Bishop’s Castle

PRIMARY SCHOOL OPEN DAY – Bishop’s Castle is fortunate to have both its schools rated as ‘good’ by OFSTED. The primary school held an open afternoon on June 19 when visitors and prospective parents were able to see the facilities and outside space during the school working day. Call 01588 638522 for information.

SUMMER AT SCHOOL – With SATS tests over for another year, Bishop’s Castle Primary School has plenty of interesting trips, clubs and activities to keep the pupils happy this month.

Classes Four and Five will be visiting Goodrich Castle, while Year Six have two induction days at the Community College to prepare them for their new school in September. Classes One and Two will be going to Clun Primary School for a friends fashion show with other pupils joining in an engineering workshop at the Community College.

Year Four will be hiking on Caer Caradoc, while Class Three go to the carding Mill Valley and Year Five walk on Brown Clee Hill. A team from the school will take part in the inter- school show jumping competition organised by the Community College and a new after school archery club is signing up children from Classes One and Two. Look out for the new Bishop’s Castle Primary School page on Facebook to keep up with events at your local school.

BROADWAY SINGALONG – Join the Marches Community Choir for a Broadway musical singalong and concert on Sunday. The Community College in Bishop’s Castle will open at 9.30am to welcome the choir and any new voices who would like to enjoy singing songs by Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Gershwin and Bernstein. Everyone is welcome at a cost of £12. At 6pm, the singers will give an informal concert, conducted by Alistair Auld. The concert is free but donations to choir funds will be welcome. Call 01588 680312 to find out more.

NEW IDEAS FOR CHURCH FLOWERS – A floral art demonstration and afternoon tea in Lydbury North Village Hall on June 3 raised £313 for Lydbury North Church funds. Bishop’s Castle florist Jane Pugh created three flower arrangements suitable for the village church, using the brass altar vases and a large container to be placed on the harmonium.

BIKE WEEK EVENTS – The last bike week event is an open day at New Street Cycles on Saturday when you can try out their electric cycles. Call 01588 638060 or e-mail newstreetgarage@btconnect.com for more details.

BISHOPS CASTLE DIARY June 25-July 1

TODAY: Film. Selma (12A). SpArC Theatre, Bishop’s Castle. £4.50/£3. 7pm. 01588 630321/638038.

  • Market. Bishop's Castle Town Hall. Weekly. 10am.
  • Live music. The Vaults, Bishop's Castle. free. 9pm.

SATURDAY: Open day. New Street Cycles, Bishop’s Castle. 10am-6pm. 01588 638060.

SUNDAY: Carnival six-a-side cricket competition. Bishop’s Castle Cricket Club ground. Noon. 07779 844613.

  • Marches Choir singalong. 'Broadway Comes to Bishop's Castle'. Community College Bishop's Castle. £12. 9.30am. Free concert 6pm. 01588 680312.
  • Stone skimming championships. Walcot Hall, Lydbury North. Noon.
  • Teddy bear service and picnic. Mainstone Church, 11am.

MONDAY: Carnival cricket match and barbecue. Bishop’s Castle Cricket Club ground. 6pm. 07779 844613.

CORRESPONDENT – Julia Parker 01588 680445, jparker228@btinter net.com.

 

Bockleton

BOCKLETON WI – June meeting held in member Caroline’s garden was the bring and share summer supper. Members discussed recent events that members attended, the live feed at The Regal Tenbury of the AGM held at The Albert Hall in London attended by HRH The Queen, Princess Anne and The Countess of Wessex. Three members attended the WI Garden Party at Buckingham Palace along with 8,000 others, they walked through the grounds then enjoyed ice cream on the great lawn mingling with ladies from all around the country and to end the wonderful experience they exited through Buckingham Palace with its sumptuous hallway, out through the beautifully decorated gates at the front and down The Mall where singing of Jerusalem was joined in by all walking along.

Future trips to Blenheim Palace and the Shard in London were also discussed and a member nominated for the draw for the Denman Bursary was selected. Raffle winners were Sue, Chris, Angela. Members then enjoyed the lovely supper that members had brought to share, then to round off the evening a garden quiz for everyone to answer while looking around, which Thelma won. At the end of the evening everyone went home with a plant.

 

Clows Top

CLOWS TOP AND DISTRICT GARDENING CLUB – June, summer is here at last. The time of year when the gardener can begin to enjoy the fruits of their labours, take time to stand back to appreciate the garden, don’t let it become a chore. Weather usually quite warm with occasional thunderstorm. The sun is now quite strong so shade the greenhouses to prevent plants getting scorched.

Tender plants can be safely put outside as little fear of night frosts. Don’t forget to water hanging baskets daily, tackle weeding, dead head and mow the lawn at least once a week.

At the April meeting, Richard and Lesley Betts gave a spellbinding presentation of photos set to music. They were very high quality and the music had a very calming effect. There were several subjects including ‘Witley Court’ and ‘Winter Wonderland’. The evening was a great success.

If you’re not a member then come along and join us at one of our monthly meetings. It’s a great opportunity for you to share your thoughts, ideas and advice with other members. A great programme of speakers as well as evening visits to gardens. The garden club has a very friendly atmosphere, everyone is welcome. Don’t be afraid to come along, it’s a garden club not horticulture society, membership is £10 pa, but non-members are welcome to any monthly meeting.

Diary dates – July 22, chocolate, Nick Tristram-Eve; August 15, Clows Top summer show; August 26, wartime on Clee Hill, Alf Jenkins; September 23, autumn show, wildlife, nature and conservation, Patrick Clements; October 28, an evening with Derek Walker; November 25, AGM, members’ social evening.

Clows Top and District Gardening Club meet fourth Wednesday in the month at Clows Top Victory Hall; doors open 7.30pm, for the speaker at 8pm. Members £2 or non-members £4. Free refreshments. Further details, call Marion Wilson 01299 270475

 

Clun

ECO WEEKEND - Clun Methodist Church’s Eco Weekend starts with a swop shop coffee morning on Saturday, 10am to noon. Bring along good, hardly used items to swop. If you have nothing to bring, come along and see if there is something you need. There is no charge, but there will be donations for WaterAid. The service on Sunday will focus on the finite resource of water on this planet and our need to be grateful and care for it, followed by coffee and a chat. There is a guided walk round Hopesay Glebe Farm on Monday, seeing their organic produce, followed by tea, £3.50. Starts 2.30pm.

CLUNGUNFORD CONCERT - On Saturday, 7.30pm in Clungunford Parish Church, Clungunford Village Choir invites you to join them for an American Adventure. A summer concert with a wide range of music from the USA, from spirituals to Broadway. Entrance £9 to include refreshments and a glass of wine.

TOUR D’ARTS ALIVE - Arts Alive and Rideventures Tour d’ Arts Alive is on Sunday. Two, non-competitive cycling events at Clun Memorial Hall, accompanied by a host of free cycling-themed activities for families, friends and everyone else. This is a fundraiser for Arts Alive/Flicks in the Sticks, the local charity that puts on so many great live theatre events and films and satellite screenings in village halls all over Shropshire and Herefordshire. With drastic cuts in public spending, the charity is looking for new ways to raise funds to continue running these events. There are two rides, one of 100k with some serious hills and one rather less challenging of 50k. Rides start and finish in Clun, where all the fun events kick off at noon. Registration starts at 8.30am, the Clun 100 starts at 9am and the Clun 50 at 10am.

There will be food and drink stops at village halls, organised by the wonderful promoters of Arts Alive events in the villages and hot food on sale in Clun at the end of the rides. At Clun Memorial Hall, there sill also be an afternoon of free arts activities all including hands on workshops for children, bling your bike workshops, bike-themed street theatre and more. Full details at britishcycling.org.uk/ events/details/123915/The-Clun- Sportive#about and more information about the day as a whole at artsalive.co.uk/tour.

CLUN RAMBLERS - Clun Ramblers’ next walk will be on Wednesday, led by Alison. Meet at the Memorial Hall, Clun at 9.30am. Sorry, no dogs.

CORRESPONDENT - Elisabeth Taylor, et@myphone.coop 01981 540893. Deadline is the Wednesday of the week before publication.

 

Knowbury

SCARECROW WEEKEND - St Paul’s Church, Knowbury are holding a scarecrow weekend in and around the church on July 4 and 5, from 10am until 5pm. Organisers hope that this will be as successful as the previous one held in 2009, when £2,000 was raised for church funds. Much ingenuity was exercised by villagers with more than one hundred scarecrows entered, ranging from Hyacinth Bouquet to a very realistic speed camera. Visitors will be able to buy a lucky programme, enjoy tea and cakes, browse the book and produce stalls and take part in the “guess which scarecrow is which” competition. For more information, please ring Mrs Jean Hollis on 01584 890731.

 

Ludlow

MAYOR’S SUNDAY SERVICE - The mayor, Councillor Paul Draper, and members of Ludlow town council would like to invite Ludlow residents to the mayor’s Sunday service at St Laurence’s Church, Sunday 11.30am. The service celebrates the beginning of his second mayoral year 2015-16 and strong community spirit of Ludlow. Service will be led by the Venerable Colin Williams, team rector of Ludlow, president and preacher. The choir of St Laurence’s Church will be conducted by Shaun Ward, organist and musical director.

Please arrive early at approximately 11.10am to see the uniformed organisations and civic procession parade into church. Ludlow Town Band will be playing from 11am outside the Buttercross and will play to accompany the parade. The uniformed organisations will be thanked and dismissed by the mayor in Broad Street after the service. Light refreshments will be served at St Laurence’s Church after, all welcome. Please join in to celebrate Ludlow’s colourful civic traditions.

 

Tenbury

SOUP AND ROLL LUNCHES - (with pudding) will be served next Thursday, July 2, at Tenbury Methodist Church Hall, 12.30pm. There will be a small charge of £2.50 to cover costs. All are welcome to taste good food, meet some new friends and have a good chat.

ST MICHAELS SINGERS MUSICALS GALORE - Choral arrangements of songs from stage and screen. Directed by John Swindells, pianist Kath Ainsworth. July 11 at 7.30pm at St Michaels and All Angels, Tenbury WR15 8PH. Tickets £10 including a glass of wine or soft drink. Available from choir members and Harlequin in Tenbury. Contact Jim Franklin 01584 810448 for more details.

BEER FESTIVAL - Beer, cider, live music at Rose and Crown, Burford, Tenbury, July 10-12.

 

The Strettons

FRIDAY MARKET - Home-made cakes, produce and craft items on sale at the market held at Mayfair Community Centre, 8.30am-noon every Friday.

SKITTLES NIGHT - A skittles night will take place at the District Social Club tomorrow with teams of two or four players. Entry is £5 per team and the games will start at 8pm.

CRAFTS - Scrappies Crafty kids club is held on Saturday mornings and there will also be a fun craft session at the library from 2.30pm to 3.30pm.

SUMMER FAYRE - Hope Bowdler summer fayre will be held in the village hall at 2pm Saturday. There will be various stalls and all proceeds will go to St Andrews Church. Admission is £1 for adults, children free.

CYCLE CHALLENGE - A cycle challenge starting from Clun on Sunday will raise funds for Arts Alive and Flicks in the Sticks. Enter at artsalive.co.uk for the 100K or 50K ride.

RSPCA - On Sunday, the RSPCA Gonsal Farm Animal Centre will be open for a family fun day and dog show together with car boots, equine tack sales and other stalls. There will be a tour of the equine rehabilitation centre and special guests will be the Powis agility team. Refreshments will be available. Gates open 10.30am and entry is £5 per car boot and £3 per car. Registration for the dog show will be 11am. Access for stallholders and car booters will be 9am.

AGMS - The AGM of Focus Magazine will take place at 2pm in the Harvey Room at the Silvester Horne Institute on Monday. Little Stretton Village Hall holds its annual general meeting on Tuesday and all residents of Little Stretton and Minton are welcome at 7.30pm.

RHYMETIME - Rhymetime at the Library offers fun, songs and rhymes for children under three years from 10.30am to 11am on Tuesday.

OUTING - The Church Stretton and District Gardening Club plans an outing to Winterbourne House and Gardens, Birmingham, on Wednesday. On July 10, there is a visit to Brobury House and Gardens in Herefordshire. To enquire for seats on the coach ring 01694 720131.

NETWORK - On Wednesday, the Network group will be holding a district day at Craven Arms featuring ‘Missionary Aviation Fellowship’.

WIVES AND FRIENDS - At a recent meeting of the Wives and Friends group at the Methodist Hall, Christine Harvey spoke about her former role as town clerk, which gave an interesting insight into the work of the town council under the heading ‘a long way from Dibley’. It was good to know how well the council looked after the interests of the town, despite the budget cuts which have to be faced. The group’s treasurer informed everyone the spring fair had raised £260 and the group would make it up to £300. Additional donations had also been received, making a total of £375 for the Air Ambulance thanks to everyone’s support. At the next get-together on July 14, at 7.30pm, each member will be taking along an item of interest to talk about. Visitors are always welcome at each meeting, admission is £3.

LONGMYND HIKE - Entries for this year’s Longmynd Hike in October have opened online and allow for 650 participants. The committee will be meeting again on July 12, at 7.30pm, in the District Social Club.

FOOD BANK - Now urgently in need of baked beans or spaghetti with meat, meat pies, dried potatoes, cook-in-sauce, tinned vegetables, sponge puddings, cereals, sugar, jams and spreads, fruit juice, squash and coffee. Thanks to those who donate to the food bank. All items should be well in date and can be put in the receptacle at the Co-op.

SHUTTLE BUS - The summer shuttle buses are running each weekend and Bank Holiday Monday for the Longmynd and Stiperstones service.

There is also a Castle Connect service between Ludlow, Knighton, Clun and Bishop’s Castle.

OPEN EXHIBITION - There is an invitation to all artists living within 30 miles of Church Stretton to submit work for the Church Stretton and South Shropshire Arts Festival before Tuesday, for the art, craft and photography exhibition which runs from July 28 to August 8.

CHOIR - A summer evening with Corvedale Choir will take place on July 3, 7.30pm in St Peter’s Church, Rushbury. Tickets £7 to include light refreshment and a sparkling drink. Call 01694 771341 for tickets. All proceeds will go to St Peter’s.

CAR BOOT SALE - A charity car boot sale is planned for July 4, 9am-1pm in St Milburga’s car park. Call 01694 723328 to reserve a pitch which costs £5. Refreshments will be available during the sale and proceeds will go to the Catholic Women’s Relief Charity, with a donation also going to the Nepal Relief Fund.

RNLI - The local RNLI Committee hosts an evening with The Laurence Singers at Church Stretton School on July 4, starting at 7.30pm.

SCYTHING - Andrea Gilpin will lead a scything for beginner’s workshop at Karuna, Picklescote, on July 5. Ring for details or to book on 01694 751374, the cost is £55 for the day including lunch and refreshments. Camping is available if required.

 

Westhope

CLOVER CLUB - For the June meeting, members met at the Tall Ho, Boulden. It should have been for lunch but owing to a power cut and lots of frantic phone calls, it was changed to tea time. We are back at Westhope next Thursday, July 2, for an evening with Geraint Evans – he entertained at the last harvest supper. Refreshments and raffle.

VILLAGE HALL LOTTERY - Winners of June draw were first prize £30.60 Anne Dyer, Westhope. Other winners were Val Edwards, Raymond Hall, Joan Rawlings and Tom Hughson.

WESTHOPE WHIST - Thanks to all who donated to the Hope House whist, £245 was raised. There are two whist drives in July, they are on July 13 and 27. Admission £1.50 with refreshments and raffle.

DATE FOR DIARY - October 8, Westhope harvest supper with the wonderful Miss Maggie O’Hara remembering VE Day.