Bayton

JUMBLE SALE - Bayton Village Hall (DY14 9LJ) Saturday, doors open at 2.30pm, all welcome. Lots of quality clothes and bric-a-brac at affordable prices. Contact Sue Burrows 01299 832722 if you wish to donate items.

CHURCH CONCERT - Bayton Church Concert on April 23, details to follow or contact Sue above.

Bishop’s Castle

TOWN COUNCIL PLEDGES CASH FOR SPARC CAMPAIGN - At their meeting on March 15 Bishop’s Castle Town Council discussed the threat to the SpArC arts and leisure centre. They pledged to ensure that “the spark does not go out” on a much valued service. To that end the mayor, Cllr Karen Baverstock, pro- posed that the majority of the coun- cil’s donations budget from 2015/16 be given to the crowd funding initia- tive which has just been launched and councillors unanimously sup- ported this proposal, allowing £2,500 as a contribution to the initiative. Cllr Baverstock said: “I feel that as a town council we need to set an example and hope that this is well received. I would welcome the sup- port of other parish councils and to that end intend to meet with our neighbouring parishes to discuss how we as an area can help the cur- rent situation. It is the main topic of conversation locally at present and people are desperately concerned. We feel that if we all work together this situation can only improve, but it will need the support of all our neigh- bours, not just with words of support, but also with vital funds from budg- ets.” The council also agreed that when setting the budget for 2017/18 later in the year they would look at working with SpArC and the commu- nity to ensure that this much needed facility is retained. Cllr Baverstock went on to say: “I would like to say many thanks for the massive hard work the SpArC com- mittee are doing for our community. It is so important that we work close- ly with SpArC and Shropshire Council as well as other parish coun- cils locally to ensure that we can retain the valuable services on offer at SpArC.” Speaking on behalf of the campaign to save SpArC, Richard Whately said: “We are absolutely delighted with the support that Bishop’s Castle Town Council are giving us – not only in terms of the monetary contribution, but with the promise of ongoing sup- port and involvement in the project to save SpArC from closure. At the same time I can also confirm that we have received a further commitment of a £1,000 contribution to the cause from Worthen with Shelve Parish Council. We are all very grateful to everyone who is getting behind this campaign.” Representatives of SpArC will be attending the annual town meeting at the Bishop’s Castle Town Hall on Monday at 7pm to talk about the situ- ation with funding and let the com- munity know what they can do to help. For more information call the town clerk’s office on 01588 638141. A number of other speakers will also be attending and the annual town meeting is for residents to come along and listen or raise their con- cerns about issues within Bishop’s Castle which affect them.

ART COMPETITION - To celebrate Chinese New Year, Sam and Sophie Lang of the Dragon’s Lair Chinese takeaway in Bishop’s Castle asked local children to draw, paint or do a collage of a Chinese dragon. The response was incredible, 41 entries submitted with ages ranging from three to 15 years. They have been on display in the takeaway since the competition began, covering one whole wall and delighting customers. “They are so beautiful,” said Sam, the proprietor and chef. “I’m overwhelmed. We thought we were the only ones in the town celebrating Chinese New Year, but the children have proved other- wise.” Children’s author and wildlife photographer, Andrew Fusek Peters, and his wife, playwright and author, Polly Peters, had the difficult task of judging the competition, and were so impressed with the quality of the entries they created an extra category, donating one of the top prizes. Mr Fusek Peters said: “It was very hard choosing from the incredibly creative and wonderful variety of dragons. What a fantastic way to celebrate Chinese New Year in Bishop’s Castle.” The competition was divided into three age groups three-six, seven-10, and 11-16, with one chef’s favourite award, one overall winner and one runner-up. Winners were Freya Green, six, Chloe Lambart, eight, both from Bishop’s Castle, and 13-year-old Cara Livingstone, from Linley. Lydia Shen, from Bedstone College in Bucknell won the Chef’s Favourite, while the overall winner was 15-year-old Violet Hankin, from Bishop’s Castle. Runner- up was 10-year-old Thomas Morgan, from Bedstone College Junior School, in Bucknell. Mr and Mrs Lang from the Dragon’s Lair have awarded the prizes which include acrylic paint and art box sets. All 41 children each receive five pairs of chopsticks in a Chinese bro- cade case, so the whole family can join in at meal times. The parents or guardians of the top winners also win a set meal of their choice from the menu, to be collected when they want a night off from cooking. Sam and Sophie Lang open their Dragon’s Lair seven days a week and serve authentic Chinese dumplings on top of their takeaway menu. The cou- ple took over the business a year ago and are still in the process of getting to know their customers, tweaking the menu to suit local preferences. “The art competition has been a great way to get to know some of the families in the area and to let them know we are a new establishment,” Sam Lang said. Call Dragon’s Lair on 01588 630255.

SEVERN HOSPICE SHOP PRIZE HAMPER - Thornton’s chocolate shop in Shrewsbury recently donat- ed a Valentine’s Day hamper to the Severn Hospice shop in Bishop’s Castle. Tickets to win the goodies were sold in a raffle and £88 has been raised for Severn Hospice funds. Shop manager Sharon Dovey said: “The winner wishes to remain unnamed, but was happy to have won. We were delighted to welcome Ross Henderson, the new retail man- ager of the Severn Hospice who chose the winning number during his visit, to the Bishop’s Castle shop.”

GET ON YOUR ELECTRIC BIKE - Julie and Malcolm Furber from New Street Cycles in Bishop’s Castle are starting their Tuesday evening cycle rides again on Tuesday. The leisure- focused rides are free and begin at 6pm, weather permitting from New Street and will continue every week until the dark evenings return. Julie Furber says: “Come and join us on your electric bike. We ride about 10 to 15 miles on predominantly rural lanes and B roads with occasional forest tracks. Everyone is welcome including pedal cyclists but the route will include hills and occasionally a pub. Any level of cyclist can join us but those under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. We may have e-bikes to hire for the even- ing but booking for these is essen- tial.” For more details call 01588 638060 or visit newstreetcycles.uk PLANS FOR MAY MERRYMAKING - Lydbury North WI held their March meeting in the village hall on March 17. The business meeting included plans for a May Merrymaking for the Clun Valley North WI groups, when the entertainment will be Shrewsbury hand-bell ringers. The speaker for the evening was Peter Koenig who told us how he became a Gamesmaker for the 2012 Olympics in London. Peter is himself an experi- enced athlete and has run 60 mara- thons. He had to go through a long selection process followed by many training sessions all of which took place in London. Every Gamesmaker was measured for the uniform they had to wear when on duty, to ensure all looked really smart. Peter was delighted that his position was in the stadium. He spoke about the secrecy surrounding the preparation for the opening ceremony, the parade of the athletes when Usain Bolt got the big- gest cheer and the good behaviour of the spectators cheering all the ath- letes not just the GB team. Peter’s job included looking after wheelchair users and he discovered that push- ing a wheelchair could be a good way of seeing other parts of the Olympic Park. The next meeting is on April 21 at 7pm when Mary Smith will talk about antiques and discuss items brought in by members.

BISHOP’S CASTLE DIARY March 31-April 6

TODAY:

• Open evening. The Underground, Bishop's Castle Public Hall. 6pm. All welcome.

• Fight the Bear. The Vaults, Bishop's Castle. 9pm.

• Film. The Good Dinosaur (OG). SpArC Theatre, Bishop’s Castle. £4.50/£3. 2.30pm. 01588 630321/638038.

• Thursday market. Bishop's Castle Town Hall. Weekly. 10am. 01588 630023.

• Art exhibition – Brian Fletcher. Bishop's Castle Town Hall. Until April 16. 01588 630023.

• Pony Club. Walcot Stables, Lydbury North. £40, members £35. 10am-4pm. 01588 680514.

TOMORROW:

• Bishop's Castle Railway Society. Telford Steam Railway – Paul Davies. Methodist Hall, Station Street, • Bishop's Castle. 7.30pm.

• Ronnie Lane weekend. Kushty Rye and guests. Three Tuns, Bishop's Castle. £10. 8pm.

• Rhyme Time for under fives. Bishop's Castle Library. Free. 10.30am. 01588 638215.

• Teenage Book Club. World Book Day. Bishop's Castle Library. 5.30pm. 01588 638215.

• Felting workshop – Nicola Knapton. Sheepish, 1 Market Steps, • Bishop's Castle. £45. 10am-3.45pm. 01588 630421.

SATURDAY:

• Flea market. Bishop's Castle Town Hall. 9am. 01588 630023.

SUNDAY:

• Wedding fair. Walcot Hall, Lydbury North. Free. Noon-4pm. 01588 680570.

MONDAY:

• Bishop's Castle Town Council. Annual Town Meeting. Bishop's Castle Town Hall. 7pm. 01588 638141.

• Citizens Advice. Enterprise House, Bishop's Castle. 10am-noon. 08444 991100.

• Walking for Health short walks. Meet Enterprise House, Bishop's Castle. Weekly. 10.30am.

• Meditation. Led by Sarah Hare. Mainstone Church. 7.30pm. 01588 638819.

• Pony Play day. Walcot Stables, Lydbury North. Ages four-10. £10. Optional ride £10. 10am-noon. 01588 680514.

TUESDAY:

• E-bike ride. New Street Cycles. Free. Weekly. 6pm, (weather permitting). 01588 638060.

• Film. The Lady in the Van (12A). Lydbury North Village Hall. £4/£2.50. 7.30pm.

• Discussion The Future of Christianity – The Rev Norman Morris. Norbury Village Hall. £3.50. 7.30pm.

• Pony Club. Walcot Stables, Lydbury North. £40, members £35. 10am-4pm. 01588 680514.

WEDNESDAY:

• Trip to Abakhan Fabrics, Wrexham and shopping at Moreton Park Garden Centre. Dep. £12. 9am. 01588 638269.

• Pony Play day. Walcot Stables, Lydbury North. Ages four-10. £10. Optional ride £10. 10am-noon. 01588 680514.

CORRESPONDENT - Julia Parker, 01588 680445, jparker228@btinternet.com

Craven Arms

IN OUR GALLERY - At the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre until April 12. Ron Kelly, a photogra- phy exhibition of local landscapes, flowers, birds, bees and wildlife. Ross Prince at the Loudwater Studio – Ross Prince is an extremely talent- ed young artist. At only 21, Ross is autistic and expresses his creative and warm nature through work with pastels. 10am-5pm. Free entry. All art on display is available to purchase.

APRIL SPRING SAVER - April 11-30 inclusive, available weekdays only noon-2pm in the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre café. Choose two main courses from our daily menu for £12.99. This offer must be taken in one transaction only.

SCIENCE WITH A BANG - Join us tomorrow for some family holiday fun - with a bang. Take part in some wacky science experiments; see how you get an amazing colour show using milk and how a common sub- stance acts like slime. 1pm-2.30pm. £4 per accompanied child aged five- 11, discount for siblings. Booking essential please call 01588 67606.

FARMERS’ MARKET - At Craven Arms on Saturday, 9am-1pm. Monthly market of local food produc- ers and artisan crafts.

LEARN TO RIDE YOUR BIKE - Saturday. A child’s learn-to-ride-a- bike session on our cycle track. For children aged four plus (bring bike and helmet). 12.30pm-1.30pm, £5 per child, booking advisable please call 01588 676060.

DISCOVERY CLUB - Make wild music on Saturday. Get noisy in the meadows with percussion instru- ments and then make your own from natural materials. Play and sing along with Mike Rust and his amazing instrument. Discovery Club runs fortnightly 11am to noon. Activities will be aimed at children aged three to seven and their carers, although younger or older siblings are welcome too. £2.50 per child. No need to book, just show up. Often a good idea to bring wellies. £2.50 per child.

A WALK ON THE WILD GARLIC SIDE - Sunday. You will be led by expert walk leader Keith Pybus while forag- ing for wild garlic commonly found in Shropshire woodland and return to the Discovery Centre to make the perfect wild garlic soup with the young and tender leaves. 10.30am to 1pm. £9.50 per person, booking essential.

EGG-CELLENT EASTER KIDS COOKERY CLUB - Tuesday, 10am- 11.30am. Eggs are synonymous with Easter, come and cook several dish- es where eggs play the starring role. £10 per child aged nine to 13 years old. Adults do not need to accompa- ny children so enjoy a bite to eat in our cafe while you wait or take a stroll in our meadows. Booking is essential, please call 01588 676060.

FUTURE ACTIVITIES - For more information on further activities go to the website shropshirehillsdiscovery- centre.co.uk Mamble cum Bayton WI - At the March meeting of Mamble cum Bayton WI, president Val Evans welcomed members and a visitor. A get-well card was signed by every- one for Mrs P Trow, who has been a member for many years. She had fall- en and broken her leg, but is now recuperating in a home near Tenbury. Pauline Blumer was thanked for arranging the recent visit to the Carpet Museum in Kidderminster, which everyone found to be very informative and well worth a second visit in the future. Several members will attend the Teme and Tenbury Spring Group meeting to be held on April 28, at Lindridge Parish hall, and hosted by Menith Wood WI. We welcomed Mervyn Silcox of Kidderminster as our speaker. We enjoyed his memories of “living with my father”, who was a First World War veteran. Unable to return to the job he had before the war, he started buying and selling confectionery on the markets in and around Brierley Hill. Mervyn’s mother had been a ticket inspector on the buses, but after the war, being an excellent seamstress, she made and sold gar- ments on the markets too. After pur- chasing a house in Bank Street, Brierley Hill, they turned the front room into a shop and widened the range of goods sold. Later, on mov- ing to Kidderminster, the front room became a shop, as well as continu- ing to sell goods on the markets. After the Second World War, with the coming of the supermarkets, father decided to purchase old trams from Birmingham Council and turned them into holiday chalets in Kingsford, as well as purchasing houses to rent. Quite an entrepreneur. The next meeting will be on April 11, in Mamble Village Hall, starting at 7.30pm, the first of our summer meet- ings. Mr R Barber’s talk is Blackbirds, the competition is an item beginning with W and there will be a Trading Stall.

Tenbury

SATURDAY SINGALONG - At Tenbury Methodist Church on April 9, at 3pm, featuring The A49ers and Tenbury Ukulele Band. Tickets £5 on the door to include refreshments. Please come along and join in the fun.

COFFEE AND CHAT - A warm wel- come 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 groups you could 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.

HISTORY SOCIETY - Tenbury Wells History Society welcomes members and non members (£2) to their April talk entitled: James Brindley, the first canal engineer. Roy Murphy will tell the story of the life and works of this remarkable man. Next Thursday, April 7, at 7.30pm in the Pump Rooms Tenbury, for more information call Mike on 01584 711425.

SPECIAL AFTERNOON SERVICE - Tenbury Methodist Church will be holding a special afternoon service on Sunday at 3pm, led by the Rev James Eaton-Challinor. All are welcome. There will be no morning service on this day.

COFFEE MORNING - Which is a fund- raising event kindly held by Mrs Maureen Morgan at The Pheasantry, Sutton, next Thursday, April 7, starting at 10.30am. It is in aid of Breast Cancer Appeal and Chelsea. There will be a sales table and raffle.

The Strettons

MARKETS - Thursday is market day at Church Stretton with a variety of stalls in the Square during most of the day. Friday market is open for business in the Mayfair Community Centre 8.30am-noon, selling home-made cakes, home-produced produce, craft and garden items. Next Thursday, April 7, Marlene will be selling jams and chutneys in Mayfair reception. The next indoor market held in the Scout Headquarters will be April 14, 9am-2pm where tables can be booked.

EXHIBITION - A model railway exhibi- tion will be held at Church Stretton School on Saturday, 10am-4pm. With static and working models on show, trade displays and refreshments avail- able. Admission is £4, £3.50 for con- cessions and £2 for the under 16s. To find out more ring 01694 723456.

LADIES MEETING - The ladies of South Shropshire Interfaith forum will be meeting on Saturday afternoon in the Pilgrim Centre, Craven Arms, for a talk on life and death led by Asiya Nurgat. Meetings start at 2pm-4pm and non-member ladies are also wel- come. Entrance is by donation to cover hire of room.

COMMUNITY CINEMA - Monday is the showing of Suffragette (12A) at Church Stretton School. This film is based on the lives of working women in their fight for equality. The film stars Meryl Streep among others. Doors open 7pm, film starts 7.30pm. Interval refreshments are available.

AGMs - The annual general meeting of Church Stretton and District Rail Users’ Association will take place at the Parish Centre Monday at 7.30pm. The association’s website is under development and will be a place to visit for information and announce- ments about our local train services and association news. Moving to April 13, it will be the turn of the Longmynd Camera Club to hold its AGM at the URC Hall at 7.30pm.

PAZAPA - A fundraising evening for Pazapa was held at Church Stretton School when the Little Big Band played music for dancing and listen- ing. Local fundraisers help to rebuild the school and medical centre for disabled youngsters in Haiti. It is heartening to hear that many of the youngsters may, in the future, be able to carry on their schooling in mainstream schools. For information about Pazapa go to pazapa.org or call Noel on 01694 725530.

OVERTURE 2016 - Stretton School of Dance and Drama presented Dance Overture 2016 at Church Stretton School recently, showing the stu- dents’ talents in 28 different dance routines and a variety of dance styles loosely themed around songs and music from the magical world of musicals and film. Thanks to parents for their support and the hard work of the student. This superb show of talent was enjoyed by all attending the Dance Overture. A raffle was held in aid of MNDA Charity and Catherine Evans will be running in the London Marathon to raise money for this organisation.

SREEPUR VILLAGE - A talk at Mayfair Community Centre gave an interesting insight into the work of Sreeper Village, a small non-reli- gious, non-political UK registered charity which funds and runs Shishu Polli and a women and children’s village situated in rural Bangladesh which was built with the financial help of British Airways and foresight of air stewardess Pat Kerr to help the women and children gain a better quality of life. In 2010 a drop-in cen- tre was opened for the street chil- dren by Tongi railway station on the outskirts of Dhaka which provides support, lunch, playtime, TV, together with washing and toilet facilities for the hundreds of street children who live and work nearby. In 2014 a small residential unit was opened for chil- dren who wish to leave the streets and are often found foster homes or can be re-united with their extended families. If anyone is interested in donating to the charity the address is The Sreeper Village, PO Box 104, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 4Zd. There were a number of hand-crafted items for sale at the talk.

CANCER CARE - The Stretton and Shropshire Cancer Care group will be meeting on April 11, at 2.30pm at Mayfair Community Centre.

OUTING - An outing to National Trust’s Bodnant Gardens is planned by the Church Stretton and District Gardening Club on April 13.

BALLET - The ballet Giselle will be streamed live from the Royal Opera House to Church Stretton School on April 13, at 7pm. Pre-theatre dining is available if booked in advance.

CRAFT WORKSHOPS - During the Easter Holidays Scrappies will be hosting two days of crafts on Monday and on Tuesday. The sessions run 10.30am-12.30pm and 1.30pm- 3.30pm at a cost of £3.50 per child, or £2 for Crafty Kids Club members. The sessions are suitable for the over sevens. Booking is essential as space is limited.

SCHOOL NEWS - Towards the end of last term Church Stretton School’s design technology department was on hand to assist St Lawrence’s pupils with their project to make a Batmobile and where they were able to see how specialist cutting machines produce the suitable shapes for constructing the vehicle. On the sporting front a Year 9 boy at Church Stretton School became the Shropshire County Junior Indoor Archery champion for 2016. He had previously won through to the County Outdoor Championships to win a gold medal and shield and the under 18s county title. Year 8 girls’ cricket- ers are into the Shropshire finals, and the under 15 girls’ cricketers into the county finals. The Year 8 boys’ rugby team is also in the county finals as are the Year 10 netballers into the county cup. Ragleth House fundraisers have had an update from Mr Carless, the “link” to the Ugandan partner school. Both schools have been busy fundraising for Sport Relief and St Lawrence’s has held a sportswear mufti day and taken part in an obstacle race. St Lawrence’s had five finalists in the South Shropshire Swimming gala. The school council was invited to the Co-Op to take part in a trial run for the Fairtrade Easter egg hunt which will be held in the Easter Holidays, and The Friends of the School are busy planning the spring fair on April 23, and are hoping for donations of books, DVDs, CDs and plants. Local businesses have already promised some prizes for the raffle.

EMPATHY - Empathy is a small chari- ty which supports the families of youngsters with Asperger syndrome and autism, and has been lucky enough to receive a grant from BBC Children in Need to safeguard their play leader provision at the current activities for the next three years, together with some exciting new pro- jects. Empathy is now recruiting some new members as play leaders within the team from those aged 16 or over, particularly from sporting backgrounds. This is one charity to benefit from Children in Need fund- raising, and amongst other fundrais- ers our local post office staff helped to raise £143.75 towards this.

Westhope

WI - There was a good attendance at the March meeting of Diddlebury and Westhope WI. Our president Kath Woodhouse was ill so Mary Holland and Pat Baynham were in charge. A new member, Angela Lewis, was welcomed. The news was discussed and items of interest noted and we arranged a Buraston Show meeting. Mr Crow was our speaker with the wonderful story of Tutankhamun told with slides of the tomb. It was hard to believe the craftsmanship in those days. He was thanked by Mary Holland. Refreshments were served and Mary Hall organised the raffle. April 12 sees a talk on Hope House and we might have some flowers for sale.

VILLAGE HALL LOTTERY - Winners in the March draw were first prize of £30.90 John Morgan, Strefford. Four prizes of £5.15 Gwen Mason, Tracy Franklin, Tom Hall, Dave Lewis.

APRIL WHIST DRIVES - Monday and April 18. Both start at 7.30pm. Admission £1.50. Good prizes. Refreshments and raffle.

CLOVER CLUB - It was the first meeting of 2016, forty members attended. We had a TV star for the speaker, John Swift of Swift Bakers was the speaker, and told us of his past in the Victorian Bakers on BBC2. The making of bread goes back to bible days and even today we pray ‘Give us this day our daily bread’. John told us of the hard work in bake houses in Victorian times when Queen Victoria was a young woman. Two kinds of bread were baked, the very best - for the rich and the bread for the poor are breads made from the sweepings, with chalk and arsenic and all kinds of weird ingredients. The month that John worked on the set was the hardest work ever, making tons of dough by hand, cooking with the stoves. Thank goodness for electric and all modern appliances. He was thanked by Kath Woodhouse. John and his wife Jane had brought lots of bread to buy and they donat- ed four large loaves to our large raf- fle. Refreshments were served. Next Thursday, April 7, the Clover Club joins with the WI, Westhope bowlers, Domino Team friends and family to celebrate Tom and Mary Halls diamond wedding anniversary. After the April meeting the Clover Club will become an Over 50s Club. Younger people are very welcome too.

Whitton

DAFFODIL DAZE - Sunday, 11am- 4pm at St Mary’s Church, Whitton (five miles east of Ludlow). Come and view the magnificent spring flowers and Burne Jones east window. Light refreshments.