Bishop’s Castle

CAN YOU HELP THE MICHAELMAS FAIR? - After a year off, September 2015 saw a triumphant return of Bishop’s Castle’s Michaelmas Fair. It was a great success and the committee is starting to plan for 2016. They welcome any volunteers who can spare an evening a month, plus time over the Michaelmas weekend itself, to make this year’s fair on September 17 just as memorable. Michaelmas Fair stalwart John Lucas explains what makes the fair unique. “Last year’s event was held in the town centre, from the church at the bottom to the Castle Hotel at the top, encouraging visitors to explore the whole of Bishop’s Castle. It followed the one- day model first tried in 2013 with two vehicle processions followed by the lantern procession in the evening.

The diverse range of entertainment that Michaelmas is renowned for was held in the streets, on the town hall stage, in the church, and pubs. We had music from traditional folk to opera and blues as well as street dance, magicians, samba, street theatre, workshops, and loads more, not to mention the magnificent elephant.

We were also gifted with great weather. The new format worked well and we had a very positive response from visitors, local people businesses and organisers. There generally seemed to be real affection for the fair and genuine joy to see it return.” To find out more about this year’s Michaelmas Fair look on michaelmasfair.co.uk.

INSIDE OUT - Bishop’s Castle Community College is to feature on the BBC West Midlands programme Inside Out as an example of a successful rural secondary school.

Students, staff and parents were interviewed by BBC correspondent David Gregory-Kumar, who was investigating the challenges of living and working in a rural setting and how schools like the Community College are supporting students and their families. Whilst there are many positive aspects to living in the countryside, it certainly does have it challenges. Transport, access to services and the relative isolation were just some of the topics that were talked about. With reductions in government funding and the impact this is having on schools, leisure facilities and cultural activities, this period of austerity is beginning to affect rural communities like ours and their young people.

The Community College has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and part of this success is attributed to the positive working relationship that exists between staff and students at the college. There are regular visits away, a big focus on attitude to learning, and a real emphasis on raising aspirations and student involvement in the running of the school. Results at the college have risen year on year in spite of poorer funding than their urban counterparts. Shropshire has historically been one of the worst-funded counties in England for education.

The Government is about to consult on a new funding formula for schools across the country, which hopefully will address some of the inequalities that exist. The feature will be screened in the next couple of weeks on BBC1.

PRESENT AND FUTURE NEEDS - A new Bishop’s Castle Town Plan is being drawn up, with six town plan groups already at work on the project. One of these is the Sustainability Working Group, whose objective is ‘to seek new initiatives in response to climate change and technological developments to ensure a sustainable future’. One of those in the group is Mike Watkins and he explains: “The initiatives may include things such as identifying local renewable energy, energy efficiency and food production projects and making improvements to local management of waste and re-cycling.” Mr Watkins adds: “There are many definitions of sustainability that might be adopted by our working group and this is the one used by Shropshire Council: ‘Securing our future, whilst meeting our present needs – working together to balance social, environmental and economic needs’.” Call Mike Watkins on 01588 630277 to find out more.

HOT POT AND STORIES ON COLD NIGHT - Bishop’s Castle WI met in the Methodist Hall on January 19 when members enjoyed a hotpot supper and a sweet, prepared by one of the member Lynne Habgood. The meal was very welcome on the coldest evening of the winter so far. Amy Douglas, a storyteller from Bishop’s Castle, was welcomed as the speaker and she explained how she used to go to storytelling events as a young girl with her father and decided very early on that was what she wanted to do. She soon had her audience enthralled with her stories and answered questions. The next meeting is on February 16 when Sue Blower will talk about ‘setting up an orphanage in Romania’. Everyone is welcome at 7.30pm.

TALK ON PREHISTORIC TEXTILES - The South West Shropshire Historical and Archaeological Society was transported back to prehistoric times at their meeting on January 12 with a visit by Sarah Thursfield, an expert on historic textiles and clothing. She is the author of a number of books on the subject, including ‘The Mediaeval Tailor’s Handbook’. Ms Thursfield showed the earliest types of needle and how the first woven material, basically ‘string’, was made from wood and plant fibres. Two important points were made – first, that the history of textiles was a story of practical problem solving, and secondly that we are misguided to think that mass-produced materials are better than handmade; machinery’s principal contribution has been to speed up production. The speaker traced the development of sewing and weaving, the advancement of tools during the Bronze and Iron Ages, and the uses of wool and skins for appropriate purposes. She showed garments which would have been worn in Roman and mediaeval times. Dr John Leonard announced that for the society’s 2016 outing he would lead a party to look at Herefordshire churches – including Eaton Bishop, Madley, Kilpeck and Abbey Dore. Details will be announced later.

At 7.30pm on Tuesday in the Church Barn, Bishop’s Castle, Tom Wall, author of ‘The Singular Stiperstones’, will give an illustrated lecture entitled ‘Stiperstones, meanings, myths and mysteries’. Non-members are welcome at a fee of £5.

MARK BAIGENT IN CONCERT - Internationally acclaimed oboe player Mark Baigent, who lived in Bishop’s Castle until recently, will join three other early music musicians at a concert in Discoed Church on Saturday. Music for oboe, bassoon, viola de gamba and harpsichord will feature in a programme of music from the Galante era, including works by Mozart and JC Bach as well as leading performers from the 18th century London scene such as Fischer and Lidl.

The performers, including Mark Baigent, Nathaniel Harrison, David Hatcher and David Wright, all work with leading period instrument orchestras and ensembles both here and abroad, including La Siècle, English Baroque Soloists, Kings Consort, Musicians of the Globe and Red Priest. They perform on period instruments from the late 18th century and the evening is a rare chance to hear their instruments’ rich and varied colours in a wide selection of unusual and thrilling repertoire. Tickets cost £15, students £5.

PUDDING HEAVEN - Bishop’s Castle Town Hall is offering a new concept in indulgence for Valentine’s Day - ‘pudding heaven’. Participants will have the chance to sample five portions from an array of deliciously romantic puddings and vote to rank them in order of delight. The pudding with the highest score at the end of the evening will earn its maker the title of king or queen of puddings, a bottle of sparkling wine and £25.

Starting at 7.30pm on February 14, all are welcome – partnered or single – just bring a pencil to mark your score sheet. Tickets cost £10 in advance, £12 on the door, and will include five portions of pudding and a glass of sparkling wine.

“We wonder whether this might launch a local ‘pudding club’ and we’re interested to see if local professionals enter,” said Evelyn Bowles, a town hall trustee. “It could be a great promotional coup to win the ‘pudding crown’ after all.

Bishop’s Castle residents are well aware of the skills of local cooks, amateur and professional alike. If they give a favourite dish a romantic twist this could be the start of something rather special. Entries are not limited to Bishop’s Castle either, we are more than happy to share the joys of puddings from around the world.” To get an entry form call 01588 630023 or pop into Bishop’s Castle Town Hall between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Saturday. Entry enquiries and returns should be made to Evelyn Bowles by tomorrow on evelynbowles@decorich.plus.com or call 01588 638 851.

HELP YOUR LOCAL MUSEUM - The axe may fall this year on opening hours at the House on Crutches Museum in Bishop’s Castle. More volunteers are urgently needed to keep the building open at weekends, as it has been for the last 22 years.

At the moment the museum, which is next to Bishop’s Castle Town Hall, welcomes visitors from Easter to September and trustees hope more people will come forward to help.

“We are very lucky to have a great group of volunteer stewards, but always need a few new recruits,” said museum trustee Evelyn Bowles. “This year the pressure is greater due to the early Easter, but also because the demand for volunteers is increasing from all quarters. We really want to avoid closures so we’d like to encourage new people into stewarding who may never have thought about it, or thought they didn’t know enough. The commitment is quite small, nine to 12 hours spread over three or four sessions per season, and if you enjoy talking to people, you are already qualified. We provide the basic training required and rota our stewards in pairs giving days and dates which match their preferences whenever possible. If a problem crops up, swaps or stand-ins can always be arranged. The reward is sharing some of the history of this unique town with very appreciative visitors. There is printed information about most exhibits but also scope for comparing ideas with visitors about what some unusual objects were used for. Thanks to the nearby campsite we have more families visiting, who enjoy trying on the dressing-up clothes and playing with the old-fashioned toys provided. In the last five years numbers of international visitors have gone up too, by 50 per cent. Just like our UK visitors, some have an old family connection to the area and offer information about their part in its history, which our stewards record. With a wide range of visitors this can be a worthwhile and enjoyable way of contributing to the community.” Call Evelyn Bowles 01588 638851 or email evelynbowles@decorich.plus.com to find out more.

QUIZ NIGHTS - Make a date in your diary for a quiz evening tomorrow in Norbury Village Hall. The event is a fundraiser for Norbury Village Hall and is organised by the new local arts and social group. They have planned a curry and quiz for their first event . Tickets £8, including the food. Teams of up to six people can come along, or you can be put into a team on the night. Call 01588 650940 to book.

BISHOPS CASTLE DIARY, February 4-10

TODAY

  • Town hall café run by Class 3, Bishop’s Castle Primary School. Bishop’s Castle Town Hall. 10am-2pm.
  • Pipeline Theatre. ‘Transports’. SpArC Theatre, Bishop’s Castle. £11/£7. 7.30pm. 01588 630321/638038.
  • Exhibition. ‘Enduring Spirit and Haiku’ - Ellesmere Watercolourists. Bishop’s Castle Town Hall. Until February 6. 01588 630023.

TOMORROW

  • Curry and quiz in aid of village hall. Norbury Village Hall. £8. 01588 650940.
  • Live modern folk music. Blackheart. Lydbury North Village Hall. £10/£5. 7.30pm. 01588 680302.

SATURDAY

  • Flea market. Bishop’s Castle Town Hall. 9am. 01588 630023.
  • Bring and share supper in aid of Bishop’s Castle Church new kitchen project. Church Barn, Bishop’s Castle. £5. 7pm. 01588 630018.

TUESDAY

  • South West Shropshire Historical and Archaeological Society. ‘Stiperstones – Meanings, Myths and Mysteries’ – Tom Wall. Church Barn, Bishop’s Castle. 7.30pm.
  • Sock Club. Knit and drink tea. Chai Shop, Bishop’s Castle. 2pm. 01588 630435.
  • Footpath Walking Group. Breiddens. Meet Harley Jenkins St car park, Bishop’s Castle. 9.30am. 01743 791835.
  • Mainstone WI. ‘Four Corners’. Mainstone Village Hall. 7.30pm.

WEDNESDAY

  • NHS Future Fit healthcare information stands. Bishop’s Castle Community Hospital. 10am-2pm.
  • Lecture. ‘Biography of Agricola’ by Tacitus – David Preshous. Fletcher Room, Bishop’s Castle Community College. £6, £25 for six. 2pm. 01588 638363.
  • Bookworms. ‘Shakespeare in Trouble’ – Chris Crowcroft. Lydbury North Village Hall £3. 7.30pm. 01588 680302.

CORRESPONDENT - J Parker 01588 680445 jparker228@btinternet.com.

 

Clun

FILM - Spy (15) at Clun Memorial Hall on Saturday, February 6, at 7.30pm.

Adults £4.50, under-18s £2.50. Susan Cooper is an unassuming, desk-bound CIA analyst and the unsung hero behind the Agency’s most dangerous missions. But when her partner falls off the grid and another top agent is compromised, she volunteers to go deep undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer and prevent a global crisis. Good car parking, refreshments served. Enquiries and box office 01588 640254.

TIM’S TRAVELS - Coach trip to see Jersey Boys at the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton, on Wednesday matinee performance.

The show tells the epic, high-energy rise to stardom of one of pop music’s most successful and well-loved bands, Franki Valli and the Four Seasons.

Coach and excellent theatre seat is £45. Coach leaves Newcastle at 9.15am, picking up at Whitcott Keysett, then Clun Bridge at 9.30am. Can also pick up in Clun High St and along the A49 as necessary.

Tim is also taking bookings for a March 17 matinee performance of Look Back in Anger , a 60th anniversary production at Derby Theatre, where the play was first performed. Coach and theatre seat: £27.50. All enquiries to Tim Wood: 01588 640506.

OPEN WI MEETING - Wednesday, at Betws y Crwyn. All are welcome. Jane Pugh is the guest speaker, her subject is The Wonderful World of Wade China. Refreshments served and flower of the month competition. All enquiries to Sheila Davis, mail@ amblecotefarm.plus.com.

 

Ludlow

MEETING - Ludlow and District Flower Club’s next meeting is Tuesday, 7.30pm at St Peter’s Hall, Henley Road, Ludlow, when national demonstrator Carola Keen will be coming to demonstrate to the club.

Raffle of flower arrangements, and tea and coffee served. Any extra information Jane 01584 877716.

 

Stoke Bliss and Kyre

WHISKY TASTING NIGHT - At Stoke Bliss and Kyre Village Hall on February 20, 7pm welcome for 7.30pm start. £20 per head to include welcome drink, whisky tasting, cottage pie (all local and home made) with a glass of wine to accompany. To raise money for Tenbury League of Friends and to buy a defibrillator for the village hall.

 

Tenbury

TALK - Tenbury Wells History Society welcomes members and non-members to their first talk of the 2016 season to hear Pete Weston tell the story of the Herefordshire Regiment at the Somme in September 1916 and the battle on Redan Ridge. Tonight, at 7.30pm in the Pump Rooms Tenbury; for more information call Mike on 01584 711425.

COFFEE AND CHAT - A warm welcome awaits you tomorrow and on the first Friday of each month, from 10am until noon at The Pump Rooms.

Organised by the Tenbury Branch of the U3A this is a great way to find out what we have to offer that might be of interest to you – our activities range from ballroom dancing to Spanish and lots of other interesting subjects.

So do come along to see what you can join. If you are looking for a new fun interest or some serious study come and give us a try! And you will make lots of new friends.

We look forward to seeing lots of members and anyone else who would like to discover more about the Tenbury branch of U3A.

WORCESTERSHIRE HUB TENBURY - Customer Service Centre, Tenbury Library, Fridays 10am-5pm, by appointment only. Please call 01684 862151 for an appointment or ask a member of the library staff.

TENBURY OUTREACH - Let life be happy. Saturdays 11am-1pm, Tenbury swimming pool. Games consoles, archery, inflatables, skate ramps. Sponsored by Action for Children.

ST MICHAEL’S HOSPICE SHOP - Market St, Tenbury Wells. Have you three hours spare to help us? We have vacancies for people to work in the shop.

We are all volunteers and we need more people to join us in the shop and help us raise money for our wonderful hospice.

We are a friendly bunch, please come in and see us and collect an application form.

TEME VALLEY WILDLIFE GROUP - The next meeting of the Wildlife Group is next Thursday, February 11, when we welcome Paul Handy, whose talk is on native honey in native hives. The meeting is at Rochford Village Hall at 7.30pm and as always it is just £2 on the door and everybody is most welcome. Contact: Danny Arnold 01584 781500 or danny.arnold@waterwide.

com.

TEME VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY - The next meeting of the society is February 23, 7.30pm, at Abberley Village Hall, when Mike Watkins will give a talk entitled ‘Two ships in the night’. All are welcome.

PARISH LENGTHSMAN - Required by Lindridge Parish Council from April 1.

General duties to include: ensure drainage issues are regularly checked and maintained. Advise landowners when ditches need cleaning. Vegetation clearance, eg improve visibility at junctions or signs. Ensure signs are kept clean. Gritting/salting.

The applicant would be required to attend a training course run by Worcestershire County Council.

The role is a contract for services, and the applicant would be deemed self-employed. For further information regarding the role of this work, please contact Rachel Lambert, parish clerk, 01584 881599 or lindridge@parishclerk.co.uk.

KNIGHTON-ON-TEME YOGA - Teme Yoga meets at 7.30pm every Tuesday (except for the first in each month) in the Parish Room, Knighton-on-Teme.

The Knighton group can always fit more into the nice big hall.

Anyone interested contact Jan Hasbury 01584 711272 who will be happy to hear from you.

LINDRIDGE BABY AND TODDLER GROUP - This group meets at the Lindridge Parish Hall on a Thursday morning from 9.30am-11am each week during term time. If you have children between nought and five years please do come and join us for fun, activities and to make some new friends. Activities for February include crafts for Valentine’s Day and messy play games using cornflour and water. Please note there is no meeting on February 18 as it is half term. There is a charge of £1.50 for each family for each session attended. If you have any questions, please contact Vickie at lindridgetoddlers@ gmail.com or 01584 881086.

THE ORIGINAL VALENTINE’S NIGHT - Eastham Memorial Hall, February 13. Four-course meal, tea/coffee, full bar. Gift for the ladies. Raffle. £15 per person, book early: easthammemorialhall@gmail.com or 01584 781255.

VALENTINE’S DAY SUNDAY LUNCH - February 14, 12.30pm for 1pm. Lodge of St Michael 1097, Lodge Rooms, Church Street, Tenbury Wells. Soup, fish course, beef/lamb carvery, vegetarian option, cheese and biscuits, dessert, tea/coffee with mints. £15 per person. Book with Phil Gibbs 01584 811011 or Barry Gutteridge 01584 781365. Treat your loved one to a romantic lunch.

SERVICE - Rev James Eaton- Challinor will be leading morning service at Tenbury Methodist Church on Sunday at 11am. Please come along and join us. All are welcome.

 

The Strettons

OPERA - La Traviata will be streamed live to Church Stretton School from The Royal Opera House tonight at 7pm. Verdi’s tragic opera of a Parisian courtesan who sacrifices all for love is vividly told in Richard Eyre’s production. Admission is £11 for adults and £5 for children. Refreshments will be available during the intervals.

GREEN PARTY - Nominations for officer posts should be sent to the co-ordinator, dgibbon662@gmail.com by Saturday, who can also advice about the posts to be filled before the annual general meeting on February 13.

FELL RACE - On Sunday the Long Mynd valleys 18.5km race will take place. Registration and starting from Carding Mill valley. Contact merciafellrunners.org.uk for full details.

CANCER CARE - Stretton and Shropshire Cancer Care group will meet at Mayfair Community Centre on Monday at 2.30pm when Roger Wilson will give an update on ‘research into cancer’ as genetic advances, new drugs, new radiotherapy and surgical techniques, diagnosis and prevention are all starting to take huge steps forward.

There is a thank you from the group for all who supported the Christmas bazaar, which raised £728.26 after costs, making it one of the best results.

There is also a thank you to the management of Ley Garden for the use of the venue for the Christmas lunch, to the caterers and to the Strummers for the humour and musical entertainment.

Ludlow Hospital has been identified as a possible site for a Rural Urgent Care Centre and the League of Friends is supporting an ultrasound scanner operational early this year.

The scanner can be used to detect problems in the liver, heart and kidneys and for maternity monitoring.

The League of Friends is seeking additional volunteers to help with the trolley services on the wards, which would mean a commitment of one hour a week, so if you can help ring Gloria on 01584 318468.

WIVES AND FRIENDS - The Wives and Friends group will be meeting at the Methodist Hall on Tuesday for an evening of audio-visual shows followed by pancake refreshments. Visitors welcome, admission is £3.

WILDLIFE - The Shropshire Wildlife Trust members will hear a talk by Pete Lambert, river projects manager, on Wednesday in the Methodist Hall at 7.30pm. He has called his talk ‘A view from the river bank’. Visitors welcome, admission is £3.

CAMERA CLUB - The Longmynd Camera Club meeting on January 20 was a competition night which attracted 32 DPIs and 37 prints on the theme of ‘motion’, which was judged by Peter Warner ARPS, who also gave a welcome critique. Marks on the night in the DPIs section went to Hugh Thompson for flickering candle and spinning out of time, and in third place was Peter Howsam with burrow excavation. The prints section saw Ron Parnell’s wind rider in first place, Kim Claxton’s up or down in second place and Jane Howsam’s out for a run in third place. A selection of 15 from the entries will go forward to the external competition with Welshpool in April.

SCHOOL NEWS - There has been much enrichment for students at Church Stretton School. On Holocaust Memorial Day there was a talk by Janine Webber, a survivor of the Holocaust, and also a workshop with John Warren. History lessons were from a Roman Medicine Roadshow and some students visited Liverpool to see an England v Australia netball match.

The Young Voices Choir visited Birmingham for the annual singing festival as part of a 6,000-strong choir, later performing in front of an audience of over 10,000. This is to become an annual event for the school.

On the sporting front, inter-school games for KS3 dodgeballers, Year 7 footballers, under-13 cricketers have taken place, with Year 11 netballers going through to the regional finals.

At St Lawrence’s Primary School there is a thank you to all from the school council for the wearing of Christmas jumpers and attending the school disco, which together raised £441. The money will be divided between the school fund and the RNIB, which provides talking books for the blind, which is the chosen charity. There will be KS1 music workshop, cross country at Lucton and the area netball finals in the run up to the half-term break.

HOCKEY - The Stretton Sharks Hockey Club meets school Mondays, 3.30pm-5pm and is for boys and girls aged five-11 years. Cost per session is £2 or £15 for 10 sessions. Ring 01694 723543 to find out more.

FRIDAY MARKET - The annual general meeting of the Church Stretton Country Market will take place on February 22 at Mayfair Community Centre, and the market will re-open on March 11.

There is a thank to all of the loyal existing customers who supported the Friday market during 2015, which made it one of the best year’s trading, and there is a welcome to new faces both as customers and producers. The sales include sweet and savoury baking, jams, pickles, seasonal fruit and vegetables and free- range farm eggs. There is also a selection of hand-made greetings cards and crafts. The market opens 8.30am-noon. To find out more, contact Ann on 01694 731274 or 07889 143057.

BRIDGE - Small, friendly, social bridge club meets at All Stretton Village Hall on Thursday afternoons 1.30pm-5pm, and can provide lifts from Church Stretton if needed. For full information, including tuition opportunities, ring Dom on 01694 723128.

SPRING MADNESS - There will be spring madness at Scrappies during the school half-term break on February 15 and 16, 10.30am- 12.30pm and 1.30pm-3.30pm for those over seven years. £3.50 per person or £2 for Krafty Kids Club members. Book in as places are limited. Two more workshops will be offered during the Easter holidays.

LIBRARY EVENTS - Church Stretton Library offers Rhymetime mornings for children under three years, and two knit and natter sessions during the week.

Thursday afternoons local and family history can be researched 1pm-4pm when free access to ancestry is available and volunteers are on hand to assist if required.

ROUND TABLE - The South Shropshire Interfaith Forum Round Table discussion next Thursday, February 11, will be religion, race and culture led by Mark Michaels.

The meetings are held at the Pilgrim Centre in Craven Arms from noon- 1.15pm and those attending are invited to take along their sandwiches if they wish, drinks will be provided and all are welcome.

PANTO TIME - Cardington Capers present Once upon a Beanstalk at Cardington Villager Hall from next Thursday, February 11, to February 13. Ring 01694 771270 to enquire for tickets, and All Stretton Amateur Dramatic Society presents Red Riding Hood at the Village Hall from February 18 to February 20, nightly at 7.30pm and with a matinee on Saturday at 2pm. Adult tickets cost £5 and £2.50 for youngsters under 16. There is a £1 reduction on adult tickets for the Thursday evening.