Archive

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Town in grief at death of freeman

DROITWICH has lost one of its best-known faces and a pillar of the community with the death of former town councillor Harry Hipkiss. Last year Mr Hipkiss, of Farriers Corner, was bestowed with the honour of Honorary Freeman of the town in light of his

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Fairtrade meeting

YOUNGSTERS will be able to learn all about Fairtrade at a meeting at the University College Worcester this week. Tomorrow the Worcester Trade Justice Network will hold an event for schools, students and teachers who are interested in becoming or increasing

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Bypass is re-opened earlier than planned

MOTORISTS have been able to get back on to the A38 Droitwich bypass a week earlier than planned, after roadworks were finished ahead of schedule. The stretch of road between Copcut Roundabout and the Ombersley turn-off has been closed for a fortnight

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Angelic voices tune up

ANGELIC-voiced youngsters have the chance to sharpen up their talents with a special singing session led by Worcester Cathedral's choirmaster. After a successful Come and Sing event for adults two years ago, Worcester Cathedral Arts has organised an afternoon

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Funding formula is unfair

IT looks as if, once again, Worcestershire is to lose out on Government money because of the vagaries of a Whitehall funding formula. Worcester News readers will be well aware of how our children are short-changed because of the unfair Area Cost Adjustment

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YOUNG PEOPLE

Boys' Brigade Boys' Brigade (Bromsgrove): Methodist Centre, Stratford Road, Bromsgrove. Mike Kidd (01527 873499). Second Bromsgrove Boys' Brigade: Phil Morley (01527 878948). Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh Open Award Group: Meet at St Stephen's Church

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Leatherdale in call-up to face Derby

DAVID Leatherdale is back in the firing line for Worcestershire -- 18 months after his last four-day outing. The 37-year-old all-rounder is named in Worcestershire's side bound for Derby tomorrow after playing his last County Championship game back in

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Bulls must cut down Forest bid

HEREFORD United can take a giant step nearer a Nationwide Conference play-off place with a win at relegation-threatened Forest Green tonight (7.45). With four games to play, it now looks increasingly likely that six more points will be enough for a top-five

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Evesham banking on experience

WILY veteran John Gayle could return to provide extra valuable experience in Evesham United's promotion drive tonight (7.45). Dave Busst's Robins head to lowly Gloucestershire outfit Cinderford Town with a Southern League Division One West top-two spot

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Malvern can make up ground on rivals

MALVERN Town can draw level on points with third-placed Coalville Town if they win there tonight (7.45). But the Langland Stadium side, 2-1 winners at Studley on Saturday, would be behind their Leicestershire opponents on goal difference. Malvern are

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Tree power

I READ with concern your report (Worcester News, Thursday, March 31) of "an application for work to be carried out to trees around a health facility" in Barbourne. Worcester Mental Health Partnership should be cautioned by the words of the 17th Century

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Call to help the animals

THE local branch of the RSPCA has a number of street and store collections this year and needs volunteers who can spare an hour or two to help. We are not funded by our national society and rely upon the generosity of the public to fund the work that

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12/4/05 - Leatherdale in call-up to face Derby

DAVID Leatherdale is back in the firing line for Worcestershire -- 18 months after his last four-day outing. The 37-year-old all-rounder is named in Worcestershire's side bound for Derby tomorrow after playing his last County Championship game back in

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12/4/05 - Hick backing for new-look County

GRAEME Hick insists Vik-ram Solanki will have the full support of the dressing room as he prepares for his first season as Worcestershire skipper. Solanki, who takes over the reins from Ben Smith, can count on the support of Hick who will have no problems

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Bulls must cut down Forest bid

HEREFORD United can take a giant step nearer a Nationwide Conference play-off place with a win at relegation-threatened Forest Green tonight (7.45). With four games to play, it now looks increasingly likely that six more points will be enough for a top-five

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Festival to hear of a smooth rise to success

THE story of how some home-made smoothies turned into the UK's fastest-growing food and drinks business will be told in lively detail at the annual Business Festival. Innocent drinks is one of the huge commercial success stories of the 21st Century. The

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Hunt is on for skilled apprentice

BUILDING firms in Worcestershire are being urged to put their apprentices forward for a top award and the chance to win a £3,000 holiday The Federation of Master Builders is once again on the hunt for the best young talent in Britain as it launches its

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Profits at Beatties chain in sharp fall

DEPARTMENT stores group Beatties posted a sharp fall in annual profits after seeing sales slide in its West Midlands heartland. With the impact of the new Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham in September 2003 still being felt, Beatties said group profits

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Premiere donation towards hospice

A £500 donation from staff recruitment agency Premiere People in Worcester has brought the cash raised from St Richard's Hospice PJ Day to more than £7,500. Staff at the Foregate Street firm joined thousands of others across the county who signed up to

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Company guide to how the new laws work

INFORMATION on groundbreaking new laws to improve working relationships between employers and employees has been dropping through letterboxes in Worcestershire. The guide - New laws for informing and consulting your employees - provides a brief summary

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Leader at MG Rover meeting

REPRESENTATIVES from Worcestershire attended the first MG Rover Task Group meeting. County council leader George Lord met key players from Advantage West Midlands, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and politicians yesterday morning to discuss the future

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City man stands against Blair

A MAN from Worcestershire is taking the political fight to the very top - by standing against Tony Blair in the General Election. Michael Browne has been chosen as the Liberal Democrat candidate in the Prime Minister's historically solid Labour Sedgefield

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Glassware wanted for meningitis girl Olivia

CHINA, glassware and jewellery are wanted to help raise cash for a little girl who has had her hands and feet amputated after contracting meningitis. Joyce Lawrence - who has already raised more than £600 for six-year-old Olivia Clarke - is asking anyone

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ELECTION 2005: WEST WORCESTERSHIRE

SIR MICHAEL SPICER, CONSERVATIVE The failings of MG Rover are sending shockwaves around the West Midlands. Here in deepest Worcestershire there may not be many jobs at stake, though there are no doubt commuters to Longbridge and at least one worried distributor

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Solstice - The Other Place, Stratford

IF Zinnie Harris's pre-apocalyptic new play had been written 20 years ago it would probably have ended with a nuclear bang. But mankind faces a new threat - the enemy within, and this thrilling parable plots the relationship between moral decay and the

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Tracing her roots from down under

AN Australian woman is hoping to trace her family roots back in Worcester as part of a book she is planning to write. Merilyn Ragg is tracking the descendants of her great-great-grandfather Benjamin Evans-Turner, who was born in the Faithful City on March

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Chance to snap up a photographic prize

KEEN snappers are urged to get out into the Worcestershire countryside and take part in a photography competition. In a new Europe-wide photo competition the WWF, in association with Canon, aims to showcase the richness of rural life and the variety of

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A snapshot of the city's past

A FASCINATING snapshot of life in one of Worcester's most historic buildings is emerging as a radio journalist reaches the halfway stage into her research of the Commandery. The building, in Sidbury, was a former monastic hospital, school, merchant's

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Thousands want to name new rose

MORE than 1,000 people have so far jumped at the chance to name a new rose in a competition launched by Webbs of Wychbold to help raise funds for St Richard's Hospice. TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh will be presenting the winners with an array of prizes

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Abortion centre to open in disused church

A PREGNANCY and abortion crisis centre could open beneath a disused city centre church - which is now a nightclub. The Cedar Tree Trust, based on Barbourne Terrace, Barbourne, wants to shift premises to the vacant underground crypt of St Nicholas' Church

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Rail fare blitz

A TRAIN company in Worcestershire has stepped up its fight against fare dodgers by warning them they face a criminal record if they don't pay. Chiltern Railways, which runs trains from Marylebone, in London, to Kidderminster and Birmingham, has taken

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Malvern Town FC - Fixtures/Results - 2004/5 Season

The Travel Factory Midland Football Alliance Tuesday, April 12: Coalville Town v Malvern Town (7.45). Tuesday, April 19: Worcester Infirmary Cup semi-final Malvern Town v Feckenham (7.45). Saturday, April 23: Malvern Town v Chasetown (3.00). Saturday,

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12/4/05 - Preece eyes big crowd display

ANDY Preece wants to draw the crowds to St George's Lane on Saturday by winning a make-or-break game tonight. The City boss is targeting three points from a play-off crunch clash at Altrincham that could boost their outside hopes of a top-five place or

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WOMEN'S GROUPS

Soroptimists Soroptimist International (Bromsgrove & Redditch): Mrs Judy Gill, President, Perry Pear Barn, Bryan's Green, Cutnall Green (01299 851331). Women's Aid Worcestershire Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre: Gail Grinnell, P.O. Box 240, Worcester

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SUPPORT GROUPS

Advocacy Bromsgrove & Redditch Citizen Advocacy: Greenlands Business Centre, Studley Road, Redditch (01527 520809). Bereavement The Compassionate Friends Support group for Bereaved Parents: (01179 539639). Caring Age Care: Dorset House, Blackfriars

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Preece eyes big crowd display

ANDY Preece wants to draw the crowds to St George's Lane on Saturday by winning a make-or-break game tonight. The City boss is targeting three points from a play-off crunch clash at Altrincham that could boost their outside hopes of a top-five place or

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Watkiss plots diamond incentive

STUART Watkiss will use Kidderminster Harriers' relegation rivals Rushden and Diamonds as the big inspiration to shine in their next game. Harriers head into another vital match at home to Yeovil Town on Saturday hoping to repeat Rushden's 2-0 victory

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Hick backing for new-look County

GRAEME Hick insists Vik-ram Solanki will have the full support of the dressing room as he prepares for his first season as Worcestershire skipper. Solanki, who takes over the reins from Ben Smith, can count on the support of Hick who will have no problems

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Batty hones secret weapon

NEW vice-captain Gareth Batty is developing a secret weapon to unleash on batsmen this summer. Worcestershire's premier spinner, who has become Vikram Solanki's number two this season, has been restricted in his shoulder movement since 2003. He was still

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How do we interest teenagers in politics?

AS election time draws near, politicians attempt to lure young and old alike into the polling booths in a bid to combat "voter apathy". An estimated 38 per cent of the Worcester electorate won't bother to cast a vote on May 5 and it remains a major issue

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12/4/05 - Watkiss plots diamond incentive

STUART Watkiss will use Kidderminster Harriers' relegation rivals Rushden and Diamonds as the big inspiration to shine in their next game. Harriers head into another vital match at home to Yeovil Town on Saturday hoping to repeat Rushden's 2-0 victory

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Solstice - The Other Place, Stratford

IF Zinnie Harris's pre-apocalyptic new play had been written 20 years ago it would probably have ended with a nuclear bang. But mankind faces a new threat - the enemy within, and this thrilling parable plots the relationship between moral decay and the

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Paying price

I WAS one of the hundreds of Droitwich people who packed themselves into the community hall to discuss having a parish poll on the disgraceful decision of Wychavon District Council to close and demolish our Lido. The strength of feeling was even more

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Star quality

LIFESTYLE (Thursday, March 31) asks "do you have what it takes to be the next Pop Idol? Well, if I shaved off my beard, and shed 40 or 50 years, I might be in with a chance. I cannot sing a note, but that shouldn't disqualify me. GEORGE COWLEY, Warndon

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Trade now going to other shops

APPARENTLY, despite signs that the consumer boom is coming to an end, sales in Worcester shopping centre have recently increased by three per cent. I think the shops further back in the shopping centre are merely taking business from those facing directly

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Excuse me, but I haven't noticed a war going on

D E Margrett thinks we are at war (You Say, Wednesday, April 6). Perhaps I am not paying attention as I walk around, but there seems to be a distinct lack of bombs going off, civil disorder, or similar. Unlike say, 10 or 20 years ago, when there were

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12/4/05 - Batty hones secret weapon

NEW vice-captain Gareth Batty is developing a secret weapon to unleash on batsmen this summer. Worcestershire's premier spinner, who has become Vikram Solanki's number two this season, has been restricted in his shoulder movement since 2003. He was still

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Evesham banking on experience

WILY veteran John Gayle could return to provide extra valuable experience in Evesham United's promotion drive tonight (7.45). Dave Busst's Robins head to lowly Gloucestershire outfit Cinderford Town with a Southern League Division One West top-two spot

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Solstice - The Other Place, Stratford

IF Zinnie Harris's pre-apocalyptic new play had been written 20 years ago it would probably have ended with a nuclear bang. But mankind faces a new threat - the enemy within, and this thrilling parable plots the relationship between moral decay and the

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* Horrific abuse suffered by ethnic minority women * £10m station tops the bill * Rover director in

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£70,000 training contract

A DROITWICH training company has signed a £70,000 contract with business security firm The Corps of Commissionaires. Train 4 Security, which is based in Droitwich, will provide the training to supplement the Corps' own in-house programme. The programme

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Sponsorship deal for racing dream

A YOUNG apprentice who built a racing car in his shed and turned the hobby into a successful career is once again being supported with sponsorship. The Learning and Skills Council has announced its continued sponsorship of the Chiron Supersports car designed

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CUTS HIT THE VULNERABLE

THE most vulnerable people in the county could soon have some of their most valuable services taken away. A programme that helps about 10,000 people in Worcestershire to maintain an independent life is to have its budget slashed by more than £3m over

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Family fears for safety of Fernando

THE worried wife and parents of a missing Portugese man who was last believed to be living and working in Worcester are urging local residents to help them find him. Margarita Ferreira has not heard from her 43-year-old husband Fernando since his last

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Teacher takes over as DJ Mike retires

A NEW radio presenter is revealed to be leading a double life - as a DJ and a sports teacher. Starting on Monday, people across the Two Counties will be munching their cereal to the voice of Howard Bentham, who takes over the breakfast slot on BBC Hereford

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Cat dead and child 'is next' on busy road

A CAT has been killed on a city road only days after residents warned of the dangers of speeding traffic. Jeanette Harris said a child could be the next victim after her cat, Bam, was injured in a road accident in Brickfield Road, Worcester. She collected

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Lessons in fire safety are starting to pay off

A DRAMATIC fall in the number of house fires has not only saved lives but also £5m. The head of the fire service in Worcestershire and Herefordshire said education was at the heart of its successful strategy to reduce blazes, along with the "dedication

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You're out! The cricketer sent home before a ball was bowled

A WEST Indian bowler was "frogmarched" out of the country after immigration officials refused to believe he had come to Worcestershire to play cricket. Nash Jones had been lined up as Barnards Green Cricket Club's overseas player for the season but those

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Maura is our sauciest chef

A KEEN cook who kicked off a campaign to save Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce has scooped half a dozen bottles after winning a Worcester News competition. Maura Redmond inspired our Save Our Sauce campaign when she sent in a tantalising recipe

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Solstice - The Other Place, Stratford

IF Zinnie Harris's pre-apocalyptic new play had been written 20 years ago it would probably have ended with a nuclear bang. But mankind faces a new threat - the enemy within, and this thrilling parable plots the relationship between moral decay and the