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THE COUNTY’S FAVOURITE LIFESTYLE PUBLICATION SINCE 1950

A YEAR IN OFFICE

High Sheriﬀ Mandy takes a look back

MARCH 2024 £3.95

IN A SPIN

From corporate career to record store dream

BIRD'S-EYE VIEW

9 770037 439654

BIG BREAK Colin on cue for snooker success

How our county landscape has changed

ESTABLISHED 1950 Grosvenor House, Central Park, Hollinswood Road, Telford TF2 9TW

MARCH 2024

The Shropshire Magazine has a controlled, selected distribution in Shropshire towns, and is available for sale from many retail outlets and by subscription EDITOR Caroline Jones caroline.jones@mnamedia.co.uk 01952 241461 FEATURES EDITOR Vicki Jones vicki.jones@mnamedia.co.uk 01902 319851

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 EDITORIAL AND SOCIAL DIARY heather.large@mnamedia.co.uk 01902 319501 ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER Clare Weaver clare.weaver@mnamedia.co.uk

ADVERTISEMENT SALES Alison Jukes alison.jukes@mnamedia.co.uk 01952 241339 DISTRIBUTION, SALES & SUBSCRIPTIONS 0800 174064 CONTRIBUTORS Erica Baker Vilain, Maryanne Lineker-Mobberley, Jack Evans, Ted Welford, Sarah Marshall

FEATURES SELECTION 7

PUBLISHED BY MNA Media, Telford PRINTED BY Precision Colour Printing, Halesﬁeld, Telford

24 www.shropshiremagazine.com

A year as High Sheriﬀ

Artists gathering

Interiors

Mandy Thorn tells Heather Large about an inspiring 12 months meeting amazing people across the county.

Talented watercolour artists from around the globe will be at a Shropshire exhibition. Heather Large ﬁnds out more...

Welcome in the spring with bold and bright paint ﬁnishes and furnishings in your home.

Gardens

Experts explain the importance of low-carbon gardens in the ﬁght against climate change to Hannah Stephenson.

Cover story

Matthew Panter talks to the snooker coach whose career changed when he met World Champion Terry Griﬃths.

Bird’s-eye view

Daniel Morris compares aerial views that show the county’s changing landscape.

MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

CONTENTS

43 40

In a spin

Matthew Panter meets the record store owner who swapped a corporate career for his dream job selling vinyl.

Bringing the laughs

99 55

Glorious gardens

In the picture

Britain’s Got Talent winner Jon Courtenay tells Matthew Panter about his life, and link to the area, ahead of a county show.

Festivals of fun

Andy Richardson meets the director of Shrewsbury Festivals, Beth Heath.

SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

Heather Large looks at some of the county highlights ahead of this year’s open gardens event.

Matthew Panter puts the spotlight on Newport Photographic Club’s latest competition winners as the group marks 40 years.

Season’s larder

Andy Richardson reveals what we should be eating – and planting – as spring arrives.

Social scene

From an art exhibition fundraiser to a special lunch to celebrate the oﬃce of High Sheriﬀ.

Taste of paradise

New direct ﬂights have made the idyllic Maldives more accessible than ever. Sarah Marshall ﬁnds out more.

110 What’s on

From musical performances and book tours to drama and workshops, there’s plenty going on this month. 5

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REFLECTING ON AN INCREDIBLE YEAR HEATHER LARGE CHATS TO HIGH SHERIFF MANDY THORN AS SHE REFLECTS ON A FASCINATING YEAR DURING WHICH SHE HAS TRAVELLED THE LENGTH AND BREADTH OF THE COUNTY

just feel proud to have had this incredible opportunity to serve,” says Mandy Thorn, as she reflects on her year as High Sheriff. Since her installation in April last year, she has clocked up more than 14,000 miles travelling the length and breadth of the county. Mandy has been the guest of honour at hundreds of events, championed local heroes from all walks of life and received an insight into the vital work of our emergency and support services. “It’s been absolutely fascinating. There is so much that goes on in this county. Shropshire is blessed with absolutely fantastic community groups and individuals who go above and beyond,” she says.

SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

Mandy has made it her mission to celebrate and thank the people who make our towns and villages better places to live and work. And it’s been an eye-opening experience for the mother of two, who has been a Deputy Lieutenant of Shropshire since 2019. “I naively thought I knew our county – although I wasn’t born here, we have lived here a very long time. “There’s so much I didn’t know about our county, I have discovered so much. To be able to go to all of these different places across Shropshire has been an absolute joy,” explains Mandy. “Every part of the county has its own identity, but the thing that binds us all together is that we want to do our best for our community.

“There have been so many times when I have got back in my car after an event and thought ‘oh my goodness, that was amazing. I have learnt so much and met people who give so much of themselves and they do it for nothing’.” There have been many heart-warming moments during her year in office that have left a lasting impression. “Early in my year, I was invited to Newcastle upon Clun Primary School by three of their Year 6 pupils to present their Coronation medals. It was a lovely event. “In July, I was invited to Clun by the Mayor to meet a fundraiser who had raised the money to buy a defibrillator for the Memorial Hall – the fundraiser was Jess – one of the Year 6s I had met at the school.

“Then I was in Bishop’s Castle in September because there was a fundraising campaign being launched to refurbish the leisure centre. “And who did I see as one of the swimmers doing a sponsored swim in the pool? It was Jess. “I have met young people like Jess across the county. I love the fact that as High Sheriff I get to hear their stories and meet these inspirational young people. I hope that in 30 years time, Jess might be a High Sheriff,” says Mandy. During her shrieval year, she has also visited charities and organisations providing support to more vulnerable members of the community. “We’ve heard some gut-wrenching stories from people who are homeless and people who are impacted by poor mental health. It really makes you think. We have some brilliant support services that are doing their best to help people,” says Mandy. “I have been blown away by the Ukrainian refugees and refugees from other countries who are volunteering at our local hospitals. There is so much community and willingness to help,” she adds. Throughout her year in office, Mandy, who is a member of Shrewsbury Darwin Rotary Club and the Shrewsbury Drapers Company, has been supported by husband Mark as her Consort. “Mark has been brilliant. He’s come along to a lot of the events and having two of us there means we can talk to more people. “Some people aren’t comfortable talking to the High Sheriff but they will talk to the High Sheriff ’s Consort.” 8

MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

It’s been an honour for Mandy to have been invited to play a part in so many community celebrations such as Clun Open Gardens, Bishop’s Castle’s Charter Day and Whitchurch’s Blackberry Fair to name just a few. “When you’re walking through a town centre in a High Sheriff ’s uniform, you do feel like you stick out. Not at all at the Blackberry Fair. There were people on stilts, Morris dancers, musicians, steampunks, all sorts of people. It’s lovely to see the whole community come together at these events.” As part of her commitment to celebrating unsung heroes across the county, Mandy hosted a special afternoon tea at RAF Museum Cosford in September. More than 250 people attended the event and guests were entertained by musicians from Jackfield Brass Band and Morris dancing group, Shrewsbury Morris. Among those who attended were street pastors working throughout the night to ensure the safety of revellers, guide dog trainers and a life-saving leisure

SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

centre team. “I wanted to do something which allowed me to say thank you to the volunteers I had met so far,” says Mandy. Traditionally, the High Sheriff has always been involved with matters relating to the judiciary and the maintenance of law and order. Mandy has dedicated time to learning more about how police are tackling serious crime, such as county lines, in Shropshire and how justice is delivered. There have also been visits to charities and groups, such as boxing clubs, that are providing activities to keep young people away from crime. Among the events she has hosted has been a dinner for senior magistrates, judges and the county’s coroner and a lunch for former High Sheriffs and Consorts. She has also been delighted to set up the High Sheriff of Shropshire’s Fund, which is managed by the Shropshire Community Foundation. Oswestry-based Aico has donated more than £30,000 to the fund, which will provide grants to support youth-led projects that encourage young people

to positively contribute to their local community. In just a few weeks, Mandy will hand over the reins to High Sheriff in nomination Brian Welti, following a legal service at Shrewsbury Abbey. “I had no idea that it would go so fast. It has been better than I thought it would be but I already knew it was an incredible privilege,” she says. “There’s no template for the role of High Sheriff, you choose what you want to do, and I chose to embrace it.”

PAGE 8: Taking part in the Derwen College 24-Hour Spinathon; a Remembrance service at Monkmoor Police Station in Shrewsbury; with husband and consort Mark; at Market Drayton’s Festival Drayton Centre for a health and wellbeing event. PAGE 9, CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: At a coronation party at Newcastle CofE Primary School; at St Mary’s Church, Leighton, after being declared High Sheriﬀ; hosting a social event for Shropshire Association of League of Friends; joining the Poppy Appeal collectors in Shrewsbury’s Square.

OFFERS IN STORE

WIDE RANGE ON DISPLAY

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Mexican artist Patricia Guzman’s Self Communion will be one of many masterpieces from around the world on display at Lilleshall Hall

MASTERFUL SHOW FOR ART LOVERS HEATHER LARGE MEETS THE LEADING ARTIST WHO HAS PUT TOGETHER A WATERCOLOUR EXHIBITION WHICH WILL BE ATTENDED BY ARTISTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

David Poxon prepares at Lilleshall Hall

SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

hey come from all corners of the globe and have dedicated years to becoming true masters of their art. An elite group of watercolour artists will be descending on Lilleshall Hall, near Newport, to showcase their work and share their passion for painting. The International Watercolour Masters, which runs from May 15 to 24, will include a stunning exhibition of more than 150 masterpieces as well as live demonstrations and workshops. It has been curated by award-winning artist and author David Poxon RI, who lives near Claverley and is a member of The Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours. David organised the inaugural International Watercolour Masters in

2018 at Weston Park, which proved so successful that the event moved to a larger venue at Lilleshall Hall in 2022. Now the festival is returning to again give visitors the rare opportunity to see some of the world’s greatest artists under one roof. “It’s the only event of its kind in the UK and the greatest concentration of watercolour masters anywhere in the world. “Not only is it an exhibition of paintings that are out of this world, but the artists also come to the show and demonstrate some of their incredible work. “We have giant monitor screens so the audience can see every brushstroke and can revel in the experience. “It’s a very enjoyable, sociable and fun

experience for visitors and for the artists,” explains David, who is also a signature member of the National Watercolor Society of America. Artists will be travelling from countries including Portugal, Sweden, Argentina, Australia, Poland, Spain, Canada, India and China. They include Portuguese portrait specialist, Júlio Jorge; Deepti Singh, who is completely self taught and hails from North India; and American Carrie Waller, known for her bold, vibrant, and dramatic works. Among the painters representing the UK will be Felicity Flutter, who draws inspiration from coastal scenes and Ann Blockley, who has exhibited in a wide selection of prestigious UK galleries. Sarah Stokes, who has a studio based near the River Severn in Arley where she paints and teaches a range of classes, is also attending the event. And David, who has won many awards and accolades for the precision and craftsmanship of his paintings, will also be representing the UK. His own work examines how nature reclaims man-made structures that have been discarded and abandoned over time. And his use of a painstaking multiglazing technique, developed and perfected over many years, is what makes his work unique. “I was given my first watercolour box when I was four by my grandmother for Christmas. I immediately fell in love with it. It was a whole world of colour.

MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

“My parents cut up little squares of old wallpaper and I spent every spare minute finding my own way with watercolour. I had thousands of pieces of paper and when they ran out I painted over the top. “I think that is where my multiglazing technique,where I sometimes have up to 20 layers of paint, first came from. “The artists in the show have all found their own path and unique style,” explains David. Among the artists to be making a return visit to Shropshire is Mexican painting sensation Patricia Guzman whose style and attention to detail has captured international acclaim. David says her live painting demonstration in 2022 wowed the audience and he has no doubts that this year’s spectators will have a similar reaction to watching Patricia work. “She’s a very soulful and spiritual painter and the audience was just mesmerized by her – you could have SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

heard a pin drop, it was so quiet in the auditorium,” he recalls. In the run-up to this year’s event, a contest was held giving 10 up-andcoming artists the chance to have their work framed and exhibited alongside the watercolour masters. The competition received a total of 2,795 entries from 105 countries and was judged by 24 masters and industry professionals. The top 200 paintings will also be projected on to giant screens at in the hall arena during the exhibition. David believes visitors do not have to be art experts to appreciate the stunning paintings on display or marvel at the skills of the artists in the live demonstrations. “The event is open from 10am to 4pm each day and people can come and go as much as they want. There is a cafe and woodland walks,” he says. For the first time, there will also be an opportunity for people who can’t attend in person to watch the live demonstrations

online. The new IWM TV live stream will also be recording the show with content available on a pay per view platform. Entry to the event is by advance ticket which costs £10 per day, with discounts available for a 10-day pass. Tickets to take part in workshops are available to purchase separately and are already selling fast. n All event information, including details about the artists, booking tickets and the workshops, is available at www. IWM2024.com PAGE 12: Top, Joe Dowden – Rock Pool; Deepti Singh’s Swans; David Poxon RI – Machinery on a farm. PAGE 13, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Brown Waves by Pablo Ruben; Carrie Waller’s Hot; Kelly Eddington’s USA X Woman and Julio Jorge’s The Final Disappointment.

PROPERTY

RURAL LOCATION

he Laurels is a stunning grade II listed timber framed, fivebedroom family home in the much sought-after village of Baschurch, less than nine miles from Shrewsbury and close to the major road networks to the Midlands and Northwest. Located on Church Road, built in circa 1605, The Laurels retains many period features whilst being sympathetically renovated. Among its assets are a heated indoor swimming pool, three garages and an outbuilding, plus gardens wrapping the whole property. On the market with Balfours, Alistair Hilton, partner and head of

sales comments: “This is a very special property with an abundance of character, in a beautiful location with views of the church. There is an excellent choice of state and private schools within the area and with the promised Northern Relief Road, accessibility is going to improve.” To enter, the lobby leads you through to a spacious hallway, with quarry flooring. The kitchen has been fully renovated featuring an Aga, as well as a double oven, induction hob and integrated dishwasher. There is also ample storage and a pretty window seat to enjoy the views. To the opposite side of the hallway are the service rooms namely,

utility, wet room, pantry and engine room. The open plan sitting/dining room is extensive and boasts Clearview wood burners at either end, each characterfully framed with oak beams. In addition, there is a formal sitting room with a wood burner, a large home office with a wood burner included and a further study. The main staircase ascends to spacious gallery landing from which five bedrooms and two bathrooms can be accessed. There is a second staircase which descends to the ground floor and onwards to the cellar. Balfours are marketing The Laurels with a guide price of £995,000. For more information call 01743 353511.

MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

PERIOD PROPERTY

pace, character and a large private garden with fabulous views are wow factors of this four-bedroom, Grade II listed home in the heart of Ludlow. Five, Upper Linney, is found in one of the most sought-after areas of Ludlow with views spanning town, river and countryside beyond. Offered with a guide price of £495,000, reflecting the opportunity to modernise. The accommodation is currently utilised over four floors with the opportunity to bring the loft into use or simply use as storage. The entrance hall gives access to a good-sized study with fireplace and external side door. Across the way are the stairs and a cloakroom with shower. Directly ahead is the drawing room, worth of its status, extending nearly four metres by close to seven metres. A spectacular sash window billows light into this well-proportioned period room. The kitchen is found in the basement and directly links to the dining room. A significant store cupboard and washroom make up the remainder of the lower ground floor, with both the kitchen and SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

washroom benefitting from access to the garden. On each of the first and second floors there are two front rooms mirroring the proportions of the drawing room and with duplicate sash windows. Each floor has a second bedroom one with fireplace and storage cupboards. There is currently a shower room on the first floor, but each of the “master rooms” have the space and plumbing for en-suite facilities. Scott Kemsley, Balfours partner and

Ludlow sales manager, observes: “Five, Upper Linney, is a fabulous opportunity to enjoy bringing a period home into the 21st century. The garden has many mature trees and shrubs and will be an equally exciting project. Of course, Ludlow boasts many lifestyle claims as a place of culture, food and connectivity, plus there is a good choice of private and state schools within easy commutes.” For more information call Balfours on 01584 707100. 15

UNDER OFFER

Hanwood Shropshire

UNDER OFFER

Guide price £825,000

A Grade II Listed house which has undergone extensive refurbishment whilst retaining original features and character. Open Countryside Views, Period Features, Underfloor Heating, Study, Family Room, Open-Plan Kitchen / Breakfast Room, Workshop

UNDER OFFER

Eccleshall Staffordshire

Wombourne Staffordshire

Guide price £800,000

An 8 acre (3.24 ha) estate set in an elevated position with glorious far-reaching views adjacent to Himley Park. Natural Capital Benefits, Environmental Haven, Annexe, Outbuildings, Stables, Former Cattle Shed with Full Planning 21/01017/FUL, EPC: F

UNDER OFFER

Guide price £550,000

Gobowen Shropshire

Guide price £510,000

A four bedroom, detached, family home situated in a peaceful hamlet with countryside views.

The Brompton Plus is a four bedroom, detached, family home with a double detached garage.

Detached, Semi-Rural, Two Reception Rooms, Two Bathrooms, Gardens, Large Garage with Potential to Develop (subject to PP), EPC: E

Village Location, Open-Plan Kitchen / Dining / Living Area, Two En Suite Bedrooms, Two Further Bedrooms, Study, Family Bathroom

SOLD

Craven Arms Shropshire

SOLD

Guide price £950,000

Tenbury Wells Shropshire

Guide price £865,000

A recently renovated charming four bedroom farmhouse with outbuildings set within 8 acres (3.23 ha) of permanent pasture.

A charming country house with double garage and studio set in approximately 2.22 acres (0.90 ha) of permanent pasture, gardens and ponds.

Stunning Views, Character Property, High Specification, Outbuildings, Potential Annexe, Lapsed Planning Permission for a Holiday Let, EPC: E

Idyllic Location, Unique Residence, High Specification, Open-Plan, Log Burners, Paddocks, Storage / Studio / Potential Annexe, EPC: D

SOLD

Hanmer Whitchurch

SOLD

Guide price £550,000

Shawbury Shropshire

Guide price £450,000

A semi-detached cottage set in the heart of the Cheshire Marches countryside with outbuildings and land equating to 3.4 acres (1.37 ha).

An unmodernised farmhouse benefitting from tremendous potential to improve, including various traditional outbuildings and a private garden.

Far-Reaching Views, Equestrian, Outbuildings, Open-Plan Kitchen with Pantry, Snug with Log Burner, Three Plots of Land, EPC: E

Village Location, Five Bedrooms, Study, Stable Block, Outbuildings, Mature Garden, Capacity for Enhancement, Gated Access, EPC: G

CHARMING HOME

his fabulous modern property, within a charming rural village, is on the market with Savills with a guide price of £745,000. Lime Tree House, in Kynnersley near Telford, was completed in December 2023, and offers a fabulous modern property in the centre of a charming village. Built from block and brick, with a clay tile roof, the property is extremely attractive with sage green windows and blue external doors. The ground floor offers underfloor heating, whilst the first floor has radiators, all of which are controlled by thermostat.

An oak-framed porch provides access to the front door, which opens into the entrance hall with a decorative tiled floor. To the left is the stunning reception room, which has herringbone wooden flooring, French doors leading onto the patio and garden and a brick inglenook fireplace with a wood burning stove. To the right of the entrance hall is the open plan living kitchen, with bespoke wooden base and wall units, integrated appliances, granite worktops and a central island. The dining area offers plenty of space with French doors onto the patio and garden. The utility room has a sink

and units and a separate WC. Just off the dining area is a separate office/family room. An oak-framed staircase rises to the landing area where there is the principal bedroom, which has a large walk-in wardrobe and en-suite shower room. There are a further three double bedrooms and a separate family bathroom. Bordered by estate railings, with a beech hedge planted to the side, Lime Tree House has a private drive with parking for several vehicles. A paved pathway with grass edging, leads to the back where there is a patio and a lawn.

MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

About 47 acres | Guide £12.5 million

Peter Daborn

Tony Morris-Eyton

Head of Residential Shropshire 01952 239 500 peter.daborn@savills.com

Residential Sales Shropshire 07967555652 amorris-eyton@savills.com

Discover more

*pricing correct at the time of print

TRULY STUNNING BARN CONVERSION

his impressive and truly stunning, Grade II Listed, fivebedroomed barn conversion is set in extensive landscaped, well stocked gardens and grounds. Number 2 Pulley Hall Barns, in Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury, is on the market with Miller Evans for £800,000. The property which is presented throughout to an exacting standard provides spacious and well-planned family accommodation with rooms of pleasing dimensions. The accommodation is arranged over two floors with many luxurious and superior character features. The property benefits from a sophisticated heating system, which is fuelled by an air source heat pump system (ASHP), which is then supplemented by a host of solar panels. Occupying a secluded and enviable rural location, the property is conveniently placed within easy travelling distance of excellent amenities and within easy reach of the Shrewsbury by-pass with M54 motorway link to the West Midlands. Off the entrance hall is the cloakroom with wash hand basin and bedroom two which has an en-suite shower room.

The sitting room is a pleasant and spacious room with feature fireplace and inset log burning stove flanked by a range of bespoke book/display shelving and storage units. The kitchen-breakfast room is fitted with a range of bespoke units with granite work surfaces incorporating a central island unit and including a range of integrated appliances, in particular a limited edition AGA cooker. There is also a utility and office/snug. From the entrance hall, a staircase rises to the first floor landing, off which is the principal bedroom which has an ensuite shower room. There are a further three bedrooms and the family bathroom. The property itself is approached through a pillared entrance with electric double wrought iron gates with a gravelled drive. There is a detached garage and workshop. The gardens are extensive and have been attractively landscaped and are well stocked with large floral and herbaceous borders. Neatly kept and extensive lawns, randomly paved patios and terraces, providing ideal entertaining spaces. There is a paddock/orchard. MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

85 Sandford Avenue, Church Stretton

£900,000

This detached, six-bedroom, Edwardian property has been much improved by the present owners to provide well planned, spacious accommodation to include porch, entrance hall, dining room, breakfast room, kitchen with central island unit and Smeg Range cooker, light and airy living room with superb balcony/terrace, cloakroom and utility. Master bedroom with dressing room and en-suite shower room, bedroom two and family bathroom to the first floor. Four bedrooms and bathroom to the second floor. The property occupies a good-sized plot with well-established gardens, a detached garage and ample parking. Sandford Avenue is only a short distance from Church Stretton town centre, where there are an excellent range of local amenities, including shops, schools, cafés and restaurants, while also being within easy reach of many fantastic outdoor pursuits.

Callow Barn, Lea Cross, Shrewsbury

£800,000

A stunning and superbly appointed, four-bedroom, Grade II Listed barn conversion, providing well planned accommodation throughout with rooms of pleasing dimensions. The impressive open-plan living area with underfloor heating provides a fantastic entertaining space with a wealth of exposed wall and ceiling timbers, there is a re-fitted kitchen, utility, and cloakroom to the ground floor. Four bedrooms, two with en suite shower rooms and family bathroom to the first floor. In addition to the principal accommodation there is a charming fully self-contained Annex, ideal for a dependent relative, home office, study, etc. The current owners have established a successful Air B&B which generates a wealth of enquiry. There is a substantial and impressive outbuilding which provides a large open-bay garage/storage with a single loose box unit. The building is approached over a gravel drive with generous gravelled yard/hardstanding, providing additional parking and is adjacent to a small paddock, which extends to approx. 1/2 an acre. Callow Barn the Annex and the addition of the paddock and outbuildings fuse together to create an extremely exciting and versatile residence.

4 Barker Street, Shrewsbury • 4 The Square, Church Stretton

EXECUTIVE HOUSE IN POPULAR SPOT

n exceptional opportunity awaits to make this exquisite self-built executive home your own. Mara Lodge in Horton graces a beautiful plot in a highly sought-after location, offering convenient access to both Telford and Newport. It is on the market with Prestige by Mannleys for offers in the region of £800,000 freehold. It was designed and crafted by the current owners and redefines contemporary family living with its flexible and modern spaces. The ground floor features a spacious open plan kitchen, dining and family room, complete with underfloor heating and French doors that open to the lush gardens. The kitchen area is a culinary delight, boasting a wide range of integrated appliances and a striking central island. For cosy evenings, the separate living room beckons with a log-burning stove, while the adjacent dining room, also with French doors to the garden, is perfect for formal gatherings. Additional conveniences include a generously-sized utility room, a ground 22

floor WC, and an entrance hallway graced by a grand oak staircase. Upstairs, the first floor presents a spacious principal bedroom with an en-suite shower. There are two more generous double bedrooms, each offering access to the superb Jack and Jill bathroom with both a bathtub and a separate shower cubicle. A fourth double bedroom comes complete with its own en-suite WC. Mara Lodge has an extensive gated

driveway, providing ample parking space, and a detached triple garage. Above the garage is a spacious room, accessible from within the garage, which could serve as an ideal annex or home office. The delightful rear gardens are beautifully landscaped, offering a serene retreat. Modern comforts include gas central heating and double glazing. An inspection is essential to truly appreciate the numerous merits of this wonderful family home. MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

AVENUE BARN ALLSCOTT, TF6 5EB OIRO £750,000

RABAK WATERS UPTON, TF6 6NT OIEO £650,000 EPC C

This exquisite four-bedroom detached residence was completed in 2021 and boasts a captivating and unique design, situated on an impressive landscaped plot in a highly coveted village location. Avenue Barn showcases remarkable design elements that offers flexible family accommodations and the property boasts an impressive epc rating A.

Internal examination is imperative to fully grasp the exceptional qualities of this captivating four-bedroom family residence, prominently extended for an enhanced living experience. Nestled on an impressive plot within the highly coveted village setting, boasting excellent local amenities and convenient access to major roadways, this property epitomises modern comfort and flexible family living. Meticulously extended to craft a unique and contemporary home, it seamlessly blends modern features with a layout designed to accommodate diverse family needs.

ROSE COTTAGE WAPPENSHALL, TF6 6DE OIRO £570,000 EPC E

FERNIEHURST BRATTON ROAD, ADMASTON, TF5 0AH OIRO £800,000 EPC D

A rare opportunity to acquire this beautiful, extended, Duke of Sutherland cottage. This lovely double fronted four bedroom detached cottage occupies a superb plot with lovely open views to the rear and is located in this popular rural location that has good local amenities and road links. The property offers great potential and scope for extension (subject to planning approval).

Welcome to this charming and spacious 4-bedroom period property located in a highly sought-after area, offering a perfect blend of classic charm and modern convenience. Ferniehurst occupies a superb sized plot and the property previously had planning approval for one detached dwelling, this has now lapsed.

23a Market Street, Wellington, Telford, TF1 1DT 01952 245064 • prestige@mannleysproperty.co.uk

INTERIORS

GO FOR A BLAZE OF BRILLIANT COLOUR BLOW AWAY THOSE WINTER BLUES AND WELCOME IN THE SPRING WITH BOLD AND BRIGHT PAINT FINISHES AND FURNISHINGS THROUGHOUT THE HOME SAYS SAM WYLIE-HARRIS.

s winter trudges along, despite the first signs of spring, those dark nights feel endless, and as we hunker down to escape the cold, an upbeat approach to mastering negative vibes is to embrace statement shades. With this in mind, it makes sense to decorate your home according to how you want to feel, right now. “Bright and bold colours are known to increase dopamine (feel-good chemicals), leaving you feeling motivated and satisfied,” says Sarah Lloyd, Valspar’s paint and interiors expert. To lighten your frame of mind, here’s what’s hot on our pigment-rich swatch list…

Yellow

“Yellow is the happiest colour you can

choose for inside your home!” enthuses Lloyd. “Often associated with sunshine and outdoors, researchers have found yellow surroundings boost serotonin levels – and provide a sense of excitement and wellbeing.” But it depends on the colour palette and shade of yellow, says Lloyd. As she points out, yellow isn’t the easiest colour to style in interiors, but a soft, muted yellow is a beautiful addition to a neutral home. Otherwise, buttercup brights look brilliant in the kitchen with the sun streaming through. “Pick up some yellow blankets to drape over the bed, paint your own yellow canvas to hang in the hallway, or add some yellow lamp shades to really recreate that sunshine aesthetic,” she adds.

Orange

“Orange is a warm, inviting colour that invokes confidence and style in any room,” says Lloyd. “It should be used sparingly when decorating, or interspersed with calmer colours, as too much can overwhelm a space.” The best way to decorate with orange is to pick a feature wall for one room in the home, suggests Lloyd. “An office space, kid’s bedroom or bannister is the perfect way to incorporate this colour.” She continues: “Inject shades of bold orange such as vitamin C or orange marmalade to embrace warmth and project positivity. “A little goes a long way with orange and every time you pass it, you’ll instantly feel better.” MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

Green

Green tones are traditionally associated with balance and calm, and make a great foundation for your colour scheme, notes Lloyd. “Very on trend for 2024, green can also help minimise the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). “Incorporate soft greens in tiles for a beautiful kitchen backsplash, or add some colour to your shower with new green bathroom wall tiles.” She says a bold green works best in rich fabrics. “Go for a velvet green cushion or patterned low-pile rug for a minimalist vibe. “Deep, rich greens are best suited for larger, stand-out items, such as a sofa, painted ceiling, or go green with your bedding for a peaceful sleep.”

Blue

“Blue is often used to promote a tranquil, calming environment and is regularly used in bedrooms and bathrooms for this reason. “Moody blues are particularly stylish for 2024 and still create that cosy, wintery feel while being naturally moodboosting,” highlights Lloyd. She continues: “Using tonal and uniform blue combinations when decorating your space helps to de-clutter SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

the room – and the mind. “Go bold with a new blue kitchen featuring dark blue cabinets with metallic accents; or a blue bathroom with blue wall tiles and small accessories such as towels, hand wash and candles.”

Pink

Pink is a great way to add a touch of luxury to a room… “Pink instigates feelings of love and kindness,” says Lloyd. “Shade is key… soft pinks are subtle and add gentle glamour, whilst a vivid pink encourages passion and romance.” Think soft pinks with neutrals, so you can really play around with this colour. “Try pink curtains, pink wardrobes or pink chairs.” With brighter, bolder pinks, think about incorporating some beautiful artwork around the house. Depending on your budget, she says you can even paint it yourself. “Or have a bright pink theme that flows throughout the house, such as allpink picture frames, or all pink lamps.” Avoid over-using bright pinks if you’re looking for a calmer environment, she warns, as too much intense colour can create a sense of urgency and overwhelm a space. 25

GARDENS

GARDENING TO HELP THE CLIMATE CHELSEA DESIGNERS EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE OF LOW&CARBON GARDENS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE TO HANNAH STEPHENSON.

ooking to reduce your carbon footprint in your outdoor space this year? Low-carbon gardens are going to be among the highlights of this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, but what exactly are they? Well, they favour planting over hard landscaping, creating a softer, more heavily planted space which is usually much more environmentally friendly and “will also pay back with a bounty of wildlife that you can enjoy”, explains Harry Holding, award-winning designer of this year’s RHS No Adults Allowed Chelsea Flower Show garden. But it’s more than that. You need to use a minimum amount of energy to create a low-carbon garden, while the materials, products and contents of the garden must have a low embedded carbon footprint, the total amount of carbon (or energy) that was used to create, process and transport the product. Chelsea Gold Medal winner Tom Massey, designer and author of RHS Resilient Garden (DK), whose WaterAid Garden at Chelsea this year will use resilient planting and cutting-edge technology to deal with a changing climate, explains that the choice of 26

Garden designer Tom Massey

hard landscaping, types of plants, use of reclaimed materials and water conservation all play their part if you want a low-carbon garden.

Hard landscaping

“You have to think to what extent you are going to hard landscape your garden. Hard materials have a much higher carbon footprint than soft (plants and soils) landscaping, but they can vary quite widely in carbon footprint,” Massey says. “Concrete, for instance, has a much

higher carbon footprint than gravel. It all comes down to the amount of energy that it takes to produce the material. Concrete has a high cement content and cement is a high-energy material to produce.” Natural stone has a low embodied carbon footprint, because of the small amount of processing the material needs to reach its ﬁnal state. It’s essentially taken from the ground, processed by sawing or knapping (shaping) or carving, and then is ready for use. There’s not a huge amount of process needed to produce it, he explains. Timber – used in decking and furniture – can have a negative carbon impact if the trees are grown in a sustainable way and sourced close to home, he continues. “Trees are being cut down from woodlands that are managed sustainably, so when they cut trees down, they will replace the trees and won’t cut an excessive number down.”

Re-use materials

“If you are re-using, repurposing or recycling materials, the carbon has already been expended in making it, it’s served its life elsewhere and then you are using MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

it again, so you’re further reducing the carbon footprint.” “There is a debate on durability versus carbon impact,” he continues. “Softwood timber, for example, is low-carbon and can potentially come from a forest that is absorbing carbon, but isn’t going to last very long in your garden, so you’ll have to replace it more frequently than, say, natural stone or a pre-cast concrete paver, which might last 100 years without having to be relaid.” Look for anything that is reclaimed or has had a life before – like reclaimed stone or gravel – and try to source materials near to where you live, he suggests. “If you buy gravel, for instance, from a supplier who is based in the UK and nearer to your area, that’s going to have a lower carbon footprint than purchasing gravel from, say, China, which has been shipped halfway across the world to reach you.”

Soft landscaping

“Plants can actually really help with your carbon footprint. Trees draw carbon from the air and can lock carbon into the soil through their roots, and it’s the same with all plants,” Massey explains. Making sure you have lots of soft areas where you have plenty of plants will help your carbon footprint, but try not to SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

disturb the ground too often by excessive digging or constant replanting because that will release the carbon from the soil, he says. Perennials, which you leave in the ground, will ultimately create less of a carbon footprint than annuals, which are dug up and disposed of once they have finished flowering. “Think about the balance between hard and soft landscaping. Do you need to have a massive patio or could you break it up a bit and have more areas of planting?”

Make the most of trees

“The best trees for carbon sequestration will generally be those that grow large and fast – so planes, tulip trees, black walnuts,” says fellow Chelsea award-winning landscape designer Tom Stuart-Smith, whose National Garden Scheme garden at this year’s show will celebrate the majesty of native British woodland, with a hazel coppice and underplanting.

Consider hedging

If you live in an urban area, some hedging is good at capturing particular pollution as well as carbon, such as yew or Cotoneaster franchetii, Massey suggests. Evergreen species with dense foliage and

rough or hairy leaves are good at capturing pollution particles, he adds.

Allow grass to grow longer

This will give it more time to draw carbon from the air and benefit pollinators when wild flowers bloom in it.

Use small plants

If you plant small plants you’ll cause less disturbance to the soil and have more chance of the plant establishing, says Massey. Alternatively, grow from seed. “Reducing the production of plants, the plastic in the pots, the time it takes to transport, the watering, the storage, all that costs money, energy and carbon.” If you don’t have time to grow from seed, buy bare root plants (when they are dormant in winter), which generally come wrapped in newspaper, not planted in a plastic pot full of compost, and you can plant them straight into the ground, he advises.

Harvest rainwater

“Disconnect your downpipes and store the rainwater in water butts, which is going to be lower carbon than running mains water, which requires a lot of processing to make it safe to drink,” says Massey. 27

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Hot potter Colin Matty at the table. He has built a successful career in coaching after learning the game from former snooker world champion Terry Griﬃths.

COLIN ON CUE FOR SNOOKER SUCCESS MATTHEW PANTER TALKS TO SNOOKER COACH COLIN MATTY WHOSE CAREER CHANGED WHEN HE MET WORLD CHAMPION TERRY GRIFFITHS, WHO SET HIM ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESS

t’s no surprise that Colin Matty has become a top-class snooker coach. He learned from one of the very best, after all. Long after he had developed a passion for potting balls on a table – as a child at his grandad’s Shropshire farm – he encountered a legend of the green baize, when Colin was in his 20s. He began lessons with Welsh cue king Terry Griffiths, who had landed the World Snooker Championship in 1979, and Colin was given the opportunity to tweak his technique, improving his precision, timing and execution. It proved an inspirational period for Colin, who had aspirations of making it as a player.

“Terry was strikingly similar to my grandfather (also Colin), both incredibly calm, almost Sergeant Wilson (Dad’s Army) type characters,” recalls Colin. “Terry was fairly laid back and, for me, that was absolutely spot on because I didn’t want someone who might get irritated if I wasn’t improving or picking things up. “I just really enjoyed going for lessons with him. You could have such a laugh with him but the things he taught me really struck home.” While Colin’s game progressed, it was a chat with Griffiths about coaching which ultimately changed his life. “I had a lot of lessons with Terry and did make progress,” recalls Colin. “But I

wasn’t good enough to take my playing career to the next level. I wasn’t, for want of a better phrase, TV good. “One day I said to Terry that I’d like to try and earn a crust somehow out of what is essentially a hobby. “He said: ‘Why don’t you be a coach?’ “I just thought: ‘Well, because I’m not an ex-world champion, like you Terry’. “I also had my doubts because, at the time, I was 29 so I thought, ‘who will come to me for lessons?’ “I, myself, had gone to someone with vast experience. “But Terry sat me down and said rather than coach me how to play snooker, he would go over the things we had been doing from a coaching perspective and MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

Top le%, Colin with former England footballer Peter Crouch and Welsh snooker wizard Terry Griﬃths, who is also pictured with legend Alex Higgins.

it would all make sense. He said I had a nice demeanour and if I took that into my coaching people would learn from me. “I owe him a lot. I wouldn’t have had the conﬁdence to do this job I am doing full-time if it wasn’t for him.” The rest, they say, is history. Colin has now coached more than 1,000 people and regularly has more than 100 at a time on his books. He has also just become one of a handful of World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) coaches to complete a new Level 3 Certiﬁcate in Snooker Coaching. It has given him WPBSA Advanced Coach status – one just just six people in the world. Not bad for someone who started playing snooker on a farm in Pitchford to amuse himself. “My grandad was into snooker and had a snooker table on his farm, where he lived with my grandmother Dorothy,” recalls Colin. “When spending time with them, I’d go into this barn and whack balls about. “I enjoyed passing some time and I liked the idea of getting good at it. I found I could pot balls quite readily. “At the same time, I used to watch snooker with my grandad. This was the

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time when Big Break was on the TV and snooker players were household names. “So the sport did become a big part of my early life. It was therapeutic and relaxing, knocking some balls around – a nice pursuit to do. “I worked on my game, kept practising and then coaching seemed the next logical step.” And so working with Griffiths followed. “I enjoyed the process of getting better and the lesson itself,” Colin reflects. “But I actually found it more interesting being taught different techniques and looking at the way Terry did things. Everything I learned off him, I try to put into my coaching now.” Colin, who has his own private snooker room near Shrewsbury, did his first coaching course with the WPSA about eight years ago He has since moved from level one to the elite level three and also holds a current Advanced DBS certificate, allowing him to work with children and vulnerable adults. Still only 40, he has been a lead coach at Cue Zone at the World Championships in Sheffield and UK Championship in York. And he regularly works with World

Disability Billiards and Snooker, offering coaching during open days at their events around the country. He has also worked for Matchroom Sport events, including the World 9-Ball Pool Championship in Leicester and the Champion of Champions at the Ricoh Arena and, in 2021, worked on television show Crouchy’s Year Late Euros, teaching former England striker Peter Crouch and current Manchester United and Scotland midﬁelder Scott McTominay to play the game. “I thought it was a prank when I was called up by someone saying his production team were doing a show with Peter Crouch,” Colin remembers. “He said Peter was going to be doing a spot with Scott where they played pool and had a chat. “They wanted it to look good and asked me to spend a day with them so they had basic skills in order that when they were playing pool against each other didn’t look silly and there would be some good footage. “So I went to work with them and they were two of the nicest people I have ever met. It was one of the best days of my life.” As his CV illustrates, Colin positively lives and breathes snooker and says the

Snooker coach Colin has coached and featured in a number of tournaments across the country including the Crucible, home of the World Championships.

sport has never been in a better place. “In the 1980s you had a lot of household names but if you look at the opportunities available to players now, if you can get on the tour, it’s fantastic,” he says. “There are 30 tournaments a year whereas, even as recently as in 2008, there were about eight. Barry Hearn has helped give it a shake-up with the Home Nations Series and other tournaments and now we are getting more people into seeing snooker. “And, playing wise, Ronnie O’Sullivan, if he is playing, he’s a favourite but we have the likes of Judd Trump, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy and there are any number of potential world champions emerging from China. It’s a case of if, not when.” You might think, when talking about the world’s top players, that Colin might have the odd regret. He did, after all, have ambitions of being a professional at one stage. But his voice is never tinged with disappointment as he speaks. And why should it be? He is, after all, still living his dream, coaching a variety of people from the aged of nine up – both men and women – in the sport he loves. He also coaches

8 Ball Pool and Billiards. And not just to Premier League footballers, past and present. His client list is wide-ranging, meaning no two days are the same. “I have a chap of 86 who comes for an hour a week,” Colin adds. “His daughter drops him off and does his shopping and we set up a nice routine and he goes about it. He’s in better nick than me! He is sensational. “It’s great. There are people who come to me because they enjoy the experience and learning little tricks and

those who just want to get better to beat their friends. Then there are people who want to be on the tour and take it to the next level. I just love what I do. “Sometimes someone comes to me and says ‘I want to make a 50 break and I’ll be happy’. “If I get a video off them and they say they have achieved that, it is one of the best feelings. I get satisfaction from that too. When anyone meets their expectation, it always gives me a buzz, whether it’s big or small. “There was one lad who just wanted to clear the colours off their spots – six colours – and had never done it. “We worked on it and right at the end of the lesson, the last shot, he potted the black and we both nearly burst into tears. “It had just meant the world to him and he will never forget what he achieved, it gave him a massive high. “So for me, that’s so rewarding. “I wanted to be a professional player – that was the dream – but it didn’t happen. “And yet, to do what I am doing fulltime, I feel I am one of the luckiest people in the world.” n To find out about lessons with Colin, go to colinmattysnookercoaching. com MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

Above, the distinctive Ironbridge Power Station cooling towers taken in 2011; below the empty space after the demolition of the towers.

BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF AREA’S LANDSCAPE DANIEL MORRIS HIGHLIGHTS THE CHANGES THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE ACROSS THE COUNTY OVER RECENT YEARS WITH PROMINENT LANDMARKS MAKING WAY FOR NEW DEVELOPMENTS

rom rolling hills, to market towns and centres of industry, business and commerce, Shropshire’s landscape makes for a fascinating study. Many of us will have explored its reaches far and wide, taking in its splendour from the ground. Yet, in looking at our county from a bird’s-eye view, we are able to appreciate it a little differently. Here, we explore Shropshire from the air, and take an interesting peek at how, over the last decade, certain areas of our county have changed considerably, while others have remained similar.

Ironbridge Power Station Their towers were once an unavoidable part of the local landscape, but today the Ironbridge skyline is notable for their absence. The Ironbridge power station (also known as the Buildwas power station) once occupied a site on the banks of the 35

River Severn at Buildwas. Originally powered by coal, they were eventually converted to use 100 per cent biomass fuel. Ironbridge B Power Station stopped generating electricity on November 20, 2015, with the decommissioning process continuing into 2017. The main phase of the site’s 27-month demolition process

began on December 6, 2019, commencing with the four iconic cooling towers. Our first picture was captured in 2011, and the towers can be seen in full function. The second photo of the site, taken this year, shows a stark difference to the site as it was 13 years ago.

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Shrewsbury town centre showing the quarry, and the River Severn winding its way around the town.

Shrewsbury Town Centre and The Quarry A market town with its roots and foundations possibly going back as far as the eighth century, Shrewsbury has been an important part of Shropshire’s landscape for over a millennium. In looking at the county town, Salopians can reflect with pride on how its rich heritage has weathered the storm of change, and how its beautiful medieval architecture still continues to draw visitors from all over the world. Travel company

Abta has named Shropshire one of its top 10 global ‘destinations to watch’ in 2024 – the first time anywhere in the UK has made the list. Shrewsbury stands as a superb example of why this accolade was deserved, and we expect that the town can look forward to a rich influx of tourism as the year progresses. Our first photograph of Shrewsbury town centre was taken in 2012, and its beautiful buildings can be seen nestled in the loop of the Severn, along with the

The site of the former sugar beet factory in Allscott after demoliti

Quarry park – a fabulous green space well-utilised throughout the year for a variety of events and concerts. In our second picture, taken earlier this year, the Quarry can be seen a little closer, still a proud green site set to bring joy to the masses for years to come.

British Sugar factory site, Allscott Housing developments have been numerous and many in Shropshire over the last decade, with each naturally MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

ion and below, how the building work is progressing.

changing the county’s landscape. It is interesting to look at these changes from the air, and one development that captures the difference well is that being built at the former British Sugar factory site, near Allscott on the northern edge of Telford. The factory itself was demolished back in 2009, and our first picture here shows the site in 2011. Fast-forwarding to 2024 and our second photograph, the development can be seen to be making significant progress. SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

Above, Shirehall, with the prominent column in 2012; below, little seems to have changed since then.

It will be interesting to see the stark change to the former factory site once every planned home has been completed.

Lord Hill’s Column and Shirehall They stand as twin sentinels welcoming visitors to our county town, and for many years both Lord Hill’s Column and Shropshire Council’s headquarters at Shirehall have stood as part of the Shrewsbury landscape. In comparing our two photographs

– the first taken in 2012, the second this January – from a distance it appears that little has changed. Though as we reported last year, Lord Hill’s Column has received an extensive refurbishment to its interior staircase, and Shirehall – in a subject of some controversy – is set to be retired as the council’s base in favour of a new Shrewsbury town centre location. In another 10 years, it is possible this iconic Shropshire site could look very different indeed.

NEW CHAPTER FOR A BOXING FAMILY HEATHER LARGE MEETS KIERAN AND ALEXANDRA TENNANT WHOSE BOXING CLUB CONTINUES A PROUD TRADITION AND OFFERS FITNESS AND TRAINING SESSIONS FOR ALL

hen Sonny & Eddie’s Boxing Club opened its doors, it marked the start of a new chapter in a family’s proud history. British Army veteran Kieran Tennant comes from a long line of boxers spanning five generations. His grandfather Edward ‘Eddie’ McGarry was not only a successful amateur but also an acclaimed coach, training more than 80 national and international champions. Now Kieran, who served in the 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment for six years, based in Market Drayton, is continuing in his late grandfather’s footsteps. “I came out of the Army five months ago and when I was in the process of leaving, I was looking at my options. “I come from a five-generation fighting family. My grandad died last

year and I decided I could carry on our boxing legacy and pass it down to the next generations,” says the 26-year-old, who runs the club on the edge of Market

Drayton with his wife Alexandra. Sonny & Eddie’s, which is named in honour of the couple’s two-year-old son Sonny and Kieran’s grandfather, is open 14 hours a day, seven days a week. The club offers a range of classes tailored to all abilities with separate classes for men, women, families and children as well as open boxing sessions for anyone who wants to train at their own pace and amateur squad sessions for boxers wanting to compete in amateur events. There is also one-to-one or small group coaching available with experienced trainers. “The idea is that there is something for everyone. We know that there are men who don’t want to train with women and women who don’t want to train with men,” says Kieran. Alexandra, who is passionate about sport and fitness, teaches the classes for under-12s and the Fighting Mums

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sessions for women who want to learn to punch, kick, and block, while improving their fitness and flexibility. “Alexandra is very interested in strength, conditioning and nutrition,” says Kieran. Their Dad Bods class is designed for men who want to improve their fitness, learn the basics of boxing and work on their cardio and strength while having fun with like-minded people. As well as coaching potential future champions and inspiring people to improve their fitness, Kieran wants the club to play its part in keeping children and young people off the streets and out of trouble. Since opening the club around four months ago, he has already witnessed the positive effect the discipline, training and routine of boxing can have on youngsters, who are struggling at school. “Knife crime is becoming more

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common and it’s a big concern for a lot of parents. Boxing is a way of getting kids off the streets and on a better path. It teaches self-control, discipline and gives them a positive way to channel their energy whilst having fun. “We also try to help them to understand how important school is and that for any kind of job you need to have a quality education,” says Kieran. During his own boxing career, Kieran competed in both amateur and whitecollar fights before joining the armed forces. He continued to box while serving in the army and is now making the transition from being an amateur to becoming a professional with his first fight due to take place on March 30. Kieran says his military experience has given him the confidence to share his passion for the sport with others. “I want to inspire more people to

get involved and chase their goals and aspirations,” he says. The couple have been delighted by the community’s response to the club and the positive feedback they have received from members of all ages. “It’s kind of like one big family and I didn’t expect that to happen so quickly. It’s been fantastic,” says Kieran. n Sonny & Eddie’s Boxing Club is based on Tern Valley Business Park. Visit sonnyandeddiesboxingclub.co.uk PAGE 38: Kieran and Alexandra Tennant outside their clubhouse in Market Drayton and, inset, Kieran’s famous boxer grandad Eddie McGarry. PAGE 39: Top: Kieran in action in the ring; bottom left, with Alexandra and their child Sonny; with a picture of his grandad.

NEW CAREER HAS MARK IN A SPIN MATTHEW PANTER MEETS THE MAN WHO LEFT HIS JOB IN THE CORPORATE WORLD TO TURN HIS PASSION FOR MUSIC AND COLLECTING VINYL INTO A BUSINESS IN A SHROPSHIRE TOWN

ou are only on this planet once,” says Mark Fulton, the proud owner of The Vinyl Countdown in Whitchurch. “And, so, you should do what you enjoy rather than chasing the dollar all the time.” Mark has been true to his word. He’s turned a hobby into a business and he couldn’t be happier. He had, for many years, a job in the corporate world, working in construction sales. It was a good job, well paid and he met some great people. But he confesses he would get up and go out to work for the money rather than fully enjoying what he was doing. Life is very short, Mark says, and so, there came a point when he wanted change.

He lost his job and, in many ways, that was the spur he needed. Five months ago, music-obsessed Mark decided he wanted to try and turn his passion for vinyl collecting into a job. The Vinyl Countdown was born and the rest is history. “I left my job in April last year,” he recalls. “I just felt then that, rather than going out and getting another job, where I might be bored senseless, I would take time out and decide what I wanted to do. “I have been involved in music all of my life, playing guitar, and bass, in various bands. “Music has always been a big part of my life and then one day I discovered a unit was up for rent at the Antiques Emporium in Whitchurch. “I started to think there was a possibility there. I am into vinyl and so I

thought – what about I open up a unit and see what happens? “I knew a couple of suppliers and I was getting new vinyl as well as older, preloved albums. “I opened on September 1 and, from that point on, I have been amazed at how many other vinyl lovers there are like me, who are also into their music. It has been amazing.” Mark, who played in bands such as Crudearm, Infliction, The 7Ts and The Apples, says he has had customers from as far away as Manchester and regular visitors of all ages. “I think that has surprised me,” he says. “I have some customers who are 1516, just starting their collections. I have teenagers coming in and buying Elvis or Fleetwood Mac, just as much as pop and rap and that’s so nice to see.

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“Of course, there are also people like me, in their 50s, trying to finish off their collections, whether that’s finding the elusive pre-loved one they couldn’t get when they were younger, or replacing one. “I have honestly been overwhelmed by the response so far. For a small market town like Whitchurch, it’s amazing there are so many people willing to travel to me to find the right vinyl.” Mark was originally from London but moved to Shropshire with wife Yvonne as both wanted to escape the ‘rat race’. The couple love it here and, Mark says, ‘wouldn’t go back’. And now he’s just living his dream. As well as selling vinyl, he recycles it too. “Anything that is past its best, I turn the vinyl into clocks and the sleeves into pictures with frames,” he says. “We keep as much of the vinyl alive as we can, even if unplayable. “I have turned my hobby into a business to be honest with you and try to push the wonders of vinyl as much as I can. “Youngsters have grown up with CDs or downloadable music like Spotify but, for me, there’s something very special about vinyl. “Firstly, it’s about having a connection with the music. When you download something, there’s no effort involved in it. “But I can remember going on

SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

a 20-minute bus to the tube station, 45-minute tube ride into the centre of London and then visiting three or four shops to find the latest album I wanted to buy. “It was a whole day out, finding music, so I feel I have this connection with every single one of my albums because I can remember the toil and trouble I went through to find it. “You had the disappointment when it wasn’t a great album and the elation when it was a very good one. I think young people are now latching onto that connection with the music. “And it’s also great because, rather than skipping tracks, you listen to a vinyl record in its entirety and that gives a

completely different feel to the music as well.” Such has been the interest in vinyl, shown by people of all ages, visiting his base, he’s now considering setting up a music club, with 10-20 people picking an album and getting together to listen to it and share opinions. It’s about opening up minds to more and more music, he says. The Vinyl Countdown journey is in its embryonic stages and the future appears bright – and joyous – for Mark. “I’m not earning a tenth of what I was earning a year ago but I am 100 times happier,” he says. “I would not go back to the corporate job I had for all the money in the world. I’m loving what I do now.”

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LAUGHTER IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY MATTHEW PANTER FINDS THAT TEARS AND LAUGHS ARE IN STORE AFTER BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT STAR JON COURTENAY OVERCAME ADVERSITY TO BRING HIS SHOW TO THE STAGE

SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

on Courtenay will be making Shropshire folk laugh this month. And the odds are that the Britain’s Got Talent winner’s emotive story will have his audience crying more than just tears of laughter. Fans of BGT only have to remember the pianist, comedian and song-writer’s emotional first audition back in 2020, before Covid really impacted the nation, to recall his emotive combination of comedy and poignancy. Sat at a piano at the London Palladium, he sang a song, with funny lyrics, about a man with a dream but also reflected in it that his father Ivan, who had died five years previously, was not there to see him. The emotional audition illustrated the pride of sons Alfie and Nathan in their dad. It also reduced Amanda Holden to tears while Ant and Dec were so moved that they hit the Golden Buzzer to send Jon into the final, where he was victorious after winning the hearts of the public. Four years on, Jon is heading to Shropshire to perform his new show Bigger at the Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, on March 7. And again, as well as laughter, pathos will be part of his show. Not least because behind the smile and the songs which secured his victory in BGT, Jon had a secret that he wasn’t sharing. At the time of his audition, he had discovered the news that what he had thought was just a mole on his head was actually skin cancer. Only close friends and family knew, as he chose to keep it from the show’s producers and the audience. It was later discovered that the cancer had found its way to lymph nodes in his neck but, after treatment, including a seven-hour operation, he finally received the all clear in 2022. His story of cancer and Covid play a part in his new show, providing periods of reflection amongst moments of joy and laughter. “Comedy and emotion are not a million miles apart,” Jon says. “You can cry laughing and cry through emotion. “Musicals have done it for years. I remember seeing Les Miserables and the impact of the Master of the House song. “You have the Innkeeper running around, singing a ridiculous song and pickpocketing his customers and then it is straight back into the French Revolution, emotional songs and people dying. “And then you have some of the greatest comedies. You think of that final scene in BlackAdder Goes Forth when they go over the top. “It rips your heart out. It was so frivolous and irreverant for the whole show and then ‘bang’ they punched you 44

at the end. It can be really powerful. You think, my God, how can that work – laughing one minute and a lump in my throat the next!” As such, Jon’s show Bigger is being described as a ‘show of two halves’ which makes him laugh a little – ‘When they say a football match is a game of two halves, I’m always like ‘well, of course it is’.” “But,” he adds. “In Bigger, they are two very different sections of the show.” Act one features Jon at the piano with lots of new songs and stories including a tribute to the old vaudevillians, a quirky jazz number featuring every British chocolate bar plus tales of feuds and family. The second half sees Jon open up as fans have never seen him before as he performs a one-man comedy musical, a development of his critically acclaimed limited run show he performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2022. He will showcase brand new material, as well as treating fans to renditions of some of his much-loved performances from his time on Britain’s Got Talent – all woven into a musical that reveals the incredible background behind the lyrics, including his cancer fight. “Musical theatre is a huge inspiration

to me and they say write about what you know,” he adds. “So in 2022 I took a new show to the Edinburgh Fringe, a one-man comedy musical – about my BGT experience while battling Covid, cancer and lockdown – called ‘Against The Odds’. “It is hard to believe it’s a comedy I know!” he jokes. “But the British have always laughed in the face of adversity – we are famous for having a stiff upper lip – so I hope this can resonate with anyone going through a difficult time themselves. It’s going to be a feel-good evening but with some punches of pathos throughout. Hopefully. “I think, if you are going to talk about something as serious and emotional as cancer or Covid, which is what I try to do, it can’t all be drama and depression. “You have got to approach it with that glint of humour, and that hope of light at the end of the tunnel – some kind of feelgood factor because otherwise you won’t get through anything.” When we chat about his tour, Jon is at the start of ten days of intensive rehearsals, putting in three to four hours a day. “I have rehearsal space with everything set up in it and the stage MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

mapped out so I can plot the whole show,” he explains. “It’s really exciting and the tour is pushing me to create new stuff which is fantastic and I love doing that. “I can’t wait now. There is just nothing better than performing in front of a live audience who have paid to see you. Nothing comes close in this business. I may not be filling arenas but I’m happy on any stage in front of an audience who WANT to be there. “Every night is different and meeting the audience afterwards is always very lovely too. My first tour in 2021 was still hampered slightly by Covid so I’m looking forward to saying hello to people and not having to wear a mask.” It would be remiss not to reflect on BGT more. While Jon was a performer long before the show – Lorraine Kelly once called him an overnight success after 25 years – it was his audition and subsequent win that thrust him into a national spotlight, giving him the exposure to do one-man tours such as Bigger. “As far as BGT experiences go, mine couldn’t really have been better,” he reflects. “It was strange in some ways, with Covid, my health crisis and the show all going on at the same time, it SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

accumulated into a really weird out-ofbody experience. But the show was a good distraction and I’ll always be thankful for that. “Ant and Dec’s Golden Buzzer, then the Judges’ Choice in the semi-final and then to win the whole thing – it was just mind-blowing. “I only auditioned so I could say I’d performed on the stage of the Palladium. Even if I got buzzed off, I could say ‘at least I have performed on THAT stage’. “But everyone on the show was just lovely, so supportive. It was incredible to see the whole process from behind the scenes, having watched it for so many years.” A slightly surreal process too. The auditions were pre-Covid lockdowns but the live shows were in front of the judges and camera crew – with thousands of screens of audience members visible to the viewing public. “I was relieved to have managed to perform in front of a proper audience at the auditions because the live shows were strange,” he remembers. “I had spent my career thriving off a live audience buzz. You walk on stage and even if you feel tired or sick, something clicks in your head when there’s a live

theatre audience and you thrive off the energy. You can’t replicate that. So, in the live shows, we were just faced with four judges and there was no audio from the wall – that was just for the broadcast. “It was very surreal but thank goodness they still found a way to do the show because it would have been so cruel to get a golden buzzer and then for the finals to be cancelled. I still have no idea how they pull it all together. It’s an amazing team effort.” Fast forward, and Jon’s focus now is on staying healthy– he has scans every six months – as well as his tour and supporting charities. He says he is determined to raise awareness of skin cancer after becoming an ambassador for the charity Skcin – the melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer charity dedicated to the prevention and early detection of all types of skin cancer. “It’s really focussed on prevention and early detection of skin cancer which if it’s caught early enough is usually treatable,” Jon says. “In my case I procrastinated for months and was very stupid. “I was very excited when Skcin asked me to get involved. It’s the whole message of ‘Against The Odds’, check ya moles! It can save a lot of problems and heartache in the future. “I am also working with Lost Chord UK Dementia Charity. My dad had dementia so it means a lot to me. The charity takes live musicians into care homes and you see how the power of music is so effective.” And with that, it’s back to rehearsals, with Jon’s Shropshire date bringing back childhood memories. “My Aunt Helen lived in Shawbury when I was very little – six or seven,” he reflects. “I have memories of seeing the old Tudor houses in Shrewsbury town centre when I was very small. “I haven’t been back since so I’m looking forward to seeing if I can regress and remember those ‘olden days’! It’s a beautiful part of the country and the theatre looks stunning. It will be great to do show.” n Jon Courtenay’s Bigger is at Theatre Severn on March 7. For tickets visit socomedy.co.uk/artist/joncourtenay-2/

PAGE 44: Jon Courtenay with Ant and Dec who were so impressed they used the Golden Buzzer to get him into the ﬁnal PAGE 45: With Ant and Dec, his family and Britain’s Got Talent judges Alisha Dixon, David Walliams, Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell; Jon performing on stage.

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MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

The Puddle Duck Cottages in Ironbridge, and below, Sonia Bird owner of the dog friendly accommodation with dog Bertie who welcomes guests

CANINE COMFORT IS KEY TO SUCCESS HEATHER LARGE TALKS TO AN IRONBRIDGE COUPLE WHO, AFTER FINDING IT DIFFICULT TO TAKE THEIR DOG ON HOLIDAY, CREATED A HOLIDAY LET BUSINESS THAT WELCOMES PETS

one are the days when going on holiday meant leaving your dog in kennels or with a sitter. Now your canine friends can come with you thanks to the growing range of pet-friendly accommodation. But it hasn’t always been as easy to find a place to stay that also welcomes four-legged companions. Sonia Bird and her husband Darren moved to Ironbridge Gorge in 2005 with the dream of offering dog-friendly holiday accommodation. “At the time we had a beagle called Bella and if we wanted to take her on holiday in the UK, there wasn’t a great choice of good quality dog-friendly

SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

accommodation,” says Sonia. “We wanted to create somewhere where dogs were welcome and there were secure gardens so guests could relax knowing their dogs were safe.” The couple moved into Puddle Duck Cottage in The Tuckies, a hamlet next to the River Severn in Jackfield. The house was originally part of a row of five cottages but one of the properties had been demolished and replaced with a modern garage. “Next to the cottages used to be Duke of Wellington pub but it was demolished in the 1960s along with the brewhouse,” explains Sonia. The couple decided to rebuild the

cottage – which they named Duckling Cottage – and now rent both properties out to holidaymakers all year round. Puddle Duck, which dates back to around 1750, sleeps six guests and Duckling, which was built in the same style of the existing cottages by using as much of reclaimed materials from the former pub as possible, sleeps four people. Both have private, secure gardens as well lots of extra touches to make both humans and dogs feel at home. Sonia, who lives next door, devotes her time to looking after the properties and making sure guests have everything they need. She is supported by a small team of two housekeepers and a gardener as well as the couple’s beagle Bertie, who holds the position of chief meeter and greeter. The properties, which can be rented from Monday to Friday, Friday to Monday, Monday to Monday or Friday to Friday, have been welcoming guests for 10 years and have won numerous awards. They have been accredited by the National Pet College with their Dogs In Hospitality certificate as hosts who welcome dogs. Puddle Duck Cottages recently scooped Gold at the Dog Friendly Awards 2023 for the second year in row. “Our category for cottages and self-catering was the most contested so we were immensely proud to have won and to have brought our award back to Shropshire again,” says Sonia. The

MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

business is also one of three finalists in the Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year category of the West Midlands Tourism Awards, which take place in March. Sonia is very keen to promote the local area and guests are given plenty of advice and tips on attractions to visit as well as restaurant and pub recommendations. “We like to champion the Ironbridge Gorge and Shropshire and share the area with people. “A lot of people will park up and explore on foot because everything is so close by.” There is also a welcome hamper which includes essentials such as bread, milk, eggs, butter tea and coffee as well cake and wine. Furry visitors also get their own pack including bowls, treats, a toy, blankets, towels and local dog walk guides. Sonia even provides tags for their collars with cottage contact details on for them to use during the duration of their stay and there are outdoor hot and cold showers for washing muddy dogs. Although the cottages cater for canines, Sonia has welcomed many guests without pets over the years. “We’ve had guests who don’t have dogs who have said that they wouldn’t normally chose dogfriendly accommodation. “They have been impressed with the cleanliness and said that they wouldn’t know dogs had stayed in the cottage before them. SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

“We welcome everyone, not just guests with four-legged friends,” she explains. “We also have a lot of repeat bookings and many guests are into double figures. I even had a call on Christmas Day from someone wanting to make sure they could book for the following Christmas,” adds Sonia. She says running the business is very rewarding and she enjoys making sure her guests have a memorable holiday. “The feedback we’ve had over the years has always been lovely. I think the

biggest compliment is when people want to come back. Each year we try to add something new to the cottages and this year we added a bird feeder and provided binoculars and a bird-watching book. The kids love it and so do the adults.” In the future, Sonia plans to offer yoga and art retreats by working with other local business owners.

n For more information, see www. puddleduckcottages.co.uk 49

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SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

he weather’s miserable. Rain is bucketing down, the clouds are grey, and the temperatures are hovering at a chilly 6C. The only sensible response is to head indoors, turn up the heating, and plan a holiday somewhere far warmer. Unless you’re Beth Heath. In which case, you’re racing around the county, making plans for festivals, looking at new ideas, and driving forward one of the county’s most interesting, inspiring, and playful businesses. “We don’t stop,” she says. “I know we’re just coming out of winter and heading into spring, but it feels as though the clock’s already ticking and our summer events will be here before you know it.” Beth’s business, Shropshire Festivals, is responsible for Shrewsbury Food Festival and a welter of similar events that variously celebrate local food and drink, horticulture, and other stuff that involves people meeting in large numbers to have a whale of a time. She started her career at Harper Adams, a place that she’s frequently asked to return to so that young students can be inspired by her example. “It’s weird going back,” she says. “I was just a student, learning my way. It’s strange to think that others might listen to my journey and be motivated by it.” She spent a decade cutting her teeth as the operations director for Ludlow Food Festival, an organisation she feels fondness towards. She made great friends there, learned lessons that she’s carried with her and established a professional network that has helped her to thrive. Working at Ludlow Food Festival, however, was only ever a part of her portfolio. She also formed a number of small businesses, most notably the Shropshire Hamper Company, which provided a platform for the small, qualityfocused food and drink providers who make the county’s culinary scene so extraordinary. It also provided a platform for her own entrepreneurial skills. “I really love a challenge and I love to create new stuff because it’s fun. The hamper company was a great way to start. We’d make plenty of noise about the great food and drink producers that are based in and around Shropshire and promote the best stuff out there.” On one occasion she bought a hot tub and filled it with popcorn. “It was for a photoshoot,” she says. “I think it was something to do with the type of packing we were using. It was a success and sales soared after people saw the photos.” The same food and drink producers were exhibiting at Ludlow and before long a friend asked Beth if she’d like to start a similar event in Shrewsbury. The

MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

Shropshire Festivals owner Beth Heath with events manager Clare Wells at Shropshire Petal Fields where they organise summer destination events for Shropshire Petals at Newport. On the opposite page, members of the Beth’s team at various events, including Shropshire Oktoberfest

county town’s annual jamboree for food and drink was born and, 10 years on, it’s still going strong. “I had a choice to make,” says Beth. “I’d had a good run with Ludlow but to some extent I was restricted and couldn’t bring all of my ideas to life. So I decided to head in a different direction and I’m glad that I did. I formed my own business and as well as the food and drink festival we pioneered loads of other events. “There was a kids festival, our own version of Oktoberfest, which centres on the brilliant real ales from the county, and numerous other events.” Those events – and the popularity of them – are notable. Shropshire Oktoberfest is run at the start of each October and features more than 180 real ales, ciders, gins, wines, cocktails and more, paired with street food from local exhibitors. There’s also a live music stage with local bands, a comedy night, a silent disco and a Volvo carpool karaoke. A recent addition to the portfolio of events is Shropshire Petal Fields. Shropshire Festivals has teamed up with Shropshire Petals for a summer SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

destination like no other. A myriad of bright pink, purple, yellow, and white flowers await visitors in Petal Fields, just outside Newport. From delphiniums, to cornflowers, and sunflowers to wildflowers, visitors are amazed at how beautiful the Shropshire countryside can be. Youngsters can explore wild woodland walks, buy a freshly cut flower bouquet and whet their appetite with a mixture of tasty food. A fourth annual event is Shropshire Business Festival. The next edition is on April 11 at Wrekin College, Wellington. It’s a one-day event bringing together the cream of the crop of business leaders and emerging talent to network, learn and have some serious fun. The festival works because of the relaxed atmosphere created with fun activities, which break down the barriers to conversation. Beth says: “Whether you’re trying a cocktail, throwing axes, or parking a lorry, we give visitors reasons to talk to the CEO next to them, so they can leave with new business relationships and fulfil their goals. “As well as workshops and seminars

on topical issues, attendees can sit down with experts from finance, legal, and HR teams and take part in networking sessions.” It’s no surprise that Beth is soon up and onto her next meeting. “There’s a team of eight of us, six full-time, and two part-time, and we’re involved in all sorts of other stuff. “But really, it’s about having fun. It’s about sharing our passions with other people, or about bringing people together in a relaxed environment. “People do business better when they’re having fun, or they create memories when they’re with families at events that bring together food or music or the countryside. “Shropshire is full of great producers, brilliant artisans, and plenty of people who do fabulous work. So our company is just about bringing those together, having a good time, and celebrating the many amazing qualities that the county has.” That’s been a recipe for success since the inception of Beth’s company – and is likely to remain so. 53

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MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

Upper Farm Garden in Rushton, Telford, is one of the spectacular gardens that will be open to the public during the National Garden Scheme.

OPEN GARDENS TO BE IN FULL BLOOM HEATHER LARGE TRACES THE STORY OF THE NATIONAL GARDEN SCHEME, WHICH THIS YEAR WILL FEATURE 3,500 VENUES WITH MANY GARDENERS FROM SHROPSHIRE TAKING PART

very year thousands of gardeners throw open their gates and show off horticultural havens as part of the National Garden Scheme. Since its humble beginnings in the early 1900s, more than £63million has been donated to nursing and health charities through admissions, teas and cake. This year around 3,500 gardens will be opening, including many in Shropshire, with owners showing off the fruits – and foliage – of their labour all for a good cause. NGS chief executive, George Plumptre, says: “The National Garden Scheme has been championing the health benefits of garden visits since it first opened 609 garden gates in 1927. Now opening over 3,500 gardens a year we continue to advocate the improvement to wellbeing that a garden visit can generate.” SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

For the 2024 season, the National Garden Scheme has refreshed its portfolio with dozens of new gardens opening for the first time across England and Wales. n They include Riverside in Market Drayton, which is opening on May 19, June 30 and September 15 from 12pm until 5pm. Describing the garden, owner Susan Harrison says it features hydrangeas, hostas, a woodland walk, hot garden and herbaceous borders as well as an old and large wisteria and a very old climbing rose. n Also opening between 11am and 4pm on April 3, May 1, July 3, and September 4 will be an acre of gardens at Hundred House Hotel in Norton. Crafted over more than 35 years, they feature sculptures, stonework and a working herb and kitchen garden. n Cherry Tree Arboretum in Woore will welcome visitors on April 6, May

11, September 21 and October 26 from 10.30am until 4pm. It was created in 2006 on 50 acres of unspoilt, lightly-farmed pastoral land and scattered with mature oaks by John and Liz Ravenscroft. The garden is located on a hilly area overlooking the Cheshire plain with views to the Pennines in the north, the Peckforton Hills to the northwest and the Breiddons to the southwest on the Welsh borders. It is described as a showcase of specimen trees with magnolias, peonies, dahlias, lilacs, deciduous azaleas and North American oaks throughout. n Edge Villa, near Yockleton, Shrewsbury, will be open on April 14 and August 18 from 2pm until 5pm. Nestled in South Shropshire hills, the two-acre site features a self-sufficient vegetable plot and chickens in the 55

orchard. There are also large herbaceous borders and a dewpond surrounded by purple elder, irises, candelabra primulas and dieramas. People can also view a large selection of fragrant roses and there is a Wendy house for children. Visitors are welcome to stay in the garden as long as they want and there will be plant and book sales in aid of NGS charities. n Upper Farm Garden in Rushton, Telford, will be open on April 20, June 20 and 21, August 10 and 11 and October 5 and 6. This farmhouse garden offers views of the Wrekin and the Stretton Hills and comprises several garden ‘rooms’ connected by gravelled walkways, which are interspersed with ample seating opportunities. n Ruthall Manor in Ditton Priors will welcome visitors on April 27 and 28, May 18 and 19, June 8 and 9, and July 6 and 7 from 12.30pm until 5.30pm. Offset by a mature collection of specimen trees, the garden is divided into intimate sections, carefully linked by winding paths. The front lawn, which is flanked by striking borders, extends to a gravel, art garden. Clematis and roses scramble through an eclectic collection of wroughtiron work, unique pottery and secluded seating. It has been designed and planted by present owners since 1960. n Westwood House in Oldbury, Bridgnorth, which is owned by Hugh and Carolyn Trevor-Jones, will be open on April 28 from 2pm until 5pm. This country garden has become known for its tulips and use of colour. Sweeping lawns offset by deeply planted mixed borders; pool garden and lawn tennis court; kitchen and cutting garden, with everything designed to attract wildlife for organic growth. It offers far-reaching views of this delightful corner of the county and woodland walks to enjoy. n There is a chance to explore 10 acres at Oteley in Ellesmere on May 5 from 11am until 4pm. The garden is one of a handful of gardens that first opened in 1927 when the National Garden Scheme was launched and has continued to open once a year to raise money for nursing charities ever since. There is plenty to see, including the walled kitchen garden, architectural features, many old interesting trees, rododendrons, azaleas, a wild woodland walk and views across the Mere to Ellesmere. n Longden Manor in Plealey will welcome visitors on May 12 from 10am until 4pm. This large estate 56

garden has lots of character and interest including woodland walks and grass paths, humorous topiary, a wide variety of specimen trees; rhododendrons and azaleas, wildflowers, restored water garden and panoramic vistas of surrounding countryside. There are also garden games including skittles and croquet making it a great place for all the family to visit. n The Ferns in Newport Street, Clun, will open its gates on May 12 and August 11 from 12pm until 6pm. This is a formal village garden of three quarters of an acre, approached via a drive lined with crab apple and pear trees. On the right is the autumn garden, giving fine views of the surrounding hills. From the front courtyard garden a path leads through double herbaceous borders full of late summer colour, to further rooms, of yew, beech and box. n Also opening are the formal and informal gardens at Henley Hall in Ludlow. Helen and Sebastian Phillips will welcome visitors on May 12 from 10am until 5pm. The historic elements include a formal lawn, stone staircase with balustrades, a ha-ha and an ornate stone

arched bridge with decorative weirs over the River Ledwyche, created in 1874. n Goldstone Hall Gardens will be open to visitors on May 15, June 12, July 10, August 14 and September 11 from 11am until 5pm. They will be able to see behind the scenes of the highly productive beautiful kitchen garden which features many unusual vegetables and fruits including alpine strawberries, heritage tomatoes, salad, chillies, celeriac. n Tower House in Bache, Craven Arms, is open to visitors on May 18 from 11am until 5.30pm. The folly built in 1838 has a two-acre garden created by the present owner over 50 years with views over the Corve Dale, herbaceous borders, a small parterre and pond. n Horatio’s Garden opened to great acclaim at the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries in the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen, Oswestry in 2019. Award-winning garden designer, Bunny Guinness, created the garden, establishing a thriving, gentle and welcoming space that has benefitted patients, their loved ones and the NHS MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

staff working in the spinal centre. It offers a place of peace and therapy for patients and features raised beds, creative use of space, beautiful specimen trees, a potting shed and sculpture, all in soothing hues. A pretty rill runs the length of the garden. The garden, which was part-funded by the National Garden Scheme, will be open to visitors on May 12 and September 15 from 2pm until 5pm. n Walcot Hall in Lydbury North will be once again opening its gates to the public on May 26 and 27 from 1.30pm until 5pm. Visitors will be able to see the arboretum planted by Lord Clive of India’s son, Edward in 1800 and cascades of rhododendrons and azaleas amongst specimen trees and pools. There are also fine views of Sir William Chambers’ Clock Towers, a walled kitchen garden, dovecote, meat safe, ice house and mile-long lakes. Refreshments will be available in the grand ballroom. n Fans of carnivorous plants will be in their element at Beaufort in Coppice Drive, Moss Road, Wrockwardine Wood, Telford, on May 25, which will be open SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

from 10am until 5pm. The collection of more than 6,000 plants includes the National Collection of Sarracenia (pitcher plants), in excess of 100 different Venus flytrap clones (Dionaea muscipula), Sundews (Drosera) and Butterworts (Pinguicula). n The picturesque landscape garden and parkland of Millichope Park, near Munslow, will be open on May 5 from 2pm until 6pm and on October 13 from 2pm until 5pm. n For the first time, David Austin Roses in Albrighton will be opening the garden gate to Mr Austin Senior’s private gardens – where the business began with the launch of his first rose in 1961, Constance Spry on June 15 and 16 from 9am until 5pm. In addition to having the opportunity to soak up the scent and explore his personal rose collection and experience over 700 beautiful rose varieties including the National Collection of English Roses in the six themed public gardens, open weekend visitors will be treated to music, garden games and typically English teatime treats amongst the roses. The open weekend runs in partnership with Stoke-based potter

Emma Bridgewater and the duos ‘Bring Me Sunshine’ charity mug adorned with the vibrant sunshine-coloured namesake rose. “As huge admirers of Emma Bridgewater’s work, we’re thrilled to not only see one of our most popular roses adorned onto the mugs but also dovetail our efforts to support the National Garden Scheme, a charity we each value greatly,” says David Austin, at David Austin Roses. Tickets can be booked in advance on the David Austin website www. davidaustinroses.co.uk/products/ngsopen-gardens. n For more information visit findagarden.ngs.org.uk

PAGE 56: Top, David Austin Roses (picture David Austin); bottom left The Ferns (Picture Martin Jones); Westwood House. PAGE 57: Clockwise, from top left: Tower House in Bache, Craven Arms (picture Martin Jones); Walcot Hall; Ruthall Manor; Cherry Tree Arboretum.

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THE REPORTING PILOT – MAKING THE FAMILY COURT MORE TRANSPARENT

On Monday 29 January the ability of the media to report on Family Court cases was rolled out in 16 courts across England and Wales. Unlike in the Criminal Courts, which are open for the public to access and in which cases are frequently reported on, Family Court proceedings have previously been a private and con!idential process, a general exception to the principle of open justice. The primary objective of the new reporting rules is to reverse the default position on privacy, and to make hearings open, though subject to stringent restrictions on what can be reported and who can be identi!ied. The scheme allows accredited media and legal bloggers to report on what they see and hear during Family Court cases, subject to strict rules of anonymity. This will be achieved through judges in these courts making a ‘Transparency Order’, which sets out the rules for what can and cannot be reported. Each order will take the form of an injunction and reporters will be bound by its terms. As a rule, reporters cannot include the following: - The names of any children or family members involved; - The places that the children live or go to; - The dates of birth of any children;

- Photographs of any parties in the case or their children. - Any information which could lead to children, family members or the parties being identi!ied by accident. Reporters will be allowed to see documents such as case summaries and position statements which are prepared to give the Judge an overview of the case. If the reporter wants to view any further documents, then they must ask for permission from the judge. The standard position will be that reporters are able to report on the details of a case, what they have seen in the case documents, and anything that has happened during the hearing. Only journalists with a UK Press Card, or lawyers who are not involved in the case but are authorised to attend hearings (called legal bloggers), will be permitted to report on Family Court cases. A legal blogger will belong to a barristers’ chambers or a law !irm, or an organisation or charity, and will have to verify who they are. The judge in each case will make the decision about whether a particular case is included in scheme. If parties don’t want their case to be reported, it is possible to ask the judge at the hearing before a decision is made. However, it is not possible to opt out of the scheme unless the judge agrees.

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The Candle Maker by Norman O’Neill took ﬁrst place in the Advanced Prints section. The competition was judged by David McGuire.

INDUSTRY FOCUS FOR ENTHUSIASTS MATTHEW PANTER PUTS THE SPOTLIGHT ON A PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY, WHICH IS MARKING ITS 40TH ANNIVERSARY, AND A COMPETITION THAT PRODUCED SPECTACULAR SETS OF IMAGES

Revolutionary by Rob Gormley wowed the judges.

SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

ndustry was in the spotlight for a challenge run by Newport Photographic Club. Members of the group were asked to take pictures on the subject of “Industrial” and the competition received a wide variety of interpretations. The club is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The inaugural meeting was held in the offices of the Newport Advertiser in February 1984. The handwritten minutes of that meeting still survive. Sadly, the first chairman and founder of the club, Jim Strachan passed away at Christmas 2023. However, three of the original attendees at the first meeting are still members of the club – Alastair Taylor, Bryan Lloyd and Graham Burns. Judged by David McGuire, first place for the Advanced Prints section went

to Norman O’Neill with The Candle Maker. Howard Broadbent (Sand & Steel), Norman O’Neill (Filling the Moulds) and Edward Kosinski (Mechanisation) made up the top four. Bob Colman (The Plumber’s Shed) and Howard Broadbent (Taking a Break) made up the top six while Jann Wassell (I’m Getting Married at Lunchtime!) and Maria Macklin (Ensuring Peak Performance) were highly commended. Edward Kosinski’s Industrial Support and Discs by Ron Hopkins were commended. In the Intermediate Prints section, Rob Gormley took the top two places with Revolutionary and Rusty Escape. Bob Winfield (Starting the Refurbishment of A Tower Clockface), Brian Truslove (The Train Depot), Caron Malcolm (Grangemouth Treasure) and 61

The Plumbers Shed by Bob Colman.

Cloudmaking by Rob Gormley.

Rusty Escape by Rob Gormley.

Mechanisation by Edward Kosinski.

Sand and Steel, Howard Broadbent.

Brian Truslove (The Tannery, Marrakesh) made up the top six. Bob Winfield with Spur Gears was commended. In the Advanced PDIs section, Richard Greswell (Factory Worksop) was first with Maria Macklin (Industrial Giant’s Salutation to the Moon), Edward Kosinski (Dust & Rust) and Richard Greswell (Iron Man) making up the top four. Bob Colman (Quarry) and Martin James (Sand Race) followed with Ron Hopkins (Weed Killing) and Bill Spencer (Fine Tuning the Reactor) highly commended. Martin James, with Going Green and Edward Kosinski with Birthplace of Industry were commended. In the Intermediate PDIs section, Rob Gormley (Cloud Making) won with MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

Filling the Moulds by Norman O’Neill.

Ensuring Peak Perfomance by Maria Macklin.

Factory Workshop by Richard Greswell.

Caron Malcolm (The Halesfield Blues) and David Collier (Memories of Industry Fading Fast) completing the top three. Brian Truslove (Fabrication & Grinding), David Collier (Draining the Coalbrookdale Sky) and Alastair Taylor (Lunar Society Icons of Industry) made up the top six while Brian Truslove (Feeder Cables London Underground) was highly commended and Rob Gormley with Out of Condition was commended. The club is planning a number of events this year to celebrate its anniversary and past members of the club are invited to contact the club secretary Secretary@ newportphotoclub.com and can come and join in the celebrations. The club meets every Tuesday at 7.30pm at Weston Hall at Harper Adams University and details of the club are at newportphotoclub.com

SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

The Halesﬁeld Blues by Caron Malcolm.

Taking a Break by Howard Broadbent.

FORCE IS STRONG FOR GUY’S MISSION DANIEL MORRIS MEETS THE CREATIVE TALENT BEHIND ARCHIVE X, A SHROPSHIRE BUSINESS THAT LOVINGLY RECREATES STAR WARS MODELS USING THE MOST INTRICATE METHODS

ot a long time ago, in a model shop not very far, far away... Based at Maws Craft Centre in Jackfield, former guitar tech Guy Cowen has built a company from a boyhood passion that has stayed with him into adulthood, and will be the envy of Padawan learners throughout the land. A gifted painter and model maker with an incredible eye for detail, the force is strong with this one and his creative midi-chlorian count is off the chart. That’s right, my loyal Stormtroopers; Guy makes Star Wars models... for a living! Blown away by the fact that this was even a possibility on our doorstep, when entering the workshop of Guy’s company, Archive X, I was walking into a world that was my idea of heaven. Store cupboards were stocked with Mandalorian helmets, Imperial Walkers adorned shelves, and workbenches were laden with the Rebel Alliance’s finest in starfighter technology. These certainly were the droids I was looking for, and I was fascinated to find out how Guy had made his successful business a reality. “Archive X is my paint brand which came about due to my love of replicating Star Wars models,” he said. “But not just going to Hobbycraft, buying a model and building it. We ‘scratch build’ replicas of the original filming models using the same parts, the same details, the same materials, and then replicate every scratch, paint splodge – everything. It’s almost what you would call the closest we can get to a ‘forgery’ of the original models used in the films.” George Lucas’s ground-breaking space opera saga had clearly left a lasting impression on Guy, as it has done with millions across the world over at least three generations. “In the 70s and 80s when they made the original Star Wars trilogy, everything was handmade models,” he said. “Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) were innovators and they did things which were never done before. Obviously being seven or eight years old when Star Wars came out, you see these things and they’re the most incredible things you’ve ever seen in your life.

“I was at that age where it never left me – they were always the best things I’d ever seen. “As I got into adulthood, my career was in rock and roll, so I used to have a lot of time at home in between tours, so I just started teaching myself scratch model building – studying and going online. “Jump to 2017, the obsession with getting the models correct then became an obsession with getting the paint colours correct. What I ended up doing was taking a brand and the samples from the 70s which are very specific to the period when Star Wars was made, and copying the hues of the colours, and introducing it to the Star Wars modelling community, almost as a tool set. So you’ve now got the same tool set that ILM had. “As the paint brand has grown considerably from 2017 to now, it’s now sold on behalf of me through people like Element Games. It’s allowed me to have the free time again now to concentrate on the model building, and has led to things like the Y-Wing project that I’m doing

with my friend Lee Ralph.” Gazing across the workshop, a large steel bench was stacked with facsimiles of this fan-favourite Star Wars craft, each at a different stage of construction. As Guy explained, these particular Y-Wings were very special indeed – a tribute to the model that secured the employment of one of the ILM gods. “There was a guy called Bill George who was the chief model builder for Return of the Jedi. He built one of these and he took it to George Lucas in the early 80s to ask for work – ‘this is what I can do; I’ve made a Y-Wing, this is my resume’. Amazingly for him, they gave him a job. He’s one of my heroes. “These are made to be sold. We’re doing it as commission-based. These take a lot of time – it will take us 12 months to finish nine.” Through painstaking research into the parts used by George to construct his original Y-Wing, Guy and Lee have managed to create the first true copies of this cult-favourite prop that saw actual MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

screen time in the original Star Wars trilogy’s closing chapter. “Bill very kindly sent us his own personal photographs of his build from when it started to when it finished, so we got to see things that no one in the general public had seen before. “We use a technique called ‘kitbashing’. Nearly all original Star Wars filming models were detailed with bits of Tamiya model tanks, warships – anything you can think of that was on the shelves back then. “They used bits of model Ferrari engines mixed with a bit of a Panzer tank to make it look like a space engine, etc. “There’s an art to getting the right kit parts together – you can’t just glue any old thing! And no one’s ever been better than ILM at doing that. So me and Lee studied the photographs over a two-year period, SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

and we managed to find all the parts that Bill had used.” Though these incredible replicas set to leave buyers absolutely starstruck, Guy and Lee are much more excited about the approval the man himself, who is in for a treat. “For me and Lee, the best thing is, Bill’s never owned his own Y-Wing, and I’m hand-delivering a Y-Wing back to him in California when these are finished,” said Guy. “It’s going to be an absolute ‘tear moment’ for me, standing at his front door saying ‘here’s your ‘Bill George Y-Wing’, Bill George!’. “He gets updates from us every week and he’s helped us with information towards building them.” With Guy having been able to turn his passion and talent into a lucrative business

with a client base spanning the globe, he is delighted to be based in a place that helps inspire his creativity. “I’ve been at Maws Craft Centre for just over a year-and-ahalf,” he said. “It’s such a beautiful area – I’m so privileged to be able to come here everyday and do this.” Guy’s workshop can be found at Unit D3 Maws Craft Centre, Jackfield, Telford, TF8 7LS. May the force be with you all.

CLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT: Model maker Guy Cowen, who is based at Maws Craft Centre, Jackﬁeld, with Daniel Morris; Guy with one of the incredible ‘Bill George Y-Wing’ models in progress; an iconic X-Wing starﬁghter graces the shelves at Archive X; another of Guy’s stunning Star Wars models.

ALL ABOARD FOR A MAGICAL JOURNEY ANDY RICHARDSON DELVES INTO THE HISTORY OF THE CANAL NETWORK ACROSS SHROPSHIRE AND BEYOND

here’s something otherworldly about Shropshire’s canals. A place of peace and contemplation, an isolated and frequently stunning stretch of water in which nature is free to bloom, Shropshire’s canals are a place for beauty and relaxation, for solitude and stunning natural beauty. The Shropshire Union Canal is peaceful for much of its length, with many stretches devoid of towns for miles upon miles. A great place to take time out, the northern section extends into the gently rolling Cheshire landscape, while the arrow-straight southern section has long embankments, cuttings and grand bridges that were synonymous with the developments of the railway age. Deep, mossy cuttings are atmospheric and full of wildlife, with herons, kingfishers, and other birds and mammals. The Canal River Trust has explored the remarkable history of the so-called ‘Shroppie’: “This canal was constructed in three stages by three different companies, covering the whole of the ‘Canal Age’. In the 1770s the Chester Canal, from the River Dee to Nantwich, was built broad to enable riverboats to use it. This was the only one of the first generation of British canals to be a commercial failure. Its fortunes were rescued by the Ellesmere Canal, which made the section from Chester to the Mersey in the mid-1790s, creating the small settlement of Ellesmere Port around its northern terminus. “The branch from Middlewich opened in 1833, enabling clay to be taken to the Potteries and crockery exported. “The canal from Nantwich to Autherley Junction (near Wolverhampton) received its Act of Parliament in 1826, but was not completed until 1835. This was the Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal, the name of which explains its principal aim, providing a direct route from the industrial West Midlands for exports and imports though Ellesmere Port, where the facilities were considerably enhanced. A branch went from Norbury Junction through Newport 66

Near Bridge 19 on the Shropshire Union Canal, near The Hartley Arms, in Wheaton Aston

your

TEP

D O O RS

to join the Shrewsbury Canal near Wellington. “All these canals, together with what are now the Llangollen and Montgomery Canals, merged in the mid-1840s to create the Shropshire Union Railways & Canal Company. The intention was to convert the Main Line and the branch to Newtown into railways. However, in 1847 the Shropshire Union was leased to the mighty London & North Western Railway. “Control by a railway company did not inhibit further development. Much investment was put into the docks at Ellesmere Port, particularly in the 1870s and, coinciding with the opening of the Manchester Ship Canal, the 1890s. The

Shropshire Union’s fleet of boats grew to be the largest fleet in the country by 1900. “The disruption caused by the First World War and, especially, the coming of reliable motor lorries, led to a sharp decline in canal traffic and the closure of the carrying company in 1921. Nevertheless, some commercial carrying continued until the 1960s.” The Shropshire Union Canal Society works hard to maintain the waterways. It’s been responsible for a wide variety of enhancement and restoration activities, from towpath and mooring improvements to rebuilding locks and restoring disused channel. In 2022, it completed restoration of the Montgomery Canal between Pryces Bridge and Crickheath Basin – a major undertaking and major achievement over seven years that added a further 1¼ miles of navigation to the national network. The official opening took place in June 2023. A further two miles of dry channel restoration remains before the restored canal at Llanymynech is reached. For MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

A narrow boat travelling on the Shropshire Union Canal in Market Drayton; Norbury Junction; the canal in Market Drayton; Crickheath Basin

first time in over 100 years, it will then be possible to navigate from the national network to the Montgomery Canal in Wales. The next phase of works, which continues the channel restoration from Crickheath Basin to Schoolhouse Bridge, is underway. The Shropshire Union Canal Society is a particularly helpful resource for those who want to enjoy free days out. The Shroppie has lots of opportunities for exercise, play and a little light education. The towpath provides miles of easy walking and between Newtown and Llanymynech, the Montgomery Canal towpath has been surfaced to a multi-user standard for walkers, cyclists, buggies and wheelchairs. The Shropshire Union also links a network of picnic sites, nature reserves and other heritage areas maintained by the Canal & River Trust, wildlife trusts, the society and other volunteer organisations. Many of these sites can be accessed by road as well as from the canal. The society’s recommendations SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

include Whixall Moss. A spokesperson said: “The Marches Mosses are a magical place, an unforgettable day out for the whole family, a way to reconnect with nature. Walk along the shady wooded paths into the Moss, emerging into the open expanse of the peatland. Experience the tranquility and quiet that is so difficult to find in today’s bustling urban life. “Learn about how peat forms and why it is such an important barrier to climate change. Understand how the industrial extraction of peat for gardens etc damaged this fragile habitat and how it is being restored for plants and wildlife.” Another key location is Colemere. “One of Shropshire’s most beautiful meres, Colemere is almost completely surrounded by mature woodland and has two very attractive hay meadows. The site attracts a variety of wildfowl and waders including snipe, curlew, goldeneye, and pochard. With its diverse variety of wildlife habitats, with mature woodland, open meadow, hedgerows, and a large expense of water, Colemere is rich in

birdlife throughout the year.” “There is a circular walk from the free car park (what3words.com/champions. fellow.pins) or you can walk along the canal towpath from Ellesmere in about an hour and a half each way.” A third is Lower Frankton, and the Lockgate Bridge Picnic site, where visitors can watch boat crews wrestle with the staircase lock. Other popular spots include the following: n The Wern Claypit near Arddleen (what3words.com/gallons.log.coping) n Buttington Wharf Welshpool (what3words.com/torches.musically. writings) n Berriew Aqueduct (what3words. com/animator.waving.exploring). From here, it is a 20 minute walk to the grounds of Glansevern Hall. More information can be found here: glansevern.co.uk. n Pwll Penarth nature reserve, Llanllwchaiarn, Newtown (what3words. com/evoke.ombudsman.towel). More information can be found here: montwt. co.uk/nature-reserves/pwll-penarth. 67

WALK

PEAK INTO HISTORY ANDY RICHARDSON DISCOVERS THE ANCIENT STORY OF THE PICTURESQUE CLEE HILLS

he Clee Hills are important points on the Shropshire landscape. Titterstone Clee Hill and Brown Clee Hill are located in the south of the county, near Clee Hill Village, not far from Ludlow and Cleobury Mortimer, which are both 5.5 miles away, with Ludlow to the west and Cleobury to the East. The village of Clee Hill is 340m above sea level, making it one of the highest settlements in the county. Titterstone Clee is 533m above sea level and is the third highest hill, surpassed only by the nearby Brown Clee Hill and Stiperstones. The summit of Titterstone Clee is bleak, treeless and shaped by decades of quarrying. Many of the industrial structures still remain. Most of the summit of the hill is affected by man-made activity, the result of hill fort construction during the Bronze and Iron Ages and, more recently, by years of mining for coal and quarrying for dolerite, known locally as ‘dhustone’, for use in road-building. Many derelict quarry buildings scattered over the hill are of industrial archaeological interest as very early examples of the use of reinforced concrete. Flint tools of Mesolithic hunters

Clee Hill disused stone quarry buildings

found on the slopes of Titterstone show that the area was populated in earlier times, after the last Ice Age retreated. The Iron Age settlement on the summit was the largest of its kind in Shropshire but has been damaged and obscured by quarrying. Part of the ancient wall, now a low line of rocks, can be seen on the slope below the cairn. The most notable feature of the hill is Giant’s Chair, a grouping of summit rocks formed in the last Ice Age. The hill rises above the surrounding countryside by virtue of its distinctive geology, the igneous rocks capping both Titterstone Clee and Clee Hill being more resistant to erosion than the neighbouring sedimentary rocks. Most of the lower

ground is underlain by mudstones and sandstones of Devonian age and collected together as the Old Red Sandstone. Much more of Brown Clee Hill is private land than on Titterstone Clee, and large areas are covered with coniferous plantations. The common land features the remains of where an Iron Age hill fort once stood. Like Titterstone Clee to the south, Brown Clee is formed from sedimentary rocks originating during the Carboniferous period. The gentler relief of the surrounding area is characterised by the mudstones and sandstones of the St Maughans Formation. The lower slopes of the hill itself are formed by the sandstones and conglomerates of the overlying Clee Sandstone Formation, the boundary between the two sets of strata marked by the narrow outcrop of the Upper Abdon Limestone. The Iron Age fort at Nordy Bank, on Clee Liberty, is impressive, especially seen from above, when the earthwork rings are highlighted by the sun’s rays. The best approaches to Brown Clee Hill are from Cockshutford, via Nordy Bank, and Clee Burf, and from the Stanbroughs Wood picnic site, near Cleobury North.

MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

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FOOD REVIEW:

TUDOR A GEM IN JOULE’S CROWN ANDY RICHARDSON DROPS INTO A VENUE THAT OFFERS A TRIED AND TESTED MENU AND A WARM WELCOME

t’s been a while since Graham and Clare Jenkins exchanged contracts with Market Drayton-based Joule’s on the Henry Tudor House, in Shrewsbury. The couple sold up in 2022, having invested a decade and more money than they might care to remember on turning around the Old Lion Tap. The Jenkins restored the exterior and interior of a building that had been down at heel, winning numerous awards for their work. They were intent on restoring the building in Barracks Passage, off Wyle Cop, to its former glories. And their 11 years at the helm were largely successful. Mr Jenkins had sold his utility business and Mrs Jenkins wanted to put her architectural skills to good use. It was a significant investment for them and the pub was fairly popular. And so as the Jenkins moved onto pastures new last year, focusing on their other businesses, passing the baton to Joule’s for a venue that is believed to be the only Grade-I listed pub in the county. Staff were transferred over to the new management with no redundancies, in a changeover that was as seamless as these sort of things get. Speaking at the time, Steve Nuttall, Joule’s managing director, articulated the company’s passion for old pubs, with more than half in Joule’s estate being listed buildings. Now that we’re more than 18 months on from that hand-over, a simple question can be asked: has it worked out? The short answer is: well, sort of. It would be disingenuous to say Joule’s have taken Henry Tudor House, renamed the Henry Tudor Inn, to new heights – they haven’t, nor, indeed, was that the intention. While the Jenkins may have wanted to trip the light fantastic, organising acoustic gigs by rock ’n’roll stars, or

appointing chefs with dreams of Michelin stars, Joule’s is a very different type of operation. It’s brought stability to the business and a very different sort of identity, where Henry Tudor Inn is now much more a conventional pub, with restaurant, rather than a venue that was perhaps too large. Joule’s has respected the rarity of owning a Grade-I listed pub and their revamp has been sympathetic. They’ve worked closely with Shropshire Council at every step, though their background as owners of many Grade II (two) pubs has stood them in good stead. When Joule’s moved in they already had The Bricklayers Arms, in Copthorne, The Dolphin in St Michael’s Street, and The White Horse opposite Shire Hall. Henry Tudor Inn has followed the trajectory of those – and others – as it’s become simpler, less expensive, more accessible and less up market. It’s become more of a pub, less of a fancy restaurant, and when my friend and I visited there was a good atmosphere and a roaring trade among drinkers. Joule’s have taken their time in crafting Henry Tudor Inn into a Joule’s Taphouse, which has replaced much of the design work completed under the Jenkins’ watch.

The venue still makes good use of its rich heritage, though it’s been reorganised in a more conventional manner with booths, a more prominent bar, and a stronger emphasis on drinking. The menu has changed beyond measure, and a venue that once sought AA Rosettes is now one that offers a decent plate of fish and chips, a pie of the day, and a delicious burger. The identity is manifestly different. The key, of course, is whether the new owners do old things well. And the short answer to that is: yes. They make a good fist of simpler, less challenging dishes, with a busy, front of house team that was eager to please when my friend and I popped in for an evening supper. Staff were courteous and polite, judging the mood, being attentive rather than intrusive, and demonstrating a willingness to please. We sat in the restaurant area, just down from the bar, and perused the menu. We both began with a home-made crumpet, served with gorgonzola, pickled fennel and walnuts. It was a delicious dish. The gorgonzola was light but flavoursome while the fennel and walnuts added texture and complementary flavours. The crumpet was also light and provided a good vehicle for the toppings. MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

It was a simple bistro dish, executed with skill, that was big on flavour. My friend opted for a hearty plate of braised short rib with celeriac mash, confit carrots and beef jus as his main. The short rib was delicious. Tender and falling off the bone, it was soft and unctuous, with huge, powerful flavours. The jus was good, with strong and intense flavours, while the mash was creamy and buttery and made for a great, comfort-food dish. I opted for the house burger, comprising a 6oz beef patty with cheese, bacon, pickled onion mustard mayo, and triple cooked chips. A celeriac remoulade was served on the side while the burger came in a brioche bun. The burger was magnificent, seasoned well, with plenty of pepper and with a crunchy, caramelised crust. The chips were decent and the bacon had also been well cooked. We were replete at the end of two courses and though we might have enjoyed dessert, it was time to go. Joule’s has moved Henry Tudor Inn in a markedly different direction. That means it’s hard to compare it with what went before – and more sensible to judge it on its own merits. As an accessible pubrestaurant, it ticks most of the boxes with good staff, a familiar menu, and decent levels of service. SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

FOOD&DRINK

SAVOURING THE SEASON’S LARDER ANDY RICHARDSON LOOKS AHEAD TO REAPING THE REWARDS OF THE DELICIOUS LOCAL PRODUCE – SUCH AS ASPARAGUS AND RHUBARB – THAT SPRING BRINGS TO OUR PLATES

e’re a month away from an explosion of flavour in local restaurants, farm shops and greengrocers. March is a transition month, a time when we pass from the cold hard frosts of winter and a diet of root vegetables to an abundance of new produce. Spring is just around the corner and we can soon move on from such crops as cauliflower, kale, leeks, purple sprouting broccoli, and swede to asparagus, Jersey new royal potatoes, lettuce and salad leaves, samphire, rhubarb, and delicious, sweet spring lamb. Patience is key across the next month, as we wait for produce enlivened by warmer temperatures and sunnier days to emerge. And that time can be sensibly spent planning ahead, for a glut of great, homegrown produce when the frosty days of early spring have long gone and been

replaced by the warming days of summer and early autumn. March is the time to plant new crops, whether you have a modest garden, a few garden boxes, or more land at your disposal. Quite apart from the crops that will follow, over the coming months, it’s also a magnificent way to switch off and unwind from the rigours of the day. A large number of vegetables can be sown in March, just as the days begin to length and warm air helps to improve conditions. Hardier crops can be grown directly into the soil, while others should be sown indoors, or in a greenhouse, to prevent them being culled by frost. The range of food that can be sown is wide, from chillies and tomatoes, which benefit from being sown in March, allowing them to enjoy a long growing season, to fast-growing beetroot and salads. And it’s sensible to plant on a rota, so avoid a three-week glut. Plant a

few early in the month, a few later in the month, and yet more at the end, marking each seed tray carefully, to keep tabs on what’s expected to mature at a particular time. Planting crops is a complicated business, of course, and one where skills improve with experience and time. Beginners will need to asses their soil time and whether or not the ground should be enriched with fertiliser. There are many tricks of the trade, too, including the provision of heated propagators, which are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes to get crops off to a good start. Cold frames can provide an extra bit of insulation and protection against wet, cold weather, while greenhouses are a magnificent addition for any selfdiscerning foodie who is serious about enjoying the fruits of nature’s rich bounty, later in the year. Having made the decision to enjoy

MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

great, home-grown food, the first step is to draw up a list of potential crops that are suitable for planting this month. Broad beans are a great place to start. They grow rapidly, can produce a plentiful supply and the young shoot tips can be used in salads. There are plenty of uses for them, when harvest comes, from late spring to summer. Young, immature pods can be cooked whole, while mature pods can be shelled to disgorge the delicious pods inside. Once you’ve grown your crop, the uses are almost endless. A broad bean, feta and watercress salad makes a peppery dish that’s finished with crumbly cheese, crunchy pine nuts and can be drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil then seasoned with homegrown fresh mint leaves. A tomato, burrata, and broad bean salad makes the best of chopped up tomatoes, creamy burrata and a broadbean flecked salsa verde that makes for a super-tasty salad. Broad beans are the perfect accompaniment to more substantial dishes and can be used alongside pork chops and minted Jersey SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

potatoes, providing a real taste of spring, from May onwards. Alternatively, a pea, broad bean, and rocket risotto brings together a refreshing, green taste of the seasons. As well as planning ahead with broad beans, such crops as Swiss chard can be grown now – and they make an attractive container, as well as a pleasing-to-see lines on your vegetable patch. Swiss chard can be picked regularly for baby leaves, while large leaves can be steamed, like spinach, so that they don’t become too tough. Swiss chard is ready to eat after 10-12 weeks and is delicious baked, with garlic, cream, and Parmsean, for an indulgent side dish. A Swiss chard gratin is a work of beauty, and the chard for it is best lightly pickled before use to present a deep, robust flavour. Swiss chard and kohlrabi with lemon sauce is a delightful, refreshing dish that’s full of flavour while a quick braised chard and lentil dish makes the perfect side. Chillies should also be planted in March, either on a windowsill, in pots, or in a greenhouse, to protect from

frost. Early ripeners should be selected alongside longer-growing varieties, to present food through the year, and they should be sown at the same time as the year’s crop of chives. Chives are perfect for a growing container, so as not to take up too much space. Picking regularly allows new leaves to grow while chive flowers are a wonder to behold, attracting bees to a garden and providing seeds for the following year. Kale is a great crop for a semi-shaded spot while potatoes and peas should also be planted in March. Peas really do epitomise the best of spring food and will be ready from June through to October. There are few delights as welcoming as picking straight from the plant and eating on the spot. Peas have a vast range of uses, too. From a pasta dish of salmon and peas to a chorizo and pea risotto; from an easy risotto with bacon and peas to a cauliflower, paneer and pea curry, the uses are endless. And so as March arrives, for most foodies, it’s the time to look ahead – and get planting. 73

RAISE A GLASS TO A REFRESHING WHITE SAM WYLIE#HARRIS REVEALS THE PICK OF FOOD&FRIENDLY WHITE WINES TO CHILL OUT WITH

ired of drinking the same old, same old? Sometimes it’s easy to get stuck in a wine rut and keep reaching for a red during colder months . . . forgetting how refreshing a bright white can be. Especially if you’re looking for something versatile that complements a variety of foods – think lively and expressive, fruity and round, or crisp and herbaceous. Here are some top picks to pull from the fridge . . .

1. M&S Expressions Feteasca Regala 2022, Romania, £8, Ocado An off-the-beaten-track grape, but one which should be on your radar. Beautifully fresh and fragrant, it won’t take much convincing to realise how this rose-scented local variety charms with its peachy fruits and hints of honeysuckle. Dry and delicious on its own, it works like a dream with mild spicy dishes.

2. Morrisons The Best Chardonnay 2022, South Africa, £8 An IWC (International Wine Challenge) Silver medal winner, this is an unoaked chardonnay with fresh acidity that lifts and supports the tropical fruits to a tee. With a combination of white fruit ﬂavours enriched with hints of melon drops, citrus and a streak of minerality, it’s vibrant and bright as a button. A brilliant match with sushi and shellﬁsh.

3. Sainsbury’s Taste The Diﬀerence Central Coast Californian Chardonnay 2021, USA, £9 (was £11) If only more supermarkets produced an own-label Californian that tasted this SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

good. Utterly delicious and deftly blended, it’s chardonnay-dominant with a splash of viognier, grenache blanc and picpoul. A wowza white if you like a richer style of chardonnay with rounded, creamy ﬂavours of tropical fruits backed by balanced acidity. Excellent with rich seafood such as monkﬁsh.

4. Yealands Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Marlborough, New Zealand, £10, Tesco

A snappy sauvignon blanc that’s vivacious and full of verve, think grassy, herbaceous aromatics, layers of tangy green ﬂavours overlaid with passion fruit, pineapple, juicy lime and a zesty, citrusy ﬁnish. A wine with structure, sheer drinkability and lovely balance. Bring on a warm goats’ cheese salad with a spicy dressing.

5. Barón de Barbón Blanco 2022, Rioja, Spain, £13.99 (£10.99 when you mix 6), Laithwaites Super fresh with hints of lemon groves and white pepper on the nose, flavours of grapefruit, lemon and apples are enlivened by flecks of limey acidity, making this a really lively Rioja with a mouth-watering finish. A natural with saffron-infused seafood paella, or spicy prawns.

6. Banﬁ La Pettegola Vermentino 2021, Italy, £17, Ocado A natural bedfellow with seafood linguine, vermentino loves creamy crab meat and shrimps with its citrusy aromas, bright acidity, herbal notes and hints of green apple. It shows a wonderful purity running through, with enticing aromatics and wisp of Mediterranean scrub coming into play on the minerally, stylish ﬁnish. 74

HOT WOK IDEAS TO FEED A FAMILY CHEF CHING-HE HUANG TALKS TO LAUREN TAYLOR ABOUT HOW STRUGGLES IN HER CHILDHOOD SHAPED HER COOKING AND THE SECRETS TO CHEAP ASIAN FOOD AT HOME

SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

he cost-of-living crisis has forced most people to cut down their food budget. Taiwanese-born British chef Ching-He Huang first learned to cook on a shoestring when she was just 11. “My mum had to go away, back to Taiwan [from north London] to work, to try and make ends meet. My dad looked after us,” the 45-year-old says, who wouldn’t see her mother for six months to two years at a time. “It was tough. When I graduated at 21, she finally came back.” Her parents had paid everything they had for the expensive visa to move from South Africa to the UK in 1989, and then a recession hit and they “pretty much lost everything”. Without her mum, cooking and meal planning fell on a young Huang. “My dad’s a very bad cook. To this day he can’t cook fried rice even. So my mum would teach me how to cook, then I would cook for him. Every time she’d come back, I would learn a bit more.” Huang, who has just released her 11th cookbook, Wok For Less, all about budget Asian cooking in 30 minutes or less, says the recipes she includes “are the sorts of dishes that I made for my dad growing up”. Think chop suey, stir-fries, fried rice and clever hacks to turn leftovers into other tasty meals. Born in Taipei, Huang’s first big influence when it came to food was her Chinese grandmother, whose farm she lived on until the age of five. “I was given to my grandparents to live in the countryside with. It’s very, very common. The norm was to be shipped off to the grandparents [while] parents are busy working in the city.” She’d watch her grandmother cook for 25 family members, “Breakfast, lunch

and dinner – it was quite something”, says Huang. “My grandmother had two wood fire stoves with large woks and she would make the most amazing dishes and feed all of us. That art and that mastery, the clever use of every day; what are we going to eat? How are we going to pair this with that? I grew up seeing all of that. It influenced me a lot. “Even though there wasn’t very much on the farm, everything was seasonal, everything was fresh, [we] used fermented ingredients like soy sauce or miso to give flavour.”

Her family emigrated to South Africa at a time when Taiwan was offering grants for residents to leave and travel for career opportunities, and Huang moved from one farm to another outside Johannesburg. “We’d never had an avocado before, we’d never had things like biltong or yoghurt. My mum missed home and there was one Chinese supermarket in Jo’burg, a very small store, that had soy sauce, tinned abalone… I remember very vividly her getting very excited. We’d go once a week to stock up on supplies.

Sichuan pork, cucumber and chilli sauce In this dish, slivers of smoked bacon lardons are tossed with cucumber for a super umami-charged meal.

Sichuan pork, cucumber and chilli sauce Ingredients: Serves 1 1tbsp rapeseed oil 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 50g lean smoked bacon lardons, finely diced 1tsp Shaohsing rice wine ⅓ large cucumber, deseeded and sliced into 0.5cm half-moons ¼tsp chilli bean sauce 1tbsp low-sodium light soy sauce 1tsp golden syrup

1tsp clear rice vinegar 6–8 roasted, unsalted peanuts 2 sprigs of fresh coriander, ﬁnely chopped Very small pinch of dried chilli ﬂakes Cooked jasmine rice, to serve

Method: Heat a wok over a high heat. Add the rapeseed oil, garlic and red chilli, stirring for three to four seconds. Add the smoked bacon lardons and stir-fry until caramelised at the edges. Season with the Shaohsing rice wine. Add the cucumber slices, chilli bean sauce, light soy sauce, golden syrup and clear rice vinegar, and toss well for 10 seconds until the cucumber has so%ened. Add the roasted peanuts. Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle the coriander and chilli ﬂakes and serve with jasmine rice. MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

A beef and broccoli chow mein classic

Saucy oyster sauce beef and broccoli chow mein

“I think my mum was very good at feeding us on a budget, it was creativity, a mix of East and West. It was a lot of using whatever she could find, a taste of home, like just a splash of soy sauce on Friday.” But living in South Africa between the ages of five and 11, at a time of civil unrest during Apartheid, wasn’t easy. “My brother and I were the only Chinese children in the whole school,” she shares. “I did feel like being in a zoo. We stood out, I’m not going to lie.” She made friends by sharing her food. “I ‘broke bread’ literally with other children by giving them my packed lunches. And they gave me Nutella and these mince meat sandwiches you have in South Africa. They were curious what I was eating and I was curious what they were eating,” she says. It’s all had a lasting impact on how she cooks now. “Actually we could eat very well if you look at the ways we used to eat, and still eat, in Asia. Families would share meals, two fish filets would feed [a family], a spoonful each and some rice – that will give you a little protein but it’s sustainable.” All of the recipes in the book use what she calls a ‘pared-down’ pantry. “I used £48 to buy all my store cupboard. I tested the whole recipe book and I still have so much left, it lasted months. With a little investment upfront – and I’m not saying everyone’s got to go out and buy all of

SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

them in one go – just £5 of them is just fine, and you can cook and eat well and wholesomely on a budget.” While air fryers might be all the rage right now, she’s a traditionalist. “As long as I’ve got a cleaver, a wok and a chopping board, that’s all I need.” Plus, a wok is cost-efficient. “Traditionally, it’s very little gas, very little oil and then the dish is done in less than five minutes.” She’s not against using an oven entirely, which uses much more energy, of course. Her new book includes slowcooked chilli beef brisket and soy butter roast chicken, but “be clever about it, because in an oven you’ve got three shelves right? All the little nooks and crannies – fill them up.” And all those odds and ends in the fridge? Chuck them in a wok. “It’s an Americanised-Chinese way, but in essence [it’s] using leftover ingredients, throwing bits and bobs that you have to make everything ‘chop suey’ – a handful of bean sprouts, chestnuts from another dish, red or white onions, chicken or ham. A little goes a long way. Even in hard times, like a cost-of living crisis, “I think we just have to remind ourselves that you can still eat well and cook. I think the act of cooking is so important.” n Wok For Less by Ching-He Huang is published by Kyle Books, priced £25.

Ingredients: Serves 2 For the beef: 180g beef rump fillet, diced ¼tsp bicarbonate of soda 2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated 1tbsp oyster sauce 1tbsp low-sodium light soy sauce 2 pinches of ground white pepper 1tbsp cornflour For the chow mein: 350ml water 200g long-stem broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces 2tbsp rapeseed oil 200g cooked egg noodles Pinch of ground black pepper 1 spring onion, trimmed and finely sliced, to garnish For the seasoning: 2tbsp oyster sauce 1tbsp low-sodium light soy sauce 200ml cold vegetable stock 2tbsp cornflour

Method: In a jug, add all the seasoning ingredients and stir. In a bowl, add the beef pieces, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, ground white pepper and cornflour. Marinate for 10 minutes. Pour the measured water into a wok, then bring to the boil. Add the broccoli pieces and blanch for 30 seconds. Reheat the wok over a high heat until smoking. Add the rapeseed oil and give it a swirl. Add the marinated beef and let it settle for 30 seconds, then toss and stir-fry for five seconds. For medium done, cook for another 20 seconds. Add the sauce, bring to the boil and cook for three to four minutes. Add the broccoli and cooked egg noodles. Toss together well and add the ground black pepper, sprinkle over the spring onion and serve immediately. Vegan option: Add some chunky king trumpet mushrooms and mushroom sauce instead of oyster sauce and wheat-flour noodles. 77

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A NEW WINE ORDER ALCOHOL-FREE WINE: WHAT IS IT, WHO’S DRINKING IT AND IS IT SOMETHING WE’LL SEE MORE OF? ERICA BAKER VILAIN, TANNERS CELLARS SHOP MANAGER AND WINE STUDENT, GIVES US SOME INSIGHT INTO A BURGEONING INDUSTRY THAT IS IMPROVING QUALITY ALL THE TIME

ver the last month, I’ve been attempting to write the final part of my WSET diploma qualification which is a research assignment on a pre-determined topic, No and Low-Alcohol “Wine”. As you may imagine, I wasn’t thrilled to receive this brief, as a lover of traditional wine – without the ominous inverted commas. Pleasingly, whilst researching the topic, it became much more interesting than I had anticipated. So, what is ‘alcohol-free’ wine? In the UK ‘alcohol-free’ drinks can only have up to 0.05% abv and ‘low alcohol’ is categorised as less than 1.2% abv, whereas elsewhere, for example in Finland, ‘alcohol-free’ means as high as 2.8% abv – about the same as a sturdy lager shandy. ‘Alcohol-free’ wine as it turns out, is difficult to make and even harder to make well. The processes vary but they tend to involve some sort of distillation of the original wine. The high temperatures involved denature aromatic compounds and can add dusty, hay-like flavours to the final product; as such, producers are constantly looking to improve on these methods and some have seen success. Vacuum distillation (which uses a lower boiling point) is the current buzz-technique and, as long as the wine going into the machine is half-

decent, the dealcoholised juice coming out the other end isn’t bad either, with the best examples managing to retain some fruit character and even texture. These machines cost upwards of £1 million though, so it’s not something all producers can aspire to. Alcohol is an essential component in quality wines – it adds body and a slight perception of sweetness which brings about balance. It is this which dealcoholised versions struggle to imitate, not forgetting the loss and damage of aromas. The poorest examples can be astringent, one dimensional or just cloyingly sweet (sugar is often added to replicate the mouthfeel of the alcohol). Greater success can be achieved with sparkling wine, mainly because less complexity is required.

So, why are wine companies pouring billions into these technologies to fundamentally alter one of the oldest and most successful drinks known to man? World alcohol consumption is declining due to, among other things, a better understanding of the health risks associated with excessive drinking. Therefore, to help the wine industry thrive, or indeed stay alive, dealcoholisation could be the way forward. As you might imagine, we have tasted a lot of such wines and as it stands, only four have made the cut. So Jennie is a premium pink fizz from France, with no added sugar and 0% alcohol, which could happily replace Champagne on any occasion. The other three are from the top Spanish producer Torres, a white, rosé and red made with naturally aromatic grapes to help mitigate against the loss of aromas. These, again, come in at 0% abv and are handy if you want to have a couple of nights off in the week. If a technique is developed which flawlessly captures the aroma and texture of wine, it could be a game-changer. Retaining the ability to communicate terroir whilst eradicating alcohol could light a new pathway for wine and even ignite a new flame under the industry, a saving grace.

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ANTIQUES

ALL THAT GLITTERS... HALLS FINE ART’S SILVER AND JEWELLERY SPECIALIST, MARYANNE LINEKER-MOBBERLEY, WONDERS WHETHER IT’S PASTE, AS WELL AS DIAMONDS, THAT ARE A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND COMMERCIAL FEATURE

re diamonds really a girl’s best friend? How many times have you heard the popular quote ‘diamonds are a girls best friend’? I know I’ve used it on numerous occasions when both valuing and writing about the iconic stone and jewellery that showcases it. Made famous by Marylin Monroe in ‘Gentleman Prefer Blondes’ the saying has become common place in popular culture, however, what about saying ‘glass is a girl’s best friend’? It doesn’t have quite the same ring to it I know, but I wanted to take this opportunity to showcase an often-neglected material in jewellery. Glass, or ‘paste’ as it’s more commonly referred to when mounted in antique jewellery, derives its name from the process used to produce it. Paste is a high-lead content glass that’s created when the individual components are mixed together wet, forming a paste, to ensure a thorough and even distribution of the materials throughout the stone. It was a process first used in the 17th century and the addition of lead, hardening the material, enabled the glass to be cut and polished in the manner of a precious gemstone compared to standard glass which was much softer. Following this discovery, the faceting and setting of paste within silver mounts became an affordable alternative to diamond set jewellery throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Its versatility meant it could be cut and used to imitate any piece of jewellery fashionable at the time, whether it be statement drop earrings, large brooches or elaborate headpieces. Earlier paste set jewellery was also often mounted in closed backs to enable foil to be placed behind the stones to intensify overall brilliance. Paste set jewellery became extremely popular, a combined result of not only its far cheaper price tag but also the security it gave its wearer. In a time when crime was rife, it would be a relief to know that in the event of their necklace or bracelet being stolen or lost, their bank balance would also not suffer. As the 19th century drew to a close, the discovery of large diamond mines in South Africa meant that this precious

Above: This late 19th century tiara was designed as ﬁve graduated stylised stars, each of which could be removed from the frame and worn as individual brooches. Valued between £400-600 it sold for £1,550. Below: This early 20th century turquoise and faceted paste necklace sold for £3,600.

stone became more abundant and with that, more reasonably priced, inevitably resulting in a steady decline in the amount of paste set jewellery being produced. Fashions also change and over the decades older pieces of paste set jewellery have broken apart so the silver or gold mounts can be re-purposed. So where does this leave their value now? Well, interestingly, the market for well-made paste set jewellery is currently very strong. In our last auction of 2023 we offered two stunning paste set pieces; a late 19th century tiara and an early 20th century necklace. The tiara was designed as five graduated stylised stars, each of which could be removed from the frame and worn as individual brooches. Valued between £400-600 it sold for £1,550. The turquoise and faceted paste necklace, which also included an associated tiara frame, was designed as a stylised fringe with fleur de lis accents. This too was

offered with a £400-600 pre-sale estimate but was hotly contested and went onto reach £3,600. Both of these pieces also came with beautiful fitted boxes, a rare find in themselves. The prices achieved for these two stunning pieces demonstrates the strong market for good quality paste jewellery. They may well have originally been created as a cheaper alternative to their diamond counterparts, but now enjoy a buoyant and competitive market in their own right. Going back to that famous quote, diamonds may sometimes be ‘a girl’s best friend’ and could well be the world’s most coveted stone, however, their prominence in the world of gemstones does not need to detract from the many other beautiful stone-set pieces of jewellery out there. The humble paste, originally created to be the affordable choice, can now occasionally even outshine the brightest diamond. MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

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A TREASURE TROVE

revanion Auctioneers kicked off 2024 with a fascinating sale that proved to be a collector’s paradise. With nearly a thousand lots covering everything from textiles to trains, Bond to bustles and cupboards to chronometers, the auction certainly had something for everyone. “We like to start the year with a collectors’ auction,” said Managing Partner Christina Trevanion. “It’s wonderful to fill our saleroom with such an array of eclectic pieces and then share them with collectors and enthusiasts from all over the country – it creates such a lovely atmosphere.” One hundred and twenty-four of the highly sought-after lots comprised a magnificent collection of costume and textiles consigned to the auction by a Cheshire vendor. The unparallelled collection, lovingly curated and preserved over a lifetime, ranged from exquisite 18th century pieces to remarkably intact 1920s beaded dresses, captivated enthusiasts, collectors and historians alike. Among the highlights were a pair of fine and rare canary yellow silk damask lady’s mules dating to 1720. Rescued by the vendor from a country house bonfire, these remarkable shoes are rare survivors, eventually selling to a specialist collector for £2,200. Also causing a stir was a canary yellow damask robe circa 1760 which sold for £1,000. “The opportunity to present such a unique and historically important collection to the market is a complete honour,” said valuer Ashley Jones who oversaw the collection. “Predominantly representing ladies’ fashion through the centuries, there were also boys’ tartan dresses, taffeta waistcoats, and accessories including parasols and shoes. The diversity of the collection and the phenomenal results they achieved are a testament to the great care, dedication and discerning eye of the collector herself.” The auction offered a rare opportunity for enthusiasts and collectors to acquire a piece of fashion history and, much to the delight of the vendor, the collection made a total of over £20,000. Auction bidders also had an opportunity to be a part of ‘Bond… James Bond’ history, when a Dunhill Broadboy lighter was offered for sale. The Dunhill Broadboy has reached iconic status amongst Bond fans due to its prominence in the first and third Sean Connery films:

A George III oak and mahogany housekeeper’s cupboard, sold for £2,400; a canary yellow damask robe sold for £1,000; a rare canary yellow silk damask lady’s mules sold for £2,200; ‘O’ gauge railway locomotives sold for £1,300; a Dunhill Broadboy lighter sold for £2,600.

it’s the lighter used in Dr No, and also in Goldfinger during the scene in the Mexican café where Connery flicks the lid shut just as the bomb goes off, to wonderful cinematic effect. More affordable (and easier to park) than an Aston Martin, Bond fans were shaken, not stirred by the opportunity to own the lighter, and it was hotly contested by international bidders before selling to an American buyer for £2,600. A superb collection of ‘O’ gauge railway locomotives consigned by a Chester vendor also caused huge interest amongst collectors, with a rare Fulgurex locomotive and tender within its original box selling for £1,300, swiftly followed by a DJH Grandspot LNER double tendered Flying Scotsman making £1,100.

“The collection offered some beautiful live steam and electrically powered locomotives in lovely condition,” commented valuer Simon Grover. “In total, the 25 lots in the collection made £7,500, which is an excellent result.” Bucking the notorious ‘Brown furniture’ trend, the auctioneers reported a very low unsold rate in their furniture and clocks section, which comprised just under 200 lots of the auction – in fact 92 per cent of the lots offered found a new home! Top selling in the furniture section was a magnificent but tired George III oak and mahogany housekeeper’s cupboard which, despite its distressed condition, sold for £2,400. To book a valuation appointment please call 01948 800202.

MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

TREVANION

Experienced Auctioneers of Fine Art & Antiques Our next Fine Art & Antique Auction will be held on:

Wednesday 20th March 2024 Public Viewing: Monday 18th March & Tuesday 19th March from 9.30am - 5pm

trevanion.com

The Joyce Building, Whitchurch 01948 800 202

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Come and see what makes Prestfelde one of the UK’s leading prep-schools for 3-13 year old boys and girls

www.prestfelde.co.uk SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

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EDUCATION Outdoor training scheme a success

Students can go on to become instructors.

An environmental education charity is trumpeting the success of its training programme. Each year, the Field Studies Council, which has its headquarters at Preston Montford near Shrewsbury, recruits a cohort of outdoor education apprentices. It equips them with the skills and knowledge they need to deliver courses at centres around the UK. The apprenticeships are delivered in collaboration with Channel Training. Kayleigh Hunter, senior tutor and apprentice co-ordinator for the charity, said the programme provides an effective route for those looking for a career in the environmental sector. She said: “Training our own staff through the apprenticeship scheme means we have a steady pool of wellqualified potential instructors coming through each year, and the apprentices have the skills they need to either stay with the Field Studies Council, progress into further or higher education or move into a different part of the sector. “Our apprentice retention rate is about 80 per cent, and almost all of those that don’t choose to stay with us continue onto further education such as full teacher training which is great for the wider environmental education sector. “We’re delighted that our apprenticeships have opened the door to fulfilling careers for so many fantastic young people. Part of our mission is to help young people to realise the breadth of career options open to them in environmental occupations, and an outdoor instructor apprenticeship is a great first stepping stone.” The charity is currently training nine apprentices at locations around the UK. To find out about apprenticeships, visit field-studies-council.org

An artist’s impression of how the expansion could look.

£9M BID FOR SCHOOL SITE

school has unveiled exciting expansion plans to create a new building for students with special educational needs. Queensway Academy in Telford – which is part of the Learning Community Trust – has submitted a planning application for a new building next to its existing Hortonwood site. The 1,533 square metre building would be a £9 million investment and would provide education for students with special educational needs from ages seven to 16. If planning permission is granted, construction work could start in autumn 2024 and the new facility could open by September next year. Queensway caters for children and young people on the autistic spectrum and those with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Headteacher Julie Bravo said: “The new building will be an extension to our existing facilities at Queensway North, to provide education for key stage 2, 3 and 4 students. “The extra space will also enable us to link more readily with our second site at Queensway South in Dawley and share resources between the two schools. “It will provide accessible and flexible teaching facilities in a modern, energy

efficient and sustainable building, as well as a range of ancillary spaces. “Our aim is to create an attractive and welcoming teaching and learning environment for both students and staff.” Subjects including science, food technology, art, design technology and music will all have specialist classrooms in the new building, which will include covered external teaching spaces to deliver subjects including construction skills, horticulture and forest learning. The proposals also include high quality landscaping and external facilities for sport and recreation that have been specifically designed to meet the needs of the students. Queensway Specialist School operates on a split site catering for children and young people on the Autistic Spectrum (Queensway North), and for those with social, emotional and mental health difficulties (Queensway South). The curriculum offers qualifications in both practical and vocational subjects including motor vehicles, and hair and beauty, alongside more traditional academic courses. The Learning Community Trust runs more than a dozen primary, secondary and specialist school sites across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, employing more than 1,000 people.

MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

An Independent Day School for Boys and Girls ages 4 – 18 years

Year 5 Discovery Day Saturday 27th April 2024 Get a taste of life in our Senior School ahead of applying • Explore our fantastic facilities • Sample senior lessons Register via wgs.org.uk/discovery-day-registration Students must be currently in Year 5 and looking at entry to Year 7 in September 2025. Wolverhampton Grammar School Compton Road, Wolverhampton, WV3 9RB Registered charity (England and Wales no. 1125268)

01902 422939 admissions@wgs-sch.net

Education with a broader perspective

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SOCIAL SCENE

Brian Benson (Crown Wealth & Management), Katy Jones (EXP Technical Services), Richard Hughes (Chrisbeon), Hugh Strickland (Aaron & Partners) and James Benson from Crown.

Sarah Tennant and Julie O’Neill from Star Your World .

SHROPSHIRE CHAMBER Business Awards Launch

Chamber Chief Executive Ruth Ross with Matthew Lowe (Director of Business), Rachel Owen (Director of Membership), Kelly Riedel (Events Manager).

Neal Hooper of Aico chats with Carl Jones.

Rob Hughes and Deena Evans, from Reech Marketing, and Claire Critchell (Business Support Manager for Telford & Wrekin Council).

Shropshire Chamber of Commerce oﬃcially launched its 2024 business awards to champion the local economy’s ‘vibrancy, innovation and success’. Some 200 business people attended the Mercure Albrighton Hall Hotel near Shrewsbury to hear from organisers, judges, previous winners, and sponsors about this year’s event. Entries are now open for the showpiece awards, which will be presented at a glittering black-tie ceremony at Telford’s International Centre this summer. The 2024 competition is free to enter and open to all businesses with an operational base in the county of Shropshire or Telford & Wrekin – whether or not they are a Chamber member. The closing date for applications is April 12, and winners will be announced at the awards night on June 21. Details can be found at www.shropshirechamberbusinessawards.com Photos: Steve Leath

Julie Tickell-Cartwright and Ryan Clark from CEL Group.

Compere for the evening, Carl Jones.

Andrew Buchan (Barclays), Emma Glynn (The Shropshire Distillery) and Victoria Lawson (PaveAways).

MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

Mark Thorn, Roly Trevor-Jones, Mrs Julian Morgan and Priscilla Corbett.

Ron Gee , Mandy Thorn and Hugh Trevor-Jones.

HIGH SHERIFF’S LUNCH Leighton

Tony Morris-Eyton and Diana Flint.

A special lunch to celebrate the office of High Sheriff was held at The Mill at Leighton. A total of 32 guests – all of whom had been High Sheriff or High Sheriff Consort, along with the current Under Sheriff and her husband – enjoyed the lunch which was hosted by current office holder Mandy Thorn MBE. Guests included the current Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire, Anna Turner, who was High Sheriff in 2009, and her predecessor Sir Algy Heber-Percy who was also High Sheriff in 1987. The lunch was also attended by Shropshire’s first lady High Sheriff, Lady Forester, who held office in 1997, and seven of the subsequent female High Sheriffs. The three-course lunch menu, prepared, cooked and served by the team at the Mill, was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended as they caught up with old and new friends. Photos: Jamie Ricketts

Humphrey Salway and Clare Morris-Eyton.

Dean Harris and Anna Turner.

SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

Chris Abram and Anne Gee.

Rob Price, Penny Price, Josie Davies and Jim Dale.

Mandy Bryan, Pam Smith and Sue Chandler.

ART EXHIBITION RSH League of Friends

Rob McNeil, Maria Tacagni and Jenny Edmiston.

David Cunliﬀe, Jane Page, Alison Oates and Caroline Pringle.

Charlie and William Bedell.

More than 120 people attended the opening preview night of an art exhibition and helped to raise £2,600 for the League of Friends of Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. The money was raised from tickets sales for the event and fundraising committee members prepared a variety of canapes for the evening and served ﬁzz from Tanners. League of Friends organising secretary, Sue Hurdiss, said: “The beautiful collection of art on show was from local artist Penny Timmins. “The event took place at the Morris Hall, which provided the perfect venue to showcase the pieces of art. “Our shop manager, Lee Herkes, also a very keen photographer, kindly oﬀered to take photos during the evening. “Our fundraising chairman Sue Skinner, with some of our wonderful committee members, helped prepare some delicious canapés and serve during the evening.” Photos: Lee Herkes

Mos Moselhi, Philip Woolley and Richard Lawn

MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

Committee Members Alex Whittall, Carol Baxter, Jo Spencer Jones, Sue Skinner Fundraising Chairman, Alison Holroyd and Jane Preece.

Ian Tay, Penny Timmis and Sue Skinner.

Clare Wassall, Chris Balmec and Sally Davies.

Andrew and Victoria Barbut.

Marcus and Lucy Harvey-Scholes, Michael and Susanna Barratt.

Ella Knight and Suzie Golding.

SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

Jonathon Davies and Derek Skinner.

Dr Alan Otter and Julie Otter.

BOOKS

STEPPING OUT OF CHAPLIN’S SHADOW HANNAH STEPHENSON REPORTS ON MICHAEL J CHAPLIN’S LIFE WITH THE FAMOUS SILENT SCREEN STAR AND HOW HE STEPPED OUT OF HIS FATHER’S SHADOW WITH A NEW BOOK

ichael J Chaplin is recalling how he was frightened of his famous father, the great comedy actor Charlie Chaplin, who “could be explosive”, he says. “He was a loving father but he could get very angry, he could be explosive. I was a little bit frightened of him. I was nothing like him. I identified much more with my mother. She was a very important force in making me read books.” As the second of eight children from the late silent movie star’s fourth (and last) marriage to British actress Oona O’Neill, Michael grew up in a country pile called Manoir de Ban in Switzerland – Chaplin Snr had been exiled from the US in 1952, a victim of McCarthyism, suspected of communism (an allegation he consistently denied). Michael – who himself has been married twice and has seven children and 12 grandchildren – says his relationship with his father was at times difficult. He looked up to him, but the sheer power and success of the man left his son trying for many years to find purpose. It has taken him decades to bring his debut novel, A Fallen God, to fruition – and at 77, he says it’s brought him by far the biggest sense of achievement professionally he’s ever had. The novel is a retelling of the medieval mythical romance of Tristan and Isolde set in 13th century France, told from the perspective of cuckolded King Mark. The love triangle involves passion, anger and loss – emotions the author has experienced at different parts of his life. He can relate to the narrator Mark, who he describes as a dreamer. Growing up, he recalls how his father would drum into him the importance of education, which to a youngster with undiagnosed dyslexia who didn’t excel at school was a challenge. “The great difficulty between him and me was that I couldn’t absorb anything at school. I’d just look out of the window and dream. I couldn’t spell, and he

thought this was laziness, until in the 50s they discovered dyslexia. “He would tell me how important an education is, how your only defence against poverty is having an education. He hadn’t had an education, but didn’t do too badly on no education. His education was in the streets and in music halls. I would have loved that kind of education, not sitting in the classroom.” Charlie Chaplin was the son of music hall performers, who separated when he was a boy. He hardly knew his father, who was frequently away performing. “He didn’t see much of his father, he never mentioned him,” Michael recalls. “He talked about his mother a lot, recalling anecdotes about her at the table while we were eating.” As a boy, Michael was

aware of his father’s success, he recalls. “He took us to Japan, where the overwhelming crowds gathered around him. As a young boy, I went to the opening of Limelight in London. It was overwhelming, with people rushing (forward). I hadn’t seen that in America – I was six when we left – because he worked in the studios and didn’t really involve us in his work.” He gave Michael a part in one scene in Limelight and then cast him in A King In New York a few years later. “It was a great experience, because at last I could do something for him and not be the guy who’s last in class. It was wonderful. He gave me all his attention because he needed me. It was a wonderful moment. But it didn’t last.” At home in Switzerland, his father was a powerful presence. “When television arrived, he was dead against it. I think he thought television was a terrible thing. But in his old age, he spent all of his time in front of the television,” he recalls, chuckling. What would Chaplin Snr have made of the digital world we live in today? “I don’t think he would have got excited about it. He worked with his body, with his physicality, it was a very good language. He was probably for a while the most famous man on the planet, because he could speak every language just by mime.” Michael gave up on traditional education and left home for London at 16 to pursue a girl he had met on holiday in Ireland, telling his mother he was going camping. The girl’s mother put him up and Michael didn’t contact his parents for some time. To make ends meet, he did a variety of jobs, from selling fruit and vegetables to decorating parties for debutantes. For a while, he became a pot-smoking hippy living a bohemian lifestyle. When he returned to Switzerland for Christmas two years later, he says his father refused to speak to him. “It was my mother that forced him to accept me back. If he wanted to know something, he would tell my mother, ‘Ask him …’ He wouldn’t directly ask me.” MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

Above, Michael Chaplin, whose book, A Fallen God, has just been published and right, father and son inspect ancient Roman ruins in Switzerland.

How did being the son of such a successful, famous father affect him? “I’m sure it’s affected me more than I would admit to, but I try not to let that come into my relationships. Anyway, the kind of people I was moving around with in London were all slightly counterculture.” He had a brief acting and producing period, and later ran a goat farm for 14 years in rural south-west France. When Chaplin Snr died in 1977, Michael went through a “big crisis, big depression”. He lost all ambition and entered a vacuum, he recalls. “My wife and daughters and my son had to put up with that. I was smoking a lot of dope, drinking, doing all those things self-destructively. Luckily, my wife didn’t walk out on me and I was able to come back down on earth – and writing the book helped bring me there. It was

a very difficult moment. But maybe you have to go through these moments to be stronger.” The depression lasted until the death of his mother in 1991, who had struggled since Chaplin’s death. When she died, Michael moved back to the house in Switzerland with his brother and his family – there were children running around constantly yet, despite the hubbub, he started writing there. Michael and his wife Patricia, to whom he has been married for more than 50 years, moved to Malaga five years ago, where they stay in winter. They also have an apartment in Lausanne, Switzerland. “I’ve never felt belonging to a particular place,” he reflects. n A Fallen God by Michael J Chaplin is published by The Book Guild Ltd, priced £10.99. Available now.

BOOKCASE

The Gallopers by Jon Ransom is published by Muswell Press, priced £14.99.

Set against the bleak and unforgiving backdrop of post-war North Norfolk, The Gallopers is the tale of young man’s quest to discover the truth about his mother’s disappearance and navigate the treacherous tides of love and betrayal. Jon Ransom has crafted a story of discovery and loss, the circularity of life and the shockwaves which ripple out.

Wild Houses by Colin Barrett is published by Jonathan Cape, priced £16.99.

Wild Houses is the debut novel of renowned short story writer Colin Barrett. Set in rural Ireland, the open countryside oﬀers not freedom, but entrapment. Local drug dealers Gabe and Sketch choose to pursue a debt by abducting Doll, the brother of the man who owes them. Barrett tells this tale with his eye for detail, which elevated his short stories, and his lyrical talent for description.

SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

Come And Get It by Kiley Reid is published by Bloomsbury Publishing, priced £16.99.

Charlie Chaplin and his fourth wife Oona.

Kiley Reid’s followup to smash hit Such A Fun Age feels a lot more pedestrian. Like her previous book, it follows multiple perspectives – this time we have Millie, a black woman and an RA at a university; Agatha Paul, a white visiting professor who has just gone through a break-up; and Kennedy, a white student struggling to ﬁt in. The ending feels vaguely unsatisfactory.

Fluid: A Fashion Revolution by Harris Reed is published by Quadrille, priced £35.

Fluid is a stunning book, full of pictures of designer Harris Reed’s opulent clothes – worn by Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Sam Smith, Iman and more. It’s part-autobiography, part-fashion manifesto – tracking Reed’s journey discovering fashion as means of armour and creativity, while also highlighting why style shouldn’t be constrained by stereotypical ideas around gender.

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TASTE OF PARADISE IS WITHIN REACH FAMOUSLY ONE OF THE PRICIEST PLACES IN THE WORLD, NEW DIRECT FLIGHTS HAVE MADE THE IDYLLIC MALDIVES MORE ACCESSIBLE THAN EVER. SARAH MARSHALL FINDS OUT MORE.

or well over half a century, the Maldives has been synonymous with a number of things: the bluest of seas, the softest of shores, the heavenliest of honeymoons – and the steepest of price tags, with the average nightly room rate coming in at around 2K. As one of the world’s most exclusive destinations, it has long lured those with extra-deep pockets, but the arrival of a new direct flight from the UK could be about to open it up to a whole new set of travellers. This is big news for a destination that boasts some of the most expensive places to stay in the world (a night at the Conrad’s underwater villa will set you back up to £39,000). But there’s renewed SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

hope that Virgin Atlantic’s brand-new service from London Heathrow will bring much-needed competition to the route previously monopolised by British Airways – and with competition in the skies comes lower fares. The signs are already looking good, with Sir Richard Branson’s airline announcing that the 10-hour service to capital Male will increase from three times a week to daily next winter, starting in October. Paradise, it seems, has never been so popular. Sprinkled across the Indian Ocean like little sandy jewels to the south-west of Sri Lanka, the Maldives consists of 1,192 lowlying tropical islands in sapphire seascapes that barely seem possible. For first-timers, here’s a helpful introduction…

Best newcomers

With more than 150 resorts competing to raise the hospitality stakes, choosing where to stay in the Maldives can be a daunting and overwhelming task. Given more properties are popping up on the horizon, the decision has never been tougher. At the top end of the price bracket, the much-loved Soneva resorts will welcome its third Maldivian outpost in March with Soneva Secret, a collection of 14 residences – including the country’s first floating villa – breathing new life into the otherwise undeveloped and remote Haa Dhaalu atoll (rooms from £2,478 per night full board). The perfect place for a true five-star castaway experience if you have the cash – otherwise great for dreaming. Elsewhere, a 35-minute 97

An aqua retreat at the Sun Siyam Resort; horses at the Siyam World; Kudafari island, next to Siyam World, in the Maldives

seaplane from Male, is the new Six Senses Kanuhura (rooms from £757 per night full board), already winning praise for its barefoot luxury (guests remove their shoes upon arrival), wellness programme (don’t miss the alchemy bar) and its 91 thatched villas.

Luxury for less

Those looking for paradise on a budget, without sacrificing any of the dreamy delights that make the Maldives so intoxicating, should opt for Sun Siyam Iru Fushi. Founded by a local businessman in 1990 and still family-run today, there are 221 rooms, with guests having the difficult choice between a beach hideaway (marble floors, private pools and outdoor bathrooms) or the classic overwater villa, also with their own private pools plus glass panels offering a glimpse of the aquatic wonderland beneath. In the unlikely event you grow tired of swimming in your villa, then head to the chic adults-only infinity pool, blacktiled and palm-fringed, which juts out towards the beach. Dine out in style at the 14 restaurants offering everything from Japanese to French cuisine and unwind at the sprawling spa, with over a dozen Balinesestyle treatment huts centred around gardens and flowing streams. The best bit? It’s possible to bag a room for less than £300 per night in low season.

MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

The spectacular Sun Siyam Resort in the Maldives, surrounded by blue waters, has many ocean-based activities, including, below, powered ﬂyboarding

Giddy up

A thrilling seven-minute speedboat ride from Iru Fushi is its sister property, the all-inclusive Siyam World, where the focus is firmly fixed on family fun (rooms from £585 per night full board). With 472 rooms spread across 54 lush acres, it’s one of the biggest resorts in the Maldives, where cute little buses ferry guests between the floating waterpark, impressive kids club, 10 restaurants, seven bars and well-stocked wine cellar housing more than 200 bottles from around the world. Perhaps most surprising is the opportunity to saddle up. Siyam World is the only property in the Maldives to have its own horse stables, meaning guests can enjoy a ride along the beach on one of the rare Marwari breeds originally from Rajasthan in India. Kids big and small will enjoy the array of watersports on offer too, from paddleboarding and jet-skiing to the chance to feel like James Bond during a spot of flyboarding, while the slides in each of the overwater villas provide hours of fun.

Under the sea

It won’t come as a huge shock to know that the ocean is at the heart of everything in the Maldives. As a country where the highest point is a mere few metres above sea level, it’s inevitably on the frontline of climate change. As such, great importance is placed upon sustainability and education at Siyam SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

Island life

World, which offers an interactive coral replanting programme led by the resident marine biologist designed to help regenerate local reefs. Home to spinner dolphins, sea turtles and shoals of technicolour fish, Maldivian waters are among the richest and most diverse in the world, making the region a haven for snorkellers and divers alike. Whale sharks – the gentle giants of the ocean growing to lengths of up to 12-metres – can be found yearround while getting up close with the resident manta rays ranks amongst the most ethereal of experiences it’s possible to have.

Despite popular belief, there’s more to the Maldives than infinity pools and sunset cocktails. A nation of great history and heritage, there’s culture to discover for those intrepid enough to seek it. The obvious place to start is Male, the country’s capital and home to the majority of the 520,000 population. A densely populated island of high-rises, ancient banyan trees and beautiful mosques, it offers an eye-opening glimpse into what real life in paradise is really like. But for a truly authentic taste of local life, nothing comes close to one of the many island villages. One such place is Kudafari, a 20-minute boat ride from Siyam World and a whole world away from the gloss and glitz of the resort. Life is slow and simple, filled with impassioned games of football on sandy pitches and the nose-tingling aroma of homecooked curries drifting from kitchens.

FACTFILE Virgin Atlantic Holidays (virginholidays.com; 0344 557 3859) oﬀers a seven-night holiday with four nights at Sun Siyam Iru Fushi (B&B) basis and three nights at Siyam World (all-inclusive) from £3,449 per person, including ﬂights and seaplane transfers.

MOTORING

EVOLUTION OF FLAGSHIP AUDI Q7 AUDI’S EVERLASTING SUV HAS BEEN GIVEN SOME EXTRA ELECTRIFICATION, BUT DOES IT SPOIL WHAT MAKES THE Q7 GREAT? JACK EVANS FINDS OUT. What is it? Audi’s Q7 has been a near-present sight on our roads for close to two decades now. The original broke new ground for luxury and versatility when it first appeared back in 2006 and it has gone on to become one of Audi’s most soughtafter SUVs due to its high level of build quality which is combined with some excellent practicality. But the Q7, like all cars, needs to evolve to survive and in this day and age that pretty much always requires some extra electrification. It brings us to this – the Q7 plug-in hybrid – which aims to provide the same level of spaciousness as its more traditionally powered stablemates but with a sharpened focus on efficiency and electric-only running.

What’s new? Naturally, the big change here is the inclusion of the plug-in hybrid engine setup but there are some tweaks to check out. One of the big kickers with this electrified Q7 is that because of the fitment of the larger batteries, this

100

established seven-seater switches to a fiveseat layout which means that practicality has immediately taken something of a kicking. In fact, boot space has also suffered. Okay, so the 650-litre boot is still well sized by SUV standards, but it’s some way off the 770 litres you’d find in a nonplug-in Q7 with the rearmost row of seats folded flat.

What’s under the bonnet? Underneath the Q7 you’ll find an amalgamation of traditional German engineering brawn with some clever hybrid technology. The focus here is on the 3.0-litre petrol V6 which, unlike many of the Q7’s competitors, is quite a large and powerful engine in its own right before electrification is added. Many key rivals favour a smaller-capacity petrol engine, but Audi has shunned this in favour of a far larger setup. Combined with an electric motor you get 376bhp and an impressive 600Nm of torque, equating to a 0-60mph time of 5.6 seconds which isn’t half bad for a car

weighing over 2.3 tonnes. It’ll top out at 149mph, too, or if you’re in electric mode then you’re held back at a still usefully fast 83mph. It means you can still easily travel at motorway speeds without troubling the petrol engine.

What’s it like to drive? With 34 miles of electric-only range, the Q7 is able to saunter about on battery power alone for quite some time. In fact, when you’re travelling around town the ability to do so without troubling the engine is handy and, if you’re often doing shorter trips at lower speeds then there are some great fuel savings to be made. That said, it’s far less than the claimed 66 miles of electric-only range claimed by Mercedes for its GLE plug-in hybrid. But when that energy is depleted, it’s good to have an engine like this petrol V6 to fall back on. Naturally, efficiency takes a big dive once you’re on petrol-power alone – we were averaging around 25mpg at this point – but the V6’s silky power delivery makes the whole Q7 experience feel just as upmarket as you’d expect. MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

How does it look? If you’re looking for a plug-in hybrid that doesn’t scream about its electrification, then you’ve come to the right place. Aside from some smaller badges at the rear – this Q7 has a snappy title of 55 TFSI e – then there’s not a lot to differentiate this model from its petrol and diesel counterparts. That’s no bad thing, of course, as we’ve always found the Q7 to be quite a handsome beast. You’ll find the charging port for the Q7 hybrid located on the left-hand-side of the vehicle – mirroring the one for the petrol filler – and while this plug-in hybrid can’t be rapid charge, a normal top-up via a conventional 7kW home charger will take around three hours.

What’s it like inside? The Q7 has been Audi’s ﬂagship SUV for some time – only recently sharing the limelight with coupe-styled Q8 – but that means it has become known for its high-quality materials and excellent technology. It’s true in the PHEV, too, as with numerous leather-clad surfaces and plenty of bright metallic ﬁnishers it’s a pleasant place to be. Space for those in the rear is plentiful, too, with good levels of both head- and SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

legroom available to back-seat passengers. The lack of a seven-seat option is a pain, however, and takes away one of the Q7’s direct selling points.

What’s the spec like? Our test car came in at £76,845, representing quite a chunk of change. However, the Q7 is a big, versatile car and here in plug-in hybrid form has plenty of the latest technology so it does have aspects which go towards justifying that price tag. You do get all of Audi’s excellent technology, including the dual-screen MMI system. The build quality is excellent for this price point, too – as you’d expect it to be, mind you – and there’s just a general perception of robustness throughout the vehicle which makes it feel suited to a variety of tasks and situations – this is a car that’ll just as happily devour long motorway stretches as it will trips around town.

with the ‘standard’ version. Likewise, if you’re often doing really long journeys then a diesel or standard petrol variant will be a better choice. However, if you do shorter journeys and don’t require those two extra chairs in the rear then the Q7 plug-in hybrid brings some advantages. Keep its batteries charged up and thanks to its reasonable electric range it’ll deliver noticeable savings on fuel, too.

FACTFILE Audi Q7 55 TFSI e Price as tested: £76,845 Power: 376bhp Engine: 3.0-litre petrol V6 with hybrid assistance Torque: 600Nm

Verdict

0-60 mph: 5.6 seconds

This plug-in hybrid Q7 is all about deciding what you want from a car. If you’re after a true seven-seater with a really large boot then we’d still be sticking

Max speed: 149mph Emissions: 48g/km

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ALPINE PEAK OF PERFORMANCE

ALPINE LOOKS TO CREATE A SPORTS CAR TO TAKE ON PORSCHE WITH ITS A110 R, A TRACK WEAPON, BUT STILL USABLE FOR THE ROAD. TED WELFORD FINDS OUT IF IT SUCCEEDS. What is it?

Sports car manufacturers love creating lighter, more extreme special editions and charging for the privilege. Porsche and Lotus have been doing it for years, and now Alpine wants to do the same with the A110. Alpine is a lesser-known firm, which was revived in 2018 as Renault’s sporty arm, and has gained quite a reputation for its light and agile A110. There have been numerous versions of this sports car that have led to the A110 R – the lightest, most aggressive and track-focused Alpine yet.

What’s new? The R uses the A110 S as its base, adopting that car’s more powerful engine, and then has looked to shed weight. The standard car is hardly heavy, but thanks to a range of measures, Alpine’s managed to shave 34kg from it, while still retaining pleasant niceties like a touchscreen and climate control. Some of the standout differences you’ll notice are its mismatched carbon wheels, which look different at the rear to the front – a proper racing car trait – as well as the bonnet

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and rear window section being replaced by carbon fibre. There are also manually adjustable coilovers, though as per factory settings, the A110 R sits lower and is stiffer than the standard car.

What’s under the bonnet? One thing Alpine hasn’t changed with the A110 R is what it’s powered by, which is the same mid-mounted 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol engine as that in the A110 S and previous Renaultsport Megane hot hatches. Drive is sent to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dualclutch automatic gearbox too – Alpine has never offered a manual option on the A110. The 296bhp and 340Nm might seem fairly modest in this day and age, but it’s worth remembering the low weight here, and even still the A110 R can manage 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds (three tenths of a second less than the ‘S’) and head onto a top speed of 177mph. Thanks to the Alpine’s small engine and lightness, it’s also nowhere near as expensive to run as you might anticipate a sports car of this ilk to be – with a claimed fuel economy

figure of 41.5mpg and 155g/km CO2 emissions.

What’s it like to drive? From the moment you get into the one-piece Sabelt bucket seats and strap yourself in with the six-point race harnesses, you know the A110 R means business – almost excessively for a road car. The low-speed ride is brittle but when you gather speed it becomes more compliant, almost impressively so for a car with such track focus. But the A110 R’s steering – like the standard car – is just exceptional. It’s super quick and direct – point and turn and it does just that. Few can make a car that’s as much fun down a British B-road as this. The engine is perhaps not quite special enough for a £100,000 car, but the dual-clutch box changes gears rapidly, and is accompanied by a more raucous sports exhaust system with 3D-printed elements that in the ‘Sport’ driving mode is childishly loud (in a good way) with an amass of pops and crackles as it downshifts.

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How does it look? The standard A110 is known for its clean, uncluttered lines, but the R is a far cry from that. It’s as if Renault did a deal with a carbon-fibre manufacturer to get as much of it on the car as possible – it’s used for the bonnet, roof, wheels, side skirts and splitters and even the rear glass is replaced by a carbon-fibre panel. It might be a far cry from the standard A110, but it certainly looks purposeful, with the revised ‘swan-neck spoiler’ giving it the true look of a road-legal race car. Our test car also came painted in a cool ‘Matte Racing Blue’ finish, albeit for a rather steep £6,000.

What’s it like inside? The key change inside compared to the ‘S’ are those single-piece Sabelt bucket seats. These alone save 5kg, and while they’re not the easiest to climb in and out of, they’re surprisingly comfortable once you’re in – even for several hours driving at a time. If you’re buying the A110 R to use on the road, the standard race harnesses are just a bit overkill, though, and the combination of being pinned to the seat and no rear window means visibility is quite compromised. Microﬁbre adorns pretty much every possible inch of the interior, from the roof to the dashboard and steering wheel, SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

while the painted matte blue ﬁnish of the top section of the doors looks superb too. The Alpine is compromised when it comes to luggage space, though, with a tiny boot area in the back and though there’s a box area under the bonnet, you’d struggle to ﬁt even a small suitcase in.

What’s the spec like? While we’ve talked a lot about carbonfibre, which isn’t cheap, there are still plenty of everyday creature comforts in the A110 R. In this respect, it hasn’t been fully stripped out, with features like climate control, a Focal sound system and cruise control all included, along with a digital instrument cluster. The actual climate settings and main touchscreen are borrowed from an old Clio, however. Admittedly this is a track special edition done properly – and all that carbon-fibre doesn’t come cheap, with the wheels alone rumoured to cost £8,000 – but at £96,990, the A110 R is fiercely expensive. Even more so when you consider the A110 S it’s based on is available for £30,000 less.

adds a different dimension to everything we’ve seen from this ﬁrm so far, while still retaining the on-road brilliance that the standard car is renowned for. For anyone looking to take their car to the track, the A110 R is the version to go for. But for road use, the awkward racing harnesses and limited visibility might just prove more of an annoyance than a beneﬁt. If you want the ultimate A110, the R is the one, but we reckon at £30,000 less for the A110 S, that is where our money would go.

FACTFILE Alpine A110 R Price as tested: £96,990 Power: 296bhp Engine: 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol Torque: 340Nm 0-60 mph: 3.7 seconds Max speed: 177mph

Verdict

Economy: 41.5mpg

The A110 R is the most aggressive and purposeful version of the Alpine A110 yet. From its racing seats to its wild styling, it

Emissions: 155g/km

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NOSTALGIA

March 1983: A parish council’s ﬁght to save an avenue of poplar trees at Admaston Spa ended as workers began to cut them down. Telford Development Corporation decided to fell the 15ft trees because they were old and diseased. Wrockwardine Parish Council wanted a second opinion.

March 1976: Making music with their home-made ﬂute and pipes, pupils at Queenswood Junior School, Ketley Bank, are, from left: Louise Williams, 10; Simon Hill, 10; and Corrinne Aston, 10, all Ketley Bank. At the piano is Mr Roy Powell, deputy headmaster, with fourth year pupils, providing the music.

WELCOMING LONGER DAYS March 1991: Looking at a model of the proposed new college, from the left, Mr Kevin Satchwell, headteacher; Mr Jack Mawdsley, chairman of governors; and Mr Alan Brimer, project director.

March 1980: Children from the dance and drama club of Holmer Lake First School, Brookside, meet television personality Leslie Crowther at Telford Town Park.

HEATHER LARGE SPOTS SIGNS OF SPRING IN HER MONTHLY LOOK BACK AT COUNTY SCENES IN DECADES GONE BY

igns of spring are popping up all over the county as we welcome brighter, longer days. Each morning is filled with the sound of birds happily chirping away and flowers such as daffodils and wood anemones are starting to make an appearance. Astronomically, the equinox – when daylight and dark hours become equal – marks the first day of spring.This usually takes place on March 20, or one day either side. While meteorologists split the year into quarters based on annual temperature cycles for statistical purposes, with spring

March 1973: Workmen use acetylene cutters to remove the old New Road bridge at Ludlow. A new wider bridge was due to replace it.

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starting on March 1 and lasting until May 31. At the this time of year, it’s a case of being prepared for everything as the weather can still be very unpredictable. Days filled with blue sky can be followed by seemingly never-ending wind and rain. But after spending the winter months hibernating indoors, more people are venturing outdoor and visiting one of the county’s many beauty spots and attractions. Here we have rounded up a few of our favourite photographs from the month of March across the county in years gone by...

March 1980: A film crew came to Telford to film for the Nurse of the Year Show. Seven Midlands’ nurses competing were filmed in Telford locations.

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March 1972: Mr John Dugdale, chairman of Telford Development Corporation, watched by guests, pours the ﬁrst skip of concrete to mark the beginning of the ﬁrst phase of the new town centre.

March 1973: Robert Beech, the 15-year-old winner of Telford Youth Action’s design competition, received his prize at the group’s meeting on Tuesday. Robert is seen with the arrow motif he designed to illustrate the group.

March 1967: Mr and Mrs Geoﬀrey Dawes, who had moved from West Bromwich to Dawley, had the kettle boiling when the Queen arrived at their home at Sandcroft, Sutton Hill, Madeley. But she had to refuse a cup of tea because she was a few minutes late in her programme. The Queen unveiled a plaque and left for Much Wenlock. The Queen with Mr and Mrs Dawes and Sir Reginald Pearson, chairman of Dawley Development Corporation.

March 1965: New ﬂoodlights and new playing strip to go with them. The Wellington branch of the Town Supporters’ Club have presented a new kit of red shirts with white edging, white shorts and red and white stockings, which will be worn for the ﬁrst time in the game against Leeds. Centre forward Jack Bentley is pictured being measured for size by player-manager Grenville Hair, with Charlie Williams, chairman of the Supporters’ Club.

March 1989: Celebrations were in order for the 300th anniversary of the raising of the 23rd Regiment of The Royal Welch Fusiliers at Ludlow.

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March 1978: Mrs Teresa Taylor, left, and Miss Karen Buttery, of Dawley, with soldiers of the 52 Company RAOC volunteers who had a recruiting drive at Telford Centre. Here with the RAOC rally car are, from left, Lance Corporal Nigel Trew of Wrockwardine Wood, Private Terry Harrison of Donnington, Corporal Terry Lewis of Trench, and Private Gavin Sherry of Donnington.

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WINDOW INTO THE WORLD OF DARWIN

lbums of ‘never seen before’ images of Darwin House have been digitised after being found in Shropshire Council’s

archives. The faded sepia images, contained in a series of old family photo albums dating from the late Victorian period, show images of Darwin House, the birthplace of Charles Darwin (1809-1882) – formerly known as The Mount. The albums are part of an only recently-catalogued collection of archive material relating to the Corbet family of Shropshire, which is held at Shropshire Archives in Shrewsbury. The images were uncovered by John K Hughes, Shropshire Council’s project officer working on the re-imagining of Darwin House. John said: “The connection to the Corbet family is through Kathleen Phillips, who married Hugh Dryden Corbet in 1903. Her father John Spencer Phillips, who purchased the former seven-acre Darwin estate in 1884, was a wealthy banker and in 1898 became the chairman of Lloyds Bank. “I suspect that these wonderful faded sepia images have probably not been seen in living memory, so this is an absolutely incredible find and fills in many of the missing gaps we have been searching for in the course of our research. They will certainly go a long way in helping to further understand the complex history

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of one of the town’s most significant buildings. I am sure some of the images will be of particular interest to the residents of Darwin Gardens, whose properties were built over the Darwin’s large kitchen garden and flower gardens in the 1930s.” The albums have now been digitised by the Shropshire Archives team. Councillor Robert Macey, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for culture and digital, said: “Shropshire Archives holds documents and photographs that are truly priceless when it comes to recording our county’s rich history. “I am delighted that, having been rediscovered, the images in the albums have been digitised and preserved for posterity.” The albums capture scenes of the now lost beautiful gardens created by the Darwins in the early 1800s, together with images of the stables and the impressive vinery and greenhouse located in the grounds. Interior images depict the entrance hall with its grand ‘floating’ stairway and an adjacent room believed to have been the consulting room of Dr Robert Darwin, Charles’s father. A more informal side of life at Darwin House circa 1900 is also shown, with scenes of picnics in the garden, riding bicycles and feeding the ducks. Additionally, there are many examples of fine, well-groomed horses in the courtyard – reflecting John Spencer

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The family’s now lost beautiful gardens; this view of the house shows the now-familiar front porch with its Doric columns; The Darwins’ greenhouse on the mansion’s east wing was later replaced; Darwin photo book; Charles Darwin. Pictures: Shropshire Council.

Phillips’ keen interest in horsemanship and ‘four in hand’ carriage driving. During his ownership a number of substantial modifications were made to the former Darwin home, including the addition of the now-familiar front porch with its Doric columns, extensions to the courtyard stable block and, in 1906, the addition of a billiards room. MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

PUZZLES

SUDOKU 9

4 3

6 4 2 7 3 6 2 7 9 3 6 4 1 6 5 4 3 8 1 5 8 2 3 4 1 7 8

FOUR WS 1

WHO… wrote the novel A Farewell To Arms? WHAT… is the more common name for the bird called an aberdevine? WHERE… in the body is the incus? WHEN… did Menachem Begin become Prime Minister of Israel?

WHO… wrote the novel The Tragic Comedians? WHAT… is dyer’s rocket? WHERE… in Europe is the town of Cluny, associated with lace manufacture? WHEN… was Alan Bleasdale’s television series GBH ﬁrst broadcast?

WHO… was the 10th President of the United States? WHAT… is a judogi? WHERE… in Africa is Abidjan the largest city? WHEN… did Michael Jackson release the record album Off The Wall?

THE FOLLOWING EVENTS ALL OCCURRED IN A YEAR IN LIVING MEMORY. CAN YOU GUESS WHICH ONE?

WHO… played the title role in the ﬁlm Thoroughly Modern Millie? WHAT… type of creature is a bharal? WHERE… in Africa is Dar es Salaam? WHEN… did the sports commentator and writer John Arlott die?

REMEMBER WHEN 1. Slobodan Milosevic was extradited to The Hague 2. Peter Mandelson resigned from the Cabinet for the second

time 3. Prince William started at St Andrews University 4. George W Bush was inaugurated as the 43rd US President

1. Disney’s Alice In Wonderland was released 2. Actor Kurt Russell was born 3. Randolph Turpin beat Sugar Ray Robinson 4. President Truman ﬁred General MacArthur

1. The ﬁrst British soldier was killed in Ulster 2. Two astronauts went for the ﬁrst drive on the moon 3. 66 people died in the Ibrox Stadium disaster 4. The Daily Sketch closed down

1. Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment 2. Nash and Dixon won gold for Britain at the Winter Olympics 3. Audrey Hepburn starred in My Fair Lady 4. BBC2 went on the air

1. The wearing of seatbelts became compulsory in the UK 2. The racehorse Shergar was kidnapped 3. The Sunday Times published the ‘Hitler Diaries’ 4. The Soviets shot down a Korean airliner

1. The super-tanker Amoco Cadiz split in two off Brittany 2. Over 200 holidaymakers were killed in a Spanish campsite explosion 3. Pope John Paul died after just 33 days in ofﬁce 4. Bulgarian defector Georgi Markov was stabbed with a poisoned umbrella SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

WHO… played the title role in the ﬁlm Uncle Buck? WHAT… is the motto of the RAF? WHERE… in England is the port of Watchet? WHEN… was cartoonist Gerald Scarfe born?

WHO… is the narrator of Evelyn Waugh’s novel Brideshead Revisited? WHAT… was the ﬁrst name of the inventor of the Dewey Decimal System in book classiﬁcation? WHERE… in Europe is the zloty the unit of currency? WHEN… was Jimmy Carter awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?

WORDWISE THE WORD MAY SOUND FAMILIAR, WHAT DOES IT MEAN? 1. MOTMOT A Native of N Africa. B Tropical American bird. C Hungarian beverage. 2. MARTELLO A Circular defence tower B Alcoholic drink C Variety of cherry 3. HORRISONANT A Defiant B Terrified C Terrible-sounding 4. BEMEAN A Grain B Kindly C To degrade 5.ATRABILIOUS A Officious, self-important B Irritable C Irresponsible 6. MINATORY A Threatening B Insignificant C Part of a monastery building

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CROSSWORD QUICK CLUES Across 1. Celebration (11) 9. Souvenir (7) 10. Attach (5) 11. Command (5) 12. Dizziness (7) 13. Harangue (6) 15. Ingot (6) 18. Wandering (7) 20. Clique (5) 22. Net fabric (5) 23. Unit (7) 24. First (11) Down 2. Called (5) 3. Neglected (7) 4. Develop (6) 5. Step (5) 6. Raving (7) 7. Solicitous (11) 8. Remonstrate (11) 14. Walker (7) 16. Dirty (7) 17. Cry (6) 19. Live (5) 21. Dim (5) CRYPTIC CLUES Across 1. Caused to continue with a pet reputed to go out (11) 9. Siren finding a new role with a Hawaiian garland (7) 10. Gee, an American soldier’s dog (5) 11. Paper pancake? (5) 12. Wading bird putting a restraint on a seabird (7) 13. Reread and amend (6) 15. Islander in a trance? (6)

An actor, I was born in Fife in 1965. I was the first choice to play Wolverine in the X-Men films, and starred in Deep Impact and Ever After. I appeared as Ian Hainsworth in TV’s Desperate Housewives and Arthur Miller in My Week With Marilyn.

A singer, I was born in Georgia in 1974. I grew up in France and began singing in my teens. I am noted for my vocal similarity to Billie Holiday, and my albums include Careless Love and Half The Perfect World.

3 108

A comedian and actress, I was born in Clapham in 1957. I worked

18. Guilty person the copper left to trip up (7) 20. Boat going over lagoons (5) 22. Prize for commercial about conflict (5) 23. A country’s birds (7) 24. Approval given to bad drivers? (11) Down 2. Always poetically, that is strange (5) 3. They conceal curtain rails in temples (7) 4. Attempt to hide a one-pound hat (6)

WHAT’S MY NAME? as a psychiatric nurse then became a stand-up comedian. I won a Best TV Comedy Actress BAFTA award for my performance in Getting On. I present the spin-off show The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice

An author, I was born in Dublin in 1919. My novels include The Sandcastle, The Good Apprentice and the Booker Prize-winning The Sea, The Sea. I have been portrayed on film by

5. A Glaswegian at the races (5) 6. Serious Eastern problems (7) 7. An expert in current affairs? (11) 8. Getting a job at the end of the race (7,4) 14. House fashionable for a criminal (7) 16. Or go back and play the guitar on the platform (7) 17. Says it’s America (6) 19. Went by horse to the ring for a display of cowboy skills (5) 21. Main geographical feature? (5)

Kate Winslet and Judi Dench.

A singer, I was born in Bangor in 1976. I attended Dundee University and was once a member of the Scottish supergroup The Reindeer Section. I am the frontman of the rock band Snow Patrol.

An actress and TV presenter, I was born in Kent in 1955. I have appeared in the TV shows The Sweeney and Doctor Who, and I presented Blue Peter. I appeared on the TV talent contest Just The Two Of Us in 2007, and my daughter was a Strictly Come Dancing participant in 2013. MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

WORDSPIRALS STARTING FROM 1, FILL IN THE GRID IN A CLOCKWISE DIRECTION WITH FOUR-LETTER WORDS. THE LAST LETTER OF EACH WORD BECOMES THE FIRST LETTER OF THE NEXT WORD. IF YOU HAVE CORRECTLY FILLED IN THE GRID THERE SHOULD BE A SEVEN-LETTER KEY WORD READING ACROSS FROM 8.

1. Applaud 2. Stopper for a sink 3. Unit of weight 4. Dinner, say 5. Girl 6. Croon 7. Snatch 8. Curve 9. Give out cards 10. Former Italian currency 11. Minute particle 12. Office note 13. Is indebted to 14. Slide 15. Poke 16. Small pointed missile Key word clue: Surname

IMPOSSIPUZZLES

“Look, Dad,” said Harry, pointing to the huge sign at the roadside. “What a funny number.” Greg smiled. “Just the population of this city, an ordinary 6-digit number,” he said. “What’s so odd about that?” “Something special,” replied the boy. “It’s exactly half the square of its last three figures.” He was right, so what was that number?

“How old is Santiago?” asked Diego, looking at the photo on the table. Mariana shook her head. “Work it out yourself,” she replied. “The square of twice his age is 3698 more than twice the square of his age.” How old?

Stanley drew level again with his friend as they cycled along the road at a steady 12 miles per hour. “That’s another blue bus, like the one that overtook us exactly 20 minutes ago,” he shouted. “Yes, the next one of the same run,” replied Dennis, glancing at his watch. “And right on time. There’s one every fourteen minutes this time of day.” What was the average speed of the buses?

Sophia watched as her husband counted his cash. “Is that all you have?” she asked. “You had about twentyfive pounds when we came out.” “About that, but it soon goes.” Rob smiled. “In fact, I’ve spent just two-thirds of what I had. I’ve got left as many pounds as I had pence, and three times as many pence as I had pounds.” How much had he spent?

1. Lacking strength 2. New Zealand bird 3. Greek letter 4. Gifts to the poor 5. Shortly 6. Require 7. Prima donna 8. Assistant 9. Paradise 10. Amphibian 11. Story 12. School test 13. Hand covering 14. Pith helmet 15. Unit of length 16. Hawaiian dance Key word clue: US city

1. Head covering 2. Lion’s cry 3. Surprise attack 4. Rush 5. German man 6. Top of a house 7. Be unsuccessful 8. Use one’s eyes 9. Brown seaweed 10. Cat sound 11. Harvest 12. Sit for an artist 13. Stretches 14. Headless bolt 15. Info 16. Afresh Key word clue: Nautical term

ANSWERS ON PAGE 112 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

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WHAT’S ON

The Fureys make their eagerly awaited visit to the stage of The Festival Drayton Centre in Market Drayton on March 8; Actress Caroline Quentin will take her audience on a horticultural journey through life with her new book at The Holroyd Community Theatre, Oswestry, on March 2.

MARCH

A Soul and Motown Club Night, with Back 2 Miami, will be staged at Telford Theatre at Oakengates. Back 2 Miami are a 10-piece, Midlands-based, premier, touring soul band. Playing a variety of classical soul hits that will get the audience moving, Back 2 Miami are both musically and visually one of the UK’s top soul bands. They have the ability to cover many styles from the 60s, and 70s through to present day. Keeping their tradition firmly based on classic “Soul with 60s Style and Attitude” they provide the highest level of professional entertainment whatever the occasion. Their set features all time classics from the likes of Sam and Dave, Aretha Franklin, The Commitments, James Brown, The Blues Brothers, Wilson Pickett, Stevie Wonder, Willie Mitchell and Al Wilson. Tickets cost £16. Visit www. telfordtheatre.com/whats-on

Go Now! The Music of the Moody Blues will be on at the Festival Drayton Centre in Market Drayton on from 7.30pm. Gordy presents a super-group of world class musicians, singers and songwriters who between them perform the Moodies’ legendary and timeless

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catalogue of songs and hits. In this show, all the classic hits are celebrated, including Nights in White Satin, Go Now, Tuesday Afternoon, Legend of a Mind (Timothy Leary’s Dead), I Know You’re Out There Somewhere, Question, Isn’t Life Strange plus Forever Autumn and a showstealing rendition of Eve of the War from Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds. Tickets cost £26.50. Visit www. telfordtheatre.com/whats-on

A Wild Garlic Forage and Pesto Workshop will be held at Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre. Join the team at the centre for a halfday workshop learning to make wild garlic pesto. Go down to the Onny Meadows to forage for wild garlic leaves and then return to the centre for a workshop on how to make pesto. The event runs from 10am-1pm. Booking is essential by calling 01588 676060.

Actress, broadcaster and TV presenter Caroline Quentin will take her audience on a horticultural journey through life with her new book Drawn to the Garden at The Holroyd Community Theatre, Oswestry, at 2pm. Caroline Quentin is well-known

for her lead roles in the award-winning British sitcom Men Behaving Badly and crime drama Jonathan Creek. But aside from her career as an actress, she has been a passionate gardener for many years. In Drawn to the Garden, Caroline shows how much joy she gets from spending time in her garden, whether it be grappling with the best way to grow plants and vegetables, or raising seeds in her potting shed. Though she now has a large following on her Instagram account, @ CQGardens, her attitude to gardening is the same as it has always been – expertise helps but is not essential. Gardening should be fun and enjoyable, filled with the simple pleasures of planning, planting, harvesting and cooking. Tickets are priced from £12-£20. Visit www.theholroydtheatre.co.uk/events

When The Fureys make their eagerly awaited visit to the stage of The Festival Drayton Centre they will treat their audience to one of popular music’s richest legacies. They are one of Ireland’s all-time most acclaimed and influential middle of the road, folk and traditional bands. Furey’s classics like I Will Love You, When You Were Sweet 16, Red Rose Café, Leaving Nancy, The Old Man, From Clare to Here and The Green Fields of

MARCH 2024 SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE

Multi-platinum selling vocal harmony group, The Overtones perform a special evening at Theatre Severn on March 27; Ben Fogle’s new show WILD brings to life on Shrewsbury’s Theatre Severn stage on March 18.

France have become the soundtrack to the lives of fans all over the world. The Fureys indelible musical footprint is rivalled only by their vast collection of personal stories of their musical experiences and friendships, gathered by Eddie and George Furey along an amazing 45-year journey which shows no signs of reaching a final destination. The Furey brothers were still trying to make it as folk singers in the late Sixties when Eddie Furey shared flats in Scotland with then fellow folk stars-in-waiting, Billy Connolly and Gerry Rafferty (of Baker Street fame). So impressed were they by the quality of Gerry Rafferty’s songwriting at that time that they recorded his song, Her Father Didn’t Like Me Anyway – now a Fureys classic. Tickets cost £25. Visit www. festivaldraytoncentre.com/whatson/

Shrewsbury School is delighted to be welcoming Rhos Male Voice Choir. The concert will take place in the school’s Maidment Auditorium at 7.30pm. Founded in 1891, Rhos Male Voice Choir is one of the most successful in Wales. In 2013 the choir took first place in the male voice choir competitions at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod, the National Eisteddfod and S4C’s ‘Côr Cymru’.

SHROPSHIRE MAGAZINE MARCH 2024

This unique hat-trick followed wins in the National Eisteddfod in 2011 and 2012. The choir also won again in Llangollen in 2015. The choir has travelled the world singing in America, Canada, and throughout Europe, and is regularly invited to sing the national anthems for Wales’ International rugby matches. A spokesperson said: “With ages ranging from 13 to ‘well past 80’, choristers come from just about every walk of life with very few having had any professional music training. Quite a few choristers have been members for more than 50 years, and many others have celebrated their 25th anniversary with the choir.” You can book tickets in advance by visiting www.ticketsource.co.uk/ shrewsburyschool or calling 01743 280812. Tickets are available for £12.50. For more information on events at Shrewsbury School, contact events@ shrewsbury.org.uk

Join the audience at Oswestry’s Holroyd Theatre for an evening with Mary McGlory and Sylvia Saunders – two members of pioneering all-female rock n’ roll band The Liverbirds – as they recount the heady days of being one of the

world’s first all female rock’n’roll bands. In the early 60s, four friends from Liverpool formed a band. But this is not the ‘fab four’ story we know. Mary, Sylvia, Valerie and Pamela – also known as The Liverbirds – were one of the world’s first all-female rock’n’roll bands. At an early gig, backstage at the Cavern Club, a young John Lennon told them that ‘girls don’t play guitars’. But they took that as a challenge. Despite the early scepticism, they won over tough crowds, toured stadiums, recorded two hit albums, and played with the Kinks, Rolling Stones and Chuck Berry – all in the space of just five years. Now, the two surviving members of the band tell their incredible story in full for the first time – capturing a lost era of liberation and rock’n’roll, as they thrived in the vibrant Merseybeat music scene and formed a friendship that has endured through the decades. Tickets: £10 without book (Admits One, ticket redeemable against a signed copy of The Liverbirds) or £20 with book (Admits One, includes a signed copy of The Liverbirds). Visit www.theholroydtheatre.co.uk/ events

Fresh from supporting Jack Whitehall on his 2023 UK arena

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tour, comedian Lloyd Griffith is back with a brand new show at the Walker Theatre, Shrewsbury. It’s a big year for Lloyd, he’s turning 40 and with it, the impending midlife crisis – or ‘renaissance’ as he’s insisting it’s called; complete with body hair removal, head hair additions, teeth whitening and obviously the obligatory half marathon sign up. It’ll be funny and yes, there’ll be the odd song or two from that magnificent voice of his. Visit www.theatresevern.co.uk/shows/ whatson/lloyd-griffith/

Ben Fogle’s new show WILD brings to life, on Shrewsbury’s Theatre Severn stage, stories and tales of hope, possibility, and positivity. From his extraordinary encounters with the human and natural world; the wilderness of Northern Sweden to the jungles of Honduras; the hostile extreme environments of Chernobyl to the mountains of Nepal; Ben will take you on a journey with inspiring and uplifting tales of self-discovery, that will leave you enchanted, enlightened, and entertained. In this brand-new show full of hope, simplicity, and harmony, WILD is a hairraising, uplifting and wildly entertaining show that tells the extraordinary true stories of Ben’s amazing encounters with people and animals, and how they changed his life. Visit www.theatresevern.co.uk/shows/ whatson/ben-fogle/

Simon Evans, Have We Met? will hit the stage at the Festival Drayton Centre in Market Drayton.

After finally solving the mystery of his existence and true identity in Work of the Devil, Simon finds that he has still not overcome the more daily challenges of remembering what he came upstairs for, who these grown-ups are that live with him (and what they have done with his children?) and how can that footage be from 2009, when he only bought those shoes a few months ago? He said: “In Greek mythology, the Muses were the daughters of Mnemosyne, goddess of memory – though ironically, there is no easy way to remember her name. “But Memory was thus clearly regarded by the ancient Greeks as the mother of the arts, wellspring of inspiration, the compost in which imagination takes root. Our last defence against tyranny, the consolation of the just and the seat of the soul. “Without memory, the illusion of self crumbles. Mine, however, is shot. So where does that leave me?” Tickets cost £17. Visit www. festivaldraytoncentre.com/whatson/

Rosie Jones is on the road for a UK tour and, boy, she is excited. Join Rosie’s Triple Threat show at the Walker Theatre, Shrewsbury, as she ponders whether she is a national treasure, a little fool, or somewhere in between. This show is guaranteed to be full of unapologetic cheekiness, nonsensical fun and unadulterated joy from the triple threat herself. Visit www.theatresevern.co.uk/shows/ whatson/rosie-jones/

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Join the team at Frankly Alpacas in Broseley for springtime fun on the farm The special spring farm experience is being hosted until April 7. Visit www. franklyalpacas.co.uk

Multi-platinum selling vocal harmony group, The Overtones perform a special evening at Theatre Severn in the lead-up to their extensive UK tour. Over the last 13 years, the popular group has released seven studio albums, sold out multiple tours, appeared on major TV shows and headlined many prestigious venues including the London Palladium, the Royal Albert Hall and The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The four-piece, made up of Mark Franks, Darren Everest, Jay James and Mike Crawshaw are best known for their exquisite vocals, pitch perfect harmonies, effortless and perfectly timed dance moves, and their charming and distinctive style. With a perfect mix of originality and classic nostalgia, their feel-good, show-stopping performances have made The Overtones one of the UK’s most indemand live acts. Visit www.theatresevern.co.uk/shows/ whatson/the-overtones

Don’t miss The Street Circus on Bailey Head in Oswestry from 11am till 4pm. This is a free event with a whole host of amazing Street Circus Acts and walkabout performers. Visit www.oneoswestry.co.uk/event/ oswestry-street-circus/

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES ON PAGES 107-109 REMEMBER WHEN: 1.2001. 2. 1951. 3. 1971. 4. 1964. 5. 1983. 6. 1978 FOUR Ws: 1. Ernest Hemingway; Siskin; Middle ear; 1977. 2. Answers: George Meredith; A dye-producing plant; France; 1991. 3. John Tyler; A judo uniform; Ivory Coast; 1979. 4. Julie Andrews; A Himalayan sheep; Tanzania; 1991. 5. Answers: John Candy; Per ardua ad astra; Somerset; 1936. 6. Answers: Charles Ryder; Melvil; Poland; 2002. WORDWISE: 1. B 2. A 3. C 4. C 5. B 6. A CROSSWORD: QUICK SOLUTIONS: Across: 1 Anniversary; 9 Memento; 10 Annex; 11 Order; 12 Vertigo; 13 Tirade; 15 Nugget; 18 Nomadic; 20 Cabal; 22 Tulle; 23 Element; 24 Preliminary. Down: 2 Named; 3 Ignored; 4 Evolve; 5 Stair; 6 Ranting; 7 Importunate; 8 Expostulate; 14 Rambler; 16 Unclean; 17 Scream; 19 Dwell; 21 Blear. CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS: Across: 1 Perpetuated; 9 Lorelei; 10 Corgi; 11 Crepe; 12 Bittern; 13 Revise; 15 Cretan; 18 Culprit; 20 Sloop; 22 Award; 23 Turkeys; 24 Endorsement.

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Down: 2 Eerie; 3 Pelmets; 4 Trilby; 5 Ascot; 6 Earnest; 7 Electrician; 8 Winning post; 14 Villain; 16 Rostrum; 17 States; 19 Rodeo; 21 Ocean. WHAT’S MY NAME?: 1. Dougray Scott. 2. Answer: Madeleine Peyroux. 3. Jo Brand. 4. Iris Murdoch. 5. Gary Lightbody. 6. Answer: Janet Ellis. WORDSPIRAL 1: 1. Clap 2. Plug 3. Gram 4. Meal 5. Lass 6. Sing 7. Grab 8. Bend 9. Deal 10. Lira 11. Atom 12. Memo 13. Owes 14. Slip 15. Prod 16. Dart Key word solution: Bertram WORDSPIRAL 2: 1.. Weak 2. Kiwi 3. Iota 4. Alms 5. Soon 6. Need 7. Diva 8. Aide 9. Eden 10. Newt 11. Tale 12. Exam 13. Mitt 14. Topi 15. Inch 16. Hula00 Key word solution: Atlanta WORDSPIRAL 3: 1. Hair 2. Roar 3. Raid 4. Dash 5. Herr 6. Roof 7. Fail 8. Look 9. Kelp 10. Purr 11. Reap 12. Pose 13. Ekes 14. Stud 15. Data 16. Anew Key word solution: Leeward

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IMPOSSIPUZZLES: 1. Population 282752. 2. 43 years old. 3. 40 mph. 4. £15.38.

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