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A team of seven
celebrities are set to pass through Shropshire
today as they complete a charity bike ride in
aid of Sports Relief.
David Walliams, Davina McCall, Fearne Cotton,
Jimmy Carr, Patrick Kielty, Russell Howard and
Miranda Hart will be passing through Shrewsbury
later today.
The team, began thier £1
million pound charity bike ride for Sport Relief
on Monday when they left John O’Groats to
cycle the entire length of the country to Land’s
End in 80 hours.
Each member of the team takes it in turn as they
complete the grueling non-stop 1,000-mile BT Sport
Relief Million Pound Bike Ride.
To follow their progress
live and sponsor them on their challenge visit:
http://www.sportrelief.com/whats-on/challenges/cycle/
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Police officers in Telford are investigating a burglary
at the British Legion Club on Audley Avenue in Newport.
Sometime between 11.45pm on Sunday 28th February and
9am on Monday 1st March, thieves broke into the premises
by forcing open a fire door that leads into the function
room.
The bar area in the club is locked overnight which
prevents access but the thieves appear to have knocked
through a wall inside the building to access the back
of a safe and remove it from the wall.
A police spokesman said: “Having removed the
safe from the wall it appears that the thieves used
a drill to force it open and then stole the contents
from inside. It is thought that more than £600
was stolen from inside the safe while almost £2000
of damage was caused to the club as a result of this
break-in.
“This appears to have been a very well organised
burglary and the offenders appeared to know exactly
what they were looking for and where to find it. It
seems they had all the tools and equipment required
to carry out this theft with them when they entered
the building.
“The bar area at the club is alarmed but because
the thieves did not enter this area it did not activate
and therefore this burglary was only discovered when
staff arrived at the club to open up on Monday morning.
Police are currently looking at possible forensic opportunities
at the scene and are also looking at CCTV from nearby
properties to identify who was responsible for this
burglary.
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The Aerospace Museum Society were flying high over the
weekend after winning the Best Friends/Supporters Group
award. The accolade was received at the Renaissance
West Midlands, Best of the West Awards, hosted last
Friday at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts.
The third annual awards ceremony, sponsored by Advantage
West Midlands, recognises excellence in museums and
galleries in the Heart of England region. The Aerospace
Museum Society has over 100 members who work alongside
the staff at the RAF Museum Cosford in a variety of
roles.
Dave Leek, Chairman of the Aerospace Museum Society
said: “I am delighted that the work of the Society
has been acknowledged in this way. Our dedicated team
of volunteers support many aspects of the Museum’s
work from assisting with events to working alongside
specialist technicians.”
Also attending the ceremony General Manager Alex Medhurst
commented: “The RAF Museum is extremely proud
and grateful for the support given by the society over
the years. The enthusiasm of these hard working volunteers
is invaluable in helping to make the museum what it
is today.”
New members are always welcome to the Aerospace Museum
Society and application details can be found at www.rafmuseum.org
or call 01902 376 200.
The RAF Museum Cosford is home to 70 aircraft and the
award winning National Cold War Exhibition. The Museum
is open daily from 10am – 6pm (last admission
5pm), admission is FREE.
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CCTV image of possible
witness |
Police
in Telford are appealing for help from the public
as they attempt to identify a potentially vital
witness to a purse theft in Telford town centre
earlier this year. The incident occurred in the
Asda supermarket on The Border on Monday 18th January.
At around 1.50pm,
the victim – a 58-year-old lady –
was making her way down an aisle when she put
her plastic shopping bag down to look at some
items on a display. When she finished looking
she moved on without picking up the bag.
A little while later the
lady realised her mistake and returned to pick
up her bag from where she had left it. On collecting
her bag she noticed that her purse – which
contained personal documents and around £50
- was missing from inside and immediately reported
it to the store and then the police.
Mr Bill Norton, from the
Public Service Desk at Malinsgate Police Station,
said:
“After she reported
this incident to the police, officers checked
the store’s CCTV cameras and this showed
a man approaching the lady’s shopping bag,
looking inside and then taking the purse. He then
put the bag down, put the purse in his pocket
and left the scene. |
“Having carried out various enquiries I
am now extremely keen to trace the man pictured
on the CCTV image we have released as he appears
to be in the relevant aisle at the time this theft
occurred and may be able to help us identify who
was responsible for it.
“The man is described
as being white, around 5ft 9inches tall, aged
in his 50s or early 60s and as being ‘overweight’.
He is also described as wearing glasses, a white
baseball cap and a black jacket.
“Anyone with information
about this incident, or believes they may recognise
the potential witness captured on the CCTV, is
asked to contact the police on 0300 333 3000.
“Alternatively,
please remember that Crimestoppers can also be
called anonymously on 0800 555 111 if you have
information you’d like to pass on without
identifying yourself.” |
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Local businesses and residents will be raising their
voices against supermarket applications in Oswestry
on Sunday.
Campaigners in the town say any one of the four supermarket
applications currently being considered by Shropshire
Council will undermine the revival of Oswestry town
centre and its markets.
The march begins at 11am at Cae Glas Park in Church
Street.
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Tiger Tracks' chairman Alan Gould has started planning
in earnest for the club to rejoin the English Premier
League in September by launching the search for a coach
to build a new Telford Tigers team.
Tigers have been forced to sit out this year due to
lack of a management team but, with the creation of
the UK's first ice hockey supporters' trust, Tiger Tracks,
the club aims to be back in action next season.
Alan Gould said: "The trust committee is currently
pulling together the business plan that it will submit
to the league in April, to gain their approval for the
Tigers to rejoin the league.
"Alongside our financial policy, we need to demonstrate
our playing strategy for the year - which will be largely
influenced by whoever we select as coach for the Telford
Tigers."
The trust is inviting interested parties to apply in
writing to chairman@tigertracks.co.uk including their
hockey CV along with salary and budget expectations.
Gould added: "Because we cannot be sure we are
accepted into the league until after the EPL meeting
at the play-offs in Coventry, we want to reassure anyone
applying that their application will be treated with
the strictest confidence and no public announcements
about coaching or playing staff will be made until after
that league meeting on 11 April."
The club is also urgently seeking team sponsors - again
with any deals being conditional on the team's acceptance
into the league.
"We have to demonstrate to the league that there
is sufficient desire for Premier League hockey in Telford,"
said Gould. "That means showing them that trust
membership is growing and that the Tigers have the backing
of the local business community.
"Anyone who would either like to join the Tiger
Tracks trust or requires a sponsor pack, outlining marketing
and advertising opportunities with the team, can email
interest@tigertracks.co.uk or call Andy Phillips on
07970 678 918 for more information."
Trust members are currently working with previous owners
Dave and Rachel Candlin to get the Telford Tigers website
- telfordtigers.co.uk
- updated and relaunched with information about the
supporters' trust.
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This Mother’s Day, Age Concern Shropshire
is encouraging families to offer the gift of greater
independence and confidence around the home.
Sixty one per cent of women aged 75 and over live alone
and while they might feel confident, the risk of falling
increases with age. Age Concern’s personal alarm
system, Aid Call, provides 24 hour reassurance to older
people that they are not alone and can gain instant
help should they have a fall or accident in their home
or garden.
"Retaining independence in older age is vital
to many people and being able to continue living in
their own home plays a big part in this,” commented
David Sheridan from Age Concern Shropshire “Aid
Call is quite literally the gift of independence; you
can’t always be there but Aid Call can!”
One touch of the button on an Aid Call personal alarm
connects the distressed person to a dedicated Response
Centre, which is staffed by professionally trained operators
24 hours a day, every day of the year.
“Around the home or in the garden there can be
numerous accidents waiting to happen and friends and
family are not always available or close enough to help.
Having the peace of mind that you can raise an alarm
for assistance allows an individual to continue to live
their life as normal,” added David.
The alarm system operates a two-way speech link to enable
the person who has raised the alarm to talk to an operator
within seconds. The operator can then in turn contact
their chosen keyholder - a friend, neighbour or relative
- who will come to their aid. If there is no keyholder
available, the emergency services will be contacted.
Aid Call provides reassurance for over 40,000 people
every year and the emergency response system can be
very quickly connected at homes anywhere in the UK.
You can now purchase a self-install Aid Call alarm as
a gift with ‘Easy-Connect’ which offers
a saving of £80 when purchased online, please
visit http://www.aidcall.co.uk/personalcare/shop/index.php.
To find out more about Aid Call please contact David
Sheridan on 01743 357749 or visit Age Concern Shropshire,
3 Mardol Gardens, Shrewsbury, SY1 1PR
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Renal staff from Shropshire’s two main hospitals
will be promoting the quality services they provide
at the Darwin Shopping Centre in Shrewsbury on Saturday
to support World Kidney Day 2010.
People will be able to get blood pressure checks, diet
advice, exercise advice, as well as information about
renal services and transplants at the centre from 10am
until 4pm.
There will be a free prize draw where visitors can win
one month’s family membership to the Castle Country
Club or a blood pressure monitor, donated by Boots.
The Shropshire and Mid Wales Kidney Patients Association
will also be holding a tombola stall.
Renal Unit Manager, Sister Nonny Stockdale said: “We
decided to organise the event on Saturday as this is
an important annual event designed to raise awareness
of the importance of our kidneys and the services we
provide.”
World Kidney Day was launched to raise awareness of
the importance of our kidneys to our overall health
and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease
and its associated health problems worldwide. World
Kidney Day will officially take place on Thursday, 11
March.
The renal unit at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital was
established in 1991 and serves the population of Shropshire,
Telford & Wrekin and mid Wales.
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust also has
a renal unit at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford,
and altogether regularly treats nearly 200 people, providing
about 550 dialysis sessions each week.
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Two
Market Drayton police officers have been commended for
their courage when confronted by a violent group of
people during a fight in the town.
Police Constables David Timmins and Rachael Shirley
were on patrol during the early hours of April 11 last
year when they came across an incident in which a man
was being badly beaten.
Their supervising officer, Sergeant Neal Robinson,
said: “As they turned into Frogmore Road at around
1am, they saw a group of men and realised that in the
thick of this baying group, a man was being viciously
attacked by another male.
“The aggression of the group then turned to the
officers, with the man continuing to repeatedly kick
the head of the victim as he lay semi-conscious on the
ground.”
Sergeant Robinson said the two officers disregarded
their own safety and immediately intervened. “They
managed to overpower and detain the main offender, despite
physical resistance and hostility from those present
and knowing assistance from colleagues was some distance
away.
“Having detained the main offender, the officers
were able to assess and monitor the condition of the
injured party, offering comfort and support, pending
the arrival of an ambulance.”
He said the victim of what was an unprovoked attack,
sustained a serious head injury and also a fractured
eye socket and cheek bone. “Were it not for the
prompt and brave intervention of PC Timmins and PC Shirley,
it is likely the injured man would have sustained life-threatening
injuries.”
Constables Timmins and Shirley have been awarded Divisional
Commendations for “courage and determination when
intervening in a vicious assault, despite suffering
physical and verbal resistance by an aggressive and
violent group.”
The offender was subsequently given a three year prison
sentence at Shrewsbury Crown Court for causing grievous
bodily harm with intent.
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TTC Group's new general
manager Des Morrison |
A
new General Manager has been appointed at the
TTC Group, Shropshire’s fast growing driver
education specialists, to continue the firm’s
expansion plans.
Des Morrison (49), with a number of years experience
in public sector management and training, is in
the driving seat to guide TTC through the next
phase of its remarkable growth.
A director of his own training and consultancy
company, Des takes the top management position
after working with TTC on a number of training
projects which included running courses to steer
young people away from crime.
“I got to know the TTC Group when we formed
a partnership focused on criminal justice interventions,
initially to help equip young people with the
tools to get a job and stay clear of crime. TTC
has always volunteered to get involved in community
projects as part of their positive attitude to
giving something back to society.
“Over the years I have got to know what
they are about and have great respect for how
they aim to reduce deaths and injuries on our
roads through driver education. Therefore our
respective desire to educate and change behaviour
in order to improve community safety is at the
forefront of all that we seek to mutually achieve. |
“I hope to bring
my experience, people management skills and strategic
planning to help continue TTC’s expansion
and the growth of the whole Group.”
A former Premiership assistant referee, Des has
also worked as a probation manager and head of
a youth offending service in Derbyshire. He is
also a Non Executive Director for NHS Nottingham
City.
One of the largest driver education organisations
in the UK, the TTC Group, of Hadley Park, Telford,
educates tens of thousands of motorists each year.
They run courses in speed awareness, drink driving,
the National Driver Improvement Scheme and the
RIDE scheme for motorcyclists on behalf of police
forces and councils. They also educate company
bosses, fleet managers and company car, van and
truck drivers.
For more information visit www.ttc-uk.com
or call 0845 270 4380.
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Residents living in and around Madeley are being reminded
by their Local Policing Team (LPT) about the time and
date of the next PACT meeting that is held in the ward.
PACT (Partners and Communities Together) stages many
events right across Telford & Wrekin in a bid to
allow members of the public to discuss community issues
with the various represented organisations.
The Madeley LPT of new Local Police Officer PC Mick
Evans and CSOs Karen Lloyd and Wendy Strong, have reminded
local people that their PACT meetings are now taking
place on a Wednesday night, rather than a Tuesday as
they were previously. With that in mind local residents
are also reminded that the next meeting takes place
this evening at Jubilee House.
The meeting will start at 7pm and PC Evans has encouraged
as many people as possible to attend and share their
thoughts with the partner agencies in attendance.
PC Evans said: “Meetings like this act as a platform
for residents to air their views about any pressing
issues they may have. Representatives from a number
of agencies including Telford & Wrekin Council and
the Wrekin Housing Trust will be attending the meeting
alongside the Local Policing Team.
“If you have anything at all you would like to
discuss, please come along on the night and talk to
us. By attending this meeting and sharing your views
you can make sure that the issues that matter to you
really are the ones that become our priority.”
To find out more about PACT, or your own Local Policing
Team, please log on to the Local Policing section of
the West Mercia Constabulary website at http://www.westmercia.police.uk/localpolicing.
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The Ironbridge Gorge Museum in Shropshire is getting
set to host its first Wedding Fair since the relaunch
of its all new ‘Weddings at Ironbridge’
brochure and packages. The fair will be held on Sunday,
21 March in the Engine Shop at Enginuity, Coalbrookdale
from 11am until 4pm. Entry to the Wedding Fair is free
of charge.
The event will feature a range of exhibitors displaying
items such as bridal wear, wedding photography, wedding
cakes, floral design, handcrafted stationery, jewellery,
cars, hair and make-up and even a magician and a caricaturist.
In fact, everything needed to plan the perfect wedding.
The Ironbridge Gorge Museums’ own wedding planners
will be on-hand throughout the day to discuss the numerous
options available to couples planning their big day.
They will also have some exclusive special offers for
people booking on the day. Visitors to the fair will
have the opportunity to view some of the museum’s
fabulous wedding facilities such as function rooms,
including the Board Room, and grounds which can be hired
for a wedding ceremony or as a reception venue.
Fair organiser Rachel Mellett says: “The Ironbridge
Gorge Museums offer a fabulous selection of unique venues
reflecting the remarkable history of the World Heritage
Site. During the day there will be lots of advice on
hand to help create a truly classic wedding.”
Rachel added: “The museum can cater for weddings,
civil ceremonies and partnerships for up to 200 people
in some of the most unusual venues in the area. We are
always happy to provide a bespoke wedding planning service
and offer some wonderful wedding breakfast options,
from sumptuous banquets to hog-roasts or cold buffets
to sausage and mash suppers.”
Any guests wishing to visit the museums while they are
in the Gorge can buy a Passport ticket, which allows
repeat daytime admission to all ten of the Ironbridge
Gorge Museums for 12 months. It costs £21.95 per
adult, £17.60 for senior citizens, £14.25
for students and children and £59.95 for a family
of two adults and three children aged up to 18 years
in full time education. During the Wedding Fair grooms-to-be
can visit Enginuity for free!
For more information about the Wedding Fair contact
the Visitor Information Centre in Ironbridge on 01952
884 391 or email tic@ironbridge.org.uk. More information
about the Ironbridge Gorge Museums is available at www.ironbridge.org.uk.
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