Bishop’s Castle (From Ludlow Advertiser)

Bishop’s Castle

12:20pm Thursday 11th March 2010

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TOWN HALL FUTURE - At the public consultation evening about the future of the Town Hall, round table discussions culminated in a large majority – more than 90 per cent – stating a preference for a major grant application to the Heritage Lottery Fund to conserve and improve the building and to extend access for a wide range of additional uses. Earlier, visitors to the afternoon exhibition had spent time reviewing the issues and discussing the detail. Project officer Evelyn Bowles said: “Whatever your views, we are keen to get as many comment forms returned to the council as possible, especially as grant givers need to see evidence of public involvement.”

There are still comment forms with all the displays at Enterprise House, SpArC and the Community College and these need to be returned by this weekend to the Town Clerk, Town Hall, Bishop’s Castle SY9 5BG.

For further information, contact Evelyn Bowles or Richard Moulson on 01588 638 851 or email townhall@decorich.gotadsl.co.uk.

HIDDEN VAULT - St John’s Church in Bishop’s Castle is now open again all day, having been closed between services while subsidence of the chancel floor was investigated. The subsidence was caused by partial collapse of an unknown chamber below the floor leading to a burial vault. The vault contains a number of coffins, probably of the Oakeley family. It was constructed in the 17th or 18th century and may well have been outside the original church and not used since the church was rebuilt in 1859. The chancel floor is now safely boarded over and further investigations will be made before decisions are made for the long term. Some photographs of the vault and access chamber can be seen at the back of the church.

CHARITY CONCERT - Castle Voices and The Men from Off will be getting together at the Three Tuns in Bishop’s Castle to raise money for African charities run by two of the singers. Turn up for an afternoon of entertaining music and tasty snacks on March 21 at 3pm.

Entry is free, with a collection for the Landirani Trust, which supports Aids orphans in Malawi and Red Earth Education, a charity training teachers in rural Uganda.

FAIR - The Bishop’s Castle Michaelmas Fair annual meeting was held recently and preparations began for the 2010 event. The fair is organised by a small group of volunteers. Chairman John Lucas, secretary Mark Baigent and treasurer Rosie Reid were reappointed.

Other committee members are: Bill Hendley, Peter Norton, Neville and Lizzy Swales, David and Janet Preshous, Paul and Brenda George, Jim Pratt, David Palliser, Claire Russell, Allan Lutz, Judith Hollier and Bernard Edwards. The AGM reported that the 2009 Michaelmas Fair was a great success with visitor numbers and ticket sales higher than ever.

The quality of entertainment continued to draw in the crowds, in particular the Zimbabwean singers who charmed crowds on Saturday.

Steam engines remain a popular part of the weekend and the exhibition by SWHAS was also a big hit with visitors. It was agreed that the car parking arrangements in 2009 worked much better than in previous years and it was proposed that parking for 2010 remained on the fields on the edge of town. The introduction of a programme booklet in 2009 helped ticket sellers enormously and the arrangement of local organisations selling tickets for the event over the weekend and taking a percentage of ticket sales for their own funds worked extremely well. Call 01588 638154 if you want to help with the 2010 Michaelmas Fair.

VALENTINE’S DISCO - The disco organised by the Friends of Bishop’s Castle Primary School raised £402 for their funds, with a donation of £23 made to the Disasters Emergency Committee collection for Haiti.

BINGO - A bingo session in Bishop’s Castle Public Hall raised £317 for the Midlands Air Ambulance. Thanks to Jean Buy and Betty Williams for their help and to Worx hairdressers for the kind donation. On Wednesday at 8pm the bingo session in the Public Hall will be in support of the Royal British Legion Women’s Section.

Call Joan Grant on 01588 638210 with offers of prizes and donations.

BOWLING CLUB - Bishop’s Castle Civil Defence Bowling Club holds its annual meeting in the Boars Head on March 23, at 7.30pm. New members, including juniors, are always welcome.

SWAP SHOP HIT - The Wasteless Society held a Swap Shop event at its Bishop’s Castle office. A total of 60 swaps were made in all and one of the younger participants, 16-year old Isobel Thomlinson, said: “I thought it was brilliant and I’d like to organise one at the Community College for all the people there."

Following the success with clothes, the society will be running a garden swap shop on a date to be announced, for spare seedlings, plants, cuttings and general gardening items.

MUSICAL TRIP - Edgton Village Club is off to see The Sound of Music at the Birmingham Hippodrome on July 28. The cost for theatre ticket and coach travel is £40. For information and bookings, call Margaret Whittall now on 01588 680226.

LENT LUNCH - Lunches in Bishop’s Castle Methodist Hall started well, with the first raising £100 for Christian Aid. It was cooked and served by the Quakers. The Mothers’ Union, Christian Aid committee, members of Lydbury North parish, Bishops Castle WI and members of a parish from the Onny Group are taking their turn.

SPOON MAKER - Paul Hand paid a return visit recently to the South- West Shropshire Gardening Club.

Multi-talented Paul is a lecturer, an expert on bees, apples, coracles, wooden spoons and trenchers, as well as being a dancer. Paul described how he began to make wooden spoons in his childhood, often copying old designs. Paul is on a mission to use every species of native tree in his craft. The next meeting of SWSGC is on March 24, in Lydbury North Village Hall, when David Walker will be Tip-Toeing through the Tulips. Call Anne Shepherdson on 01588 660309 for more details.

FRIENDS - The prize bingo in Bishop’s Castle Public Hall for the Friends in Retirement Club raised £188 for club funds. Members thank everyone who helped and gave donations.

HAITI HELP- The staff at the IT Centre at Enterprise House in Bishop’s Castle collected £181 to support the Haiti Earthquake Appeal.

SPARCLIFE - SpArClife, SpArC’s new Lottery-funded arts project run by young people, kicks off with a day of workshops for ages 10 to 25 on Saturday. The events are part of the Borderlines Film Festival and SpArClife has chosen a fashion theme for its contribution. Pretty Rubbish will run a textiles workshop from noon to 4pm, giving you the chance to bring in a boring T-shirt or whatever garment you’ve got hanging around and learn how to recycle old textiles into funky new clothing, accessories and objects of beauty. The cost is £6.

You can also star in your own movie at a filmmaking workshop with Jonny Keeley, from noon to 4pm.

Work with Jonny and SpArClife’s designers to create your own short film, which will be premiered at the evening film showing. The cost is £6.Then at 7pm SpArClife will screen Coco Before Chanel (12A), the life story of fashion designer Gabrielle Chanel. It costs £4 (£2 concessions) and is open to all.

PANTO - Almost 500 people came to SpArC to see the Castle Players in Babes in the Wood. This was the first time the group had performed in the theatre and it was impressive to see how well they adapted to their new space. This was due in large measure to the director Catherine Prichard, who skilfully guided her cast through the complexities of the action. She was helped by some capable and experienced actors, notably Sue Midwood, in the leading role of pantomime dame. It was as if the part had been created just for her and she was able to sweep along less confident players in the folds of her voluminous skirts. Isabelle Price and Alice Prichard made a suitably lively pair of Babes, while Zoe Hedge, Alison Price and Chloe Hallett made a the most of their roles as Tom Piper, Friar Tuck and Robin Hood. The dancers added much to the evening’s enjoyment and Babes in the Wood shows that Castle Players is in good heart and looking forward to more performances at SpArC. The show was produced by Louise Price.

WI - The next meeting is on Tuesday in the Methodist Hall at 7.30pm when the talk will be about chocolate. Visitors are welcome.

SCI-FI PLAY - Bishop’s Castle Theatre, the ReACT Theatre and Street Arts, and Shropshire Youth Theatre are busy rehearsing their high-flying science fiction tale Watch Out That Glop Will Kill You!

Set several hundred years in the future at an intergalactic pub, anyone can walk through the space hatch and most of them have old scores to settle, as well as green skin and tentacles. It is written by Cathie Woodbury from Craven Arms and the evening at the Assembly Rooms in Ludlow promises just as much suspense, laughter and fantastic food as last year’s event. Tickets cost £12, to include a meal and the entertainment, from the box office on 01584 878141. Please book by March 24, to ensure that seating and meal requirements can be met.

All proceeds will be used to fund the group’s open air Shakespeare and street theatre projects this summer.

LUNCHEON CLUB - The club, which began 25 years ago and attracts up to 35 elderly people, is looking for a new organiser. Sarah Screen, who has worked as a volunteer for 15 years, has stepped down. The club usually meets twice a month and all the cooking of the two-course meal is done in the Church Barn kitchen. However, there have been no lunches for the past few months. “The organiser needs to be someone who knows about food preparation and cooking, and willing to help the volunteer cooks when an extra pair of hands is needed,” Mrs Screen explained. “The club accounts are sound and the work is very rewarding and much appreciated by the people who come along.”

Call 01588 650315 for more details.

CARE HOME IDEA - Bishop’s Castle Mayor Keith Pinches, Councillor St John Penney and Councillor Neil Hird attended the Shropshire Council cabinet meeting when an interest was expressed in siting a community care farm at Crowgate. Care farms offer care health, social, economic and educational services to all members of a community and not just to the vulnerable. The proposed farm could be an organic market garden with poultry, small animals, a tree and plant nursery and educational facilities on the lines of Shropshire Council’s excellent Oak Farm at Ditton Priors. There, up to 30 people are employed daily. A Crowgate care farm would be ideally placed to supply fresh organic produce to the Community College, local primary schools, pubs, cafes and care homes. Heat for the farm’s polytunnels which would extend the growing season up to 10 months could be provided by a small anaerobic digester fuelled by food waste.

BUMPER JUMBLE - Norbury Church members were delighted to raise £463 at their jumble sale in the Village Hall on February 27.

JUNIOR CRICKET - Bishop’s Castle Cricket Club is holding some indoor cricket sessions at SpArC for children in years three to six. The next is on Thursday, March 18 from 4pm-5pm, then March 25. The sessions are a mix of coaching and games and cost £3 each. Outdoor cricket for juniors starts on May 10, running weekly and culminating in the junior competition in July. Call Richard Whately on 01547 510681.

NAMIBIA TALK - Lydbury North WI welcomes visitors to its open meeting in the Village Hall on Thursday, March 18, at 7.15pm The speaker will give a talk with slides on Namibia.

CO-OP HELPS OUT - A Fairtrade coffee morning at Bishop’s Castle Primary School raised £50 for the school’s link with a primary school in Bolgatanga District, Ghana. The town’s Co-operative store generously provided refreshments.

WOMEN IN PRAYER - More than 60 people celebrated Women’s World Day of Prayer in Bishops Castle Methodist Hall on March 5.

The leader was Caroline Shepherdson and the speaker was Joan Baker.

PARISH CLERK - Lydbury North Parish Council is looking for a new parish clerk. The job is for five hours a week and the closing date is March 31. For details, email roger.plowdenfarms@tiscali.co.uk.

BOOTS WANTED FOR SCHOOL - Bishop’s Castle Primary School is appealing for outgrown children’s Wellington or walking boots to use in outdoor work at school.

WINNERS - Winners of the February draw at Bishop’s Castle Church were: £30 Helen Griffiths, £15 Joan Coles, £10 Alison Price.

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