Competitions

SHIRE’S FANTASTIC COMPETITIONS

Another issue of Shire, another chance to win fabulous prizes.

Good luck!

Win! A pair of Gold Circle Tickets to see Tears for Fears

80s duo Tears for Fears are on tour in 2022 following the release of their new album The Tipping Point, which entered UK charts at number two and was top 10 in many other countries. The UK leg of the tour kicks off at Telford QE11 Arena on 1st July, and we have a pair of Gold Circle tickets to give away, ensuring the lucky winners have access to the area directly in front of the stage. CLOSING DATE 15th June.

to the twenty-first century, presented in historically-informed attractions and displays on each show day. For further

Snoozers, losers! Fill in your entry form and post it today

Win! A Pair of Tickets to of Tickets to Storyhouse Theatre Storyhouse Theatre

It’s open air theatre season at Grovesnor Park, with several plays running throughout July and August, the full schedule can be found at www.storyhouse.com. We have a pair of tickets www.storyhouse.com. We have a pair of tickets up for grabs for the opening night of Romeo and Juliet on 1st July, including a pre-theatre fabulous dinner for two at The Storyhouse Kitchen. CLOSING DATE 15th June.

Win! A Pair of Tickets to Gregynog Music Festival Win! A Family Ticket to the Royal Welsh Show

Gregynog Festival is the oldest festival in Wales and one of the UK’s premier classical music events. Located in the beautiful countryside of the Welsh Borders, it takes place on 25th and 26th June, offering a curated programme of music from the medieval to the twenty-first century, presented in historically-informed performances. Full programme details and tickets are available at www.gwylgregynogfestival.org. We have a pair of tickets to give away. To enter, fill in the form below. CLOSING DATE 15th June. The Royal Welsh Show takes place from 18th-21st July at the showground in Llanelwedd. As well as top class livestock competition, the show has something to interest everyone, and visitors can expect a 12-hour programme of entertainment, attractions and displays on each show day. For further information see www.rwas.wales.com. We are offering a family ticket for two adults and two children. To enter, fill in the form below. CLOSING DATE 15th June.

Win! A Pair of Tickets to Passion for Power

Tatton Park Passion for Power Classic Motor Show & Cheshire Autojumble has been running for more than 30 years and returns to Tatton Park on 20th and 21st August. The show is famous for the unique and eclectic mix of powerful performance cars with rare and exciting vehicles featured every year, from Ferraris to Lamborghinis. Further information and tickets can be found at www.tattonpassionforpower.com. For your chance to win a pair of tickets, fill in the form below. CLOSING DATE June 15th.

Win! A Pair of Tickets to Stars and Stripes A Pair of Tickets to Stars and Stripes

The Classic American Stars & Stripes car show has a superb line up of acts in store at Tatton Park on 2nd and 3rd July. Celebrating all things American, from Mustangs to Corvettes and Cadillacs to American motorhomes, the USstyle extravaganza features American dream machines and style extravaganza features American dream machines and many more. For tickets and further information, see www. tattonstarsandstripes.com. We are giving away a pair of tickets. To enter, fill in the form below. CLOSING DATE 15th June.

HOW TO ENTER Fill in the form with your answer circled (you’ll need to read the magazine to nd it!) and include your name, address, email and daytime contact number. Send it by the closing date to Competitions, Shire Magazine, PO Box 276, Oswestry, Shropshire SY10 1FR Q: Which UK band used to enter their own lookalike contests? a) Take That b) East 17 c) Duran Duran

Tick the ones you want to enter! Tears for Fears Romeo & Juliet Gregynog Music Festival Royal Welsh Show Passion for Power Stars and Stripes

RULES OF THE COMPETITIONS The promoter of these competitions is Shire Magazine, Superstar Publishing, PO Box 276, Oswestry, Shropshire SY10 1FR. The competitions are open to all readers of our magazine and viewers of our websites except employees of the prize providers. The winner(s) will be the fi rst person or persons drawn after the closing date who has completed the correct answer. No cash alternative is available. The winners’ names can be obtained by writing to the competition address with a self-addressed envelope after the closing date. The winner agrees to participate in any follow-up publicity and must provide a photograph to be published in the following issue to claim their prize. Superstar Publishing may print the name only of entrants to this competition in subsequent issue(s) of Shire Magazine. This is to enable competition entrants to fairly claim a promotional o er, for competition entrants only. By entering this competition you are giving permission for Shire Magazine to print your name only. No personal information will be printed. No purchase necessary, answers on a postcard are accepted. For full details of our Privacy Policy, please go to www.shiremagazine.co.uk. DATA PROTECTION NOTICE Superstar Publishing Ltd will use your information for administration and analysis purposes and may contact you from time to time with relevant o ers, information or for research purposes. Your details will not be passed on to third parties except the sponsors of these competitions. Please tick the relevant box if you wish to be contacted. Name Address

Postcode Daytime contact number Email (please complete)

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My rare breed Dorset Down sheep have been getting hot under the collar, and with summer approaching, it’s high time they lost their woolly overcoats

DID YOU KNOW? Sheep are often counted by the score, in 20s

Wool was like gold dust once upon a time. Many of the splendid stately homes and churches in southern England were built off the back of a lucrative wool trade. Then along came cheap imports from down under and cotton from across the Atlantic. Later, synthetics sounded the death knell for the industry. Even a couple of decades ago your wool cheque turned you a bit of a profit. Today, the price you get for a fleece covers roughly half the cost of shearing the sheep. It’s hard to understand why 100% pure wool garments are so expensive.

In early May, there is no greater provender for the soul than a countryside walk at either end of the day. Baby rabbits, balls of fluffy energy, hop in and out of the hedgerows. Waders have returned inland for the breeding season. Curlews circle overhead, uttering their namesake cry, while lapwings tumble acrobatically out of the sky hoping to attract a mate and, I suspect, just for the sheer joy of being alive. The air is heaVy with the perfume from the blossom of rowan and hawthorn.

Summer breeders have returned too – swallows and martins swoop and climb in search of insects and wheatears dart in and out of drystone walls, looking for nesting sites. Along roadside hedges,

a flash of chestnut plumage heralds the return of one of my favourite summer visitors, the redstart. Just before sun rise, you get the full, glorious chorus of birdsong. A plethora of migrant warblers join our resident thrushes, blackbirds and wrens in a gala performance that knocks spots off anything you’ll hear at Covent Garden. I have several nesting boxes dotted around the place and the ubiquitous tits have readily taken up residence. Last autumn, I put a barn owl box up in the crossbeams of my neighbour’s sold brick barn and I’m hoping that a pair of these majestic birds will take up tenancy. Silent, ghostly apparitions that float in the night sky before dropping Holy Trinity in Long Melford, Suffolk is a fine example of a ‘wool church’ onto some luckless rodent. The hedgerows offer up a smorgasbord of edible greens at this time of year. Jack-by-thehedge, wild sorrel, wild garlic and fat “It’s a gala performance that knocks spots off hen add far more to any dish than a few limp lettuce leaves. There is also Covent Garden” a small window of opportunity for a delicacy beloved of countrymen. It’s many a year since I’ve tasted breast of rook. It involves sending sprightly youths Eryl Jones was brought up tall trees, an activity that today’s up on a small Welsh farm youngsters seem reluctant to and studied agriculture in perpetuate. Can’t blame them really. Aberystwyth. He became Around the ponds, golden farm manager on a large kingcups are in full bloom and estate and later farmed in the margins, the dinner-plate leaves of water lilies float lazily. The leaf canopy has transformed from on his own account. Eryl does voluntary environmental work with Denbighshire Council lime green to a thousand shades of and has a passion for emerald – it’s as British as a portly the rural way of life. I’m always happy to spot the fiery redstart pub landlord with sideburns.