Shropshire Magazine 2023

SHAPING

Lookingback on 30 yearsin education

Tale of a four-legged adventurer

MAKING MUSICAL MEMORIES

ESTABLISHED 1950

Grosvenor House, Central Park, Hollinswood Road, TelfordTF2 9TW

The ShropshireMagazine has acontrolled, selecteddistribution in Shropshiretowns, and is available for sale from many retail outlets and by subscription

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Martin Wright

EDITOR

Caroline Jones caroline.jones@mnamedia.co.uk

FEATURES EDITOR

Vicki Jones vicki.jones@mnamedia.co.uk

EDITORIAL PRODUCTION

Deborah Clay deborah.clay@mnamedia.co.uk

NEWS EDITOR

Andy Richardson

FEATURE WRITERS

Heather Large heather.large@mnamedia.co.uk

Daniel Morris daniel.morris@mnamedia.co.uk

Matthew Panter matthew.panter@mnamedia.co.uk

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CONTRIBUTORS

Toby Neal

John Pattinson

EdwardThomas

PUBLISHED BY MNA Media, Ketley, Telford

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Heather

AShropshirewoman turned her creativehobby into her

career Heather Large takes up her story

Abi Jackson looks at howa weekend workout might just be enough to get your exercise in for the whole week 115

Whatever your budget or interests, thereare exciting opportunities for travel in the year ahead, says Sarah Marshall

Jack Evans puts the new BMW M4 CSL through its paces

BUILDINGFUTURES

STEPPING DOWN FROM AN INCREDIBLE CAREER IN EDUCATION, GILL EATOUGH TELLS ANDY RICHARDSON ABOUT HER MOST MEMORABLE ACHIEVEMENTS SERVING THE COUNTY

Gill Eatough never planned on acareer in education. Having trained as aresearch scientist, earned adoctorate, then spent several years expanding her knowledge in the south of France, she thought life was destined to take her in avery different direction.

But all of that changed at the ageof29 when she was invited to take up ashortterm post, teaching biology to secondary school students at Ercall Wood in Telford.

She didn’t realise it at the time, but it was the startofthe rest of her life.

Now,more than three decades on, Gill has retired from aglittering education career which hasbuilt amountain of milestones and achievements and left her with absolutely no regrets.

“In those early years I’d never been remotely interested in becoming a teacher,” says Gill, who was raised in Kent butmoved to Shropshire towards the end of her school days when her father,a lighting engineer,was promoted to take up anew jobnearby

She ended up becoming head girl

at Newport Girls’ High School before heading off to university in London.

“I got myself aBSc in geology and biology,and aPhD from the department

of botany,and was thinking Imight take a lecturing job at auniversity,perhaps.

“But this was at the time when the sector was undergoing major changes

under the Thatcher government and there were very few opportunities for junior lecturers in my field.

“So Imoved out to Montpellier in the south of France doing some postdoctorate research and had two and ahalf very enjoyable years down there. Atone point there was apossibility of me staying in France and working in Paris, but in those days they weren’t too keen giving positions to ‘etrangers’ as they referred to them –outsiders.

“So Icame back to the UK, and to Shropshire. Afriend of mine suggested I should look at teaching, and told me that amaternity cover job had come up in the science department at Ercall Wood.

“That was it. Idiscovered that I absolutely loved teaching science, loved working with young people, and loved the opportunity to help make a difference in their lives.”

Four years later,Gill had worked her way through theranks to become deputy head of Ercall Wood, and was completely immersed in the world of education.

“I was lucky enough to work with afantastic bunch of people who helped me to learn my trade, including Jim Needham, the much-respected head at Ercall Wood at that time, who was a fabulous man.

“Seeing young people join aschool in year seven, and leave in year 11 so grateful and thankful for the journey they have been on is so gratifying.”

Gill moved away from Telford in 1999 to take up her firstheadteacher’s role, becoming the first female to hold the top job at Lacon Childe Secondary School in Cleobury Mortimer

The south Shropshire school was rebranded as asports college under her stewardship, and she built asignificant sports complex for the community as well as investing in new technology facilities.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

Gill Eatough, second from left,ata‘Hot chocolate Friday’ with students from Charlton School, and head Andy McNaughton; Gill with the first LCTrugby team; the vision which became areality –Hadley Learning Community created anew blueprint for education in Telford; by royal appointment –Gilland husband Bob at aroyal garden party; under Gill’sleadership, LCTtook on Crudgington Primary School two yearsago; welcoming Baroness Barranonher visit to LCTin2022.

PAGE 7FROM TOP: Gill, thirdfromleft,atthe site of the new primary school being built at Allscott; with TelfordCollege principal and CEO Graham Guest.

But she was enticed back to Telford in 2005 with the chancetohelpbuild a brand new,multi-million pound school: Hadley Learning Community

Her brief was to oversee the establishment and construction of abrand new£70 million ‘all-through’ school which would create anew blueprint for education in Telford.

“It was just an idea at the time –a concept for abrand-new school to serve theHadley area, which was so badly needed. My time at Lacon Childe, which Iadored, had taught me all about the importance of creating aschool which becomes part of the community,and that excited me.

“But it was still abig decision to leave that job behind and comeback to Telford –not knowing what this newschool was going to look like. In theend, Ithought it wasjust too good an opportunity to pass by; to essentially build your own school from theground up, for acommunity that so desperately needed it.”

UNIFORMS

The rest, as they say,ishistory.Gill was given an office in theTelford & Wrekin Council headquarters, aphone, andanassistant at the startof2005, and 18 months later succeeded in delivering the new school to open on time, and on budget.

“It was absolutely incredible when the first children arrived in their uniforms on that first day,” she recalled.

What Gill didn’t realise at the time, though, was that Hadley Learning Community would be just the firstpiece in anew educationjigsawfor Telford –a multi-academy trust.

Under her stewardship, which continued until her retirement in December,the Learning Community Trust has grown into acollection of 10 schools responsible for morethan 5,500 children and employing over 1,000 people.

In addition to HLC, it also now includes Ercall Wood and Charlton secondary schools, as well as primary schools in Wellington, Ketley Bank and Crudgington, Severndale Academy in Shrewsbury,and Telford’s Queensway school which specialises in supporting children with autism.

It hasbuilt close links with many local businesses to give students the best possible opportunities for career progression and advice.

HLC Secondary has featured in the list of England’s top 100 schools for each of the last three years, based on progress, and is significantly oversubscribed.

It hasjust completed amajor

extension of the primary andsecondary phases to meet thedemand for places.

HLC received aglowing report from education watchdog Ofsted in the summer in its first monitoring visit since the pandemic. Inspectors said there was enough evidence to suggest it would be officially judged as ‘outstanding’ in afull inspection.

Gill said: “Wehave worked very hard to strengthen both our academic curriculum, and the broad range of enrichment opportunities offered, and so it was pleasingtosee this being acknowledged.

“Wewant our children to do really well at school, to become resilient and fully prepared for adult life. But we also want them to enjoy learning, and fora school to become areal community focal point for local residents.”

The Learning Community Trust hasalso won the contract to operate the new primary school whichiscurrently being built on the site of the old sugar beet factory at Allscott Meads. It is due to welcome its first pupils in September 2023.

Gill says: “There are so many people who have believed in me, and supported me, over the years, andfor that I’m eternally grateful.”

So, can she pick out some of the highlights of her long andillustrious career?

“That’s adifficult one,” she says. “There have been so many amazing memories. But getting my doctoratewas certainly one of them, andsecuring my first jobinteaching here in Shropshire, which was transformational.”

She’s not planning on disappearing from the local scene anytime soon, though. Gill is involved in several local organisations including serving as a trustee of the Lingen Davies cancer fund, and has several other irons in the fire.

“I’m looking forward to the next chapter whateverthatmay bring.”

Shrewsbury Showroom

AHEART OF GOLD

TOBY NEAL PAYS

FORMER

She was apioneerinjournalism with aheart of gold and a unfaltering desire to make a difference.

Tributes have been paid to former Shropshire Magazine associate editor and royal correspondent Shirley Tart who died peacefully at home on Christmas Day, aged 81.

She retired in 2020 after 63 unbroken years working for the magazine and its associated daily and weekly newspapers.

Shropshire-born, Shropshire-bred, and Shropshire-educated, she told stories of royalty and the highest in the land, and gave voice to ordinarySalopians who have had their own fascinatingtales to tell.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many people, different people,” she said ahead of her retirement.

Her contribution was recognised in 2005 when in the Queen’s Birthday Honours she was awarded the MBE for services to the newspaper industry

“That was particularly special,” she recalled.

Away from the world of journalism Shirley was deeply involved in various aspects of Shropshirelife, including

helping launch the Hope House children’s hospice appeal and becoming the hospice’s first patron.

Just afew of her various other contributionswere being adeputy lieutenant, apatron of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum, and county vicepresident of Guiding.

She was afounding member of the Shropshire branch of the Leukaemia Research Fund

Shirley was aShropshireStar pioneer, joining the founding staff of the then new paper as the team prepared for its launch in October 1964, becoming its first women’s editor,a role she held for the paper’s first 30 years.

She was to become royal correspondent for both the Star and Shropshire Magazine.

Speaking on her retirement, she said: “The very first big event Icovered was in 1973, thePrincess Royal’s first wedding at Westminster Abbey.Ihavebeen to every wedding, funeral, jubilee, and state occasion since, in London or Windsor

“I am agreat supporter of our monarchy.Given the alternative, it’s something that should be protected.”

TRIBUTE TO

SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE ASSOCIATE EDITOR SHIRLEY TART

Shirley Tart atIronbridge Museum to mark her 60 yearswith the ShropshireStar.

Shirley’s own storybegan on July 21, 1941, her birthplace being atwo-bedroom cottage, 17 Malinslee, ahome which stood between the disappeared community of Dark Lane, and Dawley

The site of her early childhood was destined to be swallowed up by the development of Telford shopping centre.

“I used to say Iwas born on Carrefour carpark, but Ican’t say that now,as Carrefour (Telford’s first big ‘hypermarket’) isn’t there any more,” she joked.

The family moved to Webb Crescent, Dawley,when she was 11, and her writing talents became apparent while she was apupil at Coalbrookdale High School.

Her journalism careerbegan on August 12,1957,when Shirley,who had just turned 16, started working on the old Wellington Journal &Shrewsbury News in days when female journalists were very unusual.

The weekly’s newspaper offices were in Queen Street, Wellington, but the reporters worked from acaravan at theback because of alack of room.

And it was from there that she cut her teeth as areporter, althoughinitially she had neither shorthand or typing skills. At first shewould cycle to work, but later got amoped.

Shirley’s five-year grounding at the Journal involved all the classic cub reporter jobs, including regular visits to the undertaker

Looking to progress her career,she started applying for a job on theevening paper,the Express &Star –there was no Shropshire Star at the time. She kept writing to theeditor Clem Jones and eventually he relented, saying he couldn’t stand her spending any more money on stamps.

Her first six months there were covering undefended cases at Birmingham Divorce Courts, followed by alittle spell in Stourbridge. It was all apreparation for areturn to Shropshire joining thebrand new Shropshire Star at Ketley

In 1994 she moved to Wolverhampton as assistant editor of sister paper theExpress&Star,before coming back to Shropshire as associate editor of ShropshireMagazine.

Shirley has interviewed in her time everybody from Ken Dodd to Margaret Thatcher

And her favourite interview?

Speaking in 2020, she said: “Wouldn’t you find that impossible to answer? Early on in my career we used to draw up names of people we would really like to interview.Two of the people on my list were Vera Lynn and Mother Teresa.

“Only afew years ago Iinterviewed Vera Lynn, which was a bit of icing on the cake.

“I didn’t get to interview Mother Teresa.She came to a big conference outside Birmingham and Isaid Iwould like a few words with her,and they said absolutely,but she was abit late arriving, and then had to get back to the airport to catch her flight, so the interview fell by the wayside. In its lieu Ihad breakfast with the Dalai Lama.”

Sometimes interviews are memorable for the wrong reasons, and one of young Shirley’s early assignments was to grab an interview with Barbara Moore, apart-Russian doctor in her60s who was on amarathon walk from John o’Groats to Land’s End during which she happened to pass through Wellington.

She completely ignored all Shirley’s questions and kept walking, leaving her with an empty notebook.

“I was sure Iwas goingtobesacked,” she joked.

In asparkling career the award of the MBE was aparticular high point and she recalled that as she waited for the presentation at BuckinghamPalace one of the staff asked her what shehad been given the medal for

She told him it was for representing newspapers and journalism.

“He looked at me in absolutely horror.Hesaid: ‘My goodness, we don’t get many of those around here.’”

And the Prince of Wales, who had met Shirley on several previous occasions, presented her the honour,hejoked: “Haven’t you retired yet?”

Fifteen years later,Shirley finally did retire, although she continued to contribute occasionally to the Star and kept up an avid interest in the newspaper

She said: “Weall try to make adifference in some small way, and if Ihave managed to achieve this through my job, Ican really ask no more.

“I just consider myself ever so lucky to have been given the opportunity to tell the story of other people’s lives, and to have met such fascinating people.”

Shropshire Magazine Editor-in-Chief Martin Wright paid tribute, saying: “Shirley was aremarkablejournalist who enjoyed an extraordinary career.

“Tohave worked in the industry for more than60years is an achievement in itself,but to have retained such enthusiasm and passion for the industry throughout is what really set Shirley apart. To have worked alongside Shirley for nearly 10 years was a real privilege.

“Shirley also worked tirelessly for good causes, and in particular for Hope House Children’s Hospice. She will be sorely missed by everyone at the Midland News Association and by

many,many people in the wider community.”

Hope House chief executive Andy Goldsmith said: “Shirley was with Hope House from the very start and was hugely instrumental in rallying supportfor the idea of achildren’s hospice to serve our region.

“She has been an influential patron,a hard-working ambassador andatrue and loyal friend to Hope House, publicising our work and even writing abook aboutus.

“Ourthoughts are with herfamily and friends at this sad time.”

Anna Turner,Lord Lieutenant for Shropshire, knew first hand how importantthe royals were to Shirley, and was able to tap into her vast knowledge on several occasions.

“She had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Royal Family,” she said.

“She will have forgotten more about the Royal Family than I will ever remember.She was so kind. Ishallmiss her support and advice alot. She was just so generous with her advice,and she had agreat sense of humour.”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOPLEFT:

Shirley Tart in October, 1970, with Gordon Bushell; with ShropshireStar staff in the 1970s; Shirley receivingher MBE at Buckingham Palace in 2005; Hope House Children’s Hospice; ayoung ShirleywithKen Clarke and solicitor Jeremy Riches in 1965; interviewing Margaret Thatcher in the early 1970s; Ken Dodd was among numerous interviewees.

STUNNING RIVERSIDE ELEGANCE

Set in the heartofthe stunning Shropshire countryside and occupying apicturesque spot along the River Severn, Severnbanks is atruly remarkable, architecturally designed contemporary development from prestigious developers, Homesmiths.

The two architecturally designed contemporary homes, which are on themarket with Savills for £2m each, offer aunique opportunity for buyers’ input to custom design layout and finish.

The development boasts 150 metres of private river access with ahost of water sports, delightful scenic walks and nearby country pursuits including fishingand horseriding.

The properties are situated in the desirable rural hamlet of Mytton overlooking the stunning Shropshire countryside, and close to Shrewsbury with its wealth of exceptional schools and variety of charming local coffee shops, wine bars, and fine dining restaurants.

Number 3Severnbanks has elegance and charm in abundance. All rooms are generously sized, totalling over 5,000 square feet of accommodation. The layout of the house and usage of rooms can be tailored to suit buyers’ requirements.

The ground floor is characterised by the grand entrance hall. Alarge open-plan kitchen flows into astunning dining and seating area. The orangery is flanked on three sides by large windows. The kitchen flows seamlessly into an adjacent snug/TV room. On the opposite flank are two further sitting rooms. There are also washrooms and cloakrooms. The combined utility and boot rooms have aseparate entrance.

The stairs rise to agalleried area. The magnificent principal suite includes alargedressing area accessing the spacious adjoining en-suite bathroom. Large sliding doors lead from the bedroom to alargeterracewith spectacular views. Bedrooms two and three are both spacious andfeature en-suitebathrooms and integrated storage. Bedrooms four and five are both large doubles.

Afamily bathroom also boasts generous spacewith the opportunity for custom design. Alarge linen room houses a washing machine and dryer

Outside, large rear gardens offer plenty of space with multiple seating areas. Thegardens are laid to lawn with wellestablished shrubs, hedging, andtrees. The property’s landscaped front area provides ample parking.

Alarge, double garage provides flexible and adaptable accommodation.

Number 2Severnbanks oozes style and sophistication. All rooms are generously sized, totalling almost 5,000squarefeet of accommodation. The layout of the house and usage of rooms can be tailored to suit buyers’ requirements.

On entry,the ground floor is characterised by the grand entrance hall. There are centrallylocated restrooms and cloakrooms. The entrance flows to the right into aseating area

The adjacent orangery is flanked on three sides by large windows and doors. The right wing of the property houses the stunning bespoke kitchen and there is also awalk-in pantry and access to the utility room and boot room which hasa separate outside entrance. On theopposite flank are two further sitting rooms.

The stairs rise to agalleried area. The magnificent principal suite includes alarge dressing area accessing the spacious adjoining en-suite bathroom.

Large sliding doors lead from the bedroom to alarge terrace. Bedrooms two and three are both spacious and feature en-suite bathrooms and integrated storage. Bedrooms four and five are both large doubles.

Afamily bathroom also boasts generous spacewith the opportunity for custom design. Alarge linen room houses a washing machine and dryer

Large rear gardens offer plenty of space with multiple seating areas.

There is also an extended garden to the east. The gardens are laid to lawn with well-established shrubs, hedging, and trees.

Number 2also has theoption to purchase an additional acre of land adjacent to the garden. The property’s landscaped front area provides ample parking.

Alarge, double garage provides flexible and adaptable accommodation.

Thebestproperties on your doorstep

PeterDaborn Director 01952239500

peter.daborn@savills.com

NewBuild

Severnbanks Development, Mytton, Shropshire

Twoarchitecturally designed contemporary homes with waterside living, unique opportunity forbuyers input to custom design layout and finish., detached garaging, environmentally designed, flush with the latest technology,bespoke handmade kitchens, EPC:A

Guide £2 million* | Freehold

Yockleton, Shrewsbury,SY5 9QB

Afine example of adelightful family home finished to avery high standard, Conveniently locatedapproximately one mile from Pontesbury,close to Shrewsbury (7 miles), Theproperty features apaddock of 1.73 acres (0.7 ha), the whole totalling 2.42 acres (0.97ha), EPC:E

Guide £1.25 million | Freehold

Beccy Theodore-Jones Associate 01952239500

btjones@savills.com

Thebestproperties on your doorstep

Hopesay, Craven Arms

Wonderful accommodation, including atwo bedroom annexe,afabulous opportunity forgenerational living, attractivegardens with surrounding country walks, fenced paddock, off road parking and aseparateworkshop,set within justover2acres, council tax band: F, EPC:D

Guide £950,000 | Freehold

Ironbridge,Shropshire

One of the mostnotable houses in coalbrookdale,set within aunescoworld heritage site, original features, close to well respected schools, opportunity to run ab&b, council tax band: G, EPC: D

Guide £875,000 | Freehold

Oswestry,Shropshire

Amodern and stylish family home with alifestyle twist, beautifully presented, justunder amile from oswestry town centreand within walking distanceofoswestry school, EPC:C

Guide £865,000 | Freehold

PeterDaborn Director 01952239500

peter.daborn@savills.com

Shrewsbury,Shropshire

Afabulous lifestyle home,self-contained one bedroom annexe with patio garden &parking, good location for commuting to shrewsbury,oswestry and chester, extensively modernised and reconfigured to provide open plan living, council tax band: g, EPC;F

Guide £825,000 | Freehold

Beccy Theodore-Jones Associate 01952239500

btjones@savills.com

TRADITIONAL CHARM

Abeautifully presented family home, 71 Shelton Road offers acombination of spacious contemporary living whilst maintaining atraditionalcharm in keeping with the age of the property

The property in Shrewsbury is on the market with Samuel Wood Estate Agents with aguideprice of£650,000.

It is delightfully complimented by beautiful gardens at the front and rear and is situated in the sought-after location of Copthorne within walking distance of the town centre. Theproperty is excellently placed for local amenities including schools and ahospital nearby

Off the entrance hall, which has oak flooring, are the living room, dining room, kitchen, an office/study,ground floor bedroom/family room and shower room. There is also auseful understairs store cupboard.

The living room hasa large bespoke double-glazed window to the front aspect and abrick fireplace, while the dining room has abay window and feature wall with archrecess and shelving. There are double sliding doors to the patio.

The kitchen is fitted in agalley style with extensive range of cupboards and drawers with work surface over.There is an electric hob, cooker hood, built-in double oven and integrated fridge.

Completing the ground floor accommodation is theoffice space, shower room and bedroom five/family room.

Off the spacious landing are four further bedrooms and the family bathroom.

The property is approached via gated access to agravel pathway,hedge and fencing borders. Apathway leads to the front door with agood-sized lawn area with flowers, shrubs and trees. There is a lovely pond feature with brick surround.

The property has parking space for one car under lean-to with gated access from Mytton Park. The garage has double opening doors, window,power and lighting.

The lovely rear garden has agood sized patio area, lawn section andgravel, flower,shrub and rockery borders, and is enclosed by fencing and hedging.

PriceGuide£399,000

sympatheticallyrenovatedtooffera2/3 bedroombarnconversioninthevillage ofMunslow.SittinginanAreaof OutstandingNaturalBeautywitha courtyard,garageandparking

TheForge,Dorrington

PriceGuide£415,000

Offeringspacious,contemporarylivingwitha superbopenplandiningkitchen,thismodern, fourbedroomdetachedproperty occupiesan enviablepositionintheheartofthismuch soughtafterVillagewithmanyamenities.

OffersOver£400,000

Awellpresentedfourbedroomfamilyhome, occupyingadesirablecornerplotinthe soughtafterlocationofBaystonHill, boastingaspaciousinterior,largegardens, drivewayparkingandagarage.

Thisspaciousdetachedresidenceoffersflexible livingaccommodationarrangedovertwofloors. Outsidethepropertyenjoyslevelgardens, excellentgateddrivewayparking,detached garageandgardenroom

18LythwoodRoad,BaytsonHill

PriceGuide£850,000

Impressivefivebedroomdetachedproperty, locatedinapremierresidentialareatothe eastofShrewsburytowncentre.The propertybenefitsfromadoublegarage, generousdrivewayandbeautifulgarden.

TheRockeries,Bucknell

PriceGuide£800,000

ThiselegantEdwardiancountryhomeoffers versatileaccommodationwithspaciousand airylivingspaces,inglenookfireplacesand beingsetwithinbeautifullandscapedgardens whichenjoy stunningcountrysideviews.

PriceGuide£900,000

Thisbeautifullyrenovated,3-storey,semidetachedfarmhousesitsinalovelyrural settingwithafineruralviewbenefitting fromexcellentparking,usefulGarage/ Outbuildingandlowmaintenancegardens.

Beautifullypresentedfamilyhome,providing spaciousandcontemporarylivingsetover threefloors.Locatedinthemuchsought-after areaofDarwin'sWoodtotheWestsideof Shrewsburytowncentre.

2MayfieldGardens,Shrewsbury

2BirchleyFarmCourt,TenburyWells

OffersOver £500,000

12CapelClose,Shrewsbury

EQUESTRIAN IDYLL T

he Stables at Cherrington near Newport is an excellent equestrian facility set in approximately 18 acres pasture located in amost desirable part of North Shropshire. Jackson Property is offering this rare opportunity to purchase an excellent equestrian property set in adesirablearea of North Shropshire with a£775,000 pricetag.

The hamlet of Cherrington, near thehistoric market town of Newport, lies to the northofWellington. The property enjoys arural aspect and is surrounded by fields, stables, and unspoilt picturesque countryside. Newport has arange of excellent local amenities including awide variety of shops, supermarkets, sports facilities, highly regarded schools and good communication links for commuters.

The two-bed Stables cottage is acharmingcharacter barn conversion, well positioned with aprivategated entrance to the front of the property,and aseparate second entrance from the rear

The house itself consists of an entrance hall from the front door,leading to an inner hallway and bathroom, living room with staircase to upstairs,and aconservatory

There is akitchen with integrated appliances, and adining room.

Upstairs,the property consists of two bedrooms and acentral landing area. The cottage has asmalllawned garden area and a stoned parking area.

The outside facilities at the property are excellent for equestrian users. There is atraditional concrete yard with timber stabling, located within convenient proximity to the house, along with nine stables, astore/feed room, two further hay/bedding storage shelters, and furtherconcrete hard standing with plenty of scope for additional stabling and parking if required.

There is agood amount of stoned hard-standing for parking. The mènage measures 20x40 metres, with excellent drainage and an all-weathersurface.

The property in total measures approximately 18 acres.

There is an additional opportunity to purchase the adjacent three-bedroom period cottage with afurther 2.8 acres by separate negotiation.

Viewings are strictly by prior appointment with Jackson Property on 01743 709249.

If you are looking to sell or let your property/ land, or need advice on arange of professional matters, please call or use the QR code to visit our website

Burlton, Shropshire

Asuperb equestrianpropertywith familyhome, ancillaryaccommodation in ahighlydesirable location suitable forprivate or commercial use.

3-bed barnconversion |1-bed annex|Array of useful buildings |22 stables |Floodlitmanege|Wash box|Securetackroom|Workshop/ vehicle store|19acres of flat land splitintopaddocks| EPCrating D OIEO £880,000

Baschurch,Shropshire

Highquality barnconversion with grasspasture andanarray of outbuildings providing scope for equestrian, businessorsmallholding use.

4-bed barnconversion |Far reacingviews of unspoiltcountryside Ancillary agriculturalbuilding convertedwith PP forbusiness use Fantasticoutriding from the property |Set within 4.2acres

£825,000

Market Drayton, Shropshire

Afantastic opportunity to purchase an idyllic andattractiveequestrianproperty, with mature gardens andsurrounding land.

Kitchen/dining |Living room |Utility |Snug/office |4 bedrooms

Family bathroom|En-suite| Stables| Haybarn|Double garage

Largegardens |Establishedorchard| 9.53Acres |EPC raing D £815,000

Cherrington, Shropshire

An excellent equestrianfacility with atraditional 2-bed barnconversion, set in approx.18acres, locatedinNorth Shropshire.

Characterproperty|Private gated driveway |Traditional timber stabling |Concreteyard|20m x40m manège |Chain free sale Adjoining 3bed cottage &landavailable by sepneg |EPC rating C

£775,000

PERFECTLOCATION

Afour-bedroom character property,recently renovated and situated between Shrewsbury and Telford, has been launched to themarket.

The Villa, at Withington, near Upton Magna, has been transformed by the present owners to now provide amodern house with industrial and contemporary tones. The driveway beckons to aspacious gravelled parking area, where the open porch leads theeye to the front door

Inside, agenerous hallway with slate tiles leads into an open-plan living space, with dedicated areas. The kitchen area is

filled with light from avaultedwindow, while the dining area benefits from wallto-wall bifold doors to the terrace. To the opposite end alounge area offers an informal space. Returning across the hall the main lounge boasts awood burner and asurround sound system.

Autility and cloakroom complete the ground floor accommodation.

The hallway accommodates astaircase which sweeps around achandelier to the first floor

From the character gallery landing are four double bedrooms, astudy/fifth bedroom and family bathroom.

The master bedroom is en-suite with generous dressing room.

Charlie Giffard, Balfours Associate Partner,Country House Sales,comments: “This is awell-presented property where much thought has gone into the design both internally and externally.Extending to two acres in all, from the terrace, views can be enjoyed to apond, while lawns and mature trees frame the property.A vegetable patch and dual potting shed are also to be found in the grounds.”

Balfours are marketing The Villa with aguide price of £950,000. Call 01743 353511 for moreinformation.

Shrewsbury Shropshire

Guide Price £1,650,000

AGrand Grade II Listed Georgian Townhouse which offers a Wealth of Period Features and Traditional Character. Six Bedrooms,Dining Room, Drawing Room, Formal Dining Room, Games Room, LargeGaragewith Workshop above,South Facing Garden.

UNDER OFFER

Shrewsbury Shropshire

GuidePrice £795,000

ASubstantial Black and WhiteDetached Farmhouse with Five /Six Bedrooms laid out overThree Floors 5/6 Bedrooms,Three Storeys, Large Gardens,3Reception Rooms, 3Bathrooms,Outbuildings,Potential to Modernise.EPC: E.

GuidePrice £850,000

ADetached Period Family Home in one of Shrewsbury’s Finest Residential Locations with Enormous Potential. Town Centre,Excellentlocation, Period Property,Traditional Layout,Two Bathrooms,Four Bedrooms,Open-Plan Kitchen/ Breakfast Room, UtilityRoom,Formal Drawing Room, EPC E.

UNDER OFFER

GuidePrice £700,000

ADetached Four Bedroom House with Far-Reaching Westerly Views, Setin9.3 Acres(3.76 Ha) with Stables

CharacterProperty,Sitting /Garden Room, Kitchen /Dining Hall, Barn, Additional 14.17 Acres(5.73ha) with SeparateAccess Via Separate Negotiation, EPC D.

Shrewsbury Shropshire

TheBog Shrewsbury

Cound,NrShrewsbury

Guide £875,000

Situatedbetween the county town of Shrewsburyand the stunning smaller medieval town of Much Wenlock, is the exclusivedevelopmentofCound Park Gardens.The developmentsits in the restored walled garden of Cound Hall.Pelham House is aspacious sixbedroom property,which the currentowners have recently improved and upgraded to ahigh standardofspecification.

UNDER OFFER

English Frankton

Guide £700,000

TheQuaikin is an idyllic four bedroomproperty set on its owninthe stunning Shropshirecountryside.This quintessential ex-farmhouse hasanabundanceofcharacterand charmwith original oakbeams, exposed bricks, quarrytile flooring,log burning stoves and anatural pond all backing onto openfarmland.The property dates backtothe 17th Centuryand has been amuch-lovedand wonderfulfamily home forthe currentowners.The property sits on approximately ahalf-acreplot andisfound at the end of aone kilometrelong no-through road

Radbrook,Shrewsbury

Guide £1,200,000

TheHollieshas recently undergone acomprehensivegrand designstyle of refurbishmenttoprovide superb luxuryfamily accommodation to include; four bedrooms,large livingroom, asuperb kitchen/family room, contemporarybath/showerrooms.The property also benefits from double glazed sash windows,zoned underfloor heating to theground floor andgas firedcentral heating.Thereisadouble garage,parking bayand self contained homeoffice/annex. Beautifully landscaped gardens.Situatedonthe ever popularand desirable westernfringe of Shrewsburyclose to excellentamenities andthe towncentre.

Belle Vue, Shrewsbury

£775,000

Asuperior,detached,double fronted, five bedroom family residencewith spacious accommodation including; entrancehall,study,sitting room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room,utility, master bedroom with en suite showerroom, second bedroom andthirdbedroom with Jackand Jill showerroom, twofurther bedrooms and family bathroom.Detached double garage,ample parking.Good sized rear garden. Situated in this popular and convenientlocation close to excellentamenities,including the nearby Shrewsburytowncentre.

EXECUTIVE DETACHED

Internal inspection is highly recommended for this much improved and superbly presented five-bedroom detached executive home that is located in this highly soughtafter location.

Number 20 Merlin Coppice in Apley, Telford, is on the market with Mannleys for offers in the region of £595,000

The property offers well planned and extremely flexible modern family living. The ground floor comprises astunning refitted open-plan kitchen/dining/family room, sitting room, study,entrance hallway,utility and ground floor wc.

The first floor offers aspacious main bedroom with fitted wardrobes and ensuite shower,two double bedrooms with connecting Jack &Jill en-suite shower, family bathroom andtwo further double bedrooms.

The top floor features two superb loft rooms, one used as games room andone as asnugsittingroom.

The property benefits from integral double garage, driveway parking and landscaped gardens.

Viewing is amust to appreciate the superb quality on offer with this lovely family home.

BACHE COTTAGE

BACHE, SY79LN

OIEO £1,000,000

An amazingopportunity to secure your ownlittlehaven of tranquillity.Nestled in theglorious SouthShropshire countryside,Bache Cottagerests in abeautiful rural setting, completewithit’sveryown fishinglake, with fishingrights, holiday lets andadditional barnswhich couldbeconverted into furtherholiday lets, subject to planningapproval. EPC D

ROSE VILLA

STATIONROAD, ADMASTON,TF5 0AW

OIRO£795,000

Astunning, individually designedfourbedroom detachedhomethatoccupies an amazinglandscaped plot.Entrancehall,lounge,kitchen/diningroom, family room,study,utility, W.C. Principal bedroomwithensuiteand walk-in wardrobe,guest bedroomwithensuite, twofurther bedrooms andfamilybathroom. Extensive drivewaywithelectric gates, detacheddouble garage with gym/home office with en-suite. Landscaped gardenstothe front, side andrear. EPC B

CHARTLEY

SHAWBIRCHROAD, ADMASTON,TF5 0AB

OIRO£695,000

Gorgeousand beautifullypresented 4bedroom detached executive property situated on asuperb privateplot.

Entrance hall,large lounge, diningroom, kitchen with breakfast room,utility andstudy.Principal bedroom with en-suite, threefurther double bedroomsand a family bathroom.Integraldoublegarage&driveway parkingwithextensive,landscapedfront andrear gardens. EPC D

33CRUDGINGTON

CRUDGINGTON TF6 6JG

OIRO£695,000

Superbly extended andmuchimproved detachedfour bedroomDukeofSutherlandcottagethatoccupies astunningplot. Entrance hall,large lounge with conservatory,familyroom, study, open-plankitchen/ diningroom, utilityand shower room.Principal bedroom with en-suite bathroom,three further bedroomsand family bathroom.Gated driveway, large garage &carport,28ftworkshopand furtherdetached outbuilding. Extensive gardens. EPC D

mannleysproperty.co.uk

When you want to create aharmonious haven for working from home, nothing beats acontemporary white table –especially if teamed with fresh green foliage and rattan decosfor adose of wellbeing.

WEAVE WHITE DECOR INTO YOUR HOME

DBKD long vase, £48, Westholme Interiors

Scandi-inspired and alovely focal point with its organic curved shape, this would look great with dried grasses or feather grasses for textureand movement.

Norton

aselection), The White Company

Amix of whites, off-whites and natural materials –think knitted throws, atexturedrug, sturdy seagrass and soft lighting –makes for an instantly cosy, laid-back vibe.

It’s atimeless staple which can brighten up theblandest of spaces –no wonder our love affair with white furnishings shows no sign of waning.

“The perfect simplicity of white is not to be underestimated, its versatility can warm acold space, brighten adull one, or turna lifeless interior into an enticing personal home,” says Chrissie Rucker OBE (left), founder of The White Company

“A whitescheme is brilliant for bringing asense lightness and serenity to aspace.”

When decorating with white, Chrissie’s advice is to pile on the texture and to use natural elements, which connect us back to nature.

“A super-soft rug underfoot, or a diaphanous drape at awindow can truly transform aroom,” she says. “Add in weathered wood, slubby linen or marbled slate to add interest.”

Forwalls, opt for warm whites rather than cold, bluey-white tones. “Ivory, alabaster,chalk andmany other soft whites are on the market. Ilove itsalmost spa-likequality,which in ourhecticworld is lovely to comehome to,” Chrissie adds.

WHETHER WARM OR WOWING, ASPLASH OF WHITE MAKES FORANEASY MAKEOVER, SAYS SAM WYLIE-HARRIS

Evesham Table(front), £395;

stool (left), £120; Southwold table lamp, £195, and Elston rug, from £525 (sofa from

Milton white 120cm table, £150, FurnitureChoice

Newicon pedal bin 30-litre, £84 (other items from aselection), Brabantia

An all-white kitchen is chic and welcoming, especially when your waste bin’s awinner in the style stakes too. Team with other allwhite kitchenware.

Honeycombwine bottle rack, from £39, APlace For Everything

These modular wine rackscan hold up to 10 bottles –and makeperfect building blocks for enthusiasts who want to create awhole wonder wall of wine, as shown here. Alternatively, simply sit individual racks on countertops or cabinets.

Leckfordstoneware, from £5, John Lewis

With its rustic feel, this white stonewarerange is ideal for relaxed entertaining and simple tablescapes.

Cream ceramic donut table lamp, £28, Direct. asda

Ring-shaped ceramic lamp arehavingamoment, and with textured wooden effect shade, this is bang on the money.

WilLaw,home stylist at John Lewis &Partners, says: “Decorating with soothing pale shades is incredibly versatile and can work brilliantly in busy,contemporary homes. Pair neutral tones with natural materials such as rattan and jute, for a relaxed and easy interiors scheme.”

Wilsayswhites can also be used to accent aroom. Forexample,neutral soft furnishings work well against darker shades on furniture andrugs.

Artificial rose tree, from £30 (3ft), Christow

Fast-track to arose tree in perpetual bloom… These beautiful cream roseswith anatural looking twisted vine will add wowfactor to adull corner,orpositioned in front of a fireplace.

Snuggle accent swivel chair –gold base, cream boucle, £599, John Lewis

If abouclecocktailchair –that doubles up as asnug swivel –isonyourwishlist, this oneticks allthe boxes. We love its contemporary-cool design and gold base.

VIVA MAGENTA

PANTONE’S COLOUR OF THE YEAR IS ALL ABOUT JEWEL TONE ACCENTSAND INVENTIVENESS, SAYS SAM WYLIE-HARRIS

The Pantone Colour Institute exp x erts have chosen ‘an unconventional shade for an unconventional time’ for 2023’s Colour of the Year –and Viva Magenta is certainly far from muted.

In fact, ‘brave, fearless, powerful and empowering’ is how this nuanced crimson-blended shade is described –‘an animated red that revels in pure joy, encouraging exp x erimentation and selfexp x ression without restraint’.

According to the Pantone pros, this ‘electrifying’ and ‘boundless’ shade manifests as a‘stand-out statement’ –and we’ve no doubt it’ll do the same for your interiors.

“Vibrant and energising, VivaMagenta is the perfect accent

colour to liven up aroom,” says Chelsea Clark, head of brand at Lust Home.

“If you’re looking to make a statement, pair the warm red hue with neutral or complementary colours that have the same undertone –and add some contrasting accessories for an extra touch.”

As Clark points out, the thought of using abrightorvibrant shade when decorating can be quite daunting at first, especially if it’s abreakfrom the norm for you. Af A ter all, big aspirations call for confidence –but youcan skip the exp x ected curtains and scatter cushions pairing (depending on your budget) by switching up your wall treatments.

“Wallpaper is agreat starting point when looking to dip your toes into the world of bright interiors,” says Clark. “Add apop of Viva Magenta to your walls in the form of apatterned wallpaper and

embrace the bold trend.”

Elsewhere, colourful paint effects can help you pull off amajor wall statement and take your blankcanvas to the next level

“Vixen is Graham & Brown’s take onViva Magenta,” says James Greenwood, interior expert at Graham & Brown A bold pink perfect for those who love playful colour, he acknowledges this vibrant hue can often seem quite overwhelming when introducing it to the home –but you don’t have to go all in at once.

As Greenwood says: “For amore easily translatable look into an interior scheme, colour blocking is agreat way to incorporate a hotpink into your interior without being overpowering.”

Sahararugs 56105 by TedBaker in burgundy, from £529 (140 x200cm), The Rug Seller

Annie Sloan Capri pink chalk paint, £24 alitre.

Mulberry tigress fringe velvet cushion cover, £95, Alvana.

Think about pairing with cooler pink and purple shades, underpinned by awarm neutral like a putty beige, he suggests, which keeps the brighter pops of colour grounded.

Emma Bestley,cofounder of YesColours, agrees –especiallyif you’re feeling more timid than fearless: “Viva Magenta is aclassic hot pink and in colour terms, apinkish, purplish red. This exact colour may be too intense for your walls, but we don’t have to take Pantone’s colour of the year so literally,” she says.

Indeed, Pantone cite Viva Magenta as ‘a shade rooted in nature descending from the red family –and expressive of anew signal of strength’. How you choose to

channel this in your own home is open to interpretation.

Bestley suggests looking at varying tones of pink-purple to suit your needs: “It will still maintain that fearless assertiveness.”

Play around with different depths of saturation andtones to see what works for your space. With adeep pinky-mauve sophistication, Bestley says these shades can wrap you in warmth and comfort,like cashmere.

“Some may see it as lusty,but we just see it as loving and kind,” she adds.

Another way to get the look is by focusing on upholstery and soft furnishings and havingsome fun with fabrics.

“Be brave with arich magenta sofa and matching feature wall, guaranteed to create astatement in your living

room,” suggests FrancescaHadland from Bridgman.

“Echo the colour around the space with your accessories, from your throw cushions to your rug,”she adds.

“And, don’t forget to look to house plants and foliage to offset this bold colour palette with complimentary greens, bringing the bold shades of nature into your home.”

Best of all –with Pantone describing Viva Magenta as a‘pulsating red shade whose exuberance promotes optimism and joy’–think of all the spectacular ways you can work this joyous shadeinto your scheme when spring flowers startto bloom.

With peony flowered tulips turning heads, this red-pink hue will be cropping up everywhere.

Set of 2Stella dining chairs, £270, Emporium oriental rug, from £90 (80 x 150cm), Next.

Loving Pink paint, £21 per can (litrematt), YesColours.

Vixen Paint, from £46 per can (2.5 litres), Graham and Brown.

Vixen Paint, from £46 per can (2.5 litres), Graham and Brown.

Animal Instinct wallpaper in candy pink and red, £45 per roll,Lust Home.

Corrigan Studio Drumawillin 3-Seater standardsofaincosmic pink, £1,100, Wayfair.

WEIRD AND WONDERFUL VEG TO GROW

Bored with growing conventional veg like orange carrots, green beans and white turnips? There are plenty of more adventurous options –including speckled sweetcorn, white beetroot and alternative aubergines –you could try

Aproject set up by horticultural charity Garden Organic to protect rare seeds means gardeners can gain access to rarer heirloom varieties being conserved by the charity’s Heritage Seed Library.Other seed companies are also offering more unusual-looking varieties to help perk up your harvest. Curious? Here are just afew of the weirdand wonderful veg you could be growing in 2023

White Devoybeetroot

This late-maturing, pure white beetroot has adelicate flavour and was derived from the purple variety ‘Devoy’. It produces an irregularly shaped, tapering beet with knobbly side roots. The foliage can also be cooked and eaten like chard, or the beetroot added to salads.

Beetroots do best in light soils that are rich, but have not been recently manured. The earliest sowings can be made into seed trays under glass in February or March. The leaves, as well as theroots, are good to eat. Varieties cross easily,so grow only one variety of seed at atime.

n Available from gardenorganic.org. uk/hsl

Aubergine ‘White Knight’

Fancy some white aubergines for a change? This variety produces creamywhite fruits that grow up to 20cm long. An early maturing variety that is very ornamental and tasty,they are ideal for growing in containers and can be picked from August onwards, or when fruits are at leastabout 15cm long and the skin surface is still shiny.Can be roasted, sauteed, baked or served in hors d’oeuvres.

n Available from dtbrownseeds.co.uk, marshallsgarden.com and mr-fothergills. co.uk

AlternativeFrench climbing beans

Reading Purple, aclimbing French bean, produces striking long flat purple pods and is tall, with purple-veined, dark green leaves and purple stems. The pods change colour to green when cooked and are stringless if picked young. Unusually,this bean loses its leaves as the pods begin to dry

Aubergine‘White Knight’.

White Devoybeetroot.

SPECKLED SWEETCORN, WHITE AUBERGINES AND ORANGE CAULIFLOWERS COULD PERK UP THE VEG PATCH THIS YEAR, SAYS HANNAH STEPHENSON

Alternatively,opt for aTiger bean (right), another climbing French bean which is vigorous and easy-to-grow,producing small mauve-pink flowers followed by stringless green pods. It is tender and has a great flavour when eaten fresh; the tiger-striped dried beans are also tasty and eye-catching.

n Available from gardenorganic.org. uk/hsl

Cauliflower‘Amo125’

The first orange Romanesco (marketed as an Amoresco type), not only is it orange on the outside, but it has orange coloration all the way through, even when cooked. This variety is perfect for cauliflower cheese or piccalilli.

n Available from thompson-morgan. com

Mr Jefwa’sCallaloo

Mr Jefwa, aUgandan Asian who moved to the West Midlands, acquired these seeds when visiting afriend in the late 1990s. He found them to be atasty edible crop and continued to grow them and save the seeds, which he subsequently donated to Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library.

As well as tasting good, they look beautiful as an ornamental plant with dark purple-red flower spikes, providing agreat example of anon-traditional crop that can be grown easily in the UK and will add much needed biodiversity to your veg patch. Use callaloo in the same way you use other leafy green vegetables –enjoy baby leaves raw in salads, while older leaves can be cooked like spinach or stir-fried.

n Available from gardenorganic.org. uk/hsl

Tomato ‘Sundried Red Desire’

Asundried tomato from the vine? Well, yes. Youcan eat the fruit as fresh tomatoes, just likeany other variety,but because the skin isn’t as shiny, it allows the fruit to dry on the vine without cracking, meaning it turns into atomato raisin andgets sweeter tasting. Youcan leave the fruit on the plant to dry or harvest and let it dry in the house on a windowsill.

n Available from thompsonmorgan.com

Kaskinauris

turnip

Originally from Finland, Kaskinauris (right) was a turnip sown after burning the land. ‘Kaski’ means an area cleared by fire, and ‘nauris’ means turnip. It originated several hundred years ago at atime when land was managed in this manner.Ithas a flattened disc-like shape and is purple skinned, with occasionally ayellow underside.

n Available from gardenorganic.org

uk/hsl

Ornamental Corn ‘Fiesta’

This traditional ‘Indian’ corn produces kernels with various tones of blue, red, yellow and white. Fantastic for autumn decorating, maturing approximately 10-14 days earlier than other ornamental corn. Cobs average 18-25cm in length with 50-70%purple husks. Start plants inside and plant them out after frost has passed when they are around four weeks old. They should be sown as ablock with aminimum four plants by four plants to get maximum pollination.

n Available from pennardplants.com or premierseedsdirect.com

n Formore information on Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library,visit gardenorganic.org.uk/hsl

Tomato ‘Sundried Red Desire’

Ornamental corn ‘Fiesta’.

Callaloo Mr Jefwa; right, Reading Purple climbing French beans.

CauliflowerAmoresco.

AFIGHTING CHANCE

HANNAH STEPHENSON ASKS GEMMA GOLDING, THE NEWLYAPPOINTED RHS SENIOR ECOLOGIST,HOW GARDENERS CANBECOME ‘NATURE POSITIVE’

Boosting wildlife, reducing carbon footprints and becoming ‘biodiversity positive’ are all part of the ongoing RHS Planet-Friendly Gardening Campaign.

“Wehave atarget of ‘biodiversity positive’ by 2025, reversing habitat destruction in gardens and community green spaces around thecountry, protecting and improving conditions for pollinators and other wildlife and enhancing and conserving cultivated plant diversity for the future,” says the charity’s new senior ecologist, Gemma Golding (left). Golding will design and lead ecological surveys at the RHS’s five gardens, establishing data on wildlife and developing recommendations to increase biodiversity in gardens across the UK.

Here’s acloser look at how gardeners can take inspiration…

Reversing habitat destruction

Going peat-free, making your own compost and switchingyour fence to a green screen or agreen wall, can all play their part.

“I look at how the environment and ecology can sit together in amixture of habitats and how the eco-system works, when wildlife and other nature would start to move in. An example might be to have apond. Rather than look at individual species, if you improvethe whole eco-system, that’s when wildlife would be attracted,” says Golding.

“If you can’t have apond, you might have room for abirdbath or asmall water feature, or having some wildlife planting on your balcony,or trying to thinkof ways to make an environment good for wildlife,” she adds.

New infrastructures often have green roofs, which can also help boost habitats and gardeners could get involved in this, she suggests.

Choosing plants wisely

“It’s about mixing native with nonnative, having winter berry varieties like holly to prolong the period when particular bird species have food, for instance, and it’sworth thinkingof tree and shrub species whichwill benefitwildlife and biodiversity,” says Golding.

Plant atree in your community, school, workplaceor home to draw carbon out of the air,include perennials to help provide food and shelter for wildlife and help stem the decline in bees, butterflies, moths and other pollinators by growing plants which will attract them.

Saving bats

“Bats are losing their habitats. Older buildings may have more naturalholes and crevices for roosting. New buildings are often perfect-looking with fewer holes, so bat boxes are useful,” says Golding.

“The right habitat is green space and linear features in parks and gardens, or rough, wild habitat next to railway lines, and rivers. In termsof flowers, gardeners can plant specimens with night-scented flowers to encourage prey.”

Helping threatened species

Birds on the red list of the UK’s leading bird conservation and monitoring organisations include the house martin and the greenfinch. But there are things gardeners can do to help stem the decline.

“Some of it is down to disease spread through bird feeders –soencouraging people not just to put food out but thinking how they maintain their bird feeders and cleaning them regularly,and the same with bird baths, is one thing that people can do,” explains Golding.

Connecting gardens

Connectivity of gardens has been overlooked, she notes. If properties provided connective green spaces, adding planting or other features which would give wildlife awider range, it will help biodiversity

“You might have alarge green space and gardens might be backing on to each other.You could have trees which birds are using as landing nurseries. If you’ve larger trees and hedges in your garden, you are more likely to have birds nesting in them. That green connective habitat is as important as having one good garden,” she explains.

“That goesto ground level too. Have hedgehog corridors, with gaps in fences to allow them through.”

Helping other threatened creatures

Golding says: “The hedgehog is abig one, great crested newts are losing breeding ponds as our ponds decrease, and other birds including swifts have declined.”

Other threatened species found in the RHS gardens include the hazel dormouse at RHS Garden Rosemoor,stag beetle at RHS Garden Wisley,lesser redpoll at RHS Garden Harlow Carr,mistle thrush at RHS Garden Bridgewater and shrill carder bee at RHS Garden Hyde Hall.

Moreresearch is needed

Bee, bat and invertebrate surveys by ecologists are planned for next year,tounderstand what species we have, breeding patterns, rare species and supportinghabitats, while others will encourage people to be more aware of their surroundings

Some of the wildlife Golding will be examining in the surveys are amphibians, butterflies, breeding birds, bumblebees and other terrestrial andaquatic invertebrates.

These groups are agood representative for overall biodiversity levels on sites, she says, and canhelp determine the health of ahabitat. The data collected will show trends and how actions in thegardens are improving wildlife numbers.

n Formore information, see rhs.org.uk/gardening-for-theenvironment

Forpeople in cities, climbing walls such as ivy,which is around for most of the year,may take up less space than a hedge and would potentially provide a connective area for wildlife.

Ivy leaves.

The highly scented star jasmine.

Great crested newt

Agreenfinch.

Abbey Kitchens wasestablished29years ago in Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury by asingle family who still runittoday. Dedicatedtothe highest levels of service, we delightindeliveringthe kitchenyou’ve alwaysdreamtof.

We pride ourselves on supplyinghighquality kitchens, cabinets and doors with over 100 years of collectiveexperience in design, planning and after-care, meaning we deliver an exceptional standard of product and service to our clients.

Youcan also see your new virtual kitchenand getafeel for space on ourtop of therange CAD system. This puts you in the driving seat, ensuringyou get the perfect kitchen for you and yourfamily to make memories in for many years to come.

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WHITCHURCH

ANDY RICHARDSON EXPLORESTHE TOWN

The northernmost market town in Shropshire is aplace of contrasts. Alocation that’s visited by ahuge number of cyclists following the Land’s End to John O’Groats route, a place with aproud history of great local food, asettlement that is surrounded by great countryside and boasts numerous independent traders, it’s one of the county’s unsung heroes.

Twenty miles from Shrewsbury,Chester andWrexham, it has great transport links, not least its popular canals, and was a favourite for much-loved celebrity chef,Clarissa Dickson Wright, who said this: “I often make my way into Cheshire through the town of Whitchurch, of which Iamreally quite fond. It is oneof those towns that has everything useful –chemists, banks, hardware stores… andanindependent bookshop, and it has without adoubt the best Tourist Information Centre that it hasever been my privilege to go to.”

Agreat town centre provides plenty of reasons for residents to stay local, but there’s much more besides. Whitchurch’s hinterland is filled with historic houses, beautiful gardens and plenty of sites in which to observe wildlife. It’s atown that hassomething for everyone, from those who want the hustle and bustle of avibrant High Street to those who want peace and quiet amid the undulating hills on itsdoorstep.

Lying just two milesfrom the Welsh border,Whitchurch is Shropshire’s oldest town and there is evidence of habitation from as far back as 3,000BC. It was asettlement for Romans, around 52AD,

called Mediolanum, and stood on amajor road between Chester and Wroxeter Archaeologists havemade numerous, fascinating discoveries down theyears, not least the remains of aRoman wooden trackway,which was found in 2016, in addition to acollection of 37 Roman coins, which were found in 2018, at Holyhurst, near Whitchurch.

The town was called Westune during the Middle Ages and the Lords of Whitchurch were well armed and fought from the town’s castle. During more

recent history,Whitchurch played amajor role in World WarII. Asecret YStation that intercepted enemy signals operated from the town’s Old Rectory,inClaypit Street, and was run by the Foreign Office.

The town has alarge number of listed buildings, with around100 in and around the centre. St Alkmund’s Church is among the many impressive examples and was rebuilt in 1712-1713. Other historic buildings include the Old Eagles pub, which was built in the 16th century,and 17, 19 and 21 Watergate Street, otherwise

known as Raven Yard Antiques. Those properties were built in 1625 and updated down the years.

The town’s rich history is evident from anumberof street names andplace names.

Pepper Street, for instance, has Roman heritage and recounts thesale of pepper and spices. Dodington is derived from Dodtune, which recalls alocal AngloSaxon chieftan, while other street names and place names recall former industries in the town, not least an oak-acid making

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:

Harrison Fordholidayingonthe Llangollen Canal with Calista Flockhart and her adopted son Liam in 2004; Belton Farm cheese; Belton Farm;locks at Grindley Brook on the Llangollen Canal, near Whitchurch; Whitchurch High Street from the direction of the church; Clarissa Dickson Wright; Whitchurch Canal Festival on the Whitchurch Branch of the Llangollen Canal.

business which was part of the town’s tanning industry

Whitchurch has aremarkablestretch of canal, ashort arm of theLlangollen Canal, which is ashort walk from the town centre, via the Whitchurch Waterways Country Park. It is popular with celebrities as well as boating enthusiasts. In 2008, twoofBritain’s bestloved actors followed in the wake of apair of Hollywood stars when they enjoyed the pleasures of Shropshire’s canal life. Husband and wife actors Timothy West andPrunella Scales liked nothing better than escaping to their narrowboat and the “instant countryside” of the canals.

The confirmed waterways enthusiasts were in Shropshire to visit the Montgomery Canal and see for themselves the ongoing restoration work.Mrs Scales, best known as Basil Fawlty’s wife Sybil in Fawlty Towers, said she loved the peace and quiet of the canals. But they are not the first celebrity couple to come to the county to enjoy its canals. Star Wars and Indiana Jones actor Harrison Ford and his actress girlfriend Calista Flockhart, star of Ally McBeal, famously enjoyed atrip in 2004 along the Llangollen Canal.

The town’s economy has historic links to anumber of industries, with cheese-

making and clock-making foremost among them. Belton Cheese has been in existence since 1922 and continues to be amajor employer for the town. An independent family-run business, located in the stunning Shropshire countryside, cheese has been made at Belton Farm by the Beckett family since shortly after World WarI.Itisgrounded in its heritage and rural surroundings but also has the ambition and capability to innovate, move forward and deliver for modern tastes.

Whitchurch’s position on acanal helped to boost the cheese trade, with supplies being sent down from Cheshire. After the construction of the canal, Whitchurch became acollection point for farms sending cheeses to market by boat. Canal boats collected cheese from farms on all parts of the Welsh Canal but mainly from Shropshire. The bottom floor of the Shropshire Union Canal Warehouse was used for storing and checking the cheese. Once it hadbeen examined, it would be sent on to Ellesmere Port docks and then on to Liverpool for export. The boats would leave WhitchurchonWednesdays and arrive at Ellesmere Port on Fridays.

Powells Pork Pies are also synonymous with the town. The Powell family of master butchers originated from Astley,Shropshire, and ran astallwithin Shrewsbury Market Hall and ashop situated in Castle Foregate, Shrewsbury, from the early 1800s until the mid 1960s

During World War2,their shop in Castle Foregate was said to have held more ration books than any other butcher in the area. Nowadays, thefamily’s traditional hand-raised pork pies are made

at ashopinWhitchurch, where visitors can watchthe entire process of ‘hand raising’ from start to finish.

The town was the home of the J. B. Joyce tower clocks company,established in 1690, the earliest tower clock-making company in theworld, which earned Whitchurch areputation as the home of tower clocks. Joyce’s timepieces can be found as far afield as Singapore, Kabul and Cape Town. The firm also helped to build Big Ben in London.

Whitchurch is one of Shropshire’s quieter towns –itdoesn’t have the reputation of,for instance, towns like Ludlow or Shrewsbury –but it is filled with history,tradition and interest.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Whitchurch High Street; Horse and Jockey pub in Claypit Street; Timothy West and Prunella Scales.

PAGE 43 FROM TOP: Amixtureofarchitectureseenalong Dodington; St Alkmund’sChurch.

THEPOWER OF MUSIC

HEATHER LARGE MEETS AMAN DETERMINED TO CONTINUE RAISING FUNDS FOR ACANCER CHARITY, THROUGH MUSIC,INMEMORY OF HIS MUM

When Mark Fielden’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer,hewanted to help the charitysupporting her through her treatment.

He decided to organise amusical fundraiser called Chords Crush Cancer and it proved so successful that it has become an annual event.

Since it began in 2016, the charity extravaganza, which this year takes place on February 4, has generatedmore than £14,000 for charity Lingen Davies Cancer Fund.

Sadly,Mark’s mother,Margaret, died after the second event but thefamily vowed to carry on raising money in her memory

“Mum was diagnosed with cancer in 2015. She was treated at Lingen Davies

Cancer Centre. The treatment they gave her and the support they gave the family was fantastic. Ifelt Iwanted to give something back to them.

“My friends are musicians so it seemed alogical thing to hold amusic event. The idea for the name camefrom me wanting to have cancer in thename and we came up with the idea of musical chords crushing cancer

“The first event in 2016raised £1,100 and that’s when it was decided to make it annual event.

“People said it was agreatnight and we should do it again. Mum was at the first and second events and took on the role of folding the raffletickets.

“She passed away in March 2017 and I discussed what to do about the event with my sisters Helen and Sally and dad Tony

It was unanimous that we should carry on and raise money in mum’s memory,” explains Mark, who lives in Shrewsbury.

“I think she would have been very proud. She wouldn’t have liked the focus to be on her,she would have wanted it to be about raising money for the charity,” he adds.

Almost all of the events have taken place at the Inn On The Green in Radbrook, Shrewsbury,and the pub will be the venue for this year’s fundraiser on World Cancer Day

The evening will include live music, magic, caricatures, raffleand acharity auction with some fantastic lots including

Mark Fielden, organiser of Chords Crush Cancer, pictured at The Inn on The Green Pub in Shrewsbury; below, Mark’s mum Margaret

asigned Wayne Rooney Manchester United shirt and Clive Tyldesley’s commentary notes from the 2008 Champions League Final.

More than 50 prizes will be up for grabs at the event including music tickets for Bastille at Ludlow Castle, Shed Seven, Suede and Heal Festival, which takes place at West MidShowground later this year

There will also be tickets to see acts including Geordie comic Carl Hutchison, Britain’s Got Talent 2022 winner Axel

Blake and Babatunde Aleshe, who recently appeared on I’m ACelebrity...Get Me Out Of Here.

Shrewsbury Town Football Club has also donated aspecial prize giving people the chance to watch amatch from the ‘best seats in the house’.

As well as two tickets, they will receive amealfor two in the Sovereign Lounge and asigned shirt.

“The club hasbeenvery kind. They also featured the event in their match day programme.

“Mum was amassiveShrewsbury Town fan and that’s how Igot into watching them as well,” says Mark, who is supported by his fiancée Carly Edwards.

Other prices include two Sunday lunches at Cromwells TapHouse, a voucher for LevelUp Escapes Shrewsbury, an alpaca trekking experience and aguided tour of Shrewsbury Prison.

“Over theyears we have gained tremendous support from awhole host of famous names and companies -Chris Ramsey,Carl Hutchison, Joel Dommett, Russell Kane, Bryan Adams, Sir Tom Jones, The Ememy,Bastille, Shed Seven, artist TerryKneeshaw,Eve Jones, Phil Taylor,Gazza, Manchester United, Ooni Pizza Ovens, Cazoo and Camp Bestival to name just afew,” explains Mark.

Headlining the music part of the evening will be Bridgnorth duo Cooper &Davies and also taking to the stage will be Shrewsbury-based acoustic musician Andy Mills and aband from Bridgnorth called The Beautiful Ways.

They will be joined by Magic Martin, aclose-up magician from Wem, and caricature artist Clive Pritchard, from Newtown.

FROM TOP: Mark Fielden with the signed WayneRooney shirt; Andy Mills; the auction takes place at the 6th Chords Crush Cancer; Cooper & Davies; Magic Martin.

Mark is also working closely with Planet Doughnut to create some special doughnuts with the Chords Crush Cancer logo on for the night.

He is hoping the event will be even more successful than last year’s fundraiser, which generated £3,356, bringing the total raised to £14,275.

“The aim is to get to £20,000ifwe can. My sisters and dad will be there along with Carly’s mum and dad, Dot and Bob.

“I want to say thank you to Carly,our families and friends, and everyone who has supported us over the years.

“When Isee the room full of people listening to the music, looking at the magic and having acaricature drawn, I have to take amoment to think about what we’ve done, given people agood night and raised money for charity at the same time. It makes allthe hard work and graft even more worthwhile,” says Mark Lingen Davies aims to make apositive difference to lives affected by cancer in Shropshire, Telford &Wrekin and Mid Wales.

While the charity can’t eradicate cancer,itsays it can make life easier for those who are going through it, or watching loved ones go through it.

Chords Crush Cancer was recognised for its fundraising at the annual Lingen Davies awards evening in 2020 when it was awarded the prestigious Errol Williams award. It has also been highly commended for two further awards.

Head of fundraising Helen Knight, says it it is thanks to the hard work and dedication of supporters like Mark that the charity is able to continue supporting and enhancing local cancer services.

“Asa charity we rely on the local community to supportour vital cancer awareness raising work, and ensuring we can support the best possible cancer services at The Royal Shrewsbury Hospitaland rehabilitation in the wider community

“People throughout Shropshire and Mid Wales will benefitfrom our work and the efforts of Mark and the brilliant Chords Crush Cancer event. To have already raised more than £14,000 in memory of his mum Margaret is phenomenal.

“A tremendous thank you to Mark, Carly,and everyone who has supported their fundraising so far.

“February 4promises to be afabulous evening.”

n Chords Crush Cancer starts at 7pmand entry is free. Formore information, see www.facebook.com/chordscrushcancer

The event has so far raised £14,275. Clive’sCaricatures.

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FROM PASSION TO PROFESSION

HEATHER LARGE SPEAKS TO THEWOMAN BEHIND COUNTRY CURTAINS &INTERIORS ABOUT HOW HER LOVE OF FABRICSSPAWNED ABESPOKE DESIGN BUSINESS

Liz Anthony was justseven when she picked up her firstneedle and thread to make adress for her doll.

It was the startofalife-long hobby and the first step on apath that would eventually lead to her starting her own business.

“I was encouraged by my mum, I remember her giving me asewingneedle to make adoll’s dress and Istarted making them for all my dolls.

“My mum used to make mine and my sisters’ clothes. Ireally loved sewing and Iloved creating something. Ithink I come from afamily where crafting was really appreciated, as much as academic work, and we were always encouraged to enjoy it.

“I loved fabrics. Fabrics are quite tactile and Iloved diving into abag of offcuts to make acollage,” explains Liz.

She went on to study O-level and A-level needlework and after leaving school did anumber of different jobs while making dresses, blouses and skirts for people on her dining table in her spare time.

It wasn’t until some years later after her three children had all left home that she decided it was time to turn her sewing passion into aprofession.

“It was something Iknew Iwas good at, but I’d never had the confidence to go out and do it,” explains Liz.

In 2006, she took acourse in curtain making and soft furnishings at the National DesignAcademy in Nottingham, and the following year began working from her spare room.

Over time she started to build up astrong reputation locally,with aconstant stream of new and repeat customers.

By 2017 she hadreached the point where she needed to move to alarger premises, and began renting aroom above ashop in Market Drayton, expanding further acouple of years later by taking the lease on theroom next door and employing someone to help her with the increasing workload as her business grew

Since then she has taken on an additional team member and in September last year opened anew spaciousstudio and work room in the new phase of development at Market Drayton’s Tern Valley Business Park.

“The business has grown very slowly to get to this stage. Inever started off thinking Iwould have aproper business, but it’s gradually evolved.

“I now employ two ladies –Sally

Gillson and Sue Jones –tohelp me and they are wonderful,” says Liz. “We’re a nice team, Iwas very lucky to find people who are verygood at what they do.”

Country Curtains &Interiors offers bespoke curtains and Romanblinds as well as other soft furnishings and accessories such as cushions, lampshades and pelmets.

Everything is made by hand by the team and customers visiting the showroom will be able to see them hand crafting orders on the worktables.

“I think the customers like to see them being made,” says Liz. “We all have apassion for fabrics and we like working with all fabrics.”

They all take great pride in their attention to detail and ensuring everything that is produced is of the highest quality

They offer awide range of classic and contemporary fabrics andcurrently work with more than adozen companies, always adding to the list to ensurethey always have something to suit all budgets.

“Wetry to offerareally good selection to suit everybody’s tastes,” explains Liz.

Among the collections are designs by some of the major fabric design houses, such as Swaffer,Ashley Wilde, Kai, PrestigiousTextiles, Fryett’s Fabrics,

Voyage Maison, Chatham Glyn Fabrics, and Wemyss, which are firm favourites with many of their clients.

Country Curtains also holds accounts with some smaller highly-acclaimed British fabric designers including St Judes, Kate Forman, and Peony &Sage.

They also offer fabrics by Morris & Co, who are custodians of famed British textile artist William Morris’ vastarchive. “They are having arevival,” says Liz. “They are very popular at themoment.”

In addition, they can also offer luxurious silks from JamesHare and beautiful wool fabrics from Abraham Moon, Art of the Loom and Harris Tweed.

Once acustomer has selected a design, the finished product will be tailored exactly to their requirements.

“The client will choose the fabric and we will go to measure up and we will also hang them to make sure they hang perfectly.The window dressings arethe finishing touches to the room.The right style and fabric can transform ahome. We can help clients to stamp their own individuality on their home,” explains Liz.

“Weprovide something people can’t find on the High Street. They can buy curtains but they may have to get them altered. People come to us because they want to get it right from thestart.”

Therich variety of their work and the

opportunity to meet so many new people is what keeps the job interesting and enjoyable for Liz.

“No two jobs are the same. Ilove creating somethingunique for our customers,” she says. “Some of my very first customers from 2007 are coming back to me, which is lovely.It’s always nice when people come back to you.”

n Foropening times, visit countrycurtains.co.uk

Sue Jones, Sally Gillson and Liz Anthony of Country Curtains &Interiors.

75 NOTOUT!

WITH WELLINGTON CRICKET CLUB HAVING CELEBRATED ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY LAST YEAR, HERE VICE PRESIDENT JOHN PATTINSON GUIDES US THROUGH ITS FASCINATING HISTORY

Wellington has aproud historic footballing tradition with Wellington United formed in 1872 (subsequently,Telford United and then AFC Telford United). Cricket thrived early in Shropshire with Shifnal being formed in 1849. There was cricket at schools in the area but, surprisingly, before the Second World Warthere was no sustained cricket club representing Wellington.

Aletterfrom Mrs G. Hall to the Wellington Journal posed the challenge. Rotarian, KenCorbett responded and it led to setting up of aCommittee to raise funds to start up theclub. The club’s first match was away against Wrekin College in May 1947. All the matches had to be away until ahome ground could be secured.

Colonel Herbert (later Earl of Powis) of Orleton Hall started afamily tradition of being very supportive and the preparation of the current main ground off Haygate Road began in the harsh winter of 1947.

After alot of hard labour,the first match at Orleton Park was on the 30th

April 1949. Early stars were captain, Fred Peaker and class batsman John Broad. The club was soon running asecond XI and also aladies team though this was wound up because of alack of fixtures.

In the 1950s and1960s, matches were always friendlies, though contested keenly.Charles Stallard was theleading batsman of the1950sand Claude Evans the leading bowler.Although thepitch at Orleton Park improved under the care of Bill Harding, allmatches were played on uncovered pitches and scores were often lower.One key milestone was in 1959 when Chris Pilkington became the first of many Wellington cricketers to play for Shropshire.

Initially,the club had only the most primitive of pavilions which was ill suited to agrowing club. After much fund raising and hard graft by members, a new single storey pavilion was erected. It was designed by Leslie Byram, afounder member,and was opened by Club President, the Earl of Powis, in April 1962.

The outstanding cricketer of the 1960s was Gwilym Roberts, the club captain and ahigh class batsman, who in 1970 scored more than 1,000 runs in aseason. The best bowler was John Westwood, alocal journalist, who produced apamphlet for the Club’s silver centenary in 1968 whenthere was acelebratory dinner at the old Forest Glen. Great progress had been made and, in 1965, the club began to host annually Shropshireinone of their Minor Counties matches. AShropshire League was formed in 1970 with 12 clubs, including Wellington. Wellington’s early fortunes were mixed with fithh being the highest spot in 1978. But the second XI had more success with Peter Byram captaining aside which won the 2nd XI championship in 1972. Club facilities were further improved with the construction of atwo-storey pavilion which was opened in August 1975. By then, the club was also hosting key cup matches when Shropshire took on first class opposition in front of huge crowds

at picturesque Orleton Park.

The 1980s saw steady progress with Wellington making thirdspot in the Shropshire League in 1980. Thedominant player was the great all-rounder,Joe Smith. By then, thanks to the generosity of VeseyHolt, the club was able to prepare asecond pitch for usebythe 3rdXI& 4th XI and the various youth teams coached by Peter Byram and Norman Ross and other volunteers.

It was in the 1990s that the first XI blossomed under the leadership of Terry O’Connor.There was cluster of youngsters who had been nurtured by the Club meant league placingsimproved with fourth place in both 1991 and 1992. By 1998, Terrywas managing the side with Gavin Byram as hiscaptain and things really took off! The Byram Brothers, Adam and Gavin, were the lynchpins but it was an all-round side with Graham Walker,Mark Downes, Peter Morris, Ian Roberts, Anthony O’Connor ,Chris Martin ,Tony Parton , Kevin Malcolm and Sam Miller all playing key roles. Wellington won the Shropshire League for the first time ever

1946 -whereitall started....

October 9, 1975.

Wellington Cricket Club in 1947.

This allowed WCC to progress to the regional Birmingham &DistrictLeague (B&DL), the oldest cricket league in the world. It was the start of agolden era for WCC, which had celebrated its golden anniversary in 1997. It was abig step up, but WCC rose to the challenge of playing in the B&DL 1st division. Continuing progress was made and, with acritical away victory at Kenilworth Wardens on the last Saturday,WCC was promoted to the B&DL premiership.

WCC rose to thechallenge magnificently in 2003 with theinspired signing of Chris Rogers, who would go on to play for Australia. He was a great all round cricketer and arealteam player,but this was no one-man team and manager Terryand coachChris Dirkin had also developed home grown youngsters like Adam Byram, Gavin Byram, Mark Downes, TomDavies, Chris Martin, Anthony O’Connor.After atight finish and akey final day away victory at Moseley,WCC had won the B&DL Premiership; the first Shropshire side to do so.

WCC defied all the odds and won the title again in 2004 with South African, Benji Hector,scoring the mostruns of anyplayer in the league. There was another tense finish,but on the final day the necessary points were secured away at Walsall, thanks largely to a fine innings by Gavin Byram.

WCC was to enjoy two decades in

the B&DL, either in the Premiership or First Division, and in 2011, they were second in the Premiership. But all good things must come to an end and. after three moderate years in 2015, 2016and 2017,theywerebottom in 2018 and were relegated back to the ShropshireLeague.

The seasons since then have been challenging and not just because of the loss of status and key players. Several club stalwarts have recently passed away.In 2019, we lost our much loved President, Elizabeth Holt, and club cornerstone, Peter Byram, who had served as aplayer, as club secretary from 1973 to 2018 and as agroundsman for manyyears. The loss also of Colin Wakeley,Cyril Moss, Mike Read and Sam Oliver were all bitter blows.

And, of course, like everyone else, WCC faced the challenge of the Covid pandemic. This was met with great resilience by the club which kept cricket going and raised monies, not just for WCC, but also local charities, especially the local food banks. Amazingly,the training of youngsters, bothboys and girls has not just continued but has actually expanded. The club leadership trio of Steve Oliver (Chair), David Ross (Secretary) and John Wardle (Treasurer) and new groundsman Steve Gough, and his team, all deserve amention but this has been awhole club effort.

On the field, in the truncated season of 2020, theclub won the Shropshire

League for thesecond time in its history after winning an excellent play-off match againstQuatt. Solid progress has followed for the first XI whilst there have been some notable successes for the other WCC teams. The flourishingofboth women’s and girls’ cricket at the club in the 21st centuryisagreat success story Rachel Howells was an early pioneer and overall Hannah Young hasbeenthe standout player in this whole period and now she and Simon Topper are bringing on the next generation of female players.

Wellington is acommunity club with astrong charitable ethos and it is afamily club. Over many years, theByrams, the Rosses, theWakeleys, the Carters and the O’Connors and manyother families have loyally supported the club in so many ways.

But nothing stands still. Since the history was compiled, the club enjoyed its best ever attendanceatits Fireworks Night in November 2022. And then at The Shropshire Cricket Board’s presentation evening in late 2022, amongstmany awards, WCC won both the “ConnectingCommunities” award and the “Girls’ Club of theYear”award.

As the club looks forward to its centenary in 2047,you can access this interesting history via the club website at www.wellingtoncc.co.uk

Voluntary donations are invited with all monies raised going to the Severn Hospice.

Shropshire Fostering, part of Shropshire Council, thisyear has significantly increased the financial package for its current and new foster carers in abid to encourage more people to come forward and look after some of the county’s most vulnerable.

Not only is this move hoped to attract morefoster carers, there is asolid commitment from the council to familybased foster care and it recognises the importance of the skills and expertise of its current carers, and that they need to be rewarded accordingly

That said, the increased payments will be made to all foster carers for their work for Shropshire Council and the children that they care for

The role of the foster carer is to provide asafe, secure, nurturing and

loving home to achild or young person, sometimes this is short term,often it is long term, until achild is an adult.

Shropshire Fostering focuses on the needs of each child and offers support to whole families. It canbe challenging, however fostering can also be enormously rewarding and alot of fun too. Foster carers touch the lives of each and every child they welcome into their home, whether it’s for amatter of days or a matter of years.

Potential foster carers can find out more info at shropshirefostering.co.uk or by calling 0800 783 8798.

Thedangersofleavingeverything toyouranonymous“bestmate”

Whenhediscoveredacometusing ahomemadetelescopein1980, RoyPantherrosetofameearninga placeinhistoryandaninterviewon theBBC’s“TheSkyatNight”withSir PatrickMoore.Roysadlydiedin2016 attheageof90,buthehasbeenin thenewsagainrecentlyfollowinga disputethathaseruptedoverhowhis £400,000estateistobedistributed.

TheFacts

In1986,RoypreparedaWillwhich leftalmostallhisestatetotheBritish AstronomicalAssociation(BAA).This wasassumedtobeRoy’slastWilluntil itwasdiscoveredthatasubsequent documenthadbeendrawnupshortly beforehisdeath.ThissecondWill provestobemoreproblematicasin thisdocumentRoypurportstoleave hisentireestatetohis“bestmate” withoutnamingthefriendinquestion Roy’sfriend,MrGibbs,wrotedown thesecondWillasRoydictateditand isseekingtoassertthat,asalifelong friendofRoy’s,theterm“bestmate” mustrefertohim.

TheBAAispurportedlychallenging theseassertionsfromMrGibbsontwo grounds.Firstly,itcontendsthatthe

WillisinvalidonthebasisthatRoy’s “bestmate”hasnotbeendefinedand cannotbeidentified.Itconteststhat itcannotbeproventhatthisphrase referstoMrGibbswhichcreates uncertaintyoverhowthenewWill woulddistributeRoy’sestate.TheBAA isalsosupposedlyarguingthatRoydid nothavetherequiredlevelofmental capacitytoexecuteanewWillwhenhe wasonhisdeathbed.ItallegesthatRoy wasvulnerableatthetime,andthathe hadapriordiagnosisofdementia.

Unfortunately,asRoyhadprepared hissecondWillwithoutanylegal assistance,hisestatehasstillnotbeen distributed,despitehimhavingdied oversixyearsago.Atrialdatehasbeen setforlaterthisyear,althoughthismay stillnotbetheendofmatters,with furtherdelaysandexpensesseeming likely

Couldthissituationhavebeen avoided?

Byseekinglegalassistanceinthe preparationofhissecondWill,Roy couldhavetakenstepstosafeguard againsttheargumentsthattheBAA hasraisedregardingthevalidityof thedocument.Alegalprofessional

wouldhaveensuredthatthecorrect terminologywasusedthroughout theWillandthatalltheintended beneficiarieswereclearlydefined. Iftherewereanypotentialconcerns regardingmentalcapacity,asolicitor wouldsuggestobtainingacapacity reportfromamedicalprofessional. Thiswouldhaveprovidedaclear recordthathehadasufficientlevelof understandingtoexecuteavalidWill.

ThomasWardle Wills,Trusts&TaxSolicitor

FINALE FORSTATELY RESTORATION

AFTER BEING CLOSED TO VISITORS, THE COLONNADE AT ATTINGHAM PARK MANSION IS ONCE AGAIN OPEN TO THEPUBLIC. HEATHER LARGE LOOKSBACK AT THEPAINSTAKING RESTORATION

Ithad been closed to visitors due to safety concerns but now the east colonnade at AttinghamPark’s grade Ilisted mansion can be enjoyed once again.

Aspecialistteam of conservation experts and craftspeople have worked painstakingly to restore this section of the Regency building, which is cared for by the National Trust.

As wellas fitting anew,watertight roof,the damaged intricate colonnade ceiling plasterwork has been returned to its former glory

“It’s the last phase of are-roofing project across all of thebuildings at Attingham,” explains National Trust building surveyor Rachael Parry

“It was suffering from water ingress because the roof finish had started to fail. As aresult,water was getting to the decorative plasterworkbelow.”

Scaffolding went up in May last year and the first stage of the work involved

inspecting the roof to give the team abetterunderstanding of the repairs required.

Rachael says oneof the challenges of historic properties can be that the full extent of the problem only becomes apparent once aprojectgets under way

“There was alot of what we call

‘unknown unknowns’. The ceiling was so high that to get up and close to it we needed to have scaffolding which is time heavy and costly,” she explains.

“It’s not untilyou starttaking things apart that you find something underneath that is damaged or rotten. So we needed to have contingencies in place.”

Attingham Park mansion. Photo:RachaelParry

East Colonnade conservation at Attingham mansion

The project at Attingham, which was built for the first LordBerwick in 1785, required many specialist architects, building surveyors, masons, lead workers, joiners, painters and electricians with knowledge and experience of working on historic buildings.

Having scaffolding up enabled the team to carry other jobs suchasreplacing slate work, repointing,improving the roof access system and upgradingthe lighting and electrics.

After the existing slate and lead roof had been removed, the team were also able to get acloser look at the plasterwork on the colonnade ceiling.

“The work on the ceiling was probably the most exciting part of the project. Youcan see quite achangefrom how it was before.

“There were areas that were missing, areas that were falling down and areas that were unsafe, we couldn’t allow anybody into the colonnade,” explains Rachael.

More than 250 pieces of plasterwork including decorativeleaves and acorns had to be conserved and reinstated as part of the project.

This involved taking moulds of existing features to create new pieces to replace the missing parts in the ceiling of the colonnade, which was closed to visitors around six years ago.

The team was also able to use the mansion’s west colonnade as aguide while taking into consideration variations in the dimensions of the two sections.

Once this stagehad been completed, the final finishing touches to the east colonnade included lime washing the ceiling.

“It’s akind of paint finish that will cover the old and the new.Itgives it a nice, crisp finish,” explains Rachael.

Following the completion of the project, theeast colonnade will be fully accessible to National Truststaff and visitors.

“It’s safe, it’s watertight and hopefully we’ve secured this area of the building for another 100years. The east colonnade was one of Lady Berwick’s favouriteplaces and it’s alovely viewpoint across the park. There is aplaque that is dedicated to Lady Berwick which probably most people don’t know is there,” says Rachael.

“It’s about preserving and maintaining

The decorativeceiling

Scaffolding in place.

Photo:RachaelParry

Moulds for recreating the ceiling features.

the building for future generations and enabling visitors to enjoythe building and others around the site.That’s what the [National] Trustdoes and what we use our membership money for,” she adds.

The conservation work on the east colonnade also helped to inspire anew piece of art which was created during August last year.

It was the work of artist Kate Raggett and visitors to AttinghamPark’s grounds and was made using naturaland recycled materials including rocks painted by children.

The design incorporated patterns found on the mansion plasterwork ceilings, the intricate metalwork at Attingham and the rare cedar of Lebanon tree grove by the river

Forming a50-foot diameter circle, the giant pattern aimed to celebrate the specialist skills required to care for the mansion and highlight the conservation work taking place.

Rachael, who beganworking for the National Trustin2017, hasbeen involved in anumber of other projects at Attingham, including repairs to the boundary wall which runs alongthe edge of the parkland.

The site was one of 15 National Trust properties in England to receive ashare of a£3.3 million grant from the second round of the Culture Recovery Fund awarded by Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

The boundary wall had suffered damage from anumber of factors including flooding and water ingress, damp and freeze/thaw impact.

Work carried out by the conservation team included rebuilding sections of the wall and replacing the historic materials –bricksand stone coping stones –which had been lost.

In addition, the funding also enabled repairs and decorative work to be carried out at the mansion, including conservation joinery repairs to windows and doors, external decoration to windows, doors and balustrading and the replacement of lead window hoods.

Rachael says the conservation projects always attract alot of interest from visitors, who will be able to admire the east colonnade’s decorative features from this month.

“People want and like to see us doing this work. Ifeelveryprivileged in my job to be involved in this work andsee things peoplehaven’t seen for hundreds of years, potentially,and know the work I have done will preserve it for another 100 years.”

n National Trustmembers and underfives visit AttinghamPark for free but admission charges apply for nonmembers. Formore information about Attingham Park visit nationaltrust.org.uk/ attingham-park or call 01743 708170.

FROM TOP: National Trust Building Surveyor Rachael Parry; painter Rob Lime washing the east colonnade ceiling; close-up of the plasterwork process.

EDGE OF MAJESTY

BY ANDY RICHARDSON

Those who’ve managed to stick to last month’s New Year’s Resolutions are continuing to enjoy the great outdoors. And so as February brings the first signs of spring, it’s timetoget out and about near Much Wenlock.

There’s adelightful 10-mile walk for those feeling fit,which takes in good sights of The Wrekin andBrown Clee, coupled with varied countryside and changing views of the town.

The walk takes four to five hours and has been well signposted by the Wenlock Footpaths Group, alocal organisation that does much to promote the area. Detail descriptions are available at www

shropshirewalking.co.uk

Among the many key attractions that the walk takes in are the historic town of Much Wenlock,Wenlock Priory and Much Wenlock Windmilll.

Much Wenlock has much to offer with shops, restaurants and pubs to refresh the weary walker.Inthe town museum you can learn where to find fossils and the social history of the town from the arrival of theRomans in the 1st century through to the Victorians. And of course how the town inspired the birth of the modern Olympic Games.

The tranquil ruins of Wenlock Priory stand in apicturesque settingonthe fringe of beautiful Much Wenlock. An

Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded there in about 680 by King Merewalh of Mercia, whose abbess daughter Milburge was hailed as asaint. Her relics were miraculously re-discovered here in 1101, attracting both pilgrims and prosperity to the priory

The windmill is one of the best-loved landmarks of the town and is listed in the survey of the manor prepared for Sir John Wynn of Gwydir in 1714 when he bought the Much Wenlock estate from Viscount Gage. On the death of Sir John Wynn in 1719, the Wenlock Estatepassed to his cousin sir William Watkins Wynn of Wynnstay.

The “world famous Wenlock Limestone outcrops” are amongst “Britain’s most important geological sites”. The limestone quarries in the North “demonstrate the best examples of reef development during the Silurian Period in Britain”. Many species of brachiopods, trilobites and ostracod (microscopic crustaceans) were first found at Wenlock and most of the known Wenlock group Silurianfauna comes from here. Richard Corfield also gave Wenlock edge as an example of the most spectacular reef building the world has ever known.

The reef was formed in shallow subtropical seas about 425 million years ago when the area was south of the equator at aboutthe same latitude as the Seychelles is today.A walk by a BBCjournalist in 2008 found abundant fossilised crinoids (sea lillies) and brachiopods.

Clockwise from top left:Wenlock Priory, Wenlock Edge and Much Wenlockwindmill.

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RAISINGAFORKTO NEWFOODTRENDS

WHATARE WE GOING TO BE SEEING ON OUR PLATES, IN OUR KITCHENS AND ON MENUS IN THE COMING MONTHS?

Last year was all butter boards, pink sauce, nacho tables and superfood powders. But what’s next for food trends?

Here are our predictionsfor what is going to be big in the kitchen in the months ahead…

Eating alone

With asurge in people ‘dating themselves’ and prioritising activities alone to promote happiness andwellbeing, this could be the year where eating aloneis the newhot ticket.

If there’s arestaurant you want to try,there’s no need to wait for apal to get on board to make areservation. Resy’s 2023 Food Forward dining out trend predictions have corroborated this, predicting that restaurants are moreopen than ever to the table for one.

#SoloDate and #DiningAlone have 150+ million views on TikTok, according to the report.Nearly one in three people say they have dined alone –astheyget to spend some quality time with themselves, and can eat on their own schedule.

TikTok stars turned household names

Youmay starttosee some ofyour favourite cookery names jumping intothe mainstream in 2023.

With 2.2 million followers on TikTok, the recipes Caught Snackin’ posts constantly go viral –and now thechannel is set to reach new heights with the release of its debut cookbook (Caught Snackin’: 100 recipes. Simple. Fast. Flavoursome., Hamlyn).

Similarly,Max La Manna, who has over 120k followers on TikTok, is releasing his thirdcookbook, YouCan Cook This!, on March 3), with afocus on waste-free cooking.

Eating better for brain health

With so much of our focus now on mental wellbeing, it comes as no surprisethat the Waitrose& Partners Food &Drink Report for 2022-2023 names cognitive nutrition as afuture trend.

According to the report, “This means an increased focus on ‘brain food’ such as fatty fish like tuna and salmon, blueberries, broccoli, kale, spinach, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate and rocket to improve memory and focus.”

Get the dark chocolate-covered blueberries out –they couldbebig this year

Tinned food

People are looking for new ways to cook delicious food for less, as the cost-ofliving crisis continues to place astrain on grocery budgets across the country

This could mean tinned food has something of arenaissance–particularly for ingredients that can be expensive, such as tropical fruit or fish.

On TikTok, people have been finding new ways to cook with canned classics; #Spamrecipe has 10.3m views on the platform, and #Spamhas 3.5 billion.

Baked salads

Baked salads have been taking over social media this year,and that is set to continue.

From Brussels sprouts to baked curly kale, the options are endless. In 2022 it was all about the viral ‘green goddess’ salad dip, and baked salads are set to be the next huge iteration of that.

Nose to tail cooking

Nose to tail is nothing new,but it seems like there is afresh appreciation for it –particularly as we strive to reduce waste when cooking, both for environmental and financial reasons

The cost-of-living crisis could even have people cooking cheaper,more unusual cuts of meat at home this year –be it flank, kidneys or liver

Locavoreeating

There’s anew dietary term on the scene, and according to the Waitrose &Partners Food &Drink Report, locavore eating is set to be the next big thing.

It comes from San Francisco, and describes people who buy and eat local produce in an effort to support local businesses and reduce their carbon footprints.

According to thereport, strict locavores won’t branch out further than a 100-mile radius. While this isn’t possible for everyone, where our food comes from is agrowing concern –with Waitrose reporting 22% of people surveyed saying they now consider the number of air miles aproduct takes to get to the shelf

KICKSTARTYOUR HEALTHYEATING

While we love roast potatoes and puddings, they can leave you feeling abit sluggish –so eating the rainbow is asure-fire way to get your energy back.

By no means do you have to restrict your food or stop eating the things you love though. Instead, you could use the new year as an opportunity to expand your healthy food repertoire, try some new recipes, and hopefully start reaping all the benefits that come with it.

And there are plenty of new cookbooks to help kickstartyour healthy eating journey.You might find they have other benefits too, such as savingmoney, making your skin glow, and even helping the environment…

SOME OF THE BEST NEW COOKBOOKS TO TRY IF YOUWANT TO BOOST YOUR ENERGY LEVELS

Happy Skin Kitchen by Elisa Rossi

If you’re the kind of person who always wears sunscreen and has amulti-step skincare routine, this is definitely the book for you. It focuses on aparticular type of health: skin health. After all, our skin is thelargest organ in ourbodies, and what we eat and drink is just as important –ifnot more so –thanthe lotions and potions we put on it.

This is ahighly personal cookbook for author Elisa Rossi, who struggled with painful hormonal acne until adopting a plant-based diet.

She describes making small steps towards adiet with moreplant-based and whole foods –rather than going cold turkey –and seeing the results innot only her skin, but also her energy levels and

Elisa Rossi’sred pesto traybakeveg salad

Ideal for ahealthy lunch or quick supper

Ingredients (Serves 2):

1courgette, sliced

1small aubergine, cut into small cubes

1red onion, cut into wedges

½tsp smoked paprika

½tbsp dried oregano adrizzle of oliveoil

1x 400g tinofchickpeas, drained

150g cherry tomatoes, whole

60g pitted olives, sliced

2tbsp small capers

10g fresh basil, roughly chopped

10g fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Salt and pepper,totaste

40g rocket, to serve

For the redpesto:

1large redpepper(about170g)

2tbsp extravirgin oliveoil +extra for

brushing

40g walnuts

1garlicclove

1tbsp lemon juice

1tbsp nutritional yeast

3sundried tomatoes

Method:

1. Preheat the ovento220°C/200°Cfan/ gas 7.

2. Put the courgette, aubergine and red onion on alarge baking tray. Makesure thereisplenty of space, as you will need to add the chickpeas and tomatoes later Sprinkle over the smoked paprika, dried oregano and apinch each of salt and pepper,and drizzle everything generously with oliveoil. Put the pointed redpepperon

fitness. She created Happy Skin Kitchen to share her journeyand recipes, and this is her debut cookbook.

Rossi grew up in the countryside near Bologna, Italy,surrounded by organic vegetables and homecooked meals, and this ethos really shines through in her recipes.

Dishes are colourful and full of nutritious ingredients –take your pick of everything from fluffy wholegrain pancakes and quinoa and kale falafel, to lemon and tahini courgette pasta and almond butter cups.

n Thorsons, £25.

Photography by Elisa Rossi.

aseparate tray. Brush it with oliveoil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper

3. Put both trays into the oven. Roast the pointed pepper for 25 minutes, until soft and squishy. Roast the veggies for 15 minutes, then remove from the ovenand add the drained chickpeas and cherry tomatoes to the tray. Toss them around so they get evenly coated, and add alittle bit moreoliveoil and salt if needed. Put the tray back into the ovenfor the final 10 minutes.

4. To makethe pesto, remove the stalk, seeds and skin from the roastedpepper Put the flesh into afood processor with the rest of thepesto ingredients and blitz everything together until smooth and creamy.

5. Add the olives, capers, basil and parsley to the tray of roastedveg. Gently mix everything together

6. To assemble your salad, arrange the rocket on alarge serving dish, then add the roastedveg and chickpea mix. Drizzle overthe pesto and mix everything together beforeserving.

Nathan Anthony’sred lentil dhal

An easy, warming dish.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

380g dried redlentils

250ml cold water

400ml tin of reduced-fat coconut milk

Handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped

4garlic cloves, crushed

1onion, sliced

2.5cm fresh ginger,grated

Juice of 1lemon

1tsp ground turmeric

1tsp chilli flakes

1tsp ground cumin

1tsp curry powder

1tsp garam masala

1bay leaf

Salt and pepper,totaste

Fresh coriander and chopped

Spring onions, to garnish

Bored Of Lunch: The Healthy Slow Cooker Book by Nathan Anthony

There’s abit of abarrier to entry for this book, as all recipes need aslow cooker. However,ifyou have one, you’re in for a treat –because all the recipes are healthy, delicious and could even save you some pennies.

Belfast-based Nathan Anthony set up Bored of Lunch in 2020 as away to cook healthier and more delicious meals during the lockdowns –and hisInstagram page now has 906k followers. This is his debut cookbook, and is dedicated to dishes you can make in aslow cooker –which is said to have cheaper running costs than conventional ovens.

Anthony doesn’t claim to be achef or nutritionist, but he certainly knows what works for ahome cook. These arethe kind of recipes you can prep in advance, chuck into the slow cooker and come home to adelicious dish at theend of the day.And slow cooker meals don’t just have to be an endless parade of stews, with Anthony’s recipes covering everything from Vietnamese beef pho to chicken tacos.

n Published by Ebury Press, £18.99.

Photography by Clare Wilkinson.

Healthier Planet, Healthier Youby Annie Bell

If you’re hoping to adopt ahealthier diet this year,why not try and do good for the environment at the same time?

Healthier Planet, Healthier You– by

Method:

1. Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker,stir and season to taste. Cook on lowfor fivetosix hours, then stir and garnish with fresh coriander and chopped spring onions.

Annie Bell’s healthier planet burger

veteran food writer and nutritionist Annie Bell, who has authored 20 cookbooks –is all about how you can adopt the planetary health diet. This is away of eating first recommended by agroup of scientists in 2019, with the aim of reducing the environmental damage of howweeat –and as an added bonus, it turns out to be pretty good for your health too.

While Healthier Planet, Healthier Youisn’t ahugely romantic book –Bell doesn’t wax lyrical about her personal relationship with lentils –what she does is provide practical, well-researched advice on how to cut down on waste in the kitchen (from prepping to storing different types of ingredients), as well as breaking down what impact key ingredients have on the environment, and how much of them we should aim to eat.

Take eggs –the planetary health diet recommends eating one-and-a-half a week. This isn’t particularly feasible, so Bell reduces it to one and has ahandy chapter dedicated to one-egg dishes –with ranchos eggswith cauliflower and lentils and spinach and Parmesan pancakes on the menu.

The content might be serious, but the recipes are inviting and don’t compromise on flavour.Bell gets inspiration from all over the world, with dishes including spicy Lebanese-style lamb stew,misoglazed courgette and peppers and Irish stew pie.

n Published by One Boat, £18.99.

Photography by Nassima Rothacker

Acrowd-pleasing dish that happens to be kind to the environment.

For the burgers (serves 4):

300g lean minced beef

300g cooked green lentils

2tbsp finely chopped shallots

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Extravirgin oliveoil for frying

To serve:

½ redonion, peeled, halved and sliced 8cocktail gherkins, sliced

4wholemeal burger buns, halved

English mustard

Tomato ketchup

1beefsteak tomato, sliced

For the mustardmayo:

40g mayonnaise

40g soured cream

1tsp Dijon mustard

Method:

1. Place the beef, lentils, shallots and some seasoning in afood processor and whizz to asticky mixture. Shape the mixtureinto eight burgers using aninecentimetreplain round cutter.Ifyou want you can makethem in advance, then coverand chill them.

2. Heat two teaspoons of oil in alarge non-stick frying pan over amedium-low heat and fry the burgers, in batches, for two minutes on each side until an even gold, replenishing the oil as necessary. They burn moreeasily than apuremeat burger,sokeep an eye.

3. Combine the onion and gherkins.

4. If serving the burgers with buns, toast the cut side under apreheated grill. Place aburger on each bun half, smear with mustardand plenty of ketchup, or MustardMayo (below). Next lay overa slice of tomato and season, then scatter oversome sliced onion and gherkin.

5. For the MustardMayo: Blend all the ingredients in asmall bowl, coverand chill until required. This will keep well for several days.

HAVINGA WILD TIME

THIS

ED THOMAS

James Sherwin, chef proprietor of Whitchurch’s Wild Shropshire, arrived late to the industry, becoming achef alittle over a decade ago.

In thattime, he has been driven by a constant thirst for learningand thedesire to do hisown thinghis way

His first ventures into professional kitchens were in some of Shrewsbury’s well-known, well-established eateries and while working in these kitchens and juggling his young family,James ran his own pop-up evenings most notably at Ginger &Co.

The evening events at Ginger &Co enabled James to develop his own style, to experiment and, almost by accident, come up with aname for his restaurant

Wild Shropshire encapsulates James’ culinary ethos. Use what’s around you. From Ginger &CoJames sought out amore permanent home which he found at Tern Hill,for two years he ran award-winning evenings but the premises weren’t his own so from there only one thing was going to happen. With the support of his family,James took the plunge and signed aleaseonhis own place in Whitchurch, which has now become agenuine foodie hotspot. The doors to Wild Shropshire opened in 2020.

Almost three (mainly pandemic-hit) years on and James credits the stuttering start of openings, closingsand different restrictions to the restaurant’s enduring popularity

Aslow start helped the team settle in to things and develop how Jamesand his team wanted their guests to experience the setting.

Up to 16 diners enjoy atasting menu each evening and on Saturday lunchtimes. The intriguing thing about the 8-10 course menu is that you’re only told what’s on it after you’ve eaten it. Don’t be alarmed –allergies, beliefs and other requirements are all taken into consideration and catered for

James’s draws on diverse culinary inspirations, reading books from the classic Thomas Keller’s FrenchLaundry to Scandinavian sensation René Redzepi’s Noma where the dishes are works of art.

As achef, James is keen to emphasis that there is always somethingtolearn. He then adapts to what is available locally, substituting ingredients or processes to create his own style and evolution as a chef.James likens this to his love for music and discovering hisnext obsession.

MONTH

TALKS TO ASHROPSHIRE CHEF WHO ELEVATES HIS FORAGED PRODUCE TO THE HIGHEST LEVELS

NativeBritish ingredients are very important to James’ way of doing this –he believes that the starting pointshould always be to use what’s around you. For James and Wild Shropshire, foraging has become an essential partofthe experience.

It should be noted that foraging is a skill. Knowledge is totally essential so if you’re not sure don’t pick it and don’t eat it. Youalso need the landowner’s permission.

Arange of foraging courses are available around the county.Then with some knowledge you can start to look for the food that’s hidden in plain sight all around you. Youdon’t need to be in the know about secret locations, the hedgerows where you walk the dog could be atreasure trove.

James picks wild garlic in ahedgerow near his children’s school and elderberries from his in-laws’ garden. Produce comes from the allotment andfrom anetwork of local foragers, suppliers and growers such as Vegand Petals and The Rare Dairy, who all combine to create alarder that facilitates the constant evolution of Wild Shropshire’s menu.

The foraging year with the plentiful bounty of summer goes hand in hand with preserving your produce for use all year round.

Various fundamental processes can alter flavours and textures, enabling dishes to constantly evolve, but James sees this as an exciting way to alleviate the creative pressure of delivering another menu, another great experience.

Fermentation is used in anumberofways. Kombucha, vinegars and infusions all provide different ways to bring different characteristics out of ingredients. Herbal infusions can be evolved further,either as vinegars, or by reduction into glazes and syrups.

Pickling is another traditional preserving method used. Wild garlic is pickled and the liquor as well as the pickled garlic is used. Or elderberries are pickled, producing acaper substitute.

Salts and oils can be flavoured and used in different stages of cooking processes.

Dehydrating can produce some exciting ingredients. James gave aexample ofparsley stems which can be dehydrated and then used as seasoning.

Syrups can end up being used in drinks on Wild Shropshire’s everchanging cocktail list, or opt for the full cocktail flight with abespoke drink with each course. Non-alcoholic wine and beer flights are alsoavailable. Thesyrups are also used in desserts.

There are also processes that change the flavour of some produce. Lactobacillus starts with produce in a two-per-cent salt solution.

Good bacteria then work away to

change the flavour of the vegetable.

Part of the beauty of these fundamental processes is the potential for experimentation that they unleash What happens if you leave it longer? What happens if you add more or less of something? What if you combine ingredients this way or that? Using what’s around you and some fundamental processes can add something to any dish, in any kitchen. They also cross reference each other,so if you want to use the lactobacillus process, why not use a flavoured salt you’ve already made to make your salt solution?

The processes are also achievable in your kitchen at home, but of course if you don’t fancy doing thatinyourown kitchen then you could head to Wild Shropshire to see James inaction.

James has exciting plans for the restaurant this year where his take on the chef ’s table puts diners right on the pass, enjoying their dining experience while watching all the plates come together in the final stages of preparation right in front of them. Youcan also catchJames at food festivals and shows around the county throughout theyear.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL PRODUCERS

BY ANDY RICHARDSON

It’s tough out there. Really tough Shropshire’s food scene has enjoyed amarvellous run since just before the Millennium with the creation of food festivals, the growth of farmers’ markets, the acquisition of Michelin stars and the growth of bespoke producers who make great, artisan food.

Many have never faced achallenge as tough as theone before them. If the effects of Covid weren’t enough to stall a number of businesses, the huge increase in energy bills, coupled with rampant inflation means it’s harder than ever to make ends meet.

Some aren’t, of course, and anumber of highly-regarded Shropshire restaurants have gone to the wall.

The Peach Tree,inShrewsbury,was for many years abrilliantly-run, hugely

popular independent restaurant in the heart of the county.Itwas bought out at the last minute in December by The Shire Collection, which owns anumber of other venues, to avoid closure. Twodays before Christmas, the brilliant Smoke Stop BBQ Restaurant, at Ford, was forced to close. Director David Ferris saidithad been struggling after theeffects of Covid, while staff retention and spiralling costs wereother issues. With aheavy heart, the venue was closed.

They won’t be the only venues to close or change hands as local restaurants come to terms with the perfect storm they’ve faced.

Many are carrying debts from the two years of Covid, when most were forced to close –but hadtokeeppaying overheads. The hoped-for bounceback didn’t really

come. While trade boomed for ashort while, Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, coupled with the energy price hikes has pushed others to the brink. Prices for energy remain extortionate, though gas wholesale prices have been lower than they were before Putin’s invasion.

Those aren’t the only challenges. The spiralling costsof ingredients has hit restaurants hard. The margin they make for cooking and selling adish, or manufacturing an artisan product, has shrunk. They fear putting up prices, lest they drive customers away to other restaurants or manufacturers that offer more competitive prices. But that means they face slimmer and slimmer margins, to the point where they make little, if anything, at all.

And then there’s theissue of demand.

LudlowFood Centre.

As inflation has increased and as the general public has tightened its collective belt, there are fewer people eating out, buying nice stuff,or puttingtheir money into the local food scene. It’s the worst of all worlds.

And then there’s the issue thatdare not speak its name: Brexit. While largely under-reported in the mainstream press, the effects have been devastating for many.Those businesses who enjoyed a good trade exporting small consignments of food to Europe have faced huge increases in cost and acolossal increase in paperwork. Formany,it’snolonger worth it. The world’s biggest market, just across theChannel, has effectively closed for those who used to do well in it. Of equal concern is thelack of EU workers who used to make their way to thecounty to work in fruit and vegetable fields, in restaurants, or cooking in local kitchens. Shropshire haswelcomed ahuge number of enormously talented workers from the continent –and that supply of labour has dried up. While there are great talents from this area, there are too few to meet demand and as owners have struggled with staff retention, wages have increased.

Owners are losing sleep. They have less demand from customers, higher costs and no prospect of improvement any time soon as the UK’s sluggish economy fails to grow.And so while Shropshire enjoyed two decades of growth and became one of the nation’s stand-out areas for great, local food, it now finds itself in aquandry. There are still firstclass operators and those who are shooting for the stars. And

The Peach Tree Shrewsbury and its beamed interior

The SmokeStopBBQ Restaurant, at Ford, was forced to close; below, LudlowFood Centre.

Beef short rib at Fishmore Hall

there are still averysmall number who’s business acumen, hardwork, energy and skill has allowed them to grow.Imagine that –facing so many headwinds and coming through stronger.A small number have done just that

But for themajority of traders, no matter how good, the prospectsare bleak. What they need is simple: the support of locals. Businesses will standorfall during 2023 on the strength of support provided by customers in our beautiful c county.Those who can shop from local independent food shops, supporting the artisans whose stock fills theshelves,will be helping to save jobs.

Those who can afford to eat out really will be helping out as local restaurant owners face the fight of their lives.

Shropshireisa county filled to the brim with talent. Food festivals in Ludlow andShrewsbury,among others, provide a great showcase for the brilliant local artisans who make exquisite cheese and charcuterie, pots and pans, ready meals andmuch, much more. The variety of products on sale is remarkable. The q quality is ever high.

And then there’s thecounty’s restaurant scene. Such restaurants as Old Downton Lodge, near Ludlow, Fishmore Hall, alsonear Ludlow,orThe

Haughmond, near Shrewsbury,offer first class dining. There arenumerous great mid-range independents, not least the brilliant CSons, which hasoutlets in Shrewsbury and Ludlow,inaddition to a successful pizza bar

Exceptional bars and asignificant number of local breweries and other drinks producers offer the highest quality Then there’s LudlowFood Centre, plus anumberofbrilliant delis from Shrewsbury to Ludlow and at all points in between.

The county has greatbutchers and greengrocers –all of whom need support.

As 2023 begins to unfold and as owners of food businesses struggle with rising costs and reduced demand, locals are the ones who can really make a difference. There are great places to eat, great products to try, wonderful events to enjoy

These are lean times for local businesses –but the support of local residents can and will make all the difference.

LudlowFood Festival 2021 at LudlowCastle; below, The Haughmond, near Shrewsbury.

DRINK IN SOME SUN WITH AUSSIE WINES

THESE MUST-BUY AUSTRALIAN WINES ARE AWIN-WIN, SAYS

SAM WYLIE-HARRIS

When it comes to wines with broad appeal, the choices abound when you head to Australia –home to some of the world’s most celebrated wine regions. From top-notch drops to rival thebest, to big-value, everyday bottles which impress with their consistency and downright drinkability,these seven Aussie wines all spell sunshine in aglass…

Specially Selected Viognier 2022, South Eastern Australia, £6.49, Aldi

This northern Rhône white variety flourishes across its wine regions and is becoming increasingly popular with winemakers and oenophiles alike. Great value, this one brims with apricot scents, succulent flavours of exotic tropical fruits, nectarine and peach, with delicious concentration enlivened by fresh acidity

Tesco Finest Tingleup Riesling

2021, Western Australia, £10

Another fresh, dry white to blow away the January blues, this is a first-rate riesling from one of the country’s most famous wine estates –and Australia’ssecond most important white grape. Ripe and citrusforward with gentle touches of herbs, a lovely clean finish backed by limey-acidity, this food-friendly sommelier’s favourite is ago-to with Asian dishes.

Lindeman’s Bin50Shiraz 2021, South Eastern Australia, £7.25, Morrisons

Braving awinter BBQ, or just want to snuggle on the sofa and dream of faraway places? Warm-hearted with bold new world fruit, there’s nothing like aglass of Australian shiraz to drink in some blue skies. The country’s most widely planted grape, this reliable label offers bright beams of blackberry fruit, plums and spice with asmooth, comforting finish.

Ring-Bolt Cabernet Sauvignon

2020, Margaret River,Western Australia, £10, Tesco

Renowned for its cabernet sauvignon, Margaret River cab sav is typically fresher and melds elegance with strength. Glossy black fruit layered with arich bouquet of violets, cassis and black cherries, aviolet tinge draws you in with touches of mocha and pencil lead swirling through, and impressive depth on thelong, lingering finish. Abeauty

TTD Château Tanunda Barossa

Cabernet Merlot 2020, Barossa Valley, Australia, currently £10 (was £13), Sainsbury’s

Aclassic Bordeaux blend from this historic Barossa winery,this is generous, plump and rich with avery appealing, seductivenose. Famous for

its concentrated, rich ripe reds, this own label offers inky black fruits galore, dark cassis and plummy notes anda flicker of dark chocolate, with everything flowing nicely through the finish

Jim Barry The Forger Shiraz

2018, ClareValley, Australia, £24.99, Waitrose

Aswoon-worthy shiraz from one of Australia’s celebrated wine estates –famous for its luxurypricedThe Armagh shiraz –thisaffordable label is astandout. With superb depth of flavour,delicious florals on thenose, think exotic sweet spice before you dive into delicious ripe, dark berried fruit, hints of chocolate and along, silky finish with freshness and panache.

Petaluma White Label

Chardonnay 2017, Petaluma, Adelaide Hills, Australia, £18.95, Wine Republic

The country’s headline white, Petaluma ranks among Australia’s top chardonnay producers and this is abrilliant example of cool climate chardonnay in amodern style. Sleek and well-structured with a creamy,textured palate, thewine opens up with peaches and cream, mouth-watering flavours of stone fruits, melon and atouch of grapefruit and subtle oak, finishing long with freshness, purity and drive. Just gorgeous.

THEGOLDEN NECTAROF SAUTERNES

BY TIFFANY VERNON

Itisnosecret that Ihave alongaffirmed affection for Bordeaux, but Iamyet to explore the region in its entirety (it is certainly bigger than it appears on amap!). Ireturned, last summer,as Ihadn’t been since 2018 when Itook asabbatical to complete aharvest at Château Palmer,so Iwas excited to catch up with old friends and see familiar places, but it alsoseemed the perfect opportunity to explore the mysterious region of Sauternes too. Ibelievethat sweet wines are often misunderstood and so what better way to reacquaint myself than by taking atrip to one of the most famous dessert wine producing regions in the world?

It was over an hour’s drive to the Sauternes region from where Iwas staying in the city and Igrew more nervouswith every kilometre closer… Each time I had shared my trip plans with anyone else in Bordeaux earlier that week, Iwas met with the same reaction “Sauternes? Why would you go there? Nobody goes

there,” followed by aconcerning look. These words echoed in my thoughtsasI considered what Imight find upon arrival –did they know something Ididn’t?

As Iapproached Château Guiraud for my first visit, Iwas taken aback by what Isaw… It was simply beautiful with an air of serenity.Following the winding gravelled path through trees, vegetable plots and vibrant wildflowers, the path quickly opened out to the Château grounds; quite modest in comparison to many and all the morecharmingfor it.

To the right of the Château sat La Chapelle, the on-site restaurant, which was filled with people enjoying aleisurely lunch (myself included!). The vast majority of diners were sipping on a ‘Sauternes Spritz’ –alight and refreshing way to drink dessert wine al fresco!

Dining here opened my eyes to the ways we can enjoy Sauternes, not only in cocktails,but with the abundance of food it matches to. Dispel the myth that dessert wine is only made for pudding, it accompanies savoury dishes justas beautifully.From morsels of Roquefort through to creamy fish dishes and, of course, fruit pies or almond desserts, a standout favourite for me is with pâté on toast.

The tour of Château Guiraud began amongst the vines with aglass of Petit Guiraud –awine with freshness and accessibility in mindfor those who are new to experiencing Sauternes. Boasting amedleyofcitrusfruits,a dollopof honey and subtle floral aromatics, this is an affordable introduction at just £16.95 per half bottle. It was made clear just how important biodiversity and natural practices are; insect homes and wildflowers are in abundance across the estate where Château Guiraud is proud to be one of the very firstadvocates of these practices within the Bordeaux region. Going astepfurther in 2001, a conservatory was built here which houses 135 different original strains of Sémillon

Château Guiraud.

vines (one of the prized grape varieties of the region) to promote diversity throughout their vineyards and in turn create aunique flavour to their wines. Every ounce of nature is both preserved and valued.

Ibegan to appreciate just how labour intensive it is to create these wines. The grapes need to be affected by Botrytis Cinerea (or Noble Rot) to concentrate the sugars within, butveryspecificconditions areneeded: theregion’s proximity to the Garonne and Ciron rivers results in damp and misty mornings which encourages the Botrytis to grow.Bythe afternoon temperatures rise and sunshine breaks through meaning the fungus doesn’t fully take hold and the grapes ripen. If the conditions arecontinually damp and cool throughoutthe day,the Botrytis will evolve into something called Grey Rot which will impart unpleasant characteristicssuch as dusty cardboard flavours. If theconditions remain hot and sunny throughout the day,the grapes will simply become hard and raisin on the vine.

Each grape selected from the vineyard to make Sauternes must be fully affected by Botrytis meaning every harvest is completed painstakingly by hand, as there may only be afew grapes in each bunch that will make the cut. Whereas in most vineyards asingle vine can produce up to three bottles of wine, in Sauternes each vine will only produce asingle glass of wine. Of course, added to this is the risk of having the precise conditions each year to produce enough fruit, which if unfavourable, could result in 100% crop loss.

Iconcluded my visit with atasting of several vintages dating back to 1998 which brought forth another enlightenment –young Sauternes is fresh and vibrant but older Sauternes is rich, complex, and often spicy.The biggest common factor in each of the samples tasted was the freshness; no matter the age or vintage,

these wines exude arefreshing acidity –no cloying sickly sweet flavours here!

Before my day trip ended,however, Ihad another visitto make, this time just up theroad to the famous Château d’Yquem. Founded in 1593 and the only property in the region to ever be awarded the status ‘Premier Cru Supérieur’since the classification inception in 1855,I expected great things here.

Like something from afairytale, Yquem is agrand Château upon a hill where despite its elite status and obsession with everything being painted gold, there was still acommunity feel. It is notably breezier,which helps protect the vines from developing Grey Rot. Each harvest, the same pickers are invited back to assist, many of whom havebeen involved for decades, as they are trusted with their knowledge and experience of the Yquem vines. They work together, dine together and socialise together for weeks until the gruelling task of picking the perfect grapes across 105 hectares of vines is complete.

Every inch of the immaculate estateoozed sophistication, including the stunning vineyard vistas, the golden spiral staircase leading to the enormous underground cellars, beautiful gardens to roam and thepristine tasting room –not ahuge surprise considering this Château is owned by the formidable LVMH Möet Hennessy Louis Vuitton group.

Of course, the most exciting part was tasting Château Yquem 2017 (which will set you back amere £550 per bottle) as it exploded with layers of flavours: vanilla pod, sweet spice, toast, butterscotch, pineapple, spiced mango, orchard fruits –Icould go on! It was surprisingly fresh and more delicate than the wines of Château Guiraud and continued to evolve

in the glass. My host recommended serving Yquem at 9C to allow for these aromas and flavours to develop, too cold and the characteristicswill be masked. Whilst you might not have abudget to treat yourself to such abottle, could opt for Tanners house-label Sauternes at the reasonable price of £14.60 per half bottle –made by the Sichel Family of Bordeaux, there is a rumour that some of the grapes within this bottle come from young vines at Château d’Yquem. Whilst Icannot confirm or this, Ican tell you this wine showcases juicy peach flavours complemented by pineapple, marmalade and honeyed undertones.

Ileft Sauternes feeling utterly spellbound and believing this is perhaps one of Bordeaux’s best secrets. If you are looking for awine excursion this summer, Iwould highly recommend visiting the area to discover all it has to offer.In the meantime, familiarise yourself with dessert wines and the nuances they can entice you with, thegolden nectar of Sauternes rarely disappoints!

Tiffany at Château d’Yquem.

ADVENTURES WITH MAN’SBEST FRIEND

MATTHEW PANTER CHATS WITH ATRAVELLER AND PHOTOGRAPHER WHO SHARES ALL HIS ADVENTURES WITH HIS BELOVED DOG

Sometimes you just can’t help standing to admire the surroundings Green valleys, meandering streams, snowcapped peaks, a clear, blue sky or a night under the stars

Such beautiful moments in time make you appreciate the world around you and there’s nothing better than sharing them with someone

For Daniel Enmarch, that someone for many years has been his beloved German Shepherd dog Zeus

It was a relationship which flourished from day one – meeting in 2014 – and the pair have been inseparable since, their relationship perfectly summing up the idea of ‘ one man and his dog’ and ‘ a man ’ s best friend’

What’s more, their inspiring adventures and scenic travels across the UK and beyond have won the hearts of many people too – with over 48,000 people following their journeys on Instagram

“He’s my best friend,” said Daniel “I got him a little while after I got back off a tour of Afghanistan in 2014 I was serving in the Territorial Army, as part of the Royal Logistics Corps.

“I suffered with anxiety when I returned It took its toll on my mental health – you go from having the daily routine to just coming home It was very quiet

“I really felt the need to find a friend and that support came in the form of Zeus I got him as a puppy and he became my best mate

“My military background had also given me a lot of love for hiking and being in the outdoors, so set a precedent for what was to follow ”

Daniel and Zeus started to embark on journeys around the UK and interest in the pair and their adventures grew through social media

“Our adventures started when he was

one-and-a-half and Igot my first camera,” says Daniel. “I remember our first adventure was Halloween and we went up to the top of Snowdon.

“Weascended all the way up and it was cloudy.Whenwegot to the summit, the cloud just started to clear.Wesat at the top of the mountain and watched this beautiful sight. Idid some photography and it snowballed.

“Westarted doing mountain hikes and ticking places off,going to Scotland, The Lake District, Cornwall andThe Peak District.”

Areal highlightwas atrip to Germany for Christmas Day in 2018.

“It was our first time getting adoggy passport,” Daniel recalls. “I had to get him all prepped to travel abroad.

“I hired avan and, with two friends, Ben Malone and Rich Cheetham drove to Germany.Wespent three or four days exploring all around Germany and Austria.

“On Christmas Day,wegot snow and we headed to the foot of the largest mountain in Germany,Zugspitze. We enjoyed abrilliant morning there, and went to the top of the mountain in acable car

“Everywhere we went, Zeus went and it was agreat feeling. Not many people get to share such an experience with their dog, especially one of Zeus’ size.

“Asa German Shepherd, going to Germany,hereallyexcelled in the environment. It was aunique experience and an incredible photography trip too. Everytime we pulled up somewhere, he pressed at the door,waiting to get out.

“He would run out of the van and

you could see him sit and look at the mountains, smelling his surroundings. When he’s in his element and enjoying life, he rolls his head on the grass and you could see how happy he was in Germany, ploughing through the snow! People loved seeing him.”

Twoother moments stand out for Daniel. “My favourite image of us ever, was one my partner Skye (Williams) took of us in 2021stood on our favourite mountain range Snowdon.

“I called the image the mountaineers. It captures the best of us –exactlywhat we

are about and what we do in one image.

“Weare looking out onto the horizon and thinking ‘What’s next? What’s over there?’

“When we are hiking, Ioften think ‘I know how I’m feeling but what about Zeus?’ Is he basking in the gloryofitall?’”

“I also remember at Clee Hill, taking a picture of the Comet Neowise. Zeus and Ihave loved night time adventures and being under the stars. Astro photography is abig love of mineand it as amazing to share this great event, seeing theComet Neowise, with Zeus in Shropshire.”

Daniel Enmarch, from Newport ,with Zeus his black German Shepherd.

The ShropshireHills

Zeus at Stalker Castle Scotland

Theimage of Comet Neowise from Clee Hill.

Daniel hopes that his years of travelling with Zeus have inspired many dog walkers across the county and beyond.

“Everyone loves Zeus and we are areally good team,” he says. “Wehave aunique bond. Ispend every day with him and dedicate all my time to him and creating this relationship.

“The places we go, the things we havedone and the images we share have reached alarge audience. We started to go viral and there are alot of people who are very aware of Zeus.

“He’s agood looking dog and combine that with the locations we go and the times –atsunriseorsunset –and you get areally beautiful image or story. Ithink it’s inspired alot of dog owners and also inspired alot of people to get adog.”

Sadly,right now,Daniel, partner Skye and Zeus are faced with adifferent journey

Zeus was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, arare disease which attacks the nerves and stops the muscles from being able to function.

Adog so used to thegreat outdoors, he suddenly lost all ability to move and hold his head up as aresult of being gripped by the disease.

Devastated Daniel thoughthewas losing his best friend but, having been diagnosed, vets were able to provide Zeus with medication which has helped him to an extent.

And the hope is that, one day,things will look up for them again.

“It’s themaddest disease Ihave ever known but he’s doing alright,” said Daniel.

“He can walk around and move around abit and show signs of improvement of late, doing things he couldn’t before.”

“I keep the hope thatone day he can make afullrecovery,” says Daniel. “Wehave started the long process of setting up life so Zeus can be comfortable and maybe one day adog that can do the things he loved so much.

“It’s aslow,long process, but we have our fingers crossed.

“I’d hope by spring time, to be able to post avideo of him being able to do some of the things he used to do, even agentle walk.”

Before Zeus’ diagnosis, Daniel had introduced him to a new puppy,Thor,inthe hope the trio could have many more adventures together.And he maintains that dream is still alive.

“Thor has changed his tempo sincearriving and lies with Zeus and comforts him,” adds Daniel. “He gets something is wrong. They have arelationship which is flourishing. One day I hope to see them running arounda field playing.”

Daniel and Zeus on ahikeinthe LakeDistrict; inset, Daniel with Thor,left,and Zeus.

Zeus in Plansee, Austria; below, Daniel and Zeus on Snowdon.

APASTIME WITH STAMPOFAPPROVAL

DANIEL MORRIS CHATS TO RICHARD CAMP,CHAIRMAN OF TELFORD STAMP AND CARD CLUB, TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE POPULAR HOBBY AND ITS LINKS TO THEPAST

From the inaugural Penny Blacks tothosethat have commemorated landmark moments across theglobe, for almost 200 years postage stamps have been apart of everyday life and have preserved history as it has unfolded.

As acollectable, the humble stamp is one of the most iconic on the planet, serving as the basis of ahobby that has captured the young and the old for generations, and is beloved around the world, including right here on our own doorstep.

Akeenstamp collecting –or ‘philately’–enthusiast for over seven decades, Richard Camp is the current chairman of the Telford Stamp and Card Club.

One of the 60 million people across

the globe with apassion for postal history,asRichard tells it, the joyof stamp collecting is almost as old as the history of the adhesive postage pay marks themselves.

“Stamps started in 1840,right here in Britain, after pressure on the Government to introduce afair andcost-effective postage payment system,” he said. “Other countries soon followed suit –Brazil in 1843, America in 1848, France in 1849. They rapidly saw the success of the British system and adopted it. Soon it spread far and wide.

“By the 1850s there were known to be collectors, and dealers then began to appear.Stanley Gibbons –‘TheHome of Stamp Collecting’ –was founded in 1856, when it began as astamp counter within a family business in Plymouth.

“Stamp collecting shot ahead from then onwards. By the turn of the century it had got into royal circles, and King George V–asagrandson of Queen Victoria –was an avid collector.He founded the Royal Collection. The Royal Family now have asuperb collection of stamps from all around the world.”

Since its inception, the popularity of stamp collectinghas grown and grown, and in the modern age is apastime with a great deal of organisation behind it.

“In many places these days there are stamp clubs,” said Richard. “These will cover maybe alarge town or city, or acounty.InShropshire there’s the Shropshire Philatelic Society which covers Shrewsburyand north/west/south Shropshire, and used to cover thewhole county.But in 1969 there were enough

Richard Camp, from Telford, with his stamp collection

collectors in Telford to start aclubbased in the town –the Telford Stamp and Card Club, which covers Telford and east Shropshire.

“Stamp clubs are then grouped together in areas known as federations. The one that covers our area is the Midland Philatelic Federation.

“They give support to stamp clubs and organise activities –stamp fairs, exhibitions and competitions. And then there’s the Association of British Philatelic Societies –the organisation that helps stamp collectors at anational and international level, dealing with the bigger exhibitions.”

Now in his 80s, Richard’s passion for stamp collecting goes all the way back to his school days.

“I was around eight or nine,” he said. “When Istarted off Iwanted to collect stamps from thewhole world, and we used to buy them from all over theplace. There were no stamp dealers in my hometown, neither was there astamp club. So it was very much aquestion of swapping stamps with my schoolmates.

“When Irealised Icouldn’t collect the whole world Idecided to reduce it to the British Empire, as the Commonwealth was still known then. And when Irealised Iwasn’t going to manage that either,Ijust focussed on stamps from Great Britain and then later added France because I’m abit of aFrancophile! “Now Ihave most GB stamps, except the expensive ones. Ihave gonebackwards in time and collect pre-stamp envelopes which can often be bought for around £10 andhave interesting markings on them.”

As Richard relates, much of the joy of stamp collecting is found in the diversity of the hobby and the ways that collectors can make it their own.

“There are plenty of ways to collect depending on who you are or what you’re interested in. Some people will collect ‘themes’ rather than stamps from aparticular country –trains,wildlife, famous faces, etc. Some people collect stamps showing their work or other hobby interests. There are many different ways to do it, and you can do it atthe level you want, spending the money that you want to spend.”

In difficult economic times such as these, this is the reason Richard believes stamp collecting may be the ideal relaxing hobby for many people.

“Stamp collecting can indeed be quite cheap, whereas many other things that people collect are often expensive. But if you just collect themodern stamps that

Clockwise, from top: TelfordStamp, Postcardand Coin Fair First British Penny Black -1840 Twopenny Blue -6th May 1840. Christmas Collection -1973. 1840 Penny Black with Red Maltese Postmark French Stamps 1955. Christmas Collection -1973.

come out, this canbea cost-effective way to enjoy the hobby

“Stamp collecting is alsovery educational. I’ve learned alot about history and geography –anniversaries, cities and landmarks –throughcollecting stamps. It always helps when it comes time for agood quiz!

“In general it’saninteresting hobby that you can pick up andput down as you want. And it’s very relaxing.”

The Telford Stamp and Card Club is passionate about driving enthusiasm for philately in the area and serving as aresourcefor keen and would-be collectors.

“The Telford Stamp, Postcardand Coin Fairs are run by our club,” said Richard. “These involve aseries of dealers exhibiting their wares and the opportunity for anybody to be able to come and have a look at some interesting pieces. At agood fair,wecan get between 150-200 people. They’re open to all, and we don’t charge entrance to the public.”

As far as advice to anyone looking to get into philately,Richard suggests exploring the passions of current collectors, and he and his cohortsare happy to assist anyone looking to get involved in the world of their hobby.

“You should go andhave alook at what other people are collecting, and the best place to do that is in aclub,” he said. “Most stamp clubs will let you in for free for two or three visits, so you can go and have alook and see what other people are doing, then you can make up your mind as to how and what you want to collect.

“We’d be delighted to see all comers, and to see arange of fascinating pieces, be sure to visit one of our upcoming fairs.”

n Upcoming Telford Stamp, Postcard and Coin Fairs will take place on April

Above:Stamp to commemorate the Coronation of H.M Queen Elizabeth II -3rd June 1953

Right: King George VIThis stamp is known to collectors as the Seahorse.

8, July 8and October 14 from 10am to 2pm in the Belmont Community Hall, Wellington Centre, Telford. TF1 1HU. If anyone has acollection they no longer want, Richard can advise on disposal –he has sold stamps for charity for over 40 years so has awealth of experience in the stamp trade.

For anyone interested in finding out more about stamp collecting, the following contact details arefor clubs in and around the region:

n Telford Stamp and Card Club –Contact: Richard Camp. 01952-405458.

n Shropshire Philatelic Society –Contact: David Poynton. 01743-790120.

n Wombourne Philatelic Society –Contact: TerryHancox. 07305-251122.

n Cannock Philatelic Society –Contact: Tony Tongue. 01922-416857.

THETRIUMPH OF LOVE

BY CHRISTINA TREVANION,MANAGING PARTNER AT TREVANION AUCTIONEERS

Intoday’s liberal age we are free to choose and marry who we wish. Lovers can communicatefreely with one another with few,ifany repercussions.

However,upuntil the early 20th century agirls reputation had to be protected. Men and women were not free to marry whoever they wished.

But love conquers all and when two hearts collide, there is always away of communicating with oneanother

As Valentine’s Day looms, Ithought I would look at this tradition in more detail.

In its simplest form thetradition of the giving and receiving of aring as a solemn pledge symbolising an agreement between families can be traced back to the Romans. This led to the concept of the engagement ring that we know today

From the Roman period to themiddle ages and well into the 18th century, rings were made bearing asentimental inscription or affectionate message to the interior.These secret messages are hidden from view and only known to the wearer These inscriptions, often overlooked unless examined carefully with alens, were usually in English or French andexamples that Ihave seen include the heart wrenchinginscriptions; ‘In Thee A Flame –InMeThe Same’, ‘Amor Vincit

CLOCKWISE FROM TOPLEFT:

Locket depicting enamelled blue birds symbolic of love;bangle with typical clasped heart design; bowbroochsymbolic of love set with turquoise symbolic of rememberance; mourning locket with hair detailing; an opal and diamond heart ring; amethyst heart brooch often given as atoken of affection; ‘ADORE’ ring.

Omnia’ (Love conquers all) ‘No heart so true as mine to you’, amongst others.

As the 18th century evolved, so did the secret language of love. Lovers began to given tokens of their affection in the form of alock of hair,either on its own or woven with your hearts desire and set into apiece of jewellery.A miniature portrait worn on abracelet or within a locket was apopular love jewel.

Upon his death in 1830, King George IV was found to be wearing aminiature of Mrs Fitzherbert (his secret wife and long-term companion) around his neck.

Amore enigmatic variant was the eye miniature, fashionable from the 1780s, which showed only the beloved’s eye, giving little clue as to his or her identity

Love jewels were used to convey intimacy and this formed an important feature of early Victorian romantic jewellery.Tokens of affection were often given in the form of a padlock with an attached key, expressing ‘You have the key to my heart’. Other common symbols used include; aserpent biting its own tail, symbolising eternity in an everlasting circle (much like today’s wedding ring), as well as cupids, bows, arrows (emblematic of courage), anchors (symbolising hope or anticipation ‘The anchor of your soul’). All were used as secret messages exchanged between sweethearts who may have been separated by circumstances.

The early 19th century taste for multi-coloured jewellery was further encouraged by ‘The language of stones’ whereby sentiments and personal messages were spelled out in gemstones

by taking the initial letter of each stone used.

In the saleroom we often see ‘REGARD’ rings, using Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby and Diamond stones along with ‘DEAREST’ rings (similarly using Diamond, Emerald, Amethyst, Ruby,Emerald, Sapphire and Topaz stones) often set in arow across the front of aring or within aborder of a brooch or locket.

The inclusion of flowers and foliage within jewellery was also an important message; roses for happiness and love, ivy for friendship, broom for humility,turquoise for remembrance and pansies for ‘dwelling in my thoughts’.

The ardent sentiments between loved ones are forever captured in the jewellery that it produced. These treasured keepsakes symbolise the enduring love between generations of owners and their loved ones, jewelled time capsules espousing endless love stories since the beginning of time.

Sentimental jewels from throughout history embody the same romantic notions celebrated every Valentine’s Day, and Ican’t think of amore perfect or special gift to share on February 14.

English school, circa 1650, Portrait of two ladies with patchmarkstotheir faces Sold for £220,000

ANTIQUES

TIME&SPACE

HALL’S FINEART WATCH SPECIALIST ALEXANDER CLEMENT LOOKS AT ASPECIAL VERSION OF AN ICONIC CHRONOGRAPH WRISTWATCH, AND WHY IT JUST MIGHT BE YOUR ‘GRAIL’TIMEPIECE

For some enthusiasts, the Omega Speedmaster is a‘grail’ watch,i.e. the ultimate timepiece that they would dearly love to own. This is due, in part, to its classic design but also to its place in history as the watch of choice for NASA astronauts, being one of the few watches officially certified for use in space. It was worn during the first American spacewalk and also on thelunar surface during the Apollo 11 mission. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as The Moonwatch.

Chronograph watches -timepieces with an independent hand designed to record lapsed seconds and be reset -had existed since the 19th century but the inter-war period saw the development of the multiple dial chronograph wristwatch, able to count seconds, minutes, hours and even fractions of seconds, thatwe would recognise today.Since then, a multitude of chronographs have entered the Pantheon of wristwatches, each becoming highly collectable and instantly recognisable. The addition of tachymeter bezels or dial tracks added further functionality,giving the user an instant measurement of speed. This gave such watches aparticular attraction to the track

sport and motor racing industries. Omega introduced the Speedmaster wristwatch in 1957, consolidating its then role as official timekeeper for the Olympic Games. The first model, known to collectors as the‘broad arrow’, due to the shape of the hands, set thepattern for all the successive iterations with only minor modifications. The dial layout with its three registers, luminousbaton hour markers, and the external tachymeter bezel, would all feature in future models. The shape of the hands changed in 1959, along with the bezel now being black aluminium to make it more readable, with afurther change to the hand shape in 1963 to straight batons which remained as the standard form to the present day.Of these two last versions, referenced 105.002 and 105.003, it is thelatter that became known as the ‘Ed White’. But who was Ed White, and why did the watch take on this nickname amongcollectors?

Edward (Ed) Higgins White (19301967) was aUnited States airman, test pilot and NASA astronaut. He was one of aselect few pilots selected for the Gemini and Apollo missions and it was during the Gemini 4 flight of 1965 that he became the first American to walk in space. Known as an EVA(extra-vehicular activity), this meant leaving the safety of the orbiting capsule to move around freely in space. During this mission and his EVA, Ed White was wearing an Omega Speedmaster.The choice of this watch had been decided by NASA following a series of tests that had been carried out to find the best chronograph for use during space missions.

The tests startedin1964 when NASA operations director Deke Slayton began the search for achronograph wristwatch that could withstand the rigours of space exploration. He petitioned ten manufacturers to submit achronograph wristwatch for testing and of those, four firms responded: Rolex; Hamilton; Longines-Wittnauer; and Omega. Ten benchmarks were set against which each watch was evaluated, and these measured extremes of pressure, temperature, acceleration, shock, vibration and noise.

The only timepiece that passed all ten criteria was theOmega Speedmaster

Shortly after Ed White’s historic EVAin1965, Omega applied anew designation to the Speedmaster chronograph –Professional, owing to its NASA accreditation. Consequently,the pre-professional version made between 1963 and 1965, reference 105.003, became known as the Ed White and carries amuch greater interest and value to collectors today

Agentleman’s

Professional chronograph wristwatch.

EdwardHiggins White. Photo:NASA

Astronaut Ed White embarking on the first American EVA(spacewalk), June 1965.

Speedmaster

FLEXIBILITY IS KEYTO SENIOR SCHOOL SUCCESS

Every child is different... They develop at different times, have different interests and, most importantly of all, learn in different ways. This way of thinking underpins our whole approach at Birchfield School near Albrighton. This is why we don’t just accept students into our Senior School in Year 7, but also into Year 8and Year 9.

Year 9isapopular entry point, with our three-year GCSE package, giving our students longer than the standard two years to study for these all-important exams. Having the flexibility to be able to welcome students at multiple entry points, means that whatever your circumstances we can help to provide your child with afullall-around education, giving them theconfidence and aspiration to excel.

Historically asuccessfulprep school to Year 8, Birchfield School has recently expanded its Senior School provison to offer acomprehensive GCSE package, due to popular demand. “Our students were increasingly reluctant to leave Birchfield School, and with our knowledge, facilities, and incredible teaching staff, we knew that we could provide an outstanding andaffordable Senior School education for our students,” saysSarahMorris, Headmistress at Birchfield. “The response has been exceptionally positive, with many students moving up from the Prep School, as well as external candidates applying to the Senior School.”

Birchfield School’s unique approachtoward entrance assessments has been well-received by parents and students alike. Rather than aconventional entrance exam, we offer an assessment day,enabling us to spend time with potential students

and assess them in amore relaxed and enjoyable fashion. Many students find the traditional 11+ stressful and this prevents them from showing their true potential. Ourapproach allows us to spot this, and our education enables them to flourish. Whether you are looking for Year 7, Year 8orYear 9entry we can offer an assessment day to your child with personalised feedback to help ensure that you make thebest decision for your child.

At Birchfield School, our strengths lie in not just focusing upon the academic, but on the whole student. From the sports field to the music hall, our students are encouraged and supported to pursue their passions and interests. We aim to support the strengths of each individual; the academic, the sports person, thesinger,the artist, but also to promote the skills that we teach here at Birchfield School, such as perseverance, resilience, apositive attitude, kindness and courage –qualities that will enable your child to flourish throughout their life. Our Senior School gives our students ample opportunities to develop these skills, focus on their interests and build friendships for life.

n If you are interested in giving your child the best opportunity to flourish, with small classsizes, specialist teachers and endless extracurricular activities, then why not book a personal tour? Our next Open Morning is Saturday,March 4, 10am-12.30pm. To book your place, contact us at admissions@ birchfieldschool.co.uk or by calling 01902 372534.

BROADENING HORIZONS

AShropshire headteacher says that school clubs need to offer more than justbasic childcare and instead focus on preparing children for 21st-century life and learning.

Anna Karacan, Head of the Old Hall School in Wellington, has just unveiled an ambitiousprogramme which includes amini Duke of Edinburgh-style scheme, debating, executive functioning and orchestra clubs for children as young as seven.

Called Horizons, the co-curricular programmealso offers cricket, swimming and tennis together with STEM, coding, languageand philosophy sessions.

Horizons has been officially launched this term with abroad range of opportunities focused on four key areas –sports, academia, the arts and life skills.

Asimilarlyambitious programme in the Horizons scheme for Lower School children includes dance, Funwith Food, Beatrix Potter,tennis and yoga for children aged from four

“Too often after school activitiesare simply used for extending the hours achild can be in school and of course while that is an important function to help support working parents it is alsoa missed opportunity,” said Mrs Karacan who joined OldHall School in September from Kellet in Hong Kong, one of the top 100 prep schools in theworld. “I believe this is where schools can massively build on and enrich what is already offered in the school curriculum. We want to extend that excellent provision and prepare our children for 21st-century life.”

One of the jewels in the crown of the new scheme is Junior Duke –alife skillsbased club for younger children based on the benefits of thewidely renowned Duke of Edinburgh scheme. In it, children will be encouraged to have acan-do attitude as they work on their personal development with resilience, self-sufficiency and community-based challenges.

Other new additions include executive functioning, aHarvard-backed programmewhere children will be invited to work on personal organisation, working memory, flexible thinking, and

self-control in aquieter environment. Music and drama are catered for in the line-up with orchestra, chapel choir and aproduction club where members will produce alavish Year 3and 4play Other sports skills developed in clubs also include badminton, cross-country, football and hockey.Childrencan also choose to really hone those essential skills for key classroom subjects with aMega Maths Challenge club and aBattle of the Books club.

“Wehave been working on this programme for some time now and I am rightly proud of the variety of clubs and the level of ambition for what our children can achieve,” added Mrs Karacan.

“I firmly believe there is something here for everyone to not only enjoy but to advance essential skills and to allow them to step out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves. In my time here Ihave been delighted to see that our children are confident and enthusiastic learners; eager to grasp new challenges and always willing to have ago.

“It is awonderful attribute to have; the confidence to try and not fear failure, but instead realise success and failure areequally necessary parts of learning. This is what underpins our Horizons programme; challenge, learn and enjoy.”

Mrs Karacan said when she took on the role at Old Hall she promised to bring some of what she had learned in Hong Kong to Shropshirewhile combining it with the best traditions of aBritishschool.

“Education is competitive in Hong

Kong and schools have to try and create an unrivalled offering to cater for demanding parents. But what we do well here in Britain is create some of the safest and most supportive environments in which children can stretch themselves while enjoying ahappy school life.

“I am passionate about combining that environment with far-reaching ambitions for our children and what they can achieve. They are ready to embrace more than we often think they are capable of

“I have seen it here at Old Hall. We showedour children the new clubs line-up and it was awonderful burst of excitement. They couldn’t wait to talk about what clubs they wanted to do and in fact showed particular intrigue in the ones they may not have had any experience with before. Forany teacher that is all the inspiration we need to see where we can take them next.”

Parents welcomed the new clubs with many highlighting thevariety of opportunities included in the programme as really positive. The school also introduced anew online booking system to allow parents to register for thevarious clubs and Mrs Karacan was keen to point out that all the clubs including sports clubs are open to both boys and girls.

Anna Karacan, Head of the Old Hall School.

We areDerwen!Aspecialist college foryoung adults with special educational needsand disabilities (SEND).

Ourvibrant community works together to createarelaxed and positive environmentthat helps our young adults preparefor real life.

Opendays:

•Gobowen –16March

•Walford–24January

•Telford– 13 February

•Ludlow –15February Registervia ourwebsite

By creating aspace forour students to develop handson, practical experience we’re giving them the freedom to imagine what’s possible and empowering them to achieve it.

Come and have alook!

Gobowen (main campus)

In 2022, we were honoured with the Queen’sAward for Enterprise, endorsed by Her Majesty the Queen. The awardrecognises the education and vocational training we providefor young people from across the UK. Students learn work skills in our garden centreand shop, café, restaurant, charity shop and training hotel.

ANEW YEAR FULL OF OPPORTUNITIES

After the excitement of the Christmas festivities we all need something to look forward to in theNew Year

Luckily,students at Wolverhampton Grammar School have the ideal pickme-up waiting for them. WGS proudly offers one of the most varied and plentiful selection of extra-curricular clubs and activities of all the schools in the area.

Students can indulge and explore a huge number of interests, ranging from calligraphy and cooking to photography, Pokémon Go, BBCYoung Reporter and Big Band. Many of these opportunities, including Medics Society,student newspaper and the Green Power project, are run by Sixth Formers; providing extra opportunities for leadership, mentoring andenterprise.

Whatcan WGS students look forward to in 2023?With extracurricular trips firmly back in the calendar,there is plenty to tempt those seeking adventure! Perhaps asports and cultural tour to South Africa? AFrench trip to Château du Broutel in Northern France, avisit to the First World War battlefield sites at Ypres and the Somme, or even achancetovolunteer at aschool in Morocco?

This academic year has already seen three such successful international trips. The spectacular view of the Northern Lights on the Land of Science tour to

Iceland will surely be an experience difficult to surpass! This much anticipated trip offered the chancetosee some of the natural phenomena studied across all year groups in science subjects.

Whether adiscussion about the migration and evolution of whales in biology,walking on amelting glacier and learning aboutthe impacts of carbon dioxide on our planet in chemistry or seeing and appreciating the physics of ionised particles from the sun interacting

with the Earth’s magnetic field, it was atruly memorable trip for everyone involved.

The sports department has been busy with two European tours. Boys and girls took part in aPortugal Football Development Tour which provided agolden opportunity to train in world class facilities, interact with elite players and learn from highly qualified coaches. Several competitive fixtures against local teams were enjoyed, as well as afull stadium tour of Porto’s ground, Estádio do Dragão.

Further north, 29 Year 8and 9girls travelled to Valkenburg in the Netherlands for aHockey and Netball tour.They enjoyed coaching masterclasses and games against local Dutch sides, including playing at the incredible facilities of the Horst Hockey Club. When not training hard there was plenty of fun leisure time spent tobogganing, bowling and in the pancake house! On both tours there was time to appreciate local culture.

This abundance of extra-curricular opportunities is undoubtedly one of the huge benefits of choosing to study at Wolverhampton Grammar School.

Why not visit to find out more?

Book apersonal tour of theSenior School and Sixth Form or head along to the Junior School Open Morning on Saturday,January 28 (Years 1to6). Email: admissions@wgs-sch.net

Whole School Open Day

Thursday9th March

All through, all girl ages 4-18

From Reception to Sixth Form we put girls first. Always.

COFFEE MORNING Shrewsbury

Fundraisers enjoyedacuppa and achatatacoffee morning organised by The League of Friends of Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. The event, which was well supported and raised morethan £2,200, took place at Prestfelde School in London Road. League of Friends organising secretary, Sue Hurdiss, said: “All the money raised from this event will be going towards the purchase of CV6 Ventilators for the IntensiveCareUnit, following an urgent request for £197,000 to fund eight of these special machines which arethe very latest on the market and use the most advanced technology.”

Photos: TimThursfield

Trisha Wells, BarbaraLester,Kate Hazan.

Panto star Bradd Fitt,Sue Hurdiss, Alison Holroyd.

Zoe Evans.

BarbaraMarsland, Emma Armstrong.

Florence Evans at her India by Florence stall.

ValNunn, Linda Slater

Ceri Vaughan-Jones, deputy mayor Becky Wall, Kevin Horak, Charlotte Edwards.

Linda Savage, Jane Brown, Mary Rose Bone.

Pat Jones, Rachel Tarlton,Alison Gethin, Rosie Preston.

DarrenPierce, mum Carole.

Artist Jenny Haslam.

June Dickin, BarbaraMaund, Sue Crack, Linda Clutterbuck.

KELLY’SADVICEFOR SMASHINGYOUR HEALTHGOALS

Asmany of us vow to make 2023 the year to get fitter, Dame Kelly Holmes says the secret to achieving what you want in 2023 could simply be more self-belief.

“I think people could make critical changes to tness and the way they look and theway they feel if they believed in themselves abit more,” says the double-Olympic champion. “I believe alot of people don’t realise howfar they get, people sometimes don’t push themselves hard enough.

“Our bodies are amiracle, really,and we can do alot more as we look after them.”

The 52-year-old adds: “I do believe in atime to make those changes and kickstartyour year on apositive. My ambition is the healthiest Ican ever be –thatmeans body and mind,” Holmes adds. “I want it to be areally good year for me, because it been great over the years.”

Partly,that means running again.Holmes –who retired from professional athleticsin2005 after doing the historic double, taking Olympic gold in both the 800m and 1,500m in Athens –has suffered amyriad of injuries in the last few years, and hasn’t been able to run sincea calf tear last March. “It’s really critical for me andmywellbeing to get back to doing what I’m good at, and that is running –atany level.”

Holmes, who has partnered with Nuffield Health, was a fitnessinstructor in the Women’s Royal Army Corps before her illustrious career as amiddle distance runner,so she knows more than most about how to get bodies into peak physical condition. But she understands it’s not one-size-fits-

“Everyone’s history and relationship with exercise is very different. So it’s about going by your means and notputting yourself off before you’ve started. But knowing that you can keep progressing and knowing that everyone starts from somewhere,” says. “I have the mentality that physical fitness and mental are absolutely in sync –mine is. Ithink people have to their bodies to feel good.”

Plus, our bodies perform better when we feel good, Holmes “If we have amore positive attitude to doing something, do it more regularly,wewill prioritise our fitness. The thing is the brain telling you, ‘No, can’t’. But the more make excuses, the worse you end up feeling.

lot of people say they can’t run, but if you can putone front of the other,and it’s faster than awalk, then you’re unner –simple as that. How fast you run depends on the training that you do and your ability to maintain health.”

She suggests we ask ourselves: “What’s your ultimate goal?

HAMPION DAMEKELLYHOLMES TALKSTO ABOUT BALANCING BODY AND MIND –AND THAN SHE’S EVERFELTBEFORE

What is it that you want to do to make yourself feel better?”

But Holmes knows as wellasanyone that you canbe as physically fitascan be, yet struggle enormously mentally.“Ihad alot of mental health issues during my athletics career,” she says. Often she’d explain it away as being injured or not well, “but of course, it was other things goingoninmylife as well”.

Feeling like she had to hide her sexuality for more than three decades had ahugeimpact on not just her mental health, but her physical health.

“Everything Iwentthrough and the pressures in my own health, in my own being, for 34 years did not help, and has not helped, with my body,” Holmes shares. “Mental health is a massive issue amongstthe [LGBTQ+] community because not having that freedom to be you is debilitating. I’ve struggled with it my whole life. People struggle every day,and no one deserves to struggle justbecause of who they happen to be.”

Although family and friends have known Holmes is gay since 1997, until 2000 it was illegal for gay,lesbian and bisexual people to serve in the British Army,Royal Navy and RAF, and she was terrified she would face repercussions for breaking that law during her time in the forces. Even her double Olympic gold win was marred with fears someone would ‘out’ her, she told the Sunday Mirror

“It’s actually had abig impact on my body,the stress that Ireallygot to in the lasttwo years, and I’ve struggled hugely,” Holmes adds now.Everything seemed to coincide –with two operations on her Achilles, aback injury, suffering from Covid twice.

“I think it was because Iwas so stressed from everything that was going on in my head. I’ve just notbeen ahappy person and I think it really showed itself in my body,” she shares, of the impact on her physical health.

“It’s not good to be under so much pressure and haveso much anxiety and worry in your life. It’s no good for anybody; it stops your sleeping habits, it ruins the way you nutrition yourself Youkind of give up on things, you don’t thinkabout yourself enough.

“If you don’t take thetime for yourself,you don’t switch off your brain, because your brain is constantly having narratives that aren’t good for you.”

While she was in the Army and then training hard as a professional athlete, there was adistraction from the emotional turmoil: “My brain had other things to think about –Icould just carry on,” says Holmes. “But over the years sinceretiring, of course, you don’t have that same distraction, because you’re starting to think about real life and how that impacts.”

‘If you don’t take the time for yourself, you don’t switch off your brain because your brain is constantly having narratives that aren’t good for you’

Attending the Attitude Awards in October 2022.

Since coming out publicly though and the release of her ITV documentary,Kelly Holmes: Being Me, “I’ve just been able to relax,” she says. “I’m able to properly articulate my feelings alot better and howthe impact of that hasaffected me physically and mentally.I’m much happier than I’ve ever been.

“Now I’m starting to think, ‘Right, now it’s time to just heal the body and the mind’. Talking about my journey, talking about who Iamasa person, what I’ve achieved, but also humanising it and normalising it to say,‘Yeah, I’m just somebody who had areal good talent but actually has been throughthesestruggles and, through resilience, hasn’t given up and doesn’t want to give up’.

“I think thatgoes for alot of people, from any walk of life, who feel under

pressure, maybe undervalued or stressed through home life, financial worries, relationships. And then looking at themselves and feeling down, knowing their health isn’t as good, constantly thinking, ‘I needtotrain, Ineed to get better,Ineed to eat better’, but you don’t do anything about out it.”

Instead, Holmes adds, we need to besaying: “‘Right, OK, no more talking about it, I’ve got to do it’ –because no one will get better if they don’t actually make those changes. Including myself.”

n Dame Kelly Holmes has partnered with Nuffield Health, the UK’s largest healthcare charity, to help boost the nation’s physical and mental health. For more information visit nuffieldhealth. com/gyms.

Dame Kelly winning the 800m final in Athens Summer Olympics 2004.

FROM SKIPPING MEALS TO CUTTING CARBS, LISA SALMON GETS THE EXPERT TAKE ON SOME COMMON WEIGHT-LOSS CLAIMS

Every year,itseems there’s anew diet or product heralded as the best way to lose weight. But all too often they don’t achieve long-lasting results –and aren’t really a sensible, healthy choice either

“For the most part, foods should not be ‘banned’ or eliminated completely,” says GP Dr Sameer Sanghvi, from LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor

Nutritional therapist Laura Southern adds: “Winter is busy for patients wanting my help with losing weight, but Ialways advise them to stay away from fad diets, juice cleanses and extreme calorie restriction. Plus, they don’t work.”

Here, the experts address some of the most common weight-loss claims…

1. Skipping meals

Southern says intermittent fasting may sometimes be recommended as part of aweight-loss programme. But generally speaking, skipping meals is not advised.

“I would never advise anyone to do that without support,” says Southern. “Skipping meals or eating in arestricted way can lead to binge eating, which creates unhealthy behaviours and won’t ultimately support weight loss.”

Sanghvisays it’s far better to eat regular,healthy meals.

2. Cutting carbs

While many diets advocate cutting carbs, the experts stress there are many different types of carbohydrates –and as well as being found in white bread, pasta, rice and

WEIGHT LOSS MYTHS

potatoes, carbohydrates are also found in foods like veg, fruit, nuts and seeds.

“Carbohydrates are areally important part of our diet,” stresses Sanghvi, who says most adults need around 225–325g of carbohydrates aday

There are three different types of carbs –starch, fibre and sugars. Sanghvi says starchy carbs (potatoes, bread, pasta and rice –wholegrain if possible) should make up athird of our daily food intake.

“They’re agreat source of energy and contain lots of nutrients we need to keep the body healthy,” he explains. “Starchy carbs often contain fibre, which is good for gut health.”

However,there is apart of the avoiding carbs mantra that’s worth adhering to, he suggests: “Most of us should reduce our intake of sugars, especially free sugars –these arethe sugars added to chocolates,cakes and fizzy drinks, but they also occur naturally in honey and juice.”

3. Eating ‘breakfast likeaking’ and ‘dinner likeapauper’

Sanghvisays whether breakfast is really the most important meal of theday is a hotly debated topic. One large US study, he notes, analysed the health of 50,000 people and found those eating breakfast were more likely to have alower BMI.

“So, there’s something in it,” he says

–but that doesn’tmean ahugegreasy fry-up first thingticks the box.

It’s also agood idea not to have ahuge meal right before going to bed. “That’s because your body doesn’t have time to digest the food properly,and also it can impact how well you sleep,” he adds.

4. Only eating low-fat foods

While low-fat foods sometimes help reduce intake of certain high-calorie, unhealthy fats, Sanghvi says it’s important to look at what low-fat food you buy.Just because it’s lower in fat doesn’t necessarily mean it’s actually alow-fat food –or that it’s better for you.

“For something to be labelled low-fat, reduced fat or lite/light, it has to have 30% less fat than asimilar product,” says Sanghvi.

Also, some foods labelled low-fat may still be loaded with sugar and sweeteners. Plus, like carbs, fats are not always ‘bad’.

“There’s no need to consume only low-fat foods when trying to lose weight. Fatplays an important role, and it can also help make meals feel more satisfying,” says registered dietitian Kendra Haire, acoach for online health and weight management brand Noom.

She says healthy fat sources include nuts and nut butters, seeds, avocado, olive oil and fatty fish. “It’s more important to consider the type of fat,” Haire adds, “and to keep portion sizes moderate.”

WEEKEND WORKOUTS

ANEW STUDY SAYS IT’S HOW YOUEXERCISE THAT COUNTS, NOT HOW MANY SESSIONS YOUDOPER WEEK. ABI JACKSON TAKESALOOK

Struggle to fitworkouts in during the week? Good news: researchers in the US reckon doing all your exercise at the weekend might be enough.

It’s generally recommended we aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise aweek. This study, published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal, tracked 350,000 people over 10 years –and found it was the type and duration of exercise that matters, not whether it was achieved via aseries of shorter workouts, or just one or two weekend sessions.

Of course, you might really value your weekday workouts –there’s alot to be said for aWednesday swim or yoga sesh. Butit’s reassuring to know our fitness won’t suffer if we need to wait ‘til the weekend.

So, how can you get the most out of weekend workouts?

Keeping activeinthe week is still important

First off,even if you only do ‘proper’ workouts at theweekend, movement through theweek is still important –so factor in regular walks and desk breaks.

“Whilst weekends might provide us with the time, freedom and energy to move our bodies in amore intense way, it’s really important we aim to do what we can throughout the week, to ensure we stay happy and healthy,” says EvolveYou’s lead trainer Krissy Cela (right).

“Even if we can’t move to the same intensity, moving our bodies and staying active will ensure long-term health and happiness.”

Think about training smart “If you’re tight for time and can only train on theweekend, it’s still possible to get to your goals by training smart and eating well,” says Sophie Grace Holmes, personal trainer,nutrition coachand cystic fibrosis advocate(@sophiegraceholmes). “Utilising time efficiently is thekey to success.”

Think about incorporating cardio, and strength and conditioning, so you’re getting the full range of benefits –supporting cardiovascular health and your joints, bones andmuscles. Forexample, Holmes suggests “getting up early on a Saturday to hit the gym for astrength and conditioning workout, followed by an afternoon session such as along walk. Then Sunday could be a long bike ride or arun”.

Physiotherapist and Pilates instructor Helen O’Leary (right), director at Complete Pilates, says:

“The intensity of exercise is down to your current fitness. Ideally,wewant to get your heart rate up, so you breathe harder.For some, this could be afast walk, jog, or acardio class in the gym. Youalso want to add in

some resistance training. We recommend this should be adding some weights –you can get some kettlebells or dumbbells and do asimple home circuit that includes all the major muscle groups, for example: squats, split squats, RDL (Romanian deadlifts), lunges, step-ups, bench press, overhead press. If you don’t want to add in weight, then use resistanceina different way,” she adds.

Maximise your sessions

How to make weekend workouts work harder? “Toget in agood session, make sure your workout is at least 45 minutes –this allows time for all your changeovers in between exercises,” says Cela.

“Focus on compound movements,as these provide the biggest ‘bang for your buck’ –exercises like squats, lunges, pushups and deadlifts. Select aweightthat challenges you– this is really important if you want to improve your strength and fitness –yet remember to always execute the correct form. Use supersets andtrisets, as these are afantastic way to add volume and to make your workouts more effective in ashorter spaceoftime.

“Finally,add in some sort of sprints at the end of your workout, to improve your heart and lung health. The best thing about intervals is that they only need five10 minutes for you to reap the benefits Toptip: Aim to go all out on the treadmill or rower for 30 seconds and rest for 30 seconds, repeat for five-10 minutes! I promise it’s harder than it sounds…”

Mixitup

Youcould hit your 150-minute target in aoner– but adding amix of activities, scenery and social elements couldkeep things interesting

As an example, O’Leary suggests: “Wake up and do astrength workout before breakfast (45 mins). Organise to meet with afriend for abriskwalk and lunch (one hour). Do a20-minute stretch session before bed to help you relax and also calm your body down, so you sleep better (20 mins). [Then Sunday] wake up and go for arun or cycle/spin to get your heart rate up (30 mins). This hits your 150 minutes and if you’re feeling brave, you can tack on aPilates class to getyour core firing as well.”

Makeaday of it outdoors

“The nice thing about changing up the activityoverthe weekend is it can also be asociable occasion and encourages you to get outside,” says O’Leary. Ahike or bike ride can hit those cardio and conditioning targets, as well as

all that feelgood time outdoors in nature. Or,asO’Leary adds: “Why not getout on apaddleboard or kayak? This gives you all the benefits of being outside, but SUPs also challenge your balance andcore strength, whilst giving you an upper body workout, as the water acts as resistance.”

Prioritise warm-ups

“Remember to always include agood 10-minute warm-up and cool-down to get your body ready to exercise and aid recovery –especially as it would be an intense weekend,” says Holmes. “There’s nothing better than finishing an active weekend feeling energised and ready to start thenew week feeling your best.”

O’Leary agrees: “Generally,a class will include [a warm-up]. If you’re doing exercise on your own, try doing the first set with less weight, or even body weight to get yourself warmed up. Tryafew squats, calf raises and lunges before you run or cycle, and in your brisk walk, build up the speed rather thanheading out the door at asprint.Ending the day with a stretch session will actually help prepare your body for sleep, as well as helping it recover,” O’Learyadds.

Another suggestion, saysCela,isto mix in “an at home yoga or barre session These are great to lengthen, strengthen and mobilise your body,helping you target muscles that aresometimes left neglected, and to stretch out from your busy week.”

Sophie Grace Holmes, personal trainer and nutrition coach.

GET UP AND GLOW

EXPERTS SHARE THEIR TOP SKINCARE AND MAKE-UPTIPS

Unlike the summer months, when sunshine brings with it all-important Vitamin D and awelcome touch of tan, in winter our skin can look as grey and lacklustre as the clouds in thesky

But it doesn’t have to be that way According to experts, youcan counteract the effects of cold, dry air and alack of sunlightwith nourishing skincare and fake-it-till-you-make-it cosmetics.

Here, pros share their six top tips for how to get theglow all year round…

Extraexfoliation

“Dull skin can develop at any time, but is perhaps most common in theautumn and winter months,” says Charlotte Vøhtz (right), organic beautyexpert and founder of Green People (greenpeople.co.uk)

“This is when cold weather and central heating systems leave skin pale, pasty and vulnerable to a dry, damaged skin barrier that struggles to hold onto moistureand nutrients.”

Experts recommend exfoliating once or twice aweekwith a chemical exfoliant (as opposed to a physical scrub) that contains alpha or beta hydroxy acids.

“By removing the old, dead cells, we give our skin achance to recover and reproduce new, healthier cells,” says dermatologist Salome Dharamshi (left), co-founder of Sky Clinic (skyclinic co.uk).

an drops,

“Moreover,exfoliationcan improve the skin imperfections, reduce congestion of the blocked pores and blemishes, and improve levels of hydration and moisture of the skin.”

Cthe difference

“For radiance, get some Vitamin Conyour skin, it brightens and gives areal glow,with or without make-up,” says Abi Cleeve (left), founder of SkinSense (skinsense. co.uk).

Vøhtz is alsoabig fan: “This ingredient helps stimulate collagen and regulates sebaceous glands to keep skin from drying out, making it the perfect active for brighteningdullskin on theface.”

Previously difficult to formulate because of its unstable nature, nowadays you can get effective Vitamin Cserums at every price point.

Topupyour tan

Youdon’t have to jet off to Dubai to get anatural-looking tan at this time of year

“The best way to achieve asubtleglow in winter is to combine your tanning routine with your skincare routine,” says Nicola Matthews (right), founder of Sienna X(sienna-x.co.uk).

“Tanning drops are perfect for this –they can be added to your AM and PM moisturiser to create abuildable, flawless facial glow,” without having to worry about slathering fake tan from head to toe. “Add two or three drops to begin to find out your desired shade, add more or less for darker or lighter results.”

Be sure to smooth down your neck as well to get an even finish and wash your hands thoroughly to avoid any streaky palms in themorning, as the colour will develop overnight.

“Make sure that theproduct formula delivers this active, protecting its efficacy to stay working for longer,” Cleeve adds. “A lamellar formula product will do this by drip-feeding ingredients and absorbing just

SkinSense reinforcing vitamin complex, £28.

Cha Vøhtz age defy+ AHA radiance peel mask, £36, Green People

Add an oil

It’s understandable if you’re wary about adding an oil into your skincare routine –particularly if you have oily skin –but in fact allskin types can benefit.

“A facial oil can give you some serious glow,” says Faye Purcell, product development and skincare chemist at Q+A (qandaskin.com).

“It strengthens your skin’s natural moisture barrier,delivers nourishment and seals in moisture.”

If you want to avoidashiny complexion during the day,smooth a few drops of oil over your face thing at night.

Purcell says: “You can use on its own or mix it with your moisturiser acouple of times aweek. Forbest results spend acouple of minutes really massaging it into the face and don’t forget the neck.”

Dewy foundation

Want dewy skin in a flash? Create acocktail with your make-up and skincare.

“For the ultimate glowing skin this season, Irecommend layering up balm textures,” says Jamie Coombes, international

“Starting alittle seru

Dior Forever

This creates asheer nourishing action.

Dior foundation,

Abit of bronzer

If you’re too heavyhanded with the bronzer in winter you could end up looking like aturkey that’s been left in the oven abit too long.

“Toadd warmth to your complexion, opt for ashade lighter than your summer shade,” says Coombes.

“I like to apply it with brush along the hairline, contou [the hollows of the cheeks] and jaw for ahalo effect, followed by atouch of highlight to the top of the cheeksand cupid’s bow for volume.”

Dior Forever natural bronze, £41.

Q+A super greens facial oil, £8

Grandpa patterns

If making ashimmeryorultra-bright statement in your knitwear isn’t quite what you’re looking for this season, the trend for grandpa patterns will have you covered. Seen on the catwalks of Molly Goddard, Ganni and more, this is about more low-key colours and comforting geometric patterns.

The key to nailing this look? Go for oversized styles for maximum comfort, and you know you’ve nailed it when the pattern looks like something you –or knitwear king TomDaley –mighthave made yourself

WARM UP IN THESE KNITS

FROM HIGHLIGHTER BRIGHTS TO NINETIES-INSPIRED KNITS, THESE ARE THE BEST WOOLLEN LOOKSOFTHE SEASON

You’re no doubt still wearing your warmest, fluffiest, woolliest knitwear.And during the colder months there’s nothing more reliable thandigging out our favourite cardigans, jumpers and turtlenecks.

Knitwear might have astarring moment every year,but thatdoesn’t mean it’s boring or predictable –instead, there are awhole host of new trends to getinto this season…

Scallop neck all-overfairisle print jumper,£65; super-soft slash scallop neck jumper,£55, Monsoon.

Erica fair isle cardigan, £69; Eliza suede skirt, £129, FatFace

Cut-outs

Nineties-inspired minimalism isn’t going anywhere soon, and now it’s making its mark in knitwear too. This trend is all about light knits with subtle cut-outs, for asexy take on your regular woollies.

Of course, cut-outsaren’t exactly ideal if the cold weather lingers, so to actually make this look work all winter,it’sall about layers. Popachunky cardigan over your Nineties-inspired knit, and with a coat on top you’ll be warm and bang on trend.

Highlighter colours

Who said winter has to mean muted tones and drab outfits? This season, it’s all about injecting abit of life into your wardrobe via highlighter bright knitwear

The colour you choose is entirely up to you, whether it’s taking inspiration from Valentino and opting for hotpink, or going for neon yellows or traffic-stopping oranges. The brighter,the better

Disco knits

Glittery knits arealso having amoment with silvery cardigans and golden rollnecks taking over Instagram.

Youcan tailor this look to your personal style and how much of a statement you’re willing to make. Bright glittery colours will help you stand out, while softly sparkling blacks and nudes make more of an everyday look.

Team with jeans and bootstogive your favouritedaytime get-up some pizazz, or go all-out on top of aparty dress.

Corset belts

This trend isn’t technically knitwear,but it’s all about how woollies are being styled this season. As cosy and delightful as your favourite jumper might be, sometimes it’s easy to feel abit swamped by swathes of wool –and awaist belt could be the perfect solution to this.

Whether it’s along cardie or knitted dress, acorset belt will give your silhouette abit of ashape, and transform your normal knitwear into awhole new look with one simple accessory.

Knitted Vest TopinBright Red, £19.99, H&M.

Knit choker top in brick, £19.99, Zara.

Ripped knit cropped sweater in neon green, £32.99, Zara.

Kaleidoscope black leather obi belt, £20, Freemans.

Riva ribbed cardigan in magenta, £89; Florence rufflejersey skirt in deep teal, £99, Hush.

Pink sparkle tinsel cardigan, £65, Oliver Bonas.

Black fringe roll neck jumper,£49, River Island.

HIT THE SLOPES

SWOOSH DOWN THE PISTES IN STYLE WITH THESE SPORTY ESSENTIALS, SAYS KATIE WRIGHT

Ski season is in full swing, and if you ’ ve got a snowy getawayon the horizon you’ll need a winter wardrobe to match

Whether you ’ re cruising the green runs in Courchevel, going off-piste in Zermatt or indulging in some après ski fun in Aspen, there’s something for everyone in this year’s skiwear collections

1 2 3

4 5 6 9

These are the coolest ski fashiontrends of 2023

1. Dare 2b X Julien Macdonald excursive half-zip fleece, £32; regimented ski trousers £6995 2. Moon Boot Icon low cream nylon boots, £120 3. Marks and Spencer Collection quilted flatform walking boots, £45 4. Sweaty Betty Amaranth Pink Fair Isle Base Layer Top, £80; Base Layer Leggings, £80, available from Sweaty Betty 5. MK X Ellesse ribbed merino wool beanie, £120, Michael Kors 6. Halti Lis jacket from £39; Halti Lasku W DX ski pants from £34 available to rent from EcoSki 7. H&M white quilted ski suit, £50 8. Mountain Warehouse fairisle women ’ s merino top, £40; merino pants, £47; IsoCool hiker socks, £16 for two 9. Mountain Warehouse fairisle women ’ s merino top, £40; merino pants, £47; IsoCool hiker socks, £16 for two

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF SMILES

The Dental Spa on Oxon Business Park is celebrating aspecial anniversary in February,having been in business at Oxon for 20 years.

Originally opened in February 2003 by Jon and Jayne Sproson, the Dental Spa was designed with excellent clinical standards in mind alongside exceptional patient comfort and care being at the forefront of their vision.

These values and standards of care are still at the heart of the practice, welcoming patients old and new through their doors. There are still many patients who transferred with Mr Sproson all those years ago and have remained loyal, some travelling many miles to visit.

The Dental Spa is lucky to still

have some of the original staff members. Dr Emma Preston worked as adentist and now concentrates on facial aesthetic treatments. Alanna moved to the Dental Spa as part of the original group and has remained as an integral partofthe reception team. The staff have worked together at the Spa for many years giving arelaxed family feel to the practice as they and their patients know each other well.

Over recent years, the range of services is constantly changingoffering family, routine and cosmetic dentistry alongside

more specialist treatments such as oral surgery,implants and orthodontics, skin treatments and facial aesthetics. Adoctor offering minor surgical skin treatments completes the team to givea holistic experience for the whole family

Here’s to thenext 20 years of the Dental Spa.

Celebrating 20 years of The Dental Spa

Come with us as we board the Borealis for our 2023

Cruises

Scenic Isles of Scotland

26th June 2023

8Nights All Inclusive

Cabin Types (Based on two people sharing)

Interior Rooms (Grade I) - £1569 Per Person

Ocean View (Grade E) - £1788 Per Person

Superior Ocean View (Grade B) - £2144 PerPerson

Single Ocean View (Grade K) - £3236 Per Person

Scenic IrishIsles &Cities of Ireland

27th July 2023

8Nights All Inclusive

Cabin Types (Based on two people sharing)

Interior Rooms (Grade I) - £1529 Per Person

Ocean View (Grade E) - £1789 Per Person

Superior Ocean View (Grade B) - £2234 PerPerson

Single Ocean View (Grade K) - £3236 Per Person

BankHolidayEscapes to Scenic Scotland

26th August 2023

5Nights All Inclusive

Cabin Types (Based on two people sharing)

Interior Rooms (Grade I) - £859 Per Person

Ocean View (Grade E) - £992 Per Person

Superior Ocean View (Grade B) - £1289 PerPerson

SingleOcean View (Grade K) - £1919 Per Person

Borealis, has capacity for less than 1,400 guests but is larger in overall size than the other vessels in the Fred. Olsen fleet.

This means when you come on board for amemorable cruise holiday, to relax and enjoy apremium level of comfort –aswell as Fred. Olsen’s renowned personal service –inthe elegant public areas, lounges, bars and diningvenues, you haveeven more space in which to do so.

With its warm, welcoming atmosphere and timeless style, and classic open deck spaces providing aplace to fully immerse yourself in the magic of ocean cruising, Borealis is very much in keepingwith what guests have come to expect from a Fred. Olsen ship.

It’s time to look ahead at adventures for the year to come. From short, flight-free breaks to longer haul endeavours, there are plenty of destinations deserving our attention over the next few months.

And whatever your budget, there are options –soget some dates in the diary to put apositive spin on 2023.

Los Angeles, USA

Most of us will never see our handprints cemented into the paving stones of the Walk Of Fame. But we all have a chance to pose for aselfiewith the iconic Hollywood sign in the background.

The 100-metre-long set of capital letters was created in 1923 as a temporary advertisement for areal estate development, but acentury later its still standing (although it was replaced in 1978 with asturdier steel structure).

An additional reason to visit the sunshine state is the opening of the new Super Nintendo World on February 17, at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Rides will include Mario Kart™ and Bowser’s Challenge, along with a Mushroom Kingdom and Toadstool café.

WHERE TO GO ON HOLIDAY THIS YEAR

WHATEVER YOUR BUDGET OR INTERESTS, THERE ARE EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRAVEL IN THE YEAR AHEAD, SAYS SARAH MARSHALL

n Thomas Cook (thomascook.com) offer aseven-night holiday to LAatthe Best WesternPlus South Bay Hotel from £999pp (two sharing), including B&B accommodation and flights.

Bristol, UK

Starting life as atown called Brigg stow, bohemian, offbeat Bristol was granted its city and county status by King Edward III in 1373. Aprogramme of events and festivals will be held to celebrateits 650th anniversary next year,including the summer’s Unicorn Fest (theunicornfest. co.uk) –apublic arttrail of unicorn sculptures, painted by Bristol artists and on display at famous landmarks, from Clifton Suspension Bridge to Westonsuper-Mare’s Grand Pier

Additional new attractions include new BOXHALL waterfront food hall (opening in thesummer) and the reopening of the We The Curious Science museum.

n Doubles at the new Clayton Hotel Bristol City (claytonhotelbristolcity com) start from £110 per night B&B (two sharing). Formore information on the destination, go to visitbristol.co.uk

Normandy, France

Set on apicturesque tidal island in Normandy,Unesco-protected Mont Saint Michel Abbey has been photographed millions of times –yet nothing beats seeing it for real.

Construction of the Benedictine abbey,which is dedicated to the archangel St Michael, started in 1023 and took almost 500 years to complete. Access the island either by foot or shuttle bus from the nearby car park, but purchase tickets for the abbey in advance (£10; tiqets.com).But some of thebest views are from hiking around the mudflats with aguide or from adistance when the tide comes in.

n Brittany Ferries(brittany-ferries. co.uk) offer three nights’ B&BatLe Moulin de Ducey from £250pp (two sharing), including ferry crossings with a standard car

Malopolska region, Poland

Even if you’re not afan of athletics, televised sporting eventsare agood source of travel inspiration, with the backdrops often as inspiring as thesporting performances.

Next June, the European Games will take place in Poland’s Malopolska region and capital city Krakow,with athletes competing in 24 disciplines.

From the snowy peaks of the Tatra Mountains to the limestone cliffs of Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, the scenery of this areaissuperb.

Unesco World Heritage sites include the underworld of the salt mine in Wieliczka and the Bernardine Monastery in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska with its churches and chapels found scattered throughout thenearby hills.

n The Baltic Travel Company (baltictravelcompany.com) offer an eightday Krakow and Tatra Mountains trip from £695pp (two sharing), including flights, car hireand B&B accommodation.

Available April to October

Utah, USA

Perhaps even more dramatic than atotal eclipse, an annular solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, creating aring of fire effect.

Next year,the phenomenon will be visible in North America, and Utah

which has themost International Dark Sky Parks in the world –isthe number one choice for viewings.

The narrow path of theannular eclipse passes through Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Bryce Canyon, Glen Canyon and the world’s first-ever Dark Sky Park, Natural Bridges national monument, on October 14.

Bryce Canyon, famous for its red rock hoodoos, spires and sandstone fins, will also be celebrating it centenary

n America As YouLike It (americaasyoulikeit.com) offers a12-night Dark Skies and Red Rocks by RV tour from £1712pp (two sharing), including flights, accommodation andcar hire.

Shimokitazawa district, Japan

Demand for holidays to Japan hassoared since the destination re-opened after the pandemic. Although it’s always been a pricey place to visit, theYen has dropped by 25%, making now one of the most affordable times to book atrip.

Specialists InsideJapanare excited about Tokyo’s emerging Shimokitazawa district, packed with independent shops and cafes. Anew Shinkansen serviceto the bay side city of Nagasaki, launched in September 2022, will also seethe southern island of Kyushu grow in popularity in months to come.Visit active volcanoes, fertile hot springs and emerald gorges.

n InsideJapan (insidejapantours.com) offer the 13-night self-guided Kyushu Adventure from £4,325pp (two sharing), including B&B accommodation. Flights extra.

Coast To Coast England

It’s too easy to forget Britain has some outstanding stretches of coastline, providing the perfect bookends to acrosscountry hike.

It’s 50 years sinceAlfredWainwright devised his classic ‘A Coast To Coast Walk’, which passes through the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and NorthYork Moors national parks, starting at St Bees in Cumbria on the Irish Sea and finishing at Robin Hood’sBay and the North Sea. If you fancy achallenge, it takes around 14 days to do the full 190-mile route.

n Macs Adventure (macsadventure. com) offer a14-night Coast To Coast walk from £1,265pp (two sharing), including B&B accommodation, baggage transfer and maps.

MAIN IMAGE: Mont Saint Michel in France

ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOPLEFT: Ahoodoowith small windows and Thor’s Hammer belowSunset Point in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah; Robin Hood’sBay, North Yorkshire; Morskie Okolake, TatraMountains, Poland; Kagoshima skyline with Sakurajima Volcano in Japan.

PAGE 115 FROM TOP: The Hollywood sign in Los Angeles; Clayton Hotel, Bristol.

FIRST DRIVE: BMWM4CSL

THE NEW BMW M4 IS ONLYTHE THIRD CAR EVER TO SPORT THAT FAMOUS THREE-LETTER CSL BADGE. JACK EVANS FINDS OUT WHATIT’S LIKE

The BMW E46 M3 CSLwent down inhistory as one of the all-time great performancecars. Produced in 2003, it achieved almost mythical status due to itspoise and considerable weight loss compared with the standard M3. In fact, BMW hadonly applied the CSLbadge –which stands for Coupé Sport Leichtbau, or Coupe, Sport, Lightweight –toone other car,the famous ‘Batmobile’ of the late Seventies. Until now,that is.

The new M4 CSLarrives in the same year BMW celebrates its 50th birthday Adopting the same lightweight ethosas

its forebears, is this thecar to pick up the original E46’s mantle?

As you might imagine, something with ‘Lightweight’ in its name means bulk-shedding is at the core of what this M4 is all about. Much of the car’s panels are now made from carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) –the bonnet and boot are both almost comically light –while the rear seatshave been removed entirely.There’s atitaniumexhaust system, too.

All in, it’s 100kg lighter than the regular M4 Competition. Youthink that BMW could’ve pushed further with the weight-saving measures, butthis wouldhave come at the cost of everyday usability.This is aroad car,after all.

As you might expect, the CSL gains aslight uplift in power over the standard M4. It’s got thesame 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged straight-six engine, of course, but power has been upped by 40bhp over the regular model to 543bhp, while torque stands at650Nm –the same as the standard M4 Competition.

Zero to 60mph? That’ll take 3.5 seconds while BMW claims that you’ll hit atop speed of 170mph should you have the legal space and ability to do so. Of

course, outright efficiency isn’t the name of the game for acar like this, but fuel economy of up to 28.8mpg isn’t thatbad, nor are CO2 emissions of 222g/km.

The M4 CSLis an aggressive-looking thing, so you do approach driving it with alittle trepidation. However,during normal driving this is onewell-mannered performance car –iteven rides reasonably well, though there’s some to-be-expected stiffness which is part and parcel with a car likethis.

The engine remains wonderfully flexible and properly punchy.It’s also got alot more character thanthe standard car’s thanks to that new titanium exhaust with adeep, metallic howl coming at big applications of the throttle. It feels sharp and direct when it comes to steering too, and changes direction in an assertiveway It’s not so overly sharp that it becomes tiresome to use the M4 CSLas aproper road car,mindyou; you still wouldn’t mind using this for more mundane trips.

As we’ve already touched upon, the M4 CSL’sdesign is imposing to say the least. Only 1,000 will be made –ofwhich just 100 will be coming to the UK –but there’s no danger of these limited-run cars being mistaken for anything else. There’s

the eye-catching stripes, along with the variety of red accents which run around the edges of areas such as the kidney grilles.

The rear design is particularly strong, to our eyes. There’s aneatducktailspoiler which not only helps to differentiate the CSLfromastandard M4, but also ties it to the E46 model which incorporated asimilardesign touch. You’ve also got BMW’s ‘50 years’ heritage badges which look pleasingly different to the traditional roundel that we’re all familiar with, though they do carry a£300 price tag.

BMW has stripped out theM4CSL’s interior,but things haven’t gone too extreme. So while the carbon bucket seats look dramatic and racing car-like, they’re still heated and electrically adjustable. You’ve also got air conditioning and afull infotainment system, so this is far from a hardcore racer

As mentioned, there aren’t any rear seats. Instead, there’s anetting area which BMW says can be used to store racing helmets. That said, it’s just as useful for putting bags or shopping. So even though you can’t bring two passengers in the rear, at least you’ve got plenty of spacefor your overnight bag or coats.

At £128,225, theM4CSL is agood deal more expensive than the standard M4 Competition, which starts at £83,940. You get largely the same level of equipment in the pair,too, such as BMW’s widescreen infotainment system, cruise control and air conditioning.

But the bulk of that extra cost is going into what’s happening underneath the CSL. It’s theextra bracing, the revised suspension and the tweaked engine. It’s the range of lightweight parts and the vast use of that CFRP material. Plus, you could argue the residuals of the CSLwill be particularly strong due to its limited nature, so that initial investment will no doubt prove itself over time.

The M4 CSLisn’t acar with its sole focus on the circuit. Yes, it’llbesuperb at setting lap times, but it’s also acar that can be thoroughly enjoyed on the road, too. It’s sharp, focused yet reasonably comfortable, so it needn’t be acar that has to be trailered back and forth from the racetrack.

Is it acar that can eclipse the engagement of that original E46?Not quite, perhaps. But as an out-and-out driving experience, it’s superb.

FACTFILE

BMWM4CSL

Startingprice:£128,225

Engine:30-litretwin-turbocharged

straight-six

Power:543bhp

Torque:650Nm

0-60mph:35seconds

Topspeed:170mph

Economy:288mpg

CO2emissions:222g/km

LOVE AND SNOW

BY HEATHER LARGE

It’s the shortest month of the year and spring is just around the corner. The days are getting longer,the evenings lighter,and before you know it snowdrops start making an appearance followed in quick succession by the daffodils.

Snow in February is not uncommon and the county can quickly become a picturesque white blanket.

This is the timewhen we celebrate Valentine’s Day with those we love and have ago at flipping pancakes on Shrove Tuesday

The tradition of pancake races dates back centuries and is thought to originated in the town of Olney in Buckinghamshire, where they still host a traditional ladies-only race each year

Now events take place across the country and Shropshire is no exception with the county’s residents taking part in many of the years.

In 1967, for example, crowds turned out to watch 23-year-old Chris Fleming cross the line well clear of the rest ofthe runners in Wem’s pancake race, While the following year arace organised by Ludlow Ladies’ Circle took place in the town in aid of Shropshire Voluntary Helping Hand Association, and attracted over 50 entrants.

Settle down in your seat and enjoy our February picture selection...

Valentine’s Day movedinto the video age at aShropshireschoolinFebruary 1992. Lovestruck pupils at the Abraham Darby School, Madeley, Telford, recorded video messages for the ones they love Preparing to record afriendlyverse, arepupils Jonathan Reynolds and Emma Woodhouse.

The Park shopping centre Oswestry with the controversial development area in the background in February, 1981

Weston Rhyn main street in snowinFebruary,1981.

Shropshireminers were cheerfuland hopeful as they picketed in falling snow outside Ironbridge PowerStation

February1968.

Winter scene at Dawley in February, 1963.

Ludlow pancakeday race in

Astrict training diet of beer and pancakes got 23-year-old brewery cellarman Chris Fleming into top form to romp away with Wem’spancakechampionship in February, 1967.

Weston Rhyn in on February 26, 1981. The building in the background is Quinta School.

Tossing pancakes at St George’s Youth Club in the 1970s.

RIDING OUT FOR CHARITY M

otorcyclists are being encouraged to sign up for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s Bike4Life Ride Out on April 23.

The event, which is sponsored by The Bike Insurer,isorganised by and raises funds for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity in association with theSafer Roads Partnership.

Now in its 11th year,the Bike4Life Ride Out is established as one of the best ride out and festival motorbike experiences in the country.The Ride Out sees 3,500 motorbikes ride 23 miles from Meole Brace in Shrewsbury to RAF Cosford airfield, home to the incredible Bike4Life Festival

Thefestival will include live music, breath-taking displays, exhibitions, stalls, refreshments and more. With more than 6,000 additional people attending, it’s a great day out for bikers, families and the local community

Emma Gray,Chief Operating Officer for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “Wecreated Bike4Life with the Safer Roads Partnership to give our supportive motorbike fans areally fantastic day out, and to also raise awareness of biker safety as sadly we tend to andairlift motorcyclists from road trafficcollisions regularly

“Due to the increasing popularity of the event and the fact we are limited to 3,500 motorbikes in the ride out, we would encourage those interested to register now to avoid disappointment.”

To register, simply visit www bike4lifefest.com. Early bird tickets for the Ride Out cost £15 per biker,or £20 for abiker and pillion, which includes free entry to the Bike4Life Festival. Tickets for the Festivalalone are just £5 per person and children under 16 go free.

Keep up to date on social media by following Bike4LifeFest on Facebook and Twitter

Find out more information about the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity by visiting www.midlandsairambulance.com

Nigel Harniman Photography

FOUR WS SUDOKU

REMEMBER WHEN

1. Pieter Willem Botha became Prime Minister of South Africa

2. The TurinShroudwentonpublicdisplay for the first time in 47 years

3. The film Superman, starring Christopher Reeve, was released

4. PresidentSadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Begin of Israel shared the Nobel Peace Prize

1. John Howard succeeded Paul Keating as Australian prime minister

2. Benjamin Netanyahubegan his first termasIsraeli Prime Minister

3. Atlanta hosted the Olympic Games

4. Francois Mitterrand died

1. Australia celebrated its bicentennial

2. Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North was indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the US government

3. TV personality Russell Harty died

4. Michael Crawford starred in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway

1. Cecil Day Lewis became Poet Laureate

2. Ronnie and Reggie Kray were arrested

3. Colonel Yuri Gagarin died in an air crash

4. Enoch Powell made his “rivers of blood” speech

1. Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa TenzingNorgay conquered Everest

2. More than 300 people were killed as the east coast of England was devastated by flooding

3. Tito became PresidentofYugoslavia

4. Stanley Matthews won his firstFACup at theage of 38

WHO… was the legendary wife of King Arthur?

WHAT… are the names of the four Inns of Court in London?

WHERE… is Europa Island?

WHEN… did Austria join the European Union?

WHO… recorded the albums Cimarron and Elite Hotel?

WHAT… television sketch show featured the characters Lou and Andy?

WHERE… in literature would you find theBig-endians and Little-endians?

WHEN… did Dominique de Villepin become Prime Minister of France?

WHO… is the current captain of the England women’s cricket team?

WHAT… nationality was Oscar Swahn, the oldest sportsman ever to compete in the Olympics?

WHERE… is the Leyte Gulf?

WHEN… was the first general assembly of the League of Nations?

WHO… became the Secretary of State for Defence in 2014?

WHAT… provincial side did Ireland rugby union player Gordon D’Arcy turn out for?

THE FOLLOWING EVENTS ALL OCCURRED IN AYEAR IN LIVING MEMORY.CAN YOUGUESS WHICH ONE? 1 2 3 4 5 6

1. Lord Louis Mountbatten was appointed Viceroy of India

2. Ralph Richardson was knighted

3. The city of Edinburgh launched an InternationalFestival of Music and Drama

4. Denis Compton scored 3,816 runs in oneseason

WHERE… are the provinces of Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia and Limon?

WHEN… was the Lockerbie air disaster?

WHO… had aNo. 1single in 2000 with the song The Masses Against The Classes?

WHAT… two England footballers captained the country90 timeseach?

WHERE… in the US is theLiberty Bell located?

WHEN… was The Battle of Inkerman?

1 2 3 4 5 6

WHO… wrote the satirical novel Headlong Hall?

WHAT… in Gloucestershire is Hetty Pegler’s Tump?

WHERE… did Richard and Maurice McDonald open the first McDonald’s Restaurant in 1940?

WHEN… did the murderess Myra Hindley die?

WORDWISE

THE WORD MAYSOUND FAMILIAR, WHATDOES IT MEAN?

1. EFFULGE

A Shineforth. B Remove. C Pour out.

2. FLUKE

A German hunting horn. B Channel for water

C Barb of an anchor

3. GEEZER

A Aslang term for aman. B Natural spring. C Torrent of water

4. HIERARCH

A Purgativedrugderived from aloes.

B Ruler in holy things. C Egyptian temple slave

5. IMPUGN

A Foretell. B Force suddenly C Attack by wordsorargument.

6. LENTIGO

A Afreckle. B Fear of height.

C Aplant whose seeds are used for food.

CROSSWORD

QUICK CLUES

Across

7. Vigilant (5)

8. Green gem (7)

9. Quiver (7)

10. Path (5)

12. Defending (10)

15. Nominally (2,4,4)

18. Discovered (5)

19. Liberty (7)

21. Mitigate (7)

22. Clipped (5)

Down

1. Incredible (4,6)

2. Allude (5)

3. Butt (4)

4. Fault (6)

5. Perpendicular (8)

6. Devilish (7)

11. Remember (4,2,4)

13. Curative (8)

14. Agony (7)

16. Compensate for (6)

17. Fool (5)

20. Simple (4)

Across

7. Beast should be good for alaugh (5)

8. Again in battle for carriage of goods (7)

9. Asheet of soft paperunder discussion (2,5)

10. Oily girl? (5)

12. Infect badly after man becomes harmful (10)

15. No sport for asparkling performance? (4,6)

18. Many long dresses incorporate such material (5)

19. Deduce there isn’t abig blaze? (7)

Acomedian, Iwas born in Malaysia in 1960. Iwas a‘punk poet’inthe 1980s, and Iwas the firstsolo female to be awarded the Edinburgh Festival’s Perrier Comedy Award. Ihave been aregular panellist on Radio 4’s Just A Minute and in 2005 Iwas acontestant on Comic Relief Does Fame Academy

CRYPTIC CLUES 1 2 3

Arally driver,Iwas born in Reading in 1971. Imade my rally car debut in 1988 and went on to become the first ever English world champion in 2001. In 2003, Iwas diagnosed with abrain tumour after blacking out at the wheel and died tragically young in November 2005.

21. Disease resulting from awkward situation in car smash (7)

22. Post money for gamble (5)

Down

1. Does he keep other playgoers cool? (7,3)

2. Become established in those tiny islands (3,2)

3. Consent to father going on ship (4)

4. Exhausted inside left at gala (6)

5. Strong feeling follows dad’s first relegation (8)

WHAT’SMY NAME?

Awriter,philosopher and mathematician, Iwas born in Wales in 1872. Iwas jailed for six months in 1918 for my engagement in pacifist activities, during which time Iwrote Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy In 1957 Ibecame thefounding president of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Iwas awarded aNobel Prize for Literaturein1950.

6. Set on fire with dieting? (7)

11. Additional protection on the cricket field (5,5)

13. Are grand organised thus (8)

14. Where one might ringtoarrange a fight? (4,3)

16. 151 is brieflythe upper limit, the culmination (6)

17. Disrupt asuccession of scoring strokes (5)

20. Quick to lay off food (4)

4 5

An actress, Iwas born in Hampstead in 1931. Iappeared in sketches featuring Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie Barker,however the role Iambest known for is Hyacinth Bucket’s nervous next-door neighbour Elizabeth in the sitcom KeepingUpAppearances.

Adirector and fantasy writer,Iwas born in Liverpool in 1952. Stephen King once called me ‘the future of horror’. After being displeased by several film adaptations of my work in the 1980s Iwent on to direct the film adaptation of my novel The Hellbound Heart, which becamethe 1987 cult classic Hellraiser.

WORDSPIRALS IMPOSSIPUZZLES

STARTING FROM 1, FILL IN THE GRID IN ACLOCKWISE DIRECTION WITH FOUR-LETTER WORDS. THE LAST LETTER OF EACH WORD BECOMES THE FIRST LETTER OF THE NEXT WORD. IF YOUHAVECORRECTLYFILLED IN THE GRID THERE SHOULD BE ASEVEN-LETTER KEYWORD READING ACROSS FROM 8.

1. Cook in hot water 2. Minus 3. Plant part 4. Thaw

5. Armoured combat vehicle 6. Pavement edge 7. Make beer

8. Direction 9. Ruffian 10. Swimming competition

11. Among 12. Money,slang 13. Difficult 14. Flat circular plate

15. Hotel cook 16. Bend

Key word clue: Place in Wales

1. Hosiery item 2. Brown seaweed 3. In addition

4. Smoke and fog 5. Adhesive 6. Reflection of sound

7. Lubricates 8. Condiment 9. Short-term worker

10. Young salmon 11. Harvest 12. Having little money 13. Rends

14. Counterfoil 15. Greek letter 16. Dry

Key word clue: Arachnids

“How old is John?” Susan asked. “John’s too young for you,” repliedMary.“Figure it out yourself.Ifyou add together thetwo figuresofhis age you get half what his age was ayear ago.”

What do you make of it?

Charlie was checking his cash. “That’sfunny,” he said. “I’ve got eleven pounds less in pound coins thanIhad when Iwentout this morning, but eleven pence more in pence.”

“What about it?” Molly said. “You spent the difference.”

“Obviously.Infact Ispent exactly half what Ihad on me,” replied Charlie. “And that’s odd.”

How much had he spent?

“Listen, Dad,” said Tim. “I’ve found something unusual about 6345, our phone number.Start by writing down all the four digit numbers that can be made with those digits, like 3456, 3546, and so on. Whatwould you get if you added all those numbers together?”

“I’ve got it,” his father declared. “And without actually writing down those numbers.” Can you do so?

Susan held out two pounds andthree pennies. “Three shops, and that’sall I’ve got left,” she said. “But how muchdid you start with?” said Ron.

“You work it out,”replied Susan. “In each of the three Ispent exactly half what Ihad in my bag when Iwentin.” Well?

1 2 3 4 5

My Magic Square is an arrangement of consecutive positive numbers in a4×4 square array. Each row,each column, and each of the two diagonals adds up to the same Magic Total. That’s just one less than five times the smallest number in the array

What must that smallest number be?

1. Applaud 2. Cougar 3. Hairstyle 4. Formerly

5. Give or send forth 6. Gratuities 7. Music type

8. Plant part 9. Dread 10. Jewellery item 11. Hereditary unit

12. Therefore 13.

15.

Key word clue:

ANSWERS ON PAGE 128

Burden 14. Eyelid inflammation

Make money by working 16. Unfeeling

Medical condition

2Enjoy ‘AnAfternoon With Ellie Evelyn Orrel’ at Booka Bookshop, Oswestry

Bookworms can join in for a restorative afternoon finding out about Ellie’s lyrical memoir,‘An Indigo Summer’. Ellie and her Mum, Jeanette will talk about indigo dying and the power of creativity as away to navigate moments of difficulty in their lives.

“There is acertain feeling –standing between rows of richly dyed blue cloth –that you are within an enclaveof protection, that within this ocean you can feel calm; aseparation from the outside world,” Ellie says.

One summer,a mother anddaughter are reunited in thesmall village of Betws Gwerful Goch in NorthWales following the death of afather and grandfather Ellie returned from studying at university, while Jeanette had been studying the art of indigo dyeing in Japan. In this lyrical memoir,Ellie Evelyn Orrell transports readers to their hillside garden, reflecting on asummerspent learningtowork with indigo, and witnessing the power of creativity in moments of mourning and recovery.Init, she weaves together stories of resettling in aonce-familiar landscape; the healing powers of art; the historical, mythological and present day properties of indigo; and the presence of this indelible colour within the Welsh landscape.

An Indigo Summer is an absorbing mediation on art, rural life and roots, grief,creativity and the artistic process.

Tickets cost £5. Formore details visit www.bookabookshop.co.uk

3

The free lunch-hourconcert series at St Chad’s Church, Shrewsbury, is one of the biggest in the country,and it restarts this month. Concerts begin at 12.30pm, they last just 40 minutes and there is alight lunch served after each concert in thechurchhall. Concertgoers can parkfromnoon to 2pm free of charge at the permitting.

Organ recitals significant part of the entertainment; amongst excellent players are Etherington from Abbey for the first the year on February Schools contributin to the series include Old Hall, Wellington, February 10. And for first time, thechoir University Church

Cambridge –Great Mary’s –will perform on February 17.

Full listings, including programmes of forthcoming concerts, canbe found stchadschurchshrewsbury

7In Wolves Icons you can expect evening with three Wolves’ iconic 1970s John Richards, Ke Steve Daley played club’s success during

decade at Molineux. With more than 1,000 appearances and 350goals between them, the trio will share some great stories from their brilliant Wolves careers. It will be an evening packed with anecdotes, laughter and achancefor the audience to ask some questions of their own. The event will be hosted by Sky presenter and Express& Star Johnny Phillips.

Telford Theatre and £22.

www.telfordtheatre.com/ shows/wolves-icons80/

11

In aworld of groups, hierarchies and class systems, everyone’s trying so hard fitin.

What’s wrongwith being amisfit? Be you, be proud!

From the caravan the middle-class neighbourhood, it’s taken Patrick Monahan (left) four decades to realise that.

When he plays Bridgnorth, fans can Monahan’s stand-up observations on living his contemporary life alongside of his upbringing. seen recently on BBC The One Show,Loose men and Asian Network, show has won rave

Sky Sports presenter and Express &Star columnist Johnny Phillips hosts Wolves IconsatTelfordTheatre;CarletonEtherington from Tewkesbury Abbey will perform an organ recitalatStChad’sChurch, Shrewsbury.

reviews: “Rip-roaringly funny….. another hour would have suited everyone!” ***** One4Review

“Hilarious” Three Weeks *****

“TerrificComic” Scotsman ****

“Definite must see!” Edinburgh Festivals ****

Venue is Bridgnorth Theatre On The Steps and tickets cost £15. Visit www.theatreonthesteps.co.uk/ product/patrick-monahan

13

100 And Counting: John McGuinness and James Whitham comes to Telford Theatre.

John McGuinness is the god of TT racing. Acomplete legend of the sport, among other achievements, McGuinness holds the record of 23 wins around the Isle of Man track. Superb on stage and to coincide with his MBE, his 50thbirthday and his 100thTTstart, fans will get to hear it all from the manhimself.His show will be delivered exactly as you would expect, uncut with no frills withlots of humour

John is the last man out of the event, and he always hangs around and meets everyone at the end of the show

James Whitham is aveteran presenter and his rapport with John is hilarious. He was aworld-classracer in his own right, winning and gaining podiums in the world superbike championship.

Venue is Telford Theatre and tickets cost £27.

Formore details visit www telfordtheatre.com/whats-on/ all-shows/100-and-counting-johnmcguinness-and-james-whitham/4733/

16An Evening With VexKing –Closer To Love comes to The Holyrood Community Theatr,Oswestry

Readers can join acclaimed mind coach, bestselling author and Instagram sensation VexKing as he talks about his latest book Closer to Love, agroundbreaking new guide about love and relationships.

VexKing, author of bestselling Good Vibes, Good Life and Healing is the New High, is backwith Closer to Love, apractical guide to creating lasting connections.

Vexhas developed these practises and skills to help him heal, to build stronger connections andto find peace and joy in his own romantic relationship.

He is now sharing his wisdom and experience to guide readers on their own journeys.

He says: “Love is abasic human need, but it’s alsoour greatest superpower.A life lived with love is rich, abundant and rewarding. It is my sincere hope that reading Closer to Love will help you to cultivate and experience more love in your life.”

Closer to Love will empower you to cultivatemature, meaningful relationships, overcome fears, expectations and insecurities, develop clarity around who you really are and understand what kind of relationships you want to build.

Tickets cost £10.

Formore details visit www bookabookshop.co.uk/ events/an-evening-withvex-king-closer-to-love/

18Oh What ANight! takes fans back in time on amusical journey through the incredible career of Frankie Valli &The Four Seasons.

Valli’s unmistakable voice dominated the airwaves for more than two decades with classics such as Sherry, Let’s Hang On, Big Girls Don’t Cry,Can’t Take My EyesOff You, My Eyes Adored You, December 63 (Oh What ANight), Bye Bye Baby,Who LovesYou and many, many more.Selling over 100 million records worldwide, Frankie Valli &The Four Seasons secured their place in the Rock &Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

Veteran presenter James Whitham and Isle of Man TT legend John McGuinness present 100 And Counting at TelfordTheatre

Bestselling author VexKing.

Oh What ANight!combines infectious personalities, amazing vocals, slick harmonies and even slicker dance moves to deliver ashowfull of energy and nostalgia which always leaves audiences wanting more. It’s theultimate celebration of one of the world’s greatest rock &roll bands.

Venue is Telford Theatre and tickets cost £22.50. Visit www.telfordtheatre.com

18&19

Shropshire’s original kids festival returns this month. The award-winning Shropshire Festivalsteam will be filling Telford International Centre with fun for 0-12 year olds during the school half term.

Normally held across three halls, this year’s festival will expand into afourth

hall dedicated to under-5s, creatinga safe space for little ones. Aside from inflatables and asensory class, they can play amongst amini pop-up play town.

Organisers are also increasingthe size of the popularfoam party,and recommend bringing atowel and change of clothes.

Aside from professional face painting, every activity will be included in the ticket price meaning there is no limit to what families can enjoy

Free activities include an obstacle course, large inflatables, giant games, school of coding, STEM workshop, silent disco, Diddi Dance, space hoppers, Console Heaven, Haygate vet school, foam party,arts and crafts with The Creation Station, Alison’s Bee Class, circus skills with Panic Circus,

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES ON PAGES 123-125

REMEMBER WHEN: 1.1978. 2.1996. 3.1988. 4.1968.

5.1953. 6.1947.

FOUR Ws: 1.Guinevere; Lincoln’s Inn, Gray’s Inn, Middle Temple and Inner Temple; Mozambique Channel; 1995.

2.Emmylou Harris; Little Britain; Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift; 2005. 3.HeatherKnight; Swedish; The Philippines; 1920. 4.Michael Fallon; Leinster; Costa Rica; 1988.

5.Manic Street Preachers; Bobby Moore and Billy Wright; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 1854. 6.Thomas Love Peacock; A Neolithic chambered burial mound; San Bernardino; 2002.

WORDWISE: 1.A 2.C 3.A 4.B 5.C 6.A

CROSSWORD: QUICK SOLUTIONS: Across: 7 Alert; 8 Emerald; 9 Tremble; 10 Track; 12 Protective; 15 In name only; 18 Found; 19 Freedom; 21 Assuage; 22 Shorn. Down: 1 Past belief; 2 Refer; 3 Stub; 4 Defect; 5 Vertical; 6 Satanic; 11 Keep in mind; 13 Remedial; 14 Anguish; 16 Offset; 17 Idiot; 20 Easy

CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS: Across: 7 Hyena; 8 Freight;

cheerleading, nerf wars, animals, human table football, martial arts, performing arts, boxing, princesses and pirates, pickleball, tennis, Telford Tigers, cricket, adedicated dinosaur area and EKO activities (Educating Kids Outdoors).

Local author Donna David will be reading at the event. Her books include ‘Oh No, Bobo!’ ‘Trains, Trains, Trains’ and ‘Farmer Llama’.

Alimited number of golden tickets have been released which give access to a golden hour from 9am until 10am before general admission opens.

The festival has designated baby changing and breastfeeding areas, plus aquiet zone for kids with additional support needs.

Formore information visit www shropshirekidsfest.co.uk

ShropshireKids Festival returns to TelfordInternational Centre; Oh What ANight! celebrates the music of Frankie Valli &The Four Seasons at Telford TheatreonFebruary 18.