Market Drayton Advertiser - 20-Oct-2022

PLEA

Communityurged to get behind festival whichwilloffer ahostoffreeactivities

MEGANHOWE newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

Organisers of theDraytonArtsFestivalhave urgedpeopletoshow theirsupport forthe host of activities they have laid on next week.

Thefestivalwill return to venuesacrossMarket Draytonfor the ninthtimewithsome40events linedupfor thecommunity Organiserssay they have endeav ouredtokeepmostactivitiesfree duetothe cost-of-living crisis

Ascaled-down festival took place last year –the firstsince Covid–with theremaining fundsbeing put towardsthe installation of amemorial sculptureinthe town forvic tims of thepandemic.

Suzanne Edwards, organiserof theDrayton Arts Festival,said theevent this year wouldrun with afull programme— andall dona tionswould be greatlyappreciated.

Suzanne said:“We have triedto keep ourcosts down this year in re spectofthe rising cost of living

“Weare excitedabout therange of differenteventswithalimit ed budgetand we hope people will come andchildren will have afan tastic dayonthe Saturday –there’s everything they wouldwant.”

Suzanne said highlights forthis year included afamilypuppetshow on Monday,October 24, at Market DraytonLibrary

Saturday week will be adedicated children’s daywitheventsoninthe town hall andatthe Grove School

Therewill also be an artisanmar ket forthe firsttimeonOctober 29 Detailsatdraytonartsfest.org

Garden to show offstunningautumncolours

Apopular touristspotinNorth Shropshirewillbeshowcasingits autumnal coloursatanopenday this weekend.

TheDorothy CliveGarden,near Market Drayton, will throwopen itsdoors to visitors as part of the National Garden Scheme Underthe scheme,morethan

3,500gardensacrossthe UK open to visitors to raise moneyfor a rangeofcharities

In 2021,morethan£3million wasraisedfor beneficiaries includ ingMacmillan Cancer Support, MarieCurie,HospiceUK, Parkin sons UK,CarersTrust andThe Queen’sNursing Institute.

Thesitehas anumberofplaces to exploreincluding TheQuarry Garden,The Viewpointand The Waterfallwhich areall part of the Heritage walk

Entrytothe eventis£5for adults and£2for children aged five to 17.The gardenswillbeopenfrom 10am to 4pm.

Boozyafternoon tea leadstodriving ban forwoman, 32

AMarket Draytonwoman who went fora night-time driveafter aboozy afternoontea on theday of theQueen’s funeralhas been banned from drivingfor 17 months

AbigailSylvester,aged32, was stoppedbypolicewhiledriving a NissanJuke, in Maer Lane,Market Drayton, at about12.30amonSep tember 20 andfound to have nearly twicethe legallimitofalcohol in herbreath.

Joanne Fox, prosecuting, said Sylvesterhad no convictions, wasof previous good characterand admit tedthe offenceat an earlystage

Ms FoxsaidSylvester hadbeen seen with no headlights andhad nearly collidedwithakerb.Police reported that shehad “glazedeyes andslurred speech”.

Sherecordeda levelof67micro gramsofalcohol per100 millilitres of breath when thelegal limitis35.

Sylvesterwho represented herself at TelfordMagistratesCourt on Tuesday, apologisedtothe court forher behaviour.

“I didn’t feel likeIwas still drunk, butI wasand Iamsorry,” shesaid. Shesaidhad been at a friend’s houseonthe dayofthe Queen’sfuneral foran“afternoon tea”.She said:“Ihavedonewhat Ishouldn’t have done andhaveaccepted that.”

Magistrates finedSylvester £120, andordered hertopay a£48 victims’surcharge andcosts of £135 Shewas banned for17months.

It’s thegreat British scare-offcontest

People living in Market Drayton have been encouraged to getbaking foranupcomingHalloween Scary Bake competition.

TheteamatMarketDrayton Libraryhas encouraged thelocal communitytocome up with ideas forspooky Halloweenbakes,includingbiscuits andcupcakes.

Winnersofthe competitionwill be announcedatthe library’sHal loween partyonOctober 29

Cakesmustbedropped intothe libraryby11amthatday forjudging betweennoonand 12.30pm

GardenerAdrian CorrypreparesDorothy CliveGarden, near Market Drayton,for itsopenweekend

Covid-19 deaths on theriseagain

ThenumberofCovid-19deathsreg isteredinEnglandand Walesisris ingagain,new figuressuggest.

Some 400deathsregisteredin theseven days to October7 mentioned coronavirusonthe death certificate,according to theOffice forNationalStatistics(ONS)

This is up 39 percentfrom287 deaths in thepreviousseven days, andisthe highestweeklytotal since late August.Itisthe firstsignal that thecurrent wave of infections is likelytobedriving an increase in deaths involvingCovid-19–though numbershaveyet to matchthose of this year’s summer wave

Man, 37,admitsattack on hisbrother-in-law

Violentassaultwithbeer bottle left victiminapoolofblood DAVIDTOOLEY david.tooley@mnamedia.co.uk

Aman hasreceiveda suspended20-month prison sentence afterhe attackedhis brother-inlawwithabeerbottle andlefthim in apoolof blood.

Road closing forwater works

Waterworks will mean avillage road will be closed fornearlya month

Part of Lilyhurst Road, Lil leshall, is settoclose from Oc tober31inorder forwater main connection work to be carried out.

Theroadwill be affected from itsjunctionwithChurchRoad for1,220 metresinasouth east erly direction.

Alternativerouteswill be sign-posredonsiteand officials saythe workisexpected to be completedbyNovember 25

Town puboffers Halloweenfun Artisanmarket seeking traders

An artisan market in Market Drayonislooking fornew trad erstoset up stalls at itspopular monthly market

TheButtercross ArtisanMar ket is on thelook-outfor new traderstojoinits monthly market under theButtercross, in CheshireStreet.

Thestallscost£15 andatable will be provided

Formoreinformation or to make an enquirymessage ButtercrossArtisanMarket on Facebook or emailadmin@mar ketdrayton.org.uk

Talk lined up for nature lovers

Thelatestwildlifetalkled by ShropshireWildlifeTrust will take placenextmonth

It will take placeat7.30pm at the Beacon CommunityCentre,ProspectRoad, Market Drayton, on No vember16.

SueReese Evanswill speakabout dragonflies– an ancientgroup of in sects.

Tea, coffee andbiscuits will be availablefrom7.15pm.

Thecostfor wildlifetrust members will be £3 and£4for nonmem bers.For detailsabout thegroup, emailmarketdrayton@shropshire wildlifetrust.org.uk

ShaneHarries,37, pleadedguilty toa charge of causinggrievousbod ilyharmtoDavid Manning after they hadbeenona drinking session at twopubsinMarket Draytonin August,2020.

Shrewsbury CrownCourt was told both “heavily intoxicated”men hadbegun to argueafterleaving the second pubat about 6pm.

Awitness sawHarries chasingMr Manningbeforeseeingthe defend antraise hisrighthandtowards the topofhis brother-in-law’s head and striking it

Thewitness heardthe soundofa bang beforeMrManning fell flat on hisfacetothe ground

Thecourt heardthatawoman passer-bygaveMrManning first aidbeforeparamedicsarrived

Harrieslater returned to the sceneand wasarrested

Mr Manningspent twodaysin hospital andhad abrokennose, two blackeyes, andhad broken both eye sockets.

Prosecution said that there“must have been multipleblows” butthe defencesaidthe witnessonlygave evidence of oneblow.

Harriessubsequently spentthree weeksin amentalhealthunitbut wasnow living with apartner in Lancashireand hadfound awarehousejob

JudgeMissRecorder Francesca Levett QC suspended thesentence for22months. Harrieswas also orderedtocomplete20rehabilita tion sessions,100 hoursofunpaid communityworkand payhis victim £1,200inthe next 12 months.

Pensioner in his80s ‘critical’

Apensioner wasseriously injured afterbeing struck by acar in Market Drayton.

Theman,agedinhis 80s, was flowntohospitalbyair ambulance afterthe incidentinShrewsbury Road shortlybefore7.30amonSat urday.

An area of around 100m of Shrewsbury Road –running paralleltoSalisbury Road –was taped offfor several hours.

Apolicespokeswoman said:“Of ficers were called to Shrewsbury

Road at around 7.25am following reportsofacollision involvinga silver Peugeot207 andapedestrian.

“The pedestrian,a managed in his80s,was takentohospitalwith seriousinjurieswhere he remains in acriticalcondition.”

So farnobodyhas been arrested in connection with theincident Anyone whowitnessed thecolli sion or captured dash-cam footage is askedtoreportitonline viathe West Mercia Police website quoting incident 143i of October16.

People living in aMarket Drayton have been invitedtojoinanupcom ingspooky HalloweenParty at the endofthe month

Familieshavebeenencouraged to dressupand join theteamat the Joiners Arms in Shrewsbury Road forsome Halloweenfun

Therewill be prizes forthe best make-upeffects,aswellas thebest costume.

Entertainmentincludesadisco andkaraoke

Halloweencocktails will be available at £3.50.

Theevent is settotakeplace on Saturday,October 29 at 8pm.

Legion hosting charitydance

ARoyal BritishLegionwill be hostingaPoppy Appealdance this month.

People have been invitedto join theMarket Draytongroup on October29for an evening of singingand dancingtoraise moneyfor theRoyal BritishLegion

ThePoppy Appeal is held everyyearand is the biggest fundraisingcampaigntohelp theRBL

Forthisyear’seventheldat Church Street,Market Dray ton, therewill be an Elvistributeact.Doors open at 7pm.

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Police at thescene of theaccident in Shrewsbury Road, Market Drayton

Concerns over accesstofarm’scamping site

Afarmonthe Staffordshire/Shrop shireborder hopes to welcome campersfor up to four months a year –but neighboursand high ways bosseshaveraisedconcerns about theplans

Park HillFarm, near Market Drayton, rearscattleand pigs andalready hostsoccasionaledu cational visits forschools, as well as offering campingfacilities fora montheachyear.

Nowthe Pimlottfamilyhopeto extend thetimetheyare allowed to operatetheir campsite.They

areseeking permission from New castle BoroughCouncil to change theuse of the fieldatthe Park Lane Farm to a64-pitchcampsite forfourmonths ayear, as well as building anew toilet andshower building

PatPimlott told membersofthe borough council’s planning com mittee:“We have been runninga campsite at thefarmfor twoyears underpermitted development rights, whichenableustoopenfor onemonth peryear. However,we have foundthisisquite restric

tive,which is whywehaveapplied to extend theuse to four months over thesummer period;June, July August andSeptember.This site is forsmall camper vans up to sixmetreslongand tentsonly. The proposed pitchesare low keyand marked with timber pegs

“Visitorstendtostayfor long weekends to enjoy peace, nature andtohelptosupport localfacil ities. This is apositive,small-scale agricultural diversification which provides additional income to sup port thefarming activities.”

Theborough council’splanning committee considered theapplica tion at itsmeeting on Tuesdaylast week

Butmembersdeferredtheir de cision to seek more information aboutpassing places on Park Lane Areporttothe committee said: “The HighwayAuthority have re questedfurther detailsbesubmit tedinsupport of theapplication, includingdetails of parkingareas andpassing places.The HA con siderthe site to be an unsustaina blelocation.”

Beaverstoforge newcolony on countryestateinspring?

MEGANHOWE newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

Beaversare settobere introduced onto acoun tryestateonthe border of Shropshireand Staf fordshireinnextspring.

Followingthe success of itswa tervolereintroduction, Trentham Estate hassubmitted plansfor a beaver enclosurewiththe hope of housinguptofourfourEurasian beaversfromspringnextyear.

The725-acre estate,nearEc cleshall andMarket Drayton, has undergoneamassive regeneration programmesince 2003,which in cludes stepstoincreasebiodiversity andre-introduce importantspecies.

In abid to help re-introduce thespecies, Trentham is working alongsideecologist andauthor, DerekGow andthe projectisbe ingsupported by theStaffordshire Wildlife Trust, theBeaver Trust, theEnvironment Agency andthe Canal&River Trust.

Alastair Budd,senior director of Trentham,said: “Beavers areone of themostimportant species inour habitatsand we want to help visi tors to understand whythisonce extinctUK native should be back

in theEnglishcountryside helping to restoreour ecosystems andmit igatethe impact of climatechange.

“Beaversbring awhole host of positivestothe environmentand it is importanttonotethattheywill not cause floodingtoneighbouring land or change thewater level on thelake.

“Fishing activity will not be dis rupted andstudies have shownbea versactuallyenhance andimprove fish stocks.Areas of thelakeused forwater sportactivitieswill notbe affected andthere will be no chang es to how thelakeorlakesidewalks arecurrently used by TrentWater Sports Association,anglers,visitors or dogwalkers

“Ifplanningpermissionisgrant ed this couldbeone of thelargest beaver enclosures in England and an importantplace forthe public to engage andlearn more about the species andtheir vitalrole.

“Wealso plan to workclosely with StaffordshireWildlifeTrust andlocal schoolstohelpeducate andinformpeopleontheir impor tancetothe environment.”

Trentham is home to arange of habitatspopular with birds, bug life,otters, deer,amphibians and reptiles andboats ancientwood landswhich areadesignatedSite of SpecialScientificInterest(SSSI).

TALKINGPOINT

WITH HELENMORGAN MP FORNORTHSHROPSHIRE

TheGovernmentis so chaot ic at themomentthatto ad dressthe latest disastrous policy here risksmaking thecolumn outofdateby thetimeyou arereading it

However,one lawIwould like to seethe Conservatives get behind is my BusServicesBill Thelaw,which Itabledinthe summer,would make sure that people in Market Draytonhave access to publictransport to key services everyday of theweek.

As everyonefromDrayton knows, if you live in theareabut don’thaveaccess to acar then you areeffectively cutoff from thewider world.

This hasa terrible impact on healthcare,aspeoplecan’t access hospitalsorGPappoint ments, butalsohas aterrible impact on theeconomy

Studieshaveshownthat every £1 invested in bus infra structuregenerates around £8 in economic benefits

ThereforeaGovernmentthat claims they want to prioritise growth should be fullyonboard with boosting busservices. If people can’tget to thehigh street then they can’tspend in thelocal area andbusiness es suffer.Ifpeoplecan’t getto nearby employers, theycan’t access jobs andthe employers can’tgrow. Investingintrans port is an investment in growth.

That’s why Istood up in the House of Commonsand asked theTransport Secretarytosup port my bill

It’s notfairthatMarket Dray tonhas no train stationand a quarterofthe number of depar turesthatmosttowns of asim ilar size have.It’snot fair that if you don’thavea carand have limitedmobilitythenyou have no choicebut to stay at home on aSundaywhennot onebus runs in thearea.

The next readingofmy bill is in twoweeks.Hopefullythe Government will seesense and give it theirfull support.

Beavers couldbeintroduced onto theTrenthamEstatenear Market Drayton

Fly-tippingcosts taxpayers£8k

Clearing up 98 illegal garden waste fly-tips in Telford& Wrekin has cost more than£8,000 in thepast 12 months, councillorssay

Telford&WrekinCouncil an nouncedthatoperationstoclear thegarden wastehas cost almost £10,000 of taxpayers’ moneyover thelastyear.

A£400 fixedpenalty noticewas issued to aresidentwho tossed tree wasteona carparkinWaverley, Woodside

They were reported by a‘street champion’ –amemberofthe public whovolunteerstokeepthe borough clean.

Thecouncil revealed the fine couldeasilyhavebeenavoided had thehouseholder putthe wastein theirgreen bin.

Thecouncil encourages people to report flytipsonline throughTel ford &WrekinWatch

Or call 01952388800togive in formationconfidentially

More than 100 slaverycases

Morethan100 potentialslaveryvictims were referred to West Mercia police in thelast year, figuresshow,asthe Home Office revealsplans to restrict claims to stop alleged“abuse” of thesystem.

Figuresshowthere hasbeen arise in thenumberofreferrals forsupport acrossthe UK,and anti-slaverycharities arenow calling on thegovernmentto stop “distractingattention from therealcriminals”.

It comesafterHome Secretary Suella Bravermanreceived criticismfor attributingthe increase in modern slaveryvic tims to migrants “gamingthe system”byclaiming asylum in theUKas victimsofslavery, andreclassifying thecrime as an “illegal immigration and asylum”issue,ratherthana safeguarding one.

Graduate Alex wins topaward

AHarper AdamsUniversity grad uate hasbeennamed winner of a majoraward Countryside andEnvironmental Management graduate Alex Greg oryhas been namedthe winner of this year’s Tilhill TopStudent Award.

As part of Tilhill’s workto strengthen links with future forest ry,harvesting, andecology managers, theCompany presentsawards to topperformingstudents at universities offering degreesinforestry-related subjects acrossthe UK.

Alex collected £250 prizemoney andawooden carved trophyand Alex said:“It wasanunexpected surprise “I really enjoyed theforestryrelatedmodules on my course andrealise how importantthe sustainable management of global andnational forest resources arefor both pres entand future generations.”

NewChermusical is oneyou canreallybelieve in

Over 100million recordssold, an Oscar on thetable from asuccess ful film career,a tempestuousrelationship with herhusband that has occupiedacres of news spaceand airtimeand alegendary penchant forextravagant costumes that sometimesattractmoreattention than themusic –that’sCher.

Theiconicsingerisbeing broughttolifethisweekatWol verhampton GrandTheatre in The Cher Show, writes Paul Jenkins Billed as ajukebox musical, with abookbyRickElice,ittells the storyofthe lifeand career of Cher, using famous songsperformed throughout hercareer.

ThreeperformersplayCherat differentpointsinthe show –Mil lieO’Connell,DanielleSteersand Debbie Kurup.

Allthree faithfully re-createthe imageofthe star performerwith stunningcostume changesand pitch-perfectrenditionsofsongs likeGypsysTrampsand Thieves, IFound Someone,Heart of Stone, TheShoop-Shoop Song and, of course,Believe.

Much of theshow focusses on her –mainlybroken–relationships, in cludingthe one with thetruelove of herlifeSonny Bono andthe televisionshowand subsequent songs thatfeaturedonitwhich propelled

both of them to stardom.

Thereare poignant momentsin therebut overallthe storyshows how Cher overcame attempts by variousmales,including Sonny, to controlher career andlife, ul timately becoming themasterof herown destinySonny is brilliantly playedby LucasRushand the chemistrybetween himand Kurup in particular is wonderful.

Directed by Arlene Phillips, the show lastsover twohours so is more than valuefor money. It is awinner –fromthe musictothe casting, thesetsand of course the costumes.ItrunsatWolverhamp tonGrand till Saturday

Town Tory admits intervening with MPsovercostofliving

DAVIDTOOLEY david.tooley@mnamedia.co.uk

Aleading Conservative councillor from Newport hasadmittedinter veningwithhis party’s MPsoverthe cost of livingcrisisthatthreatens to overwhelm many familybudgets.

Labour’s ruling cabinetatTelford &WrekinCouncil hasapproveda rangeoflocal measures hoping to tackle thecostoflivingcrisisand in theprocess notunexpectedly laid into theeconomicpoliciesof PrimeMinster LizTruss andher under-fire government.

Tory councillor TimNelson, who represents NewportNorth and West on Telford&Wrekin, said he was“probably in aminorityofone in thewhole room”.

He added: “Mybluetie reflects values that mayormay nottrans late into governmentpolicies.”

Councillor Nelsonrevealedthat he hadlobbied MPsoncostofliving issues butwas not goingtoreveal thecontentsofhis efforts.

Buthesaidhewas making aresponse to exceptionalcircumstanc es,some of whichwereofour ‘own making’and others down to ‘inter national circumstances.’

Labour council leader Shaun Davies sympathised, saying he also hadto“defendparty lines”.But he hoped everyone couldget behind callsfor changes in policy

MP visits schoolstolearn of challenges

NorthShropshireMPHelen Mor ganhas metstaff andstudents to discussthe challenges facing schoolsinher constituency

TheLib DemMPvisited The Grove School in Market Drayton andStMary’sPrimary School in Shawbury,where shewas joined by MuniraWilson, theLiberal Democrat educationspokesperson.

Together theMPs learnedmore about challenges regardingchil-

Spooky party to aidschoolfunds

AHalloween partyiscomingto atowninNorth Shropshire, as thecommunity gathersfor some spooky fun.

MembersofFriends of Woore School have organisedaHalloweenpartytotakeplaceonSun day, October30.

Theevent will runfrom4pm to 6pmatWoore VictoryHall.

Theaim of theevent is to raise

moneyfor theschooland itsresources, followingonfromthe Jubileeeventwhich took placeinthe Summer this year

Ticketsare availabletopur chasefromthe school receptionor WooreCountry Stores Shop and are£5per child. That includes the discoand food Refreshments, includingalcoholfor adults,will be available.

MEGANHOWE newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

dren’s mental health, as well as how issues at schoolsinrural ar eassometimes differ from thosein largetowns andcities.

Ms Morgansaid: “Itwas great to return to theGrove andsee the progress theschoolhas made since my last visitand getanupdateon

theissuesthe school is dealing with.”

TheMPadded: “The school is clearlymuchmorethanjustan educationprovider, with teachers also giving mental,emotional and physicalsupport to students

“Itwas fascinating to seebehind thescenesatStMary’sin Shaw bury andmeetthe team working so hard foryoung localchildren, many of whom have familymem-

Tickets arestill availablefor treetalk

Tree enthusiastsstill have time to purchasetheir ticketsfor aspecial talk next week

TheSevernTreeTrust will host a presentationonthe Tree Register of GreatBritain andIreland (TROBI) by DavidAldermaninthe Barnes Theatre at Shrewsbury School on Tuesday(25)

Ticket saleswereoriginally blightedbyatechnical issuebut maybeavailable on thedoorona

firstcome, firstservedbasis, priced at £5 each

TheTreeRegisterofGreat Brit ainand Irelandisa registered char itywitha unique database of more than 250,000 notabletrees andis home to thedefinitive list of cham pion trees

Championtrees arethe tallest andfattest of theirtypeand adatabase of more than 75,000 champion is availableonline to members.

TheCherShowatWolverhampton

LibDem education spokesperson Munira Wilson,North Shropshire MP HelenMorgan,Grove School

France visitfor twinninggroup

Membersofthe ShifnalTwinning Association are finallyvisitingMa checoulinFrance–avisit over two yearsinthe making

Thevisit to theLoire Valley was plannedfor April2020but was postponedanumberoftimes dueto Covidconcerns.

But37peoplefromShifnalwill travel on Saturday by coachand ferryonSaturdaytostaywiththe French friends, atripthathas been made both ways many timesasthe twotowns have been twinned for34 years.

During thevisit,the groups will go to Noirmoutier, atidal islandoff theatlanticcoast of France in the Vendée department wheretheywill spendtimeatthe beachand have lunchatSaint Jean De MontsGolf Club.Theywillalsovisit thesub marine pens at St.Nazaire andenjoyanofficialdinner andentertain ment laid on by theirhosts before returningnextThursday(27).

Fall inpound adds 7p to fuel

Sterling’s fall in valueadded 7p perlitre to drivers’ fuel bills in ayear, accordingtogovern ment-commissionedanalysis.

Areviewbyregulator the Competitionand MarketsAuthority(CMA) foundthatthe “principal drivers” of high fuel costsare rising oilpricesand increasedprofitmargins at oil refineries

Thereport, publishedin July, stated that thegrowing cost of oil–which is generallypriced in US dollars– accountedfor around a20p perlitre hike in UK fuel prices in the12months to June 27

Thedropinthe valueofthe poundcomparedwiththe dollar overthe same period addeda further7pper litretofuelbills. That wasmorethanthe 5p perlitre cutindutyimplemented by theTreasuryinMarch

Charity ‘chuffed’ at £20k donation

Ahospitalcharity is “chuffed”after receivinga£20,000 donation from salesofaspecialmodel locomotive

Dalpol Limitedmadehundreds of modellocomotivesbadgedup with thenameofCaptain SirTom Moore, whoraisedmillionsfor the NHS

Dalpol,which employs28peo ple at itssiteatGledrid Industri al Park,nearChirk,saidthatfor everyone they sold they woulddonate £40toThe Robert Jones And AgnesHuntOrthopaedic Hospital

Andrea Bowen, Dalpol’s person neland accounts manager, said: ”RJAHisalocal hospital forus, our staffuse it andIthink everybody knowssomebodythathas used the hospital.”

Andrea handed over acheque to Victoria Sugden,the charitydirector of thehospital, in Gobowen, near Oswestry.Victoriasaid: “We areabsolutelyblownaway– chuffed to piecesyou mightsay.”

Villagerswould be ‘keen’ to seepub back

Villagers‘want theirpub back’afteralong-closed venue wasput on themarket againbeforebeing with drawnfromsalea fewdayslater

TheCleveland Arms in High Er call,nearTelford,has been shut since2016,leaving thevillagers withoutapub

Afterbeing putonthe market in 2019, it waslisted forsaleonRightmove underSavills –which took over JamesABaker,the agentthat dealtwithpreviouslistings–atthe beginningofOctober

Thelisting disappearedearlier this week,however.A spokesman

DAVIDSTUBBINGS david.stubbings@mnamedia.co.uk

forSavillssaiditwas duetothem reinstatingthe JamesABaker branding

No pricewas advertised on the originalRightmove listing, though thewebsite of estate agentJames ABaker –where the pubwas still marketed forsaleonThursday afternoon– advertises aprice of £285,000 plus VAT.

An attempthas been made to contactthe owners,JohnHickin-

bottom andSusan King,through JamesABaker/Savills, butnoresponse hasbeenreceived.

Fewdetails have been putonthe listing, although photos from inside show therooms in astate of disrepair with pilesofbricks, exposed beamsand floorboardsmissing

Therelisting of TheCleveland Arms comesa monthafterplanning permission to turnitintoahouse wasrefused, andisthe latest stage in theongoingsagaover thebuild ing’sfuture.

Thepub closed in January2016 duetostructuralproblems.

MP agrees to try andhelpsecure £30m extra needed forroad

Another£30 million is beingasked fortocoverthe increasing costsofa controversial roadsproject

Theextra moneyisneeded to en sure theNorth West Relief Road in Shrewsbury becomesareality

Shrewsbury &AtchamConserv ativeMP, Daniel Kawczynski, said he wouldbemeeting with theDepartment of Transporttoask foran extra £27.25 million

Theroad, whichwould complete theringroadaroundthe town,was expected to cost around £81m –with £54.4m coming from government, £28.5mfromShropshireCouncil, and£4.2m from theMarches LEP.

But, duetodelaysinprogresson theproject,costs areexpected to have increasedsignificantly

It hasnow been confirmed that Shropshire Councilisaskingfor thegovernmenttoprovide £27.25m more. Thecouncil hasalwaysbeen responsiblefor anyoverspend on theproject,which is still waitingto go before the authority’splanning committee as it attempts to resolve issues with theEnvironment Agen cy

Thesituation raises questions about what will happen if thegov ernmentcannotprovide thefunding.

Mr Kawczynski, whohas de scribedthe road as “essential to se cure long-termgrowthfor Shrews bury’s economy”,saidthathewas committed to convincing government to providethe extra money.

He said:“Ihavebeengiven a challengebythe council to convince thegovernmenttocome up with an extra £30m andIhaveagreed to that challenge.”

Businesses focusonsurvival as confidenceseessharp fall

County business confi dencehas takenasharp fall with many companies focussingonsurvivingthe economic downturn,asurveyhas found.

ShropshireChamber of Commercesaidits latest quarterlysur veyrevealedbusinessconfidence levels showed a‘starkdownward shift’inthe thirdquarter of this year –hitting theirlowest level sincethe survey’s recordsbegan in 2009

Recruitmentproblemsalsocon tinuetohamperprogress, with more than threequartersof firms seekingtoexpandsayingtheyare unable to find appropriate staff.

Morethan70per cent of busi nesses arenow working below ca pacity,the survey reveals, while nearly athird sayproblemswith baddebts areincreasing.

Alex Brown, ShropshireChamber’spolicyand projectsofficer,

DOMINIC ROBERTSON newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

said:“Theresults show that this is averytough anduncertain time for many of ourbusinesses

“BeforeCovid,competition was traditionallycited as thebiggest worry.Duringthe height of the pandemicthisswitchedtobecome a fear of taxation –but nowconcerns overrisinginflationisheadand shouldersabove allother fears.”

Thesurvey, whichwas carried outshortlybeforethe government’s controversial mini-budget,also highlightedother key‘fear factors’ as unfriendly exchange ratesfor internationaltraders,and ongoing interest rate rises

Mr Brownsaid: “Those seeing improvedconfidenceinturnover droppedbackto33per cent,down from 54 percentin thesecondquarterand 61 percentatthe startof theyear.

“Confidencealwaysrides high

above reality, so this is astark downward shift.”

Morethanthree quarters of Shropshirecompanies trying to re cruitoverthe three-month period said they hadexperienced difficul ties,accordingtothe survey

Onebusinessfromthe manufacturing sector commented: “Appli cantsare much more likelytowork foraspecificperiodand move on.”

Anotherfromthe retail sector added: “Overall,availability of candidatesispoor. Youngerapplicants do not want to learn, andolder candidatesare lookingfor less respon siblepositions.”

Companiesreported asteady stream of candidates whofailedto turn up forinterviews, andothers whosaidtheyliked thework, but notthe workinghours

Just overaquarter of companies said they were lookingtoinvest more money in plantand machinery.

Thechamber says this maybe

driven by aneedtocounteractthe ongoingskillsshortage by increasingautomation.

ThenumberofShropshirebusinesses lookingtoinvestintraining roseslightlyin comparison with the second quarter, with several firms pointing to theneedto‘multi-skill’ more stafftoadapt to changing times

Thesurveyalso foundthatfewer than aquarter of county business es increaseddomestic salesinthe thirdquarter of this year,down from 41 percentinthe previous three months

Export salesincreases also fell forthe fourth successivequarter ShropshireChamber’squarterly economic survey resultsare feddirectly into theBritish Chambers of Commerce’s national database

Ruth Ross,ShropshireChamber’sdeputychief executive, said: “It’sreallyimportant forusthatas many businesses as possibletake time to fill in this survey.”

TheCleveland Arms in High Ercall is listedfor salemorethansix yearsafter it closed

COMMENT

Losing moneyfroma bank ingscamisone of thehaz ards of moneysociety.It’s potluckwhether or not peo ple gettheirmoney back

Some bankshavea policy of refundingmostlosses, others will resist,leading to victims facing adifficult scrapthrough theFinancialOmbudsman or simply writingitoff

And, with that processtaking months, banks know fewwill make theeffort.

Now10organisations,includingWhich?, MoneySavingEx pert,the Association of British Insurers andUKFinance, have joined forces to writea letter to PrimeMinisterLiz Truss, pressing forquick andeffective action

They pointout thereare very simple stepsthatcan be taken nowtoprotectpeople

By clamping down on fraudulentadverts andputting more pressure on bankstorepay moneylost, thesituation canbe improved.

Currently£5million is being lost to scamseveryday.Itisa scandalthatisoftenhidden andthose affected areoften the most vulnerable with themost to lose

Toomanyelderlypeople find theirlifesavings wipedout as scammers target peoplewho arenot computer literate or particularly savvy aboutcon artists.

It’s notsimplythe loss of revenue that affectsvictims.They also find themselves suffering emotionallyastheyfeelthe hardship andhumiliationthat comeswithbeing scammed.

Bigbusinessand theGov ernmentcan undoubtedly do more to tackle these unpleasantcrimesbyproviding better protection,betterrecourse to justiceinthe eventofa scam andharsher penaltiesfor perpetrators whomustfacepunitive action andbediscouraged from theirnefarious activities

Many people acrossthe region have been affected by dementia Most familieswill either have been directly hitorwill know afriend, relative or neighbour whohas suffered

As people’s lifeexpectancyincreases, sothe prospect of them falling prey to adegenerative illness that particularly affects theelderly increases

It puts an enormous strain on familiesand coststhe NHS andthe socialcaresystemmany millions

Progress is beingmadeinresearch –onlythisweeka drug hasbeenidentified that is said to slow down theprocess of de mentia

Butmomentum is everything andnow Dame BarbaraWindsor’swidower hascalledonLiz Trussnot to scrapthe demen tiataskforce announced by her predecessor, BorisJohnson,in memory of thestar.

He says £95million of fund ingisatrisk.

Fewwould argueitismoney verywellspent

Radzi talks dogsand life’s guilty pleasures

LISA SALMON PressAssociation

TV presenter, author andpodcaster,Radzi Chinyanganya liveslife at afastpace–but he hasthree key ways of keepingeverythingundercontrol.

No matter how busy he is, the energetic35-year-old –who wasa Blue Peterpresenter between2013 and2019, andnow predominantly coverssport –always findstimefor thegym,longwalks with thedog he shares with hismum,and arelax ingspa session

Radzi, whoattendedAdams GrammarSchoolinNewport,con tinues to live in hishome city of Wolverhampton, wherehis mother BarbaraMcGarrity is acitycouncillor

They both sharearescue Jack RussellcrosscalledOlive andsay shekeeps them both busy Radzisaid: “For me,dogsjust complete yourlife, andinthiscrazy world we live in,which is oftenvery busy andfreneticand we don’thave alot of time,knowing that when I wake up I’mgoing to be walking my dogand bondingwithmydog is great–all they want is to be loved,” he says

Busy

“Wesaw herand fell in love with her, andmymum said to me ‘Your life’stoo busy to have afull time dog, so insteadhow aboutI have a dogand you seeher as much as you can?’Itworks outphenomenally well

“Assoonasmylifesettles down, getting anotherdog is the first thingI’lldo. Forget aboutgetting asecondcar or something, adog is my number one, twoand three. I’d love to be in aposition to have adog that liveswithmeall thetime.

“I’veworkedonCruftsfor the last fewyears, andyou realise dogs aren’t just cute.They’re greatfor mental health,they’rethe most af fectionate things on earth, they’re loyaland they’realwaysthere when youwalkthrough thedoor they give you thebestlove, whether you’vehad abrilliantday or arub bish day.”

Radzihas always been proudof hishome city as well as hisschool andmadeapoint of goingbackto AdamsGrammar during histimeat Blue Peter.

He hasalwaysbeenknown forhis energy,and canoften be seenwalkingthe dogorkeeping fitinone of thecity’sgyms.

“I’veloved sportand fitnessba sicallysince Ileftthe womb,”he declares.“I’ve always done sport, andwithmyjob nowinTVI’d be surprisedifI’d hadmorethan20 days off,and as aresultthe gymis my sanctuary. I’mone of these weir doswho goes to thegym sixdaysa week.Iloveit, andifIcould go sev-

en days aweekIwould,but Ineed arestday.It’snot achore to me at all.”

He recallscompeting in theNinja Warrior UK TV show in 2018 and injuring hishand. As aresult, “I couldn’t go to thegym for10weeks andthatdrove me insane”, he says “So forme, thegym keepsmesane –it’swhere Iexpress myself,challengemyselfand push myself.”

Radzisaysgrowing up and watchingTVshowslikeTeenage MutantNinja Turtles, Thunder

describesthe experience as “hum bling”,adding: “Working in sportis my dreamjob,100 percent. Ilove getting to be on theother side of the camera.”

He hasalot on hisplate –with hisTVwork, writinghis second children’s book (his firstwas Move Like ALion, about how kids can move like theirfavourite animals), andapunishing fitnessroutine.But what else does Radzi–who’s “single andready to mingle” –dotorelax?

“Confessiontime: I flipping love aspa,” he chuckles.“I’moftenthe only blokeinaspa,but getting a dressing gown on,havinga treat ment andusing thesauna,steam room,jacuzzi,hot stones,facial– oh my goodness, that’s oneofmy guilty pleasures.

PETERRHODES

AccordingtoLabour’slatest posters: “Toryrecklessness is ruiningBritain’s standing on theworld stage. Only Labour hasaplantorestore it.” Come offit. If Labour hadsucha master plan,the Tories wouldhave nicked it by now.

“Backagain,dearohdear,” muttered King Charlesas he greeted LizTruss at theirweekly chinwag.

Andthatwas it.Fivelittle words andnoexplanation.Was anyone else remindedofhis fa ther Prince Philip’stendency to saywhatever came into his head?Historically, they used to saythe “royal disease” washae mophilia. Maybenow it’s footin mouthitis.

Unlikelymoment in AllCreaturesGreat andSmall (C5),set in thewar years, when aworking-classYorkshire ladsaidhis favourite sandwich fillingwas eggmayonnaise

Hardly.PoshfolkinLondon mayhaveknown aboutmayon naise in the1940s butithardly featured in provincialEnglish lifefor another20years

It was1966beforeI firsten counteredmayonnaise,ona school trip to France.Back home,Irecreated my Parisian breakfastofegg mayonnaise usingHeinz SaladCream.My mother,aplain cook from York shire, took adim view of this continentalextravagance.

Still in t’Dales, Iwonderhow many viewersofAll Creatures Greatand Smallgrasped the significanceofthe hatband wornbyMrs Hall’s sailor son.

It was“HMSRepulse.” Prepare forheartbreak.

If theLiz Trussdebacle has taught us anything it is that if a politicalparty wantstochange leader in mid-term,the new leader must be committed to the party’slastelectionmanifesto

Cats, PowerRangers andGladiators (his “all-timefavourite show”) hadahugeinfluence, continuing: “I lovedwatchingathletics too, seeing people Ithought were inspirational, findingout what they did andrepeating it.Now it’s come full circle, andIworkpartlyinsome of thosesportsand Iget to interact with some of thosepeople, Iget to speaktothemand find outtheir stories. That’s come from seeing people when Iwas aboutthree or four yearsold.”

He recently conductedRoger Federer’slasttelevisioninterview as aprofessionaltennisplayer, and

He also loveslistening to hip-hop musicand watching Netflix.“My only issueisonceIstart Ican’t stop, so Imight startat8pm and finish at 5aminthe morning, andnot have anysleep.I’m actually quite sadand Ilovewatchingthe news too– Ilikeunderstanding theworld around me.”

AnotherofRadzi’s passions is food, butdespite hisadmirable fit ness regime,headmits he’s nota particularly healthyeater.“This is whereit’sconfessiontimeagain,” he says.“I’dlovetosay my diet is as cleanasawhistle,but that wouldbe alie.Itwould be as cleanasa whis tleifyou took McDonald’s,choco late,sweetsand Starbucksout,but unfortunately that’d take alot out. Idon’t have averyclean diet.Ilike food alot,Nando’s is number one, twoand three. On thewhole I’m nottoo bad, butI do not necessarily watch what Ieat.Ieat everything!”

It is dishonestand grosslyunfair to saddle thenationwitha packageofpoliciesthatnobody voted for. Anotherusefullesson is nottobebound by political correctness. How many Tories voted forLiz Trussbecause she is awoman andtheydid not want to be accusedofmisogyny by votingagainst her?

Accordingtothe DailyTelegraph, Buckingham Palace offi cials arehoping to drop Camilla’s titleofConsort,makingher simply TheQueen

No surprises there. As Iwrote: “Bit by bit,asmemoriesofDianafade, ournationisbeing groomedfor theprospect of QueenCamilla.”And that was in May, 2013

‘I’ve lovedsport andalso fitness basicallysinceI left thewomb’

RadziChinyanganya andhis mother Barbara McGarrity

Town crierwas asplendidand patrioticman

Iwas saddened to hear of the passingofPeter Tauntonwho wasthe town crierfor both Stafford andalsoone of my favourite places, Newportin Shropshire.

He wasindeed larger than lifeand for25years he engaged in therolewithgusto andpat riotism, whichshowedinhis love forthe community and whenever he met you

Ispoke with hima number of timesand best remember when ImadeatriptoNewport to meet themayorand Peter whogavemearousing procla mation in frontofmanypeople

–alittleoverwhelming, buthe wasasplendidman,alwaysfull of laughter andjoy forwhathe wasdoing.Hewas also agreat supporteroflocal events and attended many charityfunctionsaroundbothboroughs

He hadbeenrunningaHire aTownCrier agency foraround tenyears before hispassing anditwas pleasing thatbusiness allover theUKwereable to usecrierstopromote their events.The moneyraisedfrom this wasusedtodo thecharity workthatall criers do

Sadly, town criers areslowly becoming less andlessinthis greatcountry of ours,but Pe tercertainly wasone of these caring people whowas keen on traditions andour localhis tory andrepresented some of thephilosophyofreaderswho contribute to ourgreat publication

With hispassing,itmay be justalittlebit quieterhere, but louder in Heaven!

Mark Dabbs, West Midlands

Chance to enter design contest

We areagroup of volunteers whocollect used andnew postagestampsfromthe UK andoverseas,horizon labels, collections, postcards, first daycoversand obsolete and unwanted currency from anywherearoundthe world as well as runningfundraising events in aidofBoneCancerResearch Trust(BCRT), charitynumber 1159590.

To raise awarenessofour fundraiserweare running acolouring competitionand

PICTURE FROMTHE ARCHIVE

NEWS &ADVERTISING

Editorial: 01952242424 pete.carroll@mnamedia.co.uk Sport: 01952241473 nick.elwell@mnamedia.co.uk Advertising: 01952242424 alison.jukes@mnamedia.co.uk

wouldlikeyoungstersany whereinthe UK to design their ownpostage stamp, butithas to be A4 size,templates canbe downloaded from theinternet! Thetheme is ‘Whatmakes you happy?’It canbeabsolutely anything,anyoneoranywhere. We can’twaittosee theresults. The finaldatefor thecom petition is December 2sothe sooneryou startdrawing, painting andcolouring the quickeryou cansendyourmas terpiecesintousatthe address given

Youcan send stamps and otherrequired itemswithyour stamps, butpleasecheck the postagecosts before posting.

Please send in yourentry to us with yourname, age, abrief descriptionofyourartworkand acontact emailortelephone number to:Colouring Competition,20BowersRoad, Benfleet, Essex, SS75PZ.

Stampcollectingasa hobby is educational, calmingand fulfilling anditwould be great if more youngstersstarted collectingasa newventure

Primarybonecancercan occuratany age, butaffects mostly children,teenagers, young adults andthe elderly.

Every10minutes somewhere in theworld someone is diag nosedwithprimary bone cancer. Ewingsarcoma accounts for52per cent of allprimary bone cancersdiagnosed in chil dren aged 0-14 acrossthe UK, with osteosarcomafollowing closely behind at 39 percent.

Despite this, ahistoriclack of fundingmeans that treat mentsfor bone cancer patients have not advanced in over 30 years. Our group is trying to change these facts.

TerriBush, Friendsof BCRT –Postage Stamp Appeal

Keen to discover more research

LastyearTobyNealwrote an interestingarticle about CheswardineHall, when it was aschoolrun by theBrothersof ChristianInstruction

It wassubsequently an ap provedschoolrun by Derekand IreneBrunt from September 1972 until1983.

Iwould be interested to know if Toby hashad anyresearch on this period of Cheswardine Hall.Irun thewebsite about theCheswardine Hall andEstate knownas‘Cheswardine Manor’onGoogle.

MichaelHendry, Market Drayton

Cooks canoffer cost-cuttingtips

Market Drayton’sHales Women’s Institutewon’t be theonly organisation in ourtownwith amembership of experienced cooks, women whohavespent a long time “countingthe costs” Nottomention allthose other womenwho arenot membersof anygroup

Takeawaysand processed foodseat up thecashand pile on thekilos.Nor do they satisfy hunger

If anyfood bank customers, young mothersetc., wouldlike anyfood, cooking, or cost-cut ting advice,there must be a wayofhelping them– surely?

TrishDawson, HalesWI

JOIN THEDEBATE

Email: editorial.support@mnamedia.co.uk

Writeto: Letters, TheAdvertiser, Midland News Association,51-53 Queen Street, Wolverhampton, WV11ES

Lettersmustinclude thewriter’sname, address and telephone number.Letters will only be published anonymouslyinexceptional circumstances.The editor reserves theright to condense or amend letters

This is an oldpostcarddepictingthe Oddfellows Club Walk, Cheswardine.The procession is making itsway through thevillagein1908. This picture is from thecollectionofBridgnorthpostcard collector RayFarlow.

Bringing outthe best in everystudent

COMMERCIAL FEATURE

Burton Boroughisan inclusiveschooland it is thestaff’s firm conviction that allstudents, no matter what theirbackgrounds, needsorabilities,are able to succeed andreach theirfullpotentialgiven theright care,support andguidance.

Thestaff instil an ethosofhardworkand self-disciplinefromthe very starttoensurethatstudents have an excellentworkethic Awards

Aspokesman said:“We believe that children have varied giftsand talentsthatwecan encourageand cultivate, both individually andtogether,soastobring outthe very best in each of them

“Our extra-curricularprovision is fantastic, especially in thearts, whereour wind bandsare have won awards andare recognisednationally andinternationally “Students have also wonawards sixyears in arow at theprestigious National Enterprise Challenge, in cluding‘Most Enterprising School’

andlocal competitions such as the ShropshireStarSTEMChallenge andThe Telfordand Wrekin High Street Challengewhere theysecured£10,000 with their idea for WellingtonMarket.”

TheBurtonBorough School University scheme also continuesto grow,withstudents from Year 9 successfullycompletinguniversity undergraduatecourses andstu

dentscompleting critical thinking modulesaspart of Eton Xwith Eton College.

StaffatBurtonBorough possess drive, commitmentand high expectations, combined with apassion to help young people succeed which prepares students well forthe next stages of theireducation,adolescenceand journeytoadulthood

Thespokesman added: “Start-

ingsecondary school is an exciting time that we know yourchildren will enjoy –new environment, new lessons, new people but at Burton Boroughwealsounderstandthat thechanges from primaryschoolto alarge secondaryschoolcan seem dauntingat first.

“The unique three‘smallschool’ system we have createssmaller communitieswithinthe school,

each having an excellentpastoral system anda dedicatedteamof staff.

“Thissystemallowsstaff to get to know each childand familyper sonally, so enabling them to quickly pickuponany potentialissues.

“In addition,wehaveverticaltutorgroupswithmembersfromall years, this againcontributingto oursmaller communityfeel.

“Inafast-paced,ever-changing 21st century, we arelivinginanage of informationwhere we seemingly have theanswers to everything availableatthe clickofa button

Nurture

“Itistherefore increasingly im portantthatwenurture ourstu dentstobecome confident,lifelong learners whoare unafraidtovoice theirown opinionsand debate them in an intellectual,consideredand structured manner

“Our aspiration is forthemto thinkand askquestions whichwill propel them into an ageofinnovation wheretheir creative andcriti calthinkingskillswill be more im portantthanever before

“Wewantour students to be well-rounded,not relyingonrote or technology, so that they arefully empoweredtocompete andengage with theirpeers, both nationally andinternationally.”

Students arepreparedfor thenextstagesoftheir education, adolescence and journeytoadulthood

Scheme forunwanted trees takesrootincounty

Aschemehas been launched to help encouragegardenerstorecycle unwanted trees growingontheir plots.

Shropshire Council, working in partnership with Shrewsbury Town Council, is asking forunwanted seedlingsthatwould otherwise be destroyedtobedonated to Shrewsbury’s WeepingCrossnursery

Once there, they will be repurposed and plantedinappropriate sitesaroundthe county

The donatedtrees will be tagged and monitored forpestsand diseases by nurs erystaff,and logged to adatabase, to enablepeopletodiscover wheretheyhavebeen planted.

FewerpatientsatA&E than this time last year

Morepatientsvisited A&EatShrewsbury andTelford hospitalslastmonth, butattendanceswerelowerthanthe same time last year, figuresreveal.

FiguresfromNHS Englandhaveshown 12,105 patients visitedthe Accidentand EmergencydepartmentatShrewsbury and TelfordHospitalNHS TrustinSeptember

This wasa rise of oneper cent on the 11,972 visits recorded during August,but was five percentlowerthanthe 12,765 pa tients seen in September of last year

Themajorityofattendances last month were viamajor A&Edepartments while16 percentwerevia thecounty’sminor injury units.

No evidence fish caught in UK waters are‘unsafe’

Thereisnoevidence fish caught in UK wa ters areunsafe to eat,ahealthministerhas said,amidconcernsover thedumping of sewage.The assurancebyLordMarkham came in response to aparliamentary writ tenquestionbyLabourabout thepublic health risk posedbythe dischargeofefflu entintoBritain’s riversand coastalwaters.

Therehas been mounting public angerat thecontroversial practice

Water firmshavebeencriticisedfor not investingenoughinthe country’sageing infrastructure,withministers underpressure to intervene. Lord Markhamsaid:

“There is currentlynoevidence that fish caught in UK waters areunsafe to eat.”

Ilived to seemy son’smarriage aftertreatment

MEGANHOWE megan.howe@mnamedia.co.uk

AcancersurvivorfromShropshirehas encouraged peopletogive monthlytothe world’s largestcan cercharity,after sheattendedher son’sdream wedding.

Donna Jones, from Telford, issued thepleaafter hersuccessfulcancertreatment enabledher to see herson,Jordan, getmarried in Mexico this year

Afterbeing diagnosedwithbreastcancerin July 2015,Donna went from organising ahecticwork schedule to arrangingher lifearoundsurgery,radiotherapy andchemotherapysessions.

Now fitand well,the 52-year-oldhas just returned from heronlyson’s weddinginMexico–anoccasion shefearedshe wouldnot live to see.

In 2015,Donna went to seeher doctor abouta lump shehad foundonher rightbreast, suspecting it wasanother cyst whichshe hadsufferedfromnumeroustimes before

Twoweeks laterDonna went back forher results andwas told shehad breast cancer.Ithad also spread to herlymphatic andvascularsystem.

Afteralumpectomytoremove thetumour, Donna wastreated with threeroundsofFEC-T chemotherapywhich started on her45thbirthday.

Donna said sheowesher lifetoimprovedtreat ments– thanks in part,tothe workofCancerResearch UK –and hasencouragedeveryonetogive monthlytothe charity.

Donnasaid: “I told my husbandall theway through that Ionlywantedtwo things:I wanted to seemy50thbirthdayand Iwanted to live long enough to seemyson,Jordan, getmarried “Hewas only 20 when Iwas diagnosedand he is my world,soIwas determined to be therefor him.”

District pubs receive awards from Camra

Membersofthe Telfordand East Shropshire Campaign forRealAle grouphavecelebratedthe achievements of twoShropshirepubs.

Thegroup metatThe AnvilinShifnaltopresent it with itstownpub of theyearawards. It wasvot ed forbythe hundreds of membersofthe branch whoparticularlysaidtheyenjoyed theburning fire andspaciousbeergarden availableall year round.

SamJervisfromthe Lion O’MorfeinUpper Farmcote wasalsopresent to accept hispub’s awardfor ruralpub of theyear2022.

Themulti-award-winningLionisdescribedasa ‘classic countrypub’, with asmall barfor drinkers andanexcellent restaurant fordiners.

Donna with sonJordan, left,and husbandAllan

Jobless figures ‘atlowestlevel’

TheUK’sunemployment rate droppedtoits lowestlevel foralmost half acentury,accordingto official figures.

TheOffice forNationalStatistics (ONS)saidthe unemployment rate fell to 3.5per cent overthe three months to August –the lowestsince February 1974

Economistshad predictedit wouldstaysteady at 3.6per cent, therateithit during theprevious quarter.

It came afterajoint-recordrise in thenumberofpeopleconsidered “economicallyinactive” –not in workorsearchingfor work– dueto long-termsickness.

Economicactivityincreased by 0.6percentagepointsto21.7per cent,driven by people aged between 50 and64. This meantthatboththe rate of unemployment andemploy ment declined over theperiod.

Theemploymentratedecreased by 0.3percentagepointsto75.5per cent forthe quarter. Meanwhile, the number of UK workers on payrolls roseby69,000 betweenAugustand September to 29.7 million, theONS said

In theWestMidlands, including Shropshire, theunemployment fig urewas 139,000 (4.7 percentofthe working population)inthe three months to August –up3,000 on the threemonthstoJuly. Theregion’s employment figure fell from 2.85 millionto2.83million

TheWestMidlandssaw afallin thenumbers claiming unemploy ment benefits, includingUniversal Credit last month.

Disgraceddoc is struck off

Adoctorwho workedatRoyal Shrewsbury Hospital hasbeen struck offafterbeing convicted of possessingmorethan1,500 indecent images of children Dr MahmoudAbdelaziz,who workedatShrewsbury’s hos pitalasadoctorinrespiratory medicine,had been convicted of theoffence at Shrewsbury CrownCourt last year

Ahearing of theMedical PractitionersTribunalService hasnow decidedthatheshould be struck off.

Abdelaziz, whoqualified in 2015 from theUniversity of Mansoura, Egypt, hadclaimed at Shrewsbury CrownCourt that he hadbeengathering the images to help police track down thoseresponsiblefor abuse

Thetribunalheard he had been identified in 2018 by mem bers of theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) British Columbia Integrated ChildExploitation Unit as beinginpos sessionof, anddistributing, in decent images throughagroup online platform

Abdelazizwas convictedofsix chargeslastNovemberand was sentencedto18monthsin pris on,suspended fortwo years, at a hearinginFebruary.

Thetribunalreportnoted the offences took placeinhis private lifeand didnot involvedirect contactwithpatients.

Urgent pleafor government action to tackle online fraud

VICKYSHAW PressAssociation

Consumerscannotafford to wait forvital protections againstonline fraud, campaignersand financialservicesindustrybodiesare warning.

Tenorganisations, including Which?,MoneySavingExpert,the Association of BritishInsurers (ABI)and UK Financehavejoined forces to writea letter to Prime Minister LizTruss,pressingfor ef fectiveaction.

They areurgingthe Government to ensure that fraudistackledthrough theOnlineSafetyBill so that peopleare better protected againstdevastating financialand emotionalharm.

AnalysisofActionFraud figures indicatesthatapproaching £5 mil lion is typically beingreported lost to scamsevery day.

And, as many scamsgounreported,the true amount lost by victims is likely to be much higher,those behind thelettersaid.

They addedthatthere is thepotentialtostopmillionsofpounds’ worth of scamseveryyear, by tackling the flood of online adverts whichare paid forbyfraudstersto scam people

Thelettersays: “Wewerepleased to hear yourrecentcommentsindicating that theOnlineSafetyBill will return to Parliament this session

“The unrelentingscale of harm caused by online fraud–through both user generatedcontent and scam advertising–and therateat whichthe problemisincreasing, meansthatconsumers cannot af ford to wait forthese vitalprotections. Furtherdelaystothe Bill will result in thecontinued perpetua tionofonline fraud, costingpeople dearly

“The Governmentmustcommit to findingthe quickest andmost effectivesolutiontoshieldUKcit izensfrombecoming victimsof fraud– as soonas possible.”

Petition overclosedroad amid ‘mayhem’

Residents arecalling on acouncil to urgently reassessaroadclosure whichtheyclaim is causingmay hem

ThelengthofShayLaneinFor ton, from Eccleshall Road (A519) to WharfRoad, Adbaston,isclosed in orderfor worktodoatemporary repair on acollapsed culvert.

AnoticefromStaffordshire County Councilsaysthe work couldgoonuntil April2024.

Residents andmotorists have been left frustrated by theclosure Awritten petition,withmore than 600signaturesonit, along with an online oneincluding 200, hasbeendelivered to county coun cillor Mark Winnington calling for theclosure to be looked at.There areconcernsthe road closurewill have an impact on businesses as well as causingissuesoncountry lanes, wheretraffic–including heavyvehicles–will divertedto, andwhich residentssay arein need of repairs.

Thepetitionwas launched by

MATTHEWPANTER matthew.panter@mnamedia.co.uk

Benand ClareGilg, whosay the closure needs to be reassessed with callsfor atimeframe on starting and finishingthe work to be given,aswellaslooking into thepossibility of restricted open ingofthe road,withtrafficman agementinplace

Theissue will be discussed at thenextmeetingofHighOffley Parish Council, whichtookplace last nightatWoodseaves Village Hall

Mr Gilg said:“Thereisalot of concernand severalissuesover this.Wehavehad more than 400 motoristssignthe petition which showshow many vehicleshave been inconvenienced by this closure in averyshort period of time

“The vast majority of thosesig natureswerecollected in a10-day period, just threeorfourhours at atime. Sinceits closurethere has

been mayhem around diversion routes with allvehiclesvying for room on theroads.Whatthe sit uation will be likeinthe winter is beyond comprehension.”

“It’sa significant road, busy and alot of businesses andindustries rely on Shay Lane.”

“Theyare nowlikelytobeincurringextra costsover andabove therisingcostoflivingwhileres idents areincurring extra costs with miles covered andextra de preciationtotheir vehicles dueto poor conditions of thesurrounding lanes.

“Diversionsmeanpeopleare having to usenarrowerroads and Ifearthere couldbeaccidents moving forward.”

Anotherconcerned resident,Na talieWestoll,added: “Myworry is that,withdiversions, otherroads having to be usedby heavygoods vehicleswill probably be damaged in theprocess.”

StaffordshireCountyCouncil wasapproachedfor comment.

Iamsoproud of Bradley, says mumin999 drama

Historyrepeateditselfwhena youngster rang 999 to help his mother when shesufferedanepi leptic fit.

Six-year-old BradleyButler, who is autistic,usedhis owninitiative to race downstairs to call foran ambulanceashis dadChris fo cusedontryingtosupport mum Amywhenshe hadafrightening seizure at theirhome in St Georg es,Telford Bradley’sactions came more than 20 yearsafter Amyhad her self been placed in asimilar predicament when hermotherJoanne also hadanepileptic fit. Shewas laterpresented an awardfor brav

eryfromShropshireAmbulance Service.

Amysaid: “I am so proudof Bradleybecause it wasascary sit uation forhim to find himselfin but, withouta second thought, he usedhis owninitiative.

“I wasinbed as Iwasn’tfeeling very well andthenhad a fit. My partner, Chris, heardabig bang andcameupstairsand Bradleyfol lowedhim

“They sawIwas having a fitand my partnerfocusedonmeashe wastryingtocount how longI was having theseizure for.

“Wealso hadour othertwo chil dren –CJ, sixmonths, andLeo,

aged 19 months –and he hadto cope with them at thesametime.

“Soinsteadofhim having to take hiseyesoff me,Bradley,off hisown initiative,had raced off andgot to thephone andinstantly called 999.”

Recalling herown braverywhen shewas ayoungster sheadded: “I was five andmymum hada fitin thekitchen.“I’dbeentaughthow to dial 999 theday before andI called them andthe ambulance crew came

“I received an awardoff West Midlands AmbulanceService and endedupin theShropshireStar andwitha BluePeter badge too!”

Proud mum Amyand Bradley

Thepetition calling for theShayLaneclosuretobereassessedishandedover

Landmark hotelin town on market for firsttimein30years

MEGANHOWE newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

AlandmarkShrop shirehotel whichhas beenfamily-runfor thelastthree decades hasbeenplacedonthe market forjustshy of onemillion pounds.

TheRaven Hotel, in Much Wenlock, is on sale with Birmingham-basedsurveyor Fleurets for £950,000,after beingowned by thesamefamilyfor thelast30 years.

OriginallyfromCanada, the previous owners visitedthe South Shropshire town in the1980s and fell in love with it,deciding to make it asecondhome

Theownersworkedhardtoensure that thehotel wasacentre of thelocal community–bothasa meetingplace andaplacefor celebration

Decision

However,after theirrecent passing, thefamilyhas made the difficultdecision to offerthe busi ness andpropertytoanew owner.

JamesHartshorn, oneofthe family members, said:“TheRaven Hotelwas theowners’ pride andjoy forover threedecades, andwas farmorethanjustaninvestmenttothem.

“Theywantedtoprovide a placeofemployment,aplace of gatheringand aplace of community

“They were very deliberate aboutthe decisionstheymade, andveryaware of theimpact thosedecisionscould have on theirstaff,and thetown.

“First priority wasalwaysto ensure that thebusinesshad a positive impact,and in no way

Policegiveadvice aftervehicle theft

Toolsand cash were stolen from a vehicle, sparking police advice to preventopportunistthefts.

TelfordPolice’sBrookside Safer Neighbourhood Team saythey received areportofthe theftfrom an insecure vehicleinBembridge, Brookside, on Thursday

BrooksidePCSOKatyBalaam’s advice to owners is:“Never leaveanythingonshowinyour vehicle; never leavethe carwith thekeysonthe ignition;always lock yourcar andfullyclose windows andsun roof anddon’t store valuable itemsinthe boot.”

TheRavenHotel,inMuchWenlock,isonthe market

took away from alreadyestab lished non-competingbusinesses.”

Thehotel building itself is a landmark GradeIIlisted coach inghouse with 15 en-suite bedrooms.

It boastsabar,aRosette-ranked restaurant,withanenclosed courtyardand alarge carpark. In addition to thehotel building,the freehold includes afarmshop– a retail unit next door whichsells localproduceand fresh fish so as nottocompete with thelocal butcher.

Athird building included in thefreehold, referred to as the ‘Forge’, is aformerhouse,now of fice,withcommercialspace con sistingofsix rental units.

These‘incubator’ unitswere setuptoprovide localstart-up businesses an affordable andaccessible spacetorent.

Both TheForge andfarmshop areavailable to purchase sepa rately if required

To make enquiriesabout the property contactmidlands@ fleurets.com or call 0121 236 5252

Villagehallhosts Halloweenevent Ambulancepatient experiencesurvey

Patients acrossShropshirehave been encouraged to take part in asurveytohelpimprove theofferingsofWestMidlandsAmbulanceService

Theservice is lookingfor an yone whohas dialled999,called 111,orusedthe PatientTrans port Service, to take part in the patientsurvey.

Availableonline,the surveys allow WMAS to enhance, improve andmodifytheir services

To take part in anyofthe surveys visitwmas.nhs.uk/contact/ feedback-surveys/

Afrightfully goodfamilyfriendly Halloweeneventwillbetaking placelater this month

Apartywill be held at Church andChetwyndAston VillageHall with volunteers from LGBTQ SocietyNewport supporting the event.

It takesplace from 6.15pm on Saturday,October 29 andin cludes apumpkin carvingcompe tition,games andmusic

Therewillalso be afancy dress competitionwithprizesand,a ‘faceyourfears room’full of creep crawlies andcreatures

Millions will see mortgages rise

Morethan five million households arepredicted to seetheir annual mortgagepaymentsrise by an aver ageof£5,100between nowand the endof2024, accordingtoa thinktank

Some £1,200 of theaverage in crease predicted reflects higher expectations of interest rate rises sincethe ‘mini-budget’,the Resolu tion Foundation said Thenumberofmortgages on the market nosedivedfollowing themi ni-budget.

Lendershavegradually been bringing back newdeals buthave priced theirrates upwards.

Moneyfacts.co.uk this week counted 3,112mortgageproducts available, compared with 3,961on theday ofthe mini-budget.

Theaveragetwo and five-year fixedmortgagerates on themar ket areattheir highestlevelssince 2008,standingat6.47per cent and 6.29 percent.

Mancharged with murder

Aman hasappearedincrown courtaccused of themurder ofstudentRebecca Steerin Oswestry Miss Steer, 22,fromLlany mynech,diedafterbeing struck by avehicle in Willow Streetat about2.50amonSunday.

StephenMcHugh, aged 27, appeared viavideolinkfrom HMPHewell, near Redditch,at ahearing held at Birmingham CrownCourt yesterdaymorn ing. He is chargedwithmurder andofcausing grievousbodily harm with intent to Kyle Rob erts, failing to stop afteranac cident anddriving withoutthird partyinsurance

Birmingham Recorder Judge MelbourneInman KC said: “The case is to be triedatStaf ford CrownCourt on April11 next year,which is theearliest date it canbeheard.”

Fire spreadsto gorseonMynd

A fire that startedunder atractor spread to gorseand undergrowth on theLongMyndinSouth Shrop shire.

Firefighters spentthree hours bringing theblaze atLittleStretton undercontrolonFriday. Four fire crews–fromChurchStretton,Cra ven Arms, Minsterley andShrews bury –werescrambled afterthe blazebroke outjustafter 3pm.

Shropshire Fire andRescue Servicesaidthe incidentinvolved a fire underatractor whichhas then spread to thegorse andunder growth on theLongMynd.

About300 squaremetresofun dergrowthwas alightand crews createdabarrier to preventthe fire spreadingfurther

The fire wasbrought undercon troljustbefore6pm.A fire service spokesperson said acrewreturned to thescene thefollowing daytoen surethatthere wasnosignofthe blazere-igniting

Historians open awindowtothe past with lovingly createdcalendar

Projectbringsbackmemoriesofbygone timeswithcollection of old photographs

MembersofShifnal History Societyhavepulled outall thestops to produce acalendarfor 2023 that showcasesthe histo ry of thetown, thebuild ings andthe people.

Thenew calendar –which is avail able now–bringsbackmemoriesof bygone timesincluding oldbuildings whichnow have differentusesand some that don’texist now.

They includethe Old Post Office at theheadofVictoriaRoad(now Nan’sCafeBar)and JohnBromley’s Ironmongers,abuilding whichhas nowgone. Oneofthe highlights of thecalendarisapaintingbyformer mayorBob Harrop of TheWonder Coachcomingthrough thecentre of Shifnalin1835, consisting of coach andhorses

Thecoach wassaidtohavecovered the158 miles betweenLondonand Shrewsbury in athenrecordtimeof 12 hoursand 40 minutesdue to the carriage beingpulledbysix horses insteadoffour. Theend of theservice wasmarkedbythe railwaycomingto Shifnalin1849whenitformedpart of theLondontoHolyheadline.

Theheadquartersofthe 16-mem ber-strong historysociety at theOld Fire Stationisatreasuretrove of itemsall relatedtoShifnal, from a Bronze Ageaxe foundwitha metal detector,amangleusedinatown house andagrandfatherclock made in thearea. Thereisalso an England

PAUL JENKINS newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

shirtofformerWolvesgoalkeeper Bert Williams, wholived near Shifnal when he retired.

Chairofthe society Gerald Nick less,who celebrates his78thbirthday today, said it is alabour of love forthe memberstolookfor itemswhich will give a flavourofwhatthe town looked likeand itshistory

He said:“Each year when we pro duce thecalendarweaim toprovide asnapshotofwhatShifnalhas looked likedownthe ages, contrastingwith what it looksliketoday.It’samazing the amount of oldphotographs we get donatedaswellasthe exhibits which we keep, allofwhich areverified, logged andondisplay forthe public to come andviewthem.

“Wekeepasmall fund forusto source itemsthatmightcome up on eBay or elsewherethatwehavetobid on andthe proceeds from thecalen darhelpwiththis.

“Since we starteddoing the cal endarwehavesoldabout 250copies each year and–aswellas helping with thefunding forustokeepgo ingand getmoreitems –theymake alovelyChristmas present or item to hang on thewall.”

Thecalendar,spricedat£7, are availableduringopening timesat the Old Fire Stationwhich arebetween 2pmand 4pmonFridays or 10am to noon on Saturdays, or from Presence Card andGift Shop in thetown.

Archerytalktofeature at meeting

Author andbroadcasterAdvolly Richmond will be thespeaker at theannualmeetingofVictoria County HistoryShropshireon October29, with atalktitled“Ar chery: An EliteShropshirePas time”.

It will be alight-heartedlook at thesocialaspectofarchery on theestates of theprivileged fewin Shropshireand theMarches

Themeetingstartswiththe annual report at 2pmfollowedby thetalkand refreshments

It takesplace at Central Shrewsbury BaptistChurch, ClaremontStreet,Shrewsbury.

TheVictoriaCountyHistory or VCHisa national projecttowrite theauthoritativelocal historyof everyEnglish place.

Half-termfun at restored millvenue

Thehistory of therecently-restored 225-year-old Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings is settobeboughttolife with adaily programmeofevents offering free half-termfamilyfun

People of allages arebeing urged to find outmoreabout thestruc ture,the predecessortomodern skyscrapers, throughactivitiesset to take placefromOctober 22 to October30. Thesewill includean

opportunitytomeetFlaxand Bar ley, thetime-travelling,storytelling cats, afamilytrail,a competitionto buildthe tallestskyscraper, badge making anddaily arts andcraft ac tivities.

Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings in Spring Gardens, opened to thepub licfor the firsttimein35years in September followinga£28 million, eight-year restorationscheme.

ShifnalRailway Stationand thebridge nowand as it wasdecades ago

Gerald Nickless, chairofthe ShifnalHistory Society, with thenew calendar

Themodern streetscape minusthe old John BromleyIronmongers

Theformer Post Office at theheadofVictoria Road,now NansCafe Bar

TheWonder Coachcoming throughthe centreofShifnal in 1835

BradfordStreet nowand on Armistice Day, with thebuildings removed

Ambitious three-in-one drama

At thestart of Alan Ay ckbourn’snew play FamilyAlbum,two removal menlug furnitureinto an emptylivingroom likeextrasinanEaling comedy.

At theend,theyhaulitout again likeapairofheavy metalroadies whomoonlightasbouncers. The twoscenesencapsulate theveteran playwright’s well-honedpowersof socialobservation,brilliantcraftsmanship, andwit

What Ayckbourngives us in be tweenisa storyofthree women–mother,daughter, andgranddaughter– setin1952, 1992 and2022,

FAMILYALBUM NewVic,byJohnHargreaves

andall playedout in thesamemid dle-class living room, not sequen tially,sometimessimultaneously.

Astrip of continuous lightoutliningthe shapeofthe roomchanges colour to show thetimeperiodof each scene. It’s hardly necessary, as thelanguageand mores of each ep och, letalone theirphones,tellhalf thestory.Through theslow-buildof the firsthalfwetakeontrust that thesescenesare connected,knowingthatthe attitudesand events we seeinone scenewill either shape or result from thoseinothers. The second half movesmorebriskly.It

coalesces around dramatic events wheredisappointmentand pain trumpAyckbourn’scustomary hu mour

Theonlymajor male role is the 1952 husbandJohn, playedwith some swaggerbyAntonyEden.He showssuperficialaffection forhis wife Peggywhilecontrolling and verbally bullying herwithacasualness that is both convincingand deeply shocking.Georgia Burnell’s Peggyisbright-eyed andcheerful as shearranges thefurniture “wil ly-nilly” having conveniently lost his“one-to-twentyscale drawing” of whereitwillall go.But herresil iencemanifests itself in fashioning yetanothermealofspamfritters. When shesitsJohndowntosug

gest that theirverybrightdaugh terSandy couldgotouniversity, hisblatantly sexist refusalleaves hermuttering to herself“buthe’s wrong” as shegives herprecious sideboardanother polish.

Sandy’shusband never appears on stage– or at theten-year-old birthday partyoftheir daughter Alisonwhich is apivotal eventin 1992.By2022Alisondoesn’thave aman remotely in theframe.She andher wife Jess are finallyselling up andmovingon. It’s acredittoall theactorsthattheymakeadramatic wholeofAyckbourn’sambitious three-stories-in-one l FamilyAlbum is at theNew Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme until Saturday (22)

Prisoner found dead in hiscell, inquesthears

Aprisonofficer’searly morningroll call failed to reveal that aprisoner hadkilled himself in hiscell, an in questheard.

Ajuryheard that Neil Stuart Bott,aged54, died at StokeHeath Prison, near Market Drayton, be tween9pm on December 19 and 7amonDecember 20

Theinquest at Shirehall, Shrews bury,onWednesday,was told abrief checkthrough theobservation panel at 5.45am had“failed to notice” that he haddied. An ambulance wascalledlater

Theinquest,led by senior Shropshireand TelfordCoroner John Ellery,heard aPrisonerand ProbationaryOmbudsman (PPO)report wascarried outtoinvestigate,as they arewithall prisoner deaths

They foundthatBotthad been jailed fortwo yearsand eight monthsfor arsoninJanuary 2020 He wasreleasedonlicence one year laterbut recalled to HMPHewell, in Redditch.Bottstarted to refuse to take vitalmedicines andlimited hisintakeoffood andwater.Hehad beentoldhewas beingtransferred back to StokeHeath, andheobjected to that

Theinquest jury wastoldthat therehad been “no indication of hissuicide risk increasing afterhe hadbeentaken offan Assessment Care andCustody Teamworkplan” “There isone conclusion to record, that it wassuicide,” said Mr Ellery

MP HelenMorganhas urged the Governmenttobackher proposed lawwhich wouldimprove access to vitalservicesfor ruralcommunities in Shropshire.

TheNorth ShropshireMPaddressedParliamentcalling on the TransportSecretarytopassher Bus Services Bill,which shetabledon July 20

Thebill wouldmakesurepeople who live in townswithapopulation of 10,000 or more canaccess health care,key services andconnections everyday of theweek.

Just onebus routeoperatesin theentirecountyonSundays,while Market Draytonand Whitchurch are amongthe worst townsoftheir size in thecountry forbus services.

Bucket collection in town raises £700

Acharity collectionraisedmorethan £700 to supportaworthwhilecause last weekend.

Rotary Club of theWrekinmembers headed to Telfordtowncentre for Macmillan Cancer Support’sannual bucket collection

Thecollectionwasn’tabletogo aheadduringthe pandemic so Wrekin Rotarianswereout in forcenow nor malservice hasbeenabletoresume.

Thetotal collected was£735and Wrekin Rotary club memberswillbe venturing to thetowncentre againin

Speaking in theHouse of Commons, Ms Morganhighlightedthat investmentinpublictransport leads to growth andurged theGovernment to back thebill–bothfor thebenefit of theeconomy andofpeople’shealth.

TheLib DemMPsaid: “Busservices in themarkettowns in my constituencyofNorth Shropshire aresome of theworst in thecountry,withpeo plewho can’tdrive in thosetowns notonlyunabletoaccess theirhigh street,but also unabletoaccess hospitalappointments.

“Studieshaveshownthatfor every £1 we invest in businfrastructurewe generate around £8 in economic benefits.”

TheBus Services Bill is duefor its second readinglater this month

Customerscan winan afternoontea in town

Acafeand restaurant in Market Dray tonisofferingcustomers thechanceto winavoucher forafternoontea

TheButtercross in Cheshire Street is giving customers thechancetowin avoucher forafternoontea at itsres taurant.

To enter, you must leaveareview on theButtercrossFacebookpageor screenshot areviewthatyou have left on Google or Tripadvisorabout the restaurant

Afternoontea is offeredat theres taurantonMondaytoSaturdayevery week.One winner will be selected at theend of October.

Frances MarshallasSandy at theNew Vic. Pictures: Tony BartholomewGeorgia BurnellasPeggy,with Jude Deenoand David Lomond

Insurance firm backsthe Orbit

Abusinesshas backed apopular communityasset with adonationof £300

HenshallsInsurance Grouphas made thecontributiontoWelling tonOrbit –acommunity cinema andartscentre that aims to deliver arts andculturalfacilities to local people.

HenshallsdirectorMartinPitch ford said:“We have always support ed localorganisations andcauses, andwe’re very pleasedtohavebeen able to make adonationtohelpsuch awell-usedasset that’s helpingthe peopleofWellingtonand beyond to enjoyartsand cultureontheir very doorstep.It’sanincredibleaddition to thetown, andwe’re delightedto seeitattractingsuchagreat deal of attentioninthe community.”

TheHenshalls donation comesat thesametimeasThe Orbitisrun ning acommunity shareschemeto raise fundstoallow them to acquire thefreeholdofthe building

County libraries support teens

Librarieshavegot on board with areading programmefor teens to supportwellbeing and mental heath.

Shropshirelibraries have stockeduponalistofbooks speciallyselected to help teenagers handle difficult experiences, understand theirfeelingsand boosttheir confidence.

Thenew ReadingWellfor teens book list waslaunchedin supportofWorld MentalHealth Day.

Bridgnorth, Libraryatthe Lantern, Ludlow,Market Dray ton, Oswestry,Shrewsburyand Whitchurch librarieswill each hold afullset of thebooks, whichinclude booksontopics such as anxiety, coming out, so cialmedia andeatingdisorders.

Thetitlesare free to request from allother ShropshireLibraries.

E-bikes‘may’ help lessactive

E-bikesare unlikelytohelppeople hitrecommended exercise levels buttheycould encourageolder, overweightorsickerriderstohave ago, newresearch suggests Expertsfound that people riding motorisedelectricbikes tended to take fewerand less physicallydemandingtrips than conventional cyclists.However,theysaidthe bikes couldencourage people who mightotherwise notbothertocycle to give them atry,reaping health benefits alongthe way.

Electric bikesare like regular bikesbut have amotor that kicksin when people pedal. This makesthe bike easier to ride,meaning trav elling up hillsand completing long ridesiseasier. People cangenerally setthe levelatwhich they want the bike to help them andcan turn off themotorisedfunctionaltogether.

Around 3.4million e-bikeswere sold in theEuropeanUnion in 2019, compared with just98,000 in 2006

Royal repairs–KingtostaralongsideJay

TheKingistoguest starinaspe cialepisodeofThe Repair Shop alongsidepresenter JayBladesas part of theBBC’scentenary cele brations.

In theprogramme,His Majesty will meet theshow’shostJay and hisexpertteamofcraftspeopleto exploretheir shared passionfor preserving heritage craftskills.

Theteamwill also mend twopre ciousitems chosen by thenew monarch –apiece of potterymadefor QueenVictoria’sDiamondJubilee andan18thcentury clock.

Thespecial announcement was

IAN HARVEY ian.harvey@mnamedia.co.uk

made during TheOne Show last week,withthe episodeairingon October26at8pm on BBCOne

Popularpresenter Jay, hasa workshopinWolverhampton and livesand works in Ironbridge

In August 2021,the team of Jay, ceramics expert KirstenRamsay, horologistSteve Fletcher andfurni ture restorer Will Kirk were invited to Dumfries HouseinScotlandto meet theKing, then thePrinceof

Wales, andlearn aboutThe Prince’s Foundation’s workintrainingthe next generation of craftspeople.

TheKingmet students on the Building CraftProgramme setup by ThePrince’sFoundationwhich teachestraditional skillssuchas blacksmithingand wood carving.

Jay,who grew up in Hackney, said:“You’ve gotsomeone from a council estate andsomeone from a royalestatethatshare interestsin apprenticeshipsand heritage crafts It is unbelievabletosee that two people from differentendsofthe spectrum havethe same interests.”

Charitymarking sevenyears of helpingyoung people in county

Acharity is celebratingseven years of helpingShropshire’syoung peoplebreak down barriers, buildbusinesses and find confidence

InOctober 2015,Richard Nuttall satinanempty office in Telford with nothingbut adeskand achair to launch ShropshireYouth Support Trust, acharity helpingyoung, disadvantaged peoplebreak down barriers to employment

Over thecourse of thenextsev en years, thecharity hashelped launch over 200businesses, creatingalmost300 jobs foryoung people in thecounty.

SYST provides one-to-one support forpeoplefacingbarriersto employment such as mental health issues,disabilities or challenges in theirhome life.

It helpswithworkplace training, creating resumes, gettingworkexperience,building business plans, andmentalhealthand well-being support.

Most importantly, Richardexplained, thecharity helpsits users to find theirpassion andfollow theirdreams. Richardexplained: “There’s anotherpandemichappeningat themoment,young people arestrugglingwiththeir mental health.Theyoften feel likenoone’s listening, like no onecares

“I wasone of thosekids, Iwas on free school meals, grew up on a council estate,was told Iwouldn’t aspire to anything andwas strugglingwithmymentalhealth. Iwas fortunate enough to havesomeone to believeinme. That’s allthese young people need,likewhatthey’re passionate aboutisimportant and that someone believes in them.”

Authoritiespressing formore homesincountyhavesplit

BlackCountry coun cils that want to build thousandsofhomes on Shropshiregreen belt land have hadacom plete breakdownover theirown housingplans.

TheBlackCountry plan –acom binedproposalfor 76,000 homes from Dudley,Walsall,Sandwell and Wolverhampton–has been shelved.

Theproposalwas thrown into chaos last week when Dudley pulled outofthe talksoverconcernsabout theinclusion of itsown greenbelt areas.

Nowthe remainingthree au thoritieshaveconfirmed they will be drawinguptheir ownhousing plans. It comesasthe four councils, through theAssociation of Black CountryAuthorities(ABCA), have been calling forShropshiretotake on thousandsmorehomesaspartof itsown localplan.

DOMINIC ROBERTSON newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

Shropshire’slocal plan sets out sitesacrossShropshirewhere a combined 30,800 homeswould be builtupuntil 2038

Theplaniscurrently beingassessed by planning inspectors to decide whetheritisconsidered ‘sound’, andcan proceedwithout changes.

Within theplanShropshirehas offeredtoprovide 1,500homesfor theABCAcouncilstohelpthem meet theirown housingtargets butthe offerhas been challenged by ABCA,which wantsspace for more housinginShropshireaswell as spacefor business development Theissue is duetobediscussedat aspecial hearingofplanninginspectors in thenew year,toevalu atewhether Shropshirehas metits ‘dutytoco-operate’requirements

In alettertoplanninginspectors as part of thehearingsWal

sall Councilspecificallycalledfor plansfromthe Bradford Estates, for3,000 homesand business development on land to thewestofTong andnorth of Junction 3ofthe M54, to be allowedtogoahead.Shrop shireCouncilhad decidednot to in cludethe controversial proposalin itslocal plan

It is yettobeseenwhether a breakdowninthe ABCA councils’ ownability to co-operate will im pact thedemands on Shropshireat January’shearing

Problems

Representativesfromthe Brad ford Estateshavealso been part of planning hearings,questioningwhether Shropshirehas done enough to help theBlack Country Council’swiththeir housing prob lems.The Januaryhearing could be crucialindeciding whetherthe Bradford Estatesproposalcan go ahead.

In recent days,problemshave

emerged with theBlackCountry Local Plan –being createdbythe four ABCA councils– with Dudley shocking othermemberslastweek by announcingits planstopull out.

Theplanwas to setout where 76,000 newhomeswould be built acrossthe four boroughs by 2039

Dudley Council,which wished to remove twocontroversial sitesfrom theplan, hassaiditwill nowcreate itsown plan,withits leader Patrick Harley saying he couldnot allow publicfeedback to be ignored

He said:“At everystage of this plan we have made it clearthatit must be ledbythe peoplewho live here.Isimplycannotstand by and allowdecisionstobemadewhich arecontrary to theoverwhelming feedback we have alreadyreceived

“Thisis clearlyaveryemotive subjectand people feel very strong ly aboutit. We will thereforelookto go it aloneand look at what is need ed to supportaDudley-specificplan andsetting outthe timescales.”

JayBladesand King CharlesIII will appear in aspecial edition of theshowonOctober26at8pm on BBCOne

An incrediblevisualfeast

Oneofthe most anticipated andwondrous of sights in thenatural worldmustsurelybe theshowofcolourand splendour that ourtrees putonatthistimeofthe year.

Growingupin NewEngland,I wasspoiltduringthe ‘fall’,but it’s pretty goodinShropshiretoo

Butwhatexactly,scientifically, is goingonwiththose deciduous trees andtheir leaves?Although we don’thavethe vast forestsofred maplethatreallymakethe show so world-famous‘across thepond’,our oak, beechand birch woodscome a close second

As winter approaches,the hours andstrengthofsunlightdecrease andthe trees aren’t able to photosynthesise efficiently, making their leaves aliability both in termsof water loss andstructuralresistance in thestrongwinds that often accompanyautumn andwinter.

Thereforethere isn’tmuchpoint in hangingontothose miniature sails. Thetrees cuttheir losses, stop photosynthesis, andalayer of special cork cellscalledanabscission zone formsatthe base of the

ON THEWILDSIDE

With Ben Waddams

leaves.The abscission zone cuts off thefood andoxygensupplytothe leaf,causing it to die.

Eventually thecorklayer breaks andthe leaffalls to theground. Be fore this, though,a couple of things happen.The chlorophyll,the green pigmentinthe leaf that captures sunlight, breaks down to reveal the more stable yellow (xanthophyll) andred/orange(carotenoid)pig mentsthatare always presentin theleafbut usually masked by the chlorophyll

Thetreealso pumpswaste prod ucts, knownastannins, into the leaf,addingtothe browncolourgiv en by thecellwalls,beforethe leaf drops. So,autumn is akindof“de tox” forthe treeaswellasashutting down.Morethanthis, though, thefallenleavesare brokendown by detritivores, releasing nutrients back into thesoiland acting as fertiliserfor thetree.

So thereyou are, that’s thesci ence behind this clever strategy However onemay be forgiven for simply enjoying thescene forwhat it is;atruly beautiful, visual feast.

n View Ben’swildlifeartworkat Callaghan’sand Rowles Galleries.

CROSSTALK

ASHLEY METHODIST CHURCH WITH RONLUCAS

Mr IanWhite,secretary of the Chester & Stoke on Trent MethodistSynod, wasour preach er last Sundaymorning.The themeofthe servicewas thelife of Zacchaeus, thetax collector, whorepentedduringhis meet ingwithJesus

WithNeiland Jill Barnett providingthe musiconorgan and pianowesangthe “Let all theworld in everycornersing: My Godand King”. Ianled our prayers of praise andthanksgiv ingfollowedbyaprayerofcon fession.

In hissermon Ianspoke about Zacchaeuswho wasasmall man, yethewas asignificant figure in thelifeofJesusand familiarto allwho have been broughtupin thechurch. On hisjourney to JerichoJesuswas stoppedinhis tracksbythe call from Zacchaeus,and although Jesusdidn’t have time he made time.How do we deal with theunexpected, askedIan?Zacchaeus wasiso latedand unpopularbut he was lookingfor strength, protection, eternity anddivinityfromJesus.The crowdexpressed concern,makingfalse judgements, butconfronted by thegrace of Jesus, Zacchaeushelps us to re alise ourlivescan be changed.

Next Sunday ourservice will be ledbyour minister,Rev Mark Lawrence.All arewelcome

8August 2023 on boardAmbition Liverpool -St. Mary’s(Isles of Scilly) -St. PeterPort (Guernsey) -Rouen (France, overnight)-Cruise River Seine -Portsmouth (UK) -Invergordon (Scotland) -Scrabster for John O’Groats(UK) -Portree (IsleofSkye) -Tobermory (IsleofMull) -Belfast (Northern Ireland) -Liverpool Land by launch or tender

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Rouen,France

NorthCape, Norway

As winter approaches, treesaren’tabletophotosynthesiseefficientlyand theirleaveschangecolour

NORBURY

ORIO £300,000

IvyCottage is alarger-style semi-detachedhouse situated in a pleasant villagelocation.

It offers highly desirableaccom modation,including athrough en trance hall,ground floorW.C., spa ciouslounge, fitted kitchen, dining roomand utility

On the first floor, thereisa main bedroomwithen-suite, twofurther good-sized bedrooms andafamily bathroom

Outside, thereisagood-sized parkingareatothe side andasmall easily managedgarden to therear.

Norbury is locatedbetween the twomarket townsofEccleshalland Newport.

Formoreinformation,ortoarrangeaviewing of this lovely prop erty,contact Barbers’ Newportoffice on 01952820239

Larger-style village house Home is ideal forafamily

NEWPORT

OIRO £235,000

This greatpropertyinBoughey Road isideal foragrowing family.

It offers substantial accommodation,including an entrancehall, ground floorW.C., largelounge/din ingroomand kitchen.

Thereisalsoaspaciousground floorbedroom,which couldbeused as an office or dining room

Thepropertyalsooffersthree good-sized first floorbedrooms, bathroom andbox room

Outside, thehouse hasgreat parkingtothe frontplusalarge carportand garage

Thereisalsoanenclosedgarden to therear.

Thepropertyisjusthalfamile from Newport’sbusyHighStreet.

To arrangea viewingofthisproperty,contact Barbers’ Newportoffice on 01952820239

Bungalow forover-55s

This bungalow is setbackonthe highly popularover-55sdevelop ment of Pine Court, whichhas just eightsimilar bungalows, with very nicely maintained communal gardensand allocatedparking

An entranceporch openstothe largelounge/diningroomwitha baywindowoverlookingthe pret ty gardens. Offthe innerhallway is theairingcupboard, housing thehot water cylinder,and adoor to thekitchen whichhas agood

LOGGERHEADS

OIRO £135,000

rangeof fitted units, with space foryourcooker, fridge freezerand washingmachine.There’s adouble andasinglebedroom –bothwith built-inwardrobes –and amodern shower room with corner shower

Theallocated parkingspace is to thefront of thedevelopment. To view this property,callBar bers on 01630 653641

Modernised farmhouseoffers plenty of characterand space

HATTON OIRO £1,200,000

If you’relooking foramodernised farmhouse,thatstill oozesorigi nalcharm,withgloriousgardens, barnsand land,thenthisisthe one foryou

Thepropertyisatthe endofa quietlanethatleads on to abridle way. Anew timber porch sitsover theentrancedoor, whichopens to thecentralhallway,off whichisthe ground floorshowerroomand home office/bedroom four.

Theloungeisparticularlyspacious, with French doorsout to thegarden andaspiralstaircase leadinguptothe sunroomand the dining roomisalight andairyroom with dual aspect windowsand an open fireplace.

Butithas to be said that the absolute heartofthishome is the kitchen, whichis fitted to areally high standard,withanimpressive centralislandwithgranite top.

On the first floorisalarge land ingwithamazing views, principal bedroomsuite,sun room,and two doublebedroomswithen-suites

Thegarden area wrapsaround thehouse,withlawns, mature beds, specimen trees andalarge timber decked area.Call01630 653641

Three-bedroompropertyongenerous corner plot

LOGGERHEADS

OIRO £425,000

This spacious three-bedroomdetached bungalow in Avon Grove is setonagenerouscornerplot–with theaddedbonus of beingoffered to themarket with no upward chain.

Accommodationincludesa utility,kitchen,lounge/dining roomas well as abathroom, shower room andthree bedrooms

Thereisalsoconservatoryoverlookingthe pretty terraced rear garden with an ornamental pond, rockerygarden andgreenhouseand side garden beingusedasa vegeta blegarden.Call01630 653641

Badgers

Amazing mapofShropshirefeels like slipping into Tolkien’sworld of fantasy

MARK MORRIS mark.morris@mnamedia.co.uk

It maylookmorelike Middle Earthfroma Tolkiennovelbut this TheLordofthe Ringsstyle mapisinfactour very ownShropshire.

It is theworkofChris Birseand thedetailedmap took him80hours to finish usingPhotoshop

The35-year-old’s obsessionwith creatingthe eye-catchingmapsbe ganwhenhewas writingafantasy noveland needed a fictionalmap drawn.

Butratherthan“paying some one to do it”hegaveitagohimself andhewas so pleasedwiththe end result he decidedtodrawamap in thesamestyle forhis home region in Teesside

Sincethenthingshave“spi ralled”and he hasembarkedon an impressive missiontoproduce Tolkien-esquemapsofeveryregion in thecountry,including theWest Midlands –featuring asmall but impressive BlackCountry section andShropshire.

He’s sincebeenabletoquithis job in retail andtakeupfantasy map drawingasafull-time career.His latest work– TheWestMidlands map–required alarge amount of feedback from localpeople.

TheShropshiremap went through thesamelengthy process

AccordingtoChris, thefeedback is an importantpart of designing these maps becauseitmeans he’s able to includeasmuchfolkloreas possible andcover areaswithinter esting storiesthatmightbeunder represented on othermaps, thus do inglocal communitiesjustice while designingamap of aplace he’s not 100per cent familiar with

“Itcertainly is alot of work,”said Chris. “A good half of it is just going through people’s feedback.Ipost in alot of places,onFacebookand Reddit,sobythe time Igothrough 1,000-pluscommentsthatyou get offpeopleacrossall theseplatforms, it really does take alongtime.

“Ifthere’s people whoreadthis whohavegivenmesome feedback,I justwanttoextendmythankstobe honest,because Ireallycouldn’tdo this, certainlytothe levelofdetail withoutthe feedback.”

TheWestMidlandsand TheLord of theRings go hand-in-hand,of course.WriterJRR Tolkienlivedin

Birmingham

ButShropshirehas fine folklore tooand that made it aprime loca tion forone of Chris’ fantasymaps.

“Myfavourite bit from that region wasthe mythologyand thefantasy creatures that people highlighted–theWrekinGiant beinga favourite actually,” he explained. “I drew him sort of peekingaroundfrombehind theWrekinand Ithink that’s are ally nice touchin that one.”

Chrissells hisworkonEtsyand describesthemasthe “ideal Christ maspresent.”

Chris’ incredible mapstakeplentyofresearch andcomeinthree sizes andare full of detail as hismap of Shropshire,above,demonstrates

Waterworkis abig success

During 2021 no metaldehyde exceedances were reported at Severn Trentwater treatment plants, recognisingthe success of thewater company’s‘Farm to Tap’ scheme in improvingwater quality, bosses have said

To date,the scheme has workedcollaboratively with 649 farmersin thecatchment,since itsinception in 2016,atwhich pointthere were 18 exceedances reported

LauraFlower,SevernTrent senior catchmentmanagement scientist, said although themetaldehyde bancamein earlierthisyear, these results show that water companiesand farmerscan collaboratetodrive industry change formutualben efit.

Shesaid: “FarmtoTap was launched to raise awarenessof theriskofpesticide pollution to watercourses, butthe bene fits were two-fold.The scheme offereda financialincentive, whichsupported farmersto switch from metaldehydeslug pelletstothe ferric phosphate alternative. This helped them to preparefor theban,and wa tercourses were at amuchlower risk of contamination as aresult

“Farmers in successful sub-catchments were rewarded with up to £5/haofeligibleland, £8/hapre-2018.”

Tastetests lead to lamb demand

Consumer tastepanelsconducted by Meat Promotion Wales, includ ing in Ludlow, have resulted in at tendeesincreasingthe amount of lamb they cook andeat andan in creasedawareness of thePGI Welsh Lamb brand.

TheWelsh Lamb Meat Quality Projecthas been holdingconsumer tastepanelsover thelastthree yearsacrossthe UK. Consumer feedback hasbeencollected on factors whichimpactmeatquality and tasteinorder to ensure that Welsh Lamb retainsits reputation for world-leadingquality

Data from tastepanelsheldin Ludlow,Chester andReading, showsthat60per cent of participantsare purchasingmorelamb aftertakingpartinthe tastepanel

Furthermore, 81 percentofpar ticipantshad an increasedunder standing of WelshLamb’snutrition al benefits and60per cent noted they were nowlooking outfor the WelshLamblogos aftertakingpart in theconsumertaste panel.

Fifty percentofparticipantshad boughtWelsh Lamb followingthe tastepanel

During thepanel,participants aregiven seven servings of lamb andare askedtoscore it on thefour keyfactors whichmakeupmeat quality: aroma, flavour,tenderness andjuiciness,aswellasoveralllik ing. Participants arealso given a presentationhighlighting thenutritionalprofile of WelshLamband thesustainable wayinwhich it is produced

Native breeds areabletotick allthe rightboxes,sayschief

DAVIDBANNER newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

Thevalue of native beef genetics is rapidly growing, with breedssuchas Aberdeen-Angusshowingthattheycan tick the boxesatall tierswithin thebeefsupplychain, cattle industry leaders have said.

Better suited to grass-based, low er inputsystems than continental breeds, native genetics offerthe po tentialtoboost producer margins andsupport environmentalgoals, whiledeliveringaconsistently high-quality endproduct,support erssay

Robert Gilchrist, CEO at theAberdeen-Angus Cattle Society, said as aresult, theindustryisseeing significant growth in theiruse

He said:“As subsidies drop off andinput costscontinuetorise, beef farmershavehad to start lookingatwaystoenhance their resilience,which hasresultedina significant increaseinnativebreed BCMSregistrationsoverthe last 10

years. Aberdeen-Angus calf registrations have increasedsignificant ly andthey’re nowtop of thelist with 471,528registrationsin2021.

“Fourper cent growth hasbeen seen in thelastyear, accounting for 24.41per cent of beef calves

“Morefarmers arerecognising that thelowerinput systems, where

MARKET REPORT

MONDAY OCTOBER 10,172 BARRENCOWS, CULL BULLS &OVERAGE CLEANCATTLE(Red Market)Backtothe rostrum andnot quite the baptism of fire Iwas expecting with seasonal numbersforward putting downward pressureon thetrade!! Butpleased to report tradehas slightly firmed on theweek andmorestrongercowsin themix certainlyenhanced theaverages. Great to seereturning facestoadd strength anddepth to ourbuying contingentthusenhancing the trade on thenight.Top callsrangout to 210p or £1,421.20 foroverage clean,207por£1,548.30 for sucklers, 190p or £1,774.72for bullsand 189p or £1,449.74for dairy. Theoverall market average returning at 147p.130 Dairies- Good number forward andeasilyabsorbed on thetrade with demand forall weights andgradesofcattle. Youngwell fleshed cows selling to apremium topping at 189p (£1,035.72)for black andwhite from TheRavenscroft-JonesFamily, RedHall and further entriesto187p(£1,080.86),185px2 (£1,065.60) and(£1,069.30),183px2(£1,065.06 and£993.56).

Hungersheath FarmsLtd,Ashley cows to 176p (£1,390.40)and 176p x2(£1,372.80 and£1,284.80), BrownSwiss to 176p (£1,284.80) from TheMcCall Family,Pontesfordand black andwhite also to 176p (£1,246.08), JS.&HJ. Gleave, Heywood Lane cowto175p(£1,368.50) andMartinPartners, Longford Fleckvieh to 173p (£1,449.74)tomention afew.The section average returned at 140p (£872.76).24Sucklers-Humble number forward finding an extremely brisk trade racing awayto207p(£1,337.22) fora Limousin from TheMachin Family, Stanleyand further Blue Crossto200p(£1,476.00).W.H. Edwards& Son, Maesbrooksaw their Limousins to 200p twice (£1,448.00 and£1,144.00)and 180p (£1,087.20) etc. Albrighton Estates, BroadoakLimousin cowto195p(£1,548.30) andone of their native cows to 177p (£1,242.54)for aHereford. The section averagereturned at 170p (£1,142.05). 6 Bulls- Youngrestrictedbulls to 190p (£1,147.60) for Blue CrossfromD.&MG. Hughes,Selattyn aSimmentalto182p(£979.16) andAngusto 180p (£1,105.20). Stockbulls a flyerto188p (£1,774.72)for aLimousinfromMrD.O.Parry, Bangor-On-Dee.Simmentalto148p(£1,074.48) from C.R. Wildbore&Sons, Carreghofa andAngus also to 148p (£1,204.72)fromThe Nield Family, Barthomley.The section averagereturned at 172p or (£1,214.33). 12 Clean-Overage cleanheifers reached 210p (£1,209.60)fromWH. Edwards& Son,Maesbrook who also topped thesteers with

WEDNESDAYOCTOBER 12,210 CLEANCATTLE

&YOUNG BULLS Returning backto“Blighty” and theweather mayhave hadaturnfor theworst but thefat cattle tradeseemstohavefound anew gear especiallyfor well fleshed cattle.The only stumbling blockwould be thelight weight,plain grasscattlewhichwould have been harder to place butDrayton beingagreen market further finishersare abletooperate and under pin these lighter cattle to feed.Cattleajoy to sell racing awayto325por£1,895.04for heifers,312por £2,134.08for steers and293por£2,097.88 for bulls. 79 Bulls- Demandtotally outstripping supply resulting in an electric tradetopping at 293p (£2,097.88)for aLimousinfromSpud Stubbs, Coppenhalland further familymemberssaw 264p twice£2,090.88and £1,969.44.Paul&Christine Tippets,Shifnal Limousin to 278p (£1,979.36) andMrBob Holmes, HighOffley Limousinto265p (£1,568.80).Onthe dayplenty of bullsselling from 240p to 250p for Continentals.Nativetypes to 235p (£1,433.50) fora HerefordfromR.Foxley &Sons, Offley Brook.Dairy breeds thetalkofthe dayseeing Jerseybulls to 236p (£1,312.16)from BobHolmes and Draytonspecials“wow”tosay theleast especiallyfor plain P1 selling to 175p to 185p.Black andwhitessold to 226p (£1,414.76) from TheBarlowFamily, Hamstall Ridware.The section averagereturned at 220p (£1,315.67)and considering largerunsofplain black andwhitesa real result!! 42 Steers -Meatwas certainlyorder of theday with trade peaking at 312p (£2,134.08) from Mr Stuart Johnson of Madders& Johnson. Paul &Christine Tippets,Shifnal Charolais soldto298p(£1,716.48).A Limousinto289p (£1,838.04)fromMrDarrenYoung,Young Farms, Mr Bob Yeomans, NewStreet Lane Simmental to 252p (£1,527.12)etc.Natives sawAngusto 227p (£1,407.40)fromThe Hall Family,Abbots Bromley. Thesection average returned at 230p (£1,482.02). 89 Heifers-Super star quality to theforewithMrChris Longton&Family, Hatton Hall dominating thepodiumwiththeir Blue heifers selling to 325p (£1,605.50)and further heifers to 298p (£1,275.44),295p(£1,534.00),292p (£1,337.36)etc.Mr Darren YoungofYoung Farms Limousinto288p(£1,895.04) andaLimousinfrom Mr StuartJohnson of Madders& Johnson to 286p (£1,675.96). TheHeath Family,Pipe Gate sawtheir brace of Limousinheifersto268p(£1,130.96)

cattle canbepredominantly fin ishedoff forage andgrass-baseddiets, isamuchmoresustainable and financiallyviableway of producing beef,asthe agricultural sector faces so much uncertainty.

“The nature of thereduced inputs required foranextensive beef systemmeans they tend to have alower

cost of production andbemoreenvironmentallysustainable.”

Mr Gilchristsaidthe benefits ex tend much furtherthanjustfarmers within thesupplychain

He said:“From aconsumerper spective,the intramuscular fatthat native breeds offerprovidesthe marblingwhich consumersdesire, makingiteasiertocook.

“Thisgives amoreconsistenteat ingexperience, whichisfundamentalingetting people to purchase beef on aregular basis.”

He said spiralling feed costshave recently highlightedmajor vulnerability within themeatsupplychain, with pork andchicken heavilyaffected duetotheir reliance on concentrate feed

Mr Gilchristsaidhebelievesthat building abeefsupplychain in the countrythatfocuses on producing meat from grassismoreresilient andsustainable

He said:“Beef is renowned forbeinga premiumproductand therefore typically amoreexpensive option than whitemeat.

“However,ifwecan developa more sustainable beef supply chain at alllevels, then we will be better placed to competewithother proteinsinthe future.”

and264p(£1,246.08).Natives sold to 268p (£1,511.52)for aShorthornfromRF.&JM. Hubbart, Hilderstone. Just to high light thetrade black andwhite heifers to 200p twice(£1,404.00and £1 284.00)fromThe JonesFamily,Hollowmoor Heath.The section averagereturned at 240p (£1,330.61).120 DAIRYCATTLEAnother fantastic entryofeighty-eightmilking cowsand heifers, tenincalfheifers, twobulls andtwentycalves. Many hadexpecteda difficult days trading,but howwrong couldtheyhave been!Top pricecame from PW.&DP.Round, Elmorewho onceagain consigned afabulousentryofseventeen cows andheiferstheirsecondcalvedcow Roundelm AltafirebirdLucystole theshowat£2,800she was closely followedbyRoundelm AltablastHelen and Roundelm TopshotRuby, both selling at £2,720 Otherscowsfromthe same stable sold at £2,600, £2,420,£2,180and £2,000.The heifersection was blessedwithalovely show of greatudderedheifers. Topprice came from R.G. Woolley &Son,Acton with their heifer Diglane Goodwhone Angelselling at £2,620.PW. &DP. Round, Elmore£2,400, D.&E.Monk, Ormskirk£2,350,WyndfordWagyu £2,200and £2,180 F.E. Chilman &Son Worcester £2,200, £2,120,£2,100and £2,080.Crossbred were highly sort after with £1,820 being paid for a AryshireCross heiferfromSkinner Bros,Melton Mowbraywithothersselling at £1,620 twice. Grazing types, crossbredincalfheifers to £960 from T.W. Eardley&Sons, Bellaport.Simmental stockbulls to £2,720.Averages: 32 Cows£1,535 (inc faults)Top £2,348,56Heifers £1,763 (inc faults)Top £2,222.271 STORE CATTLE More punchabout thetrade today even with aface or two missing!!Morestoresforward andeasilyabsorbed by ourregularbuyers. No breedingstock on offer whichwas disappointing considering thetrade we have been having.Abumper entryofMarket Draytonbread andbutter todaywithforty five Friesiansteers forward. Tradefastfor anything sort of 440kgplus. Thefarming sorts£300to £400/kgrespectablebut theyoungersorts 200kg to 300kga little harder to place.Bestat£800to £900 toppingat£915and thesection averaging 140p/kg. Yarding cattle again adream at £1,100 to £1,300 toppingat£1,360for Limousinheifer from G. &GS. Whitehall, FernyHayes. Plenty of good cattle £1,000 plusor200pto220p/kg in themain. Plenty of native heifers andiftheyhad stylethey were easy to sell.Bestat£900to£1,000 topping at £1,080 with plainer sortsat£700to£800. Farming cattle good to sell again especiallyifsuckler bred

as we seethe firstofsuckled calves forward of the season. Bestat£800to£900for steers and£700 to £800for heifers.1,408 PRIME LAMBS More lambs on offer with averytwo tier trade. Meated lambswereapleasureto sell with smallleantypes ashadeeasier. Atotal clearancereported andan overall market average returned at 232p,which wouldbe arespectable averageconsidering the amount of lean lambslacking finish. Lights sold to 227p for some31.3kgs to gross£71.05for JC &WA. Davies, Gartheryr.Standardshit 314p for Beltex lambsweighing 38kgstorealise£119.32 for Messrs H.F. Jones, Nantmawr whohad afurther penof39kgs (295p) £115.05. Othersasfollows :- £115.05(39kgs) M. &L.Gibson, £113.10(39kgs) Mr D. Gater, £109.20 (39kgs)Mr A.J.Huxley, £107.62(38.3kgs) Mr S.A. Whiteand £107.42 (38.5kgs)Mr R.E.Challinor.Mediums racedaway to 303p for41.3kgs to generate£125.14 for Messrs H.F. Jones, Nantmawr.Top priceinthe lump was £129.94(44.5kgs) Done &Son,withother highlight prices as follows:-£128.76 (43.5kgs) Done & Son,£124.60 (44.5kgs) JE.&JM.Salmon, £124.48 (44.3kgs)Mr J. Hulme, £123.64(44kgs) Messrs H.F. Jonesand £122.32(44kgs) RW.&JE.James. Heaviesremain afasttrade toppingout at 280p for 48.6kgstoaccumulate £136.08W.O. Roberts & Partners, Napley whohad afurther pen of 53.7kgs selling to £134.25.Heavies generallytraded between 230p and245por£110to£122. Lambs Graded :- Lights to 227p (£71.05) average 205p (£60.28).Standardsto314p(£119.32) average 226p (£84.39).Mediumsto303p(£129.94) average 246p (£103.82). Heaviesto280p (£136.08)average 240p (£114.99). 865REARING

CALVES Another incredible number of calves!A very mixedshowoverall with qualitycoming in fits andstarts. The‘super’and strongestmedium calves continue to sell very well andwecould sell many more of them.Weare seeingalot of smaller mediums andplainertypesatthe minute, with prices reachinga ceiling levelasdemand is limited. Onto trade, amixed show of Friesians wherestrongestrearers sawgood demand at £70 to £130.Top call at £148 forGrasslandFarming Ltd, Winsford.Mediumsand smalls £20to£60

Thenativebulls were adecenttrade with the mediums andbestprobablythe fastest tradeofthe day. Herefords selling to £260 for Mr H.G.Wright, Blakenhall andAngusto£230for P.&F.Jenkinson, Ridley. Bestcalves at £150 to £200,mediumsat £80 to £130 and smalls at £40to£60

Robert Gilchrist, CEOatthe Aberdeen-AngusCattleSociety

aLimousin at 190p (£1,421.20). D.&MG.Hughes& Sons, SelattynAngussteerto189p(£1,137.78) to mention afew

Producersare urgedtomake most of ‘mixed bag’ofsilage

Dairyand beef farmersare being urged to draw up planstomake themostofthisyear’s‘mixedbag’ silage

Lientjie ColahanofLallemand Animal Nutritionisurgingfarmers to gettheir silagetested andplan winter dietsaccordinglyfollowing oneofthe hottestand driest summers on record

Thepleacomesasthe MetOffice confirmed 2022 is the driest year since1976and theUK’swarmest year on record

“It’sreallyamixed bagthisyear in termsofforagequality andavail ability so it’s importantfor farmers to gettheir silage analysed so they candrawupplans to maximise thevalue of theforageavailable to them,” said MrsColahan

“Some farmershavegot verydry silage,which couldinfluencein takes; some will be shortofsilage forthe winter having produced low er volumes; andothershavebeen forced to startfeeding their winter feedstocksearly duetoalackof grassgrowth.”

In many cases, farmerswill be faced with high drymatter(DM) silage,which MrsColahan likensto eating adry breakfastcerealwithout anymilk.

“Stepswill need to be takento improve forage palatability to ensure adequate feed intake,”she said.“Sortingcan also be an issue in high DM totalmixed rations, increasing theriskofdigestive up sets andacidosiswhich canseverely hamper rumenfunctionand feed efficiency;addingwater to thera tion canbeasimple, yeteffective optionfor dealingwiththis.”

Sheepand beef eventreturns at newvenue

Planshavebeenunveiledfor the Wynnstay Sheepand Beef Eventon November2returning aftera five year hiatus at thenew location of ColegCambria,Llysfasi, Ruthin.

To mark thereturnofthe event, Wynnstay is runninganearly Fast Trackregistration processand the first500 farmerswho sign up to at tend will be given afreeWynnstay bodywarmer to be collected at the event.

Firstestablished in 2015,this year’s dedicatedevent forsheep and beef farmerswillfocus on champi oningthe redmeatindustry, show

DAVIDBANNER newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

casing theopportunitiesfor farm ersinbothsectors

Throughoutthe day, visitors will have theopportunitytolistento keyindustryspeakers, whowill be coveringaselection of pertinent topicsfor farmers.

Therewill be an update on the currentlamband beef market from HCCand Alltechvicepresident MatthewSmith will speakonsus tainability andbeefproduction.

Demonstrations will be running throughoutthe dayofthe event, to includeliver dissectionsand FECPAK testing.

In addition to that,the Wynnstay team will also be on hand to talk around how farmerscan maximise thevalue of forage within theirrations.

Theeventisfreetoattendand lunchisprovided, with allattendeesgiven acomplementary merchandise bag.

To sign up andkeepuptodate with thelatestnewsonthe event, visit: https://www.wynnstay.co.uk/

Report givesaninsight on thedairy sector’s challenges

Dairyfarmprofits dou bledinthe milk year to 2021/22 andare setto continue improvingthis year –althoughsoar inginput costsremain aconcern to allproducers, expertssay.

Farm accountant Old Mill un veiled itsannualmilkcostofpro ductionreportatthe DairyShow It showsaveragecomparable farm profits amongits clientsin creasedto£371/cow in theyearto March 31,drivenbyacombination of slightly firmer milk pricesand lowerproductioncosts

“The year ending March31seems alongtimeago,” said DanHeal, ru ralaccountantatOld Mill

“There have been alot of changes sincethen, butfromthese timesof market volatility taking areflective look at business performancehas neverbeenmorecritical.”

DAVIDBANNER newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

Milk income in 2021/22 increased by £80/cow, year-on-year,withmod estprice increases offset by lower yields,driven by adesiretoreduce production costs. “Good forage growingconditionsmeant aplentifulsupplyofhigh qualityforage, leadingtolower concentrate feed rates,”saidMrHeal. “The grazing season lasted well into theautumn, shortening thewinter housingperiod.As aresult, variable costsrelatedtolabour, bedding, powerand machinery allfell.”

Even so,there remained amarked difference betweenthe topand bottom10per cent of producers, with thegap widening by £137 to £1,234/ cow. Of this, £541 relatedtoincome; although top10per cent yields were 1,334litres/cowlower,income was higher.Thisshowsthatmeeting buyerrequirements reaps rewards, as does reducing concentrate usage

when marginallitresare uneconomic, explainedMrHeal.

Production costswere£693/cow lower amongthe top10per cent, mainly attributed to feed,labour, powerand machinery. Mr Heal said: “There is ahighfocus on efficiency forthe top10per cent of herds. In contrast,moreworkisbeing done in aless efficientmanneramong thebottom10per cent,which is not generatingareturn.”However, much of this couldbeattributed to less efficientset-ups, likelyrequir inginvestmenttochange.

Although thetop 10 percentof herdswerelarger, at 287cowsver sus 188cows, therewereavariety of systemsand calvingpatternsin both groups, showingthatefficien cy relies on thefarmernot thesys tem, he added.

Lastyear, milkpricesaveraged 33.8p/litre,mostfertiliserwas boughtatsub £300/t andelectricitycontractswerein the20p/unit range.

Alot haschanged sincethen, so what does that mean formargins in thecomingyear, askedMrHeal. On thefaceofit, milk prices at 50p/li tre indicate amarkedimprovement in margins, butatthe same time fertiliserisnearing £800/t andelectricityisaround65p/unit

“Inflationhas hitthe dairysec torhardoverthe last sixmonths, especially as milk supply is finely balanced,” said Mr Heal.These risingcosts andstrongcull cowprices have ledtomorecowsexitingthe herd;the averageherdsizefellfrom 269in 2020/21to250 last year and aforecast235 in 2022/23. Average feed costsare predicted to increase by £46/cowas prices rise andcon centratesare fedtoreplace forage shortfalls

Mr Heal added: “Costincreas es aresteadily coming throughas fixedcontractsfor energy,feed and fertilisercome to an end, butthe full effect will notbeseenuntil the 2023/24year.”

Advice is given on work checks

Agriculturalemployerswill now need to adoptnew digitalright to workchecksfor Britishand Irish nationalsorreverttocumbersome manual in-personchecks, advisers have said

Global mobility andimmigration advisers Vialto Partners said it is no longer possiblefor thesectortorely on thevirtual checks introduced by theHomeOffice under its‘Covid-19 adjusted righttoworkchecks’ concession.

Digitalright to workcheckswill, said Cleo Als, asenior manager at Vialto Partners,speedupthose checks,makingthemlesscumbersome foremployersand less disrup tive foremployees,particularlyfor businesses with largeand multi-sited workforces.

Righttoworkchecksare arequirementfor allUKemployers whomustensureindividualsthey wish to employ have alegal rightto work.

Utility vehicle is totallyelectric

The100 percentelectricCorvus TerrainEX4 hasarrived

Thecompany says theelectric 4x4utility vehicle“is trulybuilt from thegroundupfor serious work”

Aspokespersonsaid: “The TerrainEX4 livesuptoexpec tations. This is an electric 4x4 capable of successfullytackling thetoughestworking days thanks to itsoff-roadcapabil ities. Theengineisa 13kWAC induction48V motorcapable of hauling apayload capacity of 620kgand theEX4 hasatowing capacity of 755kginlow and479 kg in high

“The cargobox is steelwith a300kg load capacity andthere is more space foryou andyour gearwithafront storageboot andconvenient underseat storagetokeepthe essentials handy.”

Invitationtotake up role on group

BritishWoolisinvitingsheep farm erstoplaya role in itsfutureby standing in itsregionalcommittee elections.

Theorganisationcollects, grades andmarkets wool collectively on behalf of its35,000 sheepfarmer members. Itsgovernance structure includes 81 farmer-elected county representatives across nine regions with allregions up forelectionthis year.“Ourcountyrepresentatives actasambassadors, representing BritishWoolona locallevel and acting as avoice formembers,”said JimRobertson, chairman,BritishWool. “It’stherefore important that they understand theunique challenges of theirown area and care about thefutureofwool, our organisation andthe widersheep industry.”

Theroleisathree-yearappoint ment whichwould startfromJan uary 1. Visitbritishwool.org.uk/re gional-committeesfor more details.

TheWynnstaySheep andBeefEvent takesplace on November 2

Firmsurged to join supply chain

Businesses of allsizes arebeing encouraged to register theirinter estinbecominganHS2 supplier andaccessthe multi-million pound pipeline of contract opportunities with itsconstructionpartners.

Construction of the firstphase of Britain’snew high speedrailway, betweenBirmingham andLondon, is expected to generate around 400,000 contracts, with an estimated £25billion worth of opportunities expected to flow outintothe widersupplychain overthe coming years.

RuthTodd, chiefcommercialofficeratHS2,said: “HS2 provided a lifeline to thousandsofUK-based smalland medium-sized enterprises during the pandemic,and in thesechallenging times,it’svital that Britishbusinessesofall sizes gearuptocapitalise on thecertain ty that HS2contractsprovide.”

Formoreinformation,visit hs2. org.uk/supply-chain

Networkwhile watching tennis

TopShropshirebusinesseswill be treated to an eveningofnet working next month–while watchingsomeofthe world’s best tennis playersin action They will getthe chance to networkwithadifferencedur ingthe ITF WorldTennisTour W100,thankstoAaron &Partners andWRPartners. Taking placeatThe Shrewsbury Club from October30toNovember 6, thetournament, whichisthe biggestindoorwomen’s tennis eventinthe UK this year

ButonNovember3it’sthe turn of thelocal businesses as law firm Aaron&Partners andaccountants WR Partners host the‘AdvantageShropshire Night’ –invitinglocal business es to celebrateall that is great aboutbusinessinShropshire whilewatchingsome world classactiononcourt

CQSgoesona fact-findingvisit

Aquantitysurveying companycel ebrated15years in business with afact-findingvisit to thenew £17.5 million National BrownfieldInsti tute

CQSSolutions,based in Telford, provides professional quantity surveying,costmanagementand project managementservices, workingwithbuildingcontractorsand sub-contractorsacrossthe Midlands.

TimLloyd,alumniofthe Univer sity of Wolverhampton, originally setupthe business from hishome andfor thepast10years hasbeen basedatUniversity of Wolverhamp ton’sTelford InnovationCampus. To mark the15-year milestone of thecompany,the teamtouredthe newfacilities at theUniversity of Wolverhampton’sSpringfieldCam pusincluding avisit to theIgloo –a4Dimmersive suitewhich will be used to assess land forregener ation.

Increase in inbounddealmaking

BetweenApril andJunethe numberofinbound cross-border deals forWestMidlands-based companies wasatits highestlevel since early2020, accordingtothe latest analysisfromDeloitte Midlands CrossBorderDeals Radar.

Theresearch, whichtracks inboundand outbound mergers andacquisitionsactivitybetween investorsand corporates in the

Midlands andoverseas,reveals that inbounddealmakinginthe West Midlands is exceeding first quarter2020levelsfor the first time

In thesecondquarter,overseas bidders completed11deals for West Midlands-based companies, compared with seven dealsin the firstquarter andjust five dealsin thesamequarter of 2021

Firmsface steep business ratesrise

Organisationswhich areliablefor business ratesare settofaceamajorpotential financialcrisisinApril 2023, with an averageexpected rise of around 36 percent.

This is accordingtoJonathan Youngofpropertyconsultants Matthews&Goodman.

Therise,due to be introducedon April12023, followsthe Valuation Office’s (VO) recent completionofa nationwide revaluationof(non-do

mestic)propertiesliablefor busi ness rates.

Mr Youngsaid: “Given everyone’s currentfocus on cost management, it’s importantthatbusinessleadersdon’t ignorethe implications of this revaluation–because it’s only sixmonthsaway. Theanticipated risesare basedonthe rental values whichvaryaccordingtolocation andpropertytype. Istrongly advise anyratepayer to seek advice.”

Masonrymanufacturerplans to generatepower from waste

SUEAUSTIN sue.austin@mnamedia.co.uk

Masonrymanufacturer

Besblock is aiming to reduce itscarbonfootprintfurther by using wood waste to generate energy.

The firm,located at Halesfield, Telfordhas createda£3.2million ‘energyfromwaste wood plant’ and is planning to invest in anew turbine to generate electricityonsite.

Besblock says it alreadyhas alow carbon footprintand is committed to lowering emissionsfurther by adopting this approach in conjunction with otheralready installed renewableenergysources

Establishedin1972, Besblock works with some of theUK’sleadinghouse builders andconstruction companies.

The firm,which celebrates its 50th birthday this year,has ex panded considerably recently with extensiveinvestmentinits facilities andprocesses

As the firm continuestogrow, it is targetingmorerecruitstojoin theworkforce as production operatives, driversand apprentices.

Martin Fulwell, salesdirector said:“We have grownatafastpace andwhile we arepleased with the path we’reon, we haven’t lost sight of keepingour carbon footprintas lowaspossiblealong theway.The addition of theturbine will allowus to generate ourown electricity.”

Tanners raises atoast to long-serving staff

Directorsatthe award-winning Shrewsbury wine merchant, Tanners Wines, have celebrated the long-service milestones of threeof thecompany’s staff.

Dawn Williams, Duncan Smith andRichard Stevenshaveall joined thecompany’s ‘30Year Club’.

Dawn started in thecellars shop before making themovetotrade supportin1997. Duncan starteda

JAMESPUGH james.pugh@mnamedia.co.uk

week later, andnow works alongside Dawn headingupthe trade supportteam. Richardoversees TannersLlandudno Junction, having joined when Tannerstook over TerryPlatt WineMerchants in 2005

Together they have combined

over 90 yearsofexperience. ChairmanJames Tanner presented a gold watch to each of thelong-serv ingmembersofstaff

They join the10other members of the30YearClubwhich includes five membersofstaff whohave completedover40years.Tan ners hasbranchesin Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Chester, Hereford, Welshpooland LlandudnoJunction

Tigermakes investment in broadbandprovider

TigerInfrastructurePartnershas announced acontrolinvestment of £75million in RuralBroad band SolutionsHoldingsLimited (RBBS),afast-growingproviderof broadband services to residential andbusinesscustomers in rural areasofthe UK.

Delivered viaits Shropshire-basedinternetservice providerbrand SWSBroadband, RBBS initiallyprovidedbroad band through fixedwirelessaccess technologyinthe county.Since the launch of theGovernment’sPro ject Gigabit scheme,which subsi disesbroadband roll-out in rural areas, it newdeploys full fibre.

ChristopherNew,CEO of RBBS, said:“We believeTiger Infrastruc ture is alike-minded investor whose expertiseand capitalwill assist us in making RBBS aleader in ourniche

“WithTiger Infrastructure’s in vestment, RBBS is well-positioned to help communitiesinShropshire andWales solvethe immediate and growingrequirementfor reliable, gigabit-capable connectivity,”he added.

Emil WHenry Jr,chief executive of TigerInfrastructure, said: “RBBS, with itstrack record of op eratingahigh-quality fixedwire less access networkand deploying

full fibreinchallenging areas, rep resentsanideal partnerfor Tiger Infrastructure

“Wehavethe opportunitytoin vest alongsidethe UK Government to meet theneeds of ruralhouse holdsand smallbusinessesthat, despitestronggrowthindatacon sumption,remainservedbysignif icantlyslowerand less reliable copperlines or fibre-to-the-cabinet.”

RBBS’visionistocreatea high-quality,contiguous network initiallycoveringapproximately 100,000 remote premises in small townsinShropshireand Wales wherefull fibreconnectivityiscur rently unavailable

ChristopherNew

Tanners chairman James Tanner, second left,with RichardStevens,DawnWilliamsand Duncan Smith

FILLERS

PEDICURE

MASSAGE

ACROSS

1. Mr.Tunney,1926 world heavyweight boxing champion (4)

3. “An War”, 1982 novelbyWilliam Boyd (3-5)

8. Spiny-finned food fish of the familyZeidae, such as the John (4)

9. Anton, 19c Austrian composer and organist (8)

11. Slightly sour black bread made of coarse rye flour (12)

13. Capital ofWest Pakistan 1955-70 (6)

14. Opaque impureform of quartz used as a gemstone (6)

17. 1985 LarryMcMurtry westernnovel (8,4)

20. Either of thetwo canine teeth in the upper jaw (8)

21. Spanishriver which risesinthe Cantabrian Mountains and flows south-east to the Mediterranean(4)

22. Site ofthe castle famous as the scene of Hamlet (8)

23. The front part of the lowerleg (4)

DOWN 1. 1971 musical by Stephen Schwartz and John MichaelTebelak mainly based on St. Matthew’s Gospel (8)

2. Kwame, President of Ghana 1960-66 (7)

4. “--- de Bergerac”, 1897 play by Edmond Rostand (6)

5. Old World beetle also called the May beetle (10)

6. Forename of Sgt. Bilko in the comedy The Phil Silvers Show (5)

7. Aldo, former Italian Prime Minister murdered in 1978 (4)

10. Capital of Guyana (10)

12. Capital of SierraLeone (8)

15. Lord-High-EverythingElse in Gilbert and Sullivan’sThe Mikado (4-3)

16. “Israel ---”, 1855 novel by HermanMelville(6)

18. Clifford, American dramatist who authored Golden Boy (5)

19. In Greek mythology the goddess of youth and spring (4)

WORD WISE

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Sudoku Challenge Easy

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QUICK QUIZ

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General2 Knowledge Crossword

Shin.

1Godspell; 2Nkrumah; 4Cyrano; 5Cockchafer; 6Ernie; 7Moro; 10 Georgetown; 12 Freetown; 15 Pooh-bah; 16 Potter; 18 Odets; 19 Hebe.

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NDC OB P RE CO IL TO OT H RD EL IO A BO GO TA CA BE R UA NY DO ER IG NO RE AD OR E OF OR AG EI LK C ERE CT PA RC EL JO T GO PE TA TU NA LE GU ME HURR YM P OU RR WA ND AA PSE BU RS TE IC LO SE R SUE SE TT EA RE PH EA DS TA RT GIG IV AL A NS PRE EA IL TAT TO OG US TO CL LA MA KE N SH IE LD SLA MS

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When1Headie One; 2Official Secrets Act;

A. 1958; B.

Alphadoku

Across: 1Epistles, 5However,9 Ephemeral, 14 Sacks, 16 Aspersions, 23 Bogota, 24 Paramount, 25 Unwinds, 26 Kim, 27 Odd number,28Figs, 29 Never again, 30 Central, 31 Busy,32Tweeze, 33 Undo, 34 Thirsty, 37 Stuff, 38 Heidi, 39 Image, 40 Malingerer,42Awash, 43 Cockatoo, 48 Brag, 49 Onwards, 50 Dumpling, 51 Job, 52 Noel Coward, 53 Driver, 58 Subtract, 61 Medusa, 62 Sweater,63Flutters, 65 Easy manner 70 Protesting, 72 Happiest, 73 Bedroom, 74 Clowns, 75 Mastiffs, 82 Bikini, 83 Lachrymose, 85 Fee, 86 Libation, 87 Quarter,88Town, 94Geodesic, 95 Irons, 96 Stock-still, 97 Alibi, 98 Levee, 99 Druid, 103 Nigella, 105 Edam, 106 Elects, 108 Pits, 109 Penance, 110 Eyepopping, 113 Dior,114 Eider duck, 115 Tum, 116 Electra, 118 Soap opera, 119 Adroit, 120 Latecomers, 121 Mayor,122 Sometimes, 123 Science, 124 Outweigh.

Down: 2Projector,3 Showed fight, 4Llamas, 6Oval, 7Esoteric, 8Returngame, 9Equals, 10 Huw,11Monastic, 12 Rash, 13 Lukewarm, 14 Somme, 15 Close call, 17 Samson, 18 Electron, 19 Information, 20 Night, 21 Satirical, 22 On one’sown, 31 Biannual, 35 Kindred, 36 Aglow,41Roosts, 44 Oneself, 45 Toga, 46 Slowest, 47 Friar,54Tuba, 55Refer,56Also-ran, 57 Myna, 59 Ukraine, 60 Cute, 64 Riot, 66 Inlay 67 Missus, 68 Articles, 69 Uncurls, 71 Thirddegree, 76 Sort, 77 Intersperse, 78 Khorsandi, 79 Leeks, 80 Violinists, 81 Graveyard, 84 Master key,89Whinnying, 90 Titanium, 91 Costumes, 92 Strident, 93 Disciple, 100 Veneer,101 Speaks, 102 Bogart, 104 Ibiza, 107 Enter, 111 Deem, 112 Epic, 117 Tim.

Giant Sudoku

Quick Quiz

‘Virtual wards’ to allowpeople to stay in ownhome

Shropshire’sSevernHospicesays anew ‘virtual ward’will allowit to care foranumberofpatientsin theirown homes.

Thehospicesaidthatthe initia tive wouldallow for10peopletoreceive‘ward-equivalent’ care –and remain in theirown homes.

The‘virtualward’ will seehos piceconsultants oversee andco-ordinate thepatient’s care daily.

Underthe arrangementthe pa tientwould have access to ward services such as complementa ry therapy,creative therapyand chaplaincy just as if they were stayingat thehospice.

Thecharity said that anyspe cialist medicalequipmentneeded wouldalso be provided,withthe supportofother healthcare agen cies andpartners usingexisting systemsand processes

BeckyRichardson, thehospice’s director of care,said: “Thisis abouthow we cangivemorepeo pleaccess to thelevel andquality of care they need,enablingthemto be at home

“Wewould triage patients for hospiceadmissionjustas we do nowand whilethe wardsmightbe virtual, thecarewe’ll be giving is veryreal.”

Thehospicesaidthe initiative is itscontributiontoa national strategyaimed at improvingpalliative care services.MsRichardsonadd ed:“Ourconsultantled ‘Virtual Ward’iswhere specificpatients areadmitted to an enhanced level of care andsupport with proactive dailycasemanagement.

“Virtual Wardsoffer ‘wraparound’support to people in their homesensuring they canreceive

care that meetstheir needs in a timely fashionwiththe aimofreducing theneed foravoidable hospitaladmission.

“The VirtualWardwill enable us to review aperson’s‘Plan of Care’toensure this continuesto meet theperson’sindividualneeds andadapt this whereappropriate; ensure appropriate referralsare made andspecialistinput availa ble; andreviewofaperson’semergencyhealthcareplansand/or longer term wishes.”

Locally, theShropshireand Telford andWrekinIntegratedCare System –the newhealthcarecom missioning organisation forthe area –isseeking to keep as many hospital beds availableaspossible.

Adding capacity at thehospice, alongsidecarehomes, will help hospitalsintheir efforts.

Shelterkitsoffer youngsters tasteofoutdoorsadventure

HEATHER LARGE heather.large@mnamedia.co.uk

Encouragingchildren away from their screens andoutside to play in thefresh aircan be challenging.

ButKay Miller andJo Jones believeit’sall aboutappealing to theirnatural sense of adventure Theformerprimary school teach ersand Forest School practitioners setupThe DenKit Companyafter witnessing thebenefits of children spending time outdoors.Based in Leebotwood, Church Stretton,they offerarange of shelter-building and activity kits, whichare designed to be used in anykindofspace from a smallbackyard, garden or balcony to a fieldorwoodland

Nowtheyhaveteamedupwith survivalistand explorer,EdStafford,tocreateacollaborative fun sheltermakingkit.The former BritishArmycaptain holds the Guinness WorldRecord forbeing the firstpersontowalkthe length of theAmazonRiverin South Americafromthe source to thesea, walkingfor 860 days.

Adventures

Amonghis adventureshas been a three-part survival experiment for DiscoveryChannel wherehewas droppedonanuninhabited tropicalislandinthe Pacificfor 60 days with no food or equipment to help himsurvive.

“The DenKit Companyhas a greatpedigree of making high qual itykitsthatencourage wholesome play outdoors,” says Ed

“Manyoftheir kits were for younger kids andIsaw an opportunitytopartner with them to help slightlyolder children find activi ties that arefun andnot just sitting on theirphones.”

Kaysays: “Asmums, Jo andI

wanted ourchildren to spendtime in thefresh air, having lots of fun andlearninglifeskillsalong the way. We know that an active outdoor lifestyle notonlypromotes goodphysicalhealthbut is vitalfor ahealthy mind too. Ed openly talks abouthis ownbattles with mental health andsocollaboratingwithEd on developing theShelter Kitfor this agegroup wasanatural fit.”

Thekit contains itemsthatcan be used to make asimpleshelter andwas inspired by Ed’s ownadventures.

“Edisabushcraft expert andhas survived in some of themosthostile terrains in theworld so working with himwas acompletejoy andinspiration,”saysKay.“He basically

told us what kithe wouldtakewith himtoprovide ashelter on hisadventures. It hadtobereal, it hadto be robust,ithad to work. Likeus, he wasinsistent on quality. TheresultingShelter Kitisgenuinely kit an explorer wouldtakewiththem as they embarkedonanadventure.”

Itemsinthe kitinclude acotton dufflebag,a bashasheet,arot and waterproofgroundsheet,awood en mallet,elastic ball bungeesand tent pegs.There is also an illustrat ed collection of toptips, advice and insights writtenbyEdhimself

“The itemsinthe kitcan be used in multiplewaysdepending on whereyou areand what you are wantingtouse your ‘den’for,” he says.“Butthe kitismoreabout in

troducing avehicle throughwhich kids canengageinunstructured andunsupervisedplaythanitis about theshelter itself.”

Kaysaysthe kitoffersanoppor tunityfor young people to create theirown safe andpersonalspace

“Oncetheir unique shelterhas been erected it becomesaplaceto shelterfromthe wind andrain, a placetoeat,muse,relax andeven sleep. Thepossibilities areendless with this kit. Thereisgenuinely somethinginnate in allofus, in cludinginchildren,thatembraces andthrives on thechallenges asso ciatedwithsurvival.Knowing that you cantakecareofyourself in certain situations is an incredibly powerfulfeeling,” sheexplains

ANTIQUES

WITH JOHN RIDGWAYOF OLDMILLANTIQUESCENTRE

Thenightsare drawingin, the days aregenerally abit gloomy andnow duetothe currentsit uation many of us areathome a gooddeal.

So let’slookatwaysofmak ingour domestic surroundings warm andcheerful with afew vintageitems andset about an autumn transformation! Colourfulvintage lampsare great forbrightening anycornerin anyroom, even during theday, Tiffany ones featuring floral de signscan bringalittlesummer lightbackintoyourlife.

Carefullypositioned mirrors do abrilliantjob in reflecting light, hang them oppositea window or alampfor maximum effect or even above alighted candle or two.

Bringsome winter flowers andplantsin anddisplay them in vintagejugsand vases, they will remind you that spring will come again! Anything bright andcolourful will addwarmth so look outfor itemsinrichcol ours likecrimson andgold.

Brighten up atable with a patternedvintagecloth andadd

Brass itemsadd warmth

acolourful rugortwo to make aroomfeelcosy-these areespecially useful on tiled floors whichcan be really chillyinthe winter months

Make themostofa fireplace even if youdon’t have areal fire, addsomedried flowers in avin tage pot or burn candlesinthe hearth.Brass andcopperitems, although not quiteaspopular as they used to be,again add warmth displayedarounda fire placeorinakitchen

Smallpiecesofdecoratedfur niture cantransform anyroom, go forchairsupholsteredin brightfabric.

Youcan,ofcourse,transform itemsoffurniture you already have with apaintbrushand a potofpaint -itdoesn’t take too much time andiswellworth the effort.Colouredglass bottles groupedtogetheronawindow ledge look great.

So have agoodscout around andsee what vintageitems you can find to help make thewinter monthsalittlemorecheery.

TheDen KitCompany–former school teachers andfounders Jo Jonesand KayMillerout in thewilds

Severn Hospice hasconfirmed plans for avirtual ward to care for patientsathome

Delicioushot chocolatepud recipe is a firm familyfavourite

Chef promises comfortfood doesn’thavetobebad foryou

PRUDENCEWADE PressAssociation

Hotchocolate pudding

“Thisquick (and utterlydelicious) chocolatepud,which I’ve been making foryearstodelightmyfamily, occupiesaspace somewherebetween abrownie, asouffléand acake,”saysHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

HOTCHOCOLATEPUDDING

Ingredients: Serves four 100g dark chocolate

100g butter

3mediumeggs

50gsoftlight brownsugar

1tsp vanilla extract

75ggroundalmonds

Apinch of salt

To serve

Raspberriesorother berries, or plum compote

Yoghurtorcream (optional)

Method: Putthe chocolateand butter into asaucepanand melt gently over averylow heat, watchingall thetimeand stir ring oftensothatthe chocolate doesn’tget toohot.Set asideto cool alittle. Preheatthe ovento 190°C/170°C Fan/Gas5 andbut terasmall oven dish

In alarge bowl,orthe bowl of astand mixer,whisk theeggs, brownsugar andvanillaextract together untilpale, thickand mousse-like. Themix should be significantly paler, thickerand increasedinvolume.

Turn themixer down to a lowspeed and, with themotor running, slowly pour in thetep id melted chocolateand butter mixture(or whiskitgentlyby hand). Usearubberspatula to scrape thelastdrops of choc olateintothe mix, andthento fold themixture fullytogether.

Combinethe ground almonds andsalt. Addtothe chocolate mixtureand fold in carefully, using thespatula.

Turn themixture into the prepared oven dish andshake thedishalittletospreaditout Bake in theovenfor 12 –15 minutes untilthe puddingis setontop and firm at theedg es,but still wobbly andgooey in themiddle.Serve straightaway, with freshraspberries or plum compote, andaspoonful of yo ghurtoratrickle of cream.

“We’ve been conned into eatingmoresugar than we even have agenuine appetite for,”hesays, good-natured outrage bubbling from hiswords.

“Ofcourse,alot of us have a sweettooth –Iwould sayIhavea really sweettooth.But what Ifound is even my sweettooth is complete ly satisfied by much less sugarthan conventional recipes, andcertain ly industrially produced biscuits, cakes, sweets andpuddingstendto include. We definitely need asugar rethink.”

Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottagehas been re-evaluatingits relationship with sugar forafew yearsnow.“We startedtakingsome of thesugar outofour bakesand treatsand desserts several years ago, andnobodyeven noticed.If anything,weweregetting more feedback saying,‘God, that’s so de licious’,” he says

Recipesinhis newbook, River CottageGood Comfort, mighthave aless tooth-rottingamountofsugar in them,but you won’tnecessarily miss anything.“Dialling down the sugar andthe refinedingredients is part of it,but dialling up thewhole ingredientsiswhatthe book’s more about,” Fearnley-Whittingstall adds

Anddon’t worry –the desserts arestill sweet. Afterall,thisis thepersonwho admits to whip ping up boxesofchocolatesasa child: “I used to make coffee and peppermint creams anddip them in chocolate–and truffles,things likethat,”Fearnley-Whittingstall remembers. Butthe sweetnessis

adjusted,and otheringredientsare added–suchasparsnipsorcarrots into cakes, or adatesyrup instead of a“knee-trembling amount of fudgytoffee”

This is allpart of the57-year-old chef andfood writer’smission to get us eating abit more healthily–and that doesn’tmeanyou have to miss outonyourfavourite,stodgycom fort foods.

“Weshouldn’tbeguilt-tripping people into eatinghealthy food, we should be tempting people to healthyfood,”hesays.

Aftera“strangefew years”,it made sense forFearnley-Whitting stalltodedicatehis latest book to comforting,nostalgic recipes. “Dur inglockdown, alot of people began reaching back to thosefavourite familyrecipes, those reliable cock le-warmers –the things that make us feel good,and make us feel that family is closeby,”hereflects

Forhim,the challengewas being able to ‘healthify’classic comfort dishes –likespagbol,shepherd’s pie or crumble –without compro mising on thetaste.Some dishes

took abit more testingthanothers. “People think, ‘today I’ll be virtuous, andtomorrowmaybe I’ll kick up my heelsand putmyfeetup and indulge’,” he says

“Actually, we canhavebothon thesameplate andbothinthe same dish.Wecan enjoytreats, foodsthat arereallywellbalanced–they’ve gotlotsofgood things in them.Oftenthatmeans afew littletweaks, andsometimesthere aresome big gertweaks, butit’sall very doable.”

Ultimately,Fearnley-Whitting stallwantedtokeepall thekey tenetsofcomfort food intact.“We can still capturethe cockle-warming, saucy, gooey, whatever theparticu larcharacteristicis– crispy-topped, or agooeybrownie,oracrumble with custardand lovely fruitunder neath.

“Wecan have allthose things and they canbetruly delicious–and yet better forusthanperhaps some of theold-schoolorconventionalver sionsofthose recipes.”

n River CottageGoodComfort by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallis published by Bloomsbury,priced £27. Photography: SimonWheeler

TastyricedishispackedwithSpanish flavours

“There arevarious incarnations of one-pan chickenand rice dishes, originating from allover theworld, andthisversion,which includes some lovely Spanish flavours, is one of my favourites,”saysHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

CHICKEN ANDCHORIZORICE

Ingredients: Serves six

1large or 2onions, sliced

3red,orangeoryellowpeppers, deseeded andsliced

2fat garliccloves, sliced 100g chorizo, diced

1–2tbspolive or rapeseed oil

1bay leaf

250g brownrice, well rinsed

Chickenand chorizorice

1small chicken, jointed, or six bone-inchicken thighs 200mlwhite wine

About 500mlchicken stock 200g cherry tomatoes

Seasaltand blackpepper

Method: Preheatthe oven to 190°C/170°C Fan/Gas5.Put the onion(s),peppers,garlicand chorizo into alarge roasting dish with just atrickle of oil. Addthe bayleaf andsome salt andpepperand toss together well.Place in theovenfor 25 minutes

Tipthe rice into asaucepan, cover with plenty of boiling water andbring to asimmer.Cookfor 20 minutes,until almost al dente, then drain.

Heat atrickle more oilina large frying panover amedium-high heat.Seasonthe chickenskin. Put half thechicken piecesintothe pan, skin side down,and season theirother sides. Frythe chicken foraroundeight minutes, turning occasionally,until each piece is nicely browned. Transfer to adish.

Repeat with the remainingchick en pieces

When you’vetaken allofthe chickenout of thefryingpan,add thewine. Letitbubblewhileyou scrape up anycaramelised bits from thebaseofthe pan, andsim merfor threeminutes or so,until reduced by abouthalf. Addthe stockand bring to abrisk simmer

Take thetrayofroast vegfrom theoven. Stirin thericethenadd thecherrytomatoes. Placethe brownedchicken pieces on top, skin side up.Pourthe hot stock around thechicken.Cover with foil andreturntothe ovenfor 30 minutes.Takeoff thefoil, give therice agentlestirand finish in theoven for15minutes,oruntil thechicken is cooked through.

Dish up thechicken,riceand vegwithany juices from thetray spoonedover

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallwants everyonetoknowwe’ve been swindled.And thecul prit?Sugar.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallisaiming to make comfortfood healthier

River CottageGood Comfort

Tastyand healthyrecipes are packed full of nuttynutrition

MATTHEWPANTER matthew.panter@mnamedia.co.uk

California Walnutshas createdfournew recipes,eachcosting less than £2 perserving to inspireyou in thekitch en.

Forbreakfast;raspberry,honey andCaliforniaWalnut bakedoats, forlunch or asimplesupper; atasty leek,potatoand California walnut soup andfor dinner;aversatile plant-basedchilli concarne with five differentwaystouse it and fi nallyanindulgent pudding; aCalifornia Walnut andcoffeemug cake

Aspokesman said:“California Walnutsoffer bags of potential. Not only aretheyversatile,but anutritionpowerhouse, too. With their heart-healthysealofapprovalfrom hearthealthcharity HeartUK, walnutsare also theonlytreenut to containsignificant amountsofthe plant-basedessential omega-3 al pha-linolenicacid(ALA)(2.7g/30g), as well as 4.4g of proteinand 1.4g of fibreper 30ghandful.

“And it doesn’tstopthere Walnutsare agoodsourceof(an tioxidants)copperand vitaminE andmicronutrients magnesium, vitaminB6, folate andthiamine (vitamin B1)and asourceof(anti oxidant) zinc,pantothenic acid (vitaminB5) andmineralsironand potassium.”

RASPBERRY, HONEY&CALIFORNIA WALNUT BAKEDOATS

Prep:10minutes, cook: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients: Serves five

200g porridgeoats

2tsp honey

5mediumeggs, beaten

500g naturalyogurt

100g California Walnuts, chopped

500g raspberries

Method: Preheatthe oven to 200oCgas mark 6.

Mixall theingredients in alarge bowl untilcombined,reserving¼ of thewalnuts. Spooninto five 150ml dishes.Sprinklewithreserved walnuts, placeona baking trayand bake for25-30 minutes

LEEK,POTATO&CALIFORNIAWALNUT SOUP

Prep:10minutes, Cook:20 minutes

Ingredients: Serves five

1tbspoil,plus1tsp

3leeks,sliced

500g potatoes, diced

1litre vegetable stock

IN SEASON by Andy Richardson

Hard to find butdelicious andindulgent

Soon,the cropswillstart to change In coming weeks, theglutofautumn’s harvestwill fade from the shelvesashardier winter cropsbecome moreprevalent

There’sstill aweekortwo re mainingofautumn,however,and it’s time to make themostofsuch delights as aubergine andapples, beetroot andblackberries, broccoli andBrusselssprouts

There’smoreonthe shelvesof localgreengrocersand in supermarkets, too, includingbutternut squash, carrots, cauliflower,celeri ac,celeryand oneofthe star ingredients of autumn,chestnuts.

Then there’schicory,chillies, courgette, cucumber,elderberries, kale,leeks,lettuce,marrow, onions, parsnips, pears, peas,potatoes, pumpkin, quince, radishes, andred cabbage.

Quince is adelight, though can be hard to find.Itsimilar in appear ance to pearsand ripe quince fruits arehard, tart,and astringent. They

1tsp driedmixed herbs

125g California Walnuts

15gParmigianoReggiano, finely grated

Method: Preheatthe oven to 200oC, gasmark6.Lineasmall baking traywithbaking parch ment.Heatone tbsp oilinalarge frying panand frythe leeksand po tatoes for five minutes,stirringoc casionally.Add thestock andherbs andbring to theboil, cover andsim merfor 10 minutes untilpotatoes aretender

Meanwhile, placehalfthe walnuts on thepreparedtrayand toss in onetsp oil, sprinkle over thePar mesanand bake for five minutes, allowtocoolonthe tray.

Pureethe soup with astickblender so that thetexture is stillquite chunky.Chopthe remainingwal nutsand addtothe soup,seasonto taste. Servethe soup with broken up piecesofthe Parmesanwalnuts on top.

CALIFORNIA WALNUT MINCECHILLI

Prep:10minutes, Cook:15 minutes

Ingredients: Serves five 100g California Walnuts

300g mushrooms

1tbspoil

2clovesgarlic,crushed

1tsp ground cumin

1tsp chilli powder

400g canchopped tomatoes

2tbsptomato puree

400g canred kidney beans, drained andrinsed 400g canblackbeans,drained andrinsed

2tbspchopped coriander

Method: Placethe walnutsinafood processorand mixtogiveacoarse crumb. Repeat with themushrooms andmix into thewalnuts

Heat theoil in alarge saucepan andfry thewalnut mixtureand garlic for five minutes. Addthe spic es andcookfor oneminute.

Stirinthe tomatoes, tomato pu reeand both beansand cook gently for10minutes,stirringoccasionally.Seasonand stir in thecoriander

CHILLI 5WAYS: Servewith cooked longgrain rice;spoonovera halved bakedpotato; mixwithpas ta andtop with grated Cheddarand bake;serve on topoftortillachips

with guacamole, soured creamand melted cheese; and finally, servein atortillawrapwithcookedriceand sliced avocadofor aquick burrito.

COFFEE&CALIFORNIAWALNUTMUG CAKE

Prep: five minutes, Cook:two threeminutes

Ingredients: Makesone

1mediumegg

2tbspmilk

3tbspvegetableoil

1tsp instant coffee

4tbspself-raising flour

4tbspcastersugar

25gCaliforniaWalnuts, chopped

Method: Beat theegg in a350ml heatproofmug with themilkand oil. Blendthe coffee with onetsp boiling water andadd to themug with the flour, sugarand allbut two tspwalnuts, mixwelltocombine

Microwaveonfull powerfor two to threeminutes or untilaskewer comesout clean. Allowtocool.

Sprinkle with the reserved walnuts.

areseldomeaten raw, butare processed into marmalade, jam, paste (known as quince cheese)orboozy drinks

Quince jelly is ago-to recipe that works brilliantlywithacheeseboardoralongside pork or game dishes.It’sa greatway to usea glut of thefruit

Putquinceand lemon peel and juiceinalarge,deepsaucepan. Cover with water andbring to theboil, then simmer untilverysoft. Strain thejuice through muslin then add sugarand cook through.Ladle into hotsterilisedjarsand seal.

Quince makesa deliciousautumnal crumble, encasedinarich almond pastry.Serve it with adol lopofchestnut icecream forareal tasteofthe season andspicethings up with alittlecinnamon.

It’s notjustsweetsand desserts that workwellwiththe fruit. Sweet spiced lamb shanks with quince is arealdelight, redolent of dishes from Persia or Morocco.The spices in this slow cooked one-potare mellowand it’s best served with rice, couscous or flatbreads.

Amembrillo– or,quincepaste toastiewithchorizo andcheddar is also aworkofart.Itmakes acosy nightinevenmoreindulgent andis theperfect autumn pick-me-up.

Quincealsogoes well with halloumi, on skewers, whileit’sagreat addition to venison, served in arich spiceseasonedwithrosemary.

California WalnutMinceChilli

Coffee &WalnutMug

RaCake spberry, Honey &California WalnutBaked Oats

Quince is in season now

‘Virtual wards’ to allowpeople to stay in ownhome

Shropshire’sSevernHospicesays anew ‘virtual ward’will allowit to care fora number of patients in theirown homes.

Thehospicesaidthatthe initia tive wouldallow for10peopletore ceive‘ward-equivalent’ care –and remain in theirown homes.

The‘virtualward’ will seehos piceconsultants overseeand co-or dinate thepatient’s care daily.

Underthe arrangementthe pa tient would have access to ward services such as complementa ry therapy,creative therapyand chaplaincy just as if they were stayingatthe hospice.

Thecharity said that anyspe cialist medicalequipmentneeded wouldalso be provided,withthe supportofother healthcare agen cies andpartnersusing existing systemsand processes

BeckyRichardson, thehospice’s director of care,said: “Thisis abouthow we cangivemorepeo pleaccesstothe level andquality of care they need,enablingthemto be at home

“Wewould triage patients for hospiceadmissionjustaswedo nowand whilethe wardsmightbe virtual, thecarewe’ll be giving is very real.”

Thehospicesaidthe initiative is its contribution to a national strat egyaimed at improvingpalliative care services.Ms Richardson add ed:“Ourconsultantled ‘Virtual Ward’iswhere specificpatients areadmitted to an enhanced level of care andsupport with proactive dailycasemanagement.

“Virtual Wardsoffer ‘wraparound’support to people in their homesensuring they canreceive

care that meetstheir needs in a timely fashionwiththe aimofre ducing theneed foravoidable hos pitaladmission.

“The VirtualWardwillenable us to review aperson’s‘Plan of Care’toensurethiscontinues to meet theperson’sindividualneeds andadapt this whereappropriate; ensure appropriate referralsare made andspecialist inputavaila ble; andreviewofaperson’semer gency health care plans and/or longer term wishes.”

Locally,the Shropshireand Tel ford andWrekinIntegratedCare System –the newhealthcarecom missioning organisation forthe area –isseeking to keep as many hospital beds availableaspossible.

Adding capacity at thehospice, alongsidecarehomes, will help hospitalsintheir efforts.

Shelterkitsoffer youngsters tasteofoutdoorsadventure

HEATHERLARGE heather.large@mnamedia.co.uk

Encouragingchildren away from theirscreens andoutside to play in thefresh aircan be challenging.

ButKay Miller andJoJones believeit’sall aboutappealing to theirnatural sense of adventure Theformerprimary school teach ersand Forest School practitioners setupThe DenKit Companyafter witnessing thebenefits of children spending time outdoors.Based in Leebotwood, Church Stretton,they offerarange of shelter-building and activity kits, whichare designed to be used in anykindofspace from a smallbackyard, garden or balcony to a fieldorwoodland Now they have teamed up with survivalistand explorer,EdStaf ford,tocreateacollaborative fun sheltermakingkit.The former BritishArmycaptain holdsthe Guinness WorldRecord forbeing the firstpersontowalkthe length of theAmazonRiverin South Americafromthe source to thesea, walkingfor 860 days.

Adventures

Amonghis adventureshas been a three-part survival experiment for DiscoveryChannel wherehe was droppedonanuninhabited tropi calislandinthe Pacificfor 60 days with no food or equipment to help himsurvive.

“The DenKit Companyhas a greatpedigreeofmakinghigh qual itykitsthatencourage wholesome play outdoors,”saysEd.

“Manyoftheir kits were for younger kids andIsaw an oppor tunitytopartner with them to help slightlyolder children find activi ties that arefun andnot just sitting on theirphones.”

Kaysays: “Asmums, Jo andI

wanted ourchildren to spendtime in thefresh air, having lots of fun andlearninglifeskillsalong the way. We know that an active out door lifestyle notonlypromotes goodphysicalhealthbut is vitalfor ahealthy mind too. Ed openly talks abouthis ownbattles with mental health andsocollaborating with Ed on developing theShelter Kitfor this agegroup wasanatural fit.”

Thekit contains itemsthatcan be used to make asimpleshelter andwas inspired by Ed’s ownad ventures.

“Edisabushcraft expert andhas survived in some of themosthostile terrains in theworld so working with himwas acompletejoy andin spiration,”saysKay.“He basically

told us what kithe wouldtakewith himtoprovide ashelter on hisad ventures. It hadtobereal, it hadto be robust,ithad to work. Likeus, he wasinsistent on quality. There sultingShelter Kitisgenuinely kit an explorer wouldtakewiththem as they embarkedonanadventure.”

Itemsinthe kitinclude acotton dufflebag,abasha sheet, arot and waterproofgroundsheet,awood en mallet,elastic ball bungeesand tent pegs.There is also an illustrat ed collection of toptips, advice and insights writtenbyEdhimself

“The itemsinthe kitcan be used in multiplewaysdepending on whereyou areand what you are wantingtouse your‘den’for,” he says.“Butthe kitismoreabout in

troducing avehicle throughwhich kids canengageinunstructured andunsupervisedplaythanitis about theshelter itself.”

Kaysaysthe kitoffersanoppor tunityfor young people to create theirown safe andpersonalspace

“Oncetheir unique shelterhas been erected it becomesaplaceto shelterfromthe wind andrain, a placetoeat,muse,relax andeven sleep. Thepossibilities areendless with this kit. Thereisgenuinely somethinginnate in allofus, in cludinginchildren,thatembraces andthrives on thechallenges asso ciatedwithsurvival. Knowingthat you cantakecareofyourself in cer tain situations is an incredibly pow erfulfeeling,” sheexplains

ANTIQUES

WITH JOHN RIDGWAYOF OLDMILLANTIQUESCENTRE

Thenightsare drawingin, the days aregenerally abit gloomy andnow duetothe currentsit uation many of us areathome a good deal

So let’slookatwaysofmak ingour domestic surroundings warm andcheerful with afew vintageitems andset aboutan autumn transformation! Col ourful vintagelamps aregreat forbrightening anycornerin anyroom, even during the day, Tiffanyonesfeaturing floral de signscan bringa little summer lightbackintoyourlife.

Carefully positioned mirrors do abrilliantjob in reflecting light, hang themopposite a window or alampfor maximum effect or even abovealighted candle or two.

Bringsomewinter flowers andplantsinand displaythem in vintagejugsand vases, they will remind you that spring will come again! Anything bright andcolourful will addwarmth so look outfor itemsinrichcol ours likecrimson andgold.

Brightenupatable with a patternedvintage clothand add

Brassitems add warmth

acolourful rugortwo to make aroomfeelcosy-these arees pecially useful on tiled floors whichcan be really chillyinthe winter months

Make themostofa fireplace even if you don’thaveareal fire, addsome dried flowersina vin tage potorburncandles inthe hearth.Brass andcopperitems, although notquite as popular as they usedtobe, againadd warmth displayedarounda fire placeorinakitchen

Smallpiecesofdecorated fur niture cantransform anyroom, go forchairsupholstered in brightfabric.

Youcan,ofcourse,transform itemsoffurnitureyou already have with apaintbrushand a potofpaint -itdoesn’t take too much time andiswellworth the effort.Colouredglass bottles groupedtogetheronawindow ledge look great.

So have agoodscout around andsee what vintageitems you can find to help make thewinter months alittlemorecheery.

TheDen KitCompany –former school teachers andfounders Jo Jonesand KayMillerout in thewilds

Severn Hospicehas confirmed plans for avirtualwardtocarefor patientsathome

Helpingyou getbettersleep during menopause

Womenstrugglingtosleep during themenopause arebeing offered tips to help getabetterquality of sleep.

Octoberismenopause awareness month andthe furnitureexpertsatOnline-Bedrooms.co.uk have researched tips to help wom en experiencingthe menopause get abetternights sleep.

Tips to help you sleepduringthe menopause:

n Trytofollow aregular sleeping schedule –Going to bed andwakingupatthe same time each daywill give yourbodyabit more of aroutine whichcan regu late yoursleepingpattern.

n Wear looser andlighter clothingtobed –Alot ofwomen experiencing themenopause have hot flashes. Wearinglooserand lighterclothingcan help make hot flashesexperienced at nightfeela little less overwhelming n Trytoavoidspicyfoods –If you do find yourself experiencing hot flashesthenyou maywantto layoff spicyfoods. These canbea triggerfor sweating andcould be a contributing factor to extreme hot flashes.

n Exercise Past studieshave even shownthatregular exer cise hashelpedinsomniapatients achieveabetterquality of sleepso

it’s worth fitting into yoursched uleifyou can.

n Avoidany kind of caffeine wellbeforebed –Try to avoid having cups of tea, coffee andhot chocolateinthe evenings.It’sbelieved that caffeine cantakeup to eighthours to leaveyourbody. These arealsoknown to trigger hot flashes.

n Keep your bedroomcool Open thewindows before bedtime andget some air flowingthrough yourroom.

n Talk to adoctor –Ifalack of sleepisaffecting yourday to day lifethenconsidertalking to adoc tor.

Presentersharesmessaging tips to avoiddatingdisasters

PRUDENCE WADE PressAssociation

It mighthavebeenone of thedullerparts of school,but now–accordingtoAnnaRichardson –spellingcorrectlyis sexy.

Richardson knowsher stuffwhen it comestolove andrelationships, having presented showslikeNaked Attractionand TheSex Education Show.“Forme, theway we communicate andtext– proper grammar andspelling is really important,” shesays. “I do alot of showsaround dating andrelationships, I’ma trained hypnotherapist as well –so communicationinrelationships is everything forme.”

Andthe Wellington-born 52-yearoldsuggests proper communication is adying art. “I seethe younger people around me –and in fact, even my agegroup dating at the minute–and theway they’recom municating,it’slike: Oh my God,” shegroans.“It’s amiracle anybody gets together.”

Accordingtonew research by datingapp Badoo(badoo.com),69per cent of single Britsare turned off by badly-writtenmessages (a stat Richardson initiallydidn’tbelieve: “I waslike, 69 percent–really? Is this ajoke?”) –but it’s common in online dating,with49per cent of daters having received amessage with badspellingorgrammar

“It’sa huge turn-off,” says Rich ardson.“Youwanttofeelyou are important, that you areworth the time andthe effort to communicate properly with –you want to feel that you’revalued. Iwould want that Ithink most people would want that.”

If you’researchingfor love online, Richardson recommendsavoiding thesecommondatingmistakes…

n Lazy messaging –While Richardson admits she’sapedant, shestill stresses theimportance of taking care with yourmessages “Without thecorrect syntax and

punctuation, sentencesjustdon’t make sense,” shesays.

“Ifyou’renot puttinginthe correct grammar, that canbemiscon strued –and actually,the worst thingis, it couldevenbeoffensive.

So it’s really importanttotake care.”

n Misspellingnames –Getting apotential partner’snameright is asignofrespect,accordingtoRichardson.“Iget it quiteoften –peo pleeitherput one‘N’ in Anna,or they’llcallmeAnne, or they’llcall me Hannah –I’m like, oh.”

Shecalls misspelling names“a massiveno-no –especially if you’re wantingtobeimportant to some body andyou want [them] to feel valued,thenofcourse –get their name right”

n Rushingmessages –“Rush ingtexts –weall do it in awork situationeveryday,especially

with WhatsApp,texts,phonecalls, emails, everything –we’re being pulled in amillion differentdirec tions. It’s understandable at work to rush things…Not if you’reabout to date,and notifyou want to find yourlifepartner.”

n Usingemojisinstead of words –Richardsonacknowledges she’sguilty of using emojis instead of wordstospeed up hermessaging, butadds: “Actually, there’snoexcuse.Yes,itcan be funnyinacom edysense –but really,it’salittlebit lazy.”

n Notgivingpeopleachance –Richardsonacceptsher initial reaction to someone sendingher a message littered with spelling and grammarmistakesisto“binthem offimmediately”,she says.Howev er,she adds:“We couldall do with more kindness in theworld.”

Whilemistakescan be aturn-

off, it doesn’tmeanthatperson isn’tright foryou.“Maybesay to people –iftheydoreverttousing emojis,orthey’ve misspelled stuff, or they’rejustnot usinggrammar –say to them kindly andtactfully, actually,thisisavalue of mine.I find it arealturnon, andI’m quite into thecorrect spelling.It’simpor tant to me,because it meansyou’ve spenttimeonme.”

Richardson recommends this positive approach,sayingyou’llget “betterfeedback with sugar rather than vinegar”.After you’vespoken to yourpotential match, shesays: “Iftheydomakethe effort,then maybethey’re thepersonfor you.”

Anna Richardson hasteamedup with dating appBadoo to guidesin gletonsonthe most common messaging mishaps, encouragingthem to putinmoretimeand effort to land moredates

Capture perfect photographs by copyingroyal family’sposes

When it comestoposing fora family photowecould alllearn athing or twofromthe Royals

Photographyexperts at Parrot Print.comhavetrawled through decadesofofficialroyal familyim ages to collateaguide of thebest poses to employ when creating the perfectgroup shot

Methodsthe BritishRoyal Familyuse,suchas slanting their legs, taking awidestance, or clasping their handsare just some of the techniquesanyonecan adopttoimprove thequality of theirphotos.

AspokespersonfromParrotPrint.comsaid: “There’s alot to consider when it comestocreating theperfect family photo andit’sa skill theroyalshavegot down to a fine art.

“Knowing how to pose forapho to cancause more stress than you firstthought.Fromcontrolling the kids to getting heightorder correct, thereare plenty of things to consid er.The perfectpose canbeachieved by avariety of methods, andwho better to look at as examples of this than ourown royalfamily?”

Posing like royalty:

Handsbehindback:Often adoptedbyPrinceCharles,this pose is asimpleone whichalso nice ly adjustsposture by forcingyou to standwithastraighterback, as yourhands areclasped andnaturallyfallbehindyou

Clasped hands: ThelateQueen Elizabeth II’s signaturepose, claspingyourhands together near your waistis sufficientfor keeping a handbagaccessory in place.

The‘DuchessSlant’: This pose wasnamed afterKateMiddleton once sheattendedpublicroyal engagementsafterjoining the royal family.Itwas furtheremphasised as intentionalwhenMeghanMar kle also beganattending these en gagements, andadoptedthe same pose.Itinvolvessitting up straight with legs placed parallel andslant ed to oneside.

Wide stance: Theopposite to his wife Kate Middleton’spose,Prince William mostly poseswithhis legs placed wide apart

Crossed legs: Foryounger chil dren,adopting acrosslegged stance canhelptokeep fidgetingunder control. Prince George hastaken this on as hissignature pose,despitehis young age.

¾angle: This is ago-to pose to ensure that subjects arecaptured in theirmost flattering angles.By facing thecameraand then turning your face andbodyslightlytothe side,itmakes fora less monotonous pose

Hand tucked in suit jacket: Tuckingone hand in asuitjacket or waistcoat,itcan make fora more naturalstance.

Sittingatdifferent levels: To avoidarigid photo, or to organise biggergroups, picturescan be made more naturalbyusing chairs and ledges to placepeopleatdifferent heights.

n Formoreinformation on how to posefor theperfect familyphoto graph, visitParrotPrint.com

NakedAttractionpresenter

Anna Richardson says communicationiskey when youare looking for love

Sleep canbeanissue forsome

Gardenerscan still do theirbit to help bees

If you’vespotted bees in your garden during sunnydaysinautumn,safetosay they arestill foraging fornectartosee them throughwinter

“Myhiveisstill active,” says farmer andTVpresenter Jimmy Doherty, conservationexpert forRowse Honey. “While thereissun and flowers, there arebeesaround.”

As part of Rowse’sHives For Livesinitiatives (rowsehoney. co.uk/hives-for-lives) to protect bees,Doherty is supporting the brand’spartnership with Blen heim Estate a five-year con servationproject whichwillsee more than 50 acresofwildflow er seeds sown throughoutthe estate and124 milesofhedgerows to replenishnectarsourc es andcreatenew habitatsfor pollinators

So,how cangardenersdo theirbit to help bees this season? Dohertyoffersthe follow ingtipstohelpbees as autumn progresses Plantivy

“Ivy is agreat giver at this time of year andthe honeypro ducedfromthatnectarofivy is dark andrich.”

Long floweringspecies

“Think aboutthingslike verbena, asters,dahlias and sedums, as well as honeysuckle.You find it naturallyinthe UK growinginwoodlandsand hedgerows butthere aremany varietiesyou canbuy in thegar dencentre.”

Open flowered varieties

“Whenyou arechoosing va rietieswhich arebeneficialto insects, open flowered typesare amustsothatthe nectar canbe easily accessed.Often, flower breederswillbreed forbeauty, notfor nectar,soyou getthese amazing, beautiful flowerswith lots of petals folded on to themselves,but thebee can’tget to thenectarbecause thereare so many petals to getthrough.”

Create hibernatingareas

“Havinghibernating areas is important. Honeybeesdon’t need that much attentionbecausetheyare oftenlookedafterbyabeekeeper,orwillhave theirfood sourcesiftheyare wild.But hibernatinginsects likerough areas, such as tall grassesand log piles.”

Avoidpesticides

“Try nottouse pesticides–they canhavea lethal effect it maykill them instantly– or asub lethal effect,where you mayspray aplant whichthe bee feeds from,which canmakeit become disorientated.”

Checkout thesepatternsfor giving interior aclassiclook

SAMWYLIE-HARRIS PressAssociation

Trends come andgo, but if you’re afterlasting appeal,it’salwaysadvisable to stickwiththe classics.

Combiningtraditionaltartanand gingham into aschemecan strike a harmonious balance–especially at this time of year,asweyearn for thosecalmand snug vibes. These strong repeat patterns provide visualinterestand canhelpwarm aroomwithcolourand texture. Here’s how to soften theedges and introduce some checkedcontrast as thenights draw in

1. Carnoustie checkgreyblackout linedeyeletcurtains, from £40, Ju lian Charles

Winter warmth within easy reach, these dapper checkcurtains arefullylined,featuring easy to hang eyelets. Best of all, they’llreduce draughts from windows and preventthe heat from escaping

2. Mustardhouse pink weave set of 4placemats –multi, £32, andset of 4coasters, £16, MADE.com

Foralovelytwist on tableset tings, whosayscheckscan’t be contemporary?

3. KatieAlice vintageindigo gingham side plates,£8.99each, vintageindigoteapot, £39.99,other itemsfroma selection, KatieAlice

Inspired by DutchDelftware, these ceramicnavygingham plates reinventthe past with thoughts of afternoontea andshortbread biscuits.

4. Madras gold checkthrow,£60, checkcushions, £55, Weaver Green

Ioveting throws andcushions? Comforting andcheerful,welove theyellows,blues andsoftpinks in this timeless design.Ideal forstylingonrusticfurniture, flea market finds, as well as asofa.

5. Gingham checkstoneware vase –lilac, £14, Five AndDime Romantic andquaint, we’redefi

nitely sensinga nodtocottagecore when you fill this charming vase with dried flowers

6. Heritage tartan wallpaperin Egyptian blue andmineral,£46 per roll,Lucie Annabel Classicplaid prints canplayup thedullestofcorners,and spur theimagination with thoughts of aglowing fireplace, glassofclaret andchicdrinkstrolley.Thistar tanwallpaper in Egyptian blue will give anyrooma freshfaceand adda touchofdrama

7. Balmoral checkcushion covers, £6 each,Studio

Foraquickie fabric fix, take an ex isting cushionpad andswapout the cover forone of these game-chang ingdesigns, availableinall yourfavourite shades.

8. Gleneagles patterncarpet

in Kinrossgreyplaid,£44.99per square metre,Carpetright

This woven Wilton carpet in an elegantdovegreycheck will bring anyspace to life.Versatile enough to worklikeadream with exposed wooden beams, neutrals andScandi inspired mid-centuryfurniture, not to mentioncountry living schemes andmonochrome room sets

9. Tartan faux furstorage basket, £9,Matalan

Sperfect prop to clearthe clutter, thinkmagazines, home crafts, or even your favourite warming, wintrytipple.

10.Merinolambswoolnavytar tanplaid throw, £89.95,Annabel James

If you want astylish merino lambswoolthrow to snuggleup with,you can’tgowrong with this

one’sco-ordinating tartan tones.

11.Elliecheck accent chairwith plainbolster cushioninplumcom bination,£479, DFS

With itssoftcurvesand sumptu ouspadding,thisvintage-inspired accent chaircertainly looksthe part,especiallyifyou’vegot your heartset on creating acomfortable seatingareatosinkintoatthe end of alongday.Available with achoice of oakand antiquefeetand 12 colourways.

12.Berry gingham linenbedtime bundle,from£297(duvetcover, sheets pillowcases;items also available separately), Piglet In Bed

Apalateofberry-red gingham checks always feelsright this time of year–thisset’smadefromstone washed European flax,prewashed forsoftbedtime bliss.

Heritage tartan wallpaper in Egyptian blue andmineral

Balmoralcheck cushioncoversKatie

Alicevintage indigoginghamsideplatesand teapot

JimmyDoherty

Bagabargain familygetaway forOctober

Taking theslowPacificroute to discover ‘hiddengems’

CALIFORNIA

By HannahStephenson

Tastinga seaurchin atop aPacificGold oystermay conjureupimages of acertain jungle realityshow.

ButJapanese sushidelicacy‘uni’ is alocally caught common go-toin SantaBarbara,accordingtoJanet Ollson, ownerofIndustrialEats. Herhipster restaurant in thetown of Buellton serves everything from artisancharcuterie to cheese-oozingpizzascookedinwood firedov ens. It’s oneofmanyhidden gems on thetourist trail of the451-mile stretchofthe PacificCoast High waybetween SanFranciscoand Los Angeles. Having done this route before on thefasterHighway 101–whichrunsparallel–I’m taking the slower,winding scenic coastalroad of CA-1 (also knownas Highway1).

Thepurescenery of thedrive, snakingpastrocky headland on one side andmountains on theother, andthe little townswehappenupon when we turn offthe coastroad temporarilyforms abig draw.The glorious 17-milescenicdrive along theMontereyPeninsula toll road, passingthrough Pebble Beachto pretty Carmel,may cost $11.25/£10 percar,but it’s money well spent.

ObservationpointsonCA-1are around everycorner, wherevisitors admirephenomenal marine life, from seaottersin the fishinghar bour of MorroBay,tocoloniesof elephant sealsonthe beachat the PiedrasBlancas Rookery.

Ouraccommodation choicesare off-piste– avintage trailer with all modconsinVentura;afunky surf ing-themed hotelinSanta Cruz; a stroll throughredwoodsfor ouraccommodationbreakfast in BigSur Theseare just some of thealterna tivesyou can find if you strayfrom thecrowds.

SanFrancisco

Firsttimerswill head forFisherman’sWharf,Golden Gate Bridge,

Alcatraz,and thetrams.Weopt for Japantownwhere Japanese immigrants builtupacommunity after the1906earthquakewhich devas tated thecity. Easily identifiableby itsmanyrestaurants, aselection of bright,bold, Japanese kitchis also on offerinthe district’s indoor malls. Thelandmarkpagoda, agift from Osaka to SanFranciscoin 1968,standsout in thePeace Plaza.

SantaCruz

ThebirthplaceofUSsurfing, SantaCruz, nicknamedthe Coney Islandofthe West Coastthanks to itsbeach boardwalk funfair complete with theoldestwooden rollercoaster(1924)inthe state, is full of surfer dudesand beachlov ers. Away from thefunfair frolics, we take asurflesson with Club Ed (club-ed.com)afew minutes’drive downthe beach.

National parks California houses 280 stateparks andninenationalparks,including Yosemite andSequoia,but these arebotharoundfourhours’drive from thewestcoast,sotoo farfor aday trip.Fifty milesinlandfrom Monterey is Pinnacles National Park,which lies on theSan Andre as FaultZone, wherevolcanicactiv ity23millionyears agoaccounts for itsmassive monoliths, rockspires, sheercanyons andboulder-covered caves.Hikingtobat caves, we walk alongsidemajesticpillarsof volcanic rock,duckunder boulders wedgedbetween naturalwalls and catchour breath at thewatersof theBearGulch Reservoir.

Paso Robles With nearly 300wineriesinthe region,split betweentwo distinct growingregions –PasoRoblesand

SanLuisObispo– we choose one whichissmall andpersonal. Alta Colina (altacolina.com) not only of fers summit tours, butyou canalso ‘glamp’invintage trailersat the foot of thevines (thetrailerpond. com)

Ventura

Venturaisworth apitstop.It’sa cheaperthanLA, butinmanyways amoreattractiveand compactoption with itsfunky street murals, pedestrianiseddowntownareas andsurfing beaches.

LosAngeles

TheCityofAngelsischokedwith traffic, butwe’re tryingtorecreate theHollywood dreamwithtours andmuseums. Ourultimateview –and finalblowout –comeshighin theempty Burbankhillsat Cast away (castawayburbank.com), a stunningcliff-toprestaurant.

There’sno denying it’s becomingmoreexpensive to go on holiday– especially during peak periods. Butthere arestill plen ty of late dealsonthe market if you look around

If you cangrab adecent flight, roomonlyoptions also offergreat flexibility.Hereare afew goodvalue familybreaks yettobesnapped up

Boatingto Bath

Setting offfromDrifters’ Devizesbaseonthe Kennet & Avon CanalinWiltshire, float alongcanalstoBathand back Thejourney takesaround10 hours, travelling acrosstwo aq ueductsand passingthrough 10 locks, with achoiceofcanal-side pubstostopoff at alongthe way.

n Driftersoffersthe 58ft Ti betanFox narrowboat (sleeps six) fora four-night breakfrom £1,122,saving£324. Pricein cludes diesel,gas,damagewaiv er,linen,towels, canalmap,life jackets, parkingand tuition. Pets c30each. AvailableOcto ber24. Call 0344 9840322or visitdrifters.co.uk

StillsummerinCorfu

Days arestill warm in the Greekislands at theend of Oc tober, although theweather is still cool enough to enjoy the many hiking andcycling routes on offer. Sleepbythe seaatthe five-starAngsana resort,which also hasexcellent kids’clubfacilities

n Roomsfrom£226.90per night(twoadultsand twochildren sharing) with breakfast. From October23. Visitangsa na.com

Bagabargain in Cornwall

Stayingina Cornishcaravan couldbeanaffordablefamily holidayoption. Setonthe edge of awood, surrounded by coun tryside,the Sun Haven holiday park is within walkingdistance of thesands of Mawgan Porth Beachand is closetoNewquay

n Athree-nightstayina six-person caravancosts from £138 pernight.Call0333 200 2780 or visitlovatparks.com

Dine on greatviews in Greece

Choose betweenstrolls through fabulous gardensor alongasandy beachatPar ga BeachResortonmainland Greece.The hoteloffersfamily-friendlyfacilities,asmall spa, aselection of pools andarestaurant with localcuisine.P

n BritishAirways Holidays offers sevennightsB&B atrom £679pp,including flights, from October22. Visitbritishair ways.com/greece

Surfing in Santa Cruz

ThePacificCoast Highwayrunsfor 451miles

Therollercoaster at Santa Cruz

Beachclose to SunHaven HolidayPark,Cornwall

FRIDAYNIGHT LIVE

Channel 4, 9pm

If you’re old enough to remember Saturday Live, you’ll know it was one of the most influential and important comedy shows in British history

During the 1980s, such was the explosion of the socalled ‘alternative comedy’ movement thatover 50 comedy clubs were operating in London and agalaxy of performers were working the venues.

The game-changing Saturday Live (laterbecoming Friday Night Live) brought this burgeoning scene to anational TV audience, and propelled several of the performers to stardom.

Anyone who was anyone on the comedy scene appeared on it, including Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson, Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, Nick Hancock and Neil Mullarkey, Jeremy Hardy,Lenny Henry,Helen Lederer and Andy de la Tour

Arguably the biggest leap to fame was by Harry Enfield, whose brilliantly drawn characters Stavros and Loadsamoney made appearances on the shows.

Meanwhile, although Ben Elton was initially invited just to write for the show,he was asked to perform as well and quickly became the show’s most seen face, hosting all of the second series.

With his trademark sparkly suit, he used the platform to rail against authority and what he saw as the misuse of Tory power during the 1980s.

Friday Night Live was resurrected as asegment for 1993’s Red Nose Day,again hosted by Elton, with appearances by Laurie, Reeves and Mortimer,Eddie Izzard, and David Baddiel and Rob Newman.

The show made another return in 1996 on ITV Hosted by Lee Hurst, it featured comedians including Harry Hill and Simon Munnery It was revived by ITV once again in 2007, with Marcus Brigstocke hosting and comics including Jimmy Carr,Lee Mack, Mitchell and Webb, and Jocelyn Jee Esien.

Elton also performed, and there were musical performances by Bon Jovi and Hard-Fi.

Now,kicking off Truth and Dare season to mark Channel 4’s 40th anniversary,

Pick

Friday Night Live is returning with a90-minutecomedy variety special.

Back to host is the masterful Elton, who is joined by friends from the original series such as Enfield, Clary and Brand, and new performers from today’s circuit including Rosie Jones, Mawaan Rizwan, Jordan Gray,Ronni Ancona and Sam Campbell.

As well as all that comedy talent in one room, there’s live music courtesy of Mercury Prize nominee Self Esteem.

The Return Of Friday Night Live is one of anumber of commissions announced by Channel 4for its anniversary celebrations, with other commissions including Frankie Boyle focusing on the monarchy,Prince Andrew: The Musical, and aprogramme about free expression hosted by Jimmy Carr Channel 4’s Ian Katz says: “This season shows that Channel 4isstill as mischievous, disruptive and distinctive as when it was born 40 years ago.”

During the original Saturday Live series, lawyers were on hand to ensure none of the comedians landed themselves in hot water

And with the state of British politics at themoment, there should be plenty for the likes of Elton and co to get their teeth into, on what promises to be a‘loud, outrageous, noisy and very funny’ homage to aBritish comedy institution.

6.00 Breakfast (S). 9.15 Rip

Off Britain Live: Cost Of Living Special Week (S). 10.00

Crimewatch Live (S). 10.45

Paramedics On Scene (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 London Kills (S). 3.00

Escape To The Country (R) (S).

3.45 Antiques Road Trip (R) (S).

4.30 The Tournament (S). 5.15 Pointless (S).

6.30 Escape To The Country (R) (S). 7.15 The Tournament (R) (S). 8.00 Sign Zone: The Repair Shop (R) (S). 9.00 BBC News (S). 10.00 BBC News (S). 12.15

Politics UK (S). 1.00 Best House

In Town (R) (S). 1.45 Eggheads (R) (S). 2.15 Lightning (R) (S). 2.45 Best Bakes Ever (R) (S). 3.30 Super Cute Animals (R) (S). 4.30 Street Auction (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 (S). 3.00 Tenable (S). 3.59 ITV Regional Weather (S). 4.00 Tipping Point (S). 5.00 The Chase (S).

Rylan

World

6.00 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 6.30 ITV News; Weather (S).

Rugby

Scotland.

Australia

7.30 Emmerdale Avillager is missing and asearch is organised (S).

8.00 Coronation Street Expectant Summer receives an unexpected offer (S).

Legend Nathan Blake

Sullivan (S).

OBriain. Last in the series (S). 10.30 Newsnight (S).

11.05 MOTDx Football discussion presented by Jermaine Jenas (R) (S).

11.35 The Elon Musk Show (R) (S).

12.35 Sign Zone: The Champions League Final: What Went Wrong? –Panorama (R) (S). 1.05 Sign Zone: Simon Reeve’s South America (R) (S). 2.05 Sign Zone: Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling (R) (S). 2.35 This Is BBC Two (S).

9.00 Professor T The criminologist lectures his students about the murder trial of a caretaker (S).

10.00 ITV News At Ten; Weather (S). 10.30 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 10.45 The NFL Show (S).

11.40 The Motorbike Show HenryCole takes aroad trip through the Malvern Hills (S).

12.30 Shop: Ideal World 2.00 Live Women’s World Cup Rugby Union (S). 4.30 Live Women’s World Cup Rugby Union (S).

SAINT MAUD (Film4, 10.45pm)

The brightly-lit arcades of anameless British seaside resortbear witness to abrutal tug of war between faith and fanaticism in writer-director Rose Glass’s striking debut feature. Infused with the creeping dread of amodern-day horror story, Saint Maud is amesmerising portrait of religious fervour and sexual awakening anchored by a bravura central performance from Welsh actress Morfydd Clark (pictured) as the eponymous tortured soul.

SCARFACE (ITV4, 10.50pm)

Small-time crook Tony Montana emigrates from Cuba to the US, determined to become rich and powerful. Admitted into the inner circle of aMiami

drug lord, he ultimately takes over his boss’s empire and even his wife. However,his paranoia and cocaine addiction begin to spiral out of control, while his enemies circle, waitingfor the chance to bring him down.Gangster thriller remake, with Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer and RobertLoggia.

Sport

DERBYCOUNTY

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(R)

MacGyver (R) (S). 3.00

Of Lemur Island (R) (S).

(R) (S). 4.30

Simpsons (R) (S). 5.00 The

(R) (S). 5.30 Futurama (R) (S).

6.00 The Simpsons Classic movie monsters gatecrash aHalloween party (R) (S).

6.30 Hollyoaks (R) (S).

7.00 Channel 4News (S).

7.30 Unreported World Sahar Zand examines the darker side of sumo wrestling (S).

8.00 The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice Jo Brand is joined by celebrity fans to tuck into the events of Halloween Week (S).

9.00 Friday Night Live A one-off revival of the 1980s stand-up and entertainment show (S).

Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years And ALovely BitOfSquirrel A celebration of sitcom Friday Night Dinner (R) (S).

6.00 Walking Victorian Britain (S).

6.30 Eggheads The Pearfect Quizzers take on the regulars (S).

6.55 5News Update (S).

7.00 Tony Robinson’s HistoryOfBritain (S).

7.55 5News Update (S).

8.00 Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out New series. The comedian heads to the south Cornish Coast in her campervan (S).

9.00 Paris To Rome With Bettany Hughes The final leg starts on the Amalfi Coast. Last in the series (S).

10.00 ABBA:Here We Go Again The personal and musical development of the Swedish group (R) (S).

11.35 Greatest ABBA Cover Versions Ever The stories behind wellloved versions of the Swedish group’s songs (R) (S).

1.00 The LeoVegas Live Casino Show (S) 3.00 Entertainment News On 5 (S)

8.00Top Of The Pops (S).

8.30 TopOfThe Pops Performances by Belinda Carlisle, Gabrielle and Frankie Goes to Hollywood (S).

9.00 Kings Of Soul Celebrating the male artists instrumental to the soul genre (S).

9.55 BBC Four Sessions: James Brown (S).

10.55 Soul America The emergence of soul music from the world of gospel (S).

6.00 Futurama Robot gangsters recruit Bender (R) (S). 6.30 The Simpsons Bart develops acrush on his babysitter (R) (S).

7.00 The Simpsons Homer starts asnowplough business (R) (S).

7.30 The Simpsons (R) (S).

6.00 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records (S). 6.35 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records (S). 7.00 In ForAPenny (S). 7.30 In ForAPenny (S). 8.00 Dress To Impress (S). 9.00 Dress To Impress (S). 10.00 Secret Crush (S). 11.00 Secret Crush (S). 12.00 Supermarket Sweep (S). 1.00 Family Fortunes (S). 2.00 Alan Carr’s Epic Gameshow (S). 3.05 Veronica Mars (S). 4.00 One Tree Hill (S). 5.00 HartOf Dixie (S).

6.00 Classic Coronation Street (S). 6.35 Classic Coronation Street (S). 7.00 Classic Emmerdale (S). 7.30 Classic Emmerdale (S). 8.05 On The Buses (S). 8.40 On The Buses (S). 9.10 Upstairs, Downstairs (S). 10.25 Upstairs, Downstairs (S). 11.30 Heartbeat (S). 12.35 Heartbeat (S). 1.40 Classic Emmerdale (S). 2.15 Classic Emmerdale (S). 2.50 Classic Coronation Street (S). 3.25 Classic Coronation Street (S). 3.55 Midsomer Murders (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 Four In ABed (S). 2.40 Four In ABed (S). 3.15 Four In ABed (S). 3.50 Four In ABed (S). 4.20 Four In A Bed (S). 4.50 Find It, Fix It, Flog It (S). 5.55 Car S.O.S (S).

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BBC RADIO 3

11.55 Soul America How soul music reflected troubled times in the late ’60s and early ’70s (S).

8.00 The Simpsons Homer has aheartattack (R) (S).

8.30 Black Adam: Saviour Or Destroyer (R).

9.00 Rob&Romesh vs Fashion Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan meet model David Gandy (R) (S).

10.00 Fantasy Football League With Tom Grennan and Sam Quek (R).

10.35 Never Mind The Buzzcocks (R) (S).

11.20 ALeague Of Their Own Pranks, jokes and outtakes that were never meant for the air (R).

Catchphrase

Vick Hope, Ranvir Singh

Iain Stirling (S).

Heartbeat An infamous London gangster arrives in the area (S).

Heartbeat Alf goes undercover (S).

friend Paris (S).

8.00 Bob’s Burgers Louise wins acontest to be the principal for aday (S).

Bob’s Burgers (S).

FILM: Fast &Furious 7 (2015) Action thriller sequel, starring Vin Diesel (S).

Doc Martin Louisa and Martin’s picnic is interrupted by avet who appears to be hallucinating (S).

Martin Martin uncovers ahealth scare at James’s first birthday party (S).

6.55 Escape To The Chateau: DIY A chateau owner who believes ahoard of ancient armour was hidden in her lake (S).

7.55 Grand Designs A scientist tries to build acarbon-neutral home (S).

Family Guy Peter decides to go on adiet (S).

(S).

Emmerdale 50th Anniversary Hour long episode.

9.00 Astrid: Murder In Paris New series. Crime drama, starring Sara Mortensen. In French (S).

BBC RADIO 4

12.55 Soul America (S). 1.55 Top Of The Pops (S). 2.25 TopOfThe Pops (S). 2.55 TOTP2: Halloween Special (S). 3.55 Close

12.20 The Russell Howard Hour (R). 1.05 Wellington Paranormal (R) (S). 1.35 Wellington Paranormal (R) (S). 2.05 Caught On Dashcam (R) (S). 3.05 Hawaii Five-0 (R) (S). 4.00 MacGyver (R) (S). 5.00 Motorway Patrol (R) (S). 5.30 Motorway Patrol (R) (S).

Radio

Bob’s Burgers (S).

Bob’sBurgers

BBC 5LIVE

Debbie and Pete’s wedding

(S).

11.00 24 Hours In A&E A 71-year-old is rushed in after being knocked over by her husband’s car (S).

12.05 24 Hours In A&E (S). 1.10 8Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown (S). 2.10 24 Hours In A&E (S). 3.20 Food Unwrapped (S). 3.45 Close

6MUSIC

CLASSIC FM

ABSOLUTE RADIO

HOW THE BBC BEGAN

Two, 7.00pm

Happy birthday BBC!

Unless you’ve been living on Mars lately,you can’t fail to have noticed that the corporation has been gearing up for abig centenary celebration for months –well, it’s here at last.

Avariety of programmes tied to the event begin today (Saturday) with athemed Strictly Come Dancing, and last until next weekend. Expect to see special editions of Top Gear,Antiques Roadshow,The One Show (renamed The One Hundred Show), Doctor Who and The Repair Shop (featuring an appearance by King Charles), as well as oneoff shows including Kids TV:The Surprising Story,Una Marson: Our Lost Caribbean Voice and the mockumentary The Love Box In Your Living Room. We’re promised lots to enjoy on radio too.

“For 100 years theBBC has been informing, educating and entertaining the nation and our centenary year has been no different,” claims James Stirling, executive editor of the BBC100 season. “From an incredible summer of sport, to the epic return of Glastonbury,we’ve seen audiences come to the BBCinrecord numbers.

“Our centenary celebrations are at the forefront of our October schedule. During our special week of BBC 100 content, audiences can look forward to amix of exciting new commissions alongside some our best-loved shows, as they mark acentury of broadcasting in their own unique way.There really is something for everyone and we’re looking forward to sharing this moment with audience across the UK and beyond.”

But the Beeb hasn’t simply concentrated on broadcasting –inJanuary it launched anew BBCHistory website, among other schemes, as Stirling explains: “Alongside brilliant programming, we’ve been visiting hundreds of schools up and down the UK with our ambitious education initiative, BBC100 Share Your Story, and audiences are continuing to uncover the story of the nation through our most extensive digital archive collection ever,BBC Rewind.”

But of perhaps most interest to history-lovers out there is How the BBCBegan, atwo-part documentary focusing on the corporation’s first 50 years. It takes viewers right back to October 18, 1922, when the British Broadcasting Company was officially created by the country’s major radio manufacturing companies in an effort to promote the sale of sets to ablossoming audio market. It eventually went live less than amonth later,onNovember 14; anews bulletin was the first broadcast.

Other key moments set to feature include theQueen’s coronation, as well as coverage of JFK’s assassination and the Apollo moon landing, while among those offering anecdotes are David Attenborough, Joan Bakewell, Richard Baker and Dorothy Singer,who was the secretary of the BBC’s first director-general, Lord Reith.

Look out too for David Dimbleby,whose father,Richard, played akey role in the Beeb’s success during the 1950s.

“Milestones are obviously acause for celebration but actually,when you hit 100 years, what you should be looking at is the next 100 years,” says the veteran broadcaster.“The past is very interesting but it is gone. It’s what it teaches us for the future that matters.”

With that in mind, perhaps we should all raise aglass to the next centenary which, hopefully,will be celebrated by viewers and listeners in 2122.

6.00 Breakfast (S). 10.00

Saturday Kitchen Live (S).

11.30 Strawbridge Over The Drawbridge (S). 12.00 Football Focus (S). 1.00 BBC News; Weather (S). 1.15 Bargain Hunt (R) (S). 2.00 Escape To The Country (S). 3.00 Garden Rescue (R) (S). 3.45 The Tournament (S). 4.30 Final Score (S). 5.20 BBC News (S). 5.30 BBC Regional News; Weather (S). 5.40 Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel (S).

7.20 Shaun The Sheep (R) (S). 7.30 Dennis &Gnasher Unleashed! (R) (S). 7.45 Ninja Express (R) (S). 7.55 The Deep (R) (S). 8.20 Odd Squad (R) (S).

8.30 One Zoo Three (R) (S). 8.55 Newsround (S). 9.00 Blue Peter (R) (S). 9.30 Deadly Pole To Pole (R) (S). 10.00 FILM: Queen Of Katwe (Mira Nair 2016) Drama, starring David Oyelowo (S).

12.00 TopOfThe Shop With Tom Kerridge (R) (S). 1.00 The Great Northern Garden Build (R) (S).

2.00 FILM: Lilies Of The Field (Ralph Nelson 1963) (S). 3.30

Trawlermen: Hunting The Catch (R) (S). 4.30 Live Rugby League World Cup England vs France. Kick-off is at 5pm (S).

6.00 Live Women’s World Cup Rugby Union New Zealand vs Scotland. Kick-off is at 4.45am (S). 7.15 CITV 9.25 ITV News (S). 9.30 James Martin’s Saturday Morning (S). 11.40 Ainsley’s World Cup Flavours (S). 12.45 James Martin’s Great British Adventure (R) (S). 1.10 ITV News; Weather (S). 1.20 Midsomer Murders (R) (S). 3.20 FILM: Mr Bean’s Holiday (Steve Bendelack 2007) Comedy, starring Rowan Atkinson (S). 5.00 ITV News; Weather (S). 5.15 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 5.30 Ninja Warrior UK: Race For Glory (S).

6.30 The Masked Dancer

The three remaining celebrities perform before one is crowned the winner.Last in the series (S).

(S).

(S).

With Jools Holland With

Selaocoe, Billy

Debbie, Suede

Chip (S).

Radio 2In Concert Highlights of the band’s 2021 performance at the BBC Radio Theatre (S).

11.40 Coldplay At Radio 1’s Big Weekend The band’s performance at the 2016 edition of the event (R) (S).

12.40 Mock The Week (R) (S).

1.15 FILM: The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi 1982) Horror,starring Bruce Campbell (S). 2.35 This Is BBC Two (S).

8.00 The Voice UK Twelve acts take partinthe semi-final of the competition (S).

10.00 The Jonathan Ross Show With Hans Zimmer,Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Kelly Holmes and Arctic Monkeys (S).

11.00 ITV News; Weather (S). 11.25 English Football League Highlights Action from the latest fixtures (S).

1.10 Shop: Ideal World 3.00

Behind The Rage: America’s Domestic Violence (R) (S). 4.10 Unwind With ITV (S). 5.15 Live Women’s World Cup Rugby Union (S).

HOST (BBC3, 9.30pm)

Premiere. Haley (Haley Bishop, pictured) organises a Zoom video call with five friends, Caroline (Caroline Ward), Emma (Emma Louise Webb), Jemma (Jemma Moore), Radina (Radina Drandova) and Teddy (Edward Linard). Once pleasantries have been exhausted, Haley invites her pal Seylan (Seylan Baxter) into the chat room to conduct an online seance. Caroline is nervous but Seylan attempts to allay the group’s fears even though, in her own words, they will be “slightly less protected” by summoning spirits remotely

THE INBETWEENERS MOVIE (Channel 4, 11.30pm)

Posh boy Will McKenzie (Simon Bird) and his friends Simon (Joe Thomas), Jay (James Buckley) and Neil (Blake Harrison) are now 18 and can

escape the clutches of their school headmaster Mr Gilbertforever.Determined to enjoy one last hurrah before university,they head off on aholiday to Crete, where the hormonally charged young men meet Alison, Jane, Lisa and Lucy,sparking romance under the Mediterranean sun.

DOCTOR WHO BBC One, 7.30pm

“It’s the end. But the moment has been prepared for…”

With those words, the fourth Doctor,played by TomBaker,bowed out before regenerating into Peter Davison. It was an incredible event for many young fans who had grown up watching Baker –due to asevenyear tenure in the Tardis, he was the only incumbent millions of them had ever known.

Now Jodie Whittaker is about to leave too. And although there won’t be quite so many youngsters (or even veteran viewers) sobbing at the idea of such a massive change, in away it’s almost as momentousas Baker’s decision to quit –after all, Whittaker is the first woman to play the Time Lord, and Doctor No14 will be Ncuti Gatwa, the first black actor to tackle the role.

But there’s afair bit to happen before the Rwandanborn Sex Education star makes his official debut.

Gatwa won’t appear in his first adventure for over ayear –David Tennant’s much-vaunted return as the 10th Doctor comes first to tie in with the show’s 60th anniversary next November in episodes devised by Russell TDavies, who masterminded the sci-fi epic’s return to our screens in 2005. Tennant will be joined on screen by Catherine Tate as popular companion Donna Noble.

And, of course, there’s Whittaker’s swan song to enjoy too. It’s afeature-length tale being broadcast to tie in with the BBC’s centenary celebrations, areflection of its importance to the corporation –the show is now one of its biggest and most enduring international successes.

As befits such aspecial episode, all the stops have been pulled out in abid to make it as exciting as possible, so we can expect to see the Doctor and her friends Dan and Yazbattle not only the Daleks and the Cybermen, but the Master too. What’s more, there’s a speeding bullet train, mysterious graffiti and missing seismologists to contend with, as well as an insight into revolutionary Russia as Rasputin takes control of Tsar

Pick

Nicholas…

Fans of the classic series are also in for atreat –Janet Fielding (who appeared in the aforementioned final Tom Baker episode) and Sophie Aldred are reprising their roles as former companions Tegan and Ace. We’ve been told to expect afew other surprises along the way too.

“Jodie and Imade a‘three series and out’ pact with each other at the start of this once-in-a-lifetime blast,” says showrunner Chris Chibnall, who is also leaving.

“So now our shift is done, and we’re handing back the Tardis keys.

“Jodie’s magnificent, iconic Doctor has exceeded all our high expectations. She’s been the gold standard leading actor,shouldering the responsibility of being the first female Doctor with style, strength, warmth, generosity and humour.Ican’t imagine working with a more inspiring Doctor –soI’m not going to!”

“Weknew that we wanted to ride this wave side by side, and pass on the baton together,” adds Whittaker “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express what this role has given me. Iwill carry the Doctor and the lessons I’ve learnt forever.”

The moment has, it seems, been prepared for –here’s hoping it lives up to expectations.

6.00 Breakfast (S). 8.00 Match Of The Day (R) (S). 9.00 Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg (S). 10.00 Politics England (S). 10.30 Pilgrimage: The Road To Istanbul (R) (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 Points Of View (S). 2.05 FILM: Wallace &Gromit In The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit (Nick Park, Steve Box 2005) (S). 3.20 Frozen Planet II (R) (S). 4.20 BBC News (S). 4.35 BBC Regional News; Weather (S). 4.45 Countryfile (S). 5.45 Antiques Roadshow: 100 Years Of The BBC (S).

6.20 Gardeners’ World (R) (S). 7.20 Countryfile (R) (S). 8.15 Landward (R) (S). 8.45 This Farming Life (R) (S). 9.45

Saturday Kitchen Best Bites (S).

11.15 The HairyBikers’ Comfort Food (R) (S). 11.45 MOTD Live: Women’s Super League Liverpool vs Arsenal. Kick-off is at 12pm (S). 2.00 Live Rugby League World Cup Lebanon vs Ireland. Kick-off is at 2.30pm (S). 4.50

Lives At Sea (R) (S). 5.50 This Farming Life (R) (S).

6.00 Live Women’s World Cup Rugby Union England vs South Africa. Kick-off is at 5.45am (S). 8.15 CITV 9.25 ITV News (S). 9.30 Love Your Weekend With Alan Titchmarsh (S). 11.30 English Football League Highlights (R) (S). 1.25 ITV News; Weather (S). 1.30 Ninja Warrior UK: Race ForGlory (R) (S). 2.30 Live Gallagher Premiership Rugby Union Sale Sharks vs Harlequins. Kick-off is at 3pm (S). 5.30 Tipping Point: Best Ever Finals (R) (S).

Una Marson: Our Lost Caribbean Voice Docudrama about the BBC’s first black producer and broadcaster (S).

The Ranganation (S).

Introduction To After Love (S).

After Love (2020) (S).

ITV News; Weather (S).

ITV Regional News; Weather (S).

Family Fortunes (S).

7.30 Gino’s Italy: Like Mamma Used To Make Gino D’Acampo returns to his home town of Torredel Greco. Last in the series (S).

8.00 The Larkins The family hosts abarbecue (S).

Shadows (Jemaine Clement,

Waititi 2014) (S).

Time (R) (S).

9.00 Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Celebrity Special With Joel Dommett and Chris Kamara (S).

ITV News; Weather (S).

Sorry, IDidn’t Know (S).

The Ink Life Exploring tattoos in black British culture (S).

Gallagher Premiership Rugby Union Highlights (S).

Police, Camera, Murder (R) (S). 1.20 Shop: Ideal World

MotorsportUK (R) (S).

Unwind With ITV (S).

Zone:

That Shook The BBC With David Dimbleby (R) (S).

This Is BBC Two (S).

Choices

WHATWEDOINTHE SHADOWS (BBC2, 12.30am)

Jemaine Clement (pictured) and Taiki Waititi co-write, co-direct and star in this mockumentaryabout agroup of vampires. Viago (Waititi) is a379-year-old vampire, who lives in the suburbs of Wellington with fellow members of the undead Vladislav (Clement), Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) and Petyr (Ben Fransham) –the latter an 8,000-year-old creature of the night, who lives in a stone coffininthe basement. But when newly created bloodsucker Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer) joins their ranks, the flatmates runinto trouble.

AFTER LOVE (BBC2, 10.50pm)

MaryHussein (Joanna Scanlan) converted to Islam many years ago to marry Ahmed and she fully embraces everyaspect of life as aBritish Muslim.

Ainsley’s Mediterranean Cookbook (R) (S).

Ahmed is often away from home on business and, when he dies suddenly,Marystruggles to make sense of her loss. Following the funeral, she goes through her husband’s belongings and discovers messages on his mobile phone, which indicate he had asecond family across the Channel.

Formula 1United States Grand Prix Qualifying Highlights (S).

Sunday Brunch (S). 12.30

The Great British Bake Off (R) (S). 1.50 The Simpsons (R) (S).

2.20 The Simpsons (R) (S). 2.50

The Simpsons (R) (S). 3.25 The Simpsons (R) (S). 3.55 FILM: Shrek The Third (Chris Miller, Raman Hui 2007) Animated sequel, with the voice of Mike Myers (S). 5.45 Channel 4News (S).

The Andrew Neil Show (S).

6.00 Milkshake! 10.00

The Smurfs (R) (S). 10.15 SpongeBob SquarePants (S). 10.25 Entertainment News On 5 (S). 10.30 NFL End Zone (S). 11.00 Friends (R) (S). 11.30 Friends (R) (S). 12.00

Friends (R) (S). 12.35 FILM: The Christmas Express (Ron Oliver 2017) Romantic drama, starring Dermot Mulroney and Kimberly Graham (S). 2.45 FILM: Christmas With The Kranks (Joe Roth 2004) Festive comedy, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen (S). 4.50 FILM: The Goonies (Richard Donner 1985) Family adventure, starring Sean Astin (S).

Weekend (S).

Sport

SOUTHAMPTON V ARSENAL

6.00 Where’s Wally (R) (S). 6.25 Where’s Wally (R) (S). 6.50 Where’s Wally (R) (S). 7.15 Where’s Wally (R) (S). 7.40 Where’s Wally (R). 8.05 The Slow Mo Guys’ Big Adventures 8.35 David Attenborough’s Wild City (R) (S). 9.30 Formula 1 (R). 11.15 Modern Family (R) (S). 11.45 Modern Family (R) (S). 12.15 Modern Family (R) (S). 12.45 Modern Family (R) (S). 1.15 Modern Family (R) (S). 1.45 The Simpsons (R) (S). 2.15 The Simpsons (R) (S). 2.45 The Simpsons (R) (S). 3.15 The Simpsons (R) (S). 3.45 FILM: Monster Family (Holger Tappe 2017) (S). 5.30 Patrick Aryee’s Wild World

Brighton &Hove Albion

Chelsea.

World’s Greatest Train Journeys From Above Ajourney across Manitoba from South to North (S).

The Secret World Of Cereal (S).

UK’s Strongest Man Action from the competition in Milton Keynes (S).

8.00 Happy Campers: The Caravan Park New series. Documentary following life at caravan parks across southwest England (S).

7.00 Hancock’s Half Hour Tony is selected for jury duty (S).

7.30 Just Good Friends (S).

8.00 Inside Classical: ABirmingham Celebration With The BBC Symphony Orchestra (S).

(R).

6.00 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records (S). 6.35 Dress To Impress (S). 7.30 Secret Crush (S). 8.30 Secret Crush (S). 9.30 Secret Crush (S). 10.30 Take Me Out (S). 11.45

The Masked Dancer (S). 1.15 Celebrity Catchphrase (S). 2.20 In ForA Penny (S). 2.50 FILM: Goosebumps (Rob Letterman 2015) Fantasy adventure, starring Jack Black (S). 4.55 FILM: Hotel Transylvania (Genndy Tartakovsky 2012) Animated comedy,with the voice of Adam Sandler (S).

6.00 On The Buses (S). 6.40 Emmerdale Omnibus (S). 10.25 On The Buses (S). 10.55 The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (S). 12.00 Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S). 2.00 Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S). 4.00 Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S).

8.55 George Clarke’s Amazing Garden Rooms (S). 9.55 Ugly House To Lovely House With George Clarke (S). 11.00 George Clarke’s Old House, New Home (S). 12.00 Come Dine With Me (S). 12.35 Come Dine With Me (S). 1.05 Come Dine With Me (S). 1.35 Come Dine With Me (S). 2.05 Come Dine With Me (S). 2.40 Four In ABed (S). 3.10 Four In ABed (S). 3.40 Four In ABed (S). 4.15 Four In ABed (S). 4.45 Four In ABed (S). 5.15 Come Dine With Me (S). 5.50 Come Dine With Me (S).

New

her daughter (S).

Star

Khadija Patman,

Yasmeena Ali (S).

Dan Snow: Into The Valley Of The Kings The historyofexploring Egypt’s Valley of the Kings (S).

1988 Alook back

songs from the year (R) (S).

9.20 ’Allo ’Allo! Christmas Special 1985 Rene is dragged into multiple plots to do away with General Von Klinkerhoffen (S).

The Young Ones The boys appear on University Challenge. Originally broadcast in 1984 (S).

RedDwarf (S).

Insidious (2010)

Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne (R) (S).

9.00 Gordon, Gino &Fred Go Greek Culinary adventure with Gordon Ramsay,Gino D’Acampo and Fred Sirieix (S).

Family Guy Lois takes Quagmire to her highschool reunion instead of Peter (S).

Vera The key to a murder lies deep in the memoryofthe victim’s son (S).

6.25 Come Dine With Me (S).

6.55 Come Dine With Me (S).

7.25 Come Dine With Me

The final dinner party in Gloucestershire (S).

8.00 24 Hours In A&E A 79-year-old woman is rushed in with signs of astroke (S).

The Savoy Cameras returntofollow life inside the glamorous London hotel (S).

Lewis Auniversity don is implicated in a murder (S).

9.00 999: On The Front Line Apatient with diabetes collapses with dangerously high blood sugar levels (S).

10.00 24 Hours In A&E A woman is airlifted to hospital after being run over by acar (S).

RADIO

Alan Partridge Alan prepares for aJames Bond fi

Steptoe And Son Harold divides the house

(S).

(S).

11.05 Emergency Helicopter Medics Atennis player is put into an induced coma (S).

Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S).

AgathaChristie’s Poirot (S).

Emmerdale Omnibus (S).

Unwind With ITV (S).

12.10 8Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown (S). 1.15 999: On The Front Line (S). 2.20 24 Hours In A&E (S). 3.25 Food Unwrapped (S). 3.55 Close

CLASSIC FM

ABSOLUTE RADIO

Monday’sTelevision

Editor’s Pick

THE PACT BBC1, 9.00pm

What doesthis hit thriller series haveincommon with legendary sci-fi show Doctor Who? If your first thought was Cardiff,bravo -but the connections run deeper than that.

The Pact had just aboutthe entire country on the edge of their seats backin2021whenthe first season hit our screens.Starring Laura Fraser and Julie Hesmondhalgh, it followed fourfriends who resolved to keep mum about their connections to the death of aman who ran a 100-year-old family brewery in mid-Wales.

It was created and written by Pete McTighe,with Joy Wilkinsonalso contributing scripts forthe second outing Both have previously written for Doctor Who, so baked-in quality is agiven and, if you’re apub quizquestionsetter, you’re welcome.

The enthusiasm for afollow-up series after the success of the first couldn’t be more evident.

NickAndrews, head of commissioning for BBCWales, says: “The Pact gripped the nation, its impactspread like wildfire dominating BBCiPlayer’smost popular lists. When asked if we would go again, it wasa very easydecision to make.

“Pete McTighe’s writing has more twists and turns than abowl of spaghetti –wewereabsorbed by the charactersand the story. It’s brilliant to be going again and fans canbereassured that you’ll be guessing the ending right up until the final credits.”

The second tale is again set in Wales –Cardiff-based Little Door Productions is behind the show,after all and is described as a“gothic tale that putsloveable, complex, charactersunder extremepressure, forcing them to confronttheir past”.

It follows social worker Christine, played by awardwinningactressRakie Ayola. Heroldest son Will (Lloyd Everitt), youngest son Jamie (Aaron Anthony) and daughter Megan (Mali AnnRees) are busytrying to get on with their lives following the recent, tragic death of their brother Liam.

They’re alldeterminedly focused on looking forward to Megan’s wedding, butwhen stranger Connor (Jordan Wilks) arrives in town,claiming aconnectionthat nobody could have imagined,it’s notlong before all theirlives are thrown into turmoil once again.

Over six nerve-shredding episodes,buried secrets will come to light andRosie’s familymust consider who they are, while each of themgrapples with issues of morality and divided loyalty

As theirlives spiral out of control, aterrible pact could be all that will save them.

Rakie Ayola,who is also an executive producer,says about being partofThe Pact: “I’m thrilled to be working again with Little Doorand BBCWalesleading this talented cast to bring Pete’s wonderfully mysteriousstory to life.

“Asanexecutive producer on this series, it’s hugely important to me to see the wealthofopportunity this productionisoffering both to established talent and those new to the industry both behind and in frontofthe camera.”

If it’s anything like the first series,Rakie, Pete and the rest of the cast and crew will be onto yet another winner

Daytime

6.00 Breakfast (S). 9.15 Morning Live (S). 10.00 Critical Incident (S). 10.45 Paramedics On Scene (S). 11.15 Homes Under The Hammer (R) (S). 12.15 Bargain Hunt: BBC 100th Birthday Special (S). 1.00 BBC News At One; Weather (S). 1.30 BBC Regional News; Weather (S). 1.45 Doctors (S). 2.15 Money For Nothing (S). 3.00 IEscaped To The Country (S). 3.45 The Repair Shop (S). 4.30 The Tournament (S). 5.15 Pointless (S).

6.30 Take AHike (R) (S). 7.00 Homes Under The Hammer (R) (S). 8.00 Sign Zone: Antiques Roadshow (R) (S). 9.00 BBC News (S). 10.00 BBC News (S). 12.15 Politics Live (S). 1.00 Best House In Town (R) (S). 1.45 The Home That TwoBuilt (R) (S). 2.45 Eggheads (R) (S). 3.15 Lightning (R) (S). 3.45 Murder, MysteryAnd My Family (R) (S). 4.30 Street Auction (R) (S). 5.00 Flog It! (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 (S). 3.00 Riddiculous (S). 3.59 ITV Regional Weather (S). 4.00 Tipping Point (S). 5.00 The Chase (S).

LEGO OF

UNWANTED

Late

BBC News At Six; Weather (S).

BBC Regional News; Weather (S).

The One Show (S).

EastEnders Panic strikes when Lexi’s dress rips as Lola is helping her get ready (S).

Road Rage: Cars vs Bikes –Panorama (S).

England (R) (S).

6.00 Richard Osman’s House Of Games (S).

Strictly: It Takes Two (S).

7.00 Live Rugby League World Cup Tonga vs Wales. Kick-off is at 7.30pm (S).

6.00 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 6.30 ITV News; Weather (S).

7.30 Emmerdale Chas worries Aaron will spill her secret affair (S).

8.00 Coronation Street An unfortunate accident befalls Eileen (S).

The Pact New series. Drama, starring Rakie Ayola (S).

BBC News At Ten (S).

BBC Regional News; Weather (S).

Have IGot ABit More News ForYou (S).

The Graham Norton Show With guests Geena Davis, Stephen Graham and Motsi Mabuse (R) (S)

McIntyre’s The Wheel (R) (S).

BBC News (S).

9.30 Rise Of The Nazis: The Downfall Most of Germany is occupied by invading Allied forces by April 1945. Last in the series (S).

10.30 Newsnight (S).

9.00 The Walk-In Matthew Collins’ past as aBNP member comes back to haunt him(S).

10.00 ITV News At Ten; Weather (S). 10.30 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 10.45 America: The War Within (S).

11.15 FILM: The Omen (1976) Horror,starring GregoryPeck(S).

1.00 Sign Zone: Countryfile (R) (S). 1.55 Sign Zone: Unbreakable (R) (S). 2.55 This Is BBC Two (S).

11.45 All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite Hard-hitting action from the world of All Elite Wrestling (S).

1.25 Shop:Ideal World 3.00 In The Shadow Of MarySeacole (R) (S). 3.50 Unwind With ITV (S). 5.05 Ainsley’s World Cup Flavours (R) (S).

Film Choices

WILDE (BBC4,11.00pm)

This biopic focuses on the life of Oscar Wilde (Stephen Fry, pictured), whocarried out clandestineaffairs with men at atime when homosexuality was illegal. Disaster strikes when he falls for Lord Alfred Douglas, whodoesn’t seem to know the meaning of the word discreet. However, Wilde contributes to hisown downfall when Douglas’s father begins making public accusations–and thewriter decides to take himtocourt. Fora film about acelebrated wit and dandy,the drama is rather lacking in flair,but it does agoodjob of telling Wilde’s fascinating story.

CORALINE (BBC3,7.00pm)

When11-year-old Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) moves to anew town, she feels bored and neglected by her parents. While exploringher new

home she finds adoor that leadstoanalternative world where her parents are more fun and caring. However,when the ‘Other Mother’asks Coralineto stay in herworld for ever,the youngster begins to realise that heralternative life may be much darker than she thought.

only please.

Donations if desired to Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, for which purpose a collection boxwill be provided at the Crematorium.

HOOPER

Motoring

Pets

LUSCOMBE

John Howard

Sadly passed away on October 10, aged 77 years.

Al ov ing Hus ban dt o Gwynneth, Dad to Gareth, Sarah andPeter, Grandad to Megan, Oliver,Edward and

Dorothy ‘Dee’ Allen Roger Balkwill Betty Bennett Madeline Breeze Maggie Brookhuis

Brownfield

KYMCO AGILITY Motor scooter, 50cc, 2011 reg, 3,500 miles, new battery, new carburettor, MoT til May 2023, good condition, used daily, £475. 07800 664486.

MISSING REWARD FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO HIS SAFE RETURN

Missing from Telford since 4th June 2022

He was last wearing ablack collar with abell. Domestic Shorthair, black blemish on his face. Curved tail, with white tip. microchipped and neutered. £0 07940 077284

SKODA FABIA 1.4 SE 2012, Petrol, Manual. 76000 miles, Full service history. 10 Months MoT. Red, Air conditioning. Exceptional condition. One owner. 2keys. £3,995. 07956 454804.

BoroughofTelford&Wrekin

Public

The Grove School

Address: Newcastle Road, Market Drayton TF9 1HF Tel: 01630 652121 Email: reception@gro.mmat.co.uk www.groveschoolmarketdrayton.co.uk

AttendanceOfficer

Grade7,Scalepoints12-17(£11.70-£12.92/hr)

37hoursperweek,Termtimeonly+2PDdays

Permanent Requiredforassoonaspossible

WearelookingforanenthusiasticpersontojoinourStudent Servicesteam.BasedatTheGroveSchool inMarket Drayton,wearerecruitingforanAttendanceOfficerto provideeducationalsupportwithinmainstreamschooland thespecialistHubprovision.

Applicantswillneedtopossessexcellentnumeracyand literacyskillsandgoodICTskills. Youwillbeconfidentin communicatingondifferentlevels,beabletoplaneffectively andhavegoodunderstandingofchilddevelopment.An awarenessofchildprotection,confidentiality,healthand safety,anddataprotectionisessential.Trainingwillbe provided.

Ifyouhaveanyotherqueries,pleaseemailSamantha Gardineron Samantha.Gardiner@gro.mmat.co.uk

Toapplyforthisvacancy,pleasevisitourschoolwebsite.

ClosingdateforapplicationsisMidnightThursday3rd November2022.

InterviewswillbeheldonWednesday9thNovember2022.

Thisschooliscommittedtosafeguardingandpromotingthe welfareofchildrenandyoungpeopleandexpectsallstaff andvolunteerstosharethiscommitment.Thesuccessful applicantwillbesubjecttoanenhancedDBScheck

BURLINGTON ARROW

2seater sports car, 1967, Freg, based on aTriumph Herald, engine, transmission, chassis, running gear etc, historic vehicle, MoT/Tax exempt, once belonged to aTVcelebrity, iconic British classic, superb. £7,995 01902 219156 /07896 482219.

include

TheCouncil has made the Borough of Telford&Wrekin Church Road, Lilleshall (TemporaryProhibition of Traffic) Order 2022 under the Road TrafficRegulation Act1984, in order to undertakewater main connection works. The order becomes operational from the 26/10/22. The following road is affected: Church Road, Lilleshall from its jcn with Lilyhurst Rd forapprox.150m in anorth easterly direction. Alternativerouteswill be signed on site. The maximum duration is 18 months,buttheworksareexpectedtobecompletedbythe30/10/22.

AntheaLowe,AssociateDirector:Policy&Governance.

TemporaryRoadClosureNoticeTCC 03120/10/22 TWCLP03791

BoroughofTelford&Wrekin

TheCouncilproposestomaketheBoroughofTelford&WrekinLilyhurstRoad, Lilleshall (TemporaryProhibition of Traffic) Order 2022 under the Road Traffic RegulationAct1984,inordertoundertakewatermainconnectionworks.The orderbecomesoperationalfromthe31/10/22.Thefollowingroadisaffected: Lilyhurst Road, Lilleshall from its jcn with Church Rd forapprox.1220m in a southeasterlydirection.Alternativerouteswillbesignedonsite.Themaximum duration is 18 months, but the worksare expected to be completed by the 25/11/22. Anthea Lowe,AssociateDirector: Policy&Governance. Temporary RoadClosureNoticeTCC-03220/10/22 TWCLP03792

BoroughofTelford&Wrekin

TheCouncilhasmadetheBoroughofTelford&Wrekin,LongfordRoad,Newport (TemporaryProhibition of Traffic) Order 2022 under the Road TrafficRegulation Act1984, whilst newwater connection worksare being undertaken. The order becomesoperationalfromthe24/10/22.Thefollowingroadisaffected:Longford Road from o/sproperty knownasOrchardHousefor approx.190m in anorth westerlydirection.Alternativerouteswillbesignedonsite.Themaximumduration is18months,buttheworksareexpectedtobecompletedbythe26/10/22.

AntheaLowe,AssociateDirector:Policy&Governance.

TemporaryRoadClosureNoticeTCC 04920/10/22 TWCLP03781

BoroughofTelford&Wrekin

TheCouncilproposestomaketheBoroughofTelford&WrekinShrewsburyRoad Edgmond (TemporaryProhibition of Traffic) Order 2022 under the Road Traffic RegulationAct1984,whilstmanholeframeandcoverworksarebeingundertaken. Theorderbecomesoperationalfromthe31/10/22betweenthehoursof08:00am and18:00pm.Thefollowingroadisa

ffected:ShrewsburyRd,Edgmondfromitsjcn withHighSttoitsjcnwithB5062ShrewsburyRoadtoChetwyndRoadCrossroads. Alternativerouteswillbesignedonsite.Themaximumdurationis18months,but theworksareexpectedtobecompletedbythe31/10/22.

Anthea Lowe,AssociateDirector: Policy&Governance. TemporaryRoadClosure NoticeTCC 05520/10/22. TWCLP03771

Car finales that went outwithabang

JACK EVANS PressAssociation

Bonfire Nightisabig oc casion in theUK. It’s a dayembeddedwithhis tory andone in which people up anddownthe countryeitherwatch or setoff fireworks, light ingupthe skiesand kickingoff November with abang.

Butanumberofcarswerealso celebrated with a firecrackerofa finaledition

Here,we’re goingtotakea look at some of themostfamousmodelsto go outwitha bang

BugattiVeyronLaFinale

TheVeyronwas one of theall-time greats of themotoringworld.Estab lishingawhole newlevel of perfor mance, Bugatti’s famous hypercar broughtrecord-smashingcapabili ty,aswellasthe kind of technology that thefour-wheeledworld hadn’t seen before

Fittingly, it needed averyspecial send-off,which came in theform of theVeyronLaFinale.Ending thetotal production runof450 models, La Finale was finished in an eye-catchingred colour with matching alloys

LamborghiniAventador Ultimae

Lamborghini’sAventador show casedabrand newage forthe Ital iansupercarmaker.Itarrived with ahugelypowerful V12enginewhen firstdisplayed at the2011Geneva Motor Show andwould go on to be come even more powerful as itslifetime went on

The finalchapter in theAventa dorstory wasthe Ultimae. As you mighthaveguessed,it’sthe ulti mate evolutionofthe Aventador,

NewDS7goeson sale in theUK

bringing 769bhp andarange of ex terior tweaks

Audi R8 RWDGT

TheR8has been acorepartofthe supercar segmentfor some time Combiningsurprisingeveryday usability with huge V10-powered performance, theR8provedtobea real hitfor Audi.Needless to say, it needed asignificant farewell when it wasannounced that production wouldbeendingrecently Limitedto333 cars worldwide,

theAudiR8RWD GT getsmore powerthanthe standard R8,aswell as aseriesofnew drivingmodes It’s slightly lighterthanthe regular car, too.

Ferrari 458Speciale Aperta

Ferrari’s458 will go down in history as one of the firm’s greats.It encompassedeverything people ex pected from theItalian company, with razor-sharp handling combinedwithone of thebestengines

ever made.Infact, the458 would usethe last naturally-aspiratedV8 engine to come from Ferrari.

A finaledition –calledSpeciale Aperta –would celebratethe 458’s life, bringing awidevariety of tweaks andchanges to take the458 experience up anotch

LotusElise Sport240 Final Edition

TheLotus Elise is oneofthose cars that is synonymous with enthusiastdriving.It’sacar that hasbeen around fora longtime, too, whichis whyitwas quiteasad pointwhen Lotusannounced that it wouldbe ending itsproductionrun

TheSport 240 FinalEdition cel ebratedthe Elise,bringingslightly more powerand an even more lightweightdesignthanthe standard car.

Mercedes SLSAMG GT Final Edition

TheSLS hadbeenatrueposterstar forMercedes. Utilising an iconic ‘Gullwing’design, this V8-powered muscle carwas theperfect celebration of thepartnership between Mercedes andfamed performance armAMG

To celebrate, theFinalEdition wascreated.Limited to just 350 units, it gotaneye-catchingdesign with aparticularlynoticeablecar bon fibrebonnet.

ThelatestDS7isavailable to orderin theUK, aheadof firstdeliveries in No vember.

Priced from £36,760, theDS7benefits from arefreshed design both inside andout,aswellasa number of efficient hybrid powertrains. Highlights in cludethe DS 7E-Tense 225, whichcan return up to 250mpg and43miles of electric-onlyrange.All hybrid E-Tense models canbecharged viaa conven tional 7.4kWhome chargerinanhour and45minutes

An efficientdieselengineisalso availableonPerformance Line,PerformanceLine+ andRivoli specifications. Five trim levels areoffered with the DS 7–Performance Line,Performance Line+, Rivoli,Opera andOpera Premiere. EntryPerformance Line cars getahighlevel of standard equipment including19-inch alloywheels, Alcan tara seatsand a12-inch high-definition

touchscreen.The DS 7Performance Line also receives afullAdvanced Safety Pack,incorporating emergency braking, blindspotdetection andlane keepingassist, amongother functions.

Mid-levelRivoli models –priced from £40,660–incorporate 19-inch alloywheels, ablack frontgrillewith chrome accents, chrome DS badging anddiamond-shaped nappaleather seatswithmassaging function.These versions also getaB.R.M.clock mount ed in thecentre console

Range-toppingOpera Premiere models –pricedfrom£62,940 –feature 21-inchdiamond-cutalloy wheels as standard,aswellasa 360-degree park ingcamera, nightvisionand an elec tric tailgate with hands-free access.An upgraded Focalaudio system is also in cluded,bringinga515-wattamplifier, 14 speakers andan eight-inch subwoof er in theprocess

Mercedes SLS

Lamborghini Aventador

Audi R8

BugattiVeyron

Lotus Elise

Ferrari 458

VW Taigoscoreshighintough market

BILLMcCARTHY

siblingAudi, is wide,not leastwithits rangeof SUVs.

It’s atough market as it is not only up againstsimilar VW modelsbut others likeNissan, Peugeot, Mini,Skoda andSEAT.

VW describesthe Taigo newcom er as an SUVCoupe,because of its sleeksilhouette

It scores with itseye-catching styling, choice of twoengines, three trim styles andgenerousstowage areas. It certainlyhas individual styling, acrossover with adesign aimedatyounger buyers.Itisbuilt

on VW’s MQB platform andmaintainsastreamlinedprofile despite sitting higher offthe ground.Itfea turesadramaticsloping roofdesign andwillwidelightbar to therear, whichisall nicely setoff withroofbars andsmart alloywheels,

Despite beingthe entrylevel,still notcheap at £21,960, specification includes thenow familiarcusto misabledigital cockpitand central screen,which controls thethird generation of ModularInfotainment Toolkit(MIB3).

This enablesthe useofa variety of online-based functions and ac cess to streamingservices. Move up thegradestoStyle andR-Lineand thegoodypackgetsbigger.

Despite beingthe base model, the

Lifeincludesfront foglights, LED headlights, inductive smartphone charging,amultifunction steering wheeland electric foldingand heat ed door mirrors

Theinterior itself is typical VW solidlybuiltand reassuringly dura blewithamixture of soft touchand some admittedly harsherplastics. Controls andswitchesare logically placed anddespite modest proportions,fouradultsare seated in comfort. It also features aone-litre, 95PSthree cylinder petrolengine. A110ps versionisalsoavailable,as is amoresportyfour-cylinder 1.5-li tre 150PSengine.

Thegutsy threepot onelitre engine is not exactlydesignedfor pace,moreeconomy anddelivers that in spadeswitharealistic 50 mpgachievable.

Despite itsrelativelymodestpow er,itstill deliversthe throatygrowl associated with threecylinder en ginesand,mated with a five speed manual box, pullswellthrough the gears.The sprint to 60mphismore of arapid jog at around 11 seconds, butstill adequate enough formost circumstances.

It performs particularly well around town andthe otherhalfwas particularly impressedwithhow easy it wastodrive,she lovedthe slickgearchanges andthe manoeu vrability

That’s nottosay it is not acapablemotorwaycruiser.Which it is

Despitesitting relatively high off theroad, it handleswelland feels well planted enough on corners, whilethe suspensionrides well over even theworst of ourroads

SUVs arepractical beasts and despiteits modest dimensions,the Taigooffersplentyofstowage space with an impressive 440litre available,which opensup substantially with thesplit rear seatsfolded.

Having achieved theEuroNCAP five star safety rating,featuresin cludea full rangeofairbags,front andrearparking sensors, emergency brakefunction, andthe lane de parturewarning system as standard.

FACTFILE

VOLKSWAGEN TAIGO LIFE

Price: £22,275

Mechanical: 95PS,999cc three cylinder enginedriving front wheels via five speedmanualgearbox

MaxSpeed: 114mph

0-62mph: 11.1sec

Combined MPG: 50.5

Insurance Group: 13 C02 emissions: 124g/km Warranty: 3years/60,000 miles

Legendsare honoured by MidShropshireLeague

MALCOLM FLETCHER sports@mnamedia.co.uk

Three more legendsof bowlshavebeenhon ouredwithlifemembership of theMolsonCoors MidShropshireLeague.

Angela Gaut,Keith Pessall andColin Rudrum received their awards at aspecial ceremony following theleague’sOctober exec utivemeeting at Wellington’sSir JohnBayleyClub.

Gaut hastwice been crowned BritishLadiesMerit champion, Pessallmadehistory on hisreturn to thesport as thecounty’s first ever winner of theBritish Veterans Meritand Rudrum is the manwho ledNewport’s remarkable rise to thetop tableofShropshirebowls

Allhavewon othertitlesgalore andaleaguespokesman said:“We want to keephonouringpeoplewho have done so much forour game andthese three really deserve life membership forall theirachieve ments.”

Lookingahead to the2023sea son, thespokesman added: “Officers woulddearlyliketosee at leastdivision one return to 12-a-side fix turesonFridays (from10-a-side sinceCovid struck).

“But, in lightofa survey of memberclubs andthe many strong views expressedbycurrent firstdivision clubs, we arereluctant to risk any proposalsthatcould lead to more teamswithdrawing

“The league simply cannot afford that, so the officers will notbeput ting forwardany proposalsonthe matter to theAGM in January.

“Butthatdoes not stop clubs making proposalsbeforethe Octo ber31deadline,thatwould require secondingatthe December meet ing.”

nn nn

Shropshire’stop bowlerstookto thenew £2,100 Autumn Doublesat St Georges like duckstowater.

They dominated thequalifying sessions in the31-up twoman team eventthatwill endwith£900 going

ScottHarries teamed up with countyteam-mate SpencerClarke (Sir JohnBayley) to getthe ball rolling

Andtheir examplein booking aplaceinthe last eightwas soon matchedbyCastlefields duoMichael Beer &AdamJones, WayneRogers &NickLewis (Burway) andGary Neal (Hanwood)&AdrianRowe (Castlefields). In addition,Brit ishNo.1CallumWraight teamed up with Welshace JohnBaileyto qualifyand hisstepdad Rich Goddard also made it with TomPalmer (Warwick &Worcester).

nnnn

St Georges have finallyended Sir JohnBayley’sreign in Shropshire’s longestestablished veterans bowls league

TheBayleyBoyshad been First Division champions of theMid ShropshireSeniorCitizensLeague nine timesinarow,but this year theDragons pipped them to the crown.

So St GeorgesAwereinthe spotlightatthe league’s finals and presentation dayatBylet,when Wrockwardine Wood andNewport Bwrapped up fine doubles

TheWrockites,winners of the Second Division,beatSir JohnBay leyBby 39 shotstolandthe Charity Shield whileFourthDivisiontop dogs NewportBliftedthe Charity Consolation Shield with a47-chalk winoverAllscottHeath B. Phil Furniss(21-9)and John Clarke (21-9)led theway forWood, whostarted with a12-shot handicapadvantage,whileDavid Ches ters (21-5)was tops as theFishes soonaddedtotheir own12-shot handicap over Allscott.

St Georges Calsowon Division Threeand thedivisionalaverages winnerswere–One:Barry Gilder (StGeorges A);Two:TonyGarmson(WrockWd);Three:JohnBax ter(AllscottHeath B);Four: Alan Gould(NewportB). nnnn

Plentyofencouraging signsfor Shropshire’sbowls chiefs have been

offset by theneedto find twonew keyofficers for2023.

Thelatestmeetingofthe asso ciation’s county executiveatMeole Braceheard that 4,921bowlers had playedfor clubsinaffiliated leagues in theseasonjustcompleted

Andthere were 265 newplayer registrationsthisyear– another figure up significantly from aCov id-affected 2021 –meaning interim treasurer MarieScott couldreport ahealthy bank balance.

Butthe need to fill thetreasurer’s role permanentlyremains acon cern forthe executive anda finance committee ledbycountyvice-chair manSeanRound

They also need areplacement for competitionsecretary MikePotter who, when he finishes hissecond spellascountypresidentatthe AGMinFebruary, will be stepping down from that posttoo.

Alreadycoping with Parkinson’s Disease, Potter nowhas otherper sonaland family issues to deal with andhas announcedthatheintends to withdraw from theposition.

A finalsalute to champions

Wrockwardine

SirJohnBayleyand hosts Burway werethe winnerson finals night in Shropshire’s topbowls league –but it wasWrockwardineWood whotookall theplaudits.

TheWrockites’ domination of theShropshirePremier wasoffi ciallysaluted at theleague’spool finals andpresentationevening at theLudlowclub.

TheBayleyBoysbeatCounty Cupwinners Iftoninthe Pool A finalwhilethe othereight-a-side clashfor thePoolBtitle ended with Burway beatingHanmer.

County MeritchampionDavidLloyd won21-2asthe Bayley stormedout of theblocks, with Alex Jonesaddinga21-5cardina comfortablevictory

“JoeyWilliamswon 15 forIft on butSpencer Clarke getting20 from 14-4 down meantthatthe Bayley ledby28afterthe front four,” said Premierchief RobBur roughs. “And threefurther winners at theback, ledbycaptain ChrisWorthington’s 21-11win, meantan overallwin of 42

“Burway used home advantage as they wontheir fourth Pool Btitleagainst Hanmer

“Wayne Rogers won21-7togive them agreat start, with Kiah Robertsaddinga21-11 winand JesseJames another21-11.”

Butitwas Wrockwardine Wood whohad bossedthe main Premier season,producingthe best campaignthe league haseverseen.

They brokethe followingrecords-mostpointsin aseason 271; most wins in aseason23; most away wins in aseason10; leastdefeats in aseasonthree,to equalChester Road in 2005;most away points in aseason127;most improvedteambetween twosea sons 85 points;biggest margin be tweentop two54points.

Castlefields star Mike Beer was theother bigwinner on thenight as he finallygot hishands on the league averages afterlosing just onegameall season,addingthe Most Consecutive Wins award with 10

Proudnew Mid Shropshire life members– Colin Rudrumand (right) Keith Pessall with Angela Gaut

Wrockwardine Wood’s John Clarke with league presidentKen NeTonkiss wportB line up for ateamshotfollowing theirDivision Four titleand Charity Consolation Shield success

Newchampions –Bob BarberofFirst Division winners St Georges with league presidentKen Tonkiss to thewinnerson finals daySatur day, October22(2.30pm).

Mike Beer–double titlewinner

Bayley captainChrisWorthington with league president Andy Smith

Wilkin wants everyone pulling in rightdirection

Newly-appointed AFCTelford United managerKevin Wilk in hopes to seethe NewBucks Head ‘packedout’and ‘enjoying itsfootball’ again.

The55-year-old wasbrought in swiftly afterthe club sacked previous managerPaulCarden

Theteamhavehad adismal starttothe season,which has left them 23rd in theNational League North. As aplayer, Wilk in featured 78 timesfor Northampton Town,but as amanager, he is vastly experienced,having spentseven yearsin charge at Brackley Town

Andthe newbossisdelighted to have joined such abig club –and he hopes he canhelpthe club to take ‘steps forward’.He said:“Ihavebeenhereasa play er at theold ground andobviously have managedseveral times here

“Telford areamassive club, it hasnot quiteachievedits po tentialinrecentseasons andis an opportunitytoworkatsucha fantasticstadium,withafantasticsurface

Gemmaleftdisappointed by Games’ judodecision

LEWISCOX lewis.cox@mnamedia.co.uk

European championand Commonwealth silver medalwinnerGemma Howellisdisappointed more judo playerswill be denied theopportu nity to experience and promotethe sportonthe bigstage.

It wasrevealedthisweekthatthe published list of sports forthe 2026 Commonwealth GamesinVictoria, Australiawillnot includejudo

That comesasablowespecially to scores of Englishand Britishjudokas,manyofwhom have excelled in recent years–particularlyatthe successfulhome Commonwealth GamesinBirmingham this year

England topped themedaltableintheir home games, with 13 gongs–including five golds. Scot land pocketed four andthere were twoeachfor Walesand Northern Ireland.

Howell, whowas born in Stafford butlives in Priorslee in Telford, earned abrilliantsilver andbecame one of thefaces of thesport with televisionworkinthe BBCstudios

al.Inthe category above theAus tralian gold medalwinner wasreally unexpected

NewBucks bossKevin Wilkin

“There areclearly bitsthat will need adjustingand moving around,hence thereasonthey have not finished as farforward as they wouldhaveliked in re cent seasons.

“There is clearlyadisconnect betweenthe team andcertain partsofthe support, andone thingI need to do is geteveryone pulling in theright direction, whichwill help us take those stepsforward.”

He added: “There areclear ly things that need to improve within thegroup –results don’t lie.

“I thinkthere aregoodbits theretogoand workonand try to bringtogetherthatwill take alittlebit of time.Iwanttoget this placepackedout againand enjoyingits football

“I am undernoillusionofhow difficult ataskthatmay be,but I am here to workand workhard.”

Andthe newbosssayshe is prepared to ‘adapt’whenit comestothe system histeam will play,and he just demands hisplayers meet hisstandards.

He said:“As amanager,a coachand aleaderIthinkIhave evolved, Idon’t thinkIhaveever stood still.

“I demand ahighstandard, andI am notafraidofhavinga difficult conversation with who ever it needstobe.”

Shehoped Australia’simpressive medalhaulof10may have meant thenexthostnationincluding judo, butthe Commonwealth GamesFed eration, AndrewsLabor Govern ment andCommonwealth Games Australiaconfirmed otherwise.

Howell, 32,who this year be came European championfor the firsttimewithgoldinSofia, said:

“We wanted Australia to do well although notaswellasus! If they hadasuccessfulGames they would want to host

“I hadto fightanAustralian in thesemiand shegot abronzemed

“Theydid well andhad some good blingtoshow foritsoIthought it mightbelikely,but it’s not.”

Howell, whoisstudyinga maths postgraduate certificate in educa tion forlifeafterjudo, knowsall too well about fighting to success hav ingovercome 10 differentsurgeries in hercareer.

Sheadded: “Itwas always going to be disappointingfor judo notto be in Australia. One because it’s an incredible countryand it will be an amazing atmosphere

“It’sthe opportunityofbeing at aGames.For people whohaven’t competed at an Olympicsyet.A

Gamesissuchadifferent experi ence,itcan be so overwhelming with allthe sports.JusttoexperienceaCommonwealthscan help you forthe future,beitOlympics orwhatever.Being apartofother sports andcountries,soaking up theatmosphere, it’s just ashame

“Moreimportantly it puts judo in thelimelight.I’m sure therewas an uptake in judo afterpeoplewatched this year,the morepeoplewecan getinjudo, thebetterathleteshave come from it.”

Howellsaid: “It’seasiertoqual ifyfor aCommonwealths than an Olympics, it givesmorepeoplean opportunitytoperform

“I feel luckythe homeone fell in my cycle, an athlete’scareerisn’t

500years, you don’tget endlessop portunities.

“2026isawhileaway, Iwouldn’t be goingbecause Iknowmybody can’thandlethatfor toomuch longer,but it’s ashame it mightfall forthe peakofsome athletes’career andtheywon’t have that opportu nity.”

Howellhas returned to training followinga shoulder injury andis preparingfor theWorld Mastersin Israel in December

Birmingham wasthe fifthGames judo hadbeeninvolvedwithsince itsintroduction as ademonstration sportin1986. It hasbeenheldin Scotland 1986,New Zealand1990, England 2002,Scotland2014and England 2022

Watkins’ warningasTigersholdonafter lightning start

TelfordTigers’ lightningstart was hailed by head coachTom Watkins –after surgingintoa7-1 firstpe riod lead at Bees on Sundaynight

However,healso warned his side againstgetting complacent afterthe Slough hostsfoughtback to make the finalscore 8-4 in the NIHL National League

Therewereeight differentscorers–Jason Silverthorn, Corey Goodison, Rhodes Mitchell-King, RickyPlant,Fin Howells, Tom Byrne, Vladimir Luka andBayley Harwood –but Watkinswants his side to be moredisciplined

He said:“We gotafaststart, collectively everyone wasontheir game from thestart,playedsimple, movedthe puck lowtohigh andgot bodies to thenet

“Wewererewardedfor oureffortsand hopefullyitshowshow simple thegameshouldbe. A7-1 firstperiodwas agreat start. Bees

were then moredominantinthe next 40 minutes, we againtooktoo many minor penaltiesand need to learntobemoredisciplined.The last twoperiods we lost 3-1.

“At7-1 we should shut thegame down notallow ateamtocome back at us.That’ssomethingfor us to learnand improve upon.”

Tigers started thegamewithfour players missingfromthe squad JonathanWeaver,DeakanFielder, Nick Oliver andJackWatkins

Telfordwerepleased that Rhodes Mitchell-Kingwas able to take to theice aftermissing theend of the previous game againstPeterborough aftertakinga puck to theleg when blocking ashot.

Thegamewas delayedby15min utes,but it wascertainly worth the wait forTigersfans.

Bees’StuartMoggwas called fortrippingearly on,givingTelford their firstpower play of the

evening, andtheytooklessthan aminutetoopenthe scoringasa shot from distance by DannyRose wasdeflectedexpertlypastBees’ netminderAdamGossbySilvert horn

Just 10 secondslater theleadwas doubled.Along-range shot from Goodisonhit thepostand rebounded offthe back of Goss andtrickled into thenet

Bees didget one back during a powerplayoftheir own, butTigers were then rampantfor theremainderofthe firstperiod.

Mitchell-Kingdrilled aperfect shot into thetop corner of thegoal from thebluelineand Tigers made it 4-1whenGoodisonset up Ricky Plantfor alow shot past back-up DanWeller-Evans.

Just 20 secondslater,Tigershad a fifth.

AshotfromRosewas tipped by FinHowells andsaved by

Weller-Evans.But as theBees’ net minder made thesave,hekicked thepuckbehindhim into thenet with thegoalbeing credited to Howells

Byrnethenscoredhis first National League goal,directingastrikefromJakePrice over Weller-Evans.And Tigers were 7-1 clearwhenathunderousshotfrom Vladimir Luka flew past Weller-Ev ansintothe bottom of thegoal.

Thepuckwas struck so hard that theofficials took some time to re trieveitafterithad gotstuck in the netting.

Thehosts scored twiceduring thesecondperiodtoreducethe ar rearsto7-3,withTelford notadd ingtotheir score. However,they didput it to bedin the finalperiod when Harewood foundthe toplefthand corner

AlateDominik Gabajgoalfor Bees roundedoff thescoring

Gemma Howell afterwinning silver in thewomen’s -63kg finalonday five of the2022Commonwealth Games

Salopian hitthe bullseye withanother fine display

Salopian’s unbeaten starttothe UKDA InterCountyseasoncontin uedwithahard-fought 20-16vic tory at home to Northumberland, writes Che Kerin.

At avocal Bagley club it would be thevisitorswho made theear ly breakthrough in theladies’ B matchesasLisaBarnesdefeated Hayley McGuines

Claire Boyle(12.68one dart aver age) respondedfor thehosts butthe Northumbrianshit back to storm 4-1ahead

JulieGriffiths(17.06) then bagged akey winfor Salopian to reduce the deficittotwo points goingintothe men’sBmatches

Paul Ashworth (21.35) andAdri an Logsdale (21.17) ensured the momentum wasmaintainedbySa lopian although that waschecked by Northumberland’s Paul Sinclair

in thefollowing contest. Salopian hitbackthrough Mark Crutchley (21.17)and Darren Lane (20.93)al though both successes were repelled with wins forNorthumberland.

Thehosts then appeared to take controlofthe game with successive wins from JamieKynaston(20.59), BenMorgan(23.86) andShaun Pryce(25.05)

However,Northumberlandhit back to take thelasttwo gamesto ensure theoverallmatch waslocked at 9-9atthe endofthe firstday AlisonGallagher gave Salopian ladies’A theperfect startonday two, butagain Northumberland re spondedinthe next match.

Back came Salopian with Steph Clark (23.12), Sarah Roberts (18.11) andEvonneTaylor hittingformto give theirsideanoverall13-11 lead JohnRoberts (24.50) gave the

men’sAthe perfectstart,but Northumberland hitbackagain to take the nexttwo games

KaceyJones (26.89)restoredpar ityinthe men’sAbattleonlyfor the visitors to respondagain

Salopianrallied to take thenext twomatches throughMattElsey (26.02)and JoeHiggins (25.14)to putthe home side one game away from victory.

Northumberland weren’t fin ished, however,takingthe nexttwo matches, although it wasjustpro longingthe inevitable as Paul Row ley(27.75) securedvictory aman-ofthe-matchperformance

The finaltwo gameswentthe way of thehosts through ScottDockerty (26.30)and Jon Mansell (24.99).

Coldecott stars to helpAlveley make progress

TheBridgnorthLeagueturnedits attentiontothe three-a-side com petition this week with theprelim inary andquarter finalmatches taking place.

Andinthis‘aggregatescore’com petition it wasanight that favoured thehigherhandicappedthree somes.

In thepreliminary round, played at Alveley, it looked as though Bro seleyhad the edge, particularly afterMattSmout’s firstframe win againstReg Burton

ButAlveley hitbackand player of-the nightand match-winner was undoubtedly SteveColdecott.He putBrian Edwardstothe sword, winningby56points.

Gary WatsonbeatChris Jepson 66-52inthe finalframe,but it was Alveleywho progressed 286-251on aggregate.

St John’sBplayers,MarkWors dell,MarkJonesand Mike Crawley with a77-pointhandicapadvan tage,wereconsideredtobethe un derdogsagainst atriofromWood field.

Butafter Worsdell’svictory againstRichard Castlehad pushed thehome team’sadvantage to 98 points it needed somethingspecial from father andson Neil andCam eron DrewettifWoodfieldwereto turn things around They both won, respectively beat ingMarkJones andMikeCrawley, butthe St John’sboysdid more than enough to secure a64-point victoryand aquarter finalplace

Ended

Meanwhile, thesecondStJohn’s team in action made it throughto thelastfouratthe expense of Bro seley.

PerfectDawleymarch on as rivals hitthe goal trail

Dawley Town made it a magnificent sevenwins on thespininthe Salop LeisureLeague.

ThePremier Division pacesetters were made to workhardtomain tain theirperfect starttothe sea sonin theirtop-of-the-tableclash with Ludlow ButastrikefromKieranBuckley provedtobeenoughtosecurean otherthree-point haul

Second-placedHodnetare two points behind theleaders but maintained thepressureatthe top thanks to anothergoal-laden dis play Hodnet hitthe back of thenet 12 timesfor thesecondtimeinthree matches.

St Martinswereonthe receiving endonthisoccasionwithhot-shot NickyParkerleading thegoalrush.

He scored five times– with four of hisstrikes coming before half-time –totakehis tallyfor theseasonto

19 Connor Dunneaddedabrace, with CameronDourish, Lewis Brown, Adam Heath, Macauley Cliftonand Daniel Parker also on themark.

Anotherofthe titlehopefuls, Church StrettonTown, also hitthe goal trail

JamesHillwas theirhat-trick hero as they beat Shrewsbury Up &Comers 7-4inanentertaining clash.

Strikes from Josh Hunting, Dean Richards andMatthew Cole plusan owngoalcompleted Stretton’stally Juan Finlow baggedatreblefor

Shrewsbury with Owen Rothwell grabbing theirother goal

Thevictory leaves Strettonsit tingthirdonthe same number of points as Hodnet

Thegoals continuedto flow in the othertop flightgames

Samuel Florystrucktwice as PreesUnitedbeatvisitingGobow en Celtic 4-3.

ShaunDavieswas anotherman whofound hisshootingboots in theclash betweenWem Town and MadeleySports.

Davies gave visiting Madeleya slender half-timeleadbeforehitting topgearafterthe break

He struck threemoretimes to help Wemtoa 6-0success.Jon Mat thewsand Mark Pritchardadded theother goals.

Broseley easedtoa5-1 winat home to Ercall ColtsJuniorsEvolu tion.Two goalsfromDanielJames

andone from AsaDeanput them threeup at half-time.

Joseph Morrisand MichaelSmith addedtothe hosts’tally in the final 10 minutes

Morda United also won5-1 –on theroadatWrockwardineWood Juniors.

Therewas no change at thetop ofDivisionOne as theleading con tendersbothwon

Table-toppersWellingtonAma teursDevelopmenthit thenet six timeswithout replyawaytoErcall ColtsJuniorsRangers

Second-placed Bridgnorth Devel opment were 2-0winnersathome to EllesmereRangers Reserves.

Theother second tier clashsaw LlanymynechbeatErcallColts JuniorsRevolutionColts3-1

SamLewis scoredtwice with skipperMikeWhitehouse also on target

St John’sstarted with aslender seven-point handicap,but that was increasedbyanother seven by Tim Steelashe beat SimonMcloudwith theaid of a30break

Martin Lippett’s40-pointvictory overNickCarsonthenjustabout ended thecontest

Broseley’s Mick Brezwyn, well knownfor high breaks andexcep tional comebacks, didhis best as he beat Josh Summers,but amodest 31 breakwas notenoughtostopSt John’sprogressing

Thesecondquarter finalofthe eveningwas an all-Chelmarshaf fair

Thefavourites, undoubtedly, were thethree players representing Chelmarsh B, thechampions in six of thepastseven seasons.

They were giving away a14-point starttoChelmarsh SC

Frameone sawGarySmith beat Carl Walker by exactlythatdiffer ence to levelthe match.

Unfortunately forthe favourites, IanPostans hadnot read thescript.

Postans, whoonmanyaprevious occasion hadcome unstuckwhen playingagainst ChrisLewis, gave outpossiblythe biggest hammering that Lewishas received from any playerfor many aseason.

Postanswon 81-20togivethe SC team an almost unassailablelead with oneframe to go Simon Thomas wasuplastfor Chelmarshbut came outsecond best to Matt Judd as theChelmarsh Sc trio triumphed 179-91

Action from table-topping Dawley Town’s clashwith fellow SalopLeisure League titlehopefuls Ludlow.Dawleybattled to a1-0 winPics: DavidHamilton

NICK ELWELL nick.elwell@mnamedia.co.uk

Salopian ladies Awereawarded trophiesbeforetheir match for winning theirsection last season

DRAYTONSECURE AVITAL VICTORY

NICK ELWELL nick.elwell@mnamedia.co.uk

Apower-paced second half displaysaw MarketDrayton claim avitalvictory in Counties 2 MidlandsWestNorth.

Head coachGeorgeArmstrong hadlabelled thehome clashwith Luctonians IIIas‘must win’ and histroopsdelivered as they recovered from 21-7 down at half-timeto triumph26-21

“Onthe back of threedefeats and thefactthattheywerebelow us in thetable,Ifeltitwas amustwin game,” said Armstrong

“Wehavegot to beat thesides that arein andaroundus. This season is allabout consolidation We expected it to be toughbut it’s wherewewanttoplayour rugby.

“It’sabetterstyle andstandard of rugbybut we allknowwedeserve to be in this league we want to stay in it

“It’sgoing to be hard to beat the sidesnearthe topbecause they have bigbudgets

“And theplayers whoplayfor Newport, Bridgnorth andLuctoni ansall trainwiththeir firstteams andthatshowswhenyou play them

“Soit’simportant getresults againstthe sidesaroundyou in the table.

“Wetried ourbesttomessitup on Saturday.Wegavethemtwo triesinthe firsthalfand suddenly we were 21-7 down

“Athalf-time we talked about

keepingpossessionbetterand to keep batteringawayatthem.

“I thoughtthatasthe game wore on we couldwearthemdownad that’s what happened

“Wemanaged to scorethree good triesafterthe breakand hadanoth er onedisallowed.

“Inthe last 20 minutes we really took thegametothem. So from be ing21-7downand looking as is we were goingtoloseweended up win ning andpicking up abonus point.”

Draytonstarted Saturday’s game on thefront foot andstruck first when Chad Fieldhouse,again play

inginthe second row, wasdriven overthe line.AlexGammonadded theconversion

Luctonians then hitbackand punished acouple of mistakes from thehome side as they scored three convertedtries before the break

But, firedupbyahalf-time pep talk, Drayton took charge inthe second half

Gammon scored a fine individual scoretomakeit21-12.Jim Barrett wasthendrivenover by thefor wardsand with Gammon convertingthe gapwas down to twopoints.

Gammon then hadthe finalsay

cappinganimpressivedisplay with anothertry andconversiontoseala 26-21success

Next up forDrayton is aclash with Oswestry,the side they gained promotion alongsidelastseason.

AndArmstrong lookslikehe will have astrongersquad to chose from

“Wehavehad some availabili ty issues andinjuries,”hesaid. “I couldput outtwo sets of backsbut we have been strugglingto fielda pack of forwards.But things are lookinga bitbetterfor Saturday’s game with Oswestry.”

Runnerstravelsouth

personalbestof1:09:11

Brownbelieves Town hard done to in latest loss

Market DraytonTownbossRichardBrown hopescompliments cantranslate into points at Greenfields Brown, appointed forasecond stintatTownatthe endoflast month, hassofar overseenfour defeatsfromfourtoleave theside bottom of MidlandPremier

Butthe last twodefeats,includingSaturday’sunfortunate 1-0reverse with 10 menagainst leadersWalsall Wood, have been by theodd goal andBrown has takenconfidence

“I sawtheir interviewand the ladsaid‘we should’veput our chancesaway’ andIthought I waswatchingadifferent game,” said Brown. “The goal’s an own goal from acorner, otherthan that George ourkeeper hasn’t made asave. Theirkeeperhasn’t, really,but we were down to 10 men.

“It’snicetoget positivecom mentsfromother managers after thegame, IknowHarry Harris andSteve Hinks well,bothsaid it’s thehardest game they’vehad thisseason.

“Butwestill lost,itisniceto hear that feedback from topof theleaguethough.

“Ifwecontinueaswedid on Saturday resultswill come our way.”

Hockey aces are just edgedout

Market Drayton were edged out in theirlatestMidlandsHockeyDivision ThreeWestclash Playingonthe pitchwhere the Commonwealth Games finalwas playedtheylost3-2 to Edgbaston seconds.

Theseconds drew 1-1withLichfieldsixths. JamesParsons wason target.The ladies lost 9-0awayto Beacon

The10-milecourse,based

elling Draytoncontingent didjust that

JanetteCooper(1:53:00) was first acrossthe line,closely followed by husband, Stephen(1:56:01) and then Lorraine Vine (1:57:47), Mandy Greene (2:00:19)and Sophie Murray (2:25:22).

Twoclubmembersstayedin Shropshiretocompletethe Oswest ry 10K.

MandyLewis crossed thelinein 1:07:21, with WendyLoatclockinga

Barclays’ Knutsford10K hada brilliantturnout from MDRC with 12 memberstakingpartand setting sixPBs

Tony Warner (58:07) firstover thelinefor theclub,followedby Beatrice Shepleyand BeckyWarner whocompleted theracein58:07 LauraPitcher achieved aPBof 58:59asdid MichaelMcKeown (59:02).

ShaunNeuchterlein(1:05:46), KatGeorge(1:06:12),Jill Law ton(1:09:42-PB) andJaneDavis (1:10:29)followedwhilethere were PB’sfor Leanne Massey (1:10:47) andthe finaltwo MDRC runners, SteveWoolford(1:11:31) andLor raineLovell (1:20:44).

MarketDrayton runners were outinforce for theKnutsford10K race

Drayton, whobeatAFC Bridgnorth 2-0inTJVickers Cup action on Tuesday, arewithout a game on Saturday

Action from Market Drayton’s hardfought successathometoLuctonians

III

Pictures: LouDaviesArmstrong