Shrewsbury Chronicle 01-Dec-2022

Crowds gather forswitch-on

FEATURE SPORT

Spotting Lady of theStream

Shrewsbury

HEROICSOLDIER SAVEDHIS PALS

By Dominic Robertson

An Army sergeant wholed his vehicleintoafire-fighttosavetwo fellowsoldiershasbeenrecognised forhisbravery.

Sergeant Adam Humphreys, from Shrewsbury,has been com mended forhis gallantryinthree incidentsthattookplacewhilede ployed in Mali on Op Newcombe –being awarded‘Mention in Des patches’

SgtHumphreyswasoneofabout 80soldiersfromCSquadron,1stThe Queen’sDragoonGuards(QDG)who deployedonthesix-month tourto Malilastyear,aspartoftheUnited Nationspeacekeepingmission

TheQDGtogetherwithsoldiers from2ndBattalionTheRoyalAngli anRegiment,providedareconnais sancecapability,conductingpatrols to gather intelligence andengage withthelocalcommunitiestohelp theUNunderstandandrespondto thethreatstothelocalpopulation

SgtHumphreyshadcompleteda ‘recce’andwasheadingbacktohis squadron location when he heard overtheradiothatsoldiersashort distanceawayhadcomeacrosstwo menonamotorbike,armedwitha

Matt finish is a bonusfor Town

contributedtosavingthelivesofthe twosoldiers.

On learningofhis award, the 31-year-oldsaid:“Iwasreallysurprised,tobehonest,andveryproud Iwasjustdoingmyjobandalthough Ineverexpectedthisaward,itisa greathonour.”

Hiscitationalsodescribeshowin anothertwoseparateincidentshis actionsresultedinthedetentionof armedmenandtheseizureofweap ons.

Hiscitationstates: “His coura geousactionsinthefaceoftheene myhavedemonstratedtheresolve oftheUnitedNationspeacekeepers andstrengthenedthereputationof theBritishArmyamongstherallies.”

SgtHumphreys,who haspre viouslyservedontoursofAfghan istanandinPoland,added:“Ireally enjoyedmydeploymentandfoundit reallyfulfilling.

“Ourcorejobisreconnaissance, anditwasgreattobeabletoput allourtrainingandexperienceinto practice.”

TheMentioninDespatchesisone of theoldestforms of recognition forgallantrywithintheUKArmed Forces.Since 1993 theMention in Despatches hasbeenreservedfor gallantryduringactiveoperations.

County lines dealer jailed

Acountylinesdrugdealercaught withheroinandcrackcocainehas beenjailedformorethanfiveyears.

LiamBrownwasstoppedbypo liceinShrewsburyinSeptember.A searchrevealedthatthe23-year-old wasinpossessionof73wrapsofher oinand41wrapsofcrackcocaine

Intotalthedrugswereestimat edtohaveastreetvalueof£1,241.

AppearingatShrewsburyCrown Court,Brownwassentencedtofive yearsandtwomonthsinjail.Hehad originally been charged with two countsofpossessionwithintentto supplyacontrolledclassAdrug.

Brownadmittedbothchargesat ahearingatthecourtinOctober.

Rare Darwin manuscript

An‘extremelyrare’manuscript in whichfamousSalopian Charles Darwindefendshistheoryofevolu tioncouldfetchupto£800,000 Itfeaturesasummationofoneof themostinfluentialtextseverwrit ten–‘OntheOriginofSpecies’.The notewascarefullypreparedbyDar win,whowasborninShrewsbury in 1809,inresponsetoa request from HermannKindt –the editor oftheAutographicMirror–forthe purposeofitbeingre-printedinhis magazine. AuctioneersSotheby’s expectthemanuscripttosellforbe tween£600,000and£800,000.The onlinesaleisopenforbiddingupun tilDecember9.

SergeantAdamHumphreyshasbeen commended forgallantry

Have your sayondivisions

Anew patternofelectoral divisionsisbeingdevelopedfor ShropshireCouncil–andresi dentshavebeeninvitedtohave theirsay

TheLocal Government Boundary Commission hasdecidedthatthenumberofcoun cillorsinShropshireshouldbe 74,thesameasnow.Shropshire

Councilhasformallyaskedthe Commissiontocarryoutasingle memberdivisionreview

This meansthatthe Commissionwillaimtodrawupa patternofelectoral divisions whereeachdivision is representedbyonecountycouncillor Asaresult,theCommission wantstohearwhatresidents

andorganisationsthink about theirlocalarea,witha10-week consultation whichlaunched lastweek.Launchingtheconsultation Professor Colin Mellors, chairofthe Commission,said: “WewantpeopleinShropshire to help us.It’seasytoget in volved.Gotoourwebsite.Oryou cane-mailorwritetous.”

Localauthorities’ differing stancesoncouncil taxrise

By Dominic Robertson

Counciltaxcouldbesetto riseby4.99percentforsome residentsasShropshireCouncilpreparesfor ahugeinfla tion-drivendeficit

ButneighbouringTelford &Wrekinsaysitwillfreezeits taxriseforthenexttwoyears, althoughitwilllevyforadultso cialcare

Shropshire Council’sConservativeCabinet member for finance,CouncillorGwilymBut ler,hasconfirmedtheadminis trationwillbeconsideringthe biggestrisepossible.

Lastyeartheauthorityincreasedcounciltaxby3.99per cent,withtwopercentexclu sivelyforadultsocialcare

Councillor Butler said that theinflation pressures hitting householdsand businesses acrossthecountywerealsoaffectingthecouncil–withcur rentpredictionslikelytoseean £11mdeficitintheauthority’s budgetcometheendofthefi nancialyear.Headdedthatthe increase in counciltax would onlyaddanother£1.8mtothe council’scoffers.Itcomesafter Telford&WrekinCouncilcommitted to freezingits council taxriseforthenexttwoyears –excludingtheadultsocialcare levy.The authority’sLabour leader,CouncillorShaunDavies said:“Apledgeisapledge.”

Crowds

1,200signbuses petition

Apetition with morethan 1,200signatureshas been presentedtotryandsecurethelongterm future of under-threat bus routes

Thenumber20route from Shrewsbury busstation to RadbrookGreenwassaved,inlimitedform,afterShropshireCouncil threwita financial lifeline ear lier this year.Radbrook’s Green ShrewsburyTownCouncillor ChrisLemon presented thepetitionatacommitteemeetingat ShropshireCouncil last Wednes

day.Hehasalsocalledforaction overroutes544 and546, which servicetheWestMeolearea Supporting themove Meole councillor Bernie Benticksaid: “WhenArrivaannouncedtheax ingofbusroutes20,544and546 attheendofMarchthisyear,Ireceiveddozensoflettersfromdis tressedresidentsofWestMeole, whichincludesGrangeRoadand GrangefieldsRoad,LongdenRoad andSweetlake,whoweredevas tatedatthelossoftheirlifelineto Shrewsburytowncentre.”

MP shownaround FalklandsRAF base

AnMPhasvisitedanRAFbase ontheFalklandIslands.

Shrewsbury &AtchamMP DanielKawczynskihasbeenpart of an all-partyparliamentary groupofMPsinadelegationvisitingtheislandstomarktheanni versaryofthe1982conflict Earlierinthe visitthe ConservativeMPattendedamemorial servicewherePrincessAnnelaida wreathatthe1982LiberationMe morialinPortStanley

whoisservingatthecomplex,but is originally from Shrewsbury SpeakingafterthevisitMrKaw czynskisaid: “Theexistence of RAFMountPleasantComplexisa reminderofBritain’sunwavering commitmenttodefendthepeople oftheFalklandIslands

“I wasproud to have visited this impressivesitewhich is occupiedbythebestofBritain’s personneland equipment.How delightfulforMajorLongtointro ducehimselftome.Thetwoofus arealongwayfromourhomeof Shrewsbury.”

Supportfromwater firm

Severn Trent hasrampedup supportefforts fore customers whoarestrugglingfinanciallyin thecostcrisis.

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

Maytohelpanother100,000customersonlowincomes,addingto itsexistingschemethatsupports 215,000customersinneed

Itsaid20,000customershad alreadyappliedfortheextrasup port,butthatithasnowincreased theannualincomecut-offtojust under£19,000from£16,000previouslytoallowmorepeopletoaccessthescheme.Italsoannounced aprogrammetohelpaddresspoverty across theWestMidlands,

whichwillseeitofferworkexperienceto300childrenbytheendof nextAugust,risingto500by2032.

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

Shrewsbury

MP DanielKawczynskiduring thetrip tosee RAFMount Pleasant

Shrewsbury Bus Station

Movember successfor work pals

Moustachioed

cialfuzzinthenameofmen’smen-

WorkcolleaguesGlennHughes,

Aconsultationhasstartedona pilot20mphzoneforaresidential areaofShrewsbury

ShropshireCouncilisrunning afour-week consultation on the proposals,whichwouldseeapilot20mphzoneintroducedinthe Copthorne andPorthill area of Shrewsbury

In June thecouncil’s cabinet agreedtointroducethepilotfor upto18months–ifthereispublic support.

Theplanwould introducea 20mphspeedlimit,replacingthe

existing 30mphspeed limit on theresidentialroadswithin–and inclusiveof–TheMount(A458) fromitsjunctionwithRichmond Road,thewholelengthofPorthill Road(A488)and,butnotinclud ing,SheltonRoad.

NewStreet,ontheA488,hada 20mphspeedlimitorderapproved inApril2022.

Therewasstrongsupportfora 20mphlimitintheareaaspartof thePorthillandCopthorne‘LiveableNeighbourhoodengagement’ whichtookplacelastyear

Theladswereaimingtoraise £100whentheystarted,buthave

RoadTrafficAccidentdatahas alsoshownthatmoreneedstobe donetomakestreetsinthearea saferforpedestriansandcyclists.

IanNellins,ShropshireCouncil’sCabinet member with responsibilityforactivetravel,said: “I encourage allresidentsinthe Copthorneand Porthill area to takepartinthisconsultation.”

Forinformationabouttheconsultationvisitshropshire.gov.uk/ get-involved/copthorne-and-por thill-20mph-speed-limit-zone-pi

lot/

Ethan Willemsen,JonathanHaseley,Rocky Carpenterand GlennHughes with theirmoustaches

musketeers havegrownsomeimpressivefa-

talhealth.

JonHaseley,SamEdwards,Ethan

Willemsen,RayCohenandRocky Carpenter,sportedmoustachesfor Movember Thequintet,who workfor ARHGroupinShrewsbury,decid edto“growthemo”,andhavebeen

sporting some interestinglooks

morethantripledtheirinitialtarget.Visitjustgiving.com/fundrais ing/glenn-hughes2

welcometotheirfavouriteshopat there-openingofthenewHMVstore inShrewsbury

Atthefrontofthequeuetoget intothestoreat9amlastWednesday werepartnersLeighMorganandAbi Cankwhotravelledintotownfrom CrossHousesat5.30amand were first throughthe Darwin Centre’s doorsat8am.

“It’sbrillianttoseeHMVbackin Shrewsbury,”saidLeigh,21,whoisa bigfanofpopcultureandwaskeen toaddtohis130-pluscollectionof popvinylstatues.

“Itisequivalenttothesizeofthe storeinTelfordandIloveitbecause it’smoreaboutwhatyouwon’tfind inregularshops.”

Abi,also21,said:“Iloveithere becauseitisliketheTardis,bigger ontheinsidethanitlooksontheoutside!WeareHMVfansandhadbeen travellingovertoTelfordsincethe storehereclosedin2020.”

“Therearelotsofweirdandwon derfulthingshere,”sheaddedcarry ingabagofmysterygoodies.

Superheroes filmbuffand tal

returnofHMVtothecountytown thathepaintedapictureofthefirm’s listeningdoglogoandhandeditover tostaff.

“Ilovefilms,”saidBen.“Iama bigfanofsuperherofilmsandused toshopatHMVatPrideHillbefore itclosed.”Shrewsburystudentsand

tothewayitusedtobedone,”said Morwenna

Regional manager Andy Mor gansaid:“Iamdelightedwiththe openingsofar.Ithasbeenadifficult coupleofyearsbutwearedelighted withtheresponseandhowthestore looks.”

LeighandAbiwereplanningto browseinthestoreforafewhours beforedecidingwhethertostayon intownfortheswitchingonofthe Christmaslights.

entedartistBenChipchase,25,from Shrewsbury,wassopleasedwiththe

Report by David Tooley

FirstinthequeuewereLeighMorganand AbigailCank Amy andMorwenna Thequeue forthestore

Ben Chipchasewithhisartwork

Councilpaysout £4,000 to manforced to live in acar

Acouncilhasbeenorderedtopay£4,000 toaShrewsburymanwhowasforcedtolive inacarafternotbeinggivensuitableaccom modation

TheLocalGovernmentandSocialCare OmbudsmanfoundthatShropshireCouncil didnotunderstanditsresponsibilitiesto wardshim.

TimDraycottapproachedtheauthority whenhebecamehomelessintheautumnof 2021,andhewasprovidedwithinterimac commodation.However,hesoonmovedout ashesaidhewasunabletostandproperly andinpainbecausetheceilingsweresolow Thecouncilmadenofurtherofferofinter imaccommodation,eventhoughitlatertold himitcouldhavedoneifasked.

Mr Draycott movedtoliveinhis car, withnoaccesstofacilities,andspentsome timelivinginagarageoverthewinter

TheLocalGovernmentandSocialCare Ombudsmaninvestigatedthecaseafterhe hadbeenthroughthecouncil’scomplaints process.

TheOmbudsman’sinvestigationfound thecouncildidnotreviewthesuitabilityof theinterimaccommodationwhenMrDray cottcomplained.Thismeanthemissedout onachancetohavebeenofferedanalterna

tive.Theinvestigationalsofoundthatonce thecouncilhadaccepteditsmainhousing dutytothemaninJanuary2022,itwroteto himbutdidnotofferhimanytemporaryac commodation.Thismeanthewashomeless formuchlongerthanheshouldhavebeen hadthecouncilactedproperly

Michael King,Local Government and Social CareOmbudsman, said:“This case hashighlightedaconcerninglackofunder standingatShropshireCouncilofitsstat utorydutiestowards homeless people in thecounty.Whereacouncilhasadutyto provideaccommodationitshouldmakea

writtenoffer,specifyinganactualplaceof accommodation.Sendingaletterwhichsim plyacceptsitowesadutyisnotenough–it shouldthengoontomakeanofferofaccom modation

“Ilookforwardtothecouncilaccepting therecommendationsIhavemadeinmy report,andhopewhentheyareputinplace thatotherpeopleinthecountyarenotleftin suchdistressingcircumstances.”

Aspokesmanfor Shropshire Council said:“TheLocalGovernmentOmbudsman hasissuedareportfollowingitsinvestiga tionofacomplaintagainstShropshireCoun cil.Wehaveacceptedthefindingsofthere portandwillabidebytheactionsrequested.

“Wearedisappointedthatdespitetry ingtoworkwiththeindividualtoaddress theirconcernswewereunabletocometo aresolution.Wewillbereviewingourpro cessesinlight of theOmbudsman’scom mentsandwillensureallstaffundertake refreshertraining.

“WewillreporttotheLGSCOonanyfur theractionstakenandcopiesofthereport willbeavailableforpublicinspectiondur ingnormalopening hoursatShrewsbury LibraryforthreeweeksstartingonDecem ber2.Anyoneisentitledtotakecopiesof thereportorextractsfromit.Copieswillbe suppliedfreeofcharge.”

Report by David Tooley

Tim Draycottlived in agarage

Leximeetschamp jockey heroRachael

Report by Eleanor Lawson

Ayoungponyracerwhomet aGrand National-winning jockey hasdescribeditasthe“bestmo mentofherlife”

LexiEverington,fromShrews bury,wasleftintearswhenshe metherhero,RachaelBlackmore, attheBetfairChaseDayatHaydockParkinMerseyside

Grand National and Chelten hamGold Cup-winningjockey Blackmoretooktimeoutofherday onNovember19tomeetsuperfan Lexi,whoattendedtheracecourse as aguest with herfriends and family

The10-year-old,who at tendsHarlescottJuniorSchoolin Shrewsbury andraces with her ownpony,MrJerryHimself,went homewithasignedpicture,apair ofthejockey’sracinggoggles,and memoriestolast alifetime. The meet-upcameafterpony-madLexi wrotealetter,laterpublishedin theGrassroots Gazette, in which shespokeaboutherfavouritejock ey.TheletterthenreachedBlackmorewho respondedinavideo

messagetotheschoolgirl.General manager of Haydock Racecourse, MollyDingwall,readanewsarticleaboutthepairandmadeither missiontocreateanopportunity forthemtomeet–achancewhich camewiththeBetfairChase,with Blackmoretravellingovertothe racecourseforherrideonAPlus

Tard.Speakingabout theexperience,Lexisaid:“Rachaelhasbeen aheroofminesinceshewonthe GrandNational(in2021onMinella Times)andsincethenI’vefollowed herandwatchedherineveryrace.

“Shewasreallykindtomeand honestlyitwasprobablythebest momentofmylife.”

LexiandRachaelsharealaugh.AdamKenrick Photography.

Santa’sfriends arereadyto send letterstoyoungsters

Withthewinternightsdraw ingin,there’snodoubtthatChrist masisfastapproaching

In theNorth Pole,Santa and hiselvesarebusygettingreadyto giveeverychildamagicalChrist mas.

Santaisonceagainexpecting toreceivemillionsoflettersfrom children around theworld with endlesslistsofwhatthey’dliketo receiveintheirstockingswhenthe

bigdayarrives.Toensurechildren living with avision impairment intheUKgetareplyfromSanta, hehasteamedupwiththeRoyal NationalInstituteofBlindPeople (RNIB)tomakehislettersavaila bleinmoreaccessibleformats,in cludingaudioandlargeprint

This year,Santa’s friendsat cardcompanyHallmarkhavealso helpedhimwriterepliesinbraille so everychildwitha vision im

Repair the damage caused by Brexit

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

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

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

tradingwiththe EU;companies aremovingtheirbusinessesoutof theUK;Governmentfiguresshow thatBrexitpaperworkonourbor derscosts£7billioneachyear;last weekitwasleakedthatParishas surpassedLondonas thelargest financial centre inEurope; and therearemanymorenegatives

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

BillMcClements,Shropshire

pairmentcanreadtheirletterin dependently

Ifyouknowachildwhohasa visionimpairmentandwhowould lovetoreceivealetterfromSanta, pleasesendtheirChristmasletter to:SantaClaus,RNIB,Northmin ster House, Northminster, Peter borough,PE11YN

MichaelOwen, PRManager,RNIB

Bigger cut of proceeds

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

Whatcustomernowhas£100 topayforourservicesintheirpost ‘AutumnStatement’taxincome?

Chancellor,ifyouwantusto workharder, perhapsprovide a biggerincentive,otherthanpay ingoff yourself-inflicted debts. Weallneedabiggershareofthe proceedsfromallourblood,sweat andtearstryingtomakeanhon estliving.

Nameandaddress supplied

Number of ‘Pauls’ is growing

Itmayruncountertoallpre vailingwisdom,butIamgoingto putthe argument anyway.The ideasthatgoverntheworldofpol iticstodayathomeandabroadare fundamentallybad.Ithascometo bebelievedthatitisthedutyof governmentshereandabroadto pursue egalitarianism, aformof equalityofoutcome

Themostcriticaldemandto dayisthatwehaveamoreequal

andsociallyjustworld.Theprob lemisblindinglyobvious,howev er,thatratherliketheemperor’s newclothesthereisactuallynoth ingmeaningfultoshowforallthe efforts,allthesocialengineering andbillionsandbillionsspenthas donelittletobringaboutthisideal state.Thepooreststaypoorandin developedsocietiesonlythelower andupper middle appear to see benefit.Thisislargelyduetothem

beingplentiful enough to vote throughmeasuresthathelpahead oftherealpoorwhocontinueon thesinkestates thrown scraps fromthebenefitstable

Thedifficultytodayhoweveris thatthe‘robPetertopayPaul’idea isrunningupagainstthefactthat thenumberofPetersisreceding andthePaulsgrowing

Nameandaddresssupplied

By Mark Andrews

Whenitcomestopredictingthe weather,itissomethingofamilitary operationforexpertKerryFarrell.

AsaformerNavalofficer,Kerry joined National Highways in 2019 andswappedseafaringforSpaghetti Junction

SheisnowworkingintheWest Midlands as aNational Highways networkoperationsmanager With record-breakingtemperaturesonlyafewmonthsagoand winteroperationswellunderwayat NationalHighways,Kerrysayssheis relishingherrole.

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

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

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

RoyalNavy,Iwantedanotherrolein operationsandworkingforNational Highwaysintheregionaloperations centreprovidedanopportunityfor metodrawonmyexperienceinmeteorologywhilealsohelpingtotrain colleaguesaroundplanningforwin terweather.”

Aftergraduatingwithadegree attheUniversityofDerbyinglobal hazards–acoursewhichcombined geologyandgeography–Kerryal waysknewshewantedtoworkin

meteorology.Sheservedasaregular intheRoyalNavyfor10years,hav ingjoinedin2009asanAbleSeaman hydrographerandmeteorologist.

ShealsospenttimeattheNaval airstationsinYeovilton andCul droseasaweatherforecaster,aswell asnumerousdeploymentsatseaon destroyersandminehuntersinthe MiddleEast

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

Collegeasawarfareofficer,subse quentlygainingherticketfordriving warshipsandwaspromotedtolieu tenant

Kerrysaid: “Itgavemesome fantastic experience in leadership andoperations,builtmyconfidence hugely andtravellingthe worldto seeplacesyouneverordinarilymay visitonaholiday “Mymostinterestingdeployment wasaglobaltrip,sailingthroughthe PanamaCanalouttoHawaii,where

Iwasfortunatetobeinvolvedina RemembranceceremonyattheUSS Arizonawreckageforthoselostat PearlHarbour.Mylastdeployment wasonsurveyshipHMSScottinthe Atlanticmappingtheseafloor.”

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

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

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

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

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

Kerry passing out at officertraining in2014

Kerry Farrellinthecontrolcentre

Grab unique gift at fair

Shrewsbury’s annual Carols in theSquaretakes placeonDecem ber14, starting at 5.30pm

Shrewsbury Town Councilisor ganising theconcert,which will be broadcastliveonBBC RadioShrop shire.

Musicwill be provided by Shrews bury BrassBandwithmembers of Shrewsbury Male VoiceChoir lead ingthe crowds with renditions of classicChristmas carolsincluding Hark!The Herald Angels Sing,Si lent Nightand JingleBells

Theconcert will also be available to watch online thanks to Shrews bury-basedcompany,MicroVideo, with live-streamingvia thetown council’s websiteatcarolsin thesquare.com/

To allowthe Carols in theSquare eventtobeheldsafely, therewill be road closuresinplaceonHigh Street, Wyle Cop(NW direction) andPrincess Street,which will be closedfrom4.30pm untilaround 7.30pm

TheSquarewill be closed allday, from 8amuntil around 7.30pm

TheDarwinShoppingCentre will be open until9pm,whilst many of thetown’sindependentretailers will also be open late.The Market Hall will remain open until8pm with thelivemusic relayfromthe Square.Helen Ball,townclerk, said:“We always love this annual event, anditdoesbring something special to Shrewsbury.”

Sixty-five localtraderswill be offering handmade, home designed andartisan products andfood at thepopular eventthisweekend, whichisheldinsideSalop Leisure’s headquarters at Emstrey, Shrews bury,and spreadsthrough to Love Plants on thesamesite.

This year sees theoutdoor mar

ket locatedatLove Plants too, keep ingthe eventall in oneplaceand easy to navigate

Theevent on Saturday andSun daywill runalongside theSalop Christmas Adventureactivities, includingSanta’s grotto,Tea with Santaand atwinkling Twilight Trail, allbookablethrough the Love2Staywebsite

Free ticketsmustbebooked in advanceonline at www.pink pebbleevents.co.uk forbothdaysin settimeslots.Admissionisbytick et only andparking isfree.

Last year’s eventattracted more than 6,000 visitors over theweek endand tradersreported theirbig

gest ever salescomparedtoprevi ousyears

Theevent, from 10am to 5pm, is organisedbyCarrieHughes, owner of Pink Pebble Events,who works closely with theteams at SalopLei sure,LovePlantsand Love2Stay.

“The fair is agreat placetodo yourChristmas shopping because thereare so many differentand unique products on offerthatyou won’t find on theHigh Street.

“It’sagoodexample of Shrop shirecompanies working together to organise an eventfor shoppers andtraderstoboost business in the run-up to thefestive season,” said Carrie

Festivemarket is settoreturn

Friday,December 16,and Saturday, December 17,see thereturnofthe Shrewsbury ChronicleChristmas Market

Themarketwill be held in the Square, Shrewsbury,from9am to monbothdays.

Themarket is acelebration artisanlocal food, drinkand afts that areexhibited at thetwo onthlymarketsheldinthe Square roughoutthe year

OrganiserJenniferJones said: “Weaim to showcasethe very best qualityproductsthatthisarea ovides.Weonlyinvitelocal pro ducers to sustain thelocal economy andthese producersbrave allthe ementsthrownatthemthrough eyear. Thefood producersare cked full of gold awardwinners likeTootsweetsconfectionary, Heathers Harvestchutneys and preserves,StokesofEllesmere pork pies, Shropshire Salumi,Berwick organiclonghornbeef, Muckleton meats, Paradise bites Mediterra nean food, Lalita Kumari Indian street food andmuch, much more.

“Novelgifts areaplenty including SueChadwick jewellery,Fieldfare candles, GarfieldDavieswoodturn er,Liz Bowdenglass beads.”

Hotfood will be available throughout with Castlemoor’s hog roast, Mukaasefoods’ NorthAf ricaninspiredcurry dishes,Indi an street food, Rowton Vineyard’s mulled wine andmore.

This year’s Shropshire Handmade andCreative ChristmasFairmarks 10 yearsofthe eventtaking placeatSalop Leisure andLove Plants,Em strey, Shrewsbury.

Sixty-five localtraders will be offering handmade, home designed andartisan productsand food atthe fair

Bringcomfort to wilderness

CROSSTALK ONTHEWILDSIDE

With Dave Treweeke

Christmascomes with good newsandbadnews.Ithasalways beenthatway.

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

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

By Ben Waddams

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

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

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

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

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

They aredelicateand stream linedbutwithmuchsofterfeatures thanthesalmonandtrout

Theyprefershallowwater,often

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

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

n Ben’swildlifeartisonshowin Callaghan’sGallery,Shrewsbury

Winterisagreattimetosee elusive yet beautiful grayling

Leadingway usingrobots

A

Thefarmingbusiness of FS Bret tellandSonatSmethcoteManornear Shrewsbury hasthe UK’s first Farm Droid,anautomated self-propelled robotwhichusesGPStechnologyfor precisionplanting.RunbyChrisBret tellandhisbrotherEd,alongwiththeir motherandfatherplusChrisandEd’s wives,thebusinesscovers1,200acres overfourfarms–amixtureofowned andtenanted.

Thirtyheifersarerearedoncon tractononeoftheunits,whichalso hosts12,000organicfree-rangelaying henswitheggssuppliedtoaleading supermarket. Meanwhile, a five-year rotationcomprisestwoyearsoforgan icredcloverleys,winteroats,fodder beet,thenspringoats.Themajorityof thefodderbeetisliftedandsoldtolocal organicdairyfarms,althoughsomeis grazed.Withtheaimofconstantlyim

provingoperations,thingsweretrans formedin2021whenthebusinesstook

deliveryofaFarmDroid

DanishfarmingbrothersJensand KristianWarminghavedevelopedtheir FarmDroidconcepttobeadedicated seed’n’weedrobotcapableofprecision sowingandthenhoeingonsubsequent passes.Acompletelyself-sufficentso lar-poweredautonomon, rather than complicatedweedidentificationcam eratechnology,itusesRTK-corrected GPSsignalstorecordwhereeachseed isplanted.

Then on thefollowing weeding runs,withouttheneedforcamerasor sensors,itknowswhatisacropplant andwhatisn’t,usingitselectronical ly-activatedbladestoworkthe soil both betweenthe rows andinthe rowsthemselves.“Afterabitofinter nettrawlingIstumbledacrossavideo oftheFarmDroidworking,”explained EdBrettell.“ImmediatelyIknewthat’s whatweneeded.”

per rotation and then drops the seeds individually down aseed valve. Secondly,atthe bottomofthe valve there is ashutter and each individual seed is held here until the right location is found. Once in the right location asignal fromthe robot opens the shutter and the seed isdropped from aheight of 2-3 centimetres. This veryhigh level of precision planting is required for later weeding passes.

Many compatible crops

Advantages of Weeding using the FarmDroid FD20:

• Precise weeding ensures optimal yield

• Can startthe weeding process before the plants start germinating Lessened need formanual/chemical weeding

Agri-Droid UK Ltd is the importer of a remarkable invention for agriculture, an automatic lightweight field robot that automates sowing and weed removal on farmland.

Shropshire farming family is leadingthewayintheuseofsolar-pow eredrobots

Farming family FS Brettell and Sonhas the UK’s first FarmDroid

Websitehas allmarketnews

Amarkethaslaunchedanewinteractivewebsite,makingiteasyforusers tofindinformationaboutstallholders, services,openingtimesandthelatest marketnewsandevents.

ShrewsburyMarketHall’sweb sitewasdesignedandbuiltbyShropshire-basedwebsite designer and developer George English, working closelywithmarketingconsultantJoseph Hockingand themarket’sman agementandmarketingteam

Fans of themarketcan also now signuptoadigitalnewsletter,deliver ingthelatestmarketnews,up-coming eventsandspecialpromotionsdirectly intotheirinbox.Thewebsitewasde signedtohaveaclean,fresh,modern

lookwitheasy-to-usenavigationtools tohelpusersquicklyfindinformation, from everythingthey need to plan a visittolistingsformorethan60market stalls,rangingfromretailersandspecialistservicestocafesandbars.“We wantedtoworkwithsomeonewhohad boththeabilitytodesignanddevelop thewebsite.Beingabletodothatgave synergytotheprojectandmadethe process morestraightforward,” said marketfacilitiesmanagerKateGittins “Wewantedsomething colourful andcontemporary, user-friendly and easytonavigate.Georgewasinvolved fromthebeginning,fromtheplanning stagethroughtothefinishedproduct goinglive.

Dr Marie-Anne Patterson

Dr Sreenivasan

Facilitiesmanager Kate Gittinswithweb designer GeorgeEnglish

Tampaisstealing limelight as the placefor savvy travellers

By Sarah Marshall

America’sSunshine Statehas longluredusacrossthepondwith thepromiseofsublimecoastalscen ery,glamorouscitiesandsomeofthe bestthemeparksintheworld.

Andwhileit’saloveaffairthat showsnosignofsubsiding–more than157,000ofusvisitedinthefirst threemonthsofthisyearalone savvytravellersarenowlookingbe yondthethemeparksofOrlandoand theartdecodelightsofMiami

StealingthespotlightisTampa –acitythatdeliversonhistoryand culture, as well as adventureand relaxation.So,it’slittlewonderVir ginAtlanticchoseitasitsbrandnew route–itsthirddestinationinthe stateafterMiamiandOrlando.

Theairlineispullingoutallthe stopswithanewdailyservicefrom LondonHeathrowinitsnewstate-ofthe-artaircraft:theAirbusA330neo. Here’swhattoexpect

1.Tampa’sfirst5-starhotel

Grandfatherinjured inshower‘explosion’

Agrandfatherwasleftwithlumps ofglassembeddedinhisskinwhena shower door at his home “exploded” withoutwarning.

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

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

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

“Ihadtosteponpillowsonthefloor tobeabletogetoutandevennowthat wehavecleaneditupwekeepfinding littlebitsofglassonthefloor.”

MrCorfieldsaidpiecesofglasswere removedfromhisskinandhewasgiven stitchesandpatchedupwithbandages

GrahamCorfield was‘stitchedand patchedup’ followinganexplosion

FOCUS OF THE WEEK

ALAN HALL PLUMBING

Alan hall plumbing heating and complete house maintenance was formed in 2000. For many years our goal has been to maintain the highest level of professionalism, honesty and fairness with our customers.

We cover the whole of Shropshireoffering all plumbing and heating services including boilers and heating systems as well as bathroom services such as bathroom, shower room and wet room installations and pride ourselves on offering the best quality materials and finishing each job to ahigh standard. We areGas safe registered.

Positive feedback from ahappy customer: “Alan fitted our boiler 7years ago &has serviced it since. He also changed our wash room &bathroom suites and &has just replaced all our old radiators. He was recommended to us by afriend &wehave since recommended him to others because we have been verypleased with all the work he has done for us”

We currently offer a FREE 10 year warranty on selected boilers.

Call us for moreinformation on 07986506764 or 01743293557

ThePriorySchool

Longden Road ShrewsburySY3 9EE |01743 284000 info@tpstrust.co.uk

SiteManager

Full Time -37hours perweek |SalaryGrade 8, Points 18-22 (£27,344 -£29,439)

(2 weekly shiftpattern: 7am-3pm, Monday– Thursdayand 7am-2.30pm Friday/ 8am-4pm, Monday– Thursdayand 8am-3.30pm Friday)

We arelooking fora proactive, practical and well-organised person who is capable of managing asmall team. Theperson appointedwill playakey role in managing the safetyand appearanceofthe school siteinorder to provide asafeand secureteaching and learning environment. Applicants should have good communication skills and the abilitytobuild effectiveworking relationships.The ideal candidate will have experience in SiteManagementand askilled trade

Closing date forreceipt of applications is 9am, Friday, 9th December Interviewswill be held on Monday, 12th December

Full details of the post canbefound in the ApplicantInformation Pack which is available on the school websitehttp://priory.tpstrust.co.uk/contact-us/ current-vacancies

Alternatively,anapplication form can be requested or collectedfrom ThePriorySchool,Longden Road,Shrewsbury, SY3 9EE

ThePriorySchool,ispartofThe 3-18 Education Trust, amult -academytrust with students aged from 3-18 and which works collaboratively to provide interesting and exciting opportunities for staff to shareideas,resources and expertise,for the benefitofthe students.The 3-18 Education Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfareofchildren and young people, as such this post requires acknowledgement and understanding of safeguarding and child protection policies which canbefoundon the school website. Successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references

SENIOR JOURNALISTS

Love news?Lovetalkingtopeople?

Want to makeadifference?

Britain’slargest independent regional news companyislooking to recruit senior reporters.

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

We areparticularly looking for:

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

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

These areroles forambitious, dedicatedand enthusiastic journalists with aproventrack record

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

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

We will also consider NCTJ Diploma trained journalists who are working towardstheirNQJ

This is abrilliantopportunity to join ournewsroom, covering a diverse, vibrantand busy patch.

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

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

Ellesmere,ShropshireSY129AB. Tel:01691622321oremailkathrine.gough@ellesmere.com

Closingdate:12thDecember2022

The College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfareofits students and expects its staff to sharethis commitment.Applicants must be prepared to undergo Child Protection Screening,including checkswith past employers and DBS. References will be sought and verified at the short-listing stage as partofour safeguarding children procedures.

EllesmereCollegeisaWoodardSchool

RegisteredCharitynumber1103049

ShropshireCouncil-ReportofLocalGovernmentandSocial

TheOmbudsmanfoundthattherehadbeenfaultonthepartoftheCouncil andthishadcausedinjusticetothecomplainant

ShropshireCouncil has agreed

Copieswillbesuppliedfreeofcharge

it

Theaboveorderwasmadeon1stDecember2022.Theeffectoftheorderwillbeto divert135metresofBW196PontesburyatBrookVessons.Farm.

Acopyoftheorderandtheordermapandanexplanatorystatementhavebeen placedandmaybeseenontheCouncil’swebsiteathttps://shropshire.gov.uk/ outdoor-partnerships/countryside-access-and-public-rights-of-way/current-public path-orders/orobtainedfreeofchargeviaoutdoor.recreation@shropshire.gov.uk

Anyrepresentationsaboutorobjectionstotheordermaybesentinwritingto theMappingandEnforcementManager,ShropshireOutdoorPartnerships,The Shirehall,AbbeyForegate,Shrewsbury,SY26ND,orbyemailtooutdoor.recreation@ shropshire.gov.uknotlaterthan4thJanuary2023.Pleasestatethegroundson whichtheyaremade

Ifnosuchrepresentationsorobjectionsaredulymade,orifanysomadeare withdrawn,theCouncilmayitselfconfirmtheorderasanunopposedorder.Ifthe orderissenttotheSecretaryofStatefortheEnvironment,FoodandRuralAffairs forconfirmationanyrepresentationsorobjectionswhichhavenotbeenwithdrawn willbesentwiththeorder Dated1stDecember2022

JANETRETHEWEY

ASSISTANTDIRECTOR,HOMESANDCOMMUNITIES

TheShirehall,AbbeyForegate,Shrewsbury.

BAILEY

Doreen Agnes Anne Of Ploxgreen, Minsterley

Passed away peacefully at Ottley House Nursing Home on November 17,2022,aged 83 years.

Much loved Wife of the late Les, lovingMum to Stewart and Philip, Mother-in-law to Catherine and Carolyn, treas ured Nan and Great-Nan.

Doreen willbesadlymissed by all herloving Family and Friends.

Funeral Service to take place at Emstrey Crematorium, ShrewsburyonMonday, December 5, 2022 at 11.30am.

Family flowers only please. Donations if desired will be forwarded to the Severn Hospice, Shrewsbury.

All inquiries please to

BROWNE Alicia Mary

Of Newhall Gardens.

On November 15, 2022.

Aged 92 years.

Ser vice at Shrewsbur y CrematoriumonMonday, December 12, 2022 at 12.30pm.

No flowers by request.

Donations, if wished, would be gratefully received for Guide Dogs ForThe Blind for which purpose acollection boxwill be made available at the Crematorium.

All inquiries to

CASTREE Derek

Formerly of Pool Rise, Shrewsbury.

Passed away peacefully at Hinstock Manor Care Home on November 20,2022,aged 90 years.

Much loved Dad of Lynda, Father-in-law of Sean, Grandad to Laura and Robert and Great-Grandad to Ellie and Lola.

BEDDOES

George Thomas

It is with deep sadness we announce the passing of George Thomas Beddoes, much loved Husband, Dad and Grandad.

Passed awaypeacefully on November 4, 2022.

George grew up in Rousehill, Shrewsburyand worked at Medlicotts.

Georgeand his Wife Lyn moved to Norfolk in the 1970’s andin2018 moved to Kent to be near their Son Steve and Daughter Jane.

Always in our hearts. Rest in peace Dad.

BERRY Ruth

Of Shawbury.

Passed away peacefully at The Uplands Care Home on November 20, 2022.

Aged 88 years.

MuchlovedWife, Mum and Nanny

Ruth will be sadly missed by all herloving Family and Friends.

Fu neral Ser vice to take placeatEmstrey Crematorium,Shrewsbury on Friday,December 9, 2022 at 2pm.

Family flowers only please, donations if desired will be shared between The Midlands Air Ambulance and The Uplands Care Home.

All inquiries to

Derek will be sadly missed by all his Family and Friends.

Service to take place at Emstrey Crematorium on Tuesday,December 6at 1.15pm.

Fa mily flowers only, donations if desired to League of Friends.

All inquiries please to

EVANS

Of Chelwood Drive, Shrewsbury, passed away in the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, on November 21, 2022, aged 90 years.

Much loved MotherofSu, Mother-in-law of Russell and Grandmother of Phillip, Mark and Sophie, Great-Grandmother to Teddy Will be sadly missed by her Family and Friends.

Funeral Service to take place at Emstrey Crematorium, Thursday,December 15, at 11.30am.

Family flowers only please, donations if desiredtothe Severn Hospice, for which purpose acollection box willbeprovided at the Crematorium.

Inquiries please to

Dorothy Sylvia

(Ron)

Of Cro wm ere Ro ad , Shrewsbury.

Passedaway peacefully at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital,onNovember 12, 2022, aged 89 years.

Deeply lovedand precious Husband of Jean, loving Father of Dawn and Clive, lovingFather-in-lawto Russ and Lisa,cherished Grandfather of Scott, Alex, William and Catherine and am uch lov ed Great-Grandfather to Ethan.

Ronwill be so sadly missed by allthose who had the privilege to know him.

We will hold him in our hearts for all time.

Fu neral Ser vice to take place at Emstrey Crematorium, Shrewsbury, on Friday, December9,at 12.30pm.

Asplash of colour would be appreciated.

Family flowersonlyplease, donations, if desired to Hope House Children’s Hospice.

June 5, 1951 November 20, 2022.

Passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her Family

Mum of the late Glyn and Gavin, much loved Wife to Ken and aloving Mum to Derek and Ian.

Funeral Service will take placeon, Monday,December 5, 10.30am, at Markeaton Crematorium, Derby- Round Chapel.

Flo wer sw elc ome , donationsifdesired to Derby andBurton HospitalsCharity Fund (14001), Nightingale MacMillan Unit,maybe leftat the service.

All inquiries to WATHALL’S 01332 345268

GRECH Maria

Formerly of Hexham Way.

Passed away at The Ferns Re sidential Home on November 10, 2022, aged 89 years.

BelovedWifeofthe late Giulio,loving Motherof William and Daughter-in-law of Jean.

Adored Grandmother to Matthew,Peter and Bethan.

Funeral Service to take place at Emstrey Crematorium on Monday December 12, 2022 at 10am.

HALL

Patricia Diane Jean

nee Rowe

Of Adams Ridge, Shrewsbury. Formerly of Springfield Estate.

Passed away peacefully at home on November8,2022, aged 89 years.

Abeloved Wife to the late Michael, loving Mum to John and Janette and Diane and Stewart.

Devoted Nan to Michael and Vicky and Andrew and Kat and caring Great-Gran to Isobel, Amelia, William and Noah.

She will be sadly missed by all her loving Family and Friends.

Funeral Service to be held at Emstrey Crematorium, ShrewsburyonMonday, December 5, 2022 at 2.45pm.

Familyflowers onlyplease but donations if desired willbesplit between The ShrewsburyArk and Hope House Hospice.

All inquiries to

HUMPHREYS

MaryAlice

Late of Sundorne Crescent, Shrewsbury.

Passed away peacefully at Holy Cross Residential Home on November 12, 2022, aged 95 years.

Beloved Wife of the late Norman, much loved Mother and Mother-in-law of Roy and Nicky

Funeral Service to take place at Emstey Crematorium, ShrewsburyonThursday, December 8at1.15pm.

No flowers by request but donations if desired to Welsh Air Ambulance, for which purpose acollection boxwillbeprovided at the Crematorium.

All inquiries please to

REYNOLDS

Alan Ridgway

Longest serving landlord within the Shrewsburyarea.

Former landlord of The Bird in Hand.

Passed away peacefully at The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on November 9, 2022, aged 81 years.

MuchlovedDad to Karen, Stuart, Louise and Andrew. Atreasured Grandadand Great-Grandad.

Reunited with Jan and Hayden.

Alan will be sadly missed by all hisFamilyand many Friends.

Funeral Service to take place at Emstrey Crematorium, ShrewsburyonSaturday, December 3, 2022 at 10.45am.

Family flowers only please, donations if desired to LingenDavies Cancer Appeal.

All inquiries to

Tony and Janet would sincerely like to thank all the Family, Friends and Neighbours for the many cardsand messages of sympathy received since the sad loss of our Mum.

Your wonderful supportand attendance at her Funeralto say your goodbyeswas very much appreciated, alongwith the generous donationsof £768.64 that will be shared between West Midlands Air Ambulance, Hope House Children’s Hospice and The Lingen Davies Appeal.

Many thanks to Libby Good, CivilCelebrant for the very personal Service to celebrate Joyce’s life and grateful thanks to Paul, Stuart and the other Staff at WRRPugh &Son for their sensitive compassion and professionalism throughout this extremely sad period.

Also thanksto the Forget Me-Not Florists for the coffin floral display and RobJones and histeam at Bagley Social Club for the lovely refreshments afterwards.

FELTON Violet Edna

(Vi)

Of Reabrook, Shrewsbury.

Passed away peacefully aged 99 years on November 13, 2022.

Beloved Wi fe of the late Reg, Mother to Son Ke it h, Gra nd mother, Great-Grandmother and Great-Great-Grandmother

Will be sadly missed by all Family and Friends.

Funeral will be held on December 9at10am at Emstrey Crematorium, Shrewsbury.

Family flowersonly please but donations to be made, if wished, to Dementia UK.

All inquiries please to

Fa mily flow ers only, donations if desiredto ShrewsburyArk.

All inquiries to

HARTE

Eleanor

Peacefully passed away at Maesbrook Care Home on November 3, 2022, aged 98 years.

Wife of the late Robert, Mother to Andrew,Michael, Wendy,David, Patand the late Richard.

Eleanor will be sadly missed by all her Family and Friends.

Funeral Service to take place at Emstrey Crematorium, ShrewsburyonWednesday, December 7, 2022 at 11.30am.

Family flowers only please, donations if desired to Macmillan Cancer Support.

All inquiries to

PITCHFORD

Brenda Margaret

nee Rogers

Of Betley Lane, Bayston Hill. Originally from Pont Fadog.

Passed away in hospital on November 14, 2022.

Aged 76 years.

Much loved Wife of Dennis. Dearly loved Mother to Ruth and Mother-in-law to Mike.

Service at Pradoe Church, Ruyton XI Towns on Monday, December 5, 2022 at 11.30am.

Followed by Interment in the Churchyard.

No flowers by request.

Donations, if wished, would be gratefully received and divided equally between the Severn Hospice (Shrewsbury) and Cancer Research UK, for which purpose acollection plate willbeprovided at the Church.

All inquiries to

Passed away on Friday, November 11, 2022.

Amuch loved Man who will be verymuch missed by all his Family and Friends.

Funeral Service to be held at Emstrey Crematorium on Thursday,December 8at 10.45am.

No flowers but donationsif desired to Severn Hospice.

All inquiries please to

EVANS

Ronald Clifford

Ex British Rail and Rolls Royce

LOST MAGGIE

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

SCOTT Greg

BOTHWELL

Joyce Sylvia

FRANCIS

Barbara Ann nee Jones

Electrifying performancefromGV60

BILLMcCARTHY

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

Thecoupe-likedesignhas astrik ingsideprofile,and this modelfea turedanunusual matt paint finish that stillhad ametalliclookand Thunderbirds ‘FAB’numberplate It never failed to attractattention Packed with high-specequipment toocomprehensive to list,itoffers cutting-edgetechnologyand in this four-wheel drivetwinmotor model, supercar performance.

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

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

oramic displaythatcombinesthe instrument andnavigationscreen acrosswhatseems thewidthofthe dashboard

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

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

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

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

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

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

litres, whichcan be accessed viathe poweredtailgate.

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

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

Allthatpower demandsmaximumgripand stability andhere

thetorquevectoring system sends drivetothe correctwheelstomax imise grip

Additionally,the electroniclimit ed-slipdifferentialaddscontrolin treacherous roadconditions.

Thevehicle also offers acomprehensivelistofadvancedsafetykit, includingahostofwarningsand alerts

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

FACTFILE

GENESISGV60DUALMOTOR SPORTPLUS

Price: £65,405

Mechanical: 490PS,dualmotor driving allwheels wheelsvia auto gearbox

Maxspeed: 146mph

0-60mph: 4seconds

Combined range: 289

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

£4595

12VAUXHALLCORSA1.4SXIA/C,PETROL,BLACK £2795

11VAUXHALLCORSA1.2EXCITEA/C,PETROL,RED £2795

11RENAULTSCENIC1.5DYNAMIQUEDCI,DIESEL,BOSESOUNDSYSTEM,PERSONALISED NOPLATES,S/H,RED £3495

11NISSANNOTE1.6N-TEC,PETROL,58K,S/H,SATNAV,BLACK £4695

11RENAULTGRANDMODUS1.5DYNAMIQUEDCI,DIESEL,GREY. £3495

10HONDACIVIC1.8SII-VTEC,PETROL,S/H,BLUE £2995

10SUZUKISX41.6SZ4,PETROL,71K,BLUE. £3495

10FIATPANDA1.1ACTIVEECO,PETROL,57K,WHITE £2395

59RENAULTMEGANE1.6DYNAMIQUE(110)3DRCOUPE,PETROL,50K,WHITE £3995

59SKODAFABIA1.42(85),PETROL,ORANGE £2595

59SKODAFABIA1.21(60),PETROL,GREY £2595

59KIARIO1.4,PETROL,S/H,BLACK £2495

09NISSANQUASHQAI1.5ACENTADCI2WD,DIESEL,S/H,BLACK £3495

09PEUGEOT1071.0URBAN,LOWTAX,BLACK £3295

58FORDFIESTA1.6ZETECS30THANNIVERSARY,PETROL,RED £1995

06CITROENC21.616VVTS,PETROL,ONLY34K,F/S/H,RARECAR,BLACK £3495

54VAUXHALLAGILA1.0EXPRESSIONTWINPORT,PETROL,BLUE £1295

Rallying funinthe most unlikely SUV

TEDWELFORD PressAssociation

aredominating newcar salesright now, with 46%ofall newcars sold in Europe in 2021 beingmodelsofthisbod ystyle –a figure that’s only expectedtokeep growing, with theinflux of newSUVsdue on the market in coming years. It’s easy to seethe appeal:these models bringmoreeye-catching styling, whiletheir higher ride heightgives driversand occupants abetterviewout on theroad

An increasing number arepurely frontorrear-wheel-drive, with many buyersnot interested in whetheritisactuallysuitableto take offthe tarmac

But, what if you still want an SUV that cangooff thebeatentrack?

Whilea Jeep or Land Rover might be thesafeand sensible options, safe andsensibleisabit boring What isn’tboringisthe Lamborgh iniUrusPerformante –perhaps the silliestand mostextreme SUVon sale,even dubbed a‘SuperSUV’by theItalian marque

Whilethe Urus firstintroduced in 2018 andnow Lamborghini’s most popularproduct –might be morelikelytobeseenlapping Har-

rods than an off-road course,the firm is keen to demonstrate it can be used on tougherterrain Forthe newPerformante,Lam borghini hasengineeredanew ‘Rally’driving mode –and to tryit out, we headed to an off-road rally course next to theVallelungarace circuitnearRome

Admittedly,it’smoresuitedtoa dirt track than ascendingasteep bank or negotiatingdeeper water butitaddsafurther dimensionto theUrus, andwill come in useful forthose wantingtodemonstrate theirSUV’s capability in adifferent setting.

On jumpingin, it’s clearthis

HuracanSterrato: Lambo’soff-road supercar

is no rough-and-readyutilitari an SUV. Thecabin is awashwith blackAlcantara –asuede-likematerial widely usedin high-end performance cars.It’sonthe steering wheel, theseats, even thedashboard.

Once you’vepressed theengine startbuttonand themighty4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine’s fired up,it’stimetoactivatethat‘Rally’ mode on thecentralcluster,which Lamborghinicalls the‘Tamburo’

Theterrain is no DakarRally, andadmittedly afront-wheel-drive crossoverwithadecentamountof ground clearancecould probably master most of it.That’snot the

pointhere, though,asit’sthe fun factor that makesthisSUV so special. What theRally mode does is ease offthe tractioncontrol, allowingfor moreoversteer– essentially meaningyou canget it alittlemore sideways

At thesametime, theRally mode sendsagreaterchunk of torque to therearwheelsand means if you putyourfootdowncomingout of thedirtstages’corners, it’s really easy to getittoslide,yet always in acontrolled fashion. It feelslikeit’s been engineered so that anyone can enjoyitwithintheir capabilities

Thegriplevelsare also impres sive,admittedly on this predom

inantly drycourse,and more so when consideringour test Urus Performanteisridingonnormal ‘off-the-shelf’roadtyres

This dirt stagedidn’tlet us expe rience thefull 657bhp,but accompanied by thefantastic growlofthe ti tanium Akrapovicexhaust system, it’s impossible not to smilewhen driftingaround. ThoseAlcantara seatsalso keep you firmly in hold, whileeven though thePerformante rideson fixedsteelsprings,you don’tfeellikeyourback’sabout to give way. Farfromit.

ALamborghini with aRally Mode showsthisItalian firm’s eccentrici ty as itsvery finest

StayingwithLamborghini,the firm hasgiven a firstofficiallookatits up coming HuracanSterratoahead of the officialrevealthismonth

Designed‘formaximum driving pleasure even away from theasphalt’, theSterratoisa versionofLamborghini’spopular Huracancapable of head ingoff-roadand onto surfaces that theregular carwould struggle to deal with

Thecar’s increasedrideheightisvis ible from theimages,asare some more off-road focuseddesigntweakssuch as chunky wheelarch trim piecesand LEDlights integrated into thefront grille. There’salsoa roof airscoop somethingseenonthe range-topping HuracanSTO –which helpstocoolthe engine more effectively.

Smallroofrails arealso fitted to the topofthe Sterrato,which suggests

that it mightbecompatiblewithaccessories such as topboxes or bike racks.

Underneath theSterratowillbe poweredbya5.2-litre naturally-aspi ratedV10 engine,which is predicted to be thelasttimesuchan engine will be used in aLamborghini as the firm move towardselectrification

Though Lamborghinihas yettoannounce anyperformance figuresfor theSterrato, in theHuracan STOthis setupdelivers631bhpand 565Nmof torque, equating to azeroto60mph time of 2.8seconds andatop speed of 193mph.It’slikelythatthe Sterrato’s topspeed will be slightlylower,howev er,owing to theincreased ride height.

Theinitial teaser videos showcase thecar beingpushedtothe limitindif ferent environments, with Lamborghini statingthatthe Sterrato wasdue to be unveiled in full in Miamithisweek.

League chiefs move to explain afternoonplans

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

nn nn

Aworryinglackofinterestand cancelledbowls competitions is a growingconcern forShropshireLa dies association

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

County secretaryHelen Clee said:“It wasa veryinformalaffair.

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

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

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

nn nn

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

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

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

Shropshirechiefs arestill search ingto find anew treasurer anda safeguarding officerfor 2023

Howell strikes to claimawinterwin

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

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

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

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

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

“Sotostart offwith27taking part is brilliantand really encour aging.

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

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

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

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

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

Club going from strength to strength five yearson

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

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

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

PAUL JENKINS paul.jenkins@mnamedia.co.uk

lateralmovement.

McDonald landed multiple overhand rights alongwithsomeleft hookstobring aunanimous points win.

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

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

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

Kian Evanshad alreadyhad to

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

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

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

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

such ayoung club.

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

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

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

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

LennoxMcDonald with coachesPaulDowlerand SamMajskiand right, alongsideanother of theclub’syoungboxersJackMacken

DavidAustinpresentsthe Rigley CuptoAlbrighton’sHelenBlunt

FA Cupjoy is arealshot in thearm forShrews

Abrilliant FA Cupwin is just what Shrews need ed to give them aboost aheadofachallenging month.

In recent weekstheyhavenot been getting theresults they want ed,even though they have been in games.

When you look at theformtable it is abit misleading becausethe performances,onthe whole, have been good,especially with allthe injuries

Buttheyhavecompetedinevery singleone of those fixtures either away at Portsmouth,Plymouthand SheffieldWednesday or at home againstCharltonand Barnsley.

THE DAVE EDWARDS COLUMN

Andtobeinevery game,becom petitive in everygameand have chancestopickuppointsinevery game is apositive thing. They need to keep that up nowoverthis Christmas period

They reacted well againstthe Posh –the usualsuspectsput in some big performances andcame up with importantgoals

To scorethree in the firsthalf will have putthe Town fans in dreamland, butitwas adifferent

displayinthe second half where they weatheredthe stormalittle bit

Therewereacouple of half-decent chancesfor Posh, butitwas just greatfor them to be in thethird round. Thequality of some of the goalswas excellent.

Therelationshipbetween Jordan Shipley andTom Baylissisimprovingweekafterweek. Thegoalinvolvementofthose two have been verygood this year

MatthewPenningtongot another one– this time with arealpoachers finish afteralovelystrikebyTaylor Moore.

Therewereother chancesinthe firsthalf, so it is good they arecre atingalots, andindividualswill be

happywiththeir owndisplays.

Thebackthree were againexcellent, andanotherpleasingthing will be theright wing-back position with ElliottBennett andJulien Da costabeing injured. Taylor Moore hadagreat game in theretoo

To be in thethirdround is huge forthe club –the chairman andthe managerwill be delighted.

Themoneythe club getfor this couldhelpbudgets andrecruitment or anything the managerparticu larlyneedslikepre-seasontrips so it takesthe pressureoff

Thechairmanhas been amazing forthe football club andthere is no doubt these cuprunsover thelast fewyears have helped what they have been trying to build.

Dawley arethe talk of thetownafter anothervictory

Thereisjustno stopping Dawley Town this season,whatever the competition.

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

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

CharlieKnowles ledthe charge with ahat-trick,and wasjoinedon thescoresheetbyDanielBeddows, George Lees andsubstituteBrodie Mcleod.Asa Deangrabbedalate consolation forBroseley.

Church StrettonTownalso booked theirplace in thelastfour butneeded penaltiestoedgeout GobowenCeltic.

Ed Rogers firedCelticinfront

twiceduringtheir firsthalfonlyfor thehosts to hitbackthrough Jack Briscoe andJames Hilltomakeit 2-2atthe break.

Therewerenofurther goalsand it wasStrettonwho triumphed5-4 from thespot.

Hodnet’scup hopesare overafter they went down 3-1awaytoWest Midlands League Division Oneout fitAllscottHeath

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

TheSalop League action saw PreesUnitedgogoalcrazy in their PremierDivisionclash with SAHA FC

Preesplundered14goals without replywithSamuelFlory taking the individual plaudits with ahat-trick Alex Kirk,JoelBrowne, Daniel Whelan andLiamMoore allstruck twice. TomClive,Matthew Owen

andanown goal completedthe rout MadeleySportsbagged three goalsand threepointsatthe ex penseofErcallColts JuniorsEvo lution

JasonIllingworth, ShaunDavies andRyanEdwards were on target forSportswithEricMensahbag ging oneinreply forErcall.

Shrewsbury Up &Comersleft it late to secure victoryawaytoSt Martins.

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

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

MatthewStuartbagged both goalsasWrockwardineWood JuniorsbeatWem Town 2-0.

Wood’s victorypushwas also helped by goalkeeper Kareem Zaman saving apenalty

There wasjustone game in Di vision Oneand that sawtitle hope fuls AFCBridgnorth Development Squad beatBrown Clee 2-0.

Thethree pointsleftsec ond-placed Bridgnorth level on points with leadersWellingtonAmateurs Development having played agamemore.

Saturday’s fixtures

PremierDivision: Dawley Town vSAHAFC; MadeleySports vChurchStrettonTown; Prees United vStMartins;Wem Town v Hodnet;WrockwardineWood JuniorsvShrewsburyUp &Comers ;ErcallColts JuniorsEvolution v GobowenCeltic.

Division One: EllesmereRangersvWellingtonAmateursDevel opment;Shrewsbury JuniorsDevelopmentvErcallColts Juniors Revolution Colts.

Division OneLeagueCup: Er call ColtsJuniorsRangersvBrown Clee

Bridgnorthpull clearfollowing awelcome win

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Apostponementsaw Haugh mond drop to thefootofthe tableas rivals CradleyTown pickedupapoint elsewhere.

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

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

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

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

EllesmereRangers were dramatic late winnersinthe NorthWestCountiesLeague Edward Case Cupsecondround

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

Luke Leahycelebrates afterscoring agoal to make it 3-1toput Town into thethirdround of theFACup.Right, bossSteve Cotterill

Cupjoy will be ahugeboostfor Shrewsbury

MATT FINISH IS A BONUSFOR TOWN

Matthew Pennington is relishingbeing Shrewsbury’s jointtop goalscor er afterhe netted another pivotalgoalatthe weekend.

Thedefenderscoredhis fourth of theseasoninhis side’s 3-1FACup winathome to Peterborough Unit ed,takinghis season’s tallytofour in allcompetitions.

He joinsLukeLeahy,Tom Bayliss andJordanShipley on thesame number andPenningtonisenjoying beingan‘asset’ forhis teaminboth boxes.

“Itisnot expected but, in our team,weneed goalsfromall areas to help out,”the former Everton mansaid.

“I am expectingmoreofmyself to getinthose positionsand score goals.

“I feel likeitisanasset to the team

“I scored threelastyear, andI felt likeIcould have hadmore.

“I feel likeI couldget achance everygameortwo to putthe ball in thebackofthe net.

“Itisjusttakingthatresponsibil itytohelpthe team out, andI am relishingdoing thatwhenIam in

andaroundthe box. It is something nice to addtomy game,and it helps theteamaswell.

“Hopefully, we cannow take the momentum from theweekend into theleague.

“Wehavenot gotthe resultswe wanted in recent games. Youcan seethe performances have been there–sohopefully we cantake that forward, andthatconfidence.

“Momentum is huge in football, we arelooking to buildand keep moving.”

In 2016,Penningtonwas an un used substitutefor Evertoninan FA Cupsemi-finalagainst Man chesterUnitedatWembley, so he knowshow bigthe competitionis.

He said:“That experience was very special. Iactuallythought I wasgoing to play that game,but I didnot in theend

“But to be at Wembleyfor the semi finalagainst United washuge, andwhatanoccasion it was.

“I wasatWalsall at thetime, and Ihad amonth loan,Idid well,and therewereafew injuries andasus pension, so before Iknewitwas getting called back.”

Bennettislovinglife withCotterill

Cotterill

Theteamwas lookingdestined foraLeagueOne

Butafter aturbulent firstsix monthsinchargepersonally, where thebosswas left seriouslyill with

Covid, he hasnow gothis teethinto thejob,and they have madeapromisingstart to this campaign Bennett, whohas played under some distinguishedmanagersina career of more than 400profession al gamessayshe lovesthe wayCot terill manages.

Bennettsaid: “I love hisstyle of management he is direct,open, honest,and thereare no grey areas. “I am maybethe last of thebreed

of playerswhere things were abit different, now, maybeyou can’tsay certainthings, butIliketobetold.

“ToldwhenI’veplayedwell, but also when Ihaveplayedbad andthe gaffer is likethat.

“Heispassionate, obsessed with football.Hehas managedover 800 games, andyou don’tdo that by ac cident. Youdon’t gettomanagethat amount of gameswithout beinga good manager.”

Shrews handed Cupclash with theBlack Cats

Shrewsbury Town will welcome ChampionshipsideSunderland to theMontgomery Waters Meadow in theFACup third round.

SteveCotterill’s menhave been rewarded fortheir victory over Peterborough on Saturday with ahome tieagainst Tony Mowbray’sBlackCats, whocur rently sit15thinthe Championship

It will be Salop’ssixth straight seasoninthe thirdround of the FA Cupand comesaseasonaftertheywenttoLiverpoolatthe same stagelastseason.

Elsewhere, Wolves will travel to Anfieldtotakeonthe Reds in an allPremier League tie.

West Brom arefacinganaway non-league trip as they getset to take on National League high flyers Chesterfield, with AstonVillafacingStevenageat VillaPark.

AndNationalLeaguesideWrexhamhavebeenhandedabig away tieastheytakeonChampionship side Coventry City

Thetie of theround sees Manchester City host Premier League rivals Chelsea.

Otherall top flighttiessee Manchester United welcome Everton, BrentfordhostWest Hamand Southamptontravelto CrystalPalace.

Alltieswill be playedonthe weekendofJanuary 6and January 9.

ElliottBennett hasheapedpraise on ShrewsburybossSteve Cotterill afterthe bosscelebratedhis second anniversaryinchargeatthe club

took over from Sam Ricketts in 2020,inheritinga squad strugglingfor form

relegation scrap.

ElliottBennett andSteve Cotterill

OLLIEWESTBURY ollie.westbury@mnamedia.co.uk

MatthewPennington celebratesafter scoring againstPeterborough

Dave Edwards P31