Bishop’s Castle

PATIENTS GROUP AGM – Bishop’s Castle Patients Group holds its second AGM next Thursday, July 9, 7pm in Bishop’s Castle Public Hall. The keynote speakers include Dr Caron Morton, accountable officer for the Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group; Jan Ditheridge, chief executive at Shropshire Community Health Trust and Doctors Paul Gardner and Adrian Penney from the Bishop’s Castle Medical Practice. The speakers will discuss Future Fit and local health care provision from the coming years. There will also be an update on BCPG proposals for a local urgent care centre/planned care centre/community hub. The meeting will include BCPG’s second annual meeting and will report on the group’s activity over the past year. It is open to all registered patients of Bishop’s Castle Medical Practice.

CAPTAIN BEAKY AND HIS PALS – Following last summer’s fundraising music marathon in aid of Amnesty International, Bishop’s Castle Orchestra, Castle Players and Friends are performing the 1970s cult hit Captain Beaky to raise money for Hope House Hospice and Shropshire and Staffordshire Blood Bikes. The show is at the Community College Bishop’s Castle July 12, at 2.30pm with free entry and donations.

Captain Beaky and his trusty band (Artful Owl, Ratty Rat, Timid Toad and Batty Bat) confront Hissing Sid, the evil snake. Other characters include Jacques, a penniless French mouse; Dilys the dachshund who becomes a famous ballerina and marries the prince and a tap-dancing rat called Ronald. This is a real family show with plenty of opportunities for children to join in. Don’t miss it.

FASHION SHOW FUNDS – A recent fashion show and sale organised by the Friends of Bishop’s Castle Primary School raised £1006 for their funds. Committee member Michelle Jones thanked everyone for their support and added: “The money we raise is used to pay for those little extras that can make our school even more special than it is already. The Friends recently contributed £3000 towards the children’s playground project and £2000 towards new matting in the KS1 play area.”

STRAWBERRY TEA TIME – It’s strawberry tea time Saturday at Abbeyfield House in Oak Meadow, Bishop’s Castle, starting at 2.30pm, strawberries and cream will be served. Enjoy plant and produce, bric-a-brac, bottle and cake stalls, along with a grand raffle and whisky prize draw. Musical accompaniment for the afternoon is by The Stringendos. To find out more, call 01588 630000.

ARCHERY STAR TO CROWN CARNIVAL QUEEN – Olympic archery star Alison Williamson MBE, who grew up in Church Stretton, will officially open this year’s Bishop’s Castle Carnival on Sunday at 2pm.

Alison is jointly the most capped Olympian and a medallist at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and World Championships. When she won her bronze medal in Athens she was the first British woman to win an Olympic medal in archery since 1908. One of the main show attractions is Ben Savage and his Savage Skills freestyle mountain bike stunt team. The Ultimate Air Show boasts some of the world’s leading stunt riders, including eight world and 25 British championship titleholders. On the music stage local band Fight the Bear are confirmed as the main performers, plus supporting acts. Fight the Bear are the area’s top rock/ska band comprising four members – Ben Beddoes, Jonathan Keeley, Jamie Furbur and Duncan Burns. They have been performing for 12 years and have produced many fine recordings, including one of their most successful albums Thirty Eight Degrees . Other carnival attractions include a fun fair, children’s races and games, donkey rides, hog roast, town bands, vintage tractors and steam engines, plus a wide range of refreshments and a licensed bar. Before the fun starts on the playing fields, there’s the carnival parade at 1pm which travels through the streets of Bishop’s Castle on its way to the showground headed by the newly crowned carnival queen. Call 01588 620055 for more details.

BISHOP’S CASTLE DIARY July 2-8

TODAY: San Francisco Opera film. Show Boat. SpArC Theatre, Bishop’s Castle. £12/£8. 7pm. 01588 630321/638038.

  • Footpath Walking Group. Felindre 12 miles. Meet Harley Jenkins St car park, Bishop's Castle 9.30am. 01743 792443.

TOMORROW: Rhyme Time for under 5s. Bishop’s Castle Library. Free. 10.30am. 01588 638215.

  • Teen Book Club. Bishop's Castle Library. Free. 5.30pm. 01588 638215.

SATURDAY: Nuclear Weasels. The Vaults, Bishop’s Castle.

  • Open art exhibition. Bishop's Castle Town Hall. Until August 1. 01588 630023.
  • Flea and antiques market. Bishop's Castle Town Hall. Free. 9am-4pm. 01588 630023.
  • Shropshire Strummers Ukulele Band. Edgton Village Hall. £10. 7.30pm. 01588 680366.

MONDAY: Bishop’s Castle Credit Union information point. Church Barn, Bishop’s Castle. Weekly. 11am-noon.

TUESDAY: Film. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG). SpArC Theatre, Bishop’s Castle. £4.50/£3. 7pm. 01588 630321/638038.

  • Footpath Walking Group. Highley to Bridgnorth. Seven miles. Meet Harley Jenkins St car park, Bishop's Castle. 9am. 01588 650382.
  • Film. To Kill a Mockingbird (PG). 1962. Lydbury North Village Hall. £4/32.50. 7.30pm. 01588 630435.

WEDNESDAY: Cash bingo for charity. Bishop’s Castle Public Hall. 8pm.

  • Talk. Trees in the Shropshire Hills – John Tuer. Bishop’s Castle Town Hall. £3.50. 7.30pm. 01588 630023.

CORRESPONDENT – Julia Parker 01588 680445 jparker228@btinternet.com.

 

Bitterley

WI – The annual garden meeting took place at Earls Ditton, the home of Sandra Roberts. The president Sue Marsh welcomed the members and guests then, along with the secretary, gave a resumé of social occasions that are coming up. They included events for the WI centenary celebrations to be held in South Shropshire, the imminent outing to Trentham Gardens, the visit to the Wedgwood Museum in September, the group meeting in October and a shopping trip to Chester in November.

Members also decided they would like to go for a pub meal in August, the venue and arrangements to be made known at the next meeting. The Roberts family then gave us a tour of their lovely garden, which was followed by a bring-and-share supper, after which Carol Elwis gave the vote of thanks and presented Sandra with a rose bush for having us at her home for the evening. The next meeting is on July 16 in the village hall when John Vosey will tell us about Forest Life, and the competition will be something beginning with V. New members and guests are always welcome – so why not come along and join us.

 

Clows Top

CLOWS TOP COMMUNITY SHOP – Villagers vote for a community shop and Post Office at Clows Top. There have been two public meetings, as well as a survey, to find out what level of support there is to re- establish a local shop and Post Office for the Clows Top area. I am pleased to report on behalf of the steering group that the meetings were well attended by local and county councillors, the Post Office, funding organisations and the local press. At the second meeting there was a unanimous vote to take forward the proposal to have a community shop and Post Office for Clows Top. We now need members of the public to come forward and support the project.

We need to form a management committee and to look into grant funding, money is available to help. We are particularly looking for people who have skills and experiences in project management, retail, accounting, people management, marketing, legislation and rural business development, as well as the passion and commitment to help make the shop a success. We urgently need a meeting secretary, treasurer and project manager. If you feel that you may have the skills that we are looking for, or you can provide advice, then please get in touch. We would be grateful for any time that you can spare to help us to get our community shop and Post Office. Sue Burrows call 01299 832722 email bayton_pc08@btinternet.com.

 

Clun

NEWCASTLE-ON-CLUN GARDENS OPEN – Gardens in Newcastle on Clun will be open on Saturday to raise money for the Gardens Society and another charity.

ACTION FOR CHILDREN – There will be an event in aid of Action For Children on Saturday at Clun Methodist Church Rooms with coffee and stalls from 10am to noon and ploughman’s lunch and strawberry dessert from noon until 2pm. Gifts for the the stalls and help welcomed. Contact Michael 01588 640776, Rosie 01588 641125, Hazel 01588 640548 or Diana 01588 641081.

CLUN WI – Next meeting of Clun WI is on Tuesday at Haslehurst Community Centre, starting at 7.30pm.

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

NEWCASTLE SCHOOL PLAY AND FETE – July 10, at Newcastle School.

CLUN CARNIVAL QUEEN – This year’s carnival queen is Jess Bright, her attendant is Katy Mellor and the flower girls are Rohays Hird and Isobel Davies. They will take part in the carnival procession on August 1. If you have a vintage or classic car or tractor you could join the procession. Booking forms available from Richard Bright at Bright Flowers 01588 640541.

SHOW STALLS AVAILABLE – There is still room for stalls at Clun Show. Commercial stalls cost £20, not for profit stalls are £10. Booking forms available from Richard Bright at Bright Flowers 01588 640541.

CLUN SHOW SCHEDULE – Schedules for the classes in the Clun Show are now available from Bright Flowers, Clun Garage and Spar Supermarket.

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

 

Norbury

WI MEETING – On June 11, a lovely early summer evening, the WI meeting was held at The Crown Inn, Wentnor. Shaun and Steve very kindly offered the use of their function room to hold the meeting. President Rita Preston welcomed everyone. It was a very good turn out with about 25+ members present. Business was commenced with news of many past and forthcoming events for Norbury and District WI. Loads of interesting things to sign up for, ie the centennial fair at Harrogate; canoeing on the River Severn combined with a steam train ride; our trip to Portmeirion, to name but a few.

The monthly Shropshire WI news sheet contained a message from the new county chairman Celia Rawlings, names of federation board members and diary dates for the near future. Usual reminder for darts practice on Monday evening at The Crown, Wentnor. Come and give a cheer.

Rita was buzzing with excitement about her visit as delegate to The Royal Albert Hall centenary AGM where HM The Queen accompanied by HRH the Princess Royal and the Countess of Wessex addressed the meeting. In order to relive these memorable moments Rita donned her finest outfit to put us into the mood. Rita’s report was truly commendable. Several of the ladies went along to Cineworld to see and enjoy the live link from London too.

Our speaker on Corn Dollies was Bernard Edwards. The making of corn dollies goes back many thousands of years. It was a pagan custom evolving from the beliefs of corn growing people who believed in the corn spirit. Bernard being so very talented in this fascinating hobby got us producing our own corn dolly, eventually culminating in Sally-Anne Jones being declared the winner of best one. Gilly Bachelor gave a brilliant thank you to Bernard for his brilliant demonstration and patience. The supper sandwiches were provided by Shaun and Steve, with gorgeous cakes from Ros, Gilly and Liv.

Competition this month a miniature flower arrangement won by: 1st Jane Pugh, 2nd Wendy Oakley, 3rd Brenda Jones. Rita closed the meeting with grateful thanks to all at The Crown and included a donation for the very important life-saving defibrillator fund. Next month is Norbury WI garden meeting with Janet and Vicky at The Glebe next Thursday, July 9.

 

Tenbury

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

LIBRARY CHOIR - The choir will be singing A Celebration of Summer at Tenbury Methodist Church next Thursday, July 9 at 7.30pm. Tickets are available on the door at £5 (to include refreshments). All proceeds will be divided between Parkinsons UK and Church Funds. Please come along and support such good causes.

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 interest you – our activities range from film study to German (via ballroom dancing and musical boxes plus lots of other groups). If it isn’t fun it isn’t U3A. A reminder to members that your subs became due at the end of May and you can call in and pay them at this coffee and chat. So do drop in to meet old and new friends over a coffee and chat and maybe discover a new interest. Hope to see you there.

NEWSFLASH - Bowkett’s Supermarket’s Making A Difference. Locally fund raised £2,591.52 in 2014 which goes to Tenbury Swimming Pool. Thank you to all our customers that purchased Heritage products and products on our MADL page in our leaflet. You made a difference. All monies in the fund at the end of December 2015 will be donated to Tenbury Youth Football Club.

TENBURY WELLS CITIZEN ADVICE - Drop in service at Tenbury Library every Thursday 9.30am-3pm - please ask at reception. Free - impartial - independent - non- judgemental advice. Service provided by South Worcestershire CAB, Malvern Heights, Chequers Close, Enigma Business Park, Malvern WR14 1BF. Tel 01684 563611, email bureau@ malvernhills-cab.org.uk.

BOUNCE AND RHYME - Tenbury Library 11am every Friday, for babies, toddlers and carers.

KNIGHTON ON TEME FETE - Mathon, Newnham Bridge, July 11 from 2pm. Bromyard Wind Band, licenced bar, hot food, Lindridge School Choir, afternoon tea. Silent auction - fabulous items including family days out, meals and much more. Free entrance and parking. All for charity - Air Ambulance, Knighton on Teme Cricket club, Lindridge School, Knighton on Teme Church.

SUMMER FUN AND BARBECUE - Tenbury High Ormiston Academy, tomorrow at 5pm. Barbecue, football tournament, bar, bouncy castle, boxing ring, bottle tombola, cake stall, selfie art, sweet tombola, raffle, candy floss, bouncy castle slide, plant stall and much more.

TENBURY GARDENERS GROUP - Wednesday, The Kings Head Tenbury Wells (parking at rear) 7pm. Diane Kinsman the county organiser for NGS in Cumbria is talking to us about ,’The Real Story To Opening Your Garden ‘, please come and join us.

 

The Strettons

SCHOOL NEWS - Church Stretton School students have made their return exchange visit to France, and there has been a drama outing to Wolverhampton to see ‘The boy in the striped pyjamas’. On the sporting front the Year 10 tennis team became Ageon County Champions and the senior boys took second place in the South Shropshire Athletics Championships. Another highlight was a visit to Edgbaston to see England win 408 for nine in the cricket match. Congratulations go to current student Kara Luke who has learned to engineer a top pop hit under the guidance of top engineer hero, Sam Wheat, at the Metropolis Studios in London. Sam spoke of the shortage of trained engineers in the industry and hoped that others may take up this line of work.

Two former students of Church Stretton School, David and Jonathon Mortiboy, have been successful in taking part in a ‘Three thing game’ competition organised by the University of Hull which David entered and won, and they have created a new game which was particularly well received. This is the second time David Mortiboy has won the competition in his first year at university.

At St Lawrence’s Primary School the pupils will stage a talent show to raise money for leukaemia research in memory of Jess Grafton, and a non-uniform day will boost funds for Dreamcatcher, Shrewsbury, which supports children with chronic or life- threatening illnesses, and also the ‘Little Princess’ charity which provides wigs for children who have lost hair due to treatment. One of the pupils has agreed to have her very long hair cut so that the hair can be taken off and used to make one of the wigs provided by the charity.

As the Year 6 pupils were away at Arthog a team of Year 4 and Year 5 pupils represented St Lawrence’s Primary School in the district cricket tournament reaching the finals only to be beaten by a very strong Year 6 team from Ludlow Junior School.

Year 6 spent a day at Church Stretton School on Intake day. A bikeability course is also available to them and there were music workshops for classes seven, eight and nine. A memorial plaque has recently been unveiled near to an oak tree which was planted in memory of teacher Jessica Grafton.

St Lawrence’s open evening will be on Wednesday, from 5pm-6.30pm.

BRIDGE CLUB - A chance to play bridge at All Stretton Village Hall on Thursday afternoons is available from 1.30pm-5pm and refreshments are served. Lifts from Church Stretton can also be arranged. Extra tuition for beginners and refresher courses can be booked by ringing Dom on 01694 723128.

TASTE OF ITALY - Following on from the Thursday and Friday evenings Berry’s coffee house in the High Street is now offering to serve up a ‘Taste of Italy’ on Saturdays in July in conjunction with The White House at Affcot. Book your table by ringing 01694 781202.

FRIDAY MARKET - Pop into the Friday market at Mayfair Community Centre for home-made cakes, produce and craft items. The market is open from 8.30am-noon.

CHOIRS - The Corvedale Choir presents music for a summer evening at St Peter’s Church, Rushbury , tomorrow at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £7 including refreshments and a sparkling drink and should be reserved by ringing 01694 771341. All proceeds will go to St Peters. On Saturday the St Laurence Singers will be in concert at Church Stretton School at 7.30pm raising funds for the RNLI local committee and Mayfair Community Centre. Ticket sales from usual outlets and some may be available at the door.

CAR BOOT SALE - A charity car boot sale with refreshments available will be held in St Milburga’s car park on Saturday from 9am-1pm. Pitches cost £5 and should be reserved by ringing 01694 723328. Proceeds of the event will benefit the Catholic Women’s Relief Charity and a donation will also be made to the Nepal Relief Fund.

SCYTHING WORKSHOP - A scything workshop for beginners is planned for Sunday at Karuna permaculture project, Picklescote, led by Andrea Gilpin. Cost for the day is £55 including lunch and refreshments, and places should be reserved by ringing 01694 751374. Camping is available if required.

HEARING PROGRAMME - A free one day course giving information, advice and support on the better use of hearing aids is offered on Tuesday at Mayfair Community Centre from 10am-4pm. Although the course is free booking is essential.

OUTING - The Church Stretton and District Gardening Club plans an outing to Brobury House and Gardens, Herefordshire on July 10, starting at 10am-4pm. The house is set on the banks of the River Wye with a terraced Victorian garden and water features. Refreshments will be available in the tea rooms. There is a charge for the coach fare and entrance to the gardens. Ring 01694 720131 to enquire for seats on the coach.

SUMMER FAIR - Mildred’s summer fair will be held at the Methodist Hall on July 11, from 10am-noon.

LEEBOTWOOD - The village hall at Leebotwood will be open from 2pm- late for children’s games, bouncy castle, barbecue and live music on July 11, arranged through local breweries. Tickets cost £7.50 and include a commemorative first drink on entry, and should be reserved by ringing either 01694 751336 or 751423. Under 16s have free entry when accompanied by a fee paying adult. Those with tickets may take advantage of a 10% food discount at the Pound Inn on the day.

MUSIC NIGHT - A Motown and Soul Night with singer Mark Anthony is planned for July 11, at the District Social Club together with Robbie T Disco. Admission ticket is £5 from the club, with no admission after 10.30pm. A late bar will be available.

CREAM TEAS - Strawberry Cream teas will be served at Essex House in All Stretton on July 12, from 2.30pm- 4.30pm. On sale will be plants and cakes and there will be a raffle. Admission is free and all proceeds will go to the local committee for Cancer research.

LONGMYND HIKE - The next meeting of the Longmynd Hike Committee and helpers is July 12, starting at 7.30pm at the District Social Club.

 

Westhope

DIDDLEBURY AND WESTHOPE WI - The June meeting was presided over by Pat Baynham, in the absence of Kathleen Woodhouse. The minutes were read and signed and some apologies through illness. Elizabeth Hall reported on the spring council meeting at Theatre Severn. Mary Hall reported on her visit to Buckingham Palace, she was dressed in her posh gear along with large hat. Mary Holland had been to the AGM in London and saw the Queen and Princess Ann. She will report on that at the next meeting. Mrs Cynthia Preston-Jones gave a wonderful flower demonstration which we all thoroughly enjoyed and the arrangements went for raffle prizes, lucky winners. Jane Disley served loads of refreshments, it was such a happy meeting. Next month Adrian Williams will be advising on a good read.

The competition will be something beginning with P. Do come along on July 14, 7.30pm at Westhope Village Hall.