Market Drayton Advertiser - 10-Nov-2022

REFUGEES’FEARS FORTHE FUTURE

Ukrainians facing uncertaintyastheir six-monthUKstayperiods come to an end

newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

AUkrainian refugeehas beentoldshe canstayat hercurrentaddress in Market Draytonfor an other12months.

Butfears have been raisedover Ukrainerefugees findingalterna tive places to stay in Shropshire,as theirsix-monthstayperiods come to an end.

Volunteers andsponsors around thecountyhavesharedtheir con cernsonrefugeeshavingnowhere to go once theirhostingperiods come to an end.

Luckilyfor refugee HannaZaryt ska, herhostJulia Farrant, of Mar ketDrayton,has said Hanna can stay on foranother12months.

Butfor some refugees this may not be possible.

Support

Juliaisonthe BritishRed Cross committee forShropshire– asocie ty whichhas welcomed Ukraineref ugees to thecountry andsentsup port abroadthrough theUkraine Crisis Appeal

Sheraisedconcernsaroundrefu gees having to prove theirearnings to apotential landlord, whichwith lowincomejobs, canprove difficult

“There areproblemsbecause there’salackofsocialhousing and therentalmarket as well is very difficultbecause alot of people don’thavethe deposits andthey aregoing to go into privaterented accommodation– andthat’sa real issue.”

In more ruralareas of Shrop shire, Juliapointed outthatsuit

able accommodationmay not be available, andrefugees couldbere luctanttomovewhenchildrenhave settledintolocal schools.

“Quite alot of them (refugees) have been placed intonicehomes andtheniftheyare goingtogointo socialhousing,it’sabig shock,”Ju liaadded.

Hanna added: “Meand my son RomanloveShropshire. We never cease to be amazed at thekindness of thepeoplearoundus.

“Unfortunately, Idon’t know yet

what will happen next andwhether we will continue to live in Shrop shire, sincethe wartaughtmany Ukrainians,including myself,not to plan anything in advance, butto live andenjoy today.”

New figuresfromthe Depart ment forLevelling Up,Housing and Communities, show 24 refugees had been made homeless or putatrisk of homelessness in thecountyasof September 23

This hasincreased from 20 four weeksprior,while nationally,the

number of refugee households with homelessness duties surged 22 percentover thesameperiod.

In Shropshire,abreakdown of thehosting arrangementwas the main reason forhomelessness in 18 cases– andone becausetheir accommodationwas unsuitable

This poses thequestionof what is thelong-term solution for Ukrainerefugees whohaveset tled inShropshire–and wherecan they go

LauraFisher, head of housing, resettlement andindependent liv ingatShropshireCouncil said the majority of relationshipsbetween hostsand guests were positive, butpersonalcircumstances can change

Hosts

“InShropshireour primaryway to rehouseistoutilise thelarge number of hostswehaveregis teredwho were unabletolinkwith guests initially,”Laura said

“Wehaveapproximately 300 hostsgoing throughtheir initial DBSchecksand property inspec tionsand we hope to be able to re-match guests with alternative hostsintheir localareas foramin imum of sixmonths.

“The benefitofthisisongoing supportfor theguestsand the hope that we cankeepschoolplac es andemploymentinplace.”

Lauraaddedthe councilhad provided rent in advanceand de posit fundingfor peoplesearching forprivate accommodation, but thesuccess of privaterentwas de pendentonthe amount of availa blepropertiesand thecostofthose properties

To access supportvisit shrop shire.gov.uk/homes-for-ukraine/

Newlyformedrotary club takesoverthe Tree of Lights event

Anewly-formedrotaryclubhas launched its‘Tree of Lights’which will bringChristmas to town this week

TheRotaryClubofMarket Dray tonwillbemaintaining thetown’s traditionalTreeofLightsatMorri sons from Saturday,November19.

TheMarket DraytonTreeof Lights Charityappealissimilar to otherrotaryappeals acrossthe county, includingthe TelfordTree of Light.

It provides an opportunitytore member lovedonesinthe runupto Christmas andhonourtheir memo ry by contributing to localcharities

This year’s donationstothe tree will supportHopeHouse Children’s Hospiceand Market DraytonMen capand GatewayClub.

Hope Housesupportsmorethan 750local familieswho areeither caring foraterminallyill childor whose childhas died.

Accordingtotheir website,it costs£7.5million everyyeartorun itsservices.

l Donate —Page12

Town parade details forRemembrance

Organisers of Market Drayton’sRe membranceparadehaveannounced thefull programmefor theevent this weekend.

Theparadewill assemble on Sun dayat QueenStreetcar park at 10am before it sets offthrough the town towardsStMary’sChurch

At 10.30am,peoplewillmake theirway inside thechurch fora service, in whicharepresentative from theRoyal BritishLegionwill performthe ActofHomage.

At 11.35amthe parade will then march to theWar Memorial in CheshireStreetunder thecom mand of theParadeMarshal

Amemorialservice and wreath-layingceremonywill take placefrommidday.

In theafternoon, membersofthe publiccan join thecivic receptionto be held at theRoyal BritishLegion.

Formoreinformation visitmar ketdrayton.gov.uk.

Ukrainianrefugee Hanna Zarytska hasbeen told shecan continuetostaywith JuliaFarrant, right, in Market Drayton for an additional 12 months

MEGANHOWE

MP issues call forprice limit on heatingoil

MP HelenMorganhas urged thebusinesssecretary to intro duce aprice caponheating oil to protectoff-gridhomesfrom spiralling prices this Winter

TheNorth ShropshireMP hasjoinedforceswithfellowLib Dems in ruralconstituencies to call fora capofbetween 70 and80p perlitre afterprices reached95p in October.

In alettertoGrant Shapps, theMPs warned that thousands of people acrossthe UK could face fuel poverty this winter due to theincreased price of oiland otherforms of energy

HelenMorgansaidthatmore than 20,000 Shropshirehouse holds, whorelyonheating oil duetobeing offthe gasgrid, hadbeen‘neglected’bythe Conservatives

Shesaid: “EveryweekI’m contactedbyconstituentswho areworried aboutheatingtheir homesand feel insulted to have been offered£100whentheir billshaveincreased by £1,000 “Theydeservesupport and LiberalDemocrats have aclear solution:extendthe pricecap to heatingoil.Thiscould be paid forbyawindfalltax on thehuge profits of oiland gasgiantsthat arecashing in on Putin’sinvasion of Ukraine.”

Invite to climate protestevent

Membersofthe communityhave been invitedtojoinalocal climate action groupasthey‘Clangfor the Climate’ this weekend.

Market DraytonClimate Action will be runningthe eventonSatur day(12)atmiddayinMarketDraytonHigh Street.

It comesduringthe COP27cli mate summit,where world leaders will come together to discussplans to reduce carbon emissions.

Takenfromthe idea of clapping forthe NHS, theevent aims to raise thealarm to leaderstotakeurgent action on theclimate.Details at mdclimateaction.uk

BritishArmymedals reunited with owner

Dan’sdelight as eagle-eyed stafflocatehis missing medals

MEGANHOWE newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

TheteamatA.R Richards,based inMarket Drayton, hasconfirmed that twoarmymedalsbelonging to DanDomagalskiwerefound during asort-out. It comesjustin time for RemembranceDay wherethe coun trywillcome together in honour of theArmed Forces memberswho have died in thelineofduty. Keen to reuseand recycleeverything that is broughtintothe busi ness,A.R.Richardsstaff oftensort through items, separatingwhatcan be reusedorpersonalitems from thewaste

LauraWorrall came across two BritishArmymedalswhilesorting throughbags in thereuse shed

Shesaid: “Mybrother andgrand fatherare ex-military andIknow what theirmedalsmeantothem, so IknewI hadtoget thesebackto theirrightfulowner

“After inspection Inoticed the inscription‘LCPDP Domagalski’ andmilitarynumber.

“Whenannouncingthisinthe of fice my colleagueJenny mentioned that herfriend’shusband wasex-ar my with thesamename. Aftera quicktextwewereabletoreunite Danwithin24hours with hismed alsintimefor RemembranceDay

Themedals belonged to Dan Domagalski,formerlyofthe Royal Electrical andMechanicalEngineers, whowas part of theHerrick 17 tour from September 2012 to April2013.

Danhad been thinking of order ingnew medals andwas delighted that theoriginals hadturnedup.

He said:“Ihavebeenlooking for these medals forovertwo years.”

Pet firmstargettriple triumph

Threebusinesses in theMarket Draytonareaare celebratingafter beingannounced as finalistsinthe PetIndustryFederationAwards (PIF)2022.

Representatives from Mutneys Professional PetCare, LifeofRileyBakeryand FoxbridgeAnimal Hotelwill be attendingthe blacktiedinner on Thursday,November 17,whenthe winnerswillbeannounced.The PIFawardscelebrate success across awiderange of prod ucts andservicesand recognises

excellence across thepet industry Mutneys, basedonRosehill In dustrial Estate,has been nomi natedfor the‘Supplier of theYear’ awardand hasbeenofferingpet grooming equipment for27years

TheLifeofRiley Bakery,based at Tern Valley Business Park,has been nominated forthe ‘Sustainability Award’ and‘Manufacturer of theYear’,providing natural, grain free treatsand cakestodogs.

Foxbridge Animal Hotelhas been nominatedfor ‘Kennelofthe Year’.

Councillaunches supportservice forvulnerable

Shropshire Councilhas commissioned aWinter SupportService to help residentswho arevulnerable, or at risk of becoming vulnerable during thecomingmonths.

Theservice,which started this week,has been reconfiguredfor a thirdyear, in ordertosupport people to avoidahealthand care crisis situation.

It will be runbyShropshire Councilinpartnership with the BritishRed Cross, Shropshire MentalHealthSupport,Age UK ShropshireTelford andWrekin, Oswestry Qube,The MayfairCentre,and The RoyalVoluntary Service.

Therewill be signpostingtoa rangeofsupport that will help resi dents to remain well andindependentwithintheir ownhome,and will also ensure safe andeffective dischargeshome from hospital

This includes:transport return inghome from hospital;settling people in at home followingdis charge from hospital;simpleaids andequipment followinghospital discharge; collecting anddelivering medications; shopping anddelivery; wellbeinghome visits;companion ship forisolatedorlonelypeople; cost of living advice andsupport; connectivity into thewider offerof supportfromacrossthe voluntary andcommunity sector

It is part of thecouncil’s commitment to supportpeopletoremain both physically andmentallywell.

Pick up

bargain

at ‘swapshop’

Organisers of aNorth Shropshireswapshopeventhaveinvitedthe communitytocome alongand pickupabargain

TheMarket Drayton‘swap shop’eventwilltakeplaceinthe Parish Rooms, Church Street, Market Draytonthisweekend on Saturday (12)

Starting at 10.30am, people canbring itemsofgoodquality to donate andcome away with a bargain.

An organisersaid: “Please come along, bringfamilyand friendsalong with you as well as an item or twotodonate.”

TwoBritish Army medalshavebeenreunited with theirrightfulown er afterbeing discov ered during ashedreorganisation.

In therunningfor nationalawardsare StephanieRoberts, with Sarah Meredith andher dog Riley, andback, NickPartridge andMikeYates

Line-upisrevealedfor town’s Festival of Lights

Theprogramme of entertainment forthisyear’sFestivalofLights eventhas been announced.

Theevent is settotakeplace in Market DraytononSaturday, November19, with live music, a Christmas street market andSan ta’s Grotto

Avastarray of entertainment is plannedfor children andfamilies,fromPunch &Judyshows,a clown, fairground ridesand face painting

Performances at Market Dray tonLibrary will take placeat10am

with theSalopian BrassBandand runthroughoutthe dayuntil 4pm with Cheekmeister,the fire eating act.

TheGrove School Choirwill be performing at 12.15pmand Mad Domthe children’s entertainer will be performing at 1.15pm

Singingwillalsotakeplace un derThe Buttercrossinthe centre of town with Jess Williamskicking offperformancesat11amand fin ishing with AmdramsLittleVoices at 4pm.

Christmas Carols with Market

DraytonMethodist Church followedbythe lightswitchonwill take placefrom5pm

Father Christmas will be at the Town Hall from 11am to 4.45pm forchildren andfamiliestovisit

Amongthe sponsors of theevent areMuller, AJB, theRotaryof Market Draytonand HalesSaw mills

To view thefull line up and timingsvisit Market Drayton Town Council’swebsite at marketdrayton.gov.uk/event/festival-of-lights-2/.

ClimategroupscallonPMto take lead at theCOP27 talks

MEGANHOWE megan.howe@mnamedia.co.uk

Climateactiongroups

across Shropshire have urgedthe primeminis tertotakealeadatthe crucialCOP27 climate summit.

COP27istakingplaceinEgypt with world leaderscomingtogether to take action towardsachieving theworld’s climategoals

Whilethe climatecrisisisalready having amajor impact on weather patterns acrossthe globe, climate groups in Shropshirehaverevealed itsimpactclosertohome

Zero Carbon Shropshire has said thecountyisseeingits impact throughthe loss of nature,damage to crops, heatwaves, health issues, andrepeated floodingacrossthe region Alongside17other localgroups, Zero Carbon Shropshireispushing forleaders to actnow to ensure a healthyand positivefuturefor fu ture generations.

They have signed alettertothe UK governmenttoplayaleading rolein meetingthe UK’s carbon reductioncommitments andfor PM RishiSunaktoset theright exam

plefor theUKonaninternational stage. This meanstransitioning from an economydependentonfos silfuels to cleanrenewable energy

ChrisDeaves, chairofZero Carbon Shropshire,commented: “COP27 is avital step on theroad to addressing thethreatofclimate change

“Mostcountries arestrugglingto meet thecommitments they have made,soweurgentlyneed to see leadership from countriessuchas theUK, that have theknow-how andexpertise to make thechanges needed

“Wealready have allthe solutions we need,and theeconomic opportunities aresignificant.The future for ourcountry andcountyisbrightif we take therightdecisionsnow.”

ClimateActionTelford,Mar ket DraytonClimate Action,Sus tainable Newport, Sustainable Bridgnorth, Ludlow 21 arejust some of thelocal groups to have signed theletter.

Jane Cullen,chair of South ShropshireClimate Action added: “Weare thelastgenerationthat canmakethe changes needed to fix climatechangeand thelossofnature.Wecan’t afford to wait.Now is thetimetobuildonwhatisalreadyhappening sowecan allwork together to take action.”

WITH HELENMORGAN

MP FORNORTHSHROPSHIRE

Theterm‘Westminster bubble’ is somethingIhad heardmanytimes butnot fullyunderstood untilmy electionlastDecember.

Afterspendingayearsplit ting my weeksbetween North Shropshireand London,Inow appreciatejusthow removed from realitymanypeoplein Parliament are.

It is infuriatingtohearpoliticians talkingabout north and southand levelling up cities whilecompletelyignoringboth theMidlandsand ruralareas butitmakes my jobofchampioningNorth Shropshireeven more important.

Last week Iattendedthe in quiryintothe ruralcostofliv ing. It wasclear that theissues we face in Market Draytonare reflected in ruraltowns across thecountry butare beingignored by theGovernment.

We areinthe ridiculoussit uation wherebusinessesand serviceproviders arestruggling to recruitbut people whoneed workcan’t applybecause they can’taccess thejob duetothe lack of public transport

Places likeMarket Drayton need investment in publicser vices, notcuts. TheNHS here is on itsknees,the care system is buckling andthe population is only getting older.

Indeed thelatestcensus re sultsshow theaverageage in Shropshire is now48. Nowhere in London is it above 40.The needsofNorth Shropshire arecompletelydifferent to the needsofLondonand yetitiscit iesthatdominate theattention of theWestminster bubble

Ministersdon’t know what it’s liketobetrapped in your villagebecause thereisnopub lictransport,likepensioners withoutcarsthatI’vespokento in Eaton-on-Tern.

Andtheyclearly don’tunder standwhatheatingoil is or they wouldprovide more than £100 of relief

Nancy StewartofMarket DraytonClimateAction

Bigcrowdsatapreviousevent

Charityshop has bargains in store

Acharity fordisabledchildren will be revealingBlack Friday salesata store.

Newlifewill reveal arange of bargains to help shoppers beat the currentcostoflivingcrisis–aswell as help disabled andterminallyill children at thesametime.

NewlifeMarket Draytonwill be open from 8amto6pm on Novem ber25and from 8amto6pm on No vember26.

Andrew Murphy-Hayes, Newlife head of retail stores,said: “We know how hard it is foreveryone to make ends meet at themoment,so by shopping with Newlifeyou can be sureyou’llbespoiltfor choice with some show-stoppingbargains that it wouldreallybeashame to miss outon.

“Everyone at Newlifehas been working really hard to help ourcus tomers spendless to getmorethis year so they can find everything they need.”

Winter jabs call to mums-to-be

Pregnant women arebeing urged to have both their fluand Covid-19 boosterjabsahead of winter

Expertshavepredicted a toughwinterwithrespiratory diseases circulatingwidely,so in order to getthe best protec tion,expectant mothershave been urged to gettheir jabs.

It comesasexpectant moth ershaveahigher chance of de velopingcomplications if they get fluorCovid-19.

Forwomen whobecome preg nant,itgetsharderto fightoff infections andthismeans they areatgreater risk from becomingseriously ill with Covid– es peciallyintheir thirdtrimester

It also meanstheyare at greaterriskofbecomingseriouslyill from flu, with both ca pableofcausing complications formotherand baby

Historic moment fortop councillor

Acouncillor hasbeensworninto theHouse of Lordsinahistoricmoment in Westminster.

TheformerleaderofTelford & Wrekin Council, Kuldip Sahota, wasappointed to thehouse by the Labour Party.

He is the firstturbanwearing Sikh to receivethe honour

Lord Sahota said that whilehe felt emotionalduringthe ceremo ny,heviewedthe HouseofLords as aplace of work.Hesaidhewould campaign forlocal councils and, as amember of Amnesty.

Speaking afterthe induction ceremony he said he never thought that such amoment couldhappen.

He said hisfatherhad been a foundryworkerand he spent14 yearsatGKN Sankey before going into politics.

Lord Sahota said:“It is agreat honour anda privilegetosit in the HouseofLords representingthe Labour Party.”

Export talksinfocus during TradeSecretary visit

Industry expertsdiscussedplans to double thevalue of dairyexportsatafarmers’summit held in Shropshire.

TradeSecretaryKemiBadenoch MP visitedHarperAdams University on Wednesday last week to open theconference, whichsaw ex pertsfromacrossthe dairyindus try discussboostingUK exports.

Planstodoublethe valueofdairy exportsoverthe next 10 yearswere discussedatthe National Farmers’ UnionDairy ExportsSummit

Thesummit washeldjointly with theDepartment forInterna tional Tradeand followsonfrom thelaunchofthe union’sDairy

Export Strategy, whichset outa rangeofrecommendationsthat will seek to enhancethe industry’s export performance.

Ms Badenochopenedthe confer ence before representativesfrom acrossthe industry includingMul ler, at Market Drayton, andBelton Cheese,at Whitchurch,examined how thedairy sector andgovernment canbestworktogetherto boostBritishexports on theglobal stage.

“British agriculture, especially ourdairy producers, arevital to theUKeconomy,” said Ms Baden och.

“The UK’s reputation is oneof

high standards, environmental protectionsand qualitygoodsand Iamdeterminedtoensureweremain world leadersin thedairy market

“Whenmorefarmers trade and export,itmeans more jobs,higher wagesand astrongereconomy.”

DairyfarmerJames Chatham, of Brockton,nearShifnal, whorep resentsShropshirefarmers on the NFUWestMidlandsdairy board said:“Anyopportunityfor dairy farmerstoimprove theirbottom line hastobewelcome andShrop shirefarmers andthose further afieldare always interested in new marketsand newopportunities.”

Carthieves crawledthrough a dog flap to get to twovehicles

SUEAUSTIN sue.austin@mnamedia.co.uk

Twocarsweresto lenfroma houseafter thievescrawled through adog flap to get to aga rage.

Thecars, aBMW 4Seriesand a dark grey Seat CupraLeon, were stolen alongwitha smallamountof cash andbankcards at around 3am on Sunday from apropertyonFal lowDeerLawn, Newport.

Police pursuedthe cars into the Wolverhamptonareabut were una bletostopthem.

Officers sayaccess wasgained through adog flap on asidegarage door before an internal garage door wasopenedand used to access the property itself

“Weattendedand pursuedthe cars into theWolverhamptonarea buttheyremainoutstanding,” a spokesperson said

“Anincreased police presenceis beingmaintainedinthe Newport area. Anyone whomay have seen, or captured on dash cam, theincidentorthe cars beingdriven or of feredfor sale is askedtopleaseget in touch.”

Anyone with informationshould emaildaniel.bailey@westmer cia.police.uk quotingreference 22/110942/22.Alternatively,ifyou have informationbut don’tfeel comfortablespeakingtopolice, you canspeak to theindependentchari ty Crimestoppers.

Singerscombineold with newatconcert

Achoral society in NorthShrop shirewill be combiningthe ‘old with thenew’for theirupcoming 50th anniversary concert.

Market DraytonChoralSociety will be celebratingits 50th birthdaywithaperformance of Handel’sMessiah on Saturday,Novem ber19.

TheMessiah hasbeenawelllovedworkfromits earliest days, andthe Choral Societyarchives

Carendsuponroofafter collision

Four fire crewsweresenttohelp afterahatchback crashedintoa barrierand endeduponits roof

ShropshireFireand Rescue Servicesaidthatthe incidenthad takenplace at theKetleyDingle Interchange –where the A5223 crossesthe M54atJunction6 of themotorway– shortlyafter 6am on Sunday.

Theambulance serviceat-

tended theincident,aswellas firefighters from Wellingtonand Much Wenlock.

The fire servicesaid: “Thisin cident involved onehatchback car whichhad been in collision with theArmco barrierand rolled over onto itsroof.”Inaphoto takenat thescene by the fire service, the barrieronthe inside of theround aboutlookedtohavebeenbent.

newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

includes anewspaper clipping from 1883,announcingaperformanceatthe Corbet Arms AssemblyRooms by theearlier Market DraytonMusical Society.

This year’s performanceatSt Mary’s Church will bringanew note, however,withamultimedia

displaytoexplain themeaning behindeachpartofthisfamous work.

Also newtothe choiristhe mu sicaldirector, DavidThomas,who said:“Messiahisanessential part of Christmascelebrations, andthe Hallelujah chorus is justly famous

“The choirwill be joined by four outstandingsoloistsand aprofessional orchestra.Wehopethatthis will be an eveningtoremember.”

Crewsrushto fire at theatrecar park

Fire crewswerecalledtoacar on fire in thetheatre carparkin Tel ford

Firefighters were alerted to the BelfreyTheatre carparkinPrince’s Street,Wellington, shortlybefore 11pmlastThursday

Therehavebeenaspate of arson attacksonvehiclesinthe Telford area so farthisthe year Butthe causeofthe fire wasbe lieved to have been down to an

electrical fault, with no criminal wrongdoing beingsuspected

AShropshireFireand Rescue spokesmansaid: “At11.59pm on Thursday,November 3, SFRS Fire Controlreceivedacallreporting a car fire in Wellington. This incident wasacar fire caused by an electri calfault.One fire appliancewas mobilisedfromWellington.

“Crews used ahosereeljet to tackle the fire.”

TradeSecretaryKemiBadenoch

MarketDrayton Choral Society as picturedattheir JubileeconcertinJune 1977

MEGANHOWE

Volunteersare neededtohelp manage county ‘special place’

Friendsofasouth Shropshire beau ty spot areappealing foranew in flux of countryside loverstohelp them managethe area

GallowsBank, Ludlow,has been in existencesince thetimeofpublic hangings,its positioninrelationto thetownchosensothe gallowsact ed as areminder andadeterrent for anywould-becriminals

DianeLyle, of theFriends of Gal lows Bank,saysthe committee has decidedtoraise itsprofile anden couragelocal people to join them

Shesaid: “These days,Gallows Bank offers amuchgentler remind er,withjustits name retained as part of itshistoricalinfluenceon Ludlow

“Itisasecret placewhich needs to be discovered andexplored–whichiswhy,atthe recent annual generalmeeting,the Friendsof GallowsBankcommittee decided to tryand raise itsprofile anden couragethe residents of Ludlow to seek it outand addnew blood to the smallteamofvolunteerswho have maintained it forthe past 20 years.”

In the20years sinceGallows Bank wasawarded Millennium Greenstatusand theFriends or ganisation wasset up.The bank hasbeentendedand maintained by atinygroup of volunteers whocon tinuetoworktirelessly, mowingthe paths,plantingtrees andshrubs, coppicingand pollarding exist ingtrees,maintaining theunder ground springsand utilisingthem to create marshand bogareas and establishing wildflowermeadows

Dianeadded: “Gallows Bank is a special spacewhether it’s covered in snow,orbathedinsunshine.”

Noddylends voicetocharity festiverecord

It’s Chriiiiiiistmas!Black Country legend NoddyHolderisaimingfor anotherfestive hitafter adding his voicetoastar-studdedcollectionof charitysingles

TheWalsall-bornsinger, who topped thechartsin1973with Slade’sMerry Xmas Everybody, has been back in thestudioinaid of The Cancer AwarenessTrust

The76-year-old singer,who was awardedanMBE in 2000 forser vicestoshowbusiness,narratesa diaryentry by aFirst WorldWar soldierafter theChristmas Day truceof1914. He readslines includ

THOMAS PARKES

thomas.parkes@mnamedia.co.uk

ing: “The brutal warhad stopped. Therewas no noise,noscreams, just silence” settomusic produced by BrianEno.

It formspartofacollectionof singlesfeaturing 50stars also in cludingBirmingham’s Ozzy Os bourne,Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy,Glenn Closeand Sinead O’Connor.The albumisbeing re leased next year although anumber of singles will be released before the

albumlaunch–including Noddy’s single–inaid of promoting The Cancer Platform,fromThe Can cerAwareness Trust, afree-to-use websiteand appfor everyone affect ed by cancer

Tony Colville, managing director of TheCancerAwareness Trust, said Noddywas chosendue to him beingthe “voice of Christmas”

ItissaidNoddy wanted to sup port thecause duetoSlade bassist andWolverhampton’sown JimLea, andfellowcity-born Sladedrummer DonPowell, having bothbattled the disease.

Councilurged to back call for camerastomakeA41 safer

Telford& Wrekin Coun cilisbeing askedtoback abid to secure average speedcameras on the A41inthe county.

Thecouncil’s opposition Conserv ativegroup is putting amotionfor ward to theauthority’s full meeting today(Thursday).

Themotion, beingproposedby theTorygroup leader Andrew Eade, callsfor thecouncil to lobby for£400,000allocated by West Mer cia Police andCrime Commissioner, JohnCampion,tobespent on aver agespeed camerastobeintroduced on theA41 –which runs through theTelford &Wrekinborough,and on throughthe ShropshireCouncil area up to Whitchurch

Mr Campion hasconfirmed the fundingisavailable,but areviewis taking placetodecide whereitwill be spent.

Councillor Eade’smotionstates: “Thiscouncil callsfor average

DOMINICROBERTSON newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

speed camerastobeinstalled on the sectionofthe dangerous A41, which runs throughthe boroughofTel ford &Wrekin.

“Council also undertakes to supportcolleaguesatShropshire Councilinlobbyingthe Police and CrimeCommissionertoallocatethe £400,000 availablefunding to deliv er this essentialsafetymeasure.”

Councillor Eade, whomet Mr Campionand residents to view the problems firsthandlastweek, said he hoped thecouncil wouldbackthe call foractiononthe route.

“MrCampion recently announced that he hasabudgetof£400,000 to spendinShropshireonaverage speed camerasand we,along with colleagues at ShropshireCouncil, want to promote thestrong case fortheir implementation alongthis dangerousstretchofroad,”said Councillor Eade.

“Itclearly demonstratesJohn’s concernand commitment to road safety in Shropshirethatheispre paredtomeetlocal councillorsand membersofthe communitywhile deciding whereinvestmentwill fi nallybeplaced

“I am veryhopeful that allcoun cillorswill supportthe motion and getbehindthiscampaignand help to make ourborough roadssafer.”

Concern

Respondingtothe motionahead of themeetingTelford &Wrekin Council’sLabourdeputyleader andcabinet member forhousing, enforcementand transport,Coun cillor RichardOverton, said:“The responsibility forthe installationof averagespeed camerasonthe A41 restswiththe Police andCrime Commissioner

“Weare awaiting furtherdetails of hisproposals andalsowelcome furtherdiscussionsonenforcing speedlimitsacrossTelford and

Wrekin.” Therehas been increasing concernoverthe number of crashes on theA41 in Shropshire–sincethe startof2017there have been more than 190crashes wherepeoplewere killed or injuredonthe A41between Cosfordand Whitchurch

Lastweek, Shropshire Coun cil’scabinet member forhighways, Councillor RichardMarshall, con firmed that hisauthoritywas in discussionswiththe commissioner over thelocationfor thespeedcam eras

He said:“We areactivelyspeak ingtoJohnCampion about possi bleaveragespeed camerasonthe A41, andare consideringother sites wherecameras wouldhelpimprove safety forthose using Shropshire’s roads.”

West Mercia Police have said a working groupisinthe processof coming up with optionswhich will be reviewed,witha recommenda tion on theschemeexpected next year

Callsfor help forfarmers during bird flu

AShropshireMPhas called on ministerstodomoretosupport poultryfarmers whohavebeen devastated by outbreaks of bird fluintheir flocks

PhilipDunne says farmers areabletoclaim compensation forstock culled as aresultofthe influenzabut they haven’t re ceived compensation if thebirds diedirectlybecause of thepan demic. He said farmersinhis constituency have been affected by theoutbreakwhich is killing both keptand wild birdsinthe UK butposes“no food safety risk”for UK consumersand poses “verylow risk to public health”.

TheMPalsourged thefood minister,MarkHarpertore view regulationsaroundeggs to ensurethatfreerange eggs cancontinuetobelabelledas free-range when farmersare compelledtokeeptheir flocks indoorsduringthe influenza outbreakbeyondthe normalpe riod permitted underthe regu lations.

He also encouraged themin istertoapply similar urgency to deliveryofaneffective Avian Influenzavaccineasthatap pliedtothe Covid-19 vaccina tion during thepandemic Mr Dunnealso supported Back BritishFarming Day.

Councilpledge on supporting holidaymeals

Children in receiptoffreeschool mealsinthe Shropshire Council area will continue to receivesup port with food costsduringthe school holidays untilthe endofthe 2023 spring term,ithas been con firmed

Shropshire Council said that each childwho receives free school mealswill get£15 aweektowards thecostofa school meal equivalent throughout thetwo-weekChrist masschoolholidays, andthe Febru ary2023half-term holiday.

Supportwas provided forthe Oc toberhalf-term holiday, giving four weeksofsupport in total.

Most of thesupport will be throughavoucher to spendata localsupermarket,distributed via thechildren’searly yearssetting, schoolorcollege

It is estimatedthataround7,500 children in Shropshire getfree school mealsand thecouncil hasde cidedtouse around £450,000 from the£2.1million of HouseholdSup port Fund moneyfromthe Govern ment forthe period October2022to March 2023 forthe initiative Councils canchoosehow to spend this money to supportlow income familiesinneed

Gwilym Butler,ShropshireCoun cil’scabinet member for finance, whoisoverseeing thecouncil’s re sponse to thecostofliving, said: “It’sonlyright that we have chosen to usethisfunding to help those children whoare most in need.”

NoddyHolderinthe studio.Photo:Facebook

MP backsbill to tackle pollution

AShropshireMPhas co-signeda ParliamentaryBill aimedattackling theissue of microplastic pollution from clothing.

Microplastic fibres areshedfrom clothing when wornand laundered, andresearchfromthe University of Plymouth hasfound that asingle 6kgwashing load canrelease up to 700,000 microfibres into wastewa tersystems.Due to theirsize, they aretoo smalltobecaughtbystand ardwashing machine filtration sys tems andcan endupinwastewater systems, ingestedby fish andinhu manfood chains

TheMicroplasticFilters (WashingMachines) Bill wouldrequire manufacturersto fitmicroplas tic-catching filterstonew domestic andcommercialwashing machines andwould encourageconsumers to use the filtersinbothdomestic and commercialsettings. TheBill would also raisepublicawareness of the environmentalconsequences of mi croplastic releaseintowaterways.

Ludlow MP Philip Dunne, who chairs thecross-partyEnvironmentalAudit Committee, haslongbeen acampaignerfor tackling pollution in ourwaterways

Mr Dunnesaid: “Muchisnot yetknownregarding thepotential harm of microplasticsenteringour humanfood chain, butitisclear that they aredamagingtoour natural environmentand should be tackledusing technologyalready available.”

Virtuoso pianist settovisit club

Virtuoso Welshpianist Llyr Williamswill performa concert at Newport’sCosyHallthis weekend.

Theeventisbeing presented by NewportMusic Club on Sat urdaynightat7.30pm Club spokeswomanSally Wig gins said:“This is an exciting firstfor NewportMusic Club anditpromises to be awonder fulevening

“Llyrhas workedwithall themajor UK orchestras, and toured theUSA with theBBC National OrchestraofWales, debutedatCarnegieHall, regularly appearsatthe BBC Promsand continuesahighly acclaimedseriesofconcertsfor theWigmoreHallmainPiano Series.Heisanofficialaccom panist forthe BBCCardiff Sing er of theWorld competition.

“Weare thrilled to be able to bringsuchanacclaimed art isttoNewport to brightenour long,darkeveningswithbeau tifulmusic.The concertpro gramme comprises of worksby Brahms, Schumann:Franck andwill conclude with a finale of Liszt’sHungarian Rhapsody no.12 in C-sharpminor.”

Tickets: Adults £20/Students £15can be reserved viaemail at newportmusicclubtickets@ gmail.com, telephone 07726 959233, or purchased at Deli 45 or HeyJudein Newport.

Formoredetails seeNewport MusicClubatwww.newportmu sicclub.org

Activists’blueplaques criticiseMPoverriver

Campaignershaveinstalled blue plaquesaroundatown, accusing itsMPof“shamefully” votingto dump rawsewageintothe River Severn

Activistsalsoturnedup at Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczyn ski’soffice with abucket full of ma nure andatoilettostage a“dirty protest” over thesewageissue

However,MrKawczynskihit back,insisting thegroup were “spreading disinformation”and trying to present himasa “vil lain”.

Theraw sewage issuesparked outrage last year when ministers rejected aHouse of Lordsproposal

to putlegal duty on water firmsto reduce untreated sewage discharg es in October. Sincethen, multiple protests, includingamarch in Co ton Hill, Shrewsbury,and agroup of campaignerswearing fish heads and‘poo hats’atShirehall,have takenplace, calling foractiontobe taken.

Theblueplaques,which have been putupat variouslocations alongthe river in Shrewsbury, read:“Daniel Kawczynski 20th October2021Voted to allowraw sewage to be dumped in this river.”

KennyAnderson, aspokesper sonfor theShrewsburyRiverAc tion group, said:“.Weall swim in it,

boat on it, fish in it,and walk along it on adaily basis. So whyisn’t our MP fighting to stop it from being turned into an open sewer?”

However,MrKawczynskisaid theplaques were “vandalism”, and “don’t explainthe issueatall”. He said they should have contacted himdirectlywiththeir concerns.

“Myministerial colleagues and Iare clear that thecurrent use of sewage discharges is unaccept able,” he said.“Iwould liketo assureyou that tackling storm overflowsisapriority. andthe Governmentiscommitted to protecting public health.”

Band celebrates ‘bestdecade formusic ever’liveonstage

REVIEW:BOOTLEG SIXTIES

By John Hargreaves

“We’re here to celebrate popmusic’s greatest decade,” thegenialleader of TheOvertures announcedtowhoopsof approval from theFestivalCentreaudience.

Andwhata celebrationitwas, from theexuberant firstchords of theBeatles’EightDaysAWeek through 50 or so fantasticsongs from the1960s

Melodic, youthful, andenerget ic,thismusic wastypically built on straightforwardchordprogres sionswithstrong vocalharmonies andclever lyrics.The Overtures delivered their‘bootleg’versions with thedistinctive qualitiesofthe originals whilealso demonstrating in theirchoice of songsjustwhata musicallycreative time that was.

So afteramedleyofadolescent love songsbyearly sixtiesgroups likeThe Hollies andHerman’sHer mits, they belted outthe epic Sun Ain’tGonna ShineAny Morebythe Walker Brothers, an acoustic Blowin’InThe Wind with just atouch of Dylan’snasal whine, andeven a SloopJohnBthatpaidhomageto theBeach Boys’falsetto harmonies.

Amedleyoffoot-tappingfavourites from US soul greats likeOtis Reddingand WilsonPickett ledto an acoustic duo’sversion of theSimonand Garfunkel folk-rockclassicThe Boxer.The Overturesslid

effortlessly from CarnabyStreet, with agreat RayDaviessound for theDedicated Follower of Fashion to SanFranciscoand thesummer of love.There wasapowerful PurpleHazeglorifyingJimiHendrix’s guitar magicand Procul Harum’s Whiter ShadeofPalewithits iconic Hammondorgan soundscape TheWho’s PinballWizardand

Hunt on find escapedbaldeagle

An appeal hasbeenlaunchedto help find araremissing eagle–last seen flying near theM54 Graham Donaldson, West Mercia Police’s wildlife crime co-ordinator, said thebirdisan American bald eagle, whichwas last seen over theM54 services in Shifnal. Thebirdisaroundthree feet tall,withawing-span of seven feet

People arebeing warned notto approach thebird, or to tryand feed it if they seeit.

Pc Donaldsonsaid: “The bird is likelytoroost in largetrees,pos siblynexttoopenwater

“Shouldyou seethe bird please do notattempt to captureit.”

Anyone whoseesthe birdis askedtocontact Aliceon07889 723567orEmilyon07792052880

Steppenwolf’sBorntobeWild threatened to raisethe roof

Formanyinthe audience,the sixties wasthe decade in whichthey came of ageand thesesongs evoked rich memories. Projectionsbehind thebandfed this nostalgiawith images of DavidJacobs’ Juke Box Jury,Bobby Moorelifting theWorld Cup, DianaRiggready to avenge,

andmanymore. Shortvideo clips –JFK riding past thebookdeposi tory in Dallas,MartinLutherKing inspiringthe civilrightsmarchers–struck adifferent tone andgavethe band twosecs to slip from striped blazerstopsychedelic shirts.Bythe finale everyone wasontheir feet Rarelyhas an audience left theFes tivalCentre with biggersmiles.

Womanpulledbydog fell anddied

Awoman whoslipped on wetleaves afterbeing pulled by herdaughter’s dogsufferedafatal head injury in thefall, an inquestheard CeliaTwigger,aged72, aretired cash office clerksufferedableed on herbrain caused by fall on October 31,2022, whilevisitingher daughterinTelford,aninquest held at Shirehall, Shrewsbury heard.

Shropshireand Telfordsenior

coronerJohnEllerywas told that clinical staffat Princess RoyalHos pitalinTelford concludedthatthe resultinginjurywas deemed ‘inoperable’. Shediedonthe same dayat thehospital.

Mr Ellery heardthatthe family hadnoissuestoraise andtheywere not present at thecourt.MrEllery concludedthather deathwas acci dental.

TheOvertures on stageatFestival Drayton CentreaspartofThe BootlegSixties show

Aplaque accusing Shrewsbury’s MP overthe stateofthe Severn

COMMENT

At atimewhenpeoplemost need help, it’s nowhere to be seen.Ata time when people canleast afford austerity, they’refacingcutsona larg er scalethanthose under DavidCameron

Theeconomy is in amess and thesoberingnewsisthatthings aregoing to getmuchworse for individualsbeforetheystart to getbetter.

Wages areeffectively falling, thecostoflivingisrisingand thepeoplewho were encouraged to buyintothe fallacyofcheap moneyare findingout that there’snosuchthing

Mortgageholders arefacinga freshblow amid warnings that we areoncourse forthe longest recessionsince reliable records beganinthe 1920s.Peoplewith amortgagethatdirectlytracks theBankofEngland base rate will seetheir monthly payments rise by an averageof£73 as aresult of last week’s rate hike

It is thelatestin astringof base rate increases, meaning that,sinceDecember last year, theaveragemonthly tracker mortgage paymentwill have increasedby£284.17 in total, accordingto figuresfromtrade association UK Finance.

It is importantthatpeople don’tpanic,but that they do seek advice.The drasticmeasures areintendedtosteady the Britisheconomy,bring down inflationand putusonamore even keel

Thebravado of theLiz Truss administration hasmadeway foragrimreality anditisclear that hershort-livedeconomic policy dugBritain’s economic hole alittledeeper.

Onebrightsidetothe interest rate hike should be forsavers. Butishas become clearthat banks, whileveryquick to raise mortgage andloanrates,are reluctanttogivebacktosavers Like energy companiesand petrol firms, they standaccused of profiteering at ourcost.

At atimewhenGovernment is trying to trim billionsfrom thebalance sheetthrough tax rises andcuts, it is franklyout rageous that £8.6 million was overpaid in benefits in asingle year throughamixture of fraud andincompetence.

This must be an area where action is takenasa matter of urgency– notjusttohelpthe publicpurse buttorestore some sense of fairness to people who workhardtopay theirtaxes

It is notthe only instance of gross financialnegligencefrom theGovernment, allied to sharp practice from thosewilling to take arisk.

During thepandemic,vast sums were lost to people who claimedfurlough, or to busi nesses whooffered to assist in theprovision of PPEand then took vast sums whileproviding sub-standard equipment

Thesystemshouldn’t be riddled with loopholes, norshould theGovernmentwrite offsuch vast sums at atimewhenwe’re allmakingsacrifices

Life without alocal is not worthconsidering

Here’s ajoke.Abloke walksintoa pubwitha lump of asphaltonhis shoulder andsaystothe barman:“Give me apint andone forthe road.”

How aboutthis: “A goodlocal pub hasmuchmorein common with achurch, except it’s warmer and thereismuchmoreconversation.”

Thanks to comedy legend Tommy Cooper andEnglish poetWilliam Blakefor providingacoupleofhumorouslines aboutpubsand there arethousands more outthere

That is theeffectofthe pub,a very Britishtradition

AccordingtoSpandau Ballet star Tony Hadley,there is nothing betterthanstandingatabar,talking nonsense,whilesipping apintof real ale: “Givemea pubratherthan afancy wine baroranightclub any day. They really arethe huboflocalcommunities andIhatethe fact that so many areclosing.”

He is right, 50 pubs areclosing everymonth in Englandand Wales, accordingtoa recent survey

Thepub traditionisthought to date back twomillennia.

Thereisa funnysegment in the MontyPython film,The Lifeof Brian, when thePeople’sFront of Judea, (orwas it theJudeanPeo ple’sFront)led by JohnCleese, was discussing theRomans. What did theRomansever do foruswas the question followed by alonglistof Romanachievements.

They forgot about thepub though Yes, that is somethingthe Romans didfor us.Itwas an invading Ro manarmythatbuiltpubsknown as tabernae.Theysoldwineand were quicklybuiltonRoman roadsand in townstoservice troops.

The firstaleswerethendeveloped andthe rest,as they say, is history.

We canimagine theidyllicpic ture postcard villagesetting, flow er-bedeckedinthe summer,sipping awarmale in thegarden,orcosying up in frontofa log fire in winter.It’s wherefriends andsometimes adver saries gather,putting theworld to rights in an increasinglyloudand raucousway as thenightgoes on andthe drinks flow freely

It is also seen generallyasasafe place. Somewheretotakethe fami ly fora meal.Itcan develop community,withpub gameslikedarts, crib dominoes andbar billiards

We have hadChristmas parties there, christenings,wedding receptions, wakesand just about anyoth er excuse foragathering

Thelandlordisapillar of the communitywho is afatherconfessor, mentor or bouncerdepending on thebehaviour of thecustomers

Thesad thingnow is that since thepandemic, andnow theongoing cost-of-living crisis, pubsare shut ting theirdoors at an alarming rate

The50-a-dayclosure figure comesfroma survey compiled by analyticscompany AltusGroup

Theindustryisone of theworst hitbythe chroniclabour shortage, much of whichcan be attributed to many European workers returning home post-Brexit

With apintofpremium lager headingtowards £5 andsometimes beyond,depending on thevenue, hard-pressed families arestayinghome,preferringtobuy much cheaperbooze from supermarkets.

Formany, thedamageissurely self-inflicted.Someofthe major breweriescontinuetoraise their prices,without offering theservice that should go with it

Some turn to chains likeWetherspoons with theirdiscount prices Buteven they have felt thecoldrealityofthe cost-of-living crisis and chairman TimMartinhas been

Consumer andIndustrygroups welcomedthe packagebut warned furthersupport maybeneeded af terthe winter

Campaign forRealAle nation al chairman NikAntonasaidthe government announcement providesmuch-needed certaintyand will help to safeguardthe nation’s pubs andbreweries forthe next six months as they grapplewiththe crisis of rising costsand consumers tighteningtheir belts.

Theoutlook formanyisstill bleak, butthere areglimmersof hope.Manymoreofthese pubs un derthreatare beingtaken over by localcommunity groups

As well as offering traditional pubhospitality,theycan also or ganise events,and usetheir premises to host libraryfacilities,mini shopsorpostoffices.

Some of thoseserviceshavebeen lost throughthe austerityyears and thesepubsare allowing them to be takenbackbythe community.

AccordingtoCAMRA,three Northumberland villagepubshave stockedup on firewood –and friend ship –tohelptheir customersstay warm this winter

PETERRHODES

If Vladimir Putinwas as ill as some people claim, hisarmy wouldalready be rehearsing for hisfuneral in RedSquare.

Thelatestclaim,thatheis sufferingfrombothpancreatic cancer andParkinson’sdisease, suggests he cannot be long for this world.

Butwhatisthe provenance of this claim? It comesfromareport in theDaily Mail,based on an accountinthe Sun whichin turn is basedon“unverified doc uments”suppliedby“an alleged Russianintelligencesource.”So is that aRussian leak –orChi nese whispers?

IreferredtoElon Musk last week usingthe generally-ac cepted epithet“theworld’s rich estman.”

It’s worth putting on record that when Musk himself was interviewedonthe subjectin March he replied: ““Idothink that Putinissignificantly richer than me.”

Amid allthe rubbishing of the disgraced Prince Andrew,a reader loyallydeclaresthathe remembershim “pilotingahelicopter in theFalklands War, de coying anyExocets away from ourships.”

The1982Falklands Warwas undoubtedly Andrew’s finest hour andthere is no sadder sightthantosee aherobrought crashing down by hisown folly.

YetAndrewcould still make amends.In1963JohnProfumo wasadecorated warheroand Britain’ssecretary of statefor war. He wasbrought crashing down by astupidaffair, andlyingtoParliament.

Over thefollowing years, Profumo quietlyimmersedhimself in charitable workand in 1975 he wasmadeaCBE .Helived long enough to be seated next to theQueen at Margaret Thatch er’s 70th birthday dinner

So it is possibletoclawyour waybackfromabjectdisgrace to genuinerespectability.But it takestime, hard work, good friendsand averylow profile Over to you,Andy.

forced to put32pubsupfor sale Pubmanagersmustdoas they are told andfollowthe corporateline. Fortenants, it is aslightlydifferent situation. They rent theirpremises butmusttakethe breweryproducts andhavelittlecontroloverprices. Forfreehouses, theownerscan take food anddrink from wherever they like,sohavesome control.

ButitisaCatch-22situation for pubsand breweries, themselves hit by huge ingredient pricerises and energy bills, trying to lure custom ersback. Thereishelpwithenergy billsfor UK pubsand breweriescut by around half theirexpected level

Forthose on theedge,there are ways to attract customers back with thelikes of live music, specialist ale nights, quiz nights andshowingbig events on TV screens.

Thereisanotherray of hope Having missed outhugelyonrev enue from asummer WorldCup, pubs canlookforward to possibly bumper revenuesfromscreening gamesfromthe winter WorldCup this month andintoDecember,fol lowedbythe traditional extra boost at Christmasand Newyear.

Let’shopeitisaMerry Christ masfor theBritish puband hope for aprosperousenoughnew year to at leastallow most to survive.

In thepastfew yearsamysteri ousman in agimpsuithas been frightening folk in villages near Bristol.

Thelatestencounter,afew days ago, endedina very English waywithhis victimsoffering themysteriousstranger acigarette.Iwas reminded of my interviewin2003witha couple whohad been scared witlessnearCannock Chaseby a“BritishBigfoot”which they describedasa“huge ape-like creature”.Funnyold world

this winter undera huge government supportpackage. Thescheme fixedwholesale gasand electricity prices forbusinesses forsix months from 1October

‘The landlord is a father,confessor andmentoras well as bouncer’

Thewarmfuzzy feeling of alocal

Theexistingbus services leavea lottobe desired

On thefaceofit, therecent vision forthe region’s rail networkasenvisagedbythe West Midlands Rail Executive is revolutionary,however,anhourly London serviceand aShrewsbury park andrideonanelectrified railway, is of limiteduse if you can’ttakeadvantage of it

Shropshireisarural county, with market townsthatlost theirrailservice in the1960s Existing busservicesleave a lot to be desired and fail to connect people sufficiently, to what remainsofthe network.

Take theno. 9service Bridgnorth to Wolverhampton. Potentially, an easy connec tion with thewhole West Midlandsrailand metro network. Many use it forthisbut how much better if it continued furtherintothe evening? Even better with an enhanced frequency

TheIronbridge Gorgerail line is absent from thevision. That’s theproblem with many busservices–theymay servea station, butnot conven iently enough to attract more passengers or give access to theseproposedenhancements.

If themanifesto commitment to levelling-upsurvivesthe re cent politicalupheaval, it needs to be focusedonBoris’s ‘Bus Back Better’ initiative (remem berthat?)tofacilitate employ ment,educational andtourist connectivity as well as supportingthe hospitalitytradebyallowing people an alternativeto thecar foraccessingpubsand restaurantsinthe evening.

As I’ve said before,our po liticalrepresentatives must ensure theshires don’tmiss outtotheir conurbationneigh bours.

MikeCrump,Shropshire

PICTURE FROMTHE ARCHIVE

What an excellentarticle by Bill McCarthy

I’msogladthatsomeone is braveenoughtocomment on theincreaseofirresponsible/ inconsideratedog owners;the oneswho thinkthateveryone lovesdogs–lotsofusdon’t!

I, andmanyothers, agree with Bill aboutdogsinpubs

–the dogsitsunder thetable, hastobestill andquiet.Why do people thinkthat’sany sort of funfor thedog?

Leaveitathome,likeyou hadtoafew yearsago before pubsstarted allowing dogs in Or pub owners –makeaspecif ic area fordogs, andone where dogs aren’t allowed, then all arehappy

Ialso know how he feels when accosted by adog in a park,whenthe ownersays“he won’thurtyou”–how on earth cantheyguarantee that?! And even if it doesn’thurtme, I don’twantdirty pawmarks anddog slobberonmyclothes

Isee lots of dogs on my walk in theparkand Ican counton onehandthe number that are actually obedient andcome when theownerscallthem, so many arenot undercontrolat all.

Iknowmostownersare re sponsible, andlikeBill,Ihave no problemwithwell-behaved dogs,but Idowishpeople wouldjustkeeptheir dogs to themselves untiltheyare sure thatsomeone wantstobefriend it.Thenno onewould need to be nervousorafraid.

Name andaddress supplied

Clockchange is daylight robbery

It’s time foryear-roundBritish Summer Time.Noamountof clockcontrolisgoing to chal lengerealtimeand seasons, nor change theinherentlydark miserable months of December andJanuary

Households couldsaveapproximately£400ayearifwe left theclocksinBritishSum merTime, with considerably less hassle too. We usemore electricity, energy sourcesin theeveningthanthe morning.

How much does ourgovern ment wasteonpublicinforma tion advertisements?

In thecurrent system,clocks ‘fall’ back seven weeksbefore theshortestday (December 21)but do not‘spring forward’ untilthirteenweeks afterit, whichisacrazy imbalance.

Theday before we fiddle with time andclocks, setting them back,sunrise is at 7:48am.The daybeforewe fiddle time and clocks forward, thesun risesat 5:52am.Thisisnot how best to make useofnatural light. We arebeing timedout,tobeout of time,atthe wrongtimes

Clockchangingissimply daylightrobbery at thewrong endofthe day, over thefull year.British Summer Time helpsusavoid energy blackouts, savesmoney and, stops theunnecessary mind control by thepowers-that-be.

Doug James, West Midlands

Homes bid may be challenging

Ifound greatmerit in Nancy Stewart’sMarket DraytonCli mate Actionletter.

Shehighlighted435 new homesdue to be builtinthe next LocalPlanperiod.

Thegroup wantsthe major housebuilders to deliver new homes“to thehighest energy efficiency standards, with on site renewableenergygener ationand zero or lowcarbon heatingsystems”.

In this time of climateemer gency, it is rational butchallengingtobring about.

Robert Saunders, Shropshire

Keep your dogs to yourselves!

Gnosall’sfamousBoat pub boastedone of thelargest innsigns in thecountrywhenthisboat was installedonits canalsidecar park in 1984

Sustainable gifts at Christmasfair

ATraidcraftFairtradeChristmas Fair will be taking placelater this month.

Theevent,atLudlow’s Mascall Centre in LowerGaldeford, will be held between10amand 4pmonSat urday, November19.

Aspokesman forthe organisers said:“Admissionisabsolutelyfree.

“There’llbeagreat selectionof fair trade andethical Christmas gift ideas, Christmas cards and wrapping paper.

“Choose from theFairtradechocolaterange,including some new chocolates;deliciouscookies,tea andcoffees andstock up on many basicFairtrade groceries.

“Whileyou’rethere,enjoy acup pa with biscuits andcakefor adonation

“MakethisChristmas afairand sustainable oneand wow everyone with hand craftedgiftsfrom around theworld.”

Repair experts fi

x38items

Arecordnumberofitems were takentothe last in-personLud low Repair Cafe of theyear.

Some 11 specialistrepair expertswerekeptbusywith asteady stream of customers whotookatotal of 38 items from furnituretocuddlytoysto theevent on October29at the town’s Elim Church

“The atmosphere wasbuzzingfromthe start,”saidDi Lyle,who setupand continues to organise theLudlowRepair Café.“That buzz came notonly from therepairroombut from theownerswho collected in the entrancehalltoregistertheir items.

“The repair team don’treally need an inputofenergyas they bringtheir own, alongwith theirenthusiasm, butthatbuzz addedsomethingspecial to the morning.”

Dogwaste bag dispensershelp

Acouncillor hasbeentacklingdog wastewiththe installation of bag dispensers

Donnington andMuxtonParish Councilcommitted £2,000 forthe purchasingand maintenanceof22 bagdispensers back in July,and workhas begunoninstalling the dispensers acrossthe parish

Donnington councillor Jay Gough, knownlocally as the‘Telford Batman’, hastaken to the streetshimself to installthe dispenserswiththe help of events of ficerConnor Furnival

Councillor Goughsaiddog waste wasarealconcern of residents

“It’seasilyone of themostcom plained about things from resi dents,”heexplained: “Wewanted to give people that helpinghand. “Whether it’s forsomeonecaught short, or forthose that arejust lazy –wewanted to give people the opportunitytopickupaftertheir dogs.”

One injuredafter car flipsontoroof

Acar ended up on itsroofafter crashingintoaparkedvehicle Police,paramedicsand fire crewswerecalledtoChetwynd Aston, Newport, at around 9pm on Friday afterthe smash.

AShropshireFireand Rescue spokesmansaid: “At9.09pmon Friday,November 4, SFRS Fire Controlreceiveda call reporting that aroadtrafficcollision had

takenplaceinNewport.Thisincident involvedavehicle which collidedwitha stationary carand rolled over onto itsroof. No persons trapped

“One casualtyleftinthe care of theambulance service. One fire appliancewas mobilisedfrom Wellington.”

West Midlands AmbulanceSer vice wascontacted foranupdate.

ChristmasCarol guidedtours of town

People cantakepart in festivetours highlighting acountytown’spartin abig-screenChristmas classicmov ie Shrewsbury Museum &Art Gallery is organising ‘A Christmas Carol’guidedtours of thetown, to take placein December

People will be able to join expert guides forthe toursas they re-visit some of the film locationsfeatured in theiconic1984 film adaptation

of ‘A Christmas Carol’, filmed in Shrewsbury

Thetours lastfor 90 minutes and take placeonSaturdayand Sunday, December 10 and11.

Therewill twotours each day, starting at 11am and2pm

Thosekeentogoshouldbook tickets forthe toursbyvisitingthe websiteshropshiremuseums.org uk/events/

Manbit sportshopmanager during ascuffle, courtistold

NICK HUMPHREYS nick.humphreys@mnamedia.co.uk

Aman bitasportsshop managerafter getting involvedinabrawl.

Stuart McInnes, aged 40,sunk histeeth into thebossofSports Direct in Telfordtowncentre after he wasconfronted on suspicionof shoplifting.

TelfordMagistratesCourt heard that themanager was“concerned forhis staff” so pulled McInnesto the floor.

During theconfrontation on De cember 1lastyear, McInnes bitthe manageronhis wrist.

McInnes,who appearedin court viavideo link from HMPBristol whereheisserving asentencefor adifferent offence, also pushed the managerintoawall, wherehehit hisheadand back

McInnes,who is of no fixedabode butfromTelford,pleaded guilty to assaultoccasioning actual bodily harm

Hispreviousconvictions include possession of aknife as well as drug, theftand motoring offences

ShakeelAhmed,mitigating, said that it was“threeonone”against McInnes as thescuffletookplace, andhehad been grabbedaround theneck.

MagistrateshandedMcInnes an 18-weekjailterm. Theprisonsen tenceissuspended for18months.

McInnes must also pay£200com pensation to thevictim.

Lanternfestivalset to light up safari park

Visitors to West MidlandSafari Park cansee natureinanew light as alantern festival returns.

Morethan1,000 individual ‘tropical-themed’ lanterns will lightupthe attractionnearBewdleyfromtomorrow(11).

Thewalk-throughanimalexhibitswill remain open forguests to enjoy,as well as theLandof theLivingDinosaurs andIce Age exhibits. Butthe safari drive-

LISA O’BRIEN

lisa.obrien@mnamedia.co.uk

through andtheme park ridesare closedduringthe eveningevents. Bethan Davis, events officer, said: “Following thesuccess of last year’s event, we’veamended the datessowecan host theevent over thefestive period, so therewill be more chancesfor gueststosee our

spectacularlanterns, whichall have a floraand faunatheme for 2022

Theteamhavebeenhardat worktoset up theincredibletrail of over athousandindividual lights

“We’ve also gota newroute for this year,which ends with agrand finale of asafarispectacle in the gardensofSpringGrove House.”

Thefestivalrunstill January.

Heartbreakingarson attack –but re-build starts

An arsonattackdestroyedahuge bonfire –aweekbeforeitwas due to go up in flames

TheDonningtonBonfire was destroyedonSaturdaynight, in an arsonattackthattookplace even as itsorganisers were on site

However,ahugere-buildeffort meansthe eventwill stilltake placeonSaturday, November12, as planned.

OrganiserMarkMitchell, whose familyhaverun theevent for45 years, said that agroup of what appearedtobeyouthswereresponsiblefor destroying thebon fire first firing fireworks towards thehugepileofpallets, andthen

directly setting fire to thestack The fire servicehad attended the sceneshortlyafter6pm butcon cluded therewas no option butto leave fire to burn out.

Mr Mitchell said he hadbeenon site with hisfatheronSaturday nightwhenthe bonfire waslit

Fireworks

He said:“They were setting fire works offatthe endofthe fieldand they were sendingrockets towards it

“Wewentupthere to chasethem offand then they have chucked somethingonthere andithas setit

on fire.” He said that it hadbeena scaryand upsettingincident,add ing: “Itwas heartbreaking.

“Mydad is84yearsold andhe’s chasingpeoplearoundthe fieldto keep them away.”

Mr Mitchell said they would notbedeterredbythe attack and were committed to making sure the communitycould enjoy the long-runningevent.

Thousandsofpeoplenormally attend theevent,which is thebig gest fireworkdisplay in thecounty.

Theevening also includes afun fair with around 20 rides, attractionsand inflatables.

Thebonfire wasset alight

Marketing assistant Shona WrightatWest Midland Safari Park which will be hosting alanternfestival

Idealgifts forhymn andher at church fair

NICK HUMPHREYS nick.humphreys@mnamedia.

Salopians flockedto a winter fair to start theirChristmasshopping in thehistoricsur roundingsofa church.

ThefairtookplaceatStMary’s Church in Shrewsbury town centre on Saturday.Around30stall holderssoldanarray of goodies includingartwork, clothing,bags, Christmas decorations, jewellery andmore. Therewerealsosever al charitystands.

OrganiserClare Harvey said: “The majority of traders arelocal artisans.That’sour main ethos–to supportsmall,local business es

“You will find things here that you wouldn’t necessarily find on theHighStreet.It’sthe perfect wayfor people to make astart on theirChristmas shopping

“Some of ourtradershavebeen coming to this fair forseveral years. We hadlotsofthemsignup earlythistime. Andwehad alot of customers asking forthe dates when we’reholding it this year

“We’ve gota nice mixtureof stands andit’sa nice,friendly, so cialthing to come to.”

Foranyonewho missed out, thefairwill be returningtothe

church next Saturday,November 12,again runningfrom10amto 4pm.

Clareisalsorunninga winter fair in Market Draytonthisyear. That eventwill be on thefollowingSunday, November20, at the Festival DraytonCentre,also runningfrom10amto4pm

Entertaining thepunters will be TillyMaydme, whowill be singinga selectionofmusic hall numbers. Therewill also be acof feestand servinghot drinks on site

Both events arefreetoenter

Specialfestive visittotop garden centre Free festive dinner

Bridgnorth Lionsare organising aspecial trip to oneofWorcester shire’stop garden centresfor a Christmas shopping experience

TheBridgnorth Lionsare or ganising theannualvisit to Webbs of Wychbold Garden centre next monthfor aChristmas shopping experience

Theevent is scheduled to take

placeonTuesday December 6.

Seniors, andanyonewitha disability of anyage includingtheir carers,are welcome on thetrip, whichwillleave Bridgnorth at 10am

Thepartywill return from Webbsat2.30pm

Formoreinformation contact Neil Bennett on 07977900 267.

Aparishcouncil is hostingafree Christmas meal forresidents over theage of 65 Donnington &MuxtonParish Councilare back hostingtheir free community Christmasmeal. Atwo course meal provided alongsidefreeentertainmentis open to residents of Donnington andMuxton. Proofofage is need ed foraticket

Phil Waters with an artwork by hiswifeClairethat wasfor sale

Trish Brunt from Candy Design

NicoleHitchen,fromBridgnorthfromThe Bottle TopBar which hadastall at thefair

Community groups areboosted by Co-op

Morethan£22,000 hasbeen shared outtocharities andcom munity groups acrossShropshire, Telford&Wrekin.

Communityorganisations that promote wellbeinghavereceived afunding boost thanks to Co-op shoppers.The recipients are:

l Shropshire Epilepsy Support£1,182

l CRADLE at Shrewsbury and TelfordNHS Trust(SaTH)£1,123

l Shropshire YouthTheatre £1,182

l Shrewsbury Food Hub-£1,610

l Bomere HeathSunshinePre school -£1,300

l BowmereHeath VillageHall£1,300

l AgeUKShropshireTelford & Wrekin -£1,436

l Ironbridge andSevernGorge Lions(CIO) -£2,189

l FriendsofPontesburyLibrary -£2,886

l St JohnAmbulance,Oswestry AllServicesUnit- £1,697

l TheRotaryClubofWhitchurch -£1,498

l 1stGobowen ScoutGroup £1,221

l GobowenBabyand Toddlers £1,243

l Hanwood YouthClub- £1,295

l Oswestry Men’sShed-£1,436

Since2016,Co-opmembers have raised£117million,includingmorethan30,000 localcom munity projects acrossthe UK,

throughthe Co-op’sLocal Community Fund.

Thefundhelps to buildstrong er andmoreresilientcommuni ties by tackling keyissuessuch as access to food, mental wellbe ingsupport andopportunities for young people

RebeccaBirkbeck,directorof communityand member participation at Co-op, said:“We know that thecost-of-livingcrisisis making it incredibly challenging.

“I’m proudour LocalCommu nity Fund canbea lifeline, not only promotingthe development of stronger,moreresilient and fairer communitiesbut also help ingpeoplecopewithwhatlife throws at them.”

Investmenton the way for sportscentre

An MP haswelcomedplans for newinvestmentatanational centre forsportsinShropshire.

Wrekin MP,MarkPritchard, askedthe SecretaryofState forDigital,Culture,Media and Sport(DCMS)whatplansher department hasfor thefutureof Lilleshall Hall National Sports Centre

UK Sport, SportEngland, BritishGymnastics, GB Archery andthe RoyalBritish Legion Battlebackprogramme currently providea rangeofactivitiesat thesite.

In recent years, thecentre has

benefited from newgymnastics facilities,renovationofthe LilleshallMainHouse listed building, andnew hockey pitches.

In response to Mr Pritchard’s writtenparliamentary question, Stuart Andrew,Parliamenta ry Under-SecretaryofState at DCMS, confirmed that “future plansfor investmentincludeimprovedarcheryfacilities andthe expansionofthe RoyalBritish Legion Battleback programme whichinclude thehosting of the Invictus Gamesprogramme.”

Mr Pritchardsaid: “For dec ades,Lilleshall National Sports

Centre hasprovidedworld-class sporting facilities forthe local communityand forelite sports menand women “I am delightedthatthere will be newinvestmentbothinsports facilities andprogrammesfor in juredveterans.”

Thegovernmentministersaid that thereisan element of commercialactivitysuchasconferencesatLilleshall that helpsto underpin the financialviability of thesiteand enablesthe provision of sporting activity “Thereare no plansfor this to change.”

Rotary aiming to boost charitytotal from Tree of Lights

MEGANHOWE newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

ThetreewillbebackatMorrisons from November19.

TheTreeofLightscharity appeal provides an opportunitytoremember lovedonesinthe run-up to Christmas andhonourtheir memorybycontrib utingtolocal charities.

This year donationstothe treewill supportHopeHouse Children’s Hospiceand Market DraytonMencap and GatewayClub.

Anyone whowishestodedicatea lightonthe treeand make adonation to these importantlocal charitiesis askedtocompleteasponsorshipform availableonMarket DraytonRotary website,fromMorrisons customerser vice desk or theTownHall.

Donationscan be made from now onwardsand the firstdisplay will be in placeafter thelightswitch-on in November. It will be updatedregularly until just before Christmas.

TheTreeofLightshas been a fix ture in thetownsinceitwas started by aprevioustownRotaryGroup.The Lionsran it from 2016 untillastyear when they disbandedand theTreeof Lights washandedontothe town’s newRotaryGroup

This year is goingtobetougher for everybody financiallybut Rotary still hopes to improve theorganisationand increasethe amount raisedfor local charities.

Rotary in Market Drayton will be maintainingthe traditionalTreeofLights forthe festiveseason.

Arts eventat school draws in thecrowds

MEGANHOWE

Community News Reporter

An organiserofa dedicated arts festival thankedthe community forits supportafter it sawarecord turnoutfor keyevents.

Suzanne Edwards, organiserof theDrayton Arts Festival in Market Draytonreflected on itssuccess, with plenty of positive feedback

Thefestivaltookplaceinvenues acrossthe town,withawhole host of activities andevents forfamilies to getinvolvedwith.

Suzanne said:“We hadarecord turn outfor allour keyevents.

“Weweredelightedwiththe outcome andI need to thankall the town traders,the librarystaff and themaintenance team at theGrove School and, of course,members of theartsfestivalteam, whoall workedtirelesslytomakethe festi valthe successitwas

“Afterall thebillswerepaid, we managedtomake£830which put theartsfestival financiallyback in theblack with afew hundred pounds to go towardsnextyears arts festival –10thanniversary.”

Suzanne said morethan700 peo pleattendedthe schools’ calendar exhibition andfromwhatshe had heardthe town wasbuzzing with children andfamiliesonSaturday.

T

Suzanne putthe success down to acollaboration betweenbusinesses andorganisations in thetown–the festival team, town tradersand li

brarystaff.Set up in 2014,thiswas the firstCommunity Arts Festival in thetown, offering up to 40 events acrossthe week forits localcommu nity.Showcasinglocal talent,Dray tonArtsFestivalhas communityat

itsheart,withthe vast majority of events beingfreefor children and families.there is generallyjusta smallcostonlyfor materialsneeded forart workshops.Learn more at: draytonartsfest.org

Calendarwinners at theGrove School,fromleft: OliviaHolland,six,Archie Redhead, seven, andLilyJones,11

Amongthe artondisplaywas this imagebyPeter Pearson

ArtbyValeria Paslar

Projectartist: MalcolmHague looking at artbyPeter Pearson

Leo, eight, andRuby, six, Barrow

OrganiserSuzanne Edwardswith coverstarwinner: GeorginaIngham,16, atthe GroveSchoolinMarket Drayton

Organiser Suzanne Edwardswith some of thecommendedentrants

Artworksby: Eva-MaeMorris,10, LacieMae-Hickman, 11

Road surfacing apprentices hit ground running

Acountycollege is the firstinthe UK to putits road surfacingap prenticesthrough anew assessment programme– andeverymember of the firstcohort haspassedwith fly ingcolours

Thelevel twoapprentices at Tel ford Collegehavebeencombining theirstudies with jobs at highways giantEurovia UK forthe past 18 months, workingtowards anew Road SurfacingOperative qualifi cation.The programmehas been developedbythe collegeinpartner ship with Eurovia.

The first five apprentices– Aaron Guest, Jack Jones,Cameron But ton, Liam Masshi-Matthuand An tonMurray–haverecordeda100 percent first-time pass rate,includ ingseveral distinctions

Robert Lees, TelfordCollege’s di rector of engineeringand aviation, said:“This is afantastic waytokick offthe programme.

“Eachstudenthad to successful ly come throughworkplace obser vation andprofessionaldiscussion tests, andthey’ve performedbril liantly.”

Full time apprenticestypical ly spend15to18monthsworking towardsthe endpoint assessment fortheir road surfacing operative qualifications, whichare the firstof theirkindinthe UK. Together with itsassociatedcompanies,Eurovia UK teams areresponsible forim provingover 50,000 kilometres of theUK’shighways network.

Networkhosts exhibition of artand crafts

An exhibitionwill be taking placeinthe county to showcase localartwork.

Visual Arts Network, based on themiddle floorofthe Dar winShoppingCentre in Shrews bury,has startedits newwinter exhibition.

It features anumberof Christmas itemsfor sale includ ingartworkand craftitems by localartists

RunninguptoChristmas people will also be able to see membersdemonstrating their skillsinthe galleryonSatur days from November19, from 10.30amto3.30pm

They will also be thereon Wednesday evenings from No vember30, from 4pmuntil 6.30pm

Thesessionswill include weavers,painters, printers and more

Achildren’sChristmas colouring competitionisalso tak ingplacewiththree agegroups –under fives, five to sevenyears andeightto11years

Entryisfreeand prizes will be awardedat6pm on Wednes day, December 21,withthe winning artworks to be exhibited in thegallery.

People canpickupanentry form andpicture from theVAN Gallery.

PantoDameBradFitttohostcharity quiz

Shrewsbury’s belovedpanto dame will be taking time outofa busy rehearsalscheduletohosta oneoffcharity quiz night–withtickets open to all.

Brad Fitt –starofthe annual Theatre Severnpantomimes– gave histimetothe Lingen Davies CancerFundtohostvirtual quizzes andboostfundraising during the Covidpandemic

He helped raise more than£1,300 forthe charitythatraises awareness aboutcancerinthe community andsupportspatientsthroughout Shropshireand MidWales

DOMINIC ROBERTSON ChiefReporter

Organisers have nowsaidthey canoffer quiz lovers, pantolovers, Brad Fitt fans, andcharity support ersthe chance to meet thedameat an exclusivequizevent beingheld from 7pm, on Wednesday,Novem ber23, at TheButtermarket in Shrewsbury.Brad, starring in the upcoming Beauty andThe Beast whichlaunchesonWednesday,No vember30, will be hostingthe quiz nightfor teams of up to sixpeople.

LizzyColeman,eventsofficerfor Lingen Davies,said: “Afteracouple of virtualquizzes over thepastfew years, we areextremely excitedto be able to host an in-personquiz night.

“Bradhas supported us previous ly with ahugelysuccessfulvirtual quiz during lockdown,soweare very grateful to himfor donating histimetohostthe evening.”

Ticketstothe eventcost£15 a persontoinclude chilli andrice (vegetarianoptions areavailable) andcan be purchased at lingen davies.co.uk or on 01743492396.

Pump prices up againasdiesel costsincreaseby more than 10p

DieselpricesinShropshirehave gone up by more than 10pinthe last month, adding around £5 to thecost of filling atypical family car.

On Thursday theRAC said the averageprice of diesel hadrisen from 180.4p perlitre to 190.5p per litre during October– thethird biggestmonthly fuel pricerise on record

Theaverage priceofpetrolrose by nearly 4p perlitre last month, from 162.7p to 166.4p

However in Shropshire,diesel hasleapt 12pper litre

Accordingtopetrolprices.com, on Sundayafternoonthe cheapestdie selprice in theregionwas 181.7p Onemonth agoitwas 169.9p

Theprice of unleaded hasalso risen, with abestprice on Novem ber5of155pcomparedto147.6pa monthearlier,althoughmostretail ersin earlyOctober were charging prices from 153.9p upwards.

Pricehikes began in theearly part of Octoberwhenoil producing groupOpec+ agreed to cutproduc tion by twomillion barrelsa day whichled to a7per cent increase in oilprices. Theweakerpound also made wholesale petroland diesel moreexpensive.

RACfuelspokesman SimonWil liamssaid: “Afterthree monthsof falling pump prices,October wasa severeshock to thesystemfor driv erswiththe unwelcome return of some scarynumbers on forecourt totems.Those with diesel vehicles suffered most with 10pbeing added to thecostofalitre in what wasthe thirdworst monthly increase on re cord,but petrolcar driversalso saw a4p-a-litre increase.”

MPsask forgovernment help to improve social care service

Four county MPshave united to pressthe De partment of Health for more moneytosupport social care throughthe winter.

Thethree Conservatives andone LiberalDemocrathaveall added theirnames to alettertoHealth SecretarySteve Barclay,calling for more financialsupport forShrop shire’shard-pressedhealthservic es

Tory parliamentarians Lud low’sPhilip Dunne, Shrewsbury &Atcham’sDanielKawczynski, TheWrekin’sMarkPritchard,and NorthShropshireLib DemHelen Morgan, have askedfor agreater shareof£500m theGovernmentis settoprovide forsocialcareacross thecountry

Thequartet have warned how issues faced by thesectorhavea knock-on effect –leading to aworse performanceinambulance andhos

DOMINIC ROBERTSON dominic.robertson@mnamedia.

pitalservices. They addthatthe ruralnatureofpartsofthe county only servetoexacerbatethe prob lems, andthatregularly thereare 150peopleinthe county waitingfor access to socialcare.

They said:“Theprovision of health andsocialcareservices within NHSShropshire, Telford& Wrekin reflects thenationalchal lenges butismagnified by ourspe cificcircumstances:asplit town & ruralcommunity,a growing, ageing population,enhanceddifficultiesin recruiting andretaining staffinto thesectorand thelegacyofour his toricalestate.

“All partners acrossthe health andcaresystemare working re lentlessly to ensure ourcitizensare caredfor in themostappropriate setting. Nevertheless, theimpactof ourcircumstances –and particular ly thedifficultyinrecruitingpeople

into allcareservices–can result in delays in patients beingcared forin theright place. This hasmultiple effects, includingdelaystoambu lancehandoversintothe emergency departmentsand patients waiting toolongtoaccesscare.

“Asimportantly,patientscan endupbeing caredfor in abed in ahospitalorcarehome,whentheir best placemay be back home.This canhaveaveryrealimpactonthe qualityoflifefor patients requiring support.”

Thefouroutline howextra mon ey is alreadybeing putintothe sys temlocally –but that more national fundingwould allowfor more staff to help improve services

They said:“We regularlyhave approximately150 people wait ingtoaccess socialcare, including domiciliaryand residential care, in asystemalready providingcare to more patients with morecom plexneedsthanever before.The local NHS(viathe Integrated Care

Board) hasinvested an additional £10m into thetwo localauthorities whichistargetedatsupporting timely dischargefromhospitals

“Thisisover andabove theBCF (Better Care Fund)contributions through theNHS andlocal author ities.

“Allocationofthe additional so cialcarefunding will help support recruitmentintothe system to buildcapacityindomiciliarycare andother areasofsocialcarepro vision andallow forour residentsto be caredfor in themostappropriate settingimproving outcomesfor all.

“Weare writingtorequest sym pathetic considerationofthe needs of theShropshire, Telford&Wre kinhealthareawhenallocating availablefunds forthiswinterand addressing socialcarepressures

“Funding formulae regularlyun der-allocatetorural areasingener al andtoShropshirein particular

“Wewould be grateful if you couldtakesteps to reverse this.”

ShrewsburypantostarBradFitt, who is hostingacharity quiznight, with Angela Hill from Lingen Davies

Areasthatare duetoget electric vehiclechargingpointsare named

Acouncil hasnamed 40 areas whereitwill be installing electric vehicle charging points

Earlierthismonth Shropshire Councilannounced it hadbeen given more than £900,000 to in stallelectriccar charging points in thecounty.

Anda meetingnextweekpoints outthatitwants to install270 charging points in communities

largeand smallasfastaspossible forcontractualreasons.Sales of petroland dieselcarsare settobe banned in 2030

Thecabinet meetingonNovem ber9 will hear that areashave been chosen basedona number of factorsincluding thenumber of residentswithout access to off-street parkingand theavailability of existing EV chargepoint

installations. Thelistofsites readslikean AtoWofplacesin Shropshire, includingAlbright on,Shrewsbury, Church Stretton, Clun andWhitchurch.Amongthe streetsdue to getmostcharging points are: 12 in InnageLane, Bridgnorth;10atGobowen Rail wayStation;10atAston Street car park,inShifnal; and10atAston Street carpark, in Wem.

Thecouncil is working with its charge point operator,Connected Kerb,touse the£902,940 to bring thenumberofchargingpointsin thecountyupto320,across45lo cations.

Thefull detailsofthe plans canbeseenhere: https://shrop sh ire.gov.uk /c om mitt ee -s er vices/ieListDocuments.aspx ?CId=130&MId=4597

Angerascommunity orchard attacked by mindless vandals

MEGANJONES megan.jones@mnamedia.co.uk

Avolunteer grouphas beendevastatedbyan actof‘mindless vandal ism’ that hasdamaged treesinacommunity or chard.

ThesiteatHolmerLakeinTelford wasvandalisedlastweek, with criminalsdamagingeight outofthe 10 heritage fruittrees some time during thenightofFriday, Novem ber28.

Oneofthe founding members of thevolunteergroup,Friends of Holmer Lake andMadebrook,Rick Shaw,saidtheyweredevastated to find thedamaged trees

“Itwas abig shockto find them We builtthisspace as acommunity space,wanting schoolsand families to useit.

Shock

“Weput picnicbenches in,and thesiteisreallypopular “Soitwas areallybig shockto see, it’s just such mindless vandal ism.”

Whilst effortshavebeenmade to save thetrees,itwill be many months before volunteers know if theirworkwas in vain

Rick explained: “We’ve spliced thetrees,but it’s difficult,wewon’t be able to tell until spring if it worked.”

Theorchard wascreated using communitygrants, with selected

fruittrees including five Shrop shireheritageapple trees andamix of cherry,plum, damsonand pear

TheBrookside SaferNeighbour hood Team released astatement aboutthe attack,calling it more than just anti-socialbehaviour

In thestatement,policesaidthe crimeconstituted criminal damage andissubject to an investigation.

Rick,who livesinBrookside,said thesupport thegroup hasreceived followingthe vandalismhas been re-assuring.

He said:“Lots of people come out againstit, whichisnice.

“Intimes likethis, it’s important to remember most people appreciate what you’redoing andvalue these kind of communityassets.

“It’s just ashame that thefew try andruinitfor themany.”

Police have askedanyonewith informationabout thevandal attack to contactthe team by calling 101quotinglog number 00234_I_29102022,orby usingthe independentanonymous service, Crimestoppers, online at crimes toppers.uk.org

Fundraiser forLouisetops£4,500inafew days

Afundraiserset up to help give a terminallyill mother moretime with herfamilyhas topped £4,000 in amatterofdays.

Louise Bristow, themotherof teenager DylanPrice,who was killed in an unsolved hitand run in Bishop’s Castle last year,was told by doctorslastmonth that she hasjustthree monthstolive.

In response to thedevastating news herfriends setupafundraiser to payfor alternative treatment –which they hope couldimprove thecondition of her kidneys, al lowing hertore-startchemother apyfor hercancer, andspend more timewithher family.

Sinceits launch thefundrais er hasrisen to more than£4,500. Louise’s daughter Izzy Price, said thefamilyhad beenoverwhelmed at theresponse to thefundraiser–andoffered herthankstoeveryone whohas donated.

Shesaid: “Ithas been phenom enal howgenerouseveryone has been.Friends,familyand thegen eral publicall wantingtohelpand putforward donationsfor mum to go andhavealternative treat ment.”

Sheadded: “There arepeoplewe know,peoplewedon’t know,who just want to show theirsupport whichisjustamazing

“Wedidn’tknowwhattoexpect butwhatithas done is it will kick startmum beingabletostart the treatment.”

In herown update on theGo FundMe page,Louisesaidshe had been “overwhelmedwithevery one’sgenerosity.”

Louise,49, from Dorrington, whowas firstdiagnosed with cer vicalcancerin 2018,was taken seriouslyill with kidney failure last month, ending up in intensive care.Anyonewho wishes to sup port thefundraisercan do so at www.gofundme.com/f/lous-fightto-stay-alive?qid=7e8e1ee702815e 7895457a0729c540f7

Boxer, 30,made ‘knife threats’ to passers-by

Aknife-wieldingboxermade threatstopassers-byand stopped trafficin a“frightening”latenight incident.

Zeon Lavender,aged 30,brandished theweaponin Brunel Way, Telfordtowncentre,as afriendof hiswas fighting with anotherman

Shrewsbury CrownCourt heard that at around 11pmonJanuary 25 this year,three menwere“stopping cars, beingaggressivetomotorists andcausing traffictomove outof theway”.

“One of themales waswaving hisarmsand holding aknife,” said JohnBrotherton, prosecuting.

Theman with theknife wasLav ender.The courtheard that Laven der offeredto fightpassers-by.

He wasarrested andtaken to thenearbyMalinsgatepolicesta tion,where he admitted “wehad somethingonus.”But he said:“It doesn’tmeanweuse it.Wedropit and fightlikemen.”

Lavender,ofBrunelRoad, pleaded guilty to possession of an article with ablade or point.

He hasnopreviousconvictions

Oliver King,mitigating, said the incidentwas “out of character” for Lavender andhehad lost hislicense to workondoors

Judge PeterBarriehandedLav ender athree-monthjailterm, sus pended for12months.

He must also carryout 60 hours of unpaid workand do 20 rehabili tation activity days.

Recyclingbins arerolledout

Almost 80,000 wheeliebinsfor re cyclingcans, glassand plastichave been delivered to homesacrossthe ShropshireCouncil area in thelast sixmonths–withafurther 19,000 settobedelivered before Christ mas.

Thepurple-liddedbinswere availableonrequest,withorders openinginmid-January.Justover 77,000 were orderedbeforeApril andthese have now been delivered

Now, the19,000 bins orderedbe tweenApril 1and October31will be delivered,startingthisweek.

Online orders forthe bins have nowclosed, buttheycan still be re questedbyphone, fordeliveryearly next year

Thebins, manufactured by Tel ford-based CraemerLtd,were first deliveredinthe southShropshire area,theninBridgnorth, Shrews bury,Oswestryand north Shrop shire.

Councillor IanNellins,Shrop shireCouncil’s Cabinet member with responsibility forwaste management, said: “We’ve hadaphe nomenalnumberofrequestsfrom acrossthe countyfor these newbins andIknowmanypeoplecouldn’t –orcan’t –waittoreceivetheirs. I’mdelightedthatthe firstphase of deliveries hasbeencompleted, and that thesecond phase will begin this week

“I want to thankeveryone who hasordered abin,and thankpeople fortheir patience whilewaiting for theirs to be delivered.”

To order abin call 0345 6789007.

TheFriendsofHolmerLakeand Madebrook,from left BarryWheeler,Jacky Sinclair,RickShawand Greg Sinclair

DylanPricediedthe day before his 18th birthday

£200ksensory room

at hospice

A£200,000refurbishment is givingseriouslyill children access to astate of theart sensory roomand aquaticpool.

Thenew improvedfacilities at the Hope HouseChildren’s Hospice, in Morda,nearOswestry, have been paid forthankstograntsand dona tionstotalling more than£200,000

Thetwo completedprojects, whichhavebeeninthe pipeline since2019, offerenhancedtherapyand care forchildren with life-threatening conditions

Theworktothe sensory room cost £32,000, while£170,000was spentonthe poolrefit.

Both projectscamecourtesyof33 differenttrusts, grants andprivate donations, includinga grantfrom theMarkBenevolentFundworth £45,000

Thesensory room,called‘Supernova’, hasspecialistequipmentincludingbubbletubes,LED lights, sensory soft play, and music to suit theneeds of allchildren.The aim is to ensure everychildcan have auniqueexperience tomaketheir stay at thehospicemoreenjoyable

HopeHouse physiotherapist Esme Turner said:“Thechildren will be abletochoosewhatthey want in thesensory room thanks to newswitchesand controls

“Theycan change thetypeofmusic, lighting or swap outequipment –itreallywillbea differentexperiencefor everychild, dependingon theirneeds.”

Fearsgrowing overhealthcare as NHSleftcreakingatseams

JOEGAMMIE Health Correspondent

Concerns aboutbed shortages, emergency response timesand poor care qualityhaveris en sharplyupthe list of issues people aremost worriedabout in the NHS, apollhas found.

Thesurveyreleasedtoday found long waitinglists andwaitingtimes to be themainissue of concernfor thepublic, with 62 percentsaying that this wastheir main worry about theNHS

Butwhile this wasfollowed by not enough staffand overworkedstaff, both at 57 percent, concernabout poor emergencyresponse times, shortage of beds andpoorquality treatment or care rosesharply be tweenJuneand October.

Thepoll, carriedout by Ipsos, foundthat52per cent of the1,030 Britishadultsquizzed in October listed pooremergency response, ambulancetimes and999 service as aconcern –upfrom44per cent in June

999 ordeal that lasted 17 hours

Therefitted aquatic poolisahuge upgradeonthe oldpool, whichwas over 25 yearsold A42-year-old woman from Telford hasspokenofher ordeal waiting17hours foran ambu lanceafterhavingaseizure at home.Jenny Long,who livesin Donnington,sufferedafallon themorning of Monday, Octo ber31, whichthenbrought on a seizure.

Aftercominground,Jenny noticed that shehad injured herknee, whichappearedtobe swelling andgetting hotter to thetouch

When shephonedthe 111 hotline shewas initiallytoldthere wouldbeasix-hour wait foran ambulance.

Over thenext15hours Jenny made four furthercalls to both 111 and999 –at4pm,10pm, 2amand 5am–asshe said the pain wasgetting worse

An ambulancearrived at her homeatabout 7.15am thenext morning, Jennysaid.

When theparamedicsarrived at herhome,Jenny said they were “lovely” andshe “could not faultthem”.Theyapparently startedtheir shiftat6am and came straight outtoher West Midlands Ambulance Serviceapologised, saying the pressures it is seeing in health andsocialcareleadtolong hospital handover delays with crewsleftcaringfor patients that need admitting to hospital rather than responding to the next call

Ashortage of beds rose from 40 percentto51per cent –the larg estjumpofall theconcerns–while poor qualityoftreatment or care in creased from 26 percentto35per cent

Health leaderssaidthe poll re flectedthe concerns thepublichave about theNHS, whichisfacinglong ambulances response times, pa tients waitingfor hoursin packed A&Edepartments andstruggling with widespread staffing gaps

Thereare also fearsthata combination of fluand Covidontop of an alreadystretchedservice could make thewinterone of thetoughest thehealthand care sector hasever faced Dr Adrian Boyle, presidentofThe RoyalCollege of EmergencyMedi cine, said thelackofconfidence wasthe consequenceofan“understaffed, under-funded” health and socialcareservice with ashortfall of beds

“Longwaits fo andlongwaits partmentsare over countrya increasing mon on month,”he added.

“Weknow these long waitsaffect health outcomesand can cause harm and even death. Th publicare righ ly concerneda these longwaits.”

Dr Boylesaidt well as theNHS to expand capaci “safelypossible” lish afully funded workforce plan,t workforce needed

to help dischargepatientsout of hospital.Tim Gardner, senior poli cy fellow at theHealthFoundation, said that itsown polling hadfound supporting andexpanding theNHS workforce wasa“majorpriority” forthe public even if additional fundingwas needed

He added: “Thislatestpolling from Ipsos is furtherconfirmation that thepublicare increasingly worried aboutthe severepressures on health services

“Workforce shortages remain the single biggestchallenge facing the NHS, afteradecadeofunderfund ingthathas left thehealthservice with over 130,000 vacancies.

“The NHSdesperately needs along-term workforce strategy, backed by sustained government investment.”The Ipsospollalso showed that 60 percentofpeople were not confidenttheywould geta GP appointmentatatimethatsuits

them,65 percentwerenot confi dent an ambulancewould arrive quicklyifneeded,and 67 percent were notconfidenttheywould be seen quicklyinA&E

This is broadlyunchanged from thesurveyinJune, butstill suggests thepublicare concerned abouttimelyaccess to treatments.

DanWellings, senior policy fellowatthe King’s Fund,saidthe numbersreflected that peoplewere becoming increasingly frustrated, andthere wasanger about thestate of theNHS.Headded: “The big shift rightnow is,and you cansee it in thepolling,behindall of this data arestories of people worried, people frustrated,peopleangry and less sure of thecaretheywill re ceivenow from theNHS.”

Buthedeniedthatthe public were “falling outoflove” with the health service, andadded: “Support forthe founding principles is as st ng as it hasever been “The collective belief theinstitution is still there. Despitebeing everelytested,the public’slovefor the NHSisfar from broken.”Louise Ansa ri,nationaldirector at Healthwatch England,said: “People were significantly less confidentthatservic es wouldsee them in areasonabletimeframe. However, people whoreceived care fora life-threat eningillness or injury re stillconfidentin uality of care they re .”

tthewTaylor, chief ecutiveofthe NHS Confederation, said the

findings echoed how worried health leadersare about thepressures the NHSfaces this winter

He added: “The NHSisdoing everything it caninthese circum stancesand is making progress in keyareas,suchasbyvirtually clearing thelistofpatientswho had been waitingthe longestfor an elec tive procedure, by carrying outa re cord number of cancer checks over thesummer,and by carrying out 10 percentmoreGPappointments than before thepandemicbut there is no escapingthe fact that this is a troubling time

“The Chancellor must seethese achievements andthe threat of the quality andsafetyofcaredeterio ratingsignificantly as thecasefor increasedand protected fundingin theNHS in hisimminentAutumn Statement.”

An NHSEnglandspokeswoman said health servicestaff contin uedtoface“significant pressure” acrossall services, deliveringrecord numbersofGPappointments with increasingdemandfor urgent care Sheadded: “The NHShas an nounced extensiveplans to prepare forwinter including24/7control centrestomanagedemandand capacity across theentirecountry, fallsresponse services andthe re cruitmentofextra call handlers –so it is importantthatpeoplecontinue to come forwardfor thecarethey need.”

ADepartmentofHealthand SocialCarespokespersonsaid: “The NHShas setout measures to increase capacity andresilience –suchascreatingthe equivalent of 7,000 more beds,including in novative virtualwards –and we’re investing£500million to speed up thesafedischargeofpatientsfrom hospital,freeing up beds andreduc inglongwaits in A&E.”

Themainconcerns aboutstruggling NHSservices have been revealed in anew poll

Iwas paramedics’onlypatient foranentireshift

Andy Maxwellhas nothingbut praise forthe ambulancecrew that ferriedhim from hishome in WellingtontoThe RoyalShrewsbury Hospital –and shares their frustrationathavingtowaiteight hoursinanambulance before he wasadmitted fortreatment

He wasthe onlypatient hiscrew dealtwithfor theirentireshift be causetheir ambulancespent the entire dayparkedoutside A&E.

The57-year-old salesand promotion managerhad aboutoffood poisoning on August 11 andhadn’t felt well on goingtobed

He gotuptogotothe toilet around 7amthe next morningbut blackedout,hitting thetoiletbowl as he went down

Hiswifecalledanambulance, whichtookanhourtoarrive, and he wastaken to hospital at around 8ambut hadtowaitinthe queue to be admitted.Althoughhewas barely conscious at timesduring

theeighthourdelay,hesaidit couldhavebeenmuchworse

He said:“Beinghonest theambulancewas air-conditionedand theteamlooking afterme, James andEmma, were firstclass and couldn’t doenough for me.

“Theygavemegas andair and even alollipopat onepoint to keep my sugars andawareness up

“Theyweretotally professional andI couldhavebeeninaworse place, as Ifound outwhenIwas admitted

“There were people in pain and strugglingonthe corridorsand it wasahot andsweatyenvironment so Iwas probably better offinthe ambulance, although of course it isn’tanideal situation.”

Mr Maxwelleventuallyspent five days in theRSH with apunc turedlungand sixcracked ribs

He said:“Ididn’trealise thediagnosisat first, though thepara medics didsay it looked likethere

wasdamagetothe ribs. Jamesand Emma said it wasthe firsttime they hadn’t been able to go on an othershout

“Minewas the firstofthe day andtheyspent theentireshift lookingaftermeinthe ambulance –obviouslythatisnot thebest used of skilled andtrained medical personnel.

“I don’tknowwhatthe answer is whetheritismoreinvestment in theNHS or trainingmorepeo plebecause in my case it wasn’t thelackofstaff it wasthe lackof beds to admitpatientsthatcaused delays andstopped theparamedics from gettingbackonthe road

“Myexperiencewas nothingbut positive from the way I was dealt with

“Butobviouslythere is aproblem with capacity that must be causing frustrationfor senior managers down to NHSstaff,patientsand theirfamilies.”

Ambulancedelaysjustkeep on getting‘worseand worse’

NICK HUMPHREYS nick.humphreys@mnamedia.co.uk

An ambulancecam paignerhas shared horrorstories of patients left waitingfor hoursin agonydue to “shocking” ambulancedelays.

Scenes of emergencyvehicles queuingoutside hospitals, andsto ries of patients waitingfor hours in thebackofambulances, in A&E departmentsand on trolleyshave been common this year as handover delays cause havoc.

Fresh figuresshowedthe distress facing patients.Inthe week up to October27, four consecutive days sawpatientswaitinginthe back of ambulances formorethan10hours outsideRoyal Shrewsbury

Thesuccessivelongestwaittimes from October22were10hours 36 minutes,11hours 32 minutes, 10 hours28minutes,and 10 hourstwo minutes.

In total, ambulances spent562 hourswaitingoutside Shrewsbury

At Telford, wherethe longestwait wasseven hours46minutes,the to talhours lost waitingwere453.

Acrossbothhospitals thelongest averagewaitcameatShrewsbury on October26, at 144minutes per person,and at TelfordonOctober 23, at 139minutes

Thesituation meansthatthe number of patients waitingover 15 minutes to be handed over was 312atTelford,and 250atRoyal Shrewsbury

Ambulancecampaignerand Ludlow councillor Darren Childs said: “Itjustgetsworse andworse.It’s shocking anddisappointing. We’ve always said theNHS is in crisis, but it’s nowatthe pointwhere we are losing theNHS.We’re getting to a

pointwhere we’renot goingtoget back from it.”

Mr Childs started campaigning afterhis baby daughter Myla was left waiting37minutes foranambulancewhenshe suffered aseizure in January.

Sincethen, several people have been in touchwithMrChilds, shar ingtheir horrorstories

“There wasone elderlyperson whohad ableed on thebrain who hadtowaitseven hoursin an am bulance. Then they were on atrolleyfor 12 hours. They were in hospitalfor threeweeks

“There wasaneight-year-old who broke herleg andhad to wait

forfourhours foranambulance to gettoher.”

This week hospital bossescon firmed that thetrust is taking part in apilot scheme designed to tackle thecrisis.

WMAS said that SaTH hadsigned up to itsnew pilot, whereitisemployingstaff to work in ‘ambulance decision areas’ –effectively part of thehospitalwhere ambulancepatients canwaitand be looked after by dedicatedstaff,beforetheycan be admitted to A&E.

Mr Childs said thenewsis“welcome”, butonlyhelps onepartofthe problem.

“Ithelps to getthe ambulances

back on theroad,”hesaid, “but it doesn’treducethe time you are waitinginA&E.It doesn’thelpwith dischargingpeople.”

KarenEvans, interimdeputy chiefoperating officeratSaTH, said on thepilot scheme:“We will soonbeintroducing an Ambulance Decision Area at RoyalShrewsbury Hospital

“Thiswillsee adedicated West Midlands AmbulanceService and SaTH EmergencyDepartment team lookingafter patients collab orativelyinhospitalratherthanon ambulances,which will help to free up ambulances to respondtonew emergencycalls.”

Some emergency callstobegiven a‘lower’ rating in trialscheme

Some of themostserious emergency callsare to be downgraded by West Midlands AmbulanceService

Theservice –which hassomeof theworst handoverdelaysinthe country– will be taking part in a NHStrial whichwill seeserious “Category2”calls re-assessed.

Thecategory–which includes strokes, heartattacks,sepsisand burns–will be reviewed by clinicians to find outhow quicklypara medics need to respond to an emer gencyinthe area –and whetheran ambulanceisrequired at all.

Butwhile theNHS chiefs have said themovewill prioritise response timestotime-sensitive emergencies, whichshouldberespondedtowithin40minutes,it will stillmeanmany999 callswill notbetreated as such

Themove,which is also being trialled by London AmbulanceSer vice,isexpected to affect around 40 percentof‘category 2’ 999 calls, theNHS said.The results of the trialwillthenbeusedtoestablish whethersome of the‘least’ serious ‘category2’emergencies –suchas some typesofburns –can be indefi nitely downgraded into‘category 3’ –which are‘urgent’but not imme diatelylife-threatening.

Aspokespersonfor theNHS said: “Thistrial,supported by clinicians, will startintwo areasofthe coun trywiththe aimofspeedingup ambulanceresponse timesfor the sickestpatientswho need care and treatment most quickly–in asim ilar waytohow category 3and 4 callscurrently work.

“The proposalbeing tested will seeacliniciancalland assess thosepatientswho couldbetreated throughother services,suchasa communityresponse.”

Last month theregion’sambulanceservice admitted that long handover delays hadbeenat“cata strophic”levelsfor 12 months and showingnosignsofimproving,with thedelayscostingthe service£4.29 million amonth with everyhour costing£150.

Theconsequences of ambulances beingstuck outsidehospital, known as stacking,are dire with some pa tients waitingaslongas19hours outsideand paramedics beingable to gettoemergencies

HelenMorgan, LibDem MP for NorthShropshire, said:“This new trialisthe ambulanceservice at tempting to putplastersonthe gaping woundthe Governmenthas opened by failing to deal with the ambulancecrisis.

“Ambulance response timesin Shropshirehavebeendangerously long formorethanayearand are expected to geteven worse over the winter

“Therefore it is rightthatWest Midlands AmbulanceService focuses itsresources on saving as many livesaspossible, butitshouldnev er have been forced intoaposition wherethisisnecessary

“Far toomanypeoplehavealreadydiedwaitingfor an ambu lancetoarriveand yetthe Conserv ativeGovernmentiscontinuingto ignoreagrave situation.”

Feeling better –AndyMaxwell

Ambulancecampaignerand Ludlow councillor Darren Childswith hisfamily

Bungalow in a primeposition

NEWPORT

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Modernhome has flexibility

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Stairs rise to the first floorland ingwithsitting area andaccessto themainbedroom with en-suite andafurther doublebedroom with en-suite WC.Externally, thereisa generous parkingareaand garage with loft storage. Thepropertyhas pleasant enclosedreargardens.

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Spaciousfamilyhouse

Setbackinanelevatedposition in thepopular villageofHodnet, ThreePeaks is amuchloved fami ly home with veryspaciousaccommodation andwonderfulcountry side views.

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CROSSTALK

RONLUCAS

At Ashley MethodistChurch

last Sunday morning we celebrated the162nd Anniversary of thefoundingofour church and ourannualgift day.

In welcomingour preacher, RevHelen Kirk,chair of the Chester&Stoke on TrentDis trict, oursteward GuyChatburn recitedsomeimportant datesin thechurch’shistory,fromthe planting of thechurchin 1860, itsextension to buildaSun daySchoolin1931, theSunday School furtherextension in 1977 andthe complete remodellingof thechurchin 1998.Werememberedwithgratitude ourfound ingfathers andall thosewho have worshipped with us down theyears.

Helenspoke of thefutureof thechurch,any church,being in thefoundationofthe faithof individual Christians

We celebrated Holy Commun ionwithJill Harrisonassisting theministerasthe elementsof breadand wine were delivered to ourcongregationand over tea andcoffeeweenjoyed theexhibi tion of earlymemorabiliaofour church’s 162years arranged by church members.

Next Sundayour Remem brance Serviceat10.30amwill be ledbyMrMarkSavill.All are welcome –see www.ashleymethodist.co.uk

Nowisgood time to spot owls

ON THEWILDSIDE

With BenWaddams

Thegeneralexpecta tion at this time of the year,as autumn comes to somethingofaclose andwhenthe firsthigh windsofthe season will initiatethe rippingof theremainingleaves from theirmoorings, is a preparednesstohunker

Farfromit. Theautumnal prac tice of storingsuppliesand making caches of food andwarmquartersis verymuchcontinuinginthe mammalian naturalworld andasfor the birds, theyare in arealstate of flux, yetnot forthe sole reason of intercontinentalmigration.

Sure,weare welcominginour fair shareofredwings, fieldfares andwaxwings, geese, waterfowl andbramblings.

Onepredatory bird that migrates to spendthe winter here in Brit ainisthe greatgreyshrike, which usuallyarrives in themidlands andthentravels furthersouth duringNovember from itsbreeding groundsinScandinavia.

th go in

birds, rodents,shrewsorbeetles

Also knownas“butcherbirds”, shrikesfrequently impale their prey on barbed wire fences,thorns andbranches.

Here in Shropshire they are

too. Some bird species simply move furthersouth within theUK, andit is during Novemberthathen harriersusuallydo so,migrating to centraland southern counties having travelleddownfromtheir breeding

groundsinthe uplandsofnorthern England,north Walesand Scotland Short-earedowlsalsomovefur ther southduringwinter andare frequently seen around ourcoasts as autumn movestowinter.Seeing these majestic andunmistakable birdsishelpedbytheir tendency to inhabit wide open areas. Trythe Mosses foran uninterrupted view, or theLongMynd.

Indeed,now is quitea goodtime forowl-spotting;asleavesare stripped from thetrees by theautumn storms, these birdscan be easier to see.

Calling

In particular,tawny owls are easier to trackdownat this time of year because they arealso re-estab lishingterritories andpair-bonds, whichentails quitea bitofcalling

Goingout at dusk to yourlocal park or woodland will oftenallow youtolocatethe tawny’sdaytime roost, from whichitfrequently calls before moving offtohunt. If you canrelocatethatsiteduringthe day, youstand areasonablechance of viewingthe owlitself.

n Ben’swildlifepaintings are availableinCallaghan’s Gallery andRowlesFineArt

down.

Short-eared owl

ASHLEY METHODIST CHURCH, WITH

HowMissLuntprovidedsome sunshine into thelives of blind

TOBY NEAL toby.neal@mnamedia.co.uk

In herelderly,opentopped car, headmistressLucyLuntwould take heryoung charges outfor ridesinthe Shropshire countryside, delightingthemas, with thehooddown, 25mph seemed fast andexcit ing.

They enjoyed many happyhours riding around thecountry lanes, andalthoughthe children couldnot enjoythe sights, they couldenjoy thesounds, smells, andsensations around them

Oneday Davidwas in aserious mood, andasked her: “Will Ibeable to do this myself?Drive,Imean?”

Only atruthful answer woulddo. “NoDavid.” “Not ever?” “NoDavid.”

Miss Lunt suggestedthatagirl might drivehim.After much consideration Davidresponded “All right, that’lldo,”beforethumping hishandonthe seat andadding “Butit’llbemy car.”

Exploring

Foreightyears spanningthe 1950sand early1960s Miss Lunt washeadofanursery school for blindchildrenrun by theRoyal Na tional Institutefor theBlind

BasedatOverley Hall,nearWel lington, it wasone of sixSunshine HouseNursery Schoolsrun by the RNIB andMissLunt’srolesaw her striving to bringsunshineintothe livesofthe youngsters, boys and girlsfromall over thecountry

Thechildrenlovedthe hall,with itslarge gardens, andwerefasci natedwhenatreeblewdownas, throughexploringthe felled pine, they couldfor the firsttimeappreci atehow high trees were.There were holidaytrips to theseaside too.

During Miss Lunt’s time there

were normally24children living there,aged betweentwo andahalf to nine or 10,but most beinginthe four to eightage group, with thepri mary handicap beingblindness,although notmanyweretotally blind. When she firststarted some of the children were mobile,but graduallyitbuiltupasa household with children with additional physical or mental impairments.

On Saturday afternoonsshe wouldoften take some of theboys to listen to thetrains.

Frankiegot caught in athorn bush andcom plainedloudly.

“Shut up,Frankie,” said Dennis.“If you make anoise Ican’t see.”

That became thetitle

Everyday down thepit was‘a battle againstnature’

of Miss Lunt’s book publishedin 1965,three yearsaftershe hadleft OverleyHall, in whichshe told of herexperiences andofthe children underher care there.

“Myeightyears with these chil dren were probably thedeepest ex perience Ieverhad in my life,”she said Anditwas avaried life.

Born in Shrewsbury, shewas educated at Shrewsbury Girls’ High School,and during the warshe helped with the care of evacueesfrom Liverpool.

In 1947 shefound ed thenursery nurses’ trainingschemeatthe oldShrewsburyTechnicalCollege

Previouslyshe hadbeenheadof Leaton Knolls CofESchool, and also in charge of Hodnet Nursery School

Shelived with herparents in Oak Street,Shrewsbury.

On leavingOverley Hall in 1962 shehad intended to retire,but in steadwas askedtoreturntoher previous role of trainingnursery nursesinShropshire.

In herbookshe writes:“Ihope my storywill awakeorfosteran existing sense of comradeshipand warmth with thechildrenitdescribes, andcreatea willing and sympatheticwishtoknowand un derstand such children within your sphere

“Mostofthemhavesomuchneed forunsentimentalinterestand encouragement, andwantsodeeplyto be offeredfriendship.”

Youhad to enjoy lifedownthe pit, saysAlanDean. “Ifyou wentdownand didn’t enjoy it,you wouldnever go down again,” says theretired miner.

“Everyday wasabattle againstnature. People thinkwe went down thepit andgot big bonuses, butitwasn’tlikethat.”

Alan,ischairmanand a foundermember of Cannock ChaseMiningHistoricalSociety, whichhas seen thepub lication of 18 booksabout the coalfieldsince it wasformedin 2002.Now,after20years,heis calling it aday,and thesociety will be woundup at theend of this year

Thesociety wasformedat a meetingat theMuseumofthe CannockChase,whenthe late Mick Drury issued an appeal forformerminerstohelphim with abookabout theregion’s mining heritage.Sogood was theresponse that it wasdecided asinglebookwould not do it justice,and asociety wasformed that wouldproduce what has been describedasthe most comprehensive record mining history ever published.

Trevor Matthews, whowrote abookabout theHiltonMain andHolly Bank collieriesas part of thecollection, says the society’s combined worktotals some 1,750pages in allformats

“The National Mining Mu seum in Yorkshire, andMining RecordsinMansfield, have ac claimeditasthe best historyof anycoalfieldever,”saysTrevor, wholives in Claverley. He adds that none of it wouldhavebeen possiblewithout thededicated effortsofMickLucas,who edit ed theentireproduction.

“MickLucas wasutterly in dispensable,”saysTrevor. “He not only edited all18publica tions, each of whichusually required five drafts, butalso provided numerous maps and illustrations

“Thismonumentaltasktook from 2004 to 2017,and without himthishighly acclaimed, tre mendousworkwould nothave been published. We owehim a greatdebtofgratitude.”

Now90, Trevor beganhis career as agraduatetrainee at HiltonMaincolliery, Essington, in 1951,working hisway up to eventually become assistant managerofLittleton Colliery.

Storytime with Miss Lunt at OverleyHallinNovember1961.

Children gettogrips with aclimbing frameOverley Hall, Wellington, wherethe school wasbased

Trevor Matthews,from Claverley,atthe memorial

More award joyfor charity

Farmingcharity RABI hasenjoyed more awards success

It hasreceivedthe accolade of beingnamed CharityofYear by theAssociation of Charitable Organisations(ACO).

It wonthe awardinthe categoryfor charitieswithanannual income of more than £5 million.The latest awardfol lowsRABIcollectingtwo priz es at this year’s CharityTimes Awards

RABI financedirectorDavid Lockesaidthe charitywas de lightedwiththe awards

He said:“Ourcharity hashad an unparalleled 18 monthsin termsoflandmarkprojectsand theintroductionofnew support services.Thishardworkand investmentcontinues to make asignificant difference to the farmingcommunity that we are so proudtoserve.

“The charityhas astrong heritageofproviding financialsup port to farmingpeople.

“Thisyear, we have launched timely,responsivegrant-giv ingcampaigns to help meet the challenges beingfaced by many membersofthe farmingcom munity during thecostofliving crisis.Thisaward demonstrates that thosestruggles arerecog nisedmorewidely, andRABI will continue to develop initia tivesthathavea lastingbenefi cialimpact.”

Data helpswith nitrogen decision

With pressure mounting on farmers to measureand reduce theirimpact on water quality, Trinity AgTech haslaunchedanenhancedmodule within theirnatural capitalnavigation tool,Sandy,tospecificallysup port farmerstooptimise nitrogen use andreducenitrate leaching in real-time.

Utilising more than 300data points, themodulehas thepotential to protectwater throughasubstan tial reductioninnitrate leaching andreducecosts by analysing each farm and field’snitrogenuptakeef ficiency on adaily basis, thecompa ny said “Sandy’s dynamicwater protec tion module will help allfarmers to manage andreducetheir im pact on water quality, whilealso saving money throughareduction in nitratewastage,” explainedDr MiladToolabi,directorofartificial intelligence-machinelearning(AI ML)advancedanalytics at Trinity AgTech

“Sandy’s forecasting andscenar io analysiscapabilities canalert farmerstothe optimumtimeand quantity of nitrogentoapply.”

Dr Toolabiadded: “Thisallowsa precision approach to applications, contributing towardsacostsaving andareduction in water pollution risk.”

Having alreadybeenadoptedby farmsacrossEurope, UK farm trialshaveindicated improvements not only in termsof financialsav ings andefficiency butalsofor farm sustainability

External pressuresimpacton conditions in thelambmarket

DAVIDBANNER newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

Castinganexperteye over ayear of fluctuations,HCC’s data analyst GlesniPhillipssaid: “The lamb sectorhas been underpressurein2022 duetorisingfarminput costs, glob al trade beingimpacted on by the warinUkraine,and inflationary pressuresonred meat consumers.

“Thishas influenced liveweight prices at auctionmarkets,which have fluctuated in recent weeks whilecurrent throughput at abat toirsisbelow what we wouldexpect forthistimeofyear, suggestinga shorttermincreaseinsupplyasthe year endapproaches.

“However,averagelambliveweightpricesremain firm when compared to historical averages as export volumes recover anddemand forlambonthe global market does remain strong.Despite recent fluc

tuations, theliveweightaverage has remained abovelevelsseenin2020, andalso above thelonger-term five year average, forthe entirety of 2022.”

Salesoflambatretailare lower than thepreviousthree yearsasthe Covid“cook-at-home”factordissi pated andthe cost of living crisis hit

MARKET REPORT

MONDAY OCTOBER 31,175 BARREN COWS, CULL BULLS &OVERAGE CLEANCATTLE(Red Market)Spooktaculartrade considering numerous abattoirs haddropped deadweightpricesdue to seasonality with more cowscoming to themarket place.Ibelieve numbers will dryupquicker than apairofswimming shorts in thedesertincoming weeks!! Tradewas certainly firmer forlighter plainer cowswhichwould enhancethe averages butcertainly foundsome trade. At Draytonwe aremorethanhappy to offerfor sale allshapes, weights,gradesand nationalities,pleaseremember we do not“cherry pickthe bestand leave the rest!!”. Topcalls wouldnot be yearly headliners butcertainly solid for thestamp of cattle forward with cleanto223por£1,525.32,bulls to 209p or £1,517.04, dairyto185por£1,321.32 andsucklers to 162p or £1,178.60. Theoverall market average returned at 139p.106 Dairies- Notavintage show butselling onaverycompetitive tradefor thetime of year.Young SwedishRed racedawayto185p (£928.70)fromW.Lloyd Jones& Son,Hanmer. Mr Peter Stone &Family,LittleStokesaw theirblack andwhitesselling to 179p (£1,267.32)and 169p (£1,199.90)and 154p (£1,321.32), P. &M.Timmis, Weston Lane blackand white to 170p (£1,054.00), Mr K.W. Harvey,Frodsham cowto166p (£1,261.60), AD.&PJ.Moseley, Cheddleton cowto 166p (£1,178.60), TN.&TA. Jones, BorrasSwedish Redto156p(£992.16),The FurnivalFamily, Napley Lodge cows to 155p (£1,075.70), 147p (£1,134.84) etcand TheDoddFamily, LowerLightwood Green cowto150p(£1,131.00) andJM.&JK. Cliffe & Son,Austerson cowto150p(£924.00) to mention afew.The section average returned at 122p (£788.61). 23 Sucklers-Humble number forward andcertainly notaheadline collection butall selling ona firm tradethroughout. Highlightofthe section wouldbeaSimmental sellingto162p(£1,056.24) from Mr Darren Young, Balterley. JH.&JE.Sands &Son,StMartins Simmentalto142p(£1,178.60) Native typessaw T.RJ.&AT.Goodyer, Moss PitHerefordand Angusbothsellingto142p (£1,070.68and £843.48)respectively.The section average returned at 128p (£793.12). 9Bulls -Young restrictedbullsold to 209p (£1,508.98)for aBlue CrossfromA.J.Warner &Sons, Woodseavesand 196p (£1,517.04). TheHughes Family, Se attyn Blues to 208p(£1,331.20), 200p (£1,316.00)and Angusto185p(£1,454.10).Agedbulls to 160p (£1,388.80) forAngusfromMrSteve Bailey & Family, Lightwood Green.The section average returned at 179p (£1,295.48). 37 Clean-Few

morerestrictedclean forwardwithtrade peaking at 223p (£1,525.32)for aLimousin

J.H.

Marchington

their blackand white steer to 208p (£1,431.04). W. Lloyd Jones& Son,Hanmer sawtheir Blue Cross heiferto220p(£1,012.00) etctomention afew WEDNESDAYNOVEMBER2,182 CLEANCATTLE &YOUNG BULLS Numbers holdingreasonably consistenthoweverwiththe levelofbuyer demand especiallyfor thebulls morecould have been sold to vendorsadvantage.Verymucha trade with twogears with demandbuoyant forcattlewith loin,shape andweightand neutralfor plain and lightweightcattle. Buyers certainlybecoming morechooseyeventhe further finisherswanting cattle 480kilosplus. Nechemarkets stilloperate for lightweightcattlebut they have to have aloin Pleaseremember Drayton have alot ofdairy bred cattle in comparisontosucklerswhen comparing averages. Super star quality sawheifers to 354p or £2,046.12, steers to 320p or £1,984.00and bullsto287por£2,358.40. 59 Bulls- Humble number forward andalot oflight,plain types whichwould not enhance theaverage.Buyers keen forwell fleshed andheavy bulls andthese racedaway to 287p (£,790.88) for Limousin from TheWhite Family, Brewood andfurther bullsto277p(£1,994.40),276p(£1,920.96).Mr BrianTaylor&Family, Scholar Green Limousin to 269p (£2,221.94)and 266p(£1,846.04).Distant travellersThe JonesFamily, Cwmtirmynach Charolaisto268p(£2,358.40),Paul&Christine Tippets,Shifnal Limousin to 268p (£2,353.04), N.M.Roberts &Partners, WindyHill Blue to 267p (£1,863.66), Mr E. Sims,Moss Hilland firstinthe ring to 259p (£1,932.14)and 258p(£2,048.52) just proving thereis atrade from thestart!MrR.J Davies,New House Limousinto257p(£1,639.66) to mention afew.Natives sold to 220p (£1,390.40) for HerefordfromThe Bennett Family, Stoke-OnTern.Drayton specials sawblack andwhitesto 210p (£1,386.00) from MrMarkEden &Family, Leigh. Thesection averagereturned at 218p (£1,337.83). 45 Steers -Extremely buoyant for meat with buyers keen to ownyourstockwiththe onlycaveat they must have aloin.Top of theshop returned at 320p (£1,984.00)for aLimousin from Paul &Christine Tippetts,Shifnal.Distant travellers TheBrown Family, Nuneaton sold Blue to 310p (£1,745.30)and 298p(£1,716.48).Closertohome MrDarrenYoung,Young FarmsLimousin to 292p (£1,909.68). TheSalmon Family,Marchington Woodlands Blondesto277p(£1,457.02) and258p

shoppers.Demandfor lamb on the domestic market hasbeenweaker as aresult. Data released by Kantarreveals 12-weekconsumerretail spending on lamb to beginningof Octoberexperienced an 18 percent decrease on year-earlier levels.

Glesniasserts continuedinflation meansthe cost of feedingand fin

ishing stockonfarmremains high Shesaid: “Looking ahead, we believe inflationary pressureswill continue to have adirectimpactonthe supply of lamb onto themarket,along with demand from consumers.

“Some producersmay continue to offloadanimals to save on expendi ture,and lightercarcases maycome forwarddue to limitedfood availa bility andhighfeed costs.”

Sheconfirmed thecurrent tight supply contributedtoan11per cent fall in sheepmeatproductiononthe year

Although lamb kill numbersfor thenine-monthperiodare threeper cent higher than 2021,theyare in fact some eightper cent behind the longer-termaveragefor thecorre sponding period

Glesnisaid: “Static production volumesduringAugustand re duced shipmentstothe EU likely influenced adip in exportsoffresh andfrozensheep meat –some 5,800 tonnes,aseven percentdecline on theyear. However,volumes of sheep meat exported during the eightmonthperiodare up 14 percenton theyearas traderecoversfollowing Brexit andthe Covidpandemic, and therehas been agreater volume of productavailable forexport.”

(£1,609.92) and250ptwice returning £1,310.00 to mention afew.Natives sawHerefords to 230p (£1,407.60)fromMrBen Starkey&Family, Whitegateand Mr MarkLokier&Family,Newtown Villa Angusto230p (£1,637.60). Thesection average returned at 232p (£1,525.33). 78 Heifers -Well we certainlyhad something for everytaste and pocketfrom380 kilosto780 kilosfrom12 monthsto48monthsand everything in between Super starsto354p(£2,046.12) forLimousinfrom Darren Young, YoungFarms andclose behind Ed &Diane Bloor, Warmingham with aLimousinto 340p (£1,638.80),298p(£1,418.48) and272p (£1,289.28). Distant travellersThe BrownFamily, Nuneaton Limousins to 328p(£1,758.08) and308p (£1,764.84), MrsPearl Tomley,Gobowensaw their runofLimousinsto294ptwice (£1,517.04 and£1,440.60) and290p(£1,461.60).Regular Cheshirevendor Limousins to 294p (£1,181.88) and290p (£1,467.40). Againdistant travellersMr DavidJones&Family,Kerry Limousin to 273p (£1,643.46), 262p(£1,865.44) etctomention a few. Nativessoldto249p(£1,533.84) from our very ownSimon (Pye)Jones,SandlowGreen for hisHereford. Thesection average returned at 241p (£1,380.73). 69 DAIRYCATTLEThe dairytrade has eased considerably over thelasttwo weekswith thebestheifersselling to £2,250twicewiththe topspotbeingclaimed by Mr G.J. Sutton,Astbury. Therewereeightheifersover£2,000 and five over £1,900 including £2,220,£2,200D.&E.Monk, Ormskirk, £2,080 Mr G.J. Sutton,£2,050,£2,000, £1,950 and£1,900Hankins Heys Farm, Nantwich, £2,000 Wyndford Wagyu,Newport,£1,920 O.C. Whittaker&Sons, Tabley, £1,920 twiceYareal, Shrewsbury. Thebestofthe cowssold to £2,000 for athirdcalver from D. &E Monk.Ayrshireheifers from S.N. Bailey &Partners, Crewe, sold at £1,800 and£1,700. Today’sentry includedanumber of threequartered heifers andSpring calving grazing crossbredcows. In-calfheifers sold to £1,650 and £1,580 andanAberdeen Angusbull(53 months) sold for£1,620.Averages:Top 10 Heifers £2,092, 51 Heifers £1,600 (all in), 4Cows£1,568(allin).

307STORE CATTLE Over the300 mark todayand a ringside full of eagerbuyerslooking for cattle.Top draw yarding cattle greattosell with men fighting to fill orders. Smallfor ageand again cold cattle a little harder to move at times.A fewmoreFriesian steersforward with meatand frameindemand Bestat£900to£1,100topping at £1,120 from Mr JackTopham,Wollerton.Bestyarding cattle trading at £1,100 to £1,300 toppingat£1,500for

Simmental steers from Mr M.T.C. Goodwin, Abbots Bromley.Travelled cattle from Buxton at £1,400 for Limousinsteers. Plenty of trade forcattleat 220p to 230p/kg with bigsteers coming too plenty of money. Native heifers at £1,000 to £1,100 topping at £1,190 forbothHerefordand Angus from LeasowsPartners, Uttoxeter. TheFarming cattle attractedalittlemoreinterestfrompotential purchasers with £700 to £800 forcontinental steerswithapacketofAngussteersput together at around £600 to £650 foroverwintering look a good buy.Bestofthe Continentalheifers selling at £600 to £700 with onlyreallynativeheifersat £350to£500depending on size. 1,270PRIME LAMBS Aseasonalentryonoffer sellingtoan improvedtrade.Meatedlambsinstrong demand to return an overall market average of 239p. Lights sold to 258p for32kgs to realise£82.56for RW &JE. James, Meaford.Standardshit 328pfor 39kgs to gross£127.92 for MessrsH.R.Jones, Nantmawr.Other notable prices as follows:37.6kgs(311p)H.F.Jones, 37.6kgs(278p)Mr G. Gater,38.4kgs (276p) DJ.&P.Smith,37.4kgs (276p) DJ.&P.Smith and38.3kgs(273p) Sarah Jones. Mediums sold 370p for40kgs to return £148.00for MessrsH.F.Jones, Nantmawr.Others notable prices as follows:-£137.17 (43kgs)Mr L.T. Swinerton, £132.40(40kgs)H.F.Jones, £129.96 (39.5kgs) H.F. Jones,£127.82 (41.5kgs) H.F. Jones, £119.55(41.8kgs) R. Swift&Sons. Heaviessold to 268p for48.5kgs tore turn £129.98for P. &C Swinnerton, DoleyManor.Comingaclose was A. Mitchell &Son,Knutsfordwithhis 51.2kgs grossing £119.81. LambsGraded:-Lights to 258p (£82.56) average 114p (£60.13).Standardsto328p (£127.92)average 240p (£86.28).Mediums to 370p(£148.00) average242p(£102.33).Heavies to 268p (£129.98)average 233p (£111.29).828

REARING CALVES Wow, thecalves just keep on coming!Thislevel of numbersinNovember is extraordinary, thankyou to allvendors foryour continued support. It is greatto seehigher numbers of calves across alllivestock markets at theminute, atimely reminder that integrated supplychains arenot withouttheir problems in times likethese whereasselling through an auction ring provides complete transparency andaguaranteedsaleweek in week out. As forthe trade, definitely atwo tier one, with huge demandfor well-shaped andwell presentedcalves, whilst the smaller/plainer calves have been hard to sell with limiteddemand.

Conditions in thelamb market remain unsteady as external pressures impact on consumer demand,exporttrendsand supply,latest figures suggest.

Thelambsectorhas been under pressurein2022, figuresshow

steer from Mr

Charlesworth,

Woodlandsand

Pope could‘help inclimate crisis with meat-free Fridaysruling’

ThePopecould bringabout amajorreduction in global carbon emis sionsbyurgingCatholics to return to thetraditional practice of not eating meat on aFriday, astudy suggests.

CambridgeUniversity research ersassessedthe impact of areturn, in 2011,tomeat-free Fridaysfor CatholicsinEnglandand Wales.

Whileonlyaroundaquarter of CatholicsinEnglandand Wales changed theirdietary habits, after bishopscalledoncongregations to do so,thissaved more than55,000 tonnes of carbon ayear, according to thestudy

Theresearch team saythisis equivalent to 82,000 fewerpeople taking areturntripfromLondonto NewYorkover thecourse of ayear.

They saythatthe environmental benefits couldbescaledupifthe Pope were to reinstatethe obliga tion to Catholicsaroundthe world, or if bishopsinother countries made thesamecall. “For instance, even if only theUnitedStates Catholic bishopsweretofollowsuit, thebenefits wouldlikelybe20times larger than in theUK,”the study’s authorswrote

Theobligationtoforegomeat on oneday ofthe week,which has ancientorigins andisbackedby CanonLaw,was re-established in England andWales aftera26-year hiatus, accordingtothe study.

Theoverall Catholic shareofthe Britishpopulationhas remained largelystablefor decadesatjustunder10per cent,the researcherssay

Thecurrent Catholic leader,Pope Francis, hascalledfor “radical”responses to climatechange.

Equestrianholdingisplacedonthe market

AfarmsteadnearNewport,which is well-known as an equestrian holdingofover30acres,has been placed on themarketfor offers around £1.15million

Having an extensivefrontageto Longford Road, Vauxhall Farm has been in theownership of thePassey family forsome40years. It is aring fenced 32.5 acre farm offering at tractive ruralviews

Thehomesteadisa period sand stone/brick/tile-builtfarmhouse providingwell-proportioned living accommodation.Thereisalounge, sitting room, kitchen, utility room

JAMESPUGH

newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

with wc,and conservatory, with doorsopening outtothe formal gardens, having viewsofthe farmland beyond.Upstairsare four bedrooms andafamilybathroom.

Thepropertyisapproachedoff Longford Lane over asweeping driveway with shaped lawnsand well stockedsidebordersleading to aparking area offering amplespace forseveral vehicles

Thefarmbuildingswhich front

alongthe Longford Road have po tentialfor developmentsubject to thenecessary approvalsand as they standcomprise nine looseboxes andatackroom/workshopfront inga courtyard. Thereisa sepa rate access to atwo-bay shed and athree-bay Dutchbarn. Thereisa largeopen-fronted storageareaand to therearisabrick-builtbuilding whichprovidesafurther 12 loose boxes andanadjoining storeroom.

Thepropertyisfreeholdand viewingisbyappointment with theagentsTempertonson01952 812519.

Leadingvisitor attractions ‘are backing local produce’

Family attractions in theUKare servingmore localingredients and Britishmeatdespite battling with rising in gredient costsand staff shortages, accordingto aSoilAssociation investigation.

Thefood andfarming charityhas ranked 16 of theUK’sleading at tractions in anew league tableafter an army of “secretdiner”parents helped to assess thequality of food on offer.

TheOut to Lunchcampaign foundnineofthe attractions are sourcing localingredients andhalf of them aresourcing100 percent Britishmeatcomparedtoathird in 2018 when theinvestigationlast visited.

Good examples of localsourcing included Cornishmeatat theEden Project, alarge varietyofScottish

DAVIDBANNER newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

produceatbothRoyal Botanic GardensEdinburgh andKelvingrove,and ChesterZoo wonpoints forsourcingmeatand dairyfrom Cheshireand theRibbleValley.

Soil Association head of food policyRob Percival said:“We arereally pleasedtosee visitorattractions supporting local, Britishfarmers

“Some of these attractions arereally leadingthe wayinsourcingingredientsthatare notonlyBritish butproducedontheir doorstepsin theirlocal area.

“Itisparticularly encouragingto seethiswhenweknowcaterersdeal with rising prices,staff shortages andsupplychain disruption

“Itisatestament both to theeffortsofthe attractions, andtothe qualityofBritish products.”

BeckyFenner, Eden’s hospitality manager, said:“We aredelightedto have come topofthe OuttoLunch

league table. TheEden Project’s missioncentresaroundbuilding relationshipsbetween people and planet to demonstratethe powerof working together forthe benefitof alllivingthings.

“Centraltothisisour food story.

“Weexplore ways to deliver Earth-friendlyfood at scaleusing afood systemratherthanafood productapproach, findingwaysof producingfood in aregenerative system that is climatepositive, in creasesbiodiversity andenhances soil health.Healthy planet –healthy people.”

Five attractions failed to answer theSoilAssociation’s questions.

Mr Percival said:“Seriouscon cernsmustberaisedwhenanattraction doesn’tcome cleanabout theiringredientsourcing.

“Whatare they trying to hide?

“Risingingredientcosts areput ting ahugestrain on caterers,but transparencyacrossour food chain is notonlywhatparents arede-

manding, it’s theonlyway wecan meet ourenvironmental goals.”

Theinvestigation also focusedon healthyfood, particularly forchildren,and uncovered alackofveg etablesonoffer

Less than half of these leadingattractionsare servingveg with every kid’smeal– whileadultsare offered amuchlargerand diverse menu with more choices to eathealthily.

Butinresponse to thecampaign, nine destinations have nowcommittedtoserving vegwitheverykid’s meal –providing anotheropportu nity to supportBritishfarmers

This wouldalso help to meet parents’expectations, afterthe investigation foundhavinga rangeofchil dren’s mealsand healthy options were thetop prioritiesfor parents on aday out.

Morethanhalfofparents surveyedchose oneofthese options as theirnumberone priority, comparedtojustone percentwho picked“treat” or “junk” food

‘Maximiseyour rumenhealth’

Dairyfarmers arebeing encour aged to take stepstomaximiserumenhealthintheir herd andboost milk production from fibrethissea son.

TheadvicefromLallemand An imal Nutrition’sproduct manager Mark McFarlandcomesagainst the backdrop of variable grasssilage quality, high feed prices andwarnings of increasedmycotoxin risk in maizesilagethisseason.

“Ruminantshaveauniqueabilitytorelease asignificant amount of energy from the fibrefractionof forage,” said Mr McFarland.

“Butharnessingthisenergypotentialdepends on both thequality of theforageand the fibredigestion processwithinthe rumen.”

He said although it is toolateto influencethe qualityofforageavail able forfeedingthiswinter, farmers canliftproductionfromforageby taking stepstoboost thedegrada bility of fibrewithinthe rumen.

Dealisagreed overimports

BreedersVikingGeneticsUK hasformedanexclusive collaboration with livestockimporters, Best of Breed Livestock.

Thearrangement is designed to streamline theimportoflive stockfromthe Viking countries by UK dairyproducers

Followingmanyyears spent working together,the twocom panies have enteredintothis arrangementwhich sees allof theVikingGeneticsbreeds im ported to theUKexclusively through this route.It pavesthe wayfor easier importsofthe high health status andtop ge neticmerit animalsfor which Denmark, Sweden andFinland arerenowned. Thecollabora tion is aresponse to thehigh demand in theUK forScandinavia’sVikingRed,Jerseyand Holsteinaswellasready-made crossbredcattle.

Crop

expert joins up with group

WilsonBoardman, an internationally respected crop nutrition and formulations expert,has joined the EmeraldResearch Ltd(ERL) team as business developmentdirector.

Bosses sayMrBoardman’sextensiveknowledge of biostimu lantsand crop nutrients will further strengthen andcomplement ERL’salready impressive research andnew productdevelopmentpro grammes, bringing still greater improvements in crop performance, sustainability andfarmprofita bility.MrBoardmanis respected within both theacademicand commercialbiostimulantand crop nutritionarenasand ofteninvited to speakat internationalcongresses.His wealth of knowledgecomes from 40 yearsofexperience within thecrophealthcaremarket,froma time-served fieldagronomisttohis last role as global ambassadorfor plantcaretechnologyatthe Olmix Group.

VauxhallFarmnear Newportisonthe market for £1.15million

TG in runningfor trio of accolades

Staffata firm have their fingers firmly crossedafter beingshortlist ed forthree high-profile national awards

TudorGriffithsBuilders’ Mer chants –adivisionofthe TG Group –has been namedasa finalist in threecategoriesatthisyear’s Builders’Merchants

Awards

TG Builders’Merchants gener al managerMarkEvans said the recognitionwas arealhonourfor everyone involved.

“We’re overwhelmedtohavebeen shortlistedin notjustone,but in threecategories, andwe’re proudof ourteamwho have workedsohard to deliver theverybestcustomerex perience at alltimes.”

Thecompany is in therunning forBuilders’Merchantofthe Year (six to 20 branches), Hard Land scapingDisplay ofthe Year,and Branch Manager of theYear.

Theawardsceremonywilltake placeonNovember 25

List of demands forailing firms

Business leadersare calling on theGovernmenttointroduce a series of measures to help firms in the“tough” monthsahead

TheBritishChambersof Commerce (BCC)saidcompa nies faced ahostofchallenges whichthreatenthe survival of many,including eyewatering energy bills, labour shortag es, 40-yearhighinflation, and rising interest rates. TheBCC said research highlightedan “alarming” drop in business confidenceand conditions, with keyeconomicindicatorsfalling back to Covid-crisislevels.

TheBCC publishedamanifes to settingout 17 policies needed to tackle challenges facing busi nesses.The demandsincluded investmentininfrastructure, supportfor energy costs, help with hiring workers andthe re movaloftradebarriers.

Firm takestothe floorwithForbo

Specialistbrand strategy andcom municationsconsultancy WyattIn ternationalhas been appointed UK digitalagencybyForbo Flooring Systemstopromote thebusiness’s offering acrossdigital platforms.

In this newpartnership,Wyatt Internationalwillbeworking with thecommercial flooring supplier, whichhas asiteinTelford,toin crease brandawareness in itstar getmarket sectors, with both speci fiersand flooring contractors.

ForboFlooringSystems is alead ingglobalbrand in high-quality commercial floorcoverings andto talsolution flooring projects

Theircategory-leadingproducts includelinoleum, luxury vinyl tiles, flocked flooring andentrance floor ingsystems

KarenWilding,atForbo,said: “We’re excitedtopartnerwiththe expert team at WyattInternational to help elevate ourbusiness offering acrossall digitalplatforms.”

Charities seek help on energy bills

Morethan60charities have writtentothe PrimeMinister demandingmoresupport formil lionsofUKhouseholdsinfuel poverty.

Asurveyfor theEnd Fuel Pov erty Coalitionsuggests 76 per cent of people thinkthe Govern ment is notdoing enough to sup port vulnerable households this winter.Despite theEnergyPrice

Guaranteeand theEnergyBills SupportSchemepledgedbythe Government, 58 percentofthe population still believetheywill struggletopay theirbillsthis winter,the poll indicates. Some 83 percentare “very” or “quite” worried abouttheir billsincreas ingagain in Aprilwhenthe cur rent Governmentsupport pro grammesrun out.

Firm strengthensteamwithhires

Thecontested wills, trusts andes tatesteamatShrewsbury-based Aaron&Partnershas strengthened itsdepartmentwithtwo newhires Solicitors JemmaLandand Re beccaBeamanjointhe team which will focusprimarily on matters re latedtotrust andprobate disputes followingincreasingclientdemand.

Jemmajoins Aaron&Partners with more than10years’experi enceinthe industry.She’s an as

sociate member of TheAssociation of ContentiousTrust andProbate Specialists (ACTAPS) having com pleted thespecialistdiploma.She haspreviouslyworkedwithlaw firmsLanyonBowdler andPCB Solicitors,specialisingintrust and probatedispute

Rebeccalinks up after five years with Hatchers Solicitors.She brings arange of experience in trustand probatedispute work.

Training supportaimstoease construction labour shortage

JAMESPUGH james.pugh@mnamedia.co.uk

TheConstructionSupport Part nership(CSP) will providetailored training,mentoring andsupport to around 700new construction work ersorthose returningtothe sector

The£400,000project is being ledbysupported employment and training charityLandau, with fund ingprovidedbythe Construction Industry Training Board(CITB)as part of theEngland Construction Opportunities(ECO) programme.

Phil Taylor,chief operations of ficerfor Landau,said: “The new CSPprogramme will focusonsup portingpeopleinthe workplace through jobcoaching, mentoring, employer engagement,peerand buddysystems or anyother support whichmight be appropriate

“Itistargetedatnew entrantsto theconstructionindustryand those whoare returningafteragap of twoyears or more.

“The CITB is particularly keen to widenthe talent poolinconstruc tion,somanyofthe people we sup port will be from groups under-rep resented in theindustry. Thereis anationalshortageofskilled con structionworkers so it’s vitalthat newrecruitsdon’t leave.”

Firm plumbs in newtenantatindustrialunit

Anationalplumbers’ merchants hasopenedanew branch in Tel ford.James Hargreaves Plumbing Supplies hasopeneda 5,020sqft newunitonAccess442. Establishedin1923, thebusi ness has69branchesacrossthe UK andsaiditwas attracted to thenew site thanks to itshigh visibility andeasyaccesstokey road networks.The move is an ex pansionintothe Telfordmarket,

james.pugh@mnamedia.co.uk

as it growsits UK network. The business hasone of thelargestand fastestmovingproduct ranges in theindustry.

Itsnew unit will houseits ex tensiverange of plumbing,boilers, underfloorheating andbathroom products

RussellPengelly, Telfordbranch manager, said:“Thelocationand size of ournew unit is idealand we arelooking forwardtocreating newjobshere.”

LizLowe, of Morris Property, said:“JamesHargreavesbuildson thesuccess of Access442 showing thediversity of tenant mixand howthe unitsprovide property solutionstoawiderange of oper ators.”

Greentalkwithclients leadstoactionfor firm

Achartered ruralsurveyors has setabout future-proofing itsbusi ness base,seeking to achievecar bonzerowellbefore2040 and becoming cost efficientinthe pro cess

Balfours hasinvested in green energy,putting into practice rec ommendations frequently given to clients.

Theenergyefficiency refurbish ment is at thecompany’s head office of 10 years, NewWindsor HouseatOxonBusiness Park near Shrewsbury Business managerCraig Varley said:“Theofficessuitour business very well,itprovidesmorethan

10,000 feet square internal space andisideally situated on theedge of town with excellentroadlinks andampleparking.As aresultwe purchased thesitein 2020

“You couldcallthisphase two; updating the25-year-old building to provideuswiththe latest green solutions. That hasincludedso larpanelsonthe south/southwest roof.All windowsand doorshave been replaced with thelatestglaz ing technology, keepingheatin andcoldout

“Wehavebenefitted from ShropshireCouncil’sBEEP grant switchingall fluorescentlighting to LEDpanelswhich are75per

cent more efficient. Plansare also in thepipelinetoinstall half adoz en EV carchargingbaysin thecar park.”

Half of Balfours 80 staffwork outofNew WindsorHouse andthe majority have been pleasedtore turn to theoffice post-Covid.The refurbishmenthas provided bright lightofficeswhich aremoreener gy-efficient.

“The beauty of thePVisthatour staffare in during daylighthours andtherefore much of ourenergy usageisfor free.Furthermore,as property professionalsitisright that we should walk thewalkand talk thetalk.”

Amajor projecttosup port newconstruc tion workersand drive growth in theindustry hasbeenlaunchedbya training charity.

NewWindsor House, Shrewsbury

RussellPengelly, LizLowe andJackJames outsidethe newbranch

JAMESPUGH

ACROSS

1. Immanuel, German philosopher who authored Critique of PureReason (4) 3. Leguminous plant cultivated for its edible seeds (8) 8. Small semiaquatic amphibian (4) 9. ‘The Admirable ---’, play by JMBarrie (8) 11. 1986 film by John Badham featuring robot ‘No. 5’ (5,7) 13. Heroine of George Eliot’snovel Felix Holt (6) 14. Bay is between Greenland and Canada (6) 17. 1964 play by Arthur Miller (5,3,4) 20. Most northerly of the LeewardIslands (8) 21. ‘The ---’, 1898 sculpturebyRodin (4) 22. Medieval wandering musician (8) 23. Charles, British prime minister 1830-34 (4)

DOWN

1. Charles, author of WestwardHo! (8)

2. Port in Rhode Island (7)

4. Joel Chandler,creator of Uncle Remus (6)

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

6. Shallow dish used in laboratories for producing cultures of microorganisms (5) 7. Amember of the aboriginal people of Japan (4) 10. Italian monk who founded an order at Monte Cassino in about 540 AD (2,8)

12. Island offthe coast of NWWales (8)

15. American sitcom spinoffofCheers starring Kelsey Grammer (7)

16. Clement, British prime minister 1945-51 (6)

18. Thief in Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (5)

19. ‘Animal ---’, novel by George Orwell (4)

WORD WISE

REGURGITATE

Informal term for darts (6)

10 Across. Scottish League One football club whose home ground is Bayview Stadium (4,4)

Marcello former manager of the China and Italy national football teams (5)

Horse ridden by Dick Francis in the 1956 Grand National (5,4)

Shota ........., former Ajax and Rangers striker; together,he and his two brothers gained morethan 100 caps for Georgia (9)

Hernan former Argentina, Parma and Chelsea striker (6)

Nicole 2008 Olympic women’sroadrace cycling gold medallist (5) 15. Toni Spanish winner of the 2006 Portuguese MotoGP (5) 16. Tony ...., US golfer who won The Open Championship in 1964 (4)

All That Glue is the title of an album from which British electronic punk music duo?

In which sport is aperson towed behind aspeedboat?

In which year was Terry Waite freed from captivity in Beirut?

Which instrument indicates the rate at which acar moves?

In which county is Bath?

Which 1994 film featured Beverly Hills 90210 star Luke Perry as Rodeo legend Lane Frost?

Which unit of distance is equal to 1760 yards?

For which party was John F. Kennedy president?

In which ocean is Mauritius?

wheremechanics work (6)

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100 Stammers (8) 102 Adonkey (3) 104 Leave out (4) 106 Love affair (5) 107 Concordant (10) 109 Curved structure(4) 111 Measuring stick (5) 114 Spike of wheat (3) 115 Unable to hear (4)

116 Buckets

Mean and cowardly (9)

Serious in mind or intention (7)

Imaginary source of fear (7)

Asecond self (5,3)

Thick (5)

Expensive (6)

127

128

View,informally (6)

125

(7)

Mars is settobelooking spectacularthismonth

BrilliantMarsisclose to itsbest this month, writes Steve Szwajkun, of Shropshire Astronomical Society.Lookeastmid-evening andyou will seethe wonderful anddistinc tive sightofthe redplanetrising higher in thenight sky.

Abasic four-inchtelescope will reveal surfacedetail, buttry employingeithera red, orange or yellow filter to boostcontrast

Jupiteristhe brightestplanet visible, during theevening, throughoutthe month. Easily observable from 5.30pm GMT, a smalltelescope will easily reveal thedynamic cloudtops, andthe GreatRed Spot

Oneshouldalsobeabletotrack

Jupiter’sfourGalileanmoons (Io, Europa,Ganymedeand Callisto) as they danceround theirking. Although Mercuryand Venusare

not visible, beingtoo closetothe Sun,and Saturn coming closeto theend of useful viewing, Uranus stepsforward taking centre stage throughout themonth

Appearingtothe left of Jupiter, in theconstellation of Aries, Uranusremains above thehorizon all nightlong.

It’s another‘star’month for meteors, with theregular Le onid shower on November17and thechanceofbrilliantTaurids throughout themonth

Thereisagoodchancethisyear that more than theaverage 10-15 meteorsper hour maybespotted, including fireballs.

However,you will need to be abit of anightowl andhaveaclear view of thebackwardquestionmarkin theconstellation of Leoasitrises in theeast. Taurid meteorsare the

resultofcomet2P/Encke, with up to about5 meteorsanhourbeing averagealthoughmore, including fireballsmightbeseenthisyear.

ThePleiadesopenstarcluster is oneofthe most familiar and magnificent sights in theautumn sky, either with thenaked eyeor through binoculars.Thoughthe clusteriswellknown as theSev ernSisters,stargazerstypically seeany number of starsexcept7 Most canrecognize the6 brightest whileverykeensighted observers candistinguishupto11.

WhySeven Sisters? Well in Greekmythology,the Pleiades were theseven daughtersofAtlas, aTitan whoheldupthe sky, and theoceanidPleione,protectress of sailing.The sisterswereMaia, Electra,Alcyone,Taygete, Asterope, Celaenoand Merope

Akwasi keepsshaping smiles with hishedge trimmingskills

MEGANJONES megan.jones@mnamedia.co.uk

Atopiarist from Telford is bringing joy to hiscommunity with his distinctiveand shapely frontgarden.

Leegomery man, Akwasi Okyere, plantedthe conifertrees in 2014, originallyintending to create a hedge forhis frontgarden

ButAkwasiwas shockedbyhow tall they grew –sohethought he’d do somethingalittledifferent Sincethen, he hasbeentendingtothemlovingly, turninghis HurleybrookWay garden into Leegomery’s owntopiarytreat

Topiaryisthe horticultural practice of clipping thefoliage and twigsofshrubsintoclearly defined geometric or fanciful shapes andit datesbacktoRoman times.

Plants usedintopiary areevergreen, like firs or box.

Mess

“The firsttimewas very terrible, amess!” Akwasi explained.

“But afteracoupleoftimes I’d gotthemlooking likethisand I’ve only gotbetter.”

Thetrees, fashionedintostun ning corkscrews,takeAkwasia two full days to tidy up,which he does twice ayear–but allofhis hard workhas notgone unnoticed

Councillor forLeegomery,Car ol Hughes said thetrees hadbeen bringing asmile to herfacefor years.

“The trees bringsomanypeople so much joy,” Councillor Hughes said:“If you can’tbejoyfulseeing thoseand admiringthe skill and hard workthenthere’s something wrongwithyou

“Ifwehavepeopleinour area that aremakingitsomuchbetter, even if it’s justthe one house, then they oughttobecelebrated.

ANTIQUES

Councillor Hughes andher husband Kenhad been admiringthe trees on theirwalks formanyyears andfeltthe time wasright to write himaletterofthank

Kenadded: “I’vebeenmeaning to reachout to thankhim foryears,I thinkit’sreallyreached thesummit of what he candowiththem.

“The trees areperfect spirals. It’s obviously such alabouroflove, and really stands out.”

Akwasi said he hadreceivedlots

of complimentsonhis handywork overthe yearsand waspleased his hard work is making adifference.

Akwasi said:“Sometimespeople knockand my door andask me if Iboughtthemlikethis! Ilikethat people areenjoyingmy garden.”

WITH JOHN RIDGWAYOF OLDMILLANTIQUESCENTRE

Allkinds of vintageitems are popularwithcollectorsand the humble bottleisalwayssought after.

Allofthe bottles we use to daytendtobediscardedand then ground up,unless they areunusualorkeptasa memoryofaspecial occasion,but yearsago many will have been thrown into rubbish tips intact Andthese oldbottles,found andcleaned up,havebeengiv en a new lease of life as vintage collectables.Some of them are extremely valuable,afew years agowesolda William andMary brandy bottlefound on ariver bank formorethan£400.

Butmuchmoreaffordable vintagebottles canbefound and they look good almost anywhere in thehome,fromthe hallway andkitchen to adiningroom or even ahome office.Old wine bottles make greatsingle-stem vases andcolouredoneslook really attractivedisplayed in a group.

Perfumebottles areacollector’sfavourite andare much sought afternot only fortheir

particular ageormakebut also fortheir shapes,theylooklovely in abedroom or bathroom

Generallyspeaking, look out forunusualshapesand colours, I’ve seen some very beautiful bottles that originated in other countriesand probably originallycontained liqueurs.Champagnebottles make very nice candlesholders, go forthe labels likeDom Perignon or Bollinger, andold glass inkwells, although notstrictly‘bottles’, look love ly displayedinahome office or used as penholders

Oldmedicinebottles also look goodgrouped together,maybe in abathroom, just checkthey arecompletelyempty before you putthemondisplay!Stoneware bottles dating from theVicto rian andEdwardian eras are perfectfor akitchen,lookout forthe brandedonesas they are especially collectable.

It is easy to find oldbottles forsale, butas with allvintage itemscheck them carefullyfor anydamagebeforeyou buy.

Akwasi Okyere brings smiles to passers-by with hisdistinctive front garden in Telford

Stargazers areinfor atreat

Acollection of vintagebottles

“It’samazing thatone personcan bringthatmuchjoy,probablywithouteven realising.”

you

Sevensigns that it’s time forachangein your career

Starting anew jobneedn’t be such aterrifying experience

IMYBRIGHTY-POTTS PressAssociation

If you’re feelingoverburdened andundervalued at work, you mighthavewondered whether to tryand startthe newyear with anew job.

Tony Gregg, chiefexecutive at AnthonyGregg Partnership, an executivesearch firm,believes therecould be some tell-tale signsthatit’stimetosee what else is outthere

1. Thebusinessgoessignificantly againstyourmor alsand values

“Theway abusinessoperates andtreatsits employees is very important,”saysGregg.“Duringaninterview,peopletry to be someone whotheythink theemployerwants them to be, you can’thidefromthat, you areyourself andthat’sthe real quality.”

2. Younolongerfeelchal lenged in your role

If you’renot feelingchallenged enough,thiscan startto show up in thequality of your work, Greggadds. Persistent poorworkcould also come to thecompany’s attention, mean ingsome people in this situation maywanttojumpbeforethey arepushed.

3. Therearen’tenoughde cent opportunities –“When yourecognise you arenot being challenged or getting enough opportunities, you’llknowyou need to move on,” says Gregg.

4. Your health is suffering –Poormentalorphysicalhealth as aresultofworkstresses and strainswill notonlyhavean im pact on employeesthemselves, butalso on theirrelationships outsidethe workplace.

“Ifthe jobisaffectingyour health andmentaland physical wellbeing, you’re goingtoget burned out,”saysGregg.“You need to askyourself,isthisreally therightrolefor me?”

5. Theroleistoo demand ing –“It mightnot necessar ilybethe type of role causing burnout, it couldbethe type of organisation or,insome cases, theroleisnot what you expect ed it to be andthe demand is too high,” says Gregg.

6. Youare notbeing paid what you’re worth –Online salary checkers canhelpyou to getanideaofwhether you’rebeingpaidyourmarket value.

7. Youfeelunderappreci ated –“When youhavebeen working at thesamecompany fora while, you mayfeelyou can become takenfor granted, and otheremployees mayrelyon you to complete certaintasks,” adds Gregg.

Thankfully, holdingdownthe toproleinGovernmentisn’t some thingmostofuswill have to contend with.But starting anynew job canbring amix of feelings –and it’s naturaltobenervous. Perhaps you’rescaredofsayingordoing the wrongthing,upsettingthe status quo, or worries that you aren’t qual ified enough aresetting in…

Whilethose areall totallynat ural fears, canwedoanythingto help us handle new-jobnervesand use theenergytoour advantage?

Coachyourself into apositive mindset: SteveJefferys, acoach at YourShift(makeyourshift.co.uk), says thereare exercisesyou can do to help setpositive mindsetfor yourself.

“Imagine how you’ll feel when re flecting on your firstmonth in the role,” he suggests.“What have you achieved?How do you feel?Whatdo yourcolleaguesthink –and what simple stepscan you take to make this happen?You’llget motivation andconfidencefromwithin, know ingyou candoit.”

Yes, chancesare you’llhave things to learninyournew role that’s part of theprocess foreveryone. ButasDesiree Anderson, a career coachatCrest Coaching andHR, says:“Remember that you were hired fora reason –your strengthsand experience have been deemed to be greatinorder to tack le theprioritiesahead.Remember yourstrengths andwhatyou have accomplished up to this point.”

Mapout your firstweek: Abit of prep andplanninggoes alongway andcan really help us feel calm about starting in anew role.“Work with your hiringmanager before you arrive to understand how [your firstweek] works: what meetings you’llbein, what will you getup

to speedon, whoyou’llmeet, what questionsyou mightask,” Jeffreys suggests.“Having apractical focus will calm you andgiveyou confi dence.”

Getto know your newteam: Thepeoplemakeupan important part of anyjob –and breaking the icewiththemmighthelpyou to get settled.

“Suggest meetingfor acasualcof feeorafter-works drink with them aweekorsobefore. Chat to them informally,get to know them,” says Jeffreys.“You’ll have ablanket of psychologicalsafetywhenyou first walk in,and seeing ‘familiar’faces againwill boostyourconfidence.”

Turn to your team foradvice: Asking questionsisoften thebest

waytolearn.“Reachout to others in yourteamand use theirexper tise to enhancethe objectives you have.Byrecognising that you can’t do it allyourself,you will draw closertothose around you whocan help,” says Anderson

“Thiswill take theweightoff yourshoulders,and encourageyou to forgerelationships with others Also,you will be drawingfromoth ers’ experience andtherefore your decisionswill be reachedfroma more discerning perspective.Knowingyou canleveragethe experience of others will help you keep calm andfocus on achievingpriorities.”

Gettogrips with tech andad minquickly: Therecan be alot of faff associatedwithstartinganew job, gettingtogrips with theirtech

and filing systemsand comms–and you mayfeeloverwhelmeduntil you’vemasteredit. “Computerlog ins, server access,doorcards,safety instructions, canteenaccess,meetingthe office manager… Getitall done in firstcouple of days,” says Jeffreys.“Thequicker you make theunfamiliarfamiliar,the calmer andmoreconfidentyou’llbe.”

Have somethingfun to aimfor: Week oneinanew jobcan be chal lenging–and rewardingyourself is agreat waytokeepmotivation up.“Drinks with yourcolleagues, a trip away with your partner, ameal out–whatever it is, give yourself a reward,” says Jeffreys.“Positively reinforcethe decision you’vemade andreflectona firstweekwell done.”

Learntobarterand bagyourselfthe best deals

Everyone lovesabargain –but many people couldbemissingout on snapping oneup, by notknowingwhere to start.

Two-fifths (39%)ofusadmitto feelingtoo awkward to even try attempting to drivedownthe price of itemsinthe firstplace,new re search by Gumtreehas found. And threein10(30%)feelthat, as a nation,wedon’t know how to get agoodbargain through theart of barteringorhaggling.

To help people hone theirbar gainingskills, here aresome tips from Gumtree’schief marketing officer, Hannah Rouch… 1. Buildarapport –“When

bartering, remember theperson on theother endsees valueintheir product, just as you do,”sys Rouch. “Focus on theconversation,build a rapport, anddon’t lowball them in yourinitial outreach.”

Making eyecontact with theper sonyou’redealing with andbeing on time if you’vearrangeda collec tion canalsopay off,she suggests

2. Showthe seller that you’re serious –“Make it cleartothe seller that you’reserious about yourpurchase– show agenuine interest in theitemand asklots of questions,”Rouch suggests.“If you’recommitted to walkingaway with an item from theoutset, the

seller is more likelytoinvestthe time in making therightdealand seetheir item go to anew home.”

3. Focusonwhatyou really need –Don’t getcarried away just becausethe seller lowers theprice Thedealmay stillnot be rightfor you

“Don’t be afraid to walk away if theoffer,oritem, isn’tright,” saysRouch.“When you make a purchase, you want to getthe best valuefor money– notjusttomake apurchasefor thesakeofapur chase. Over-consumerism is rife, especially over thefestive period, so save your energy forthe purchases youreallywantorneed.”

When youstart anew job, thepressureison to make agood firstim pression.

Gettoknowyour newteam at work by breaking theice Have apositivemindset

Starting anew job canbedaunting

WhyVitaminC should be on your skin care menu

Citedbycelebrities includingactorNicoleKidman, modelAshley Graham andHudaBeautyfounder Huda Kattan,Skinceuticals CE

Ferulicisthe gold standard when it comestoVitamin Cserums.

At £150 abottle, thecultclassic comeswithanA-listprice tagtoo, butyou canget yourdaily dose of VitaminCwithout breaking the bank

Whyare beauty buffsand fa mous facessoobsessedwiththe nutrient we usuallyconsume via fruitand vegetables?Weasked expertstoexplain everything you need to know aboutVitamin Cand skincare…

n What is VitaminC? “VitaminCorascorbicacidisawater-solublevitamin whichcannot be stored in thebody,”saysDr SarahBrewer, medicaldirectorat Healthspan(healthspan.co.uk)

“A regularintakeistherefore essentialand food sourcesinclude most fruitand vegetables,especiallycitrusfruit,berries,black currants, capsicumpeppers, kiwi fruitand greenleaves.”

n What arethe benefits of Vi taminCinskincare? “Adding VitaminCtoyourskincarerou tine will brighten yourcomplexion andalso protectagainst damage causedbyharmful environmental

free radicals,”explainsDrDerrick Phillips, consultant dermatologist. Theantioxidant effect increases theskin’sresilience to pollution andreduces sundamage, he says: “Italso stimulates newcollagen formation, whichin turn keepsthe skin youthfuland plump.”

n Do some skin typesbenefit more than others? –“Vitamin Cisgoodfor allskintypes,” says Shotter, butthose with sensitive skin or acne should be careful. “A sensitiveskintypemightbeirritatedbyapotentVitamin Cformu lation –theymay useother [formu las] whichare slightly gentlerand water soluble.”

Take stepstoensureseason doesn’tleave youfeeling low

HEATHERLARGE heather.large@mnamedia.co.uk

During this time of year when thenightsdrawin earlier, it is common for peopletodevelop and exhibitsymptomsofsea sonalaffective disorder (SAD).

Martin Preston, Founderand ChiefExecutive at Delamere,has shared some keytipsonhow to manage this type of disorder

He says:“Seasonal affectivedis orderismet with arange of symp toms.These days,you maybesleep ingmorethanusualand therefore findingithardtowakeup. Similar ly,you maybeexperiencinga loss of interest in day-to-day activities and arefeeling generallyanxious, irri tableand low.

“Asdifficult as this time of year maybe, it’s importanttoknowthat thereare plenty of proactivesteps you cantaketoeaseyoursymp toms.”

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH DAYLIGHT

As we head into thedarkwinter months, it’s importanttomakethe most of daylightasmuchas possible. If youworkindoors, open any curtains or blinds to letinas much lightas possible.Another beneficial thingtodoistoworkbyawindow to make you feel abit more close to nature andthe outsideworld Sprucing up theenvironment you’re in will also help.For example, you couldinvestinhouseplants or deco rate yourhome with wall art.

MAINTAINYOUR DAILYSCHEDULE

Theseasons arechanging, but that doesn’tmeanyourschedulehas to If you’reusedtogoing foramorningrun,sticktothisroutine.The weathermay be colder,but you can always wrap up.Ifyou’vegotten into thehabit of goingintothe of fice more over thesummermonths, carrythisondespite thechillier mornings.Setting yourself goalsfor

theday will also putyou into amore motivated mindset.

EXERCISE OFTEN

When youexercise,yourbodyreleases endorphins, whichin turn hasapositive effect on yourmood. So,makeita habit of shakingaway thosewinterblues with regular physicalactivity. If intensiveexercise doesn’tsound likethe best thing, perhapsjustmakeitatarget of goingout forawalkeveryday thefresh airwilldoyou wonders! Youmay also benefitfromengaging in mindfulpractices such as medi tation to combat stress levels

EATWELL

Sticking to ahealthy,balanced

diet is certainlyapositive step you cantaketomanageyourseasonal affectivedisorder.Afterall,your brainfunctions better when you eatwell. As theweather gets cold er,you couldalso use this time to make warm,heartyrecipes in the kitchen. From pies to spicycurries, be as experimental as youwant! Be sure to also drinkenoughwater throughoutthe daytokeepyou hy drated andenergised

KEEP IN REGULAR WITH LOVEDONES

Anothercommon symptomofsea sonalaffective disorder is findingit hard to stay in touchwithfriends andfamily. Whileitcan be quite tempting to stay secluded in your ownbubble, it’s importanttoknow that reaching outtoloved oneswill

make you feel alittlelessinyour head.Withthisinmind, make it a habitofregularly messagingpeople andorganisingcatch-ups from time to time

AMPUP YOUR SELF-CARE ROUTINE

Finally, forthose especially tough days, having thebestself-care plan foryourselfisessential.Inmaking this, thinkabout what makesyou happy. This couldbeyourfavourite series or perhapssomethingas simple as runninga bath.Whatever it is, make sure yourself-care plan is guaranteed to boostyourmood or at leastprovide youwithasense of comfort.

n Formoreadvice, visitdelamere.com/addiction-treatment/ mental-health

It’s good to talk before taking thenextbig step of living together

Moving in together canbeanexcit ingstepfor couples– andwithrent, mortgage andlivingcosts going throughthe roof,itmight be some thingyou’vedecidedtodoalittle more quicklythanusual.

However,asjoyfulasthismove canbe, therewill be lots to think about– living together brings up newconsiderationsand dynamics to navigateand it’s importantyou cancommunicate

So,whatshouldcouples talk aboutbeforemovingin together?

1. Your expectations: Some peoplewill seemovingintogetheras asteptowards even more commitment within arelationship, whilst others will seeitassomethingthat works forthemright now, without lookingtoo farahead,”saysQuinn “Makesureyou’rebothonthe same page –and don’tassumemovingin todaymeans marriedtomorrow, or even next year.”

2. How you’re goingto divide household chores: Quinn says: “There’s alot that comeswithsharinga space –alot of dirtydishes, pilesoflaundry andshoppingto get. Chat aboutwho is goingtobe responsiblefor what before diving in,” shesuggests. “Whilsthelpful to be organised, it’s also agood ex ercise to ensure that both partiesof therelationshipare committed and it’s notone-sided.”

3. Costsand finances: Many of us shyawayfromtalking about mon ey.But it’s really importantfor couplestobeabletodiscussthis, says Quinn

“Withthe cost of living crisis dominating headlines, nowisa greattimetobemorecandidabout your finances with apartner,” she says.“What canyou afford?What’s yourcredithistory?Whatthings areworth prioritising?And how are you goingtodivideup rent andbill payments?”

4. Whoelseisgoing to be shar ingyourspace?: You’re setting up ahome together –soboundaries around whoelseisgoing to be comingand goingisdefinitely some thingtothink about

“Althoughthismay notbeanimmediatequestiontoask,itisstill avalid pointtoconsider,”agrees Quinn.“Does someone want apet? Does oneofyou have abestfriend whoisalwayscrashingonthe couch? Is one of you more sociable andprone to throwing partiesthan theother?Doessomeone workfrom home?These questionswill enable you to getclear about how you’re goingtouse thespace anddivide it equally,”saysQuinn.“Although it will be asharedhome,remember that you’remorethanentitledto yourown quietsanctuary to revert to when you need.”

5. What’s your emergencyplan if it doesn’tworkout?: This mightsound negative –but it’s ac tually ahealthy sign to be able to talk aboutthese things with care This mightinclude an action plan, as well as both individualshaving an ’emergency savingsfund’ should you suddenly need to move out.

Thewintercan proveachallenge time formanypeople butthere arethings youcan do to help

Fruitand

Tips to help cut flowerslook greatfor as long as possible

Expertsshare budget-friendly ideastokeep thecold at bay

SAMWYLIE-HARRIS PressAssociation

Cut flowersare populardecora tive piecestohaveinthe home andwiththe rightcareand attention, they canlastlonger than many people think

Common mistakes when look ingafter cut flowersinclude making bluntcutsand not cleaning thevaseregularly ChrisBonnett,founder of GardeningExpress,sharestips on howtolookaftercut flowers: Choose theright vase Theright vase candetermine how longyour flowersstayfresh forand choosing therightvase dependsonthe type of flowers you have.Heavier flowerar rangements should be keptin ashort vase andshouldhave shortstems.A lighterselection of flowerscan be placed in atall er vase.

Usethe flower food pro vided –Mostcut flowerscome with apacket of flower food.Fill up thevaseand addthe sachet into thewater.You canmake yourown at home.Mix together twotablespoons of lemonjuice, onetablespoonofsugar andhalf ateaspoonofbleachfor everyli tre of water.

Keep the flowersaway from heat –You maythink placingcut flowersnearsun lightisbestfor theirgrowthbut actually,cut flowersthriveina cooler environment.

Change thewater every otherday –Bacteriathrives in stalewater so it’s importantto change thewater around every otherday to keepthe water freshand getthe most outof your flowers.

Don’tforget to wash the vase –Eachtimeyou change thewater in yourvase, you’ll also want to give it areallygood cleanwithwarmsoapy water. Don’tforgettogiveitagood rinse to ensure allofthe soapy residueisoff

Cutyour flowersproperly –Makesureyou have asharp knifeorsecateurs andcut the stem at a45degreeangle each time you replacethe waterin thevase.

Cleanupfoliage below waterlevel –It’simportant to keep thewater in yourvase cleansoyou should cleanupany foliagethatisonthe stemsbe lowwater level

n Formoreadviceonhow to care for flowersvisit Garde ningExpress

It’s been an unseasonably mild autumn,but winter is looming–andwe’dprefertofocus on thejoys of thefestive season,ratherthan worryingabout energy bills.

If you wanted to keep household costsdownand yourhome nice and cosy,there area fewsimplesteps you cantaketomakea difference

BLEED THERADIATORS

Firstup, ensure yourheating system is working efficiently, with theboilerpressureset betweenone andtwo bars

AnyDIY shop will have aradia torkey if you’vemislaid yours.It’s importanttobleed theradiators to getrid of anytrapped air, making sure they’reworking to full capaci ty.Justdon’t forget an oldtea tow el to catchexcesswater that might leak outinthe process.

REARRANGE THEFURNITURE

It’s understandabletowantyour sofa or WFHdesknearthe radiator –but make sure they’renot posi tioned so closethatheatcan’t circu late around theroom.

Likewise,you mightwanttomove yourbed or favourite accent chair away from thewindowsoyou’re notsitting or sleeping in adraught This is also agoodopportunityto bringinbrightcolourschemes and soft furnishingstovisually‘warm up’the room

KEEP THEDOORS CLOSED

No matter how smallorbig your space,adoorleftajarisaninvita

tion forheattoescape–sokeep doors firmly closed to make the most of thewarmth.

FITSELF-ADHESIVE FOAM STRIPS

Oneofthe easiestDIY tricks is to applyself-adhesive foam strips to windowsand doors. Placethe strips alongwindowjointsand door jams wherever you mightfeeladraught anditwill help keep thecoldatbay

DRAW THECURTAINSAND BLINDS

Closingthe curtains andblinds will help keep thewarmthin– and oneofthe bonusesofthe clockshav inggonebackisyou won’tfeellike you’reshutting outdaylightwhenit starts to getdarkaround4pm

Andifpossible, now is probably agoodtimetoremove anyradiator covers,tomaximise hotair circu lating around theroom.

GO SMALL

If you’redeterminedtoreallycut down on centralheatingcosts, you couldconsiderusing small, portable heaters– such as oil-filled radiators or smartfan heaters.

An oil-filled radiator canbe switched on wherever you are, and arebrilliantatretaining heat.With an adjustable thermostat you can choose thetemperatureyou want, andit’seasytocarry between rooms.

THINK THERMAL CURTAINS

Thermalcurtain liningscan be a lifesaver,withvarious optionsout there. Designedtoblock outlight (makingthemexcellent in thesum mer),theyare also speciallycoated to reduce loss of heat andregulate room temperaturethroughoutthe year

Youcan buythemready-made, with eyelet andpencilpleat options, or optfor lining kits –which arede signed to hang behind yourexisting curtains, so they’rehidden from view

HOTBOTTLES AREN’TJUSTFOR BEDTIME

Hotwater bottles have always been popularthistimeofyear, and area cheapand cheerful wayto keep cosy.Rightnow,fauxfur ver sionswithpom poms aretrending bigtime.

LAYERUP

Whetherit’sa shaggy rug, fluffy blankets, woolly jumpersorcosy socks –layerscan really help keep you warm inside.Hatsare also an obvious,but brilliantway to pre servebodyheat.

Keepingyourplantswarmand cosy this winter

With thecoldweather of winter on theway,it’sbecomingmoreand more importanttokeepindoor plants warm andcosysotheycan surviveand thrive into spring

That’s whythe gardeningex pertsat GardenBuildingsDirect. co.ukhavenamed themosteffec tive ways indoor plantloverscan keep theheatin this winter

Here areGarden BuildingsDi rect’s tips to keepindoorplants warm this winter:

1. Find thewarmest room Theeasiest waytomakesurein door plants stay an idealtempera ture this winter is to find outwhich room in thehouse is the warmest. Make surethatthisroomhas a good levelofsunlightduringthe

Don’toverwater plantsinwinter

dayand keep moving the plants to thewarmest,bestlit spot in the room

2. Bubblewrap –Another simple tricktokeepindoorplants warm is to wrap layers of bub blewraparoundthe plant potto

containas much heat as possible around theplants.

3. Heat mats –Heatmatscan be abit more expensive, butthey area fantasticoptionfor keeping indoor plants warm as theweath er gets colder.Heatmatsare thin sheets of plasticwhich have heat ingelementsinside. Themat is plugged in andthe surfaceheats up

4. On topof thefridge –This mayseemanunusualideatokeep plants warm –but in fact electric fridges actasheatmatsthem selves.The topofthe fridge often produces some heat,sokeeping plants on topofthe fridge will al lowthe plants to absorbsomeheat fornoextra cost

5. Space heaters –Using in door space heaters forplantsisa more costly idea butprovidesan effectivesourceofheattokeep indoor plants at theright temper ature. If using spaceheaters,make sure that plants aren’t placed di rectly in frontofthe heaters, oth erwise they couldget toohot

6. Waterindoor plants care fully –Indoorplantsare suscep tibletoover-wateringduringthe winter months, sincetheydon’t need as much waterastheydodur ingthe spring andsummer.Spray ingwater mist over theplants will help them grow in thedry air whilst avoiding over-watering.

n Formoreexperttipsvisit www.gardenbuildingsdirect.co.uk/

As theconversation heatsuparoundthe cost-of-living crisis, many of us arelooking forthe easiestwaysto stay warm at home withoutrunningupthe bills.

Thereare some easy ways to stay warm and keep your home nice andcosythiswinterwithoutblowing thebudget

in newbook

PRUDENCE WADE PressAssociation

TheOTK,asit’slovinglyknown, headed up by fellow chef Noor Mu rad, 32,iswhere the newOttolenghi recipesare dreamedup –and afew kitchenmishaps areencountered “Exploding aubergines”are not unfamiliar in theOTK,sharesOttolenghi.

“Whenyou cook an aubergine withoutcutting it,there is achance you’regoing to getsteaminsidethe skin,and then it kind of pops,” says theIsraeli-born Britishchef. “And if it’s furtherdownthe line,itis a bigpop. Personally at home,and I thinkone or twotimes in theTest Kitchen, we have hadthis.

“It’s fine if it’s in theoven,be cause you just need to cleanthe oven. Butifit’sonthe stovetop, it’s thewhole kitchenthat’scovered in bitsofaubergine.”

Themoral of thestory?“It’s re ally importanttopierceyouraubergines before you startcooking them, if you cook them whole,”the 53-year-oldurges

Aubergines areaclassic ingredientinthe Ottolenghirepertoire, joiningthe likes of kohlrabiand za’atarinthe latest book co-authored with Murad, Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Extra Good Things,a follow-uptothe firstOTK book in 2021,Shelf Love

“Where ShelfLove wasall about strippingyourshelves,Extra Good Things is allabout filling them back up with allthe differentcondiments andsauces, sprinklesand pickles

that you canuse to accessorise your meals,”saysMurad

“It’saway of bringing luxury to yourtable at home.Soyou canhave beansontoast or scrambledeggs, or somethingreallysimple, butthen youcan elevateitwithall theselit tle flavourbombs. That’s really the wayweinthe Test Kitchenlove to eat.”

Andtheycertainly love to eatin theTestKitchen –which sounds likeadream job, although it can come with itspitfalls, says Murad.

“Working in theTestKitchen is themostamazing thing, butthe hardestthing is being surrounded by so much food allthe time –and trying nottoeat allofit, andnot feel completely sick at theend of the day.”

Ottolenghi’srecipes tend to in volveafew more ingredientsthan just cheese andpickle, andhis style is so distinct that hisnamehas even become averb: ‘toOttolenghify’

“It’sfunny, because Iknewitwas used in aparticular way– ‘Oh, let’s do Ottolenghi’ –but when Noor wrotethe introductiontothisbook andshe used theverb‘to Otto lenghify’…Iunderstood what she meantassoonasIreadit.

“Insome way, that meanstoinject somethingwhich is delicious butfamiliarwithsomethingwhich is abit unfamiliar, andabit of ex citement,” he says.“Inever quite understood it untilshe usedit, but now Itotally getit.”

So what woulditmeanifyou were ‘toNoorify’adish?

Ottolenghiisbestplaced to an swer this question:“There’salot ofzinginthe wayNoorcooks,with acidityand with herbs. Forme, that’s very Noor –totakeherbs andzinginess to theextreme,[with] extreme flavours.The otherthing Iloveabout theway Noor cooksis there’salwaysanicelittle finishing touchthatisabove andbeyond–it’s not just agarnish,it’saverywell thoughtout garnishthatrhymes with the flavourthatisalready in there.”

He dubs this kind of cooking“to Noorish” –aplayon“nourish”

Both styles areabout plentiful portions to sharewithlovedones, andOttolenghiand Muradhave alreadybeencooking recipes from theirnew book forfriends andfam ily.

n OttolenghiTestKitchen:Extra Good Things by Noor Muradand YotamOttolenghiispublished by EburyPress,priced £25. Photogra phybyElena Heatherwick. Availa blenow

Delicious chicken dish really packsatasty punch

refrigeratefor longer.Ifthe latter, remove thechicken thighs from thefridgeabout 45 minutesbefore cooking.

Placea largecast-iron sautépan on amedium-high heat.Oncehot, addhalfthe chickenthighs, skin side down.Weigh down thethighs. Cook forsix to eightminutes,or untilthe skin is charredand blackened.Remove thetop panand set thechicken thighs aside. Remove allthe chicken, settingitaside, andlet thepan cool

If needed,drain offall butone and-a-half tablespoonsofthe fat collected in thepan andreturntoa medium-high heat.Add thespring onions, usingapairoftongs to coat them in thefat,thenput back the chickenthighs, skin side up,and anyoftheir juices,along with 90 millilitres of water.Cookfor eight minutes,oruntil thechicken is tender andcookedthrough.Trans ferthe chickentoa cutting board

andleave to rest for five minutes before slicing.

Heat amediumsaucepanona medium-high heat.Oncehot,turn theheatdowntomediumand sprinkle in thesugar to coat the base.Swirl thepan,without stir ring,sothatall thesugar melts andturns deeply golden.Add the ginger andchillies,and stir con tinuouslyfor 45 seconds. Addthe vinegar, lime juiceand fish sauce, stirring to combine. Cook for30 seconds, then remove from the heat.Leave to cool for10minutes

Usea smallserrated knifeto slicethe clementinesintoone-cen timetre-thick rounds, thenpull at them gently to halvethem. Stir these into thecooledsauce

To serve, transferthe spring onions to alarge platterand top with thechicken andany panjuices.Pourthe dressing allover, then sprinkle with thecoriander.Lastly,squeeze overthe lime halves

Chef’s tangy dressing gives your humble fry-up aboost

“These arefried eggs butwitha veryeccentricwardrobe, thanks to theturmericand chilli,which make them as good to eatas they aretolookat,”say Yotam Ottolenghiand Noor Murad.

TURMERIC FRIED EGGS WITH TAMARIND DRESSING

Ingredients: Serves two 1shallot,peeledand sliced

2tsp lime juice

3½tbsp oliveoil

2garlic cloves,crushed 200g baby spinach

½tsp ground turmeric

4large eggs

1green chilli, finely sliced Salt

For thetamarinddressing: 30gtamarindpaste

1tbsplimejuice

1tsp fish sauce

2tsp lightsoftbrown sugar

5g freshcoriander,chopped

Method: Putthe shallot, lime juiceand apinch of salt into a smallbowland use your fingers to gently massageeverything together.Set asidetopickle.

Make thedressingbyputting allthe ingredientsintoa bowl andwhisking. Addbetween two to four teaspoons of water to loosenthe mixture.

Putone tablespoonofoil into alarge frying panoveramedium-high heat.Oncehot,add the garlic andcookfor 90 seconds, stirring,until lightlycoloured, thenstirin thespinach andan eighth of ateaspoonofsaltand cook untilwilted.Transfertoa servingplate andwipethe pan.

Addthe remainingtwo-and a-half tablespoons of oilplus theturmerictothe same pan, stirring to combine, andreturn it to amedium-high heat.Once hot, crackinthe eggs andquick ly sprinkle thewhiteswiththe chilli slices.Seasonwithagood pinchofsaltand use aspatula to separate thewhites. Fryfor threetofourminutes,spooning some of theoil over thewhites.

When ready, useaspatula to transferthe eggs to theplate of spinach,drizzling with anyextra turmeric oilinthe pan. Top with thepickled shallots and then drizzlewithsome of the tamarind dressing

Ottolenghi’s Test Kitchen –abuzzing hubof food creativity,brought together by YotamOttolenghi –soundslike some kind of culinary utopia.

Noor Murad andYotam Ottolenghihave joined forces for anew book

OttolenghiTestKitchen:Extra

Turmeric friedeggs

Blackenedchicken

Gettingaway from it allina camper van

TheVW campervanconjuresup images of flower-adorned vehi cles,favouredbyhippies,touringAmerica during thecounterculture eraofthe late 1960s, writes Bill McCarthy

Many of thosewho drove around them back in theday arenow citizens of acertain vintage.There arethose,too,who seeitasa differentadventure with theiryoung family. And whileitmay notbesocomfort able,for many it still feelship andcooltobeseendriving one.

With typical Britishstoicism, we packed up andheadedtowardsthe east coastofYorkshire. Ourweekawaytookus to asitenearFiley.One of several ownedbyHaven alongthat coastline, they offerall sortsof accommodation, from mobile homestospace formotorhomes andtents.The site hasspectac ular seaviews andofferspeace andtranquillity with allthe basicfacilities required forcamp ingand caravanning. Thereis also aregular busservice which givesabetterviewofthe coun tryside from thetop deck

Dailyrates were around £18 andincludedelectricity points andwater anddisposalfacilities as well as cleanshower blocks It also allows use of theHaven facilities andlive entertainment.Itwas handilyplaced for visits to Scarboroughand Bridlington. Atraditional seaside town,Scarborough features two sandybeaches with thelandmark 12th-century castle domi nating thecliffs.It also features atraditional promenade,shopping centre andaVictorian CentralTramway funiculartrain that links thetowncentre with SouthBay andits harbour.

Furthersouth is Bridlington, packed with attractions and amusements together with a sandybeach.Also worth avis it is nearby FlamboroughHead –designated aSpecialAreaof Conservation–and itstwo spec tacularlighthouses.Atripto Whitby is worthwhile, with its famous Abbeyoverlookingthe bay. It wasBramStoker’svis it to theharbour townin1890 that providedhim with loca tionsfor hisfamousGothichor rornovelDracula.

So if you want creaturecom forts, maybethe hotel is for you,but if you want ataste of thegreat outdoors with freedom to move at will,try thecamper van.

Making friendsofhuman and wild kind in magicalMexico

BY RICHARD JONES PressAssociation

Makingfriends on holiday is important, particularly if you’re flying solo.

It wasa scorchinghot dayin Mexico,and just as Icontemplated slinking over to theLaEscondida swim-upbar fora coolingCorona, I spiedapotential newpal

Aftera bit of rustling in the bushes,out popped theheadofan inquisitivegreycoati –akind-of crossbetween araccoon,monkey andanteater.

Secondslater,hewas joined by half adozen membersofhis band forasniff around,beforescurrying back into thejungle.

Iwas at UNICO20°87°resort on theRiviera Maya,astunning stretchofcoastline onMexico’s north-eastern YucatánPeninsula.

Luxuries

Although aperfect couples’ destination,Ifound this all-inclusive haven idealfor meetingnew people –aswellasthe oddwildanimal. My base forthree days wasapristine OceanViewRoom, complete with a jetbathtub on thebalcony,and fully stockedminibar

Robes, slippers,sun hats and otherluxurieswerealso provided, whilecomplimentary 24-hourroom serviceisavailable,shouldyou wish to relaxinyourroom.

Helpingtomakemystayascom fortable as possible wasmypersonal conciergeMarco,who wasonhand, allday everyday,via WhatsApp to book anyactivitiesorrestaurant reservations

Iexperienced threeamazing diningexperiencesduringmy stay.

On the firstnight,Iheadedto MexicanrestaurantCueva Sieteto munchoncrunchy corn tortillas with guacamoleand salsa, followed by beef steakwithashes andCotija cheese Sauce.

Then,atthe Mediterranean-in spired Mi Carisa,Iwas served char coal provolone in figjam,followed by creamy spaghetti carbonara. Fi

nally, at thehotel’s signaturesteak house, 20.87Restaurant, Iopted for amouth-wateringrib eyemarinated in chimichurrisauce

Acrossthe wooden bridge from UNICO, thereisanarrowbeach, dottedwithprotected turtle nests, idealfor astrollorswimin the warm Gulf of Mexico waters

However,mostgueststendto hang outbythe pools,whether they prefer listeningtomusic at the20°87°Pool, socialising at La UNICAPool, or chilled outbar-top gamesatLaEscondida.

Down thecorridorfromthe main lobby, you canindulge in a wine-tasting session at La Botella or achocolate-samplingsession at Soól

Meanwhile, over at theresort’s spa,I took part in therevitalising aquatherapy journeybeforebookinginfor arelaxingmen’s facial.

At night, thereisarosterofvar iedentertainment, andonmy fi

naleveningI headed to Palmera Loungefor thesilentdiscoand a fewMayan Mule cocktailswitha fewpalsfromPennsylvania

Aftersaying‘adios’ to therelax ingUNICO,Iwas driven 10 minutes up Highway307 forahotel ex perience of adifferent kind

Thesprawling Hard Rock Hotel RivieraMayaresort is splitintwo –the familythemedHacienda, and theadults-only Heaven.Followingatourofthe grounds, Imade abeeline forHeaven’sCentralPool whichfeatures live bands, DJsand dancersonthe 20-foot-high elevat ed stage.

During theweek, Igot to know a groupofother holidaymakers, and afterthe sunset,wemet up for drinks at theHeaven Bar, which turnsintoanightclub andpoolpar ty into theearly hours.

Thenextday,witha slightly sore head,Iembarkedonanother hydrotherapytour– sauna,steamroom

andhot andcoldbaths –at The Rock Spa.

Andwhile thedeeptissue massage felt rigorous at thetime, it did me theworld of good

Thefood anddrink at Hard Rock’s nine restaurantswas also second to none,particularlyatZen, whereteppanyakichefRoger threw knives into theair, flames on the grill andriceintoour mouths

Then therewas theAwakenYour Sensesdiningexperience,the Hard Rock’s French-inspiredLePetit Cochon,and Toro SteakHouse –a greatoptionfor loversofrib-eye, skirtand flank.

Thereare plenty of excursions availablefromHardRocktoo,includingatriptothe ancientMayantownofTulum andthe Zipline Xpress circuit throughthe jungle

Youcan even join aJam Band or have agoatmusic mixing.I,how ever,opted fora roundofgolfatthe resort’s course

FlamboroughHead

Plants that can attractwildlife during the winter season

Ways to cosy up at home with wintry woodland wonders

BY SAMWYLIE-HARRIS PressAssociation

With ahappy balanceof creature comfortsand woodland themed decos, it’s easy to capturethe laid-backvibes of coun tryliving– wherever you live.

Just as beingamongstnatureand wildlife canbring asense of calm, we canchannel thesefeelingsinour interiors, creating awelcome refuge from thestresses of modern life–not to mentionawealthofcreative inspirationinthe run-uptoChristmas.

Whetheryou’relooking to create alog cabinfeel, addatouch of rusticcharm or chill-out zone to snug gleupwithawinterwarmer, these pieces lightthe wayfor wintry won der…

1. EcoPot Disney Winnie The Pooh ‘Hundred Acre Wood’–23 litre –madefromrecycledplastic Bottles,£14.99, Jardinopia

This sweeteco-friendlyplant potoffersa whimsy escapetothe woods–and chrysanthemums can be switched forpoinsettias, as soon as they land in theshops

2. Setof2gemstoneleafhiball glasses, £10, Studio

Ideal forgreen smoothie reci pes,these highballswillalsolove aBloodyMary, especially with a celery stalkand greenolivesfor garnish.

3. Woodland oven glove, navy, £14, Fatface

Akitchen essentialfor soup seasonand hot pots

4. Emma Bridgewater oakFrench bowl,£21;greypartridge 8½inch plate, £19, andcockpheasantmedium pastabowl, £24(otheritems from aselection), Emma Bridgewa ter

Englishearthenware at its most joyous, this newoak collec tion imbibesthoughtsofcrunchingthrough fallen leaves,Sunday

roasts andchestnut stuffing.Lots.

5. Wooden pillar candle stick, £5, antler tealightholder, £4,stagtea lightholder, £5,and artichoke orna ment,£8, B&Mstores

Idealifyou want to introduce texture andawarmglow,these wood en candlesticks andtealights have an appealingcountry twist.

6. ArtFor TheHomestagwooden plaque, £35, Next

This handsome fellow projects thewonderofthe wilderness and canbeleftunadorned,orhungover asideboard and finished with acol lectionofrustictools

7. Stag luxury merino throw, £99.95, AnnabelJames

When you’re cosyingupinyour slippers andwanttotreat yourself, this super-soft merino throwina reversiblecream andgreystagdesign couldbeyourbestbuy

8. George Berber cushion, £10 (other itemsfroma selection),Direct.asda

When you’re pullingall your log cabin-inspired furnishingstogeth er,atuftedBerber-style cushion works beautifullywithluxewood tones.

9. Stag tablelamp, £65, Studio Astatementpiece andobjectof desire,welovethishandsome white stag topped with adesigner-look grey linendrumshade.Imagine himposingproudly on awooden side table, with awhite shaggy rug underneath

10.Glass decanter with stag’s head,£69.95, AtHome in theCountry

Youcan never have toomanydecanters, especially if you’replanning on throwing some stylishwin tersoirees –orreachingfor adram

of whisky to puta twinkleinyour eye.

11.Green brushedcottonstag duvetset,from£20,GreyBrushed Cotton Stag DuvetSet,from£20, andOakwood BrownThrow,£20, B&M stores

Brushedcottonishailedfor holdingin thewarmth, andmixingand matching greenand grey createsa striking contrast

Areclaimed wood headboard and string lights completethe look.

12.Natural HistoryMuseum woodland journalwallpaper,£12 perroll, Dunelm

Afeaturewallofwoodland finds provides theperfect backdrop for nature book or wildlifephotography collections. Otherwise, just enjoy thefabulous floraand faunaintheir newnatural habitat –yourhome!

As autumn creeps into winter, you’lllikelystart seeing less wildlife activity in yourgar den–but it’s atimewhenmany visitors, includingbirds,small mammalsand some insects, need us most

“Plantsare thebedrock of a wildlife-friendlygarden,and that includes throughout the winter,despite many beingreduced to theirskeleton,”says Adrian Thomas,gardeningexpert at theRSPB(rspb.org.uk)

“There aretwo keybenefits that plants offer: cover and food.Getting throughthe long, cold nights ischallenging for garden birds, so plants that of ferdense safe cover will allow them to snooze safely outofthe elements, saving valuable ener gy.Evergreenssuchasholly and ivyare ideal.”

Wildlife-friendlyplants

As well as themanyplants whichproduce berriesfor birds, includingcotoneaster,pyracan tha, berberis andyew,make sure you plantspecieswhere theberries should last beyond Christmas,suchasskimmia andguelder rose. Fieldfares and otherbirds mayvisit gardensto feed on windfall apples when it’s really cold

Ivyberries areavaluable source of nutritionfor birdsin late winter andearly spring, when food is scarce.Adult red admiral butterfliesfeed on nec tar-rich plants such as Verbena bonariensis, whichisstill visibly in flower in many gardens at this time of year,while the caterpillarseat leaves of the common nettle.Native plants includingcrabapple,elderand birch also create naturalfood supplies forbirds overthe winter, theRSPBsuggests

Shrubs

Winter shrubs including Viburnum xbodnantense, Lonicera fragrantissima and Christmas box(Sarcococca hookeriana)not only provide food andshelter forwildlife,but also give offthe mostamazing scent.

Seedheads

“Think aboutthe valuethat comesfromleaving theseed headsofherbaceous plants standing throughwinter, everything from lavendersto Verbenabonariensis, rudbeckiasand sedums, says Thomas

GeorgeBerbercushion,with itemsfromaselection,Direct.asda

Woodland journalwallpaperArt ForThe Homestagwooden plaque, Next

Robin on winter branches

QI

BBC2, 10pm

The term ‘national treasure’ is bandied around far too frequently these days.

But one of the celebrities that is probably deserving of the title is Stephen Fry, who, for various reasons, has aspecial place in the heart of the old and young alike.

Back in 2016, Frydecided to step down from his position as host of QI, and it raised the question –how do you replace the man who (along with regular panellist Alan Davies), was the heart and soul of the much-loved panel show?

Before the producers began their search for someone equally clever and witty to host the show,they realised the solution was right under their noses.

Recurring ‘Bantermeister’ Sandi Toksvig, who had already made 16 appearances as aguest on the show, was immediately moved into the hosting chair “QI is my favourite television programme both to watch and to be on,” she said at the time.

Although afew people were worried how QI would continue without Fry’s distinctive hosting style, it wasn’t long before the new incumbent won them over In an interview with The Guardian in 2020, Danish-born author and former News Quiz and The Great British Bake Off presenter Sandi explained why it wasn’t actually that daunting to step into Fry’s shoes.

“I’ve been abroadcaster areally long time,” she said. “I don’t know what there was to worry about. Iask aquestion and then Isee if anybody else knows the answer.”

“I hadn’t planned to wear his shoes, so it’s really not a problem.

“And, also, they tell you theanswers beforehand; he doesn’t know it all.

“I hate to break it to you. It’s like aboy’s card trick: ‘Look at me! Iknow everything.”

Saying that, she also admitted to Digital Spy that she didn’t think she’d last very long on the show

“Stephen and Iare very different heights, and Itook over

on QI for the first season, and because they weren’t sure Iwas going to stay,Ihad his chair on abox that was this high, and Ihad to climb up into the chair in order to present the show

“Now,I’m pleased to tell you, Ihave my own chair on QI.”

Sandi has now been at the helm for six years (from series Nonwards), and begins anew run, revolving around the letter ’T’, tonight.

In the show,Sandi will be challenging guests Joe Lycett, Holly Walsh and Bill Bailey,along with Davies, to show off their knowledge of tips and tools.

When asked what she likes about theshow,Sandi points at the different ways in which the guests and audience can show they are clever –even resident ‘dunce’ Davies.

“I don’t like it when we rate intelligence by your ability to name the highest lake in the world,” she says.

“That’s what Ilove about QI. How could you be expected to know that picnics were originally held indoors, or that a slow loris has poisonous elbows?

“But our show is full of facts like that and it almost educates by accident.

“I love QI because education’s really fun, and the world is full of extraordinary things.”

6.00 Breakfast (S). 9.15 Morning Live (S). 10.10 Critical Incident (S). 10.55 TwoMinutes Silence (S). 11.05 Dirty Rotten Scammers (S). 11.35 Homes Under The Hammer (R) (S). 12.05 Bargain Hunt (S). 1.00 BBC News At One; Weather (S). 1.30 BBC Regional News; Weather (S). 1.45 Doctors (S). 2.15 Money ForNothing (S). 3.00 Escape To The Country (R) (S). 3.45 The Repair Shop (S). 4.30 The Travelling Auctioneers (S). 5.15 Pointless (R) (S).

6.00 Take AHike (R) (S). 6.30 The Repair Shop (R) (S). 7.15

The Travelling Auctioneers (R) (S). 8.00 Sign Zone: Trawlermen: Hunting The Catch (R) (S). 9.00 BBC News (S). 10.00 BBC News (S). 12.15 Politics UK (S). 1.00 Flipping Profit (R) (S). 1.45 Eggheads (R) (S). 2.15 Wanted: ASimple Life (R) (S). 3.00 War Walks (R) (S). 3.30 Super Cute Animals (R) (S). 4.30 Women At War: 100 Years Of Service (R) (S). 5.15 Flog It! (R) (S).

6.00 Good Morning Britain (S). 9.00 Lorraine (S). 10.00 This Morning (S). 12.30

Loose Women (S). 1.30 ITV News; Weather (S). 1.55 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 2.00 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).

Of Games Previous winners Tim Key, Jamie Laing, Sunetra Sarker and Laura Whitmore compete (S). 6.30 Strictly: It Takes Two Analysis of the couples’ progress (S). 7.00 Live Men’s Rugby League World Cup The opening semi-final. Kick-off is at 7.45pm (S). 10.00 QI New series. Sandi Toksvig shares her top tips and tools (S). 10.30 Newsnight (S). 11.05 Frankie Boyle’s New World Order (R) (S). 11.35 The Secret Genius Of Modern Life (R) (S).

Zone: Trump: The

(R) (S). 1.05

ITV Regional News; Weather (S).

ITV News; Weather (S).

Emmerdale Chas makes an announcement (S).

Coronation Street Summer panics when Billy calls round unexpectedly (S). 9.00 I’m ACelebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Ant and Dec look at highlights from the past 24 hours (S). 10.15 ITV News; Weather (S). 10.45 ITV Regional News; Weather (S).

The NFL Show Action from Houston Texans vs Philadelphia Eagles (S).

Zone:

Dementia Choir Sings Again

Vicky McClure (R) (S). 2.05 Between The Covers (R) (S).

This Is BBC Two (S).

The Motorbike Show (R) (S). 12.50 Shop: Ideal World 3.00 Dickinson’s Real Deal (R) (S). 3.50 Unwind With ITV (S).

Grand Slam Years: Wales 2019 (R) (S).

6.05 Countdown (R) (S). 6.45 Cheers (R) (S). 7.10 Cheers (R) (S). 7.40 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 8.05

Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 8.30 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 8.55 Frasier (R) (S). 9.25 Frasier (R) (S). 9.55

Frasier (R) (S). 10.30 Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA (R) (S).

11.25 Channel 4News Summary (S). 11.30 Chateau DIY (R) (S). 12.30 Steph’s Packed Lunch (S). 2.10 Countdown (S). 3.00 A Place In The Sun (R) (S). 4.00 Sun, Sea And Selling Houses (R) (S). 5.00 Four In ABed (R) (S). 5.30 Come Dine With Me (S).

6.00 Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Vine (S). 12.45 Shoplifters & Scammers: At WarWith The Law (R) (S). 1.40 5News At Lunchtime (S). 1.45 Home And Away (R) (S). 2.15 FILM: Random Acts Of Christmas (Marita Grabiak 2019) Premiere. Drama, starring ErinCahill and Kevin McGarry (S). 4.00 BargainLoving Brits In The Sun (R) (S). 5.00 5News At 5 (S).

6.00 The Early Rundown (R). 6.30 The Early Rundown (R). 7.00 Sky News Breakfast (R). 7.30 Sky News Breakfast (R). 8.00 Beth Rigby Interviews 8.30 Road Wars (R) (S). 9.00 Nothing To Declare (R) (S). 9.30 Nothing To Declare (R)(S) 10.00 Supergirl (R) (S). 11.00 NCIS: LosAngeles (R) (S). 12.00 NCIS: LosAngeles (R) (S). 1.00 Hawaii Five-0 (R) (S). 2.00 S.W.A.T (R) (S). 3.00 Patrick Aryee’s Wild World (R). 4.00 Patagonia (R) (S). 5.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 5.30 Futurama (R) (S).

6.00 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records (S). 6.35 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records (S). 7.00 The Cabins (S). 8.00 Secret Crush (S). 9.00 Secret Crush (S). 10.00 Dress To Impress (S). 11.00 Dress To Impress (S). 12.00 I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! (S). 1.15 Celebrity Catchphrase (S). 2.00 Supermarket Sweep (S). 3.05 One Tree Hill (S). 4.00 HartOfDixie (S). 5.00 I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! (S).

6.00 The Simpsons (S).

6.30 Hollyoaks The McQueen’s struggle to adjust to the divide between them (R) (S).

7.00 Channel 4News (S).

7.30 Unreported World A silent crisis of abuse and child pregnancies in rural Guatemala (S).

8.00 The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice AJ Odudu, Joel Dommett and Lorraine Kelly discuss Patisserie Week (S).

9.00 Gogglebox The amateur critics share their thoughts on the week’s telly (S).

6.00 Parking Hell Cameras follow PC Mark Hodson who tracks down dangerous parkers (S). 6.30 Eggheads (S). 6.55 5News Update (S).

7.00 IKEA:How Do They Really Do It? The secrets of the world’s biggest furniture seller (R) (S).

7.55 5News Update (S).

8.00 Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out Susan and her campervan head for the Shropshire Hills (S).

7.00 TopOfThe Pops Performances by Mariah Carey, Aerosmithand WetWet Wet(S). 7.30 TopOfThe Pops (S).

8.00 TopOfThe Pops With Kenny Everett and Mike Vickers, Roxy Music and Boney M(S).

8.30 TopOfThe Pops (S).

6.00 Futurama Frytries to resurrect the Star Trek series (R) (S). 6.30 The Simpsons (R) (S).

7.00 TheSimpsons The family faces aseries of Thanksgiving nightmares (R) (S). 7.30 Young Rock

8.00 Jamie And Harry’s World Cup Challenge: Got, Got, Need The Redknapps flyto Madrid for ameeting with Luka Modric (R).

Catchphrase Guessing game, hosted by Stephen Mulhern(S).

6.00 Classic Coronation Street (S). 6.35 Classic Coronation Street (S). 7.00 Classic Emmerdale (S). 7.35 Classic Emmerdale (S). 8.05 Bless This House (S). 8.40 Bless This House (S). 9.10 Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S). 10.20 Agatha Christie’s Poirot (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 Kirstie And Phil’s Love It Or List It (S). 5.55 Escape To The Chateau: DIY (S).

10.00 ILiterally Just Told You Game show,hosted by Jimmy Carr(S).

11.05 The Big Narstie Show New series (S). 11.55 The IT Crowd Jen goes on adate (R) (S). 12.30 The IT Crowd (R) (S). 12.55 The IT Crowd (R) (S). 1.20 The IT Crowd (R) (S). 1.45 MMA: Professional Fighters League Highlights (S). 2.40 Ramsay’s Hotel Hell (R) (S). 3.30Come Dine With Me (R)(S). 3.55Come Dine With Me (R)(S). 4.20Come Dine With Me (R)(S).

9.00 Building The Impossible RobBell discovers how the Hoover Dam was built (S).

10.00 Deep-Sea Super Predator Documentary about amysterious marine creature (R) (S).

11.15

FILM: Godzilla (2014) Monster thriller remake, starring Aaron Taylor Johnson (S).

1.30 The LeoVegas Live Casino Show (S). 3.30 Entertainment NewsOn5 (S). 3.35Warship: Life At Sea (R) (S). 4.20Around The World By Train With Tony Robinson (R)(S). 5.10 House Doctor (R)(S). 5.35 EntertainmentNews On 5 (S).

5.40 PawPatrol (R) (S).

9.00 Petula Clark At The BBC Alook at the singer’s extraordinary career that’s stretched across eight decades (S).

10.00 Petula Clark In Concert Part one of two. A1974 performance by the singer (S).

10.45 Petula Clark In Concert Part two of two (S).

11.30 The Sound Of Petula Petula Clark presents and stars in her own show from 1973 (S).

9.00 Resident Alien Harry learns which extraterrestrial race is on Earth.

Dress To Impress Sophie, Shannon and Amelia pick outfits for Neeki (S).

12.00 Singer-SongwritersAtThe BBC (S). 1.00 TopOfThe Pops (S). 1.30 TopOfThe Pops (S). 2.00 TopOfThe Pops (S) 2.30 TopOfThe Pops (S). 3.00 Close

10.00 Fantasy Football League With guests Trevor McDonald and Maisie Adam (R). 10.35 Late Late Show Best Of The Week

11.35 Formula 1 The Sao Paulo Grand Prix Sprint Race Qualifying session (R).

1.20 TheRussellHoward Hour (R). 2.10 Road Wars (R) (S). 3.05 Hawaii Five-0 (R) (S). 4.00 S.W.A.T (R) (S). 5.00 Motorway Patrol (R). 5.30 MotorwayPatrol (R) (S)

Radio

8.00 Bob’s Burgers Bob has to close the restaurant due to aleak (S). 8.30 Bob’s Burgers (S). 9.00 FILM: Bad Neighbours 2 (2016) Comedy, starring Seth Rogen (S). 10.50 Family Guy Stewie attempts to combat ageing with plastic surgery(S). 11.20 Family Guy Peter accidentally becomes the face of social justice (S). 11.45 American Dad! (S). 12.10 American Dad! (S). 12.40 Bob’s Burgers (S). 1.05 Bob’s Burgers (S). 1.35 Hey Tracey! (S). 2.15 Celebability (S). 3.00

7.00 Heartbeat Rosie receives unwelcome attention from an admirer (S).

6.55 Escape To The Chateau Dick Strawbridge and Angel Adoree make plans to host weddings on the grounds (S).

7.55 Grand Designs An update on a prefabricated home in west Cumbria (S).

Midsomer Murders Akiller uses ancient torture methods to punish modern-day “sinners” (S). 10.00 Foyle’s War Awoman is killed in an explosion (S).

Agatha Christie’s Marple (S). 2.10 Unwind With ITV (S). 2.30 Teleshopping

6.00 Heartbeat ARussian trawlerman is accused of being aspy (S). 9.00 Astrid: Murder In Paris The body of a best-selling novelist is found in his apartment. In French (S). 10.05 24 Hours In A&E A 36-year-old man is involved in ahighspeed road traffic collision (S). 11.15 24 Hours In A&E A headteacher arrives having been involved in acollision with abus (S). 12.15 8Out Of 10 CatsDoes Countdown (S). 1.20 8Out Of 10 Cats DoesCountdown (S). 2.20 24 Hours In A&E (S) 3.25 Food Unwrapped (S). 3.55Close

JOOLS’30TH BIRTHDAYBASH

BBC2, 9.00pm

On October 8, 1992,BBC2brought us the first editionofa new musicshow, Laterwith JoolsHolland Frontedbythe pianistand former Squeeze member,who had madehis first forayinto presenting on Channel4’s influential The Tube, it featured performances by the Neville Brothers, the Christians, Nu Colours and D’Influence.

Originally conceived as aspin-off from the arts programme TheLate Show(which explain the name), the idea was to getadiversegroup of musicians, from living legends to up-and-coming artists, in a room and let them play live.Itwas asimple format, but it proved to be very enduring as it’s now beenon air for 30 years. That’snomeanfeatwhensomany other music shows, from the much-loved, one-time schedule mainstay Topofthe Pops to the more recent, short-lived Sounds Like Friday Night, have fallen by the wayside in the three decades it’sbeen on air

Although thatwould suggest that Later… isn’t broken andtherefore doesn’t need fixing, there have been afew changesover the years. In 2008,the show introduced Later Live, a30-minute edition which would be broadcastlive on Tuesdays, followed by a longer,pre-recorded episode on Fridays.

In 2019, it wasdecided that Jools needed aweekly guesthost, while the following year,the pandemic forced abigger change on the show. Unable to gather musicianstogether in astudio, let alone have alive audience, Jools instead beganintroducing guests by videolinkand inviting them to pick their favourite moments from the show’simpressive archives.

As restrictions began to lift, Laterbegan to get back to something resembling normal, and for its 30th birthday it waseven able to getout of the studio and in front of apacked audience.

The presenter is definitely in the mood fora party

Jools says: “It’s unbelievable that this year sees my showreach its30th birthday

“It’s atestamenttothe great power of musicthat we are still going strong,and are nowthe longest running international musicshowonearth.I’m delighted and honouredthatwe’re going to celebrate thismonumental milestone with aspecial one-off event in the fabulous EventimApollo, Hammersmith, the scene of so many legendary musicalmoments.”

In keeping with the Later spirit, the30th Birthday Bash featuresaneclectic mix of artists who have at least one thing in common –they’ve allappeared on the showover the years.

They areRobert Plant, First AidKit, Michael Kiwanuka, RichardHawley,Seasick Steve, Benjamin Clementine,Martin and ElizaCarthy,Gogol Bordello, Poppy Ajudha, ImeldaMay,The Joy and Celeste.

They’ll all be taking to the stagefor some special liveperformances, and of course Jools himself will alsobethere to take charge. He’ll be conductinga few interviews (giving long-standing fans achance to see how much his technique has improved over the past 30 years), butperhaps he can alsobeprevailed upon to joinhis guests on the piano…

6.00 Breakfast (S) 9.15 Saturday Kitchen Live (S). 10.45 The Lord Mayor’s Show (S). 12.00 Football Focus (S). 1.00 BBC News; Weather (S). 1.15 Bargain Hunt (R) (S). 1.45 Live Men’s Rugby League World Cup England vs Samoa. Kick-off is at 2.30pm (S). 4.30 Final Score (S). 5.10 BBC News (S) 5.20 BBC Regional News; Weather (S). 5.30 Celebrity Mastermind (S).

6.40 Love Monster (R) (S). 6.45 Go Jetters (R) (S). 7.00 Go Jetters (R) (S). 7.10 Hey Duggee (R)(S). 7.20 Hey Duggee (R) (S). 7.30 Shaun TheSheep (R) (S). 7.35 Dennis &Gnasher Unleashed! (R) (S). 7.50 Ninja Express (R) (S). 8.00 The Deep (R) (S). 8.25 Odd Squad (R) (S). 8.35 One Zoo Three (R) (S). 9.00 Newsround (S). 9.05 Nova Jones (R) (S). 9.30 Blue Peter (R) (S).

10.00 Deadly Pole To Pole (R) (S). 10.30 Britain’s Secret Seas (R)(S). 11.30 Mountain Vets (R) (S). 12.00 TopOfThe Shop With TomKerridge (R) (S). 1.00 Live Snooker: UK Championship (S). 5.15 FILM: WarHorse (Steven Spielberg 2011) (S).

6.00 Live Women’s World Cup

Rugby Union England vs New Zealand. Kick-off is at 6.30am (S). 9.15 ITV News (S) 9.25 James Martin’s Saturday Morning (S). 11.35 Ainsley’s World Cup Flavours (S). 12.40 Women’s

Rugby World Cup (S). 1.10ITV News; Weather (S). 1.25 ITV

Racing: Live From Cheltenham Coverage of the second day of the November Meeting (S). 4.00 Family Fortunes (R) (S). 5.00 Celebrity Lingo (S).

AQUAMAN (ITV,6.20pm)

Maine lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry discovers Atlanna, Queen of Atlantis, injured on the shore and nurses her back to health. They fall in love and she gives birth to aboy called Arthur,who can breathe in water and communicate with aquatic life. Alas, the queen is forced to abandon her child and Arthur (Jason Momoa, pictured) grows up believing that she died to give him life. Many years later,Mera, daughter of King Nereus, visits Arthur and implores him to challenge his power-hungryhalf brother Orm, who has declared war on humanity

VENOM

(Channel 4, 9.00pm)

While exploring space for new worlds, aprobe belonging to theLife Foundation discovers a comet covered in symbiotic lifeforms. Following

(2018) Premiere. Adventure, starring Jason Momoa (S). 9.00 I’m ACelebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Ant and Dec present the celebrity survival challenge (S). 10.00 The

Danai Gurira and Rio Ferdinand (S). 11.05 ITV News; Weather (S). 11.25 English Football League Highlights Action from the latest fixtures (S). 1.10 Shop:Ideal World 3.00 Unwind WithITV (S). 4.15 Love Your Weekend With Alan Titchmarsh (R) (S).

the probe’s returntoEarth, journalist Eddie Brock investigates sinister trials being carried out by the corporation, and after being infected by an alien symbiote, develops superhuman strength and power.Fantasy adventure, starring TomHardy and Riz Ahmed.

Jonathan Ross Show With Sylvester Stallone, Tyson Fury, Martin Freeman,

Sport

Loves Raymond (R) (S). 8.15

Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 8.45 The Simpsons (R) (S).

9.15 The Simpsons (R) (S). 9.40

The Simpsons (R) (S). 10.10 The Simpsons (R) (S). 10.40 Four In ABed (R) (S). 11.10 Four In A Bed (R) (S). 11.40 Four In ABed (R) (S). 12.10 Four In ABed (R) (S). 12.40 Four In ABed (R) (S).

1.15 FILM: The Karate Kid Part III (John GAvildsen 1989) (S).

3.25 George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (R) (S). 4.30 Huge Homes With Hugh Dennis (R) (S). 5.30 Grand Designs (R) (S).

6.00 Milkshake! 10.00

The Smurfs (R) (S). 10.15

SpongeBob SquarePants (S).

10.20 Entertainment News On 5 (S). 10.25 Friends (R) (S).

10.55 Friends (R) (S). 11.25 Friends (R) (S). 11.55 Friends (R) (S). 12.25 FILM: Christmas

Under The Stars (Allan Harmon 2019) Romantic drama, starring Jesse Metcalfe (S). 2.15 FILM: Christmas In Paris (Justin GDyck 2019) Romantic drama, starring Rebecca Dalton and Karl ELandler (S). 4.05 FILM: AHeavenly Christmas (Paul Shapiro 2016) Festive romance, starring Kristin Davis (S).

6.00 New Kids In The Wild (R) (S). 7.05 New Kids In The Wild (R) (S). 8.10 The Simpsons (R) (S). 8.45 Formula 1 (R). 10.30 Soccer AM With John Fendley and Jimmy Bullard. 12.00 The Slow Mo Guys’ Big Adventures (R). 12.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 1.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 1.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 2.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 2.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 3.00 Gillette Labs Soccer Saturday Football updates (R). 5.00 Legends Of The Pharaohs (R).

6.00 Unwind With ITV (S). 6.15

Coronation Street Omnibus (S). 9.00 Secret Crush (S). 10.00 Dress To Impress (S). 11.00 Dress To Impress (S). 12.00 I’m ACelebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! (S). 1.15 In ForAPenny (S). 1.50 FILM: Evan Almighty (Tom Shadyac 2007) Comedy sequel, starring Steve Carell (S). 3.45 I’m ACelebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! (S). 4.55 FILM: Hotel Transylvania 3: AMonster Vacation (Genndy Tartakovsky 2018) Animated sequel, featuring the voice of Adam Sandler (S).

6.00 Bless This House (S). 6.40 Foyle’s War (S). 8.35 Foyle’s War (S). 10.50 Midsomer Murders (S). 12.50 Midsomer Murders (S). 2.55 Midsomer Murders (S). 5.00 Midsomer Murders (S).

8.55 Food Unwrapped (S). 9.30

APlace In The Sun (S). 10.25

APlace In The Sun (S). 11.25

APlace In The Sun (S). 12.30 Location, Location, Location (S). 1.35 Come Dine With Me (S). 2.05 Come Dine With Me (S). 2.35 Come Dine With Me (S). 3.10 Come Dine With Me (S). 3.40 Come Dine With Me (S). 4.10 Four In ABed (S). 4.40 Four In ABed (S). 5.15 Four In ABed (S). 5.50 Four In ABed (S).

7.00 Titanic: Building The World’s Largest Ship The untold storyofthe doomed steamship’s construction (R) (S).

7.30 5News Weekend (S). 7.35 Inferno: The Great Fire Of London (S).

7.00 Raiders Of The Lost Past With Janina Ramirez The truth behind the myth of the minotaur (S).

7.00 The Simpsons A pickpocket targets Springfield (R) (S).

The Simpsons (R) (S).

Knights (2003) Martial arts comedy sequel, starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson (S).

7.00 Midsomer Murders Barnaby is implicated in the murder of a photographer (S).

6.20 Four In ABed (S). 6.55 Matt Baker: Our Farm In The Dales The family work on the farmhouse. Last in the series (S).

9.00 FILM: Venom (2018) Fantasy adventure, starring TomHardy (S).

9.00 Deep-Sea Super Predator Documentary about amysterious marine creature (R) (S).

FILM: Wild Men (2021) Premiere. Norwegian comedy,starring Rasmus Bjerg (S).

FILM: The Dry (2020) Crime drama, starring Eric Bana (R).

FILM: Ted (2012) Comedy,starring Mark Wahlberg (S).

9.00 Midsomer Murders Murder strikes at a disused abbey that is believed to be cursed (S).

11.10

1Sao Paulo

Prix Qualifying

battle for pole in the 21st round of the season (S).

Decreasing Circles Hilda thinks Ann is having an affair.First shown in 1987 (S).

The Young Ones (S).

Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S). 2.05 Unwind With ITV (S). 2.30 Teleshopping

9.00 24 Hours In A&E Aman arrives after collapsing in the street whilst walking his dog (S).

8.00 Secrets Of Egypt’s Valley Of The Kings An archaeological team uncovers astatesanctioned looting scandal (S). 10.00 24 Hours In A&E A 64-year-old man is brought to St George’s in an induced coma (S).

8Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown (S). 1.15 24 Hours In A&E (S). 2.20 24 Hours In A&E (S). 3.25 Food Unwrapped (S). 3.50 Close

TOP GEAR

BBC1, 8.00pm

It may seem hard to remember now,but when it was revealed that JeremyClarkson, James May and Richard Hammond were leaving TopGear, some people wondered if the motoring show would survive.

Admittedly,it did take awhile for the BBCto find apresenting line-up that truly gelled, but under the stewardship of Chris Harris, Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness, it’s once again pulled ahead. However,Paddymodestly suggests that it’sthe format, rather than just the presenters, that’s behind the show’s continuing popularity

He says: “I think essentially,it’s got abit of something for everyone. It’s got petrolhead bits in there of course, but it’s also got alot of entertainment as well. And it’s great escapism on aSunday night isn’t it, before getting ready to go back to work.

“People like to switch off by watching us driving around in exotic cars or old bangers, going round the world and visiting different places that you never get achance to see.”

So farthis series, the places that you never get achance to seehave included aderestricted Autobahn in Germany,which might have madefor fun viewing but was apparently fairly scary to film.

Paddy explains: “It sounds amazing on paper and Iwas really looking forward to it, but when you’re actually there it’s terrifying. You’re going up aroad which is essentially like the M60 where people are driving on their way home from the office,and there’s alane that is de-restricted every couple of miles or so where you can drive as fast as yourcar will go.

“I was driving aPagani Huayra which doesn’t have aroof and it feels like it’s doing 100mph even when you’re doing 30mph and there was one moment where Iwas doing about 167 mph and Ithought, this is just terrifying.”

Luckily,he’s less stressed tonight, as he gets

behind the wheel of aRanger Rover that’s being billed as the most luxurious car Land Rover have ever built. However,adrive around London doesn’t seem like much of atest, so he and Chris take it to the country’s toughest off-road event, the King of Britain, to really put it through its paces.

Paddy says: “Normally you see Range Rovers wafting around town, you’ll see someone doing the school run in one, or nipping to the supermarket and you’ll never ever use what thosecars are designed for,which is their off-roading capabilities. So, we showed the car in areally sexy light around London… but then we said ‘right let’s see what it’s all about!’”

Also in this episode, Freddie Flintoff is trying his hand at F1 -F1Stock Car Racing, that is. It’s afullcontact motorsport where bumping your opponent is actively encourage, and it seems like it should be the perfect fitfor the fearless (and very competitive) Fred. But is he in for abruising experience?

Meanwhile, Chris Harris is also in the world of racing as Mercedes invite him to try out an F1 car they have built for the road, but the testdrive doesn’t go exactly to plan.

6.00 Breakfast (S). 7.25 Match

Of The Day (R) (S). 9.00 Sunday

With Laura Kuenssberg (S). 10.15 Remembrance Sunday: The Cenotaph (S). 12.30 Bargain Hunt (R) (S). 1.00 BBC News; Weather (S). 1.15 Songs Of Praise: Remembrance From Portsmouth (S). 1.50 Lifeline (S). 2.00 Live Snooker: UK Championship Coverage of the afternoon session on day two (S). 5.10 Garden Rescue (R) (S). 5.55 BBC News (S).

6.05 Countryfile Ramble ForBBC Children In Need 2022 (R) (S).

7.15 The Wild Gardener (S). 8.15 Beechgrove Gardens In Winter (S). 8.45 Landward (S). 9.15

Trawlermen: Hunting The Catch (R) (S). 10.15 Saturday Kitchen

Best Bites (S). 11.45 Live

Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup Coverage of the opening semi-final. Kick-off is at 12pm (S). 2.00 Live Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup Coverage of the second semi-final. Kick-off is at 2.30pm (S). 4.40 Reel History

Of Britain (R) (S). 5.10 This Farming Life (S).

6.00 CITV 7.30 The Chase (R) (S). 8.25 Love Your Garden (R) (S). 9.25 ITV News (S). 9.30 Love Your Weekend With Alan Titchmarsh (S). 11.30 ITV News; Weather (S). 11.45 Live Gallagher Premiership Rugby Union Saracens vs Northampton Saints. Kick-off is at 12.15pm (S). 2.40 FILM: Despicable Me (Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud 2010) Animated comedy,with the voice of Steve Carell (S). 4.40 Celebrity Lingo (R) (S). 5.40 Love Your Garden (R) (S).

Roadshow

Bruce presents the show from Wrest Park, Bedfordshire (R) (S).

The People’s Piazza: AHistoryOfCovent

David Olusoga explores the history of the public space in London’s West End (S). 10.30 FILM: Here Before (2022) Premiere. Psychological thriller, starring Andrea Riseborough (S). 11.50 FILM: Know The Grass (2021) Premiere. Short folk horror,starring India Fowler (S). 12.05 Snooker: UK Championship (S). 12.55 Snooker: UK Championship Extra (S). 2.55 Sign Zone: Question Time (R) (S). 3.55 Sign Zone: Panorama (R) (S). 4.55 This Is BBC Two (S).

6.35 ITV News; Weather (S). 6.50 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 7.00 Family Fortunes The Ecclestons go up against the Burns family (S). 8.00 The Larkins Ma and the children trytoconvince Poptotake the court case seriously (S). 9.00 I’m ACelebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Ant and Dec present highlights from the past 24 hours (S). 10.15 ITV News; Weather (S). 10.30 Children Of Ukraine The storyofthe war told through the eyes of 10 Ukrainian children (S).

11.40 Gallagher Premiership Rugby Union Highlights Action from the 10th round of fixtures (S). 12.40 Shop: Ideal World 3.00 MotorsportUK (R) (S). 3.50 Unwind With ITV (S). 5.05 Ainsley’s World Cup Flavours (R) (S).

HERE BEFORE (BBC2, 10.30pm)

Several years after the death of her beloved Josie, Laura (Andrea Riseborough, pictured) has rebuilt her life in asuburb of Belfast with her husband Brendan (Jonjo O’Neill) and son Tadhg (Lewis McAskie). The arrival of new neighbours –Chris (Martin McCann), Marie (Eileen O’Higgins) and their 10-year-old daughter Megan (Niamh Dornan) –unsettles Laura as she suspects asupernatural connection between thetwo girls but her fascination with Megan is acause of rapidly mounting concernfor Chris and Marie.

AFISH CALLED WANDA (BBC1, 11.30pm)

British barrister Archie (John Cleese) has his world thrown into chaos when he meets Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis), asultryAmerican thief who wants to

know where his client George has hidden astash of diamonds. While being seduced by Wanda for inside information may have its upsides, Archie becomes entangled with her thuggish lover Otto (Kevin Kline), who is also busy terrorising George’s animal-loving sidekick Ken(Michael Palin).

6.05

6.25

6.00 Milkshake! 10.00

6.50

King

(S). 7.15

Loves Raymond (R) (S). 7.40 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 8.05 Everybody Loves Raymond (R) (S). 8.30 The Simpsons (R)

The Smurfs (R) (S). 10.15 SpongeBob SquarePants (S). 10.25 Entertainment News On 5 (S). 10.30 NFL End Zone (S). 11.00 5News Special: Remembrance Sunday (S).

11.05 FILM: ARoyal Christmas (Lee Friedlander 2021) (S). 12.55

FILM: Next Stop, Christmas (Dustin Rikert2021) Premiere.

Festive fantasy,starring Lyndsy Fonseca (S). 2.50 FILM: Saving Christmas Spirit (Wendy Faraone 2021) Premiere. Romantic drama, starring Ashley Newbrough (S). 4.40 FILM: Kong: Skull Island (Jordan Vogt-Roberts 2017) Action adventure, starring Tom Hiddleston (S).

6.00 Home: Adventures With Tip &Oh (R) (S). 8.05 New Kids

In The Wild (R) (S). 9.05 New Kids In The Wild (R) (S). 10.05 Formula 1 (R). 11.05 Futurama (R) (S). 11.35 Futurama (R) (S). 12.05 Futurama (R) (S). 12.35 Futurama (R) (S). 1.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 1.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 2.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 2.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 3.00 The Bachelor King (R) (S). 4.30 The Simpsons (R) (S). 5.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 5.30 The Simpsons (R).

6.00 Totally Bonkers Guinness

World Records (S). 6.35 Secret Crush (S). 7.35 Secret Crush (S). 8.25 Dress To Impress (S). 9.20 Dress To Impress (S). 10.20 Dress To Impress (S). 11.20 The Masked Singer: I’m ACelebrity Special (S). 1.00 Celebrity Catchphrase (S). 2.00 I’m ACelebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! (S). 3.00 FILM: Johnny English (Peter Howitt 2003) Spy comedy,starring Rowan Atkinson (S). 4.50 FILM: Despicable Me 3 (Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin2017) Animated sequel, with the voice of Steve Carell (S)

6.00 Bless This House (S). 6.35 Bless This House (S). 7.05 Emmerdale Omnibus (S). 9.55 Midsomer Murders (S). 11.55 Foyle’s War (S). 1.55 Foyle’s War (S). 3.55 Foyle’s War (S).

8.55 George Clarke’s Amazing Cabins In The Wild (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). 4.50 Four In ABed (S). 5.20 Come Dine With Me (S). 5.50 Come Dine With Me (S).

6.00 The Simpsons Todd Flanders stops believing in God (R) (S). 6.30 The Simpsons (R) (S).

7.00 The Clangers Astrange visitor arrives (S).

7.10 Really Wild Show (S).

7.35 Record Breakers (S).

FILM: The Soldier’s Tale (2021) A2021 performance of Stravinsky’s dark masterpiece of music theatre (S).

Queers (S).

Talking Heads 2 (S).

Dan Cruickshank’s Monuments Of Remembrance (S). 10.55 Secrets Of British Animation Documentaryexploring British animation from the Victorian era to the present day (S).

Inside America’s Treasure House: The Met The Met examines its record on inclusion and diversity (S).

Lights Up: Isla (S). 1.55 Nature’s Miniature Miracles: Natural World (S). 2.55 Dan Cruickshank’s Monuments Of Remembrance (S). 3.55 Close

7.00 Hurst: The First And Only Geoff Hurst discusses his life and career (R).

6.20 Come Dine With Me Body artist Pascale hosts the third night in Devon (S). 6.55 Come Dine With Me (S).

9.00 Italia 90: Four Weeks That Changed The World New series. The storyofthe 1990 World Cup tournament. 10.00 Formula 1 The Sao Paulo Grand Prix (R). 11.00 Saturday Night Live American sketch show (R). 12.25 Libby,Are YouHome Yet? (R) (S). 1.25 Kingdom Of Dreams (R). 2.25 Road Wars (R) (S). 3.25 Road Wars (R) (S). 4.00 Nothing To Declare (R) (S). 4.30 Nothing To Declare (R) (S). 5.00 The Early Rundown (R). 5.30 The Early Rundown (R).

BBC RADIO 1 6am Radio 1’s Chillout Anthems. 7.00 AdeleRoberts. 10.00 Radio 1Anthems. 10.30 Newsbeat. 10.32 Radio 1Anthems 11.02 Radio 100s WithNat O’Leary. 1pm Matt AndJamie. 4.00 Radio 1’sLife Hacks. 6.00 TheOfficial Chart: First Look On Radio 1. 7.00 Radio 1’s Chillest Show 9.00 Radio 1’s Indie Show With Jack Saunders. 11.00 BBCIntroducingOn Radio 1. 12mdn’t Radio 1’sFuture Soul WithVictoria Jane. 1.30 Radio 1’sUK R&B Mix. 2.00 Radio 1’s DecompressionSession. 3.00 Radio 1’sChill Mix. 3.30 Radio 1’sMotivate Me Mix. 4.00 Radio 1Dance 5.00 Radio 1Early Breakfast With Arielle Free. BBC RADIO 2 6am Good MorningSunday 9.00 SteveWright’s Sunday LoveSongs 11.00 TheMichael Ball Show 1pm Elaine Paige On Sunday 3.00 SoundsOfThe 70s With Johnnie Walker. 5.00 RobBeckett 7.00 Tony Blackburn’s Golden Hour 8.00 CMAAwards 2022. 10.00 Radio 2Unwinds WithAngela Griffin. 12mdn’t OJ Borg 2.30 One Hit WondersWithOJBorg 3.00 Alternative SoundsOfThe 90sWithDermotO’Leary. 4.00 EarlyBreakfast Show BBC RADIO 3 7am Breakfast. 9.00 Sunday Morning 12noon Private Passions. 1.00 Radio 3Lunchtime Concert. 2.00 The Early Music Show 3.00 Choral Evensong. 4.00 Jazz RecordRequests. 5.00 TheListening Service. 5.30 WordsAnd Music. 6.45 Sunday Feature: The Sonic Century– The Microphone 7.30 Drama On 3: The SorrowsOfYoung Werther 9.00 RecordReview Extra. 11.00 Opera, The ArtOfEmotions 12mdn’t Classical Fix. 12.30 Through TheNight BBC RADIO 4 6am News Headlines. 6.05 SomethingUnderstood. 6.35 On Your Farm 6.57 Weather 7.00 News;Sunday Papers 7.10 Sunday 7.54 Radio 4Appeal 7.57 Weather. 8.00 News; Sunday Papers. 8.10 Sunday Worship 8.48 APoint Of View. 8.58 Tweet Of The Day 9.00 News;Sunday Papers. 9.15 The Archers 10.30 CeremonyOfRemembrance From TheCenotaph 11.45 Just OneThing With MichaelMosley 12noon News 12.01 (LW) ShippingForecast. 12.04 It’s AFair Cop. 12.30 TheFood Programme. 12.57 Weather 1.00 TheWorld This Weekend. 1.30 TheComing Storm 2.00 Gardeners’Question Time. 2.45 What Really Happened In The Nineties? 3.00 Drama: Working Titles: The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin. 4.00 Open Book. 4.30 TheLanguage Exchange. 5.00 File On 4. 5.40 Profile. 5.54 Shipping Forecast. 5.57 Weather 6.00 Six O’ClockNews. 6.15 PickOfThe Week. 7.00 TheArchers. 7.15 NowYou’re Asking With Marian Keyes And Tara Flynn. 7.45 Voices In The Valley 8.00 Feedback. 8.30 Last Word. 9.00 Money Box. 9.25 Radio 4Appeal. 9.30 Analysis. 10.00 TheWestminster Hour 11.00 LooseEnds. 11.30 SomethingUnderstood. 12mdn’t News AndWeather. 12.15 Sideways. 12.45 BellsOnSunday. 12.48 Shipping Forecast. 1.00 As BBCWorld Service. 5.20 Shipping Forecast. 5.30 News Briefing 5.43 Prayer ForThe Day. 5.45 Farming Today. 5.58 Tweet Of The Day BBC RADIO 4EXTRA 6am Auntie’s WarOmnibus 7.10 Inheritance Tracks. 7.20 The Citadel. 8.30 TheEnchanting World Of Hinge And Bracket. 9.00 TheInimitable Jeeves 9.30 Coming Alive. 10.00 DesertIslandDiscs 10.30 CutOff At The Fringe. 11.00 TheMoth Radio Hour 11.50 Inheritance Tracks 12noon Poetry Extra 12.30 Angstrom. 1.00 Home FireOmnibus–PartOne. 2.10 Inheritance Tracks. 2.20 ARaging Calm Omnibus–PartTwo. 3.30 Fu ManchuIn Edinburgh 4.00 TheOther Side Of TheWorld 5.00 Poetry Extra 5.30 Angstrom. 6.00 DanDare: 21stCentury Spaceman. 6.30 Ancient Sorceries. 7.00 TheMoth Radio Hour 7.50 Inheritance Tracks 8.00 TheOther Side Of TheWorld. 9.00 DesertIsland Discs 9.30 Cut Off At The Fringe. 10.00 Comedy Club 10.00 ComedyClub: Angstrom 10.30 Comedy Club: Can’t Tell Nathan Caton Nothing. 10.45 Comedy Club: Elastic Planet 11.00 ComedyClub: The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy: ThePrimary Phase. 11.30 Comedy Club:ElisJames’ Pantheon Of Heroes. 12mdn’t Dan Dare: 21st Century Spaceman. 12.30 AncientSorceries. 1.00 HomeFireOmnibus –Part One. 2.10 InheritanceTracks. 2.20 ARaging Calm Omnibus –PartTwo. 3.30 Fu Manchu In Edinburgh. 4.00 TheOther SideOfThe World. 5.00 Poetry Extra BBC 5LIVE 6am 5LiveScience 7.00 Sunday Breakfast. 10.00 Helen Skelton. 12noon 5LiveSport 2.00 5LiveSport 4.00 5Live Sport 4.30 5Live Sport 6.30 6-0-6. 8.00 Kammy &Ben’s ProperFootball Podcast. 8.30 DifferentWith NickyCampbell. 9.00 Stephen Nolan. 12mdn’t MomentOfTruth. 12.45 If BlackburnSigned Zidane 12.55 5MinutesOn. 1.00 DotunAdebayo 5.00 Wake Up To Money BBC 6MUSIC 6am Amy Lamé. 8.00 Radcliffe And Maconie. 10.00 Cerys Matthews 1pm BBC Vaults. 2.00 GuyGarvey’s FinestHour 4.00 Iggy Pop. 6.00 NowPlaying @6Music. 8.00 Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone. 10.00 Don Letts’ CultureClash Radio. 12mdn’t Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour 2.00 6Music’sJukebox 3.00 6Music’s Rave Forever 4.00 6Music’s Jukebox CLASSIC FM 7am Aled Jones. 10.00 Zeb Soanes. 1pm Catherine Bott 4.00 John Humphrys. 7.00 Smooth Classics At Seven. 9.00 Moira StuartMeets –Adam Kay 10.00 Smooth Classics. 1am BillOverton. 4.00 Early Breakfast. ABSOLUTE RADIO 8am Jason Manford. 11.00 SarahChampion. 2pm Rock ’n’ Roll FootballWithJay Lawrence. 6.00 Request Show WithClaire Sturgess. 8.00 Sunday Night MusicClub. 12mdn’t Dan Noble. November13 FULHAM V MANCHESTER UNITED Sky Sports Main Event, 4.00pm Live coverageofthe top-flight clash fromCraven Cottage. SUNDAY 45

1966: WHO STOLE THE WORLD CUP?

Channel 4, 10.00pm

It is one of the most iconic images in British sporting history,when HM The Queen presented England captain Bobby Moore with the gleaming Jules RimetTrophy at the oldWembley StadiuminJuly1966

However,aspeople who know theirfootball folklore will tell you, it almostnever happened.

Ahead of the2022World Cup which kicks off in Qatar this weekend, thisdocumentary,narrated by AlanFord (Lock, Stock &Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch),looks at oneofthe most audacious and surprising storiesinthe tournament’s history –one that took place entirelyawayfromthe pitch

The tale, whichinvolves spivs and wide boys fromsouth London,the FlyingSquad, anda dognamed Pickles, is worthyofany classic Britishcrime flick.

It begins in January 1966, when the Football Association receives the silver-gilt trophyaheadofthe scheduled World Cup in the July

While it wasusually keptintheir headquarters at Lancaster Gate,StanleyGibbons’ Stampexcompany received permission to place the trophyintheirexhibition on condition that it would be under guard at alltimes.

However,onSunday 20 March, guards noticed that someone had forcedopen the display case andstolen the trophy.

With the FA,the government and the police in danger of becominganinternationallaughing stock,Scotland Yard tookcontrol of thecase

The story wentpublicthe nextday,before FA Chairman Joe Mears receivedananonymousphone call.

Aparcelwas eventuallydeliveredtohis home containing the removablelining fromthe topofthe trophyand a ransom note demanding£15,000 in £1 and £5 notes.

Despitewarningsfrom the thieves that they would melt the trophy down, Mears metDICharles Buggyfromthe FlyingSquad and gavehim the package

What followed was agameofcat andmouse, with the police instructingMearstocreate afalseransom payment outofbundles of paper and arrangeaswitch.

After asomewhatfailed undercover operation, the blackmailer,who wasgoing by thename of ‘Jackson’ was identified as petty thiefand used cardealer Edward Betchley

Afew dayslater, on 27 March, DavidCorbett and his dog Pickles were walkinginBeulahHill, south east London, when Pickles began to sniff at aparcel lyingunder a hedge.

WhenCorbett opened the package, he recognised the trophyand handed it in at GipsyHill police station.

Policeannouncedthe recovery of the World Cup the nextmorning, and Pickles became acelebrity,appearing on TV and in movies,while Corbettattendedthe players’ celebration dinnerafter theWorld Cup final.

Meanwhile,Betchley was convictedofdemandingmoney withmenaces with intenttosteal andbanged up But that wasn’t theend of the story

In 2018,investigative journalist TomPettifor identified the Jules Rimet Trophy thief as Sidney Cugullere, acriminal known by many as Mr Crafty,who loved to boast that he was‘the first Englishmantoliftthe World Cup’.

The 1966 tournament is,sofar,isthe onlytime the Three Lions have,legitimately, got their hands on thefamous trophy.

Fans will be hoping thatchangessoon,but in the meantime,this film is areminderofhow the nation’s greatest footballing achievement was almost overshadowedbyanaudacious theft –and saved by a curious dog.

6.00 Breakfast (S). 9.15 Morning Live (S). 10.00 Expert Witness (S). 10.30 Dirty Rotten Scammers (S). 11.15 Homes Under The Hammer (R) (S). 12.15 Bargain Hunt Football Special (S). 1.00 BBC News At One; Weather (S). 1.30 BBC Regional News; Weather (S). 1.45 Doctors (S). 2.15 Money ForNothing (S). 3.00 Escape To The Country (S). 3.45 The Repair Shop (S). 4.30 The Travelling Auctioneers (S). 5.15 Pointless (R) (S).

6.30 The Repair Shop (R) (S).

7.15 The Travelling Auctioneers (R) (S). 8.00 Sign Zone: MasterChef: The Professionals (R) (S). 9.00 BBC News (S). 10.00 BBC News (S). 12.15 Politics Live (S). 1.00 Live Snooker: UK Championship Coverage of the afternoon session on day three (S). 5.15 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 (R) (S).

of two. The stories of four people who joined mass protests in 2019 (S). 10.30 Newsnight (S). 11.15 Snooker: UK Championship Action from the first round (S). 12.05 Snooker: UK Championship Extra (S). 2.05 Sign Zone: Countryfile Ramble For BBC Children In Need 2022 (R) (S). 3.15 Sign Zone: Unbreakable (R) (S). 4.15 This Is BBC Two (S).

6.00 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 6.30 ITV News; Weather (S). 7.30 Emmerdale Chas is thrown when Kerry asks afavour (S). 8.00 Coronation Street Bernie’s ploy to smoke out Fern culminates in kidnap (S). 9.00 I’m ACelebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Ant and Dec present the celebrity survival challenge (S). 10.00 ITV News At Ten; Weather (S). 10.30 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 10.45 The Crossing (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 The Cube (R) (S). 3.50 Unwind With ITV (S). 5.05 Dickinson’s Real Deal (R) (S).

6.00 The Simpsons Marge and Homer leave Grampa to babysit the kids (S).

(R)

10.30

The Latest

6.00 The Early Rundown (R).

6.30 The Early Rundown (R).

7.00 Kay Burley (R). 7.30 Kay Burley (R). 8.00 Hope For Wildlife (R) (S). 9.00 Nothing To Declare (R) (S). 9.30 Nothing To Declare (R) (S). 10.00 Supergirl (R) (S). 11.00 NCIS: LosAngeles (R) (S). 12.00 NCIS: LosAngeles (R) (S). 1.00 Hawaii Five-0 (R) (S). 2.00 S.W.A.T (R) (S). 3.00 Patagonia (R) (S). 4.00 Patagonia (R) (S). 5.00 The Simpsons (R) (S). 5.30 Futurama (R) (S).

6.00 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records (S). 6.35 Totally

Bonkers Guinness World Records (S). 7.00 The Cabins (S). 8.00 Secret Crush (S). 9.00 Secret Crush (S). 10.00 Dress To Impress (S). 11.00 Dress To Impress (S). 12.00 I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! (S). 1.15 Catchphrase (S). 2.00 Supermarket Sweep (S). 3.05 One Tree Hill (S). 4.00 HartOf Dixie (S). 5.00 I’m ACelebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! (S).

6.00 Classic Coronation Street (S). 6.35 Classic Coronation Street (S). 7.00 Classic Emmerdale (S). 7.35 Classic Emmerdale (S). 8.05 Bless This House (S). 8.40 Bless This House (S). 9.10 Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S). 10.20 Agatha Christie’s Poirot (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). 3.45 Four In ABed (S). 4.20 Four In A Bed (S). 4.50 Kirstie And Phil’s Love It Or List It (S). 5.55 Escape

To The Chateau: DIY (S).

11.30

12.30

Through

2.00

6.00 Futurama Fryunearths the remains of his beloved dog (R) (S). 6.30 The Simpsons The sea captain finds treasure (R) (S). 8.00 Bob’s Burgers Teddy loses confidence in his handyman skills (S). 8.30 Bob’s Burgers (S). 9.00 Family Guy Lois becomes addicted to painkillers (S). 9.30 Family Guy (S). 10.00 Family Guy Amix-up results in areportthat Meg has been killed in a car crash (S). 10.30 Family Guy (S). 11.00 Family Guy Principal Shephard moves in with the Griffins (S).

8.00 David Attenborough’s Conquest Of The Skies Insects capable of flight (R) (S). 9.00 The Great Debate Trevor Phillips addresses anew topic with apanel of newsmakers. 10.00 Royal Mob Willy at last ascends the German throne. 11.00 Last Week Tonight With John Oliver A satirical look at news and pop culture (R). 11.40 Fantasy Football League (R). 12.15 The Russell Howard Hour (R). 1.00 Sex And The City (R) (S). 1.30 Sex And The City (R) (S). 2.00 The Force: North East (R) (S). 3.00 Hawaii Five-0 (R) (S). 4.00 S.W.A.T (R) (S) 5.00 TheEarly Rundown (R). 5.30 The Early Rundown (R).

American Dad! (S).

Dad! (S).

Burgers (S).

BBC RADIO 1 6.57am Newsbeat. 7.00 Radio 1BreakfastWithGreg James. 10.30 Newsbeat. 10.32 Rickie,Melvin And Charlie 12.45pm Newsbeat 1.00 DeanAnd Vicky 3.30 Newsbeat 3.32 Going Home With Vick And Jordan. 5.45 Newsbeat. 6.00 Radio 1’sFutureSounds WithClara Amfo. 7.00 Radio 1’sHottest RecordsOf The Week. 8.00 Radio 1’sFuture Artists With Jack Saunders. 10.00 Radio 1’sPower Down Playlist With Sian Eleri. 11.00 Rock Show WithDaniel PCarter 1am BBC Introducing Rock On Radio 1WithAlyx Holcombe. 2.00 Radio 1’sFuture Alternative 3.00 Radio 1’sWorkout Anthems. 4.00 Radio 1Dance. 5.00 Radio 1Early Breakfast With Arielle Free. BBC RADIO 2 6.30am The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show 9.30 KenBruce 12noon Jeremy Vine. 2.00 Scott Mills. 4.00 SaraCox 6.30 SaraCox’sHalf Wower 7.00 Jo Whiley’s Shiny Happy Playlist. Jo plays her favourite album tracks and musical gems rarely heard on Radio 2. 7.30 Jo Whiley. Musicand chat. 9.00 The Blues Show With Cerys Matthews.New andclassic blues tracks. 10.00 Trevor Nelson’s Magnificent7 10.30 TrevorNelson’s Rhythm Nation. 12mdn’t OJ Borg. 3.00 SoundsOfThe 90s With Fearne Cotton. 4.00 EarlyBreakfast Show BBC RADIO 3 6.30am Breakfast. 9.00 Essential Classics. 12noon Composer Of The Week: The Harlem Renaissance. 1.00 Radio 3Lunchtime Concert. 2.00 Afternoon Concert. 4.30 New GenerationArtists. 5.00 In Tune 7.00 In Tune Mixtape.Aneclectic non-stop mixof music. 7.30 Radio 3InConcert. Danish National SymphonyOrchestra performs Shostakovich and Ravel. 9.00 UltimateCalm. Olafur Arnalds shares music inspired by the dawn 10.00 MusicMatters 10.45 BetweenThe Ears: Miniatures. 11.00 Night Tracks. 12.30am Through The Night. BBC RADIO 4 6am Today 9.00 Start The Week. 9.45 (LW) Daily Service 9.45 (FM) BookOfThe Week: Colditz: PrisonersOfThe Castle. 10.00 Woman’s Hour 11.00 The Untold 11.30 TheBottom Line. 12noon News. 12.01 (LW) ShippingForecast 12.04 You And Yours. 12.57 Weather 1.00 The World At One. 1.45 Property Of The BBC. 2.00 TheArchers. 2.15 Drama:The 5000. 3.00 BrainOfBritain 3.30 The Food Programme. 4.00 Ukraine: WarAnd Words 4.30 The Digital Human 5.00 PM. 5.54 (LW) ShippingForecast. 5.57 Weather 6.00 Six O’ClockNews. 6.30 I’m Sorry IHaven’t AClue. Newseries. Jack Dee hoststhe comedy panelgame. 7.00 TheArchers. 7.15 Front Row. Arts programme 8.00 The New Age Of Autarky? New series.The possibility of anew era of national economicself-reliance. 8.30 Analysis. 9.00 The ShadowPope. 9.30 Start The Week. 10.00 TheWorld Tonight. 10.45 BookAtBedtime: Demon Copperhead. 11.00 TheWitch Farm 11.30 TodayIn Parliament 12mdn’t News And Weather 12.30 Book Of The Week: Colditz: Prisoners Of The Castle. 12.48 Shipping Forecast 1.00 As BBCWorld Service. 5.20 Shipping Forecast. 5.30 News Briefing. 5.43 PrayerFor TheDay 5.45 Farming Today 5.58 Tweet Of The Day BBC RADIO 4EXTRA 6am MysteryPlayhouse: Mrs Belloc-Lowndes– An Unrecorded Instance. 6.30 TheHouse. 7.00 In And OutOfThe Kitchen. 7.30 It’s AFair Cop. 8.00 Round The Horne. 8.30 Anything Legal. 9.00 Dilemma. 9.30 Double Income,NoKidsYet 10.00 Joseph Andrews. 11.00 TEDRadioHour 11.50 Inheritance Tracks. 12noon Round The Horne 12.30 Anything Legal 1.00 MysteryPlayhouse: Mrs Belloc-Lowndes –AnUnrecorded Instance. 1.30 TheHouse. 2.00 TheChannel. 2.15 Carmen. 2.30 He Belonged To Glasgow –The Will FyffeStory. 3.00 JosephAndrews. 4.00 Dilemma 4.30 Double Income, No KidsYet 5.00 In And OutOfThe Kitchen 5.30 It’s AFair Cop 6.00 Dan Dare: Reign Of The Robots. 6.30 AGood Read. 7.00 Round The Horne 7.30 Anything Legal 8.00 MysteryPlayhouse: Mrs Belloc-Lowndes– An UnrecordedInstance. 8.30 TheHouse 9.00 TED Radio Hour. 9.50 InheritanceTracks 10.00 Comedy Club 10.00 Comedy Club:It’sA Fair Cop 10.30 ComedyClub: Twenty Players 10.45 ComedyClub: Self Storage. 11.00 ComedyClub:The Now Show 11.30 ComedyClub: SorryAbout Last Night. 12mdn’t DanDare: ReignOfThe Robots 12.30 AGood Read. 1.00 Mystery Playhouse: Mrs Belloc-Lowndes –An Unrecorded Instance 1.30 The House. 2.00 The Channel. 2.15 Carmen. 2.30 He Belonged To Glasgow –The Will Fyffe Story. 3.00 JosephAndrews. 4.00 Dilemma. 4.30 Double Income,NoKids Yet. 5.00 In And OutOfThe Kitchen 5.30 It’s AFair Cop. BBC 5LIVE 6am 5LiveBreakfast 9.00 Nicky Campbell 11.00 Naga Munchetty 1pm NihalArthanayake 4.00 5 Live Drive 7.00 5Live Sport 9.00 MatchOfThe Day: Top10. 9.30 5LiveSport:5 Live Cricket 10.00 Colin Murray. 1am Dotun Adebayo. 5.00 Wake Up To Money BBC 6MUSIC 7.30am Lauren Laverne. 10.30 Mary Anne Hobbs. 1pm Craig Charles. 4.00 Steve Lamacq 7.00 Marc Riley 9.00 Gideon Coe. 12mdn’t TheFirst TimeWith FlorenceWelch 1.00 Florence &The Machine At The BBC 2.00 Florence&The Machine Live 4.00 The Florence&The Machine Playlist. 5.00 Chris Hawkins. CLASSIC FM 6am More MusicBreakfast. 9.00 Alexander Armstrong 12noon Anne-MarieMinhall. 4.00 Sam Pittis. 7.00 Smooth Classics At Seven 10.00 Smooth Classics. 1am Bill Overton 4.00 Early Breakfast ABSOLUTE RADIO 6am Dave Berry 10.00 LeonaGraham. 1pm Ben Burrell. 4.00 BushAnd Richie. 7.00 DaniellePerry 10.00 Jay Lawrence. 1am Dan Noble. November14 LIVE GRAND SLAM OF DARTS Sky Sports MainEvent, 7.00pm Coverage of day three at Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton. MONDAY 47

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Deaths

HOLMES

Jennifer

Sadly passed away on October 26, aged 64 years.

Aloving Mum to Amy and Ben.

Nan to Natalie, Lauren, Cassie, William and Elijah, Great-Nan to Aubrey and Avery.

ACelebration of Life will take place at Telford Crematorium on Monday,November 21, 2022 at 2.30pm.

Family flowers only please, donations if desired to the O’Connor Suite at Royal ShrewsburyHospital.

AWake after the Servicewill be held at the Railway Tavern, Newport.

All inquiries to NEWPORT&DISTRICT FUNERAL SERVICES 01952 820667.

WATKISS

Frank

Peacefully passed away on October 23, 2022 at River Meadows Nursing Home, aged 93 years formerly of Market Drayton.

Dear Husbandof the late Margaret,belovedDad of Andy and the late Gill, Father-in-law of Angela and Brian, amuch love Grandad and Great-Grandad.

Funeral Service 2pm on Thursday,November 17, at St Mary’s Church,Market Dra yton foll owe db y CremationatEmstrey Crematorium, Shrewsbury.

Family flowers only but donations if so desired to ShrewsburyTown Football Club Foundation for which purpose acollection plate will be provided in Church.

All inquiries please to

The MidlandNewsAssocia

on, publisher of

Express &Starand Shropshire Star,islooking forsenior journalists to join itsteam.

This is the ideal role forambitious, dedicatedand enthusiasticjournalists with aproventrack record of digging out the bestoff-diarynewsstories, features and analysis.

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

The ideal candidates will be able to come up with ideas and delivercompelling stories on aconsistent basis. We arelooking forNCTJ-trained journalists, able to deliver accurate,entertaining copy to meetstrict deadlines. Afull, clean driving licence is required.

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

This is abrilliantopportunity to join our newsroom, covering adiverse, vibrantand busypatch Benefits include acompetitive salary, 25 days’annual holidayand the chance to develop your career at Britain’s largest independentregional news company. If youare interestedinthis role, please send a copy of your CV and covering letter forthe attention of the editor-in-chief, MartinWright, to: hr@claverleygroup.co.uk

Closing date Friday, November 25

LLOYD Clara

Peacefully passed awayat MaiseBrookCareHome on October30, 2022, aged 84 years of Hodnet.

Much loved Wife of the late Alfred.

She will be greatly missed by all her Family and Friends.

FuneralService 12.30pm on Tuesday,November 15, 2022atSt. Peter’s Church, Stoke on Tern followed by Interment in the Churchyard.

Flowers acceptable but donations if so desired to the Midlands Air Ambulance for which purpose acollection plate will be provided in Church.

All inquiries please to

Acknowledgements

MADELEY Jean Amelia

FormerlyofRobin Lane, Edgmond.

Retired Headmistressof Hadley Infants, sadly passed awayonNovember 1, 2022, aged 92 years.

Aloving Sister to Johnny,Do, Grahamand Sister-in-law to Shirley

Muchloved Aunt to eight Nephews andNieces, GreatAunt to eight Nephews and Nieces and adear Friend, who will be missedbyall.

ACelebration of Life will take place at Telford Crematorium on Friday,November 18, 2022, at 12.30pm.

Jean requested afloral Funeral, no black.

Family flowers only,donations if desired to Diabetes UK and Tibberton Church.

All inquiries to NEWPORT&DISTRICT

FUNERAL SERVICES 01952 820667.

MaryCraig

LotusEletre will hitthe road priced from £89,500

Lotushas announced that itsnew Eletre electric SUVwillbepriced from £89,500and availa ble with achoiceoftwo powertrains.

FirstrevealedbackinMarch,the Eletre will form part of anew range of electric SUVs from Lotus. En try-levelEletre andEletre Smodels will bring593bhpand 710Nmof torqueaswellasarange of up to 373miles

Amorepowerful Eletre Rwill sitatthe topofthe range, bringing 893bhp and985Nm of torque anda slightlysmaller rangeof304 miles. TheEletre andEletre Swill bringa 0-60mph time of 4.3seconds,while theR shaves this down to under threeseconds.

The112kWh batterywill also be able to return a10-80%chargeinas littleas20minutes when hooked up to arapid charger.

Matt Windle,group vice-presi dentand managing director,Lo tusCars, said:“Confirmationof thepricing andspecs of theLotus Eletre is akey moment in thetrans formationofLotus throughour Vi sion80 strategy

“Weknowfrommedia andcus tomerfeedback that they’rehugely excitedbythe arrivalofthiscar indeed, the Eletre has already won awards as 2023’s ‘mostexcited to see’ newmodel.Customerdeliver iesstart during the firsthalfofnext year.”

TheEletre also incorporates a new‘digitalcockpit’systemwhich uses theLotus HyperOSsystem.

Drawingtechnologyfromthe gam ingsector, this setupallowsLotus to create ‘next-generation 3D con tent andexperiences’.

Lotushas also announced apart nershipwithDolby,which will fit itslatestAtmos musicsystemtothe Eletre

Standard equipment on theen try-levelEletre includes active air

suspension, torque vectoring, ma trix LEDheadlightsand 22-inch forged alloywheels. Inside,there are12-wayelectricallyadjustable seats, four-zone climatecontroland a15.1-inch centralinfotainment screen

Step up to theEletre S– priced frOm £104,500–and privacyglass andanactive rear spoilerare add

ed,aswellasilluminated side sills andsoft-closedoors.The range-top ping Eletre R, whichispriced from £120,000,bringsa lowered ride height, performance-orientated set tingsfor thedampers andanti-roll control. Atrack mode also fully opensthe active grilleand activates launch controlfor super-fast accel eration.

Armoured security fornew Defender

Anew agreementbetween Jaguar Land Rover andvehicle protection specialistTrascohas resulted in an upgraded version of theDefender beingmadeavailable.The 110-spec ification carcan nowbe fitted with a lightweightAnti-Kidnap–orA-Kip –conversionkit,but thanks to an ‘in conspicuous design’it’sbarelynoticea bleagainst astandardcar Lightweightsecurity-gradesteel, glassand composite materialsare in corporated throughout theDefender, bringing addedprotectiontodriver andpassengers.

Variouslevelsofballistic protec tion –certified by theVPAMstandard forarmouredcars–feature in areas such as thewindscreen, door anddoor glass, andfootwells.There’s also anew ballistic rear partition.

Nick Collins, executivedirector,

vehicleprogrammesfor Land Rov er,said: “The Defender is themost capableLandRover ever made and this newcollaboration makesiteven moredependablethanbefore. Thenew A-KIPlightweightprotection solution from Trasco turns ouraward-winning all-terrainvehicle into ahighlycapa bleand discreet refuge forits occu pants, providingenhancedsecurity andprotection.”

Buyers arealsoabletospecifyad ditional features,including a fire suppressionsystemfor theengine, a frontgrille-integrated blue lightemer gencypack,anintercomsystemand aself-sealingfueltank, amongother equipment

AllanPetty,Europeansales man ager at Trasco,said: “Discretion is of tenthe best form of defence, andwhat we have createdfor Defender allows thosewho need additional protection to blendinwithnormaltrafficasthe vehicle is virtuallyindistinguishable from astandardmodel.”

Shooting Brakepackedwithgoodies

BILLMcCARTHY

Like many estate type cars or tourers, style andpracticalityhave beenmarried to deliver coupe-like styling, with littlecompromiseoninterior space.

Theterm“shootingbrake”is supposedly from turn-of-the-last centuryEngland,where it referred to acar used to transport ahunting partyand itsgear. “Brake”referred to achassis that wasusedtobreak in horses.

It eventually just came to referto earlywagonsingeneral

Thetermwas laterapplied to custom-builtwagonsbyhigh-end

coachbuilders andsubsequently be came synonymous with thestation wagonor, nowadays,the estate

With achoiceofPremium Line, Luxury Line andSport Line trim levels, it certainlyisapremium, stylishvehicle with itssleek,coupe likeprofile andfeaturing thesig nature crestgrillequad lampsand notforgettingthe Bentleylookalike winged bonnet badge

TheSport Line modeladdsdarkchrome finish forthe window sur rounds andfront grille, whichalso gets adarktinted chrome mesh in sert.It also features 19-inchalloys with redBrembobrake calipers

To therearofthe vehiclea single-piece glasshatch accommodates part of thelightcluster anda“float ingtype” integral spoiler.

Rear wheeldrive,itfeaturesa

powerful 2.2-litre diesel engine matedtoaneight-speed auto box that offers reasonable economy whiledeliveringdecentpace.

Packed with high endgoodies, it is spacious with apremium interior

Oneofthe star attractionsisthe twomainbinnacledials whichturn into camerastoshow theroaditis turningintowhenthe indicatoris activated.

Arealsafetyfeature that helps keep cyclists andpedestrians safe

This is aproperpremium motor with state-of-the-art technologies, qualitymaterials, anda finish to create what theGENESIS describe as ‘a fighterjet cockpitappearance.’

Centralisthe 10.5-inchHDinfotainmentscreenand 12.3-inchTFT instrument clustercontrolling connectivityand navigation functions.

It operates theimpressivesound system,whilethe GenesisConnect system offers voicerecognition and live updatesand smartphoneintegration.

Boot spacesonthese type of es tatesortourers arenot as capacious as some of theolder styles,but with 465litresavailable,expanding to 1,535-litre load area with 40:20:40 split-foldrearseats,itoffersplenty of stowagespace

On theroad, therefined200PS dieseldelivers smooth acceleration It powers to 60mphin around 7.5 seconds, with littledieselnoise Plentyofpunch butdeliveringreal world economyofaround40mpg.

FACTFILE

GENESISG70 SHOOTING BRAKE

2.2D SPORTLINE

Price: £41,430

Mechanical: 200PS,2,199cc,fourcylinderdieselengine driving rear wheelsvia eight-speed automatic transmission

MaxSpeed: 140mph

0-62mph: 7.5seconds

Combined MPG: 40.7-41.8

C02 emissions: 177-182g/km

Warranty: 5years/unlimited miles

New454bhpBMW

M2 is revealed

BMWiscontinuingcelebrationsto mark 50 yearsofits performance‘M’ division with therevealofthe newM2.

Entering asecondgeneration, this newsportscoupe hasbig boots to fill, as thepreviousM2was widely regard ed as oneofthe best performancecars around.Itwas also BMW’sbest-selling ‘M’model

Getting atuned version of itspre decessor’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo in-line sixengine, it’s themostpowerfulM2 date –putting out454bhp and550Nm of torque.Comingwithaneight-speed SteptronicSport automaticgearbox as standard,BMW will also offera six-speed manual formoretraditional sports carfans.

Thenew M2 also bucksthe increasingtrend forall-wheel-drive sports cars, as it remainsrear-wheel-driven Accelerating to 60mphtakes just 3.9 secondsinthe automaticcar (0.2 seconds more forthe manual), with versionscomingfromthe factorylimited to topspeedof155mph, though this canbeincreased to 177mph with the optional MRaceTrack packageincluded.

TheM2utilises an active differential as standard,along with electronic adaptive dampersand abrake pedal that offers twosettingsof‘feel’.

Thenew M2 is 11.4cm longer and 1.6cmwider than itspredecessor, though it’s only marginallylower.With widerarches, it looksnoticeablymore

muscular than thestandard2 Series Coupe. It also getsa distinctiveframe less kidney grille, whilealightweight carbon roofisincludedonall models TheM2rides on 19-inchalloysatthe frontand 20s at therear, whileabold ZandvoortBluecolourisavailable ex clusively on this model.

Moving inside,customers canchoose lightweightcarbon fibrebucket seats as an option,inplace of thestandard heated MSport seats, whileBMW’s newCurvedDisplay (incorporating a 14.9-inchtouchscreen and12.3-inch digitalinstrumentcluster)has been introducedtoo

Morestandardequipment is fitted to theM2aswell, includingahead-up display, Harman Kardon soundsys temand areversing camera.

Thenew BMWM2isset to be launched in May2023, with prices starting from £61,495.

Therideand handling areexcellent, with tuned suspensionand electronicallycontrolled adaptive damperssoaking up theworst of thepotholes, whiledeliveringagile handling forsuchabig car.

Marketacleansupasshe claims awinning double

MarketaVondrousova impressively wonboth thesingles anddoubles titles at TheShrewsbury Club’s ITF WorldTen nisTourevent –with thetournamenthaileda huge success.

TheCzech Republicstarbeat EvaLys from Germanyinthe singles finalbeforefollowing it up by partnering Miriam Kolodziejova, anotherCzech player, to victoryin thedoubles final.

Acapacitycrowd ofmorethan 500enjoyed Finals Dayatthe BudgenMotorsW100Shrewsbury tournament as Vondrousova, who reachedthe 2019 French Open final andwas asilver medallist at last year’s Olympics, lifted two trophies.

Currentlyranked121 in the world,havingbeenashigh as 14, Vondrousovasaved four setpoints in theopening set of thesingles fi nalagainst Lys, whowentintothe finalona nine-match winningrun Vondrousovaeventuallycomplet ed a7-5,6-2 victorytobecrowned W100 Shrewsbury championin only thesecondtournamentshe has playedsince April.

Having hadwrist surgeryearlier this year,she madeher return at aW80 tournament in France last week

“I’m superhappy,” said eighth seed Vondrousova. “I really enjoyed this week andI’m just very happy to be back competingand playing matchesaftersuchalongtime.

“I playedreallytough matches this week,soI’m just happytobe back at my level.”

Reflecting on saving setpoints in theopening set, Vondrousova added: “Itwas very tough. Evawas playingprettygreat andIwas just trying to puteveryballintothe courtand stay in thematch and fight. I’mjustreallyproud how I fought andhow Iplayed.”

Lys, 20,currently acareer-high 126in theworld rankings enjoyed a fine week in Shropshire,knocking outthree Britishplayers before also beatingCroatianAna Konjuh in the semi finals.

“I’m very proudI made it this far,” said Lys, afterthe final. “Everysin glematch wassuchagood fight, so I’mjusthappy that I’ve playedthis tournament this well.”

Vondrousovathenenjoyed that winningfeeling againlater in theafternoonasshe partnered Kolodziejova to victoryinthe dou bles final. They gotthe better of JessikaPonchet,fromFrance, and Renata Voracova,fromthe Czech Republic,7-6,6-2

Dave Courteen, TheShrewsbury Club’s managing director,high-

lightedthe achievementofVon drousova in winningboththe sin gles anddoubles titles

“Towin thesingles anddoubles meansyou have hadtowin alot ofmatches throughout theweek,” he said.“She’sbeenplaying two matchesaday in some cases

“It’sa bit of ararityfor someone to be both asingles anddoubles championat thesameevent.It’sthe firsttimeit’shappenedinanITF tournament at TheShrewsbury Club anditjustproveswhataclassy playershe is.”

Reflecting on thesuccess of the tournament,headded: “Weare proudthatwehavebeenableto host such ahighquality eventin Shrewsbury that brings such ahigh leveloftennistothe town

“Weare oneofonly13towns or cities acrossthe world to host an ITF eventofthisstature,sofor Shrewsbury to have done that is amazing. Thequality of thetennis hasbeenwonderful.”

RichardJoyner, thetournament director forthe LTA, wasdelighted with thesuccess of theevent

He said:“This tournament is the culminationofanumberof yearsbuildinguptothis. It was Dave Courteen’sdesiretobring as high alevel tournament as possible to Shrewsbury.That’snow been achieved whichisfantastic

“The atmosphere made it aspe cialoccasion. We shouldn’tunder estimate how much players enjoy playinginanatmospherewithfull stands andlotsofnoise.”

Keybowls figuresare honoured by PremierLeague

SallyKing, part of Wrockwardine Wood’s championship-winning team this season –collected their dad’scertificate

Hill’slatestrike earnsTowna valuable point

Shifnal Town fought back from alosing position threetimes to secure alatepoint at home to MidlandLeaguePremier Divi sion leadersWalsall Wood

JoeFitzpatrick gave thevis itorsthe leadafter38minutes before Shifnal’sTyroneOfori equalisedjustbeforehalf-time

Only four minutes afterthe breakMatthew Hughes re stored Wood’s lead before an instantresponse from Shif nal, inside aminute, saw MichaelNelsondrawthem level.

Wood went aheadfor thethird time in thematch when Adam McGurk struck in the68thmin ute.

Thevisitorslookedset to take allthree points untilthe hosts equalisedfor athird time,inthe 91st minute, throughThomas Hill

Shifnalare fifthinthe divi sion,level on points with fourth placed DarlastonTown, who they have agamein hand over TheShropshireoutfitalso have twogames in hand on allofthe topthree teams and only athree-point gapstands in theway of them catch ingsecond-placed Stourport Swifts.

Elsewhereinthe league, Market DraytonTown crashedto their14thconsecutive league defeat,as they lost 1-0awayat Highgate United.A 57th-minute goal from Jack Till separatedthe sides. Draytonremainrooted at thebottomofthe league with onewin from 15 games, which came on theiropening league fixturebackinAugust.

Meanwhile, thegamebetween Tividale and Whitchurch Al port wasabandoned at half time duetoanalleged racist commentdirected at aTividale playerfroma member of the crowd.

In MidlandLeagueDivision One, AFCBridgnorth lost 3-1 in acrunchclash away to Coven tryCopsewood

With both clubs languishing towardsthe wrongend of the table, Bridgnorth failed to build from theirwin last week with a poor defeat

They sit16thinthe league, now just twopointsahead of 18th-placed Copsewood andjust four points offthe relegation zone

Haughmond also tasted de feat,losing3-1 to Wednesfield, while Shawbury United were beaten 2-0byStapenhill

TheShropshirePremier League, nowsponsoredbyTaylorSupport, have awardedthe honour to Helen Clee and, posthumously, to Phil Clee

“Weare proudtorewardHelen andPhil Clee with lifemembership

theleaguebecause of theireffortsasresults secretaries forover 10 yearsatthe startofthe 2000s,” explainedleaguechief RobBur roughs.

“Sadly we lost Phil recently, so hischildren –StuartCleeand

“Theywereresults secretaries from 1999 to 2012,doing agreat job of collatingall theresults in that time andthenemailing or faxing them over to thethen fix turessecretary Mark Burroughs so he couldplacethemonthe website.

“Theyalso hadtofax andlater emailthe resultsthrough to ShropshireStarover that time,providing peoplewithresults in theSaturday paper, longbeforethe internet was widelyavailable.”

In theNorth West Counties League Division OneSouth, EllesmereRangers suffered a blow in theirpromotion race as they lost 3-1tostrugglersCheadleHeath Nomads

Thevisitorsraced into a3-0 lead andSteven Hole’s goal for Ellesmerewas nothingmore than aconsolation

Afterthe defeat,Ellesmere sit thirdin thetable andninepoints offleaders StockportTown, whilethe winnersonthe dayare in therelegationzone.

Marketa Vondrousova with EvaLys and, inset, with doublespartner Miriam KolodziejovaPicture:Richard Dawson

Twokey figuresinthe growth of thecounty’selite bowlingleague have been rewarded with lifemem berships

of

Premierlifemembershippresentation,fromleft: StuartClee, Sally King, league treasurerRob Burroughsand HelenClee

STUART DUNN sports@mnamedia.co.uk

Ludlow proveto be spot on as they progress

Ludlow held theirnerve to book theirplace in thenextround of theSalop LeisureLeaguePre mier Division Cup.

Theirclash with Broseley provedtobeakeenlycontested affair andwas finallydecidedvia apenalty shoot-out.

Thetie endedall square at 2-2withJackMarston scoring twicefor Ludlow andRonan Ma riemoutouand RyanMountford replying forBroseley

Butitwas Ludlow whopro gressedtothe next roundafter triumphing 3-1onpenalties

PremierDivisionleaders DawleyTowntooktheir league form into thecup competition.

They were toostrong forvis itingWrockwardineWood, running out7-2 winnerstomakeit aperfect 11 wins from 11 games in allcompetitionsthisseason.

George Lees (two), Charlie Knowles(two),Dan Beddows, Kieran Buckleyand TomBradleynetted forTown.

Church StrettonTownare an othersidewho will be eyeing a possible league andcup double Stretton,who aresecondin thetop flightstandings,hit form on theroadtoeasepastErcall

ColtsJuniorsEvolution

AlexanderRyder ledthe way with ahat-trick as Strettonwon 7-2. He wasjoinedonthe scoresheetbyHarry Morris(two), SamJones andJames Hill.

WemTownwithstood aspirited fightbackfromMorda United to book theirplaceinthe next round.

Morda cancelledout atwo goal deficittodrawlevel but werethenundonebya late winner. Luke Darrell, Keegan Green andAndrewHinks were themen on target forWem

Samuel Florymaintainedhis impressive goalscoringformto help Prees United to a4-2 victory on theroadatStMartins

Floryopenedthe scoringand then Liam Mooreaddedasec ondbeforehalf-time.Alexander Cadman andasecond forFlory completedUnited’shaulafter thebreak GobowenCeltichit sixofthe best to send MadeleySports packing.

Ed Rogers andZakhWard struck in the first-half with ShaunDaviesreplyingfor Sports.But Celtic then took charge inthe second period with Ward,JackHughes, Tristan Lloydand substituteScott Hale adding furthergoals to seal a6-1 success

TheDivisionOne League Cup action sawthe toptwo,AFC Bridgnorth Development and WellingtonAmateursDevelop ment,gohead-to-head.

Anditwas Wellingtonwho emerged 3-2winners thanks to twogoals from Matteo Basi ni-Gazzi andone from Hayden Norry.

Mike Whitehouse,Mathew Lainsburyand Robert Jones netted to earn Llanymynech a3-0 winagainst Shrewsbury JuniorsDevelopment

Shabaz readytotakenext step on journeytothe top

LIAM KEEN liam.keen@mnamedia.co.uk

ShabazMasoud is ready to announce himself as a‘worldlevel’ fighteras he preparestotakeon fellow undefeated boxer Jack Batesonfor the WBAInter-Continental super-bantamweightti tle.

Coming offthe back of atwo rounddemolitionofYoanBoyeaux in Dubaiearlier this year,Masoud is nowreturningtothe ring fora huge bout againstBateson on Friday.

Masoud started outatWellington Boxing AcademyinTelford andnow trains with TysonFury’sformer coachBen Davison, andisready to prove hisskill on Probellum’scard in Sheffield.

“I’vebeencalling for fights like this fora while. Themainthing is thatit’sherenow andthe timing is right,”Masoudtoldthe Shropshire Star

“I’vegot better andbetter. Ikeep improvinginthe gym. I’mshining with everychallenge.Peoplewill be raving aboutmeafterthis fight.

“Camphas been amazing.I’ve putinthe worknon-stopand I’m just readytogonow

“I wasplanningongetting outin August butafew things happened that stoppedthat.

“I’vebeeninthe gymsince my last fight. I’ve nottaken anyrest or anybreak,I’vebeeninthe gym non-stop

“As soon as this fight got men tioned,I waspushing foritstraight away.All Idoiseat,sleep,repeat boxing.That’smylife.

“Mylast fightwas adifferent experience.Itwas abroad andthe

weatherwas alot hotter

“Boyeaux hadbeeninwithalot of good guys andfoughtfor aworld title. He wasonthatlevel as an op ponent andI took himapart

“I’vestill gota lotmoretoshow No-one hasseenmybestyet,I just keep gettingbetter.”

To achievehis dreams, however, Masoud hastoget through hisnext challenge as he faces17-0undefeated fighterBateson

“He’sagoodopponentwho has verygood amateurexperience,” Masoud added. “Since he’s turned prohe’sdonewell, butIfeellikeI’m morethancapable of exploitinghis weaknesses

“He’sagood fighter,but Ihave thetools to beat him. It will show people that I’mworld level

“There’s a fine line betweencock inessand confidence. Sometimes people whodon’t know me or understandmyjourney,theythink I’m cocky. When they gettoknow me, understand thestruggleI’vebeen through andthe graftI’veput in, they then realise whyI’m so confi dent.Mystruggles have made me likethis.”

Notonlyisthis fightfor theWBA Inter-Continentalbelt, butitisalso a finaleliminatorfor theBritishti tle.

That crowniscurrently held by

Telford’sLiamDavies, whois fight ingonNovember19for theEuropean title, andMasoudcan seea fight with Davies in thefuture.

“There’s alot of options forme afterthis fight, butforgetall the titles,for me it’s about gettingin thereand beatinghim,” Masoud said.“Some of theseguyswithtitles,I’d beat them tomorrow.They getmatched righttowin those ti tles, buttheywon’t be abletoavoid me now

“Afterthis fight, alot ofpeople will realise what I’mabout.I’ll leaveittothe team to seewhatthey want to do next,but thereisa fight therewithLiam.”

Juniorsend in stylebybeating theS&H seniors

Shropshire&Herefordshire

This

andJack Dirkin (Wrekin) hitbacktodefeat Tony Greenand GrattanSmall man1up

SteveHawke andSandy Johnston putthe seniorsahead once more, 2&1against HarryBryce (Telford)and HarrySlater (Wre kin)

AlfieDaniels (Wrekin) andSeb

Golf returns. ArscottMen’s Stableford. DivOne:1 AllenHum phries (10) 38pts; 2Del Skone(9) 36pts; 3Russell Wellings(11)35pts DivTwo:MikeJones (16) 43pts; 2 Paul Carpenter(15)42pts;3 Jon Lyttle(13)38pts.Div Three: 1Paul Ellis(24)35pts;2 Alan Davies (26) 34pts; Mark Newman (26) 33pts. Llanymynech. Ladies’18-Hole Stableford: 1Denni Coleman41pts;2 Beverley Cadwallader37pts.NineHole Stableford:1GwenanDavies 20pts.Wrekin. SeniorsWinter Stableford. DivOne:1PaulLewins 23/9;2 IanSmith 21/9;3Bernie English20/9. DivTwo:1AlexCun ningham 22/11; 2JohnSaul19/10; 3David Rogerson19/11

Shabaz Masoud hashis sights setonInter-Continentalsuper-bantamweightglory and a fightwith Liam Davies

Shropshire &Herefordshire Under-14s andseniors sides at Bridgnorth

Reynolds (Shifnal) levelled things up again, 1upagainst TimHam mett andSimon Jones, andFletcher Park (Ludlow)and Ross Coleman (Wrekin) fought back from four

holesdowntoforce ahalfagainst senior captainJohnWilliamsand Dave Jones.Thatmeant thematch waslevel with onegametocome in,but it wasjuniorsHugoRoberts

(Shifnal) andHarry Smith(Ludlow) whoheldoff Damien Scholes andDonaldMcKellor to win1up andtakethe match3.5-2.5

Shropshire’s fabfourare handedaSparkscall-up

Four playersfromthe Shropshire girls’ agegroup pathwayhavebeen selected in CentralSparkssquads for2023.

TheSparksare theregionalside basedinBirmingham whichplay at thetop levelofwomen’s cricket againstother regional teams from acrossthe country.

EmilyChurmsand CaitlinBelch er have been picked to be apart of theSparks’ Academyintakefor thenext12months. They will be involved with an extensivewinter trainingprogramme leadinginto summer matcheswhere theCen tralSparkswill competeagainst otherregionalacademies

Churms is also on thereservelist forthe England Under-19ssquad forthe WorldCup in SouthAfrica in January.

Lauren Kenvyn andAmy Grif fithswill be part of theSparks’ expanded Emerging PlayerPro gramme this Winter whichismade up of players from Shropshire,

Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshireand Herefordshire.

Also selected in theSparksAcad emyisEllieAndersonwho plays for Alveleyand is part of theWorces tershirepathway

Allwereselected afterextensive trials in recent months.

Cricket Shropshire’s Women andGirls PathwayLeadDarrell Corfield, whohas been involved in theprocess,said: “Congratulations to thefourgirls from ourpath waywho have been chosen in the Sparks squads.

“It’sgreat to seethe system establishedsogirls involvedin Shropshire cansee thereisaclear pathwayfromclubcricket andthe county agegroup set-up throughto theSparksand then thenational side.”

Shropshire is also represented in theseniorCentralSparkssidewith EveJones,who beganher career at Whitchurch andinthe Shropshire agegroup ranks

Alicefull of prideafter a stunning all-roundeffort

AliceKinsellahailed ‘one of theproudestmomentsofmylife’ after finishingwithin awhisk er of theWorld Champi onship all-around podi um.

Kinsella finished fourth, just 0.134marks behind compatriot Jes sica Gadirova,who became Great Britain’s firstwomen’s all-around medallist in thecompetition’s his tory

It marksthe latest in astringof near-missesfor the21-year-old,who also finished fourth in all-around andbeamatthe Commonwealth Gamesinthe summer,but shewas in no mood to ruewhatmight have been.

“No-one likescomingfourthbut this is probably oneofthe proudest momentsofmylife,”saidKinsella, whotrainsatParkWrekinGym nasticsClubin Telford. “I didthe all-around finalin2019and fin ished12th, so to nowsay to myself Icamefourth, Icouldn’tbemore proudofmyself.

“Myconfidencehas just gota lot better.AfterCovid Ifeltlikemy gymnastics wasgetting better as well andmydifficultywas going up.Now that I’ve gotprettymuch my full difficultyatthe startofthe year I’ve managedtoimprove it through theyear, andI hadalot of confidencecomingintothisWorld Championships.

“Knowing I’mthe fourth best in theworld givesmealot of confi dencegoing into next year.”

Kinsellahelpedthe hostsearn team silver earlierin theweekde

spiteafallonthe beam in theirpe nultimaterotation.

Thetroublesome apparatuswas firstup in theindividual finaland sheavoided arepeattoget her challengeoff to astrong start. She shoneon floor, hailing her‘best-ev er routine’ aftera scoreof13.633 whichkepther firmly in contention fora medalgoing into her finale on theuneven bars

Kinsellafelljustshort of knock ingGadirovaoff the finalspoton thepodiumbut shecan nowreas sesswhatshe maybecapable of with the2024Olympicslooming on thehorizon

“I didn’t really thinkabout ex pectations beforehand,” shesaid. “IfI putpressureonmyself, that’s when it normallygoes downhill.I

just wanted to go outthere anddo my best

“I told myself to just go outand enjoy it,it’salwaysa dreamtomake anyall-around final

“I couldhaveimprovedonafew bits butIcan’t askfor much more than beingfourthbestinthe world

“Being last on bars wasabit nerve-wracking butI managedto composemyself.

“Itwasn’tthe best barroutine I’ve ever done,but it wasmyfull difficulty, andI’m just proudIman aged to do it underpressure.”

Kinsellahad shownplentyof characterearlier in theweekwhen sherecoveredfromher fall on the beam in theteamevent, bouncing back to deliver an accomplished floorroutine as Britainrecorded

theirbest-ever women’s team result at this event.

It wasalso enoughtosecure aquota placefor theParis 2024 Olympics, with Kinsellaadding anotherteammedaltoacollection alreadycontainingOlympic bronze, European silver andCommon wealth gold

“I hadthe mistakeonbeamand putthatbehindme,”she said

“Itwas toughbut having these girlsreallyhelped. Ijustwanted to go outthere andabsolutelysmash floor, trustmyself, trustmytrain ingand that’s what Idid

“Ithelps having such an amazing teamaroundme. They broughtme back up because Iwas abit down Withoutthem, Iwouldn’thavebeen able to do it.”

Doublesbattles serve up afew surprise results

TheBridgnorth League took a second rest from playingleague snookeras theRay HalfordDou bles preliminary, firstround and quarter-finalmatches took cen tre stage.

Andas is oftenthe case with handicap competitions,there were afew surprises

Chasingadeficitof27points, Woodfield’stwo in-form players, Neil Drewettand hisson Cam eron,wereeliminatedinthe pre liminary round, succumbing to Mark Jonesand JasonBrown

TheWoodfieldladscameclose to levelling thematch in frame two, but theSt. John’spairhung on to claima 2-0win

Chelmarsh’sSimon Thomas andDaveSiddons, winnersof numerous doubles competitions in thepast, were beaten 2-0by Nick Carson andOwenHughes, from Broseley,inthe firstround

Also firstround casualties were IanPostans andCarlWalk er,and Beamer Jones andChris Petford, allfromChelmarsh.In fact,for the firsttimeinmany ayear, theChelmarsh club will nottable ateaminthe semi fi nals

It wasaparticularlygood nightfor Broseley pair Neil Cas well andAndyGarbett.

They sawoff Postansand Walker andthentheywentonto beat St. John’sduo Mike Craw leyand KevinSmith, thecon quersofJones andPetford,for awell-deserved semi finalplace.

Anditwas also agood night foranother Broseley pairing–that of CameronBradenand BrianEdwards

They firsteliminatedAlveley’s ChrisJepsonand RegBurton andthenMarkJones andJason Brown–bothmatches ending 2-1. Ahealthy rubofthe green sawthemthrough in the final frames of both matches.

A firstround winfor Matt Smoutand Gary Watsonen sured that allofthe Broseley Ateam’splayers arestill in thecompetition.TheybeatSt. John’stop seeds Martin Lippitt andTim Steele

Maddock’s TomMaxfieldand DanMorrismadetheir way into thelastfourby firstbeat ingAlveley’s BrianArnoldand SteveColdecott 2-0, despitea32 pointhandicap.

They then knockedout Rob Powell andJosh Summers, from St. John’s, by thesamescore in a much closer handicappedclash Powell andSummershad pre viouslybeatenBroseley’s Andy Carsonand Pete Thomson.

Sixpartnerships remain four from Broseley andtwo from Maddock’s

Thetwo remainingquarter fi nalmatches –Cameron Braden &Brian Edwardsv JamesBren nan& Paul Harper andNick Carson& Owen Hughes vMatt Smout& Gary Watson–are due to be playedbySunday, March 24

Thesemi finals and finalwill be played on Tuesday,April 18 (Venue TBA)

AliceKinsellahad reason to celebratefollowing some impressivedisplaysinthe World ChampionshipsinLiverpool

EmilyChurmsisalsoonthe reservelistfor theEnglandUnder-19squad

BROWN SURE THE TIDE WILL TURN

OLLIEWESTBURY ollie.westbury@mnamedia.co.uk

Market DraytonTown boss RichardBrown says if hissidekeepcom peting theway they have in recent gamestheir luck will change.

They have lost theirlastfour MidlandFootballLeaguePremier Division games, buttheyhaveall been close. On Saturday,theylost 1-0toHighgateUnited, despitehit ting thebar twice, thepostonceand having an effort clearedoff theline.

Browninsists hissidehavemade some real progress recently,and if they keepplaying theway they are, then apositive result will notbefar away

“The last threeorfourgames, we have really competed,especially when you look at thesides we have played.”the bosssaid.

“Theyare allteams in thetop sixinthe league,and we have not been overpoweredbythem, so they arethe positivesfor me.The players aregelling well,and it is just acase that over thenextfew weeksthings will getbetter.

“Weneedtokeepcompetingthe wayweare workrate-wise andenergy,Iamsurewewill getsomething in thenextcoupleofgames.Luckis not on oursideatthe moment.”

Brown’ssidehad majorinjury problems fortheir game last Satur day, buthe gave apositiveupdate aheadofthisweekend’s clashwith Racing Club Warwick.

“The injuredladshavehad atwo week break, andhopefully that rest is enough formostofthemtobe back in contention to play

“The only onewithaserious in jury wouldbeGeorgeTaylor.Heis waitingfor ascanonhis knee which is amajor blow forus.”

Draytongearedupfor atough test

Burntwood are just toostrong forthe Ravens

Market DraytonRavens came down to earthwithabump againstaverywelldrilled and strong Burntwood side

In what provedtoa one-sided affair,Burntwood turned on the powertorun out50-19 winners.

TheRavensstarted brightly andfroma scrappyscrum,Dan Bolton andRyanHortoncom bined to releaseLukeWalters on thewing. He ran70metres before beingtackled by thehome side’s full-back,but wasableto offloadtothe supportingGam monwho scored to theleftofthe posts.Walters addedthe conver sion

Burntwood were stunginto life andsome bigcarries by their forwards resulted in atry

With Ravensstrugglingto winany scrumball, Burntwood starteddominateand theyadd ed aconverted trytolead10-7.

Thehome side wereonthe rampageand intercepted aRa venspassas they triedtomount andattackwhich brough them anotherconverted score.

Thehome side wereenjoying plenty of frontfootballand their pack poweredoverfor another try, whichwas convertedtmake it 24-7

Therewas aglimmer of hope forDrayton when Jack Chan dler charged down akickand followed up keepingthe ball in Burntwood’s 22.The forwards latchedontothe driveand ase ries of pickand goes ended with Jack Chandler touching down Burntwoodresponded imme diatelytomakeit31-12 at half time

thebackofa7-0 defeat on theroad at Redditch last Saturday

TheWestMidlandsoutfithave poweredtothe topofthe tableon theback of aperfect record of six wins from sixgames

In contrast,battlingDrayton have wonjustoncesofar in their sixoutings this season

Andtheywill go into theclash on

Thehome sitsix places higher than Draytonand this showed with thespeed of theirattacks andover allballcontrol.

Drayton’ssecondteamendured afrustrating clashagainst Stone fourths.

Thegames wasplayedin torren tial rain andin theend Drayton headed home with no reward fora

battlingdisplay as thehome side won2-1

JesseThompstone wasontarget forthe Pirates

DraytonLadiesenjoyed avery successfultrainingsession on Thursday with coachDavePoole welcomingtwo players fortheir first game of hockey

On Saturday,theywereathome to top-of-the-tablePhoenix Blues andwentdown6-0

Frustrated Adamswants to seea ruthlessstreak

Newport’sdirectorofrugby Bob Adamsisurginghis side to develop aruthlessstreak afterafrustrating defeat at Hornets.

The finalscore read 33-19in the home side’s favourbut that failed to provideatruereflection of theNational League TwoWestencounter Afterfalling twoscoresbehind, Newportbattled back andfound themselves 21-19downathalf-time

They then dominatedpossession during thesecondhalfbut somehow failed to trouble thescorers.And to rubsaltintotheir wounds, thehosts addedacouplemorelatescores.

“Wewerecampedintheir 22 for largepartsofthe second half but didn’t make it count,”saidAdams n“It wasone of themostpleasing performances of theseasonand it’s really frustrating to havecome

away with no points at all. The final scorewasn’ta true reflection of the game

“You have to give credit to Hor nets’defence during,but we were ourown worst enemyattimes.We gotintogoodpositionsbut then therewould be aknock on,anin fringement or we wouldtakethe wrongoption.

“Wehavetobemoreruthless

When we getintoa team’s 22 for long spells we have to come away with points

“I waspleased with the perfor mance, we looked more solidand cohesive andthe effort can’tbe faulted.

“The refereealso said he could seeand improvementfromwhenhe took charge of us earlierinthe sea sonbut we have to be ruthless.”

Thesecondhalfsaw theRa venstry to up thetempo andfor agood15minutes they were on topwithChadFieldhouse claim ingaconverted scoreinthe left corner.

Butthatwas as good as it got forthe visitors as thehosts ran in afurther threetries on the waytoa50-19 win.

TheRavenswelcome Clee Hill on Saturday

DraytonLadieslineup for aphoto call with coachDavePooleduringtheir midweek training session

Market Draytonfacetough test on Saturday when they welcomeMid landsDivision3Westpacesetters Bloxwich