South Shropshire Journal - 20-Oct-2022

Vitalcommunityservicesneedthe public’s support more than ever,bosses say

DAVIDTOOLEY david.tooley@mnamedia.co.uk

TheHands Together Ludlow charityhas put outanurgentappealfor volunteers,withbosses saying vitalservices need support“more than ever”.

Operations managerSusie O’Hagansaid: “Hands Together Ludlow currentlyhas an urgent need forvolunteers

“Volunteering opportunitiesincludehelping outwithcommunity lunchesonTuesdaysand afternoon teasonWednesdays, drivingpeople to events, runningthe newCom munity Fridge,befriending isolated people,and much more

“Now more than ever Ludlow needsastrongand vibrantvolun teerbase, so thecharity is also hopingtobecome ahub forvolunteers in allsorts of ways beyond itsown activities.”

Sincetakingonthe olddance studioand chapel in LowerGaldeford, HandsTogetherLudlow hasbeen working hard to turn thebuilding into ahub forvolunteering and communitysupport activities

Susiesaid: “Weare openingofficiallyonNovember10and wel come everyone to call in,havea look at what we have done,and get involved.Doors will open between 10am and3pm.Wesee this building becoming afocus fornetworking anddeveloping partnerships and so supporting allthe volunteering activityinthe town,whether with HandsTogetherorother organisa tions.”For moredetails call 01584 817250

Robotsculptureaimstotransform appeal

An enormous robotsculpture created by aChurchStrettonartistisbeingusedtoboost an appeal to help people in Ukraine.

Shropshire’sBritishIronwork Centre hasseenadramatictail-off in itemsbeing handed in to itspre viouslysuccessfulappealfor medi caland othersuppliesfor thewar

torn country. In abid to get support back on track,the sculpture, which wasdesignedtopromote recycling, hasbeenput up at theentranceto thevisitor complex. It wascreated by sculptor Luke Kite in hisstudioinChurchStret tonbeforebeing re-assembled at thecentre.Centre chairman Clive

Knowlessaid: “Overthe last four weekswehaveexperienced acolos salcollapsein interest

“The collateraldamagetoordinary people in Ukraine is escalat ingwiththe bombingofthe infrastructurejustasthe hard winter is approaching. We felt we hadtoreignite theinterestin helping.”

Tens of thousands waitfor treatment

Tens of thousandsofpatientsare waitingfor routinetreatment at Shropshire’smainhospitals, latest figuresshow

NHSEngland figuresshow 37,901 patients were waitingfor non-urgent elective operations or treatment at Shrewsbury andTel ford Hospital NHSTrust at theend of August

This wasup from 30,779 in Au gust 2021 andofthose patients, 3,015had beenwaiting forlonger than ayear. Separate figuresshow 13,635 patients were waitingfor standard tests, such as an MRI scan or agastroscopy procedure.

Batchofcharging points to be installed

Another270 on-street electric car charging points aretobeinstalled in Shropshire

ShropshireCouncilsaiditwould putinthe points aftersecuring £900,000 of governmentfunding

Thecouncil said it wouldwork with itschargepoint operator,Con nected Kerb,tobring thenumberof charging points in thecountyupto 320, across45locations

ShropshireCouncil said it hasalreadyworkedwithConnected Kerb to deliver charging points in towns includingLudlow,Bridgnorth, Market Drayton, Oswestry,Shrewsbury andWhitchurch

Neighbours helpout as fire hits property

Neighbourshelpedtwo people out of ahouse aftera fire brokeout at theproperty.

Theblaze happened at Whit cott Keysett, near Clun,ataround 11.30pm on Monday.

Fire crewswerecalledout to deal with theblaze in theporch of the property

CrewsfromBishop’sCastleand Clun attended thescene to tackle the fire

Theambulanceservice wasalso in attendance at thescene of theincident

Paramedics treated twopeople forthe effectsofsmokeinhalation.

Church Stretton artistLukeKitewith hisrobot sculpture at theBritish Ironwork Centrewhich is collecting for Ukraine

Golf club venue forcharityquiz

Keen quizzers arebeing invitedto show offtheir knowledgeata charity quiz night.

Thequizwill be held in aidofthe MNDAssociation

It takesplace at Ludlow Golf Club on November25from7pm

MalcolmWeaver will host the quiz andthe barwill be open and snacks will be available.

Thecostis£10 forateamoffour andthere will be araffleand heads andtails events on thenight. Register ateambycalling Mandy Haywardon07964 478487 or email ludlowcharityquiznights@gmail

Road closedfor drainage work

Residents have been alertedto ruralroadworks

Aroadclosure with a4.4-mile diversion is beingput in placein theBishop’sMoat, Mainstone area from October31toNovember1between 9.30am and4pm Improvements arebeing done to prevent flooding.

Access to properties andbusinesses within theclosure will be maintained

Theroadworks alerthas been sent outbyBishop’sCastle Councillor Ruth Houghton in one of herregular updates.

Sculpturetaken afterburglary

Police areappealing forinforma tion afteran ‘expensive sculpture’ wasstolenfroma property PC Stephen Grantsaidthe item hadbeentaken from ahome on Redwood Lane,atThree Ashes, Craven Arms

Thetheft happened between 11.30amand 1pmonSaturday.

“The offender or offendersforced entrytothe home andtheyhave stolen an expensivesculpture from theaddress,” he said “Anyonewithany information about theincidentisasked to contact us online,quoting incident number 00336_I_15102022.”

Festival to take place to spread festivecheer

Host of activities is plannedastowngears up forChristmas DAVIDTOOLEY david.tooley@mnamedia.co.uk

DetailshavebeenannouncedofahugewinterfestivalinLudlowin thebuild-uptoChristmas.

Ahostoforganisations arecollaboratingonmakinga long weekend, with theChristmas lights switch-on beinga part of averyspecialstart to thefestive season

Thefestivalwill be held over the weekendofNovember25-27

Organisationshaverallied round to runfestive marketsonthe square over theentireweekend with a Christmas bazaar andcraft market in St Laurence’s Church andaMak ers’ Market in thecastle.

Thecollaboratingorganisations includeLudlowTownCouncil,Lud lowChamber of Commerce,Ludlow Castle,StLaurence’sChurch, LudlowFringeand Love Ludlow as well as many localbusinesses.

Events will kick offonthe Friday eveningwithafestive tractor run through thetown, organisedbyOrletonYoung Farmers, with acom munity eveningfrom5pm to 9pm featuringa beer,pizza andopenmic nightinStLaurence’s. TheSatur dayisgoing to be jam-packedwith exciting events around thetown centre,suchasSanta’s Grotto with hisreindeer, afreelantern-making workshopand theSunshineRadio stage, whichwill featureJackand theBeanstalk characters andlive musicfromlocal choirs

Theswitching-onofthe lights will be happeningat5pm on the Saturday,shortlyfollowedbythe Rotary Tree Of Lightswitch-on,before thecastleopens itsdoors forthe Festival of Light. Closing thewinter festival on November27at7.30pm therewillbea nightofcomedy at Ludlow Brewery, with comedians TalDavies, Noel Jamesand special guestAlistairMcGowan with Paul Jennings as compere.

MP in visittotimber company

Ludlow MP PhilipDunne went on a fact findingmission to alocal com pany aheadofaninquiryintothe sustainability of theUKtimberindustry

Mr Dunnevisited Hazlin,agrowinglocal timber products manufacturer, whichmakes fire resistant doorsfor theNHS, employing85 membersofstaff across twosites in Burfordand Bromfield, near Lud low.

Thevisit comesasthe Environmental AuditCommittee,chaired by Mr Dunne, launched an inquiry in July into thesustainability of the UK timber industry in thecontext of global deforestation. Theinquiry will “explore how best to scaleupa sustainable andresilientdomestic timber sector to reduce reliance on imports, whilst also achieving itswider nature recoveryand biodiversitygoals throughwoodland creation”.

Mr Dunnesaid: “Itisvital that we look holistically at thewhole production cycleofthe timber in dustry in theUKifweare to secure asustainablefuturefor thesector.

“Fromindependenttreenurseries, woodlandsmanaged by Forest ry England, theWoodlandTrust andlocal farmers, to ourtimber mills andstockholdingyards and localmanufacturers likeHazlin; I am lookingtounderstandthe part each hastoplayinensuring sus tainable sourcing of timber through woodlandsover future decades.

“VisitingChris Jones andhis sonTomos, with IanMakinswho hasbeenatHazlinsince it started,gavemeusefulinsightsintothe sector locallyand thechallenges of sourcing domestic timber.I am also grateful to them forsubmittingevi dencetothe EACinquiry.”

Mr Dunnealso marked the50th anniversary of theWoodlandTrust Since1972, thetrust hasplanted 55 million trees andrestored85,000 acresofdamaged woodland

Mr Dunnesaid: “The workofthe Woodland Trustisanapt reminder that theUK’sbeautiful rurallandscapeisacarefully managedone, not only in thelasthalf-century sincetheir founding,but forthousandsofyears before that.”

gapindentistry

Thenumberofpeople seen by an NHSdentist in Shropshire hasplummeted in recent years.

As of June30, only 35.4 per cent of adults in Shropshirehad beenseenbyanNHS dentistin thelastyear.

The figuresrepresent ahuge drop in thespace of five years, falling from 48.3 percentinthe year leadinguptoJune2018.

The figureswerecompiledby theHouse of CommonsLibrary, andwereoriginallysourced from NHSDentalStatistics availableonline

Coolway to fi

specialpresents

Awinter fair in SouthShropshire will be celebratingthe best of crafts beingcreated in thecounty, andthe opportunitytostock up forChristmas.

Awideselection of handmade crafts andChristmas giftsfromtal entedShropshirecraftspeoplewill be up forgrabs at theShropshire HillsDiscoveryCentre in Craven Arms next month.

Themuseum will be hostingits annual FrostFaironNovember5 and6

Thefairwill runfrom10amto 4pm.

Entrytothe fair is free

Chancelloris offeredpraise

Ludlow MP PhilipDunnehas praisedthe workofthe new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt after anotherweekofturmoilinUK politics whichhas affected the economy.

Mr Dunnesaid: “Heissome one whobringshugeexperience, andhas respectfromparliamentarians andthe civilservice given hislongrolein themost senior levelsofgovernment.

“Hehas done what he hadto do, whichistoworkwiththe PrimeMinisteroverthe week endtoidentify themeasures needed to restoreconfidence.”

Philip Dunne MP with TomosJones,Ian Makins andChrisJones

Venuehas plenty of festive funall linedupfor families

DAVIDTOOLEY david.tooley@mnamedia.co.uk

Ludlow AssemblyRooms is stagingaprofessionally actedand produced traditionalpantomime andSanta’s grotto this December.

Thepantomime,Jackand the Beanstalk, will runfromDecember14toDecember 26,withticketsstartingat£14,and groupdis counts, school ratesand otheroffers available.

An Assembly Roomsspokesman said it is aco-production between Ludlow Assembly Rooms and local theatre companyLudwigTheatre Arts.Morethan30local children will be featured in theensemble, andwithnotable professional ac tors such as Morgan Rees-Davies andDanielJ Brianjoining thecast, ticketsfor theChristmas spectacle arealready selling fast

Ludlow Assembly Roomsalsohas planstohostSanta.

SantaClaus is planning to setup shop next to theLudlowAssembly RoomsBox Office this December

Ticketstosee Santawill cost £10 each,and will includeagift To book ticketscall01584 878141 or visitludlowassemblyrooms.co.uk

Estate agency’s kind donation to hospice

DAVIDBANNER newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

A£1,500chequedonationfrom county estate agentSamuelWood hashelpedboostfunds forShrop shirecharity SevernHospice.

RussellGriffin, co-directorat Samuel Wood, whichhas an office in Ludlow,has first-hand experi ence of thehospice, as hisfather received palliativecarefromthe charity. He said it wasthisexperience andmeetingheadoffundraisingElodieHome throughbusiness membership organisation B4 Shropshire, andhearing Elodie speakabout thecharity andits work, whichmotivated himtodevelopabusinessrelationship.

He said:“IattendedarecentB4 Shropshire lunchevent andand hearda speechabout thecharity, whichisB4Shropshire’schosen charity. It really resonatedwithme andafter speaking to my business partnerAndrewCadwallader we decidedtodonatesomefunds set asidefor charitytothe SevernHos picetosupport itsessential work.

“It’ssuchaworthwhilecharity anditlookedafter my ownfather 15 yearsago.The wonderfulpeo

plemadethe last days of hislifeso comfortable. It’s allabout collabo ration andweare very happytobe able supportthe hospice.”

Louise Withers,sales negotiatoratSamuelWood, said:“We are thrilled to supportsuchaworthy localcharity whichprovidesfree care forindividuals andfamilies acrossShropshire, Telford&Wre kin, andMid Waleswhenpatient cure is no longer possible

Sale looks to be agreed forformerunit

Aformermaternity unit on a communityhospitalsiteinSouth Shropshirehas been sold,subject to contract,for possible housing development

Accordingtothe website of property expertsFisherGerman asalehas been agreed forthe site whichsitsonhalfanacreoff New Road andGravelHill,Ludlow.

Health campaigner Gill George of Defend ourNHS in Shropshire said thesaleofthe maternityunit is nota surprise as it wasclosed in 2016

Ms George,who livesinLud low, says sheremains concerned about what mayhappenonthe rest of thesite.

Shesaysstaff have contacted herwithworries over what may happen next

“Wewillbepushing formore information,”she said Ms George said aproposalto close thesitein2017led to the

“biggestpublicmeetinginthe historyofLudlow”.She said:

“The MethodistHallwas packed with people inside andagatheringoutside

“Theywerequeuing roundthe block.

“Peopleweremobilisedto fight then andyou couldfeelthe anger in theroom.”

Thepropertyagent’s market ingpointed outthatthe former maternityunitsiteforms part of theLudlowHospitalsite, the “balance of whichshall be re tained”.

Theformermaternity unit is atwo-storeybrick building,con structed in themid 1800swith laterextensions.

Marketingdocuments reveal that therehavebeenpre-applica tion discussionswithShropshire Council forthe proposedconversion of thematernity ward buildingfor aresidential usewithassociatedoperational works

Pre-applicationdiscussions do notmeansuchaschemewould be grantedbecause that dependson what planners thinkwhenthey have looked at allthe proposed plans.

Ruraloutreachscheme movesinsidefor thewinter

Acouncil’s mobile servicefor ru ralcommunities hasmovedinside forthe winter Shropshire Local,amobile council services vanthataimsto help thoseinrural areas access supportfromthe council, has parked up andservicesmoved into locallibraries to help people over winter Councilstaff will be on hand

at each librarytoprovide alis tening ear, advice andinforma tion to residents aboutaccessing councilservicesand services from otherorganisations,and canalso offeradviceonhow to access these online Services will operatebetween 10am and2pm at Church Stret tonLibrary on November10, Cleobury MortimerLibrary on

November17and MayfairCom munity Centre at Church Stret tononDecember 15

Thereare also Shropshire Lo cal hubs at Ludlow Libraryand TheDarwin centre,Shrewsbury, whichare open from 9.30am to 5pmMondays to Fridays in Shrewsbury,and Mondays, Tuesdays,Wednesdaysand Fridays in Ludlow

“Havingvisited theShrewsbury site,wehavebeeninspiredbythe exceptionallevelsofcaredemon stratedbythe staffwho workthere

“Atatimeofgreatestneed,the unswerving dedication,resilience, andsensitivity deliveredbySevern Hospiceistruly second to none.”

Foradviceabout marketingyour property call Samuel Wood on 01743 272710 or 01584875207oremail shrewsbury@samuelwood.co.uk

Wall repair on meetingagenda

Councillorsweredue to meet this week to consider confidentiallegal advice from abarrister relating to thecollapseoftwo sections of LudlowTownWalls nearly 10 yearsago Ludlow Town Councilwas dueto discussthe issueonMonday.

Thecollapsewas followed by a wrangleoverwho wasresponsible forpayingtorepairthe historic walls, with Ludlow Town Council agreeing to lead theworkin2015.

Theissue of repair work, which is likely to requiresignificant fund ing, is complicatedbythe requirement forittotakeplaceat acertain time of theyear, betweenApril and September,because of thehistoric materialsrequired forthe work.

Watersupplies areinterrupted

Awater companyhas fixeda burstpipethatwas responsible forsupplyinterruptions in the TenburyWells area.

Problems began to emerge at 8.53amonThursday last week in theWR15postcode area

TeamsfromSevernTrent Waterweresentout to find the causeofadip in waterpressure.

Sixhours laterthe water company said theburst water pipe wasrepairedand allsupplies were back on as normal.

Awater companyspokesman added: “You will stillsee us continuingtoworkinthe area to reinstatethe burstlocation.”

Louise Withers, sales negotiator,left, and RussellGriffin, co-directorat SamuelWood,present achequetoSevern Hospice’sElodie Home

Theformer maternity unitforms part of theLudlowHospital site, thebalance of whichshall be retained,say planningpapers

Police saytheyhave“significantly disrupted” County Lines drug deal ingwitha series of arrests.

West Mercia Police said in total 38 peoplehad been arrested during an operation, whiledrugs,worth morethan£7,000, andweapons and £15,000 in cashhavebeenseized.

Theefforts were part of theNational CrimeAgency’sCountyLines Intensification Week

In Shropshire the resultsincluded ajoint operationwithMerseyside Police whichsaw “numerous ar rests”,and sixother people being safeguarded.

Aman wasalso caught at Shrews bury RailwayStation with crackco caineand heroin

As well as money,weapons and drugs, police said they hadalso seized four vehiclesduringthe oper ations, alongwith36mobilephones

Theforce said theactionhad “directly resulted in theclosure of two drugslines”.

Warm welcome at arts venue

ABuilthWells artscentre will offereveryone awarmspace on Wednesdaysthiswinter

As part of thePowys Warm SpaceNetwork, Wyesidewill be openingits doorseveryWednesday afternoonfromNovember to February from 12pm until 4pm.

People cancome andsit in the warm andenjoy free tea, coffee andbiscuits

Therewill also be free Wi-Fi andawideselection of board gamestoplay.

Wyeside’sdutymanager Helen Jones,along with thehelp of Wyeside’svolunteers,will be handingout free hotdrinksand conversation to anyone whois having ahardtimethiswinter.

Thedrop-in at Wyesidehas been made possible by funding from theAshleyFamilyFoundation

38 arrestsmade in anti-drugs op Halloweenfun at twoevents

TwoHalloween events on thesame daywillhelpboostthe coffersofa town mayor’scharity forthisyear.

Ludlow MayorCouncillor Glenn Ginger chose theSouth Shropshire YouthForum as hischarity forhis mayoral year andthe town council is organising adoublebill of spooky goings-on.

The firstevent on Wednesday is akids’ Halloweendisco forages 12 andunder at theScout Hut in Station Drive.

Thesecondisa Halloween film nightinthe SittingRoomatthe Blue Boar in Mill Streetshowing TheWitches of Eastwick

Thediscowillstart at 6.30pm and finish at 9.30pm.The cost is £2.50per childpaidonentry

The film will startat 7.30pm Thereisnochargebut donations to supportthe YouthForum will be welcome

Formoreinformation call 07786 620624

‘Natureemergency’declaredbycouncil in vote

Amajorityofcouncillorshavevot ed in favourofamotionthatPowys County Councildeclaresa“nature emergency”

ThemotioncamefromLiberal Democrat Councillor Adam Kennerley,aprofessionalecologist.He said:“Themotionproposeswhat assets andopportunitiesweasa councilcan usetoshowcasegood practice andworkwithothers acrossthe county.”

Councillor Angela Davies,who seconded themotion, said theUK StateofNaturereportsaidhalfof allbirds andaquarter of allmam mals areatriskofextinction.

Themotionincludedaskingfor

abiodiversity post to be created whichwould be paid by external funding.

ConservativeCouncillor Iain McIntosh said:“We allacknowl edgethe threat of climatechange andthe need to addressthisby achievingcarbonnet zero by 2030 We’vealready done that by declar inga ClimateChangeEmergency in September 2020 andthe council is well on theway to achievethat by making thenecessary plans.

“I’m goingtostruggletosupport this motion –all notices of motion should be accompaniedbyafully costed analysisof financialand re sourcesimplications.”

Cllr McIntosh recommendedthe motionwas withdrawnuntil it is fullycosted.The GreenParty’s Councillor Jeremy Brignell-Thorp said he fullysupported themotion, andwentontoquote several other internationalreports predicting theextinctionofspecies Councillor Karl Lewissaid: “I’m worried howitwill feed into the LDP(LocalDevelopment Plan)especially forfarmdiversification.I thinkitcould be thethinend of the wedge to curtaillivestockfarming in Powys.”

Thedebatewenttoavoteand wasapprovedby36votes for16 againstand five abstentions

Solarplanisapproveddespite concernoverthe loss of land

DOMINIC ROBERTSON newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

Theplans forBrick HouseFarm, at Greete,nearLudlow,had been submittedtoShropshireCouncil by BluefieldRenewable Developments.

Theproposalisfor 54 hectares of land at thefarmand adecision on theschemehad beendeferred by thecouncil’ssouth planning committee last month.The delay wasdue to concerns over theloss of qualityland, knownas‘best and most versatileagriculturalland’ (BMV), as part of thescheme.

Arevised plan,which wasconsidered by thecommittee on Tuesday afternoon, sawseveral sections of land takenout of theproposal.

Theproposals retain acapacityof 45MW whichissufficienttopower 13,500 homes.

Objectorsspoke at themeeting, arguingthe land is “far tooproduc tive”tobetaken over with asolar farm.The criticisms were backed up by twocouncillors, Andy Boddingtonand RichardHuffer.

Councillor Huffer said:“We have adutytoprotect food security,not just forthe UK buta moralduty globally.”

However,the committee voted to back theproposal.

Crewsare called outto fire at beauty spot

A firewhich startedunder atrac torspreadtogorse andunder growth at abeautyspotinSouth Shropshire.

Teamsof firefighters spent threehours bringing theblaze at LittleStretton undercontrol.

Thealert wasraisedonFriday last week

Four fire crews– from Church Stretton,Craven Arms, Minsterleyand Shrewsbury –werescram

Service’sfestive raffletakes off

Christmas hascome earlyfor supporters of theMidlandsAir Ambulanceasthe charityhas launched itsfestive fundraising appeal

Theservice has kicked offits FestiveRapid Response Raffle.

Therafflegives supporters the chancetowin cash prizes, in cludinga £3,000 firstprize.The moneyraisedvia ticket saleswill

directly help fund future lifesavingmissions.

Alongwiththe £3,000 jackpot, thereare severalother prizes worth £500,£50,and £25 also up forgrabs

Theraffleisopentoanyone aged 18 andover

Each ticket costs£1.

To buyaraffleticket visitmaa raffleentry.org.uk

SUEAUSTIN sue.austin@mnamedia.co.uk

bled afterthe blazebroke outjust after3pm

Aspokespersonfor theShrop shireFireand Rescue Servicesaid theincidentinvolveda fire undera tractorwhich hadthenspreadto thegorse andundergrowth on the Long Mynd

About300 square metresofundergrowthwas alight

The fire crewscreated abarrier to preventthe fire spreadingfur ther

Theblaze wasbrought under controljustbefore6pm

The fire servicespokesperson said acrewwould return thefol lowing daytoensure that there wasno sign of theblaze re-ignit ing.

Companychecking on planning rules

Owners of athree-storeyhouse re cently used as staffaccommodation forsix workers at aresidential care home in Ludlow have appliedto planners to change it into ahouse of multipleoccupation.

WelfordKey Worker Housing Limitedhas appliedtoShropshire Counciltomakeaformalcheck to make sure that thereare no barri erstothe companyusing permit teddevelopment rights to formally

change theuse of thepropertyin Felton Close.

Thepropertyisa three-storey residential property in Felton Close with threebedrooms.

Theowners, acompany basedin St Albans, Hertfordshire, saythat the“applicationisintendedspecif ically to confirm that thereare no barriers to this change such as the imposition of an Article4Directive removing such rights”.

Aproposalfor asolar farm hasbeenapproved by councillorsdespite concerns from residents overthe loss of agriculturalland.

CouncillorAdamKennerley

Thegorse andundergrowth fire on theLongMynd.Photo:ChurchStrettonFire Station

Policetobe informed after mapisdefaced

KARENCOMPTON karen.compton@mnamedia.co.uk

Ahugetownmap whichwas unveiled during theQueen’s Platinum JubileecelebrationsinKington has beendefaced forthe second time.

Aplastic stickerhas been placed on thesurface of themap,which is on thewallofPlace DeMarines Thestickerincludesthe words ‘you arehere’ andin itialinvestigations suggest removing thestickermay pull part of themap off.

Thetowncouncil hasagreed to report thematter to thepoliceand will askthatany costsfor repair will be paid by thepersonresponsible

Thecolourful creation cost about £6,000 andit waspaidfor as part of theGreat Places to Visitfund.

Town clerkLiz Kelso said it wasnot the firsttime shehad hadtoreportthe maphad beendefaced.She said:“Itsdesignand manufacturewas theresultof asubstantial amount of discussion andworkbya groupofstakeholders, whodid discussthe use of a ‘you arehere’ marker on themap,deciding nottodo this.The individual responsibleisnot amember of anyofthe groupofstakeholderswho produced the mapbut is knowntous.”

Shesaidthe person hadbeentoldnot to deface the mapbut hasdonesoagain.She said it wasparticu larlyirritatingas thegrant moneyfor theproject is only just coming through.Councillor Martin Fitton said he thoughtremovingthe stickermay pull some of themap’s surfaceoff.Membersagreedtoreport themattertothe police

Authorityislooking to improvelocal parks

KnightonTownCouncil is lookingfor grant schemeswhich couldimprove localparks,the dep utymayor hassaid.

Councillor HollyAdams-Evans said thecoun cilismakingprogressafterreceiving just under £10,000 to enhancenatureand theenvironment from theLocal Places forNaturegrant scheme

That moneyneeds to be spentbythe endof March andthe councilhas been talkingtolocal organisationsabout possible projects.Council lor Adams-Evans added: “Weare stilllooking for grantschemes whichwecan applyfor andweare particularly lookingfor grants whichcould help to enhanceand improve ourlocal parks.”

Action takenasbird flu outbreaksare announced

Waleshas confirmed its firstcaseofbird flu sincethe startofthe month

Theconfirmationcomesafter acasehas been discovered closetothe Shropshire/ Cheshireborder. At theweekend acase wasalso seenatafarminWorcestershire, neighbouring Shropshire

Detailsofthe latest case in Waleswere revealed by thecountry’s interimchief vet erinary officer, GavinWatkins

He said thehighlypathogenicavian in fluenzaH5N1had been foundin poultryat asiteinAnglesey.

ThecaseinCheshirewas amonggamebirds in Audlem,and a3km protection zone and10kmsurveillance zone were declared around thepremises

Finalsalvoes firedover plan forwar gamessite 18,000 backing petition againsthospitalsproposal

Morethan18,000 people have nowsigned apetition fighting planstodowngradeser vicesatTelford’s Princess RoyalHospital.

If approved, Telfordand Wrekin Council leader ShaunDaviessaysTelford wouldbe come thelargesttownin Englandwithout afullA&E service.

TheFutureFit proposals, nowapproved by thejoint Department of Health andSo cialCareand theNHS EnglandInvestment Committeewould also,hesaid, mean the hospital wouldlose consultantled emer gencycarefor women andchildren, which it is feared wouldbemovedtoShrewsbury.

Campaignersare urging thegovernment to take afresh look at theplans

Finalshots have been firedoveraconten tiousplantouse afarmer’s fields in South Shropshirefor wargames usinggunsthat fire biodegradableprojectiles

As theofficialconsultationperiodcame to an endonMonday, thenumberofoppo nentsand supporters of theplantochange theuse of land near Rock HillFarm, near Greete,was splitrelatively evenly with 72 objections to 66 in support.

Theofficialdecision deadline is Decem ber5

Theplancan be viewed on theShrop shireCouncil planning portal

Theapplication’s referencenumberis 22/03770/FUL

KingtonMayor Councillor DavidRedmayneand Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Herefordshire, and former HerefordshireHighSheriff,JoHilditch officially unveiled thehugetownmap.The town council hasreportedthe map hasbeen defaced for asecond time.Photo by Andy Compton

‘Nothing matters more than the safety of the patients at trust’

Parentswho received an “unreserved apology” from ahospital trustsay theironlyconcernsare improvements to patientsafety.

Rhiannon Davies andRichard Stantonwerespeakingafter the boardofShrewsbury &Telford Hospital NHSTrust on Thursday last week confirmed areviewofits governancewas underway,followingcritical findings of an independ entreportbyFiona Scolding KC

Thereporthad been sparked by a2020complaint from thecouple, whose daughter Kate died avoidably in thetrust’s care in 2009.

Theconclusions of thereport, whichwereaccepted by theboard, included criticismofthe wayithad dealtwithMsDaviesand Mr Stan tonin thewakeoftheir daughter’s death, concluding:“Thetrust has not dealtwithMrStanton andMs Davies in an open andhonest way. That is undoubtedly true.” It also foundthatthe boarddid notdo enough to look at thereasons an independentreportintomaternity care at thetrust wasnot published immediatelyafter it wasproduced

Thereport, from theRoyal College of Obstetricians andGynaecologists (RCOG) hadbeenrequested by thetrust in thewakeofmajor concerns over itsmaternity servic es –those concerns were examined by theOckenden report whichpub lished aseriesofharrowing conclusionsearlier this year

TheRCOG report identified what it concluded were patientsafety issues andshouldhavebeenpub lished in 2017

Butitwas held untilthe follow ingyearwhilethe trustsoughtan ‘addendum’ to thereport, having disagreed with itsconclusions–Ms Scolding describedthe trustastry ingto‘spin’the findings

Oneofthe complaints investigat ed wasthe behaviourofthe chair of theboard at ameetingin2018, whereMrStanton sought to raise questionsoverthe non-publication of theRCOGreport. Hismicro phonewas switched offand he was spoken over,withMs Scolding concluding: “Withthe benefitofhind sightthe boardmeetingwas not well handled.”

Sheadded: “MrStanton should not have been spoken over andhis microphone should not have been switched off.”

Speaking afterthe publication of Ms Scolding’s report Ms Davies said:“Theverypoint of thecom plaint we raisedbackin2020was thefactthatthe publicationofcritical concerns that RCOG hadwere suppressed

“Theyhad patientsafetycon cernsand Richardwenttothe board meetingtotry andask why these were not beingpublished.Itcomes back to thoseaffected,those who live throughthe loss andthe pain everyday,tryingtocreatechange everyday so that it does notaffect otherpeople, and fighting againsta system that is so weightedagainst them.Nothing mattersmorethan patientsafety–not money, not reputation–there is nothing more im portantthanmakingsurepatients aresafe.”

Rise in visits to A&Es –with632 patients delayedmorethan12hours

Morepatientsvisited A&Eat Shrewsbury andTelford hospitals last month, butattendances were lowerthanthe same time last year, figuresreveal.

FiguresfromNHS Englandhave shown12,105patientsvisited the Accidentand Emergencydepart ment at Shrewsbury andTelford Hospital NHSTrust in September

This wasarise of one percenton the11,972visitsrecordedduring August,but was five percentlow er than the12,765patientsseenin September of last year

Themajorityofattendances last month were viamajor A&E departments–those with full re suscitation equipment and24-hour consultant-ledcare–while16per

cent were viaminor injury units. In September of this year,1,712 patientswaitedlongerthanfour hoursfor treatment followinga decision to admit–and of those, 632weredelayedbymorethan12 hours.

Meanwhile, 2,662patientsvis ited minor injury unitsatShrop shireCommunity Health NHS

TrustinSeptember.The trust runs communityhospitals and minor injury unitsinBridgnorth, Ludlow,Whitchurch, Bishop’s Cas tleand Oswestry That wasadropof10 percent on the2,942 visits recorded duringAugust, andsix percentlow er than the2,832 patients seen in September 2021

Hospitals boardfaces review afteranother damningreport

DOMINIC ROBERTSON ChiefReporter

Thereport, into theboard of Shrewsbury &Telford Hospital NHSTrust,follows an investigation carriedout by FionaScolding KC,which wascommissionedby the trustafter complaints from RhiannonDaviesand RichardStanton in 2020

Ms Davies andMrStanton’s daughter,Kate, died avoidably whilein thetrust’s care in 2009

Campaigningby thecoupleultimately ledtothe Ockenden Inquiry, whichconfirmed seriousand har rowing failures in maternitycareat thetrust

Thelatestreportwas sparked by theirconcernsabout former board chairman BenReidand theactions of theboard

Ms Scolding has concluded that Mr Reid was“fitand proper”, stat ing: “Mistakesweremade– andnot everything washandled as it could andshouldhavebeen. Idonot find however that anyofthese actions amount to ‘serious mismanagement’.”

Sheadded:“Theevidenceshows that Mr Reid didtakesteps to seek

to improve patientsafety. “The difficulty wastryingtomakesuch improvements when not given the relevant informationtomakea strategicdifferenceand in thecon text of an organisation whichwas broken.”

However,the report criticisesthe board’smanagementand scrutiny of issues in maternitycare, finding it wastoo acceptingofinformation anddecisionsput before it

It is also criticisedoveradelay in publishinga controversial report

lookingatthe trust’smaternity services, carriedout by theRoyal College of Obstetricians andGynaecologists (RCOG).

Thereporthad been commis sioned by thetrust in response to publicisedconcernsabout itsmaternityservices.

It should have been publishedin 2017,but washelduntil 2018,with Ms Scolding saying thetrust had triedto‘spin’the findings

Theboard of thetrust is also criticisedfor notinterrogating the

delayinthe report’s publicationat thetime.

Ms Scolding also foundfailingsin theway thetrust haddealt with Ms Davies andMrStanton andtheir daughter’s death.

Shesaid: “There is no doubt that in respectofthe deathofMsStantonDavies(baby Kate), therehave been obfuscations, difficulties, and failures.”

Ms Scolding added: “The trust hasnot dealtwithMrStanton and Ms Davies in an open andhonest way. That is undoubtedly true.”

Thereportwas discussedatlast week’s meetingofthe currenthos pitaltrust board, with members told agovernance review wasalreadyunder wayoverissueshighlightedinthe report

Theboard’s currentchair,Catri onaMcMahon,MrReid’ssuccessor, also offeredanunreserved apology to Ms Davies andMrStanton

Shesaid: “I wouldliketodraw specificattention of theboard to Ms Scolding’s conclusion that it is undoubtedly true thetrust hasnot dealtwiththe complaintsinanopen andhonestway andfor this Iunreservedly apologise to Ms Davies and Mr Stanton.”

Shealso accepted the findings over theRCOG report,stating:“We accept ourhandlingas inappropriateand inadequatefor allofthe reasonsset outbyMs Scolding in herreport.”

Non-executiveboard member ProfessorTrevorPurtsaidthe re port hadmadefor a“chastening read”

Staff ‘desperate’for Future Fitto make progress

Thereisa“desperation” among staffatShropshire’smajor hospitals forworkonFutureFit plans to start, boardmembershavebeen told

At itsboard meetinglastweek Shrewsbury &Telford Hospital NHSTrust welcomedprogresson itsplans to reorganise both Prin cessRoyal Hospital (PRH)inTelford,and RoyalShrewsbury Hospital(RSH)

Underthe Future Fitplans, RSHwill become thecounty’s main A&E, andwillalsobehome to consultant-led womenand chil dren’s services,which move over from PRH. PRHwillbecome the centre forplanned care

andvital step to make butalsothe opportunityfor ourclinicalteams to move to thenextpartofdetailed work.”

Mr Leesaidthe focuswould be nowbeonputting together the OBC.

Hospitals arefacingrevamp

Theproject hitamajor milestoneinrecent weekswhenthe governmentand theNHS ap provedthe Strategic OutlineCase forthe plan

Thetrust’s chiefoperating of ficer, NigelLee,toldthe boardthey wouldnow looktopress aheadurgently with thenextstage –the outlinebusinesscase(OBC),which is targeted forsubmissionwith governmentbyApril next year

He said:“We areabsolutelydelightedwehavebeenabletomove to thenextstage.Itisanexciting

ProfessorClive Deadman,a non-executivedirectoronthe trust’sboard,saidthatstaff want ed to seeprogressonthe project–whichhas faced yearsofdelays.

He said:“We have been living with this forsolongbut thereisa real feelingofdesperation.There isarange of feelings from excite ment to exhaustion.”

Areviewofboard governanceatShropshire’s majorhospitalstrust is underway afteran in dependent report crit icised itshandlingof concerns overfailingsin maternitycare.

RichardStanton andRhiannon Davies campaignedfor answers

JAMESEVANS

Sincemylastcolumn forthe Journal, we’vehad thesad pass ingofHer MajestyThe Queen.

Shewas an inspirationfor so many in ourcountry andaround theglobe,and hermemorywill live on forever

Thenew King,His MajestyKing Charles, visitedthe Senedd in Cardiff.

As part of my role as aSenedd Member,Iwas fortunate enough to meet theKingand have abrief conversation with himwhich wasatruehonour. Long mayhe reign.

Thenew Senedd term is well underway,and I’ve been speakingonavariety of topicsrangingfromgynaecologicalcancer to tackling rising fuel billsand water pollution.

I’ve also been meetingdifferent groups andindividuals, such as theFarmers Union of Wales.

We talked aboutbig issuesincludingthe Agriculture(Wales) Bill whichisgoing throughthe Senedd –Brexitmeans that Walescan forgeits ownagricul ture policy outsidethe Europe an Union,and Iwill be holding WelshGovernmenttoaccount throughout this processtoget thebestoutcome forour farm ers.

I’ve also metMacmillan and Cancer Research Wales, who both do crucialwork– Ieven hosted acoffeemorning for Macmillan at my constituen cy office,and lots of coffee and cake were consumed!

Thefactisthatfourin10can cers in Walesare potentially preventable– we need to see more action from WelshGov ernmentonthis.

An importantlocal issueis stroke services in ourarea. There’scurrently areviewgoingon, carriedout by health leadersand clinicians in Here fordshireand Worcestershire, whichislooking at theprovision of stroke services forpatients in Powys–150 people in Powys were admitted to hospital following astrokein2021-22

ThesurveyendsonNovember 11 andIencourage you to take part online throughthe Powys Teaching Health Boardwebsite

If you have anyissuesorproblems then please getintouch –my office andIare always on hand to help

Radzi talks dogsand life’s guilty pleasures

LISA SALMON PressAssociation

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

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

Radzi, whoattendedAdams GrammarSchoolinShropshire, continuestolive in hishome city of Wolverhampton, wherehis mother BarbaraMcGarrity is acitycouncillor

They both sharearescue Jack RussellcrosscalledOlive andsay shekeeps them both busy

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

Busy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Radzisaysgrowing up and watchingTVshowslikeTeenage MutantNinja Turtles, Thunder

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

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

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

PHILIP DUNNE

Regularreaders of this column will be awarethatI have long been asupporter of Jeremy Hunt.Ibackedhim forthe lead ership in 2019 andagain earli er this summer.Itwill come as littlesurprisetherefore,thatI welcomedhis appointmentas Chancellor of theExchequer last week.Jeremyisone of the longestserving andmostexperiencedcabinet ministersin theparliamentary Conservative Party. When Iservedasa Health Minister when he led theDepartment as Secretary of State, Iwas impressedby hisability to master hisbrief andprovide calm andrational leadership when faced with challengingcircumstances and toughdecisions

Acoreresponsibility of Governmentistoensure economic stability to allowbusinesses to make long term investment decisions, forhouseholdstobe confident that they will be able to meet theiroutgoings each month andtoencourage investment acrossthe country. While thenew Governmentoutlined itsplanfor growth underthe previous Chancellor,ithas be come clearthatmarket conditionshaveworsenedacrossthe globe. This is most visibleto households throughthe global rise in interest ratesaffecting bills, mortgage ratesand in creasingthe cost of living.The Treasury underJeremyHunt have thereforehad to adaptthe Government’s strategy

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

He recently conductedRoger Federer’slasttelevisioninterview as aprofessionaltennisplayer, and

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

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

Growth will remain thecentral ambitionofthisGovernment, butthe Chancellor hasdemon stratedthisweekthatmarket stability must be secured to fund publicspendingand de liver sustainable growth.The Chancellor addressedParliament on Monday afternoon, outliningthe measures he hastak en to restoreconfidenceahead of theMedium-Term Fiscal Plan to be published at theend of themonth.No Conservative Member of Parliament wishes to seethe taxburden increased, butitisessential that markets have confidence in theGovern ment’s fiscal policy to fund pub licspending.

Vitalreforms andpoliciesto drivegrowthare firmly on this Government’s agenda:acceleratinginfrastructureprojects; delivering investment zones; legislatingtoprevent tradeunions from shutting down our national infrastructure;remov ingburdensome EU bureaucracy from statute; andmakingit cheapertobuy anew home.The newChancellor is theright man forthese challengingtimes.He hasalready shownfromhis first decisive days at theTreasury that hisdecisionsare starting to have thedesired effect

‘I’ve lovedsport andalso fitness basicallysinceI left thewomb’

RadziChinyanganya andhis mother Barbara McGarrity

Chickens are coming home to roostfor party

With flocks of Tory chickens coming home to roost, adose of politicalsatiremightbewel come,paltryasitis:

“Trussed in shortsupply”

Pray,listentothe storyofLi libeth Truss, Who’spushedpoorBritannia underabus

In hermanic pursuit of de regulation, She’sout-Thatchered Thatcher to give us stagflation, WhileKwartengthe Kwazy, self-styledquasi-guru, Thoughttax slash-and-grab wouldleadtoUhuru, To freedom from Brussels, to dynamicgrowth

Foranationenmeshedinred tape andsloth

Even Barber andLawson gave us boombeforebust, Butit’sbustwithout boom forour National Trussed.

“The lady’s not forturning!” declaims ourboldPM, Butshe’s destined forthe funeralpyre–the crem,dela crem!

IanBarge,Ludlow

Howwill one A&Eunitcope?

Irecentlywenttohospitalto give ablood sampleina build ingwhich is near theA&E de partment at thePrincessRoyal Hospital in Telford.

Icounted 14 ambulances waitingoutside theaccidentde partment.

Iwonderedhow many were outsidethe RoyalShrewsbury Hospital

Woulditbeeightor10orper haps another14?

How will an accident depart ment at Shrewsbury deal with 20 ambulancecases plus those whoattendoftheir ownaccord?

It will have to be enormous If theRSH hastodealwith similarnumbers of ambulance cases as thePRH,thenweneed full A&Es at both hospitals.

Telfordisarapidly expand ingtown.

Even if thereare more cases in theRSH area now, it will not be long before Telfordcatches up andovertakesit.

So it wouldmakesense,if only one full A&Eispossible, to putitatTelford

RichardCamp, Shropshire

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Sensible option on waterloss

Just how longdowehaveto wait before asensibleapproach is adoptedregarding water supplies?

Billionsofgallons of water from ourcountless riversare discharged into thesea,but not only into thesea.Attimes of high rainfall,millionsifnot billionsofgallons of river wa ter flood peoples’ homesand businesses,also vast acresof farmland causingvaluable cropstobelost. Idonot know whowould be responsiblefor trying to preventall this wa tersimplypouring into thesea andbecomingsalinated,orinto properties andontothe land to be lost.Itisamazing that an approach to utilise this vast volume of water hasnot been considered unless we go back to theideaofa water grid sys tem, somethingalong thelines of theelectricgrid, whereby waterfromthose areaswhere it is plentifulcould be pipedto whereitisneeded

PeterHarman, Tibberton

Twostatements by MPscan be challenged

Having recently almost trashed theBritisheconomy,onlyfor it to be rescuedbythe Bank of Englandusing ourmoney, theToriesattheir conference turned theirattention to trash inghistoricaltruth.

Ms Trussin herspeech claimedshe wasthe firstcom prehensive school girl to be come PrimeMinister.

Theresa Maywas Health SecretaryTherese Coffey in herspeechclaimed it wasaToryMP, oneHenry Willink, wartimeminister, as beingresponsible forthe estab lishment of theNHS

Mr Willink strongly opposed nationalisingprivate andvol untary health services,stating it wasnot aBritish thingtodo.

Wherehavethisnew breed of Tories come from?

Have they no moral compass as regardsthe truth?

RIJeavons, CravenArms

Invitationtoa drop-insession from charity

AgeCymru hasstarted run ning aseriesofcommuni ty-basedengagementevents acrossWales

Ourinformalsessionsare open to allpeopleaged50+ We’d love to hear about their concerns andinterests,and to shareinformation aboutour activities andprojects.

On October 26 we’llbevisit ingWyeside Arts Centre,Castle Street, Builth Wells, between 1pmand 4pm. If readerswould liketopop in forachatover a cuppaand abiscuitbetween thosetimes they’d be most wel come.Inthe meantime, if there areany queriesabout these events, or even suggestions forfuturevenues, readerscan contactChris Williams, Age Cymru’sNationalPartnership Manager, at christopher.wil liams@agecymru.org.uk, or phone on 0292043 1548

VictoriaLloyd, AgeCymru

JOIN THEDEBATE

Email: editorial.support@mnamedia.co.uk

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

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

IPSO,c/o Gate House, 1FarringdonStreet, London,EC4M7LG

This week’s nostalgiaphoto shows Presteigne County School’s hockey team in 1906.The image comesfrom theextensive collection of RayPriceofPenybont and wassent to us by CliveBarrett Clivesays: “The onlygirlIcan name is IdaMStoddart, whowas later awell-known andrespected teacherinPresteigne,and is second from therightonthe backrow

Pollyshows her musicmastery

ABuilthWells woman hastaken part in amusic game show on BBC Radio2

PollyGrace enteredPopMaster with DJ KenBruce butshe lost out to Alan Hitchman from West Sussex.Beforestartingthe game,Polly praisedthe town aftersayingshe hadrelocated to Builth in thesum merfromBirmingham.She said shehad grownup in thearea, which hadamuchslowerpaceoflife. She said:“We getalovelywalkover the RiverWye everymorning,lovely people, just love it.”

Shesuccessfullyansweredquestionsabout ABBA,the Killersand Stevie Wonder’s Master Blasterbut shestruggled on questionsabout PeterGabriel,Cherand Depeche Mode,securing12pointsintotal HeropponentAlanmanaged to get21points.

Alan wonapairofheadphones whilePolly earned herselfa‘one year out’ t-shirt.

Councilwon’t go forstatus

Shropshire Councilwillnot applytobeone of thegovern ment’s ‘investmentzones’ithas confirmed

Followingits recent an nouncement of planstocreate investmentzones around the country, thegovernment invited MayoralCombinedAuthorities (MCA)and UpperTierLocal Authorities(UTLA)inEngland to submit expressionsofinter estinintroducing oneintheir area.

In astatement Shropshire Council’scabinet said it has agreed that thecouncil will not be submitting abid foraninvestmentzone“in this round” DeanCarroll,ShropshireCouncil’scabinet member forgrowth and regeneration,saidthatthey don’tbelieve thecurrent plan forinvestmentzones would workinShropshire.

Nun’s fightisto be told on stage

Teme Players will be putting on performances of Thorninthe Flesh, adramatisation of themartyrdom in 2005 of Sister DorothyStang.

Sister Stangwas amissionarynun whofoughtfearlessly to defendthe interestsofthe indigenous peoples of theAmazonagainst thedepreda tionsofcattleranchersand logging companies. Shewas killed whileon herway to aworkers’co-operative meetinginPara, northernBrazil. Therecentmurders of DomPhillips andBruno Pereira, similarly courageous activists, hasmadeDorothy’s storytimelyand topical

Theplaywill be staged in Ludlow MethodistChurchonOctober 28-29 at 7.30pm.Admission is free.Dona tionswillbesharedbetween The MethodistChurchand theSisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Dorothy Stang’sorder.Performancesare in memory of theRev AnnBarge, alifelongchampionofthe dispos sessed.

Awarddelight forleadingdrinkscompany

Drinks companyRadnor Hills addedanother accolade to itstro phycabinet at thePowys Business Awards

TheKnighton-basedcompany collected theJudges’Special Award.

Manufacturingavariety of soft drinks,watersand juices,the company is oneofthe leadingsuppliers of school drinks,selling twobottles of Radnor Splash everysecondin thepastyear.

Similartomanyother companies, Radnor Hills waschallengedbythe pandemic,especiallywhenschools were closed. During the firstlock

KARENCOMPTON karen.compton@mnamedia.co.uk

down,70per cent of turnover was lost,requiringthe business to be agileinthe market andmovefastto providecustomersolutions

Thecompany decidedtoexpand itsRadnor Splash rangeintoTet ra Pakcartons to offercustomers greatervalue formoneyand concen trated more on e-commercesales direct to consumersthrough Amazonand thebusiness’sown online shop.Radnor Hills emerged from

thepandemicstronger,increasing totalbranded salesby£2million

As thepandemichas eased, sales andturnoverhaverocketed Dave Pope,Radnor Hills’general manager, said:“We areveryproud to have been recognisedwiththis awardagainst alot of greatcompa nies here in Powys.

“InMarch 2020,wehad more than 100peopleonfurloughdur ingthe pandemic andwereexpectingthe companytoshrinkinsize, butwehavegonefromstrengthto strength thanks to innovation and hard workbyour staff.”

Town council’s battle to cut speedonroad is settocontinue

The fighttoreducethe speedlimit on aKington road is continuing

HerefordshireCouncil haspro posedreducingthe limitonthe A44 KingtonBypassto50mph instead of 60mph, anditwill also be accom panied by safety improvements

ButKington Town Councilwants a40mph limitalong theentire route, includingbetween Head brookand Hatton Gardenswhere HerefordshireCouncil said a60mph limitwould remain in force.

HerefordshireCouncil said a 40mphlimit is notsuitablefor that stretchofroad.Itsaidthatlimit is unlikelytogarnersupport from thepoliceand theroadsideenviron ment does notmeetDepartmentof Transportguidance.

It said fundinghas been provided forthe sectionofroad, so anyadditional requests wouldneedtobe made underanew separate Transport Review Order to thecouncil.

County Councillor TerryJames said therealso needstobeaproper pedestriancrossing forthe Offa’s Dyke Path whichcrossesthe road He said thetowncouncil asked for40mph to startwithand other places such as ThreeCocks have a 40mphzone. KingtonMayor Coun cillor DavidRedmaynesaidagap in thespeedlimitwould confuse people andthe town council should commentagain.Chamber of trade chairman Emma Hancocks suggested thecouncil should askthe police and fire servicetosupport thebid.The councilagreed to state againitwanted a40mph limitalong the entire length of theroadand will approach thepoliceand fire servicefor support.

Doctor struck offafter being convictedoverchildimages

Adoctorwho worked at RoyalShrewsburyHos pitalhas beenstruckoff afterbeing convictedof possessing more than 1,500indecent images of children.

Dr MahmoudAbdelaziz,who workedatShrewsbury’shospital as adoctorin respiratorymedicine, hadbeenconvicted of theoffence at Shrewsbury CrownCourt last year

Ahearing of theMedical Practi tionersTribunalService hasnow decidedthatheshouldbestruckoff

Abdelaziz, whoqualified in 2015 from theUniversityofMansoura, Egypt, hadclaimed at Shrewsbury CrownCourt that he hadbeen gatheringthe images to help police trackdownthose responsiblefor abuse.

Thetribunalheard he hadbeen identified in 2018 by membersof theRoyal Canadian Mounted Po

DOMINIC ROBERTSON ChiefReporter

lice (RCMP) BritishColumbiaIntegrated ChildExploitation Unit as beinginpossession of, anddistrib uting, indecent images of children through agroup online platform

Thetribunalreportstates: “The jury rejected Dr Abdelaziz’s‘excuse’ that he hadaccumulated this large collection of images,not forhis own sexual interest in them,but simply forthe purposeofassistinglaw en forcementauthoritiestotrack down theirsource.”

Abdelazizwas convictedofsix chargeslastNovemberand was sentencedto18monthsin prison, suspended fortwo years, at ahearinginFebruary.

Thecharges included three counts of making indecent images of children,possessionofprohibited images,possessionofextreme pornographicimages,and distributing indecent images of children

As well as thesuspended sentencehewas made subjectofa10year sexual harm prevention or derand anotification period of 10 years, wasordered to carryout 200 hoursofunpaidwork, take part in aMAPPS forChangeprogramme, alongwitha40-dayrehabilitation requirement.

Thetribunalreportincludessen tencingremarks from Judge Pe terBarrieatShrewsburyCrown Court, whotoldAbdelaziz:“You were foundtohaveonyourcomputer devicesalarge number of inde cent images whichbroke thelaw

“There wasalarge number of indecent sexualisedimages of children in allthree categories of seriousness; prohibited images; extremepornographicimages not involvingchildren; andevidence of some distribution of images that you hadtaken from othersites on theinternet.

“I must take into accountthe number of images, theseriousness

of theimages andthe timescale overwhich they were downloaded

“Theyinclude asubstantial number, about1,500 images of children in category A, thehighestcategory of seriousness, andalso40extreme images of pornography.”

Thetribunalreportsaidthere couldbearisktopatientsfromthe offending.

It states:“Thetribunalnoted that Dr Abdelaziz’soffencestook placeinhis privatelifeand didnot involvedirectcontact with patients or thepublic.”

Abdelaziz’sregistration hasbeen immediatelysuspended pending anyappeal, before hisregistration is erased

Aspokesman forThe Shrewsbury andTelford Hospital NHSTrust said:“No concerns were raisedregardinghis duties during thetime Abdelazizworkedat thetrust and none of theoffencestookplaceat hisworkplace.Weassisted police fully.”

Radnor Hills’general managerDavePope receives theJudges’ SpecialAward from PeterWebber, representing CellPath, sponsor andBob Benyon, ajudge

Driver banned fordrugoffence

ALlanwrtyd Wellsman hasbeen banned from theroadfor beingover thedrug-drivelimit

Paul Phillips admitted driving with cannabis in hisblood when he appeared at LlandrindodWells MagistratesCourt on Wednesday last week.Prosecuting Mr Kevin Challinor said at 11pmonMarch 16 an officerstopped the52-year-old of Brynawelon

Ablood test showed 2.3micro gramsofcannabisper litre of blood, thelimit beingtwo micrograms

Mitigating, Mr Gareth Walters said at thetimePhillipswas taking cannabistohelpwithpainreliefafterhewas in acar accident in 2004 andusescrutchestowalk.

NowPhillips isprescribedcanna bisonaprivate prescription.

Magistrates finedhim £120 and banned himfromdriving for12 months

He wasordered to paya £34sur charge and£85 costs.

Policewarning onshed thefts

Kingtonresidents arebeing warned to be vigilant aftera number of thefts from sheds

Police said thereports have been primarilyabout batteries beingstolen.

In otherreported offences, therewas areportofbread and vegetables beingthrownata property at Garden Close at about10.30pm on September 30

Therewas no damage other than theresidenthad to clear up themess

BetweenSeptember 28 and October1,acastirongarden seat wastaken from aproperty alongHergestRoad. Police said it wouldhavetaken at leasttwo people to move theseat.

Police said they will also be carrying outsome speedchecks around theMountford Road area in thenearfuture.

Weedscontrol to be discussed

Representativesofanenvironmentalgroup aretobeinvited to Llan drindod WellsTownCouncil to suggest greenerwaysofkeeping weeds at bay.

Dr JoeBotting andJohnSenior of Trawsnewid LlandrindodTransition wrotetothe town andcounty councilaskingthemabout their practicesofmaintaining green spaces. They offeredtospeaktothe counciltodevelop ideas. Councillor JamieJones said thetowncouncil’s contractor wasqualified in thelaws relatedtothe useofpesticidesand herbicides,and outlined how they were used

Councillor SteveDeeks-D’Silva said perhapstheycould invite representatives from thetransition grouptosuggest alternative ways they couldkeepthe town tidy,withoutitaddingtothe cost forresidents or beingoverly labour intensive.

Membersagreedtoinviterepre sentatives of thegroup to ameeting.

Festival packed withactivitiesand entertainment

TheKnightonFestivalofBooks, Artand Musicreturns to Knight on CommunityCentre from Octo ber28toNovember6

Theweek-longprogramme in cludes poetry, storytelling,sci entificenquiry, artand several concerts.Anart exhibitionbythe Arborealists groupofartists called theTreeofLifewill be open duringthe festival in thecentre’s gallery space.The festival starts with an open micnight on October28, hosted by Stevie Yeomans.

On October29there will be an arts, crafts andabookmarket in themorning with musicinthe cafe, children’s Halloweenactivitiesand

aself-publishingworkshop. In the afternoon, award-winningWelsh poetsRhiannonHoosonand Hi lary Llewelyn Williamswill read from theirlatestcollections ScientificwriterMartin Redfern will showcasethe newly-released children’s book DK Planet Earth.

Consultant Dr Emma Shortwill talk abouther newguide to lead inga healthier, happierand calmer life

Knighton&DistrictConcert So cietywillpresent aconcert featur inglocal musicians in St Edward’s Hall on October30at4pm.Tick etsare £10onthe door.Flicksin theStickswill be showingBruce

Chatwin’s‘On theBlack Hill’ in KnightonCommunity Centre on November4.Ticketswill be £5 on thedoor.

Thereare lots more events, includingathought-provoking Death Cafe sessiononNovember 2, adiscussion of thelivesofPales tinian women on November4and on November5a full dayoftalks by writersSophieDuffy,Julie Brominicks, CarylLewis, theAstrono merRoyal Martin Rees andartist TimCraven.

ThefestivalendsonNovember 6withatalkonthe historyofthe Marcher Castlesand aconcert by theLlanfairSingers

Questionnairewanting to hear about‘hidden’housing needs

MEGANHOWE newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

ResidentsinSouth Shropshireare being askedtocompletea shortquestionnaire to helpdetermine local housingneeds.

People living in Craven Arms have been encouraged to take part in ShropshireCouncil’s Right Home,Right Placeproject

Thesurveyaimstoidentify hidden needs to ensure peoplehave access to therighthousing in their area. County Councillor DeanCar roll said:“If you live in Craven Arms you should have received our HousingNeedsSurvey.

“These surveysare invaluable, not just forhelping Shropshire Counciltounderstandthe different demographics andhousing needs in yourparish, butalsofor parish councils to getaclearer picture of whetheraffordablehousing is need ed in that parish –and by whom

“Without findingout aboutpeo ple’scurrent housingsituation, we have no wayofunderstanding whetherthere’s enough of theright properties in aparishfor those whoneedthem: whetherit’sa singleparentlivingwithfamily, an olderpersonlooking foraproperty with easier mobility,anindividual whocan’t getonthe property ladder, or ayoung family whoneeds somethinglarger.”The survey is at righthomerightplace.co.uk

Hotelisput on themarketfor £950,000

AShropshirehotel whichhas been family-run forthe last threedec ades is on themarket

TheRaven Hotel, in Much Wenlock,isonsalefor £950,000,after beingowned by thesamefamily forthe last 30 years. Originally from Canada,the previous ownersvisited thetowninthe 1980s andfellinlovewithit, deciding to make it asecondhome.

Theownersworkedhardtoen-

MP in parkingcharges inquiry

AShropshireMPhas called on thegovernmenttomakeiteasier forpeoplewithout bank cardsor mobilephonestopay forparking charges.

Daniel Kawczynski,MPfor Shrewsbury andAtcham, asked what stepswerebeing takento supportpeopleunabletouse cashless parkingmeters. Andrew Griffith, financialsecretary to the

Treasury,saidthe wayconsumersusedbanking serviceswas changing rapidly.“Nonetheless, theGovernmentrecognises cash continuestobeusedbymillions of people acrossthe UK,” he said “Inrecognition of this, theGov ernmenthas introduced legislation to protectaccess to cash as part of theFinancialServicesand MarketsBill.”

MEGANHOWE newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

sure thehotel wasa centre of the localcommunity –ameetingplace andaplacefor celebration. After theirrecentpassing,their family have decidedtooffer thebusiness andpropertytoanew owner.

Thehotel building isalandmark GradeIIlisted coaching

housewith15 en-suite bedrooms, boasting abar,arestaurant, an enclosed courtyardand alarge carpark. Thefreeholdincludesa farm shop –aretailunitnextdoor whichsells localproduce.Athird building,isaformerhouse,now office,withcommercialspace con sistingofsix rental units.

To make enquiriescontact mid lands@fleurets.com or call 0121 2365252.

Beavers to be reintroduced on land

Beaversare settobereintroduced onto acountry estate on theborder of Shropshire andStaffordshire in thespring.

Followingthe success of itswater vole reintroduction, Trentham Estate hassubmitted plansfor abea ver enclosure with thehopeofhousingup to four Eurasian beavers.

The725-acre estate,nearEc cleshall andMarket Drayton, has undergoneamassive regeneration

programmesince 2003,which in cludes stepstoincreasebiodiversity andre-introduce importantspecies In abid to help reintroduce thespecies,Trenthamisworkingalongsideecologist andauthor DerekGow

Theproject is beingsupported by theStaffordshire WildlifeTrust, TheBeaverTrust,The Environment Agency andThe Canal&Riv er Trust.

MartinRees will be taking part in thefestival

TheRavenHotel,inMuchWenlock,isonthe market

Unionlooking forcards designsfromyoungsters

TheFarmers’Union of Wales(FUW) is en couragingprimary school children to get theirfarming Christmas card designsin forachancetobefeaturedonthisyear’s FUWcards

Thewinner of each category will receive a£30 gift voucher forthemselves,apacket of theChristmas cardsdepicting theirdesign,one day’sfreeadmittance to the2022 RoyalWelsh Winter Fair to receivetheir prizes anda £50chequefor theirschool.

Theclosing date is October28.

Thepupil’s name,age,class number, school name andhome addressmustbe included on allentries,which shouldbe emailedtoytir@fuw.org.uk

Fire serviceranked high uprescuecontest ladder Catcharitypleafor funds afteraninflux of kittens

Arehomingcharity hasappealedfor dona tionsafter beinginundated with kittens beingbroughtintoits care

ShropshireCat Rescue haslauncheda Just Giving page to raise fundsfor the14 kittensithas takeninrecentdays.

Thecharity,which hasbeencaringfor cats andkittens formorethan21 years, hassaidithas been inundatedover thelast month. Thekittens rangefromtwo to six weeksold andneedvarying levelsofsup port –some need to be hand-reared, which is around-the-clock jobvolunteers have been doing.

To donate to theJustGivingpagevisit justgiving.com/campaign/InfluxofKittens.

Hereford &Worcester Fire andRescueSer vice provedone of thetop performing fire services at theUnitedKingdom Rescue Or ganisation’s Festival of Rescue in Birmingham.

Crewswerecompeting with morethan 400 firefighters representing40 fire and rescue services from across theUK, alongside aguest teamfromUkraine

Theservice fieldedteams in theroadtraf ficcollision,water andropecompetitionsas well as providinganexperiencedteamof assessors to help judge thechampionships

Hereford &Worcester Fire andRescue Service scored highly in theteamand indi vidual rankings.

Post 16 learnersfromYsgol Llanfyllin and CrickhowellHigh Schoollearning newpractical skillsatPowys Health andCareAcademy’s new Bronllys Campus,with tutorJuliaWilliams,aspartof theirhealthand social care studies

Health andcare campusisgiven official opening

KARENCOMPTON karen.compton@mnamedia.co.uk

PowysHealthand Care Academy’s firstcampushas beenofficially opened by Health MinisterEluned Morgan.

The£1.6million facility at Bronllys Community Hospital will improve access to health andsocial care traininginthe county

Thecampusincludesatrainingcentre,anoutdoor learning space, andanadaptive living space, which will be used to providesimulated learning in acom munity setting.

This is justthe startofplans fora state-of-the-art, county-wide academy, with “spoke sites” duetobe developedoverthe next five years.

Eluned Morgansaid: “I waspleased to seesomeof theinnovativeworkthatistakingplaceinPowys to improve theskillsofthe county’s health andsocial care workforce,thanks to oursupport through the integrated care fund

“I am lookingforward to seeing how thelearners Imet todayprogressincareers whichwill seethem lookingafterpeoplewithgreat dedication,intheir timesofneed,for many yearstocome.”

Theministersaw workthatisalready beingdone to help preparethe next generation of thecounty’s health andsocialcareworkforce –post16learners from Powyshigh schools –toplaya keyroleinthe sector.She also metsome of thearea’sunpaidcarers whoare benefiting from learningtechniquestoim prove theirmentalhealthand wellbeing.

Balibombing features in author’s latest book

AformerShropshireauthor hasseenher newbook, telling atruesurvivalstory,releasedtomarkthe 20thanniversary of theBalibombing.

MeganNorrisemigrated from thecountyto Australia, whereshe is awell-knownwriterand an advocate forwomen andchild victimsofviolent crime.

Herbook, Outofthe Ashes, tellswhatMegan says is “the tragic, butinspirational storyofa woman whosemother’slovehealedthe scarsofthe Bali Bombing”

Thebookincludeswords writtenbythe former Australian PrimeMinisterJohnHoward, whodescribesitasan inspirationaland humbling story.

Driver wasover thedruglimit

Aman caught drug-driving in Llandrindod Wellshas avoided having hissuspended sentence activated.

GabrielAugustusFrancis admitteddriving on March1 with canna bisin hisblood when he appeared at LlandrindodWells Magistrates CourtonWednesday last week

The26-year-old from Albright Road,Oldbury wasalsoinbreach of asuspended sentence orderimposedbyWalsall Magistrateson October24, 2021.The courtheard Francis’sblood sample showed 5.4 micrograms perlitre of blood of the drug,the legallimitbeing 2micro grams. Mitigating, Mr Gareth Walters said thesuspended sentence or derhas 12 weekstorun andFrancis hasbeendoing well.

Magistratesdid not activate the orderbut they finedhim £253 for thebreachand £253 fordrug-driv ingand he wasbannedfromthe road for12months. He hastopay a £34surcharge and£85 costs.

Variousevents arelinedup

An organisation is putting on even more events forthe community as aresultofthe great feedback it hasbeengetting from thepublic.

Ludlow Women’sCentre,in Castle Street,reliesmainlyon bookingthe hall foreventsto raise funds. Theintroduction of prizebingo wassowellsupport ed by localbusinesses andbingo goers,raising justover £600, theorganisers have decidedto hold anotherone on Friday next week

Committeemember Lisa Powell said:“This time we are donating theproceeds to Ludlow FirstResponders.There is also aChristmas prizebingo plannedfor December 18.”

AnotherMindBodySpirit sessionisalsointhe calendar This is on November27from 11am-4pm

Book fair is to make areturn

Afterthe success of last year’s event, theLudlowFineBookFairis returningthismonth, showcasing thebestintraditionalbookbinding, fine letterpressprintingand crafts Hosted at theClive Pavilion,Lud lowRacecourse on October29and 30,visitorscan bringinbooks in need of repair or shop fora gift at thestandsofregionalpublishers andantiquarian book dealers.

Therewill be more than 40 stands selling amongstother items, crafts, stationery, cards, artprints andmarbled papers.There will also be people on hand includinga representativeofMadeinLudlow offering advice andrepairservices forcherished butbatteredold titles whichneed some restoring.

Theevent is beinghosted by LudlowBookbinders in partnership with theOxfordGuildofPrinters.

LydiaUnwin,spokespersonfor theevent said:“It will showcasethe best in traditionalartisan crafts.”

Playing JosephineisAbigail Hollinghurst

Societymembers readyfor performance

Kingtonand District Operatic So cietywillbepresentingGilbert and Sullivan’sHMS Pinafore at Lady HawkinsCommunity LeisureCentre.

Performancetakes placenext week on Thursday to Saturday at 7.30pm.The storytakes place aboard theRoyal Navy ship HMS Pinafore

Aspokespersonfor thegroup said:“Thecaptain’s daughter,Josephine, is in love with alower-class sailor,Ralph Rackstraw, although herfatherintends hertomarry SirJosephPorter, theFirst Lord

KARENCOMPTON karen.compton@mnamedia.co.uk

of theAdmiralty.She abides by her father’swishesat first, butSir Jo seph’s advocacy of theequalityof humankindencourages Ralph and Josephinetooverturnconventional socialorder.Theydeclare theirlove foreachother andeventually plan to elope.

“The Captaindiscoversthisplan, but, as in many of theGilbert and Sullivanoperas, asurprise disclo sure changes things dramatically

near theend of thestory.” Lynne Owenshas produced theshow,Lor na Firthisthe managing director, Kath Ainsworth is theaccompanist.The sceneryhas been created by LindaEllamsand make-uphas been donebyJanet Francisand Alma Vaughan.

Ticketsare £9 foradultsand £5 forunder 18sand they areavailable from TomBoundsElectricalat 32 High Street,Kington or by calling 01544231303.

Formoreinformation visitwww kingtonoperatic.co.uk or facebook/ Kingtonoperatic

Groups urgedto apply forshare in £2.5mfundto cutfuelpoverty

Charitiesand communitygroups arebeing urged to applyfor part of a£2.5million fund to help their communitieswithfuelpovertythis winter

Thelatestround of grants from National Grid’s CommunityMat ters Fund is seeing the electricity companyoffer charities, commu nity groups andlocal authorities grants of up to £10,000

Theschemewill also give groups access to arange of free training andenergyefficiency advice materi alswhich they cantailor andshare with theirusers

Supportfor projects just as warm banks, energy efficiency guidance or innovationare amongthe projectsthe companyishoping to help AlisonSleightholm,regulation andcorporate director at National Grid,said: “Everyfamilydeserves to have awarmhome –and tackling fuel poverty is avital andpressing priorityfor us this winter

“Over thepasttwo years, we have worked with partners to deliver £20million of direct savingsfor over40,000 customers struggling to paytheir bills, andthe Community Matters Fund,providedentirely by thecompany’s shareholders, promises to offerfurther support to ourcommunities.Weare looking to support, andpartner with, community groups andorganisations to achievepositive change.”

Registered charities, community groups andlocal authoritiesare all eligible to apply, usingthe application form availableat nationalgrid co.uk/community-matters-fund

Theclosing date forsubmissions is October31.

Teenager stolebus from depot andthendrove it for150 miles

Ateenager, whodid not have adriving li cence, stole a30-seater busfromadepot in Mid Wales–and then drove it to Nottingham,150 milesaway, acourt has been told.

ZakByrdwas promisedasum of £1,000 to travel into Powysand stealthe bus.

He wasoffered themoneytotake thebus from adepot in Garth, near Builth Wells.

The19-year-old,who was18at thetimeand from Mapleton Avenue, Derby,stole thebus on June 14 last year

He drove thestolenvehicle the three-and-a-half-hourjourney to Nottingham in theearly hoursof themorning

He wasarrested laterthatsame daywhenhewas spotteddriving thebus at aNottinghamgarage.

KARENCOMPTON karen.compton@mnamedia.co.uk

Byrd admitted an offenceofaggravated vehicletakingwhenhe appearedatLlandrindod Wells MagistratesCourt on Wednesday last week

Prosecuting, Mr KevinChallinor said thepolicewerealerted to the theftwhenthe busowner Nigel Brownreported thevehicle missing from hisdepot in MidWales

Mr Challinor explainedtothe courtthatthe vehiclewas traced thanks to it having amarkeronit from localpoliceinMid Wales.

He told thecourt:“Itsmovements were traced

“Itwas reported that it hadenteredNottinghamaround3am

“NottinghamPoliceattempted to locate it

“Later thesameday an officer came acrossthe busonGrantham Road andstopped it at agarage.”

Mr Challinor added: “Ithad asto

lenmarkeronitfromDyfed-Powys Police

“The defendantwas on boardand wasthe sole occupant

“Hewas arrested andsaidhewas told to drivethe busthere andthat he wouldget some moneyfor doing it.”

Mr Challinor told thecourt:“He said he knew he should not have done it

“Hedoesnot have alicence and hismum told himnot to.”

Thebus wasvaluedbetween £3,000 and£4,000, themagistrates were told

Therewas damage to awingmir rorand bumper andsome scratches on thebus afteritwas stolen,the courtwas told

Mitigatingtothe courtonbehalf of Byrd,MrGarethWalters said: “Itisironicthatitisonlyhim be fore thecourt as thereweretwo other malesinconvoywiththe vehicle

“Buttheywereinterviewed and denied anypart in theoffending

andblameditall on thedefendant

“Hehas notseenorheard from them since, whichI wouldsay is a good thingfor Mr Byrd.”

ProbationofficerJoe Long told thecourt Byrd hadbeeneasilyinfluenced by hisfriends,who told himhe wouldreceive £1,000 for taking thebus

Worked

He said Byrd is unemployed and waslooking forwork.

He said Byrd previously worked forabus firm shunting buses around ayard.

Magistratessentenced Byrd to eightweeks in prisonfor theoffence.

They suspended thecustodial sentence for12months.

He must also complete25rehabilitation days and150 hoursofunpaid workand pay£250compensation forthe busdamage.

He wasdisqualified from driving forone year

Playing some of thecousins,sisters andaunts areMaggieMaynard, PennyCole,Jan Boydell, DilysHollinghurstand MidgeAult

SailorsJohnBeesley, Mark Beaton andDavid Francisare ready to take to thestage.PhotosbyAndyCompton

RetiredartistDiana donatesher work to communitycentre

Arttobesold with proceeds helpingsupportkey services

DAVIDTOOLEY david.tooley@mnamedia.co.uk

AShropshireartist hasdonated allher re mainingart worksto acommunity centre causeinChurchStretton.

DianaNuttall,who hasretired, gave theMayfair Community Centre,in Easthope Road,anincredibly generous donation last year

Nowthe works areset to go on displaynextmonth with everything up forsale.

Moneyraisedwillbegoing to supportMayfair andthe crucial communityservicesthatitpro vides.

Aspokespersonfor Mayfair said:“Much of Diana’sworkis inspired by ourlocal landscape around Church Stretton.

Bold

“Diana uses bold andvibrant colourswithina limited palette, combiningabstract andnatural formstoproduce highly individu al andbeautiful results.”

Thepiecesinclude many originalacrylic paintingsand pastels as well as prints andcushions.

Mayfairwill be displaying a galleryofall these artworks in itshealthand wellbeingcentre on November19from10am-4pm.

“Everythingwill be forsale, with anymoney raised goingto Mayfair,”saidthe spokesman.

“All arewelcome to take awan deraroundthe galleryfor free andenjoy viewingDiana’swork.

“Lightrefreshmentswill be availabletopurchase.

“Don’t miss this finalopportu nity to purchaseastunning, orig inalart workbyDiana whilst also

Play will tell story of theentireBible

An audience will be takenona journeythrough TheBible when an award-winningtheatre company visits achurch

Riding Lights, from York,are headingtoStIdloesChurch in Llanidloes on Wednesday

They will performa newly-commissionedplayexploringThe Bi blefrombeginningtoend.

Theperformance begins at 7.30pm,withahalfhourinter valwhere refreshments will be served

Ticketscost£7.50 foradults and£2.50 forunder-16s

supporting theworkthatMayfair does in ourcommunity

“Itisaperfect chance to stock up on trulyone-off Christmas gifts.”

Dianasaidthere areabout 40 paintingsleftfromexhibition work whichfeaturedlocal scenes.

Butthere is also “Lions in Venice, MammothsinShropshire”; Icelandexhibition“Seen andUnseen”and herTreescapeseriesof whichthere were originally 16

Formoreinformation on Di ana’sworkvisit diana4designs. wixsite.com/diana-nuttall

Venueset to open doorsfor Halloween

AGeorgiancountry housewill be openingits doorsfor Halloween funduringthe half-termholiday.

Walcot Hall will stageaspooky trail around itsvastarboretum on Wednesday

Theeventatthe venue in Lydbury Northwill includeenchant ingstorytelling,games,refresh mentsand pumpkincarving

Thecostis£3and under-2s free andthe eventisbetween 10am 4pm.

Ticketsmustbebooked. Visit walcothallevents.com forfurther details.

Entries open for storycompetition

Ashortstory competitionrun by aShropshirewriters groupis open forentries

WenlockOlympianSociety,in collaboration with Much Wenlock andDistrictU3A groupWriters on theEdge,isinvitingsubmissionstoits InternationalShort StoryCompetition

Thecompetition haspreviously attractedentries from allover theworld.Entries canbeonany theme.

Formoreinformation visitwen lock-olympian-society.org.uk/crea tive/

DianaNuttall’s AncientShropshire Landscape piece

Long Mynd Sheep is apiece of art by artist DianaNuttall

Sitesset to be shut by council

Twohighwaysdepotsare settobe closedbyacouncil,which says they wouldcostupto£3million to re pair

ShropshireCouncil’s depots at Bridgnorth andHodnethaveboth been closed sinceMay last year after concerns over thecondition of the sites. Thecouncil’sassistant directorfor infrastructure,Steve Smith, said thesites hadbeensubject to a health andsafetyinspectionwhich haddiscovered severe corrosion on thesaltbarnatBridgnorth, and largecracks in buildingsatHodnet.

Theclosure hadsparked astrong reaction from Bridgnorth residents, andCouncillor JuliaBuckley,with hundreds of people signinga petition againstthe move.

However,ShropshireCouncil’s cabinetisexpected to approve the closureofbothsites –sayingithas been convincedbyevidence that the move will notsee adeteriorationin service.

Routeneeds a further £27m

Another£27 million is being askedfor to cover thecosts of a controversial roadsproject

Theextra moneyisneeded to ensure Shropshire’s NorthWest Relief Road becomesareality Shrewsbury &AtchamMP

Daniel Kawczynskisaidhe wouldbemeetingthe Depart ment of Transporttoask foran extra £27.25 million

Theroad, whichwould completethe ring road around Shrewsbury,was expected to cost around £81m –with £54.4m coming from government,£28.5mfromShropshire Council,and £4.2mfromthe Marches LEP.

But, duetodelaysinprogress, costsare expected to have in creasedsignificantly.Ithas now been confirmed Shropshire Councilisaskingfor thegovern ment to provide£27.25m more

Warninggiven over road cost

Campaignersagainst proposalsfor amajor road in Shropshiresay its future looks“increasinglyrisky” as Shropshire Councilstruggles to balanceits books.

Theindependent LocalGovernment Association (LGA)has warned Shropshire Council’s finances are in a‘precarious’position facinga budgetshortfallof£30m for2023/4. It hasadvised it mayhavetotake ‘harddecisions’ to getits finances back on track andavoid interven tion from centralgovernment.

Campaignershaveurged the council to prioritise localservices over theNorth West Relief Road as thecostoflivingcrisisrumbles on Responding to theLGA’s find ings,EmmaBullard,aspokesper sonfor Better Shrewsbury Transport,said: “Thisreportshouldbe agiganticwake-up call forShrop shireCouncil andithas important implications forthe future of the NorthWestReliefRoad.”

Call made formoreclarity on airambulanceplan

AMid Walespoliticianhas probed furtherintothe publicationofdata that underpinsthe WalesAir Am bulance’sproposaltoclose itsbase in Welshpool.

MontgomeryshireSeneddMemberRussell George hasasked the WelshGovernmenttooutline any involvementithas in theproposals andtopublish thedataand model ling that underpinsthe plan News that theair ambulance charityisproposingtomoveits helicopter andrapid response vehi cles from Welshpoolairport to join thenorth Walesteamonthe new base outofMid Waleshas ledtoa stormofprotest

AfterMrGeorge’squestion to theWelsh Governmentthe Senedd’s business manager, Lesley GriffithsMS, respondedsayingthe data wasn’t suitable forpublication as it couldenableidentification of individuals.

“I thinkitalsocontainscom merciallysensitive information, and, clearly, that wouldbevery difficult to interpretwithout con text,” Ms Griffiths said

Speaking afterwards,MrGeorge said:“Ihad alreadychallenged the FirstMinisteronthe WelshGov ernment’sinvolvementwiththe proposals, given theinvolvement of theWelsh NHS. Ialso askedthe

FirstMinisterifhewould publish thedataand modelling that ledto theproposals beingbrought forward.”

Mr George added: “InAugust, theWales AirAmbulance Trust told me that they wanted to be open andtransparent andpublish thedataand modelling that underpins theproposals

“I’m uncertainwhy thedatain question wouldinvolve mention of individuals, andwhy,any commerciallysensitive informationis relevant to thedataand modelling thatweare allkeentoscrutinise.”

He added: “I nowawait clarifica tion from theFirst Minister.”

Question askedonschooling lost to lockdown andtraining

DOMINIC ROBERTSON newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

Concerns have been raised children have had toomuchtimeoff school duetocoronavirus and teachertrainingdays.

At aPowys County Council meet ing, questionsfrommembers of the publicreturnedfor the firsttime sincebeforethe Covid-19 pandemic

Questionsweresubmitted anda response wasprovidedfromthe relevant councillor on theauthority’s cabinet. Oneofthe questionswas from CatherineEvans whowants to seePowys children receivetheir full allotmentofschooling

Ms Evanssaid: “Schoolchildren have been disproportionately af fected by Covid-19 lockdownsand variable provisionbyschools

“Additionalprofessionaldevelop ment days to facilitate planning for thenew curriculum has furtherimpacted learners.Will PCCbeoffer inglearnerstheir full entitlement to 190schooldaysper year from nowon?”

Educationportfolio holder Coun cillor Pete Robertssaid: “Schools arerequired to be open to pupils for190 days in an academic year or 380sessions. SchoolsinWales oper ateaccording to theSchoolTeach ers’ Payand Conditions Document whichstates teacherscan be direct ed by theheadtoworkfor up to a maximumof1,265 hoursover 195 days.”

Time capsulemarks museums’ milestone

To celebrate50years of RAFmuseums, theCosford site in Shropshireisgivingitself agift– but will have to wait another half-cen tury to open it

Theattractioncelebrated the 50th birthday of RAFmuseumsby buryingatimecapsule on Friday last week

Theaccess andlearningteam at theaviationmuseum hasbeen puttingtogether thebox which

XFactor’sMattset forthe stage

Former XFactorwinnerMatt Cardle is headingtoShropshire to performinthe county town next month

Cardle, whowon the2010series,willvisit Shrewsbury’s Theatre SevernonNovember 1.

Theconcert will seehim cele bratethe anniversary of his2011 platinum-selling debutalbum ‘Letters’– ayearlatedue to the

pandemic.The anniversary show will seehim performthe albumin full forthe very firsttimewitha full live band

Therewill also be songsduring theperformance from histhree otherstudioalbumsThe Fire (2012),Porcelain (2013) andTime To Be Alive(2018).

To purchase tickets, visitthea tresevern.co.uk

MEGANJONES

Community News Reporter

houses an arrayofitems from the past,present andplans forthe fu ture

Thebox,itselfcreated by Mi chaelBeetham ConservationCen tre apprenticesSam Robertsand Jack Early, also contains gifts from schools

LettersfromCEO Maggie Ap pleton,and chairman of trustees, SirStephen Hiller, were penned to themuseumof2072and boxed alongsideplans forthe museum’s future.Volunteer,Roy Martin,donatedacollectionofmemorabilia spanninghis 50 yearsofmembership.Queen ElizabethIIisalso commemorated by thecapsule, with acopyofthe Express&Star’s memorial issue.

Councillor’sabsence leaveextended

AKnightontowncouncillor has been given an extra sixmonths leaveofabsence

Councillor Tina Sharpwrote to thetowncouncil recently asking for permission to have an extensionon herleave of absence

Shehas not been able to attend recent meetings andshe wanted to ensure shewould be covered if she needs to miss meetings in thenext six months. If acouncillor misses

meetings forsix monthsconsecu tively,theycease to be acouncillor unless they have askedfor aleave of absence

Town clerkNeilKingsaid: “Hopefullyitwill notbeanother sixmonthsuntil we seeCouncillor Sharpbut justincaseitis, shehas an extension to hercurrent leaveof absence whichendsinOctober

“Wedon’t want to lose Councillor Sharp.”

RussellGeorge

SamRobertsand Jack Early with the RAFMuseum’stime capsule,which will remain burieduntil theyear 2072

Metaltheftssurge is linked to budgetcrisis

West Mercia hasseena rise in metaltheftsin thelastyear, whichincludes thetheft of valu able carparts.

Accordingtonew figuresfrom theOffice forNationalStatistics, West Mercia Police recorded 587 metaltheft offences in 2021 to 2022 –upfrom521 theyearbefore.

Of thetotal number of thefts, 244wereinfrastructure-related, includingthe strippingofmetal from buildings, taking electricity

MEGANHOWE Community News Reporter

or railwaycables, or stealing car parts. Theother 343werenon-infrastructure related, whichcould involvestealing scrapmetal or war memorial plaques.

TheAAhas said that metaltheft increases when householdbudgets aresqueezedand have called on the Governmenttotrain more police of ficers to deterthieves from stealing partsinthe firstplace

Jack Cousens, head of roadspol

icyfor theAA, said:“When there is asqueeze on householdbudgets, sadly crimes such as metaland car part theftrise

“The twomainreasons arethe steady priceinscrap metalvalues andthieves selling partsonthe blackmarket.”

Mr Cousensadded: “While repu tablescrap merchants uphold and implementthe ruleswhenitcomes to sellingmetal,moreneedstobe done to tackle theyards willing to turn ablind eyewhenabig delivery comesin.”

Councilresponds to resident whoasked fortax refund

Acouncillor hasresponded to a residentwho wanted atax refund afterCovid ‘diminished’ acouncil’s services

Public questionsare back on the agenda at PowysCountyCouncil af teralongpandemic-induced hiatus

Thequestions were submitted beforehand andhavereceiveda writtenresponse from therelevant cabinetmember

PatrickEdwards asked: “Isthe councilgoing to refund counciltax to council taxpayersfor thegreat ly diminished services it provided during theCovid-19pandemic, es pecially as theGovernmentpaid 80 percentofmanycouncil workers’ wages throughthe furlough scheme?”

Councillor DavidThomassaid: “The councilfaced significant pres

sureand,althoughsome services ceasedorwerelimited foratime, most continuedtobedelivered, many hadtoadapt to differentways of workingin ordertokeepemployeesand serviceusers safe

“Where services didstop, staff were redeployed to undertakeother dutiessuchthingsaswelfare calls to ourvulnerable residents, and track andtrace support.”

LauraMeacock from ATasteofCheesecake. PhotobyAndy Compton

Detailsofmarkets areannounced

Thedates of Knighton Community Marketsrunning up until Christmas have been revealed

Thenextmarket will take place tomorrow(Saturday), with others plannedfor November12and No vember26and twofor Christmas shopping on December 10 andDecember 17

Themarketswill take place at Knighton CommunityCentre from 9.30am until12.30pm

KnightonCommunity Centre

KARENCOMPTON

karen.compton@mnamedia.co.uk

administratorCeriBrown said: “Wehavenew stalls includingA TasteofCheesecake, Pyrography Signsand Gifts, Hel’sKitchen whichsells occasion cakesand more, Sarah’sArt House and Crafts, Phoebe Boulangerwith ArtisanBreads,our vegetable stallplusthe regularfavourites.”

8August

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

Launch fares from £1,339

Ambassador fares from £1,734pp

Rouen,France

NorthCape, Norway

Themostpopular baby namesin theWestMidlandshavebeenrevealed

Forthe firsttimeineight years, Oliver is no longer themostpopular name forbabyboysinthe UK,beingreplaced by Noah

Neithernamewas topinthe West Midlands though.Instead, Muhammad–the most popularboys’ name in four regionsout of nine across England andWales –was top.

Here arethe mostpopular names acrossthe West Midlands last year, alongwiththe number of babies given thenames

TopWestMidlandsboys’ names in 2021:Muhammad- 667; Noah -447;Oliver -378;Arthur- 362; George -352;Mohammed- 333; Leo-320;Archie -318;Oscar -310; Charlie-290.Top West Midlands girls’ namesin2021: Olivia -356; Amelia -342;Isla-234;Freya -230; Ava-228;Ivy -215;Willow -203; Rosie-196;Lily-193;Grace -191

5,000 free zoo tickets offered

Atotal of 5,000freetickets will be handed outtopeoplewho mayhavepreviouslyfaced barrierstovisitingChester Zoo.

ChesterZoo hasre-launched itsCharity ConnectionsScheme whichwill seecommunity groups, charitiesand not-forprofitorganisations receivefree ticketstovisit thezoo

Theideabehindthe scheme is to connect people from allwalks of lifewiththe naturalworld,to inspirethe conservationistsof tomorrow.

Applications will closeon October31and ticketswill be allocatedtothose whoare eligibleona first-come first-served basis.

To find outmoreabout the CharityConnections Scheme or to applyfor ticketsvisit chesterzoo.org/corporate-information/ corporate-social-responsibility

Popularbaby names revealed Groupmembers enjoyquizfun

ThepresidentofTremontWomen’s Institutewelcomed19members of theSeptember meeting.

Severalmemberswenttothe theatre andbutterflyhouse in Au gust andalso thequiltexhibition in Garth, and five membershad enjoyedafternoontea in theRock Park’s Intergenerationalafternoon.

Afterthe business,membersenjoyed afternoontea provided by the committee andaquizcompetition

In thecompetition forapple tart, Vickyhad nine andahalfpoints andDiane hadnineand ahalf points andinthe competitionfor an upcycled bag, Vickyreceivednine anda half points andDiane also got nine andahalfpoints.

Meganwon theraffleand flower of themonth

Thenextmeetingwill take place on October27atLlanyre Village Hall

Formoreinformation contact Bobbyon01597 822192

Theatregroup is on trackfor performance

Acommunity theatre groupistak ingonwhatitcalls its“most excitingchallenge yet”

TheRegal CommunityTheatre groupisputting on afull-scale productionofthe classictaleofThe Railway Children

Forthisrenownedlocal group, whosemembershailfromTenbury, Ludlow andthe surroundingareas, this is the firstopportunitytoshow theirtalentinthe main auditorium of Tenbury’sbeautiful ArtDecoRegalTheatre

They areplanningonbringingto life thedelightful storyofThe Rail-

DAVIDTOOLEY david.tooley@mnamedia.co.uk

wayChildrenset in thegolden age of steam. Theplay, writtenbyMike Kennyand basedonthe book by E Nesbit andthe memorable movie starring JennyAgutter andBer nard Cribbins, was firstperformed at TheNationalRailway Museum in York in 2008 before transferring to London’s Waterloo Station.

Director PeterHayter, from Ludlow, said:“The firstproductionof theplayuseda60-tonneSterling

single steamengine. Ourbudget doesn’tstretch quitethatfar butwe do have an equallypowerfulprop in theimagination of thecastand theaudience. This stageversion of TheRailway Children is atruly up lifting piece full of emotion, laughs andtears,withaction, heroismand aspotofhighfarce thrown in for good measure.”

TheRailway Children at TheRegalTheatre,Tenbury Wells, will runfromThursdaynextweekto October29.

Ticketsare availablefromthe Re galbox office on 01584811442.

Parentsurged to book children in foressential MMRvaccination

Parentsand carers in Shropshire arebeing remindedtobooktheir childinfor an essentialMMR vaccination

TheNHS is contacting parents andcarersofchildren, aged be tweenone andsix,who have not yet hadone or both dosesofthe mea sles,mumps andrubella (MMR) vaccine, encouraging them to make an appointmentwiththeir GP

Hundreds of thousandsoftexts, emails andletters arebeing sent from this week,toremindparents andcarersofthe importance of routine vaccinations.

It comesafter it wasrevealedone in 10 children arenot currentlyup to date with theirMMR vaccinations.

Measles, mumpsand rubellaare highly infectious illnesses that can spread betweenunvaccinated people.

Complicationsfromthese diseas es canbepotentially life-changing.

RozLindridge,the NHSdirector responsiblefor theMMR vaccina tion programmeinthe Midlands, said:“It is vitalthatparents make sure theirchildren areprotected againstMMR andare up to date with their fluvaccination if eligible as we head into thewinter months

“Measles,mumps andrubella easily spread between unvaccinated people andcan be veryserious

“The MMRvaccine is one of the most studiedvaccinesin theworld, with millionsofdoses given every year –itissafefor yourchild,and will protectthem, theirfriends and thewider communityfromthese unpleasant butpreventable diseas es.”

Number platecameras trial at schoolsare being planned

Number platerecogni tion camerasare setto be used in aproposed pilotschemetopedestrianise roadsoutside Shropshireschools duringthe school run.

ShropshireCouncil’s cabinetwas expected to approve the‘School Streets’ plan at itsmeetingon Wednesdaythisweek.

Atotal of six, as yetunnamed primaryschools, areexpected to be part of the18-monthpilot programme

Thoseschools wouldsee theroads outsideclosedoff to trafficfor 45 minutes to an hour at drop-off and pick-up time

Thoseparents flouting therules could find themselves receivinga fine

Therewould be some exceptions to whocould usethe roads.

Underthe plans, blue badge hold

DOMINIC ROBERTSON ChiefReporter

ers, school busesand taxiswould be given awaiver.

Therewill also be temporaryexemptions wherepupilshaveinjuries whichaffecttheir mobility Councilbosses hope themove wouldbea significant step in the bidtomakestreets outsideschools safer, andtoencourage morepar ents andpupilstowalkorcycle to school

ColehamPrimary School in Shrewsbury hasbeenoperating a ‘School Streets’ scheme sincethe pandemic,althoughthe system re lies on physicalsigns, rather than cameras.

ShropshireCouncil hassaidusingcameras to enforcethe policy will mean it canpotentially be in troducedtomoreschools

If thecabinet approvesthe plan then consultationswiththe schools involved,and thesurrounding resi

dents, will be carriedout

Thetrial wouldlastfor 18 months, with areviewofits success then taking place, with thepoten tial to expand it further.

In totalmorethan50schools couldbenefitfromthe ‘School Streets’initiative,accordingtothe council.

Councillor KirstieHurst-Knight, ShropshireCouncil’s cabinetmemberresponsible forchildrenand ed ucation, said:“School Streets have been rolled outacrossthe UK for several years.

“Wealready have oneat Coleham PrimaryinShrewsbury–implemented usingCovid powers –and I look forwardtoaddingmoretothe list,using thisnew legislation.

“By usingcameras,alargernum berofschools will be eligible forthe scheme.”

IanNellins, Shropshire Coun cil’s cabinetmember responsiblefor active travel, said:“School Streets have proven to be successfulin

increasing active travel levels to school as well as creating saferenvironments outsidethe school gates.

“Where trafficisrestricted on roadsoutside schoolsatpick-up and drop-off timesduringterm-times, school streetsmakeitsafer andeas ierfor children to walk,scoot and cycletoschool.

“Thisreduces children’s expo sure to airpollution on part of theirjourney to school andfrom cars with idling enginesoutside the school gates.”

Funding

Thecouncil said that thescheme wouldbe100 percentfundedby Department forTransport grant funding.

It is estimatedtocostapproximately£31,000 forschools with onecameraand £62,000 forschools with twocameras.

Theauthority addedany money made from fineswould be reinvest ed back into thescheme.

Membersofthe cast in rehearsal for TheRailway Children

Agreementmadeonremovingdepot from green

Acouncillor haswelcomedan agreementtoremove ahousing company’stemporary depotfroma newlydesignatedtowngreen

Thestorage andoperationsdepotin Sydney Road Greeninthe heartofLudlowwas placed there to supportworkonrefurbishing more than 70 homesinSandpits Avenue.While localcouncillors supportthe refurbishment, they saythe area chosen hasnot consideredthe impact on trafficalong narrow roads.

NowcouncillorsinLudlowsay Connexus hastoldthemitwill dismantlethe compound andrein

statethe ground.Councillorsare nowlooking foranew site so not to delaythe refurbishmentwork.

Ludlow councillor Tracey Huffer said:“We areverypleased Connex us hasdecidedtoleave thetown green. Thegreen will be fullyreinstated “WewishtoworkwithConnexus to find anothersitefor thestor ageand welfareunits.Inasmall town likethis, that’s goingtobe challenging. Butitisessential that thehousesonSandpitsAvenue are refurbishedas soonas possible

“We’dliketothank Connexus for agreeing to move from thegreen

We look forwardtoworking with them on future projects.Wehope nowthatthe town greencan be transferredtoLudlowTownCouncilassoonas possible.The town council canthendevelop plans.”

“It’sreallyexcitingtoknowthat this much lovedand well used greenspace in nowprotected forever.” Thelandwas declared a town greenbyShropshireCouncil’ssouthernplanningcommitteeonSeptember 27.Councillors made thepoint acompoundand thedigging of atrenchtolay an electricitycable clearlyinterrupts exercise andrecreation.

Teenager givenacommunity orderbycourt foroffences

KARENCOMPTON karen.compton@mnamedia.co.uk

AKnightonteenager, whoadmittedseveral of fences including assaultinghis stepfather, has beenplacedona community order.

KennethJones admitted assaultingEdwardJones,destroying a door belongingtoKatie Jones,and threateningtosmash up hissister Georgina Jones’s houseonJuly 19, during apreviousappearance at LlandrindodWells Magistrates Court.

The19-year-old of RussellStreet also admitted damagingaVolvo ve hiclebelonging to KatieJones and sendingathreateningmessage to BrianJones, bothonJune20.

Mitigating, Mr Owain Jones said KennethJones hadadifficult up bringing,leaving home at 15,and hadasense of rejection, low maturi ty andthe mattersconcerned mon ey andhefeels asense of injustice. He said Jones acted impulsively, wassorry forhis actionsand realis es he reacted in thewrong way.

Magistratesgavehim a12-month communityorder with 20 rehabilitationrequirementsessionsand 200hours of unpaid work. He will have to pay£289compensationto KatieJones forthe carand £50to Edward Jones forthe assault.

He wasalso ordered to paya£114 surcharge and£85 costs.

Fundraisers enjoyedcoffeeand acatch-up

AMid Walesinn held anothersuc cessfulMacmillan coffee morning, raisingnearly£2,000.

TheBellCountry Inn at Llanyre hosted theevent.Morethan100 people attended forcoffee, cake and acatch-up. Theinn hassupported theeventinthe past twoyears too, butinaclick andcollect format so people missed outonthe catchup element.

This year the final figure raised

Demand taking offfor airbusiness

Arecordbounce-back in demand fortravelover thesummer is help ingeasyJetsharply narrow annu al losses afteritsaw salesdouble in itspeakseason.

Theairline,which operates from Birmingham Airport, said it expectstodeliverunderlying pre-taxprofits of between£470 million and£490million over its

finalquarter to September 30.It said passengernumbers soared to 24 millionand revenuesleapt to around £2.5 billion from £1 billion ayearago

It signalledresilientdemand with its flightprogramme from Birmingham during Octoberand Christmas weeksbacktolevels seen before the pandemic

at theevent was£1,900 forMac millanCancerSupport

It wasachievedbypeoplegiving donationsinreturnfor coffee and homemade cake

Thecakes were given by theBell CountryInn andSue’s Cakesand BakesofLlandrindod Wells.

Also,prior to theevent, Sylvia andRay of Penybont sold pickles andchutneywhich raisedover £340 towardsthe grandtotal

Publican Tracey Owen said: “We’dliketothank everyonefor theirgenerousdonations towards this cause.Everybody is conscious of spending their moneywisely at themoment so in thecurrent fi nancialsituation this is atruly im pressive amount.”

MP appealsfor backing forbus law

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

TheNorth ShropshireMPaddressedParliament, calling on the TransportSecretarytopassher BusServicesBill,which wastabled on July 20

Thebill wouldmakesurepeople who live in townswithapopulation

of 10,000 or morecan access health care,key services andconnections everyday of theweek.

Just onebus routeoperatesin Shropshire on Sundays,while Market Draytonand Whitchurch are amongthe worst townsoftheir size in thecountry forbus services

Speaking in theHouse of Commons, theMPhighlightedthatinvestmentinpublictransport leads to growth

Invitationis offeredtohear author talk about her firstbook

LLANWRTYDWELLS

Book –Local author KathyBiggsis launching her newnovelThe Luck.There will be achancetohearKathy talk about her debut book andbuy asignedcopy in theVictoriaHalltonight(Friday)from 6pmuntil 8pm

Club –The Thursday Club returned this week at 2pminthe Drovers Rest.Awarm welcomeisextendedtomembersold and new. Peopleare invitedtocome along for achatand to learnaboutthe coming series of events

Run –The RonSkilton MemorialHalf Marathon will take place on Sunday, starting in thetownsquareat11am. Following thesad death of Green Event’s treasurer andgood friend,Ron Skilton, to MotorNeurone Disease in December 2005,thishalfmarathon wasadded to theGreen Eventscalendar.Inhis younger yearsRon wasa keen runner andcyclist so organisers felta halfmarathonwould be a fitting tribute and away to remember himand celebratehis life. Theroute for thehalfmarathonisa figure of eight, mainlyoff-road andapproximately13 mileslong.The sceneryismagnificent andthe course challengingasthe area is mountainous. Thecompetition isopento individual runners andtwo personrelay teamswithanentry feeof£15 per person if enteredinadvance,or£17 forentry on theday,and theevent is used to raise fundsfor theMotor Neurone Disease Association

Complaintmade over grasswork

Atowncouncil hascomplainedtoa county councilabout thequality of itsgrass cutting

LlandrindodWells Town Council haswritten to PowysCountyCounciland sent photographs of the workand said it wasparticularly concernedabout themajor routes intothe town andkey access points

Councillor JamieJones raised theissue afterwitnessingthe grasscutting team working on the TremontParkEstateand alongthe DdoleRoad.

He said they arecutting themin imum area of grassand struggling to do adecentjob.Hesaidthere was one operative usingablowerand he wasblowinggrass everywhere,not offthe roadsorthe pathways

He said loose grasscuttingson theroadcan be lethal to motorcyclists on bendsand onecar wascov ered in grasscuttingsinhot weath er,sothe cuttingswould bond with thecar’s paintwork.

Councillor Jones said he also wanted to raise theissue of thelack of attentiontoweed controlbythe county council in thewhole town

Councillor Sian Meredudd said thephotographs were absolutely dreadful andshe hadnever seen that standard before.She said grassnearher wascut recently and everywhere wasleftspickand span andtidiedupimmediately afterwards.

Membersagreed to send aletter andcopies of thephotographs to the county council andask it to tidy up around thetrunk andaccess roads particularly.

Councillor Tracey Huffer at the town green

Guests enjoying acoffeeatThe BellCountryInn’s Macmillan coffee morning event

KARENCOMPTON karen.compton@mnamedia.co.uk

Invaders who threaten native florawillbe themeoftalk

THESTRETTONS

Gardening –The local gardeningclub meeting on Tuesday will hear guest speakerJohnScrace speaking about ‘The Invaderswho threaten ournative flora’.Ina change from theusual evening meetingsthis meeting will be held at 2pm in theSilvester Horne Institute

Celebration –ACelebration of Simonand Garfunkelwilltakeplace at theSilvester Horne Institute this evening (Friday) at 7.30pm. Adulttickets are£12 andfor 18 andunderitis£6, andtheyare on sale at thetowncouncil offices, TheOutdoor Depot or online at silvesterhorneevents. co.uk. Some maybeavailable at thedoor Orienteering –The town councilis welcomingWrekinOrienteerstoChurch Stretton to host threeorienteering courses tomorrow (Saturday).Therewill be short, medium andlong courseswith the firststartingat10am. Allare invitedto enter, thefee is £4 forseniorsand £2 for juniors. Pre-entry paymentispreferredif possible directtoWrekinOrienteers’ bank account. Afterthe events theclubwill hold itsannual general meeting at 1pmat theKingsArms.

Films –Mayfairwillbescreening aPG rated film tomorrow(Saturday) at 7pmto test outnew cinema equipment. Tickets canbereserved at Mayfair, andduring theeveningtherewillbeaselection of drinks andcinema refreshments available. Mayfairisalso looking for volunteerswho wouldbepreparedto assist ateventsand anyone interested should contact Mayfairbyringing 01694 722077 or emailing eve.simmondsjones@mayfaircentre.org.uk

Sculptures –Thereare 10 dragon sculptures and10picturesto find around thetownduring thehalf-term holiday from tomorrow (Saturday) to October 30 Amap is availableto help find them.The eventisfreeand entryforms areavailable by emailing shropshiredragonsopg@aol com. Send thecompletedentry forms backbyNovember 1to be in with a chance to winaprize

Pumpkins –Claybrook FarmatWall

Under Heywood will beopenall week during thehalf-term holiday to pick up a pumpkin,carve it on site and enjoysome field games. Hotdrinksand tastytreats will beavailable

Cards –The charityChristmas card sale at theURC Hall from 10am tonoon will take place tomorrow (Saturday)

Repair –The repair cafe will be open tomorrow (Saturday) from 10am to noon forappointments from 10am andwalkinsfrom11amatthe Scoutgroup HQ Library –During theschoolhalf-term holidaythe librarywillhostvarious activities.StLawrencePrimary School pupilsfromYears 1and 2will be displaying “Our Church Strettonmaps” from Monday

Walk –The local rotary club is organising awalkamilerelay eventaroundthe town.Itisbeing held to raise awareness of theincreased threat of thepoliovirus by highlighting WorldPolio Day on Monday.Those taking part should raise sponsorship,and allfunds raised will go to supportthe fight againstthe virus.

Forum –AUNA Middle East Forum10year review will take place viaZoomon Monday with furtherinformation available by contacting barrieoxtoby@gmail.com

Quiz –Mayfairwillbehosting abuffet andquizevening on October 29

Farmingmyths busted during school event

Welshfood andfarming took centre stagewhenNFU Cymrustaff and membersdelivered farminglessons to pupils at GwernyfedHighSchool.

Theevent, whichwas organised as part of theschool’s‘shwmae day’, sawNFU Cymruorganise aseries of lessonsand workshops that aimedtodispelmyths aboutfarmingand highlightthe good work farmersare doingtohelpcombat climatechange.

As well as theclasses putonby NFUCymru staffand members, the unionalso helped to organise lessons on interviewtechniqueswith

KARENCOMPTON karen.compton@mnamedia.co.uk

HannahThomas,ITV Walesrural affairscorrespondent, apoliticsses sion with Breconand Radnorshire MS JamesEvans, acareers discus sion with afarmerand Sunderlands auctioneer MatthewNicholls, along with amentalhealthdiscussion with theDPJ Foundation

NFUCymru Brecon &Radnor countychair Sharon Hammond said:“I’mpleased that we could organise such an importantevent

with GwernyfedHighSchool. Whileit’sa largelyrural school,we were able to create lessonsaround myth-busting andsustainability to educateand equippupilswiththe factsaroundWelsh farmingand whyit’ssoimportant to Wales.

“Ineach30-minute session, pu pils were askedtodiscusswhat sustainability meanttothemand shownwhatpractices farmerswere putting in placetoachieve netzero by 2040.Inorder to dispel the myths, pupils were askedtocreate an Instagramreelexplainingwhy a certainmythwas in fact false.”

Members of rotary club are continuing with polio campaign

KnightonRotaryClubwillbesup portingWorld PolioDay on Monday

Theclubhas supportedthe polio eradicationprogramme forthe last 30 yearsand will continue to do so, membersofthe grouphavesaid.

Memberswill be at Knighton CommunityMarket tomorrow (Sat urday) telling people about thedis ease andvisitorscan find outhow they canhelp.

KnightonRotaryInternational chairPaulBarrett said:“WorldPolioDay is on October24tocreate awarenessofthe fact that poliocan be eradicated

“Rotary, theGates Foundation andother organisationshavebeen working towardstotal eradication of polioworldwideand with only 19 cases recordedinPakistanthis year andone in Afghanistanwe have nearly achieved this goal

“Afghanistan andPakistanface unique challenges,including polit ical insecurity,highlymobilepop ulations, difficult terrain, and, in some instances, vaccinerefusal and misinformation

“Withsufficientresources, the commitmentofnationalgovern ments, andinnovations that im prove access to remote areas, rotary andits partners areoptimistic that we caneliminate polio.”

KnightonRotarypresidentKim Smithsaid: “The Knighton and District Rotary Club have supported thepolio eradicationprogramme forthe last 30 yearsand will contin ue to do so untilwehaveapolio-free world

“Cometothe KnightonCommu nity Market on October22and see how youcan help too.”

More than 60,000 have had newjab to avoid‘twindemic’

Shropshiremedicssay they aredelighted to have givenout more than 60,000 vaccines in the firstthree weeksof theNHS Covidbooster campaign.

Buttheyare eagertokeepgoing andalready have thousandsofpeo plebookedinfor theweeks ahead before thewinter fluseasonand the risk of gettingCovid coincide

SteveEllis, programmeand service director forShropshire, Telford &Wrekin’sVaccinationSer vice,said: “Withexperts warningof adoublepandemic of Covid-19 and fluthiswinter, we aredelightedto seesomanypeoplecomingforward fortheir jabs to getprotectedin Shropshire, Telfordand Wrekin

“Wewanttoensurethateveryonegetsthe protection they need as quicklyand conveniently as possible. It is vitalthatassoonasyou are

DAVIDTOOLEY david.tooley@mnamedia.co.uk

eligible foraCovid-19or fluvaccine youget protected aheadofwinter especially as we arealready seeing arise in Covid-19 cases in thecom munity andour hospitals.”

TheMidlandsisthe firstregion in Englandtohit theone million jabs milestoneand hasachieved 1,025,360ofthe country’stotal vaccinationsof5,144,324.Sofar,over 411,000 appointments in theWest Midlands have been booked since September 12

Many more peopleare getting theirvaccinationsat walk-inclinics.

People aged 65 andover, theseverely immuno-suppressedand frontlinehealthand care workers arebeing urged to getvaccinated withoutdelay aheadofapotential ‘twindemic’ of Covid-19 and fluthis winter

CasesofCovid arerisinginthe

community, with latest figures showingthatthere aremorethan 1,400patientswithCovid-19inthe region’s hospitalswith4,258 cases in theWestMidlands–153 in Telford andWrekin, and243 in Shropshire–havingbeenreported in the seven days up to September 29

Thereare more over30sites in Shropshire, Telfordand Wrekin that arenow offering Covidboosters– mainly communitypharmacies andGPpremises, as well as a fewbiggercentres.

TheNHS is also rolling outthis year’s fluvaccine, with eligible peo pleabletoget their fluand Covid jabat thesametimeatsome GP practicesand communitypharmacists.

RozLindridge,the NHSEngland director responsiblefor overseeing the vaccination programmeacross theMidlands, said:“It hasbeen brillianttosee so many coming forwardfor theirall-important au tumn booster.

“The NHSisleaving no stone unturned in itsmission to stop thepotential ‘twindemic’ this winter, with over onemillion autumn boosterjabsalready delivered and our flucampaignwellunderwayto combat lowerthanusuallevelsof immunity to fludue to quieter flu seasonsoverthe pandemic

“The vaccineisstill ourbest protection againstthisdifficult virusand with thenumberofpatients in hospital with Covid-19 on therise once again, Iurgeanyone eligible forthe autumn boosterto book theirlatestdosewithout delay throughthe national bookingsys temorbycalling 119.”

TheNHS Covid vaccineservice is also nowofferingappointmentsto carers andpregnantwomen,with bookings able to be madeonline or over thephone. Twovaccineshave been approvedthatcan be used as boosters this autumn andwinter onefromModerna andthe second from Pfizer.

NFUCymru deputy presidentAbi Reader speaks to GwernyfedHighSchoolpupils.

PhotobyAndrew Fradgley

Victimsbeing urgedtoreportoffences to police

Victimsand witnesses of hate crimeinShropshireare being urged to report incidentstothe police to help eradicateintolerant behaviourfromsociety

TheremindercameduringHate CrimeAwareness Week to raise awarenessofwhathatecrime is acrime againstsomeone because of theirdisability,genderidentity, race,sexualorientation,religion or anyother perceived difference

they are, or whooffenders think they are, is also acrime.The same goes forsomeone postingabusive or offensivemessages online

“Put simply,a hate crimeis when someone commitsa crime againstyou because they think thereissomethingdifferent about you,” said SuperintendentPettit.

tion to be passed on to us, subject to permission beinggranted by the person reporting.”

Ahatecrime is acrime against someone becauseoftheir disability,genderidentity, race, sexual orientation,religionorany otherperceived difference

SuperintendentDamianPettit said it didn’t always includephys ical violence.Someone using offen sive language towardssomeoneor harassingavictimbecause of who

“Weknow that some people af fected by hate crimemay notfeel comfortablereporting an incident directly to police.Insuchcases in cidentscan be reported viaTrue Vision,an organisation that acts as athird-party reportingcentre andallowsfor relevant informa

West Mercia Police andCrime Commissioner JohnCampion add ed:“Tackling hate crimeneedsa community-wide approach,and I am proudtoinvestinawareness, supportand educationwhich ulti mately help to buildconfidencein victimsand help bringperpetra tors to justice.”Ifyou have been af fected by hate crimethensupport is availablefromthe West Mercia Victim AdviceLine. Call 0800 9523000,oremail info@victimad viceline.org.uk

Reportsofhatecrime have risensignificantly in region

DAVIDBANNER newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

Reported hate crimes in theWestMerciaregion increasedsignificantly in theyeartoMarch.

Hate crimesare definedasthose motivatedby aprejudice or hostility towardsapersonal characteristic –suchasrace, religion,sexualori entation or gender.Numbers across England andWales have risenevery year sincerecords beganin2012, in part duetoimprovements in how police record hate crime.

ThelatestHome Office figures show 2,272 hate crimes were re corded by West Mercia Police in theyeartoMarch –a44per cent increase from 1,573the year before In Dyfed-Powys 824ofthe offenc es were recorded –20per cent up from 685 theyearbefore. As across therestofEngland andWales,the highestproportionofthese crimes were raciallymotivated

Anddespite accounting forthe smallest number of crimes across allcategories, offences motivated by transgender identity sawthe largestincreaseacrossthe twona tions.

Therewere4,355 such offences in 2021-22–ofwhich 91 were recorded in West Mercia –a56per cent in crease on 2,799the year before

TheHome Office said transgen derissueshavebeen“heavilydis cussed on socialmedia”over the last year,which mayhavecontrib uted to therise.

Harvestlunch boosts cancer group’sfunds

Hundreds of pounds were raised forresearchintocancerwhenlo calfundraisers gottogetherinMid Wales.

Thefundraiserwas organised by membersofCancerResearch’s Builth WellsCommittee

Membersofthe committee raisedthe vitalmoneybyholding aharvest lunchinaid of thecancer charity.

Thefundraising eventwas held

NHSplanning newbedsproject

NHSEnglandislooking at new planstospeedupthe dischargeof peoplestuck in hospital beds who aremedically fittoleave Hospitalsare underincreasing pressure duetodelayeddischarg

es –where people cannot leave beds duetoalackoffacilities or supportfor them in thecommu nity

This hasa huge knock-on ef fect,leading to alackofhospital beds,longerwaits in A&Eand delays forambulanceswaiting to handoverpatients.

TheNHS is lookingatplans for auniversal“communityrecovery service” with a24-hour target to providestep-downcareoncea pa tientisready to leavehospital.

KARENCOMPTON karen.compton@mnamedia.co.uk

at theAlphaChapelroomonOcto ber7

Those whoattendedenjoyeda feastofgreat food at theharvest lunch.

Amongthe food to be enjoyed washomemade leek andpotato soup.And Welshcakes andbara

brithwerealsoservedatthe fund raisingevent.

Organisers said more than 40 people attended to show theirsup port forthe organisation

Aspokespersonfor theevent said:“TheBuilthWells Co-opkind ly supportedthe eventand thanks go to them,and allwho went along fora tasteofhome cooking. Over £500 wasraisedfor Cancer Re search as aresultofthe event.”

Unwanted tree scheme is taking root

Aschemehas been launched to en couragegardenerstorecycle un wanted trees growingontheir plots. Shropshire Council, working in partnershipwithShrewsburyTown Council, isaskingfor unwanted seedlingsthatwould otherwise be destroyedtobedonated to Shrews bury’s WeepingCrossnursery

Once there, they will be repur posedand plantedin appropriate sitesaroundthe county

Thetrees donatedthrough the scheme will be tagged andmon itored forpestsand diseases by nursery staff, andlogged to ada tabase,toenablepeopletodiscover wheretheyhavebeenplanted

Theproject,which runs forthree years, is aimedatdeveloping in novative andsustainable ways to increase treecovertoaddress both theclimate andecologicalemergen cies

Volunteersare needed to assist in therunning of youthclub

THESTRETTONS

Club –Volunteersare needed toassist at anew youthclubinthe Strettons for school years6 and7and thoseaged 10-12years old.The club will be held on Tuesday eveningsbeforethe youth drop-insessionsfor Years8,9,10and 11.Ring 01694722077to enquire.

Birds –The Church Strettonbranchof TheShropshireOrnithological Society will bemeeting at theMethodist Church Hall at 7.30pm on Monday.Therewill be atalkbyJeffClarkeonthe subject of ‘Birds –why do they fly?’Therewill be refreshments andnon-membersare welcome,admission £2 Issues –Jenny-Anne Bishop OBEwill be thespeakeratEngagingIssues on Tuesdayat7.30pminthe URCChurch andwillbecontinuingthe discussion on gender issuesstarted in January.

Plants –The newgarden projectis looking for people with spareplants availableduring theautumnsothatthey canbeusedinthe spring to raisefunds for theproject, so anyperennialssupplied with labels wouldbewelcome

Pets –Animaland petbereavement will be discussedatacompassionate cafe at MayfaironThursdaynextweek from 10.30amto12.30pm. The£7 entryincludes teaorcoffee, cake and conversation,and everyone is invited to take along an imageoftheirpet to show to others.Booking is essential by emailing infocedareducation.org.uk/ events

Volunteers –OnWednesday, therewill be avolunteer daytohelptransform theempty space at theside of Russell’s Meadow, planting shrubs andherbaceous plants from 10am.Tobeinvolvedcontact strettoncalmcorner@gmail.com

Meeting –OnTuesday,therewillbethe annual general meeting of StrettonFocus at 10.30amwhichhas beenpostponed from an earlier date.OnWednesday, the Tree Groupwill hold itsannualgeneral meeting andtalkat7pm in theMethodist Church Hall.Guest speakerDougald Purce, treeofficerwithShropshire Council, will talk about‘Trees, Carbon andClimate Change’. Non-membersare welcome,admission is £3.There will be a displayofphotographsbyTerry Moore

Archaeology –Workisongoing at the Caer CaradocIronAge Hill Fort with repairstothe ramparts which have eroded overtime.The projectwill protect thearchaeologyfromfurther damageand improve accessibility with steps. Thanks to donationsbylocal people andvisitors andsuccessfulbidstoHFHolidays andFarming in ProtectedLandscapes Programme, theworkhas beenallowed to begin.The publicfootpathwillbe closedfor sixweeks

Foodbank –September hasbeen the busiestmonth to date as more than 130 people were supportedwithfood, and 59 of thesewerechildren.Thankstoall theextra donations as aresult of harvest festivals at some churches in thearea andthe collectionsatthe Co-opand Mayfair, thefoodbankbecame well stocked. It is open from 2.30pm-4pm on Fridaysatthe Parish Centre,and canbe contacted at StrettonFoodbank@gmail. com.

LUDLOW

Together –Working Together Ludlow hasa film nightatthe Ludlow Assembly RoomsonWednesdayat7pm

Cancer Research committee members servethe lunch,watched by HelenTuite,far right, whoisthe member pioneer forthe Builth WellsCo-op.Photo by TedEdwards

Joblessrateon thedecrease

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

TheOffice forNationalStatistics (ONS)saidthe unemployment rate fell to 3.5per cent overthe three months to August

In theWestMidlands, including Shropshire, theunemployment fig urewas 139,000,4.7 percentofthe working population,inthe three months to August –up3,000 on the threemonthstoJuly. Theregion’s employment figure fell from 2.85 million to 2.83 million

TheWestMidlandssaw afallin thenumbers claiming unemploy ment benefits, includingUniver salCreditlastmonth.The totalof 177,405(4.8 percent) wasdown45 on thepreviousmonth

In Shropshire thenumberof claimants was up 30 to 4,600 (2.4 percent).Powys had15fewer claim ants at 1,690(2.3per cent).

Incomesduring retirement low

Only around two-fifths (42.6per cent)ofhouseholdsacrossBrit ainare on trackfor at leasta moderate income in retirement, accordingtoanalysis.

Households inthe East Mid landsand London were found to be theleast likelytobeon track forasufficientincomefor at leasta moderate lifestyle in retirement,with36.9 percent and38.6per cent in thosere gionsrespectively beingset for at leastthisstandardofincome in theirlater years, Hargreaves Lansdownfound

People were deemed to be on track foramoderateretirement income basedonstandards set by thePensionsand Lifetime SavingsAssociation (PLSA), whichsay that asingleperson needs around £20,800annual ly fora moderate income anda couple needsaround£30,600

University work at conference

Research from Shropshire’sHarp er AdamsUniversity hasbeenpre sented at aleading industry confer ence

Work by theNewport-based uni versity waspresented at the10th European Conference on Sensory andConsumerResearch(EURO SENSE) in Turku, FinlandbySen ior Lecturer in Food Scienceand Sensory Evaluation Dr Wilatsana Posri.

Work presented was‘exploring synergiesbetween health attrib utes,carbonfootprint andsensorial quality–the case of Lingzhimush roomproducts’ and‘functional food –whatdoesitmeantoyoung buy ers?’. Dr Posrisaid: “Thisresearch projectwas funded by internal qualityrelated fundingatHarp er Adams, with my supervision. It captured immune boosting trends in theUKmarketand looked into consumer perceptionsand decisions made basedonnutrition claims.”

Councilreveals it is nowplanning to ‘gocashless’ by Aprilnextyear

ShropshireCouncilhas revealed itsplans to go cashlessnextyear.

Thecouncil says itsintention is to make theswitchbyApril 1when it will no longer accept payments forservicesincash.

It says customers whowantto paybillsusing moneyorcheques will have to do so viathirdparty paymentsystems such as their Post Office or PayPoint

Gwilym Butler,Shropshire Council’scabinet member for fi nanceand corporateresources, said:“Post-pandemicbusinessev idence is that fewerand fewerpeo pleare using cash andcheques to make theirday-to-day purchases andcompletelargertransactions.

“The increaseduse of banking apps andsmart technologybycon sumers meansthatmostpeople

routinelycarry less than £5 in real cash,soweare lookingatwayswe canadapt andsupport theswitch to thedigital economy.”

Themoveispart of thestrategy to become a‘digitalcouncil’and it is claimedthe switch will have the benefitofincreased efficiencies

Mr Butler added: “Itbringsthe benefits of savingsinbothstaff time andthe costsofprocessing

payments, allows customers to ac cess theiraccounts withouthaving to attend ouroffices, andwecan gather data to help plan andim prove ourservicesattimes of peak demand.Werecognise that some customers maystill need to,or want to make, theirpaymentsus ingcashorcheque, andwherever practicalwewill find secure ways forthemtodo so.”

Authoritiespressing formore homesincountyhavesplit

DOMINICROBERTSON newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

It hasemerged that BlackCountry councils callingonShropshireto buildmorehomes have themselves fallen out overhousing plans.

TheAssociation of BlackCoun tryAuthorities(ABCA), made up of Dudley,Walsall,Wolverhampton, andSandwell councils, hasbeen calling on Shropshiretotakeon more homesaspartofits localplan.

Shropshire’slocal plan sets out siteswhere 30,800 homeswould be builtupuntil 2038.The planiscur rently beingassessedbyplanning inspectors to decide whetheritis considered ‘sound’, andcan proceed withoutchanges

Within theplanShropshirehas offeredtoprovide 1,500homesfor theABCAcouncilstohelpthem meet theirown housingtargets butthe offerhas been challenged by ABCA,which wantsspace formore housinginShropshireaswellas space forbusiness development

Theissue is duetobediscussed at aspecial hearingofplanningin spectors in thenew year,toevalu atewhether Shropshirehas metits ‘dutytoco-operate’requirements

In alettertoplanninginspec tors as part of thehearingsWal sall Councilspecificallycalledfor plansfromthe Bradford Estates, for3,000 homesand business devel opment on land to thewestofTong

andnorth of Junction3ofthe M54, to be allowedtogoahead Shropshire Councilhad decided nottoinclude thecontroversialpro posalin itslocal plan Representativesfromthe Brad ford Estateshavealso been part of planning hearings question ingwhether Shropshirehas done enough to help theBlack Country

Council’swiththeir housingprob lems.The Januaryhearing could be crucialindeciding whetherthe Bradford Estatesproposalcan go ahead.

Now, though,problemshave emerged with theBlack Country Local Plan –being created by the four ABCA councils –withDudley shocking othermembersbyan

nouncingits planstopullout.The planwas to setout where76,000 newhomeswould be builtacross thefourboroughsby2039.

Dudley Council, whichwishedto remove twocontroversialsites from theplan, hassaiditwillnow create itsown plan,withits leader Patrick Harley saying he couldnot allow public feedback to be ignored

Development‘will help tackle thehousing crisis’

Work on adevelopmenttoeasethe housingcrisishas been completed in MidWales

PowysCountyCouncil’s afforda blehousing team hasdeveloped 22 homesonthe former livestock market in Llanidloes

Thedevelopment,which has been namedClos-Yr-Hen-Ysgol, wasbuilt by contractorsJHarper andSons(Leominster)Ltd

As part of thedevelopment,two four-bed houses, four two-bed houses,six three-bedhouses, eight two-bedbungalows andtwo three/ four-bed dormer bungalowshave been builtatthe Gorn Road site

The£3.9mdevelopment,which

will be ownedand managed by the council, will provideaccommoda tion that will be availableatanaf fordable rent andhas been allocat ed to applicants on PowysCommon HousingRegister.

A£2m WelshGovernmenttown centre loan and£1.37mWelsh Gov ernmentsocialhousing grant, se curedbythe council,wereusedto fund thedevelopment

Councillor MatthewDorrance said:“I’mdelightedthatworkhas been completed andI wouldliketo thankour constructionpartners JHarperand Sons forhelping us deliver this socialhousing develop ment in Llanidloes

“Wecannotbuild thestrong er,fairer, greenerPowys we want withouttacklingthe housing emer gencyin thecounty. Theonlyway we canachieve this is by building high-quality council housing

“Not only doesthisdevelopment meet theneedsofthe localcommu nity butitisanimportant scheme that will help us tackle thehousing emergency.”

Mike Harvey,group commer cialdirectoratJHarper andSons Ltd, said“We aredelightedtohave workedalongside PowysCounty Counciltodeliver much needed, high-quality housing to help tackle thelocal housing crisis.”

An artist’s impression of what theproposed 3,000-home development on theGreen Belt near Tong couldlooklike

PowysCounty Council’saffordable housing team hasdeveloped22 homesonthe former livestock market in Llanidloes

STORESALES

KNIGHTON, FRIDAY 21st OCTOBER

Autumn Prize Show andSaleof260 StoreCattleViz: 140Steers, 113Heifers, 4Feeding Bulls and3 Cull Cows.TogetherwithThird AutumnShowand Sale of 400BreedingEwes, EweLambs &RamsViz:138 BreedingEwes, 235Ewe Lambs &20Rams.Followed bySaleof1600Store Lambs.SaleofBreedingEwes& EweLambs at 10.00am, Lambs at 10.15amfollowedby Rams,Cattleat11.15am

WORCESTER, SATURDAY 22nd OCTOBER

Second sale in themonth of 1000+Store Sheep, 154+ StoreCattle, 20 Calves &Weanlings, 7Cowswith Calves &1 PedigreeLimousinBreedingBull. Store Sheep10.00am,Calvesand Weanlingsat10.45am, StoreCattleand BreedingStock at 11.30am.

KNIGHTON, TUESDAY25thOCTOBER

Premier Autumn Showand Saleof225 ContinentalX Single SuckledWeaned Calves andYoung StoreCattle Viz: 95 Steers and130 Heifersunder theauspicesof Brecon &Radnor SuckledCalfRearers Ltd. Sale to commenceat11.00am

BRECON,TUESDAY25thOCTOBER

Sale of StoreLambs.Saleat10.00am.Catalogue entriesclose Thursday 20th Octoberat5.00pm.

LUDLOW,FRIDAY28thOCTOBER

PrizeShow&SaleofStore Cattle (RMBlakeway &JC Fowden Cup&Wyken Trophy)plus StoreSheep & Calves. Catalogueentriesclose Friday 21st Octoberat 5.00pm

BRECON,FRIDAY28thOCTOBER

Sale of StoreCattle, YoungFeedingBulls, Breeding Stock, Cull Cows &OrganicStock.Saleat9.30am. Catalogueentriesclose Thursday 20th Octoberat 5.00pm.

KNIGHTON, FRIDAY 4thNOVEMBER

Sale of StoreCattleinc.Cows&Calves, In Calvers& BullingHeifers&Store Lambstoinclude Organic Stock. Catalogueentries closeThursday27thOctober at 5.00pm

WORCESTER,SATURDAY5th NOVEMBER

Sale of StoreCattle, StoreSheep &Calvesand Weanlings. Sheepat10.00am,Calvesat 11.00am, Cattle at 11.30am.Catalogue entriesclose Monday 31st Octoberat3.00pm

BRECON,TUESDAY8th NOVEMBER

Sale of StoreLambs. Sale at 10.00am. Catalogue entriesclose Thursday 3rdNovember at 5.00pm

KNIGHTON, TUESDAY8th NOVEMBER PrizeShowand Sale of Weaned Calves,Young Store Cattle& YoungBulls.Saleat11.00am.Catalogue entriesclose Monday 31st November at 5.00pm.

LUDLOW,FRIDAY11thNOVEMBER

PrizeShow&SaleofStore Cattle (Valbazen Rose Bowl &GeorgeDaviesSalver) togetherwithStore Sheep including Show andSaleofStore Lambs(TomStead Trophy) plus Calves &Fodder. Catalogueentriesclose Friday 4thNovemberat5.00pm.

ORANGE STORESALES– TB CATTLE

LUDLOW,FRIDAY21stOCTOBER

MonthlyOrangeSaleof320 TB Restricted StoreCattleViz: FeedingBulls,BeefStores.(Allthe cattle will themselves have passed aTBTest. Purchasersmusthaveapproved DEFRAUnits.Cattlecan go in to Englandand Wales). Sale to commence at 2.30pm followingthe StoreSaleat KnightonMarket.

KNIGHTON, TUESDAY1st NOVEMBER

Sale of StoreCattlefromTBRestrictedFarms.Cattlefrom Wales& Englandcan be sold. Cattle canbepurchased to go onto Welsh& EnglishAFU’s.Catalogue entriesclose Monday 24th November at 5.00pm

LAND FORSALE

40.14acresall suitable for Agricultural,Amenity, Lifestyleor

Other Purposes (asaWhole or in 5Lots)

LOT1 8.13 AcresofRoadsidePasture/Arable Land

LOT2 1.21 AcresofWoodlandand Pasture Land LOT3 7.95 AcresofRoadside Pasture/ArableLand& aTwo BayBuilding

LOT4 14.08AcresofPasture Land

LOT5 8.77 AcresofPastureLand

At LLWYNMORFA,CROSSGATES, LLANDRINDOD WELLS, LD16RF

FATSTOCK MARKETS

Ludlow Tel: 01584872251 MONDAY Brecon Tel: 01874622386

TUESDAY WorcesterTel:01905 769770

WEDNESDAY Knighton Tel: 01547528621

THURSDAY Kington Tel: 01544230316

THURSDAY

GENUINE FARM DISPERSALSALE

Upon valued instructionsfromCA&SIBlackman

COMPRISING LIVESTOCK, DEADSTOCK &FODDER

Deadstocktoinclude: NH T5.105Tractor (16 Reg),NH T6020Tractor (60Reg), IforWilliams12’ StockTrailer,Hi Spec 800Rotaspreader,Kuhn Primor 3570 Spreader,Teagle Tomahawk808 Shredder,AmaxonZA-F804RSpinner, Browns Postknocker, RoundBaleWrapper,BrownsBale Grab,Collins6TTrailer,20’ Bale Trailers, Welgar AP630 Baler,Landmec KM24 TurboMower,StorthSlurryStirrer, togetherwitha range of generalfarmequipmentand tools.

Livestock: Well Bred Registered PedigreeShorthorns andBlondes& Commercial CrossbredSuckler Cows with Followers(Spring &AutumnCalvers), YoungStock (12-18 Months), Pedigree BlondeBull(NotRegistered) andSemen Straws

Fodder: 380x RoundBaleSilage (2021&2022) &120x Quadrant Wheat&BarleyStraw &60x SmallSquare Bales Barley Straw(2021).

EnteredByPermission: 2002 Class Rollant255 Round Baler

At BURFIELD FARM,CLUN,

On SATURDAY 22nd OCTOBER2022 Commencing at 11.00amprompt Catalogues andFurther Enquiries Craven Arms 01588672385/ 07815099802

Email:cravenarms@mccartneys.co.uk

ARMS

COLLECTIVE MACHINERYSALE WITH FUR&

Followuson

Productive grassland farm is on themarket

Sheep andbeefevent is returningata newvenue

Aproductivegrassland farm is forsalebyprivate treatythrough McCartneys

OldHallatWilleynearPresteigneisanattractive andproductivegrassland farm.McCartneys said:“Thepropertyincludes aGrade II listed, four bedroomfarmhouse,togetherwitharange of modern andtraditional farm buildings, with conversion potentialsubject to planning consent, andapproximately 215.91 acresofproductive grasslandand woodland

“The property offers prospectivepurchasers theopportunitytopurchaseaprivate farmstead whichrequires complete renovation,which may have developmentpotential foralternate uses, such as residential, tourismetc,subject to obtain ingconsent

“Old Hall is considered notonlytobesuitable to deliver conventional livestockand arable enter prises butalsoprovidesanopportunitytocapitalise upon thenatural assets of theholding and deliverenvironmental benefits

“Old Hall is situated within ascenicareaof north west Herefordshire, andwithinashort distance from thequaintWelsh border town of Presteigne.The town features avariety of inde pendentshops andprovidesarange of amenities includingcafes,restaurants, greengrocers,and familybutchers.

“The farm offers auniqueopportunity to purchasea substantialfarmof215.91acres together with aGrade II listed farmhouse,arange of traditional andmodernfarmbuildings,asawhole, or in theseven lots as follows: Lotone:Farmhouse, rangeofmodernand traditional buildings, and approximately52.39 acresofgrassland andwood land.Lot two: Farm buildingsand approximately 38.38 acresofgrassland andwoodland.Lot three: Approximately36.58 acresofgrassland.Lot four: Approximately34.43 acresofgrassland and woodland.Lot five:Approximately 21.60acres of grassland. Lotsix:Approximately 18.09acres of grassland. Lotseven: Approximately6.18acres of grassland.”

Furtherdetails areavailable from McCartneys LLP’s Kingtonoffice on 01544230316orGareth Wall or Beth Gilberton07974 143336.

Planshavebeenunveiledfor theWynnstaySheep andBeef EventonNovember2,returningafter a five-yearhiatus at thenew location of Coleg Cambria, Llysfasi,Ruthin.

To mark thereturnofthe event, Wynn stay is runninganearly FastTrack regis tration processand the first500 farmers whosignuptoattendwill be given afree Wynnstay bodywarmer to be collected at theevent

Firstestablished in 2015,thisyear’s dedicatedevent forsheep andbeeffarmerswillfocus on championing thered meat industry,showcasingthe opportunitiesfor farmersinbothsectors

“The last couple of yearshavebeenchallenging, with uncertaintyaroundsupport payments andnow thecostoflivingcrisis raisingquestions around theaffordability of food to consumers,”saysGarethDavies, Wynnstay chiefexecutive

“However,there aredefinitely oppor tunitiesout therefor farmerslooking to producefood sustainably, andoften it’s thesmall tweaks whichenhance efficien cy andresultinamoreprofitableand re

MARKET REPORT

KNIGHTON

THURSDAYOCTOBER 13,McCartneys report an entryof1397 finished Lambsand 479 Cull Ewesand 6Rams. Averysimilar trade to markets yesterdaytoaverage 236.30ppk

Thebiggest disappointmenttoday wouldbe theprice drop per head on theheavier lambs. Most in demand were 42-47kilo lambstoday Lambswithshape an excellenttrade with 14 pensover240ppk up to 261ppk

Thanksfor agood entry. Overallaverage on theday was236.30ppk selling to 261ppk for 43.50kglambs,achieving £113.50fromH EWilliams& Sons. Also to 249ppk for42kg lambsachieving £104.50fromM OBevan &Sons. Topprice perheadwas £125.00 for 59kg lambsfromJB Morris.Another excellententry of ewes metagood tradeon thewholebut another large percentageof leaner ewes forward. Eweswithcoverthe best trade. 9buyersinattendancegiving us as good as trade as anywhere. Thanks for your support.Overall averagewas £62.03 selling to £129 forewesfromJJ Owens &Son.Muleewessoldto£96 fromR &L Reynolds. Hill ewes to £61.00 from AG&J K Davies Bros Rams averagedto£63.33selling to £110 from JPBreeze&Son Foruptodatemarket information or for entriesspeak toone of ourauctioneers: JennyLayton Mills07867 522859 KatieDavies07817 474241 or Lloyd Humphreys07534 532468

BISHOPSCASTLEAUCTION

Thursday3rd November 2022

SALE OF STORE CATTLE FEEDING COWS &STORE LAMBS

Entries close Thursday27th October at 12 noon

Thursday17th November 2022 SPECIAL SALE OF SUCKLED CALVES &WEANLINGS

Entries close Thursday10th November

“Jayne’s an ambassador forproducing real food to improve publichealth, andatthe event, she’ll showcasethe truths around the importance of includingred meat in diets,” adds Mr Davies

“We’re also joined by award-winningbeef farmer Paul Williams, whowill explainhow he’s increasedefficiency andprofitthrough data andtechnology. He’llalsocover how he’s minimising hiscarbonfootprint,by achievinggood weightgains from home grownforage,”headds.

Therewill be an update on thecurrent lamb andbeefmarketfromHCC andAlltech vice presidentMatthew Smithwill speakon sustainability andbeefproduction.

Demonstrations will be runningthrough outthe dayofthe event, to includeliver dissections andFECPAKtesting.

silientfarmbusiness.”Throughoutthe day, visitors will have theopportunitytolistento keyindustryspeakers, whowill be coveringa selectionofpertinent topicsfor farmers.

“We’re delightedtohaveJayne Rees Buxton, writer of ‘The GreatPlant BasedCon’, speaking at theevent.Jayne wasborninthe UK,raisedinCanadaand then returned to theUKwhere shestarted writingabook about food, health andthe environment.

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

Theevent is free to attend andlunch is provided,withall attendees given acomplementarymerchandise bag.

To signupand keepuptodatewiththe latestnewsonthe event, visitwww.wynnstay. co.uk/

LUDLOW

MONDAYOCTOBER 17,Finished ambs 1573 Auctioneer: Michael Thomas Tel: 07890 898239 Topprice Lambs: £145 Topprice Lambsper kg:282ppk Average: 235ppk Some very good,well fleshed lambs on offer andsome that coulddefinitelyhave done with afairbit extra time.Lambs with coverand weight themostindemand.Heavy typeswere between 230ppk and240ppk.Good quality export sorts wouldall be230ppk plustopping at 282ppk.Morecould easily have been sold. Extralambs needednextweek.Freeonfarm grading serviceavailable tel:01584 872251

Finished cattle –75Auctioneer:Michae Thomas Tel: 07890 898239 Heifers–59

Topprice Heifer per head:£1894 Topprice Heifer per kg:306ppkAverage price Heifer per kg:242ppkSteers–16Top priceSteerper head:£1860

Topprice Steerper kg:308ppk Averageprice Steerper kg:259ppk Agood yard of finished cattle sellingtoaverysolid trade.Bestbutchersgrade cattle selling to 260ppk plusupto308ppk.Morecommercial types210ppkto240ppk

Plenty of demand going forward, with Christmas tradeonthe horizon. Evenwith feed costs,pleasemakesureyouranimals arewell fleshed.Morecould have been sold Extra cattle needednextweek.Freeonfarm grading serviceavailabletel:01584 872251 Prime bulls- 66 Auctioneer:MichaelThomas Tel: 07890 898239 Topprice bull:£2093 Top pricebullper kg:285ppkAverage pricebull perkg: 245ppk Some excellentbulls on offer, andadded buying supportpresent.Buyers very keen to secure numbersand competed well from start to finish. BestContinental bulls making 250ppk-285ppk.MostDairy sorts that had been fedwere200ppk plus. Bulls were readilysold andmorecould have been sold.Extra bulls neededagain nextweek as theChristmas /party runstarts. Free on farm grading serviceavailabletel:01584 872251

Cull cows –17Auctioneer:MichaelThomas Tel: 07890 898239 Topprice cow: £1392Top pricecow per kg:170ppk Averageprice cow per kg:117ppk Cows with meatsold freely up to 170ppk.Cowsthatwereshowing the effects of theweather were certainlymoreof achallenge. If youhave cows that wouldstand more feeding,pleaseconsider theFridayOTM section.Cullsheep –547 Auctioneer: James AmphlettTel:07972 653077 Topprice Ewes: £151.50Ewe average:£78.14Top priceRam:£123.00 Ramaverage:£83.22 Abiggershowofewesforward metwitha very selectivetrade.Ewestopped at £151.50 andRam at £123.00. Ewesaveraged£78.14 overall.Large,well meated ewesweremost in demand.Smaller plainer typeswereslightly dearer this week as thenumbersnationally seem to be drying up

LUDLOW

FRIDAYOCTOBER 14,Storecattle Auctioneer:MichaelThomas Tel: 07890 898239Breedingcattle. Afew cows and calves forwardthissale metwithasolid trade.Couples toppedat£1600.Morecows andcalvesneededfor Friday 28th October Breedingbulls to £1765. OTMcattleTop price: £1280Top priceper kg:165ppk Averageper head:£1022 Averageprice per kg:155ppk Atidytrade on thecowsforward If youhave cows that will standfurther feeding,pleaseconsider this section.Store bullsTop pricebull:£1140 Topprice bull perkg: 291ppk Averagebullper head:£930

Averageprice bull per kg:230ppk Agood show of youngbulls this sale with some of this yearssuckled calves starting to appear. Plenty of interest frombuyersand several customers from away looking for feeding

bulls. Bullstopped at £1140or291ppk. More bullswanted on Friday 28th October.Prices were as follows:Aberdeen AngusXBulls to £690 Blonde D’Aquitaine XBulls to £1140, £1090, £1050, £950,£855, £790,£770 British Blue XBulls to £765 CharolaisXBulls to £1130, £1115, £1060,£990, £970,£940, £900,£895, £815,£700Fleckvieh XBulls to £700,£400 HerefordXBulls to £800,£790, £750,£700, £660, £350HolsteinFriesian XBulls to £680,£400 Limousin XBulls to £1090, £1060,£1000 x2,£985, £975, £910,£900,£775, £770,£765, £740,£700 Montbeliarde XBulls to £400 SalersXBulls to £715 Swedish RedXBulls to £520 Heifers 321Top priceheifer:£1480 Topprice heifer perkg: 287ppk Averageheiferper head:£930 Averageprice heifer per kg:215ppkAgood show of heifersonoffer this week.Buyers competing well forthe heifersforward.Strong heifersmostindemand topping at £1480 per head Youngsmart typesagain sought afteras buyerspassbackreturnsfromthe fatring Againseveral Native sortsforward meeting strong demand.Moreneeded on Friday 28th October.Freeonfarmselection service available tel:01584 872251.Prices were as follows:AberdeenAngusXHeifersto £1120, £1115, £1075, £995,£990, £940,£930, £900,£880, £835 x2,£750, £650 Blonde D’Aquitaine XHeifersto £1100, £1030, £940, £490 British Blue XHeifers to £1340, £1330, £1325, £1240, £1200x2, £1190, £1155, £1150, £1140, £1100, £1095, £1090x2, £1080 x2,£1060,£1050,£1045,£1040 £1030, £1010x2, £1000,£990, £955,£900 x2,£855, £850 x2,£845, £835,£825, £800, £790,£775, £745,£740, £695,£670x2, £665,£600,£420, £400,£170Charolais X Heifers to £1480, £1290,£995, £925,£850, £800, £730,£675x2, £655,£650, £625 HerefordXHeifersto£1270,£1100,£1095 £1030, £980,£950,£925, £910,£890, £885,£880, £870,£865, £800x2, £790, £720,£700, £670,£650, £645,£555, £550, £545,£540Holstein Friesian XHeifers to £890,£730, £350JerseyXHeifers to £730

£1086 Averageprice steer per kg:225ppk A wide rangeofsteersonoffer from some very strong typestosuckled calves.Morebuyers present as theAutumn salesare in full swing. Strong cattle in particulardemand as buyers trytokeep supply flowing.Several Native breeds on offer andagain theseconducted apremium.Moresteers neededagain for Friday28thOctober.Freeonfarmselection serviceavailable tel:01584 872251. Prices were as follows:Aberdeen AngusXSteers to £1570,£1400,£1380,£1255,£1220, £1150, £1130, £1120, £1100, £1095, £1090, £1050, £990 x3,£950,£860, £835,£780, £720,£635, £620,£190BlondeD’Aquitaine XSteersto£1400,£1385,£1290 x2,£1270 £1220, £1210BeefShorthornXSteers to £1140, £780 British Blue XSteers to £1530, £1390, £1350, £1290,£1285,£1280,£1265 £1225, £1205, £1190x2, £1170x2, £1105, £1100x2, £1090, £1040, £1030, £1020, £1010, £1000 x2,£990, £950,£910, £850, £835,£800, £780,£370,£280Charolais XSteers to £1390, £1380, £1360, £1330, £1310, £1300, £1290,£1280,£1270 x2, £1260, £1250, £1130, £1110, £1100, £1095, £870 ContinentalXSteers to £655 Dairy ShorthornXSteers to £300 HerefordX Steersto£1430,£1015,£990, £975,£940, £930,£925, £830,£800, £650 Holstein

Friesian XSteers to £975,£860, £710,£685, £550LimousinXSteers to £1460, £1430, £1330, £1290,£1270,£1260,£1240,£1210 £1200, £1195, £1145, £1070,£1060,£1035, £1015, £1000,£995, £950,£925, £840, £770,£730Salers XSteers to £985,£980 £635 SimmentalXSteers to £1465, £1330, £1290, £1185, £1170, £1150, £1130, £1090, £655,£600 SouthDevon XSteers to £935 StabiliserXSteers to £1485,£1415,£1390, £1340, £1250Welsh BlackXSteers to £850

StorelambsAuctioneer: JamesAmphlettTel: 07972653077Top priceper head:£93.50

Averageprice per head:£70.25

Heifersto£1400,£1390,£1330, £1320, £1215, £1175, £1155, £1145, £1135, £1105, £1100, £1015, £1000x2,£940, £890, £860, £850,£830, £790,£785, £780,£740, £700,£690, £670,£630, £600 x2,£515, £500,£540SalersXHeifers to £1185, £585 Simmental XHeifersto£1430,£1165,£1125, £1115, £1100, £965,£910South DevonX Heifers to £795,£595StabiliserXHeifers to £1190, £1105, £1070,£1060,£1050,£1030

LimousinX

Aniceshowoflambs in termofquality Strong feeding lambstomostindemand, peaking at £93.50.Smaller, running sorts wouldbe moredifficult with thefeedand foddersituation.Makeno mistake, store lambssalescou dbecome moretrickywith thecurrent economic andclimatic turmoil

Steers–284 Topprice steer: £1570 Topprice steer per kg:290ppk Averagesteerper head:

Forfurther details please contact Michael Thomas Tel: 01584872251(Work)or07890 898239 (Mobile)Bradley Towell Tel: 01584 872251(Work)or07496 263916 (Mobile) James Amphlett Tel: 01905769770(Work)or 07972653077(Mobile)Freeonfarmgrading servicecontact:LouiJones Tel: 07828 921864 or 01568611174 or TedDaviesTel: 07772252293

TheWynnstaySheep andBeef Event will take place on November2

OldHallatWilleynear Presteigne

FILLERS

PEDICURE

MASSAGE

ACROSS

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

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

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

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

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

13. Capital ofWest Pakistan 1955-70 (6)

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

17. 1985 LarryMcMurtry westernnovel (8,4)

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

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

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

23. The front part of the lowerleg (4)

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. Capital of Guyana (10)

12. Capital of SierraLeone (8)

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

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

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

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

WORD WISE

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Sudoku Challenge Easy

MIRROR IMAGE

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QUICK QUIZ

WHEN

Gogen

General2 Knowledge Crossword

Ebro;

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

Elsinore;

Word Wise: A. Pleasant.

YT

Zara;

GANDER

Adam;

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Sears; 23. Moyes.

1. Gomez; 2. Airdrie;

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Ladder

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

Quick Quiz

Remember

When1Headie One; 2Official Secrets Act;

A. 1958; B.

Alphadoku

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

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

Giant Sudoku

Film puts focusonfostercarers

Fifty-six councils,including many in theregion, have workedtogether to produceashort film to raise awarenessofthe need forfoster carers

The film,calledChildhood, is aimedat findingmorepeoplewho maybeinterested in becoming foster carers andproviding nurturing,positivehomesfor chil dren andyoung people across

thecountry whoneedthem. The councilsincluding Shropshire andTelford &Wrekin, wanted to highlightthe impact of neglect on children,particularlybroth ersand sisterswho maybeleftat timestotry to care foreachother

It showsthe journeyof‘Sophie’ and‘Charlie’ whoare in avery difficult home situationwhere theirneedsare notbeing met.

Consultation starts on wastescheme

Apermitapplication fora proposed multi-million poundfacility to bulk householdwaste in Powyshas startedapublicconsultation.

Theplans forthe Abermule Bulk RecyclingFacility were refusedby NaturalResources WalesinMarch afteritsaidithad concerns about thescheme’s fire prevention and mitigationplanand thesupplyof waterin theevent of a fire.Itsays

there-submitted applicationfrom PowysCountyCouncil includes enough informationtostart afull assessment.The cost of therecyclingcentre is nownudging towards the£5million mark

If approved, PowysCountyCouncilwould usethe facility to bulk together non-hazardousmaterial from householdwaste collections acrossMontgomeryshire.

Reportsare orderedonmen whobreachedtrading rules

KARENCOMPTON karen.compton@mnamedia.co.uk

Reportshavebeenorderedontwo South Shropshire menwho committedtrading standardsoffencesin Powys.

JohnEveritt Dixon, previously of Lowe Croft, Craven Arms,now of RyeLeaze,Bristol,and Benjamin MichaelGracieofRoman Close, Leintwardine,admitted twocharg es each when they appeared at Llandrindod WellsMagistratesCourt on Wednesday last week

They included engaging in an un fair commercialpracticeand participating in afraudulentbusiness betweenJuly21-23 last year

They were said to have done drainage works at Howey which were substandard or prohibitive, failed to providemandatorycon tractualpaperworkand failed to providedetails of awaste transfer.

They were also accusedofbeing a partytodrainage works forreward whichwereunlawful.

Both menfailedtoappearat courtatthe beginningofOctober andwarrantswereissuedfor their arrestsand they turned up last week followingadvicefromthe po lice.Magistratesordered pre-sentencereports on both menwithall optionsopenand they adjourned thecaseuntil November9

Both menremainonuncondition al bail

Birthday boyGeoff backs group’skey work

AMid Walescoach driver hasdonatedmorethan£700tocharity afterholding apartytomarkhis ‘big birthday’.

GeoffHaycock andhis wife Sue presentedstaff at Lingen Davies Cancer Fund with achequefor £710 afterarranging aparty to mark Geoff’s70th.

They hadamarquee at home and ‘partied into theearly hours’ with friendsand familyfor thespecial

DAVIDBANNER newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

event. Geoffhad hisprostate re movednineyears ago. He hasbeenundergoingtreat ment at theLingenDaviesCancer Centre,based at theRoyal Shrews bury Hospital,ashis PSAlevels–indicators of prostate cancer –had startedtorise again.

He said:“I’ve been having regu larcheck-ups sinceI hadmypros tate removed, andIwas advisedto have radiotherapy earlierthisyear becausemyPSA levelswereclimb ing.

“Everyone in thecentre isabsolutely fantastic, they’resofriendly andtry to accommodatewhat everyone wants. Ijustwanted to do alittlesomethingtosay thank you.”

Websitewill give guidanceoncosts crisis support

Awebsite is being builttoshow people whereand howtheycan access help to deal with thecostof living crisis

An updateonpreparationsto provideanetworkofwarmspaces acrossPowys wasgiven to members of thecountycouncil’s PublicService Board. PowysCounty Council’sAndreaMansfieldis co-ordinating theauthority’sresponse to thecostoflivingcrisis.

residents this winter.MsMansfieldsaid: “Weare expectingthat to grow afterthe FirstMinister announcedonSeptember 29 that therewill be £1million funding availabletoprovide warm spaces in Wales. We’rewaiting formore informationonthat.

Topvolunteers arecelebrated

People in thecommunity were recognisedatthe High Sheriffof Shropshire’sCelebration of Volunteersevent

Morethan350 individualsattended TheCow Palace in Willey They were each invitedto‘bring avolunteer’ from thebreadth of the county to celebratetheir incredible efforts, providethanksand to in spirethemtocontinue.

Selina Graham,High Sheriffof Shropshire, said:“Iamsograteful to allthatattended, andmustgive aspecial shoutout to some organi sationswho supportedmetremendouslythroughoutthe day.

“DerwenCollege,The OrbitCafé Wellington, SevernHospice, BroseleyLifeSkills, TheArk Shrews bury,Telford CVSWellbeing Café Madeley, andWorking Together Ludlow –all of whichassisted by providingcakes andhospitality to supplement theafternoontea suppliedbySoFood.”

Newbossin post at charity

Acharity,which supports peopleand communities facing challenges across Shropshire, hasappointed anew CEO.

BevBaxterhas succeeded JuliaBaron,who retired as chiefexecutive of Community Resource after23years at the helm

Bevwas previouslyheadof operations anddeputyCEO of TheWay in Wolverhampton. Shehas extensiveexperience of thecharity sector,overseeingthe deliveryofservicesto young people during hertimeat TheWay,WolverhamptonYouth Zone.She also workedfor the AirplayYouth Supportproject, working forActionfor Children in partnershipwiththe Roy al AirForce Benevolent Fund, whichsupported young people andfamilieslocated at RAF basesacrossthe UK

Houses proposal givengo-ahead

Plansfor twohousesin aMid Wales villagehavebeenapprovedbycouncilplanners.

Carl Cooper

Ms Mansfieldtoldthe board the council hadreceived 35 responses afteraskingfor expressionsof interest from organisationsthat couldprovide awarmspace for

“Wehaveaweb page under constructionwhich is goingtobring together allofthisinformation, aboutthe financialsupport,and people canaccess it directly from thelanding page on ourwebsite

“We’re also putting together an easy to usemap whichwill show whereour warm spaces areonce

they areall setup, andinformation on food banks.”Powys Association of VolunteerOrganisations’chief executiveCarlCoopersaid: “Some of ourkey organisationsare experi encing averysignificant rise in en quires anddemand. PowysCitizens Advice Bureau hasseena40per cent increase of requests forhelpin relation to debt,driven largelyby thecostoflivingcrisis.”

CouncilleaderCouncillor James Gibson-Watt said:“Ensuring peopleknowwhat financialsupport is availabletothemisthe biggest area of confusionfor thepublic. It’s extraordinarily complex.”

Theapplicant Neil Davies of Hutte Hause Ltdcan nowgo ahead andbuild two, three-bedroomhouses at land offPostOffice Lane in Carno, whichisthe garden of a property called Ty Mawr

Theplans show that parkingwill be provided at both plotsfor three cars each

Previous plansfor abiggerdevelopmentofuptofourhouses on thesite, lodgedlastyear, were with drawndue to part of thesitebeing in a flood zone

PowysCountyCouncil planning officerRhian Griffithssaidina re port:“Carnoisidentified as alarge villageunder thePowys LocalDevelopmentPlan.

“The site fallswithinthe defined boundary of Carno, andwhilst it is notanallocated site,itis considered to be asuitablesitefor housing.”

Sueand Geoff Haycockwith Angela Hill from theLingen Davies CancerFund

Collegeteachers to vote on strikes

Sixthformcollege teachersin England will be balloted on in dustrial action in abid to secure a “fullyfundedabove-inflationpay increase”, theNationalEducation Union(NEU) hassaid.

Theunion,which representsthe majority of teachers employedin thesixth form colleges sector,said it hasnotified both theGovernment andemployersofthe formal ballot, whichwill closeonNovember 11

TheNEU said an offerbythe SixthFormColleges Association wouldgivemostteachersinthe sectora five percentincrease, which theunion said “willnot protectthe living standardsofour members”

Dr Mary Bousted, jointgeneral secretaryofthe NEU, said:“Teachersinsixth form colleges have suffereda real-terms paycut in theregion of 20 percentsince 2010 and, in themidst of acostoflivingcrisis, arenot prepared to seetheir income fall further.”

Motorist had takencocaine

ALlandrindod Wellsgrounds workerwho took cocaineata partyhas been banned from the road afterdriving thenextday PhillipHughesadmitted driv ingwiththe drug in hisblood on February 25 when he appeared at Llandrindod WellsMagis tratesCourt on Wednesday last week

Ablood test showed the 38-year-oldofPlasDinam, Norton Terrace, had240 microgramsofBenzoylegonineper 100mlofblood, thelimitbeing 50 micrograms

Mitigating, Mr Gareth Walters saidMrHugheshad pleaded guilty at the firstopportuni ty

Magistrates finedhim £300 fordrug-drivingand banned himfromthe road for12 months. He wasordered to pay a£34 surchargeand £85costs

Fundinghelps to transform pub

AShropshirevillagepub hasbeen transformedbya councilgrant

TheCockInn at Hanwood has been changed outofall recognition followingasuccessful£11,000 grant applicationtosupport voluntary sector organisationsand community groups with pandemic recovery

It hasbeenrun as aCommunity Interest Companysince 2017 after it waspurchased on behalf of the communitybythe late Bill Long moreand hiswifeUrsula.Thispur chasesaved thevillage pubatthe heartofHanwood

Thecompany is managed by 10 localmembersofthe villageand all profits arereinvested in theproper ty.Councillor CeciliaMotleysaid: “Itissoimportant ourcommunities have asense of togetherness during thesedifficult times, so it is great news to hear aboutThe Cock Inn andother communityvenueswhich have benefitted from ourCommuni ty AssetGrant Scheme.”

Barristers getbackto workascourt backlogrises

Barristers have returned to work afterindustrialaction, as Shropshire’scrown courtbacklog stands at more than 500cases

Themajorityofcriminalbar ristersreturnedtoworklastweek aftervotingtoend awalk-outover legalaid fees andconditions.

Themove comesafter an agreement over a15per cent payoffer

from theGovernmenttoresolvethe dispute. Michelle Heeley KC,leader of theMidlandsCircuit whichrep resentsShrewsburyCrown Court, anda barristeratNo5 Barristers’ Chambers, said membersofthe CriminalBar Association (CBA) will nowbeworking to addressthe backlogofcases But, shewarnedthatthe backlog

hadexisted before thecoronavirus pandemic andaddedthatthe Governmentneedstoinvestmoreinthe courts

Ministry of Justicedatashows therewere547 outstandingcases at Shrewsbury CrownCourt at the endofJune.

That wasupfrom521 at theend of March, and515 at thesamepoint

in 2021.Uncompleted casenumbers are90per cent higher than they were priortothe coronaviruspan demic–inJune2019, therewere 288 cases outstandingatShrewsbury CrownCourt.

Of thecases outstandingatthe endofJune, 143related to alleged violentattacks,and 75 were forsex offences,including 17 allegedrapes

Sparking celebrationoftalent at firstcountymusic awards

SUEAUSTIN sue.austin@mnamedia.co.uk

Theinaugural ShropshireMusic Awards celebratedand recognised talent andcontributions to musicthroughoutthe county during asparklingnight.

Morethan400 people attended theawardsceremonyatTelford Theatre in Oakengates,complete with itsown redcarpetand enter tainmentfromamazing live acts

Morethana year in themaking, theeveningwas funded by theArts CouncilEngland.

It wasthe brainchild of musician TimRogers, thelateststepinhis journeyasa musicianand artist, whoset up thenot-for-profitcom munity interest companyCulture Tainment CIC.

Mr Rogers,alsoknown as rapper TrademarkBlud, told theaudience hisaim wastouse musicand the CICtotacklesocialissues, promote cultural development andsupport musicians andaspiringmusicians in theindustry.

Legend

Thehostwas RadioShropshire presenter Paul Shuttleworth, who also invitedguest presentersonto thestage

Winnersofthe awards were:Best DJ,Koala T; Best Band,BlackBear Kiss;Music Video, StarboiSenshi; Event, AudioTek;Producer, LP Tripp; Newcomer,Greysha;Drum andBass, DizzyD;Rock/Metal, Recall TheRemains;Single, Four Crooks with BlackMagic;Commu nity Champion, Matt Smith; Acous tic, LooseLips; Indie/Alternative, PennyFamous; Solo,Cally Rhodes; Best Festival,Shrewsbury Folk Festival

Therewas aspecial LocalLegend awardfor Mick Keefefor hisservices to musicand thecommunity over theyears, andspecial awards were given to Starsofthe Future Bridie, Macy Oand Ruby Allen.

During theevening live perfor mances came from anewly-formed band from TelfordCollege,includingsingerFrancesca, Trademark Blud,Abbie Jean,acousticduo Jack andAlice andDeepTalks Music.

Timand KatieRogersthanked everyone whohad made thenighta special occasionincluding sponsors

“Weare alreadylooking into next year’s eventwhich we plan to be biggerand better with more cate gories andmoreengagementwith musicinthe entire county of Shropshire,”hesaid.

“Wehavesuchawealthoftalent here.”

CultureTainment workedalong side theKnifeAngel projectwhen theanti-violence sculpturewas in Telfordand hasbeeninvolvedin hip

hop, mental health,youth offending andmusic workshops.

Asuccessfulmusicianinhis own right, having completedseveral toursofthe UK andbeyond, as well as having industry success being featured on BBCRadio 1and BBC Radio1Xtra,Trademark Blud said hisexperienceas amusicianinspired many of theaspects of CultureTainment.

He said:“What we need is amore

robust infrastructure forartists in thecounty, notjustmusicians but dancers, painters,poets et cetera CultureTainmentisaimingto fill that gapinShropshire.

“Ifwehad acentralhub of crea tion wherepeoplehad the facilities, mentors, networks andopportunities to developtheir craftand gain advice Ifeelthe journeyfor many wouldnot only be clearer,but more achievable.”

Best newcomer winner Greysha

ThehostrapperTrademark Blud

LooseLipswinsBestAcoustics at theShropshire

MusicAwardsceremony

Paul Shuttleworthpresentsthe

LocalLegendaward to Mick KeefeBestDrum&Bass

winner Dizzy D

Recall theRemains celebratewinning theBestRock/Metal Actaward

Collegelaunches bid forcentre

AShropshirecollege is asking for permission foramajor newdevel opment

ShropshireCouncil hascon firmed it hasreceivedanappli cation from Shrewsbury Colleges Groupfor theplansatits London Road Campus

Theproposalistobuild aRenewableEnergySkillsCentre at thesite.

Astatement submittedwiththe applicationstates: “The NewRenewableEnergySkillsCentre will contribute positively to thelocal economybyway of retentionand continuedemploymentofstaff, alongwithenhancingand en couraginglocal business to invest in thearea. Overriding benefit will be theprovision of improved teaching facilities.”

Town hall is venuefor awinterfeast

Awinter feast, with musicand food, will be taking placeatatownhall.

Theevent on December 9, will see Katrina Collins from Shed38 running theevening at Montgomery Town Hall.It will includeathree course feast, with veggie option available, andthe barwill be open

Therewillbelivemusic from MontyFolk, andsingerMolly Read Ticketscost£22,apercentageof

whichwill go to twolocal causes, andcan be purchasedinThe Book shop Montgomery,Bunnersand Castle Kitchen.

Thelocal causesare Montgomery Ranger Catrin representingWales at theWorld ScoutJamboreein SouthKorea next year,and Mont gomery Warm Space–acommuni ty initiative offering hotfood anda warm placefor theday

Wildlife charityinpleaover reportingoffences to police

MEGANHOWE newsroom@mnamedia.co.uk

AShropshirecharity is urging people to report instances of wildlife crimetothe police be fore taking animalsto itsrescuecentre.

Cuan WildlifeRescue issued areminder to membersofthe publicto call West Mercia Police or 101immediatelyiftheywitness awildlife crime.

Setupin1990, thecharity cares forsick, injuredororphanedanimalsatits rescue centre in Much Wenlockand treatsaround6,000 creatures each day. Thecharity said thepolicehavemorejurisdic tion andthe ability to deal with wildlife crimewhenincidents occur. They went on to saythatculprits areoften prosecutedifthe police arecontacted firstand that police should be contactedbeforethe an imalsare broughttothe centre for treatment

Thecharity said:“When thepolice arecalled, askfor thewildlife crimeofficer– most areasdohave one

“Theywould need information on wherethe crimeistakingplace, when it happened,who andwhat is involved, descriptions of anyone seen andwhatexactly occurred Photographic evidenceifachievable and finallythe exactarea, usingthe ‘WhatThreeWords’ appifpossible, wouldbeverybeneficial.”

Achievements of studentsare recognised

Pride, laughter andafew tears were theorder of theday forstu dents, parentsand staffatShrop shire’sDerwenCollege graduation ceremony.

Morethan180 guests attended theeventatthe Lion QuaysHotel andResort, near Oswestry,tocelebratethe achievements of students at thecollege foryoung adults with special educationalneedsand disabilities

SUEAUSTIN sue.austin@mnamedia.co.uk

Former students were given theircertificatesofgraduationand individual prizes as drinks anda lunchwereservedbythe college’s hospitalitystudents

Entertainmentwas provided by Derwen DanceCrewand Derwen on Tour

GuestsincludedMayor of Oswestry JayMoore,HighSheriffofShropshireSelinaGraham, Selattyn &Gobowen parish chairmanCraig Emery, andCae Glas LodgeFreemasonssecretary Pete Adams.

Poet andauthor JanHedges, Moreton Hall School chef Stephen Conroy andowner of Oswestry Old School HouserestaurantSophie Dillon were also there.

Allcouncil meetings to be givenlivebroadcasts

Live broadcasting forall Powys council meetings will be restored

Councillorshaveagreed live broadcasts of allmeetingsneeded to be available.

Therecommendationcamefrom thedemocraticservicescommittee afterCouncillor Graham Breeze championed therestoration of live streamingatits September meet ing.

In May, senior council stafftook thedecision to stop streamingmost of thecouncil’s committee meet ings live online

Theissuesonlivebroadcasting were duetothe need of having a

Welshlanguagetranslation facili ty

Full counciland cabinetmeetings were webcastlivebut scrutiny meetings were recorded anduploaded online later.

Mr Pinney said theuse of Zoom webinarsoftware, whichincludes atranslation function,had been trialled andmoreworkwould be needed to ensure councillorsunderstand howtouse it Councillor Breeze said at ameetinglastweek: “I’m delightedto seethisbroughtbeforeustoday.I wasextremely disappointed to see broadcasts removed.

“Asapreviouscabinet member with responsibilities forcorporate governance Iwas really proudof theway we hadimprovedscrutiny on this council.

“Inthe interestsofopennessand transparencyIcalloneveryone here todaytosupport this paper whichwillrestore live access to the pressand public

“Access whichshouldnever have been takenawaywithout thecon sent of thefull council.”

Thereportwas approvedunani mously,and thecouncil has60days to ensure allcommittee meetings areabletobebroadcast live

Friendship links to be maintained

AtraditionoffriendlyvisitsbetweenLudlow andaGermantown is beingresumed when adelegation from Langwasser is duetovisit

Thelinkbetween St Laurence, Ludlow andPaulGerhardtChurch, Nurnberg-Langwasserstretches back over 30 years. It owes itsoriginstoanencounter betweentwo young women at ayouth meetingin Bavariasoonafterthe war.

AvrilNortonand MargaKiesel were passionate about promoting reconciliationbetween theirtwo countriesand became good friends.

Astrongpartnershipwas established betweenthe twochurches andintimeitgaverise to widerengagement with linksbetween parishes, deaneries, choirs andschools in Hereford Diocese andKirchenkreis Nurnberg

In return,parishionersfrom Ludlow have been invitedtoKirch entag, aGermanProtestantbiennial congress

61 defibrillators being installed

CommunitiesacrossShropshire will have public access to defi brillatorsthanks to TheWrekin Housing Group.

Theequipment is beinginstalledoutside thehousing provider’sbuildingsafter Wrekin teamedupwiththe cardiac charitySADSUKtopurchase 61 defibrillatorsfullyaccessible to thepublic.

DavidLewis from thegroup said:“Having adefibrillator availableinan emergencycan be life-saving,especially in more ruralareas whereitmay take emergencyserviceslonger to arrive.Wedoall we canto supportour tenantsand the communitieswhere we operate.

“By installing these defibril latorunits acrossShropshire, we areincreasingthe chancesof survival of anybodywho suffers asuddencardiac arrest.”

Manistoface trialoverclaim

Aman charged with theharassment of aKnightonwoman will standtrial in December

Alan Newton appeared at Llan drindodWells MagistratesCourt on Wednesday last week viaa video link.Hefaces achargeofharassing the woman betweenJanuary 12-15 by leaving13abusive andinsulting voicemailmessages forher

The58-year-old of Lant Avenue, LlandrindodWells,was also ac cusedofsending voicemails that were grosslyoffensive or of an inde cent,obscene or menacing charac terbetween thesamedates

He said he couldnot make commentsonthe mattersashecould not recall it.Magistratesentered notguilty pleasand setatrial at LlandrindodWells on December 7.

Mr Newton is currentlyinCar diff prisonuntil December 2and he will be on unconditionalbailfor thesematters upon hisrelease until the trialdate.

Councillor Graham Breeze

Students with theHigh Sheriff of Shropshire SelinaGraham andchair of governorsKathleen Kimber

Gentle guardian ghosttends to gravesinthe quietmornings

Severn speedkingwho

For almost 50 yearsbusinessman, designer andinventor Walter Davies kept aremarkablescrap book.

Shropshirehas itsfairshare of ghoststories andgruesome folkloretales –but notall of the spiritsthathaunt thecounty have illintent.

So goesthe legend of theLady of St Michael’sChurchyard, agentleghost that supposedly haunts thegrounds of the churchin Madeley, Telford.

“Littleisknown aboutthe identity of Madeley’s first ghost,”saysAmy Boucher, ex pert in Shropshire folklorewho haslookedintothe legend of the ghostly woman

“She canbefound haunting St Michael’sChurchyard,which is certainlyanatmospheric lo cation.Ifyou likegraveyards, you will probably be impressed with St Michael’s, with itsnumerous unique graves

“FromMaryTooth –whose epitaphreads‘herwarfare is complete’(one canonlyassume what such warfarewas)tothe beautifulhand-craftedmosaic memorial to CharlesArthur Turner (a little boywho died whilst playinginthe localarea) it’s clearthathistory rises up throughthese stones

“It’samong thesestonesour ghosthas decidedtomaketheir presence known.

“Thisfemaleentityisfre quently reported wandering throughthe graveyard, occa sionally stopping at certain graves,beforecontinuingher journey, only to lay flowersat oneofthe older, more neglected gravestones.

“She appearsasan oldlady, oftenwithadarkgreyorblack cloakpulled tightlyaroundher, as if sheiscold. Shepausesfor amoment afterlayingthe flow ers, deep in thoughtbeforedis appearing

“Mostreported sightings oc curin themorning when the graveyardisdrenchedin bird song.Peoplesay that seeing the lady makesthemfeelcalmand they arealmostsoothed by her presence, whichmakes herall themorelovely.

“Thoughwedonot know who thewoman is, nor herstory,I’m not sure that it really matters–forit’swonderful to know that thechurchyardiswatched over by itsown gentle guardian.”

Read more of Amy’sworkat nearlyknowledgeablehistory blogspot.com

Runningto74pages and packed with over120 orig inal photographs, cuttings, andmemorabilia, it is agoldmine charting alifetimeof creativity,adventure,and in novation.

It includes hisexploits on the RiverSevernatBewdley wherehe brokeworld waterspeed records, andrecording hiseventfultrips up river to theIronbridge Gorgeand beyond wherehis appearance would create aminor sensation.

Walter,ofDudley, wasapioneer andgreat champion of thehydro glider,which todaywewould call an airboat.

With his designs he was in the vanguard in overcoming abarrier to boat speed as profound as the soundbarrier whichhad scientistsand aviators ponderingthe challenges of achievingsupersonic flight

Andwhenspeedkingand nation al hero Donald Campbell setanew world waterspeed record in 1955, Wallie– this seemstohavebeen hispreferred spelling –was able to pointout thesimilaritiesinthe de sign of Campbell’s famous Bluebird to the firsthydroglider he hadbuilt, fully34years beforehand

Scrapbook

Thescrapbook begins in 1921, theyearhebuilt that firstcraft, andthe last entriesare in 1970,just twoyears before hisdeath

It is auniqueand invaluable re cord,now in thepossessionofTel ford antiquarianand rare books dealer Andrew Cox.

“I bought it at an auctionin Shrewsbury aboutthree or four yearsago,” he said

“It’sfascinating,areallyinter esting piece of localhistory.Itry to go forinteresting, unusual, one-off things,and this is certainlyunique. As abookdealerIboughtittoresell,obviously, anditisfor sale.”

Andrew hadnever heardofWal terDaviesbefore, anddoes not know whohad thescrapbook previously.

“The auctionhouse does notlet you know that sort of information.”

He added: “I’m notanexperton himand Ihaven’t read through it as Ihaven’t gottimewhenIhaveso many things forsale.”

Neverthelesshehas researched informationabout Walter online forthe purposes of describing it for sale,and addedone or twosnippets extracted from within thescrap book itself

Andrew doesn’twanttosay how much he paid,and thinks theitem wouldbeofinteresttoaninstitu

tional librarycollection, suchasthe archives in Dudley or Shropshire because of thegreat localhistory relevancetothose places.The askingprice reflects theuniquenature of theitem–£1,500.

“I paid areasonableamountof moneyfor it,soIcan’t give it away.”

Anybodyinterested cantakea look throughhis Andrew CoxRare Bookswebsite

So whowas Walter Davies and what wasthe significanceofhis work?

Designers of boatsand ships whichtravelthrough thewater face ahydrodynamicbarrier whichlim itstheir maximumspeed.

There’straditionallyaveryrough andready rule of thumb, that the maximumspeed (inknots) of aboat or ship is thesquarerootofits wa terlinelength(in feet)multipliedby 1.34

Or,toput it simply,the longera boat or ship is, thefasteritcan go Shortboats arecondemned to be slow boats then?Not necessarily Walliedid not breakthe rule –he sidesteppedit, or rather,overrode

it.Insteadoftravelling throughthe water,his creationsrodeontop of thewater.Theywereplaning boats, whichfreed thespeed.Speedboats andhydrofoil boatsalso achieve high speeds usingthismethod.

ForWallie, allthatwas agiven, andwhathewould insteadhigh lightwas thebenefits of beingable to operateinshallow water and having no underwater propellerto be fouled by weeds

Hiscreations were driven from therearbyanaircraft-style propeller andweresteeredbyair craft-stylerudders

His firstdesignin1920was a conventional boatcalledOak Leaf I, trialled at Park Head canalinDud ley. He beganbuildinghydrogliders in 1921 with Oak Leaf II,which in corporated anarrowmainhullwith twin floats to give stability.The floats hadcurvedouter sidesand flat innersides,designedtogive a minimumresistancein thewater

Wallie, whohad riverside hydroglider hangarsatBewdley,took outapatentinthe 1930sbut it had lapsed, andall he wasclaimingas

he spoketoone of ourreporters in 1955 wasthatthe Bluebird layout wassimilar

However,hesaid: “I thinkitis interestingthatanideawhich Idesigned so long ago, andwhich the Admiralty scoffedat, should nowbe used to setupaworld waterspeed record.”

Otherthanthe basicdesign, Oak Leaf II andBluebirdwerepoles apart. Wallie’scraft waspowered by a40horsepowerAnzaniengine andreached atop speed of 21mph. Bluebird boasted 4,000 horsepower andset aworld record speed on UllswaterinJuly1955of202 mph. Thecurrent record is 317mph

Born in Springmere,Dudley, in April1891, Walter Davies went to HartsHillSchool, latercalledHolly Hall School

He firstshowedaninterestin aeronauticsatthe ageof19whenhe wasawarded firstprize by Birming hamModel Aero Club forthe most originalmodel

Ayearlater he builtwhatisbelieved to be the firstaerogliderin theMidlands, and flew it in Priory

Stourport, May1928, theday

Wallieset arecord 35mphfor ahydroglider

At thedrawing boardinlater life.Heremainedactiverightupuntil hisdeath

OneofWallie’shydrogliders at Ironbridge in

St Michael’s. Pic: AmyBoucher

lovedmessing on thewater

Fields,Dudley. Thefollowing year he ascended in aballoon from the topofDudleyCastleand reacheda heightof4,500ft before landingat Coleshill

Walliewentontoworkas an aircraftdesignerand wasresponsible forthe development of theAnzani Cawdronbiplane

Andseven yearsafterhehad de signed OakLeafIIhebuiltanother hydrogliderwithafourhorsepower engine andat Stourportheset up a world record of 35mphfor acraft of that type

In 1950 he createdanother world record fora 450kilogramclass hy drogliderwith51.4mph on theRiv er Severn at BewdleywithLapwing, whichhad adraught of twoinches, wasbrightblueand poweredbya 100hpengine.

Wallielived at 90 AstonRoadin Dudley andwas obviouslyaman of many partsashealso ownedacin ema.

Forthe October1950recordattemptheand hisengineerEddie Millingtonwaitedmonthsfor ideal weather. In perfectconditions, and

wearingalifebelt–Walliewas safe ty conscious –he climbedintothe cockpitat FollyPoint to starthis four runs up anddownthe river.Because of thedangerofjagged rocks downstream,hechose to make his record attemptagainst the4mph current.

Waving hisstopwatch to the groupwatchingfromthe bank,he shouted:“I’ve done it.The record is beatenby3mph.”

Hydroglider

Afterwards he took theExpress andStarreporterand photographer coveringthe eventupriver in thehydroglider,reaching40mph before throwing it into abroadside skid in shallowbrokenwater,sendingup acloud of spray.

“You seeI have hadtobesatisfied with record breaking on asomewhat smallerscale than Donald Campbell,” he conceded modestly when he called in to theExpress andStaroffice at Dudley in 1955 forhis little chat

By that time hadbuilt atotal of

23 craftand waspresidentofSouth StaffordshireHydroplaneClub.

Some of histrips on theRiver Severnwerecovered in fascination by thepress,and even filmedby PatheNews.

An earlyadventure of oneofhis hydrogliders wasreported in the WellingtonJournal andShrewsbury News on November3,1923.

“DesignedbyMrWalterFW Davies of Dudley,itintendedtogo from HighleytoShrewsbury, but turned back five miles shortbe causeof floodwaters, andonits re turn it crashedintothe Iron Bridge “Later it went downstream but at Potter’s Loade, near Highley, hit aropeacrossthe river,tipping all threeonboard into thewater.”

Mr Davies andhis companions clungtosome overhangingbranches untiltheywererescuedbyfour womenwithclothes lines.

In July 1932 he travelledfromBewdleytoShrewsburyinhydroglider D7,acatamaran design,inwhathe claimedwas the firsttimethatjour neyhad beenmadebyapower-driven boat.

In July 1937 hisbrother-in-law SidBrayofDudleyand friendsMr FGarbett,also of Dudley,and a Mr Briscoe,fromWestBromwich, tried to take aholiday trip in one of Wallie’scraft from Gloucester to Shrewsbury,but didn’t quitemake thecountytownas it provedtoo wide to getthrough thegap in the weir in Shrewsbury

Walliehimself ledanother trip thefollowing year,reported by the Shrewsbury ChronicleinAugust 1938

“Residents of Iron-Bridge and district hadathrill on Monday af ternoon,”itsaid.

“A fine 80 h.p. hydro-glider,the ‘SevernStar’,cameupthe river, taking theCoalportrapidswithout pause, andcamegracefullytorest just abovethe toll bridge.Acrowd quicklygathered.

“The hydro-glider,which has been in commissiononlyafortnight, wasbrought up by Mr Davies of Dudley,who builtit, with aparty of six, includingthree ladies.The partycalledonMrHarry Rogers, an oldfriend, andthe ladies went

outonthe river with himinhis coracle. ”Harry Rogers wasafamous Ironbridge coraclemaker.

It wasone of these tripswhich waswitnessed by Jackfieldlocal historianRon Miles, now93.

“Itwas liketwo canoes with a platform andanaeroplane engine at theback,”hesaid. Although Ron’smemoryisstill sharp, he no longer remembersseeingitpersonally,but clearlydid becausehetold us fora 2011 featureabout it: “It madeadevil of anoise.Weall saw it.Werushedout of ourhouses.”

Wallie’spassion lasted hislifetime.According to Andrew Cox’s delving, in lateryears he diversified to designingmotor boats for acompany basedinKingswinford andafterhis retirement he was apassenger on boardthe world’s firsthovercoachservice operated by BritishUnitedAirways in 1962

Therewas also atripinanear ly passenger-carrying hydrofoilin 1964.And,busytothe end, Wallie spenthis retirement making modelsofhovercraftand shipsuntil his deathin1972.

July 1937,with thetown’sfamouscoracleman HarryRogers in attendance

“Parkhead,Dudley, Nov20th1920”

HydrogliderhangarsatBewdley

Thescrapbook spans 1921 to 1970

Wallie’s firsthydroglider, OakLeaf II,in1921. With himishis brother-in-law Sid Bray,alsofromDudley

Easy one-pot chickendish makesperfect mid-week meal

TV legendMaryonlaid-back dinners forthe wholefamily

PRUDENCEWADE PressAssociation

Even legends like Dame Mary Berrysometimes getthrown.

“I’vehad many disastersinthe kitchen,”the 87-year-oldformer Bake Offjudge admits –but she sounds so self-assured,you can’t imagineher gettingknocked off course fortoo long

“Based on aclassic,thisisone of ourfavouritesfor an easy supper. Usechicken breasts, if you prefer,” says Mary Berry.

TUSCAN CHICKEN

Ingredients: Serves 6

6large skinless chicken thighs,bonein

2tbspplain flour

2tsp paprika

2tbspolive oil

1large onion, finely chopped

1large redpepper, deseeded and finely diced

2garliccloves, crushed 2tsp tomato puree

30gsun-blushed tomatoes, chopped

150mlwhite wine

150mlchicken stock

150mlpouring double cream

150g baby spinach

55gParmesan, grated

Method: Placethe chicken thighs in abowl. Addthe flour andhalfthe paprikaand seasonwellwithsaltand freshly ground blackpepper. Toss to gether to coat

Heat theoil in alarge,deep frying panover ahighheat. Add thechicken andfry forthree to four minutes on each side,until brownedand crisp. Setaside on aplate

Addthe onionand pepper to theunwashedpan andfry for fourto five minutes over ame dium heat,until soft.You may need alittlemoreoil.Add the garlic andfry for30seconds

Stirinthe purée, tomatoes, wine andstock andbring up to theboil. Return thechicken to thepan with anyrestingjuices, cover, reduce theheatand simmerfor about30minutes,until tender

Addthe creamand spinach to thepan andstiruntil wilted Remove from theheat, sprinkle with thecheeseand servepiping hot.

ForBerry,surprises tend to come in theformofher children,Annabel andThomas (her otherson William died age19) and five grandchildren turningupfor dinner unexpectedly It seemsno oneisthatfondofphoningahead

“Veryoften Ihavefamilycoming round, lots of young[people] –and then twomoreturnup.”Adding with cheeky groan: “I know exactly what they’relike, andthey’revery hungry.”

Butshe certainlyseems to relish beingsurroundedbyher family andshe hasafew nifty tricks up hersleevefor catering when unex pected guests turn up.“If it’s abig potofsomething, I’ll addanother canof flageoletbeans or black-eyed beansorevenacan of bakedbeans, to spin it out– whichiswhatwe have to do.”

Many families will be thinking of ways to stretchtheir mealsfurther, as food andenergypricescontinue to soar –and Berry’stop piece of advice forcutting costsinthe kitchen is allabout preparation. “I think saving money on cookingisbeing organised, andabit of planning be forehand,” shesays. “Ifyou’vegot peoplecominground –relations, friends, whatever –it’sdoing the shopping list andnot veeringfrom it.”

Berrymightseemasput togeth er as it gets,but shehasn’talways been thepinnacleoforganisation.

“I’velearned it over theyears,” she says –and practise makesperfect “IfI’vegone to thetrouble,which indeed,Idid at theweekend –Idid tworoast chickens, whichisone of therecipes in thebook. Imadere-

ally good stock– really good gravy,far toomuchfor that day, and Ifroze therest. That meanswhen you’ve maybejustgot achicken breast andyou want to have gravy with it,you’vegot it in thefreezer “I don’twaste anything.Ifthere’s somethingleft, Iusually freeze it.”

WhileBerry’s styleisdefinitely classic, she’sslowlybut surely incorporating neweringredients into her food vocabulary –largely thanks to herfamilymembers. Shesays: “At themoment they’reall at theage wheretheyeat alot,and they like very much trying newthings– so Iuse more of theingredients they enjoythe most.”

That meansyou’llsee alot more avocados in Berry’srecipes than youmighthavepreviously, along

with otherfamilyfavourites, includ ingbeans, lentilsand chickpeas. “They’re willing to tryanything,” sheadds.

Many of these ingredientsfeature in herlatestbook, Cook AndShare, whichverymuchdoeswhatitsays on thetin,and puts sharingfood centre.Berry suggestsfood hasbecome morelaid-back,and herrecipes reflectthis.

“I wanted it to be more relaxed –sharing,helpyourself,and still [thinking] what Ican prepare ahead,”she says.“Most people are working,and they can’talwaysdo everything just before friendsare coming round.”

At 87,Berry showsnosignof slowingdown–her newbookisaccompaniedby aBBC series of the

same name –soshe’s eagertomake life easier foreveryone in herrec ipes.“Idoquite abit of preparing ahead, just adding somethingatthe last minute,”she says –whether that’s freshherbsoranothergar nish to bringthe dish to life.

Fans of Berry’srecipeswon’t be disappointed by herlatestoffering. “There aresome classicthingsthat I’ve relooked at,” shesays. “We’ve gotthe ultimate chocolatebrownie –that’stodie for. Anda fewcasse roles–the Sundaybestminted lamb is delicious… then there’sone pot things like Tuscan chicken, which is thesortofdishyou canshare for averyspecialoccasion.”

n Cook AndShare by Mary Berry is published in hardback by BBC Books, priced £27. Availablenow

Gooeychocolate brownies areanindulgent treat

Youknowyou’reinsafehands with aMaryBerry baking recipe

“Thisisour favourite brownie; it hasa wrinkled topand agooey middle,” says Mary Berry. “Perfect foreatingasitis, or you couldadd atopping of your choice.”

CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Bournville

cubed, plusextra

muscovado

Grease andlinea30×23-cen timetretraybaketin with non-stickbakingpaper.

Placethe chocolateand butter in alarge heatproofbowl. Place thebowloverapan of simmering water untilmelted. Stirtocom bine

Remove from theheatand add the sugarand eggs.Mix well un tilsmooth, then addthe flourand vanillaand mixagain.Stirinthe chocolatechips

Pour thechocolate mixture into thepreparedtin andbakefor about 45 minutes, untilwellrisen andset around theedges, with a slightly soft centre

Leavetocoolinthe tin, then sliceinto24squares.

Bake OffstarMaryBerryissharing theperfect recipestoshare

Mary with husbandPaulHunnings

Cook AndShare by MaryBerry

MaryBerry’sUltimatechocolatebrownies

Tuscan chicken

Eureka!Thisblade of beef is a fantasticdishfor autumn days

ANDY RICHARDSON andy.richardson@mnamedia.co.uk

Autumn is here andchef AndreasAntonahas a rangeofseasonaldishes in hisnew book, Eureka. Theowner of Simpsons restau rant,in Edgbaston, hascreated a raft of recipestocookthroughout theyear. These focusonthe best of this season’sproduce.Copiesofhis book will be availableinOctober from Simpsons

BLADEOFBEEF

withOnion andAnchovy Purée, GlaceCarrots,Grilled Onions, Herbed Potatoes

Ingredients: Serves 4

BladeOfBeef:

2blades of beef (approx750g each),trimmed andtied

2tbspplain flour

2tbspsalt

2tbsppepper

Vegetable oil

2carrots,peeled andchopped

4stickscelery, roughlychopped

1onion,peeledand chopped

4clovesgarlic,crushed

1large flat mushroom

3sprigsofthyme

2bay leaves

1bottleofred wine

1l dark chickenstock

50gunsaltedbutter

2tbspredcurrantjelly

Method: ForThe BladeOfBeef–Preheatthe oven to 125˚C. Mixthe flour, salt andpeppertogether. Roll theblade of beef in the flour, shakeoff anyexcess. Heat alarge enough panfor theblade (anoval cast iron casseroledishisideal)and seal it well on allsides in thehot vegetableoil.Remove from thepan

andplaceonatray. Addthe vege tables,garlicand mushroomstothe panand cook untillightly coloured Pour in thered wine andbring to theboil. Reduce by twothirds. Addthe stock, herbsand theblade ofbeef. Simmer forabout 15 minutes,skimmingtoremove theimpurities.The meat should just be coveredwiththe stock. Coverwith alid or tinfoiland placeinthe oven forabout 2½-3hours or untilvery tender.Carefullyremove themeat to atrayand covertokeepwarm andmoist.Boilthe cookingliquor over ahighheattoreducetoasauce consistency. Pass througha fine sieveintoa cleanpan.Whisk in the butter andthe redcurrant jelly.Set asideasthisisthe sauce.

OnionAnd Anchovy Purée:

3large onions, thinly sliced

50ganchovies, drained

50gunsaltedbutter

Pinchofsalt

1tbspsherryvinegar

1tsp castersugar

3tbspdoublecream

30gunsaltedbutter, diced Grilled onions

20 button onions,peeled and halved

2tbspvegetable oil Salt

Method: In alarge pan, melt the threetablespoons of butter over medium heat.Add in theonions, anchoviesand salt andcontinue to cook untilcaramelized andvery soft.A deep browncolourisdesired Once caramelised, deglaze thepan with sherry vinegarand stir in the caster sugar. Transfer to ablender andblend untilsmooth. Addin the doublecream andbutterand continuetoblenduntil fully incorporated. Checkseasoning andadjust if required.Passthe puréethrough a fine sieveand storeinanairtight containeruntil readytouse

Glacecarrots:

4carrots,peeled andsliced

60gunsaltedbutter

Salt Caster sugar

2tsp flat leafparsley,chopped

Method: Placethe carrotsina shallowlayerin apan.Add enough water to barely cover, thebutter, a pinchofsaltand caster sugar. Cook over ahigh heat covered with alid andboilfor 3-4minutes before removing thelid.Continuetoboil, stirring occasionally. Theliquid should reduce to ashiny glazefor thecarrots at whichpoint remove thepan from theheat.

ForThe Grilled Onions: Heat apan with vegetableoil over medium -highheatand placethe button onions cutsidedown. Cook untilnicelybrowned.Turnthe on ionoverand continue cookinguntil soft to thepoint of aknife.Season onions with salt

Herbed potatoes:

600g MarisPiper potatoes, peeled andquartered Salt

4tbspunsaltedbutter

Chives, chopped finely

Flat leaf parsley, chopped finely

Method: Putthe potatoes in apan andcover with cold,saltedwater Bringtothe boil over medium heat, then reduce theheatand simmer forabout 10 -15 minutes until tender.Drain once cooked.Before serving, melt 2tablespoons of butterinasaucepanand addthe pota toes.Seasonwithsaltand pepper to taste. Mixthe potatoes with chives andparsley

To Finish;

Flat leafparsley

Method: Stir parsleyintothe glace carrotsand serveina side dish Placethe potatoes in asidedish. Slicethe bladeofbeefintoportions andcoatwithsome of thesauce Spread thepurée on theplate in a circular motion andplacethe blade of beef on top. Placegrilled onions on topand garnishwithparsley Servewiththe redwinesauce

Amouthwatering finale to anythree-coursemeal

CARDAMOM EGGCUSTARD

FigJam,RoastedPistachios

Ingredients; Serves 4-6

1x20cm sweetpastrytart case,blind baked

Cardamom EggCustard: 550mldoublecream

10 cardamom pods, crushed 80g castersugar

160g eggyolk Ground cardamom

IN SEASON by Andy Richardson

Toptipsfor making most of pumpkins

As thenights draw in andthe weather gets colder,weall enjoytucking into warmingdishesoffood

Hearty stews, bakesand soups canall be madefromthe seasonal fruitand vegthatyou canharvest or buyatthistimeofyear.

Whetheryou’reakeengarden er or liketobuy from farm shops, greengrocersand markets, you can getholdoflotsoffresh fruitand veg during October.

From savoury soupsand centre pieces, to pumpkin-spiced bakes andsweet treatsfor aHalloween party, thereare plenty of ways to useautumnal squash

Pumpkinhummus isatreat and canbemadewitha smallpumpkin, olive oil, garlic,lemon,tahnini paste, chickpeas,red andyellow peppersand breadsticksfor serv ing.

Pumpkinpurée is agreat side dish that canalso be used as a sensational seasonal ingredient in cakes, pancakes andgloriouspies.

Method: Preheatoven to 120˚C. Heat thecream with thecarda mom podsovermediumheat. Reduce theheatand leavetoinfuse forabout 30 minutes. Pass through a fine sieveand bringtothe boil

In abowl, whisktogetherthe eggyolkand castersugar.Pour theboiling creamontothe egg yolks, whisking continuously. Pass through a fine sieveintoajug Pour thecustard into thetartcase.

Placegroundcardamomina small, fine sieveand lightlycover thesurface.Whenready to bake, placeintothe oven andbakefor about 35 -40minutes or untiljust

set buthas aslightwobble. Remove from oven,cooland slice.

FigJam: 750g ripe figs,quartered 125mlwater

½orange, zested 300g castersugar ½lemon,juiced 1tsp rose water

Method: Placethe figs andwater in alarge saucepan.Bring to asim merand cook forabout 10 minutes

or untilthe figs have softened. Mix in theorangezest, caster sugar andlemon juice. Bbring to theboil, whilst stirring frequently.Continue to boil untilthe jamreaches 105˚C. Allowthe jamtoboiland maintain this temperaturefor a couple minutes.Oncecooked, stir in therose water. Leavetocool.

To Finish: 100g pistachios,roastedand coarsely chopped

Method: Place1-2 tablespoonsof figjam on aslice of cardamom egg custardtart. Topwithpistachios.

Pumpkins canbeusedinavariety of dishes to entertainguests

Pumpkincan be steamedover a panofboiling water or cooked in themicrowave

DianaHenry’s pumpkin, fennel andtaleggiogalette is awonderful tart with buttery, flakypuffpastry, creamy Italiancheeseand autum nalvegetables. It makesfor awon derful lunchifyou’reentertaining friends

Acreamypumpkin pastaiseasy to make andensures ahearty lunch. When puréed andcombined with mascarpone andparmesan, their fleshtransformsintoa silky, deliciouspasta sauce.

If you have aglutofpumpkins, you canmakea greatpumpkin picklethataddspizzazz to the Christmas table. It canbeserved with cold meats, cheeseoraslice of pork pie.

Pumpkins areafavourite for vegetariansand vegans.Ifyou’re throwing avegan dinner partyin theautumn or winter months, bake apumpkin with agorgeousstuffing of rice,fennel, apple, pomegranate seeds andpecans.

Pumpkinpie is aperennial fa vourite.Filla sweetshortcrust pastry tart case with lightlyspiced squash to make atraditional American treat.Halloween pump kincakeisadelicious alternative to carrot cake.Try usingupyour leftover pumpkininthisghoulishly goodHalloween cake forasweet treat that won’t trickyourguests.

Blade of IrishBeefisthe perfectdish to tryout during theautumn months

FRIDAYNIGHT LIVE

Channel 4, 9pm

If you’re old enough to remember Saturday Live, you’ll know it was one of the most influential and important comedy shows in British history

During the 1980s, such was the explosion of the socalled ‘alternative comedy’ movement thatover 50 comedy clubs were operating in London and agalaxy of performers were working the venues.

The game-changing Saturday Live (laterbecoming Friday Night Live) brought this burgeoning scene to anational TV audience, and propelled several of the performers to stardom.

Anyone who was anyone on the comedy scene appeared on it, including Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson, Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, Nick Hancock and Neil Mullarkey, Jeremy Hardy,Lenny Henry,Helen Lederer and Andy de la Tour

Arguably the biggest leap to fame was by Harry Enfield, whose brilliantly drawn characters Stavros and Loadsamoney made appearances on the shows.

Meanwhile, although Ben Elton was initially invited just to write for the show,he was asked to perform as well and quickly became the show’s most seen face, hosting all of the second series.

With his trademark sparkly suit, he used the platform to rail against authority and what he saw as the misuse of Tory power during the 1980s.

Friday Night Live was resurrected as asegment for 1993’s Red Nose Day,again hosted by Elton, with appearances by Laurie, Reeves and Mortimer,Eddie Izzard, and David Baddiel and Rob Newman.

The show made another return in 1996 on ITV

Hosted by Lee Hurst, it featured comedians including Harry Hill and Simon Munnery

It was revived by ITV once again in 2007, with Marcus Brigstocke hosting and comics including Jimmy Carr,Lee Mack, Mitchell and Webb, and Jocelyn Jee Esien.

Elton also performed, and there were musical performances by Bon Jovi and Hard-Fi.

Now,kicking off Truth and Dare season to mark Channel 4’s 40th anniversary,

Friday Night Live is returning with a90-minutecomedy variety special.

Back to host is the masterful Elton, who is joined by friends from the original series such as Enfield, Clary and Brand, and new performers from today’s circuit including Rosie Jones, Mawaan Rizwan, Jordan Gray,Ronni Ancona and Sam Campbell.

As well as all that comedy talent in one room, there’s live music courtesy of Mercury Prize nominee Self Esteem.

The Return Of Friday Night Live is one of anumber of commissions announced by Channel 4for its anniversary celebrations, with other commissions including Frankie Boyle focusing on the monarchy,Prince Andrew: The Musical, and aprogramme about free expression hosted by Jimmy Carr Channel 4’s Ian Katz says: “This season shows that Channel 4isstill as mischievous, disruptive and distinctive as when it was born 40 years ago.”

During the original Saturday Live series, lawyers were on hand to ensure none of the comedians landed themselves in hot water

And with the state of British politics at themoment, there should be plenty for the likes of Elton and co to get their teeth into, on what promises to be a‘loud, outrageous, noisy and very funny’ homage to aBritish comedy institution.

6.00 Breakfast (S). 9.15 Rip

Off Britain Live: Cost Of Living Special Week (S). 10.00

Crimewatch Live (S). 10.45

Paramedics On Scene (S). 11.15

Homes Under The Hammer (R) (S). 12.15 Bargain Hunt (S).

1.00 BBC News At One; Weather (S). 1.30 BBC Regional News; Weather (S). 1.45 Doctors (S).

2.15 London Kills (S). 3.00

Escape To The Country (R) (S).

3.45 Antiques Road Trip (R) (S).

4.30 The Tournament (S). 5.15 Pointless (S).

6.30 Escape To The Country (R) (S). 7.15 The Tournament (R) (S). 8.00 Sign Zone: The Repair Shop (R) (S). 9.00 BBC News (S). 10.00 BBC News (S). 12.15

Politics UK (S). 1.00 Best House In Town (R) (S). 1.45 Eggheads (R) (S). 2.15 Lightning (R) (S). 2.45 Best Bakes Ever (R) (S). 3.30 Super Cute Animals (R) (S). 4.30 Street Auction (R) (S). 5.00 Flog It! (R) (S).

6.00 Good Morning Britain (S). 9.00 Lorraine (S). 10.00 This Morning (S). 12.30 Loose Women (S). 1.30 ITV News; Weather (S). 1.55 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 2.00 Dickinson’s Real Deal (S). 3.00 Tenable (S). 3.59 ITV Regional Weather (S). 4.00 Tipping Point (S). 5.00 The Chase (S).

Sullivan (S).

10.00 Mock The Week Comedy panel show, with Dara OBriain. Last in the series (S). 10.30 Newsnight (S).

11.05 MOTDx Football discussion presented by Jermaine Jenas (R) (S).

11.35 The Elon Musk Show (R) (S).

12.35 Sign Zone: The Champions League Final: What Went Wrong? –Panorama (R) (S). 1.05 Sign Zone: Simon Reeve’s South America (R) (S). 2.05 Sign Zone: Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling (R) (S). 2.35 This Is BBC Two (S).

6.00 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 6.30 ITV News; Weather (S).

7.30 Emmerdale Avillager is missing and asearch is organised (S).

8.00 Coronation Street Expectant Summer receives an unexpected offer (S).

9.00 Professor T The criminologist lectures his students about the murder trial of a caretaker (S).

10.00 ITV News At Ten; Weather (S). 10.30 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 10.45 The NFL Show (S).

11.40 The Motorbike Show HenryCole takes aroad trip through the Malvern Hills (S).

12.30 Shop: Ideal World 2.00 Live Women’s World Cup Rugby Union (S). 4.30 Live Women’s World Cup Rugby Union (S).

SAINT MAUD (Film4, 10.45pm)

The brightly-lit arcades of anameless British seaside resortbear witness to abrutal tug of war between faith and fanaticism in writer-director Rose Glass’s striking debut feature. Infused with the creeping dread of amodern-day horror story, Saint Maud is amesmerising portrait of religious fervour and sexual awakening anchored by a bravura central performance from Welsh actress Morfydd Clark (pictured) as the eponymous tortured soul.

SCARFACE (ITV4, 10.50pm)

Small-time crook Tony Montana emigrates from Cuba to the US, determined to become rich and powerful. Admitted into the inner circle of aMiami

drug lord, he ultimately takes over his boss’s empire and even his wife. However,his paranoia and cocaine addiction begin to spiral out of control, while his enemies circle, waitingfor the chance to bring him down.Gangster thriller remake, with Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer and RobertLoggia.

Sport

DERBYCOUNTY

(R)

(R)

MacGyver (R) (S). 3.00

Of Lemur Island (R) (S).

(R) (S). 4.30

Simpsons (R) (S). 5.00 The

(R) (S). 5.30 Futurama (R) (S).

6.00 The Simpsons Classic movie monsters gatecrash aHalloween party (R) (S).

6.30 Hollyoaks (R) (S).

7.00 Channel 4News (S).

7.30 Unreported World Sahar Zand examines the darker side of sumo wrestling (S).

8.00 The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice Jo Brand is joined by celebrity fans to tuck into the events of Halloween Week (S).

9.00 Friday Night Live A one-off revival of the 1980s stand-up and entertainment show (S).

Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years And ALovely BitOfSquirrel A celebration of sitcom Friday Night Dinner (R) (S).

6.00 Walking Victorian Britain (S).

6.30 Eggheads The Pearfect Quizzers take on the regulars (S).

6.55 5News Update (S).

7.00 Tony Robinson’s HistoryOfBritain (S).

7.55 5News Update (S).

8.00 Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out New series. The comedian heads to the south Cornish Coast in her campervan (S).

9.00 Paris To Rome With Bettany Hughes The final leg starts on the Amalfi Coast. Last in the series (S).

10.00 ABBA:Here We Go Again The personal and musical development of the Swedish group (R) (S).

11.35 Greatest ABBA Cover Versions Ever The stories behind wellloved versions of the Swedish group’s songs (R) (S).

1.00 The LeoVegas Live Casino Show (S) 3.00 Entertainment News On 5 (S)

8.00Top Of The Pops (S).

8.30 TopOfThe Pops Performances by Belinda Carlisle, Gabrielle and Frankie Goes to Hollywood (S).

9.00 Kings Of Soul Celebrating the male artists instrumental to the soul genre (S).

9.55 BBC Four Sessions: James Brown (S).

10.55 Soul America The emergence of soul music from the world of gospel (S).

6.00 Futurama Robot gangsters recruit Bender (R) (S). 6.30 The Simpsons Bart develops acrush on his babysitter (R) (S).

7.00 The Simpsons Homer starts asnowplough business (R) (S).

7.30 The Simpsons (R) (S).

6.00 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records (S). 6.35 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records (S). 7.00 In ForAPenny (S). 7.30 In ForAPenny (S). 8.00 Dress To Impress (S). 9.00 Dress To Impress (S). 10.00 Secret Crush (S). 11.00 Secret Crush (S). 12.00 Supermarket Sweep (S). 1.00 Family Fortunes (S). 2.00 Alan Carr’s Epic Gameshow (S). 3.05 Veronica Mars (S). 4.00 One Tree Hill (S). 5.00 HartOf Dixie (S).

6.00 Classic Coronation Street (S). 6.35 Classic Coronation Street (S). 7.00 Classic Emmerdale (S). 7.30 Classic Emmerdale (S). 8.05 On The Buses (S). 8.40 On The Buses (S). 9.10 Upstairs, Downstairs (S). 10.25 Upstairs, Downstairs (S). 11.30 Heartbeat (S). 12.35 Heartbeat (S). 1.40 Classic Emmerdale (S). 2.15 Classic Emmerdale (S). 2.50 Classic Coronation Street (S). 3.25 Classic Coronation Street (S). 3.55 Midsomer Murders (S).

8.55 Kirstie’s Vintage Gems (S). 9.15 APlace In The Sun (S). 10.05 APlace In The Sun (S). 11.05 Find It, Fix It, Flog It (S). 12.05 Find It, Fix It, Flog It (S). 1.10 Heir Hunters (S). 2.10 Four In ABed (S). 2.40 Four In ABed (S). 3.15 Four In ABed (S). 3.50 Four In ABed (S). 4.20 Four In A Bed (S). 4.50 Find It, Fix It, Flog It (S). 5.55 Car S.O.S (S).

(R)

BBC RADIO 3

11.55 Soul America How soul music reflected troubled times in the late ’60s and early ’70s (S).

8.00 The Simpsons Homer has aheartattack (R) (S).

8.30 Black Adam: Saviour Or Destroyer (R).

9.00 Rob&Romesh vs Fashion Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan meet model David Gandy (R) (S).

10.00 Fantasy Football League With Tom Grennan and Sam Quek (R).

10.35 Never Mind The Buzzcocks (R) (S).

11.20 ALeague Of Their Own Pranks, jokes and outtakes that were never meant for the air (R).

Catchphrase

Vick Hope, Ranvir Singh

Iain Stirling (S).

Heartbeat An infamous London gangster arrives in the area (S).

Heartbeat Alf goes undercover (S).

friend Paris (S).

8.00 Bob’s Burgers Louise wins acontest to be the principal for aday (S).

Bob’s Burgers (S).

FILM: Fast &Furious 7 (2015) Action thriller sequel, starring Vin Diesel (S).

Doc Martin Louisa and Martin’s picnic is interrupted by avet who appears to be hallucinating (S).

Martin Martin uncovers ahealth scare at James’s first birthday party (S).

6.55 Escape To The Chateau: DIY A chateau owner who believes ahoard of ancient armour was hidden in her lake (S).

7.55 Grand Designs A scientist tries to build acarbon-neutral home (S).

Family Guy Peter decides to go on adiet (S).

(S).

Emmerdale 50th Anniversary Hour long episode.

9.00 Astrid: Murder In Paris New series. Crime drama, starring Sara Mortensen. In French (S).

BBC RADIO 4

12.55 Soul America (S). 1.55 Top Of The Pops (S). 2.25 TopOfThe Pops (S). 2.55 TOTP2: Halloween Special (S). 3.55 Close

12.20 The Russell Howard Hour (R). 1.05 Wellington Paranormal (R) (S). 1.35 Wellington Paranormal (R) (S). 2.05 Caught On Dashcam (R) (S). 3.05 Hawaii Five-0 (R) (S). 4.00 MacGyver (R) (S). 5.00 Motorway Patrol (R) (S). 5.30 Motorway Patrol (R) (S).

Radio

Bob’s Burgers (S).

Bob’sBurgers

BBC 5LIVE

Debbie and Pete’s wedding

(S).

11.00 24 Hours In A&E A 71-year-old is rushed in after being knocked over by her husband’s car (S).

12.05 24 Hours In A&E (S). 1.10 8Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown (S). 2.10 24 Hours In A&E (S). 3.20 Food Unwrapped (S). 3.45 Close

6MUSIC

CLASSIC FM

ABSOLUTE RADIO

HOW THE BBC BEGAN

Two, 7.00pm

Happy birthday BBC!

Unless you’ve been living on Mars lately,you can’t fail to have noticed that the corporation has been gearing up for abig centenary celebration for months –well, it’s here at last.

Avariety of programmes tied to the event begin today (Saturday) with athemed Strictly Come Dancing, and last until next weekend. Expect to see special editions of Top Gear,Antiques Roadshow,The One Show (renamed The One Hundred Show), Doctor Who and The Repair Shop (featuring an appearance by King Charles), as well as oneoff shows including Kids TV:The Surprising Story,Una Marson: Our Lost Caribbean Voice and the mockumentary The Love Box In Your Living Room. We’re promised lots to enjoy on radio too.

“For 100 years theBBC has been informing, educating and entertaining the nation and our centenary year has been no different,” claims James Stirling, executive editor of the BBC100 season. “From an incredible summer of sport, to the epic return of Glastonbury,we’ve seen audiences come to the BBCinrecord numbers.

“Our centenary celebrations are at the forefront of our October schedule. During our special week of BBC 100 content, audiences can look forward to amix of exciting new commissions alongside some our best-loved shows, as they mark acentury of broadcasting in their own unique way.There really is something for everyone and we’re looking forward to sharing this moment with audience across the UK and beyond.”

But the Beeb hasn’t simply concentrated on broadcasting –inJanuary it launched anew BBCHistory website, among other schemes, as Stirling explains: “Alongside brilliant programming, we’ve been visiting hundreds of schools up and down the UK with our ambitious education initiative, BBC100 Share Your Story, and audiences are continuing to uncover the story of the nation through our most extensive digital archive collection ever,BBC Rewind.”

But of perhaps most interest to history-lovers out there is How the BBCBegan, atwo-part documentary focusing on the corporation’s first 50 years. It takes viewers right back to October 18, 1922, when the British Broadcasting Company was officially created by the country’s major radio manufacturing companies in an effort to promote the sale of sets to ablossoming audio market. It eventually went live less than amonth later,onNovember 14; anews bulletin was the first broadcast.

Other key moments set to feature include theQueen’s coronation, as well as coverage of JFK’s assassination and the Apollo moon landing, while among those offering anecdotes are David Attenborough, Joan Bakewell, Richard Baker and Dorothy Singer,who was the secretary of the BBC’s first director-general, Lord Reith.

Look out too for David Dimbleby,whose father,Richard, played akey role in the Beeb’s success during the 1950s.

“Milestones are obviously acause for celebration but actually,when you hit 100 years, what you should be looking at is the next 100 years,” says the veteran broadcaster.“The past is very interesting but it is gone. It’s what it teaches us for the future that matters.”

With that in mind, perhaps we should all raise aglass to the next centenary which, hopefully,will be celebrated by viewers and listeners in 2122.

6.00 Breakfast (S). 10.00

Saturday Kitchen Live (S).

11.30 Strawbridge Over The Drawbridge (S). 12.00 Football Focus (S). 1.00 BBC News; Weather (S). 1.15 Bargain Hunt (R) (S). 2.00 Escape To The Country (S). 3.00 Garden Rescue (R) (S). 3.45 The Tournament (S). 4.30 Final Score (S). 5.20 BBC News (S). 5.30 BBC Regional News; Weather (S). 5.40 Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel (S).

7.20 Shaun The Sheep (R) (S). 7.30 Dennis &Gnasher Unleashed! (R) (S). 7.45 Ninja Express (R) (S). 7.55 The Deep (R) (S). 8.20 Odd Squad (R) (S).

8.30 One Zoo Three (R) (S). 8.55 Newsround (S). 9.00 Blue Peter (R) (S). 9.30 Deadly Pole To Pole (R) (S). 10.00 FILM: Queen Of Katwe (Mira Nair 2016) Drama, starring David Oyelowo (S).

12.00 TopOfThe Shop With Tom Kerridge (R) (S). 1.00 The Great Northern Garden Build (R) (S).

2.00 FILM: Lilies Of The Field (Ralph Nelson 1963) (S). 3.30

Trawlermen: Hunting The Catch (R) (S). 4.30 Live Rugby League World Cup England vs France. Kick-off is at 5pm (S).

6.00 Live Women’s World Cup Rugby Union New Zealand vs Scotland. Kick-off is at 4.45am (S). 7.15 CITV 9.25 ITV News (S). 9.30 James Martin’s Saturday Morning (S). 11.40 Ainsley’s World Cup Flavours (S). 12.45 James Martin’s Great British Adventure (R) (S). 1.10 ITV News; Weather (S). 1.20 Midsomer Murders (R) (S). 3.20 FILM: Mr Bean’s Holiday (Steve Bendelack 2007) Comedy, starring Rowan Atkinson (S). 5.00 ITV News; Weather (S). 5.15 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 5.30 Ninja Warrior UK: Race For Glory (S).

6.30 The Masked Dancer

The three remaining celebrities perform before one is crowned the winner.Last in the series (S).

(S).

(S).

With Jools Holland With

Selaocoe, Billy

Debbie, Suede

Chip (S).

Radio 2In Concert Highlights of the band’s 2021 performance at the BBC Radio Theatre (S).

11.40 Coldplay At Radio 1’s Big Weekend The band’s performance at the 2016 edition of the event (R) (S).

12.40 Mock The Week (R) (S).

1.15 FILM: The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi 1982) Horror,starring Bruce Campbell (S). 2.35 This Is BBC Two (S).

8.00 The Voice UK Twelve acts take partinthe semi-final of the competition (S).

10.00 The Jonathan Ross Show With Hans Zimmer,Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Kelly Holmes and Arctic Monkeys (S).

11.00 ITV News; Weather (S). 11.25 English Football League Highlights Action from the latest fixtures (S).

1.10 Shop: Ideal World 3.00

Behind The Rage: America’s Domestic Violence (R) (S). 4.10 Unwind With ITV (S). 5.15 Live Women’s World Cup Rugby Union (S).

HOST (BBC3, 9.30pm)

Premiere. Haley (Haley Bishop, pictured) organises a Zoom video call with five friends, Caroline (Caroline Ward), Emma (Emma Louise Webb), Jemma (Jemma Moore), Radina (Radina Drandova) and Teddy (Edward Linard). Once pleasantries have been exhausted, Haley invites her pal Seylan (Seylan Baxter) into the chat room to conduct an online seance. Caroline is nervous but Seylan attempts to allay the group’s fears even though, in her own words, they will be “slightly less protected” by summoning spirits remotely

THE INBETWEENERS MOVIE (Channel 4, 11.30pm)

Posh boy Will McKenzie (Simon Bird) and his friends Simon (Joe Thomas), Jay (James Buckley) and Neil (Blake Harrison) are now 18 and can

escape the clutches of their school headmaster Mr Gilbertforever.Determined to enjoy one last hurrah before university,they head off on aholiday to Crete, where the hormonally charged young men meet Alison, Jane, Lisa and Lucy,sparking romance under the Mediterranean sun.

Editor’s Pick

DOCTOR WHO BBC One, 7.30pm

“It’s the end. But the moment has been prepared for…”

With those words, the fourth Doctor,played by TomBaker,bowed out before regenerating into Peter Davison. It was an incredible event for many young fans who had grown up watching Baker –due to asevenyear tenure in the Tardis, he was the only incumbent millions of them had ever known.

Now Jodie Whittaker is about to leave too. And although there won’t be quite so many youngsters (or even veteran viewers) sobbing at the idea of such a massive change, in away it’s almost as momentousas Baker’s decision to quit –after all, Whittaker is the first woman to play the Time Lord, and Doctor No14 will be Ncuti Gatwa, the first black actor to tackle the role.

But there’s afair bit to happen before the Rwandanborn Sex Education star makes his official debut.

Gatwa won’t appear in his first adventure for over ayear –David Tennant’s much-vaunted return as the 10th Doctor comes first to tie in with the show’s 60th anniversary next November in episodes devised by Russell TDavies, who masterminded the sci-fi epic’s return to our screens in 2005. Tennant will be joined on screen by Catherine Tate as popular companion Donna Noble.

And, of course, there’s Whittaker’s swan song to enjoy too. It’s afeature-length tale being broadcast to tie in with the BBC’s centenary celebrations, areflection of its importance to the corporation –the show is now one of its biggest and most enduring international successes.

As befits such aspecial episode, all the stops have been pulled out in abid to make it as exciting as possible, so we can expect to see the Doctor and her friends Dan and Yazbattle not only the Daleks and the Cybermen, but the Master too. What’s more, there’s a speeding bullet train, mysterious graffiti and missing seismologists to contend with, as well as an insight into revolutionary Russia as Rasputin takes control of Tsar

Nicholas…

Fans of the classic series are also in for atreat –Janet Fielding (who appeared in the aforementioned final Tom Baker episode) and Sophie Aldred are reprising their roles as former companions Tegan and Ace. We’ve been told to expect afew other surprises along the way too.

“Jodie and Imade a‘three series and out’ pact with each other at the start of this once-in-a-lifetime blast,” says showrunner Chris Chibnall, who is also leaving. “So now our shift is done, and we’re handing back the Tardis keys.

“Jodie’s magnificent, iconic Doctor has exceeded all our high expectations. She’s been the gold standard leading actor,shouldering the responsibility of being the first female Doctor with style, strength, warmth, generosity and humour.Ican’t imagine working with a more inspiring Doctor –soI’m not going to!”

“Weknew that we wanted to ride this wave side by side, and pass on the baton together,” adds Whittaker “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express what this role has given me. Iwill carry the Doctor and the lessons I’ve learnt forever.”

The moment has, it seems, been prepared for –here’s hoping it lives up to expectations.

Daytime

6.00 Breakfast (S). 8.00 Match Of The Day (R) (S). 9.00 Sunday

With Laura Kuenssberg (S). 10.00 Politics England (S). 10.30 Pilgrimage: The Road To Istanbul (R) (S). 11.30 Homes

Under The Hammer (R) (S). 12.00 Bargain Hunt (R) (S). 1.00 BBC News; Weather (S). 1.15 Songs Of Praise (S). 1.50

Points Of View (S). 2.05 FILM: Wallace &Gromit In The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit (Nick Park, Steve Box 2005) (S). 3.20 Frozen Planet II (R) (S). 4.20 BBC News (S). 4.35 BBC Regional News; Weather (S). 4.45 Countryfile (S).

5.45 Antiques Roadshow: 100 Years Of The BBC (S).

6.20 Gardeners’ World (R) (S). 7.20 Countryfile (R) (S). 8.15 Landward (R) (S). 8.45 This Farming Life (R) (S). 9.45

Saturday Kitchen Best Bites (S).

11.15 The HairyBikers’ Comfort Food (R) (S). 11.45 MOTD Live:

Women’s Super League Liverpool vs Arsenal. Kick-off is at 12pm (S). 2.00 Live Rugby League World Cup Lebanon vs Ireland. Kick-off is at 2.30pm (S). 4.50

Saving Lives At Sea (R) (S). 5.50 This Farming Life (R) (S).

6.00 Live Women’s World Cup Rugby Union England vs South Africa. Kick-off is at 5.45am (S). 8.15 CITV 9.25 ITV News (S). 9.30 Love Your Weekend With Alan Titchmarsh (S). 11.30 English Football League Highlights (R) (S). 1.25 ITV News; Weather (S). 1.30 Ninja Warrior UK: Race ForGlory (R) (S). 2.30 Live Gallagher Premiership Rugby Union Sale Sharks vs Harlequins. Kick-off is at 3pm (S). 5.30 Tipping Point: Best Ever Finals (R) (S).

Searching ForItaly

6.00 ITV News; Weather (S). 6.15 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 6.30 Family Fortunes (S).

7.30 Gino’s Italy: Like Mamma Used To Make Gino D’Acampo returns to his home town of Torredel Greco. Last in the series (S).

8.00 The Larkins The family hosts abarbecue (S).

BBC’s first black producer and broadcaster (S).

10.00 The Ranganation (S). 10.45 Introduction To After Love (S). 10.50 FILM: After Love (2020) (S).

9.00 Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Celebrity Special With Joel Dommett and Chris Kamara (S). 10.00 ITV News; Weather (S). 10.20 Sorry, IDidn’t Know (S).

10.45 The Ink Life Exploring tattoos in black British culture (S).

11.30 Gallagher Premiership Rugby Union Highlights (S).

12.15 FILM: ForLove (2022) (S). 12.30 FILM: What We Do In The Shadows (Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi 2014) (S). 1.50 Sign Zone: Question Time (R) (S). 2.50 Sign Zone: Days That Shook The BBC With David Dimbleby (R) (S). 3.50 This Is BBC Two (S).

Film Choices

WHATWEDOINTHE SHADOWS (BBC2, 12.30am)

Jemaine Clement (pictured) and Taiki Waititi co-write, co-direct and star in this mockumentaryabout agroup of vampires. Viago (Waititi) is a379-year-old vampire, who lives in the suburbs of Wellington with fellow members of the undead Vladislav (Clement), Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) and Petyr (Ben Fransham) –the latter an 8,000-year-old creature of the night, who lives in a stone coffininthe basement. But when newly created bloodsucker Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer) joins their ranks, the flatmates runinto trouble.

AFTER LOVE (BBC2, 10.50pm)

MaryHussein (Joanna Scanlan) converted to Islam many years ago to marry Ahmed and she fully embraces everyaspect of life as aBritish Muslim.

12.30 Police, Camera, Murder (R) (S). 1.20 Shop: Ideal World 3.00 MotorsportUK (R) (S). 3.50 Unwind With ITV (S). 5.05 Ainsley’s Mediterranean Cookbook (R) (S).

Ahmed is often away from home on business and, when he dies suddenly,Marystruggles to make sense of her loss. Following the funeral, she goes through her husband’s belongings and discovers messages on his mobile phone, which indicate he had asecond family across the Channel.

Formula 1United States Grand Prix Qualifying Highlights (S).

Sunday Brunch (S). 12.30

The Great British Bake Off (R) (S). 1.50 The Simpsons (R) (S).

2.20 The Simpsons (R) (S). 2.50

The Simpsons (R) (S). 3.25 The Simpsons (R) (S). 3.55 FILM: Shrek The Third (Chris Miller, Raman Hui 2007) Animated sequel, with the voice of Mike Myers (S). 5.45 Channel 4News (S).

The Andrew Neil Show (S).

6.00 Milkshake! 10.00

The Smurfs (R) (S). 10.15 SpongeBob SquarePants (S). 10.25 Entertainment News On 5 (S). 10.30 NFL End Zone (S). 11.00 Friends (R) (S). 11.30 Friends (R) (S). 12.00

Friends (R) (S). 12.35 FILM: The Christmas Express (Ron Oliver 2017) Romantic drama, starring Dermot Mulroney and Kimberly Graham (S). 2.45 FILM: Christmas With The Kranks (Joe Roth 2004) Festive comedy, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen (S). 4.50 FILM: The Goonies (Richard Donner 1985) Family adventure, starring Sean Astin (S).

Weekend (S).

Sport

SOUTHAMPTON V ARSENAL

6.00 Where’s Wally (R) (S). 6.25 Where’s Wally (R) (S). 6.50 Where’s Wally (R) (S). 7.15 Where’s Wally (R) (S). 7.40 Where’s Wally (R). 8.05 The Slow Mo Guys’ Big Adventures 8.35 David Attenborough’s Wild City (R) (S). 9.30 Formula 1 (R). 11.15 Modern Family (R) (S). 11.45 Modern Family (R) (S). 12.15 Modern Family (R) (S). 12.45 Modern Family (R) (S). 1.15 Modern Family (R) (S). 1.45 The Simpsons (R) (S). 2.15 The Simpsons (R) (S). 2.45 The Simpsons (R) (S). 3.15 The Simpsons (R) (S). 3.45 FILM: Monster Family (Holger Tappe 2017) (S). 5.30 Patrick Aryee’s Wild World

Brighton &Hove Albion

Chelsea.

World’s Greatest Train Journeys From Above Ajourney across Manitoba from South to North (S).

The Secret World Of Cereal (S).

UK’s Strongest Man Action from the competition in Milton Keynes (S).

8.00 Happy Campers: The Caravan Park New series. Documentary following life at caravan parks across southwest England (S).

7.00 Hancock’s Half Hour Tony is selected for jury duty (S).

7.30 Just Good Friends (S).

8.00 Inside Classical: ABirmingham Celebration With The BBC Symphony Orchestra (S).

(R).

6.00 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records (S). 6.35 Dress To Impress (S). 7.30 Secret Crush (S). 8.30 Secret Crush (S). 9.30 Secret Crush (S). 10.30 Take Me Out (S). 11.45

The Masked Dancer (S). 1.15 Celebrity Catchphrase (S). 2.20 In ForA Penny (S). 2.50 FILM: Goosebumps (Rob Letterman 2015) Fantasy adventure, starring Jack Black (S). 4.55 FILM: Hotel Transylvania (Genndy Tartakovsky 2012) Animated comedy,with the voice of Adam Sandler (S).

6.00 On The Buses (S). 6.40 Emmerdale Omnibus (S). 10.25 On The Buses (S). 10.55 The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (S). 12.00 Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S). 2.00 Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S). 4.00 Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S).

8.55 George Clarke’s Amazing Garden Rooms (S). 9.55 Ugly House To Lovely House With George Clarke (S). 11.00 George Clarke’s Old House, New Home (S). 12.00 Come Dine With Me (S). 12.35 Come Dine With Me (S). 1.05 Come Dine With Me (S). 1.35 Come Dine With Me (S). 2.05 Come Dine With Me (S). 2.40 Four In ABed (S). 3.10 Four In ABed (S). 3.40 Four In ABed (S). 4.15 Four In ABed (S). 4.45 Four In ABed (S). 5.15 Come Dine With Me (S). 5.50 Come Dine With Me (S).

New

her daughter (S).

Star

Khadija Patman,

Yasmeena Ali (S).

Dan Snow: Into The Valley Of The Kings The historyofexploring Egypt’s Valley of the Kings (S).

1988 Alook back

songs from the year (R) (S).

9.20 ’Allo ’Allo! Christmas Special 1985 Rene is dragged into multiple plots to do away with General Von Klinkerhoffen (S).

The Young Ones The boys appear on University Challenge. Originally broadcast in 1984 (S).

RedDwarf (S).

Insidious (2010)

Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne (R) (S).

9.00 Gordon, Gino &Fred Go Greek Culinary adventure with Gordon Ramsay,Gino D’Acampo and Fred Sirieix (S).

Family Guy Lois takes Quagmire to her highschool reunion instead of Peter (S).

Vera The key to a murder lies deep in the memoryofthe victim’s son (S).

6.25 Come Dine With Me (S).

6.55 Come Dine With Me (S).

7.25 Come Dine With Me

The final dinner party in Gloucestershire (S).

8.00 24 Hours In A&E A 79-year-old woman is rushed in with signs of astroke (S).

The Savoy Cameras returntofollow life inside the glamorous London hotel (S).

Lewis Auniversity don is implicated in a murder (S).

9.00 999: On The Front Line Apatient with diabetes collapses with dangerously high blood sugar levels (S).

10.00 24 Hours In A&E A woman is airlifted to hospital after being run over by acar (S).

RADIO

Alan Partridge Alan prepares for aJames Bond fi

Steptoe And Son Harold divides the house

(S).

(S).

11.05 Emergency Helicopter Medics Atennis player is put into an induced coma (S).

Agatha Christie’s Poirot (S).

AgathaChristie’s Poirot (S).

Emmerdale Omnibus (S).

Unwind With ITV (S).

12.10 8Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown (S). 1.15 999: On The Front Line (S). 2.20 24 Hours In A&E (S). 3.25 Food Unwrapped (S). 3.55 Close

CLASSIC FM

ABSOLUTE RADIO

THE PACT BBC1, 9.00pm

What does this hit thriller series have in common with legendary sci-fi show Doctor Who? If your first thought was Cardiff,bravo -but the connections run deeper than that.

The Pact had just about the entire country on the edge of their seats back in 2021 when the first season hitour screens. Starring Laura Fraser and Julie Hesmondhalgh, it followed four friends who resolved to keep mum about their connections to the death of aman who ran a 100-year-old family brewery in mid-Wales.

It was created and writtenbyPeteMcTighe, with Joy Wilkinson also contributing scripts for the second outing. Both have previously written for Doctor Who, so baked-in quality is agiven and, if you’re apub quizquestionsetter, you’re welcome.

The enthusiasm for afollow-up series after the success of the first couldn’t be more evident. Nick Andrews, head of commissioning for BBCWales, says: “The Pact gripped the nation, its impact spread like wildfire dominating BBCiPlayer’s most popular lists. When asked if we would go again, it was avery easy decision to make.

“Pete McTighe’s writing has more twists and turns than abowl of spaghetti –wewere absorbed by the characters and the story.It’s brilliant to be going again and fans can be reassured that you’ll be guessing the ending right up until the final credits.”

The second tale is again set in Wales –Cardiff-based Little Door Productions is behind the show,after all and is described as a“gothic tale that puts loveable, complex, characters under extreme pressure, forcing them to confront their past”.

It follows social worker Christine, played by awardwinning actress Rakie Ayola. Her oldest son Will (Lloyd Everitt), youngest son Jamie (Aaron Anthony) and daughter Megan (Mali Ann Rees) are busy trying to get on with their lives following the recent,tragic death of their brother Liam.

Pick

They’re all determinedly focused on looking forward to Megan’s wedding, but when stranger Connor (Jordan Wilks) arrives in town, claiming aconnection that nobody could have imagined, it’s not long before all their lives are thrown into turmoil once again.

Over six nerve-shredding episodes, buried secrets will come to light and Rosie’s family must consider who they are, while each of them grapples with issues of morality and divided loyalty

As their lives spiral out of control, aterrible pact could be all that will save them.

Rakie Ayola, who is also an executive producer,says about being part of The Pact: “I’m thrilled to be working again with Little Door and BBCWales leading this talented cast to bring Pete’s wonderfully mysterious story to life.

“Asanexecutive producer on this series, it’s hugely important to me to see the wealth of opportunity this production is offering both to established talent and those new to theindustry both behind and in front of the camera.”

If it’s anything like the first series, Rakie, Pete and the rest of the cast andcrew will be onto yet another winner

Daytime

6.00 Breakfast (S). 9.15 Morning Live (S). 10.00 Critical Incident (S). 10.45 Paramedics On Scene (S). 11.15 Homes Under The Hammer (R) (S). 12.15 Bargain Hunt: BBC 100th Birthday Special (S). 1.00 BBC News At One; Weather (S). 1.30 BBC Regional News; Weather (S). 1.45 Doctors (S). 2.15 Money For Nothing (S). 3.00 IEscaped To The Country (S). 3.45 The Repair Shop (S). 4.30 The Tournament (S). 5.15 Pointless (S).

6.30 Take AHike (R) (S). 7.00 Homes Under The Hammer (R) (S). 8.00 Sign Zone: Antiques Roadshow (R) (S). 9.00 BBC News (S). 10.00 BBC News (S). 12.15 Politics Live (S). 1.00 Best House In Town (R) (S). 1.45

The Home That TwoBuilt (R) (S). 2.45 Eggheads (R) (S). 3.15 Lightning (R) (S). 3.45 Murder, MysteryAnd My Family (R) (S). 4.30 Street Auction (R) (S). 5.00 Flog It! (S).

6.00 Good Morning Britain (S). 9.00 Lorraine (S). 10.00 This Morning (S). 12.30 Loose Women (S). 1.30 ITV News; Weather (S). 1.55 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 2.00 Dickinson’s Real Deal (S). 3.00 Riddiculous (S). 3.59 ITV Regional Weather (S). 4.00 Tipping Point (S). 5.00 The Chase (S).

ITV Regional News; Weather (S).

ITV News; Weather (S).

7.30 Emmerdale Chas worries Aaron will spill her secret affair (S).

(S).

8.00 Coronation Street An unfortunate accident befalls Eileen (S).

Rise Of The Nazis: The Downfall Most of Germany is occupied by invading Allied forces by April 1945. Last in the series (S).

Newsnight (S).

9.00 The Walk-In Matthew Collins’ past as aBNP member comes back to haunt him (S).

10.00 ITV News At Ten; Weather (S). 10.30 ITV Regional News; Weather (S). 10.45 America: The War Within (S).

FILM: The Omen (1976) Horror,starring GregoryPeck(S).

Sign Zone: Countryfile (R) (S).

Sign Zone: Unbreakable (R) (S). 2.55 This Is BBC Two (S).

11.45 All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite Hard-hitting action from the world of All Elite Wrestling (S).

1.25 Shop: Ideal World 3.00 In The Shadow Of MarySeacole (R) (S). 3.50 Unwind With ITV (S). 5.05 Ainsley’s World Cup Flavours (R) (S).

Film Choices

WILDE (BBC4, 11.00pm)

This biopic focuses on the life of Oscar Wilde (Stephen Fry, pictured), who carried out clandestine affairs with men at atime when homosexuality was illegal. Disaster strikes when he falls for Lord Alfred Douglas, who doesn’t seem to know the meaning of the word discreet. However, Wilde contributes to his own downfall when Douglas’s father begins making public accusations –and the writer decides to take him to court. Fora film about acelebrated wit and dandy,the drama is rather lacking in flair,but it does agood job of telling Wilde’s fascinating story.

CORALINE (BBC3, 7.00pm)

When 11-year-old Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) moves to anew town, she feels bored and neglected by her parents. While exploring her new

home she finds adoor that leads to an alternative world where her parents are more fun and caring. However,when the ‘Other Mother’asks Coraline to stay in her world for ever,the youngster begins to realise that her alternative life may be much darker than she thought.

Tips forturning garden into an abundant spring oasis

Youdon’t need to spenda lotto turn your garden into an abun dant oasis in spring,ifyou take action now, writes Hannah Ste phenson

People wholeave theirplant inguntil springtime butstill want acolourful displayhave to buy flowersalready in bloom, butdoing it this waycan cost significantly morethanbulbs, observes JonathanBracewell of plantand bulb companyJ.Park er’s (jparkers.co.uk)

“Plantingbulbs in autumn maymeanyou have to wait abit longer to enjoy blooms,but it’s always apleasantsurprise come springtime andisbestfor the bank balancetoo.”

Here aremoreofhis budget-friendly tips forspring displays

1. Plantspringbulbs now Autumn is the best time to plantbulbs as thesoilisstill warm andmoist,ratherthan waterlogged.Spring flowering bulbsthatare best plantednow includedaffodils,snowdrops, hyacinthsand crocuses.Ifyou canplant thesebeforethe first frosts,you’llberewardedwitha beautifulburst of colour in ear ly spring.InOctober,planting lilies andalliums as bulbswill give you laterspringand sum merblooms. Novemberisbest forplantingtulip bulbsfor alate spring display.

2. Consider bulk buying if you’ve lots of spaceto fill Purchasingabulk collection with lots of bulbswill adddif ferent coloursand textures to yourgarden,creatingdepth and interest.Bulk-buying canhelp save money.

3. Optfor colour from per ennials

If you’rechoosing more cost-effective,smaller plants whichmay take alittletimeto establish, select fast-growing perennials that canquickly take up space. These addcolour andfullnessto flower beds

4. Grow pretty fruittrees

Many dwarffruit trees are attractiveand perfectfor patio pots,due to theirsize. Growing fruits such as plums, apples, pearsand cherries notonlyof fers colourfulblossom in spring, butcould help cutyourgrocery billstoo,Bracewell suggests

5. Choose smallerplants

Opting forsmaller plants can cutcosts andsome grow fast

Furnishhomewithfragrances to reflectchanging of season

BY SAMWYLIE-HARRIS PressAssociation

Flourishes of fragrance canworkwonders around thehome.

Especially this time of year when things starttosmell different–from theturning of theleaves, to earthy notesand scents of berries.

Gina Strain, head of homeware buying at Matalan(matalan.co.uk) says scent-scapingisthe wayfor ward:“Youcan never underesti mate thepower of fragranceen velopingyourhome,and creating theperfect seasonal setting.The autumn monthsare afavourite formanyscent lovers, with fresh summery floral andcitruscandles swappedout forcosyscentssuch as pumpkin spice, cinnamon and bakedcookies.”

Here,fragrance expertsshare theirtop tips formakingyourhome smellamazing thisautumn

Create asnugspace

During this time of year,Katy Simpson, founderofNoble Isle (nobleisle.com), says:“Iliketo burn awarm, woodyfragrance to help evokecomfort andrelaxation, blendedwithclassic winter spices such as ginger,blackpepper, va nillaand cinnamon, alongsidecap tivating notesofzesty grapefruit, cypressoil andoakmoss.Thisaro ma naturallycreates awarmand inviting ambience in yourroomfor acosy, soothingnight in –witha glassofred wine optional.”

Replicateyourfavourite bak ingsmell

“The scentprofile forautumn oftenleans towardsmorespiced, smokyand muskyaromas, which instantlymakearoomfeelcosy as we preparefor cooler months,” says Strain.“With Halloweencom ingup, anywarm, sweetand spicy

scents with hintsofpumpkin or brownsugar workperfectly.” She says cinnamon-basedscentswork wonderfullythroughoutthe season

Bringthe outsidein

Easy to live with, thefresh smell of pine –and thoughts of autumnal walks–can evokefeelingsofwellbe ing. Pine notes feel festivetoo,and Simpsonsaysshe opts for“what I call a‘Christmas whitefragrance’, includinggreen leaves,pine, and white florals”

Shesaysshe lovestouse fresh, evergreenscentssuchasthe up lifting fragranceofpine, elemi, and cypress, alongsidesappy notesofce darwood, guaiac wood and fir.

Youcan also addafew dropsof pine essentialoil to adiffuser filled with water,ora heat-resistant ves sel filled with boiling water –per haps decoratedwithfallenpine conesfor an autumnal theme.

Through agarland

“A garlandcan perfectlycapture thelook, feel,and smellofautumn,” suggestsChloë Luxton,founder of (bramleyproducts.co.uk).

“Creatingone is very easy:just gather bayleaves, cinnamon sticks, anddried orange slices,and pierce aholein thecentre of each,” she advises.“Threada long piece of twinethrough each item,in which ever orderyou like, andtie aknot

at both ends of thegarland to keep everything in place.”

Sherecommendsleaving agood amount of twineoneachend,soyou canhangthe garlandona fireplace, staircase, or door frame.

With potpourri

“Homemade potpourriisaneasy, effectiveand affordable waytoscent aroom,”notes Luxton.“Simplyadd dried flowers,fruit andspices into a bowl or jar. Iuse strawflowers, ap pleororangeslices, wholenuts, cin namonsticks,whole clovesand pine cones.”Thenadd in afew dropsof essentialoils(such as cedarwood, orange,clove,and pine), gently mix everything together

TheWhite Company AutumnCollection,from£18,The WhiteCompany

Homemade potpourri is an easy way to scentaroom

BromleyfounderChloë

Luxton

Pansiesprovide wintercolour

Of

Much

TOMKINS

John (Bert)

JONES

Yvonne

Motoring

Family Jobs

Services Pets

Donations,ifdesired to, K.C Riding Rescue. Family flowers only

Forfurther information please contact

&SON

Family

01544

Presteigne:

Henry Beddoes Architectural Design

Craven Arms

Dolau,Llandrindod ganMr& MrsPhilip Hughes. 22/1669/LBC Mae modd archwilio’r ceisiadau hynarwefan yCyngor https://pa.powys.gov.uk/onlineapplications/?lang=CY Os byddwch yn cael unrhywbroblemau, ffoniwch 01597827161/ ebostplanning.services@powys.gov.uk Dylai unrhywunigolyn sy’n dymuno gwneud sylwadau am yceisiadau hynun ai e-bostio’r Awdurdod Cynllunio Lleol yn planning. representations@powys.gov.uk neu ysgrifennu at:Gwasanaethau Cynllunio, Cyngor Sir Powys, Neuaddy Sir, Spa Road East, Llandrindod, Powys, LD15LG ofewn 21 diwrnod oddyddiad.

Croeso ichi gysylltuâniynGymraeg. Byddwn yn ymateb yn Gymraeg, heb oedi.

Gwilym Davies, PennaethEiddo, Cynllunio a Gwarchod yCyhoedd, Cyngor Sir Powys

07510

9PUBLIC NOTICES

NewVW Taigo scores high in toughmarket

BILLMcCARTHY

TheVWrange,justlikesibling Audi, is wide,not least with itsrange of SUVs.

It’s atough market as it is notonly up againstsimilar VW models butoth erslikeNissan, Peugeot, Mini,Skoda andSEAT.

VW describesthe Taigo newcomer as an SUVCoupe,because of itssleek silhouette

It scores with itseye-catchingstyl ing, choice of twoengines, threetrim styles andgenerousstowage areas. It certainlyhas individual styling, acrossover with adesignaimed at younger buyers.Itisbuilt on VW’s MQB platform andmaintains a streamlinedprofile despitesitting higher offthe ground.Itfeaturesa dramatic slopingroofdesignand will wide lightbar to therear, whichisall nicely setoff withroofbarsand smart alloywheels,

Despite beingthe entrylevel,still not cheapat£21,960,specification includes thenow familiarcustomisa bledigital cockpitand centralscreen, whichcontrols thethirdgenerationof ModularInfotainmentToolkit (MIB3).

economyand deliversthatin spades with arealistic 50 mpgachievable.

Despiteits relatively modest power, it stilldeliversthe throatygrowl as sociatedwiththree cylinder engines and, matedwitha five speedmanual box,pulls well throughthe gears. The sprint to 60mphismoreofa rapid jog at around 11 seconds, butstill ade quateenoughfor mostcircumstances

It performs particularly well around town andthe otherhalfwas particu larlyimpressed with howeasyitwas to drive, shelovedthe slickgearchanges andthe manoeuvrability

That’s nottosay it is nota capable motorway cruiser. Whichitis.

Despitesitting relatively high off theroad, it handleswelland feelswell planted enough on corners, whilethe suspensionrides well over even the worst of ourroads

SUVs arepractical beasts andde spiteits modest dimensions, theTaigo offers plenty of stowagespace with an impressive 440litre available, which opensupsubstantially with thesplit rear seatsfolded.

Notification of thefollowing applications receivedbythe Council:

The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Wales) Regulations 2012

Worksaffecting Listed Buildings (Article 10):

Listed building consent foralterations to existing (abandoned) dwelling and attached barnto provide dwelling at Llysin, Dolau, Llandrindod Wells by Mr &Mrs Philip Hughes. 22/1669/LBC

These applications maybeinspected on the Council’swebsite http://pa.powys.gov.uk/ online-applications/?lang=EN. If youhaveany problems please telephone 01597827161/ emailplanning.services@powys.gov.uk.Any persons wishing to make representations about these applications should either email theLocal Planning Authority at planning. representations@powys.gov.uk or write to: Planning Services, PowysCounty Council, County Hall, Spa Road East, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, LD1 5LGwithin 21 days of the date of this publication.

Youare welcome to contact us in Welsh. We will respond in Welsh, without delay.

Gwilym Davies, Head of Property,Planning and Public Protection, PowysCounty Council

This enablesthe useofavariety of online-basedfunctions andaccess to streamingservices. Move up the grades to Styleand R-Line andthe goodypackgetsbigger.

Despite beingthe base model, the Lifeincludesfront foglights, LED headlights, inductive smartphone charging,amultifunction steering wheeland electric foldingand heated door mirrors

Theinterior itself is typical VW solidlybuilt andreassuringlydurable with amixture of soft touchand some admittedly harsherplastics. Controls andswitchesare logicallyplaced and despitemodestproportions, four adults areseatedin comfort. It also features aone-litre,95PSthree cylinder petrol engine.A110ps versionisalsoavaila ble, as is amoresportyfour-cylinder 1.5-litre 150PSengine.

Thegutsy threepot onelitre engine is not exactlydesignedfor pace,more

Having achieved theEuroNCAP five star safety rating,featuresin cludeafull rangeofairbags,front andrearparking sensors, emergency brakefunction, andthe lane departure warningsystemasstandard.

FACTFILE

VOLKSWAGEN TAIGO LIFE

Price: £22,275

Mechanical: 95PS,999cc three cylinder engine driving front wheelsvia five speedmanual gearbox

MaxSpeed: 114mph

0-62mph: 11.1sec

Combined MPG: 50.5 InsuranceGroup: 13

C02 emissions: 124g/km

Warranty: 3years/60,000 miles

BURLINGTON

LANDROVERFREELANDER2.2DYNAMIC5DOORESTATEA/CRED72K

AUTOMATIC

KIASOUL21.6CRDI1.6AUTO 5DOORHATCHA/CSILVER33K

SUZUKICELERIOSZ4AUTO5DOORHATCHA/CWHITE23K

ESTATE/7SEATER

Car finalesthatwentout with abang

JACK EVANS PressAssociation

Bonfire Nightisabig oc casion in theUK. It’s a dayembeddedwithhis tory andone in which people up anddownthe countryeitherwatch or setoff fireworks, light ingupthe skiesand kickingoff November with abang.

Buta number of cars were also celebrated with a firecrackerofa finaledition

Here,we’re goingtotakea look at some of themostfamousmodelsto go outwitha bang

BugattiVeyronLaFinale

TheVeyronwas oneofthe all-time greats of themotoringworld.Estab lishingawhole newlevel of perfor mance, Bugatti’s famous hypercar broughtrecord-smashing capabili ty,aswellasthe kind of technology that thefour-wheeledworld hadn’t seen before

Fittingly,itneeded averyspecial send-off,which came in theform of theVeyronLaFinale.Ending thetotal production runof450 models, La Finale was finished in an eye-catchingred colour with matching alloys

LamborghiniAventador Ultimae

Lamborghini’sAventadorshow casedabrand newage forthe Ital iansupercarmaker.Itarrived with ahugelypowerfulV12 engine when firstdisplayed at the2011Geneva Motor Show andwould go on to be come even more powerful as itslifetime went on

The finalchapter in theAventa dorstory wasthe Ultimae. As you mighthaveguessed,it’sthe ulti mate evolutionofthe Aventador,

bringing 769bhp andarange of ex terior tweaks

Audi R8 RWDGT

TheR8has been acorepartofthe supercar segmentfor some time Combiningsurprisingeveryday usability with huge V10-powered performance, theR8provedtobea real hitfor Audi.Needless to say, it needed asignificant farewell when it wasannounced that production wouldbeendingrecently.

Limitedto333 cars worldwide,

theAudiR8RWD GT getsmore powerthanthe standard R8,aswell as aseriesofnew drivingmodes It’s slightly lighterthanthe regular car, too.

Ferrari 458Speciale Aperta

Ferrari’s458 will go down in history as oneofthe firm’s greats.It encompassedeverything people ex pected from theItalian company, with razor-sharp handling combinedwithone of thebestengines

ever made.Infact, the458 would use thelastnaturally-aspirated V8 engine to come from Ferrari.

A finaledition –calledSpeciale Aperta –would celebratethe 458’s life,bringingawidevariety of tweaks andchanges to take the458 experience up anotch

LotusElise Sport240

Final Edition

TheLotus Elise is oneofthose cars that is synonymous with enthusiastdriving.It’sa carthathas been around foralongtime, too, whichis whyitwas quitea sadpoint when Lotusannouncedthatitwould be ending itsproductionrun

TheSport 240 FinalEdition cel ebratedthe Elise,bringingslightly morepower andanevenmorelight weightdesignthanthe standard car.

Mercedes SLSAMG GT

Final Edition

TheSLS hadbeenatrueposterstar forMercedes.Utilising an iconic ‘Gullwing’design, this V8-powered muscle carwas theperfect celebration of thepartnership between Mercedes andfamed performance armAMG

To celebrate, theFinalEdition wascreated.Limited to just 350 units, it gotaneye-catchingdesign with aparticularlynoticeablecar bon fibrebonnet.

Revisedlookfor thelatestA-Class

YETI

FABIA

OCTAVIA

ROOMSTER

CITIGO

TherevisedMercedesA-Class hasarrived, bringing asubtleexterior rede sign alongsidemorestandardequip ment than before

It remainsavailable in both hatchback andsaloonlayouts, with thedesign of each cargaining aredesigned radiator grilleand four newalloy wheeldesigns, availableinsizes of up to 19-inches. At therear, there’sanew diffuser andstandard-fitLED lights

Inside,all cars geta dual-screen setupcombiningaseven-and 10.25inch display. There’salso theoption to upgradethistoapairof10.25-inch screensfor atruly wraparound experi ence.It’srunningthe latest Mercedes MBUX system,too,providing satellite navigation,media functionsand smartphone connectivity

Theturbine-style airvents remain in place, whilea revisedsteering wheel hasbeen fitted andwrapped in nappa leatheras standard

As before,anumberofspecifications areavailable with theA-Class,with AMGLinebringingaparticularlydy namicappearancethrough the fitment of brushedaluminium trim andred contrast stitchingfor thesport seats.

Progressivetrim, meanwhile, offers threeinterior colour options–black, beigeand grey –whilea carbon fibre look trim is appliedtoboththe instru ment paneland door cards. Thecom fort seatsalso featurecentresmade from 100per cent recycled materials,

whilethe upgraded Artico-Microcut seatsget 65 percentrecycledmaterialsfor thesurface of theseatand 85 percentinthe material underneath.

Allcarsget plenty of standard equipment too, with areversing cameraand afull setofUSB connectors included on allmodels, alongsideoth er features.Progressive-specification cars addtothiswithLED headlights, lumbar supportfor theseats andan upgraded parkingcamerasetup Mercedes hasbrought electrification through therange of enginesavailable with theA-Class,too,withmild-hy brid technologyincludedfromthe off. Allcarsget either aseven-oreight speedautomatic gearbox as standard, whileplug-inhybridmodelsbring even greaterefficiency andanimproved electric rangeofupto50miles

Mercedes SLS

Lamborghini Aventador

Audi R8

BugattiVeyron

LotusElise

Ferrari 458

Legendsare honoured by MidShropshireLeague

MALCOLM FLETCHER sports@mnamedia.co.uk

Three more legendsof bowlshavebeenhon ouredwithlifemembership of theMolsonCoors MidShropshireLeague.

Angela Gaut,Keith Pessall andColin Rudrum received their awards at aspecial ceremony following theleague’sOctober exec utivemeeting at Wellington’sSir JohnBayleyClub.

Gaut hastwice been crowned BritishLadiesMerit champion, Pessallmadehistory on hisreturn to thesport as thecounty’s first ever winner of theBritish Veterans Meritand Rudrum is the manwho ledNewport’s remarkable rise to thetop tableofShropshirebowls

Allhavewon othertitlesgalore andaleaguespokesman said:“We want to keephonouringpeoplewho have done so much forour game andthese three really deserve life membership forall theirachieve ments.”

Lookingahead to the2023sea son, thespokesman added: “Officers woulddearlyliketosee at leastdivision one return to 12-a-side fix turesonFridays (from10-a-side sinceCovid struck).

“But, in lightofa survey of memberclubs andthe many strong views expressedbycurrent firstdivision clubs, we arereluctant to risk any proposalsthatcould lead to more teamswithdrawing

“The league simply cannot afford that, so the officers will notbeput ting forwardany proposalsonthe matter to theAGM in January.

“Butthatdoes not stop clubs making proposalsbeforethe Octo ber31deadline,thatwould require secondingatthe December meet ing.”

nn nn

Shropshire’stop bowlerstookto thenew £2,100 Autumn Doublesat St Georges like duckstowater.

They dominated thequalifying sessions in the31-up twoman team eventthatwill endwith£900 going

ScottHarries teamed up with countyteam-mate SpencerClarke (Sir JohnBayley) to getthe ball rolling

Andtheir examplein booking aplaceinthe last eightwas soon matchedbyCastlefields duoMichael Beer &AdamJones, WayneRogers &NickLewis (Burway) andGary Neal (Hanwood)&AdrianRowe (Castlefields). In addition,Brit ishNo.1CallumWraight teamed up with Welshace JohnBaileyto qualifyand hisstepdad Rich Goddard also made it with TomPalmer (Warwick &Worcester).

nnnn

St Georges have finallyended Sir JohnBayley’sreign in Shropshire’s longestestablished veterans bowls league

TheBayleyBoyshad been First Division champions of theMid ShropshireSeniorCitizensLeague nine timesinarow,but this year theDragons pipped them to the crown.

So St GeorgesAwereinthe spotlightatthe league’s finals and presentation dayatBylet,when Wrockwardine Wood andNewport Bwrapped up fine doubles

TheWrockites,winners of the Second Division,beatSir JohnBay leyBby 39 shotstolandthe Charity Shield whileFourthDivisiontop dogs NewportBliftedthe Charity Consolation Shield with a47-chalk winoverAllscottHeath B. Phil Furniss(21-9)and John Clarke (21-9)led theway forWood, whostarted with a12-shot handicapadvantage,whileDavid Ches ters (21-5)was tops as theFishes soonaddedtotheir own12-shot handicap over Allscott.

St Georges Calsowon Division Threeand thedivisionalaverages winnerswere–One:Barry Gilder (StGeorges A);Two:TonyGarmson(WrockWd);Three:JohnBax ter(AllscottHeath B);Four: Alan Gould(NewportB). nnnn

Plentyofencouraging signsfor Shropshire’sbowls chiefs have been

offset by theneedto find twonew keyofficers for2023.

Thelatestmeetingofthe asso ciation’s county executiveatMeole Braceheard that 4,921bowlers had playedfor clubsinaffiliated leagues in theseasonjustcompleted

Andthere were 265 newplayer registrationsthisyear– another figure up significantly from aCov id-affected 2021 –meaning interim treasurer MarieScott couldreport ahealthy bank balance.

Butthe need to fill thetreasurer’s role permanentlyremains acon cern forthe executive anda finance committee ledbycountyvice-chair manSeanRound

They also need areplacement for competitionsecretary MikePotter who, when he finishes hissecond spellascountypresidentatthe AGMinFebruary, will be stepping down from that posttoo.

Alreadycoping with Parkinson’s Disease, Potter nowhas otherper sonaland family issues to deal with andhas announcedthatheintends to withdraw from theposition.

A finalsalute to champions

Wrockwardine

SirJohnBayleyand hosts Burway werethe winnerson finals night in Shropshire’s topbowls league –but it wasWrockwardineWood whotookall theplaudits.

TheWrockites’ domination of theShropshirePremier wasoffi ciallysaluted at theleague’spool finals andpresentationevening at theLudlowclub.

TheBayleyBoysbeatCounty Cupwinners Iftoninthe Pool A finalwhilethe othereight-a-side clashfor thePoolBtitle ended with Burway beatingHanmer.

County MeritchampionDavidLloyd won21-2asthe Bayley stormedout of theblocks, with Alex Jonesaddinga21-5cardina comfortablevictory

“JoeyWilliamswon 15 forIft on butSpencer Clarke getting20 from 14-4 down meantthatthe Bayley ledby28afterthe front four,” said Premierchief RobBur roughs. “And threefurther winners at theback, ledbycaptain ChrisWorthington’s 21-11win, meantan overallwin of 42 “Burway used home advantage as they wontheir fourth Pool Btitleagainst Hanmer

“Wayne Rogers won21-7togive them agreat start, with Kiah Robertsaddinga21-11 winand JesseJames another21-11.”

Butitwas Wrockwardine Wood whohad bossedthe main Premier season,producingthe best campaignthe league haseverseen. They brokethe followingrecords-mostpointsin aseason 271; most wins in aseason23; most away wins in aseason10; leastdefeats in aseasonthree,to equalChester Road in 2005;most away points in aseason127;most improvedteambetween twosea sons 85 points;biggest margin be tweentop two54points.

Castlefields star Mike Beer was theother bigwinner on thenight as he finallygot hishands on the league averages afterlosing just onegameall season,addingthe Most Consecutive Wins award with 10

Proudnew Mid Shropshire life members– Colin Rudrumand (right) Keith Pessall with Angela Gaut

Wrockwardine Wood’s John Clarke with league presidentKen NeTonkiss wportB line up for ateamshotfollowing theirDivision Four titleand Charity Consolation Shield success

Newchampions –Bob BarberofFirst Division winners St Georges with league presidentKen Tonkiss to thewinnerson finals daySatur day, October22(2.30pm).

Mike Beer–double titlewinner

Bayley captainChrisWorthington with league president Andy Smith

Wilkin wants everyone pulling in rightdirection

Newly-appointed AFCTelford United managerKevin Wilk in hopes to seethe NewBucks Head ‘packedout’and ‘enjoying itsfootball’ again.

The55-year-old wasbrought in swiftly afterthe club sacked previous managerPaulCarden

Theteamhavehad adismal starttothe season,which has left them 23rd in theNational League North. As aplayer, Wilk in featured 78 timesfor Northampton Town,but as amanager, he is vastly experienced,having spentseven yearsin charge at Brackley Town

Andthe newbossisdelighted to have joined such abig club –and he hopes he canhelpthe club to take ‘steps forward’.He said:“Ihavebeenhereasa play er at theold ground andobviously have managedseveral times here

“Telford areamassive club, it hasnot quiteachievedits po tentialinrecentseasons andis an opportunitytoworkatsucha fantasticstadium,withafantasticsurface

Gemmaleftdisappointed by Games’ judodecision

LEWISCOX lewis.cox@mnamedia.co.uk

European championand Commonwealth silver medalwinnerGemma Howellisdisappointed more judo playerswill be denied theopportu nity to experience and promotethe sportonthe bigstage.

It wasrevealedthisweekthatthe published list of sports forthe 2026 Commonwealth GamesinVictoria, Australiawillnot includejudo

That comesasablowespecially to scores of Englishand Britishjudokas,manyofwhom have excelled in recent years–particularlyatthe successfulhome Commonwealth GamesinBirmingham this year

England topped themedaltableintheir home games, with 13 gongs–including five golds. Scot land pocketed four andthere were twoeachfor Walesand Northern Ireland.

Howell, whowas born in Stafford butlives in Priorslee in Telford, earned abrilliantsilver andbecame one of thefaces of thesport with televisionworkinthe BBCstudios

al.Inthe category above theAus tralian gold medalwinner wasreally unexpected

NewBucks bossKevin Wilkin

“There areclearly bitsthat will need adjustingand moving around,hence thereasonthey have not finished as farforward as they wouldhaveliked in re cent seasons.

“There is clearlyadisconnect betweenthe team andcertain partsofthe support, andone thingI need to do is geteveryone pulling in theright direction, whichwill help us take those stepsforward.”

He added: “There areclear ly things that need to improve within thegroup –results don’t lie.

“I thinkthere aregoodbits theretogoand workonand try to bringtogetherthatwill take alittlebit of time.Iwanttoget this placepackedout againand enjoyingits football

“I am undernoillusionofhow difficult ataskthatmay be,but I am here to workand workhard.”

Andthe newbosssayshe is prepared to ‘adapt’whenit comestothe system histeam will play,and he just demands hisplayers meet hisstandards.

He said:“As amanager,a coachand aleaderIthinkIhave evolved, Idon’t thinkIhaveever stood still.

“I demand ahighstandard, andI am notafraidofhavinga difficult conversation with who ever it needstobe.”

Shehoped Australia’simpressive medalhaulof10may have meant thenexthostnationincluding judo, butthe Commonwealth GamesFed eration, AndrewsLabor Govern ment andCommonwealth Games Australiaconfirmed otherwise.

Howell, 32,who this year be came European championfor the firsttimewithgoldinSofia, said:

“We wanted Australia to do well although notaswellasus! If they hadasuccessfulGames they would want to host

“I hadto fightanAustralian in thesemiand shegot abronzemed

“Theydid well andhad some good blingtoshow foritsoIthought it mightbelikely,but it’s not.”

Howell, whoisstudyinga maths postgraduate certificate in educa tion forlifeafterjudo, knowsall too well about fighting to success hav ingovercome 10 differentsurgeries in hercareer.

Sheadded: “Itwas always going to be disappointingfor judo notto be in Australia. One because it’s an incredible countryand it will be an amazing atmosphere

“It’sthe opportunityofbeing at aGames.For people whohaven’t competed at an Olympicsyet.A

Gamesissuchadifferent experi ence,itcan be so overwhelming with allthe sports.JusttoexperienceaCommonwealthscan help you forthe future,beitOlympics orwhatever.Being apartofother sports andcountries,soaking up theatmosphere, it’s just ashame

“Moreimportantly it puts judo in thelimelight.I’m sure therewas an uptake in judo afterpeoplewatched this year,the morepeoplewecan getinjudo, thebetterathleteshave come from it.”

Howellsaid: “It’seasiertoqual ifyfor aCommonwealths than an Olympics, it givesmorepeoplean opportunitytoperform

“I feel luckythe homeone fell in my cycle, an athlete’scareerisn’t

500years, you don’tget endlessop portunities.

“2026isawhileaway, Iwouldn’t be goingbecause Iknowmybody can’thandlethatfor toomuch longer,but it’s ashame it mightfall forthe peakofsome athletes’career andtheywon’t have that opportu nity.”

Howellhas returned to training followinga shoulder injury andis preparingfor theWorld Mastersin Israel in December

Birmingham wasthe fifthGames judo hadbeeninvolvedwithsince itsintroduction as ademonstration sportin1986. It hasbeenheldin Scotland 1986,New Zealand1990, England 2002,Scotland2014and England 2022

Watkins’ warningasTigersholdonafter lightning start

TelfordTigers’ lightningstart was hailed by head coachTom Watkins –after surgingintoa7-1 firstpe riod lead at Bees on Sundaynight

However,healso warned his side againstgetting complacent afterthe Slough hostsfoughtback to make the finalscore 8-4 in the NIHL National League

Therewereeight differentscorers–Jason Silverthorn, Corey Goodison, Rhodes Mitchell-King, RickyPlant,Fin Howells, Tom Byrne, Vladimir Luka andBayley Harwood –but Watkinswants his side to be moredisciplined

He said:“We gotafaststart, collectively everyone wasontheir game from thestart,playedsimple, movedthe puck lowtohigh andgot bodies to thenet

“Wewererewardedfor oureffortsand hopefullyitshowshow simple thegameshouldbe. A7-1 firstperiodwas agreat start. Bees

were then moredominantinthe next 40 minutes, we againtooktoo many minor penaltiesand need to learntobemoredisciplined.The last twoperiods we lost 3-1.

“At7-1 we should shut thegame down notallow ateamtocome back at us.That’ssomethingfor us to learnand improve upon.”

Tigers started thegamewithfour players missingfromthe squad JonathanWeaver,DeakanFielder, Nick Oliver andJackWatkins

Telfordwerepleased that Rhodes Mitchell-Kingwas able to take to theice aftermissing theend of the previous game againstPeterborough aftertakinga puck to theleg when blocking ashot.

Thegamewas delayedby15min utes,but it wascertainly worth the wait forTigersfans.

Bees’StuartMoggwas called fortrippingearly on,givingTelford their firstpower play of the

evening, andtheytooklessthan aminutetoopenthe scoringasa shot from distance by DannyRose wasdeflectedexpertlypastBees’ netminderAdamGossbySilvert horn

Just 10 secondslater theleadwas doubled.Along-range shot from Goodisonhit thepostand rebounded offthe back of Goss andtrickled into thenet

Bees didget one back during a powerplayoftheir own, butTigers were then rampantfor theremainderofthe firstperiod.

Mitchell-Kingdrilled aperfect shot into thetop corner of thegoal from thebluelineand Tigers made it 4-1whenGoodisonset up Ricky Plantfor alow shot past back-up DanWeller-Evans.

Just 20 secondslater,Tigershad a fifth.

AshotfromRosewas tipped by FinHowells andsaved by

Weller-Evans.But as theBees’ net minder made thesave,hekicked thepuckbehindhim into thenet with thegoalbeing credited to Howells

Byrnethenscoredhis first National League goal,directingastrikefromJakePrice over Weller-Evans.And Tigers were 7-1 clearwhenathunderousshotfrom Vladimir Luka flew past Weller-Ev ansintothe bottom of thegoal.

Thepuckwas struck so hard that theofficials took some time to re trieveitafterithad gotstuck in the netting.

Thehosts scored twiceduring thesecondperiodtoreducethe ar rearsto7-3,withTelford notadd ingtotheir score. However,they didput it to bedin the finalperiod when Harewood foundthe toplefthand corner

AlateDominik Gabajgoalfor Bees roundedoff thescoring

Gemma Howell afterwinning silver in thewomen’s -63kg finalonday five of the2022Commonwealth Games

Salopian hitthe bullseye withanother fine display

Salopian’s unbeaten starttothe UKDA InterCountyseasoncontin uedwithahard-fought 20-16vic tory at home to Northumberland, writes Che Kerin.

At avocal Bagley club it would be thevisitorswho made theear ly breakthrough in theladies’ B matchesasLisaBarnesdefeated Hayley McGuines

Claire Boyle(12.68one dart aver age) respondedfor thehosts butthe Northumbrianshit back to storm 4-1ahead

JulieGriffiths(17.06) then bagged akey winfor Salopian to reduce the deficittotwo points goingintothe men’sBmatches

Paul Ashworth (21.35) andAdri an Logsdale (21.17) ensured the momentum wasmaintainedbySa lopian although that waschecked by Northumberland’s Paul Sinclair

in thefollowing contest. Salopian hitbackthrough Mark Crutchley (21.17)and Darren Lane (20.93)al though both successes were repelled with wins forNorthumberland. Thehosts then appeared to take controlofthe game with successive wins from JamieKynaston(20.59), BenMorgan(23.86) andShaun Pryce(25.05)

However,Northumberlandhit back to take thelasttwo gamesto ensure theoverallmatch waslocked at 9-9atthe endofthe firstday

AlisonGallagher gave Salopian ladies’A theperfect startonday two, butagain Northumberland re spondedinthe next match.

Back came Salopian with Steph Clark (23.12), Sarah Roberts (18.11) andEvonneTaylor hittingformto give theirsideanoverall13-11 lead JohnRoberts (24.50) gave the

men’sAthe perfectstart,but Northumberland hitbackagain to take the nexttwo games

KaceyJones (26.89)restoredpar ityinthe men’sAbattleonlyfor the visitors to respondagain

Salopianrallied to take thenext twomatches throughMattElsey (26.02)and JoeHiggins (25.14)to putthe home side one game away from victory.

Northumberland weren’t fin ished, however,takingthe nexttwo matches, although it wasjustpro longingthe inevitable as Paul Row ley(27.75) securedvictory aman-ofthe-matchperformance

The finaltwo gameswentthe way of thehosts through ScottDockerty (26.30)and Jon Mansell (24.99).

Clee Hill claim hard fought win on derby day

Clee Hilltookthe derbyday spoils as they maintained theirunbeaten startinCounties2 Midlands West rugby(North)

Thevisitorsbattled theirway to ahard-fought victoryatCleobury Mortimertomakeitfourwinsand twodraws from sixgames

Cleobury took theleadwithan earlypenalty butHillhit to score theonlytry of thematch when Rhys Williams charged over from 10 me tresout

Thesecondhalfwas atight affair butHayden Edwardssecured the winin thelast five minutesofthe matchwhenhelandeda penaltyto make it 11-3.

PerfectDawleymarch on as rivals hitthe goal trail

Dawley Town made it a magnificent sevenwins on thespininthe Salop LeisureLeague.

ThePremier Division pacesetters were made to workhardtomain tain theirperfect starttothe sea sonin theirtop-of-the-tableclash with Ludlow ButastrikefromKieranBuckley provedtobeenoughtosecurean otherthree-point haul

Second-placedHodnetare two points behind theleaders but maintained thepressureatthe top thanks to anothergoal-laden dis play Hodnet hitthe back of thenet 12 timesfor thesecondtimeinthree matches.

St Martinswereonthe receiving endonthisoccasionwithhot-shot NickyParkerleading thegoalrush.

He scored five times– with four of hisstrikes coming before half-time –totakehis tallyfor theseasonto

19 Connor Dunneaddedabrace, with CameronDourish, Lewis Brown, Adam Heath, Macauley Cliftonand Daniel Parker also on themark.

Anotherofthe titlehopefuls, Church StrettonTown, also hitthe goal trail

JamesHillwas theirhat-trick hero as they beat Shrewsbury Up &Comers 7-4inanentertaining clash.

Strikes from Josh Hunting, Dean Richards andMatthew Cole plusan owngoalcompleted Stretton’stally Juan Finlow baggedatreblefor

Shrewsbury with Owen Rothwell grabbing theirother goal

Thevictory leaves Strettonsit tingthirdonthe same number of points as Hodnet

Thegoals continuedto flow in the othertop flightgames

Samuel Florystrucktwice as PreesUnitedbeatvisitingGobow en Celtic 4-3.

ShaunDavieswas anotherman whofound hisshootingboots in theclash betweenWem Town and MadeleySports.

Davies gave visiting Madeleya slender half-timeleadbeforehitting topgearafterthe break

He struck threemoretimes to help Wemtoa 6-0success.Jon Mat thewsand Mark Pritchardadded theother goals.

Broseley easedtoa5-1 winat home to Ercall ColtsJuniorsEvolu tion.Two goalsfromDanielJames

andone from AsaDeanput them threeup at half-time.

Joseph Morrisand MichaelSmith addedtothe hosts’tally in the final 10 minutes

Morda United also won5-1 –on theroadatWrockwardineWood Juniors.

Therewas no change at thetop ofDivisionOne as theleading con tendersbothwon

Table-toppersWellingtonAma teursDevelopmenthit thenet six timeswithout replyawaytoErcall ColtsJuniorsRangers

Second-placed Bridgnorth Devel opment were 2-0winnersathome to EllesmereRangers Reserves.

Theother second tier clashsaw LlanymynechbeatErcallColts JuniorsRevolutionColts3-1

SamLewis scoredtwice with skipperMikeWhitehouse also on target

Colts’ runend at thehands of thepacesetters

Ludlow Town Coltssaw their impressive winningrun ended by HerefordshireCountyLeague PremierDivisionleaders Led bury

Coltswentintothe Friday clashunder lights having won theirprevioussix gamesinall competitions

Butthe unbeaten table-top pers provedtoo strong as they cruisedtoa4-0 victory.

With afew absentees,Colts foundthemselves 1-0downwith in seconds.

Andthe hostsaddedasecond when they took advantageofa mixupbetween Coltsduo Scott Guilbert andMiles Clent.

Coltswentclose to areply when CoreyWhitticasesaw his effort clearedoff theline Ledburyput thegametobein thesecondhalfwithtwo more goals.

Coltsatbackinactionathome on Saturday againstWestfields Development(2:30pm).

Action from table-topping Dawley Town’s clashwith fellow SalopLeisure League titlehopefuls Ludlow.Dawleybattled to a1-0 winPics: DavidHamilton

NICK ELWELL nick.elwell@mnamedia.co.uk

Salopian ladies Awereawarded trophiesbeforetheir match for winning theirsection last season

CleeHillcelebratetheir victory

CleeHill’sHaydenEdwards lines up apenaltyPics: SadieHall

Winnersonparade Trophytime on the bowls circuit –P53

HODNETTLANDS SIXOFTHE BEST

NICK ELWELL nick.elwell@mnamedia.co.uk

Ludlow’s Will Hodnett ensureditwas atrying afternoonfor Droitwich thanks to astunningindividual display.

Hodnettwas theheadlineact, runninginsix triesas theRegional TwoWestMidlandstable-toppersdishedout a69-7ham mering to theirWorcestershire visitors

Centre Hodnettwas oneofjust three tryscorers with Rhys Perkins claiming ahat-trick andJoe Doyle touching down twice.

Jack Linesaddedseven conver sionsasLudlowmaintainedtheir five-point advantageover sec ond-placed Worcester.

Butthe daybelongedtoHodnett, whoisnow second in this season’s nationwide try-scoring list having takenhis tallyto13.

“Inall of my playingand coaching career Ihavenever been involved in agamewhere someone hasscored sixtries,” said head coachMikey Jones.“Will is playingsomeunbelievablerugby at themoment andis second in thewhole of Englandfor

triesscored. It’s thebestIhaveseen himplay.”

Despite anotherdominantdis play,Jones stillfeels hisside, who boastaperfect sixfromsix record, have yettohit topgear.

“Weare playingwellinparts, but in some partsnot particularly well,”

he said.“When we play well,noside hasbeenabletolivewithusbut we still haven’t putinwhatIthink is a full 80-minuteperformance “Droitwich hadabit of ball early on butweknowour defenceis very strong andwewerepatient andwaitedfor them to make mis-

takes andthentookadvantage Lastyearweleftafew triesout therebut this season we arebeing really clinical andlongmay that continue.”

Atriptolowly Evesham, whosit threefrombottom, is next up for Ludlow on Saturday

Ludlow aces in team of theseason

Ludlow’s title-winningsummer hasbeenfurther recognisedwith threeoftheir players beingnamed in Shropshire County Cricket League’s PremierDivisionsideof theyear.

Batter Luke Miles, wicketkeeper/ batter Will Sparrowand bowler Joe Williamshaveall earned aplacein theselectXI.

Thetrioplayedkey rolesas Ludlow claimedthe top flight ti

tle– finishingone pointclear of Whitchurch –onlytobedenieda placeinthe play-offsdue to Birmingham League regulationssur rounding youth cricket.

Milesand Sparrowbothscored over 500Premier Division runs whileWilliamsclaimed 45 wickets an an averageof16.62

Wellington’sDan Lloydwas se lected as skipperofthe side follow ingastellar campaign that sawhim

score627 runs andtop thetop flight bowlingchartswith53wicketsat an averageof10.51

Team: Josh Darley (Oswestry), Mike Robinson(Whitchurch), Luke Miles(Ludlow), SaqibAkbar (New port), DanLloyd (Wellington),Will Sparrow(Ludlow), DanWalker (Shelton), George Cheshire(Sentinel),ShabirKhan(Newport),Jon ny Evans(Sentinel), JoeWilliams (Ludlow)

Hill keepshis Englandspot afterSale move

Jonny Hillhas been namedin theEngland squad forthisyear’s autumn internationals

The28-year-old,who wasborn andraisedinLudlow, is part of the36-mangroup that will face Argentina,Japan,New Zealand andSouth Africa at Twicken hamnextmonth

He hasmade13appearances forEngland,including being an ever-present last autumn,and swappedExeterChiefs –where he hadbeenfor seven years– for Sale Sharks in thesummer

AndSaledirectorofrugby Alex SandersonrevealedHill hassettled in well:“He is quite quiet-naturedin hisapproach andinhis ability to influence.

“Heisnot ashouter.Heisvery composed andcalmand that in itself lendsitselftohim beingaccepted because he hasnot come in talkingabout theworld ac cordingtoJonny Hill.”

Ludlow batterLukeMiles

Ludlow lock Phil Oliver bursts against Droitwichwhile,right, Will Hodnett scores histhirdtry

Pics:TrevorPatchett

Englandcallfor JonnyHill