Market Drayton Advertiser - 15-Dec-2022

CHALLENGEFOR NEWFIRECHIEF

megan,jones@mnamedia.co.uk

Industrial action,budgetsand recruitment to ruralstationsare among some of theissuesfacing Shropshire’s newChief Fire Officer.

Simon Hardiman wasannounced as thenew ChiefFireOfficer(CFO) forShropshireFireand Rescue in November, followingthe retirement of outgoing CFO, RodHammerton

Amid a financialcrisis, with Britainfacingwide-ranginglabour forceshortage andindustrialaction on thehorizon,itwon’t be an easy firstfew months forthe newchief He is, however,excited forthe new challenge, andisconfident theservice is in agood position

He said:“I’mreallyexcited,it’s ahugeprivilege andhonourtobe taking on theposition of ChiefOfficer. Idothink I’mtakingover at what couldbea challengingtime, butit’sa newchallenge.”

In addition to budget constraints, from now to January30, firefightersand firefightercontrolstaff are ballotingonstrikeaction.

Outgoing chiefRod Hammerton said theservice wouldbetested by industrial action,but wasconfident Mr Hardiman wasuptothe jobof managing thechallenge

Keepingthe 20 stations staffed purely by on-callpersonnel running is high on thechief’s list of demands.

Mr Hardiman said:“Ouron-call staffare integral to ouroperating model. We areconstantlyrecruitingtomaintainthe availability on thosestations.”

Farm herosiblingshanded community award

Two‘localheroes’ have been recognisedfor theirsuccess in supporting vulnerable young people andadults.

Charlotteand BenHollins, who runFordhallOrganic Farm in Market Drayton, launched asocial projectatthe farm offering activities andworkplacements forpeople with learning disabilities andwon

theNFU’s CommunityFarming Hero Awardafter beingnominated by HelenMorganMP.

TheNorth Shropshire MP recognisedthe positive impact that Charlotteand Benwerehavingonthose in thelocal community andvisited thefarmlastweektodeliver the awardinperson. She said:“Farms

areintegralparts of communities up anddownthe countrybut few have hadasmuchofa positive impact as Fordhall “Charlotte andBen aretruelocalheroes andsoIwas delightedto presentthemwiththe Community FarmingHeroAward.”

l Invaluable –Page3

GP surgeries being overwhelmedwith worries over StrepA

GP practicesacrossthe countyhave been facingahugeincreaseindemand with parentsconcerned about StrepA

With practicesinundated with callsfromconcerned parents, some arehavingtotemporarily halt routine appointments

Emma Pyrah, associate director of primarycareatNHS Shropshire, Telfordand Wrekin,said: “Practices across the county are currently experiencing alarge influx in demand,withsome practiceshaving to adapttheir provision to deliver additional appointmentcapacity.”

Sheencouragedconcerned parents to look at Strep Aand Scarlet Fever advice on theNHS website before contacting theirGP.

“Adviceatthe moment is to firstly review symptoms online,speak to NHS111 as your firstportofcall should you need furtheradvice, or contactyourcommunity pharmacy,” sheadded.

Antibioticsinshort supplybut

Antibioticsin Shropshire arein shortsupplybut it is expected to be a“short-term issue” in localpharmacies, saycountyhealthleaders Pharmacies in Shropshire and Telford& Wrekin saythere has been asurge in demand forthe liquidand solidforms of penicillinthat areusedtotreat Strep Ainfections.

Elizabeth Walker,deputydirectorofmedicines management at NHSShropshire, Telfordand Wrekin, said:“We areaware of localised issues forpharmacies in obtaining some commonly used antibiotics andare providingGPpractices with dailyavailability at thethree main wholesalers to trytomanagethe situation.

“Stockshortages areexpected to be short-term

“AlthoughStrepAiscurrently circulatingathigherlevels, it is worth notingnot everychild with a sore throat will requireantibiotics fortreatment of theinfection.”

North Shropshire MP HelenMorgan at Fordhall Organic Farm in Market Drayton with Benand CharlotteHollins

expected to be ‘short-term’

Business group’s Christmassocial

NewportChamber of Commerce will be stagingits Christmas Social eventnextweek.

It will be held on Monday at the chamber’sregular meetingvenue, theNavyClubinBellman’s Yard NewportChamber of Commerce meetsonthe thirdMondayofevery monthat5.30pm

Itemsregularly discussedinclude parking, events, business issues, grants, fundingand free training courses in theNewport area

To book forthe social, or to find outmore, call Jude Patonon07949 793738 or emailheyjudes24@out look.com

Policewitness pleaovercrash

Police areappealing forinformation afteran88-year-old woman died followinga two-car crashnearNewport

Asilver Ford Fiesta anda silverPorsche Boxsterwerein collision at around 5pmonOctober 8, on theA41 at thejunction with theB4379,between Sherrifhales andNewport

TheFiestadriver,an88-yearoldwoman,later died in hospital. Anyone with informationis askedtocontact richard.owen@ westmercia.police.uk quoting reference452cofOctober 8.

Coffee morning brings in £1,345

Organisers have issued abig thank you to thelocal communityfor comingout in supportoftheir coffee morning,which raisedmorethan £1,000 forcharity

Leadersofthe Market Drayton Macmillan Cancer SupportGroup have sent ‘sincere thanks’toresidents forsupportingthe mincepie andcoffeemorning on December 3.

Theevent washeldatRiverside, Market Drayton, between10am and12.30pm andinvolvedChristmascards,gifts, books andaraffle. Alarge sumof£1,345was raised, with proceeds goingtoMacmillan Cancer Support.

Delightasgold brooch found in fieldnow declared treasure

Catering managerCarolineParkinson, 61,ofTelford hasapassion forhistory andhas been going outmetal detectingfor about four years. “My partner surprised me with asmall metaldetectorabout four yearsago andIgoout most weekends andduringthe week when Ican,” said Ms Parkinson.

“I hadalwayswantedtodoit. I have foundplentyofthingsbut this is my firsttreasure.

“I wouldliketogoout everyday butworkgetsinbetween me and my detecting.”

Ms Parkinson’slong-term partner, Alan Adderley,56, doesn’t shareher passion, however

“He’sadiggerfor overheadpower

lines, sogoing outina fielddigging is thelastthing he wantstodo,”she said

Buther hobbyreallypaidoff on January 22 thisyearwhenshe joined agroup of about 60 other metaldetectoristsand headed into a fieldowned by theRobinsons at an undisclosedlocationnearHodnet.

Afterher detecting machine gave acharacteristicbeep, shefound the broochabout four inches down.It wasanorganisedeventwiththe full permission of the farmer involved.

“I thoughtitw apiece of costume jewellery until someone else told me he thoughtitwas treasure.

“I’m very excitedto have it declared treasurebut we don’t know how much it will be valued at,” shesaid.

“Iknowthe

Richardand Isobelle Robinson ownthe fieldand will sharethe proceeds of thesale.

MrsRobinsonsaidtheywere happytoget appointments to visit anddetectonthe land andsee peopleout in thecountryside enjoying it.“It is nice to letpeopleenjoy their hobby,”she said Thesecret fieldinquestioniscultivatedbut hadnever been subject to metaldetectingbefore, and MrsRobinsonsaidmore emswerefound that were goingthrough theprocessofbeing declared treasure.

Metaldetectorists have to have insurance, sheadded

Senior Shropshirecoroner JohnEllerydeclared themedievalsilver gilt annularbroochtreasure an inquestatShire-

hall,inShrewsbury, last week.He heardevidencefromDrIan LBass, theFinds LiaisonOfficerfor Herefordshireand Shropshire

Hisreportsaidthatannular broocheswithanimaldesigns could be datedtothe 13th century.

Becauseitismorethan300 years oldand hasacontent of morethan 10 percentofapreciousmetal it qualifies as treasure, Mr Ellery said.Ithas adoubleheadedanimaldesignwithasaltire cross, is 24.84mmacrossand weighs4.51 grammes.

ShropshireMuseums have expressedaninterestin acquiringthe find underthe Treasure Act1996 Nowthe find hasbeendeclared treasureitwill be valued by theDepartment forDigital,Culture,Media, andSport’s Treasure Valuation Committee.

Councillor RobGittins, ShropshireCouncil cabinetmember for cultureand digital, said:“We are delightedthe medievalbrooch has been foundinsuchremarkablecondition.Itisalwaysincredibletodiscover what hasbeenhidden under thecounty’sland.”

Awoman who founda medieval broochina farmer’s fieldand has nowseenitdeclared treasure is hopingtoget to seeitondisplay at a localmuseum.

museum wantsitand Iwould love forittogoondisplay so Ican go to seeit.”

DAVIDTOOLEY

david.tooley@mnamedia.co.uk

CaiAntoney,ofNoble Pursuits Metal Detecting Group, with thebrooch

Farmer IsobelleRobinson with finder CarolineParkinson at theinquest

Thecleaned up brooch

Mezzo-sopranotoleave audience on ahighnote

Distinguishedmezzo-soprano

JoyceTindsleywill take to the stagethisChristmas to bringsome festivecheer to Market Drayton.

An experiencedvocal tutor, as well as aprofessionalsinger andacclaimed soloist, Joycehas workedfor theBBC foralmost30 years.

Forthe festiveseasonshe will take to thestage once more at FestivalDrayton Centre,for alunchtime concertonSunday.

Long-timecentre volunteerJo Humphreyssaid: “Thisseasonal

song recitalisa wonderfulrelaxing waytospend aSundayafternoon in themidst of allthe Christmas frenzy.It promises to be in turn joyful,reflective,and inspiring.

“Concertsinthe centre’s fabulousclassical musicseriesnormallystart at 3pmonSundays Butwe’ve broughtJoyce Tindsley forwardto1pm so people canget home in time forthe WorldCup final.

“Her gorgeous tone andclear soundwill be aperfect set-up for thenoise andbustleonthe pitch.”

Shewillbeaccompaniedatthe pianobyTim Kennedy, astaff repetiteur forthe School of Vocal andOpera Studies at

Northern CollegeofMusic Ticketscost£15 or £3 forunder-21s.

Formoreinformation,visit festi valdraytoncentre.com

Farm volunteers’‘invaluable’ workrecognisedatceremony

MEGANHOWE Community News Reporter

Acommunity-owned farm hascelebrated the contributionsofits voluntary workforceatan annual awards ceremony.

TheteamatFordhallOrganic Farm held itsvolunteerawards eventand Christmasparty on Friday. Itsaim wastohighlightthe ‘invaluable’ workofvolunteers for helpingwiththe day-to-day upkeep of thefarm, as well as conservation work, maintenanceand eventsupport

Winnerswere: JulieCooper (Chris Tither Award),Sue Walker (Office Aficionadoofthe Year), Jackie Jones(VolunteerNewcomer) DominicPinto (Trailblazer)and DanBridgewater (Volunteerofthe Year forEngineering Genius).

Thefarm’slong-standing programme welcomesvolunteers,old andnew,fromacrossthe UK and abroad.

Volunteers benefitsociallyby working with like-minded individuals andthrough theconnectionto nature whichhas apositive impact on mental health andwellbeing

JulieCooper, whovolunteers at Fordhall,said: “It’sbrillianthere, I wanted to be an active part of Fordhall againand volunteering suited my lifeasitisnow

“You’redoing ausefuljob contributing, you’reoutdoorssothere’s an immediate connection with nature andit’soften physical work.”

Fordhall Organic Farm is England’s firstcommunity-owned farm, whichhas been organicfor more than65years.Itpioneered organic farmingafterthe Second World War, ledbythe late Arthur Hollins andwas savedfromdevelopment in 2006 by hischildren Benand Charlotte.

Charlotte, Fordhall Community Land Initiative generalmanager, said:“From treeplanting, to fence building,toevenpaperwork filing, thevolunteers really dokeepthis placerunning. Theircontribution is invaluable,and we cannot thank them enough forselflessly giving theirtimetothe farm.Wehopethe celebrationshowedthemhow valuedtheyreallyare,and of course congratulationstothisyear’saward winners.”

Formoreinformation aboutFordhall’s volunteering opportunities andplacements, andavolunteer overviewpack,contact project@ fordhallfarm.com

WITH HELENMORGAN

MP FORNORTHSHROPSHIRE

It’s been ayearsince Iwas elected as theMPfor NorthShropshire. Andwhata year it’s been

Iwasn’texpectingtosee threePrime Ministersinmy first12monthsbut it’s been a period that hasbeendefinedby Governmentchaos

That chaos hasmademyjob of helpingconstituentsmore difficult as I’ve hadtospend a significant proportion of my time trying to getGovernment departments to do theirjob.Renewing apassportordriving licenceshouldbea straightforward task,but formanypeople in NorthShropshireit’sbeen an arduousprocess that’s only been resolved afteranintervention from myself

This oftendoesnot feel like thebestuse of an MP’s time, buthelping constituents is why Idothe joband thereis no betterfeeling thanhearing from someone whohas hadadifficult situationresolved andis gratefulfor my help

As soonasI realisedI had wonthe votelastyearI was determined to do everything possible to help people across NorthShropshire. It’s meant earlystarts, late nights,more traveland less familytimebut hopefullyI’m repaying thoseof you voted formeand proving my worth forthose whodidn’t.

Cases rangefromfamilies needinghelpwithheating billstocancerpatientswaiting months fortestresults andpensioners sufferingfromisolation becausetheir localbus route has been removed. Hearing theirstories is what motivates me to keep workinghardhere in NorthShropshireand down in Parliament

It’s also what makesthe Conservatives’incompetenceso frustrating. It shouldn’tbea luxury to turnyourheating on or foranambulance toarrive on time butthe Government’s failures mean that this is the situationweare allconfronting.

VolunteersatFordhallFarm. Photo: Oliver Allan

Joycewillsingpiecesby Bach andHandel, lieder by 19th century composersHugoWolfand MaxReger, as well as 20thcentury songs by Benjamin Brittenand Michael Head

theRoyal

JoyceTindlsey

MP seeksbetter hospitalaccess

MP HelenMorganstood up in Parliamenttourgethe governmentto boostpublictransport andimprove access to healthcare in ruralareas

TheLib DemMPhas championed improvingrural services sincebeingelected to theNorth Shropshire constituency last year.She wants chronicproblemsinthe health service to be tackledand transport linkstobeimproved.

Patients in Market Draytonneedingtotravelbypublictransport to Princess RoyalHospitalinTelford must take twobuses andatrain in a three-hour roundtrip. This is more than threetimes longerthantravelling by car.

People from surroundingvillages areunabletoget to hospital via publictransport

MrsMorgantoldthe House of Commons: “It’sbeenwelldocumented that people in ruralareas have worsehealthoutcomesthan peoplein urbanones.”

Drive-in carols enjoyedbyall

Morethan30carsparkedup as thecommunity supported adrive-byChristmas carols event.

Theservice eventwas organisedbyReverendMarkLawrencefromMarket Drayton MethodistChurchand wasled by thechurch choir.

It took placeonthe Morrisons carparkinthe town Representativesfromall the town’s churches attended and they allparticipatedbyreading extracts from theBible CarolynLawrence, manager of Christians AgainstPoverty in Market Drayton, said agreat time washad by allinvolved.

St JohnAmbulance volunteers were on site andorganisers received agreat deal of supportfromDianneSpeller, communitychampion forMorrisons

VoterIDlaw a ‘money waste’

AShropshireMPhas described planstointroduce voterIDasa “staggering wasteofmoney.

In April, theElections Act2022 waspassedbyParliamentwhich wouldrequirevotersin GreatBritaintoshow photo ID before being issued aballot paperinpolling stations.

NorthShropshireMPHelen Morgansaid: “Itbeggars belief that this scheme is goingahead.Our councils arecutting critical services because of extreme financialpressureand we shouldn’tbeburdeningthem with theadditionalcostfor ascheme that is totallyunnecessary.”

Research hasshownthataround 3.5million people areunlikelyto have therightID. MrsMorgan added: “Insummary, Iwould urge theHouse to consider thefactwe don’tneedphoto ID,wecan’t afford to implement thescheme, andthe proposalswillsimplyleadtovoter suppression.”

Brothers bringseasonalcheer to foodbank

Twobrothershavebrought the spirit of Christmas to theirhome town,donating268 itemstotheir localfoodbank

Forthe last couple of weeks, Liam and CharlieRandall have been busy collecting itemsfor donation at Market DraytonFoodbank

TheRandall family setthemselves an annual challengetohelp thelessfortunate, supporting communities at home andabroad

Last year they sent 160teddy

bearsabroadtodisplaced children sufferingthe traumas of war, starvation or abuse.Thisyear, thefamilywanted to supporttheir community locally.

Theboys’ mother Lorraine said: “Wewanted todosomethingbecausethisyearits been quitea toughyearfor everybody.

“Wehavedoneafew things for

thefoodbank.Wedid

Thecommunity came outto supportthe boys –the libraryhad abucketondisplay andthe local Morrisons supermarket donateda bagofgoods

Some of theitems collected includeselection boxes, mincepies, Christmas cake,sweetsand gifts forchildren, as well as toiletries, bottlesofperfume andpacket food

Survey reveals residentsback permanentboat

Residents were ‘overwhelmingly positive’about theprospect of havingapermanent bargeona town’s canal, asurveyrevealed.

Thetowncouncil survey asked forviews on whether a42-foot long narrowboat should be moored on NewportCanal

Aboathad been placed on the waterinMay,havingbeenloaned to NewportTownCouncil as part of effortstoremindpeopleofthe area’s historyand to be admired by visitors,showingoff greenopen space to be enjoyed by residents

Thecanal boat wasremovedin Octoberbut residentshavereacted favourably with theirviews.

Acouncil statementsaid: “We were overwhelmedby theresponse Thosewho took part said thecanal is primarilyusedfor exercise,dog walksand leisure pursuitsoraccess into thetown. Themajorityofusers enjoy thecanal andtowpath

“Mostsurveyrespondents were from Newport, though aquarter of non-residentstravelmorethan five miles to enjoythe canal. Some 90 percentofpeoplewho visitedwhen thecanal boat wasinplacefeltit greatlyenhanced thecanal.”

NewportcouncillorTim Nelson haspreviouslyspokenofplansfor a restaurant boatin Newportto‘further boostthe town’s cafe culture’ Moored at thewharf adjacent to theBlackShed, in WaterLane, the cafe couldbeleasedout andits community useretainedoutside hours formeetings andasa venue

Councillor Nelsonsaid: “For a touristand leisure destination like Newport, an eating,drinkingand cafe culturepower house, this is straightdownthe line of supporting what is alreadyasuccess story.”

Rugbysideclubs together for team-mateJames afterassault

Rugbyclubmembers have raised more than £5,000 in supportofone of theirown,after he suffered a‘serioushead injury’inanassault.

FriendsofNewport (Salop)

RUFC setupa Crowdfunderfor JamesMortonand hismum Jo,who is travelling dailyfromher home in Telfordtovisit himinRoyal Stoke University Hospital

TheclubrevealedJames suffered severeheadtraumafollowing an assaultwhileout with friendsthree weeksago, To show theirsupport,the club wanted to raise money to support Jo with thecostoffueland parking charges.She travelstothe hospital everyday to visithim

Club chairman PeterMaher said: “James suffered quiteaserious head injury,which resulted in him beinghospitalised.

“His mumJolives in Telfordand

it wasastrain on herand herexpenditures,soas aclubwewanted tohelpout,particularly with petrol costsatthe moment

“Soasarugby club familywe wanted to help herout.”

Generous donationshavebeen madetothe fundraiser, which meansthe rugbyclubhas exceeded itsinitial target of £5,000 with 251 people supporting

Jamesisnow onthe road to recovery andissaidtobemaking greatprogressinhis Occupational TherapyAssessments

JamesjoinedNewport (Salop) RUFC when he waseightyears old andprogressedthrough theage groups, winningthe NorthMidlandsPlate with histeam-mates.

He hasgoneontoplayrugby as arepresentativefor Shropshire,the

Midlands,the NorthMidlandsand theWelsh Exiles.Hemadehis first XV debutasa teenager andsoonbecame aregular fixtureinthe Midland PremierChampionshipteam.

TheCrowdfunder reads: “Joand Jamesare overwhelmedand hugely grateful forthe support.

Progress

“James is making greatprogress andthisfundwill nowbeabletobe focussed on therehabilitation he will requirewhenhe comeshome

“Thankfullythisisnow looking to be soonerratherthanlater as he is absolutelysmashinghis Occupational Therapy Assessments, which is fantastic.

“Thanksagain to allofyou who have made donations, thiswill ensure Jamesgetsthe best available supporttomakeafull recovery. Thankyou.”

To make adonation, visitjustgiv ing.com/crowdfunding/newportsa loprufcjamesmortonfund

Brothers Liam and Charlie Randall picturedwith themanager of Market Drayton Morrisons HamelPurohit

theadvent calendarsand Idid fundraisingfor theBeaversone year as well.”

MEGANHOWE megan.howe@mnamedia.co.uk

Newport(Salop)RUFCplayers picturedintheir kit

Then andnow

changing face of town in focus

ROBSMITH Nostalgia

Thephotosweretaken outside what is todayaGreggs.

CANAL BRIDGE,LOWER BAR

Sincethe Saxons, people throughout historyhavelived and workedonits land andcaught fish nearby

Andall that historyhas left itsmarkonthe town,withsome grandbuildings steepedinhistory

Todaywelookatsome images from theShropshireStararchives andcompare them to how thetown looks today.

Some areashavechanged greatly,whilemanyare largelyuntouched.

UPPERBAR

NewportCarnivalhas always been abig deal –justtakealookatthe parade make itsway up UpperBar towardsthe High Street.

This photo is from 40 yearsago, in thesummer of 1982.You can make outthe familiar curveof theroadawayfromStNicholas Church andthe Puleston Cross (the relatively smallbuttercross on thepaved area).

Oneofthe businesses on theleft of thephoto appearstobeHenshawsofShropshire, theHideSpecialists. That building todayisa coffee shop andart gallery.

Thebridge over NewportCanal wasn’t at itsbestwhenthisphoto wastaken in 1974 –ithad been hit by acar theweekbefore.

Luckilythe county councilwas able to patchup thedamage, which is just as well as just afew years earlierthe bridgehad been designatedasa scheduledancient monument.

It is believed to date to the1830s andisknown as a‘roving bridge’ wherehorsesattachedtoboats couldcrossoverthe water without beingunhitched.Ithas only recently reopened fullyafter another roundofroadworks-justaswellas it is themainavenueinand outof thetowncentre forthe people of nearby Edgmond Fortallerwalkers making their waydownthe canalitisalsoa tricky obstacle,forcing them either to stooptoget underitortakethe stepsuptostreetlevel to crossthe road

COSY HALL

Youwouldn’tknowitfromlookingatittoday,but Cosy Hall was emptyand unlovedfor many years before it wasrestoredand given a

freshlease of life. This photo was takenin1979, when thebuilding overlooking thecanal wasderelict. It wasusedasa musichallearlier in the20thcentury before falling empty.

It sooncameintothe handsof acharitabletrust that broughtit back into useand renovatedit.

Nowitisproudly billed as ‘Newport’s CommunityBuilding’and is hiredbypeoplefromall walks of lifeeveryday of theweek. Not many people from Newportcan say they haven’t attended abirthday partyortwo at Cosy Hall in their time

STAFFORD STREET

Stafford Street beingfullofshops isobviously notanew development –the captionthatcamewiththis picture indicatesthatthe traders were grumblingabout theroadworks that they saywereaffecting business

Thenarrowpavementupthat side of Stafford Street makesfor an interestingshopfront

It’s impossible to make outwhat colour thepaint on theprettyshopfronts wasbackthenin1975, but todaythey’reall thedistinctive powderblueofthe market hall that encloses them

We thinkwecan spot Davindera Drapersinwhatisnow Mary’s Tots &Teens, andthe barSociety is one of thenewer additionsto Stafford Street

Newport, even though it is part of theborough of Telford&Wrekintoday, hasalwaysstood alittle apartfromthe rest of Shropshire.

Thecanal bridge on HighStreet wasdamaged badly when hitbyacar in 1974

NewportCarnival procession wasalive with activity in thesummerof1982

Business as usualonUpperBar,with St NicholasChurchinbackground

Roadworks were causing problemsf

MP in

WASPIwomen

NorthShropshireMPHelen Morganhas called forWASPI women to be given interimpaymentstohelp them cope whiletheir full compensation is decided.

TheWASPI (WomenAgainst StatePension Inequality)campaign wasfounded to fightfor women born in the1950s affected by the changestothe StatePension Age.

Lastyear, theParliamentary Ombudsmanruled thegovernmentwas tooslow tellingwomen they would have to wait longer fortheir state pension. Compensation is due.

MrsMorgansaid: “I wonder if the SecretaryofState will committoan interimpayment to womenaffected whiletheywaitfor the finalOmbudsman’sreporttobereleased?”

LauraTrott,Parliamentary Under-SecretaryofState forWork andPensions, said it “would notbe appropriate to take furthersteps” whilethe Ombudsmanwas investigating

Youngdancers take thestage

Fantasticfootworkand skyhigh kicksfeature in a‘hugely successful’ show dedicatedto traditionalIrish dance.

Youngperformersaged five to 18 from Studio JDance Academy broughttheir toe-tapping performancetoMarket Drayton’sFestivalDrayton Centre on Friday

It wastheir firstfeature-length danceshow since before Covid.

JuliaHolding,directorofStudioJ,said200 seatsin theFestivalDrayton auditorium sold out within five days.“Ihavegot a school of over 120dancers,”she added. “Withthe ticket sales, it hasbeenamazing andnextyear it couldbeonfor twonights “The show wasahugesuccess andhas opened up huge opportunitiesfor my Irishdancers We arebookedfor next year.”

Mother claims damp,mouldy flat causeofchildren’s illness

ELEANOR LAWSON Community News Reporter

Santaguests at library Christmasparty

Hisattendanceratehas plummetedfrom33per cent in thelast monthdue to aseriesofmedical issues,including tonsillitis, aswollen face andskinpeeling offhis fingers.

Theboy,whose familywishto remain anonymous, liveswithhis two-year-old brotherand hismother in a flat in Raven Court, Market Drayton, whichismanaged by Connexus. Theyounger brotherisalso regularlyill,the mother said Thechildren’smothersuffers from aserious health condition called Chiari malformation,which is an abnormality at thebaseof herskullwhich affectsher brain, causing braintissuetoextendinto thespinalcanal.Itcausessevere headachesand problems with her balance, whichshe says areexacerbated by living in the flat Shesaid: “The mouldhas made my head pain alot worse.I’vebeen ill more timesinthis flat than I have hadinmyentirelife.

“Meand my kids have suffered, my children arealwayssick.”

RichardWoolley,chief executive at Connexus, said:“We aredeeply awareofthe anxietyand concern that issues likethe onereported causeand take allreports of mould andcondensation in ourhomesextremelyseriously.

“Weare in touchwiththe family andtryingtoagree aconvenient time forour inspection teamtovisit.”

StaffatMarket DraytonLibrary arecelebrating anotherdazzling Christmas party.

Market DraytonLibrary’s Christmas partyisput on by staff andvolunteersevery year,and sees hundreds of people attend for aday packed with festive fun.

Morethan350 people attended this year’s partyonSaturday. It featured games, crafts andavisit from acouple of special guests–Santaand aponycalledTwinkle

Libraryassistant Tori Watson said:“It wasgreat,reallylovely. We’vehad anoticeableincreasein footfall andwemet lots of families andchildrenwehaven’t seen before.”

Sheadded: “Over70children gottomeetSanta andeveryone enjoyedthe visitfromTwinkle.”

Thewinner of thelibrary’s inauguralChristmas treefestival –Longlands Primary–was announcedbyCouncillor RobGit-

tins.The festival,supported by theFriends of Market Drayton Library, wasshowcased at the lights switch-onlastmonth.Local schoolswereinvited to take part in decoratingatreeand Longlandswentwitha‘maze of bees’, whichshowcased theirschoollogo.

Theschoolreceiveda £50 cheque

Tori added: “Asalways, we couldn’t do this withoutthe work of ouramazing volunteers.”

Villageauthorityconsiders next move as homesgoagainst neighbourhoodplan

Aparishcouncil will be meet on Monday to consider whetherit will go fora judicialreviewafter acountyplanningcommittee went againstits neighbourhood plan forthe second time Planners at ShropshireCouncildecidedtogrant permission to adevelopment of up to 10 self-buildhomesatStation Yard, Pipe Gate,inWoore Parish councilchairman Councillor MichaelCowey said: “The parish counciljustfeels that we have been letdownas well as theresidents beinglet down.Wewill be meetingon Monday with an item on the agenda. Both options, forajudicialrevieworsteppingbackwill be on thetable.”

Butfeelingsare runninghigh

in theparishafter thecounty’s planning committee decidedto go againstits ownhard-fought neighbourhood plan

Theparishengaged aconsultantafter Woodcock DevelopmentsLimited gained permissionfor thesameplanning applicationinJune2022. It fired apre-actionprotocolletterto ShropshireCouncilindicatinga potentialjudicialreviewclaim

In response to aclaim that theNorthernPlanningCommitteehad been misled at itsJune meeting, planning officials decidedtore-runthe decision last week.A smalldevelopment had been approvedfor four houses on thesitebeforeanother application waslodged for10homes. Thetotal of 14 homeswould be

four more than theneighbourhood plan wantsfor thesite.

Officers told Shropshire councillors: “Thisapplication was resolved to be approvedbycommittee on theJune212022subject to aSection 106obligation to secure theaffordablehousing provisionand long term,ownership,maintenance andperpetuity of theopenspace.

“The councilsolicitor hasbeen working with theapplicant’s solicitorto finalise this agreement.

“Althoughthe WooreNeighbourhood Plan is themostrecent adoptedset of policiesthe developmentplanshouldberead as awhole andincontext with thewhole suiteofpolicies.”

Thecommittee voted unanimously to approve theplan.

Athree-year-old boywho livesinaShropshire flat plaguedwithdamphas hada nursery attendance rate of just 20 per cent overthe past month becauseofillness.

Santawith brothers Isaac, four,and Arthur Carey, sixatMarket Drayton Library

Veteranhopingto seemedal reach familyofsoldier

MEGANJONES

megan.jones@mnamedia.co.uk

Aveteran is hopingtosee amedalreturned to the family of aFirstWorld WarsoldierfromMarket Drayton.

BrianBillings, 76,who livesin Stoke-on-Trent,was given themedal by afriendwho founditina coin collectionpurchased online

Brian, whohimself served in the forces,isnow thesecretary of thePotteries andDistrictRoyal Electrical andMechanicalEngineers (REME) Association

Brianexplained:“Afriendofmine collects coins, andheput an online bid on ajob lotoneBayand in it wasthe medal

“Because Iam involved with REME he passed it to me andsaidhow it should be with hisfamily– andIagree “Itwould be areallynicetimeof theyeartoget this medalbacktohis family.”

Themedal wasawarded to Corporal W. Reeves (service number 19717) of Market Drayton, whoservedwiththe King’s Shropshire LightInfantry.

Accordingtomilitaryrecords, Corporal Reeves wasmedically discharged in September 1918,aged21 duetogunshot or shrapnelwoundsto thelower jawand face

Therecords suggest he wasdischarged to Shrewsbury,afterserving with theregimentsince January1916.

Recordsalso indicate Corporal

Reeves’brother,Josephwas killed in action in France in March1918.

TheVictory medalisayellow bronze medalwhich originally would have hadadoublerainbow ribbon.It wasone of approximatelysix million medals awarded.

Thestanding figure of Victoryholdinga palm branch in herright hand appears on oneside, andonthe reverse,alaurelwreathcontainingthe inscription‘TheGreat Warfor Civilisation 1914-1919’

If you have anyinformation on CorporalReeves, please contactmegan jones@mnamedia.co.uk

Reminder of cold weatherpayments

With temperatures belowfreezing, some people on benefits will getan extra £25tohelppay forheating.

NorthShropshire’sMPHelen Morganisreminding people to checkif they areeligible. Theextra payments aremadeifthe forecastssay thereis goingtobeaweekofsub-zerotemperatures.

TheLib DemMPhas urgedpeople to make sure they getall thesupport they areentitledto.

Shesaid: “Highenergybillsand lowtemperatures is adangerous combination,soit’sreallyimportant that

everyone accesses thesupport they need.Thatincludescoldweather payments, whichmanybenefitclaimants areeligiblefor

“Ifyou areeligible, themoney should go straightintoyourbankaccountbut Iwould encourageeveryone to checktheir eligibility,” sheadded.

Cold weatherpaymentsare made to recipientsofselected benefits.To triggerthe payments,the average temperatureata specified weather stationmustberecordedas, or forecast to be,0°C or belowfor sevenconsecutive days

Remember lovedoneswithcampaign

Midlands AirAmbulance Charityis giving everyone thechancetoremembertheir lovedonesinaspecialcampaignthisChristmas

The‘Remember Your Star’campaigngives thosewho have lost loved ones aspecialway to paytribute this festiveperiod.

Everysupporter will be given avirtual star to name anda seeded card to displayontheir Christmastree.

Eachstardonated cancontain a name andapoignantmessage which will then be displayedonthe AirAmbulancefundraiserpage. Theseeded packet given by thecharity canalso

be planted in thenew year to keepthe memoriesoflovedonesalive

Emma Wood, head of fundraising andmarketingfor Midlands AirAmbulance Charity, said:“Christmas can oftenbea poignant time forthose who areexperiencinggrief

“Our Remember Your Star initiative offers time forreflection during thefestive season whilecelebrating thelives of lovedonesinadignified way.”

Formoreinformation visitmid landsairambulance.com/in-memory/ remember-your-star

University team securespig awards prize

AteamatHarper AdamsUniversity hassecured anational awardfor theirefforts

Theuniversity securedthis year’s Herd Productivity award at theNationalPig Awards.

Pigand PoultrySectormanager Matt Swaine,deputysector managerSarah Icelyand technicalscience officers MichaelHoldcroftand Joshua Osmondwere theretoreceive theaward at the ceremony in London

Sarahsaid: “It’sa greathonourtowin,and nice to have recognition forthe hard workwe have putin. It givesaboost to staffmoraleasweknow we are

Leader in callsfor road safety action

Aleaderhas insisted road tragediesshouldnot be accepted as an “inevitable” part of life, and called for“seriousand sustained” effortstotacklethe problem.

Figuresshow 121peoplewere killed or injuredonShropshire roadslastyear, andseveral more have died in collisionsthisyear. Councillor RobWilsonwilltable amotionataShropshireCouncil meetingtoday (Thursday), calling forthe authoritytotargetzero deaths on roadsin thecounty.

He urges thecouncil to support theviewthatthe only justifiable target should be that in thelonger term no one is killed or seriously injuredonShropshire’sroads

doingareallygood joband being recognisednationally.”

Sheadded: “It’sall down to teamwork, we have acommon goal to succeed andmakethe unit thebestwecan.

“Really, it’s thesowsthathave done allthe workthough. It’s good forteambonding andwe’re alreadythinkingabout what we couldenter next year!”

In total, 15 National Pig Awards were handed outonthe night. Judges explainedhow they hadbeenimpressed by this year’s entries, in termsofboth quantity andquality,after adifficult year forthe industry.En-

trants were describedasa‘real testamenttothe resilience of the industry’byheadjudge Stewart Houston.

This is thethird time in recent yearsthatthe team’s workhas been celebrated at theawards –in 2019, they wonIndoorProducerand overallProducerof theYear, whileMattwas Stockperson of theYearin2021.

Theteamshare their award-winningknowledge with students during aseriesofpracticalsessionsthroughoutthe year,and workalongside final year students on theirHonours Research Projects

Inquiries aftercars scratchedintown Police appeal after window is smashed

Police areappealing forinformation afterburglarsbroke awindowatahome near Telford.

Thewindowwas brokenat ahome in Church Lane,Sheriffhales,between 8.30pm and 8.45pm on December 2. Thesuspectshavebeendescribedas threemales,wearing allblack with scarvesaroundtheir faces andwoollyhats.

Anyone with anyinformation about is askedtocontact thepolice online at westmercia.police. uk,quoting incidentnumber590 of 02122022.Or, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or by visitingtheir websitecrimestoppers -uk.org

Police arehuntingfor vandals who‘keyed’ anumberofvehicles in atowncentre

Theincidenttookplaceon Broadway in ShifnalonSunday.

Shifnaland AlbrightonPCSO SteveBreeseasked foranyone with informationtocontact police

He said:“If you have information aboutthe damage please let us know using theonline ‘Tell Us About’ form on ourwebsite www.westmercia.police.uk,quotingincidentreference 196-I041202022.”

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymouslyon0800555 111.

Brian Billingswith themedal

COMMENT

Ourlove affair with online shopping mayhavepeaked.

Anew report says we’refallingout of love with theinternet andfalling back into love with theHighStreet.Ifthat’strue, many will welcome it

Theinternethas changed ourhabits, butthe absence of thehuman touch, of good customerservice andofafriendly face whowill advise andlisten remainsthe keyfailing foronline retailers. Customerservice is frequently poor, rulesofengagement canbespeciousand whileit’seasytobuy it canbe all-too-difficult to return

Theworking conditions are poorfor some of thoseemployeeswho supply theinternet tradeand worktheir socks off to provideexpedited deliveries foronline goods. Many workin hothouse conditions wherepay is poor andwhere toughtargets areexpected on an hourly basis.

If themoveawayfromHigh Streetshas peaked,wecan look to thebenefits of shopping in physical shopsand also to the delights of Shrewsbury town centre,Telford’s Southwater or beautifulLudlow.

Thebesttowncentresnow have more reasonsfor people to visitthanjustshopping. Restaurants andfamilyattractions make aday at theshops allthe more rewarding, rather than it just beinga chore.

Thereare huge opportunities forour town centres, whichcan provideaccommodationand leisure,bringingfootfallduring thenight time as well as during normalhours

Planners,landlords,developersand others with an interest should continue to invest,for therewillalwaysbeaplace for agoodquality shopping,dining andleisure experience.Itisup to them to provideit.

It is notsurprisingthatpeople arethinkingofholidaysatthe moment

Even when timesare tough, many familieswill cutcorners to find time to spendaweekor twoeitherabroadoronastaycation.Thatisunderstandable.

Qualitytimewithfamilyand loved-ones is pricelessand the Covidpandemicremindedus allabout themuchtalkedabout theneedfor agood work-life balance.

With theweather so cold at presentand with thecosts for heatingour homessohigh, it is littlewonderthatpeoplewant to escape to thesun

That desire is goodnewsfor thetravelsector, whichlooked to be on itsknees during Covid. It is nowbackupand running andisbouncingbackwell.

With theUKeconomy strugglingand with recessionupon us,itisararegood news story in achallenging time

Theholiday industry needs earlybookingsnow

It’s back to the shops as we tire of clicking

Is ourloveaffairwith online shopping on the wayout?

Thesigns areshoppersare becoming less click-happyastheylook to take care of their finances

Andwiththatmorehesitantapproach comesadesiretotravelback to shopsagain,tophysicallycheck on goodsand ensure qualityand valuefor moneyisright.

Accordingtoexperts, almost half of gift shopping by peoplein theWestMidlandswillbedonein stores andhigh streetsthismonth That signalsawelcome return to thehighstreet andwithitaboost fortownand city centresthathave increasingly struggledtocompete with theconvenienceofonline shopping,especiallyafter aCovid lockdown in whichpeoplegot outofthe habit of ‘going shopping’.

PricewaterhouseCoopers’annual Festive Predictionsreport, published today, hasfound that while thepandemicacceleratedthe shift to online shopping forChristmas presents, therehas been arecovery in thepreferencefor shopping in physicalstores.

FollowingBlack Friday,where PwC research foundthat43per cent of West Midlands consumers were interested in spending on the day, it is predicted that consumers areplanningtoslightlyreducetheir festivespendingthisyear, with an averagespend of £393 peradult in theUK, eightper cent less than last year’s £426.But more of themoney beingspent will be handed over at tillsratherthanthrough themobile phoneorcomputerscreen.

SarahPhillips, PwC consumer leader forthe Midlands,saidmajorshoppingcentres, such as the Bullring, MerryHill, Telfordand Shrewsbury should seea benefit.

Shesaid: “Footfallshouldincrease acrosshighstreetsinthe region this Christmas.Big events likethe return of theBirmingham German Market,aswellasother festiveattractions putonagain in town andcitycentresacrossthe West Midlands will bringpeoplein andthatwillhaveapositive impact

“Whilst averagespend perconsumerinthe UK is predictedto slightlydecline,45per cent of those in theWestMidlandsare planning

thekey spending priorities, with almost as many people saying they will spendmoreasspend less “Our research showsalmosttwo thirds of people in theWestMidlandswillbehosting an extended or immediate familygathering, the highestproportioninthe UK, showingthataftertwo years’ of restrictions, spending timewithloved ones is apriority.”

Retail expertsalso pointtoa growingcynicismamong shoppers at thelevel of discount availableonline andwhether thesavings being advertisedare genuine.

Pricecomparisonwebsite PriceSpy surveyed thetrendsinprices in theperiodahead of BlackFridayand noticed that online prices were artificiallyincreased in the weeksahead of theevent so that they couldthen be advertised as discounted when thesales started This tactic of preparingfor ‘fake sales’ is part of an increasing trend. Around 14 percentofproducts tracked by PriceSpy increasedin theweeks aheadofBlack Friday andthenweresuddenly‘reduced’

TheMet Office hasissuedthe firstyellowsnowwarning of the winter.Alwaysmakes me smile.

The firstruleofChristmas raffles:never understate theprizes.Myeye wascaughtby alocal charitytombola whose prizelist includes:“Familymealvoucher forfourpeople.”Oncloserinspection theprize is donatedby abaked-potatostall

Andoff to thelocal post office whereyou canhardlyopenthe door forcustomers clutching greetingscards andparcels destinedfor allaroundthe world

In theory,there’s no reason forsuchqueues. Theinternet meanswecan post,ina nano-second,Christmas greetings to themostdistant andremote places.And not only greetings butanimatede-mailcards completewithsinging Santas and reindeer dancinga polka. If you were theinventorofanimated post cards, it wouldprobably neveroccur to you that potential customerswould prefer to buygreetingcards andpost them with gummystamps. It wouldbelikepuntersrefusing to buymotor cars because they preferredthe good oldSedan chair.

Andyet thereissomethingspecialabout acard. Thethrill of choosing it.The intimacy of writinga fewseasonalwords Thepiquant thrill of wondering whetherthe lady behind you with theticklishcough hasjust given youCovid forChristmas Eventually Ireached thefront of thequeue,postedbestwishes to Germanyand Canada and bought 20 second-class stamps forthe next batch. Andthen home,inmySedan chair.

Ourchanginglanguage. Optics oncereferredtothe study of sightand light. Todayitis usedtodescribe how an eventis perceivedbythe public. Forexample, if William andKatecuddlePaddingtonBear, theoptics aregreat.And if nursesare on strike when toddlers aredying of strep, well,you can figure the rest

to head in storefor theirfestive shopping, providinga boosttoretailersand hospitalityvenues.”

PwC research showsthatthis year many consumersusedBlack Friday as an opportunitytostart Christmas shopping, lookingto make useofdiscounts when looking forgiftsasthe cost-of-living puts pressureondisposable income

Ms Phillips added: “Thismeans thatspendingduringDecember is likely to be lowerand retailers should help theircustomers economise,while keepingChristmas special. Christmasdinner –and food anddrink moregenerally –remain

Figuresfor 2021 show that beauty wasthe worst-affected sector, with 22 percentofall perfumesand 21 percentofall skincare products featuringinfakesales.Othersincluded computer components (18 percentofall products), hiking and trekking footwear (16per cent)and kitchenappliances(15 percent)

“Our data indicatesfakesales on BlackFridayin2022may have been much more widespread than in recent years,”saysLiisa Matinvesi-Bassett, thewebsite’s manager ConsumermagazineWhich?goes further–itfound that 99.5 percent of products in supposed BlackFriday‘deals’ were cheaperorthe same priceatother timesofthe year

How reliable arethose “happiestplaces to live”surveys?St Ives in Cornwall is thelatest national winner.Ihaveamentalpicture of amerry town filled with smilinglocals. Andyet

Afew days agoIvisited Leamington Spa, hailed inthe same survey as thehappiest placein theMidlands. Theonce-elegant Parade is amess with many stores closed andhomeless folk sleeping in shop doorways “Happy”was nota wordthat sprang to mind

‘There’s growing cynicism at the levelofdiscount availableonline’

Busy –Shrewsbury town centre

WhyIamstill positiveabout Brexit situation

InoticethatBill McClements is rantingonagain sixyears afterBrexit andwonderifhewill continue foranother sixyears This BrexiteerTorygovernment that you mentioncame into beingatthe last election becausemay of yoursupporters switched sides.

He mentions the German economycomparesbetterthan that of theUKbut according to Bloombergweare aboutto overtake Germanyduringthe next year.Hementionscompanies leaving theUKbut failsto mentionthose that aremoving in plus the numerous newtrade dealsthathavebeenagreed He failstomention that when we want to supportnew businesses we do NOThavetobeg permission from theEUto financiallysupport them

As forour furthertieswith Europe,wedonot need to be incumbentuponthe European CourtofHuman Rights because our courts have the righttodisagreewithrulings anyway thereforeitwould be better if we left andintroduced ourown Bill of Rights as asovereign nation.The last thing we need is to return to that three-tier system acrossthe Channelbecause Iremember attendingameetinghosted by an ex-member of theEuropeanParliamenttelling us what adevious underminingbunch they are!

Iremainverypositive about thesituation andwonderwho he hasinmindasthe next strong leader of thecountry Martin Reid,Edgmond

PICTURE FROMTHE ARCHIVE

consequences in itsfront line services.They’resupporting peopleindesperate situations struggling with unaffordable housing andskyrocketingbills.

As cost pressuresintensify,it’s only goingtoget worse,with more people at risk of losing theirhome

Now’sthe time to standwith peoplefacinghomelessness Butthe supportCrisisprovides is only possiblebecause of the generosity of theBritishpublic. Pleasegivethe gift of aCrisis Christmas andhelpsomeone leavethe traumaofhomelessness behind.TodonatetoCrisisthisChristmas,pleasevisit crisis.org.uk/support

ourChristmas tree. Isuggested to herthatI should getmy bike outand putitonastand next to thetreeand in order to save on electricitybills, take thebelloff and fitadynamo.

Shecould then pedalaway to powerthe lights andkeep warm at thesametime!

Iamwalking around now with aChristmas treeshoved wherethe sundon’t shine.

Shedidn’tthink much of my NobelPrize innovationidea!

PeterHassall, Shifnal

Number of GPs must increase

Mediahavehighlightedconcernsover thenumberoffaceto-faceappointmentsfalling at everyone’s inconvenience. The problemisinfactincreasing demand rather than inefficient GPs.

Thousandsofpeopleacrossthe countryare facing adistressing anduncertain Christmas withoutasafeplace to call home.In Britaintoday,227,000 householdsare experiencing the worst formsofhomelessness This includes people sleeping on thestreets, trapped in insecure accommodationwithout access to theirown cookingor washingfacilities,orenduring theinstability of sofa surfing As therisingcost-of-living pilesmoreand more pressure on people,homelessness charityCrisisisseeingthe

Alastair StewartOBE, Al Doyle, AyoAkinwolere, EllieGoulding, Imelda Staunton,JoBrand,Sir Jonathan Pryce, Nyome Nicholas-Williams, Crisis Ambassadors

Money-eating vanity project

Given that we currently find ourselves,asanation, on the verge of anationalstrike, surely even this government must face thefactthatthe money-eatingvanityproject called HS2shouldbestopped

They continue to refertoitas thebasis of theirmulti-promises ‘levelling up strategy’when we allknowthose promises will neverbedelivered

Neil Hancock, Shropshire

GPs’ rate of face-to-face interviews wasrunningat three perpatient peryear, tenyears ago. It is nowashighas eight interviews perpatient peryear. Less GPs but, more service? GPshavebecome,in today’s crisis-filled times, the port of allcalls.Physical, emotional andlifestyle

If we allreallywantour doctors to be therefor everyone andeverything then wemust increase thenumbers of GPs. Thecurrent caponbothGPs andnursestrainingfor such a vitalprofessions is anational scandal.

Whypreventsome of our most talented young people helpingour country, forall of ourbenefitand theimprovement of ourhealthservices, particularly in disadvantaged communities.

or amend letters

Can youhelp this Christmas?

Feelingthe cold weatherlately me andthe missus haven’t done much apartfromputting up

Keep warm and powerthe lights!

Doug James, West Midlands

St Nicholas’sChurchinNewportpicturedfromHigh Street,probably circathe mid 1980s

Jobs risk as firm in administration

Amajor clothing brand–with stores in Shropshireand across theMidlands– hasplunged into administration,putting 170stores andnearly2,000 employeesatrisk.

M&Co,whose Shropshire stores includeBridgnorth andNewport, announced it hadgoneintoadministration butwould continue to trade

Thebrand confirmed on itswebsite that AdeleMacLeod, Gavin George ScottParkand Robert JamesHarding of TeneoFinancialAdvisory Limited hadbeen ‘appointed jointadministrators of M&Co TradingLimited’.

Headquarteredin Scotland, M&Co has170 stores across theUK andane-commerceplatform, employing 1,910staff Mr Park confirmed no immediate redundancies hadbeenmadeand thejoint administrators were exploring apotential sale of thebusiness

Topaward goes to fire service

ShropshireFireand Rescue Servicehas been namedasthe emergencyservice of theyearat an awards ceremony in London

Theservice hadalso been shortlistedinthe Innovation of theYearcategoryfor on-call sustainability at theExcellence in Fire &Emergency Awards 2022,heldlastFriday.

Aspokesman said:“From the stationcleanerstothe chiefofficer, from theITdepartment to thetrainingand development centre,fromthe technicalservicesdepartmentto fire control, thehuman resources department to workshops, the financeteamtothe whole-time firefighters,the adminteamto theon-call firefighters, theprotection department to theprevention department,and allour othercolleaguesa massivewell done.”

Alertondanger of anti-freeze

Police have issued awarning to motoristsabout thedangers to pets from anti-freezepoisoning

PCSO Davisofthe Woodside &Madeley SaferNeighbourhood Team shared themessage

PCSO Davissaysmostpeopleare unawareofthe danger to pets from anti-freezepoisoning

Ingestingthe smallest amount of anti-freezecan causekidneyfailure anddeath, especially in cats, with fatalities seen in Ludlow in January this year

Accidentalpoisoningsfromspills or leakscan happen everyyearand peoplehavebeenurged to check theircar in caseitisleaking coolant. They have also been asked to take care in storing, usingand disposing of anti-freezeand water coolantasmostaccidentaldeaths areavoidable

Formoreinformation or advice, visitcats.org.uk/northherts/news/ the-danger-of-antifreeze

Unsung heroes gettogetherfor royal carolservice

Communityheroeswill represent thecountyata special royalcarol servicein thecapital

TheTogetheratChristmas carol serviceatWestminster Abbeytoday(Thursday)willtakeplacejust days aftera high profile eventin Telfordbrought together 200peopletoshine aspotlight on thearea’s unsung heroes.Fourpeoplefrom

Shropshire, JulieLockley,Christine Jones, Jane Rylandsand Rev LindaCox –and theirguests– have been invitedtoWestminster Abbey by Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire Anna Turner,inhonouroftheir worktohelpothers.

King CharlesIII andCamilla, TheQueen Consort,The Prince andPrincessofWales andother

membersofthe RoyalFamilywill attend theTogetherAtChristmas carolservice

Aspokesman forthe organisers said:“It is dedicatedtoHer Majesty QueenElizabeth II andthe values HerMajesty demonstrated throughouther life.

“These principles aresharedand personified by theinspirational

guestswho have been invitedtothe Abbeyinrecognition of theirtireless work to help andcarefor those around them.”

Runningintandem with theAbbeyservice,afamilyofTogetherat Christmas communitycarol services is taking placearoundthe UK. Telford’sStGeorge’sChurchwas chosentohostaservice on Tuesday.

Endofthe world–fansare left dejected afteraspotofbother

DAVIDTOOLEY david.tooley@mnamedia.co.uk

left

across Shropshire

asuccessionofmissed chancesastheyexited theWorld Cupatthe quarter finalstage.

Thefrustration of skipperHarry Kane’s late penaltymiss at the Al Bayt StadiuminQatar wasfelt 4,355miles away from Shrewsbury’s Salopian bar.

Araucous crowdhad filled the pub with thesoundsofchanting andarousing renditionofthe National Anthem before kick-off

They gathered in theSmithfieldRoadbar –in some cases for hoursbeforethe matchagainst theworld champions started –and staffwereeventuallyhavingto turn people away agood 45 minutes before thekick-off. TylerAlcock, 35,fromShrewsbury, managerof league-leading Cruckton Rovers, predicted a3-1 winfor England.

Thecrowd wasmale-dominated butwomen were dotted in among thecrowd.Friends Lucy Andrews, Alicia Pritchard, NiaBowen and HannahCoachey were therefor the atmosphere.TheysecretlyadmittedtobeWales supporters, with oneadding: “We’re outnow so it doesn’tmatter”

FriendsJack Eberle,Sam Sandersonand OllieDavies-Pugh hadtravelled intotowntoget behind theboysinwhite

With Englandagoaldownatthe break, thegloom turned to glee as Kane levelledfromthe spot.Hope turned to disbeliefwhenFrance’s record goalscorer OlivierGiroud gave LesBleus a2-1 lead –and then came that late spot of bother from theusually reliable captain.

Carblaze putout by shop staff

Staffatashopturnedinto firefighters when they extinguished acar blaze.

Firefighters were called outto theCo-Operative store, in Mill Street,Bridgnorth, at 2.17pm on Saturday to reportsofa vehicle on fire

When they gotthere they found that stafffromthe Co-Ophad managedtoput the fire outand

thecar hadbeendrivenaway. A spokesmanfor ShropshireFire &Rescue Servicesaid: “The fire wasextinguishedprior to arrival of fire servicebyCo-Op staff andcar hadsubsequentlydriven away.”

The fire serviceconfirmed that itsteamwas notrequiredtoput the fire outand that thecar had been driven off.

Ambulancerescueplandrawn up

ShropshireCouncil is considering what it cando to help solvethe ambulanceand hospital dischargedelaycrisis.

Membershavebeengiven therecommendations of ataskand finish groupthatwas puttogether followingcalls made to look into theissue last spring.

Councillorsheard on Monday thereare things they canlookatto

reduce thedemandonlocal accident andemergency departments. The authorityisalsolooking at re-shapingthe care market and finding ways to getpeople whoare fitfor dischargeout of hospital faster

Thereportwill go to ameeting on Mondaywhere councillorsaim to scrutinise health leaders’ actions and find outmoreabout what they proposetodotoeasethe problems

England’sLions

fans

ruing

Acomfortinghug for this lad

Excessiveprice growth is now onthe wayout

Excessivehouse pricegrowthis nowstabilising,accordingtoa West Midlands estateagent Nick Berriman said therehad beentwo yearsofincreasing prices that were never goingto be sustainable.

ThedirectorofBerrimanEatonin Tettenhall,Wombourne andBridgnorth, said that while aprice correction wasnot yet beingseen, he expected prices mightdropslightlynextyear.

But he remains bullish, saying his Bridgnorth office in particular had been very busy since the firstCovid-19lockdown.

He also said thereremained strong demandin urbanareas, adding first-time buyers were struggling andbeing hithardestbyinterestraterises

Matt Nicol, managing directorofNicol &Co, whichhas officesinWorcester,Droitwich andMalvern,saidthe “doomsayers” predicting amajorcrash post-Covidhavebeen provedwrong

He said:“Thelatestmarket data confirmsinflationisagain coming undercontrolmore quicklythanoncepredicted and ratesare reducing,signalling thereislight at theend of the tunnel.”

Expert predicts an upbeat future forpropertymarket

MATTHEWPANTER

matthew.panter@mnamedia.co.uk

Averagehouse prices

in theregionwillsee a significant rise over the next five years, despite property values being expectedtofalldramatically in 2023,according to anew forecast.

Property expert Savillshas given an upbeat prediction forthe housingmarket in Shropshire

Anditsaysour region is also expected to be “moreresilient”than many otherpartsofthe country, particularly London wherethe slumpisexpected to have abigger impact

Aftermorethantwo yearsof strong growth, theaverageUK houseprice is expected to fall by 10 percentin 2023 when interest rates peak, butthe primemarkets will seesmaller falls andoutperform over the five-yearforecastperiod.

PeterDaborn,directorin theresidential salesteamatSavillsinTelford,said: “Weanticipatea growing divergencebetween cash andeq-

WHAT WILL HAPPENTO PROPERTY PRICES IN THENEXTFIVEYEARS?

2023 2024-7 Overall to

Region forecast forecast 2027

North West -8.5% +22.1% +11.7%

Yorkshire -8.5% +22.1% +11.7%

North East -8.5% +22.1% +11.7%

Wales -8.5% +22.4% +11.1%

Scotland -9.0% +19.7% +8.9%

West Midlands -9.0% +19.7% +8.9%

South West -10.0% +18.0% +6.2%

South East -11.0% +15.7% +3.0%

East of England -11.0% +15.7% +3.0%

London -12.5% +12.3% -1.7%

UK average -10.0% +18.0% +6.2%

uity rich or cash buyers andother groups in theirability to transact, andbetween themainstreammarket andprime marketswhere housingwealthismostconcentrated.”

Interest ratesare expected to graduallyeasebackfromthe middleof2024and Savillsisforecast-

ingvalueswill begintorecover andthe averagehouse priceacross Shropshire, Staffordshireand the widerWestMidlandswillrise by a net figure of 8.9 percentinnominal termsover thenext five years.

That wouldbe2.7 percenthigher than theprojected UK average.

People escaping theurban jungle forabetterlife

Attractivemarkettowns in Shropshireare in high demand,and that meanstheyare likely to seeaparticularlystrongbounceback in the housing market

People areincreasinglylooking to escapetheir urbanlifestyle and enjoy arural idyllwithgood shops andschools, whilestill beingableto commutetowork.

In theperiodbetween January andOctober this year,the postcodesofMarket Drayton, Newport, Much Wenlockand theirsurroundingareas sawa49per cent increase in second-handhomespriced above £500,000 beingbrought to themarket,comparedtothe same period in 2021,accordingtodataprovider TwentyCi

PeterDaborn of Savillssaid: “As alargermarkettown, Newportis particularly attractivetohomebuyersbecause of thefantastic arrayof facilities within thetown, including aWaitrose andahighstreet with a selectionofboutiqueshops

“Italso benefits from twofantastic statesectorschools andthe flourishingHarperAdams University.”

As well as areaslikeBridgnorth, Shifnal, High Ercall,Wem and Church Stretton,MuchWenlock hasalso been enjoyingstrong interestaccording to Savills.

Fundraisingeffortjustmagic

A91-year-old entertainer whose careerled him to Hollywoodtomeet theworld’s biggeststars, hasraisedalmost£4,000 forcharity throughsales of hisautobiography.

GeoffRushworth, knowntomany in Shropshire forhis extraordinary career as amagician, revealed the magicbehindhis longlifeinanautobiographycalledFromShrewsbury to Hollywood, with allproceedsgoingtoAlzheimer’s Research UK in memory of hiswifeMolly whodied of thediseasein 2020

Thefundraising team sent Geoff athank you certificate in recog-

MEGANHOWE megan.howe@mnamedia.co.uk

nition of hisefforts.Fundraising groupchairmanKatie Foster said: “The Rushworth familyare amazingand we aresogratefultothem forall theirsupport andenthusiasm.

“Theyhavemadeabig difference andhelpedtocreategreater awareness forthe need formoreresearch into dementia.

“There hasbeenalot of publicityabout anew drug,Lecanemab, whichmay help to destroythe amyloidplaqueinthe brainwhich is oneofthe causesofdementia. But there’sstill alongway to go.And

thereisstill only onedementiaresearcher foreveryfourcancerresearchers. Morefunding isvital if we aretodevelop really effective treatments.”

Geoffhas toured theworld on cruise shipsperformingmagic and even hada shot at the1964 Tokyo Olympicsafter teaching himself judo.Hestarted hisjourney in 1954, when he wasthe victim of ahit andrun accidentnearRAF Shawbury –where he workedasa radartechnician.

Despite beingleftwithsevere hearingdifficulties, thisdid not stop Geofffrompursuingthe martialart –and he laterbecame Shropshire’s firstever blackbelt. Geofftaughthimself magicout of

abook, andtogetherwithhis wife, they performedall over theworld andalso at theLondonPalladium, meetingsomeofthe world’s biggest stars.

In 2005,Geoff andhis family were on holidayinLouisville, Kentucky, visiting MuhammadAli’s museum when they happened to meet theman himself

Geoffsaid: “Wehad photostaken with himand Idid magicfor him as well.Heloved magicand used to performitonParkinson’sshow.”

Geoff’sson Paul said:“My dad hasled an amazinglife. It’s agreat book,and as mumpassedawayfrom Alzheimer’s, he thoughtitwould be an excellentway to raise moneyto tryand find acure.”

Hunt’s carols service called offamidfears

Achurchcancelled acarol service organisedbyaShropshirehunt“on police advice”afterconcernsabout safety

Theservice,for theSouth Shropshirehunt, TheUnitedPack, had been duetotakeplace at St George’s Church in Clun on Sunday.

Butthe DioceseofHereford, whichisresponsible forthe church, said it haddecidedtocancelthe service aftercommentsabout amemberofthe clergy on theinternet.

In astatement,the diocesesaid that amemberofthe church had been thesubject of “a number of untruths spread online”.

It said:“Based on police advice, we have takenthe decision that the servicewill not go ahead. There have been anumberofuntruths spread online abouta member of ourclergywho it wasassumed wouldbeleading thisservice

“The decision hasbeenmadein theinterests of herpersonalsafety. Ourchurchesremainopentoeveryoneand offeranyoneawelcome, whatever theirbelieforworld view,” it added.

ThreatscameafteraFacebook post askedpeopletoe-mailtheir thoughts to areverend, andto “keepitpolite”

Aspokesman forThe United Pack said newarrangementswere beingmade, blaminga“hate-filled campaign againstlocal clergy”on socialmedia.

Ahostoffestive funislined up for youngstersatChristmas holiday clubsaroundthe county

TheCrossbar Group, in partnership with theCrossbar Foundation, is putting the finishingtouches to a busy itineraryofactivities.

Designedtokeepchildren aged betweenfourand 11 active andentertained, clubswill be held at eight Shropshireprimary schoolsbothbefore andafterChristmas,fromDecember 19 to 23 andthenDecember 28 to 30

Luke Hughes,Crossbar’s holiday activities lead, said:“The firstweek will be Christmas-themed “There will be avisit from Santato alleightholiday clubswhenapresent will be delivered to everychild that

Ticketsgoonsalefor comedian’s live show

Ticketsare nowonsalefor stand-up comedian John Robins’biggestUKwide tour to date,which includes an appearancein Telford.

Themulti award-winningcomedian is embarking on hisbiggest live tour next year

Alongsidesome of thebiggestnational venues, Johnwill be performing hisbrand-new show HowlatTelford Theatre,inOakengates, on November 15

He hasmadeappearances on Live at theApollo, CelebrityMastermind, Mock theWeek, 8Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdownand StandUpCentral.

attends. Week twowillhavean‘I’m aCelebrity’theme,sothe children canlookforward to enjoying arange of games, activities,challenges and trials.”

TheChristmas clubs, whichwill also featureavisit from Shropshire Paintball’snerfgun arena, will be held in TelfordatLawley Primary School,Old Park PrimarySchool andRedhill PrimarySchool; at Much WenlockPrimary School andin Shrewsbury at Greenfields Primary, Radbrook Primaryand St George’s Junior School,aswellasatPontesbury PrimarySchool.

Alleight of theCrossbar clubstake placefrom8.30amto4pm,costing £15eachday to attend.Bookatcross barcoaching.schoolipal.co.uk

Twonames confirmed forcomedyfestivalbill

Twoactshavebeenrevealedfor acomedyfestivalnextyear.

TheInternational Comedy Festival is settotakeover Shrewsbury next July,withperformancesatseveral venues.

TheGalaShow,at theSevernTheatre on July 16,willbethe highlightof thefestival. ClintonBapitiste of Peter Kay’sPhoenix Nights andstarofLive at theApolloand Comedy Central’s RoastBattleAdamRowewill feature.

Ticketsare £33.50 andavailable through theTheatre Severnbox office 01743281281orattheatresevern co.uk/

Piles of festive funfor youngsters at Christmasholiday clubsacrosscounty

Police precept setfor increase

Shropshireresidents will be paying morecouncil taxfromnextyearas West Mercia Police is settoincrease itsprecept

West Mercia’s police andcrime commissioner JohnCampion said he had“no choice buttoincrease theprecept”, as governmentfundingwas notkeeping up with inflation

It is proposed that theaverage householdwillpay an extra £9.84 forpolicingeachyear, arise of 3.94 percent, basedonabandDproperty

However,the forcehas pledged an extra 20 officers forcommunities as part of itsproposedbudget for2023/24, bringing the force’sestablishment figure to 2,476.

Residents canhavetheir sayon thepropose budget untilJanuary 6bycompletingthe PCC’sconsultation at westmercia-pcc.gov.uk/ budget

Newhopeon road decision

Controversialplans forthe £80 million NorthWestReliefRoad could finallybeconsideredbya planning committee next year

Shropshire Council’sproposal to buildthe NorthWestRelief Road (NWRR) around Shrewsbury hasbeenthe subjectofa successionofdelays.

Theapplication wasoriginallyexpected to go before the council’s planning committee at theend of 2021 –but theproposal has still not been considered by councillors.

Councillor RichardMarshall, thecouncil’s portfolioholderfor highways andregulatoryservices, hassaidheexpects the proposal to be considered in the spring

He said thecouncil hadalmost concludedthe workrequired by theEnvironment Agency and wouldhanditoverinJanuary

Additional plans to protectGorge

Adraft planning document which aims to furtherprotectand conserveaUNESCOWorld Heritage site wasbeing presented to two councilsthisweek.

Telford&Wrekinand Shropshire councils areseeking approval from theirrespective cabinets,ondraft proposalstofurther protectIronbridge GorgeWorld Heritage site.If approved, asix-weekpublicconsultation period will begin early next year,where thepublic, including residents of theIronbridge Gorge, will be encouraged to sharetheir views.

Thesiteisspreadover 550 hectares. It wasgiven WorldHeritage Site status in 1986,inrecognition of thearea’srecordofinnovation during theIndustrialRevolution.

Approval forconsultationwas beingsoughtatameetingofShropshireCouncilyesterday (Wednesday) andbyTelford &WrekinCounciltoday

Travellers warned of Christmasdisruption

Travellers have been warned to expect cancellationsand delays around Christmasasstrikes cause disruption

Affected airports have voiced theirdisappointmentatthe industrialactiondue to be takenbyBorderForce workers at Birmingham, Gatwick, Heathrow,Manchester andCardiff acrosseightdaysfrom December 23 to NewYear’sEve.

Some flights arelikely to be cancelled,accordingtoManchester Airport, andthe AirportOperators Association (AOA)saidifthe strikescannot be avertedthen

“concreteand deliverable contingencymeasures” must be putin place.

TheBusinessTravelAssociation said the“entiretravelsupport system will once morebeplunged into dealingwithcancellations and disruptions”.Aspokespersonsaid: “Further strike action puts Britishworkers’Christmases at risk Hard workers up anddownthe countrywill be stranded,strugglingtoget home

“The entire travel supportsystemwilloncemorebeplunged into dealingwithcancellations and

disruptionsratherthanbookings with no financialrecompense.We urge theGovernmentand unions to come together to ensurethere aren’t unnecessary emptychairs at this year’s Christmastable.”

Manchester Airportsaidit wouldworkwithairlinestoensure passengers have as much advance noticeofcancelled services as possibleand warned of “muchlonger immigrationqueues”.Aspokesperson said:“Unfortunately,we expect it will be necessaryfor airlinestocancelsome services on the days impacted by strike action.”

A‘generalstrike’ that

PETERMADELEY PoliticalEditor

Acool£28 billion.

That’s thecosttothe countryif thewhole public sector wastoget apay rise in line with inflation, accordingtoHealthSecretarySteve Barclay

Theunionswantmoremoney andbetterconditionsfor members, butthe Government says we can’t afford to meet theirdemands –particularlywiththe coffersalready emptiedout duethe bleakglobal economicsituation.

With bothpartiesseemingly unwilling to shift from theirpositions, it now seemsinevitablethe country is headingfor awinter of discontent.And thelevel of disruption couldhardlybegreater

Thenumberofworking days lost to strikesthismonth is expected to topone million –the highestfor any monthsince thetailend of MargaretThatcher’spremiership in July 1989

Whileitwon’t technically be a generalstrike, thereare so many strikestakingplace at once that it will have asimilar impact

Comparisons will obviouslybe made to theWinterofDiscontent in 1979,which effectively sawoff JamesCallaghan’s Labour government andled toThatcher’spurge on theunionsonceshe gotintoNumber10.

RoyalMailstrikes will ensure Christmas presentsdon’t getdelivered.Travelplans will be thrown into chaosbyyet more strikeson ouralready disfunctionalrailnetwork. University students will probably be gettinganevenlonger festiveholiday than usual. Andif you fancyescapingtoParis, don’t book aEurostar. It’s beingaffected by strike action too.

Of greatest concernisthe likelihood that ambulancestrikes will putlives at risk

Whileunion bosses have insisted that thestrikes arenot political, they certainlyhurtthe Government politically.

RishiSunak,who alreadylooks weak afterthree climbdowns on policy in as many days,doesnot look likeaPrime Minister whois fullyinchargeofthe country.

Thereisagrowing view that as we headtowards theend of 2022, very fewthingsinBritain areworkingproperly. AndwhileMrSunak

has been praised in some quarters fornot backingdowntounion demands, hisinability to find asolution to thewaveofindustrialaction posesserious questionsabout his ability to lead.The PM appearsto be scupperedatevery turn

Anumberofunionshavepointed outthatthe strikesare not just aboutpay.The RMT, forexample, hascalledfor reform of therailin-

dustry –somethingwhich ministers have admitted is long-overdue MeanwhileGMB –which is sending3,000 Midlands ambulance workersout on strike fortwo days this month –saidits concerns were as much about staffing levels and patientsafetyas wages

Forthe Government, apartsolution be through anti-strikelaw, which wouldimpose requirements

to runaminimum levelofservice during strikesontransport networks

However,the legislationisstill in itsearly stages in theCommons andand as aresultwould not help to deal with theindustrialaction plannedoverChristmas

Theprospect of an officialgeneral strike seemsunlikely, given that such athing wouldbevirtually

Birmingham Airport

Discontent 1979 –Famousimage of London’s Leicester Square,filled with huge pilesofuncollected rubbish

Discontent 2022 –RailworkersonapicketlineatBirmingham NewStreet Stationonone of maydaysofaction

Councilchief says Tories must ‘get agrip’

Acouncil leader says thegovernment “mustget agrip” over strike action

TheLabourleaderofTelford & Wrekin Council, Councillor Shaun Davies,saidthatthe extent of industrial action plannedfor the month wasevidence of thegovernment’s failure.

He said:“These hard-working staffwho have keptthe countrygoingduringthe pandemic arerightly asking forbetterpay andconditions at workduringa cost of living crisis, butany strike is asignoffailure

andIurgethe governmenttoget around thetable with theunionsto hammer outafairdealfor working people.

“I know from speaking to many of thosepeoplewho arestriking, thelastthing they want to do is inconveniencethe public at large, as well as lose aday’s payinthe leadup to Christmas.Thatiswhy it is imperative that an agreed deal that is fair is arrivedat.

“The governmentisfailing workingpeople. We have thehighest tax burden sincethe Second WorldWar

andthese strikesineverysectorof oureconomy areasignoffailure andthisgovernment mustget a grip.”

MeanwhileHelen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP forNorth Shropshire, also criticised thegovernment over thesituation –but called forfurther negotiation, notmore strike action

Shesaid: “These strikesare a direct result of theConservatives’ mismanagementofthe economy: soaringinflation, lowgrowthand unfair taxhikes.”

ournationcan ill afford

Rotary club puts on Christmastea

Morethan60pensionerswereentertainedwithaChristmas tea thanks to alocal Rotary club

Shrewsbury SevernRotaryClub membersand partners laid on tea andentertainment at Barnabas CommunityChurch, LongdenColeham, Shrewsbury

Apartfroma breakduringthe Covidpandemic, theclubhas organisedsimilar Christmasevents forthe elderlywho aretransported to thevenue by rotarians.

In addition to enjoyingacarol serviceaswellasthe Christmas tea, therewerepresentsand raffle prizes andone of thehighlights was a‘surprise’appearancebySanta.

Rotarian JohnYeomans,who organises theChristmas event, said: “Wewereonceagain delighted to bringtogethersomanyofour local elderlyresidents to give them some Christmas cheer.

“Our thanks to theBarnabas CommunityChurch team.”

KEYDATES WHEN INDUSTRIALACTIONMAY IMPACT ON YOU

ROYALMAIL

Thursday December 15,

Friday December 23,Saturday

December 24

Christmas deliveries of cardsand presents areset to be be affectedby this industrialaction.Royal Mail has offeredapay deal it says is worth up to nineper cent over18months, butwithinflation at 11.1 percent, theCommunication WorkersUnion wants more forits members.

RAIL STRIKE

December 16-17, December 2427,January3-4,January6-7

Services will be severely affected Largeareas including Shropshire likely to have no trains at all. The RMTwants apay offerreflecting therising cost of living –and a guaranteeofnocompulsory job losses.Thereare other associated disputes involving other unions

EUROSTAR

December 16,18, 22 and23

Eurostar linksservicesfromLondon to Paris, Brussels andAmsterdam alongside other European cities Severe disruption becauseofapay disputewiththe RMTislikelytohave an effect with 100train securitystaff walking out. Theimpactisnot yet knownbut thereisariskofservices being cancelled, spoiling Christmas travelplans to andfromEurope.

NURSES

December 15,December 20

Essentialcoverwill continue.Many trusts in theWestMidlands arenot involved because notenough voted in ballots, making them notlegally binding.Big hospitalsinthe Black Countryand Shropshireshould be workingasnormal. TheRoyal CollegeofNurseswants arise of five percentabove theRetailPrice Index inflationof14per cent

Forces in ‘low grade’ housing

Morethanhalfofservice personnel in Shropshireare living in thelowest gradeofservice accommodation, figureshave revealed

Data from theMinistryofDefencehas shownthat460 outof 800service personnel(57.5 per cent)livein‘Grade4’SingleLivingAccommodation –the lowest ratinggiven by thegovernment department. Additionally,a further4,360 personnellivein accommodationsopoorthatno rental charge is levied andjust 21 percentlive in thetop ‘Grade 1’ accommodation, thelowest proportion since2018.

Telford&WrekinCouncilleader, Councillor Shaun Davies,said: “Our ArmedForces should have homes fitfor heroes,but theseshocking figures reveal thestate of theiraccommodation in theregion.”

In-personmeet hailed asuccess

AMBULANCE WORKERS

December 21,December 28

West Midlands andWelsh workers to strikeincluding paramedics and call handlers. Themilitary arebeing placedonstandby, accordingto reports.Unionswantanaboveinflationoffer as well as changesto working practices.

impossible these days from alegal standpoint.But thereisawhiff of discontent around andwithmomentum gathering, Mr Sunakwill notwanthis premiershiptobedefinedbyalonghardwinter.

Shrewsbury andAtchamConservativeMPDanielKawczynski said he wanted to seenew legislation broughtintoprevent thestrike action.Hesaid: “Clearly thenew

HIGHWAY WORKERS

December 30-31

Atwo-day strikeinWestMidlands is part of co-ordinated UK action on staggered datesthattakeina differentregioninturn. Unions want a10per cent payrise as well as some other improvements.Big road projects in theregion will fallsilent.

PrimeMinisterisgoing to have to bringlegislation to theHouse and even rely on theservicesofthe armedforcestobreak themilitant strangleholdthese unions aretryingtoinflictonour country. The tradeunionsare trying to hold our countrytoransom.

“Ifthe Governmentcaves in it will be devastatingfor oureconomy andtherefore Idonot thinkour leg-

DRIVING

islation is significant to deal with these militant trade unions.”

Wrekin ConservativeMPMark Pritchardsaidhe wasconcerned that some of theindustrialaction is ‘politically motivated’ andsaid he wanted to seea negotiated –but realistic–agreement

He said:“People have aright to strike butsome of thestrikes, not all, do appear to be somewhat politi-

callymotivated by some unionleadersand coordinatedtomaximise damage forthe government.

“Meanwhilemembersofthe publicare having theirliveshugelydisrupted andpotentially damagedas they struggle to gettowork, meet family or even miss importantmedical appointments.Ihopea negotiated butrealistic settlementcan be reachedsoon.”

The first‘in person’ meetingofTelford BusinessBoard sincethe Covid lockdown hastaken placewithall membersagreeingitwas greattobe able to meet face-to-face once again. Membersmet at TelfordCollege andcovered awiderange of topics, includingskillsand recruitment, access to finance, andthe importanceofgathering up-to-datemarket research andintelligenceto mapout thecurrent health of the Telfordeconomy

They discussedthe importance of aligning training andeducation with theneedsofthe locallabour market,and developing clearemployer-ledstrategies detailing what is required to supporteconomic growth andboost productivity

Will Westley, TelfordBusiness Board’schair,said: “Wehavebeen meetingregularly online sincethe Covidlockdown, butitisgreat to be able to meet up in person once again.

Councillor Shaun Davies

CROSSTALK

RONLUCAS,ASHLEYMETHODIST CHURCH

On thethirdSundayin Advent ourmorning service wasled by CarolynLawrencewho was warmly welcomedbychief stewardBuntyHodgkins

Buntylit thethird Advent candle with words whichspoke of Joy. We began as we sung theancient hymn forAdvent “O come,O come Immanuel, andransomcaptive Israel,that mourns in lonely exilehereuntilthe SonofGod appears”.Rod Smithplayedthe organ.

Carolynled ourprayersof praise andadoration followed by oursinging of oneofCharles Wesley’s greatest hymns“Let earthand heaven combine, angels andmen agreetopraise in songsdivinethe incarnateDeity”. Bible readings came from Bunty–Isaiah, chapternine andRod –Matthew,chapter one. Ourprayersfor others were wide rangingrememberingso many whoare in need at this present time.Carolyn spokeof theimportanceofnames and findsthatthe meaningofa name oftensuits thecharacter Shesaidashort prayer andwe sang “Joy to theworld,the Lord is come!” by IsaacWatts

Sundayisour Junior Church Nativity.See www.ashleymeth odist.co.uk

Featheredfriends learntocope with poisonousfestive plant

ON THEWILDSIDE

With BenWaddams

This parasite does of course exist allyearround butitisonlyinthis season that it fruits

In theMiddleAges,thispoisonousparasitic plantwas hung above doorstoprevent witchesand ghosts from entering.Not from this legend do we getromanticovertures!

theseedin theirdroppings.When theseedhitsabranchits gloopy coating, called viscin, fixesit firmly as it dries.

Thetrees that hadoptimistically held on to theirleavesuntil the startofthismonth have,almost over thecourseofa single week,lost them all.

Now, although it is not unexpected at this time of theyear, thecountryside,our parksand gardens, look verybareindeed.And yetlikewith so many features of thenatural world,lookalittlecloserand you will find storiesoflifeeverywhere.

Asides from theevergreens, the colour greenseems in shortsupply allofasudden,but if we return to theaforementionedleaflesscanopies we areguaranteed to seethat most festive of allplantsnow,mistletoe

Morewidelythough, andlargely as aresultofCelticinfluence, mistletoeisconsideredasymbolof fertility andameetingpoint under whichcoupleskissatChristmas

Fruit

Yetmistletoe berriesthemselves arepoisonous to humans,consumption of thefruit leadingto gastrointestinalproblems, because it deactivatespart of ourcells’protein-makingmachinery

Many species of animal have, nonetheless, evolvedmechanisms to cope with mistletoe’stoxic effect with consumption by theaptly-named mistle thrush, fieldfares andoverwintering blackcapsbeing themainmeans by whichthe plant is spread in theUK.

Thebirds eatthe berry, passing

Germination is then triggered by milder weatherinthe spring AboutApril-time, theseedsends outaspecial rootcalledahypocotyl that puncturesthe tree’sbarkand allows theseedtotap into itscirculatory system

Theadult plant’sdependencyon thehostspecies forwater andminerals, whilestill maintaining some low-level photosyntheticcapability throughits ownleaves, makesmistletoe ahemiparasitic plant.

Mistletoeisdioecious –inother words,abushiseithermaleorfemale,unlike most plants that have male andfemaleparts.

FloweringusuallyoccursbetweenFebruaryand April, theinconspicuous flowersproducinga sweet-smelling nectar that attracts avariety of insectstoaid pollination

l Ben’s artwork is available throughRowlesGallery and Callaghan’sGallery in Shropshire

MistlethrushbyBen Waddams

Followingour extremely mild November,has of course been abitterly cold second week of December here in Shropshire.

spoken

Turkey supply worries amid bird flucrisis

Turkey suppliersare living on aknife edge in thedaysleading up to Christmasas thedevastating impact of bird flu threatenstohit.

Consumersnationallyhavebeen warned of a“big, bigshortage”of Britishfreerange turkeysover the festiveperiod.

Half of thefreerange turkeys produced forChristmas in theUK have alreadybeenkilledinthe bird fluepidemic, BritishPoultry Councilchief executiveRichard Griffiths told theEnvironment,Food and RuralAffairs Committee

Locally, one butcher, Darren Morgan, whorunsMorgan’sCountryButchersin Waters Upton, near Telford, said hissuppliers –Huxleys –had been impacted,leading to aheart-breakingcull.

Others, such as Wrekin Turkeys, have spoken of the‘nervouswait’ andthe costly effortsneeded to ensure they don’tsufferasimilar fate.

“Thisisimpactingoneveryone,” aspokesman forWrekinTurkeys said.“We have allhad to comply with thehousing order that came into forceatthe beginningofNovember, whichmeant everything hadtocome indoorsorgounder nets

“It’salot harder than normal. We have acouple more weekstostay safe andthatmeans it’s even more nerve-wracking becausesomething couldhappenatany time

“The turkeyshavetaken alot more caring for, Ihavetosay.When they canbelefttotheir owndevices, it’s easier.Our costshavegone up in termsofstrawbedding and excess labour,keeping the runs cleanand so on

“Weare keepinganeye on bird speciesinthe area.You arecon-

MATTHEWPANTER

matthew.panter@mnamedia.co.uk

stantlyanxious theyare goingto getintothe sheds.Fortunately, we arenot toonearwater courses, wherethere’s ahigher risk status

“Wehavealsohad to tighten security becausewhenever thereisa potentialshortage discussedyou not only have to watchfoxesbut also two-legged thieves, lookingto make aquick buck

“It’sjusta caseof fingerscrossed Fortunately,weare still goingand have some birdsstill available.”

He addedthere wasgovernment help forthose impacted.“Thereare compensation schemesfor farmers –theywill compensate forhealthy birdswhich areculled–but it’s devastatingfor thosewho have been impacted because it is alot of work.”

RosieWadlow,fromfamily-run Huxley Turkeys, confirmed they hadbeenimpacted,saying: “We areabsolutelydevastated.”

Thefarmsupplieswhole turkeys to thelikes of Morgan’sCountry Butchers andMrMorgansaid: “It’s somethingthatiscausing disruption locallyand nationally andit seemstobegetting worse

“It’sbeenreallydevastatingfor oursuppliers becauseyou only need it to happentoone turkey andunfortunately thewhole crop is condemnedand culled.

“Ithas affected us andseveral otherbutchersinthe area and furtherafield. Otherbutcherswill look to source from elsewhere, but we areloyal to oursuppliers

“Wedealwithaseparatesupplier forthe Stag birds, whichgivea boneless breast,and they have been allright,sowewill stillbeablesell those.

“Wewill stillhaveplentyofmeat

to feed people andwill endeavourto make sureeveryoneiswellserved.”

Otherbutchershavesofar escapedany concerns with Kevin Battams, of MBattams Butchers, Oswestry saying:“Touchwood, all beingwellweare fine with oursuppliers.Everythingisokayfor us but wewon’t temptfate.”

DanAllen-Rafferty, ownerof MeatmastersButchery, Newtown, is trying to persuade customers to optfor either lamb,beeforchicken cushions ratherthanawhole fresh turkey,which is selling forbetween £50and £100

“There is no problemgetting hold of turkeysfromlocal suppliersbut it’s theprice you have to payfor them,” he said

“I thinkit’suptothe butcherto tryto find alternatives that arenot goingtocostfamiliesafortune. Insteadofspendingbetween £50and £100 fora turkey,Iamencouraging themtohavealeg of lamb,abeef jointorachicken cushion, whichis aboned,stuffed chickenwrapped in baconwithgarlicand tarragon

“A lotofcustomers areaskingfor asmall piece of turkey andtheyare buying one of ourhampers which containagammonjoint,beef, chick-

en cushion, sausagemeat, pigs in blanketsand bacon.”

JamieTully,executive chef at Chartists1770atThe Trewythen, afour-star restaurant with rooms in Llanidloes,saysa combination of bird fluand thetraditionalChristmasmarketispushing up turkey prices higher than usual.

“Asfood prices in generalare goingup, weare allgoing to have to paymorefor ourChristmas meal this year,” he said

Some 1.6million birdshavebeen culled as of November20directly becauseofbird fluonfarms, the Environment, Food andRural AffairsCommittee has been told with around 36 percentofpoultry farms affected by theoutbreak.

Mr Griffithssaid: “Thisyearthe seasonal producershavebeenso badlyaffected.Ican seemanyof thosetakingagood look at whether they want to be in Christmaspoultry.”

Edward Garratt, NFUShropshireadviser, said:“Ongoing, soaringproduction costsare putting thepoultry sector under immense pressure.Shropshirepoultry farmershavefaced sky-rocketingenergy andfeedcosts formonthsnow,as

well as increasesinfuel, labour and packaging, whichare alladdingto theoverall costsofproductionon thefarm. Iwanttoassureshoppers, that whilethere arepressures, county farmerswill continue to do everything theycan to produce quality, affordable eggs andpoultrymeatwhich we know arevalued highly

“Our poultrymembers must have theconfidencetheyneed,working within afairand transparent supplychain,ensuringfairreturns so they cando what they do best –meetdemandfromshoppers for qualitypoultry meat.Inthe meantime,the NFUisexploringall avenuestohelpresolve this situation includingconversations with retailersand calling on Governmentto look in detail at thecurrent supply chainissues.”

It comesasauctioneerJames Evans, adirectorofHalls,spoke of a boom in demand forBritishbeef. He said:“Consumersare demandingfewer food milesonthe products they buy, so supermarketsare focusing more on Britishbeef, also boostedbythe uncertainty, caused by bird flu, surroundingthe Christmasavailability of turkey.”

Edward Garratt from theNFU

DanAllen-Raffertyhas

of thehigh costsofturkeys

Butcher Darren Morgan Jamie Tully, chef at Chartists1770

Thereare concerns overpotential turkeyshortagesasbird fluimpactsacrossthe country, including Shropshire

Property sits on corner plot

This is an excellentopportunityto purchaseamoderndetachedfamily home availableasa 50%shared ownership.

ThepropertyinCrab AppleLane offers accommodationincluding an entrance hall,ground floorW/C, spacious kitchendiningroomand a largelounge. Thereisalsothe main bedroom, whichhas an en-suite, threefurther good-sizedbedrooms andafamilybathroom.

Thepropertyissituatedonacornerplotwithpartlywalledgardens, side parkingand garage

Shifnaloffersawiderange of facilities includingexcellent schooling, shopsand pubs.

Formoreinformation or to arrangeaviewing of this lovely property,contact Barbers’ Newportoffice on 01952820239.

Larger-style familyhouse

NORBURY

OIRO £300,000

This is larger-style semi-detached house issituatedinapleasantvillage location with highly desirable accommodation.

IvyCottage offers athrough entrance hall,ground floorW/C,spaciouslounge, fitted kitchen-dining room andutility

On the first flooristhe main bedroom with en-suite shower room, twofurther good-sized bedrooms andafamilybathroom. Thereis also abuilt-in overstairs cupboard Outside, thereisagood-sized parkingareatothe side andasmall, easily managedgarden to therear.

Norbury is located betweenthe twomarket townsofEccleshalland Newport.

Formoredetails or to arrangea viewingcontact Barberson01952 820239

Real sliceofvillagelife

Setinthe heartofthe popularvillage of Woore, this nicely presented mid-terraced cottageoffersyou arealslice of villagelife.

With alongreargarden overlookingthe villagecricket pitch, off-road parkingfor twocarsand both thelocal shop andpub in walkingdistance, you really can’t beat it forlocation. It also hasthe benefitofbeing offeredtothe market with no upward chain.

To thefront,the property is set

WOORE

OIRO £175,000

behind agood-sizefront garden with pavedpathway leadingupto thefront door

Thereisaporch,spacious lounge, asitting/diningroomand galley kitchen.

Thereisalsoafamilybathroom andtwo doublebedrooms.

To view this property,callBarbers on 01630 653641

Modern cottageofferslovely far-reaching countrysideviews

HALES

OIRO £500,000

This modern cottageisset in the heartofthe hamlet of Halesand hasthe most wonderful, far-reachingviews from thereargarden –witha largesun room to take in thoselovely views.

Offthe centralhallway of LilacCottage is thediningroom, whichleadsthrough to thebreakfast kitchen. Thereisalsoautility, cloaks-W/C,walk-in pantry anda door to thegaragewhich hasa PodPointcharger foranelectriccar Thereisaloungewithdual-fuel stove andthe sunroomwithamazingviews acrossthe garden to the valley beyond

Theprincipal bedroomoverlooks thereargarden andhas agoodsize en-suite with walk-inshower. BedroomTwo hastwo double fitted wardrobesand furtherbuilt-incupboards,BedroomThree is currently set up as ahome office andBedroom Four as ahobby room.Completing theaccommodationisthe family bathroom whichhas acornershower andaspa bath

Outside, thereare terraced timberdecks with a fish pond,leading to alarge lawned garden.Toarrangeaviewing,call01630 653641

Spacious detached bungalow hasnoupwardchain

MARKET DRAYTON

OIRO £225,000

Setonacornerplot, this is avery nicely presented andspacious two-bedroomdetachedbungalow–with theaddedbenefitofbeing offeredtothe market with no upward chain.

Thefront door openstothe hall with alarge coat cupboard.The hall hasastrikingtiled floorand this continuesonintothe kitchen. There is also aspaciouslounge, bedrooms andmodernshower room.

Outside, lawnswrapround the frontand rightofthe property.To book aviewing,call01630 653641

Animal charity’s festiveadvice

An animal charityhas issued advice on how to keep pets safe this festiveseason.

RSPCAShropshireisurgingpet owners to be prepared forany emergenciesthatarise over Christmas.

From toxicfoods, thedangers of decorationsand keepingyourpet calm amongthe Christmaschaos, here aresome of thecharity’s top tips fora‘pet-safe’ Christmas:

l Chocolateistoxic to cats and dogs so ensure it is outofreach

l Make sure yourpetsdon’t eat tinselorwrappingpaper –although cardboardboxes make greattoys!

l Raisins, currants andsultanas (inChristmas puddingand cake) areincrediblydangerous to pets

l Nuts areachoking hazard and macadamianutsare toxictodogs.

l Holly, ivyand mistletoecan be toxic; lilies aredangerous forcats.

l Leftover cooked turkey and carrotsare ok fordogsbut not bones, onions, garlic or alcohol.

Club helpswith plantscheme

Rotariansin

Rotarian Julian Hargreaves hadinitially investigated the possibility of participatingina national tree-plantingproject to mark theQueen’s Platinum Jubilee.

However,thisfailedtomaterialise duetodelaysinidentifyingthe legal ownershipofthe land,the club said Church StrettonRotary Club membership officerDerek Smithsaid: “Not to be defeated,itwas agreed that thesmall fenced-off area of land adjoiningRussell’s Meadow wouldbe called ContemplationCorner.

“The development hasnow been completedbyplanting trees and800 crocus bulbsin what will be awildflowerarea in thecentre.”

Children anddogswelcome at pubwithfamilyatits heart

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

TheSwanInn,inNewport,is centuriesold,but todaythe family 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,bothcomingfromsales backgrounds, have used theirexperience of customer serviceand interactiontotheir advantagetomaketheir experiences with customersapleasantone

Morethan£3,500has been donated to an epilepsy charityinmemoryof afootball-loving son, whodiedafter aseizure twoyears ago.

Themoney, whichwas raised through afootballtournament andfroma substantial donation from theBeefy Boys restaurant in Shrewsbury,has gone to ShropshireEpilepsySupport

It hasbeenhandedoverinmemoryofGaryWatkin, whodiedatthe ageofjust27, afteraseizure.

Themoneywas presented by his mother,Kim Davis, andstaff from theShrewsburyburgerrestaurant.

Thefootballtournament, involvingfamilyand friends, washeldat Shrewsbury Town Football Club in October. Kim, whohelda raffle at theevent,was delightedithad provedasuccess.

Thefootballtournamentwas organisedbyGary’sfriends and raised£600. BeefyBoyshanded over more than£3,100fromtips.

Ed,39, previously workedin business-to-business sales, selling electronicequipmentinEurope, butafterBrexit affected hisworkingrelationshipwiththe EU,he decidedtoquitand joined hispartner, Danielle in thehospitality industry full-time.

Ed said:“It wasabig career change,but thereare also some form of similarities in thejob because of therelationshipyou have with people

“You have to be apeopleperson in this job, andsoI enjoythataspect

“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 thatweare verysociablepeopleand enjoy meetingand greeting people –the interactions we getwithcustomers is great.”

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 oftrade from it

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

“Plusthe pubitself is quitehistoric, andfromwhatIknow, it is at leasthundreds of yearsold,but I do notknowhow oldexactly.”

Thepub hasa very traditional look both inside andoutside,with classicopen firestogiveawarm, cosy feeling.

Speaking aboutthe family theme, Ed said:“We have run

kids’Halloween events, apumpkincarving event, andwewillbe hostingaChristmas grotto

“Wefeelthatthisisour USP, by runninga lotoffamilyevents

Some pubsare abit sporty butwe do not tryand competewiththat andsothisisour theme.

“Itiscertainly differentfrom thenormalpub butithas been really successfulfor us, anditmakes forquite afun,pleasantatmospherearoundthe place.

Pleasant

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

Alongwithmakingfamilies feel welcome at thepub,Edand Daniellehavealso madethe pointthat dogs arealso welcome.

TheSwanInn hosted aChrist-

masevent last Saturday,withthe team putting on afun dayincludinga children’s festiveparty with market stalls with lots of food and drinkand gifts–makingita cosy, fun, seasonal spirit-filled day.

Thepub also hostsmovie nights foryoungsters, whichEdsaidwere really popular.

Like many otherpubsnationwide,the business has been affected by theongoing energy andcostof-livingcrisis.

Ed added: “Itcertainly is tough, anditistough forany breweryin general, butwe’re happythatit does getbusyaroundthistimeof theyearapproaching Christmas, andwefeelthatour family-themed USPhelps us, alongsidethe warm feel of thepub andthe events

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

Ed Davies,DanielleDaviesand 12-year-old AlfieDaviesatthe pubwhich hasastrongfamilyatmosphere

TheSwanInn,Newport, hasatraditionalfeel

CustomersAnne Blakeand SueOvery at TheSwan

Church Stretton have contributed to theplanting of trees andbulbs.

Figuresdonot show full picturesayshealthboss

Ahealthbosshas urged caution over freshNHS figuresonGPappointments,warning they do not provide“thefullpicture”.

Newly-released figuresdetailthe number of appointments at practicesacrossthe country–and how long people have to wait forthat appointment.

However,Emma Pyrah,associate director of primarycareat NHSShropshire, Telfordand Wrekin, said that thedata“givesno indication of qualityofcare”

Shealso said that practicesin thecountyare providingmoreappointments than ever,and were working hard to meet “exceptional demand”.

GeneralPracticehas faced considerable strain during andafterthe pandemic –but Ms Pyrah pointed to figureswhich show that 91 percentofpatientsare being seen within twoweeks

Shealso highlighted thefact that seven outof10appointments arenow face-to-face,while nearly

half take placeonthe same day. Shesaid: “Althoughanindication of appointmentavailability,as well as waitstosee ahealthcare professional,itisimportant to recognise that GP AppointmentData (GPAD) only measures dataabout appointments andisnot ameasure or indication of practice qualityor patientcare.

“Our GP teamsacrossShropshire, Telfordand Wrekin are working hard to meet exceptional demand,deliveringmoreappoint-

mentsthaneverbefore, andwe wouldliketoremindpatientsthat this newdatadoes notprovide the full picture when it comestopractice performance.

“Onaverageour practicesare offering five more appointments than before thepandemicand lockdown

“Aroundseven in 10 appointmentsare in person,with48per cent taking placeonthe same day andapproximately 91 percentof patients seen within twoweeks.”

NHSreveals wait timesfor GP appointments across county

DAVIDBANNER newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

TheGPpractices in Shropshire, Telfordand Wrekin wherepatients aremostlikelytowait longer than twoweeks foranappointment have been revealed in new figures.

Thegovernment said thenew data publishedbyNHS Digital will help patients “makeamore informed choiceabout thepractice they choose to visit”

Butthe movehas notbeenwelcomedbyeveryone, with theRoyal CollegeofGPs (RCGP) criticising thelackofcontext around how different practicesoperate

Atotal of 284,225appointments took placeatGPpractices in the county in October.

At least54,354– equivalent to 19 percent–ofthese hadtaken place more than afortnight afterbeing booked, andofthose,12,746– four percent–saw patients wait longer than 28 days

Thepracticewiththe greatest proportion of appointments taking more than twoweeks wasMytton OakinShrewsbury, whereitwas 46 percent, whileStirchleyinTelford hadthe fewest,withjust1.5 per cent NHSDigital cautionedthatGP workloads canbeaffected by several factorssuchas thedemographic of patients registered at thepractice,how deprivedthe area is and thenumberofcarehomesthe practice offers services to

Thenew practice-level figures come as part of thegovernment’s “planfor patients”, whichincludes

Public health chiefs

Shropshirehealthbosseshaveconfirmed they areworking closely with schoolsand nurseries to raise awarenessofthe signsand symptoms of scarletfever

It comesafterNHS Shropshire, Telford&Wrekinannounced servicesare facing ‘extreme pressures’ from cases of flu, Covid, andfears aboutscarlet fever or Strep A. Now, thedirectors of public

IN SHROPSHIRE, TELFORD&WREKIN, THE PRACTICES WITHTHE HIGHEST PROPORTION OF APPOINTMENTS OCCURRINGAFTER AFORTNIGHT WERE

APPOINTMENTS TOOK PLACE MORE THAN TWOWEEKSAFTER THEY HAD BEENBOOKED IN OCTOBER

MYTTON OAKMEDICAL PRACTICE 46.1%of4,993 appointments

CLIVEMEDICAL PRACTICE 39.1%of3,446 appointments

RADBROOK GREEN SURGERY 37.8%of6,889 appointments

PRESCOTT SURGERY 35.3%of3,564 appointments

CLEOBURY MORTIMER SURGERY 32.9%of5,614 appointments

KNOCKINMEDICAL CENTRE 31%of2,930 appointments

BEECHESMEDICAL PRACTICE 30.2%of4,464 appointments

CLAREMONT BANK SURGERY 30% of 4,028 appointments

LINDEN HALL SURGERY 28.3% of 8,487appointments

SHAWBIRCH MEDICAL CENTRE 27.9%of10,359appointments

AT THE OTHER END OF THESCALE

APPOINTMENTS SAWPATIENTSWAIT LONGERTHAN AFORTNIGHTINOCTOBER

STIRCHLEYMEDICAL PRACTICE 1.5% of 12,447 appointments

WELLINGTONMEDICAL PRACTICE 4.2% of 6,806 appointments

WOODSIDEMEDICAL PRACTICE 6.4% of 2,799appointments

IRONBRIDGE MEDICALPRACTICE 6.5% of 1,837appointments

HOLLINSWOODSURGERY 6.6% of 2,895appointments

COURTSTREET MEDICALPRACTICE 7.1% of 3,916appointments

HIGHLEYMEDICAL CENTRE 7.3% of 1,757appointments

CHARLTON MEDICAL PRACTICE,4%of5,469 appointments

MARKETDRAYTON MEDICAL PRACTICE 8.4% of 9,626 appointments

THEMEADOWS MEDICAL PRACTICE 8.6% of 1,914appointments

anew ambition foreverypatient to getanappointment at theirGP practice within twoweeks

However,the RCGPsaidthe governmentshouldaddress theroot causeofGPpressures –includingrecruitment andretention of doctors– “instead of lumberinga struggling servicewithnew expectations”

ChairProfessor Kamila Hawthorne said:“Arecord36.1million consultationsweredelivered in October, almost 40 percentofthese on

theday they were booked andmore than 71 percentdelivered in-person, thehighestproportionsince before thepandemic.”

Prof Hawthorne said GP workloadshaveescalated whilethe number of fullyqualified full-time equivalent GPs hasfallenby719 acrossEnglandsince 2019

“GPteams arejustas frustrated as patients when they don’thave theresourcesand time to deliver thehighstandardofcaretopatients they want to,” sheadded.

This week,the Governmentset outplans to overhaul NHSpension rulesinan attempttoretainmore senior doctorsinthe service.

Launchinganeight-weekconsultation,ministers said theproposed changeswould also remove barriers to retiredclinicians returningto work–including new“flexibilities” to allowretired andpartially retiredstaff to return to workorincrease theirworking hourswithout having payments to theirpension reduced or suspended

areworking closelywithschools over scarletfeverinfectionrisks

health from Shropshire Council andTelford &WrekinCouncil,have said teams areworking closely with parentstohighlightthe signsand symptoms of scarletfever

Andtheyare working closely with schoolsonthe necessary stepsto take includingwhatinfection controlmeasurestotakeand whoto contactin theevent of an outbreak.

Rachel Robinson, director of Pub-

licHealthfor Shropshire Council said:“We wouldliketotakethis opportunitytoremindschools, parents andcarersofthe signs, symptoms andthe actionsschools should take if they become awareofanoutbreakatyourschoolornursery

“Scarlet fever is acommonchildhood infectioncausedbyStreptococcus pyogenes,orgroup Astreptococcus.The earlysymptomsof

scarletfever includesorethroat, headache,fever,nauseaand vomiting.

“Althoughscarlet fever is usually amildillness,patientscan develop complications. Good hygienepractice such as hand washingremains themostimportant step in controlling thespread. Patients candevelopcomplicationsand if you have anyconcernsNHS 111.”

Hospitaldelays areblamedfor extradeathsof waiting patients

West Midlands AmbulanceService hasadmitted that deaths linked to delays have increased.

Butitput theblame squarely on hospitals, whereits crewsare being forced to wait to dischargepatients.

In some cases,paramedicshave been tied up formostofthe day waitingoutside A&E, preventing them from gettingbackonthe road New figuresobtainedbythe BBC relate to thenumberofdeaths wherethe case hasbeenhighlighted by theambulance serviceasapotentialserious incident.Theyhave risenfromone in 2020 to 37 in the firstninemonthsofthisyear.

Demand from patients andshortageofhospitalbeds have created adeepening crisis.Thatthreatens to be exacerbated by strike action plannedbyparamedicsand call handlers from theWestMidlands service.

Aspokesman forWestMidlands AmbulanceService said:“Theambulanceservice relies on each part of thehealthand socialcaresystem working together so that ourambulances canget to patients in the communityquickly

“Sadly,the pressuresweare seeingin health andsocialcareleadto long hospital handover delayswith ourcrews left caring forpatients that need admitting to hospital rather than responding to thenext call.The result is that ourcrews aredelayedreachingpatients.

“Weare working incredibly hard with allofour NHSand social care partners to preventthese delays, lookingatnew ways to safely hand over patients quicklysothatour crewscan respondmorerapidly and save more lives.”

SouthShropshireambulance campaigner Darren Childs,who hashighlightedsignificant delays outsidehospitals in theregion, said: “Unfortunately37deathsare not that surprising if people arehaving to wait hoursfor an ambulanceand hours to getintothe hospital then thenumberofdeathsisgoing to go up.There areonlyone lotofpeople who areresponsible andthatisthe governmentwhich needs to invest in theNHS.”

West MidlandAmbulance Service says itsclinicalvalidationteam of advanced paramedics andnurses arehelping themtargetambulances on thosewho need it most by assistingmorepatientsover thephone or seamlessly transferringpatientsto otherpartsofthe NHSsuchas occupational therapy, advanced nurse practitionersinthe community,districtnursesorreferring patients to SDEC services

It says newambulance decision areasat University HospitalsofBirmingham (UHB)and Shrewsbury andsoonWorcester arealready making adifferencewithdelaysat UHBhalfwhattheyusedtobe.

Advanced paramedics areworkingwithambulance healthcare assistants to look afterpatientswithin dedicatedareas of thehospitalto free up crews.

They have additional skills that allowthemtostart teststhatthe patientneeds aheadofthementeringemergency departments.

Device helps measureintake

Leadingdairy innovator smaXtec haslaunchedTruDrinking, anew function whichaccurately recordsindividualcow’s water intake

Bosses saidthislatesttechnicaladvance is aworld firstin thesector-leadinghealthmonitoring system andhelps farmers to optimise milk production and animal management

“Water is oftenthe forgotten nutrient in dairyherds,” said the firm’s ChrisHowarth

“Ifa cowdrinkstoo little,her feed intake will reduce,and her milk yieldwill drop

“WithTruDrinking,farmerscan immediatelydetectany disruption to normalwater consumption

“Thiscan be an earlyindicatorofemerginghealthproblems or flag atechnical problemwith thewater supply.”

Thetechnologybehind TruDrinkingrecords how often andhow many litresofwater each cowconsumesdaily

Data is retrieveddirectlyin thecows’ reticulumusing a unique bolusand AI-supported applications whichmeasure internal changes to body temperatureaftereachdrinkingcycle TruDrinkingreliablytracks water intake whichismonitored withoutany additional effort usingsmaXtec’s real-timesystem, the firm said

Schemebacks newventures

Newentrantstofarming arebeing invitedtoapply to aDEFRA scheme being piloted by Harper Adams University

Theschemewill enable participantstodevelop theskillsand networktheyneed as well as theirbusiness case to secure land

Aseriesoforganisations across Englishregions areworking to pilot variousprojectsinparticularsectors during thepilot phase–with Harper Adamsleading thepilot in theWestMidlands.

Thepilot will deliver atraining andsupport package, starting in January, with ablend of face-toface andonline activities

It will involvespecialistacademicsfromthe university,together with external experts, financial partners, fieldvisitstothe Harper AdamsFutureFarmand to various partnerorganisations during the programme.

Theprogramme will showcase innovativepractices andtechnologicaldevelopments andclearly demonstrate successful business models in action

Delegateswillalsohavethe opportunitytoworkontheir business skillsand developtheir pitchesto articulate theirvisionand business case forthe land andresourcesthey need to jump-start theirnew farm venture.

Thepilot is open to individuals from across theWestMidlands.

To applyortoget more information,peopleshouldvisit harper ac.uk/defrapilot

Biodiversity work wins award

Severn Trenthas been crownedBiodiversity Championatthe Responsible Business Awards.

Thewin waslargely attributed to thecompany’s £1.2 billion investment in the‘GreatBig Nature Boost (GBNB)

JasonRogers, head of water qualityand environmentatSevern Trent, saidthe aimofthe GBNB wastomakethe catchmentareaa better placefor thepublic, andwildlife,while supporting farm produc-

tivity andcutting carbon emissions.

“Tobethe stand-outwinner from awiderange of leadingbusinesses is atruecredittoour ambitions and delivery,” he said

Thejudges were particularly impressedwithSevernTrent’s work with partners andthird-party collaborators.The panelsaidthe company’s partners not only benefited from thework, butwerealso helpingtogo above andbeyondoriginal plans.

Thepanel of judges said Severn Trentwas an ‘anoutrightwinner

MARKET REPORT

MARKET DRAYTON

MONDAY DECEMBER 5,214 barren cows,cul bulls&overage cleancattle(Green Market). The festive cheerand spirit carried forward fromlast Wednesday’s show &sale to ourMondaynight dedicated over30-month sale,resulting in an extremelybuoyant andwell supportedevening!!

Tradewas electric forthe OTMS Christmas sale with demandtotally outstripping supply. Firstlybig thankyou to all ourvendors fortheir support, not just on thenight butthroughoutthe year anda tremendousnumber forward forthe time of year!

Secondlytoour very loyalbuyersfor their commitment andsupport of Market DraytonMarket –thank you. Youcannothave aprize sale without oursponsors andonceagain thankyou to youall and finallyfor thestaff whose hard work behind the scenesmakes Market Draytonmarketstand out from thecrowd andrun smoothly.The export night certainlyfound some fantasticcattleinall sections anda real joytosell.Top of thetreetaking highest pricesuckler classone andChampion wasa British Blue selling to 252p to realise £2,172.24fromMr James Madders, Tixall.Highest pricepenceper kilo overage cleanclass threewenttoLimousinsteer 33 monthstrading to 241p to gross£1,754.48 from HM &AWRees& Jones,Weston Rhyn.Top price pence per kilo dairybarrencow classtwo went to a blackand whitefromMrDavid Holt& family, Middlewich selling to 184p to generate£1,288.00 Finallyclass four highest pricepence per kilo stock bull went to aLimousinselling to 178p (£1,598.44) from RW Harper &Partners, Long Lane.The overall market averagereturned at 157p.115 Dairies –Goodnumber forward andafantastictrade throughoutfor allweights, grades andnationalities Traderacedawayto184p(£1,288.00) forblack andwhite cowfromDavid Holt& family, Middlewichand afurther cowto177p(£1,458.48) Mr Graham Hargreaves, Cresswell had awonderful runselling to 182p (£1,314.04), 178p (£1,381.28), 177p (£1,437.24), 175p (£1,375.50),174p (£1,291.08), 170p (£1,339.60), 169p x2 (£1,216.80and £1,203.28), 168p x2(£1,458.24 and£1,253.28)etc.Mr PhilTushingham &family, Clotton cowto180p(£1,576.80), P&M Timms, Weston Lane cowto178p(£1,107.16),JMBrindley &Partners, Blakenhall BrownSwiss to 177p (£1,235.46),Malcom Trevor-Jones,The Elms BrownSwiss to 176p (£1,006.72)and The Annandale family, TheLee cowto169p (£1,226.94)tomention afew.The section average returned at 146p (£1,000.71).63Sucklers–Whata fantasticrun of cattle in themainand finding a flying tradethroughoutselling to either exporters, wholesalersand further finishers. Traderacedaway to 252p (£2,172.24)for aBritishBlue from James Madders, Tixall.The Jonesfamily, Montgomery hadawonderfulrun of Limousins to 236p trio of times (£1,935.20,£1,788.88and £1,699.20), 235p (£1,903.50),232p(£1,679.68),216p(£1,715.04) and208p(£1,385.28).Mr RJ Shore, Churton Limousinto217p(£1,558.06) and210p (£1,696.80)and Mr RA Owen,Foel Charolaisto 196p (£1,967.84)tomention afew.The section average returned at 171p (£1,163.35). 6Bulls –Humblenumber forward sellingto178p (£1,598.44)for aLimousin from RW Harper & Partners, Burland. Herefords to 146p twicefrom TheHanselman family, NewWoodhouses bul returning £1,527.16 andMrCharles Forrester, Northwood realising £1,506.72. Black andwhites to 140p (£988.40)fromThe Readefamily, Tarporley. Shorthorns to 134p (£1,415.04)fromMr DavidBradshaw, Little Onnand Devons to 124p (£964.72). Thesection averagereturned at 145p (£1,333.42).30Clean –Steerstookpoleposition at 241p (£1,754.48)for aLimousinfromHM&AW Rees &Jones, Weston Rhyn andfurther steers to 240p (£1,612.80)and 220p (£1,760.00). Mr Phil Tushingham &family, Clotton sawtheirAngus steer to 208p (£1,705.60) andBlue crossto200p (£1,728.00).Heifers to 200p (£1,116.00)for

Simmental from Mr DavidBradshaw, Little Onn. Blackand Whiteheifersto199p(£1,182.06) from Mr Malcom Trevor-Jones &family, TheElmsto mention afew.284 PIGS (Christmas show &sale). 25 Cull Sows –Trade harder work todaywiththe majorityofthe sows at 20pto30p/kg toppingat 52pfor the firstprize sowfromMrJHunt, Kington Boars again very hard to sell indeedand luckyto geta bid!Our thanks go to Mr DavidPartridgefrom CE Partridge Butchers, Bromsgrove forgiving up histimetoperforma fantasticjob.Our thanks to al ourvendors, buyers andstaff forall your support throughoutthe year inwhichhas been another trying year forour pig industry. 178Fat Pigs–Championpig of theday from MrNigel Turner Cleobury Mortimer sellingat310p/kg to thejudge Mr David Partridge of Bromsgrove. Theshowpigs ngeneral traded at 180p to 220p/kg andwerea very good trade with all buyers flighting hard to secure quality. Tradecontinued into thecommercial section with bestpigsat180p to 200p with other goodquality at 160p to 180p with thirdquality at 120p plus. 81 Store&WeanerPigs–Trade still remainshardworkcoupled with theeverrising feed costs.Beststores at £30 to £40topping at £51 and weanersat£15 to £20. 91 Dairycattle– the dispersalsale of theentire milking portion of the commercialLongslowFarmherdfor Yareal LlanfordaLtd whichweresold at Market Drayton Market forsale conveniencepeakedat£2,400for a freshcalvedthirdcalverwithother thirdcalvers selling for £2,300 and£2,000.Secondcalverssold to £2,100 with fourthand fifthcalvers both selling to £2,000.The onlyin-calf heifersold for£1,820 andthe onlycalvedheifer£1,500. Fresh milk meta flying tradewiththe dryand staler cowsmeeting a subdued trade. Thesale includedmanyageddry andstale cows with udderfaultsand highcell counts.Averages 20fresh cows£1,625,70dry andstale cows £969 (including faults). 155Dairy youngstock.The Monthly Youngstock sale was combined with theverysuccessful Yareal Dispersal Sale.The sayingthatnumbersdrawcrowdswas certainlytrueand theringside wasfullfor this last monthly sale of 2022.The entryconsisted of HolsteinFriesianin-calf heifers andmaidens, LIC bred incalf heifers andmaidens. Firstthrough the ring wasMrSTaylorLutterworthwithhis February calving heifersselling at £1,550.The Holstein Friesianmaiden heifersweregood farming sorts andthesesold to £800 twicefor Pedigree heifers from Freeford Farmsfor heifers siredbyAltaamulet andAltaopred.Alsoat£800wereBritishFriesian maidens from JS &HJGleave, Audlem siredby Silerado. Alarge entryofLIC bred grazing heifers passedthrough thering. Thestronger typespeaked at arespectable£750for February calving heifers, butanything too small,plain were harder work this month.The bulling heifersweresimilar with most being bornspring21and notservedtheseweretoo old to fitthe 2024block. 334Weanlings –an excellententryasapacked ring of buyersweremet by amixed show of weanlings.Trade remains extremelystrong for thewell-shaped and well-presented cattle,but demand wasscarcefor thesmall/plainer types. Canall vendors please ensuretheycompleteentryforms andalsomake thecorrectdeclarationsbetween bulls andsteers Starting with thebulls,veryfew older bulls to shout about, butseven-month Bluessold to £520 for BenbowBros, Market Drayton andsix-month Friesianssold to £295 forEJNash&Sons, Fulford. Good demand forbestbulls butoverall they remain harder to sell than steers andheifers.Ontothe steerswhere British FriesiansfromJH Lightfoot& Sons, Burton sold to £420.Inthe Continentals,we sawplenty of demandfor thestrongestcattlewith topcallgoing to a five-month suckler bred Simmental whichmade£680fromFH& JWhaley, Tarporley. Most older steers £480 to £550 and younger three-to-five-month models at £350 to £450,withBarry andPat’s three-to-four-month Blues topping at £540. Amixed show of native

forthiscategory’.MrRogerssaid theGBNBkickedoff in 2020

It had, a10-year plan to enhance biodiversity on over 5,000ha and improve over2,000 km of riversby 2027,as well as plant1.3 million trees by 2030

Part of this wasdelivered through SevernTrent’s EnvironmentalProtectionScheme(STEPS).MrRogers said thehardworkofthe company’s employees, partners andthird party contributors hadmeant it was alreadywellonits waytomeeting targets. He added: “Currently over

4,600haoflandhas been improved and466,745 trees have been planted,withthe riverstargetalready exceededbyover 1,200km.

“Wehopethisrecognition will help to raise awarenessofthe vast amount of work we’redoing to enhancenature, andencourage more farmers, organisationsand community memberstoget involvedand continue to improve ournatural landscapeand sustainability,” said Mr Rogers.Visit stwater.co.uk

Thewindowfor farmstoapply for STEPSgrantsclosesonJanuary 31

steersfor buyers to getstuck into butsuckler bred AngusfromMrMAnwyl,Shrewsburylooked well sold at £650. Strongesttypes £380to£470, younger sorts£300to£350. TheContinental heifersaverysimilarstorytothe steers with a good tradefor thebesttypes.Top call went to Blues from DJ &POSmale,Adderley at £675,older typeswould be £470 to £520,and youngest models £350to£440topping at £485 for three-to-four-month BluesfromBarry andPat.The native heifers were thehardesttosell butanything well-shapedsaw plenty of bidding.Top call went to AngusfromMrMAnwyl and Mr JG Williams, both at £500 forsucklers. Older types£380to£430, younger types£250plus.

WEDNESDAYDECEMBER7,169 cleancattle& youngbulls,slightlydifferent script with tradea little easier after climbing down fromthe “dizzy heights”oflastweek’s Christmastrade.Meated cattle still very easy to place butsecond andthird qualitytypes alot harder onthe day. 300pence wasbreached severaltimesonthe dayseeing heifersto312por£1,840.80,steers to 306por £1,901.52and bulls to 280p or £1,978.00.46Bulls –Humblenumber forward andmanymorecould have been sold to vendors’ advantage with demand totallyoutstripping supply! Twocharity bulls sold by Mr RE Wigley, OldStackyard topped thesection at 280p twicebothfor BritishBluesand returning £1,926.40and £1,400.00and theproceeds being donated to theRABIand OvarianCancer Action.Mr BrianTaylor&family, Scholar Green sold Limousinsto264ptwice(£1,605.12and £1,483.68),MrGrahamJohnson,DunstonHeath toppedthe nativeswithacrackingHerefordto263p (£1,804.18)and Limousins to 262p(£1,645.36) and247p(£1,575.86), distant travellers The Davies family,Gartheryr sold Limousinto258p (£1,284.84)and 230p (£1,334.00), Mr Bob Holmes,HighOffley Herefordto250p(£1,770.00) and246p(£1,756.44).Inthe lump Julian Corfield Corfield &Aston Simmentaltoreturn£1,978.00 to mention afew.Drayton specials sawblack and whites to 227p (£1,448.26)fromMrMarkEden Leigh.The section average returned at 230p (£1,427.78). 39 Steers –Distant travellersthe Wrightfamily, Herefordsold Limousinto306p (£1,649.34)and Blueto301p(£1,628.41).Closer to homeMrDarrenYoung,Balterley sold Limousins to 278p (£1,901.52)and 254p(£1,732.28).The Francisfamily, Newtownto256p(£1,597.44) and 237p (£1,540.50)who also topped thenativeswith aAngusto237p(£1,464.66).The section average returned at 230p (£1,413.51). 84 Heifers -Not the vintageshowaslastweekbut as usualsomething foreverybodyand everybodyfor something!! Mr IanBrown &Family, Werrington headedthe section with aBlue to 312p (£1,840.80). TheWrightfamily, Herefordsaw Limousins to 308p (£1,660.12) and 294p (£1,684.62). Distant travellersMrGwyn Jones &family,Kerry sold Limousins to 302p (£1,485.84),282p(£1,567.92),259p(£1,652.42), 258p (£1,506.72)etc.Mr Edward Evans &family, Halfway House Limousin to 298p (£1,495.96), 278p (£1,228.76)etc.The Blackwell family, CotonIn-The-ElmsLimousinto290p(£1,548.60) etc. Nativessold to 257p (£1,711.62)for aAngusfrom DP.&Da. Jones, Hollowmoor Heath.The section average returned at 232p (£1,327.25).55dairy cattle –Asuper trade£200uponthe week with half of thecorrectmilkersmaking£2,000 or more. Heifers sold to £2,400 and£2,120fromJohn and Ebs Whittaker, Tabley. £2,300 and£2,200Hankins Heys, Nantwich. £2,250, £2,200, £2,180 and £2,120 Skinner Bros,MeltonMowbray.£2,250. £2,180 and £2,020 David Monk,Ormskirk, £2,050 Will May, Bromsgrove. Cows sold to £2,350 fora BrownSwisscross second calver with black and whitesecondcalvers to £2,220 and£2,100. An Ayrshirecross heiferfromGaryIbbs, Stoke-onTrentmade£2,200. AScandinavianRed cross heifer from Johnand Ebs Whitakersold for£1,950 ABritish Friesian heifer from JA Evans &Son,

Whitchurch sold for£1,600.Skinner Bros sold a Jerseysecond heifer for £1,600 andaJerseyheifer £1,400.Montbeliarde secondcalverfromJ& P Bradley, StokeonTern£1,550.Therewere16over £2,000 with thetop 20milkersaveraging £2,142. Stockbulls sold to £1,980 Angus(44 months) and £1,920 Limousin(17 months).Yearling heifers sold to £510 andcross bred calves to £260.220 store cattle –Backtobusiness this week andabumper entryfor December.Plenty of buyerspoweraround thering andafasttrade throughout. Just acouple of cowsand calves forwardtrading at £950 to £980 forHerefordoutfit. Abig entryofFriesian steer onoffer topping at £1,280 from D&ASwift &Son,Ivetsey with all thebestat£900to£1,000 or 180p to 200p/kg.Seeing an average of 179p/ kg.Farming steersgood to sell at £650 to£800or 150p to 170p/kg. Yarding cattle continue to ring the bellat£1,100to£1,300topping at £1,430 forBlues from Mr KF Watson,Marton.Plenty of cattle 200p to 220p/kgfor theright goodswithnative heifers mainly180pto200p/kg.1,708 prime lambs –More lambsonoffer selling to aslightlyeasiertrade as reported from other centresearlier oninthe week nevertheless well fleshed continentalsorts and heavieswereinstrong demand andsold to a very fasttrade.Atotal clearancereported andan overall market average returned at 240p.Lights sold to 236p for28kgs to return £66.08 forMrAJ Greaves, Ranton.Top priceinthe lumpwas £72.22 for MA Jones& Partners, Bronwylfa. Standards hit295pfor 39kgstogross £115.05for MessrsHF Jones, Nantmawr.Other notable prices as follows:£108.03(39kgs) LJ Plant&Son,£105.69(39kgs) Madders& Johnson,£105.41(36.6kgs) Madders& Johnson,£101.40 (39kgs)Mr JL Donlan. Mediums sold to 320p for 42kgstoreturn £134.40for Madders &Johnson, Hopton also achieving 320p wasRSwift &Sons, Little Onnwith45kgs selling to £144.00. Othersasfollows:-£135.29 (43.5kgs) Messrs HF Jones,£130.05(42.5kgs) DJ &P Smith, £127.72 (44.5kgs) RSwift &Sons, £127.08 (42.5kgs)RSwift &Sons, £124.12(42.8kgs)Mr MLokier. Heaviessoldto270pfor 47.5kgs to return£131.10 forJWLea &Sons, Blore. Topprice in thelumpwas £153.67for 60.5kgsfromDR& NG James, Berriew.The vast majorityofheavies traded between £116 to £130.746 rearing calves –aphenomenalnumber today,we’ve nowsold over30,000 calves on aWednesday in 2022.We wish to thankall of oursellersand buyers foryour continuedsupport. Thebesttrade today wouldbe themediumcalves as theedgewas just offthe top endoverall.Ontothe section round ups,Friesians okay to sell with topprice going to DRKAgriculture, Macclesfield at £130.Besttypes at £70to£110 and mediumsand smalls £25to£50.The native bulls sawadecentshowofquality with alot of demand forstrong Herefords.Top call went to P&F Jenkinson, Ridley at £215.Bestbulls at £150 to £200,mediumsat£90 to £140 andsmalls at £40 to £70. Next theContinental bulls,whichwerea strong tradeparticularlyfor themediums.Top call wasastunning Blue bull from DRK Agricultureat £440,and also worthamention wasa Charolais from J&AJ Weatherby,Sandbachat£405.Best at £250 to £300 andmediums at £160 to £240, smalls at £80 to £140.The native heifers have been apleasing tradewithmoredemand today but allbuyersworking to aprice andnot wanting to overpay.Top pricewenttoanHerefordfromHV Wright &Son Ltd,Haughton at £172,and Angusto Baddiley Hulse Ltd, Baddileyat£132. Besttypes £80 to £130,mediums £50to £70and smalls £25 to £40. TheContinentalheifershave been backto realitytoday aftera fewextremely good weeks. Top tier heifershave still been very dear with 16 over £250.Top call going to BluesfrombothAW& CM Barrow,Staffordand GGreen &Son,LachDennis at £305.Besttypes £180 to £270,mediums £100 to £160,smalls£50 to £80. AhandfulofWeanlings todayincluded BluesfromThe ArleyFarming Company, Bewdleyat£400.

Guidance given on howtoget most outofyour silage supply

Maximising thelitresofmilkproduced on farmsisa“no brainer”

Buthighinput costsmeandoing this cost-efficientlyisset to remain essentialin2023. That is themessage from Volacsilagespecialist PeterSmith.Hesaidalthoughmilk prices have hit45-50 penceper litre during 2022,dramaticcostincreases forfertiliser, feed andfuelmean findingwaystoproduce milk more cost-effectively will be vitaltostop thesecosts eating into profit.

Mr Smithsaid: ““Feed costsaccountfor asignificant proportion of theoverall cost of milk production andfertilisercosts have gone through theroof, so it’s important to getareturnonthese increased investments

“Whilepurchased feedsare a keyelement in most rations, homegrownfeeds will be themostcost-effectivebasetothe diet.Bymaking better silage,sothatmoreofthe cow’snutritional needs areprovided by silage,itcan help to ease feed costs. Andwithmilkpriceshaving improved, certainsteps to improve silage that mayhavepreviously been considered marginalbysome farmerscould now give amuchbetterreturnoninvestment.”

Pointing to ways of improvingsilage,MrSmith said paying extra attentiontocutting grassatits nutritional peak is key. Toomany fields arecut when grasshas already headed,he said,but digestibility fallsby0.5 Dunits aday post-heading. By oneweekpost-heading, around 1.5kgs more concentrate percow perday will need to be fed to make up forthis, he said,inorder to achievethe same milkyield

Heat ‘impactsheavily on cowproduction’

Dairyfarmers couldbelosingmilk production worth tens of thousands of poundsbyfailing to protecttheir cows from heat stress during the summer.

That wasthe message from independentvet consultant,DrTom ChamberlainfromChalcombe Ltd, at aLallemand Animal Nutrition workshopat TotalDairy Alivepollrun during the workshop indicated92per cent of farmershaveseenheatstress on their farm and86per cent thoughtthey’d lost more than50litres/cowduring lactationasaresultofthis, with

DAVIDBANNER newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

many suggesting they’d lost more than150 litres/cow.

To reiteratethe impactsofheat stress,duringthe workshopDr Chamberlainsharedresults of a study, carriedout in conjunction with Lallemand, to assess whether heat stress is aproblem in British dairyherds

Thestudy focusedonninefarms in Englandinthe summer of 2022 –from Cheshire in thenorth to Dev-

on in thesouth –and temperature andhumidityweremeasuredinside cattle sheds andout at grazing.

“The studyshowsthe amount of time cows suffered from heat stress during thetrial period, whichran from ApriltoOctober,was 57 per cent forcowskeptinside, and22per cent forthose outat grass,”saidDr Chamberlain.

He said thestudy suggeststhe averagehousedcow lost 139litresof milk production duetoheatstress during thesummer,while theaveragecow outat grassmissedout on 129litresofproduction.

Stress campaign boostedas organisation adds itssupport

Aleading health and safety organisation has joined acampaigntackling work-related stress in theagriculture sector.

TheInstitution of Occupational Safety andHealth(IOSH)has become thelatestpartneronthe WorkingMinds campaign

Thecampaignwas launched a year agobythe Health andSafety Executive (HSE).

Theworkplace regulator’s figures show of the1.7 millionworkers suffering from awork-relatedillness, almost half were sufferingfrom stress,depressionoranxiety

HSE’sWorking Mindscampaign encourages employers to startto tackle work-relatedstressand to talk to theirstaff andtakesteps to supportemployees with theirmentalhealthinthe workplace

Theagriculture sector is oneof theprioritysectors that arebeing

DAVIDBANNER newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

targeted by thecampaign. Thecampaignhas aseriesofpartnerswho workwithHSE to highlightissues around workplace stress andits impact on mental health including theFarmSafetyFoundation. With IOSH nowsignedup, it meansthe number of partners hasmorethan doubled to 19 sinceWorking Minds waslaunchedlastyear.

HSE’sresearchhighlightedmany employersare unaware of theirlegaldutiesorhow to spot thesigns of stress

In response,Working Minds looked to developnetworks to promote thelegal duties by encouragingemployersand workers across allsectors of theeconomy to sign up as campaign champions

Itsmainaim is to raise awareness of stress andthe impact it hasonmentalhealthofworkers andbusinesses. Thecampaignis

also recognisingthe significant milestone of 1,000Working Minds championsasitcelebratesits oneyear anniversary

LizGoodwill from theHSE said: “WhenwelaunchedWorking Minds ayearago,wewereunder no illusion that stress,anxietyand depression were on therise in theUK.

“Our aimwas to ensure psychosocialrisks aretreated thesameas physicalones, that employersrecognise theirlegal duty to prevent work-relatedstresstosupport good mental health in theworkplace,and that they have thetools they need to achievethis.

“Now,atatimewhenwehave majorchallenges facing thecountry, welcomingnew partners extendsour reachand helpsget our messages to businesses.Thatis whyIOSHjoining WorkingMinds is so important. These challenges canonlybetackled successfullyby working together as organisations, as businesses, as teams.”

Ruth WilkinsonfromIOSHsaid: “We’re really pleasedtobecollaboratingwiththe HSEand other UK partners on theWorking Minds campaign.Good mental health is justasimportant as good physical health.”

Managerofthe Farm Safety Foundation StephanieBerkeley said:“Physical andmentalhealth need to have equalair-timebecause they’resoimportantly linked.We know from ourresearchthatfor 94 percentofyoung farmerspoor mental health is thebiggesthidden danger in farmingtoday andthat’s whyweneed to worktogetheron theWorking Mindscampaign.”

Thetotal annual cost of poor mental health to employers hasincreasedby25per cent since2019, costingUKemployersup to £56billion ayear, accordingtoareportby Deloitte.Figures show employers cansee areturnof£5.30 on averagefor every£1invested in mental health

Loadallableto accessall areas

JCB’snew Loadall514-40telescopic handlerbringstogethermorethan 45 yearsoftelehandler development to create thesmallestoverallpackage, with bigmachine comfortand capabilities,bossessay

At just 1.8m tall and1.56m wide, the514-40has been designedtoaccess themostconfinedsites

Acompany spokespersonsaid: “Small enoughto fitthrough a2m high doorway, themachine delivers unparalleled manoeuvrability with all-wheelsteering,makingitan idealtelehandler forworking in and around thesmallestofbuildings andfarmyards,as well as at farm supply businesses,and in commercialhorticulture.

“The telehandlerispowered by alow maintenance24.7hpdiesel engine that meetsthe EU Stage Vemissions standard withoutthe need foracomplex Diesel ParticulateFilterorany diesel exhaust fluid.”

Winter wheat is addedtolist

DSVOxfordbecomesthe company’s latest British-bred hard Group4winter wheattojointhe AHDB Recommended List with aperformance very closetothe highestyielder in theclass DSV Champion, said DSVUK’sSarahHawthorne

Shesaid: “DSV Oxford is anothersuccess of ourWardington-basedbreedingprogramme combininghightreated and untreated yields with arobust diseasepackage borneout of ourbreedingstation’s relatively westerly location.”

Ms Hawthorneadded: “Our focusinrecentyears hasbeen on balancinghigh outright yieldpotential with consistency of production androbust agronomics focusedongiving UK producersan addedlayer of security in an increasingly difficult production environment.”

Barley best in class, says firm

KWS’songoing commitmentto breedingspringbarleys that deliver in themalthouse andthe fieldhas been underlined by theadditionof KWSCurtistothe 2023/24AHDB Recommended List

That is the view of thecompany’s cerealsproductmanager Dr Kirsty Richards Dr Richards said:“The firstofa pipeline of similar high performers now entering RL candidatetrials, KWSCurtisisastrongall-round varietybredspecificallytobeeasy to grow andmanagewhilst meeting thedemands of thesupplychain in an increasingly carbon footprintfocusedfuture.

“It’sahighyieldingtwo-row variety.

“Itoutperforms thebestinclass forquality whilst deliveringthe highestspirityields/ha of crop combinedwithreduced levels of carbon emissionsthroughoutthe production cycle.”

From left,DrTom Chamberlain, andNicoVreeburg andMark McFarlandfromLallemand

Carecompany to stageopenday

Acarehome in Shrewsbury is inviting thelocal communitytotake asneak peek inside itsnew,purpose-builtfacilities

Care UK’s OxbowManor,onOteleyRoad, will be openingits doors to thecommunity tomorrow (Friday) from 2-6pmsothatlocal people cantakea closer look at thestateof-the-art care home

Membersofthe communitycan book an appointmenttomeetthe team andtakeatouraroundthe care home,which comescomplete with itsown cinema,hairsalon and café

LindseyQuegan, home manager at OxbowManor,said: “We’re lookingforward to openingour doors to OxbowManor –itisset to be a greatday forall

“Weunderstandhow importantit is to gain arealinsightintoacare home,which is why we’reencouraginglocal people to come andtakea look around thefacilities.”

Teldocexpands with newoffice

Teldoc hascompleted theletting of amodernground flooroffice suiteatTelford’s Towergate House

Thesuite,which occupies an excellentlocationatEuston Way, extendstoapproximately 5,007sqft andwill be used by Teldoc –Shropshire’s first ‘Super-Surgery’–asadditional offices.

Teldoc,which hasapatient population of around 50,000 people,was createdthrough the merger of Oakengates Medical Practice,LawleyMedical Practice andTrinity Healthcare Toby Shaw,who handledthe letting of thesuite forTowler Shaw Roberts, said:“Towergate Housewas identified by Teldoc as suitable fortheir requirementsinproviding additional office space andweare delighted to have completedaletting.”

Firm landsdeal forhistory centre

Shropshire construction firm Pave Awayshas been awardedthe contracttodeliver abrand new£5.4m historycentre.

TheStaffordshire HistoryCentre will be formed by extendingthe existing county Record Office on Eastgate StreetinStaffordtoincorporate theWilliam Salt Library.

Amodernglazedentrancewill link both buildings, creating exhibition spacetoshowcasemuseum, archiveand librarycollections with additional strong roomsinstalled to buildspace forafurther 55 yearsof collections.

Managing director Steven Owen said:“We areverypleased to be working with thecouncil to deliver this flagshipbuilding, whichwill play an importantrolein thepreservation anddevelopmentofStaffordshire’shistory

“Havingpreviouslybuiltarecordsand archives centre in Mid Wales, we can’twaittoget started.”

Newa-fjordable flightstoNorway

Flights andcitybreakstoBergeninNorwayare to be launched from Birmingham Airportin 2024

Leisureairline Jet2.com and Jet2CityBreaks planstostart the programmeinthe spring of that year to give people an opportunity to experience Norway’s famous fjords

Theprogramme is nowonsale.

Theleading leisureairline and city breakspecialistislaunching thenew programmeinresponse to increasing demand from customers whoare lookingfor more discovery-basedexperienceholidays. Theprogramme is part of anew andgrowing productrange called Discover More, designed to appeal to thosetravellerswitha sense of adventure.

Making Christmasplans forbusiness

Newresearchreveals 36 percentof UK adults believechildrenwho are good at playingboard gameslike Monopolyare morelikelytobecome entrepreneurs in laterlife.

Theresearchcommissionedby Virgin StartUpcomesatatime when 26 percentofUK adults say they plan to launch abusinessin 2023, with 46 percentof18-24 year olds saying they areplanningto become an entrepreneurnextyear.

Thesurveyofmorethan2,000 UK adults foundmorethanathird(36 percent) will ‘use thefestive break to workonour business plans’ whilst oneinthree (33per cent)will be spending less over thefestive period to help fund anew venture

Virgin StartUpmanagingdirector Andy Fishburn said:“It’s encouragingtosee so many people showinganinterestinstartingup theirown business next year.”

Apprenticescould be answer for firmsin recruitment fight

MATTHEWPANTER

matthew.panter@mnamedia.co.uk

Shropshirecompanies strugglingtorecruit staffinthe challenging economic climateare beingurged to look at apprenticeshipsasthe potentialanswer.

Thecounty’schamber of commercewarns that seriousrecruitment struggles facing localbusinesses have createda‘dangerous tickingtimebomb’ forthe economy.

Beckie Bosworth, TelfordCollege’s head of employer engagement,said: “Companies say they arestrugglingtoattract candidates fora diverse rangeofpositions. They areeithergetting no applicationsatall,orattractingpeoplewho lack therequiredskillsets

“The beauty of an apprenticeship is you canmould acandidate to yourcompany’s specificrequirements–and from theirpoint of view,theywill earn andlearn at the same time.”

Apprenticeshipsoffer apathway into permanentjobs.

Beckie added: “Apprenticeships arerealjobs. Forthe apprentice, it’s achancetogainvaluablequalifications, alongsidereal-worldwork experience.For theemployer, it’s an opportunitytogrowyourown talent, shaped to your specificneeds.”

To find outabout apprenticeships at TelfordCollege,see telfordcol lege.ac.uk

LeeSmith,owner of theaward-winningLudlow firm Lost YearsRum

Firm sets outmission to save million turtles

An award-winningbusiness, formed at theheightoflockdown, haslaunchednew products as it sets an ambitious environmental target –tohelpsaveone million seaturtles

Lost YearsRum,based in Ludlow, whichrecentlycelebratedits second birthday, ploughs profits into supporting seaturtleconservation

Throughits partnershipwith

MATTHEWPANTER newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

US charitySEE Turtles, every bottle of rumsoldgenerates a donation to supportcommunity-basedconservation. Thecompany,the creation of Leeand Trudy Smith, hashelpedsavemorethan 50,000 baby seaturtles

Thefamilywereinspiredto

launch thebusiness on atripto Jamaica.

Thebusinesshas provedabig success so farand this month the familylaunchedanew Wandering Turtle range.

Leeadded: “Wehavewon 16 awards with ourrum,for itsquality, sincewestarted thebrand.We received aMasterMedal forone of ourrums, of whichonly12were given outglobally.”

Expressdeliveryaslogistics firm adds to fleet

Transportand logisticscompany CargoExpress have continued theirbusinessgrowthbyadding threenew vehicles to their fleet.

Operatingout of Birmingham and Telford, thelogistics experts providetransport,logistics,customs andwarehousing solutions acrossthe UK andinternationally, delivering to morethan2,000 destinationseveryweek.

Theexpansion of theirvehicle fleetwithtwo newScaniaR460 trucks andaRenault Master Low Loader is thelatestinalongline of developmentstothe business focusedonproviding better logistics services to theirclients.Ear-

lier this year CargoExpress also expanded theirteam, employinghighlytrained individualsin preparationfor thecustoms declaration changes from thecurrent CHIEFsystemtothe newCDS They nowoffer afullymanaged customsdeclaration servicethat ensuresthe seamless importand export of clients’ goodsacrossthe UK,Europeand beyond,including acting as Importer of Record and supporting with thepreparation andsubmissionofall necessary documentation.

This comesontop of becoming oneofthe few firmsin itsclass to achievethe Driver andVehicle

Managing director of CargoExpress, Joseph O’Reilly, said:“It’s an exciting period forus. We’realways lookingtoinvestinthe fleet, drivers, andother team members to ensure we providecustomers with thehigheststandardofservicesinthe logisticsindustry.”

Joseph andthe CargoExpress team arealready preparingfor furtherincreases to theiroperating fleetin2023astheir business continues to grow,witha further 13 vehicles andmultipletrailers on order anddue in thenextfew months

MD Joseph O’Reilly

ACROSS

7. Bay window,often supportedby brackets (5)

8. Pear-shaped fruit of the treePersea americana (7)

9. Viral disease also called German measles (7) 10. Croatian seaport on the Adriatic (5) 12. Alfred, field marshal who devised aplan forGerman strategy in World WarOne (10)

15.The partofthe alimentarycanal between the stomach and the pharynx (10) 18. Republic whose capital is Damascus (5) 19. Popewho introduced the calendar currently in use (7) 21. American television westerndrama featuring theCartwright family (7)

22. ‘--- Ivory’, novel by R. M. Ballantyne (5)

DOWN 1. See 13 Down

2. Baggins, character in The Hobbit (5)

3. Israeli airline (2,2)

4. Lauren, actress formerlymarried to Humphrey Bogart (6)

5. Henri, French painter known as le Douanier (8)

6. Boris, horror film actor bornWilliam Henry Pratt (7)

11. Former state of E. Africa (10)

13 &1DRudyard Kipling novelset off Massachusetts (8,10)

14. ‘Air on the ---’, arrangement of the second movement of Bach’sSuite no. 3 (1-6)

16. The Sea is abranch of the Mediterranean between Greece and Turkey (6)

17. The Sea in the Pacific extends from the New Hebrides to Australia (5)

20. River in the Czech Republicand Germany which flows intothe North Sea (4)

WORD WISE

GONFALON

A Pedantic style of writing

B An ancient continent

C Ensign or standardwith streamers

1983 German GP (6)

Ibrahima retired Senegalese defender who was at Ipswich Town from 2011-12 and Harlow Town from 2015-18 (5)

Paul ......., a1980 and 1982 Wimbledon men’sdoubles tennis champion (7)

Dean ......., England Test cricketer who took 6-60 against Australia at Melbourne in 1998 (7)

Clay shooting, sport also called clay target shooting (6)

MS ....., Man of the Match in the 2011 Cricket World Cup Final (5)

See 18 Across

Hashim South Africa Test cricketer who hit aworld record311 n.o. against England at The Oval in London in 2012 (4)

P F T U Y C E S A E B T A E D S N B B O R K N S K Q Q J S A M U L K B O A A I C U Q N W Y J U G M N W T H S A C A N A V R I N Z Q S G

The following events all occurred in living memory.Can you guess the year?

1The US Navy shot down an Iranian airbus

2AFish Called Wanda became ahuge hit at British cinemas

3Top rate income tax was cut from 60% to 40%

4Paddy Ashdown was elected leader of the SLD party

1Christian Dior’sNew Look was unveiled in Paris

2AlCapone died

3British rule in India came to an end

4Harold Wilson joined the Cabinet at the age of 31

1The Mousetrap opened in London

2RichardNixon went on TV to deny misusing funds

3The English translation of Anne Frank’sdiary was published

4Elizabeth Taylor married Michael Wilding

QUICK QUIZ

1. Which choirmaster lifted the nation’sspirits during the coronavirus outbreak with the BBC2 series The Choir: Singing for Britain? 2. What type of creatureisacoot? 3. In which county is the sea port Harwich? 4. Which method of food preservation uses vinegar? 5. Of which country was ImreNagy prime minister? 6. What type of precious stone is the hardcrystalline form of carbon? 7. What is the astronomical term for ashooting star? 8. Of which country was Macbeth king from 1040? 9. How is the fairground ride the big wheel also known? 10. What arethe two official languages of Canada?

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

Ex-Commando’s flying stars

Star fascinated by vanity of MP whofaked owndeath

Fast andsleek,Paint wasa greatfavourite.

Paintwas apigeon, andnot just anyold pigeon, butastarracingpigeoninLionelSwadling’steam.

Lionel Swadling,from Bridgnorth, wasone of Shropshire’s once largearmyofpigeonracers, theabilities of hisbirds complemented by hisown skillswhich made hima valued figure in the localpigeonracingworld.Agood mathematician, he couldworkout velocities by hand,longbeforethe adventofcalculators

Apicture we carriedawhile ago of theWrekinHomingPigeonSocietyprompted hisdaughterPhyl Taylor to getintouch,asLionelwas once itssecretary

During thewar he served in the Commandos, before beingswitched to theIntelligenceCorps andworkingatthe topsecretcodebreaking centre at BletchleyPark, although Phyl andher sister Elaine Swadling know virtuallynothing of hiswartime serviceashenever spoke about thosedays. “Afterthe war

TOBY NEAL Nostalgia

ourfatherreturnedtohis previousjob as aWiltoncarpetweaver making beautiful expensive carpetswhich ultima went to bighotel cruise ships,”saidP from Bridgnorth Anditseems it in this post-warp od that he took up racing,joining Bridgnorth Hom PigeonSociety. Hi pigeonloftwas on hisallotment afew hundredyards away from hisSevernStreethome, andwhenhe later movedtoStNicholas Crescent the loftwentwith himand wasput in thegarden Sherememberst he hadaspecialclo

whichwould record thetimeaspecialringcarried on theleg of areturningpigeonwas slotted in Shecan’t remember how many pigeons he kept.

“Itwas probably 15 Ishouldsay, ever verymuchinas achild– anddon’t omuch.

enever allowednear yoncewentintothe rhad abscesses on andwas in bedand hadtogivemeinructions on whatto do andhow to getin andfeed them

“Theywerealways fedverywell. My mother used to saytheywere fedbetterthanwe were.”

TheBridgnorth groupwas quitea ving societyatthe me andwas basedat eBull HotelinLow

Town.Her late father additionally became secretaryofthe Wellington-basedWrekinfederation, which wasmuchlarger, servingfrom about 1950 untilroughly 1960

“Hewas responsiblefor arrangingfor thebirds to be sent off wherever they were going. He was also instrumental in them buying atransporter,which wasa huge trucktogoabroadwiththe birds. They used to go over to France and somebody over therewould release them.Hedid notgohimself

“Itwas exciting stuffwaitingfor them to come back.They’re very clever birds.”

Bridgnorth wasinthose days a town knownfor itscarpetmaking. Hisjob as acarpetweaverwas at Southwell’s, whichbecamethe Kidderminster Carpet Company, where he workeduntil theBridgnorth plantclosed.

Lionel,who hadsome pigeonracingsuccesses,winningcupsand prizes, gave up thepastime onhis retirement at theage of 65 anddied at theage of 83 in 1991

MatthewMacfadyen said the “chutzpah andvanity” of the West Midlands MP whofaked hisdeath is fascinating as he playshim in an upcoming ITV series

The48-year-old Succession actor, whoplays JohnStonehouse in Stonehouse,addedthat inthe former cabinetminister’s “mind’seye”hewas JamesBond as played by RogerMoore

Macfadyen starsalongside his wife of nearly 20 years, Keeley Hawes, whowill play Stonehouse’swifeBarbara,in thereal-lifedrama writtenbyformer journalist andnewspaper editor JohnPreston

In 1974,Labour’s former postmastergeneral andWalsall NorthMPStonehouse left his clothesand passport on aMiamibeach –fuelling speculation he hadbeeneaten by ashark –and fled usinga passport in the name of adeadconstituent Months later he turned up in Australia, wherethe authorities suspected he wasactuallyLord Lucan, whowentmissingatthe time afterbeing suspected of murderinghis children’s nanny.

Once Stonehouse’s identity wasrevealedhewas sent back to Britainand jailed forseven yearsin1976for theft, fraud anddeception –onlythendid he quit as an MP

It wasalsolater revealed he hadalso been working as an agentfor theCzechoslovak Socialist Republicmilitary intelligence.

Macfadyen said:“In Stonehouse’smind’seye he wasEdward Fox, RogerMoore –one of thoseguysinan overcoat with thecollarturnedup.

He also said:“It’s that chutzpah, asortofvanity, whichI foundfascinating.‘I’ll just do it –it’ll work’.”

Hawes, 46,saidStonehouse’s “incrediblybright, confident andsavvy”wifemusthave foundit“horrendous, humiliatingand deeply upsetting for her” andtheir children at the time.Theythought he wasdead for five weeks, to then discover he wasinAustraliaand he had an affair with hissecretary

Sheadded: “I thinkshe was very strong andbrave underthe circumstances.”

Stonehouse will beginonITV on January2,2023.

John Stonehousecelebrates

SomeofLionel’s belovedbirdsthat were kept in hispigeon loft at home

Lionel Swadling,left, with twounidentified Commandocolleagues

Lionel,second from right, with fellow pigeon racers.Third from rightisaMr Holloway.The manfar righthad only oneeye anddrove abus.Thirdfromleftis KenKnowles,fromAlveley,and thesurnameofthe person second from left is thought to be Delo.The photograph is undated

Feeling festive?

TopEuropean cities to getinto seasonal spirit

Cities around theworld transform into festivewonderlands during theChristmas season, andonesEuropeare among some of themostimpressive.

Holidu,the bookingportalfor holidayrentals,has crunched thedatatorevealwhich cities in Europe arethe most festive Berlin, Germany

It’s official– Berlin takes first prizeasthe most festivecityin Europe.Thiscityisnostranger to Christmasmarkets, with more than 80 scatteredacross thecityand the firstdating back to 1530.Beblown away by FrankfurterAllee’s Christmas Carnival andenjoy asteaming cupofGlühweinasyou take in thecolourful lights, or head to Berlin Town Hall andridethe iconic Ferris wheel.

Vienna,Austria

Skatingintosecondplaceon thelististhe Austrian capital. With its first“December Market” dating allthe waybackto 1298, Vienna is afestive wonderland. ItsmostfamousChristmasmarket is Rathausplatz

Prague,Czech Republic

Whilehavingfewer Christmasmarkets, Prague still packs apunch with itssearches and Instagramhashtags forthe winter season.Peopleare not only drawntoits picturesque cobblestonedstreetsand festive markets, butalsoits affordability!Check outsomeofthe main attractions likethe magnificent Christmastrees located in both Old Town Square and WenceslasSquare. Prague is a must-visit this winter if you are lookingtoget festive!

Munich,Germany

With rootsstretching back to 1310 when the firstofficial ‘Christmas market’ took place in Germany, theBavariancapital holds some of theoldest festivestalls. Checkout the bustling Christkindlmarkt in Marienplatzsquarewithmore than 150stalls, or thecharming Christmas Villageatthe Munich Residenz

Copenhagen,Denmark

In theheart of theOld Town, you will find theJulemarkedin HøjbroPlads.Ifyou arein fora thrill,check outTivoliGardens, themarketinthe second-oldest amusementparkinthe world!If you areaftertradition, you will want to checkout Julemarked KongensNytorv.

Historyand charmamong the ingredientsfor perfectbreak

Thecharmingcityispacked with historyand offers awealthof unique boutiques, quirky cafesand restaurants, alongsideall theusual high street chains

Anditispossibletoexplore and make themostofits charms on foot

Afriendand Ispent acoupleof nights at HotelIndigo–acontemporary boutique hotelwhich opened in June 2019 in Grosvenor Park Road.Justa shortwalkfromthe heartofChester,the stylishhotel’s roomsweredesignedtoreflectthe city’s famous architecture andthe oldest racecourse in theUK.

Thereare 75 guestrooms, decorated in threebeautiful themes, each inspired by theheritageand locality of historic Chester. Allrooms areequippedwithcomfy Hypnos beds with luxury Egyptian cotton linen, spa-inspired bathrooms, Nespressocoffeemachines, high speed Wi-Fiand avariety of channels on a 40” flat screen TV

Mealsare served in thehotel’s 70-seater restaurant,which is home to chef andrestaurateurMikeRobinson’sThe Forgewhich opened in 2021.The open kitchencooks over wood andcharcoal, usingamazing wild andlocally reared meat,thatis allaged on thepremises

Atable forbreakfast needs to be pre-booked andawarmwelcome is always on themenu. Thetop notch servicewas matchedbythe deliciousand extensivechoiceofcontinental andtraditional English breakfastoptions, includingfresh fruit, pastries,cereals andcheese. Iplumped forscrambled eggs and salmon on thesecondmorning and it wasdeliciousand cooked just right. Theperfect starttoaday spentexploring what this historic city hastooffer

Amustfor anyChester trip is the historic Rows –the city’s medieval

networkofopengalleries at first floorlevel that line themainstreets in thecentre.The Rows boasts a mixofhigh-street namesand individual boutiques, galleriesand more. Aself-guidedaudio tour is availableatwww.visitchester.com/ discover-the-rows–tours arealso availableatwww.romantoursuk. comand www.chestertours.org.uk

From onehistoricshoppingexperience to amuchmoremodernone Just opened in NorthgateStreet is thenew ChesterMarket. Open six days perweek, it replaces themarket whichhad been locatedinthe Forumsinceitopenedin1967.

The11th-centurycathedral is acityhighlightand it’s possible to take acathedral at height tour, whereyou climbtothe topofthe towerfor afabulousviewover the city,acrossthe surroundingcountryside andtowards theWelsh hills.

Theoriginalcathedral,until 1541,was St Johnthe Baptist, on

Vicar’sLane, whichhas some romantic ruinsatone side,aswellas an impressive entrancearchand acclaimedNormaninteriors, with a14th-centurywallpaintingofSt John.

Next to thechurchisanexcavated sectionofthe city’s Romanamphitheatre,the UK’s largest. Just around thecornerare theRoman Gardens.

TheGrosvenor Museum hasa fascinating collection of Roman gravestones, whichtellthe stories of gladiators andother people of that time in picturesand words.

An unusual take on localhistory is nowavailable at Sick To Death, an entertaining newmuseum that tellsthe gory tale of medicine throughtime. Theteamhas just opened theDeva RomanDiscovery Centre,too Making themostofasunnyday, we took ahalfhourcitycruisewith ChesterBoat. Thefamily-owned

companyhas more than 40 years’ experience of welcomingvisitorsto thebeautiful RiverDee.The tour takesvisitorsonascenictripto thecitylimits with an informative sightseeing commentary

Othercitycentre attractions includeStoryhouse, theartshub,set in thecity’sold ArtDecocinema. Nowithas atheatre,acinemaand thepubliclibrary;Grosvenor Park is thecity’smaingreen spaceand features aminiature railway. The park is next to TheGroves, the promenade by theRiverDee

Furtheralong,the wallsoverlook ChesterRacecourse,aka TheRoodee,the oldest working racecourse in Britainand setinthe former Romanharbour

Chesteralso offers awidechoice of cafesand restaurant servinga wholehostofcuisines. Andwith achoiceofpubsand bars, Chester really does have allthe ingredients foragreat weekendaway.

If youfancy aweekend away with your significant other, afriendora family member,why not choseChester?

Ascenicboattripalongthe

TheRows–amedievalnetwork of

Berlin tops thelist

Putthe pizzazzintoplating up over theChristmas period

SAMWYLIE-HARRIS PressAssociation

Want to bringalittle magictothe Christmas table this year?Really putthe pizzazzintoplatingup?

“Forgetthe minimalChristmas tabledesign,”saysAlyshaAlli,head of interiorsatRedrow. “Bringinga sliceofyourpersonality to thetable will ensureyou standout.”

Indeed,styling up yourtable settingisa sure-fire waytoshowcase yourfestive flair– especially if you’relooking forsome wow factor when hostingfamilyand friends.

“Incorporatinghints of amore personal palettecreates amuch moreauthentic look,withacontemporary edgeonthe classicChristmas,”suggests Alli

When it comestocreatingyour look,she says blending luxurious fabricslikegreen velvet with rich comforting textures such as redlinens, or usingdried botanicals with open constructionsfor an organic look is on trend this year

Classical

“Pairing these with contemporary finishes like mixedmetallics canexude a‘perfectlyimperfect’ finish foranunderstated classical Christmas look,” sheadds.

Andfor peaceofmind–especially if you’re anewbie to themingyour tablewareand dinner setting –Wendy Rea, expert floristatDirect2Florist,sayscreatingaluxurious tablescapedisplay forChristmas that looksprofessionallydonedoesn’t have to be stressfulorexpensive

“The firstthing you need to decide on is your theme, liketraditional or modern,and then yourcolour scheme,” suggests Rea.

Onceyou’vedecidedonthe theme, shesaystopickthree to four keycolours you want to incorporate throughoutthe display.

Littledetails –likenapkins,rib-

bons, crackers and flowers–can be pulled in forcolourful accents, whiletreedecorations canbeawonderfulway to addinterestand pops of personalitytoyoursetting,too

Whetheryou want to create a more elaborate centrepiece,orkeep it simplebypopping abaubleatop each plate, it’s allabout injecting some style.

Alli also suggest exploringdifferenttextilesand finishes

“Tactile finishes standout,” she says,“so look fordifferent materials, likefeltand velvet foranindulgent feeling. Tabledressings combinedwithcolourful accessories likenutcrackercandles will also help create acelebratory mood

“Tinted glassdecorations andusingtabletopLED lighting or candle holdersalso addawarmambiance to yourtable,” notes Alli.Rea says

to dot these around yourfoliage and flowerstocompletethe centrepiece. “Thisisyourchancetobereally creative.A floral displaythat’s fresh, dried, or both is usuallywhat professionalsoftenopt for.

“You cancreateyourown,orbuy one if you’restuck fortime,”suggestsRea. “One of my professional tips is if your floral displayisextravagant,chooseasimplevase– if it’s notsobold, choose amorelavish vase.”

Forthe final flourish,whenit comestoarranging stemware for thetable,HilaryGreen,headof design at Dartington Crystal, says positioningiskey

“Creatingastunningfestive tablesetting hasbecome one of the biggest Christmastrendsinrecent years,”observesGreen.“Festive decorationsand beautifulcrockery

usuallytakethe most attention,” shecontinues.“However,drinkware provides the finishingtouch and, likeeverything else on thetable, requires carefulconsideration.”

When selectingdrinkware for thetable,Green says to only includeglasses guests requirefor both thestarter andmaincourses. Although,ifyou don’t really have space forall of these at once –don’t worry

“Any glassesrequired forfollowingcourses, such as adessert wine glass, should be placed on thetable afew minutesbeforethe course is served,” adds Green.

Dependingonformalities,family traditions, children andthe menu, once everything’s in full swing, shesaysglasses no longer required should be removedfromthe tableto free up space.

Usethe winter seasontoget your plotsready forplanting

Christmas maybenearing,but don’tthink youcan sittightjust because thenightshavedrawn in –there’s plenty you couldbe doingonthe allotmentorvegetablepatch nowtogive yourself aheadstart fornextyear.

Gardeningexpert, author andYouTuberCharles Dowding(charlesdowding.co.uk)urges people to usethe winter to give soil aboost andmakeplots readyfor planting.Headvises: Lose theweeds

“Ifyou have amassofweeds on yourallotment whichare goingtobetoo much effort to hand-weed,lay cardboardon top, with alittlebit of compost on topofthat, whichshouldget you weed-freeveryquickly.”

Leavethe roots of finished crops

“Don’t trytoheave allthe rootsofspent cropsout.Justcut them offatgroundlevel,takingout enough of thetop that they can’tregrow. Then youcan spread abit of compostoverthe surfaceand you’reready forthe followingyear.”

Lift some remainingveg

Whilesome vegetables like parsnips canremaininthe ground over winter,Dowding recommends lifting carrotsbefore they startbeing eatenby slugs. “Turnipscould also be liftedastheyget frosted,”he adds.“Celeriac canget aleaf diseasewhich will make it start to rot, so Ireckontoget celeriac outbythe middle of December andthe same with beetroot.”

Tend to fruits

Autumn-fruitingraspberry canescan be cutdownto ground level betweenDecember andMarch.Spreadwoodycompostorwoodchip over thearea, he advises

Don’tdig

“The only diggingI’d recommend is if you’ve gotany woody plants or brambles or large docksonyourallotment,the sort of plants whichwould come through amulch.Dig them out.”

Take care of overwinteringcrops

Spring onions, cabbageand cauliflowers, sown at theend of August andtransplantedby theend of September,should be establishedbeforewinter “Provide protection,particularly with brassicaswhich canbe attacked by pigeons.”

Bring aslice of your personality to thetable to ensure youstand out, says Alysha Alli,headofinteriorsatRedrow

Wilko8-packmajestic bloom crackers,WilkoKew GardensLiving Jewels dinnerservice,PureTable Top

GardenerCharles Dowding

Canair fryer recreate easy dishes and save youcash?

As thecost-of-livingcrisisbites, you mightbelooking forwaysto save money in thekitchen –and using an airfryer couldbethe key.

NewresearchfromWhich? (which.co.uk)suggestsair fryers canbeuptothree timescheaper to runthantraditional ovens. If you’venever used an air fryer,you couldbeforgivenfor thinking it just friesfood, butin ahealthier way. Butthe truth is, you canfry,bakeorroast most things with these gadgets –fromroastingawhole chicken to baking acake. Which? found that whileitcosts around 39pto cook aroast chickeninan oven, an airfryer wouldcost18p to cook a“perfect” roastchicken Of course,any savingswould need to be balanced againstthe initialprice of an airfryer –whichcan cost up to £300,with cheapermodelscominginat around £50.

Ocado’s(ocado.com) in-house food expert LauraRowesaysair fryersare “incrediblyversatile Here aresome deliciousways to cook in an airfryer

1. French toast–Rowesuggests coatingsliced breadin a custardmixture of beaten egg, milk, vanillaextract andcinnamon,thenshaking offany excess liquid before placingthe slices in yourair fryer andcookingthemfor around threeminutes on each side

2. Cheesecroquettes –Danilo Cortellini,formerheadchefat theItalian Embassy in London, suggests making (orbuying) a tomato,chilli andgarlicsauce, andmixing200gofsmall white breadcubes with 300g of grated GranaPadanocheese, four eggs,garlic, parsleyand seasoning, andkneadingitintosmall balls.

Lightlyspray theballs with oiland placeinbatches in the airfryer.Cookat180˚Cfor two minutes,turnand cook foranothertwo minutesuntil golden, then serveontop ofthe tomato sauce.

3. Speedypizza –Rowesuggests usingpitabread or tortilla wrapsasanalternative pizza base,spreading them with tomato saucebeforeair frying for around eightminutes.Add grated cheeseand toppings of your choice,press them firmly into thebase, andcookfor afurther threeminutes

Enjoyfestive food that is full of flavour, butlow on sodium

CelebrateChristmasthe healthierway this December,withfestive recipes from LoSalt®.

From aClementineMarinated PrawnCocktailthatservesasthe perfectChristmas dinner starter, to aJewelledRoast Turkey &Couscous Salad, whichisideal forusing up leftovers, each recipe is lowsodium butstill full of flavour.

LoSalthas 66%lesssodiumthan regulartable,sea or rock salt,and canbeusedexactly thesameway as normalsalt, whethercooking,bakingorseasoning with it

CLEMENTINE MARINATEDPRAWN COCKTAIL

Ingredients: Serves four 3clementines,2zested, 3juiced

Method: Mixthe zest of aclementine andjuice of twowiththe garlic, half theLoSaltand alittleblack pepper,stirinthe prawns andmarinate forat least30minutes

Mixtogetherthe mayonnaise, yogurt,remaining clementine zest andjuice andremaining LoSalt.

Heat theoil in afryingpan and addthe prawns andjuice andfry on ahighheatfor twominutes until pink

Divide thelettuce betweenfour bowls, topwiththe avocado, prawns andthe juices andspoon over the sauce. Usinga9cm star cutter,cut four starsfromthe toasttoserve

Cookstip: Marinate theprawns andmakethe dressing aheadof time andsimplycookand assemble when required

CHRISTMASBISCOTTI

Ingredients: Makes30biscuits

175g plain flour

½tsp baking powder

1tsp mixed spice

125g golden castersugar

¼tsp LoSalt

2mediumeggs, beaten

Zest 1orange

50gdriedcranberries

50gwhole blanched almonds

25gmilk chocolate chips

Method: Preheatthe oven to 180oC, gasmark4.Linealarge baking traywithbaking parchment

Mixthe flour, baking powder, mixedspice, sugarand LoSaltin alarge bowl andmix in theeggs andorangezest, bringthe dough

together with yourhands to form a soft dough.Stirin thecranberries, almondsand chocolatechips.Divide into two, on a flouredsurface, roll each to a25cm sausage shape, transfer to thebakingtrayand bake for25-30 minutes.Allow to cool.Reducethe oven temperature to 140oC, gasmark1

Sliceeachloafwitha serrated knifeinto1½cmslicesdiagonally andplacebackonthe tray.Bakefor 15 minutes,turnoverand bake for afurther 15 minutes.Allow to cool completely

Cookstip: Greatbagged up as aChristmas gift or simply served with coffee

JEWELLED ROASTTURKEY& COUSCOUS SALAD

Ingredients: Serves four 200g wholewheat couscous Bunchspringonions, thinly sliced

200g roastturkey, shredded 100g driedapricots, chopped 100g pistachios

100g pomegranate seeds 28gpackcoriander,chopped Juice4satsumas

2tbspextravirginolive oil

½tsp LoSalt Black pepper

Method: Placethe couscous in a largebowland pour over 300ml boiling water, cover with clingfilm andleave for five minutes. Fluff up with aforkand allowtocool.

Stirin theonions, turkey,apricots,nuts, pomegranateseedsand coriander.

Mixtogetherthe satsumajuice, oil, LoSaltand alittleblack pepper andstirintothe salad.

Cookstip: Tryusing leftover roastchicken or some cooked tiger prawns insteadofturkey. Tryswapping thepistachioswithwalnuts or pecans

SPROUT,CABBAGE &CRANBERRY STIR FRY

Ingredients: Serves four as an accompaniment

1tbspolive oil

1onion,sliced(180g)

300g frozen Brusselssprouts, defrostedand halved

½Savoy cabbage, shredded 180g pack wholechestnuts, roughlychopped 3tbspcranberry sauce(75g)

½tsp LoSalt

Method: Heat theoil in alarge fryingpan andfry theonion forthree minutes untilgolden.Stirinthe sprouts, cabbage, chestnutsand 2 tbspwater andstirfry for five minutes.Stirinthe cranberrysauce andLoSaltand heat through fora minute.

Cookstip: Freshorleftover sproutsworkjustaswellasfrozen.

Clementine Marinated PrawnCocktail

Sprout, cabbage&cranberry

Christmas biscotti

Jewelled roast turkey &couscous

Roast chickeninanair fryer

Deliciousdinner partydishes that will impressyourguests

CAESAR DRESSING, CROUTONS

Ingredients: Serves four

Michelin-starred West Midlands chef Andreas Antona hasa newbook outfor Christmas, called Eureka.

These recipes,sharedfromthe book,provide greatideas fordinner partydishes. Thebookisavailable directly from Chef Antona’s restaurant,Simpsons,atEdgbaston.

CANTALOUPE, HONEYDEWAND WATERMELON SALAD,

withFeta, Pomegranate, Salted Melon Seeds,Basil

Ingredients: Serves four Melon Salad

400g watermelon

400g cantaloupemelon

400g honeydewmelon

120mlolive oil

45ml balsamicglaze

Salt Pepper

To Finish:

Seedsfromsmall pomegranate 200g feta cheese, crumbled 75gsaltedmelon seeds

Basil

Forthe melonsalad: To prepare thewatermelon,remove allrind anddiceinto1cm cubes.

Forthe cantaloupe,scoop outthe seeds anddiscard. Remove therind andthinlyslice thecantaloupeusingapeelertocreateribbons

To preparethe honeydewmelon, remove therindand seedsand dice into 1cmcubes.Inabowl, whisk together theolive oiland balsamic glaze. Addthe melon to thebowl andseasonwithsaltand pepper to taste. Mixuntil evenly coated

To Finish:Place themelon in a bowl.Sprinklethe feta,melon seeds andpomegranate seeds on top. Garnish with basil.

COD, BABY GEM,BLACK GARLIC, ROASTEDJERSEYPOTATOES

Ingredients: Serves four

500g Jersey Royals, halved

Salt

2tbspunsaltedbutter

Chives, chopped finely

2headsofbabygem lettuce, base root removedand halved 2tbspolive oil

Salt &Pepper

100mlchicken stock

4cod fillets(180g per fillet),

Method: Putthe JerseyRoyalsin apan andcoverwithcold, salted water.Bring to theboilover medium heat,thenreducethe heat and simmer forabout 10 to 15 minutes untiltender.Drain once cooked.Before serving,melttwo tablespoons of butter in asaucepanand addthe JerseyRoyals. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Forthe Baby Gem: Heat thevegetable oilina frying panovermedium heat.Place thebabygem inside theplancut side down.Cookuntil nicely browned. Carefullyturnover andpourinthe stock. Reduce the

heat andcontinuetocookfor about five to 10 minutes, untilsoftbut still hold theirshape.Remove from thepan anddrain on kitchenpaper

Forthe Cod: Preheatthe oven to 180˚C. Coat thecod in flourand shakeofany excess.Lightlycoatan oven prooffryingpan with oliveoil andplaceovermediumheat. When hot, placethe codinthe panand fry forabout twotothree minutes until golden.Carefully flip thecod over andadd in atablespoonofbutter. Bastethe codwiththe melted butterand placeinthe oven forabout four to five minutesuntil cooked through.Add asprinkleofMaldon salt.Itisrecommended to cook the fish rightbeforeserving

To Finish:Scoop theJerseyRoyalsintoasidedishand topwith chives.Place thebabygem lettuce on aplate andpipea couple of dots of blackgarlic. Topwithnasturtiums. Placecod next to thebaby gemand serve.

GEM LETTUCE, BLACKPUDDING, POACHED HEN’SEGG, GRUYÈRE,

CaesarDressing: 2anchovies, mashed 2clovesofgarlic,roastedand crushed or 1clove of rawgarlic, crushed 100g mayonnaise 120g Parmesan, finely grated ½tsp Dijonmustard 30ml lemonjuice

Blackpepper& salt to taste

GemLettuce Salad: 4heads baby gemlettuce 200g blackpudding,crumbled Poached Hen’sEgg

4large eggs 1tsp whitewinevinegar Salt &Pepper

To Finish: Croutons

Gruyere shavings Chives, finely chopped

Method: ForThe CaesarDressing–Mix theanchovy,garlic, Dijon mustardand lemon juicetogetherin amediumbowlora pestleand mortar. Addinthe Parmesanand mayonnaise.Mix untilfullycombined andthe consistencyisofyoghurt.If it is toothick,add in asplashofwater. Season with salt andpepperto taste. Storeinthe fridge untilready to use. This canbekeptfor up to threedays.

ForThe GemLettuce Salad: Fry thecrumbed blackpudding in a largefryingpan untilcrisp.Drain on atraylined with kitchenpaper andleave to cool. Forthe lettuce, startbyslicing the root offand separatethe leaves

Slicethe largeleavesinhalfor even quarters.Washthe lettuce in coldwater andthendry usinga cleantea towel. Transfer to alarge mixing bowl

ForThe PoachedHen’s Egg: Fill adeeppan with waterand bringto theboil. Reduce theheattoavery gentle simmer

Addinthe vinegar. Crackthe egg into abowlorcup.Createagentle whirlpoolbystirringthe water. Gently tipthe eggintothe centre of thewhirlpool. Poachfor aboutthree to four minutes or untilthe white is cooked.Remove from thewater usingaslotted spoonand drainon kitchenpaper

Season with salt andpepper.

Serveimmediately

To Finish:Mix thecroutons, Gruyereshavingsand blackpudding with thelettuce.Dress the leaves with theCaesardressingand mixuntil evenly coated.Divide into four bowlsand topwithapoached eggand asprinkleofchives.

IN SEASON

by Andy Richardson

Recipes to keepturkey on themenu

There’sonlyone food to go to at this time of year,and that’s thetraditional festive turkey

Of course,there areparsnipsand cranberries, chestnutsand fabulous fluffy potatoes to roastingoose fat. Butit’sall aboutthe bird as December25approaches–unlessyou’re vegan, in whichcaseit’sall about thechanterelle

Butthe turkey is king –well, it wearsa crown– when it comesto thefestive table. Andhavingroasted your fabulous bird,the challenge becomestokeepeatingthe damn thingthroughoutthe 12 days of Christmas

RaymondBlanc hasagreat roast turkey recipes that involves abird seasoned with seasalt flakes,freshly ground blackpepper, butter and alittlerapeseed oil. Theturkeyis broughttoroomtemperature before behind roastedat160C, so it staysniceand tender.A little waterisadded to thebakingtray, to keep thebirdmoist.The trimmings areusedtomakea deliciousgravy

whilethe bird is finished,thenrested,soit’sservedatthe same time as roastpotatoes, pigs in blankets andother timmings

Thechallenge then becomesto consumevastquantitiesofturkey over thefollowing days,thatdon’t merely involveafragrantcurry, warmingcasserole or creamy pasta dish

Turkey salads areagreat way to useleftovers. Useegg,pancetta, tomatoes,avocado andbitterchicoryleavesfor a filling andhealthy supper

Aturkeypasta bake is always welcome as alow-costdish, with a fewleftoverpigsinblanketsgiving diners apleasantsurprise

Theultimateturkeysandwichis anew spin on themore-traditional club sandwich, andcan usered cabbage,salad, cheeseand whatever else you have leftover

Turkey nachoswithsourcream, salsaand jalapenosprovide for relaxedeatingwhileanext-level hamand turkey piefeaturesshopboughtpastry, or,evenbetter, home made pastry with plenty of butter

Aturkeyand clementinelunchbowl is afabulousseasonaldish, with thesweet acidityofthe clementine providingarefreshingtwist Cajunturkeysalad with guacamole also offers bags of flavour.

Cantaloupe,honeydew and watermelon salad

Gem lettuce, black pudding, poachedegg

Cod, baby gem, jersey potatoes

ANDY RICHARDSON andy.richardson@mnamedia.co.uk

Traditional turkey

Indoorjungles in ourhomes canoffer many health

Presentershareshis advice on keeping homessafeand warm

LISA SALMON PressAssociation

Architectand TV presenter George Clarke is an expert on creating stunningand sustainable homes.

Butthere’s so much more to a dreamhome than it just being greenand good-looking, he insists.

Houseplantscontinuetosurge in popularity,withmanyofus keen to turnour homes into indoor jungles

Filling thehome with plants inevitably helpsenhance our connection to nature,but many don’trealise that beyond addingasplashofcolourand visual interest to yourdécor,bringing theoutdoorsinwillbenefitwellbeingin amultitude of ways

Scandi lifestyle expert at Contura, CatharinaBjörkman, explains:“Plants inspirecreativity,theyhavethe ability to reduce stress,aid relaxation andboost mood, as well as improvingair quality, so it’s littlewonder we allget so much enjoymentfromincorporating them into ourhomes.

“Plantsalso release water vapour into theair,increasing humidity levels, whichcan help with respiratoryand skin health by counteractingthe drying effectsofheatingsystems.They canalsohelptoreduceairborne dust levels–fantastic forthose that suffer from allergies.

“And with winter on thehorizon, there’snobettertimeto boostyourwellbeing by embracinghouseplants at home.”

Themoneyplant features fleshy,glossy andsmooth, circularleavesand is said to bring prosperity andgood luck in life. Used extensivelyinFengShui –essentially thepracticeof harmonisinghuman existence with thesurrounding environment –itmakes foratraditional mood-boostingadditiontoa home

If you want to make astatement,opt forthe easy to care forbut visuallyimpactful bird of paradise,which boastsglossy dark greenpaddleshapedleaves andelegant stems.

Theyellowtipped, green stripedsnake plant, also known as mother-in-law’stongue, is fantasticat filteringthe airof common airborne toxins

Englishivy is theperfect low-maintenanceplant to keep high up on abookcaseorshelf, enabling you to make themost of itsbeautiful tumblingvines

Anotherlow-maintenance addition to thehome is arubber plant. Itslarge,glossyleavesabsorb andbreak down airborne chemicals, whilealso eliminatingbacteriaand mouldspores in theair

We should never forget thefundamentalsofhomes, he stresses –they need to be warm,comfortable,and safe

Clarke, thepresenter of shows includingGeorgeClarke’sAmazing Spaces andOld HouseNew Home, says:“Obviously, it’s allabout savingenergyand reducingbillsat themoment,and part of that is beingsustainable forthe planet.But there’salso somethingthatpeople don’ttalkabout enough, andthat’s beingcomfortable andwarmand protected in yourhouse.Thatfeels great.”

Here areClarke’stipsfor keeping sustainably warm andsafeinyour home –and saving moneywhere you can…

INSULATION IS KEY

Clarke stresses that insulation is the best thingtokeepyourhouse warm.“Make sure yourloft’sreally well insulated, andget ridof draughts,”headvises.

As well as getting ridofgaps around windows anddoors, andinsulating theloft, Clarke says wall insulation is definitely worth considering too.

He says hiscompany installs alot ofdry lining,where internal surfacesare cladwithplasterboardto provideanextra layerofinsulation. “You’vegot to be carefulabout how destructiveitistothe house, becausetakingthree inches offevery wall makesevery room feel alittle bitsmaller.”

Clarke hashad hisown home in London drylined,aswellashaving it triple-glazed.“I’ve gone thefull hogwithecologicalupgrades,”he says proudly.

REPLACEYOUR BOILER WITH AHEAT PUMP

Clarke hasalsochanged hisgas boiler foranair source heat pump, whichhedescribesas“phenomenal”. Buthe’smakingno claims they’re an affordable option –although over thelong-term,the heat pumpscan save alot of money on bills, andthey’re farmoreenvironmentally-friendlythanstandard boilers.

“These heat pumpsaren’tcheap, so you can’tsay they’reaffordable. If you want to replaceagas boiler it’s goingtocostyou acouple

of grand, butwhenyou putanair source heat pump in,you’rechangingalot of thesystem, andthe averagecostis£6,000-£8,000,dependingonthe size of yourhouse.”

He says homesneedtobewell-insulatedfor theheatpumps, which arepowered by electricity, to work well

“Ifyou’vehad astandardgas boiler in yourhouse for12-15 years, it’s probably very inefficientand needs to be takenout andupgraded,” he says.“ButIwould suggest, if anyone canaffordit, do not replaceyourgas boiler with another

gasboiler, andifyou can, putinan airsourceheatpump. Really take a long-termviewonit.”

MAKESUSTAINABLE ENERGY- AND MONEY-SAVING CHANGES

“Changeyourlifestyle andthe wayyou live in your house alittle bit,” suggests Clarke.“Things like turningyourboilerdownbyone or twodegrees –whenIwas akid, my nannaand grandadusedtosay, ‘Justput an extra jumper on.”

He says boiling akettleisone of themostenergy-consuming things in thehouse,and advises:“If you want onecup of tea, justboilone cupofwater in thekettle.”

He suggests trying to useless water at home,too,and points out: “Showers useahugeamountless water than baths.”

CAMERASECURITY

As well as keepingwarmand cosy in yourhome,Clarkestresses how importantitistofeelsafethere, andhe’shad security camerasinstalledathis house.

“Backinthe day, you mightput up asecuritylightthatwould go on if someone walked past,and you mighthaveahome alarm. Buttechnology hascome on so much over thelast10years, andnow there’s veryhigh resolution cameras,”he says

“Any stepsyou cantaketoput people offburglingyourhouse are important. I’ve gotsecuritycameras because Idon’t want anybody getting in,it’sassimpleasthat.”

He says standard securitylights arealso agoodidea, andtimer switches on lights.“These are good,low-costthingsyou cando,” he says. “And you just cannot beat really good locks. At theend of the day, if someone really wantstoget in,they’ll getin. You’ve just gotto make it as difficult as possiblefor them to do that.”

n George Clarke haspartnered with smart-homesecuritybrand Arlo (arlo.com/en_gb) to help homeowners keep theirpropertiessecure through DIYconnected security cameras.

bites

With thecoldweather of winter arriving,it’sbecomingmoreand moreimportant to keep indoor plants warm andcosysotheycan surviveand thrive into spring That’s why thegardeningexpertsatGardenBuildingsDirect. co.ukhavenamed themosteffective ways indoor plantloverscan keep theheatin this winter Despite beinginside, houseplants arestill vulnerable to dramatic temperaturechanges throughout theday,causing the soil to freeze andthaw.

This processcould result in heaving, wherethe rootsbecome exposed, exposing the indoor

plants andputting them at risk of diseaseand withering.

Here areGarden BuildingsDirect’s tips to keep indoor plants warm this winter:

n Find thewarmest room –Theeasiest waytomakesureindoor plants stay an idealtemperature is to find outwhich room in thehouse is thewarmest.Make sure that this room hasagood levelofsunlightduringthe day andkeepmovingthe plantstothe warmest, best litspotin theroom.

n Bubble wrap –Another simple tricktokeepindoorplants warm is to wrap layers of bubblewraparoundthe plant potto

containasmuchheataspossible around theplants.

n Heat mats –Heatmatsare thin sheets of plasticwhich have heatingelementsinside. Themat is plugged inand thesurface heats up.Simplypop anyindoorplants on toptohelpkeepthemwarm.

n On topofthe fridge –The topofthe fridge produces some heat,sokeeping plants on topof thefridgewill allowthe plants to absorbsome heat fornoextra cost n Waterindoor plants carefully –Sprayingwater mist over theplantswill help them grow in thedry airwhilst avoiding over-watering.

benefits

GeorgeClarke suggests heat sourcepumps andcameras for your home

Musician gets in on theact forhit period drama

Notmanymusicians cansay they landed their firstprofessionaljob on one of themost-watched television showsofthe year

Butviewers cansee Julius Eastwood, whogrewup on theShropshire-Powysborder,playing the bugleinthe second season of Netflix’s hitperioddrama Bridgerton The“incredibleopportunity” aroseduringthe finalmonthsof hissongwriting degree inLondon when theproductioncompany contacted hisuniversity lookingfor musicians.The classicaltrained saxophonistjumpedatthe chance to play aroleinthe show andspent aweekina film studio in west London, wearinga hat, wigand ared andgoldtailedcoat.

“I sent in my headshot anda bit of informationabout myself,and I waschosen. Iwas filmingfor one

week,startingat5/6am through to 9pm. During that week,I had four deadlinesfor university so I wascominghome at at 9.30pm and writingmy essays until2am.Then goingtowork.”

He said:“It wasamazing.I’m a massivefan.The costumewas fantastic.It wasaballroomscene and Iwould play afanfare to announce theQueen’s arrival.”

Therolehas ledtomoretelevision and film workfor the27-yearoldbut,for now, he hastoremain tight-lipped.

Julius hasreleasedtwo selfpenned singlestogreat acclaim andhas also writtenhis debutEP, whichisnow in theprocess of beingrecordedand produced.His debutsingle, Westminster’sonFire, wasinspiredby“alackoftransparencyand decencyinUKpoli-

tics”. Thesongwas namedTrack of theWeekbythe BIMM Institute andJuliusalsofeaturedasan‘ArtisttoWatch’.

He released hissecondsingle, a folk-pop ballad titled Borderlines, in September.Itamassedmore than 2,000streamsinits first two weeksonSpotify andhas been playedbyBBC RadioinShropshire andHereford.

Describingthe single,which he wroteinthe winter of 2021,ashis love letter to Shrosphire,hesays: “Borderlines’isanostalgic story abouthome,whatitmeans to come from this region,and howithas shaped my perspective.”

Follow Julius’music journeyon socialmedia @julius.eastwood on TikTokand Instagram. His first twosingles areavailable on allmusicplatforms

Theshort storythat‘grew and grew’intoDavid’s debutnovel

HEATHER LARGE heather.large@mnamedia.co.uk

Holdinghis debutnovel in hishands forthe first time wasasurreal moment forDavid HYeats.

“Itwas veryodd.Icouldn’tquite relate to it because thewords had been on my computer or in my head forall these years,”hesays.

Theauthor wrotealot of The Opal Causeway, published under thepen name of DH Yeats, while living in Shrewsbury in 2005

At thetime, he waslivinginrented accommodationin Shrewsbury town centre whilewaitingtobuy a house.

“I didn’t have internet or alaptop so Iusedtogotothe oldreference libraryand rent acomputerfor an hour at atime,”explainsDavid

“The book startedout as ashort storyabout afalse arrest.I felt I needed to know more aboutthe characters andIstarted inventing families forthem. It grew andgrew andgrew.”

Reality

Butitwasn’tuntil 2020 that the opportunityfor thebooktoreach a wideraudiencestarted to become reality.

ThroughWriting West Midlands, whichsupportscreativewriters in theregion, andThe Literary Consultancy (TLC), he wasabletoreceiveafreemanuscriptassessment.

Thepositive response ledtohim securing apublishingdealfor The Opal CausewaywithLeicestershire-basedestablished independentpublisher TheBookGuild Ltd.

“It’sbeenalongroad,”saysDavid, wholaunchedthe book at Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery.

Describedasacoming-of-age packed with diverse characters,the novel’ssynopsisreads:“As he exploreshis sexuality, Pete,agay pho-

tographer, stillmourningthe death of hisFrenchgrandmother,experiencesthe crueltiesand injustices of aworld completelyatoddswiththe tenets instilledin himduringchildhood

“Whilesharing aNotting Hill squatduringaseeminglyendless summer with friendsMel andBaz, he meetsBrad, amysteriousAmerican,atahappening in ChalkFarm.

“Travelling to California in search of Brad,Pete, seekinglove andadventure,ventureshalfway around theworld lookingfor answersonlyto find them back home once he crosses over TheOpalCauseway.”

Although hisbookisset in the 1970s, David, whowas broughtupin

East Kent,believesthere aremany similarities betweenthatperiodin historyand today. “All of theissues that people face todayare exactly thesameastheyfaced then likethe issues of gender,race, poorand rich andthe environment.

“It’salmostlikethey’re coming back to hauntusinsomewaysbecausetheyhaven’t been dealtwith when they should have been,” he explains

He says hisbookwas inspired not just by thecriticalissuesofthe decadebut also “the fact that so many politicians seem forked-tongued and incapable of either telling thetruth or deliveringthe change theworld so desperately needs”

“I also wanted to developinthe novelagay characterwho feelsno shameabout hissexuality andis notdetachedfrombut amember of afamily; anon-nuclear familythat transcends blood ties,language andnationality,” he explains

SincecompletingThe Opal Causeway,hehas also written Talesfromthe Opal Shores,a collectionof15shortintegrated stories spanning from 1935 to 1965, andanovelof82,000words

Even before he started writing, bookshad been an importantpart of hislifeand in the1970s he rana bookshop called BookstoreinTan Bank,Wellington, with hissister JennySmith, to whom TheOpal Causeway is dedicated.

Bookstorerelocated to themarket some yearslater andbecame popularbothwiththe general publicand localschoolteachers includingProfessor Mary Beard’s mother

Admiration

David, whoappearedatlast month’sShrewsburyFestivalof Literature,sayshe is full of admiration forthe owners of independentbookshops suchasPengwern BooksinShrewsburyand Bear Bookshop in Bearwood

Over thelasttwo years, he has been working on DriftingAimlessly ThroughLockdown. Around 70,000 words long, it is structured into differentparts andinfluenced by dreams,memories, observations, dailynewsitems andhis tinnitus

David, whohas sincerelocated to Smethwick, hasbeenpleased by theresponse to TheOpalCausewayand hopes to publishsomeof hisother workinthe future.“It’s nice,peopleseemtolikeitand I’ve hadalot of reviewsonGoodreads from people Idon’t know.”

n TheOpalCauseway, published by TheBookGuild,isavailable now, priced £9.99.

ANTIQUES

JOHN RIDGWAYOF OLDMILLANTIQUESCENTRE

Christmas is almost upon us andwhilstmanyofyou may have been shopping forweeks andeven monthssomepeople maybeexperiencinglastminutefestive gift panic!

Don’tworry,think vintage andantique andgofor presents that arethatlittlebit different andshow that real thoughthas gone into thebuyingprocess

Youdon’t have to spenda lot, youmay well find ‘pre-loved’ items a lot less expensive than newones. Let’sstart with smallergifts, such as piecesfor ahome likeitems of china, glass andsilver.China trios(cup, saucerand plate)makegood presentsasdodecorated jugs and figures(animal models, such as thosemadebyBeswick,are perfect forpet andhorse lovers)

Sets of vintageglasses and vases arealso nice andlookout forglass paperweights as small giftsand stocking fillers.

Silver-backed mirrors are lovely,as aresilver pincushions, dressing tablesets, snuff-boxes, photograph frames andcigarettecases

Othersmall andfairlyinexpensivegiftscould include classicbooks,fountainpens, handbags,magnifying glasses, operaglasses,binoculars, thimbles,wax seal stamps (especially thosefeaturing appropriate initials)and itemsofpop and musicmemorabilia.

Vintagedolls, teddy bearsand model cars always make good presents andyou canalways find somethingfor themodel railwayenthusiast. Goingup thegift size scalethere arepieces of jewellery,sewingboxes, writingslopes, mirrors,candlesticks andlamps

Jewelleryisofcourse an obviouschoiceand againyou don’t have to spendafortune, stickto abudgetand go foragemstone rather than apreciousone if fundsare limited

If you want somethingreally unusualyou may find avintage sleigh,aVictorian dolls’ house, arocking horse or even areplica suit of armour .solongasyou thinkyou canwrapthem!

Author DHYeats with hisnew bookThe Opal Causeway

Musician JuliusEastwood

WITH

Victorianpin cushion

NICK KNOWLES’ AMAZING RAILWAY ADVENTURE

Channel 5, 8.00pm

If Nick Knowles was thinking of making anew year’s resolution to travelmore, then he’s already got ahead start.

It was recently announced the DIY SOSpresenter has signed up for two new travelogues for Channel 5. One of the shows is Nick Knowles’ Big Adventure –The American Southwest, which will see him venturing into theGrand Canyon and kayaking along the Colorado River

Before that though, he’s letting the train take the strain with the other new series, Nick Knowles’ Amazing Railway Adventure.

It seems both programmes are passion projects for Knowles. He explains: “My love of trains developed when Iwas achild and my father would take me to standona bridge in Southall, London, to watch old steam locomotives run by underneath.

“I have also been fascinated by,have visited and have even lived with indigenous cultures in Australia and the Navajo in the US. Achance to combine the two with some of the best camera men and film makers to showcase the wonders of the world is a lifetime’s ambition made real.”

However,ifboarding atrain initially sounds alittle less exciting than learning how to withstand the temperatures of Death Valley,you needtolook at a list of Knowles’ destinations.

The series will take him to Mexico, Alaska, Malaysia and the Arctic Circle, but he begins with a trip across the extraordinary landscapes of Peru to magical Machu Picchu.

Knowles hops on board at Puno on Lake Titicaca, and then alights at La Reya, the fourth-highest train station in the world. It’s achance to explore the local street market andput his haggling skills to the

test when he spots awoven alpaca throw Back on the rails, he gets to sample the Pisco Sour,Peru’s national cocktail, before swapping the train for aboat as he visits the floating islands of the Uros, apre-Inca tribe who still live in southern Peru.

He later arrives at the Inca capital of Cusco, where Nick ventures out of town to visit the ancient ruins at Moray,aswell as the celebrated restaurant Mil Centro, which is conveniently located next door

Hopefully,hegives his dinner time to settle before the next leg of the journey,which takeshim through ‘El Zig Zag’, aseries of five sharp turns in the track via points changes, which enables the train to climb out of the city

His penultimate stop is Ollantaytambo, where Knowles visits an architectural dig. As regular viewers of DIY SOS will know,he’s nothing if not hands on, so he’s keen to get involved, and even manages to unearth an ancient artefact.

Then it’s finally time for his last destination, Machu Picchu. The train is the only form of transport available as there is no road, and the presenter is moved by the stunning views of the ancient citadel, which he gets to share with the viewers.

6.00 Breakfast (S). 9.15 Morning

Live At Christmas (S). 10.00

ExpertWitness (S). 10.45 A Countryside Winter (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 Shakespeare &Hathaway: Private Investigators (S). 3.00 Escape To The Country (R) (S). 3.45 The Bidding Room (R) (S). 4.30 The Weakest Link (R) (S). 5.15 Pointless Celebrities (R) (S).

6.30 Escape To The Country (R) (S). 7.15 Money ForNothing (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

Meet The Street At Christmas (R) (S). 1.45 Celebrity Eggheads (R) (S). 2.15 FILM: Fixing Up Christmas (Jessica Harmon 2021) Festive romance, starring Marshall Williams (S). 3.35 FILM: AChristmas To Savour (Jessica Harmon 2021) Romantic drama, starring Britt Irvin (R) (S). 5.00 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 Dickinson’s Real Deal (R) (S). 3.00 Tenable (R) (S). 3.59 ITV Regional Weather (S). 4.00

Tipping Point (R) (S). 5.00 The Chase (R) (S).

take part(S). 8.30 Gardeners’ World Winter Specials Adam Frost shows how to build arose arch (S). 9.30 Motherland APTA event results in a night of drama and revelations (R) (S). 10.00 QI Sandi Toksvig and her guests go tricking and treating (S). 10.30 Newsnight (S). 11.05 How To With John Wilson The host hopes to remember his dreams (S). 11.35 How To With John Wilson (S). 12.05 The Secret Genius Of Modern Life (R) (S). 1.05

ITV News; Weather (S).

Moira rushes to see Cain at the prison (S).

Coronation Street Daniel drowns his sorrows as Daisy visits the doctor (S).

Gordon, Gino And Fred: Unseen Bits 2 The trio re-live their epic road trips across Mexico the USA and Morocco (S).

10.00 ITV News At Ten; Weather (S). 10.30 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 10.45 The NFL Show (S).

11.45 Heathrow: Britain’s Busiest Airport Security Officer Estefania investigates an oddly shaped object (R) (S).

12.10 Shop: Ideal World 3.00 Happy Birthday Mr Bean (R) (S). 3.50 Unwind With ITV (S). 5.05 Tenable Christmas Cracker (R) (S).

UNCLE DREW

(Film4, 6.55pm)

Emotionally scarred basketball fan Dax (Lil Rel Howery) hopes to win the coveted Rucker Classic street basketball tournament with acrew led by star player Casper.Fierce rival Mookie (Nick Kroll) steals Dax’s well-drilled team and his materialistic girlfriend Jess (Tiffany Haddish), leaving the crestfallen loner on the brink of financial ruin. Elders in the community advise Dax to track down one-time street basketball legend Uncle Drew (Kyrie Irving, pictured).

LATE NIGHT

(BBC1, 11.25pm)

Late-night talk show host Katherine Newburyfears slipping ratings mean she is set to lose her longrunning series, so hires an inexperienced writer to

her staff,mainly on the basis that she is an IndianAmerican woman with fresh perspective while all remaining writers are white men. As viewership improves, asex scandal involving Katherine comes to light, and the host’s future is once more put in the spotlight. Comedy,starring Emma Thompson.

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Loves Raymond (R) (S). 9.05 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 9.35 Frasier (R) (S). 10.05 Frasier (R) (S). 10.35 Frasier (R) (S). 11.05 Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA (R) (S). 12.00 Channel 4News Summary (S). 12.05 Couples Come Dine With Me (R) (S). 1.05 Jamie’s Easy Christmas Countdown (R) (S). 2.10 Countdown (S). 3.00 Escape

FILM: Under The Christmas Tree (Lisa Rose Snow 2021) Premiere. Romantic drama, starring Elise Bauman (S). 3.15 FILM: Christmas With The Darlings (Catherine Cyran 2020) Premiere. Drama, starring Katrina Law and Carlo Marks (S). 5.00 5News At 5 (S).

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 Road Wars (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

Extreme Snakes: Africa (R) (S). 4.00 Will &Grace (R) (S). 4.25 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: Christmas Special (S). 1.00 Family Fortunes (S). 2.00 Catchphrase (S). 2.50 One Tree Hill (S). 4.00 Chuck (S). 5.00 Chuck (S).

theft(S). 8.35 Everybody

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 The Darling Buds Of May (S). 10.25 The Darling Buds Of May (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 Vintage Gems (S). 9.15 APlace In The Sun (S). 10.05 APlace In The Sun (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 Heir Hunters (S). 3.10 Four In ABed (S). 3.40 Four In ABed (S). 4.15 Four In ABed (S). 4.50 Four In A Bed (S). 5.20 Four In ABed (S). 5.55 Escape To The Chateau: DIY (S).

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7.00 Christmas University Challenge The last two teams standing do battle for the series title (S).

7.30 TopOfThe Pops (S).

8.00 TopOfThe Pops: Christmas 1993 Featuring Take That, 2 Unlimited, the Bluebells, Gabrielle and MPeople (S).

9.00Fleetwood Mac: Don’t Stop Aprofile of the rock band (R) (S).

8.00 ALeague Of TheirOwn Christmas Special 2022 Afestive edition, with Tony Bellew,Eve Muirhead, John Barnes and David Seaman (R).

9.00 Micky Flanagan –An’ Another Fing Live Astand-up show recorded at London’s O2 Arena (R) (S).

10.00 Fleetwood Mac: The Dance A1997 live performance by the band (S).

11.45 Fleetwood Mac: A Musical History Fans celebrate the group’s success (S).

12.45 CountryMusic By KenBurns (S). 1.40Country Music By KenBurns (S). 2.30 Fleetwood Mac: Don’t Stop (R) (S). 3.30 Close

11.00 Never Mind The Buzzcocks Christmas Special (R) (S).

7.55 Grand Designs Restoring a100-yearold blacksmiths in Co Antrim (S).

9.00

24 Hours In A&E A man comes in having severed three of his fingers with an electric saw (S).

10.00

11.05

12.10 8Out

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’s PartyAnthems. 4.00 The Official Chart On Radio 1WithJack Saunders. 5.45 Newsbeat 6.00 Radio 1’sDance PartyWithDanny Howard. 8.00 Radio 1’s Future Dance With Sarah Story. 10.00 Pete Tong. 12mdn’t Radio 1’sEssential Mix. 2.00 Radio 1Dance Presents. 3.00 Danny Howard 4.00 Radio 1’s Wind 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. 4.00 SaraCox 7.00 Michelle Visage. Aselection of hits from across thepop music genre. 8.30 MichelleVisage’s Handbag Hits. Feelgood party classics. 9.00 TheGood Groove WithDJ Spoony.Joyful floor fillers, soulful house and lyrical garagetunes. 11.00 TheRock ShowWithJohnnie Walker. 12mdn’t Romesh Ranganathan: ForThe Love Of Hip-Hop 1.00 Quincy Jones: FortyThousand Years Of Funk 2.00 Radio 2Unwinds WithAngela Griffin. 4.00 Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Kitchen Disco. 5.00 Radio 2 In Concert: Shakin’ Stevens BBC RADIO 3 6.30am Breakfast. 9.00 Essential Classics. 12noon Composer Of The Week: LeokadiyaKashperova. 1.00 Radio 3Lunchtime Concert. 2.00 Afternoon Concert. 4.30 The ListeningService. 5.00 In Tune 7.00 In Tune Mixtape 7.30 Radio 3InConcert. Amusicaltake on Dickens’s AChristmas Carol. 10.00 TheVerb. 10.45 The Essay:Postcards From TheFloating Coast 11.00 Late Junction. 1am UltimateCalm. 2.00 Ultimate Calm. 3.00 ThroughThe Night BBC RADIO 4 6am Today 8.31 (LW) Yesterday In Parliament 9.00 DesertIslandDiscs 9.45 (LW) Daily Service 9.45 (FM)Book Of TheWeek: AHeartThat Works. 10.00 Woman’s Hour 11.00 The TruthAbout Jazz. 11.30 Un te 12noon News. 12.01 (LW) Shipping Forecast. 12.04 HowSantaStole Christmas 12.57 Weather 1.00 The World At One. 1.45 Please Protect Abraham. 2.00 The Archers 2.15 Drama:Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Firewall 2.45 Why Do We Do That? 3.00 Gardeners’ Question Time. 3.45 Short Works 4.00 LastWord. 4.30 Feedback. 5.00 PM. 5.54 (LW) Shipping Forecast. 5.57 Weather. 6.00 Six O’ClockNews. 6.30 DeadRingers. 7.00 The Archers. 7.15 Screenshot. Ellen EJones and Mark Kermode investigatewhodunnits. 8.00 AnyQuestions? Topica discussion from Compton Verney,Warwickshire 8.50 APointOfView 9.00 Past Forward: ACentury Of Sound. Omnibus episode. Last in the series. 10.00 The World Tonight. 10.45 Book At Bedtime: ATownCalled Solace. 11.00 Americast. 11.30 TodayInParliament 12mdn’t News And Weather 12.30 BookOfThe Week: AHeartThat Works 12.48 ShippingForecast. 1.00 As BBCWorld Service. 5.20 Shipping Forecast. 5.30 News Briefing. 5.43 Prayer ForThe Day. 5.45 Four Thought. BBC RADIO 4EXTRA 6am Detective. 6.30 TheBlackburn Files. 7.00 The Crossway. 7.15 APassage To India. 7.30 Romance And Adventure. 8.00 Parsley Sidings. 8.30 Married. 9.00 Act Your Age. 9.30 Bleak Expectations. 10.00 Julie And The Prince. 11.00 Detective. 11.30 The BlackburnFiles. 12noon TheCrossway 12.15 A Passage To India 12.30 Romance AndAdventure. 1.00 Parsley Sidings. 1.30 Married. 2.00 Act Your Age 2.30 Bleak Expectations 3.00 JulieAnd ThePrince. 4.00 Detective. 4.30 TheBlackburnFiles 5.00 The Crossway 5.15 APassage To India 5.30 Romance And Adventure. 6.00 Parsley Sidings. 6.30 Married 7.00 Act Your Age. 7.30 Bleak Expectations. 8.00 GhostStoriesFrom Theatreland. 8.30 Be My Guest. 9.00 Unreal: ACritical History Of Reality TV 9.50 David Attenborough’s Life Stories 10.00 Comedy Club. 10.00 ComedyClub:The Confessional. 10.30 Comedy Club: The Cariad Radio Show. 11.00 Comedy Club:PennyDreadfuls:BrothersFaversham. 12mdn’t Doctor Who: The WarDoctor 1.00 Julie And The Prince. 2.00 Detective 2.30 The BlackburnFiles. 3.00 TheCrossway 3.15 APassage To India 3.30 RomanceAnd Adventure. 4.00 Parsley Sidings. 4.30 Married. 5.00 ActYourAge. 5.30 Bleak Expectations. BBC 5LIVE 6am 5LiveBreakfast 9.00 Nicky Campbell. 11.00 Chiles On Friday. 1pm Kammy &Ben’s Proper Football Podcast. 1.30 Kammy &Ben’sProper Football Podcast. 2.00 Elis James And John Robins 4.00 5LiveDrive. 7.00 5Live Sport: TheFriday Football Social. 8.30 Match Of TheDay: Top10. 9.00 5Live Sport 10.00 Stephen Nolan. 1am LauraMcGhie. 5.00 5Live Boxing. BBC 6MUSIC 7.30am Lauren Laverne. 10.30 Jamz Supernova. 1pm Craig Charles. 4.00 Steve Lamacq 7.00 The People’s PartyWith DJ Paulette. 9.00 TomRavenscroft. 11.00 TheRavers Hour 12mdn’t 6Music’s Indie Forever 1.00 6Music’sEmo Forever 2.00 Focus Beats 4.00 AmbientFocus CLASSIC FM 6am More Music Breakfast. 9.00 Alexander Armstrong. 12noon Anne-Marie Minhall 4 00 John Brunning 7.00 Smooth ClassicsAtSeven. 10.00 Smooth Classics. 1am Katie Breathwick. 4.00 Sam Pittis. ABSOLUTE RADIO 6am Dave Berry 10.00 LeonaGraham. 1pm Ben Burrell. 4.00 Bush AndRichie. 7.00 Absolute80s Greatest Hits With Claire Sturgess 10 00 SophieK 4am Ross Buchanan. December16 BIRMINGHAM CITY V READING Sky Sports MainEvent, 8.00pm Paragraph style like this, use best terrestrial main choice copy 500 word feature to fill text bo FRIDAY 41

STRICTLYCOME DANCING: THE FINAL

BBC1, 7.05pm

In theory,2022 has seen Strictly Come Dancing get back to business as usual.

During the previous two years, some changes had to be introduced due to Covid restrictions, but for this 20th series, the show once again had afull studio audience, and was also able to make apilgrimage to Blackpool, the spiritual home of ballroom.

That doesn’t mean that the current run, which concludes tonight, has been predictable. Not only have viewers had the added excitement of guessing what night it was going to be on as the quarter and semi-finals were moved around the schedules by the football, we’ve also had plenty of surprises thanks to the public vote.

The hotly tipped likes of Molly Rainford and Fleur East found themselves making regular visits to the bottom two, even in weeks when they had scored highly with the judges, while Tony Adams and Ellie Taylor both lasted considerably longer than their marks may have suggested.

There was also anew themeweek this time around with an episode celebrating the BBC’s centenary –although seeing how hampered some of the couples were by the music they were given, quite afew fans will be hoping we don’t see that repeated in the future.

However,asAnton Du Beke, who hasbeen with Strictly since the very beginning, would point out, the show has changed alot since it first began, even if viewers haven’t always noticed. He says: “The show has evolved, there hasn’t been arevolution or amassive change. We started with eight couples and now we have 15. We didn’t have group numbers in the early days. Theshow has just sort of gently moved on and on.”

Even his role has evolved –hebegan as a professional dancer,and is now ajudge, achanged

that he hasembraced. “I’m loving judging on Strictly Come Dancing, it’s incredible. Idowatch some of the pros do the numbers and get abit of dance envy, thinking Iwish Icould have been apart of that. But judging is so much easier on the knees.”

He’ll be offering his scores again tonight as the finalists take to the floor to perform aroutine of their own choosing, one decided by the judges and a final show dance. There’s not quite so much pressure on him and his fellow experts Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse though, as tonight their marks are for guidance only –it’s the viewers who decide who lifts the glitterball trophy

Last year,the public voted for Rose Ayling-Ellis in what was one of the most emotional finals theshow hasever seen. As Anton says: “It’s difficult to think about last year’s series without thinking about Rose and her incredible journey.Ithink the dance her and Giovanni won the BAFTA for was extraordinary,and there were other extraordinary moments through her Strictly journey.”

Will we be in for any equally moving moments tonight as the couples battle it out?

6.00 Breakfast (S). 10.00 Saturday Kitchen Live: Countdown To Christmas (S). 11.30 MaryBerry’s Festive Feasts (R) (S). 12.30 Rick Stein’s Cornish Christmas (R) (S). 1.00 BBC News; Weather (S). 1.15 Bargain Hunt (R) (S). 2.00 MOTD World Cup Top10: Winners (S).

2.30 MOTD Live: Fifa World Cup 2022 Coverage of the third-place play-off.Kick-off is at 3pm (S).

5.15 BBC News (S). 5.25 BBC London News; Weather (S). 5.35 The Hit List (S).

7.10 Shaun The Sheep (R) (S).

7.15 Danger Mouse (S). 7.40

Odd Squad (R) (S). 7.50 Odd Squad (R) (S). 8.05 One Zoo Three (R) (S). 8.25 Malory Towers (R) (S). 8.55 Malory Towers (R) (S). 9.20 Blue Peter (R) (S). 9.45 Deadly Pole To Pole (R) (S). 10.15 Reindeer Family & Me (R) (S). 11.15 FILM: Summer Holiday (Peter Yates 1963) (S).

1.00 TopOfThe Shop With TomKerridge (R) (S). 2.00 The AToZOfTVCooking (R) (S).

2.20 FILM: Meet Me In St Louis (Vincente Minnelli 1944) (S).

4.10 FILM: Move Over,Darling (Michael Gordon 1963) (S). 5.50

Remarkable Places To Eat At Christmas (R) (S).

6.00 CITV 9.25 James Martin’s Saturday Morning At Christmas (S). 11.35 John And Lisa’s Christmas Kitchen (S). 12.30 ITV News; Weather (S). 12.40 Live Champions Cup Rugby Exeter Chiefs vs Bulls. Kick-off is at 1pm (S). 3.30 FILM: About ABoy (Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz 2002) Romantic comedy,starring Hugh Grant and Toni Collette (S). 5.30 Celebrity Catchphrase (S).

ITV News; Weather (S).

ITV Regional News; Weather (S).

Tipping Point: Lucky Stars Christmas Special With Len Goodman, Josie Gibson and Mr Motivator (S).

FILM: Quantum Of Solace (2008) James Bond thriller,starring Daniel Craig (S).

John Wilson (R) (S).

John Wilson (R) (S).

Is BBC Two (S).

10.05 The Jonathan Ross Christmas Show With Michael McIntyre, Minnie Driver,Gordon Ramsay,Big Zuu and Adam Lambert(S).

11.05 ITV News; Weather (S). 11.20 English Football League Highlights Action from the latest fixtures (S).

1.15 Shop: Ideal World 3.00 Unwind With ITV (S). 4.15 Love Your Weekend With Alan Titchmarsh (R) (S).

6.15 FILM: Capture The Flag

(Enrique Gato 2015) Animated sci-fi adventure, with the voice of Sam Fink (S). 7.50 The Simpsons (R) (S). 8.15 The Simpsons (R) (S). 8.45 The Simpsons (R) (S).

9.10 The Simpsons (R) (S). 9.40 The Simpsons (R) (S). 10.10 The Simpsons (R) (S). 10.40 The Simpsons (R) (S). 11.10 Couples Come Dine With Me (R) (S).

12.10 FILM: Christmas Encore (Bradley Walsh 2017) (S). 1.55

Four In ABed (R) (S). 2.25 Four In ABed (R) (S). 2.55 Four In A Bed (R) (S). 3.30 Four In ABed (R) (S). 4.00 Four In ABed (R) (S). 4.30 Channel 4News (S).

5.00 The Snowman: The Film That Changed Christmas (S).

6.00 Milkshake! 10.00 SpongeBob SquarePants (S). 10.15 SpongeBob SquarePants (R) (S). 10.30 Entertainment News On 5 (S). 10.40 Friends (R) (S). 11.10 FILM: Jumanji (Joe Johnston 1995) Fantasy adventure, starring Robin Williams (S). 1.15 FILM: AGingerbread Christmas (Pat Kiley 2022) Premiere. Romantic drama. starring Tiya Sircar (S). 3.10 FILM: Once Upon AChristmas Miracle (GaryYates 2018) Drama, starring Aimee Teegarden (S). 5.05 Strictly Come Dancing’s Greatest Moments (R) (S).

6.00 Big Beasts: Last Of The Giants (R) (S). 7.00 Big Beasts: Last Of The Giants (R) (S). 8.00 Big Beasts: Last Of The Giants (R) (S). 9.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 9.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 10.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 10.30 Soccer AM Jimmy Bullard and John Fendley are joined by guests from the world of sports and entertainment for the Saturday morning institution. 12.00

Football’s Funniest Moments (R) (S). 2.00 Cinderella: After Ever After (R) (S). 3.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 3.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 4.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 4.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 5.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 5.30 The Simpsons (R) (S).

6.00 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records Christmas Special (S). 6.35 Coronation Street Omnibus (S). 9.25 Love Bites (S). 10.25 Dress To Impress (S). 11.25 Dress To Impress (S). 12.30 Celebrity Catchphrase: Christmas Special (S). 1.25 Family Fortunes (S). 2.30 Donkey’s Caroling Christmas-tacular (S). 2.40 The Madagascar Penguins In AChristmas Caper (S). 2.55 Kung Fu Panda Holiday (S). 3.30

FILM: Mr Popper’s Penguins (Mark Waters 2011) Family comedy,starring Jim Carrey (S). 5.20 FILM: The Grinch (Yarrow Cheney,Scott Mosier 2018) (S).

6.00 Man About The House (S). 6.40 FILM: Mutiny On The Buses (Harry Booth 1972) Comedy, starring RegVarney (S). 8.20 Man About The House (S). 8.55 Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S). 10.05 Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S). 11.10 Lewis (S). 1.10 Midsomer Murders (S). 3.05 Midsomer Murders (S). 5.00 Midsomer Murders (S).

8.55 APlace In The Sun (S). 9.55

APlace In The Sun (S). 11.00

APlace In The Sun (S). 12.00

Location, Location, Location (S). 1.00 Come Dine With Me (S). 1.35 Come Dine With Me (S).

2.05 Come Dine With Me (S).

2.35 Come Dine With Me (S). 3.10 Come Dine With Me (S). 3.40 Four In ABed (S). 4.10 Four In ABed (S). 4.45 Four In ABed (S). 5.15 Four In ABed (S). 5.50 Four In ABed (S).

7.00

7.35

7.00 Winter Walks (S).

7.30 Iceland: Land Of Ice And Fire –Natural World The volcanic fires of Iceland (S).

7.00Live

7.05 FILM: Bruce Almighty (2003) Comedy, starring Jim Carrey and Morgan Freeman (S).

7.00 Midsomer Murders

Rivalries behind the scenes at atouring dance show lead to murder (S).

7.25 Come Dine With Me DJ Denver hosts the third evening in Leeds (S).

7.55 Come Dine With Me (S).

9.00 FILM: Knives Out (2019) Comedy mystery, starring Daniel Craig (S).

9.35

9.30 FILM: Made In Dagenham (2010) Fact-based comedy drama, starring Sally Hawkins (S).

11.30

11.30

BBC RADIO 4EXTRA

9.00 FILM: Horrible Bosses 2 (2014) Comedy, starring Jason Bateman (S).

9.00 Midsomer Murders Barnaby and Winter investigate when a beekeeper is attacked (S).

9.00 24 Hours In A&E Ateenage aspiring Olympian fractures his pelvis (S).

Christmas At Warwick Castle Part two of two.

Historian Melissa Perry helps decorate the castle’s historic Daisy sleigh (R) (S).

Motorway Cops: Catching Britain’s Speeders Inspector Anton Sullivan follows a white van being driven erratically (R) (S)

Fight Night Chris Billam-Smith vs Armen Xhoxhaj (R).

The Best Christmas Day Telly Ever! Alook at what makes up the ideal festive viewing schedule (S).

FILM: The Firm (1993) Thriller,starring Tom Cruise (S).

Britain’s Favourite Christmas Adverts Julian Claryrevisits memorable festivethemed advertisements (R) (S).

YesMinister Christmas special. Hacker runs for prime minister.Last in the series (S).

Never Mind The Buzzcocks Christmas Special (R) (S).

Family Guy Peter is asked to fill in for amall Santa (S).

Family Guy (S).

Agatha Christie’s Poirot An actress’s estranged husband is murdered (S).

8Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown With Henning Wehn and Victoria Coren Mitchell (S).

HIS DARK MATERIALS

BBC One, 7.00pm

It’s been along wait –over two years –but viewers are finally about to see what’s nextfor Lyra, Will, Lord Asriel and MrsCoulter

The previous entry in Philip Pullman’s trilogy,The Subtle Knife, ended on acliffhanger,with prophesied child Lyra Belacqua (Dafne Keen) hidden in atrunk after being kidnapped by her mother Mrs Coulter (Ruth Wilson).

Meanwhile, the bearerofthe knife, Will Parry (Amir Wilson), is embarking on anew mission based on his father’s dying wish.

With all that going on, Lord Asriel (James MacAvoy) has also called upon the angels to help him wage awar againstthe Kingdom of Heaven

Thedelayed final series, based on the third novel The Amber Spyglass, opens with Lyra dreaming and finding herself in amysterious place with someone familiar –Roger (LewinLloyd).

Ayoung girl, Ama (Amber Fitzgerald-Woolfe), arrives at Mrs Coulter’s derelict hideaway,and asks MrsCoulter why she is there.

Mrs Coulter showsher Lyra, claiming an enchanter has placed her under asleeping spell. But Amahas no idea that Lyra is being kept there against her will.

Seventeen-year-old Dafne explainswhat she thinks are the main themes across this season, and whataudiences have to look forward to.

“Firstly,I’d saylove,” she says.“Whether that’s family love, friendship, romantic love, or love of faith.

“I’d also say death and beliefs are amainpart of the season too.

“I also think this series feels much bigger.There are so many more storylines and so many more characters.

“I think in the first two seasons, audiences are figuring out the world around Lyra, Will, Mrs Coulter,Asriel and everyone, whereas now,the premise has been set, so people can understand what’s happening.

“In this worldthat Philip Pullman created,there are lots of different worlds, there are daemons, there are worlds without daemons, there’s Metatron, there’s the concept of God that he’s created, andit’s navigating through that and understanding that better.”

With Lyra being held captive by MrsCoulter,Will continues his quest to find her

But as he scours the worlds, he is being pursued by two angels.

In another world, Asriel continues his recruitment drive for hiswar against the Authority,using his Intention Craft to breakresistance leader,Commander Ogunwe (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), out of prison.

Later,Willconfronts the angels following him, and discovers they wish him to takehis knife to Asriel, to help him in his war

They strike adeal –ifWill promises to take the knife to Asriel, the angel Balthamos(Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) will help him find Lyra.

At the Magisterium’s HQ in Geneva, ‘Father President’ MacPhail (Will Keen) meets adevoted young priest, Father Gomez (Jamie Ward), and instructs him to personally retrieve Lyra –using whatever forcenecessary

In the north of Lyra’s world, Will comes acrossIorek causing destruction at aPort Town and enlists his help in the search forLyra.

Pullman’s award-winning trilogy is considered amodern masterpiece of imaginative fiction and has sold over 18 million copies worldwide.

This BBC/HBOTVadaptation has also been ahuge success, and over the next few weeks, the much-loved characters are about to get the perfect send-off

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 (R) (S). 1.00 BBC News; Weather (S). 1.15 Songs Of Praise (S). 1.50 Lifeline (S). 2.00 MOTD Live: Fifa World Cup 2022 The final. Kick-off is at 3pm (S). 5.45 BBC News (S).

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 The Hairy Bikers’ ComfortFood (R) (S). 11.45

Rick Stein’s Cornish Christmas (R) (S). 12.15 Olympia: London Horse Show The fourth day of the Olympia International Horse Show (S). 2.45 Flog It! (R) (S).

3.10 The Secret Life Of Mary Poppins: ACulture Show Special (R) (S). 4.10 FILM: Saving Mr Banks (John Lee Hancock 2013)

Fact-based drama, withEmma Thompson andTom Hanks (S).

6.00 CITV 9.25 ITV News (S). 9.30 Love Your Weekend With Alan Titchmarsh (S). 11.25 Love Your Garden (R) (S). 11.55 ITV News; Weather (S). 12.00 English Football League Highlights (R) (S). 2.00 Fifa World Cup 2022

Final Live coverage of the final. Kick-off is at 3pm (S). 5.30 The Chase Celebrity Special (R) (S).

Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician Stephen Mulhern hosts as 10 illusionists compete to win £50,000 (S). 10.00 ITV News; Weather (S). 10.20 Michael Bublé’s Christmas In The City (R)(S) 11.15Chris Kamara: Lost ForWords The former footballer finds out about apraxia of speech (R) (S). 12.20 Shop:Ideal World 3.00 MotorsportUK (R) (S) 3.50 Unwind With ITV (S). 5.35 James Martin’s Great British Adventure (R)(S).

HIGHLANDER

SAVING MR BANKS

Sport 6.15 FILM: TadThe Lost Explorer And The Secret Of King Midas (David Alonso 2017) Animated adventure, with the voice of Oscar

Barberan

6.00 Milkshake! 9.30 Entertainment News On 5 (S). 9.35 NFL End Zone (S). 10.00

Friends (R) (S). 10.30 FILM: AGospel Christmas (Erica CSutherlin 2021) Premiere. Romantic drama, starring Demetria McKinney (S). 12.20

FILM: CountryRoadsChristmas (Marco Deufemia 2022) Premiere. Drama, starring Lanie McAuley (S). 2.15 FILM: My Christmas Family Tree (Jason Bourque 2021) Premiere. Drama, starring Aimee Teegarden (S). 4.05 FILM: AMerryBerryChristmas (LindaLisa Hayter 2020) (S). 5.50 FILM: The Italian Job (Peter Collinson 1969) Crime comedy,starring Michael Caine (S).

6.00 Extreme Animals: One Wild Day (R) (S). 9.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 9.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 10.00 The Christmas Letter (R) (S). 10.30 FILM: How To Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (Tim Johnson 2019) (R) (S). 11.00 FILM: Extinct (David Silverman, Raymond SPersi 2021) (R) (S). 12.45 The Simpsons (R) (S). 1.10 The Simpsons (R) (S). 1.35 The Simpsons (R) (S). 2.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 2.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 3.00 Great Barrier Reef With David Attenborough (R) (S).

6.00 Unwind With ITV (S). 6.20 Love Bites (S). 7.20 Love Bites (S). 8.10 Dress To Impress (S). 9.10 Dress To Impress (S). 10.10 Dress To Impress (S). 11.10 In ForA Christmas Penny (S). 11.55 Alan Carr’s Epic Gameshow Christmas Special (S). 12.55 Celebrity Catchphrase: Christmas Special (S). 1.55 MerryMadagascar (S). 2.25 FILM: Trolls Holiday (Joel Crawford 2017) (S). 3.00 FILM: Smallfoot (Karey Kirkpatrick 2018) Animated adventure, with the voice of Channing Tatum (S). 4.50 FILM: Arthur Christmas (Sarah Smith, Barry Cook 2011) Animated comedy,with the voice of James McAvoy (S).

6.00 Man About The House (S). 6.35 Emmerdale Omnibus (S). 9.25 Man About The House (S). 9.55 Midsomer Murders (S). 11.55 Midsomer Murders (S). 1.55 Midsomer Murders (S). 3.55 Midsomer Murders (S). 5.55 FILM: AChristmas Carol (Clive Donner 1984) Dickens’ classic tale, starring George C Scott (S).

8.55 Amazing Spaces Snow And Ice Special (S). 9.55 Amazing Spaces Winter Wonderland (S). 11.00 Amazing Spaces: Northern Lights Adventure (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 A Bed (S). 3.50 Four In ABed (S).

4.20 Four In ABed (S). 4.50 Four In ABed (S). 5.25 Come Dine

7.00 The Perfect Morecambe &Wise (S).

7.30 The Perfect Morecambe &Wise Christmas Special (S).

9.30 The

10.35

11.50

12.50

Capture

6.00 FILM: The Polar Express (2004) Animated adventure, with the voice of Tom Hanks (R) (S). 9.00 FILM: Love Actually (2003) Romantic comedy,with Hugh Grant and Martine McCutcheon (S). 11.40 Family Guy Brian is accused of ruining Mayor West’s nativity scene (S). 12.10 Family Guy (S). 12.40 Family Guy (S). 1.10 American Dad! (S).

8.00 Predators Acommunity of polar bears struggle to survive. 9.00 FILM: Batman vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016) Superhero adventure, starring Ben Affleck and HenryCavill (R)(S). 11.45 ALeague Of TheirOwn Christmas Special 2022 Afestive edition, with Tony Bellew,Eve Muirhead, John Barnes and David Seaman (R). 12.45 Micky Flanagan’s Christmas (R) (S). 1.45 Saturday Night Live (R). 3.10 Street Crime UK (R) (S). 3.40 Street Crime UK (R) (S). 4.05 Will &Grace (R) (S). 4.30 Will &Grace (R) (S). 5.00 Will &Grace (R) (S). 5.30 Will &Grace (R) (S).

8.00 Vera

6.25 Come Dine With Me

Celebrity Christmas Special (S). 6.55 Come Dine With Me

7.30 Come Dine With Me

Celebrity Christmas Special Margi Clarke hosts the final dinner party in Liverpool (S).

1.35 American Dad! (S). 2.05 All American (S). 3.00 Teleshopping

10.00

11.50

1.55 Man

2.30 Man

3.00

8.00 Emergency Helicopter Medics Acrew battles bad weather to reach an injured hill-walker (S). 9.00 999: On The Front Line The construction of a summer house goes badly wrong (S). 10.00 24 Hours In A&E A law student is treated for acondition that causes his ribs to grow inwardly (S). 11.05 Emergency Helicopter Medics Acrew battles bad weather to reach an injured hill-walker (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

BBC RADIO 1 6am Radio 1’sChillout Anthems. 7.00 Sam And Danni. 10.00 Radio 1Anthems. 10.30 Newsbeat. 10.32 Radio 1Anthems. 11.02 Radio 100s With Nat O’Leary. 1pm MattAnd Jamie 4.00 Radio 1’sLife Hacks. 6.00 The Official Chart:First Look On Radio 1. 7.00 Radio 1’s ChillestShow. 9.00 Radio 1’sIndie ShowWithJack Saunders. 11.00 BBCIntroducingOn Radio 1. 12mdn’t Radio 1’sFuture SoulWithVictoria Jane 1.30 Radio 1’s UK R&B Mix. 2.00 Radio 1’s Decompression Session 3.00 Radio 1’s Chill Mix. 3.30 Radio 1’s Motivate Me Mix. 4.00 Radio 1Dance. 5.00 Radio 1Early Breakfast With Arielle Free BBC RADIO 2 6am Good MorningSunday. 9.00 Steve Wright’s Sunday LoveSongs 11.00 TheMichael Ball Show. 1pm Elaine Paige On Sunday. 3.00 Sounds Of The 70s With Johnnie Walker 5.00 RobBeckett. 7.00 Tony Blackburn’s Golden Hour.Popular music from the past 50 years. 8.00 SundayNight Is MusicNight. AWest End Christmas Extravaganza. 10.00 Radio 2 Unwinds WithAngelaGriffin. 11.00 Radio 2Unwinds WithAngela Griffin. 12mdn’t OJ Borg. 2.30 One Hit WondersWithOJBorg 3.00 Alternative SoundsOf The 90s WithDermot O’Leary 4.00 Early Breakfast Show BBC RADIO 3 7am Breakfast. 9.00 Christmas Around Europe. 3pm Choral Evensong 4.00 ChristmasAround Europe 11.00 Keelan Carew’s Piano Odyssey 12mdn’t Classical Fix 12.30 Through TheNight BBC RADIO 4 6am News Headlines. 6.05 Something Understood. 6.35 Natural Histories 6.57 Weather 7.00 News; Sunday Papers. 7.10 Sunday 7.54 Radio 4Appeal. 7.57 Weather 8.00 News; Sunday Papers 8.10 SundayWorship. 8.48 APoint Of View. 8.58 Tweet Of The Day 9.00 Broadcasting House. 10.00 The Archers. 11.15 Desert Island Discs. 12noon News. 12.01 (LW) Shipping Forecast 12.04 I’m Sorry I Haven’t AClue. 12.30 The Food Programme. 12.57 Weather 1.00 The WorldThisWeekend. 1.30 Faith In Music. 2.00 Gardeners’ Question Time 2.45 Property Of The BBC. 3.00 Drama: StarChild. 4.00 OpenBook 4.30 Edward ThomasAnd TheSong Of ThePath. 5.00 What’s ATory? 5.40 Profile 5.54 Shipping Forecast 5.57 Weather 6.00 SixO’Clock News. 6.15 Pick Of The Week.Catherine Bott presents highlights of the past seven days. 7.00 TheArchers. 7.15 TheConfessional. 7.45 Voices In TheValley 8.00 Feedback. 8.30 Last Word. 9.00 Money Box 9.25 Radio 4Appeal. 9.30 Britain’s Communist Thread. 10.00 TheWestminsterHour 11.00 Loose Ends. 11.30 Something Understood. 12mdn’t News And Weather 12.15 ContainsStrongLanguage LiveFrom Birmingham 12.45 BellsOnSunday 12.48 Shipping Forecast. 1.00 As BBCWorld Service. 5.20 Shipping Forecast. 5.30 NewsBriefing. 5.43 Prayer ForThe Day. 5.45 FarmingToday 5.58 Tweet Of The Day BBC RADIO 4EXTRA 6am Poetry Extra. 6.30 The Crossway Omnibus. 7.40 Inheritance Tracks. 7.50 APassage To India Omnibus 9.00 Stilgoe’s Around 9.30 SomethingTo Shout About. 10.00 Desert Island Discs. 10.30 Close Up:Agatha Christie. 11.00 Poetry Extra 11.30 The Crossway Omnibus. 12.40pm Inheritance Tracks. 12.50 APassage To India Omnibus. 2.00 Stilgoe’s Around 2.30 SomethingToShout About. 3.00 Desert Island Discs. 3.30 Close Up:Agatha Christie. 4.00 AlgernonBlackwood –The Camp Of The Dog. 4.45 The Waxwork. 5.00 PoetryExtra 5.30 TheCrossway Omnibus 6.40 Inheritance Tracks 6.50 APassage To IndiaOmnibus. 8.00 Stilgoe’sAround. 8.30 Something To Shout About. 9.00 DesertIsland Discs. 9.30 Close Up: Agatha Christie. 10.00 ComedyClub 10.00 Comedy Club:ElectricInk 10.30 Comedy Club: Son Of Cliche. 11.00 Comedy Club: OldHarry’s Game. 11.30 Comedy Club: The Clemmie HartYears 12mdn’t PoetryExtra. 12.30 TheCrossway Omnibus. 1.40 InheritanceTracks. 1.50 APassage To India Omnibus. 3.00 Stilgoe’s Around 3.30 Something To Shout About. 4.00 Desert Island Discs. 4.30 CloseUp: Agatha Christie. 5.00 Rogue Herries. BBC 5LIVE 6am 5LiveScience. 7.00 Sunday Breakfast. 10.00 Helen Skelton. 12noon World Cup 2022 3.00 World Cup 2022 5.00 World Cup 2022. 6.00 6-0-6. 8.00 Kammy &Ben’s Proper Football Podcast. 8.30 DifferentWithNicky Campbell. 9.00 StephenNolan. 12mdn’t MomentOfTruth 12.35 If BlackburnSigned Zidane. 12.45 If BlackburnSignedZidane. 12.55 5 MinutesOn. 1.00 DotunAdebayo. 5.00 Wake Up To Money BBC 6MUSIC 6am Amy Lamé. 8.00 RadcliffeAnd Maconie. 10.00 Cerys Matthews. 1pm The First Time With Shabaka Hutchings 2.00 Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour 4.00 IggyPop. 6.00 NowPlaying @6Music 8.00 Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone. 10.00 DonLetts’ Culture Clash Radio 12mdn’t TheHuey ShowPresents The HipHop Mixtape. 1.00 6Music’s Rave Forever 2.00 ThisIsUs –6 MusicAt20. 3.00 This Is Us –6Music At 20 4.00 TheBBC Introducing Mixtape. 5.00 The RemixWith Chris Hawkins. 5.30 Chris Hawkins. CLASSIC FM 7am Aled Jones. 10.00 John Brunning. 1pm Catherine Bott 4.00 John Humphrys. 6.30 Gaspard’s Christmas With Zeb Soanes. 7.00 ChristmasWithThe Bocellis 9.00 Moira StuartMeets –John Rutter 10.00 Smooth Classics. 1am Bill Overton 4.00 Early Breakfast. ABSOLUTE RADIO 8am Jason Manford. 11.00 Sarah Champion 2pm TheAfternoon Show 6.00 Request Show With Claire Sturgess. 8.00 Sunday Night Music Club 12mdn’t Emil Franchi. December18 LUTON TOWN V MILLWALL Sky Sports Main Event, 11.30am Live coverageofthe Championship match. SUNDAY 45

PAUL O’GRADY: FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS –A ROYALSPECIAL

ITV1, 9.00pm

Battersea Dogs &Cats Home, now known simply as Battersea, is avery special place.

The animal rescue centre was established in Holloway in 1860 by Mary Tealby,who called it “The Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs”.

Initially,The Times ran astory ridiculing the idea of opening ahome for dogs when there were homeless people in London.

But Tealby’s work eventually won manyadmirers, notably Charles Dickens, who wrote about a“remarkable institution” that had saved over athousand dogs in 1860.

In 1885, Queen Victoria became patron of the home, and it has remained under royal patronage ever since.

To mark its 150th anniversary in 2010, the charity’s London Cattery was opened by HRH the Duchess of Cornwall, and Royal Mail released aset of stamps featuring aseries of dogs and cats that had been adopted by staff Then, in 2015, Queen Elizabeth II unveiled aplaque to officially open the intake kennels named after their founder, Mary

Tonight, ITV is celebrating 160 years of Battersea with a one-off special episode of Paul O’Grady’s NTAand Baftawinning series.

The programme will feature Her Majesty The Queen Consort, along term supporter of Battersea and selfconfessed dog-lover,inher previous role as The Duchess of Cornwall helping Paul care for some of the abandoned dogs and hosting acelebratory event at Clarence House.

Last month, The Queen Consort shared details of her special relationship she has with Beth and Bluebell, two rescue Jack Russells she got from Battersea.

“Beth came from afamily who could no longer care for her and poor Bluebell had been found abandoned in the woods, three weeks old, starving, covered in sores, with a docked tail and just afew patches of fur “Battersea nursed her back to health andIfell in love with her when Ivisited their brilliant centre in 2012.

“They are both colourful characters –and now Icannot imagine my life, my home or my sofas without them.”

The Queen Consort is now apatron of Battersea and she

joins Paul at its Brands Hatch site in Kent to celebrate the special anniversary

Together they meet some of the dogs struggling to be rehomed and assist with their treatment and care.

Paul and Her Majesty set about teaching ablind Jack Russell to find its way around, bathe and comfort dogs that were abandoned on the street, and attempt to find them a happy-ever-after home in time for Christmas.

TopofPaul’s rehoming list are agiant Schnauzer with alife-threatening gastric issue and apuppy with awill of steel, fighting all the odds to survive.

Battersea is currently incredibly busy due to an overwhelming number of dogs that are more difficult to rehome due to their older age, medical or behavioural issues.

Paul says: “In the 11 years that I’ve been filming at Battersea, I’ve never known it so busy “What’s worrying is, there are alot of dogs in here who would be classed as hard to home. Dogs with disabilities, blind dogs, you name it, we’ve got them in hereatthe moment.”

With the situation becoming increasingly desperate, Paul turns to a“very special friend” for help in throwing a garden party to drum up interest –wewonder who that could be?

6.00 Breakfast (S). 9.15 Morning

Live At Christmas (S). 10.00 Animal Park Christmas Special 2022 (S). 10.45 ACountryside Winter (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 Attenborough’s Wonder Of Song (R) (S). 2.45 FILM: Dolittle (Stephen Gaghan 2020) Fantasy adventure, starring Robert Downey Jr (S). 4.15 Gangsta Granny Strikes Again! (R) (S). 5.15 Pointless Celebrities (R) (S).

6.10 FILM: Christmas In Toyland (Bill Corcoran 2022) (S). 7.35

FILM: Baking All The Way (Yannick Bisson 2022) Romantic drama, starring CoryLee (S). 9.00 BBC News (S). 10.00 BBC News (S). 12.15 Politics Live (S).

1.00 Celebrity Eggheads (R) (S).

1.30 FILM: TeaWith Mussolini (Franco Zeffirelli 1999) Period comedy drama, starring Maggie Smith and Judi Dench (S). 3.20

FILM: The Young Victoria (JeanMarc Vallee 2009) Historical drama, starring Emily Blunt (S).

5.00 The TwoRonniesChristmas Sketchbook (R) (S). 5.30 FILM: Porridge (Dick Clement 1979) Prison comedy,starring Ronnie Barker (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 In ForAChristmas Penny (R) (S). 2.45 FILM: Back To The Future (RobertZemeckis 1985) Sci-fi comedy adventure, starring Michael JFox (S). 5.00 The Chase (R) (S).

Emmerdale David makes abig decision (S).

Coronation Street Spider digs for information on the identity of Griff’s financial backer (S).

Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs –A Royal Special Camilla, Queen Consort, joins Paul to help out at Battersea (S).

ITV News At Ten (S).

ITV Regional News; Weather (S).

Gordon, Gino And Fred: Unseen Bits (R) (S).

11.40 All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite Hard-hitting action from the world of All Elite Wrestling (R) (S).

1.25 Shop: Ideal World 3.00 Cooking With The Stars (R) (S). 3.50 Unwind With ITV (S). 5.05 The Cube (R) (S).

MISBEHAVIOUR

Historian Sally Alexander (Keira Knightley,pictured) experiences gender discrimination in her pursuit of academic excellence. She answers the call of an outspoken wing of the Women’s Liberation Movement whose rabble-rousing members include Jo. They plan a high-profile protest outside the1970 Miss World beauty pageant organised by Eric Morley and wife Julia. Sally suggests the activists could buy tickets to the show, infiltrate the audience and disrupt the live TV broadcast hosted by comedian Bob Hope.

SCROOGE –ACHRISTMAS CAROL

(Channel 5, 4.10pm)

Alastair Sim stars as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, who refuses to show any goodwill to men –not even his hardworking clerk Bob Cratchit (Mervyn

Johns). Then he has aghostly encounter with his deceased business partner Jacob Marley (Michael Hordern), who warns him he is about to be visited by three ghosts that will show him the error of his ways, along with his past, present and future. Kathleen Harrison and Jack Warner also star

6.05 Countdown (R) (S). 6.45 Cheers (R) (S). 7.15 Cheers (R) (S). 7.40 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 8.05 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 8.35 The King Of Queens (R) (S). 9.05 The King Of Queens (R) (S). 9.35 FILM: Christmas At The Palace (Peter Hewitt 2018) (S).

Romantic drama, starring Lori Loughlin and Victor Webster (S). 1.10 Jamie: Together At Christmas (R) (S). 2.10 Countdown (S). 3.00 APlace In The Sun (S). 4.00 Chateau DIY At Christmas (S). 5.00 Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas (S).

6.00 The Simpsons Krusty and his daughter spend Christmas with the Simpsons (R) (S).

6.30 Hollyoaks (R) (S).

7.00 Channel 4News (S).

6.00 Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Vine (S). 12.30 FILM: Saving Christmas Spirit (Wendy Faraone 2021) Romantic drama, starring Ashley Newbrough (S). 2.15 FILM: AVeryYorkshire Christmas (Steven Nesbit 2019) Romantic drama, starring Rachel Shenton (S). 4.10 FILM: Scrooge –A Christmas Carol (Brian Desmond Hurst 1951) Charles Dickens’ fantasy,starring Alastair Sim (S).

Sport

ATHLETIC V SHEFFIELD UNITED

6.00 Orangutan Jungle School (R) (S). 7.00 The 80s: Cinema’s

Greatest Decade (R) (S). 8.00 The Simpsons (R). 8.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 9.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 9.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 10.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 10.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 11.00 David Attenborough’s Natural History Museum Alive (R) (S). 12.30

FILM: The Borrowers (Tom Harper 2011) (R) (S). 2.15 Jack &The Beanstalk: After Ever After (R) (S). 3.15 The Simpsons (R) (S). 3.40 The Simpsons (R). 4.05 The Simpsons (R) (S). 4.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 5.00 Sport’s Funniest Moments (R) (S).

6.00 Unwind With ITV (S). 6.25

Love Bites (S). 7.25 Secret Crush (S). 8.15 In ForAPenny (S). 8.45 In ForAPenny (S). 9.15 Ninja Warrior UK: Race ForGlory (S). 10.20 FILM: ACinderella Story: Christmas Wish (Michelle Johnston 2019) Premiere. Family comedy,starring Laura Marano (S). 12.10 FILM: Sherlock Gnomes (John Stevenson 2018) Animated comedy,featuring the voice of James McAvoy (S). 1.55 Britain’s Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician (S). 3.55 Catchphrase Christmas Special (S). 4.55

FILM: It’s AVeryMerryMuppet Christmas Movie (Kirk Thatcher 2002) Festive comedy,with Joan Cusack and Whoopi Goldberg (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 The Darling Buds Of May (S). 10.25 The Darling Buds Of May (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).

6.00 Lidl’s Christmas Secrets Alook at how the budget supermarket prepares for the festive period (R) (S).

6.55 5News Update (S).

7.00 Police Interceptors (R) (S). 7.55 5News Update (S).

8.00 Five Star Christmas: Inside Corinthia Behind the scenes at one of Britain’s most exclusive hotels (S).

9.00 The Handmaid’s Tale June must find away to keep herself and her family safefromGilead. Last in the series (S).

10.10 Lighting Up Christmas Festive displays at John Lewis, KewGardens, Longleat Safari Park and Blackpool (R) (S).

11.15 Christmas In New York: Inside The Plaza Abehind-the-scenes look at the Manhattan hotel over the festive period (R) (S).

12.15 Joe Lycett vs David Beckham: AGot Your Back Christmas Special (R) (S).

1.10 Taskmaster: Champion Of Champions 2022 (R) (S). 2.05 Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA (R) (S). 2.55Come Dine With Me: Celebrity Christmas Special (R) (S).

8.00 Motorway Cops: Catching Britain’s Speeders Storms bring travel chaos to the roads (R) (S). 9.00 Police: Night Shift 999 An altercation in abar leads to afoot chase through Gloucester city centre (S). 10.00 Police Raids: Caught By Surprise Ahundred officers prepare for a series of simultaneous dawn raids (R) (S).

FILM: The Meg (2018) Action thriller,starring Jason Statham (S).

7.00 Winter Walks

Celebrities explore landscapes in Yorkshire and Cumbria (S).

7.30 The Good Life (S).

Of The Pops Christmas edition from 1998 (S). 9.00 HenryVIII’s Enforcer: The Rise And Fall Of Thomas Cromwell A profile of the 16thcenturylawyer and statesman (S). 10.00 Peter Kosminsky Remembers –Wolf Hall (S). 10.10 Wolf Hall (S). 11.15 Wolf Hall Harry Percy arrests Cardinal Wolsey for treason (S).

(S).

On 5 (S)

(R) (S)

(R) (S)

(R) (S)

Monday Night

House

House

The Capture (S). 1.10 The Capture (S). 2.10 The Capture (S). 3.10 Winter Walks (S). 3.40 Close

9.00 The Unofficial Science Of Home Alone Guz Khan and James Acaster recreate booby traps from the hit 1990 movie.

6.00 The Christmas Movie Countdown Simon Callow reveals the Yuletide number one, as voted for by the public. 9.00 Gordon, Gino And Fred’s Great Christmas Roast (S). 10.30 Family Guy Peter goes on aquest to save Quahog’s annual Christmas carnival (S). 11.00 Family Guy Brian and Peter go on a mission to find anew Thanksgiving turkey (S). 11.30 Family Guy (S).

12.00 American Dad! (S). 12.30 American Dad! (S). 1.00 The Stand Up Sketch Show (S). 1.30 The Stand Up Sketch Show (S). 1.55

(S)

Radio

Heartbeat Aboy’s life hangs in the balance when he falls down a well (S).

6.55 Escape To The Chateau Dick, Angel, Arthur and Dorothy share more enchanting tales (S).

7.55 Grand Designs A couple give a1950s house amodernist makeover (S).

Man About The House (S).

Unwind With ITV (S).

10.00 Coastal Railways With Julie Walters The actress travels on the famous Great Western Railway (S).

11.05 24 Hours In A&E A 14-year-old is rushed to St George’s after an accident on her bike (S).

12.10 8Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown (S). 1.15 Emergency Helicopter Medics (S). 2.20 24 Hours In A&E (S). 3.25 Food Unwrapped (S). 3.50 Close

8.30

7.30 Dot. 8.00 Brothers In Law 8.30 Counterpoint Christmas Special. 9.30 Romantic Friction. 10.00 Rogue Herries. 11.00 Detective. 11.30 TheLeftHanded Sleeper. 12noon AMaigret Christmas. 12.15 HighLites: SplitEnds. 12.30 Dot. 1.00 Brothers In Law. 1.30 Counterpoint Christmas Special. 2.30 Romantic Friction 3.00 Rogue Herries 4.00 Detective. 4.30 The Left-Handed Sleeper. 5.00 AMaigret Christmas 5.15 HighLites: Split Ends 5.30 Dot 6.00 BrothersInLaw 6.30 Counterpoint Christmas Special 7.30 Romantic Friction. 8.00 Radiolab 8.55 InheritanceTracks 9.00 TheFilm We Can’t See. 9.50 Witness History: The Monkees. 10.00 ComedyClub. 10.00 ComedyClub: I’mSorry IHaven’t AClue. 10.30 ComedyClub: Dave Podmore’s World Of Cricket 11.00 Comedy Club: DeadRingers. 11.30 ComedyClub:AsTold To Craig Brown 12mdn’t Rogue Herries. 1.00 Detective. 1.30 The Left-Handed Sleeper 2.00 AMaigret Christmas 2.15 HighLites: Split Ends. 2.30 Dot. 3.00 Brothers In Law. 3.30 Counterpoint Christmas Special 4.30 Romantic Friction. 5.00 Rogue Herries. BBC 5LIVE 6am 5LiveBreakfast. 9.00 Nicky Campbell. 11.00 Naga Munchetty 1pm Nihal Arthanayake. 4.00 5Live Drive. 7.00 5LiveSport. 9.00 5Live Sport 10.00 Colin Murray 1am DotunAdebayo 5.00 Wake Up To Money BBC 6MUSIC 7.30am Nemone. 10.30 MaryAnne Hobbs. 1pm Craig Charles. 4.00 Huw Stephens 7.00 Marc Riley 9.00 Gideon Coe. 12mdn’t TheFirst Time WithBjork. 1.00 TheStoryOfBjork 2.00 BjorkLive. 3.00 Army Of Me: Bjork Now 4.00 The Bjork Playlist. 5.00 The Remix With ChrisHawkins. 5.30 ChrisHawkins CLASSIC FM 6am More Music Breakfast. 9.00 Alexander Armstrong 12noon Anne-MarieMinhall. 4.00 John Brunning. 7.00 Smooth ClassicsAtSeven. 10.00 Smooth Classics. 1am BillOverton. 4.00 Early Breakfast ABSOLUTE RADIO 6am Dave Berry 10.00 LeonaGraham 1pm Ben Burrell. 4.00 BushAnd Richie. 7.00 Danielle Perry. 10.00 Jay Lawrence. 1am Dan Noble. December19 WIGAN

BBC RADIO 1 6.57am Newsbeat. 7.00 Radio 1Breakfast WithMatt Edmondson. 10.30 Newsbeat. 10.32 Rickie, Melvin AndCharlie. 12.45pm Newsbeat 1.00 DeanAnd Vicky 3.30 Newsbeat. 3.32 GoingHomeWithVick And Jordan. 5.45 Newsbeat. 6.00 Radio 1’sFuture Sounds WithClaraAmfo 8.00 Radio 1’s Future Artists With Jack Saunders 10.00 Radio 1’s PowerDown Playlist With SianEleri. 11.00 Rock Show WithDaniel PCarter 1am BBC Introducing Rock On Radio 1With AlyxHolcombe. 2.00 Radio1’s FutureAlternative 3.00 Radio 1’s WorkoutAnthems. 4.00 Radio 1Dance. 5.00 Radio 1Early Breakfast WithArielle Free. BBC RADIO 2 6.30am TheZoe Ball BreakfastShow. 9.30 KenBruce. 12noon Jeremy Vine. 2.00 Scott Mills. 4.00 Sara Cox 6.30 SaraCox’s Half Wower 7.00 Jo Whiley’s Shiny Happy Playlist. Jo plays her favourite albumtracks and musicalgems rarely heard on Radio 2. 7.30 Jo Whiley. Musicand chat. 9.00 The Blues Show WithRonnie Wood. Ronnie Wood sitsinfor Cerys Matthews. 10.00 Trevor Nelson’s Magnificent7 10.30 Trevor Nelson’s Rhythm Nation. 12mdn’t OJ Borg. 2.30 One Hit WondersWith OJ Borg. 3.00 Pick Of ThePops. 4.00 EarlyBreakfast Show BBC RADIO 3 6.30am Breakfast 9.00 Essential Classics. 12noon Composer Of The Week: Bach At Christmas. 1.00 Radio 3LunchtimeConcert. 2.00 Afternoon Concert. 4.30 New Generation Artists. 5.00 In Tune 7.00 In Tune Mixtape.Aneclectic non-stop mix of music 7.30 Radio 3In Concert. AperformanceofParts 1, 2and 3 of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio 9.00 Ultimate Calm.A selection of songs on thetheme of hope 10.00 Music Matters. 10.45 1922: LeisureAnd Entertainment. 11.00 NightTracks 12.30am Through TheNight. BBC RADIO 4 6am Today 9.00 StartThe Week. 9.45 (LW) Daily Service. 9.45 (FM) Book Of The Week: Agatha Christie: AVeryElusive Woman. 10.00 Woman’s Hour 11.00 The Untold 11.30 MichaelMorpurgo’s Folk Journeys. 12noon News. 12.01 (LW) Shipping Forecast. 12.04 TheNew Gurus. 12.30 Sliced Bread 12.57 Weather 1.00 TheWorldAtOne. 1.45 Living With TheNews. 2.00 TheArchers. 2.15 Drama: ThatDinner Of ’67. 3.00 Nature Table. 3.30 The Food Programme. 4.00 The Susurrations Of TheSea. 4.30 BadBlood: The Story Of Eugenics. 5.00 PM. 5.54 (LW) Shipping Forecast. 5.57 Weather 6.00 Six O’Clock News 6.30 I’mSorry IHaven’t AClue.WithJohnFinnemore Pippa Evans, Fred Macaulayand Rory Bremner.Last in the series. 7.00 The Archers 7.15 FrontRow.Arts programme. 8.00 (LW) Putin.New series. Jonny Dymond looks at recenteventsinthe extraordinary storyofVladimir Putin’s life. 8.00 (FM)Putin.

Crossing Continents.

GRIFFITHS

Acknowledgements

MURPHY

Sidney Albert (Spud the Postman)

Steve, Tracy and their Families would like to thank everybody for the love and support given to them after the loss of Dad.

He was alovely man, who lived life to the full.

He is now walking again with his beloved Emm.

Donationstotalling £870 will be divided between Macmillan and Severn Hospice.

On November 28, 2022, peacefully at Danesford GrangeResidential Care Home, Bridgnorth,inthe presence of her Family, following ashort illness.

Mai sie Griff ith s, of Goodwood Av enue , Bridgnorth, aged 92 years R.I.P

The Wife of thelateHarry Griffiths, lovingMother of Mandy and the late Nigel Griffiths,the dear Nan of Craig andDaniel and the veryspecial Sister of Marlene, Alan and thelate Bill.

Much loved, Maisie will be sadly missed by all her Family and Friends.

Funeral Mass at The R.C. Church of St. John The Evangelist, Bridgnorth, on Thursday,December 22 at 11am, to be followed by IntermentatBridgnorth Town Cemetery.

Fa mily flowers only by request please but donations, which are to be divided betweenHope House Children’s Respite Hospice and TheBritish Heart Foundation, are being gratefully received, for which purpose acollection boxwill be provided outside The Church, or online at www.perr yand philli ps funerals.com

All inquiries to Mr.C.C. Adams

LEA Cedric John

On December4,2022, peacefullyathis home, in the presence of his Family, following along illness borne with great fortitude, Cedric Lea, of Conduit Lane, Bridgnorth, aged 80 years.

The beloved Husband of Judy,loving Father of Christian, Charlotte and Sam, Father-in-law of Sharon, Vivand Sally and a verydear Grandad.

Much loved, Cedricwill be sadly missed by all his Family,Friends and former colleagues and pupilsat BridgnorthOldbury Wells School, where he served as Deputy Headmaster

Aformer District Councillor for Bridgnorth East Ward (2).

Funeral Service at The Parish Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Bridgnorth, on Monday,December 19 at 11am, to be followed by IntermentatBridgnorth Town Cemetery.

Fa mily flowers only by request please but donations,which are to be divided between The British Heart Foundation and Bridgnorth Foodbank, are being gratefully received, for which purpose acollection boxwillbeprovided at The Church, or online at www.perr yand philli ps funerals.com

All inquiries to Mr.C.C. Adams

POOLER Elizabeth Jean (Betty)

On December2,2022, peacefully at Bradeney House Residential Care Home, Wo rfield, Nr Bridgnorth, BettyPooler, formerly of Greenfields Court, Bridgnorth and of Stableford, Nr.Bridgnorth, aged 94 years.

The devoted Mother of Margaret and the late Anne, the dear Gran Bett of Dan and Laura and Great-Gran Bett of Sam and Lucy

Much loved, Betty willbe sadly missed by all her Family and Friends.

Funeral Service at The Parish Church of St. Peter The Apostle, Worfield, on Monday,January9,2023 at 12 noon, to be followed by Interment at Worfield Parish Cemetery.

Fa mily flowers only by request please, but donations for Compton Care are beinggratefully received, for which purpose a collection boxwill be provided inside the Church Porch, or onlineatwww perryandphillipsfunerals.

com

All inquiries to Mr.C.C. Adams

Janet Mary nee Toffanin

Passed awaysuddenly at The Princess Royal Hospital on Thursday,November 17, 2022. Aged 73 years.

Loving Wife to Graham. Mother to Emma and John. Grandmother to Devon and Kai.

Sister,Sister-in-law and Friend.

Funeral Service to be held at Telford Crematorium on Monday,December 19 at 3.30pm.

Family flowers only please.

Donations if desired to Hope House for which purpose acollection box willbeprovided at the Crematorium.

Family have requested bright clothes to be worn please.

Inquiries to WILLIAMS

Joan Francis

nee Hopkins

On November 18, 2022, peacefully at her home,in the presence of her Husband John, Joan Williams, of Birmingham Road, Kiddermins ter,f or mer ly of Bridgnorth,aged80years. R.I.P

SHORTRIDGE

MaryPatricia

Sadly passedawayonthe December 5, aged 90 years.

Deaths

BAKER

Colin Edward

Born May 29 ,1 948 in Bridgnorth, Colin passed away peacefully at home on December 4, 2022.

Devoted Husband to Carol, lovingFathertoColin and Rachael and doting Grandpa to Jon, Nick and Hannah.

Colin will be sadlymissed by his Family and many Friends.

Funeral Service will be taking place at Telford Crematorium on Wednesday,January4,2023 at 11.30am.

Flowers from immediate Family only please.

Donations gratefully received in support of the Severn Hospice, whose team gave amazing support to Colin and his Family

HANDLEY

Dr David

Died peacefullyonDecember 3, 2022.

He wasabelovedHusband to Joan, Father to Arwen and Kate and Grandfather to Luke, Elen, William and Isabel.

Althoughheand Joan moved to Sevenoaks, five years ago to be neartheir Daughters he continued to rememberhis Friends and Patients from Newport with great fondness.

He will be greatly missed.

Ex GP Wellington Road Surgery, Newport, Shropshire.

MASTERS

June Rose

nee Patton

Af ter as hort illness passedaway peacefullyon November 25, 2022, aged 91 years, of Market Drayton.

Amuch-loved Mum, Grandma and Great-Grandma and a dear Sister

Funeral Service 1pm on We dn esda y, Dec ember 21, 2022 at Christ Church, Little Drayton followed by Cre mat ion at Te lford Crematorium.

Family flowers only,but donations, if so desired to Cancer Research UK for which purpose acollection plate will be provided in Church.

All inquiries please to

Aloving Wife to Richard and Mum to Richard, Patricia, Mary, David and Jonathan.

Loving Grandmatomany cherished Grandchildren and adear Friend who will be missed by all.

Acelebration of life will take place at Telford CrematoriumonDecember30, at 1.30pm.

Family flowers only and donations if desired to Dementia UK.

All inquiries to

NEWPORT&DISTRICT Funeral Directors. 01952 820667.

The beloved Wife of John, loving Mother of Greg, Mother-in-law of Melanie, very dear Grandmaof Connor,Jessica,Jordan and Kieran, and the GreatGrandma of Malcolm.

Much loved,Joan will be sadly missed by all her Family and Friends.

Reception into The R.C Church of St. John The Evangelist, Northgate, Bridgnorth, on Wednesday, December 14 at 7pm.

Funeral Mass at The R.C. Church of St. John The Evangelist, Northgate, Bridgnorth, on Thursday, December 15 at 12 noon, to be followed by Interment at Bridgnorth Town Cemetery.

Fa mily flowers only by request please, but donations for Macmillan Cancer Support are being gratefully received, for which purposea collection boxwill be provided outside the Church, or online at www.perryandphillips funerals.com

All inquiries to

Mr.C.C. Adams,

TIPTON

Ruth Barwick

Deborah Bashall

Julie Bridgewood

John Donaldson

Dorothy Feasey

Garth Goodall

William Gough

Judy Green Phyllis Harpham

Jean Holmes-Brown

Vivien Hotchkiss

Jane Hurcomb

Paul Jones Carole Lawrence

Jackie Reading

Richard Tomlinson

Maisie Winifred nee Westwood

FirstDrive:CitroenC5 Aircross

TEDWELFORD PressAssoiation

Arriving in 2018 as the French firm’s largestSUV it hasproven successful, with more than 260,000 sold.Citroen is nowbackwithamid-life refresh, to ensure it canremain competitive next to newermodelslikethe Qashqaiand Ford Kuga.But is theC5Aircross able to competeinthistough class?

Thebulkofthe changesas part of this updatestemaround theC5Aircross’ interior –the model’s slight weakness before Citroen hasworkedtoimprove qualitywithamodernisedcentre console,anew touchscreen andafurther emphasis on comfort –anareawhere this crossover alreadyimpressed

Around theexterior,you’ll notice theAircrossnow gets newheadlights, variousnew colour andwheel optionsas well as Citroen’s updated logo

Forthose wantingsomething electrified,there’s a222bhp plug-inhybridthatcan manage 38 milesonelectricpower to a charge,whilea128bhp 1.5-litre caters to high-mileageusers, with this fuel becoming an increasing rarity in this class.

Butour testcar uses the entry-levelpetrol–a1.2-litre turbocharged petrolgenerating 129bhp and230Nm of torque

If you come to theC5Aircrosslooking forsomething sporty,you’rebarking up the wrongtree, as this is amodel that majors on comfortand everyday ease of use. Thelight steering inspires littleconfidencedownatwistybackroad,

butaroundtown, it makesit veryeasytomanoeuvre,aided by fantasticvisibility.The Aircrossremains acomfortable,if soft-riding choice,thoughitcan be abit unsettledbypotholes.

Citroen’s designersaren’t afraid to be bolder than other brands,and theresultisa funky-lookingcrossover.Like before,you’vegot thebrand’s famed‘Airbumps’onthe doors –the plastictrimstuck halfway up thedoorthatcan also help preventdoordings –aswellas variouscolourpacks

Thevisualchanges arewelcome,withthe newLED lightingsignature that runs into thegrillebeing aparticularly neat touch. Youwon’t find wheels smallerthan18inches in size,whilethe plentifulplasticcladdinghelps to give theC5 Aircrossachunkyand rugged look that will go down well with customers

Theinterior feelslikethe biggeststepup, with thecentre console feelingmuchmore modern.Onautomatic models, there’sasmall gearselector that helpstofreeupspace,and thequality in generalisgood. It’s not premium, butfeels solid anddurable,withour test car getting some pleasanthalf-Alcantaraseats,which utilise Citroen’s ‘AdvancedComfort’

program, andnow getmoresupport than ever.They’re great fortakingthe literalbackache outoflongerjourneys.

TheC5Aircrosswill also workbrilliantlyasafamily car. There’splentyofspace in therearseats, whileeachseat in therearfolds andslidesindividually.Even with theseats upright, thebootmeasures afantastic 580litres, easily eclipsingthe room offeredwith aQashqai

AllC5 Aircrossmodelsget alonglistofequipment. The entry-levelSense Plus comes with thenew,much-improved 10-inchtouchscreen,a12.3inch digitalinstrumentcluster, frontand rear parkingsensors andareversing camera

Themid-range Shinetrim brings thesmarter part-Alcantara seats, as well as adaptive cruise control(notonmanual models)and blindspotmonitoring, whilethe top-spec C-Series Editiongrade packslarger19inch alloywheels, apanoramic sunroofand leatherseats

In termsofprice,the C5 Aircrossremains competitive next to rivals, starting from £26,930,thoughitwill cost you morethan£2,000moreacross the rangefor an automatic version –adecision we’d think twiceabout making,givingthe

auto isn’tall that great. Hybrid models, packingplentyofextra pace andimprovedefficiency, seem pretty goodvalue considering; starting from £35,835.

TheC5Aircrosswas already alikeableSUV,and these updateshaveonlyimprovedthat. Still offering eye-catchingdesign,plentyofequipment and lotsofinterior space, it now has asmarter interior to go with it This Citroen won’tchallenge thebestinthisclassfor top honours, butnevertheless, it’s an appealingchoiceand one that deserves to be considered if you’reinthe market fora mid-size crossover.

FACTFILE

CITROENC5AIRCROSS

SHINE PURETECH 130EAT8 AUTOMATIC

Price as tested: £31,125

Engine: 1.2-litreturbocharged petrol

Power: 129bhp

0-60mph: 10.1 seconds

Topspeed: 117mph

Economy: 46.7mpg

CO2 emissions: 148g/km

Astragains electric versions

Vauxhall hascontinued itselectric caroffensive with theintroductionofbattery-powered versions of itsAstra andAstra Sports Tourer

Settoarriveinthe UK next year,bothmodelsmeanthat theAstra will nowbeavailable with thechoice of four powertrainsbeitelectric, plug-inhybrid or petroland diesel. It also boosts thenumberoffully electric Vauxhall vehicles currently on sale to six.

Both arepowered by a114kW electric motorand a54kWh batterywhich,Vauxhallsays, will return up to 258miles in betweencharges.Thanksto 100kWDCchargingcompatibility,the electric Astra will

also be able to manage an 80% charge inaslittleas30minutes

JamesTaylor, managing director of Vauxhall,said: “The Astra goingelectricisabig milestonefor both ourpopular familycar as well as forthe Vauxhall brandaswemovetowardsour commitmentofonly

offering fullyelectriccarsand vans from 2028

“The Astra Electric and Astra SportsTourerElectric will offereverydaypracticality, comfortand locallyemission-freedriving pleasure combined with theinnovative technologyand bold andpure design language that Vauxhall is knownfor.”

Becausethe batteryissituated within thecar’s underbody, theAstra isstill able to offera decent amount of luggagespace As such,the Astra SportsTourer Electric canoffer up to 516 litresofspace –or1,553 litres with theseats folded –which is thesameasyou’ll find in plugin hybrid versions

Allcarsget Vauxhall’s Pure Panelinfotainmentsystem, whichcombinesa 10-inchdigital instrument clusterwith a10-inch centraldisplay.All versionsget plenty of safety equipment as standard,too, includingautomatic emergency braking, active lane keepingassist andrearcrosstrafficalert Orders forthe Astra Electric will open from early2023with deliveries expected from June 2023.The AstraSportsTourer Electric,meanwhile,will be availabletoorder in thesummerahead of deliveriesin the ‘latterpartofthe year’, accordingtoVauxhall. Full UK pricingwill be announced closerto theiron-sale date,too

Citroen’sknown for doingthings alittle bitdifferently,and its C5 Aircrosswas a fine exampleofthis.

VauxhallAstra andAstra Sports Tourer as they gain electric versions

SharphandlingfromMercedesC300

BILL MCCARTHY

Mercedes’compact executive thoroughbred,the C-Class, is abestseller foragood reason.

It looksthe part,offerscutting edge technologyand hasthe sheer desirability andaspirationalquality many look for.

Thelatestversion is as slickand stylishaseverand with this plug-in hybrid version, offers a step forward againstmanyofits rivals

With an electric-onlyrange of around 65 miles, you couldask the question,why go forfull electric as thecharginginfrastructure continuestogrowatasnail’s pace?Even when thechargerunsout,you still

have thepetrolenginetodeliver power.

Whilemanyplug-ins offeraround 30 miles, doublingthe rangehere meansmostjourneyscan be completed on electric poweronly

Thetwo litre engine is mated with a128bhp electric motor,powered by alarge 25.4kWhbattery to deliver rapid pace andbrilliant economy. Thelow CO2emissions mean low,for now, road taxand the lowerend of theBenefitin Kind taxationtable

It hasanominalmpg of 470.8, but true mpgdepends on how much you driveonelectriconly, so is probably nearer to 60-65mpg

TheC-Class modelrange consists of four equipment levels, including Sport;AMG Line;AMG Line Pre-

mium;and AMGLinePremium Plus.Ithas alow-slung sleeksilhouette,attractive alloys,and elliptical lights either side of thelarge grille sporting theiconicMercedes star

Theinterior is premiumquality with heated andpowered leather seats, soft-touch finish,classyinserts, anda12.3-inch digitalinstrument clusterdisplay

Thecentre is dominatedbythe standard 11.9-inchdisplay which operates theimpressiveMBUXinfotainmentsystem, whichhas now fullyintegrated themajor music streamingservices. It is also capableofreceiving over-the-air updates. Full smartphone connectivity is availableand certainsystems canbeoperatedbyvoice command. Wireless phonechargingisalso

available. On theroad, thecar is an impressive performer. Thehybrid system is matedwiththe familiar nine-speedautomatic transmission to deliver seamless changes and swiftacceleration

Thedriver canselectanumber of modesincluding Comfort, ECO, Sport, Sport+,Individualand two hybrid-specificmodes:Battery Level andElectric, fora choice of performance andeconomy Otherwise,the carglidesalong almost silently on electric power,withplentyinreservewiththe powerfulpetrolenginelurking in reserve.

Handling is sharpand thecar performs well on twisting country lanescompetently,alwaysfeeling well-balanced andaided by responsive steering

Usingan11kWcharger,you’ll need twohours forafullcharge, whichlimitsthe potentialfor zero-emissions runningonlonger journeys unless you have that time to spare at aservice station. Thelarge batterymeans boot

space is reduced on thehybrid to 315litres, whichisnot ahuge amount in itsclass.

Mercedes hasa reputation for safety andequipmentisextensive with afull rangeofairbags,Blind Spot Assist;rearviewcameraand a hostofother aids.

FACTFILE

MERCEDESC300 EAMG LINE SALOON

Price: £44,895

Mechanical: Combined 205hp 1,999cc,4cylpetrol engine and electric motor driving rear wheels via9-speedautogearbox

Max speed: 152mph

0-62mph: 6.1seconds

Combined mpg: 470.8

CO2emissions: 13g/km Warranty: 3yrs/100,000 miles

Hondatopslistof reliable carmakers

Hondahas come outontop ofanew report on carreliability

TheJapanese firm –which produces cars likethe Jazz andCivic –cameout in firstplaceinWarrantywise’s Reliability Index, whichcompiled131,000 active warranty plansbetween 2021 and2022.

TheIndex rankseverycar based on anumberoffactors,including the cost andfrequency of repairs. With its overallscore of 96.8 outof100,Honda came out firmly on top, with itsJazz modelnamed themostreliableused carinthe Indextoo

Toyotacameinsecondplace with an overallscore of 91.2/100, followed up by Suzuki andKia with scores of 88.7 and86.2out of 100respectively

Lawrence Whittaker, CEO of Warrantywise said: “Asthe cost of living continuestorise,it’simportant to keep things likereliability at theforefrontofour mindswhenchoosing a used cartobuy

“By collecting andcollating allthis data into an indexlikethisone,we’re able to furtherhelpour customers with theirpurchases by arming them with informationtotry andhelplessen theburden as much as we can.”

Ford came outatthe bottom of the top10listwithanoverallscore of 73.1/100,which wasmatched by Mazda.

Renaultand Citroen enteredthe list justabove,withrespective scores of 73.2 and74.3

Honda tops list of most-reliable carmakers

Salopian make it threewinsfromthree at Wirral

Salopian dartscontinued to build on theirsolid starttothe season with a20-16 victoryatWirralin UK Division Three–backing up triumphs away at Shropshireand at hometoNorthumberland.

Despite theperfect starttothe season,three debuts were awarded within theladies’ Bside–two of whichfeaturedinthe opening twogames with lady-of-the-match PaulaDavies(16.61) andKaren Weston (14.75) enjoying respective 3-1wins.

Claire Boyle(14.83)sufferedher firstlossfor Salopian Ladies before Rachel Williams(12.67) returned

to winningwaystorestore the twogame advantage.

Thethird debutant,KateLeach (13.91),wentdowndespite showing promise andthe ladies’Bmatch concludedwithanemphatic3-0 winfor Tracey Dean(14.45)

That two-game advantagewas halved afterChris Sharp(23.77) defeated RobPaine (21.90)inthe openingmen’s Bmatch butafter Darren Lane (17.43)won anervy second matchinthe deciding leg Salopian never againtrailed inthe men’s Bsection

Once Andy Kynaston (19.10)had firedSalopianBahead,the spine

of theteam firedoncemoreasthey reeled offthree successivevictories through Mark Jones(23.76),Jamie Kynaston (23.15)and Paul Ashworth (18.02).

Wirral fought back,takingthe next threegames,but Martin Riggs (18.79)and man-of-the-match Gary Crowther (25.91)gavetheman11-7 advantageovernight Evonne Taylor (17.68)started the ladies’Amatch with an emphatic 3-0win,but Salopian progress was checkedasWirralhit back through Jane Robson (19.03).

AllisonGallagher (16.49)and JulieGriffiths(15.73) responded

forSalopian before SarahRoberts (22.51) fell to her firsteverSalopian defeat,losing ahigh quality match3-1 to KimHolden(21.41).

It waslefttoSteph Clarke (17.68) to secure ladies A’sthirdsuccessive victoryofthe campaign to give an overall 15-9 lead goingintothe men’sAmatches

With Salopian needingjustfour gamestosecureoverallvictory, Jon Mansell (23.18), JoeHiggins (24.97), AshHilditch(24.71),Matt Elsey(27.37) andKacey Jones (23.48)ensured it with five games still to play.ThoughSalopian would winjustsix furtherlegsafter that

Golfers club together to supportrisingstarIsla

Shrewsbury Golf Club membersswung into action to chip in foranew golf trolleyfor ateenageprodigy whoistakingthe golfing worldby storm.

Isla McDonald-O’Brien,aged16, from Nesscliffe,isinthe England under-18,and cardinggood scores againstsomeofthe best adultamateurplayers in tournamentsinthe UK andEurope.

Shrewsbury Golf Club proJohn Richards says Isla,witha3.8+ handicap,has “outstanding natural talent”and thegolfing mental ability to become agreat player. Shecan also outdrive most male golf club members.

“I’venever seen such agood female player at herage,” said Richards.“Shehas allthe skilland capabilities to make it in world golf

“She wonthe Shrewsbury la-

dies’clubchampionshipat12years of ageand hasgone ontoachieve in national events andrepresent GreatBritain andIreland.”

ParentsAndyand Alisonchose Shrewsbury Golf Club’s course at Condover as theperfect training ground forIslaand herbrother Rory,also an Englandplayer, where thefastand true greens aresimilartosome of thebesttournament courses

Theclub’sthree golf captains, representingall 500plusmembers, backed thesenior men’sideato buyIslaatrolley to help herasshe progresses in tournamentsagainst some of thetop players in herage group.

Women’scaptain Mary Saull said: “Weare very proudofwhatIslahas achieved so farand aredelighted to be able to help her.

“Not only is sheanexceptional golfer butshe is also alovely girl We will be watchinghow hergolfing career develops with greatinterest.”

Isla’sgrowing golf cv includes coming second in theR&A Girls’ competitionatEnville,secondin thePeter McEvoy Trophy,thirdin theEnglishGirls’under-16openat Formby and fifthinthe HelenHolm Scottish Women’sCompetition at Troon, beatingmanytop amateurs Shealso came fifthinthe Justin Rose competitioninPortugal.

Isla,who pickedupher firstgolf club as a five-year-old, hasjustvisited theUnitedStateswhere she wasinvited to threeuniversities in Arizona, Ohio andTexas,which producesome of theworld’s best future golfing talent

Golf proRichardscontacted Isla’s familytotellthemthatthe club wanted to supportIslaasshe progresses.

Dad Andy,aformerKentcounty cricketerand averyrespectable golfer with athree handicap,said: “Johnphoned me to saythatthe senior sectionhad some sparemoney left andtheywanted to reward Islawithatrolley as sherepresents Shrewsbury Golf Club wherever she goes

“Theythought it wouldbeanice gestureand it certainlyis.”

Apupil at Moreton Hall School, whereshe is studying Alevelsin history, geographyand PE after taking GCSEs ayearearly,Islawill take hernew trolley with herasshe travelswithEnglandGolffor warm winter traininginPortugalinFebruarypreparing formoretournamentsin2023.

Shealso hopestofollowinelder brotherRory’sfootsteps as theEngland golfer settlesintohis university in southCarolinawhere he won agolfing scholarshiptoprogressin theworld of topclassgolf.

Arch leadsthe medalrushas Northgateaces make asplash

NorthgateSwimmingClubare celebratingafterabrilliant weekendofcompeting at the WolverhamptonOpen, whichsaw twodaysofhard-fought races.

Theeventwelcomedswimmers from across theWestMidlands from nine to 18 yearsofage,all of whom were challengingfor medals on apackedscheduleof events

Northgate, whoseswimmers train at Bridgnorth andMuck Wenlockleisure centres, came away with 50 medals

Twenty-one club members competed,witheachsetting at leastone personal best time,and collectively as agroup gaining aremarkable84personalbests acrossthe differentraces

Therewerenumerousstandoutperformanceswith14-yearoldDewiArchleading the way.

Thetalentedyoungster claimedanimpressive12podium places,which included striking gold in the200mbutterflyand 200m backstroke events

He wassubsequently crowned ‘top boy’ forhis agecategory, pipping clubmatesElliottPabla and IsaacGibbard,who were placed second andthirdrespectively overall

Additionally,Gibbard claimed agoldmedal in the200mbreaststroke,as did15-year-old Anna Cole in the50m backstroke, with Cole gainingasecond-placed rankingfor herage group.

CharlotteSmith, aged 10, amassedsix medals acrossa series of races, whichled toa second-placed rankingoverall –anachievementequalledby 12-year-oldMarthaGibbard

LeoJohnson, Rory Yarnley, EddieGibbons, SamConnerand EmilyWootton allcompetedat an open eventfor the firsttime, whichservesasanother indication of theexcitingtalentthat is emerging from this Shropshire-basedclub.

IslaMcDonald-O’Brienwith club proJohnRichards, seniormen’s captainMikeLloyd-Court, men’scaptain AdePrice andwomen’s captainMarySaull

Northgate star DewiArch

Kitman JP pressesontoget Town dressedfor success

Teaand biscuits withEngland’s newsuperstar Bellingham

wayhehas –and he revealed he wasalwayspartial to a biscuitinthe kitroomatBirminghamCity.

Thekitmanplays an integral role within any sporting dressing room –looking afterplayerstoensuretheyhave everythingtheyneed to performonthe pitch.

Anditisnodifferent at Shrewsbury Town whereJon Pearce,referred to as ‘JP’ by staffatthe club, hasthe importantjob of ensuring theplayers at theMeadoware well looked after.

Pearce,who is from east London, wasanother of SteveCotterill’s additionsinthe summer as he arrived from Birmingham City –aclub he hadworkedatfor almost nine years.

Butwhatexactly does he do on aweeklybasis to give theplayers nothing to complain about?

Pearce said:“Iliketobeinearly, Iaminwellbeforethe players,possiblyaround6.30 or 7am.

“I like to be in before themanager because it sets agoodexample that you aredoing yourjob properly

“And you want hiskit to be put out first, andthen, half an hour later,everyone’skit is out.

“Ifthe managerknows they have hadasession in themorning and then they have gym, he will askme to getthemfresh kitout,you don’t want them in cold clothes.”

AndPearceisverybusyon matchdaystoo

“WhenIworkedatBirmingham, Iwould probably go andset up the nightbefore, butitdoesn’tseemto happen so much in League One, so Iprobablyget to thestadium at 9.30am or 10am,” he continued.

“Even if youare away,Iliketo getthere earlyand getthe dressing roomset up

“I putwhattheywearinthe warm-upout forthem, boots, shin pads, flip flops, towels andany specificrequirements that theplayers have

“I always watchthe firsthalf.

“Butasakitman, you have to be twosteps ahead.

“Sosomethingcould happen on thebench andthe sports scientist couldneed somethingand Ineedto go andget it

“You have to be readytobeonthe move

“Ifthe players have less to worry about,theymightget threemore points aseason.

“Inthe same way, it givesthem less to moan about, if you give them nothing to moan about– allthey have to worry aboutiswhathappens on thepitch.

“I can’tchangewhathappens there, butyou want theplayers to be as prepared as possible forany eventually “And that is akitman’sthing,

you will always take too much. You will take things you don’tneed and things youwon’t use,but you will always getasked forsomething.”

AndPearcewill take allmannerofdifferent things to agameto make sure theplayers have allbases covered.

He takestoothbrushes, batteries andsometimeseventoiletpaper –asopposition teams have been knownnot to leaveany in thepast.

He refers to himself as an ‘odd job man’ andifthe players need something, he believes he should have it forthem.

When Town play away,hetakes aclubemblemwithhim to stickon thechangingroomdoortomakeit feel liketheir home forthe day, as well as packingseveral speakers –he says AaronWilbraham andLuke Leahyare usuallyinchargeofthe music.

The43-year-old hasnot always been akitmanbeforehetookup his role at Birmingham,heworkedasa baggagehandler,but Pearce always hadaspirations to workinfootball justlikehis fatherhad before him–he wasastadium manageratWest

Ham, hisboyhood club.Hedid work as afootballagent forawhile,but Pearce foundthat‘cutthroat’and even though he liked watching gameshefound talkingtoplayers andparents difficult

Andafter applying forafew jobs, he gota role Blues, andhemoved hisfamilytoTelford as aresult.

Away from football,hehas apassion forcollectingfootballshirts, somethinghehas done sincehewas young

He said:“Shirtcollectinghas been my real bigthing of mine,it startedwhenIwas 21 when my dad workedasthe stadiummanager at West Ham.

“I wasclose to thekitman, andI startedgetting shirts from there, Icollected more andmorethrough people Iknew.

“Itjustspiralled,and Iprobably have 700orsonow

“I like weirdonesthatnoone wantsbecause everyone wanted the biggerones.

“ButIhaveended up with aMessi shirtfromwhenhewas at Barcelona

“Footballismymainthing,but

shirtcollectinggoesalongside with it.”

Pearce hasworkedwithTown’s currentbossbefore, when Cotterill wasthe managerofBlues, andhesaystheyshare agood relationship

“Reallywell,”hesaidwhenasked how he gets on with the Salopboss.

“Hesaved us at Birmingham that season,Harry Redknapp wasthe face of it,but Stevehad putall the groundworkin.

“Not alot of people seehis attention to detail,tactics andset-plays

“Heisverygoodtactically, andhe is so driven by that,which is whyhe is so good at it

“I wasgood friendswiththe analystatBirmingham,and he would openly tell youthatwhentheywere working on preparingfor agame hisattention to detail wassoimportant

“Heisnormallynot toomany stepsbehindmewhencomingin, andalmostthe same when leaving.

“Wewill allhavea dayoff,and he will probably be watchingthree or four videos on whoever we areplayingnext.”

Thepairformeda good relationship when they were together at BlueswhenBellingham wasstill a playerthere,and Pearce workedfor BluesbeforemovingtoSalop this summer

Pearce remembersthe firsttime he sawthe youngster when he was ayoung boy, andhesaidashegrew up,hewould always find himinthe kitroomraiding histub of biscuits

He said:“Thekit room does become abit of homingpoint that all theplayers converse on

“Itmightnot be agreed by sports science, butthere is atub of biscuits in my room.

“And you don’twanttonamedrop,but Jude Bellingham wouldalwaysbeinmyroom having abiscuitatthe endofthe day.”

He made his firstappearance

forBlues when he wasjust16 yearsand 38 daysold before signingfor Borussia Dortmund for £25million

Andnow he hasbeenperforming on football’s biggeststage playinga starring rolein hiscountry’s World CupcampaigninQatar

He started allEngland’sgames as they reachedthe quarter-finals andimpressed with hisdynamic displays

Pearce is notsurprised to seehow well he is doing, andsayspart of it is down to howwellthe 19-year-old hasbeenbroughtupbyhis parents.

He said:“Icould not speakany higher of him–Imet himthe first time when he wasnineor10.

“I am so pleasedwithhow it’s turningout forhim,meand my son aredue to go to Dortmund in Januarytowatch himplay.

“The family aresuperb,and Jude is 100per cent theway he is through hismum anddad

“Heisone of thebestIhaveever hadtodealwith. Thekit room is justthatroomthateveryone comes in.”

Plenty to do:Kitman JP Pearce always ensure bossSteve Cotterill’s traininggear is ready first

JonPearce,Shrewsbury Town kitmanager,inhis kitroom atMontgomery Waters Meadow

In the firstofaseriesoffeatureswith ShrewsburyTownbackroom staff, OLLIEWESTBURY speaksto Salop’s kitman JonPearceabouthis role.

Shrewsbury Town’s kitman Jon Pearce is not surprisedEngland star Jude Bellingham hasturned outthe

JonPearce with asignedJude Bellingham shirthavingworked with theEnglandstarletwhenhe wasayoungsteratBirmingham

Karate kidBilly landsamedal

Atalented youngster from a Shrewsbury karate club medalledatthe recent European championships andhas abright future ahead.

BillyJones, 13,travelled with theWadokaEnglandteamfor the47thcontinental championship in Macedonia aftersuccessfullymakingitthrough the selections processinApril

It saw610 participants competing in Kumite andKatsa, with theyoungster entering thelater category.Hecontinuedthrough Repecharge which is acompetition to determine thirdplacefor athletes whowere knockedout by the finalistsand wonabronzemedal.

Billyhas been astudentatthe KoshikiKarateClubinShrewsbury sincethe ageofseven ledby SenseiFrank Johnson, 6thDan Johnsonaninternational competitorinthe EnglandSquad andcompetedinJapan.Billy, whose mumHeidi achieved a bronze in theveteransKatathis year,isnow practicing readyfor the2023EuropeanchampionshipsinBelgium

Whitehead honours great-nanwith fight

Familymeans everything to Ryan Whiteheadashedevotes hisnext ring assignment to thememoryof hislategreat-grandmother

It’s been an emotionalridefor him, justgetting to BCBPromotions’ finalbill of theyearatthe Hangar Events Venue, in Wolverhampton, on theFridaynightof December 16

Hisgreat-gran sadlypassedaway in November, with bereavement also coming Whitehead’sway in hisprevioustrainingcamp, when

great-grandadRonaldalsodied. Butthe 28-year-oldsuper middleweightisbattlingonwiththe aim of improvinghis prorecord, which stands at 2-0withaTKO registered last time out.

Whitehead, whogrewup in the TelfordtowninOakengatesbut nowlives in Muxton,stopped Steve Davies in thethird round, aftera relentless onslaught.

He’s trained by ex-pro Tristan Davies, whoalso coachesamateurs at DonningtonBoxingClub. White-

head said:“My grand-grandmother passed away in November, so Idedicate this fighttoher.Mygreat-grandaddiedthree weeksbeforemylast fightand Idid thesamethen.

“Theyhad abig impact on me growingupand it’s heart-breaking I’ve been mentally puttothe test andI’vehad timeswhenIwantedto pull out, butIdon’t have that in me

“I don’task questions. Iget in thereand do my job. I’mnot bothered aboutthe rounds,overfour, I just want entertaining fights.”

Maddocks bounce back to claimwelcome victory

Maddocks Bput the disappointment of beingstripped of their only previous league winofthe season by defeatingTelepost Bina keyShropshireChess League division onerelegation scrap.

TheOakengatessidetriumphed 3-2overtheir rivals on thesame nightasaleagueappealcommittee dismissedtheir appeal againsta ruling that cost them victoryover Oswestry Alastmonth

It marksadecentweekfor the club –MaddocksBwill be outofthe relegation zone at Christmas,while theclub’sA teamhas gone back to thetop of thetable aftera3-2 win overstrugglingOswestryA

MaddocksBhad initiallybeaten Oswestry A3-2 back in early November. Butthe hosts hadbeen awardedawin on topboard when Oswestry’s Rudy vanKemenadearrived40minutes late VanKemenadewas told he had arrivedtoo late to play as he was more than half-an-hour late and made thelongjourney back home –onlyfor officials on both sidestolaterdiscover theleague’srules state an hour must pass before adefault wincan be claimed.

MatthewClark,Shropshire ChessAssociation president, declared theboard null andvoid, whichmadethe matchresulta2-2 draw.Maddocks’ appeal wassubsequentlydismissed,withthe appeal

committee urging allcaptainstobe awareofthe rulesbeforethe start of play andifpossiblehavea copy of therules to hand

Elsewhereindivisionone,Newport Aended Shrewsbury A’sunbeaten startwithahardfought 3.5-1.5victory wherethe finaltwo boards to finish were theonlydecisive scores of thenight Meanwhile, Telepost Bare the earlyleaders of Shropshire Rapidplay League division twoafterthe openinground of fixtures

They wonall threeoftheir matchestoheadthe division,which is only open to players with an ECF ratingof1640and below.

Online,ShrewsburyB arerooted to thefootofShropshireOnline ChessLeaguedivisionone aftera 3-1lossagainst Oswestry B. The highlightwas aspectacular sacrificialwin forOswestry’svan Keme-

nade againstShrewsburycaptain Mark Smithonboard two.

Finally, entriesfor Shropshire ChessCongressare steadily on the rise.Todate69players have enteredthe tournament,which will be held at Wrekin HousingTrust in TelfordfromJanuary 6to8,across itsfoursections.

Players have untilDecember 31 to enterwithout incurringa£5late entrycharge. Formoredetails visit www.shropshirechess.org/shropshire-congress

Latest results -ShropshireChess

Leaguedivision one: Telepost B2-3 MaddocksB;NewportA3.5-1.5ShrewsburyA;MaddocksA3-2 Oswestry A. Onlineleaguedivisionone: Shrewsbury B1-3 Oswestry B. Rapidplaydivision two: TelepostC 1-2NewportB,TelfordB 1.5-2.5 Telepost B; NewportB0-4 TelfordB,TelepostB 3.5-0.5TelepostC;Telford B3-1 TelepostC,Newport B0-4 TelepostB

Toptwo start to pullawayin race forglory

It lookslikebeing atwo-horse race in thebattlefor gloryin theBridgnorthSnooker League afterBroseley Band Maddocks recorded 5-0 victories.

Broseley Bremainthree points aheadofMaddocksfollowing aone-sided clashwith AlveleyB

Pete Thompson,Owen Hughes,Nickand Andy Carson, andEddie Mullardall more or less romped home,althoughperhaps it couldbesaidthatArek Ziemkiewiczand Dave Jones did putabetter fightfor Alveleyin the finaltwo frames

It wasa similar storyfor Maddocks, whostrolled to victory againstAlveley B. Paul Harper knockedina breakof48, while allowing hisopponentNorman Jones just tworeds.There was also a44break forJames Brennan, whobrushed asideReg Burton.

Wins forNeilPearsonand Simon Yateswerealso never in doubt.The onlyMaddocksplayer that wastroubledwas Dan Morris. He hadtosettlefor afortuitous finalblack to beat Chris Jepsontosecuremaximum points forhis team.

Therewere4-1 wins forboth ChelmarshBand ChelmarshSc.

However,the droppingof thosesingleframesmeans that both teamsare noweight points adrift of theleagueleaders

Thereigningchampions completed thedoubleover St John’s A, thanks to competitive wins from Gary Smithand Simon Thomas,amoreconvincingwin from Paul Manningand ademolition jobfromAndySmith

In fact,Smith putonthe performance of thenight,knocking in breaks of 50 and39. Theconsolation forStJohn’scamefrom KevinHawkins,who beat Mike Rogers in anotherverycompetitiveframe.

ChelmarshSc’svictory came at St John’sB.Chris Petford, Ian Postansand Beamer Jones were puttothe test playingagainst MikeCrawley,Jason Brownand Mark Jonesbut foundenough to secure safe wins whileCarl Walker,aided by a39break, rolled over Mark Worsdell. KevinSmith wasthe St John’s star,comfortably beatingMatt Judd

Woodfieldhaveopenedupa six-pointleadinthe Second Division afterbeating Broseley A3-2 in themostcompetitive matchof theevening.

The firstframe went to Broseleythankstoa blackballwin forNeilCaswell againstLuis Ferraro. RogerLees,playing forWoodfield, just managedto getthe upperhandoverCameron Barden on the finalcolours Gary Watsonrompedhomefor Broseley,beating JasonMorris andthe same couldbesaidfor Woodfield’sNeilDrewett,who beat Matt Smout. Thelastword went to RichardCastle, whoupstaged Andy Garbetttoconfirm Woodfield’svictory

Ryan Whitehead is dedicating hisnext fighttothe memory of hisgreat-grandmotherPicture: ManjitNarotra/MSN

DRAYTONCLOSE IN ON NEWBOSS

NICK ELWELL nick.elwell@mnamedia.co.uk

Market DraytonTown areready to kick-off the interviewing process for anew manager.

Thedeadlinehas passed forapplicationsfor theroleatthe Midland League outfitand director andcurrent interimbossRob Griffithsand chairman Mick Murphy areset to draw up ashort-list andspeakto variouscontenders.

“The deadline forapplications wasthisweekand myself andMick will be sitting down to discuss things,” said Griffiths, whotook temporarychargefollowing thedepartureofRichard Brown.

“Wehavebeenencouraged by theapplicationswehaveseenand we have also been approached by afew coacheswho fitwhatweare lookingfor.Ideally,wewould like to getthe position filled as quicklyas possible.”

Griffithshas wasted no time re-shaping theplaying staffat Greenfields with afew departures whileanumberofplayers who figured earlierinthe season,including AshFallon, CallumGriffiths, Dan Churn, TomMeesham andHalim Nadeem have returned “Wedidn’tplaylastSaturdaybecause of theweather butthere were some encouraging aspectsfromour last game when we lost 2-0atLye.” said Griffiths

“Lye area decent side butwe matchedthemfor long periodsand never gave up,which waspleasing.

“A number of lads whoplayed earlierin theyearhavereturned andthe performancewas back to thelevel we hadshownearly in the season andthat’swhatweneed to maintain.”

HeyJude! Fancyaquick cuppa..?

Streets ahead! Cottshails Rob

SteveCotterill says RobStreet wasrewarded forhis hard work with a firstShrewsburygoal–andhehopes it giveshim the confidencetokickon.

Thestriker,who signed on aseason-long loan deal from CrystalPalaceondeadlineday, scored theopenerinthe thrilling3-2 League Onevictory at home to Bolton Wandererson Saturday

It wasthe 21-year-old’s14th appearance forSalop, hehas done well sincearrivingin Shropshire putting in a tremendousshift week in andweekout forhis team.

“I am so pleasedfor Streety, he hasput some milesinonthat pitch. He puts himself about it so much,” he said

“Ithasn’talwaysgoneright forhim,but let’shopethatisa startthatgives himthe confidence to get one next week and theweekafter –hopefully.”

Telfordmaking loan movement

AFCTelford

TheBucks have movedfor Salford City centre-back Josh O’Brien, who joinsfor amonth from theLeague Twoclub.

They have also announced theextensionofdefender Adam Senior’s loan from Bolton Wanderers– but confirmed left-back Bailey Sloane hasreturnedtoAccrington Stanley.

Senior,who turns21nextmonth, hasimpressed in his five appearancesfor theBucks on loan from theLeagueOne Trotters

He will be joined at thebackby 19-year-oldO’Brien,who moved to Salfordin thesummer afterbeing released by Watfordand hasmade four first-team appearances. He grew up in theUSA,where he was in theSeattle Sounders’academy

Runnersshowtheyare full of Christmascheer

RobBoffey, Lorraine Rollinson–in afull snowmancostume–and Mike Freed allcompleted therace.

SixDrayton membersrepresented theclubat theDales Dash in Newcastle-under-Lyme

minutes 11 seconds.

Shewas followed by LouDrinkald (56:22), Nikki Sherwin(55:12), MandyLewis (56:59), LauraVerrill (57:28)and Beatrice Shepley(57:31).

Leanne

The five-miletrail course was hillybut hadsome rewardingviews anddownhillsections.

Rachel Adams ledthe Drayton contingenthome in atimeof45

Meanwhile, EllenDeightonput in themiles to complete theWorcesterRingRoadRace. Thegruelling 22-milemulti terrainput runners through theirpaces by utilising the localcanal pathsand fieldtracks.

United have been making further movements in the loan market in ordertobolster their squad

Draytonare duetohostWorcesterCityonSaturday.

Jude Bellingham took theWorldCup by storm andthere canbefew prouderofEngland’s rising starlet than

Shrewsbury Town kitman JonPearce –who describesthe teenagesensation as oneofthe nicest players he hashad thepleasuretowork with in acareerlooking afterprofessionalfootballers.The pair worked together at BirminghamCityand would enjoyachat overtea andthe oddbiscuitbeforeBellingham movedtoBorussia Dortmundand Pearce movedtoMontgomeryWatersMeadowthissummer. n Full storyand feature:Page54