THIS WEEK IN 1991:

REPRESENTATIVES of every parish church in the Worcester Diocese have voted on whether or not legislation should be drawn up to allow women to become Church of England priests. Clergy and lay people voted separately and in the eight synods which have voted so far, all show substantial majorities in favour. Of county clergy who have cast their votes, 91 were in favour of allowing women to join their ranks, 13 were against and there were two abstentions.

Of lay parish representatives who have voted, 200 were in favour of the proposed legislation, 47 were against and there were seven abstentions. One of the key campaigners for the local branch of the Movement for the Ordination of Women, Diana McClatchey said: “I am delighted but not surprised at the result because the Worcester Diocese is widely reputed for being supportive of women’s ministry.”

THIS WEEK IN 1981:

A 28-strong consortium has registered the name of Radio Wyvern and plans to apply to the Independent Broadcasting Authority for the contract to establish an independent radio station based on the cities of Worcester and Hereford.

The IBA has now invited applications for the contract which must be submitted by April 22. It is expected the station will go on air in the autumn of 1982.

The Radio Wyvern group is headed by Sir John Cotterell, chairman of Hereford-Worcester County Council and includes Peter Marsh, chairman of Malvern Hills District Council, MikeVockins, secretary of the Worcestershire County Cricket Club, and Rob Yarnold of Broadheath, the consortium’s founder and a freelance broadcaster.

THIS WEEK IN 1971:

THIRTEEN new outbreaks of fowl pest during the last week have made it the worst one so far in this lengthy epidemic. Farms at Stourport-on-Severn have been hard hit, some 50,000 broilers and 10,000 layers falling victim. And the disease came closer to Worcester than it has before with an outbreak at Park Lane, Hallow.

High winds at the weekend may have spread the virus further, according to Ministry of Agriculture officials.

THIS WEEK IN 1961:

A LEBANESE officer cadet, Abbas Massri, on a training flight from Tern Hill Airfield, Market Drayton, Shropshire, was killed when his RAF Provost plane crashed at Witton Hill, Martley, on Tuesday. It is understood he was one of several Lebanese Air Force pilots undergoing training with the RAF.

The aircraft ploughed into an orchard and wreckage was scattered over the Witton Hill road. One of the first on the scene was the local civil defence warden, Philip Gibbs of Colketts Farm. He said: “ The plane was in an awful mess.

Wreckage was scattered everywhere. The pilot had been thrown out.”

At the inquest, pathologist Dr Patrick Kidd said death had been due to multiple fractures. The body is to be flown home to the Lebanon.