Archive

  • BLUNDER COSTS A MILLION

    BUNGLING civil servants could have cost Worcester more than £1m after a mix-up over initials. The Whitehall mandarins wrongly allocated cash to the city council instead of the county council as both carry the initials WCC. The blunder could cost the Faithful

  • County spends night in deep freeze

    THE coldest night in Worcester since 1982 was recorded last night, with ground temperatures plummeting to -16C. Snow showers held off but freezing conditions created rock-hard ice patches all over the county, Evening News weather expert Paul Damari said

  • "We want a full range of services"

    CAMPAIGNERS have vowed to fight on, despite the Prime Minister ruling out accident and emergency and inpatients returning to Kidderminster General Hospital. In a letter to Wyre Forest District Council chairman John Gordon, Tony Blair said he was satisfied

  • Christmas stray animals misery

    A WORCESTER kennels has had a "desperate" Christmas because the number of stray pets has surged. Staff at Danemere Animal Rescue are struggling to accommodate more than 60 requests to home unwanted cats and dogs, despite being officially closed until

  • Forthcoming games

    SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30 BANKS'S BREWERY LEAGUE Premier division: Bustleholme v Malvern Town. Division One South: Malvern Town Reserves v Bustleholme Reserves. SATURDAY, JANUARY 6 BANKS'S BREWERY LEAGUE Premier division: Ludlow Town v Malvern Town. Division

  • POWICK Correspondent: Mrs M Allsopp Tel: 01905 830746

    THE bells rang out on Christmas Eve to call the people to Midnight Mass at St Peter's Church where, in spite of the wet conditions of the winter's night, over 120 people attended the service, led by the Rev David Nichol. The choir led the singing and

  • Sad day for Celine's grieving family

    IS it really five years since the dreadful news broke that missing French student Celine Figard's body had been found in a copse near a layby close to Worcester? It is. What's more, there's a greater poignancy to the anniversary as it falls on the same

  • Such dedication deserves better

    THE bleeper kicks into loud insistent life, lunch three-quarters eaten - lucky this time! My younger fireman son pelts from the table out into the wet farmland to hurtle to the fire station in Upton four miles away, creating mutterings from other normal

  • Put bitterness aside

    AS it is Christmas, I would like to extend my thanks to all the people of Malvern, Ledbury, Colwall, Upton and other parts of the Malvern's area, who have supported Malvern Outdoors during its first nine months of existence. Many of you have passed on

  • What is reality?

    Philip Ward states that the smaller food shops in the town are suffering from the advent of Waitrose, saying "you only need to ask the traders for verification of this". In the absence of any representation from the aforesaid traders, one can only conclude

  • Don't railroad EU

    MR R G Spencer, of Court Road (Malvern Gazette, December 15), concludes that the present chaos on our railways is due to recent EU legislation. In particular, he cites the directive which required state-run railway systems to be split into separate infrastructure

  • We're being fleeced

    A RECENT survey into the transport network in the UK shows that Birmingham and the West Midlands are suffering from the worst congestion in the country and goes on to identify the cause as neglect of the road system. Anyone who drives regularly through

  • Restore the link

    ON behalf of the National Pensioners' Convention, the Malvern & District Branches of Age Concern and the Civil Service Pensioners' Alliance jointly raised nearly 300 signatures on a petition to Her Majesty the Queen, calling for a substantial increase

  • Concerns ignored

    CANON Lyall (Malvern Gazette, November 24) is right in expressing his concern at the five per cent increase in the diocesan budget. Church treasurers have regularly voiced concern that the diocese ignores concerns that services to the community are continually

  • Good news for county's angling buffs

    GOOD news for local anglers was brought to them by Berrow's Journal exactly half-a-century ago. The edition for this week of late December, 1950 announced that the Severn River Board was to re-stock its waters with more than a million coarse fish during

  • Barton forced to make changes

    WORCESTER City look set to make at least one change for tomorrow's crucial Dr Martens League Premier Division game at Crawley Town (3pm). Ray Woods, who has made a successful comeback in City's last two games to help them through an injury crisis, is

  • Injury-hit Piearce farmed out

    TROUBLED Hereford United striker Steve Piearce has been sent out on loan in a bid to improve his fitness. Piearce has joined Dr Martens League Premier Division strugglers Tamworth for a month. Piearce has played only a handful of games for the Bulls in

  • Archer out

    SIMON Archer's hopes of glory at the Copenhagen Masters badminton event have been dashed. The Worcester-based Olympic bronze medallist and partner Nathan Robertson were beaten 1-7, 8-6, 8-6, 7-4 by world number one pair Eng Hian and Limpele Flandy from

  • Victory is essential for lowly Rovers

    NOTHING less than victory will do for Bromsgrove Rovers when they entertain Paget Rangers in a vital Dr Martens League Western Division game tomorrow (3pm). Rovers, who've now lost 10 successive league games, dropped into the relegation zone for the first

  • Sharp-eyed PC saves school from arsonists

    ARSONISTS who torched a dustbin outside a high school could have caused a serious blaze if the fire had not been spotted by an observant police officer. PC Simon Hallam was on patrol at 8.30pm on Wednesday when he noticed a wheelie bin alight outside

  • Whats on at your local Cinema.

    UNBREAKABLE (12): Bruce Willis, Samuel L Jackson in thriller with supernatural overtones. Odeon, Worcester. 1.15, 3.35,( 5.55, 8.10 not showing Sun)UCI Merry Hill, 11.15(Not New Years Day), 1.45, 4.15, (6.45, 9.15 New Years Eve) Fri/Sat Late 11.55.Warner

  • So much more than a thriller

    WITH Unbreakable, M. Night Shyamalan joins forces again with Bruce Willis, the star of his Oscar-nominated The Sixth Sense. Writer/director Shyamalan had not even finished editing The Sixth Sense when he came up with the concept for Unbreakable. He had

  • Police campaign wins cash boost

    A PIONEERING campaign by West Mercia Police to crack down on opportunities for thieves and burglars to cash in on stolen goods -- and which will soon cover the Bromsgrove and Droitwich Spa areas -- has won a major cash boost from the Government. Home

  • What is Whitehall doing?

    BEFORE Labour and the Tories trade the next round of point-scoring over whether or not to develop greenfield sites for employment purposes, I would like to know how the Government is helping local councils to utilise brownfield sites. If it is not made

  • Efforts were not in vein

    CONGRATULATIONS to Anthony Ashcroft on attaining his Gold Badge from the Blood Donor service (Alison Fraser, Evening News, December 16). His amusing account of originally volunteering while in the RAF reminds me of the occasion I was on a Leadership Course

  • Homes plan hit for six by report

    THE site of a proposed housing development for Malvern Link should be used instead to provide playing fields, says a new report on open spaces. The former allotment site off Lower Howsell Road is mentioned in the report, compiled by Malvern Hills District

  • Funding hope for CCTV

    MALVERN Hills District Council is hoping to hear in the New Year whether a bid for cash to pay for more security cameras has been successful. The Council has applied for Home Office funding to extend its network of closed-circuit TV cameras to Barnards

  • First snows force many to stay home

    WORCESTERSHIRE woke to a covering of snow yesterday (Thursday) and most people heeded police advice and stayed at home. Salting and gritting had begun the day before and major roads were passable with care. "Although some of the main trunk roads will

  • Cinemas

    Malvern Cinema: Dec 29th-Jan 11th - 102 Dalmations (U) 1.30pm Dec 29th, 12.30pm Dec 30th & Dec 31st, 2pm Jan 1st, 3pm 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th & 10th. Dec 29th-Jan 11th - Unbreakable (12) Daily 7pm (except 31st & 1st). Odeon Worcester: Unbreakable

  • Festive fires keep crew busy

    WHILE most people were relaxing after lunch on Christmas Day, Malvern firefighters were tackling blazes around the district. Sub Officer Chris George said they managed to eat a Christmas lunch before being called out, first to a chimney fire in Cradley

  • Former head jailed over sex attack on pupil

    FORMER county boarding school headmaster Colin Wheeler was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment after being convicted of a sex attack on a male pupil in his care. Judge David McEvoy, at Hereford Crown Court, told the former head of Bredon School, near

  • Richard gets job as Hills shepherd

    RICHARD Smith of Welland has been appointed by Malvern Hills Conservators to shepherd the first conservation flock on the Hills. The 29-year-old has farmed in the area for five years and keeps 100 sheep, including pedigree charollais and mule ewes. He

  • Residents raise safety fears

    SPEEDING traffic, poor visibility and lack of footpaths makes access to Upton-upon-Severn hazardous for residents of West Bank. They have asked the Town Council to help them get the 40mph speed limit on the A4104, extended beyond the entrance to the private

  • The medical technology of the future

    A NEW generation of medical implants for the human body could be the outcome of a collaboration between Malvern's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency and an Australian firm. DERA and Sumich Group Ltd are getting together to develop biologically-compatible

  • Town celebrate with festive points

    MALVERN Town celebrated in the best possible way when their home, Boxing Day, Banks's Premier Division defeat of Kington Town made it a maximum six out of six festive points and in doing so moved them up into fourth place. MALVERN TOWN 3, KINGTON TOWN

  • Local soccer

    THE first local derby between Rangers and Radar was postponed on Saturday with Victoria Park unfit. Rangers do not have a scheduled fixture on December 30 and are due to be back in action on January 6 with a home fixture against last season's champions

  • Malvern let discipline slip

    A GREY, bitterly cold Saturday afternoon on a Birmingham Corporation pitch two days before Christmas - not calculated to inspire great feats on the rugby field, but nonetheless a game which had to be played against a Selly Oak side who proved far better

  • Cottoning on to organics

    IT wasn't long ago when if you asked for organic bread, shop assistants would look at you with a blank stare. Now you can walk down a supermarket aisle and be surrounded by organic foodstuffs, whether it is sugar, sun-dried tomatoes or flour. The rise

  • Solicitors willing to help out

    TWO charities are £1,787 better off as a result of a Wills Day held in Kidderminster by county law firm Morton Fisher Solicitors. Kemp Hospice received £839.50 with Macmillan Cancer Relief receiving the same amount as a result of the special day which

  • Sporting highlights from 2000 - cont.

    JULY COLWALL'S hopes of a Lord's visit was ended when they were defeated by former Village KO champions Elvaston from Derbyshire in the first of the National rounds. Batting second Colwall needed three off the last ball for victory but only managed two

  • Something to stir all those emotions

    AS the first year of the millennium draws to a close, Pulse writers and readers reflect on the crop of the year's releases, both the crackers and the turkeys. No less than three of our choices are all from musicians releasing debut albums, which must

  • Heavyweight New Year's Eve date.

    IT'S a sensitive topic to most, but 36 Stone, have no qualms about flaunting their heavyweight status. When we had our first gig, we didn't have a name. Well, Big Al is a touch on the large side and I'm not so small myself, so between us we made up about

  • We want more grit on the road

    A WORCESTER-based businesswoman is demanding more gritting lorries on the county's roads after treacherous weather conditions brought the company she helps run to a standstill. Carol Smith claimed yesterday's ice and snow prevented trucks from leaving

  • "Why did he kill our daughter?"

    THE parents of murdered French teenager Celine Figard, found murdered near Worcester five years ago today, still want to know why their daughter was killed. The police officer who befriended Bernard and Martine Figard during the ordeal following her death

  • Sharp-eyed PC saves school from arsonists

    ARSONISTS who torched a dustbin outside a high school could have caused a serious blaze if the fire had not been spotted by an observant police officer. PC Simon Hallam was on patrol at 8.30pm on Wednesday when he noticed a wheelie bin alight outside

  • New mother MP Julie's jabs plea

    A WORCESTERSHIRE MP has launched a bid to allow children to be immunised separately against three diseases instead of the combined measles, mumps and rubella jab. Bromsgrove MP Julie Kirkbride will introduce a Private Member's Bill to the House of Commons

  • Police appeal over "aggressive" man

    DETECTIVES investigating a stabbing in a Worcester alleyway are focusing their attention on a man seen acting aggressively. A knife, which police believe was used in the attack on the 22-year-old victim, has now been found. The man suffered serious injuries

  • Jail for out-of-petrol, drink-drive, banned motorist

    A BANNED driver who was found to be over the drink-drive limit was caught after his vehicle ran out of petrol, Worcester magistrates were told. David Hodge had been disqualified not once, but twice when he drove his Sherpa van along the M5 past Worcester

  • CALLOW END Correspondent: Mrs M Allsopp Tel: 01905 830746

    THERE was a wealth of talent on show at Callow End's carol concert last Friday night, now well established as an annual event. There were well-known carols and songs in which the audience would join, interspersed with seasonal readings from people from

  • 'We want a full range of services'

    CAMPAIGNERS have vowed to fight on, despite the Prime Minister ruling out accident and emergency and inpatients returning to Kidderminster General Hospital. In a letter to Wyre Forest District Council chairman John Gordon, Tony Blair said he was satisfied

  • Big names sign up for Ledbury Poetry Festival

    It's full steam ahead for next year's Ledbury Poetry Festival, with the majority of the programme already booked and sorted before the New Year. Big cultural guns are firmly on the list, including the celebrated Irish writer Paul Muldoon and Frieda Hughes

  • Police campaign wins cash boost

    A PIONEERING campaign by West Mercia Police to crack down on opportunities for thieves and burglars to cash in on stolen goods -- and which will soon cover the Droitwich Spa area -- has won a major cash boost from the Government. Home Officer minister

  • Looping the loop

    BETWEEN the Worcestershire village of Clifton upon Teme and the Herefordshire village of Whitbourne there is some exquisite countryside which is not much explored. This may have something to do with the local footpaths which were notorious in the past

  • 29/12/00 - Skipper returns for Scunthorpe tester

    CAPTAIN Ian Clarkson returns to Kidderminster Harriers' squad for tomorrow's Nationwide League Division Three clash against Scunthorpe United at Aggborough (3pm). The experienced defender has recovered from hamstring trouble to help ease Harriers' injury

  • Wonderful treat

    ON behalf of the pensioners of St James Crescent and Old Hollow, I would like to express their thanks to the staff of The Lamb, West Malvern. The pensioners were recently treated to a free three-course Christmas lunch including crackers and party hats

  • Well, I'm impressed

    I HAVE been moved to write to Postbag because I am so dismayed that people are moaning about the lights in Ledbury. Having driven through Hereford's awful gaudy, glitzy display during the rest of the week, I was so impressed to see the Market House looking

  • Skipper returns for Scunthorpe tester

    CAPTAIN Ian Clarkson returns to Kidderminster Harriers' squad for tomorrow's Nationwide League Division Three clash against Scunthorpe United at Aggborough (3pm). The experienced defender has recovered from hamstring trouble to help ease Harriers' injury

  • Robins look to continue away form

    EVESHAM United boss Phil Mullen is backing his side to continue their impressive away form at Sutton Coldfield Town tomorrow in the Dr Martens League Western Division (3pm). The Robins have won all but one of their seven away games in the league so far

  • Find some Real Value

    PUNTERS can find some Real Value in the Victor Chandler Sussex National at Fontwell tomorrow. Gardie Grissell's gelding was one of last season's leading hunter chasers with a fine three-quarters-of-a-length second to Cavalero in the Christie's Foxhunter

  • 29/12/00 - Victory is essential for lowly Rovers

    NOTHING less than victory will do for Bromsgrove Rovers when they entertain Paget Rangers in a vital Dr Martens League Western Division game tomorrow (3pm). Rovers, who've now lost 10 successive league games, dropped into the relegation zone for the first

  • Town welcome back skipper

    MALVERN Town visit Bustlehome tomorrow (Saturday) and hope to extend their winning run which has now put them amongst the leading Banks's Premier Division clubs. Town will be seeking their fifth double of the season as they beat Bustlehome 4-3 at the

  • Change of venue

    ABBEY Jazz, which has been meeting at the Royal British Legion Club, Hanley Swan, has found a new venue. From Sunday, January 14, fortnightly jazz sessions will be held at Malvern Rugby Club, in Spring Lane, Malvern, from 8.30 to 11pm. Admission will

  • Winning formula

    A COLLECTION of songs from some of the world's greatest musicals have already proved a winning formula for Beyond the Barricade. The production is returning to the Malvern Theatres for a third time, having previously sold out twice, on Friday, January

  • Home-grown talent tells tales of the city through the century

    THE history of Worcester, seen through the eyes of those living in the city, is the subject of a mammoth four-hour production, compiled by four county writers and to be staged next year. The Century Plays - being shown at Worcester's Swan Theatre next

  • 29/12/00 - Barton forced to make changes

    WORCESTER City look set to make at least one change for tomorrow's crucial Dr Martens League Premier Division game at Crawley Town (3pm). Ray Woods, who has made a successful comeback in City's last two games to help them through an injury crisis, is

  • 29/12/00 - Barton hopeful of more joy on travels

    WORCESTER City boss John Barton says there is no reason why his side can't continue their excellent away form at Crawley Town tomorrow (3pm). City's away record of six wins in nine attempts is one of the best in the Dr Martens League Premier Division.

  • Teams .

    MALVERN RFC Saturday, December 30. North Midlands Cup 1st XV v Kidderminster (Away). Meet Spring Lane 12 noon. Kick off 2.15pm. No. 1 Dress Code. S Cooper, D Irish, K Withnall, V Hill, J Owen, S Taylor, A Thomas, P Hart, G Blakeway, S Phillips, B Hughes

  • Brought to book

    WORCESTER actor and singer (and heart-throb) Richard Swerrun says (First Person, December 13) that he cannot sit still and that he reads to relax. What does he do - walk around the room with a book in his hand? GEORGE COWLEY, Worcester

  • The bureaucracy has gone mad

    I LOVED the letter from Peter Jones headlined "Hidden Agenda." I hadn't "heard" red lights were to be fitted to new cars, so that their "returning" became a legal requirement, when the red light showed. I found that a delightful reassurance, that the

  • Few care about attacks by yobs

    WE read about yobs smashing windows, hurling abuse, stoning St Martin's Church and insulting those using the building. They attack a war memorial, rip out plants, vandalise a seat, threaten young Cub Scouts using the Parish Centre. George Cowley says

  • A nation under a cloud

    FURTHER to Mr R G Spencer's informative letter (Evening News, December 13), from recently declassified American government documents, we learn that the US Spy Agency ran a campaign in the 1950s and 1960s to build momentum for a united Europe. It funded

  • Countryside ideas were cribbed by Labour

    6 DAVID Bannister, writing to you on December 11, is perhaps a little previous in proclaiming that the Labour Party is the champion of the countryside. The recent White Paper, with which he is so happy, didn't actually make it into the Queen's Speech.

  • 29/12/00 - Injury-hit Piearce farmed out

    TROUBLED Hereford United striker Steve Piearce has been sent out on loan in a bid to improve his fitness. Piearce has joined Dr Martens League Premier Division strugglers Tamworth for a month. Piearce has played only a handful of games for the Bulls in

  • Dial-A-Ride plea off to slow start

    A £200,000 appeal to improve a charity travel scheme in Malvern has met with a disappointing response. Since Dial-A-Ride launched the appeal in August to expand its door-to-door transport service for people with temporary or permanent disabilities, it

  • Baby Harriette's heading for home

    baby Harriette Mobbs, born weighing less than a pound, is expected to be a very special arrival at home in West Malvern on New Year's Day. Harriette's homecoming, on what should have been her birthday, is the moment parents Nick Mobbs and Anna Parsons

  • Arson probe in school blaze

    FLAMES licked the roof and window frames at The Chase High School, in Malvern, on Wednesday night after a fire started in a wheelie bin. A police officer on patrol spotted the blaze in the bin close to the building at 8.30pm and raised the alarm. Firefighters

  • An unbreakable partnership

    BRUCE Willis and M Night Shyamalan, star and director-writer respectively of The Sixth Sense, one of last year's most thought-provoking hit movies, have teamed up again, and the result is at Malvern Cinema. In Unbreakable (12), which co-stars Samuel L

  • Falling demand forces rethink over market

    THE Farmers' Market in Great Malvern is to be reduced from twice a month to once a month, due to a lack of demand. Malvern Hills District Council's Executive Board heard that the Saturday event, held in the Council House car park off Church Street, had

  • Sports hall bid is withdrawn

    A LOTTERY bid for funds to help finance Malvern's sports hall project has been temporarily withdrawn. The bid had been lodged by Malvern Hills District Council, which has been examining ways of funding the project since tenders came in £500,000 over budget

  • New Year Messages

    New Year messages to readers of the Malvern Gazette and Ledbury Reporter. Pat Raven, Chairman of Malvern Hills District Council writes... "It has been a busy and challenging year for Malvern Hills District Council. This was the first year of the Government's

  • Church celebrates 125th anniversary

    THERE will be celebrations at Malvern's Christ Church this month to mark its 125th anniversary. The church was built in 1875-76 for servants working in the Avenue Road area. A grant towards the building was made on condition that all pews on the south

  • Gala brings out best in young swimmers

    A SWIMMING gala at Malvern Splash brought out the very best in all the children who took part. For the first time, the Splash held a gala for the children in its Aquarius swimming scheme and organised races and competitions for 250 children aged from

  • Year sees changes

    MALVERN Hills Conservators have published their annual report on a year of change and development. Chairman Brian Wilcock has completed his three-year term of office and handed over to Richard Graves. Those years have seen big changes to the organisation's

  • Looking back at 2000

    A last look back at the local stories that made the news in the year 2000. January THE 21st Century got off to a bang with thousands of people making their way up to Worcestershire Beacon for a bonfire and beacon lighting ceremony. Around the Malvern

  • To move or not to move, that is the question

    WHILE many Year 7 and 8 pupils know they'll stay at the same school until they're 16, for pupils of a Worcester school things aren't so clear. The long-running saga of the future of Christopher Whitehead High is set to continue well into the new year.

  • Play fair with us

    A PLEA for an extended football season has been made by the chairman of the Mercian Football League. George Silverman said about 100 games had been postponed so far this season because various local authority-owned pitches had been declared unfit to play

  • Dreaming of a bright Christmas

    IF shopkeepers want to see individual Christmas trees on the front of their shops next year they might have to reach into their own pockets. Despite the launch of a Christmas lights appeal, Malvern mayor David Williams said there is an argument that says

  • New Year begins with old favourite

    LADY Bracknell's famous words "Ahhh haaanndbag?" will be heard again at the Malvern Theatres, when The Importance of Being Earnest opens 2001 at the Festival Theatre. Award-winning actress Patricia Routledge reprises the role she brought to Malvern in

  • Dene hits winner

    MALVERN Town continued their impressive run of recent form with a vital Banks's Premier Division victory at home to third placed Wolverhampton Casuals on Saturday. MALVERN TOWN 1, WOLVERHAMPTON CASUALS 0 The game's only goal came in the 20th minute when

  • Your complete Entertainment Guide for the area

    Theatre December To Dec 30-The Plotters of Cabbage Patch Corner by David Wood a the Forum Theatre presented by Malvern Theatre Players. 2pm &5.30pm. Tickets adults £6.50, children £5. Box Office (01684) 892277. Until Dec 30-Die Fledermaus by Johann

  • Take extra care on the roads

    POLICE are warning drivers to continue taking extra care on the roads if they venture out following 17 accidents in south Worcestershire yesterday (Thursday). Of the 17 accidents reported, 14 were damage only. Five people were treated at hospitals after

  • Wassailers in the trees

    HEREFORD cidermaker, Bulmers, is reviving the ancient wassailing ceremony to help promote its new organic orchard scheme. Cidermakers and farmers will join forces on Wednesday, January 10, in a traditional cider orchard at Newton Court, near Leominster

  • £5m plan for centre

    WORK on a new £5m regeneration project which will create up to 500 jobs in Kidderminster is to start in the New Year. Developers are to refurbish the old headquarters of Victoria Carpets in Green Street. Work on the renovation is expected to begin within

  • Sporting highlights from 2000

    JANUARY MALVERN Town got the New Year off to the best possible start when they defeated the reigning Banks's Premier Division champions Kington Town 3-0 away with goals from Andy Shepherd (two) and Joe Maidment. DAN Chesham, aged 17, of Graham Road, Malvern