Wrekin News 214 (February) by Plus Two Media Limited

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February 2017 · Issue 214

FAMILY TICKETS TO BE WON!

THE REGION’S FAVOURITE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

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Latest news and events from Wellington Town Council SEE PAGE 10

FEATURE

A SEAT IN HISTORY! Read George Evans! The Wrekin’s favourite columnist inside . . .

Advice and ideas for your big day!

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Wrekin

News PLEASE TAKE YOUR COPY

February 2017 · Issue 214

THE REGION’S FAVOURITE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

FAMILY TICKETS TO BE

Say ‘I do’

WON!

Latest news and events from Wellington Town Council SEE PAGE

FEATURE

A SEAT IN HISTORY!

Read George Evans! The Wrekin’s favourite columnist inside . . .

Advice and ideas for your big day!

WIN

National Wedding Show

MOTORING

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PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW TELEPHONE NUMBER

Tel: 01952 522562 Fax: 01952 522567 Editor: James Baylis james@plus2media.co.uk Editorial Support: Tania Baylis tania@plus2media.co.uk Publisher & Design: James Baylis Contributing Photographer: Malcolm Couzens Contributing writer: Dwayne Forrester

01952 522562

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Contact our Advertising Sales Manager: Irene Winning 01952 522562 · irene@plus2media.co.uk Specialist writers: George Evans, Les Beamond, Rona Harris, Professor Ralph Early, Sue Ladds, Laura Dutfield, Robert Hudson, Anthony Yates and Syd Taylor Sports News: Lez Dean, Fraser Watson and James Shaw To subscribe to Wrekin News please call Tania Baylis on 01952 522562 Printed in Telford by PCP Every care is taken over the accuracy of material in Wrekin News but the publishers cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Views and opinions of contributors, advertisers and interviewees to Wrekin News are not necessarily those of the publishers who cannot accept responsibility for such contributions. © Plus Two Media Limited 2017 - All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior consent of the publisher.

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02 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 2, 3 Welcome.indd 1

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ELLO everyone and welcome to the February issue of your favourite monthly lifestyle magazine Wrekin News. We have another packed issue for you to enjoy and get involved with. There are plenty of competitions with some great prizes to be won! We have teamed up with the National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a family pass - a great prize just in time for half-term! We also have a ﬁsh & chip supper for two to be won thanks to Ye Olde Victorian Fryer and a Valentine’s skate at the Ice Rink and not forgetting our regular theatre and cinema tickets. We hope you enjoy our wedding feature which will give you some great ideas

and tips for making all the important arrangements for the big day. We also have ten pairs of tickets for the National Wedding Show to be won! Elsewhere in this month’s magazine, regular contributor George Evans shares with us over three thousand years of history that can be seen from your imagination and a ‘special seat’ on the Holyhead Road in Wellington - it’s another fascinating kilverb from the very popular George! We also hear from local walking enthusiast Jeff Kent who has recently completed a challenge he set himself, to scale all of the 1,000-foot peaks in Shropshire, but do you know how many there are? Enjoy the issue.

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News from your hospitals Bringing you updates from The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH):

You need to have your say on the future of hospital services SaTH has developed a model of care, through its Sustainable Services Programme, to ensure a sustainable and vibrant future for both PRH and RSH. The model, designed by doctors, nurses and other health professionals, proposes 24/7 A&E services at PRH and RSH, with the majority of people who currently use our A&Es still going to their local hospital and a major Emergency Centre for the most serious life and limb-threatening conditions. It would separate Planned Care and Emergency Care to ensure the highest standards of care. The programme would help us to recruit more permanent staff to reduce our reliance on costly agency staff, ensuring two vibrant hospitals for the next 20 years and beyond, as well as safeguarding services in our county. The SaTH Board’s first duty is to the public and to ensure we are delivering safe services. We believe the public now needs to have the chance to understand the suggested model in detail, to test whether it achieves the right balance between clinical outcomes and convenience, and help shape a final agreed design through a public consultation. Let us know what you think about us having a public consultation by emailing - haveyoursay@sath.nhs.uk Find out more at: www.sath.nhs.uk/sustainableservices

Free parking and concessions Discounted parking is available for some patients using Shropshire’s acute hospitals – and parking is free of charge for up to 30 minutes. The free 30 minutes gives people picking up and dropping off patients or visitors to PRH or RSH an option to do so without incurring a charge if they are onsite for half an hour or less. Julia Clarke, Director of Corporate Governance at SaTH, said: “Parking charges at SaTH are still among the lowest in the country, with people being able to park for up to 30 minutes without charge, and paying only £3.50 for five hours or more. “Patients receiving dialysis, radiotherapy or chemotherapy and people visiting hospital for issues connected with bereavement are able to park for free. Anyone needing to attend hospital regularly can buy a discounted 10-visit ticket for £8. “The income we receive from car parking benefits our patients. Annually, the money we receive from car parking pays for the equivalent of 40 Staff Nurses.”

Dementia-friendly café opens at PRH A new café for people living with dementia has been launched at PRH. The Precious Times café will operate on the last Tuesday of every month from 2pm-3.30pm. The first session took place on 24 January. The café is run in the Resource Room on Ward 15 at PRH. There are also plans to start a similar café at the RSH in the future. Karen Breese, Dementia Clinical Specialist, said: “We are always looking at ways to improve care for people living with dementia. Part of this work is finding more ways for patients with dementia, and their carers, to network in the hospital rather than having to seek opportunities elsewhere. “The Precious Times café is open to patients, carers and members of the public and is the chance for people to meet others living with dementia and talk about their experiences.” The café is staffed by volunteers, but there is also a dementia support worker at each session.

Plans for new toilets for Dawley High Street Great Dawley Town Council is announcing its plans for a new public toilet facility in Dawley. The Town Council unanimously agreed for the development of the project which will see public toilets return to the town. The Town Council has been asked by members of the public, business and market holders to replace the previously demolished toilets on New Street. These toilets were demolished due to the poor condition of the building which would have cost around £50,000 to refurbish. Great Dawley Town Council have considered a number of options and a potential site has now been identiﬁed. The Town Council are now working with local partners and supplier to agree the best overall solution for residents and visitors, pending consent from the Planning Authority and completion of design and building works. Councillor Shaun Davies, Chair, said ‘The Town Council understood the reasons for the old toilet block to be demolished and know this was a tough decision to make for all parties involved, but at the time was the right one.’ I am really pleased that this project is now moving forward for the beneﬁt of residents and visitors, especially our elderly residents who visit to High Street and Friday Market.’ Councillor Jane Pinter, Mayor of Great Dawley Town Council, said ‘The Town Council have received a lot of feedback from local residents since the old toilet block was demolished, asking for us to replace the public toilets, I know that this is something that the residents of the Town want to see return’. It is anticipated that that the Town Council will develop plans and complete a further consultation with residents during the Summer 2017 and if the relevant approval is granted, the public toilet building program will commence as a priority after this. In the meantime, Great Dawley Town Council has a Community Toilet Scheme in place whereby members of the public can access toilet facilities at the following business premises (during opening hours): • Dawley Town Hall • Christian Centre

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January’s Lucky Winners! Congratulations to all of our prize winners from the January issue, if you didn’t win this time don’t worry there are plenty of opportunities in this issue to win some fantastic prizes! THEATRE TICKETS JACK FROST - Theatre Severn Helen Fitchett - Dawley JUNIOR JESTERS - The Place Shelia Blackham - Wellington CINEMA TICKETS Standard Odeon Ticket Andrew Richards - Little Dawley Silver Screen Odeon Ticket June McGuire - Priorslee DAYS OUT! Family ticket to Adrenalin Tubing at Telford Snowboard and Ski Centre Mo Hussain - Wellington

WATCH and Wrekin Retirement Living receive national accreditation

LOCAL alarm service which benefits thousands of people across Shropshire has received national accreditation for its service. The WATCH service from The Wrekin Housing Trust offers a simple, non-intrusive service to help people with disabilities, medical restrictions and vulnerabilities to live at home independently. The alarm service used within the Trust’s Wrekin Retirement Living properties has also received accreditation. The TSA (Telecare Services Association) Code of Practice aims to put service users at the heart of their standards and compliance with these standards provides real assurance to WATCH’s users that they are delivering quality in what is otherwise a largely unregulated industry. Emma Dickenson, Service Manager says,” We’re thrilled to receive accreditation from TSA. It shows that we can meet their standards and innovate while continuing to place our customers at the heart of everything we do. In addition to our telephone alarm our users in Telford can also benefit from a Mobile Response Officer Service. This is very popular with people who don’t have friends and family nearby.”

The alarm simply connects to a phone line and is activated at the touch of a button worn as a pendant around the neck or wrist. A range of add-ons including falls detectors and smoke alarms are also available. These are ideal for people with more complex needs like hearing impairments or for those who suffer seizures and will trigger the alarm automatically if a fall occurs and can alert the user via a beacon or vibrating pillow pad. To ﬁnd out more about WATCH people can call 01952 217151 or email enquiries@watchalarms. co.uk to book a free demonstration.

Grant boosts local cycling Family ticket for Telford Ice Rink Lindsay Fordyce - Priorslee MEALS OUT! Carvery at The Shropshire, Muxton Elaine Miller - Newport SPECIAL PRIZES Three months free membership of Gymophobics Nicole Kenna - Wellington

Good Luck! To everyone entering our February competitions!

Cyclists are celebrating news of a £7895 grant from Sport England to support growth of the sport in the area. The grant has been awarded to Newport Shropshire Cycling Club, recognising the extraordinary success of the club’s coaching for children and junior cyclists. It was announced at the Club’s AGM on Monday 9 January. The funding will support the purchase of new equipment for Bike Club, which provides coaching and development for local cyclists aged 5-16. Hundreds of young cyclists have now benefited from Bike Club, gaining confidence, learning to ride safely and improve their technique on two wheels. Many go on to more advanced coaching and even competitive riding. “We will be using the grant to purchase turbo trainers and rollers to enable junior members to train during icy and bad weather,” said club secretary Dan Braddock. “We will also be investing in equipment used in the training sessions at Burton Borough School and buying a small number of Cyclocross bikes to enable riders to compete at local events.” The Club also plans to provide additional training for new and existing coaches. In addition to the Bike Club sessions, its team of qualified coaches and ride leaders support introductory training for adults as well as the hugely popular Breeze rides for women.

“We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded this grant,” said Dan Braddock. “We are very fortunate in having access to safe, trafﬁc-free facilities at Burton Borough and Lilleshall National Sports Centre and the new funding will ensure that Bike Club can continue to meet the rapid growth in interest in cycling among young people in this area.” Bike Club coaching takes place at Burton Borough School on Saturday mornings between April and November. For details contact coaching@ newportshorpshirecc.org.uk Breeze rides for women take place throughout the year with details available on the Breeze Newport Shropshire Facebook page.

06 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 6 News.indd 1

30/01/2017 20:49

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George

EVANS A SEAT IN HISTORY! F

OR THIS story about old Wellington you will need your imagination. I want you to come with me, ‘in your mind’ to a seat, the one by the Holyhead Road outside Morris Care, the old Wrekin Hospital. There we will look around and I will tell you about the many historical places you can see, mostly without getting up. They show you various aspects of the place’s history spanning over three thousand years. The seat we’re on hasn’t been here long enough to comment on but the road was built by the Romans and many people think it’s the oldest in town, though in fact Ercall Lane is at least a thousand years older. It was the main route from the Wrekin Hillfort to the various farms, hamlets and villages in and around where Wellington, Hadley now are and also the ﬁsheries of the Weald Moors. This would be long before the Iron Age came 2,500 or so years ago. The Romans brought granophyre (a pretty pink rock) from the quarries on the Ercall to top-dress their road, as did Thomas Telford to convert this part of the Watling Street into his Holyhead Road. This same rock was quarried for footpaths later at big houses like Dothill, Orleton and Sunnycroft. Not far away is a milepost to show that. Older readers will remember the A5, this same road with a tarmac surface, and its interminable queues at peak times before the

M54 was built. Wellington’s A5 was regarded in Birmingham and the West Midlands as a trafﬁc jam between home and holidays on the Welsh coast before the M54 was built. You can imagine the movement of bullock carts, of herds of animals and even the Roman Army marching along these roads, followed by the stagecoaches of Telford’s time and the succession of more and more advanced cars, bikes, lorries and walkers until the day you come to look. Try to predict the future. Will it all be about electric cars; will they be driverless? Or will there be nuclear war that wipes out most of our population? People and animals attended annual religious ceremonies or

fairs on The Wrekin for centuries until they were banned because of drunken behaviour. Many prehistorians believe that there was a road here long before the Romans came. Their army probably used the local Celtic people as slave labour to build it. Long after the Roman soldiers had left Britannia to defend the city of Rome the road remained, though it was not used so much nor maintained so well. One of its later functions was to mark the boundary of Wellington Township and was even once the boundary of the country, the land to the north being

The Wrekin’s favourite columnist! 8, 9 George Evans.indd 1

30/01/2017 16:29

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in the Dane-Law, conquered by the Danes and that to the south was in Saxon law, where the taxes were lower. So Arleston paid less tax than Wellington, though the taxes levelled out when the Danes were defeated and the English kingdom was united. In Norman times, the land between Watling Street, Ercall Lane and Cluddley was the hay, where the deer were kept for the king and his friends to hunt in The Wrekin Forest. This area only became part of Wellington in 20th Century; there was an entrance further west at the Hay Gate, opposite the Haygate Road. If you look behind you there’s a nursing home called Morris Care. It was originally built as a workhouse for the area around Wellington called Wellington Poor Law Union and was where poor people who had no way of staying alive otherwise were looked after, though they had to work for their living. This later (within my memory) became Wrekin Hospital, though some of it, including the maternity ward where some of my grandchildren were born, was demolished to be replaced by houses and flats. When it was the workhouse some people who were born or died there wrote their address 18 ½ Street Lane to avoid the ‘disgrace ‘of being born or dying in the workhouse. Just behind, over the wall, is a sign that tells you that the workhouse well is 96 feet deep, presumably dug to supply the workhouse. There was for hundreds of years a path or road on the east of the building. This was well used but unfortunately the Wrekin Council planners gave permission for it to be built over and blocked, even though that was illegal and they had been informed refused to change. Protests were ignored. In Thomas Telford’s time the main road, Watling Street was renamed the Holyhead Road; his instructions from the Government were to build a fast, safe road to the ferry terminal at Holyhead for the M.Ps with Irish constituencies. The road further east was once in a separate settlement called Watling Street but still in Wellington parish, as were Ketley, Arleston and several other places. Locally the road was called Street Lane. It fascinates me that there is a very informative iron mile post only a few yards away which says Shrewsbury was 10 miles 7 furlongs away to the west. There are 8 furlongs or 220 yards in a mile, so 7 fur = 7/8 mile. To the east it says 8 miles to Shifnal. So Telford’s Holyhead Road went through Shifnal, not on the Roman Watling Street route which, like the A5, was via Cannock and Lichfield. Ha Hah! The Telford Authorities put Telford’s mason’s mark, as his monument on the wrong road junction. It is not on his road. Our special little spot is not on the modern A5 either, as it was changed to run along the M54. During the great days of stage coaches they would have come flying fast past where we are sitting, with regular services between London and the Lion Hotel in Shrewsbury, calling at the Falcon Hotel at the junction of Haygate Road, a few hundred yards away to our left. Do go, sit, look and imagine there one day.

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30/01/2017 16:29

YOUR WELLINGTON Wellington ‘Spring’ Festival

OLLOWING on from the success of 2016, Wellington’s first ever Spring Arts Festival will take place the weekend of the 7th/8th & 9th/10th April 2017. “This will be a whole weekend of Arts activities and will include the most popular events from 2016” said Cllr Cindy Mason-Morris – Chair of the Wellington Festival Committee. Presented by Wellington Town Council, entertainment will include poetry, a comedy night, an interactive and hands-on book making Workshop and the return of the ever popular “Lesley Smith”. It is also anticipated that the Clifton Group will have special film showings over the weekend and guided walks from Wellington Walkers are Welcome.

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The FREE Tickets, which are expected to be reserved quickly, will go live on the Eventbrite Ticketing System on the 1st February 2017 and further information will be available at - www.wellingtonartsfest.co.uk or from the Wellington Civic Offices.

Grant applications forms available now Wellington Town Council every year awards Minor Grants to local organisations and charities to assist them to achieve their aims and objectives and this year is no exception. The Town Council is keen to assist and support the valuable work these types of organisations undertake in the Parish as they play a vital role in the local community Grant applications must be from a properly constituted group, club, committee or charity which must show that the group has charitable/community

aims and benefits the residents of Wellington. Groups are encouraged to apply and should not take the view that if they have applied before that they can’t submit a further application. Forms are available now and should be submitted no later than 28th February prior to the applications being considered by the Town Councils’ Grants Panel in early March. Forms can be obtained directly from the Town Council website www. wellington-shropshire.gov.uk

The latest news and events from Wellington Town Council

BUSINESS OWNERS Calling all business owners! Wellington Town Council and Wellington Police would like to invite you to an informal working lunch on Wednesday 15th February at 1.00pm at the Wellington Civic Offices to discuss how we can all communicate what’s happening in Wellington and discuss future improvements. If you would like to attend please contact Caroline on 01952 567696 or caroline.mulvihill@telford.gov.uk

MAYORS CHARITY BALL The Mayor will be holding his annual Charity Ball on March 25th at the Buckatree Hall Hotel. Tickets are £25.00pp and can be obtained from the Wellington Town Council office. All proceeds raised will be donated to the Mayors charities ‘Hilbrae Rescue Kennels’ and the ‘2nd Wellington Scouts’.

www.wellington-shropshire.gov.uk 10 Wellington Town Council DPS.indd 1

30/01/2017 20:48

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www.sanctuary-homeownership.co.uk

CALL: 0800 916 1444

sk abo

On-site facilities include: • sta ra t a af • ral ro r stor • air r ss rs a a t salo

• o al lo • a s roo a • ti iti s i l i lass s a a so t

• La s a ar s • Lifts to all floors • st s it for fa il a fri s

Sanctuary Group is a trading name of Sanctuary Housing Association, an exempt charity.

11 Advert.indd 1

27/01/2017 22:13

Rotary and volunteering is good for your health! The Rotary district that covers Staffordshire, Shropshire and parts of the West Midlands is reacting positively to a statement by the country’s chief medical ofﬁcer Dame Sally Davies. She says: “Staying in work, volunteering or joining a community group can make sure people stay physically and mentally active for longer. “The health beneﬁts of this should not be underestimated.” Rotarian John Sayer, who heads the Rotary district that covers Staffordshire, Shropshire and parts of the West Midlands, says ‘joining Rotary should be a New Year resolution for 2017.’ Said the district governor: “A recently published public health document says that volunteering is good for your health. “This is a time of year when people resolve

to do more for themselves and their communities in the coming year and Rotary has the perfect solution. “When the chief medical ofﬁcer conﬁrms that joining a community group, such as Rotary, enables people to stay physically and mentally active for longer, is warmly accepted by our worldwide organisation – and particularly our local district.” He added: “It is my experience that being part of Rotary is more than just giving back to the community by volunteering. It is also about people bringing their skills, experience and enthusiasm to help it thrive – whilst making great friends along the way.” Anyone interested in joining Rotary can email: enquiry@d1210.org

Email your news story: james@plus2media.co.uk

‘SMALL JOBS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME WITH’

The Georgia Williams Trust UPDATE

Free Y ou r

spiritJoInin

“We would like to wish all our readers a belated Happy New year. We hope you all had a restful Christmas, and look forward to seeing some at you at our events throughout 2017.”

2017 Cycling Event • Our annual cycling event will take place on Saturday 10th June. More information will be released in next month’s edition. Keep your eyes peeled!

With ‘Thanks’

thanks to for their support in 2016: • Fortis Sports • Telford Repro • Frog Rentals • Newport Cycles • The Shropshire at Muxton

W.R. Davies Telford Thank you to W.R. Davies Toyota Telford who used the release of the new Toyota C-HR to raise money for the Trust at Southwaters in the ﬁrst week of the year.

There are several businesses we would like to say a special

Chocolate Counter now open in Market Street

COPELAND ELECTRICALS ALL TYPES OF ELECTRICAL ● NO CALL OUT CHARGE WORK CARRIED OUT ● 24 Hour / 7 days a week PART P BUILDING REGULATIONS ● Local Low Cost Repairs REGISTERED WITH ● Over 10 years experience ● Efficient / Reliable Special Rates ● FREE QUOTES for the ● Fully Insured Elderly

FANTASTIC SPRING OFFERS ON LIGHTING & ACCESSORIES

CALL US FOR A COMPETITIVE QUOTE TODAY - PRICES START FROM ONLY £30

07866

CALL DAVE ON: 455993 OR 01952

404635

The Chocolate Counter is brand new to Wellington. We are situated at 15 Market Street between the Post Office and Wilkos. We have a ‘pick your own’ counter so there will never will be chocolates that you don’t like in your selection. Chocolatiers have created these amazing treats full of flavour, including raspberry square, apple strudel, chocolate brownie, Bailey’s, pink champagne, milk salted caramel, marzipan stawberry, mint creams, banoffee pie, vanilla cream donuts and dark chocolate coated whole cherries to name just a few. Gifts for friends and loved ones, or just for self-indulgence - who deserves a nice treat more than you? (and you get more for your money that way!) They are £3.95 per 100g which is around 6-8 hand-picked Chocolates Come and have a look and sample some amaretto ganache, our current featured chocolate – it melts in your mouth and is topped with an actual mini amaretto biscuit. The perfect treat! For small gifts we have Belgian chocolate milk and white lollies with messages like ‘I Love You’, ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘Thank You’ written on in chocolate. We also have a range of amazing chocolate spoon drinks - all you do is boil you mug of milk, pop the chocolate spoon in and stir it till the chocolate melts and you can enjoy a beautiful chocolate drink - a great gift at £2.25. Some even have a shot of alcohol (for over 18’s only). Flavours include white chocolate, salted caramel, mocha, black forest, hazelnut and amaretto macaroons. Perfect to enjoy curled up on the sofa on a cold winter’s night! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook @ ChocCounter and see our updates on the brand new featured chocolates, with new and exciting flavours added to our range all the time. 15 Market Street Wellington TF1 1DT - 07774 747303 @ ChocCounter

12 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 12 News.indd 1

30/01/2017 18:16

New College Advert.indd 1

30/01/2017 10:37

Say ‘I do’ If you are planning your 2017 wedding, or perhaps you’re a guest at a wedding this year Wrekin News’ new wedding feature is a must read for you... Full of ideas and advice from our experts and advertisers oﬀering unique and traditional wedding services. We also have ten pairs of tickets to the National Wedding Show at the NEC, Birmingham to be won! If this is your special year, we wish you all the very best of luck and happiness together. Birmingham NEC 3 – 5 March

WIN

National Wedding Show tickets

HE NATIONAL Wedding Show has a spectacular line up for spring 2017, bringing the nation’s most beautiful, stylish and inspiring wedding suppliers together under one roof, including the hottest names on the high street and independent boutiques. All the bridal party will be entertained with live music, food tastings, shopping hotspots and DIY classes, not to mention The Champagne Bar! The Revlon Runway brings to life the latest trends for the bride, groom, mother-of-the-bride and the bridesmaids on the UK’s largest bridal catwalk. The biggest names in bridal design will showcase their latest collections including Jenny Packham, Vera Wang, David’s Bridal, Alfred Angelo, Allure Bridals, Berketex Brides, Maggie Sottero, Maids to Measure, Debenhams, Coast, Phase Eight, Young’s Hire, Moss Bros, Nigel Rayment, Katya Katya Shehurina, Cad & The Dandy, Ghost London, Ben De Lisi, and many more offering timeless classics, one off creations and lust worthy designs. The National Wedding Show tours the country to bring brides-to-be their fashion-ﬁx and the very latest in stationery, honeymoons, beauty, plus so much more! It’s the perfect place to shop for your entire wedding or if you are on a ‘quest for the dress’ head to the Bridal Boutique and Designer Boutique, with endless opportunities to try on that dream dress, you’ll also get the chance to speak directly with some of the designers and ask their style advice. They say knowledge is power, and The National Wedding show has a line-up of industry insiders to devour their passions at The Makeover Theatre, the home for hair, beauty and style advice. The show’s producers will also be on the hunt twice a day to offer a lucky bride-to-be and the motherof-the-bride or groom a head to toe makeover live on stage. Prepare to be amazed… Savile Row tailors from Cad & The Dandy and Yardsman lead the way for the boys in the Gentleman’s Lounge, where

the iconic British menswear brand will showcase their latest bespoke and hire collections, including everything from the traditional morning suit to Scottish highland dress plus contemporary takes on the classic lounge suit. Who knows, you might discover the grooms (and his groomsmen’s) stylish side. If you are looking to book your honeymoon, get the low down on the latest hot-spots, relaxing havens or trekking adventures. Back by phenomenal demand, Kat Williams from award winning blog Rock N Roll Bride, will continue to put her stamp on the show and curate an unique area for bridesto-be looking for alternative suppliers. Offering guests the very best from quirky jewellery, sensational cakes, show-stopping dresses and fun headwear! Sounds like just what you are looking for? Make your way to The Rock n Roll Bride Collection where Kat herself will be on hand to point you in the right direction to put your own bespoke touch to your special day. The day wouldn’t be complete without some early wedding celebrations! Hot foot to the Champagne Bar and pop open a bottle of bubbly. But if you are looking for the perfect FROW (front row seat, obviously!) at The Revlon Runway book VIP Tickets, where you can not only reserve your catwalk seat but beat the queues with fast track entrance, unlimited access to the luxurious VIP Lounge, a complimentary glass of bubbly, plus get your hands on a VIP goody bag!

14 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 14, 15 Wedding feature.indd 1

30/01/2017 20:38

Kings Menswear offer suits for hire this wedding season

INGS Menswear based in Telford are providing their services and expertise on suits and accessories for the upcoming wedding season. The business is holding a ‘groom goes free’ offer if five or more suits are hired, subject to terms and conditions. Owner Mal Johnston said: “We provide suits for weddings and special occasions and take pride in helping people look their best for the special day.” A range of suits are available for men and children with an array of accessories such as patent leather shoes, braces, pocket watches and hip flasks. The business received a testimonial from a satisfied groom-to-be who was pressed for time before his wedding. Carl Cheshire said: “A professional friendly service, from start to finish going the extra mile to help organise within one week of our wedding date. We highly recommend Kings Menswear to family and friends.” Mr Johnston added: “We are more than happy to help and give suggestions because we are aware of the stress that can come with planning the wedding and finding what to wear. ”We are no strangers to going above and beyond to help our customers relieve some of the stress and enjoy their big day, as we understand the importance of the occasion.” The Kings Menswear website also allows people to piece together a suit with the use of an outfit builder to see how the potential suit would look. For more information call 01952 259107 or contact: info@kingsmenswear.co.uk

Thhe Suit Hire Specialist sts

CALL TODAY FOR AN APPOINTMENT

01952 259107 32 Woodside Rd Telford TF1 5EZ

FRIENDLY FAMILY BUSINESS • Wedding Suit Hire • Special Occasion Hire • Highland Wear Hire • Accessories For Your Occasion • Outfits From Two Years Of Age Join Us On Social Media

...................................................................................... www.kingsmenswear.co.uk

MUCH WENLOCK, SHROPSHIRE

At the Edge we offer everything for your adventure needs from stag/hen parties to children’s parties. The Edge Adventure Activities, Newtown House Farm, Shrewsbury Road, Much Wenlock, Shropshire, TF13 6DB. T:

01952 727 491 E: info@theedgeadventure.co.uk

Win tickets to the UK’s biggest wedding show! Wrekin News has teamed up with The National Wedding Show to offer TEN lucky readers and their ‘plus one’ the chance to attend the year’s most prestigious wedding event, absolutely free! For your chance to win a pair of tickets send your name, address and daytime telephone number to: Tania Baylis, Wedding Show, Wrekin News, Bridge Road, Wellington, Telford TF1 1RY. Or email your details with your entry to: tania@plus2media.co.uk Tickets are valid any day and are limited to one pair per winner and are only available at London and Birmingham. Closing date for entries is Tuesday 21 February 2017.

www.theedgeadventure.co.uk www.wrekinnews.co.uk · 15

14, 15 Wedding feature.indd 2

29/01/2017 14:31

SAY “I DO” WEDDING FEATURE

VIP attention at Gymophobics

RE you planning a wedding in 2017? It is very easy to get caught up in all of the excitement of planning venues, flowers, dresses etc., but have you planned for time for YOU? Many brides leave it until the last few weeks prior to a dress fitting to think about how they really want to look on their wedding day, but this should be the first thing that you do! The bride is the most important person so make time to make the whole experience as special as possible. At Gymophobics, we specialise in making you look good, regardless of whether you have weight to lose or not. Even a little toning can ensure that the ‘perfect dress’ looks perfect. Our easy, 30 minute circuit will ensure that you not only have the figure that you want, but will give you a little ‘you’ time, much needed to combat any stress or bridezilla moments! Don’t like exercise? Our instructors will not only design your individual programme but will make it a fun experience that you enjoy, with consistent monitoring and VIP attention. How about bringing the bridesmaids or mothers along? We cater for any age or ability so that everyone can join in, the more the merrier! Whatever you do, it is always so much more enjoyable if you do it with friends or family and we have discounts available to specific groups. With packages from just £1 per day, make 2017 your year!

56 MARKET STREET · WELLINGTON · TELFORD · SHROPSHIRE TF1 1DT

Tel: (01952) 872150 · email: telford@gymophobics.co.uk Results may vary and are dependant on attendance and physiological make up. Weight loss is achieved in conjunction with a calorie controlled diet.

16 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 16 Wedding Feature.indd 1

30/01/2017 20:39

BUCKATREE:- 07/12/2015 15:32 Page 1

WEDDINGS...

Buckatree Hall Hotel Your perfect Wedding Venue Set in beautiful Shropshire countryside at the foot of the Wrekin, yet only a short drive from Telford and Shrewsbury, the Buckatree Hall Hotel is a starting point for your fairytale wedding. The country house setting and extensive grounds provide the perfect backdrop for photographs that you can share and cherish forever. Renowned for successfully hosting weddings, Buckatree Hall can tailor a package to suit your individual requirements. The hotel team are proud to offer a friendly and professional service. The wedding team have a total commitment to ensuring that your wedding day exceeds your every expectation. Pride is taken in perfecting the details that make up your wedding day and your guests will be catered for by attentive and professional staff. Rest assured, you will be in safe hands. The hotel is licensed for civil ceremonies and partnerships so that your marriage can move from ceremony into celebration. Outdoor wedding ceremonies in their Pagoda next to the private lake make for a stunning backdrop. The hotel’s Lakeside Suite can cater for up to 70 guests for your wedding breakfast, overlooking the main gardens and lake. Whilst being richly adorned in decor, this room does offer a beautiful setting for your perfect day. The Sir John Bayley Suite is tastefully decorated in a contemporary style with gold gilded mirrors, enhancing the room and serviced by its own bar. This suite offers the perfect venue for all your requirements, catering for up to 110 day time guests and up to 200 in the evening. Each of the 62 bedrooms are beautifully decorated and designed with comfort in mind. Choose from standard rooms or executive rooms with balconies, overlooking the lake and gardens. The hotel also have a beautiful Penthouse Suite with ornate four poster bed. All in all, Buckatree Hall Hotel have chosen the finest ingredients to create classic dishes with a touch of flair and offer hospitality packages to give you the best wedding experience locally. The staff and management do look forward to welcoming you and turning your dream into reality.

  We pride ourselves as being one of Shropshires leading wedding venues, our attention to detail and the courtesy of our staff will leave you confident that your day will be an enjoyable and memorable occasion

  

 The Wrekin, Wellington, Telford TF6 5AL  01952 641821  sales@buckatreehallhotel.com  www.buckatreehallhotel.com

17 Advert.indd 1 Page.indd 1 Buckatree Hall Full

27/01/2017 07/01/2016 22:14 16:04

FASHION IDEAS FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY Clutch £60 Dune

Sandals £70 Dune Earings £29 Hobbs

SPECIAL OCCASION STYLE

Dress £65 Little Mistress

An invitation to a wedding gives you the perfect opportunity to splash out on a brand new outfit. Classic, sophisticated and glamorous styles are just the thing for a formal event and there’s many head-turning looks this season that will suit ladies of every age. You’ll need to find more than just a dress though because a hat or fascinator is a wedding essential.

by Eve Nicholls

Look fabulous in a fascinator

Dress £159 Hobbs

A fascinator completes your wedding look perfectly. Do - keep it classic, simple designs work best. Do - Consider your hair style and colour by choosing a fascinator that compliments both. Do - Ask your hairstylist to place your fascinator to compliment your style. Don’t - Choose overly big or small designs. Don’t - Opt for bright colours, keep your fascinator neutral.

Fascinator

£45 Hobbs

Fascinator

£39 Phase Eight

Pearl Necklace

Jacket £199 Hobbs

£45 Hobbs

Shoes £80 Dune Bag £60 Dune

18 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 20, 21 Helen Taylor.indd 1

30/01/2017 11:04

Dress £199 Jenny Packham

13-14 Gresham Drive, Newdale, Telford TF3 5ES

01952 787247

Dress £55 Little Mistress

Turn heads in a hat

Hat £99 Phase Eight

The Do’s and Dont’s

For ultimate sophistication make a hat your number one accessory. Do - Choose a hat that you feel comfortable in, adjusting it during the ceremony is a definite no no. Do - Try on every style you can get your hands on, you might be surprised at which design suits you best. Do - Think about your size, a large hat on a petite person will look odd, as will a tiny design on a larger lady. Don’t - Choose anything too bold or unusual, the attention should be on the bride not your hat. Don’t - Feel pressured to find a hat that exactly matches your dress, instead look for one that compliments both your outfit and your complexion.

telford@anytimeﬁtness.co.uk · www.anytimeﬁtness.co.uk

Anytime Fitness offer 3-day guest passes for the upcoming wedding season

NYTIME fitness are offering 3-day guest passes to the people of Telford to entice new members. The well-established franchise offers 24/7 gym access along with various classes run by specialist trainers. Club manager Jenny Daniel said: “We provide the best possible fitness equipment for those who want to achieve a healthier lifestyle, especially in the run up to the wedding season. “With the gym being accessible day and night and all year round, it makes it beneficial for members to fit a workout in their schedules and use the facilities at their convenience.” The gym also provides tanning facilities, health plan discounts, private showers, 24hour security and personal training. She added: “The fitness classes are prepared and run by staff that have sound knowledge, offer guidance and can keep you

motivated to help you reach your ﬁtness goals before the big day.” Virtual classes are also provided by the club so people can exercise late at night or in the early hours of the morning without a gym instructor being there. The gym also allows members to have access to many of the franchise gyms across the UK for the price of a standard monthly gym membership fee. For more information email: telford@ anytimeﬁtness.co.uk or contact 01952 787247

www.wrekinnews.co.uk · 19

20, 21 Helen Taylor.indd 2

30/01/2017 20:59

SAY “I DO” WEDDING FEATURE

ADVANCE PLANNING IS THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL DAY Some helpful wedding advice and tips from the Wrekin News’ very own etiquette expert Sue Ladds.

T’S FEBRUARY and all thoughts turn to Weddings??? For those of us slower to catch on Valentines Day proposals may turn into summer weddings. The wedding industry, for so it is, hopes to get fully booked early to organize staff and sub-contractors. Fair enough. The one question that should never be asked is, can we afford it? Economic options can be made in all areas. First the day does not have to be a Saturday. Many venues would be delighted to quote for a weekday. Later in the day helps if guests are at work or school. Many churches have good sound systems if the organist is not available and should be understanding of your economical needs. All village and community halls are pleasant with modern facilities and often can help with a bar, caterers and possibly entertainers. Asking for help from family and friends instead of a present can work wonders. Flower arranging, beauty and hair stylists, teenagers who would love to decorate the venue, the cake maker, even the wedding car, may help with the ﬁnal tally. But the biggest savings can be made in the drinks department. Advance planning is the key, also checking the protocol with your chosen venue. Even a new brewer can have a good supply of beer, wine, spirits and liqueurs made for the event, a licenced bar taking the strain if you run out! Also start deciding which ﬁzzy wines you like and striking when the price is right. I confess to being amused by certain jewellers offering budget engagement rings to be upgraded if the marriage offer is accepted. But be careful boys! You don’t want to look a tightwad from the word go!

TO THE BRIDE AND GROOM!

Hair Xtreme Ladies Hair Specialist

Opening Hours Tuesday 9-3 Wednesday 9-1 Thursday 9-5 Friday 9-6 Saturday 9-3

WEDDING PACKAGES (IN SALON AP POIN

TMENTS ON

LY) TRIALS + DA Y £40 FOR THE FROM BRIDE BRIDESMAID PACKAGES FROM £30

GEL NAILS £17, ADD £2 FOR GLITTER, HERBAL PERMS FROM £42 Find us on Facebook

BREW ie Gen Large range of beer and wine making kits including starter kits and equipment. Plus all distilation requirements. Very competitive prices at all times. Delivery service throughout UK and Europe. Enquiries please to: sales@brewgenie.co.uk

www.brewgenie.com

Church House New Church Road Wellington, TF1 1JX 01952 250771

Hen nights with a difference! For those of you that aren’t interested in painting the town red for your hen night, why not try something different? Mystic Jane who has over ten years experience in psychic and tarot readings, does group bookings in your home. Make a night of it, and get the girls round for a few bottles of wine and a takeaway. Sounds much more civilised!

PSYCHIC/ TAROT READINGS Unhurried conﬁdential Psychic / Tarot readings in a friendly atmosphere. 10+ years experience. Call for a private appointment or group booking in your own home.

Now also doing email readings! They are very popular and reasonably priced, ask for details.

2a Queen Street, Wellington, Telford, TF1 1ER

01952 248298

Call to book your appointment: 07952 746858

Email: enquiries@mysticjane.co.uk · Visit: www.mysticjane.co.uk

20 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 20 Wedding Feature.indd 1

30/01/2017 20:40

Over 30 years experience in all aspects of dog training with many happy clients Family run business owned and managed by Gavin Beechey

★★★★★ Over 300 Five Star reviews on Facebook “Sponsors of Dawley Church of England Primary School Academy football kit”

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@gb_dogtraining GBdogtraining-uk www.wrekinnews.co.uk · 21

GB Dog Training Advert.indd 1

30/01/2017 11:00

Dea r Editor . . .

Letters

SHARE YOUR SPECIAL MEMO RIES AND PICTURES THROUGH THE MOST POPULAR PAGES OF THE WREKIN NEWS

Dave plans New College reunion

AVE Poulter is organising a New College reunion and he wants to hear from you if you were in the class of 1975 to 1977, which was the ﬁrst full academic year of the college. Dave recalls that the year was made up of around 70% of pupils from the Wellington Grammar School and Wellington High School girls. The other 30% was made up of pupils from other senior schools in the surrounding area. Dave has agreed a provisional date of Saturday 23 September 2017 for the reunion which will hopefully be at New College and offer participants the opportunity to have a tour of the old building. A real trip down memory lane for those who have not been back for a while. A Facebook group (New College 1975-77) has been set up and Dave is inviting all former pupils to join the group and catch-up with old friends and colleagues before the event. Dave would particulary like to hear from you if you have any old photographs or memorabillia from your time at the college. There will be a digital display on the night showcasing all of the pictures collected. Dave has a busy few months ahead of him now as he attempts to track down as many former students and teachers as possible. Can you help? Where you a student or a teacher at the college or do you know someone who was? Dave would be very grateful if you could get in touch with him with any details however vague they may be. Tickets will soon be available from Dave priced at £5 and will include a light buffet. The evening is also open to old Grammer and High School pupils from 1970 to 1975. You can contact Dave Poulter by mobile: 07874 704769 or email: davidpoulter@aol.com and remember to join the Facebook group!

Dave sent in this photo of Mr Browns tutor group from 1975-77. Ba ck row (left to right) - not known, Stu a rt Whyle, John Dudley. Middle row - Mike Hoppett, Pa ulette Pooler, Ma ndy Blockley, not known, not known. Front row - Nigel Woodvine, John Welch, Mr Brown, Dave Atkinson, not known. Are you on the pictu re ? Ca n you help identify the fa ces who a re not known, please let us know.

Correct the biased system

Dear Editor, We read, for the ﬁrst time, the Wrekin News, not having seen it before. It is, of all local journals, probably the most interesting. I must, however take issue with the very biased article, ‘Love Food’, by Professor Ralph Early. Unfortunately he is taking the familiar path of bias. We have been paying the EU for these advantages, they are not free, and the big agro businesses have done very well out of the system and subsidies, the smaller farmers have not. We have also seen the rape of the countryside, to the detriment of wildlife and enrichment of big business. Low wage immigrants have further enriched big business, not the country. No the professor is wrong, this country will prosper, provided we correct what is a very unequal and biased system and have care for real people, when our government awards contracts to british business not to the beneﬁt of the EU. The whole business of ‘Brexit’ is too complex to be dismissed by a wave of the hand. Thank you for a very good magazine Sincerely R.Williams, Shifnal

We love hearing from you!

For 15 years Wrekin News has printed pages and pages of your letters and pictures and we want to publish more! Please keep our editor’s inbox full and send your letters and pictures to: The Editor, Wrekin News, Bridge Road, Wellington, Telford, Shropshire TF1 1RY or email your contributions to: james@plus2media.co.uk 22 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 22, 23, 24, 25, 28 Letters.indd 1

29/01/2017 21:18

Keep Kadcyla

Mr James Baylis Wrekin News Bridge Road Wellington

Dear Mr Baylis,

It is devastating to hear that Kadcyla – a crucial life-extending treatment for women with incurable secondary breast cancer – faces being withdrawn from the NHS, following the failure of NICE and the drug’s manufacturer, Roche, to reach an agreement. Kadcyla can offer patients precious extra months – even years – of good quality time with their loved ones, with fewer side effects than other treatments. It is available in many other countries – including France, Germany and Australia – and unless NICE’s draft decision is overturned next month, this fantastic medical advance will bypass patients in England forever. That’s why I’ve backed Breast Cancer Now’s campaign to #KeepKadcyla, which calls on NICE and Roche to urgently reach a deal to ensure patients in England are not denied this very effective treatment. There is very little time left for this decision to be reversed and I urge NICE and Roche to do everything in their power to keep this drug available.Cancer affects many life’s, please let’s try and help people affected, by giving them the best treatment. Yours faithfully, Julie Leader TF10 7TU

Jim and Joan Purcell pictured at wedding

OVERSEAS PROPERTY OPEN DAY IN TELFORD Property hunters searching for their own dream home in the sun will be able to get expert advice and guidance at an upcoming event. More and more Brits are heading to the sunny shores of Spain, Tenerife and Cyprus as they seek the holiday lifestyle on a more permanent basis. The great value property prices in the Mediterranean, strength of the pound and continued low savings interest rates in the UK make buying a property under the Mediterranean sun extremely attractive. And now a locally based overseas property specialist is offering his services to those who want to know more. Christopher Morris, director of long established Shrewsbury ﬁrm Simply Overseas, said: “Perhaps you want ﬁrst class entertainment on your doorstep or to set up home in the heart of a quaint, traditional village. “Thousands of Brits and other foreign buyers have been taking advantage of the situation and are snapping up the best bargains and last year (2016) was our busiest in around a decade

and we see no reason for this not to continue.” “One way to ﬁnd out what you need to know to buy safely is by visiting our Open Day on Sunday 26 February. “We will take you through all the facts to give you a much clearer idea of what the process is about and your realistic options. “Simply Overseas can help you realise your dream, whether you are after a villa to seek refuge twice a year, an apartment for investment purposes or a place to spend your twilight years.” The company offers a wide choice of property, ranging from apartments and townhouses to luxury semi-detached and detached villas. There are properties in ﬁne locations to suit every taste and budget. The event will focus on Spain, Tenerife and Cyprus and takes place between 11am and 3pm on February 26 at the Park Inn by Radisson, Forgegate, Telford Town Centre, TF3 4NA. For more information, call Simply Overseas on 01743 343634 or email sales@ simplyoverseas.co.uk

Open Day Sunday 26 February 11am to 3pm

Park Inn by Radisson, Forgegate Telford Town Centre, TF3 4NA Wrekin News readers Margaret and Bryn Roberts of Oakengates sent us this lovely photograph of Jim Purcell and his wife Joan. Margaret and Bryn read with interest in a recent issue our letter from Phil Lewis who has asked our readers to help him with his desire to research his ancestors. The photograph of Jim and Joan was taken at Margarets and Bryn’s wedding at The Rock Methodist Chapel in 1967. Sadly both have passed on. They lived in Wellington in St. Chad’s Close. Prior to his retirement Jim was a Tax Ofﬁcer at the Inland Revenue ofﬁce in Glebe Street. Thank you very much for sending in the photograph Margaret and Bryn, we will pass on the details to Phil.

New & Resale Villas, Town Houses, Apartments etc for Holidays, Retirement, Relocation, Inheritance, Investment

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29/01/2017 21:18

My Story I

Place names . . . by Christopher Carter

by Rona Harris

T THE beginning of January was my eldest sister Irene’s ninety third birthday, and you know I really feel that it is no time at all since we were kids together and then ‘teenage’ adults, and of course as always life progressed from then, and it is very strange how memories always seem to me to lean towards happy times. Irene was the sort of youngster who always ‘took care’ of all her presents, they never came to grief, whereas mine never had a very long life span. Irene is six years older than myself, so she was already eleven years of age when I started at our local school in one of the adjoining villages, so of course in the ‘bigger’ class too, and we all attended here from age five years to fourteen years inclusive, so that by the time our younger sister Sheila started there, Irene had already left and had a job with one of the local firms. Yes life went on and Irene had friends at work, and they all would attend dances in our local village hall, and any “eligible” blokes from our classes at school made up all the local talent, so their choices were very limited. Then Irene got a office job in Manchester, and as my Dad was working there too they would travel together by train. Then of course the “war” happened, and Irene who was nineteen years of age had to get Dad’s permission to go into the forces, he was against this, but she eventually managed to persuade him. She was posted to various places in this country, and her big chance came when she was posted to Australia, and I think she really loved it there too. She had to come back to England to be demobbed, but I don’t think that she really settled back in her nine to five jobs, and has consequently lived and worked in a few different countries around the world. I recall that I was, I suppose quite jealous of her, all the family thought she was wonderful {as I did), because at that time nobody went abroad on holiday, as kids we were lucky to get as fas as Rhyl in North Wales for a week, or my aunties farm in Lincolnshire, but this was just Mum, Dad Sheila and me, as Irene was, as you can imagine totally independent now. When I think back now, it all seems to be a little unreal, considering how everything in our lives has completely changed since those strange years. As you know our parents were very strict, and when I told my Dad that “When I am nineteen I want to join the WRNS” his response was a definite “NO” and when you are twenty one you can please yourself, but until then “You will abide by the rules and regulations of this house”. I am hoping to show you a photograph of Irene in her naval uniform and I think she looks lovely. Well yet again, I think this all for now and I will write more next time.

’M AN offcumdun, a newcomer! I’ve only been in Telford a couple of years. I expected Telford, a new town, created by government decree in 1963, to be a town of high-rise flats and large estates of identical houses with no history or tradition. How wrong I was! Instead I found a number of towns and villages, each with its own history and, usually, residents who were proud of where they live though they have been considered as the suburbs of Telford. Each has had its time in history and tradition. Whenever I asked where someone came from I was usually answered with the locality – Madeley, Wellington, or Priorslee, but if going into Telford by bus they were going to Town. The earliest settlers in the region were members of the Cornivii tribe who occupied the Welsh border lands from Hereford to Chester from the Iron Age to the Roman occupation. They made The Wrekin as their capital until defeated in battle by the Romans who arrived in the area in about AD47. The main contribution of the Romans being their construction of Watling Street from their camp near Lichfield - Letocetum - and the town of Virconium, now known as Wroxeter. There is evidence of a small camp - Vxacona - along the road just to the east of Priorslee. Later the Saxons renamed the Roman road at Watling Street – the name it now has. According to the Venerable Bede the Romans left the area in the 4th Century to be replaced by the Germanic tribes of Jutes, Angles and Saxons. Most local names can be identified from their language - Old English, but care is needed. There is no written evidence and some names may have been poached from elsewhere. The name usually made reference to the locality – Wrockwardine could have originated because this was an area where buzzards (OE wrocc) were seen, but also could have been the ward (village) near the Wrekin. Like most derivations you just have to make a choice! As an example! Two friends decided to meet at the well (OE wella) in the field (OE ingas) by the farm (OE tun). So they decided to meet at Wellington (as it became to be known) six centuries before it gained its Market charter and long before the noble duke met Napoleon at Waterloo or invented a riding boot. It would be interesting to know where that spring was. Wellington has its famous sons amongst which is William Withering (born in 1741). He identified the Foxglove plant as a source

of Digitalis which is still used to treat heart disease. Two other examples are Stirchley as the clearing (OE leah) for the heifers (OE stirc). In 1612 it consisted of three farms and five cottages, later demolished in 1970 to provide a housing estate. Horsehay is the heathland (OE hao) for the horses (OE hors) but was the site of Abraham Darby’s first iron foundry in 1755. However there is room for mis-diagnosis to creep in. Madeley provides the example. (OE maedleah) means the meadow in the clearing. This is possible but unlikely. There are a number of - leys in Telford – not all of them date back to the Anglo-Saxon days. Hadley was mentioned in the Domesday Book as Hagelwege and Hadley Woods were the site of St Augustine’s Priory which became Wombridge Priory in 1135. In 1922 Len Murray the leader of the TUC was born in Hadley. Dawley was also mentioned in the Domesday Book and can claim Ellis Peters, the writer and Matthew Webb the first English swimmer of the English Channel. By the twelfth century the English language became much as we now know it and place names became more understandable. It is then that William of Hadley gave money to Wombridge Priory. It is possible that the Priory had farm land further afield which became known as Priorslee. Farming also appears just south of the River Severn where Jackfield is probably where the donkeys were kept. Later development came at the end of the 18th Century when, in 1795 the manufacture of porcelain began at Coalport. Coal was needed to heat the kilns. This was delivered by canal and the dock where it was delivered became Coalport. Coal and furnaces also brought the name Coalbrookdale to the western end of the gorge where those furnaces provided the iron to make the bridge that gave the settlement the name by which it is now known - Ironbridge. Coalford also appears on the map on the south side of the river near to Jackfield, presumably this is also a reference to another landing place for coal. The names of most villages, hamlets and towns have an oral tradition dating to times before the written word became universal. For this reason I have had many sources of information – books, conversations and the internet, some of which, frequently, was contradictory. Please bear this in mind if my explanations do not agree with yours.

The Devil’s Coach House

Samantha Turner from Wellington contacted the Wrekin News ofﬁce recently. A fellow Wrekin walker had heard on BBC Radio 3 or 4 mention made of a yew tree on The Wrekin known as The Devil’s Coach House. This was news to Samantha and she wondered if any of our readers could shed some light on which tree it is. She immediately thought of George Evans and if anyone knows which tree it is I’m sure George will let us know!

24 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 22, 23, 24, 25, 28 Letters.indd 3

30/01/2017 20:42

Former Lillywhite Cyril recalls his football career

YRIL Poole of Wellington called into our ofﬁces recently and dropped off a picture of Wellington Town. The photograph dates back to the 1947/48 season and Cyril believes that the trophy being proudly displayed at the front of the picture is the Cheshire League championship trophy that the club won the previous season. Cyril could remember the following players and members of the club staff on the photo, the players included: Dicky Dew, Frank Childs, Jack Hick, Charlie Jones, Colin Brookes (GK), Tommy Jones, Headley Simms, Harry Parr, Ivor Lea and Norman Phillips. Of the club staff, Cyril could remember Mr T. G. Pearce of Pearce’s Wood Yard, a young Frank Nagington and the then

club secretary Owen Saxton. Cyril was himself a former Wellington Town player and still to this day a regular spectator at the New Bucks Head stadium. Cyril was playing regularly for the Wellington Town Reserves in the Birmingham League and during his time at the club he made ﬁve appearances for the ﬁrst team in the Cheshire League. Stepping in for injured regular keeper Colin Brookes, Cyril made his debut in a 2-2 draw against Rhyl in the 1948/49 season aged just 17 years-old. Cyril could also remember playing

against Chester (3-3) and a 3-2 away win at Macclesﬁeld Town stood out as highlights of his ﬁve games. Cyril continued his career with a season (1950/51) at Burton Albion in the Birmingham League where he often played against his hometown team before hanging up his professional gloves when he joined the Armed Forces. The team are photographed with the trophy in front of the old dressing rooms building on the Watling Street side of the old Bucks Head stadium.

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22, 23, 24, 25, 28 Letters.indd 4

29/01/2017 22:17

1,000-foot

Jeff on Lawle and in Clunto throug 30 Aug

Jeff’s peak challenge

Having already become the first person to identify and climb all Staffordshire’s (in 2012) and Cheshire’s (in 2014) 1,000-foot peaks, intrepid hill walker Jeff Kent has repeated his feat with Shropshire’s (197) 1,000-foot peaks!

EFF STARTED his Shropshire mission on 7 March 2015 by climbing Selattyn Hill and Baker’s Hill, near Oswestry, and by 10 October that year had “conquered” 79 of the county’s 1,000-foot peaks. After a winter break, Jeff resumed climbing on 12 March (2016) with a four-peak bag of Priors Holt Hill, Synalds, Churchmoor Hill and Black Knoll on The Long Mynd, southwest of Church Stretton. By 14 August, he had conquered another 48 hills, which left 66 still to be done. As Jeff was determined to complete the project before the end of the year and preferably before the onset of winter, he then made a determined effort to bag the rest of the peaks and did so in just 48 days! He completed his task on 14 October, with a five-peak haul of Cwms Hill, The Wilderness, Folly Bank, Little Caradoc and finally Caer Caradoc Hill, his favourite peak in the county, northeast of Church Stretton. Jeff began hill walking as a child and had climbed a large number of hills and mountains before he became interested in 1,000-foot peaks. He became aware of the Munros (the Scottish mountains of 3,000 feet or more) and other British hill classifications, most importantly the (254) Nuttalls, a list of peaks of 2,000 feet and above in England. As there is no land of those heights anywhere near Jeff’s home, he developed an interest in 1,000foot peaks, initially in Staffordshire, and discovered that most of them had never been identified as such. So he set himself the objective of locating all the ones in the county from Ordnance Survey maps. The criteria for qualification he used were that the peaks must be natural features at least 1,000 feet above mean sea level, having a name or a relative height of

Jeff on the summ of Nick Knolls on 10 June 2015.

Jeff on the summit of The Wrekin on 28 June 2015 and inset: Jeff at the trig point on the summit of The Wrekin

fifty feet. By this formula, he ascertained that there were 65 1,000-foot peaks in Staffordshire, 46 in Cheshire and a staggering 197 in Shropshire! Having identified the 1,000-foot peaks, Jeff’s next task was to climb them all, from the nearest low ground, often in river valleys. With the publication of books on the subject in mind, he did so in a series of circular walks, often climbing several adjacent hills in a single outing. Having completed his conquests of the first two counties, he then published his books Staffordshire’s 1,000-Foot Peaks in 2013 and Cheshire’s 1,000-Foot Peaks in 2015. It is Jeff’s intention that a similar volume for Shropshire will follow next year. As he did with his Staffordshire and Cheshire conquests, Jeff has posted proof of his achievement in his Shropshire’s

1,000-Foot Peaks photo album on www. ﬂickr.com under his website name of Jeff Kent Witan. The 214 featured pictures show him on the summits of the 197 peaks and associated features. Jeff was joined on his climbs by Sue Bell, his partner and photographer, although she left a few awkward precise summits for Jeff to tackle, not least the bramble-ridden top of Buxton Hill, to surmount which cut his legs to ribbons! Amongst other problems Jeff suffered were being beset by bold bullocks on his descent of Round Hill, battling a swarm of bees to reach the summit of Henley Nap, developing exposure on the Hope Bowdler massif, struggling to stand up in a gale on the top of Titterstone Clee Hill, almost breaking an ankle on Manstone Rock and having to crawl through an immensely dense plantation to reach the trig point at the summit of Black Hill.

26 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 26, 27 Shropshire Peaks.indd 1

29/01/2017 16:47

Jeff on the summit of The Lawley on the 25 March 2016 and inset: on the summit of Clunton Hill (having bat tled through the bracken) on 30 August 2015.

History Group talk

Wednesday 15 February Wellington Library 7.30pm

Wellington History Group - A talk by Paul Hughes on Telford Steam Railway and Milnes’s Hadley Tramcar Works at Wellington Library on Wednesday 15 February at 7.30pm. Admission is free but donations are welcomed.

Shropshire Caincross invites new members

In print

Unfortunately, Jeff’s Staffordshire’s 1,000-Foot Peaks book is now out of print and he only has available his last few copies of Cheshire’s 1,000-Foot Peaks (at £12.75), but is selling end-of-run signed copies of his 137-page colour photo book, Peak Pictures, for £4 (at less than a third of its £12.75 cover price). For further information, Jeff can be contacted at: witan@mail.com or on 01782 791673.

A Telford dog running group has expanded across Shropshire to accommodate its 200 members. Telford Canicross organises local runs with humans being pulled along by their dogs. Canicross is an up and coming sport where people are attached by a waist belt and bungee cord to a running harness on their dogs. Originally developed as a summer exercise for sledge dogs, Canicross has become a popular exercise for owners wanting to get ﬁtter with their dogs. The group has now changed its name to Shropshire Canicross and organises free runs across the County including Haughmond Hill, Nesscliffe, The Wrekin and Telford Town Park. Wellington resident, Paul Kalinauckas who set up the group said “In just over a year we have attracted 200 members who love running with their dogs. As well as regular social runs and beginners sessions we also take rescue dogs from Hilbrae Kennels for a monthly run. It is great fun and very exhilarating to run with dogs and an easy way of getting ﬁtter. I normally do the Telford 5 Kilometre parkrun every Saturday morning and my fastest time is 28 minutes or 25 minutes if I’m being pulled around by my dog.” New members are always welcome and can join the group’s Facebook Page, Shropshire Canicross.

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29/01/2017 16:47

WELLINGTON REMEMBERS 1914 - 1918 Project If you go into the Community History Centre in Wellington Library, you will often see members of the Wellington Remembers team busy researching and writing soldiers biographies.

This month we would like to share the story of Pte Graham Brisbourne.

His story RAHAM Brisbourne was the son of Richard Brisbourne and Martha (née York). Though Richard was from a farming family, by 1881 he was living in Wellington and working as a tailor’s assistant in the New Street shop run by James York, later to become Graham’s brother in law. Martha lived in King Street with her mother at this time, but looking a little further back Graham’s maternal grandmother, Elizabeth, ran the George and Dragon Inn on New Street. Elizabeth had taken over the George and Dragon after the death of Graham’s grandfather, William, who was also a plumber employing seven men. She ran it until it closed down in the late 1800s when the premises were converted into a shop and yard, trading until 1974 when it was demolished. Richard and Martha were married on 9 October 1883 at St Chad’s church in Shrewsbury, at which time Richard was living in Claremont Hill and Martha on King Street in Wellington. Their ﬁrstborn children were twins, Winifred, July and Noel, born in July 1884. They were baptised on 10 September, and both had died by the end of the year. A second son, Cyril, was born in 1886 and Graham on 1 November 1887, with Edgar completing the family in November 1889. The children were all baptised at All Saints, Wellington; Graham on 22 January 1888, at which time the family still lived in King Street. By the 1891 census, Richard had taken over the tailoring business on Church Street, which he kept until about 1915 when he sold it to William Steventon. Graham was educated at Wellington College between 1900 and 1905, and by 1911 he was still living at home on Church Street, though no occupation was listed. Younger brother Edgar was also at home, and it’s quite likely that one or both of them would have entered their father’s tailoring profession. Graham married Madge Fox in King’s Norton in 1915, and their daughter Dorothy Madge was born in the same year. Graham enlisted about April 1916 into the 1st Bn. Herefordshire

27707 Pte Graham Oscar Lloyd Brisbourne - Border Regiment Born 1 November 1887 in Wellington, Shropshire Lived in King Street, Wellington and Church Street, Wellington Killed in action 18 November 1916 aged 29 in France No known grave. Named on the Thiepval memorial: Pier/Face 6a/7c

Regiment where his regimental number was 4500. On 22 September 1916 Graham and over 200 others were transferred to 3rd Bn. King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, a reserve battalion used to supply other regiments as required, and posted to France. [His regimental number changed to 20436] Having disembarked in France, probably on 3 October, these same men were quickly transferred to another regiment, joining 11th (Service) Bn. Border Regiment on 11 October. This battalion was often referred to as the ‘Lonsdales’ after the Earl of Lonsdale who had raised the battalion at the start of the conflict. Here Graham was assigned his final service number, 27707. The Battalion War Diary reported on 15 November ‘Orders received to dump packs etc. Men paraded in battle order and at 2.00pm marched for Englebelmer, arriving 5.00pm.’ On 17 November, ‘Battalion left Engelbelmer at 11.00pm full fighting order for trenches... on the way to these trenches passed under shell fire and casualties were caused. The behaviour of the men was good and after some difficulty the relief which was commenced at 1.00am was completed at 6.00am’. After persistent heavy rain, the whole area had become like a quagmire. That night there was constant snow, which turned to slush by dawn. Fighting on 18 November was heavy and

sustained; there are graphic reports in the war diary, which adds that stretcher bearers were continually over the top bringing back wounded men. This day marked what became known as the Battle of the Ancre, and at the end of the day Private Brisbourne failed to attend the roll. He was duly reported Missing in Action and later Killed in Action on or after 18 November 1916. The Wellington Journal dated 12 January 1918 reported, ‘ ...in November 1916 he received information that his son Graham Oscar Lloyd Brisbourne who was a bomber attached to a Welsh Regiment, was missing after an engagement in France, but there was reason to think he had been taken prisoner-of-war. After painful delay all doubt on the point was removed by a letter from the War office dated Jan 4th last, in which Mr Brisbourne was informed that his son was killed on or after November 18th 1916. Mr Brisbourne who has two other sons holding commissions in the army - one now in Salonica another in France…’ Graham’s brothers, Cyril and Edgar, also attended Wellington College and served in World War 1 in the Royal Field Artillery. They both survived the war, and later married; Cyril was a civil servant, working in the Ministry of Pensions in 1939 when the Register was taken, and Edgar was an insurance official. His mother, Martha died on 10 December 1916, less than a month after Graham, no doubt still hopeful that he would be found, even if a prisoner. His father, Richard, died on 25 November 1919 just three years after his son. Graham was eligible for the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. His body has not been identified, and he is remembered along with many thousands of others at Thiepval. He is also commemorated on the Wrekin College memorial in Wellington. Graham’s war gratuity payment was made to his widow, Madge in 1919, and probate was granted to her in June of the same year. Acknowledgments: Thanks to Stephen Jarvis for use of the image of Richard Brisbourne.

This Month’s Detective Corner

Frederick Samuel Adderley and Lucy Hoof

This month we would like some help from readers to ﬁnd out more about Frederick Samuel Adderley and Lucy Hoof, who were married in 1914. We know that Frederick was killed on 3 August 1915 and Lucy Adderley married James Lowe in 1916. The 1939 Register suggests that they were living at 31 Cliffe Crescent, but what happened to the family after 1939? If you know please get in touch with us at wellingtonremembers@outlook.com

28 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 22, 23, 24, 25, 28 Letters.indd 5

29/01/2017 23:06

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29 Adverts.indd 1

27/01/2017 22:55

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On Friday 17th February, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr will be back to entertain audiences of the 21st Century in their own unique way, for a special concert full of music, laughter and sophisticated style. David Alacey’s outstanding show “The Rat Pack Is Back” which is Britain’s longest running tribute to the original trio comes to The Oakengates Theatre. Audience members will be surprised to see Central Television’s popular weather presenter Des Coleman playing the role of the versatile Sammy Davis Jnr. Des who prior to becoming recognised as “Mr Weather” in the Midlands, was known for his role as Lenny in the BBC soap opera Eastenders and also appearances in many West End Musicals including “Rent” and “Porgy and Bess”. The link to the Midlands doesn’t stop there, as Des is joined by show Producer and one of the world’s leading interpreters of the music of Frank Sinatra, David Alacey as Ol’ Blue Eyes. Former Young Musician of The Year ﬁnalist Paul Drakeley completes the line up as Dean Martin.

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30 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 26, 27 Entertainment.indd 1

29/01/2017 10:49

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After breaking up with Christian, Ana is trying to move on from their relationship. But events turn ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ when he reappears, wanting her back in his life. This time, Ana doesn’t want any rules, any punishments, or any secrets. But that might prove diﬃcult as the demons in Christian’s past – and the other women he’s been with – come back to haunt him. They’ve just gotten back together, but will they be torn apart a second time? Slip into something ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ for the eagerly-anticipated second chapter in the record-breaking ‘Fifty Shades’ phenomenon.

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the s teamed up with Wrekin News ha er one off to rd lfo Te a, Odeon Cinem ema ir of standard cin lucky reader a pa e. oic ch of your tickets to a film ne me and telepho Just send your na kin re W s, yli Ba contact to: Tania , kets, Bridge Road News, Odeon Tic email: or Y 1R 1 TF rd Wellington, Telfo ia.co.uk tania@plus2med

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Wrekin News ha s teamed up with the Odeon Cinema, Telford to offer on e lucky reader a pa ir of Odeon Silve r Screen Cinema tickets (Over 55 ’s only please) to a film of your choice. Ju st send your name and telephone co ntact to: Tania Baylis, Wrekin News, Od eon Silver Screen Tic kets, Bridge Road , Wellington, Telfo rd TF1 1RY or em ail: tania@plus2med ia.co.uk

30/01/2017 02:01

Diary February 2017

9 February LOCAL WILDLIFE ON FILM Severn Valley Country Park, Bridgnorth, WV15 6NG 7, 14 and 28 February JACKFIELD TILE MUSEUM Tile Decorating Workshops Drop in between 10am and 2:20pm For details call 01952 433424 9 February SPACE WARS-PANTO FIGHTS BACK Buildwas Village Hall, TF8 7DA 11 February SATURDAY SINGERS MONTHLY SINGING WORKSHOP The Back Room, Bridgnorth Baptist Church, WV16 4AB 14 February FRIENDS OF DAWLEY PARK Meeting at Elephant and Castle, Dawley, AGM 6pm 18, 19, 25, 26 February SNOWDROP WALK

Dudmaston Hall, National Trust 18 February RED DIRT SKINNERS Live Band Birchmeadow, Broseley TF12 5LP 21 to 25 February ANNIE The Musical Bridgnorth Leisure Centre WV16 4ER 22 February THE GRUFFALO A family adventure Severn Countryside Trust, Coalbrookdale TF8 7EP 24 February SEVERN VALLEY COUNTRY PARK BAKE OFF Half term fun Severn Valley Country Park Visitor Center WV15 6NG 27 February LUNCH AS YOU LISTEN - When Worlds Collide Shrewsbury Lions Hotel Shrewsbury, SY1 1UH

To include your event in our Diary for February please contact Tania - tania@plus2media.co.uk or call 01952 522562

Telford Stamp, Card and Coin Fair

Telford Stamp, Card and Coin Fair is on Saturday 8th April 2017 at Belmont Hall, Wellington centre, Telford, TF1 1LU from 10am to 3pm, free entry with a good range of stalls, free valuations, buy and sell, home made refreshments. Free adjacent car park, train station close by, bus via Telford Centre to nearby local bus station. Further details from Bob Pilkington, Tel: 01299 211737 or email: sbpilkington02@outlook.com. (Tables may be available)

FEBRUARY 2017

FRI 3RD - THE ZOOBS FRI 10TH - RETRIBUTION SAT 11TH - GUILT TRIP, BACK DOWN, STRANDED & SCREW LOOSE SAT 18TH - 14 PIECES, MONASTERIES & AT DAWN WE ATTACK SAT 25TH - THE BEAST INSIDE Every Sunday the Oddballs MCC club meeting 7pm Tuesday 7th & 21st, Fun Lovin’ Flat Fours VW club meeting 8pm Saturday 11th & 25th, Shropshire Loves Sewing club, 1pm-4pm £2 26 HAYGATE RD, WELLINGTON, TELFORD, TF1 1QA - 01952 247333 FACEBOOK.COM/THEHAYGATE

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To advertise in

JUST THE TICKET Please call Irene on 01952 522562 or email

irene@plus2media.co.uk

Embark on an amazing underwater journey!

E TRANSPORTED into an amazing underwater world at the National Sea Life Centre Birmingham. Take a deep breath as you embark on an amazing journey from the icy-cold waters of the Antarctic to the tropical wonderland of the rainforest. Encounter over 2000 amazing creatures including giant sharks, penguins, stingrays and turtles and meet rare, unique and deadly sea creatures. Get involved in the story at the 4D cinema, touch a starﬁsh at our child friendly interactive rockpool and experience the wonder of penguins in the city, before relaxing in our ice cave or enjoying our playground.

WIN

National Sealife Tickets!

What will you discover today? Wrekin News has teamed up with the National Sea Life Centre to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a Family Pass. All you have to do to enter is send your name, address and daytime telephone number to: Tania Baylis, Sea Life, Wrekin News, Bridge Road, Wellington, Telford TF1 1RY. Or email your details to: tania@ plus2media.co.uk - closing date for entries is Thursday 23 February 2017. Good luck!

Enjoy a Valentines skate for two! To celebrate Valentines Day Wrekin News has teamed up with Telford Ice Rink to offer two lucky readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to skate at the Ice Rink. To enter send your name, address and daytime telephone number to: Tania Baylis, Telford Ice Rink, Wrekin News, Bridge Road, Wellington, Telford TF1 1RY or email your entry to: tania@plus2media.co.uk - closing date for entries is Friday 10 February 2017. GOOD LUCK!

Goldilocks and the three bears with a twist!

Just when the main pantomime season is coming to an end, oh no it isn’t, because The Crown Players are still putting the ﬁnishing touches to their own fantastic show! This year they will be performing Goldilocks and the Three Bears with a twist! The pantomime will be performed at the all new Charlton School in Wellington, every night during February half-term including an additional matinee and evening show on Saturday 25 February.

Having raised funds for over 45 years by entertaining the local people with an annual pantomime for a variety of charities, this year The Crown Players are looking forward to raising much needed funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust and seeing their grand total raised to date going over £100,000 in the past 15 years alone. For more information and to book your tickets please contact Julie Evans on 07538 035737. (Group discounts will apply)

32 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 32 Just The Ticket.indd 1

30/01/2017 14:13

bruary Monday 20 - Friday 24 Fe 11am-5pm

live bug shows

Join our Bug Man for a 1 hour live show of weird & wonderful creepy crawlies...

Shows at 12pm & 2pm every day £3.50 per child PRE-BOOK NOW Link on our website

(2-12years)

forestry adventure club

Bug Hunts, Campfire Songs & Cooking, Mud Kitchen, Arts & Crafts and more!

Feel inside the mystery boxes on our

FREE Adventurer Bug Trail

£5 per child (£4.50 for additional siblings)

Guess which bugs are hiding inside, identify the clues & follow the trail to become an Arley Adventurer!

Morning & Afternoon sessions on select days ADVANCED BOOKING ONLY Link on our website

www.arleyarboretum.co.uk

*T&C’s apply. Bug Shows & Forestry Club’s not included in the ‘Kids go free’ offer. Some events on select days only. Some features are an additional cost. Please check website for more info. E&OE. The Roger & Douglas Turner Charitable Trust. Reg. No. 1154467

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Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Pie & Pint Night £7.95 Sizzler Night £7.95 All Day Carvery 12-9 £3.95 Steak, Chicken & Fish Night £7.95 or any two for £15.00 All Day Carvery 12-9 £3.95 FULL A LA CARTE MENU AVAILABLE Three Course Carvery 12-6 £8.95 Kids Under 10 £5.95

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Wrekin & Telford y Singers meet every Frida at pm at 7:30 Admaston House. Come and join us. No audition, just lovely, friendly people who love to sing!

Call Tania today on 01952 522562 to include your event on our Community Noticeboard

34 Just The Ticket.indd 1

THE

To advertise in

JUST THE TICKET Please call Irene on 01952 522562 or email

irene@plus2media.co.uk

Win a ﬁsh & chips supper at Ye Olde Victorian Fryer! Wrekin News have teamed up with Ye Old Victorian Fryer in Trench to offer a lucky winner Fish and Chips twice. To enter send your name, address and daytime telephone number to: Tania Baylis, Fish & Chips, Wrekin News, Bridge Road, Wellington, Telford TF1 1RY or email your entry with all of the above details to: tania@ plus2media.co.uk Closing date for entries is Thursday 23 February 2017. GOOD LUCK!

The Buildwas Players present their 2017 panto.....

A panto with a difference! Including the evil Garth Varder, robots, strange aliens and some great musical numbers, this panto is going to be out of this world! A good time for all the family. Includes a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm - ideal for younger children. Refreshments will be on sale during the interval (£1 each) and a rafﬂe will also be held during the interval with great prizes (rafﬂe tickets £1 each). This year we are fundraising for Telford Guide Dogs for the Blind. Buildwas Village Hall, Telford TF8 7DA Thursday 9th, Friday 10th and Saturday 11th February 2017 at 7.30pm (including a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm). Tickets: £6 adults / £3 children (aged 16 and under) Tel: 01952 432497 / 07870 883238 or order online via eventbrite.co.uk (search for ‘Buildwas’). The Buildwas Players are a community t theatre group based at Buildwas Village Hall s abou . u l l e T in Buildwas, Shropshire, which performs an ent . . annual pantomime to raise money for local your ev charities. .co.uk www.facebook.com/thebuildwasplayers 2media

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30/01/2017 15:06

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30/01/2017 01:51

Love Food

Make plans for a healthier 2017 now

Professor Ralph Early

Professor Ralph Early is head of the Department of Food Science and Agri-Food Supply Chain Management in Harper Adams University, Food Sector Champion for the Telford Business Board, a Council Member of the Food Ethics Council, and a member of the Guild of Food Writers.

O, ANOTHER Christmas has passed and as we move into the New Year of 2017 we face a sea of uncertainties, some of which will play out at national levels while others are deﬁnitely global in their reach. Some of the issues ahead have been brought about by Brexit and the EU referendum result which demands that Britain must leave the European Union. Others relate to the outcome of the US presidential election in November 2016 and the fact that Donald Trump is conceivably the weirdest choice for political leader and commander-in-chief that the USA might ever make. Yet whatever the uncertainties we face collectively, whether national or international in nature, many people will be occupied with very much more important matters, and prominent among them will be the ability to

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stick to their New Year’s resolutions to lose the weight they gained during the recent seasonal festivities. For some there may even be the desire to lose at least a little of the load acquired during Christmas 2015 as well as part of the girth that seemed magically to appear after many of the preceding Christmases. The Christmas season, as we all appreciate these days, starts in October and perhaps even before, when TV advertisements herald the anticipated festivities by promoting a range of goods from foodstuffs to cosmetics and perfumes. Not to be outdone, the supermarkets get in on the act fairly quickly in November by promoting Christmas SKUs, or stock keeping units, which are usually foodstuffs of the decidedly less health-giving variety, such as confectionery, snack foods and fizzy drinks. But of all the signs that the Christmas season approaches, perhaps the most telling in terms of this decreasingly religious festival being converted by profit-driven retailers into a fiesta of hedonistic delight is the advertising of indigestion remedies. We see TV advertisements throughout the year for antacids and similar remedies, but the frequency with which they appear on our TV screens in the runup to Christmas could be considered revealing of the degree to which the second of the seven deadly sins persists in contemporary British society. Gluttony is now a common feature of dayto-day life for many people and it appears in its most unrestrained form at Christmas time, to the undoubted satisfaction of all those that sell us celebratory and other foodstuffs. Britain though is a country which has very serious diet related health problems, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes: a topic discussed before in this column. Indeed, Telford ranks among the British towns with the highest rates of diet related disease, as some 70% of the population is classed as overweight or obese. The use of Christmas as an excuse for the insatiable consumption of food and beverages is now embedded in the British psyche and this among other dietary shortcomings needs to be addressed if our diet-related health is to be improved. Instead of lamenting our failure to

implement our New Year’s resolution to lose the weight gained over the Christmas break, perhaps it would be more positive and productive to use the year ahead to plan ways to eat and drink more sensibly next Christmas, as well as at other times of the year. If we consider antacids for a moment, why do people need to take these curatives? The simple answer is that they have over-eaten and their stomachs are unable effectively to begin the process by which ingested food is broken down to the various nutrient compounds that maintain their bodies. Consequently reflux occurs and acid moves from the stomach into the oesophagus causing the characteristic heartburn associated with indigestion. Antacids as alkaline compounds are used to neutralise gastric acid (around 1% hydrochloric acid) and relieve symptoms, but they do not address the cause – which is commonly sheer greed and over-indulgence. For healthy people with no pre-existing medical conditions that give rise to acid reflux, such indigestion is completely avoidable. The key of course is to eat moderately and avoid crazy combinations of food and drink. If we overload our digestive tracts with too much and/or too complex a mixture of food then efficient digestion cannot take place. So, the watchword for next Christmas is moderation. Indeed, such wisdom has been well understood for some 2,500 years when the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, framed his concept of virtue. In Aristotle’s book a good life is to be had by pursuing moderation in all things, meaning the avoidance of both excess and denial. So, next Christmas, instead of emptying the supermarket shelves in a gluttonous buying frenzy prompted by the irrational fear that more than enough food is actually not enough, set out to buy less and cook smaller quantities to be eaten with moderation. You will gain through better health and so will your family. The only losers may be the supermarkets that sell less food, and of course the manufacturers of indigestion remedies whose remedies you won’t need. But who cares about them?

@ProfRalphEarly

36 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 36 Ralph Early.indd 1

30/01/2017 01:58

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29/01/2017 16:57

Don’t let your horse nosebleeds confuse you Dr Kate Maxwell

BSc (Hons) BVSc MRCVS GPCert(EqP)

ELLO! So this month’s topic is focusing on an area that I feel confuses a lot of owners. Nosebleeds! Due to the anatomy of our four legged friends, the causes of (lets use the fancy word…) “epistaxis” can be many, each with varying prognoses. Hopefully by the end of this article you will feel a bit more informed about this clinical sign should you ever be faced with a horse or pony experiencing a nosebleed! Epistaxis is a fancy term meaning “nose bleed”. Bleeding may occur from one or both nostrils and can originate from anywhere in the respiratory system (from the nasal passages, sinuses, guttural pouches… right down to the lungs). Most cases are a “one-off” and probably due to minor damage inside the nose, like a human nosebleed. However if there is a large amount of blood produced or if bleeding recurs you should seek advice from your vet. Causes - There are a number of potential causes that may be mild and self-limiting to those which can be life threatening. Most causes are not life

threatening, so do not worry! But it is important to be aware of any likely causal agent to help you and your vet decide the signiﬁcance of an episode of epistaxis. ● Head trauma ● Exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) ● Foreign bodies ● Infections of any part of the respiratory tract ● Tumours and growths ● A fungal infection ● Latrogenic (Trauma to the lining of the nasal passage)

Diagnosis

Your vet will initially ask particular questions which may narrow down the likely reason behind the problem. So, if possible, make note of when the current episode occurred, whether your horse/pony has suffered from a nosebleed previously, how much blood has been lost, whether the blood originated from one or both nostrils, the nature of the blood, whether your horse would have likely sustained any trauma to his/her head, whether your horse/pony has undergone any recent intense exercise or travelled recently, whether there has been a respiratory infection circulating on the yard your horse/pony is kept and whether your horse has been behaving in a strange manner recently. After an adequate history has been taken a full clinical examination will be performed by your vet to try to determine the underlying cause. Often a diagnosis cannot be made in the ﬁeld and further tests may be warranted to determine the origin of the blood. These include the use of an endoscope camera, head x-rays, sinus exploration, blood tests and further high quality imaging techniques such as computed tomography and MRI.

Treatment

Treatment depends on the underlying cause. If your horse is experiencing a nosebleed, in reality, there is little that can be done. Make sure you put your horse/pony into a stable, keep them quiet and calm to avoid elevating their blood pressure that may worsen the bleed. If the bleed does not stop within 10-20 minutes or if your horse is distressed or behaving abnormally in anyway, immediate veterinary attention should be sought. If you have any concerns or further queries please do not hesitate to contact the team at Severn Edge Equine and we will be more than willing to advise you!

38 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 38, 39 Musts.indd 1

30/01/2017 01:37

Resolve to do something different in 2017 . . . Did you, like so many of us, make a New Year’s Resolution to get fitter this year? Are you already finding it difficult to put that resolution into practice? If so, Barking Mad might well be the answer for you. Research has shown that, on average, dog owners take more exercise per week than those who are members of a gym. That means that a dog can be more effective than a personal trainer – isn’t that amazing? If your enthusiasm for that New Year’s resolution you made to go on a daily walk is already flagging, what better motivation could you have than a big, brown pair of doggy eyes and a tail wagging in hopeful anticipation of “walkies”? Apparently people find inspiration to get out and about in the fact that doing so will be of benefit to their dog, not just to them. But you don’t have a dog, so none of that applies to you, right? Not necessarily! If you don’t happen to have a dog, don’t despair, because you can still reap the benefits of canine companionship. Barking Mad brings together those who don’t have a dog of their own, with dogs looking for a temporary home while their owner goes on holiday. This is a win-win-win situation, as the owner can go on holiday with peace of mind that their dog is enjoying a holiday of their own. The dog relishes having affection lavished on him by his new shortterm guardians. The host (the person or family who take the dog into their home while his owner is

away) gets to enjoy all the beneﬁts of having a dog in their life, without the longterm commitment. Studies have found that those who share their lives with a dog have a lower heart rate and blood pressure, stronger immune systems, lower stress levels, are less likely to suffer from depression, get sick less often and even enjoy better quality social interactions. If you would like to get the beneﬁts of having a dog without committing to one permanently, get in touch with Anne for a chat. Anne visits all potential hosts to talk about their lifestyle, and the kind of dog they would prefer to offer a holiday home to. She also meets every dog owner to explore the dog’s routine, likes and dislikes, taking into account important details such as where is the dog accustomed to sleeping, where does he prefer to be stroked, and at what time(s) is he used to being fed? You’ve got nothing to lose except that Christmas weight, and a lot to gain, especially the best walking partner you could hope for. Call Anne Kessell on 01952 677704 or email anne.kessell@ barkingmad.uk.com

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38, 39 Musts.indd 2

30/01/2017 01:25

CLEANTEX LINEN AND WORKWEAR RENTAL

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Now is the time to act to sort that PPI claim

going back in many cases as long as 28 years. The banks have already paid out an estimated £28 billion. Many of my clients didn’t even know they had PPI on their overdraft, loan, credit card, mortgage, store cards and Business accounts. Using the knowledge I built up as a Senior Manager with a major high street Bank, over a 32 year career, I have been able to help more than 500 local people get back everything that is due to them since establishing my business in 2012. Whilst settlements vary from less than £200, to more than £45000, my average is more than £4500, and remember this is your money, and my 12.5% fee is amongst the lowest you will ﬁnd. The service that I oﬀer is face to face, in your own home, and you will not have to pay a penny until you actually get a compensation pay RE-LINES/ADDITIONS/COPY DENTURES out.

You may have seen in the news recently that the Financial Conduct Authority are looking at setting a deadline for new PPI claims, and I would urge you to make it one of your new year resolutions to make sure you do not miss out. Are you intrigued by the Newspaper, Radio and TV adverts, or sick to death of the barrage of phone calls, text messages, and emails asking “HAVE YOU GOT PPI?” Have you wondered how your relatives, friends and neighbour’s have been aﬀording new cars, and expensive home improvements over the last few years? PPI Facts More than 20 million PPI policies were sold on loans, credit cards, store cards, overdrafts, business loans and mortgages,

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28/01/2017 08:13

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HIS month, which is usually the coldest of the year, it is not possible to plan much work in the garden. There are however a few things which should be done if and when the weather permits. Probably the most important thing is to check all structures in the garden. Winter weather will show up any weaknesses which may exist in any wooden posts, this is especially important with fencing as one rotten post can bring down a whole run of panels, if caught by the wind. Any individual posts which are weak can be replaced in the better weather rather than waiting until later and have the whole fence collapse and having to make hasty repairs in bad weather. Any posts holding up plants should also be checked as these will also deteriorate over

Get out in your

Garden

Check your structures time and if they break can bring the whole plant down so resulting in severe damage to everything around them. If we should get a mild spell it would be an opportunity to neaten the lawn, but set the blades high and make sure that the ground is frost free and that there are no frosts forecast. There are still plants which will be showing off and interesting not only with flowers such as the winter jasmine (jasminum nudiflorum) winter honeysuckle (lonicera fragrantissima) this latter also produces a wonderful scent and is not a climber as most other honeysuckles. There are also the viburnums such as tinus an evergreen with winter flowers, or bodentense, a deciduous winter flowerer (flowers on bare stems). There are many plants which can

TREE SURGEON JOFFREY WATSON RFS CERT ARB (HONS)

ALL ASPECTS OF TREE CARE AND REMOVAL

create interest in other ways those with contorted growth such as the twisted hazel, willow, or cherry. Their unusual twisted growth which is hidden in the summer comes into its own at this time of the year when all the leaves have fallen. A number of trees also become more noticeable when their bark colour or shape is in full view. The most vivid of these are the white birch ( jacquemontii) or to cause confusion the birch bark cherry prunus, (surrula) which has papery bark as Written by good or even possibly better than the birch trees themselves but will in of Lilyhurst Plant Centre spring give a good display of white cherry blossom.

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36 Gardening.indd 1

30/01/2017 12:20

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30/01/2017 12:26

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43 Adverts.indd 1

27/01/2017 22:18

Syd

Taylor

The region’s nu mber one motoring journalist

HEREIN LIES GOOD SENSE

Suzuki

Baleno SZ5 1.0 Boosterjet

WISE old owl once said to me: “Sir. Leave the razzle dazzle for ﬂashin-the-pans.” What the venerable feathered hooting bird meant was, I take it, ‘Avoid tinsel if you want to pull a real cracker’. And for space, driver and passenger comfort plus a cornucopia of standard equipment, the new Suzuki Baleno with the quite remarkable 1.0 litre 111PS three cylinder ‘Boosterjet’ engine offers probably the best supermini deal on the block for those who think

with their brains. ‘Another tiny, highly stressed engine that will only take you round the block and back before losing its edge’ I hear from older readers, who think everything smaller than a 5.0 V8 is for lawnmowers. I have to admit that I’ve wondered along those lines myself - but absolutely NOT in this case. ‘Why is that?’ You ask. The answer is simple. Not only have modern metals, engineering tolerances and lubricating

oils taken a quantum leap forward but this is a Suzuki - and Suzukis heritage includes four stroke motor cycle engines that just couldn’t be broken. That thread of indestructibility carries on. At an appealing price of £13,999 for a hatchback package of plenty, the Baleno 1.0-litre Boosterjet in SZ5 spec. just pleads for attention and amply rewards closer examination. Anyone with a modicum of reason attached to their hardearned rubber ﬁvers will queue up to give it a look - particularly since Balenos are on offer for

44 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 42, 43 Syd Taylor.indd 1

27/01/2017 23:23

BOOK CORNER

In Their Absence

Five minute chat with newly published Telford-based Kindle author J.J.Roberts

just £199 per month and with no deposit. It certainly looks very good - from the neatly configured grille and headlights to its high-waisted, tapering bodywork. The whole shiny package stands planted on purposeful looking alloys: in other words a veritable streetcar of desire. Jaded eyes will sparkle with new found acquisitive zeal when treated to the optical incarnation of debonair desirability courtesy of Suzuki. An old friend, Malcolm Mowbridge, happened to be in town and was itching to try out a new ‘gastro’ pub in a converted vicarage down the road apiece. I drove him there in the Baleno and it’s no exaggeration to say he was bowled over, commenting on the good ride quality and feeling of security as I demonstrated the nimble handling: thanks in part to the new light high tensile steel platform upon which it is built. “It’s roomy without bulkiness, quick and comfy and all for sensible money. I definitely need one of these” He declared. Playing devils advocate I said “ It’s not the quickest of its kind with a top speed of 125mph and maybe it needs a sixth gear for long distance motorway work.” “Listen” He retorted.”My name’s not Speedy Gonzales. This Suzuki is quick enough for common sense purposes and it returns 62.7 mpg.” (Readers will be pleased to know that Suzuki make no spurious claims. 60 plus mpg is easily achievable if driving gently). He went on to say that he could see that the Baleno is the motoring equivalent of a sensible ‘go anywhere’ suit. “It ought to carry a badge conveying the legend ‘Herein lies good sense’ “. Later, over an over-priced plate of sea bass and slippery eels my friend explained how he was on the lookout for a new car at sensible money, economical to run, stylish (not flashy)..Oh! And with bags of room. “So a gold plated Bugatti Royale replica is out of the question?” I asked. He looked at me with a serious steady gaze. “Why? Are you thinking of selling?” How we laughed - but only until the bill arrived. Thank goodness we had the Suzuki Baleno to treat us to a swanky drive home.

Everyone has something to hide. Everyone has a motive.

HE promised to be there waiting when he got out, but when disgraced police oﬃcer William Bailey leaves prison he discovers his best friend Claire has been missing for ﬁve months. Frustrated by her family’s shameful lack of concern, William is compelled to undertake his own investigation. Using wits and ingenious resourcefulness, he delves into her tightly sealed private life and as he deciphers its secrets, soon discovers his path is strewn with hostile witnesses - no one is willing to admit the truth about their relationship with Claire. As his fearless search gathers momentum, William is forced to deal with the shattering truth behind Claire’s disappearance and to face up to his own inadequacies as a son, brother and friend…

WN - How did you research your novel? J.J. Roberts - It’s amazing the information I’ve found just by Googling! I visit places, even cafes and Indian restaurants with a notebook and a camera, and write down the sights, sounds and smells. And I talk to people. Once they know I’m writing a book, they want to help. My colleagues have taught me about racehorses and my hairdresser knows loads about psychology!

WN - Where do you write? J.J. Roberts - In our sunny dining room or with my Mac balanced on my lap in the lounge. But I do my plotting and thinking everywhere: whilst running in my lunch hour, gardening and especially driving to and from work.

WN - Inspiration behind the story? J.J. Roberts - Real life stories of missing women. It got me thinking of the possible reasons an unmarried woman might disappear and who could be involved.

WN - Favourite character and why? J.J. Roberts - My central character, Will, who is far from perfect. He is a decent person with flaws, but has a lot to make up for. The only thing he and I share is that both our dads suffered from early onset Alzheimer’s. How Will struggles to come to terms with his dad’s illness and his difficult behaviour is from my own experience.

WN - Writing aspirations? J.J. Roberts - I have very much written the sort of book I like to read. I hope other people enjoy reading it too. My second novel is nearly complete and my third is currently being plotted. I would like nothing more than for this to be the start of my writing career.

WN - Who are your inspirations? J.J. Roberts - Without a doubt: Agatha Christie. She is the world’s best Whodunit authoress. And always Columbo. Perfect TV to watch whilst ironing and gives a really good lesson in making the little seemingly insigniﬁcant clues matter when solving murders! Something William does in my book!

@InTheirAbsence

In Their Absence by J.J. Roberts is available now from: www.amazon.co.uk If you are a local author and you would like to feature your book in Wrekin News please email: james@plus2media.co.uk www.wrekinnews.co.uk · 45

42, 43 Syd Taylor.indd 2

29/01/2017 17:30

Sport WREKIN NEWS

February ﬁxtures Sat 4

Gloucester City

Home

3pm

Away

3pm

Home

3pm

Away

3pm

Vanarama National North League

Sat 11 AFC Fylde Vanarama National North League

Sat 18 Tamworth Vanarama National North League

Sat 25 Salford City Vanarama National North League

(HOME GAMES IN BOLD)

email your sports story to: james@plus2media.co.uk

PROSPECTS IMPROVE AS NEW FACES ADDED

PICTURE BY TIM ROBERTS

> New addition Eddie Jones has had a positive impact on the Bucks scoring two goals.

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Contact Tony 07841 839372

Lez Dean with the latest news from the New Bucks Head . . .

FC TELFORD United goalkeeper James Montgomery is a man in demand. The north - easterner looks set to leave the New Bucks Head club as his performances between the sticks have caught the eye of several suitors. The 22-yearold played a major role in the Bucks successful battle against the drop last season and has continued his fine form this campaign. The stopper looked to have played his final game in the narrow defeat at Kidderminster Harriers and if that were to prove to be the case, replacing the promising goalkeeper will be a difficult task for manager Rob Smith as he seeks to lead his side up the National league north table. Prospects have improved with Smith continuing to add to his squad. New signing Eddie Jones opened his account for Telford in a 1-1 home draw versus Gainsborough with a pile-driver from the edge of the box on the half hour. The Bucks made enough chances to seal the points but were undone by the second half sending off of skipper Gianluca Havern. This saw the tide turn as the visitors took control allowing Nathan Jarman to score with five minutes to go to grab a point for the Lincolnshire side. Team-mate Josh Wilson took the plaudits against Curzon Ashton scoring twice as Telford came from behind to win

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3-1. Curzon went ahead early on, deservedly so, with Neil Cummings heading home. Montgomery saved well before Wilson levelled just before the break and then stroked home a penalty late on. In between Jones shot in off the bar to give the Bucks the lead. This was a victory that saw Smith’s men climb several places up the table. A visit to Aggborough was next as Telford took on high ﬂying Kidderminster. This was a backs against the wall performance and one that deserved some reward. It was not to be however as Harriers scored in the dying minutes. Kidderminster were always the better side but apart from an effort that hit the bar were kept at arms length by a resolute Bucks side who will have considered themselves unlucky to concede Darryl Knights eighty-ﬁfth minute winner. Even then they could have snatched a point as Luke Higham went close.

46 · www.wrekinnews.co.uk 46 Sport.indd 1

30/01/2017 13:13

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