Stories for 8 February 2006
Leisure
I MIGHT have thought twice before going to see this play had I been half-awake and realised it was by Alan Ayckbourn. more...
FOR the last few weeks our skies have been filled with formations of foreign birds. more...
I SPENT a wonderful evening in the company of the Von Trapp family, courtesy of Carpet Trades Operatic Society. more...
A WALK through the countryside at this time of year has always been a favourite of mine as it blends some of the most beautiful features of autumn with a last chance to get a glimpse of the remnants of summer wildlife. more...
PAUL DANIELS more...
LIFE as a butterfly is rather hazardous. Butterflies are seen by many a creature as a welcome snack. more...
GERMAINE GREER more...
MAYBE it is just me, but one of the things I enjoy is taking a trip across some of the bogs, wetlands or marshes we find in our district. more...
JULIAN LLOYD WEBBER more...
THIS year has been a particularly good year for the Fly Agaric Toadstool which has been made famous in children's stories because of its and white speckled appearance. more...
IT is small wonder the Kidderminster Male Choir is so popular, as they have such a broad repertoire, with something to please everyone. more...
AT first glance the humble earthworm appears to have no human characteristics, but if you take a closer look you will see it has a surprising number of similarities. more...
FOLK legends Lindisfarne finally arrived in Bewdley - a lifelong dream, the lead singer joked - on Friday to the delight of their Wyre Forest fans. more...
CATTLE in the Grazing Animals Project have been on the heathlands of the Rifle Range and Devils Spittleful nature reserves for a few weeks now. more...
TONY Benn appeared "unmuzzled" in front of a respectable festival audience to win over hearts and minds to his "subversive" agenda last Thursday. more...
THE cattle grazing on the Rifle Range and Devils Spittleful Nature Reserves have been munching away on the heath. more...
THE murky world of British intelligence was the intriguing topic of Kidderminster-born and bred author Stephen Dorril's talk. more...
THIS month has been remarkably mild so far with only the occasional frost. more...
BLOODTHIRSTY zombies which actually move faster than a drugged tortoise? What a great premise for a horror film, I thought. more...
ALL the deciduous trees this year put on a fantastic autumn colour show, transforming our country landscape in the most delightful way. more...
YOU did not have to be around at the time of the Second World War to enjoy this sing-a-long evening as the songs are so well-known. more...
BURLISH Top is one of the districts' heathland nature reserves. On a recent visit I was rewarded with a beautiful and yet completely unexpected scene. more...
A DECADE OF KODYS more...
OF all the recitals organised at this venue by the Classical Music Society, this rates as one of the best, and there has, surely, never been a more talented artiste there. more...
THE festive season is upon us and many of us will be sending each other Christmas cards. more...
A NIGHT of music, jokes and lots of innuendo - the Freddie Starr show was warmly received by its Kidderminster audience. more...
THEY don't make 'em like this anymore! more...
THERE was a really relaxed and friendly atmosphere on Friday night, not least because of the band's musical director, Captain RW Hopla, who introduced the items with jokes and quips, often taking the rise out of his talented musicians. more...
IT is always nice to spend a few moments reflecting on the previous months at this time of year. more...
I ALWAYS look forward to this annual event, and am never disappointed. more...
THERE is always a special moment at this annual event, when children from the audience join Santa on stage and sing Away in a Manger. This year just a few children went forward, including one dressed, she said, as a princess, but Santa thought she was an angel, and the children sang so beautifully that members of the choir, and audience (me included) had to reach for our hankies. more...
I have seen better productions than this at the college, but the cast were good, costumes colourful and imaginative and my young grandson enjoyed it immensely. more...
JUST two months on from their fifth birthday celebrations, Music Maker was once again performing a selection of its favourites in another stunning programme of events. more...
ONCE again the Inkberrow Players have produced another wonderful spectacle of entertainment with this pantomime, staged over four performances. more...
LISA Reisert (Rachel McAdams) is flying home after attending her grandma's funeral when she meets a dashing young man she is utterly charmed by. more...
COCKNEY ruffians Danny Dyer and Tamer Hassan return in Nick Love's latest offering since The Football Factory. more...
THIS fairly simple storyline is surprisingly gripping, with an interesting twist at the end that makes it well worth a watch. more...
THERE is something nice about going for an early morning walk on a cold and frosty morning. more...
WHEN I first started work with Wyre Forest District Council within its Ranger Service things were very different. more...
PUXTON Marsh nature reserve is a lovely place to visit in the spring when the wild flowers are coming into bloom. more...
THE evening before I had gone for a stroll on Hartlebury Common, and once away from the glare of the worst of the street lights, I had taken a moment to stop and stare up into the clear skies. more...
THE first event after the holidays found the Young Rangers feeling heavy after eating too much, so it was time for some exercise. more...
ON seeing a black coloured bird it may be tempting to assume it is a crow, but there are at least five different common birds it could possibly be in the Wyre Forest district. more...
LAST week I was fortunate enough to spend some time working on Hurcott Pools and Wood nature reserve. more...
EACH year I always look forward to the flowering of the blackthorn. more...
IN the spring, many people take great delight in the beautiful display put on by many of the garden bulbs, such as daffodils, snowdrops, crocuses and hyacinths. more...
MILD weather in February has brought an early start to the frog breeding season. more...
AS March blends into April spring slowly starts to unfold. more...
AT the beginning of April many people may indulge in, or at least keep a wary eye out for, people playing tricks on them. more...
HAVING spent most of the week at the end of March decorating I found myself with a free day. more...
OVER the festive season I decided I needed a break from eating and making small talk with relatives. more...
THE nature reserves of Hurcott Pool, Spennells Valley and the Rifle Range, in Kidderminster, are just a few of the woody areas which are now covered in a ground flora of lush green succulent leaves. more...
WHILE the weather recently has produced some of the most stunning displays of natural beauty, it has to be said that for many people the icy roads and freezing mornings can become a bit tedious. The warmer days of summer seem a lifetime away. more...
RANGER jobs are competitively sought after, as a recent advertisement proved with over 100 applications for one vacancy. more...
AS the frost and snow of the New Year period melt, the first green leaves to be seen in the woody areas of Habberley Valley are thoseof the small and unobtrusive plant called dog's mercury. more...
They say that in our world, change is the only constant, and change is recognised as something that leads to uncertainty, and can lead to stress. more...
PART of my job as a ranger with Wyre Forest District Council is to share my knowledge, experience and enthusiasm of the natural world with others. more...
APRIL has certainly been a month of contrasts. The beginning of the month was cool and spring-like, the end of the month was wet and cool, while the middle of the month was hot and summery. more...
RECENTLY, the owner of one of the Stourport caravan sites that borders the local nature reserve of Redstone Marsh telephoned me. more...
IN the last few weeks one of Britain's most graceful and beautiful birds has started to arrive on our shores after undertaking a mammoth journey from the equatorial regions of Africa. more...
BEFORE opening the new nature reserve of Hurcott pools and wood in October last year, a huge amount of work was needed to make the site safe for visitors. more...
THE deluge of rain we had in April has proved to be a bounty for many of our district's wild plants and animals, with mild and damp conditions being just what many of our springtime plants needed to put on a real spurt of growth. more...
During the early half of this month, weather and ground conditions were wet. Heavy rain and the high levels of water combined with mild weather created miserable conditions. But, it provided the ideal conditions for amphibian wildlife to begin their springtime activity. more...
ALL of us in Wyre Forest district have a new way of getting rid of our waste this year. more...
Looking at an oak tree at this time of year you will see the tree is still mostly dormant. more...
AT this time of year when most trees are still bare and lifeless, blackthorn comes into bloom. more...
I ALWAYS feel that the months of May and June are important times in the calendar of a Ranger looking after wetland areas. more...
THE lovely warm weather of May and early June has been a real bonus for one particular form of insect. more...
AS with all things in life, money is an important part of the fuel which drives the conservation works in Wyre Forest. more...
WHERE can you find foxes and tigers living in harmony together on just one nature reserve? more...
AS the weather begins to warm up many of the rarely seen residents of local nature reserves slowly wake up from hibernation. more...
IT must have been quite a few years ago when I first came across the remains of the old Second World War American army hospital's water tower on Burlish Top. more...
THE wildlife which comes to mind most readily at Easter are birds preparing nests and watching over clutches of newly laid eggs. more...
IT is the sixth year of the Wyre Forest GAP project. more...
GOOD weather, especially at this time of the year, always seems to bring out the best in a nature reserve. more...
FOR most of us who prefer to avoid being attacked by squadrons of bloodthirsty mosquitoes with the unsightly lumps and itching that result, this month and the early part of Maywill be our last chance to visit the new nature reserve of Hurcott Pools and Wood. more...
ONE frequently asked question is "what is the difference between a butterfly and a moth?" more...
IN Britain we have six species of native reptiles. more...
Redstone Marsh nature reserve has a split character. There is a woodland area which extends from the marsh and it is this area which people mainly use as a short cut from the Walshes estate to Stourport town centre. more...
ONE of Wyre Forest district's most impressive birds has to be the grey heron. more...
There are animals which will now be casting their eyes at British shores to spend the summer months here after avoiding the cold of the English winter in the warmer climes of southern Europe or even Africa. more...
SUMMER school holidays are great for the kids, but it can be quite a challenging time for some parents, as they attempt to keep the youngsters interested and prevent them from becoming bored and getting into mischief. more...
Here in the Wyre Forest district visitors from Africa are arriving. more...
Blake Marsh in Kidderminster has had a troubled history. more...
THE rangers special four- legged conservation volunteers have returned to the Wyre Forest District Council's nature reserves. more...
AS the weather begins to warm up, the heathland nature reserves become increasingly devoid of water. more...
IF you take a walk through Habberley Valley now there are some pretty spectacular fungi to encounter. more...
One thing that often puzzles me is the lack of wildlife programmes on television looking at British wildlife. more...
ON warm late spring or early summer evenings, just as dusk is setting in you may catch a glimpse of one of our most acrobatic flying creatures. more...
THE end of the month of August is always a sad time of year. To me, it signifies the turning of the season and the end of summertime. more...
THE woods at Hurcott Pools and Wood nature reserve have a wonderful appeal. more...
WHAT rain we have had. Just when you thought it could not possibly rain any harder a new storm would appear and prove you wrong. more...
COME high summer, most of the wetland nature reserves are covered with tall, rank vegetation. more...
THE shortening of the daylight hours has a few advantages. more...
IT has been four years now since cattle grazing was introduced on Wyre Forest nature reserves. more...
I will always remember my first encounter with grass snakes at Puxton Marsh. more...
ON many occasions I have written about the splendour of our district's lowland heaths. more...
Fire mixed with nature is nearly always a bad thing. more...
THE phrase "fresh," sums up so well the experience of exploring the countryside just following dawn on a clear and sunny autumn morning. more...
Winter is a difficult time for many of our wild mammals. more...
ONE of the things that always surprises me is just how much wildlife can be found even in a small nature reserve. more...
THE other morning I once again indulged myself in a dawn walk, this time it was at Hurcott Pools and Wood nature reserve. more...
NO matter what the weather, no matter what sort of horrible, stressful or boring day at work you may have had, there is one little wildlife gem that can always brighten the day and bring a smile to your face-unless of course you are a fish. more...
Bonfire Night is always described rather optimistically by the staff of the Ranger Service as "interesting times." more...
WITH less light to trap for energy, freezing nights and days can easily damage fragile leaves. more...
THE Devil's Spittleful nature reserve, which lies in the triangle of land between the towns of Stourport, Bewdley and Kidderminster, must be one of the most enigmatically named nature reserves in the country. more...
BROMSGROVE'S toy and train collectors' fair is taking place this Sunday. The event runs from 10.30am to 3pm at the town's Market Hall. Tables will be full of toy cars, commercials, buses, motorbikes and trains. more...
THE choir were joined by Holborne Brass Ensemble, who began brilliantly, transporting us to New Orleans as they walked through the audience playing Just a Closer Walk with Thee. more...
CHILDREN can have a roaring time at Rubery Library this month, with an animal face painting and craft event. The event, for children aged between four and eight years old, takes place on Wednesday February 15 at the library in Library Way, Rubery, from 10am to 11am. Cost is £1. Parents must remain in the library with their children. Call 0121 453 2157 for details. more...
PEOPLE easily offended were warned to stay away from the Roy "Chubby" Brown show and I hope for their sake they took note of the warning. more...
DESPITE its title, this is not a dreary play. more...
THE Classical Music Society's latest "Live At The Library", provided an evening of piano trios. more...
THE childhood of Laurie Lee unfolds in a series of "pictures", accompanied by glorious dialogue. more...
THIS year's concert which comprised part of Kidderminster Carnival celebrations featured the music of Cole Porter. more...
I REALLY enjoyed this performance by Kidderminster College students, who had created a clever set and had gone to a great deal of trouble with their costumes. more...
THE orchestra played well in the first half, and got even better in the second. more...
THE concert marked the return of musical director Judith Standing, and Angela Savage made a most impressive Kidderminster debut as accompanist. more...
AS I am not usually a fan of Alan Ayckbourn's plays, my enjoyment of this production was probably largely due to the first class interpretation by Kidderminster Operatic and Dramatic Society. more...
DOWNING my eighth vodka in the Rose Theatre bar before Monday night's performance, I pondered with some scorn the ridiculous cliché that all journalists are heavy-drinking slobs. more...
WITH most of the trees having lost their leaves in readiness for the coming winter, gardens can often look rather bare. more...
THE latest in the Classical Music Society's Live at the Library series featured popular local pianist Janine Smith. more...
A VISIT to a nature reserve can sometimes present us with a puzzle which can lead to doing a little detective work to solve the mini mystery. more...
On Sunday I spent a relaxing afternoon being entertained by the supremely talented husband and wife duo from Stourbridge, Nic Fallowfield and Linda Rhodes. more...
Resident group The Nonentities turned their attention to farce, a notoriously difficult genre to perform, with their latest production at The Rose. more...
Winter is always a hard time for our terrestrial wildlife. more...
There are many good performances in this production, with excellent versions of those wonderful songs, but the show is dominated by Nigel Preece. more...
YOU never feel short-changed by Kidderminster Male Choir, and this superb concert was no exception. more...
Usually, crows are not very highly regarded birds. more...
DUNCAN Honeybourne's display as a piano virtuoso at the latest Live at the Library presentation by the Classical Music Society, was especially notable as he had endured a six-and-a-half hour drive to get to Kidderminster, having been held up in traffic, and arrived with 10 minutes to spare. more...
THE familiar strains of Down at the Old Bull and Bush opened this evening of nostalgia when the audience joined in the choruses with gusto. more...
I have been working as a Ranger within the Wyre Forest District Council for some fourteen years and over this time have found it to be exceptionally rewarding watching the nature reserves change and improve as the management works start to have an effect. more...
THE story features two maids, sisters, working for the same "madame". more...
I WAS impressed by the orchestra's new musical director Damian Penfold when he appeared at Music For You, which gave a taste of great things to come - and I was not disappointed on Saturday. more...
Rose Theatre, until Saturday more...
Many of us will only have ever seen a leech on television when some daredevil of a presenter will allow him or herself to be bitten for the sake of scientific curiosity and presumably a fat pay cheque. more...
IF Rachel Greenwood, already known to us as a violinist and now making her debut as conductor of Bewdley Choral Society, was at all nervous, there was no sign of it. more...
THE opening carols sung by Kidderminster Male Choir were somewhat marred by the sound of money chinking and the tearing of raffle tickets at the back of the hall. more...
TELEVISION star Belinda Lang stars in Noel Coward's play Private Lives, which is running at Malvern Theatres until Saturday, February 11. more...
HARD-BOILED gangster tale Get Carter comes to Worcester's Swan Theatre from Thursday, February 9. more...
TRAGIC songbird Eva Cassidy's life story will be performed at the Alexandra Theatre on Tuesday, February 14 (8pm start). more...
IT is the time of year again, when the marshlands undergo a slight change which affects everyone's perception of these beautiful areas. more...
ALL life on earth is dependent on capturing energy. more...
LIKE most people, I always enjoy a beautiful summer's day, but the occasional blast from a passing storm is always spectacular too. Whether it is just because I'm out more, or there is a better contrast between conditions, the best storms always seem to occur in the summer. more...
BLAKE Marsh, in the Franche area of Kidderminster, is one of the district's more recent nature reserves. more...
JANUARY was certainly a time when it looked as if Armageddon had broken loose on Burlish Top Nature Reserve. more...
I HAVE always enjoyed watching the way different wild flowers come into bloom at different times of the year. more...
SO far, the weather this month has been glorious, nearly always hot with just a few humid days. more...
FINALLY the temperature is hitting the 30s, and everyone is enjoying the gorgeous sunshine and warmth we do not see enough of in this country. more...
WHEN you think of caterpillars you envisage a little green insect larvae eating away at a leaf and then turning into a beautiful butterfly. more...
THE early arrival of spring is still influencing the seasonal change out on the nature reserves. more...
LAST week I took my family holiday to one of the harshest wild habitats on earth - the beach. more...
THE hot humid weather may be a bit wearing for some of us but one plant, the Himalayan balsam, seems to have thrived and has grown in many areas with alarming vigour. more...
HABBERLEY Valley local nature reserve is a location many of us choose to visit over the summer holidays to take in the beauty of the landscape, enjoy an easy stroll and relax in the countryside away from the strife of modern life. more...
TO me, September is always best summed up as the month of the spider. more...
PREPARE for a night of super cool jazz with the best in up-and-coming talent at the Kingsley Theatre. more...
IN a new theatre piece at Malvern Theatres, Hip Hop dance meets art in the latest offering from Jonzi D this Saturday. more...
BROMSGROVE'S own percussion performance group is inviting residents to get involved in an afternoon workshop before a show at the town's Artrix this Saturday. more...
ISSUES of race are raised in Arzhang Pezhman's The Bolt-Hole at Birmingham Repertory Theatre's The Door. more...
Wednesday, February 8 more...
Wednesday, February 8 more...
Review - Derailed at cineworld, Great Park, Rubery more...
Review - Private Lives at the Festival Theatre, Malvern (until Saturday) more...
THREE piece Brazillian percussion outfit Glamba perform at the Artrix on Saturday, February 11. Tickets for the show cost £6. more...
LICKEY End musician Kev Rowlands and the Random Band are playing the Artrix on Friday, February 10. more...
MUSIC fans are in for a treat when Worcestershire Jazz Orchestra performs in Droitwich Spa for one night only. more...
News
KEEN thespians will take to the stage and bring to life C S Lewis's epic Chronicles of Narnia in memory of a fellow actor who died at the tragically young age of 26. more...
COURT appearances beckon for 600 Worcester people because they refuse to pay council tax. more...
PENSIONERS from sheltered housing schemes all over the city clamoured to question representatives of Worcester Community Housing about a new warden scheme. more...
DEATH in the morning - this is the moment that a Worcestershire farmer had to witness the slaughter of her beloved cows. more...
FORMER city pupils are being invited to dig out their old school ties for a grand reunion. more...
AN old photograph rekindled memories of "a most wonderful childhood" for 65 years-old Mrs Devorie Lockyer of Checketts Lane, Worcester. more...
A PASSION for politics started with a disgust for heavy-handed landlords for Londoner Eric Higgs. more...
THE giant sails of the Danzey Green windmill, Avoncroft museum's latest acquisition were turning again for the first time in a century. The mill, dating from about 1800, had been re-erected and restored at the Stoke Heath museum at a cost of some £4,000. more...
WHEN two caring souls told guests to forget presents and bring a few pennies for Acorns to their Golden Wedding celebrations, they never imagined it would generate more than £1,000. more...
NEVER before had I seen a photograph of Sir Edward Elgar's funeral until reading the excellent new book, Elgar in Love by Malvern Wells author Kevin Allen. more...
THERE can be few people as much in demand in the community as Ray Harrowing. more...
INMATES at Bromsgrove's workhouse were unhappy with the broth, bread and cheese that made up the regular Monday menu. The ruling guardians decided instead to give them beef stew containing fat, flour, carrots and onions. The change would cost less than 2/- (10p) per day. more...
WORCESTER'S police station may have moved house but the cells at Deansway are preparing for a new set of "prisoners". more...
THE horror of war became a painful reality for Worcester people for a few fleeting but tragic minutes in the autumn of 1940. more...
BEWDLEY has lately been paying tribute to a Scotsman who may never have lived in the town and become one of its most prominent citizens had it not been for love. more...
PROCEEDS from the forthcoming Bromsgrove Town v Barnt Green cricket match would be given as a benefit to Smith, the town's stumper, who had served the team well and who was presently on duty for the county against Lancashire at Old Trafford. Last week the town played away at Sparkhill and the Messenger was severely critical of the dangerous condition of the pitch. "A hard day with a scythe and roller would make it an ideal pitch for football," it said. more...
RECENT wet weather followed by warm sunshine had suited local crops of early potatoes. It seemed likely that farmers would be digging in May well ahead of the traditional June 24, Bromsgrove Fair Day, date. more...
BUDDING David Beckhams can help Acorns to its goal by taking part in a mini soccer tournament. more...
THANKS to Memory Lane readers and others, John Sanders, chairman of the Worcester Sea Cadet Unit, is piecing together a comprehensive record of HMS Worcester, the former Royal Navy destroyer. more...
CLAIRE Worboys talks passionately about her job as an actress - it is all she ever wanted from an early age. more...
THE village of Catshill, in Bromsgrove, was coming to terms with a terrible accident that had claimed the lives of two people and injured several more. Mary Jack, aged 34, from Wildmoor Lane, and Brian Read, 21, from Woodrow Lane, had been among a party from the village's Welcome Hall Bible Class on a coach trip to Switzerland, which crashed in France when the driver was attacked by a wasp. After a joint funeral they were buried side by side in Catshill cemetery. more...
THE new headmaster at South Bromsgrove High School to replace Dennis Matthews, who had retired, was his deputy Alan Baker. He said his task would be to promote academic achievement and good behaviour. more...
THE chance to be serenaded by an authentic Scottish bagpiper or have a website designed free of charge is up for grabs at a Hereford venue tonight. more...
IT'S great when the chance comes up to interview one of your great local sporting heroes - and such was the case when I recently went along to the Worcester home of Martin Horton. more...
IT will truly be the end of an era when Simon Arbuthnott leaves the helm of the Chaddesley Corbett school he has been involved with since the age of four. more...
TWO Bromsgrove hospital workers had made it through to the final of the Miss Hospital Personality Competition organised by the Engine House Club at Tardebigge. They were Nanette Drew, a nurse at Lea, and Sandra Murphy, a secretary at the General. more...
Eight-mile sponsored walk over the Malvern Hills starting at the British Camp car park. Includes a trip to the Obelisk and Gullet Quarry. Starts at 10.30am, Saturday, March 29. For a sponsor form call Evening News reporter Alison Fraser on 01905 742252. more...
THE Faithful City's present Mayor, Councillor Mary Drinkwater, considers herself very much "a Worcester woman" having spent her first 21 years living in the shadow of the Cathedral. more...
GOOD historians often make exciting discoveries. But when Ruth Butler's researches uncovered details about Countess Rachel of Witley Court and her nursing background, especially her presidency of Kidderminster District Nurses' Society in 1912, she was ``over the moon''. more...
TWO Birmingham men appeared at Bromsgrove Police Court on a charge of illegal gambling. Thomas Marsden, of Bordsley Park Road, Birmingham, and James Bridgwater, of Green Lane, Black Heath, were charged with playing a game called `backing the colours' at the Bromsgrove sports day. Superintendent Beal said he had seen the two defendants playing the game and trying to drum up trade. Police Constable Mead, dressed in plain clothes, observed the men for two hours and saw they had a shaker, a dice and a sheet with six colours on. The chairman of of the bench fined them 20s (£1) and 4s (20p) costs each and said: "You are not the kind of gentlemen we want in Bromsgrove." more...
PUBLIC meetings to arrange celebrations to mark the forthcoming coronation in June were being held in villages all around Bromsgrove. While everyone agreed events should equal those associated with the late Queen's diamond jubilee, the cost as always was the overriding consideration. At Stoke Prior it had been agreed the 240 or so village youngsters would be given a tea as would the aged poor residents. more...
September 16, 1977 more...
A CHARITY shop in Barnards Green, Malvern, is appealing for more volunteers as it struggles to cope with its success. more...
THIS autumn marks the centenary of the first performance of, arguably, Elgar's greatest choral masterpiece, The Dream of Gerontius, but it was a disastrous baptism. more...
THEY say Guinness is good for you. It certainly led to fame, and even fortune of a kind, for Clows Top man Terry Keegan. more...
BROMSGROVE firm JK Bradshaw was responsible for the first major building to be finished of the re-planned Coventry city centre, which was destroyed during the war. It was a contemporary designed hairdressing salon. The firm carried out the work in less than eight weeks. As there was only one window in the building, false windows were installed and modern tungsten lighting. more...
THE inaugural meeting of the Worcestershire Guild of Artist Craftsmen was held in Bromsgrove Library. Its aim was to further an interest in traditional skills. The meeting elected Robert Pancheri as its president. more...
September 19, 1952 more...
SCORES of budding football stars put their best feet forward for children with life-limiting illnesses by taking part in an Easter Monday soccer tournament. more...
THE future continues to look rosy for Wyre Forest Young Enterprise group under the leadership of new chairman Malcolm Plant. more...
FORGINGS manufacturers Garringtons, employers of 1,600 workers, were to be affected by a national strike. The work force was to answer a call for strike action from 18 engineering unions supporting a claim for better pay and shorter hours. But Garringtons workers had an individual agreement with the firm, which guaranteed them wage packets over £80, more than requested by the strike action. Branch secretary of the technical and supervisory arm of the AUEW (Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers), Trevor Porter, said there was nothing he would like better than for the dispute to be called off. He said: "We have nothing to gain by staying at home, only a day's pay to lose." Garringtons management said they knew the position the workers were in so there were no hard feelings. more...
KIND hearted staff at Bromsgrove General Hospital had raised £2,500 to buy their own electrically powered internal ambulance to ferry patients around the complex. more...
September 20, 1902 more...
A FOOTBALL fun day in aid of children with life-limited illnesses is kicking off at Worcester City Football Club over the May Bank Holiday weekend. more...
JONATHAN Darby is a ``natural'' as they say in showbiz circles, not one to suffer stage fright. more...
TRADE in Droitwich was getting worse, a situation that prompted the town council to ask the Salt Unionth largest employer if it could take on more staff. The Spa's baths industry and spin offs from it like the hotel trade were flourishing, but what what was needed, the coucil said, was jobs for working men. The Messenger compared the Spa's present plight with that of Bromsgrove 20 years ago when the handmade nail trade began its rapid decline. more...
TWO Bournheath lads, John Hurley and George Reynolds, paid dearly for stealing a rabbit from a snare on Mr Blakeway's land at Chaddesley Corbett, when they were hauled before Kidderminster magistrates. Evidence was given by Francis Bennet, who was employed as a rabbit catcher by Mr Blakeway. He told the court that while many of his snares had been sprung the coneys were missing. Hurley was fined 40/- (£2) and Reynolds £1. more...
September 9, 1977 more...
A COUPLE experienced an Easter to remember after mounting a marathon charity motorcycle trip from Land's End to John O' Groats. more...
BROMSGROVE Trades Council called for butchers to label their goods with the price per pound now that rationing had ended. This was to save embarrassing young housewives who had not been used to ordering meat during and the after the war. One young woman, who innocently asked her butcher for a leg of lamb, was stunned when told the price was way beyond her purse at 19/6 (95.5p). When she said "it's a bit big," the butcher retorted "lambs have big legs!" more...
HOUSEWIVES in Bromsgrove were being slow to collect the new issue ration books which had been a fact of life since 1940. Eleven clerks were on duty in the Congregational Schoolroom to hand out the 27,000 books to residents living in the urban district of Bromsgrove, but so far only half had been given out. Around 2,500 books could be issued in a day. more...
September 12, 1952 more...
MAGGIE King looks back on more than 11 years of achievement as she leaves the school gates for the last time as headteacher today. more...
THE cold spring which had stopped many people venturing away from their firesides was thought to be one of the reasons why Avoncroft museum at Stoke Heath, Bromsgrove had for the first time in the ten years since it opened suffered a dramatic fall off in visitors. Last year 60,000 people paid at the turnstiles. more...
A TOTAL of 555 people were on the dole in Bromsgrove, 385 men and 170 women. The figures did not include young people or students. more...
September 13, 1902 more...
MORE than 1,000 students, teachers and parents narrowly missed yesterday's downpour as they embarked on a riverside walk to raise money for children with life-limiting illnesses. more...
MOST people would need two lifetimes to do it all - accountant, director of a football club, MD of a nationwide bakery business and treasurer of the FA in Ireland. more...
SOME paupers at Droitwich workhouse took the opportunity to complain about the plague of flies that was making life miserable, when one of the ruling guardians, Mr Holyoake Wight, paid a visit. They said bald inmates were particularly affected. The master was instructed to take steps to catch the insects, but he had already done so by ordering a quantity of flypapers. more...
BROMSGROVE Charities Board took out an advertisement in the Messenger to advise eligible people residing in the All Saints district of Bromsgrove that the tenancy of an alms house was available. Prospective tenants had to be poor, aged not less than 60, have lived in the area for three years and not received any Poor Law Relief. more...
IT was no mean feat that Denis Dipple escaped with only slight bruising when a ton of steel bars fell on his toes. more...
TWO energetic nurses will be taking on a challenge of a lifetime when they walk 190 miles for charity. more...
IT would be an unenviable task to find anybody who has served a school and its community as loyally as Lynne Marshall has done. more...
SIDNEY Farr, assistant clerk to Droitwich Rural District Council, decided to retire after clocking up 52 years' service. During that time he had only been absent for two weeks due to illness. more...
IN the last week of this parliamentary session there is frantic activity to force through outstanding Government Bills. more...
September 5, 1952 more...
CORONATION Street's jailbird Jim McDonald was given parole from TV prison to take part in a celebrity-studded cricket match for Acorns. more...
FARMERS who are young, fit, prepared to weather the financial storms of farming and keep in tune with new conservation ideas are few and far between. more...
THE new open air rifle range built in the quarry in Marlbrook Lane was officially opened in a deluge. Drainage ditches had to be hastily dug to channel the flood water away. Work on the project, which could accommodate 36 marksmen, had been carried out by the Bromsgrove branch of the Worcestershire Regiment's Association. more...
BROMSGROVE'S proposed new Western Relief Road would be planned to have the minimum impact on Crown Close, Bromsgrove's quiet, green backwater the district council claimed. However, the disadvantages would have to be weighed against the advantage of easing the traffic congestion in the town. more...
September 6, 1902 more...
THERE may be many superwomen living in Kidderminster but few perhaps so deserving of the title as Jola Merrick. more...
COMEDIAN Ernie Wise was to officially open Bromsgrove's new Fine Fare supermarket in Market Street. And the well-known actor Gordon Jackson had promised to come to make the draw for a raffle for a holiday of a lifetime, courtesy of the store. more...
ANY business with a website will know that it can increase revenue just by being there and quite often sales come from all over the world. more...
THE Bromsgrove Charities board was seeking a married couple to fill a vacancy in a town almshouse. An advert in the Bromsgrove Messenger said the applicants must be poor, of good character, have lived in the parish of All Saints for three years and be aged 60-plus. more...
LAST week, the end of the parliamentary session, was an eye-opener. more...
BUSINESSES are being urged to join the recycling revolution and turn used printer cartridges into cash for Acorns. more...
IT will be an exciting 10 years for Kidderminster, according to the manager of one of the town's two shopping centres. more...
BROMSGROVE was to have comedies and tragedies to look forward to as a theatrical licence was granted for Viola Jennings to stage plays in a temporary building in Crown Close for two months from October 1. Chairman of the magistrates' bench, Mr Hobson, said Miss Jenning's theatre had been coming to Bromsgrove for 50 years and its conduct had always been of the highest character. more...
Norwich Union insurer Aviva said it was building "real momentum" after finishing 2005 with its strongest quarter of the year. The group unveiled fourth quarter sales of £2.77bn, a gain of seven per cent on a year earlier and pushing the figure for the whole year to £10.21bn, compared with the £10.03bn reported for 2004. Aviva's chief executive Richard Harvey (pictured) said: "We're well placed to take advantage of what we anticipate will be good UK growth during 2006." more...
THREE temporary classrooms are free to a good home if there are any takers. more...
July 24, 1977 more...
A STAGGERING £15,000 has been raised for Acorns by more than 200 walkers striding out across the Three Counties. more...
DOREEN Reynolds will always be content with her life as long as there is happiness in it. more...
Bromsgrove High School students were celebrating their exam results. Most pupils took one or two advanced levels, but some of the brighter ones excelled and passed three. Three or four `O', or ordinary, levels were generally taken. The Messenger carried a full list of the candidates who passed. more...
THE hunt is on for sterling companies to compete for a prestigious regional prize celebrating business excellence. more...
FIT Bromsgrove men were being sought to work as locomotive firemen. The London Midland region of British Railways wanted workers aged 18 to 30 to enter the one-month training programme for the position. Successful applicants could expect to work a 44-hour week, with paid holiday and free protective clothing. There would be opportunities to train as a driver. more...
A NIGHT of music and charity has been put together by a group of students. more...
LAST week the pageantry of the Queen's Speech took place safely in the midst of intense security. more...
July 26, 1952 more...
TWO nurses went that extra mile - 190 to be exact - in an energetic fund-raiser for Acorns Children's Hospice. more...
LIVING in a town where the River Severn flows through provides ample opportunities for boating enthusiasts, but there are few who can have done as much for others as Arthur Page. more...
SHOPPERS were reminded the new Fine Fare superstore would be opening on September 4, based on Market Street, where the ASDA store is now. The store manager promised bargain hunters to refund twice the difference if they could do their weekly shop anywhere else cheaper. more...
Motor jobs axed more...
TOWN MP Hal Miller raised questions about six historic chartist cottages in Dodford, in the House of Commons. The recent listing of the cottages was now the subject of a complaint to the Local Commissioners and the MP hoped to draw the government's attention to the consequences of the listing for the residents and to appeal for the restrictions to be lifted. more...
July 26, 1902 more...
GOOD-hearted citizens who can spare a few hours of their time a week are urgently needed to run a new Acorns shop. more...
IF Jenny Paddock were not "an unfailing optimist" she might think times could never be better. more...
A BROMSGROVE man appeared at Bow Street Court, London, charged on remand with committing wilful and corrupt perjury. William Robert Reece, a commission agent, was charged with perjury when giving evidence in support of a claim he brought against London and North Western Railway Company for £5,000 because of personal injury. He protested he was totally deaf in one ear and partially deaf in the other and couldn't fully hear the questions asked of him at the claims hearing. He was found to be shamming after being tested by a doctor. He was accused and remanded. more...
THE Sick and Dividend Club at the Ewe and Lamb pub at Stoke Health, Bromsgrove, held its annual sports day on Whit Monday, when around 1,200 turned up to watch. There was a variety of events including hammer throwing and races for all ages. One of the highlights was the womens' race for a first prize of a pig. more...
LOCAL MP John Maples has voiced concerns over the proposed merger of regional ambulance trusts. more...
I AM delighted that Yvette Cooper, Minister in the office of the Deputy Prime Minister, has announced that Oldington and Foley Park has been selected as one of the Neighbourhood Management Round 2 Pathfinders. more...
July 15, 1977 more...
YOUNG Robert Davison hates the hour-long trek from his Worcester home to Acorns Selly Oak in Birmingham and sometimes screams throughout the car journey. more...
ONE of England's leading model railway experts, John Webster of Kempsey, is overjoyed with the "absolutely brilliant" response he has received from Memory Lane readers in the wake of my feature on him a few weeks ago. more...
IT is rare for an everyday occupation to bring a great deal of enjoyment - but do not tell that to Kidderminster puppeteer Mary Baulk. more...
IMPROVEMENTS were made in Rubery to homes on New Inns Lane after residents experienced difficulties because of low water pressure. The problem arose because the top water level of the Chandwich service reservoir, which controlled the water pressure, was slightly higher that the houses in question. A solution was found when the Corporation of Birmingham carried out developments on the Birmingham side of Callowbrook Lane and organised with Worcestershire water company for them to take a small bulk supply at the lower end of New Street lane. more...
A MEETING of his creditors heard that Maurice Booth, aged 61, lessee of the Salters' Cinema and Diana Cafe in Droitwich had assets of only £110 to meet debts of £2,483. Mr Booth, of Fernhill Heath, had taken on the cinema's lease in 1948 for £30 a week rent. more...
July 19, 1952 more...
THE building of the new Acorns Children's Hospice in Worcester has finally begun - making the hopes of life-limited children come one step closer to a reality. more...
ANOTHER of Worcester's coal merchants of yesteryear is remembered affectionately today through the recollections of his two grandchildren. more...
MRS Gill Hadgetts was presented with a cheque for £1,000 after being the last winner of the old-style Bromsgrove District Council lottery. It was the last draw before a new bingo style was introduced. more...
AN attempt by the minority Labour group on Bromsgrove District Council to get their veteran leader Cllr Henry Webley installed as vice-chairman to mark the silver jubilee had failed. The holder of an MBE, he was the only member of the council to have been honoured by the Queen. Cllr Jim Bekenn from Hagley won the vote overwhelmingly. more...
THE final capture of Saddam Hussein has come as welcome news to us all. more...
July 19, 1902 more...
FOUR SUBSTANTIAL locomotives have so far proudly carried the name of Worcester's most famous son, composer Sir Edward Elgar on the railways of Britain. more...
A CAR accident at the age of seven was a life-changing event in the life of Steve Swansborough. more...
BROMSGROVE Cricket Club had taken full advantage of an ideal cricketing summer to break all previous records. In 1894, 18 matches had been won, but this year the score stood at 23 wins with only five lost out of a total of 34 games played. 5,455 runs had been scored for the loss of 293 wickets. more...
THE living of Hanbury had been offered and accepted by the Rev Reginald Harvey of Bristol. The living was the gift of Sir Harry Vernon, Bart. of Hanbury Hall. more...
THOUSANDS of pounds worth of computer equipment has been stolen from schools in Alcester and the surrounding areas. more...
July 8, 1977 more...
AN artful afternoon will be held in aid of Acorns Children's Hospice Trust. more...
MEMORY Lane raises the curtain in homage this week to the theatrical Wyatts of Worcester, who have now been delighting local audiences for more than a century and through three generations... so far! more...
IF it was not for the distinct personality of its postmistress, Wolverley shop and post office could be in Postman Pat's Greendale. more...
THE proliferation of advertising signs on main road approaches to Bromsgrove was irritating the urban district council which had compiled a list of some 150 offenders. Many included national company slogans, others, mainly local firms, had their names emblazoned on the gable ends of properties. more...
WORK had started on the construction of the new traffic island at the junction of Alvechurch Road and Cofton Road. It would be used as a turning point for buses when new services were introduced following the scrapping of trams in July. more...
July 12, 1952 more...
A CHOCOLATE-making company in Upton-on-Severn has come up with a mouth-watering way of raising cash for a charity that helps life-limited children and their families. more...
He's 88 years-old Wilfrid (Tom) Widdows of Droitwich, who, under the byline Checkmate, has been writing our chess column for no fewer than 55 years! more...
IT was by a twist of fate that Julie Saunders became a librarian at Stourport and started writing books with her husband Dave. more...
A NUMBER of silver birch trees and Queen Elizabeth roses were to be planted in Sanders Park. They had been given to Bromsgrove District Council by Roseacre Nursery at Hagley to mark the Queen's forthcoming Silver Jubilee. more...
July 12, 1902 more...
TODAY marks the first anniversary of the death of little Jaymie Reynolds and as Christmas approaches her mum Lesley Brown is trying to put on a brave face. more...
WILFRID Widdows - another old boy of Worcester's Stanley Road School - has sent some personal recollections to be included in the Millennium Book being compiled on the 85-year life-span of the school. more...
UNBLOCKING drains, sandbagging flooded homes and wading through sewage are among the doubtful joys of the council's drain supervisor. more...
THE standard of the Bromsgrove branch of the Burma Star Association was carried with pride by 73-year-old Stan Wright at the funeral of Earl Mountbatten. The town was one of a hundred or so represented from all over Britain at the funeral. Mr Wright was secretary of the local branch. more...
FOLK living in the north of Bromsgrove were becoming healthier and living longer, it was revealed. In a report to North Bromsgrove District Council, the medical officer said in the first five months of this year there had been 18 deaths compared with 44 during the corresponding period in 1901. During May there had been 14 births and three deaths, one from accidental poisoning, and three cases of scarlet fever all among pupils at Dodford School. more...
July 5, 1902 more...
FRANK Greatwich of Malvern, who died recently at the age of 93, had a clear influence on the first decade or so of my 47 years to date with the Evening News and Berrow's Journal. more...
A CHANCE visit to the memorabilia shop at the Severn Valley Railway in Bewdley was the beginning of a railway buff's loyal 18 years voluntary work there. more...
COMPLAINTS from nearby residents about organised ball games, particularly football, being played in Crown Close could lead to the town getting its first official recreation ground. Bromsgrove's town council was to explore the possibility of allowing building on land in Market Street in return for use of land at the rear as a public open space. The vicar, particularly, was upset at the damage caused to his garden and greenhouse by balls being kicked into his vicarage garden. more...
TWO members of Bromsgrove Youth Organisation met with a tragic accident while canoeing on the lake at Hewell Grange, Tardebigge. The youths, John Hollis, aged 17 from Churchfields and Brian Jones, 18, from Broad Street, Sidemoor, were members of the club's canoeing group which was holding its first outing of the season. more...
ONE of Worcester's oldest surviving family firms still enjoys a flourishing business both in the Faithful City and throughout the county. more...
WHEN Denise Hodgetts was asked: "What are your hobbies and interests?" for the Worcestershire Business Woman of the Year Award she won in 1996, she was dumbstruck. more...
THERE was mounting concern in educational circles over the type of material school children in the district were reading. It followed the discovery that an American comic was doing the rounds in local schools. more...
July 5, 1952 more...
AN Alvechurch pub has scooped an award for its top tipple and fine food. more...
TWO long-lost Worcester schools are fleetingly back in the picture today through the memories of an "exile" of the Faithful City. more...
TIM Morris would say Kidderminster is lucky to have a "gem" of an organ so admired it draws visitors from as far away as Australia and America. more...
BOURNHEATH cat breeder Marion Pearson, from Parish Hill, was doing her bit to foster better relationships with countries from behind the Iron Curtain. Two of her prize Persian pussies had been exported to a village near Budapest where their new owner planned to breed from them. more...
THE Queen's Silver Jubilee was the main talking point in Bromsgrove. The event would be celebrated with street parties, a carnival and a bonfire, barbecue and music in Sanders Park. The town was gaily decorated and workers from Garringtons at Aston Fields had undertaken to hang garlands and bunting from the Market Hall. more...
July 1, 1977 more...
CROISSANTS, coffee and hot chocolate were served when Inkberrrow First School held a French-style breakfast. more...
A RECENT e-mail to the Evening News offices has brought back in focus a freak and tragic million-to-one accident which befell a Worcester man more than half-a-century ago. more...
ERIC "Ginger" Carter has embarked on a new challenge this year. more...
THE Congregational Church of Wychbold was prettily decorated with fruit, vegetables and flowers for the harvest thanksgiving celebration. While the song service in the afternoon was well attended and presided over by Mr Chivers, of Cambridge. He gave an address and then the congregation heard solo and duet performances from members of the choir. Mrs Drinkwater played the new organ. In the evening, a large congregation listened to a service and everyone congratulated the church on the success of the event and the acquisition of the splendid organ, which would serve for many services to come. Collections and donations on the day were particularly good, amounting to £4. The gifts of fruit and vegetables were divided between the Bromsgrove Cottage Hospital, the Almhouses and other institutions. more...
TRAMPS seeking a night's board and lodging at Bromsgrove's Workhouse in Birmingham Road would not in future need a police ticket verifying that they were a genuine and deserving case. The practice was being discontinued because police were too busy. more...
June 24, 1977 more...
IT was a life-long interest in public transport dating back to a term in charge of the passenger transport authority Centro which started Dr Jones's involvement with the national railways' watchdog. more...
A WEEK of Battle of Britain activities were concluded with the customary parade and service to commend `the devotion and heroism of those members of the Royal Air Force who gave their lives for our sakes', according to the speaker Rev C Hand. A procession from Market Street through the town centre to St John's Church included members of Bromsgrove and Stourbridge branches of the Royal Air Force Association, the Bromsgrove and Lickey End British Legion and other groups from the district. Rev Hand, a former priest-in-charge at Fairfield gave an address. He said the younger generation easily forgets the great sacrifices that were made in the war. "Our memories are very, very short," said Rev Hand, "That's why it is important that this service should be held annually to remind people of the sacrifices that were made." The church collection amounted to £11 6s 6d (£11.32½) more...
PLANS to celebrate next year's Coronation were being drawn up by the district council. Bromsgrove had a good reputation for celebrating royal events in style. In 1937 the town was picked out by the BBC and many private commentators as being one of the three best decorated places in the Midlands. more...
June 28, 1952 more...
THE Where Next Association is encouraging residents to put their grey matter to the test during a quiz night at Trinity High School next month. more...
CALLING all surviving members of the Class of '51 at the former Worcester Technical High School! more...
CIVIC events in Kidderminster are unlikely to pass quietly now Clive Webster has been chosen as the new town crier. more...
SEVENTEEN-hundred workers at Bromsgrove's GKN Garringtons factory were sent home as the forge closed down indefinitely. The shock move came after the town's biggest employers failed to curb damaging industrial action over a national union pay claim. Workers had only been told about the decision two days before. A spokesman for the firm said the closure was a direct result of the overtime ban and three-day week imposed by the unions. Feelings were mixed as the workers clocked off. Some blamed the unions for their plight while others blamed the management. Most were annoyed at the short notice they had been given. One skilled fitter said: "Some of us expected it to happen sooner or later anyway. There have been rumours since the end of August." more...
THE swimming pool at North Bromsgrove High School could be one of several at schools that may be drained and left unused it was revealed. The cost of ongoing repairs and maintenance was proving too costly for the cash-strapped county council. more...
June 28, 1902 more...
CARING canine lovers are being asked to donate their old blankets to dogs at Redditch police station's dog kennels. more...
A WORCESTER club which quietly celebrated its centenary last year is delightedly catching up on its "lost" history! more...
THE daily newspaper The Morning Leader carried a picture of a lad from Wychbold, one Master Sproaten, whom it described as a "giant." The boy, aged five weighed a massive 9stones 4lbs. more...
REVELLERS in Droitwich were to be denied extra drinking time in the Spa's pubs during the forthcoming Coronation celebrations magistrates decided, following a plea by the local licensed victuallers' association for an extra hour on June 26 and 27. The bench said 6 to 11pm was long enough. But in Bromsgrove pubs would be open until midnight for four days next week but that was also in consideration of the town's annual midsummer fair. more...
June 21, 1902 more...
A RIVERSIDE resident is furious that the rotting carcasses of fish poisoned in Forge Mill Pool are only now due to be removed - at least two weeks after they were first discovered. more...
FOUNDER members of a Worcester working men's club were begged at its opening a century ago never to gamble when playing cards or billiards, however small the stakes. more...
THE successes of Burlish Middle School choir would make anyone think Jean Fry was blessed with a collection of angels under her baton. more...
THE first phase of a £2,500 scheme to restore All Saint's Church in Bromsgrove began after the initial £500 had been raised. However, problems had been encountered early on when it was found laths in the roof were above the main beams not below, as was more usual. more...
TWO shocks made Bromsgrove School's annual Commemoration Day one of the most remarkable ever. The head, the Rev Walters, senior master Major Mashiter and the Chaplain announced their retirement. And the main guest, World War II legless Group Captain Douglas Bader, was late arriving. Having piloted his own aircraft to Wolverhampton, the weather closed in and he had to return to base at Croydon and drive the 120 miles to Bromsgrove. more...
June 21, 1952 more...
KIND-hearted volunteers are needed to help out with a popular new girls group in Mappleborough Green. more...
THIS year has marked the centenary of the completion of arguably Worcester's most impressive and imposing piece of Victoriana - the Hopmarket block. more...
PEOPLE who care deeply about wildlife and the area around them are not easy to come by. That is not the case with Edward Leszczynski, however, who became consultancy manager at the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust in January. more...
WOMEN patients in the surgical ward at Bromsgrove General Hospital would have the hardworking members of the WRVS to thank for enabling them to maintain their modesty in future. Their trolley service made a profit of £2,000 with which they planned to buy curtains to screen off the beds. The present curtain tracks were inadequate and left chinks between the curtains. more...
BELBROUGHTON Parish News won the competition for the best-duplicated parish magazine in the Worcester diocese. Catshill were third. more...
June 17 , 1977 more...
THE help of Memory Lane readers is again being sought, this time in the hope that someone can provide detailed information about a worthy local benefactor who lived at Hallow. more...
THE sad news, less than two days before it was set to take place, that the Coronation would have to be postponed because of the King's grave illness was met with disbelief in Bromsgrove at first. Organisers of the many celebratory events in the town and surrounding villages hastily met to make alternative arrangements. In most cases it was decided to go ahead with planned teas and lunches for the old and young but to postpone other events. Bunting and other forms of decoration would be scaled down until more details of the illness were known. The Messenger kept residents informed about the King's condition by posting regular bulletins from Buckingham Palace in its office windows. more...
AN idea to make Bromsgrove a borough had been floated. The Messenger reflected that while many were in love with the idea of the higher status it would bring, the cost of a mayor, alderman and other officials would turn folk off the idea. It went on to say in Edward I's reign Bromsgrove was sufficiently important to be able to have two MPs but the cost - £5 per day - was too much. more...
THE plug has been pulled on Alcester's monthly farmers market after repeatedly failing to attract enough shoppers. more...
May 27, 1977 more...
FASHION fans in the town can look forward to a new arrival in the Kingfisher Centre's Debenhams store. more...
DURING the last year or so, Memory Lane has, from time-to-time, carried readers' recollections of their childhood days at Worcester's Stanley Road School. more...
THE revolting condition of the latrines at Stourbridge Road School occupied the minds of North Bromsgrove School managers when they held their monthly meeting. It was said there was clear evidence they had not been emptied for some time and it was resolved to send a post card to the urban district council, which was responsible for them, urging that they be attended to swiftly. more...
THE Rev J Crofts was given a cordial welcome by parishioners at All Saints Church in Bromsgrove when he was installed as the new vicar, the second in 18 months. In the congregation was his father who had been rector of Romsley from 1935-41. more...
POWERFUL motorbikes and ceramic foodstuffs were on show as part of the LG Harris Arts Festival at Stoke Prior. There were exhibits from 20 countries. more...
May 31, 1952 more...
GYMNASTICS, football, swimming and cricket are just some of the activities on offer this half term at venues across the town, including Abbey Stadium, Arrow Vale High School and Kingsley College. Call Scott Brinkworth at Redditch Council on 64252 for details. more...
ANOTHER milestone falling this year is the 40th anniversary of one of Worcester's biggest blazes of the 20th Century. more...
JOHN Shrimpton Cooke, the well known Bromsgrove printer, shopkeeper, sportsman and long time member of the Baptist church, died aged 68 in the room in his premises in Market Place in which he had been born. He had run a printing works there and his aunt Miss Shrimpton and his sister Margery managed the sub post office. more...
Spa police have issued a warning about mini-motorbikes after a girl rider was freed by firefighters and taken to hospital following a collision with a car in the town. more...
RUMOUR and speculation surrounded a plan to stage a punk rock festival at a venue in Bromsgrove on Bank Holiday Monday. The organisers said details were being kept secret to prevent an anticipated flood of objections. more...
TWO hay ricks at Mr Green's Holyoaks Farm, Tardebigge, containing a total of 150 tons of winter fodder worth £300, were destroyed in a blaze which may have been started by spontaneous combustion. A mounted messenger sent to Bromsgrove to raise the alarm arrived at the fire station at 1.20pm and the brigade was at the scene by 1.55. They and colleagues from Redditch were finally stood down some 23 hours later. more...
COOKHILL Keyboard Club's patron will be giving her annual concert at the newly refurbished Cookhill Village Hall next month. more...
ALMOST certainly, Worcester's oldest surviving business is Armstrong's, now in its 234th year in the Faithful city. more...
WORK began on repairing the 160-year-old canal tunnel at Tardebigge which had closed last year when it became unsafe. The delay had been caused because of difficulties in hiring a suitable contractor to carry out the specialised work. more...
A 24-YEAR-OLD man from Elmley Lovett was committed to Worcestershire Quarter Sessions charged with breaking into a garage at Elmbridge and stealing a pencil worth 4d (1.5p). He was bailed in the sum of £20 on condition that he agreed to a medical examination at his home. more...
NEW training in resuscitation techniques has helped Redditch firefighters save the lives of two people in the last month.
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THE remarkable bitter-sweet life story of a courageous but ill-fated Worcester man can now be fully revealed, 60 years on, thanks to a touching letter from a local "exile" living in Cheltenham. more...
WALKMILLS Farm at Wychbold, comprising a house, outbuildings and 57 acres of land came under the hammer at an auction conducted by Luce and Silvers the Bromsgrove auctioneers. After spirited bidding it was sold for £4,000. more...
POSTPONED coronation celebrations went off with a bang at Breakback, in Bromsgrove. The town was finally allowed to go ahead with its High Wood bonfire and fireworks following permission from the chairman of the National Movement, Viscount Cranbourne. Despite the King's continuing illness, it was declared beacons should be lit and 4,000 people turned out in Bromsgrove. more...
DARING nursing officer Nancy Doyle, from Hill Top Hospital in Bromsgrove, presented a cheque for £1,072 to consultant John Burman to buy much needed equipment. Nancy had raised the cash by doing a sponsored parachute jump. more...
YOGA, reflexology, dance and aerobics will be some of the healthy fun Redditch women can enjoy next week. more...
MORE past pupils of a two long-lost Worcester schools have been in touch since my recent Memory Lane feature on the childhood recollections of an "exile" of the Faithful City. more...
COUNCIL house tenants in Bromsgrove were upset at new rules which limited them to keeping one dog, six hens and an outright ban on cockerels. Frank Taylor an enterprising tenant from Sidemoor who bred Alsations had got round the new ruling limiting the size of dog pens. He had cleverly sunk part of his pen into his garden thereby maintaining the strict four-foot height above ground level restriction. more...
BROMSGROVE Rovers revealed it had serious money troubles and gate prices would have to go up. The club had suffered £318 losses in 1951/52 and bosses decided to hike ticket prices in a bid to stem its cash crisis. Ticket prices showed that men had to pay more than women to watch the town's team play. more...
THE ruling guardians at Bromsgrove Workhouse, where a child had gone down with measles, had on the advice of the medical officer, ordered other young inmates to be kept in contact to ensure they all caught the disease. more...
JOHN Edney, aged 42, a bus driver from Lander Close, Rubery, got a shock when experts told him the misshapen object he had dug up after locating it with bis metal detector was a cannon ball from the Civil War. He returned to the undisclosed spot and dug up a further 37 per fectly shaped balls. He planned to donate some to the Norton Collection. more...
MEMBERS of the newly formed Lickey End Hospital Tenants' Association were shocked to discover an area of ground designated as a play area for staff children since 1957 was about to be developed. Following negotiations with the Health Authority, the Red Cross was planning to build new headquarters and car parking on the land set aside for hospital staff children. The other space would be lost when the M42 was built. more...
DROITWICH Town Council learned that the local government minister was to reconsider his refusal to allow the authority to buy the Brine Baths Park and Lido. A referendum was to be held to see if residents were in favour of public ownership. more...
WORCESTER'S nine centuries-old Cathedral certainly did not escape the effects of the Second World War, though, mercifully, it was spared any damage from German bombers. more...
A WOODEN casket containing the ashes of the late Rev T C de la Hay, former vicar of St John's Church in Bromsgrove from 1921-44, was buried in the nave at the foot of the chancel arch. more...
THE date for the execution of Samuel Middleton, who had been found guilty of murdering his wife at Foxlydiate, had been set for July 15 at Worcester Jail. He was reported to be indifferent and not appearing to dread the fate that awaited him. He had recently been visited by his son to whom he had given 9/- (45p). He would be allowed to see his children for the last time four days before he was hanged. more...
A STRAY firework may have been responsible for setting fire to the thatched roof of a building used by Bromsgrove School in Conway Road as a music block. more...
A MARVELLOUS and witty poem vilifying Napoleon Bonaparte appeared in the Worcester Journal this week exactly 200 years ago when the nation was once again at war with France. more...
A FAIRGROUND slide and photograph show takes place at Studley Village Hall this Friday from 7.30pm. more...
A Malvern family who became popular personalities in and around the town during the 20th Century are in the spotlight this week. more...
TWO religious memorial murals given by Donald Gilbert of London in memory of his father Walter, one of the founders of the Bromsgrove Guild along with Lous Weingartner his loyal assistant for many years, were dedicated at a service at Hanbury church. The originals had been used for part of the reredos at Liverpool Cathedral. more...
BROMSGROVE Youth Organisation in New Road, looked set to be wound up and taken over by Worcestershire County Council after the founder, Major Ryland, had indicated that he intended to move away from the district. It was felt the facility would not be able to function satisfactorily without him at the helm. In 1945 the buildings, running track and playing field had cost £15,000. more...
ONE of the most prominent historic features of the Worcester city scene was emerging from a major restoration at this time a century ago. more...
DESCENDANTS of a Malvern wheelwright firmly believe he made the wheels for the first ever Morgan "car." more...
MORE than 2,500 jobs at the Austin works at Longbridge were to be axed as part of British Leyland chairman Michael Edwardes' survival plan. Altogether a total of 25,000 jobs were to go from all the plants involved. more...
AN heroic police officer kicked through the front door of a smoke-filled house to save a trapped pensioner. more...
PAST and present staff and their families at the Blue Bird toffee factory at Hunnington enjoyed an open day to celebrate the firm's golden jubilee. more...
FIVE troublemaking boys were summoned before the courts for lighting up fireworks in a public place. Robert Troth, aged 12, William Pinfield, 11, Albert Stanton, 11, William Peplow, 12, and Frank Crawford, aged ten, all of Bewell Head, were accused of lighting fireworks in Stourbridge Road. PC Walters said that they went late at night to Stourbridge Road School, opened two doors and threw some firecrackers into evening classes. They were summoned because a previous caution seemed to have no effect. The chairman said they deserved to be birched but instead they were each fined 2s 6d (12.5p). more...
1803: The triennial meeting of the Three Choirs of Worcester, Hereford and Gloucester commenced here yesterday. The stewards, with their friends and the principal vocal performers, dined at the Unicorn Inn and spent the evening with the utmost hilarity and loyalty. Several songs and glees were given by Messrs. Nield, I
