Stories for 8 March 2006
Leisure
SOME may suggest "old-school" entertainment such as the theatre, ballet or opera are now passé, but this was certainly not the case as I sat in a near-packed auditorium waiting for Birmingham Royal Ballet's Sleeping Beauty to start.
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ATTRACTED to this little-known documentary-style film more by curiosity than eagerness to watch it, I have to confess to being more than a little surprised by how good it is.
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WHETHER you're male or female, if it's flesh you want to see you're in for a treat with this film.
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A SIMPLE formula that has worked many times over for those clever people at Aardman Animations.
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WHEN Bill Hicks died of cancer in 1994, he probably had no idea of the armies of fans who were to begin loving his work after his death.
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FILM director Mike Leigh's acclaimed Two Thousand Years runs at Malvern Theatres until Saturday ( March 11).
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SWEENEY Todd is coming to Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre next month starring former Neigbours star, Jason Donovan.
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BUSY and varied - that`s the outlook at the Malvern Theatres for the rest of this month.
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THEATRE company All and Sundry are harking back to the golden age of stage entertainment for new Artrix production the Good Old Variety Show.
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A WOMEN'S group is raising awareness of domestic violence by performing world famous show The Vagina Monologues at the Artrix Saturday, March 11.
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TO describe Arthur Miller's monumental work as one of the greatest plays ever written is to do it justice. To limit its scope to that of the Communist witch-hunts in 1950s Amerca is to do it a disservice - almost like saying that Hamlet is just a lambast against indecision.
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LOCAL singers are being given the chance to take part in a professional production of Vivaldi's Gloria.
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CELEBRATING its 60th anniversary, Welsh National Opera is putting on three birthday treats at the Birmingham Hippodrome.
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THE circus is coming to town this week, from tomorrow until Monday.
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LOCAL theatre group All & Sundry are set to take to the stage again, with the next big production at Bromsgrove's Artrix.
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Wednesday, March 8
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Wednesday, March 8
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THE 'King' of rock'n'roll may be no more but his music and spirit lives on in new show This is Elvis - Viva Las Vegas, which runs at Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre between Monday, March 13 and Saturday. 18.
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BARNT Green Choral Society will be performing Austrian composer Mozart's most famous works to celebrate the 250th anniversary of his birth on Saturday, March 25.
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News
CAROLE Sutor decided to trade in her life in accounts for one as a seamstress two years ago and has not looked back since.
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Wednesday March 8
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STRATFORD District Council increased its portion of the council tax by 3.7 per cent - the lowest rise in Warwickshire.
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SIR Alan Sugar's favourite phrase, "you're fired", isn't one a hardworking Redditch apprentice will ever be likely to hear after being nominated for a top award.
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A TAP teacher is hanging up her shoes for the last time.
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GREEN-fingered residents can find out how to make their gardens bloom at a Mappleborough Green workshop.
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A FLOURISHING Girlguiding group is seeking new volunteers.
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A BIDFORD man who weighed 28st died of natural causes, a coroner has ruled.
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A STUDLEY teenager was arrested on suspicion of possessing Class A drugs.
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ART will be at its best today when a top aerosol artist helps raise money for charity.
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A SATELLITE navigation system and £300 were stolen from a car in Bidford.
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A TOWN college has scooped an award for the help it gives to youngsters planning their careers.
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SEVERAL cars in a Wootton Wawen compound have been damaged and one has been stolen.
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A FIRE started in an electrical fuse box at a house in Flyford Close, Lodge Park. Firefighters were called to the property on Saturday night but the homeowner had already extinguished the blaze. No-one was hurt. more...
AN enterprising Alcester coffee shop owner is to feature on television's Heart of the Country.
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REDDITCH and Bromsgrove Primary Care Trust (PCT) will meet in Church Hill next week. Residents are invited to the meeting at Church Hill Community Centre in Loxley Close next Tuesday from 1.30pm. more...
ADVANTAGE Alcester is celebrating after being awarded a certificate to mark the end of its four-year run.
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ABOUT £15,000 worth of computer equipment has been stolen from a van in Bidford.
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A THIRD generation family business in Redditch is celebrating its 60th birthday.
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DISPLAY boards highlighting the work of Advantage Alcester are on show at Globe House - and residents are invited to view them and help decide the group's future.
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TRINITY High School & Sixth Form Centre has struck gold with its sporting education. The school has just achieved the Sportsmark Gold Award for the second time. More than 400 schools applied and the Easemore Road school was one of only 74 nationally to receive the award.
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YOUTHS shouted abuse at staff at a popular Indian restaurant in Alcester.
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REDDITCH mayor Diane Thomas is looking for sponsors for this year's Civic Dinner.
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THE final pieces of mosaics were put in place and ready to finish Alcester's tueries.
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THOUGHTFUL tots at St George's First School planted trees for future generations to enjoy.
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CREATIVE residents can get all their craft supplies at a new shop in the Kingfisher Shopping Centre.
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A MAJOR development is set to go ahead in Bidford - and it will be the largest the village has ever seen.
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TWO Inkberrow youngsters showed their community spirit by helping to clean up their village.
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A CULTURAL hotbed is promised at the county's 12th skills show this summer.
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STUDLEY residents will be armed with litter pickers and bin bags for a village clean-up this Saturday.
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A GRIEVING Woodrow woman claims her estranged sister is denying their late mum the right to a named grave.
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A STUDLEY pensioner has criticised bus company First for recent changes to services in the village.
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A GIANT, bloodthirsty plant will be one of the stars of the show in Arrow Vale High School's lavish production of Little Shop of Horrors.
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BUDDING fashion designers and wannabe dancers are invited to join a thriving weekly workshop. The Chitchat girls group is looking for fresh faces to bring their ideas to the six-week course at Redditch Youth House, which started yesterday. Sessions run every Tuesday from 6.30-9pm.
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CAROLE Sutor decided to trade in her life in accounts for one as a seamstress two years ago and has not looked back since.
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POLICE have seized the first mini motorbike as part of a major crackdown on unlawful vehicle use.
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STRATFORD District Council increased its portion of the council tax by 3.7 per cent - the lowest rise in Warwickshire.
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THE Where Next Association has been raising the roof to help conserve energy and increase productivity.
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COMPASSION in World Farming (CIWF) has thanked Redditch people for donating £133.04 during a street collection in the town on January 28. All proceeds will go towards campaigning work for farm animal welfare. more...
ARSONISTS targeted two abandoned cars in Astwood Bank at the weekend. On Sunday, firefighters were called to Popes Lane where there was a vehicle on fire. Then at 2.50am, there was another report of a car well alight outside the National Grid power station in Astwood Lane. Both fires are thought to have been started deliberately.
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ASTWOOD Bank Carnival promises to be a real carry-on this year - the theme for the event is `Carry On Carnival'!
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JUST weeks after the launch of Redditch Freecycle, the forum has already had 115 members sign up.
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REDDITCH Fun Run organiser Dave Wilkins measures the course at Arrow Valley Lake.
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THE assets of defunct Redditch company BSA Castings went under the hammer today.
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THE fear of crime and whether the prison system works effectively are two topics on the agenda of a public meeting this Saturday.
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FASHION-conscious pupils at a Winyates school are strutting their stuff in a brand new uniform.
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THE creeping tide of anti-social behaviour that affects so much of our daily lives reached its high water mark on Pitchcroft last June when three hospitality suites were torched.
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NAIL making was once Bromsgrove's principal trade involving not only men, but also many women and children.
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YOUNGSTERS from Redditch and Bromsgrove demonstrated their business prowess during the Young Enterprise Trade Fair on Saturday.
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SIR - I am writing in response to Bill Davison's recent letter in the Worcester News. I am a former student of Christopher Whitehead, having left in 2004. I read with interest his statement that children "... will be at risk if they have to walk to the proposed new site."
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TWO men who assaulted each other during a late-night incident in Studley village centre have appeared together in the dock at Warwick Crown Court.
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SIR - In reply to Conservative MEP Philip Bushill-Matthews (Letters, February 20).
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WEDDING dresses in a Studley bridal shop valued at £12,000 will have to be destroyed after they were covered in glass from a smashed window.
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SIR --It's a year now since the implementation of the Hunting Act 2004 and an appropriate time to take stock. Backed by opinion polls showing an overwhelming majority in favour of an end to the gratuitous cruelty of hare-coursing, stag hunting and fox hunting, Parliament responded to public opinion and banned hunting.
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A HEADLESS Cross couple were stung with a hefty mobile phone bill after they made calls to a customer service centre in India trying to sort out their defunct landline.
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SIR - It was nice to see Philip Bushill-Matthews MEP putting his head above the parapet once again on the issue of the Red Ensign. For once, his Conservative Party supported UKIP in fighting for its retention.
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FAMILY, friends and colleagues are mourning the death of a former Redditch councillor and mayor who died on Saturday aged 77.
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SIR - I was interested to read of David Candler's view of what is a Christian in his critical response to comments by John Phillpott about the Bishop of Worcester (Letters, Thursday, February 23).
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AMBITIOUS proposals to build a new sports hall at Redditch NEW College were earmarked for approval last night.
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SIR - I am sure that your readers will be as appalled by the latest example of David Cameron's sheer opportunism as I am.
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IF Birmingham schools' needs are so much more than Worcestershire's in terms of school per pupil funding that they warrant an £840 per pupil per year payment above that of their Worcestershire equivalent, could schools minister Jacqui Smith please explain to me why one in five Birmingham schools are sitting on a reserve of more than one fifth of their entire budgets?
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THE Where Next Association has been raising the roof to help conserve energy and increase productivity.
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I WOULD like to express my anger regarding an incident on a recent Saturday evening.
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I FELT I should write regarding the recent headlines in your newspaper about Redditch Market.
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I WOULD like to say I was shocked and amazed at the outcome of the recent Parliamentary vote on the introduction of ID cards and the blanket ban on smoking in public places.
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A WINYATES fitness fanatic will take a 145-mile run for his money.
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A GANG of Birmingham car thieves who targeted homes across the county, including Wythall and Barnt Green, were sentenced to a total of more than 12 years in custody at Worcester Crown Court.
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A REPORT by a Government-appointed watchdog has praised Hewell Grange Open Prison, saying it continues to make improvements and has introduced some highly successful schemes.
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RESIDENTS from a young homeless person's housing scheme feared eviction after being incorrectly told their weekly charges would increase by more than two thirds.
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ONE of the trustees of defunct Redditch charity Step Out Drop In has expressed disappointment at the findings of an investigation into the firm's finances.
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A WINYATES couple have won a £140 payout from British Gas after they were led astray by a salesman.
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MANY of your readers must now be aware of the current NHS consultations on the amalgamation of Strategic Health Authorities, the regionalisation of ambulance services and the future configuration of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs).
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A DETERMINED Crabbs Cross mum who worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the risk of breast cancer to young women lost her five-year battle against the disease on Sunday.
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AN alcoholic, who punched his former girlfriend and kicked her in the back while wearing walking boots, has been jailed.
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PEOPLE living on a new riverside housing development are calling for an area near to their homes to be cleaned up because they say it is an eyesore.
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MAJOR improvement works to restore and develop an Upton Warren church are being carried out well ahead of schedule.
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A 16-year-old girl was injured when a youth drove his car into her while fooling around at a supermarket car park.
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THE family of Sandy Mckenzie, the popular Spa man who was killed in a road accident as he walked home after an early evening out, has paid tribute to him.
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STARRY-eyed youngsters enjoyed a taste of fame when they recorded a song after winning a talent competition.
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by Pete Lammas
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MUSICAL youngsters hit the right note when they celebrated St David's Day.
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A NEW chapter is set to open at Bromsgrove library when it becomes the first in Worcestershire to use the latest self-serve technology.
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THE wonderful world of books came to life when youngsters at a Spa pre-school dressed up as their favourite characters.
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A PIONEERING music trust, set up with £300,000 left by a former district councillor, is hitting the right note with Bromsgrove youngsters.
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LESSON-time was more like bedtime at a Spa school last Friday.
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PEOPLE living in Aston Fields could suffer from the same indiscriminate on-street parking that brought misery to residents in Barnt Green a few years ago, it is being claimed.
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A CLEANER and rejuvenated Bromsgrove are at the forefront of this year's council budget, although residents face a 4.99 per cent council tax rise to pay for it.
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AN elderly Charford woman had cash stolen from her home by a bogus police officer.
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JUST days after admitting this year's budget had been tough, district councillors were last night set to award themselves significant increases in their allowances for the coming year.
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A man who raped a pregnant woman in her Bromsgrove home was jailed for seven years at Worcester Crown Court.
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THE threat of costly High Court action has persuaded Bromsgrove District Council to back down in the long-running saga over the Oakalls development.
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THE wheels are in motion for a popular remote control model car club to move into a new home.
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AT an age when many retired men are content to put their feet up in front of the telly, Paul Lightwood is pounding the roads in preparation for a very important event.
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A TOP Guiding event encouraged around 150 girls to think of others from around the world.
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A TALENTED Stoke Heath man has written a book packed with inspirational readings and thoughts.
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YOUNG bookworms took part in a whole host of activities as part of World Book Day.
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KINDHEARTED youngsters at a Rubery school have become green fingered to raise cash for a cancer charity.
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DISTRICT councillors demolished Droitwich market hall to build a supermarket because their experts insist towns this size need three at minimum.
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IF you wake up in the night and your house is being broken into just ring the police and say it is a naughty `Golly' and they will respond immediately and confiscate the burglar.
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ONCE more the big boys are to clobber the people who can't do anything to fight them.
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HAVING read with interest the article about the declining state of small businesses in Bromsgrove High Street, I was compelled to write in and express my views.
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BROMSGROVE town centre is looking more and more shabby and neglected, ever more shops and businesses closing down, on-street parking reaching epidemic proportions, a very expensive but underused multi-storey car park and the people who run our council are trying to squeeze even more money out of car parking.
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AS a parent of a child at South Bromsgrove High School, with which my wife and I are very satisfied, I wanted to write in praise of the remarkable musical talent at North Bromsgrove High School.
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I'VE noticed the dumping of quantities of foodstuff on the High Street in Bromsgrove which I presume to be white bread and is intended to feed the pigeons.
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BIRD flu is rapidly approaching the UK and that means us here in the Bromsgrove and Droitwich areas.
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I AM interested in the `tin houses' that were situated at the Stourbridge Road end of Broad Street, Bromsgrove, and which were probably knocked down in the 1960s.
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REGARDING the letter `Grass Verges'.
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THROUGH Your View I would like to thank all the kind people who helped me when I fell at the bottom of New Road, Bromsgrove, on Friday, February 17.
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THE fame of Ombersley Delicatessen was due to go national today when its owner appears on a television business show.
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A COUNTY garden centre has its very own red-carpet event to rival the BAFTAs and Oscars this season.
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A RISE in corporate punters has helped the UK's largest racecourse operator Arena Leisure, which runs Worcester's Pitch-croft venue, to record operating profits and a 9.4 per cent increase in sales.
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A play based on a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson is being performed by talented Worcester students.
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WANNABE starlets from across Worcestershire will be taking to the stage in Malvern tomorrow in a bid to be crowned `top of the pops' in a talent competition.
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STRUCTURAL damage was caused to a pub when a bus and a Land Rover ploughed into it after colliding.
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THE Royal Grammar School in Worcester is holding its first week of organ recitals.
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FLOWERS might not bloom in Warndon Villages this spring because of grass cutting during the cold snap, a parish councillor has warned.
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PROTESTERS badgered the Government in Worcester yesterday over new measures to tackle bovine TB.
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THE British people's tendency not to share their home with other generations of their family is the reason for a national housing crisis affecting Worcester, says the city council's leader.
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A HOMELESS project in Nigeria is better off thanks to the theatrical work of a group of Worcestershire youngsters.
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STAFF at the British Red Cross's regional headquarters in Worcester are preparing to up and move to another part of the city later this year.
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YOUNGSTERS across Worcestershire are being called upon to produce a collage to stop people dropping litter.
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NEW laws that crack down on flytipping, littering and discarded household waste have been welcomed by Worcester City Council.
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THE MOST celebrated features and landmarks of the Faithful City will soon be immortalised in the world's most famous board game.
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UNIVERSITY lecturers braved wet and windy weather when they went on strike to demand better pay.
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A HUGE £1m revamp of Worcester racecourse will see a refurbished grandstand, three new hospitality suites and new carpets, toilets and windows put in place - all in time for the start of the racing season in less than three weeks' time.
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WORK started this week on one of the smelliest and dirtiest jobs in Redditch - clearing out the Forge Mill pond.
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ASTWOOD Bank and Cookhill Baptist Church will have an ex-paratrooper for their new minister when the Rev Frank Wiltshire takes over soon.
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ONE of the results of the variable and trying weather of February was seen in the report of the Medical Officer of Health, read at the Redditch District Council meeting on Tuesday night.
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GOLLIES across the county are uniting in their support for three of their fellow dolls seized in a controversial police raid.
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A TEENAGE boy was robbed by a gang of black youths in a Lodge Park underpass.
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A 16-YEAR-old boy was robbed at knifepoint in Hollywood.
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A NUMBER of high-tech overhead projectors have been stolen from schools and businesses in Redditch. Police have issued a warning following a spate of thefts, most recently from a factory in Merse Road, Moons Moat last Tuesday morning. Anyone wioth information about the thefts should contact Pc Mills on 08457 444888.
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RESIDENTS are being warned not to leave their cars running and unattended, especially during the recent cold snap.
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KING'S St Alban's Junior School has been described as a "thriving, happy and industrious community".
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Sport
Droitwich 5 Worcester Wanderers 8
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THE title race in the Bromsgrove and Redditch Table Tennis League hotted up as leaders Lickey Monarchs were beaten 6-4 by closest rivals Barnt Green B in Division One.
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STUDENTS from Droitwich's TAGB Tae Kwan Do school came back with a large haul of medals from the South Midlands Championships.
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GIRLS from a Year Seven netball team from Parkside Middle School proved they were the queens of the court by winning the district championships.NETBALL REVOLUTION:The Year Seven netball team from Parkside Middle School are district champions.
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HOME, away
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HOME, away
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ANDY Preece has urged fiery striker Mark Danks to curb his temper in the wake of Monday night's costly sending-off.
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Worcester City 2 Redditch United 2
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EXPERIENCED bowlers are being sought to help a Redditch cricket club celebrate its 150th anniversary.
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ONE of my main focuses for next season is to record all our games on video - not just for the team's benefit but for referees.
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Bromsgrove 13 Dudley Kingswinford 31
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GOALSCORERS
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RUGBY League side Redditch Ravens have started training for their second season in the Total RL Conference.
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THERE were points galore when Alcester's u14s were beaten 53-25 at Warley.
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Pershore Town 4 Bromsgrove Rovers Reserves 3
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Warwickshire 20/20 Shield semi-final
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FAIRFIELD Sunday progressed into the BRT Terry Cup's fourth round by beating Oak Heath Sports 3-1 on Sunday.
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Coventry Welsh 12 Alcester 10
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STAR and Garter won a five goal thriller to booked their place in the Worcestershire Nursing Junior Cup final.
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Pilkington XXX 1 Barnt Green Spartak 3
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Droitwich Spa 2 Lamb and Flag 1
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Bartley Green 7 Fairfield Villa 1
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Bromsgrove Rovers 0 Bracknell Town 0
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BROMSGROVE Rovers FC manager Rod Brown has called on supporters and players to work together to lift the curse that has blighted the club's season.
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Chippenham Town 1 Bromsgrove Rovers 2
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Kings Norton 10
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REDDITCH United take on Hyde United at the Valley Stadium this weekend looking for their first double of the season.
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BROMSGROVE RFC coach Iain Hall believes that the first team's disastrous season in the Midlands Division one is down to confidence.
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DROITWICH under-14s booked their place in the North Midlands Plate final by defeating Kidderminster 20-17 on Sunday.
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THREE pupils from Bromsgrove School helped England under-18s' development side beat Wales 29-5 on Saturday.
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Droitwich 5 Worcester Wanderers 8
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Bromsgrove 13 Dudley Kingswinford 31
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BROMSGROVE RFC coach Iain Hall believes that the first team's disastrous season in the Midlands Division one is down to confidence.
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HARRIERS boss Mark Yates is hopeful of bringing in a new striker in time for Saturday's Nationwide Conference trip to Morecambe.
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WORCESTER City ABC schoolboy Harry Stokes emerged victorious from his first contest after his fight against Queensbury's Thomas Newbon was stopped with 10 seconds remaining of the final round.
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A FLURRY of activity on the River Severn, the rythmical pounding of a drum and a whirlwind of paddles could mean only one thing -- Worcester Dragon Boat Racing Club was coming home.
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INJURY-ravaged Bromsgrove Rovers pulled off one of their best wins of the season when they beat high-flying Chippenham 2-1 in the semi-finals of the Southern League Cup last night.
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THE Evesham Sunday League's Bluck Cup quarter-finals held centre-stage this week with holders Moreton Town crashing out at Crowle.
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HEREFORD United kept their Nationwide Conference promotion hopes very much alive after a remarkable 2-1 win at Gravesend last night.
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ANDY Preece has urged fiery striker Mark Danks to curb his temper in the wake of Monday night's costly sending-off.
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WARRIORS go into Friday night's dust-up against Premiership champions Wasps without skipper Pat Sanderson after the flanker's comeback from back injury was put on hold.
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Droitwich men's 1st XI 0 Old Halesonians men's 1st XI 5
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Bromsgrove men's 1st XI 5 Old Wulfrunians men's 1st XI 3
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A NUMBER of courses are being staged in Worcestershire to help overcome the shortage of referees.
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Pershore Town Ladies 0
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FECKENHAM manager Lee Adams was preparing to rest some of his senior players for last night's trip to struggling Coventry Copsewood.
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HOME, away
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STUDLEY manager Kevin Rowlands has slammed his players after they crashed to a derby day defeat at the hands of neighbours Alvechurch.
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ANGLING: Studley Road AC held the Treasurers Shield match on the Stratford Canal at Tythe Barn Lane.
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TABLE TENNIS: Basement side Arrow Vale A picked up just their second win of the season in Division One of the Bromsgrove, Redditch and District League.
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LEISURE LEAGUES: A five star display from Sickadem kept up the pressure on leaders Barvados in this week's games in the Redditch Sunday league.
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ATHLETICS: Sharon Tonks made it a hat-trick of titles when she romped home in Cardiff to lift the Masters National Indoor crown at the weekend.
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A SERIES of tennis camps have been arranged in Alcester over the Easter and summer holidays.
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THERE will be a record number of teams competing in the Prudden Road Surfacing Summer Tennis League this year.
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THE grips have been tightened and the swings have been swung.
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REDDITCH United take on Hyde United at the Valley Stadium this weekend looking for their first double of the season.
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BROMSGROVE Rovers FC manager Rod Brown has called on supporters and players to work together to lift the curse that has blighted the club's season.
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Bromsgrove Rovers 0 Bracknell Town 0
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Chippenham Town 1 Bromsgrove Rovers 2
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BROMSGROVE RFC coach Iain Hall believes that the first team's disastrous season in the Midlands Division one is down to confidence.
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BROMSGROVE Rovers FC manager Rod Brown has called on supporters and players to work together to lift the curse that has blighted the club's season.
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Chippenham Town 1 Bromsgrove Rovers 2
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WARRIORS go into Friday night's dust-up against Premiership champions Wasps without skipper Pat Sanderson after the flanker's comeback from back injury was put on hold.
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