Out was because Ihad that element

“There is the script but after that you canhavefun with it, and that’s what Ican do with thisshow.There is alot of singing and dancing, all non-scripted much to theproducer’s disapproval –but Igowith it!”

Let’s hope the producer is particularly annoyed this week, because those impromptu moments are often what make the entireshow –and if Paddy can persuade Andy to take part too, then all the better

In the event of World Cup 2022 matches not being shown the following schedule is subject to change:

6.00 Breakfast (S). 10.00 Saturday Kitchen Live: Countdown To Christmas (S). 11.30 Nigella: At My Table (R) (S). 12.00 Homes Under The Hammer (R) (S). 1.00 BBC News (S). 1.10 BBC Regional News; Weather (S). 1.15 Bargain Hunt (S). 2.00 MOTD World Cup Top 10: Greatest World Cup Goals (S). 2.30 MOTD Live: Fifa World Cup 2022 (S). 5.25 BBC News; Weather (S). 5.40 Strictly Come Dancing: The Results (S).

6.45 Love Monster (R) (S). 6.50 Go Jetters (R) (S). 7.05 Hey Duggee (R) (S). 7.20 Shaun The Sheep (R) (S). 7.30 Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed! (R) (S). 7.40 Ninja Express (R) (S). 7.55 The Deep (R) (S). 8.15 Odd Squad (R) (S). 8.30 One Zoo Three (R) (S). 8.50 Newsround (S). 9.00 Deadly Pole To Pole (R) (S). 10.00 FILM: Strange Magic (GaryRydstrom 2015) (S). 11.30 Mountain Vets (R) (S). 12.00 TopOfThe Shop With Tom Kerridge (R) (S). 1.00 Britain’s Secret Seas (R) (S). 2.00 FILM: Operation Crossbow (Michael Anderson 1965) (S). 3.50 Flog It! (R) (S). 4.50 FILM: Nativity! (Debbie Isitt 2009) (S).

In the event of World Cup 2022 matches not being shown the following schedule is subject to change:

6.00 CITV 9.25 ITV News (S). 9.30 James Martin’s Saturday Morning At Christmas (S). 11.40 John And Lisa’s Christmas Kitchen (S). 12.45 James Martin’s American Adventure (R) (S). 1.45 ITV News; Weather (S). 2.00 Fifa World Cup 2022 Group Awinners vs Group Brunners-up. Kick-off is at 3pm (S). 5.15 In For APenny (R)(S). 5.45 ITV News; Weather (S).

6.00 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 6.15 Fifa World Cup 2022 Group Cwinners vs Group Drunners-up. Kick-off is at 7pm (S). 9.15 The 1% Club Quiz, hosted by Lee Mack (R) (S).

Albums: American Pie –Don McLean Acelebration of the singer songwriter’s 1971 release (R) (S).

11.10 Sounds ForSaturday: Don McLean (R) (S). 11.45 Johnny Marr At 6 Music Festival 2022 (S).

1.00 FILM: The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola 1974) Thriller,starring Gene Hackman (S). 2.50 The Millionaire’s Gift Guide (R) (S). 3.50 This Is BBC Two (S).

10.15 ITV News; Weather (S). 10.30 FILM: Pretty Woman (1990) Romantic comedy,starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere (S).

12.45 Shop: Ideal World 3.00 Unforgettable World Cups (R) (S). 3.50 Unwind With ITV (S). 5.05 Ainsley’s Mediterranean Cookbook (R) (S).

DIRTY DANCING

(Channel 5, 6.20pm)

Jennifer Grey plays the idealistic teenager Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman, who goes to asummer camp with her wellheeled parents. When resident dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze, pictured) needs someone to fill in for his partner (Cynthia Rhodes, whose storyline proves that Dirty Dancing isn’t as fluffyassome people remember), Baby steps in and is soon receiving lessons in love as well as lifts. The great (if often very 1980s-sounding for a film set in the1960s) soundtrack includes the Oscar-winning (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.

NATIVITY!

(BBC2, 4.50pm)

This feelgood festive movie (which spawned three sequels and astage show) is set in overcast Coventry, where teacher Paul Maddens (Martin

Freeman) reluctantly takes charge of the nativity play at St Bernadette’s primaryschool as afarewell gifttooutgoing headmistress Mrs Bevan (Pam Ferris). To help Paul in this hour of need, he is assigned an odd classroom assistant, Mr Poppy (Marc Wootton).

6.15 The King Of Queens (R) (S).

7.00 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 8.15 Frasier (R) (S). 9.15

The Simpsons (R) (S). 9.40 The Simpsons (R) (S). 10.10 The Simpsons (R) (S). 10.40 The Simpsons (R) (S). 11.10 The Bear (R) (S). 11.40 We’re Going

On ABear Hunt (R) (S). 12.15

Father Christmas (R) (S). 12.45

The Snowman (R) (S). 1.20 The Snowman And The Snowdog (R) (S). 1.55 Four In ABed (R) (S). 2.25 Four In ABed (R) (S). 2.55 Four In ABed (R) (S). 3.30 Four In ABed (R) (S). 4.05 Four In ABed (R) (S). 4.35 World’s

Greatest Train Journeys From Above (S). 5.30 Christmas At Castle Howard (S).

6.00 Milkshake! 10.00 SpongeBob SquarePants (R) (S). 10.15 SpongeBob SquarePants (R) (S). 10.25 Entertainment News On 5 (S). 10.35 Friends (R) (S). 11.05 FILM: AWelcome Home Christmas (Brian Herzlinger 2020) Premiere. Romantic drama, starring Jana Kramer (S). 1.00 FILM: AVeryMerryBridesmaid (David IStrasser 2021) Premiere. Festive romance, starring Emily Osment and Casey Deidrick (S). 2.50 FILM: Christmas In Montana (TW Peacocke 2019) Romantic drama, starring Kellie Martin (S). 4.35 FILM: Mistletoe Time Machine (Virginia Abramovich 2022) (S).

Sport

MANCHESTER UNITED VASTON VILLA

6.00 Futurama (R) (S). 6.30 Futurama (R) (S). 7.00 Futurama (R) (S). 7.30 Futurama (R) (S). 8.00 Will &Grace (R) (S). 8.30 Will &Grace (R) (S). 9.00 Will & Grace (R) (S). 9.30 Will &Grace (R) (S). 10.00 Will &Grace (R) (S). 10.30 Soccer AM With John Fendley and Jimmy Bullard. 12.00 Live WSL Manchester United vs Aston Villa. Kick-off is at 12.30pm (R). 3.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 3.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 4.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 4.25 The Simpsons (R) (S). 4.50 The Simpsons (R) (S). 5.15 Legends Of The Pharaohs (R).

6.00 Unwind With ITV (S). 6.20 Coronation Street Omnibus (S). 10.10 Dress To Impress (S). 11.10 Dress To Impress (S). 12.10 I’m ACelebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Coming Out (S). 1.15 In ForAChristmas Penny (S). 2.00 Family Fortunes (S). 3.05 FILM: Flushed Away (David Bowers, Sam Fell 2006) Animated comedy,featuring the voice of Hugh Jackman (S). 4.50 FILM: Legally Blonde 2: Red, White And Blonde (Charles HermanWurmfeld 2003) Comedy sequel, starring Reese Witherspoon (S).

6.00 Bless This House (S). 6.35 Maigret (S). 8.10 ATouch Of Frost (S). 10.20 ATouch Of Frost (S). 12.35 ATouch Of Frost (S). 2.45 Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S). 5.00 Midsomer Murders (S).

8.55 Food Unwrapped (S). 9.30 APlace In The Sun: Home Or Away (S). 10.25 APlace In The Sun: Home Or Away (S). 11.25 A Place In The Sun: Home Or Away (S). 12.30 Location, Location, Location (S). 1.30 Location, Location, Location (S). 2.35

Come Dine With Me (S). 3.05

Come Dine With Me (S). 3.40

Come Dine With Me (S). 4.10

Come Dine With Me (S). 4.40

Come Dine With Me (S). 5.10

Four In ABed (S). 5.45 Four In ABed (S).

of the week takes place at Ambles House in Northampton (S). 6.50 Four In ABed (S).

7.00 FILM: Titanic (1997) Romantic drama, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio (S).

9.20

Tommy Cooper: 30 Funniest Moments

The most memorable sketches and routines from the comedian’s career (R) (S).

7.00 Raiders Of The Lost Past With Janina Ramirez (S).

7.15 Shark With Steve Backshall The naturalist celebrates the diversity of sharks in the oceans (R) (S).

7.00 Midsomer Murders

Aformer supermodel is murdered during a comic convention (S).

7.25 Four In ABed The B&B owners meet up for a final showdown (S). 7.55 24 Hours In A&E: HeartSpecial (S).

11.15 FILM: AFistful Of Dollars (1964) Western, starring Clint Eastwood (S).

9.00 Señorita 89

Valenzuela’s widow appears on television, asking for help (S). 9.45 Señorita 89 (S).

9.15 FILM: Spider-Man (2002) Comic-book adventure, starring Tobey Maguire (R) (S).

9.00 FILM: Love Actually (2003) Romantic comedy,with Hugh Grant and Martine McCutcheon (S).

9.00 Midsomer Murders

Tragedy strikes at a family friend’s wedding (S).

9.00 24 Hours In A&E A woman with asevere formofautism is brought in by her sister (S).

11.00 To The Manor Born Audrey injures her back (S).

11.30 The Young Ones The students decide to throw aparty (S).

11.30 Never Mind The Buzzcocks With Ellie Goulding, TomGrennan and Yungblud (R) (S).

RADIO 4EXTRA

11.45 Family Guy Peter and Quagmire help Mortwith his financial troubles (S).

11.00

11.10

Jane Austen’s Sanditon Edward attempts to exploit Clara’s predicament for his own ends (S).

8Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown With Joe Wilkinson, Seann Walsh, Danny Dyer and Bill Bailey (S).

THE EARTHSHOT PRIZE

BBC1, 5.30pm

Prince William’s environmental awards were inspired by President John FKennedy’s moonshot –after all, if scientists could solve the problem of landing aman on the moon, surely we can also come up with ways to solve the problems facing the Earth? So, it makes sense that this year the ceremony is coming from JFK’s birthplace of Boston. It will reveal which five environmental solutions from ashortlist of 15 finalist will be awarded £1 million each to further their work.

As Prince William points out, all of the nominees deserve praise He says: “They are directing their time, energy,and talent towards bold solutions with the power to not only solve our planet’s greatest environmental challenges, but to create healthier,more prosperous, and more sustainable communities for generations to come.”

This year,British projects have made theirway on to the shortlist, including London start-up Notpla, which makes packaging from seaweed and plants as an alternative to single-use plastic.

Co-Founder &CEO,Pierre Paslier explains: “Fourteen million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans each year.Wefounded Notpla when we discovered the solution lies in our oceanstoo. We are already replacing plastic that plagues our seas, and working with seaweed farms that give back to the environment and the local economy “Thank you for recognising us as we take our next big step and eliminate single-use plastic for good!”

Meanwhile, Low Carbon Materials (LCM) is based in County Durham and uses unrecyclable plastic waste to make concrete blocks without carbon emissions.

CEO Natasha Boulding says: “Until now, construction has been one of the hardest industries to decarbonise. With LCM, that could all change. We’ve turned concrete net zero and now we need

the world to start using it. We’re so excited to be a finalist of The Earthshot Prize and to be recognised for our work to fixour climate.”

There’s also astrong showing from the Netherlands –it’s given us the Great Bubble Barrier, which sees air pumped through aperforated tube to create acurtain of bubbles, which brings plastic up to the surface and into awaste collection system, and the City of Amsterdam Circular Economy group, which wants to see nothingwasted and everything recycled in the Netherland’s capital by 2050.

That’s an ambitious goal, but as Prince William has pointed out, big ideas and actions are needed.

He says: “The Earth is at atipping point and we face astark choice: either we continue as we are and irreparably damage our planet, or we remember our unique power as human beings and our continual ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve. People can achieve great things.The next tenyears present us with one of our greatest tests –adecade of action to repair the Earth.”

Hopefully,tonight’s winners will all play apart in those repairs as well as protecting the planet for more years to come.

In the event of World Cup 2022 matches not being shown the following schedule is subject to change:

6.00 Breakfast (S). 9.00 Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg (S). 10.00 Politics England (S). 10.30 My Life At Christmas With Sally Phillips (S). 11.30 Homes Under The Hammer (R) (S). 12.00 Bargain Hunt (S). 1.00 BBC News; Weather (S). 1.15 Songs Of Praise (S). 1.55 Money For Nothing (R) (S). 2.30 MOTD Live: Fifa World Cup 2022 Group D winners vs Group Crunners-up. Kick-off is at 3pm (S). 5.10 BBC News; Weather (S). 5.30 The Earthshot Prize 2022 (S).

In the event of World Cup 2022 matches not being shown the following schedule is subject to change:

6.20 Gardeners’ World Winter Specials (R) (S). 7.20 Countryfile (R) (S). 8.15 Landward (S). 8.45

This Farming Life (R) (S). 9.45

Saturday Kitchen Best Bites (S). 11.15 MaryBerry’s Country House Secrets (R) (S). 12.15 Top Of The Shop With TomKerridge (R)(S). 1.15 AToZOfChristmas Cooking (R) (S). 2.00 FILM: The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger 1943) (S). 4.40

Snow Monkeys: Natural World (R) (S). 5.30 Flog It! (R) (S).

In the event of World Cup 2022 matches not being shown the following schedule is subject to change:

6.00 CITV 9.25 Love Your Weekend With Alan Titchmarsh (S). 11.20 Love Your Garden (R) (S). 11.50 John And Lisa’s Christmas Kitchen (R) (S). 12.50 ITV News; Weather (S). 1.00 English Football League Highlights (R) (S). 2.00 Fifa World Cup 2022 Group Dwinners vs Group Crunners-up. Kick-off is at 3pm (S). 5.15 Tipping Point: Best Ever Finals (R) (S). 5.40 ITV News; Weather (S). 5.50 ITV Regional News; Weather (S).

6.00 Fifa World Cup 2022 Group Bwinners vs Group Arunners-up. Kick-off is at 7pm (S). 9.15 It’ll Be Alright On The Night Television disasters featuring Elton John, Bradley Walsh, Ant and Dec, and others (R) (S).

adairy cow (S). 12.05 FILM: 2003 (Harris Dickinson 2021) Premiere. Drama, starring Patrick Gibson (S). 12.20 QI (R) (S). 12.55 Sign Zone: Question Time (R) (S). 1.55 Sign Zone: Ambulance (R) (S). 2.55 This Is BBC Two (S).

10.20 ITV News; Weather (S). 10.30 FILM: Wonder Woman (2017) Fantasy adventure, starring Gal Gadot (S).

1.05 Shop: Ideal World 3.00 MotorsportUK (R) (S). 3.50 Unwind With ITV (S). 5.05 Euro 96 England vs Netherlands –ITV Football Classics (R) (S).

WONDER WOMAN

6.05 The King Of Queens (R) (S). 6.30 The King Of Queens (R) (S).

6.50 The King Of Queens (R) (S).

7.15 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 7.40 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 8.05 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 8.30 The Simpsons (R) (S).

9.00 The Simpsons (R) (S).

9.30 Sunday Brunch (S). 12.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 12.55 The Simpsons (R) (S). 1.25 The Simpsons (R) (S). 1.50 FILM: Bee Movie (Steve Hickner,Simon JSmith 2007) Animated comedy, with the voice of Jerry Seinfeld (S). 3.40 Jamie: Together At Christmas (R) (S). 4.45 FILM: Deck The Halls (John Whitesell 2006) (S).

6.30 Channel 4News (S).

6.00 Milkshake! 10.00 SpongeBob SquarePants (R) (S).

10.15 SpongeBob SquarePants (R) (S). 10.25 Entertainment News On 5 (S). 10.30 NFL End Zone (S). 11.00 FILM: ACountry Christmas Harmony (Edmund Entin, GaryEntin 2022) Premiere. Romantic drama, starring Brooke Elliott and Brandon Quinn (S). 12.45 FILM: Candy Coated Christmas (Ellie Kanner 2021) Premiere. Romantic comedy, starring Molly McCook (S). 2.35 FILM: Jack Frost (Troy Miller 1998) Family fantasy drama, starring Michael Keaton (S). 4.40 FILM: Scrooge (Ronald Neame 1970) Musical fantasy,starring AlbertFinney (S).

6.00 Trolls: Trollstopia (R) (S). 8.05 The Simpsons (R) (S). 8.35 The Simpsons (R) (S). 9.05 The Simpsons (R) (S). 9.35 The Simpsons (R) (S). 10.05 Futurama (R) (S). 10.35 Futurama (R) (S). 11.05 Futurama (R) (S). 11.35 Futurama (R) (S). 12.00 Dogs: An Amazing Animal Family (R) (S). 1.00 Dogs: An Amazing Animal Family (R) (S). 2.00 Dogs: An Amazing Animal Family (R) (S). 3.00 David Attenborough’s Conquest Of The Skies (R) (S). 4.00 UFO (R) (S). 5.00 The Simpsons (R). 5.30 The Simpsons (R) (S).

6.00 Unwind With ITV (S). 6.25

Love Bites (S). 7.25 Love Bites (S). 8.15 Dress To Impress (S). 9.15 Dress To Impress (S). 10.15 Dress To Impress (S). 11.20

Alan Carr’s Epic Gameshow: Christmas Special (S). 12.20

Celebrity Catchphrase: Christmas Special (S). 1.25 In ForAPenny (S). 1.55 FILM: Rio (Carlos Saldanha 2011) Animated comedy,with the voice of Jesse Eisenberg (S). 3.50 FILM: Step Up (Anne Fletcher 2006) Romantic dance drama, with Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan (S). 5.55 FILM: Coyote Ugly (David McNally 2000) Comedy drama, starring Piper Perabo (S).

6.00 Man About The House (S).

6.35 Emmerdale Omnibus (S). 9.20 ATouch Of Frost (S). 11.35

Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S). 1.50

Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S). 4.00

Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S).

8.55 George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (S). 9.55 Ugly House To Lovely House With George Clarke (S). 11.00 George Clarke’s Old House, New Home (S). 12.00 Come Dine With Me (S). 12.35 Come Dine With Me (S). 1.05 Come Dine With Me (S). 1.40 Come Dine With Me (S). 2.10 Come Dine With Me (S). 2.40 Four In ABed (S). 3.15 Four In ABed (S). 3.50 Four In ABed (S). 4.20 Four In ABed (S). 4.55 Four In ABed (S). 5.25

Come Dine With Me (S). 5.55 Come Dine With Me (S).

6.25 Come Dine With Me (S). 6.55 Come Dine With Me (S).

7.00 Christmas At Liberty The famous London department store prepares for Christmas (R) (S).

8.00 Escape To The Chateau Dick and Angel visit one of the last unexplored areas of the attic (S).

9.00 The Handmaid’s Tale June and Serena form an unlikely duo (S).

7.00 Jackanory (S).

7.10 Animal Magic (S). 7.35 Think Of ANumber

An episode of the children’s science series from 1978 (S).

Saturday Night Live Keke Palmer is on hosting duties (R).

(2006) Romantic comedy,starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet (S).

7.30 Come Dine With Me Essex boy Mark try to impress his new Geordie chums (S).

Helicopter Medics Medics tryto keep aman alive after he hasaseizure (S). 12.10 999: On The Front Line (S). 1.15 24 Hours In A&E (S). 2.20 Emergency Helicopter Medics (S). 3.25 Food Unwrapped (S). 3.50 Close

Radio

BBC RADIO 4EXTRA

Christmas

presents

of

LIVE: WINTER ON THE FARM

Channel 5, 8.00pm

Just before the first series of Winter on the Farm aired this time last year,presenter Helen Skelton revealed that the cast and crew were worried it wouldn’t go ahead.

Storm Barra had been causing havoc across the UK, following on from Storm Arwen which battered the country aweek previously,and therefore the Channel 5show was touch and go.

Thankfully it did, with Helen making it to Cannon Hall farm in South Yorkshire and announcing: “It has been really stormy over the last few hours, but we’re here, we’re in one piece, we’re relatively warm but we’re definitely live!”

This Week on the Farm, Springtime on the Farm and Winter on the Farm have all been ratings winners.

As well as hosts Helen, Adam Henson, Jules Hudson and JB Gill, there have also been appearances by other popular Channel 5personalities, including Peter Wright and Julian Norton from The Yorkshire Vet, Our Yorkshire Farm’s Reuben and Amanda Owen, as well as Ben Fogle, Graeme Hall and Stefan Gates.

Skelton started her TV career in children’s television, presenting Newsround and Blue Peter on CBBC.

Since then, she has presented shows including Countryfile, Lorraine, ITV Tonight, as well as several major sporting events.

The 39-year-old Cumbrian has received alot of praise for her live presenting while On the Farm and admits she’s been amazed at its popularity Helen told the Daily Express: “I’m genuinely really overwhelmed at how into and behind this programme, you know,people are.”

She also thinks that Cannon Hall’s farming brothers Rob and Dave Nicholson, who one critic called “the Ant and Dec of agriculture”, are akey factor

“The reason that On The Farm is asuccess is because Rob and Dave have such amassive social media following, that people are able to engage so easily,” she says.

“I think it’s definitely,you know,weare learning from them.”

“People want to know about British grown tea and British grown produce.

“A lot of those little pointers and tips were picking up from viewer suggestions you know

“It’s definitely atwo-way street. Ithink we learn every week about –God there’s always someone messaging in about the most random stuff

“It’s alearning curve for all of us Ithink.”

Tonight, Helen and Jules begin aweek of live wintery shows from the gorgeous Cannon Hall Farm with Rob and Dave and their Farmy Army of experts on hand to provide anecdotes and advice.

JB joins the team overthe next four nights, along with The Yorkshire Vet’s Matthew Jackson-Smith and Shona Searson.

Expect plenty of pre-festive fun, with insights into how the farm’s animals are adjusting to thecolder months, beautifully shot films exploring the British countryside, plus acelebration of local crafts and producers, food and drink, and much more.

Although we’ve had some wind and rain lately,there is thankfully no sign that thisyear’sWinter on the Farm will be disrupted by the weather

However,if Helen is still in contention to win the Strictly Glitterball by the time this live show goes out,she may need to do squeeze in some training, and there could be a scheduling storm brewing…

In the event of World Cup 2022 matches not being shown the following schedule is subject to change:

6.00 Breakfast (S). 9.15 Morning Live At Christmas (S). 10.00 ExpertWitness (S). 10.45 Claimed And Shamed (R) (S). 11.15 Homes Under The Hammer (R) (S). 12.15 Bargain Hunt (S). 1.00 BBC News; Weather (S). 1.30 BBC Regional News; Weather (S). 1.45 Doctors (S). 2.15 Planet Earth: An Elephant’s Tale (R) (S). 2.30 MOTD Live: Fifa World Cup 2022 (S). 5.15 BBC News At Six; Weather (S). 5.45 BBC Regional News; Weather (S).

6.15 My Life At Christmas

With Sally Phillips (R) (S).

7.15 Bargain Hunt (R) (S). 8.00

Sign Zone: MasterChef: The Professionals (R) (S). 9.00 BBC News (S). 10.00 BBC News (S).

12.15 Politics Live (S). 1.00

Best House In Town (R) (S). 1.45 Eggheads (R) (S). 2.15 Lightning (R) (S). 2.45 Fish Town (R) (S).

3.15 The Great British Sewing Bee (R) (S). 4.15 Back In Time

ForSchool (R) (S). 5.15 Flog It! (S).

In the event of World Cup 2022 matches not being shown the following schedule is subject to change:

6.00 Good Morning Britain (S). 9.00 Lorraine (S). 10.00 This Morning (S). 12.30 Loose Women (S). 1.30 ITV News; Weather (S). 1.55 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 2.00 Fifa World Cup 2022 Group Ewinners vs Group Frunners-up. Kick-off is at 3pm (S). 5.15 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 5.45 ITV News; Weather (S).

THE COMPANY YOUKEEP (BBC2,

11.15pm)

RobertRedford(pictured) directs this thriller about 1960s radicals whose past catches up to them. Susan Sarandon stars as ahousewife who, after 30 years of living under an assumed identity,turns herself into the FBI over her partinrobberycarried out by an underground militant group. Her storyprompts ayoung journalist to do some further digging, which leads him to discover that respected lawyer Jim was also once partofthe cell. Realising he is now awanted man and amurder suspect, Jim goes on the run.

ROCKYIII (ITV4,

9.00pm)

Sylvester Stallone wrote, directed and starred in this second sequel. The world heavyweight boxing champion settles down to alife of luxury–but a

cloud appears on the horizon in theshape of brutal contender Clubber Lang (Mr T), who demands a shot at the title. However,while Rocky is eager to take on the new fighter,his trainer Micky doesn’t want him enteringthe ring against such abrute. Entertaining drama, with Talia Shire.

6.05 Countdown (R) (S). 6.45 Cheers (R) (S). 7.10 Cheers (R) (S). 7.35 Everybody

Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 8.30 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 9.00 Frasier (R) (S). 9.30 Frasier (R) (S).

10.00 Frasier (R) (S). 10.30

Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA (R) (S). 11.25 Channel

4News Summary (S). 11.30 Chateau DIY (R) (S). 12.30

Steph’s Packed Lunch (S). 2.10

Countdown (S). 3.00 Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas (R) (S).

4.00 APlace In The Sun (S).

5.00 Four In ABed (R) (S). 5.30

Come Dine With Me (R) (S).

6.00 The Simpsons Bart persuades his family to go on acruise (R) (S).

6.00 Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Vine (S). 12.30 Bargain-Loving Brits In The Sun (R) (S). 1.25

5News At Lunchtime (S). 1.30

FILM: Christmas Unfiltered (Sarah Sherman, ZacharyRay Sherman 2021) Premiere. Festive fantasy,starring Alison Fernandez (S). 3.15 FILM: Much Ado About Christmas (Michael Damian 2021) Premiere. Festive fantasy, starring Susie Abromeit (S). 5.00 5News At 5 (S).

Sport

PAKISTAN VENGLAND

6.00 The Early Rundown (R).

6.30 The Early Rundown (R).

Sky Sports MainEvent, 6.00am Live coverage of day five of the First Test in the three-match series, which takes place at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. MONDAY 47

7.00 Kay Burley (R). 7.30 Kay Burley (R). 8.00 Hope For Wildlife (R) (S). 9.00 Nothing To Declare (R) (S). 9.30 Nothing To Declare (R) (S). 10.00 Supergirl (R) (S). 11.00 NCIS: New Orleans (R). 12.00 NCIS: New Orleans (R) (S). 1.00 Hawaii Five-0 (R) (S). 2.00 S.W.A.T (R) (S). 3.00

Monkeys: An Amazing Animal Family (R) (S). 4.00 Will &Grace (R) (S). 4.30 Will &Grace (R) (S). 5.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 5.30 Futurama (R) (S).

6.00 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records (S). 6.35 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records (S). 7.00 The Cabins (S). 8.00 Love Bites (S). 9.00 Love Bites (S). 10.00 Dress To Impress (S). 11.00 Dress To Impress (S). 12.00 Rolling In It (S). 1.00 Family Fortunes (S). 2.00 Supermarket Sweep (S). 3.05 One Tree Hill (S). 4.00 Chuck (S). 5.00 Chuck (S).

6.00 Classic Coronation Street (S). 6.35 Classic Coronation Street (S). 7.00 Classic Emmerdale (S). 7.35 Classic Emmerdale (S). 8.05 Man About The House (S). 8.35 Man About The House (S). 9.10 Maigret (S). 10.25 Maigret (S). 11.35 Heartbeat (S). 12.35 Heartbeat (S). 1.40 Classic Emmerdale (S). 2.15 Classic Emmerdale (S). 2.50 Classic Coronation Street (S). 3.50 ATouch Of Frost (S).

7.00 Christmas University Challenge Edinburgh takes on Leicester (S).

7.30 Great American Railroad Journeys (S).

What We Were Watching Grace Dent examines the television schedules from 40 years ago (S).

The Magical World Of Julia Donaldson Celebration of the life and work of the bestselling children’s author (S). 10.00 AVeryBritish Romance With Lucy Worsley Romance in the Victorian age (S). 11.00 Horizon: The Lost Tribes Of Humanity An insight into pioneering research that sheds new light on humanity’s ancient ancestors (S). 12.00 Painting The Holy Land (S). 1.00 Great American Railroad Journeys (S). 1.30 The Magical World Of Julia Donaldson (S). 2.30 AVery BritishRomance With Lucy Worsley (S). 3.30 Close

8.10 David Attenborough’s Dragons AndDamsels The world of dragonflies and damselflies (R) (S).

9.15 FILM: Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) Comedy adventure sequel, starring Eddie Murphy (R) (S).

Celebrity Catchphrase: Christmas Special Stephen Mulhernhosts acelebrity special of the classic game show (S).

6.55 Escape To The Chateau Dick and Angel prepare for Angel’s parents’ 50th wedding anniversary(S).

11.15 The Russell Howard Hour Topical comedy and entertainment show (R).

6.00 Futurama (R) (S). 6.30 The Simpsons Bart befriends an ageing film star (R) (S). 6.55 The Simpsons (R) (S). 8.00 Bob’s Burgers Linda finds apotato that resembles her late grandfather (S). 8.30 Bob’s Burgers (S). 9.00 Family Guy Peter and Chris go to Canada (S). 9.30 Family Guy The men go to aranch in order to regain their sense of masculinity (S). 10.00 Olivia Attwood: Getting Filthy Rich Olivia delves into the ever-expanding world of cam girls (S). 11.00 Family Guy Peter stars in his own children’s television show (S). 11.30 Family Guy With the guest voice of Ricky Gervais (S). 12.00 American Dad! (S). 12.30

American Dad! (S). 1.00 The Stand Up Sketch Show (S). 1.30

Stand Up Sketch Show (S).

Cracker Part one of two. An amnesiac may be amurderer (S).

Coastal Railways With Julie Walters The actress travels along Scotland’s West Highland Railway (S). 11.05 24 Hours In A&E A nine-year-old boy is unable to move his limbs after falling on his head (S). 12.10 Emergency Helicopter Medics (S). 1.15 8Out Of 10 CatsDoes Countdown (S). 2.20 24 Hours In A&E (S). 3.25 Food Unwrapped (S). 3.50 Close

BBC RADIO 1 6.57am Newsbeat. 7.00 Radio 1Breakfast WithGreg James. 10.30 Newsbeat. 10.32 Rickie,MelvinAnd Charlie 12.45pm Newsbeat 1.00 Dean And Vicky 3.30 Newsbeat. 3.32 Going Home With VickAnd Jordan. 5.45 Newsbeat. 6.00 Radio 1’sFutureSounds WithClaraAmfo 7.00 Radio 1’s Hottest Records Of The Week. 8.00 Radio 1’sFuture Artists With Jack Saunders. 10.00 Radio 1’sPower Down Playlist With Sian Eleri. 11.00 Rock Show With Daniel PCarter 1am BBC Introducing Rock On Radio 1WithAlyx Holcombe. 2.00 Radio 1’sFuture Alternative 3.00 Radio 1’s Workout Anthems. 4.00 Radio 1Dance. 5.00 Radio 1Early Breakfast With Arielle Free. BBC RADIO 2 6.30am TheZoe Ball BreakfastShow. 9.30 KenBruce. 12noon Jeremy Vine 2.00 Scott Mills 4.00 SaraCox 6.30 SaraCox’s Half Wower 7.00 Jo Whiley’s Shiny Happy Playlist. Jo playsher favourite albumtracks andmusical gems rarelyheardonRadio 2. 7.30 Jo Whiley.Music andchat. 9.00 TheBlues Show With CerysMatthews. New and classic blues tracks. 10.00 Trevor Nelson’s Magnificent7 10.30 Trevor Nelson’s Rhythm Nation. 12mdn’t OJ Borg 3.00 Pick Of The Pops 4.00 Early Breakfast Show BBC RADIO 3 6.30am Breakfast 9.00 EssentialClassics. 12noon Composer Of The Week: Franck. 1.00 Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert. 2.00 Afternoon Concert. 4.30 New Generation Artists. 5.00 In Tune 7.00 In Tune Mixtape.Aneclectic non-stop mixof music. 7.30 Radio 3In Concert. Martha Argerich andMaria Joao Pires performMozart’sPianoConcerto No 10 in E. 9.00 Ultimate Calm.OlafurArnaldsshares aselection of sleep-inspired music. 10.00 MusicMatters. 10.45 The Essay:ALandscapeFor Recovery. 11.00 Night Tracks. 12.30am Through The Night. BBC RADIO 4 6am Today. 9.00 Start The Week. 9.45 (LW) Daily Service 9.45 (FM) BookOfThe Week: NightTerrors. 10.00 Woman’sHour. 11.00 TheUntold 11.30 MichaelMorpurgo’sFolk Journeys. 12noon News 12.01 (LW) Shipp ng Forecast. 12.04 YouAnd Yours 12.57 Weather 1.00 The WorldAtOne. 1.45 Please Protect Abraham. 2.00 The Archers 2.15 Drama:Death Knock. 3.00 Nature Table. 3.30 The Food Programme 4.00 The Dying Of The Ice. 4.30 Bad Blood:The Story Of Eugenics 5.00 PM. 5.54 (LW) Shipping Forecast 5.57 Weather 6.00 Six O’Clock News. 6.30 I’m SorryIHaven’t AClue. Jack Dee hoststhe comedypanel game from Croydon’s FairfieldHalls 7.00 TheArchers 7.15 Front Row. Arts programme. 8.00 Putin.The story of Vladimir Putin’s earlylife. 8.30 CrossingContinents. Current affairs reports from around theworld 9.00 Falling Stars. 9.30 Start The Week. 10.00 The WorldTonight 10.45 Book At Bedtime: The IcePalace 11.00 The Witch Farm 11.30 Today In Parliament 12mdn’t News And Weather 12.30 Book Of The Week: NightTerrors 12.48 Shipping Forecast. 1.00 As BBC World Service. 5.20 ShippingForecast. 5.30 News Briefing 5.43 Prayer ForThe Day 5.45 FarmingToday 5.58 Tweet Of The Day BBC RADIO 4EXTRA 6am Peril At EndHouse 6.30 Master And Commander 7.00 Dearest Squirrel. 7.15 APassage To India 7.30 Dot. 8.00 BrothersInLaw 8.30 Legal, Decent, Honest And Truthful. 9.00 Dilemma. 9.30 RomanticFriction. 10.00 Evelyn Waugh –Put OutMore Flags 11.00 Peril At EndHouse. 11.30 MasterAnd Commander 12noon Dearest Squirrel. 12.15 APassage To India. 12.30 Dot. 1.00 Brothers In Law 1.30 Legal,Decent, Honest And Truthful 2.00 Dilemma. 2.30 Romantic Friction. 3.00 Evelyn Waugh –Put OutMoreFlags 4.00 Peril At EndHouse. 4.30 Master And Commander 5.00 Dearest Squirrel. 5.15 APassage To India 5.30 Dot 6.00 Brothers In Law. 6.30 Legal, Decent, Honest AndTruthful 7.00 Dilemma. 7.30 Romantic Friction. 8.00 Radiolab. 8.55 InheritanceTracks. 9.00 Unreal: ACritical History Of RealityTV. 10.00 Comedy Club. 10.00 ComedyClub: I’m SorryIHaven’t AClue 10.30 Comedy Club: Dave Podmore’s WorldOfCricket. 11.00 ComedyClub: The NowShow 11.30 Comedy Club: As Told To CraigBrown. 12mdn’t Evelyn Waugh –Put Out MoreFlags. 1.00 Peril At End House. 1.30 Master And Commander 2.00 DearestSquirrel. 2.15 A Passage To India 2.30 Dot 3.00 BrothersInLaw 3.30 Legal, Decent, Honest And Truthful. 4.00 Dilemma. 4.30 RomanticFriction 5.00 Evelyn Waugh –Put Out More Flags BBC 5LIVE 6am 5LiveBreakfast. 9.00 Nicky Campbell. 11.00 Naga Munchetty 2pm 5LiveSport 3.00 World Cup 2022 5.00 World Cup 2022. 5.30 5LiveNews. 6.30 5Live Sport. 7.00 WorldCup 2022. 9.00 World Cup 2022. 10.00 ColinMurray 1am Dotun Adebayo. 5.00 Wake Up To Money BBC 6MUSIC 7.30am Lauren Laverne. 10.30 MaryAnne Hobbs. 1pm Craig Charles. 4.00 Steve Lamacq. 7.00 Marc Riley 9.00 TomRobinson. 12mdn’t Kendrick Lamar At The BBC. 2.00 Kendrick Lamar Live 3.00 Kendrick LamarTalksToMary.Anne Hobbs. 4.00 The Kendrick Lamar Playlist. 5.00 Chris Hawkins CLASSIC FM 6am More Music Breakfast. 9.00 Alexander Armstrong 12noon Anne-Marie Minha l. 4.00 John Brunning. Old favouritesand new discoveries. 7.00 Smooth ClassicsAtSeven 10.00 Smooth Classics. WithMargheritaTaylor. 1am Bill Overton 4.00 Early Breakfast.

6am Dave Berry 10.00 Leona Graham 1pm Sarah Champion. 4.00 Bush And Richie 7.00 Danielle Perry. 10.00 Jay Lawrence. 1am Dan Noble December5

Withover20yearsexperienceininstallingdrives,patios,

BARKER

Sylvia Margaret nee Felton

Former Ownerof Petals Florist, Newport.

Unexpectedly passed away on November 17, 2022 at The Royal Stoke aged 71 years, of Woodseaves.

Much loved Wife of Phil. Dearly loved Mother and Grandmother

She will be greatly missed by all her Family and Friends.

Funeral Service at 1.30pm on Tuesday,December 13, 2022 at Telford Crematorium.

Family flowers only but donationsifsodesired for theBritish Heart Foundation for which purpose acollection box will be provided in the Crematorium.

All enquiries please to

(Fred)

Peacefully passed away on November 2022 at his home on Maerway Lane, aged 91 years

DearestHusbandofAnn, a beloved Dad and Grandad.

AService of Thanksgiving will takeplace 11am on Thursday, December 8, 2022 at St.Mary’s Church Mucklestone.

All inquiries please to

LAWN

Bernadette Florence Mary

away peacefully at in Market Drayton, years on November 16, 2022.

fe of Peter.Loving Chris and Angela. loved Nana and Great-Nana.

Service 11am on ecember6,2022 as &StStephen’s RCChurch, Market Drayton followed by Interment in the Cemetery.

Family flowers only but donations if so desired to be divided between the District Nurses and the Severn Hospice for which purpose acollectionplate will be provided in Church.

All inquiries please to

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.

SAXELBY

Su

HUME Peter Alexander

Aretired farmer and race horse breeder from Sambrook.

Of Longdon upon Tern, formerly of Newport.

Passed away on November 20, 2022, aged 72 years.

BROWN

Mervyn

Of Newport, formerlyof Apley,Telford.

Passed away peacefully after ashort illness on November 21, 2022.

Aged 77 years.

MuchlovedHusbandofthe late Pat. Father to Deborah and Richard, Father-in-law to Paul and Grandfather to Koda the Dog.

AFuneralService will be held at Ne wp o rt CemeteryChapel on Monday, December 5at2pm followed by aBurial in theCemetery.

Family flowers only please.

Donations if desired to DiabetesUKfor which purpose acollection boxwill be provided at the Chapel.

All inquiries to

Passed away peacefully at home on November 10, 2022, aged 93 years, after along illness bourne withdignity Beloved Husband to the lateEdna,loving Father to Anthony andHelen. Much loved Grandad to Christopher,Lucy,David and William.

AService to Celebrate hislife will take placeat Emstrey Crematorium, ShrewsburyonDecember 12, 2022 at 11.30am.

Family flowers only but donationsifsodesired to Parkinsons.Org.Ukfor which purpose acollection plate will be provided in the Crematoriumordirectly to the charityinPeter’s memory.

All inquiries please to

Amuch loved Partner, Mum and Nan.

Funeral Service11.30am Monday,December 19 at ShrewsburyCrematorium.

No black to be worn.

Family flowersonly please. Donations for Cance r Research UK would be appreciated.

All inquiries please to

EBIKES FOR SALE

Electric bikes with low mileage. Suitable for up to 125kg. Good urban road bikes. Sturdy and strong.Price per eBike. £550 07977 925406.

as well as covering stories as theyhappen on live blogs.

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

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

This is abrilliantopportunity to join our newsroom, covering a diverse, vibrantand busypatch.

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

If youare interestedinthis role, please send acopyofyour

CV and covering letter forthe attention of theeditor-in-chief, MartinWright by December 19, to:hr@claverleygroup.co.uk

Rallying funinthe most unlikely SUV

TEDWELFORD PressAssociation

SUVs aredominating newcar salesright now, with 46%ofall newcars sold in Europe in 2021 beingmodelsofthisbod ystyle –a figure that’s only expectedtokeep growing, with theinflux of newSUVsdue on the market in coming years. It’s easy to seethe appeal:these models bringmoreeye-catching styling, whiletheir higher ride heightgives driversand occupants abetterviewout on theroad

An increasing number arepurely frontorrear-wheel-drive, with many buyersnot interested in whetheritisactuallysuitableto take offthe tarmac

But, what if you still want an SUV that cangooff thebeatentrack?

Whilea Jeep or Land Rover might be thesafeand sensible options, safe andsensibleisabit boring What isn’tboringisthe Lamborgh iniUrusPerformante –perhaps the silliestand mostextreme SUVon sale,even dubbed a‘SuperSUV’by theItalian marque

Whilethe Urus firstintroduced in 2018 andnow Lamborghini’s most popularproduct –might be morelikelytobeseenlapping Har-

rods than an off-road course,the firm is keen to demonstrate it can be used on tougherterrain

Forthe newPerformante,Lam borghini hasengineeredanew ‘Rally’driving mode –and to tryit out, we headed to an off-road rally course next to theVallelungarace circuitnearRome

Admittedly,it’smoresuitedtoa dirt track than ascendingasteep bank or negotiatingdeeper water butitaddsafurther dimensionto theUrus, andwill come in useful forthose wantingtodemonstrate theirSUV’s capability in adifferent setting.

On jumpingin, it’s clearthis

HuracanSterrato: Lambo’soff-road supercar

is no rough-and-readyutilitari an SUV. Thecabin is awashwith blackAlcantara –asuede-likematerial widely usedin high-end performance cars.It’sonthe steering wheel, theseats, even thedashboard.

Once you’vepressed theengine startbuttonand themighty4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine’s fired up,it’stimetoactivatethat‘Rally’ mode on thecentralcluster,which Lamborghinicalls the‘Tamburo’

Theterrain is no DakarRally, andadmittedly afront-wheel-drive crossoverwithadecentamountof ground clearancecould probably master most of it.That’snot the

pointhere, though,asit’sthe fun factor that makesthisSUV so special. What theRally mode does is ease offthe tractioncontrol, allowingfor moreoversteer– essentially meaningyou canget it alittlemore sideways

At thesametime, theRally mode sendsagreater chunkoftorqueto therearwheelsand meansifyou putyourfootdowncomingout of thedirtstages’corners, it’s really easy to getittoslide,yet always in acontrolled fashion. It feelslikeit’s been engineered so that anyone can enjoyitwithintheir capabilities

Thegriplevelsare also impres sive,admittedly on this predom

inantly drycourse,and more so when consideringour test Urus Performanteisridingonnormal ‘off-the-shelf’roadtyres

This dirt stagedidn’tlet us expe rience thefull 657bhp,but accompanied by thefantastic growlofthe ti tanium Akrapovicexhaust system, it’s impossible not to smilewhen driftingaround. ThoseAlcantara seatsalso keep you firmly in hold, whileeven though thePerformante rideson fixedsteelsprings,you don’tfeellikeyourback’sabout to give way. Farfromit.

ALamborghini with aRally Mode showsthisItalian firm’s eccentrici ty as itsvery finest

StayingwithLamborghini,the firm hasgiven a firstofficiallookatits up coming HuracanSterratoahead of the officialrevealthismonth

Designed‘formaximum driving pleasure even away from theasphalt’, theSterratoisa versionofLamborghini’spopular Huracancapable of head ingoff-roadand onto surfaces that theregular carwould struggle to deal with

Thecar’s increasedrideheightisvis ible from theimages,asare some more off-road focuseddesigntweakssuch as chunky wheelarch trim piecesand LEDlights integrated into thefront grille. There’salsoa roof airscoop somethingseenonthe range-topping HuracanSTO –which helpstocoolthe engine moreeffectively Smallroofrails arealso fitted to the topofthe Sterrato,which suggests

that it mightbecompatiblewithaccessories such as topboxes or bike racks.

Underneath theSterratowillbe poweredbya5.2-litre naturally-aspi ratedV10 engine,which is predicted to be thelasttimesuchan engine will be used in aLamborghini as the firm move towardselectrification.

Though Lamborghinihas yettoannounce anyperformance figuresfor theSterrato, in theHuracan STOthis setupdelivers631bhpand 565Nmof torque, equating to azeroto60mph time of 2.8seconds andatop speed of 193mph.It’slikelythatthe Sterrato’s topspeed will be slightlylower,howev er,owing to theincreased ride height

Theinitial teaser videos showcase thecar beingpushedtothe limitindif ferent environments, with Lamborghini statingthatthe Sterrato wasdue to be unveiled in full in Miamithisweek.

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

LEGO OF YOUR UNWANTED TOYS

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 sports@mnamedia.co.uk

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

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

TOWN CALL TIME ON BROWN’S STAY

LEWISCOX lewis.cox@mnamedia.co.uk

TroubledMarketDraytonTownare lookingfor theirthirdpermanent managerofthe season afterthe departureof RichardBrown fora secondtimein13months.

TheGingerbread Men arefacing therealprospect of back-to-back relegationshavingfound themselves marooned to thefootofthe MidlandPremier after16defeats from 17 this season –all in arow Brown, whotookchargefor the second time alittleovertwo months ago, hasbeenunabletoarrestthe slide.

Andthe Greenfields boardhave decidedtoact once more,continuing the flurry of managerial ap pointments anddeparturesatthe club over recent years.

Brownlasted 10 gamesatTown, nine league defeatsand asolewin in theTJVickers Cupat AFC Bridgnorth

He departsGreenfields with the team eightpointsfromsafetyin step five,following relegationfrom theNorthernLeaguelastterm. UttoxeterTownoccupythe other relegation spot,withWolverhamp tonCasuals andWorcester City the otherteams cutadrift

Brownbrought around adoz en newsigningstothe club to try to inspirethe squad he inherited from Paul Snape– himself asum merappointment –but despitesome improvedperformancesand close results, themargins keptgoing againstDrayton

Afterlastweekend’s home clash against DarlastonTownwas postponeddue to awaterlogged pitch, DraytonhostStudley on Saturday (12.30pm kick-off).

Draytonleftreeling by alateblow

Newportneed apowersurge

Newportare braced forsome hard yardsonthe training ground as they trytobridge the powergap

Thephysicaladvantage the leadingcontendersholdover most of thesides in National League TwoWestisbecoming more andmoreevidentaseach week passes

Andthatwas thecaseagain on Saturday when Newportfell to a55-0 defeat away to second-placed Clifton.

Thehosts only led5-0 after 28 minutes buttheir dominance in theset-piece eventually told as they ranout convincingwin ners

Newport’sdirectorofrugby andBob Adamswas hugely im pressedbySaturday’shosts and knowshis side have to somehow come up with away to mixit againstthe leadingsides

“Wehaveplayedsomegood sidesbut they were brilliant,” saidAdams

“I can’tfault my players for theireffortand Iamwatching them putashift in week in week out.

“Butthe players know it and thecoaches know it,our setpiece againstthe topsides is no whereneargood enough

“Wehaven’t gota powergame againstthe topfourand it is really difficult to change that

“OnSaturday, thesmallest playerintheir frontrow was6ft 1”.Theybrought ahookeron whowas 6ft4”and 21 stone.

“Wecan’t hide from it and therehas been no finger point ing. We aregoing to have to work hard on thetraininggroundand getdowntothe real tough, nitty gritty part of thegame.

“Wehavetobesmart as coachestolookathow we can help them butwehavetotry to find moregritand steel.”

ThePirates

Draytonrespondedimpressively

andwereonthe attack forthe rest of thematch

Andtheylookedtohaveearneda deserved reward when adrag flick from BenLea drew them levelwith four minutes remaining.

Butthere wasstill time forsome last-gaspdrama as Oltonbagged a winninggoalfromthe last attack of thegame.

Draytonare

Tigers 2onSaturday.

Drayton’ssecondteambagged an impressive winathome to North Stafford

Thehosts dominatedthroughout with goalsfromJoe Jackson, Dave Pool,James Roscoe andGareth Bowenputting them in charge be fore Dillan Weller wrappedup the scoringwithamagnificentslapshot from an acuteangle.

Red-hotWalters leadsvictory charge forRavens

Luke Walterswas thestarofthe show as Market DraytonRavens claimedthe Shropshire spoils

Scrum-half Waltersscoreda hattrickoftries to help Ravenssecure ahardearned21-11 success away to Counties 2MidlandsWest(North) rivals Cleobury Mortimer. Thevictory,Ravens’ second in threegames,liftedtheneightpoints clearoftheir hostsand Luctonians,

whoand thirdand second from bottomofthe tablerespectively

Thegamestarted badlyfor the Ravensasthe hometeamscoredan unconvertedtry within aminuteof kickingoff

Andthatleadwas extend to 8-0 when thehosts addedapenalty

ButRavens, ledbyanimpressive displayfromAlexGammon, rallied Chad Fieldhouse andGammon

combined to create thechancefor Walterstoscore under theposts for his firsttry of theafternoon.Gam monaddedthe conversion

Anotherpenalty from thehosts made it 11-7 butthatwas to be their finalscore of theday

Ravensstarted to dominate but squandered anumberofopportunities before thehalf-time whistle.

Thevisitorspickedupwhere they

hadleftoff afterthe break and theirpressurewas rewarded when Walterscrashed overtoscore his second try. Gammon’s successful conversion sawRavenslead14-11 Ravenswrapped up thewin when Walterscollected an offloadtocom plete histreble. Gammon’s conver sion roundedoff thescoring RavenshostHarborneonSatur day (2.15pm)

Newportare on theroadagain on Saturday at Luctonians with Adamslooking foran immediate reaction to theCliftondefeat.

“It’sbig game forusonSatur day andbyhookorbycrookwe have to perform,”hesaid.

Dillan Weller,James Roscoe,GarethBowen, Dave Pool andJoe Jackson

allnettedfor Drayton’ssecond team

Market Draytonwereleftreeling from alateblowintheir latest MidlandsHockeyDivision3 West en counter.

hosted aOlton and West Warwickshire side sitting two places higher in thestandings,and foundthemselves trailing when the visitors struck from an earlypenal ty corner

at home to Barford