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BAYTON.

OPEN EVENING: An open evening is being held at the village hall on Tuesday, May 6, at 7.30pm. You are invited to come and have cheese and wine in the hall and consider becoming a member of the committee. Help is always needed and can be as much or as little as you want. Have you a good idea for a social event? Come along and tell the committee, and they will help you organise it.

CURRY LUNCH: The curry lunch held recently was very well attended. The final total raised is not yet known.

BISHOPS CASTLE.

SILK ROUTE CLUB: Twenty-five members of an international club met up in Bishop's Castle recently and stayed at a local campsite. The Silk Route Motor Caravan Network spent the weekend of April 19 to 20 at The Foxholes campsite owned by Wendy and Chris Jones.

Wendy's father, Peter Milner, who lives with this wife Janet in Welshpool, organised the get-together that attracted motor caravan owners from as far away as Eire, France and Norway.

The French president of the club came with his wife and said he was delighted with the beautiful Shropshire countryside. Other members said they had no idea the Welsh border was so attractive and welcoming. The Silk Route Motor Caravan Network, as its name implies, is for the more intrepid traveller and, during the weekend, the party met in the council chamber of Bishop's Castle Town Hall to share their experiences. Topics discussed included the ideal vehicle for long distance travel, planning for an extended journey and preparing the vehicle. Peter and Janet Milner have taken their van on some exciting adventures and spent a whole year driving around South America. Their specially adapted Mercedes vehicle climbed 16,000 feet into the Andes over extremely rough roads. Back in Bishop's Castle, The Silk Route Network enjoyed dinner at the Three Tuns, a pub once owned by the Milners, and even though the weather was not good, one visitor described Bishop's Castle as a fascinating little town. The party also appreciated the relaxed atmosphere and wonderful location of The Foxholes. Since setting up the campsite last year, Chris and Wendy Jones have planted over 1,000 trees and built new toilets and accommodation for walkers and cyclists. Call The Foxholes on 01588 638924 and 01938 556720 to find out more about the Silk Route Motor Caravan Network.

NEW COMMUNITY FIRST RESPONDERS: Twelve volunteers from different parts of South Shropshire have just qualified as community first responders and will soon be on call in their local areas. This brings the number in the south of the county to 40 and Sarah Low, the community paramedic officer in charge of the first responder scheme in South Shropshire, has given them a warm welcome, saying CFRs play a vital role in a modern ambulance service.

The 12 newcomers are Bob and Barbara Bates from Hopton Heath, John Caine from Longville, Graham Clarke from Lydbury North, Sarah Cound from Ditton Priors, Emma Elliot from Ludlow, James Griffiths from Stottesden, Anna Limberg from Clun, David Oliver from Ludlow, Julie Oliver from Knowbury and Roger Price from Knowbury. The 12th person is Graham Oliver from Ludlow, who will use his skills in his work as a member of the Ludlow Fire Service. Sarah Low is keen to explain the role of the community first responder in the emergency services, saying: "When a 999 call comes through to the control room in Brierley Hill, details are sent on to the ambulance service in Shrewsbury. They can then assess the situation and dispatch the relevant resources - which may well include a community first responder. This person will often be living in or near the place where the incident has happened and can get basic life support to a patient in the first few minutes. Speed makes a huge difference to patient outcomes and for every minute after a cardiac arrest, the chance of survival decreases by 10%. A CFR who lives or works nearby can get to work quickly with a defibrillator and can save lives."

The 12 new CFRs come from a variety of backgrounds, with some already having experience in the emergency services and others learning the skills for the first time. The youngest recruits are Graham Clarke and Emma Elliot, both sixth formers at local schools. Graham has his eye on a career in medicine, while Emma wants to join the ambulance service. All 12 volunteers have worked through and been assessed on four modules before qualifying: 1 Basic life support, defibrillation, infection control and manual handling; 2 Medical emergencies (eg strokes and asthma attacks); 3 Traumatic emergencies (accidents); 4 Preparing for active duty.

With all the theory work completed, the next step is to gain some practical experience and the CFRs are now taking it in turns to be out on the road in rapid response vehicles and with local ambulance crews. When this induction is complete they will be on call in their home area, ready to assist in a medical emergency.

"We are still looking for people to become community first responders," adds Sarah Low. "If you are interested, please call me on 07866 537287, or email sarahjlow@aol.com BIEW COURSE FOR PARENTS: A new eight-week parenting course starts on Wednesday, May 7, at the home of Debi Lewis, near Bishop's Castle. Parenting From the Heart invites you to unlock you full parenting potential' and Ms Lewis says it comes as a response to local interest in this type of approach. She says: "The course will draw heavily on non-violent communication as well as other tools, which can bring us quickly back to a peaceful and loving place from which to connect with our children and ourselves. Our children are so important to us and yet we can find it challenging to parent in ways that we feel really good about."

During the course, Ms Lewis will explore a variety of topics including understanding the needs behind your child's behaviour; how to parent effectively without relying on punishment or reward; how to transform power struggles and conflicts into opportunities for building connection and trust; how to create an environment based on mutual respect, emotional safety and positive, open communication; and how to honour your own needs. The course will be held at Lower Down, Lydbury North, and runs from 7pm to 9pm. The cost is £80 but fees are negotiable according to an individual's circumstances. For more details, call Debi Lewis on 01588 680548 or 07966 913366 or email: debi@debi-lewis.com SPONSORED EVENTS RAISE CASH: Children, parents, teachers and friends of Bishop's Castle Primary School raised money recently for the UNICEF Day for Change and Sport Relief. Both sponsored events were a great success and cheques for £482.57 have been sent to each charity - a grand total of £965.14. The headteacher, Andrew Barker, thanks everyone for their support.

VIGIL TO SUPPORT PALESTINE: Over 20 people turned out to a vigil in Bishop's Castle High Street on Saturday, April 26. The event was organised by the local Palestine Link Group, based in the town. One of the members is John Cribb and he explained: "We wanted to remember the 60th anniversary of the Palestinians' loss of their land, and our banner calls for an end of the occupation of Palestine and 60 years of Zionist oppression. We hope to make contact with a group of Palestinians of the occupied territory, with a view to sharing their story with people round Bishop's Castle and then exchanging visits. We are also planning a mock Israeli road block in Bishop's Castle - so watch this space." For more information, call 01588 620470.

BOWLING CLUB NEWS: Bishop's Castle Civil Defence Bowling Club held its AGM recently. The following people were elected: president, Ken Pickford; vice-president, Rachel Bright; chairperson, Marg Coles; secretary, Betty Williams; treasurer, Joan Grant; captain, Tony Lewis; vice-captain, Hazel Bufton. The opening of the bowling green, situated behind the Six Bells, is on Saturday at 6.30pm. The first match is an away fixture at Chirbury on Tuesday, May 6. New members are always welcome. For details, call the secretary on 01588 638315.

CLOWS TOP HAPPY JACK: On Friday, May 16, the Ratatat Theatre Company is performing Happy Jack. This is a follow-on from last year's performance. Tickets cost £8 for adults and £5 for under-14s to include a drink in the interval. For tickets, call Dave Philips on 01299 832637.

CLUN VALLEY CADS: Clun Amateur Dramatic Society put on an evening of Victorian music and melodrama last Friday and Saturday at the Hightown Community Room, Clun. The evening included two short melodramas, The Heir's Return and The Day of Reckoning as well as other variety acts, and was described as a plethora of pleasurable peregrinations through mellifluous, melodious musicality and artistically articulate acting with audience participation'.

NEW FUNCTION ROOM: Owners of the Crown Inn at Newcastle, Debbie and Lindsey Linford-Gough, have just opened a new, multi-purpose functions and games room with seating for around 50 people to complement its busy 30-seater restaurant. The room is part of a major uplift given to the Crown Inn.

"We plan to turn every occasion into a celebration," said Debbie and Lindsey. "We can handle conferences, dinner parties, wedding and christening celebrations and engagement and retirement parties. We have excellent catering and bar facilities and can provide live music for all occasions and all tastes."

When not being used for private functions the room is a great games room with a pool table, games machine and wall-mounted TV.

The Crown dates from the 17th century and has historically been the resting place for drovers.

CLUN & CHAPEL LAWN ANNUAL PARISH MEETING: The Clun and Chapel Lawn annual parish meeting is to be held today (Thursday) at Haslehurst Community Centre, Clun, from 7pm to 8pm. This is not a parish council meeting, although it is organised by the parish council for the benefit of residents living in the parish and is a chance for residents to put forward any comments regarding matters in the parish. The annual parish council meeting will follow this meeting.

BOWLING CLUB: Newcastle Bowling Club's first match of the season is a home match against Chirbury today (Thursday).

ITHON SINGERS COME TO NEWCASTLE: Newcastle Bowling Club will be welcoming the Ithon Singers on Saturday at Newcastle Community Centre. This well-known and highly accomplished choir is a joy to hear and not to be missed. Tickets are £5 from Hugh on 01588 640203 or from any committee member. The concert starts at 8pm and there may be spare tickets on the door but to be safe, please book in advance. There will be a bar and a raffle. If you have any prizes then please let us have them in good time or bring them with you on the night.

GREEN MAN FESTIVAL: This weekend is Clun's Green Man Festival with lots of activities and something for everyone. The Frost Queen's traditional battle with the Green Man, Clun mummers, jugglers, battle re-enactments, the Shropshire Bedlams and Martha Roden's Tuppeny Dish morris dancers and the May fair are among events taking place.

There will be live music starting on Friday evening with an open session with the Travelling Folk at the Sun Inn. There will be a second session there on Saturday evening. The Oysterband is playing at the Memorial Hall on Saturday and The Hamsters play there on Sunday. Tickets are available from the White Horse Inn, Clun, and Enterprise House, Bishop's Castle. For full details of the Green Man Festival, visit the website www.clungreenman.org.uk RAMBLERS: Clun Ramblers have an all-day walk on Wednesday, May 7, starting at 9.30am. Clun Peramblers' all-day walk starts at the slightly later time of 10am. Both groups meet at the Memorial Hall car park.

MEMORIAL HALL AGM: Clun Memorial Hall annual general meeting is on Monday, May 12, at 7.30pm in the Memorial Hall.

12:48pm Friday 2nd May 2008

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