ALTHOUGH we have suspected that the county council would decide on a move to a two-tier system for Wyre Forest schools, the announcement still came as a shock.

My plea to separate the decisions about individual schools from the decision about tiers went unheeded and as there is so much understandable resistance to the loss of four of our cherished smaller first schools, it is time to consider what action can be taken next.

I have said all along that the most important thing for our children is that whatever system and schools we are left with, the outcomes of our children's education must be seen to be the best that is possible.

The debate raging in Westminster is about smacking.

The House of Lords has passed an amendment to allow smacking by parents if no harm is caused.

My reaction to this is that it is going to be difficult sometimes if cases are brought before the courts to decide whether harm has been done.

I favour a total ban on smacking which brings the protection of children into line with that for adults. I would be interested in comments about this difficult decision.

Lasr Friday, I visited Trimpley Reservoir where teams of Year 6 children were undergoing Young Citizen Challenge.

They were faced with a variety of emergency situations from fire to rescue from water and action upon witnessing a robbery. Also they were questioned about risks in the home, out in the countryside, on building sites, on the railway and of drugs.

I was reminded to test my own smoke alarms and learnt about the colour coding of underground pipes carrying gas, electricity and other services.

All the children I saw found the event exciting and I was impressed with the ingenuity of the answers they gave.

Our thanks go to the staff from the many agencies who worked so hard for a whole fortnight to make this valuable training opportunity possible.

At the weekend, I visited Alveley Gardens Open Day. I sampled some of the best local home-made cakes and enjoyed small cottage gardens with riots of colour and larger gardens with lawns, sweeping down to architectural features.

To my amazement the two days raised a staggering £2,500 towards the Air Ambulance and the efforts we are still making to improve the services available for Wyre Forest and South Shropshire patients at our hospital.

We have had a victory! The Post Office has accepted after our representations that to close the Foley Park branch at 83 Stourport Road, leaving the nearest one in Lister Road, is unacceptable.

The plan now is to open a new post office at Star News, 415 Stourport Road, which is welcome and only necessitates a brief gap in service from August 11 until 18.