MEMBERS of Upton Youth Band walked away with a string of prizes from a weeklong musical meeting at Pontins at Brean Sands in Somerset.

About 30 children took part in the British Youth Bands Association Festival of Fun and Music, which brought together bands from across the country.

In the under-11s category, Mark Mcke took a bronze medal on the cornet, while in the under-11s Mallets competition, Sheridan Lane was awarded a silver medal for her performance on the glockenspiel.

In the category for 18 and under wind ensemble, Mark Colston, Chloe Roberts, Clare Acheson, Katie Dufty and Alex Powell won a bronze medal. In the 18 and under mallet ensemble, a gold medal was picked up by Mel Jones, Sheridan Lane, Kay Odell, James Wilkinson and Lucy Pugh.

To round off the list of winners, Kymberley Lane and Russell Dudley finished tops in the talent contest, with their display of Latin American dancing.

The band's press officer, Nicki Taha, said the results were very good.

"Everybody's chuffed to pieces, it was a fantastic time," she said."They all worked really, really hard."

PLANS for a state-of-the-art community medical centre in Upton have been submitted by the town's doctors.

The development, at the bottom of Tunnel Hill, has been on the drawing board since July 2001 but was delayed by Environment Agency fears that it could worsen local flooding.

David Murray, head of development control at Malvern Hills District Council, said this had now been dealt with by locating all of the building above the flood plain. Problems with access have also been resolved.

The application by Dr Wilson and colleagues for a 1,958m development includes a surgery, dispensary, dentist, optician and minor accident unit. It is expected to employ between 90 and 100 people, including seven full-time doctors and additional part-time GPs.

The move has been prompted by problems with the current School Lane surgery, particularly the lack of parking, traffic congestion and the distance from the Old Street clinic, which houses services for child health, chiropody, occupational and speech therapy, district nurses and health visitors. Another building on School Lane houses physiotherapy, social services, a research worker and space for meetings and conferences.

A surgery has existed at School Lane since 1876. The present building was built in 1969 and has been extended several times since then. An application to further extend it was granted by Malvern Hills District Council in 1999, but would have reduced the number of car parking spaces to just 11.

Car parking at the new medical centre would be to the west of the site, cut into an embankment. A new pedestrian crossing would be constructed on Minge Lane to ease pedestrian access.

Although part of the site is within the flood plain of the River Severn, building work is not planned on those areas.

Literature accompanying the application suggests future expansion would be likely.

Dr Susanna Everitt, on behalf of the doctors submitting the application, said: "We hope it will provide a service for the community and healthcare for the 21st century for Upton-upon-Severn and the local area.

"We want to develop the next generation of buildings and we want to work as a team. At the moment we are all in separate buildings scattered around Upton."

Alternative sites in Ryall, Tunnel Hill, land near Bury End Farm and land off Gardens Walk in Upton were considered, before being rejected.

If permission is granted, work is due to begin by the autumn/winter and will take about a year. The cost of the development is not yet known, although a figure of £2 million was previously mentioned. MHDC planners will consider the application in the coming weeks.