Hagley Theatre Group's youth section will be staging its magical version of The Wizard of Oz this week. It runs at Hagley Community Centre, Worcester Road, tonight (Thursday October 14), tomorrow (Friday October 15) and Saturday October 16 at 7.30pm.
Dudley alternative rock band Introvert were pipped to the first place post in the latest heat of the Robin Live Band of the Year Competition. The band were beaten by Walsall indie rockers Cold Shoulder when they played at the Robin 2, Bilston, on Monday
There are just some folk you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of and a washed up former CIA agent played by Denzel Washington would certainly fit into this bracket. Tony Scott's Man on Fire puts revenge high on the list in this hard hitting and
The NC Big Band will be taking to the stage for a charity event at Dudley Concert Hall tomorrow night (Friday October 15) at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £5 and are available on 01384 252857. Money raised will go to the leukaemia unit appeal fund at Russells
IT'S seven o'clock in the morning, the alarm clock is ringing, it's dark outside and it seems as though it's particularly hard to get out of bed these days. In fact, research shows this Monday will be the most miserable day of the year. A mathematical
A TEACHER from Worcestershire is swapping school books for skis to take part in the world's toughest polar race. James Abbott, who teaches design technology and outdoor education at Abberley Hall School, in Wyre Piddle, near Pershore, is preparing to
Amblecote's Glasshouse Studio Theatre plays host to a night of funky self-penned soul music with the Jessica Doughty Trio this week. The band - fronted by 18-year-old singer/songwriter/keyboard player Jessica Doughty - will be taking to the stage at the
Hagley Theatre Group's youth section will be staging its magical version of The Wizard of Oz this week. It runs at Hagley Community Centre, Worcester Road, tonight (Thursday October 14), tomorrow (Friday October 15) and Saturday October 16 at 7.30pm.
Kinver Light Operatic Society's latest outing Ski Whizz proved more of a yawn-fest than a comedy. The play - set in an Austrian hotel at the start of the winter season - featured very little skiing and even less whizz. Usually entertaining actor Calvin
BRING and buy sale in Droitwich raised more than £1,000 for the victims of the Asian tsunami disaster. The sale was held at the Methodist Church in Worcester Road on Saturday, January 15, and a total of £1,088.92 was raised.
TAILS will be wagging in Malvern next month as the town hosts a dog show in aid of the tsunami disaster appeal. The event takes place in the Avon Hall at the Three Counties Showground on Sunday, February 6. It will feature a wide variety of canine competitions
POSITIVE Worcester Wolves are determined unbeaten giants London United will not tower above them on points in tonight's big clash. New signing Matt Collins makes his debut at UCW (7pm) after completing his move from Coventry Crusaders. And basket-happy
AT LEAST four Kidderminster Harriers players are up for grabs -- but boss Stuart Watkiss is not about to hound them out of the club. Watkiss has already told two, believed to be defenders Abdou Sall and Steve Burton, that they would be best finding a
WORCESTER Royal Grammar School started where they left off at the end of the 2004 indoor season by thrashing a good Droitwich 'B' side by 50 runs in the Worcestershire Cricket Bo-ard League. Their first three batsmen, Liam O'Driscoll (40 no), Sam Howell
All-girl Halesowen rock group Insomnia will make their debut in Stourbridge this weekend. After 14 months together, the four-piece teen outfit from Earls High School will play one of their first gigs at The Bulls Head, Pedmore Road, Lye, on Saturday October
JOHN Brain has dismissed suggestions that he's turned down Andrew Mehrtens. Speculation had linked the New Zealand fly-half with a move to half a dozen clubs and, in some quarters, reports had suggested that Worcester had refused the international ace
Viva Musica's latest concert - Songs My Mother Taught Me - takes place at Dudley Concert Hall this weekend. Featuring works by romantic composers including Dvorak, Grieg, J Strauss and Verdi, it takes place on Saturday October 16 - starting at 7.30pm.
I THINK the big picture to which Dan Wicksteed was referring was that there are 28,000 more teachers and 105,000 more teaching assistants than there were in 1997. It is easy to be negative when in opposition and Helen Donovan should remember this. REG
PATHETIC... Mike Foster must think that the electorate was born yesterday. His column in your paper on Thursday, January 13 was pure electioneering and we the electorate can see straight through him. When the election comes I think he will need to pack
REGARDING Mike Foster's article (Evening News, Thursday, January 13), I would like to say that the £3.4bn a year would definitely be more useful in our Social Services and not used for cleaning up the disgusting mess some people leave on our pavements
A TWO-day show for smallholders and gardeners that made its debut in 2002 and attracted more than 20,000 visitors from across the UK last year is on course to break all records in 2005. The show is run by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society in association
JUST before Christmas, I received a letter from Margaret Harper, the Conservative candidate in Worcester. In the letter she says she lives in Worcester. But her CV on the Conservative website says she is a councillor in the Forest of Dean. Surely she
A LAW has come into force that makes smacking children illegal. The NSPCC and government's argument centres around the idea that the trauma caused can have a long-term psychological effect and children do not have the same protection from assault that
I REGRET voting Labour in 1997 and now it's perfectly plain that voting for any of the Lib-Lab- Con coalition will achieve us nothing but a US-media dominated dictatorship. What are the electoral options left open to us? Not joining a political party
MIKE Foster was taken back to his pre-Westminster teaching days this week when he visited Bishop Perowne High School. But the Worcester MP also gained an insight into a potential future career, as he worked with Year 11 pupils in their citizenship classes
POLITICIANS often worry that they aren't quite in touch with younger members of the electorate and that British youth has no interest in Westminster. But, after the last few days, Peter Luff can surely put those fears to rest for a while. His outspoken
NICK Vincent, the new executive director - a new title for the man at the top, incidentally - of the Three Counties Agricultural Society looks to me for all the world like the head of a successful high school. A crisp white shirt and tie - on the day
The BBC Good Food Show, sponsored by npower gas, Britain's biggest and most exciting food event takes place at The NEC Birmingham from the 24th - 28th November and this year it offers even more exciting food experiences. With over 600 exhibitors it's
Thurs Oct 14 Don 'O Lee - Pie Factory Jam Night - Moorings Tavern Gordon Haskell - Robin R 'n' B Club Delirious? - Civic Hall The Delays - Wulfrun Hall Cult of Luna - Carling Academy 2 Ivor James - The Broadway Ben Smith - Katie Fitzgerald's Ian McNabb
Amblecote's Glasshouse Studio Theatre plays host to a night of funky self-penned soul music with the Jessica Doughty Trio this week. The band - fronted by 18-year-old singer/songwriter/keyboard player Jessica Doughty - will be taking to the stage at the
Kinver Light Operatic Society's latest outing Ski Whizz proved more of a yawn-fest than a comedy. The play - set in an Austrian hotel at the start of the winter season - featured very little skiing and even less whizz. Usually entertaining actor Calvin
Tribute act Bootleg McCartney are set to take Brierley Hill music fans on a magical history tour this weekend. The band - the ultimate tribute to the music of legends Paul McCartney and The Beatles - will be playing at The Shed, Wedgbury Way, on Saturday
All-girl Halesowen rock group Insomnia will make their debut in Stourbridge this weekend. After 14 months together, the four-piece teen outfit from Earls High School will play one of their first gigs at The Bulls Head, Pedmore Road, Lye, on Saturday October
Viva Musica's latest concert - Songs My Mother Taught Me - takes place at Dudley Concert Hall this weekend. Featuring works by romantic composers including Dvorak, Grieg, J Strauss and Verdi, it takes place on Saturday October 16 - starting at 7.30pm.
Get out your stetsons and dust off your cowboy boots for a high-charged, non-stop party of the best country hits at Dudley Concert Hall on Saturday 20th November at 7.30pm. Yes, the "Nashville Nights and Dixie Days" show is on the road again by popular
The BBC Good Food Show, sponsored by npower gas, Britain's biggest and most exciting food event takes place at The NEC Birmingham from the 24th - 28th November and this year it offers even more exciting food experiences. With over 600 exhibitors it's
Thurs Oct 14 Don 'O Lee - Pie Factory Jam Night - Moorings Tavern Gordon Haskell - Robin R 'n' B Club Delirious? - Civic Hall The Delays - Wulfrun Hall Cult of Luna - Carling Academy 2 Ivor James - The Broadway Ben Smith - Katie Fitzgerald's Ian McNabb
A CAMPAIGNER for flood defences in Worcester has visited victims of the freak weather in Carlisle. Mary Dhonau, chairman of Worcester Action Against Flooding and a former flood victim, was in Carlisle yesterday to pass on advice and information to those
HUGH and Kay Higgins' married life started with an argument when Hugh trod on Kay's wedding dress as they walked down the aisle in St George's Cathedral, Jerusalem. But she did not hold it against him - and 60 years on the Wichenford couple have just
THE RSPB is appealing to people in Worcestershire and Herefordshire to take part in the world's biggest bird survey. The society's Big Garden Birdwatch runs on Saturday, January 29, and Sunday, January 30, and more than 500,000 people are expected to
AN ecologist who underwent chemical contamination tests said a trip to the European Parliament was a huge success. Beth Williams, an ecology lecturer in Worcester, was among 30 women who travelled to Brussels on a "toxic" double decker bus to lobby MEPs
RESIDENTS' efforts to be environmentally friendly are being scuppered by city council planning restrictions barring them installing solar panels, it has been claimed. Chris Williams, and his wife, Liz, applied to Worcester City Council for permission
A TINY autistic six-year-old has overcome his disabilities by discovering he can beat the big boys at motorcycling. Joel Wright suffers from a range of conditions including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, speech problems and autism, and as a
A PENSIONER who was left homeless after a fire ravaged the block of flats where he lived has thanked the people who helped him get back on his feet. Michael Goldsmith, aged 66, was one of 30 residents who lost their home in an inferno that destroyed Wheatfield
WOMEN reeking of gin, Edwardian jailers, drunken sailors - all have been found haunting Worcester's Guildhall. Ghostwatchers and mediums spent two nights in the 282-year-old building and claim they were visited by strange apparitions of the city's past
THE BBC is joining forces with a university to record accents and regional speech variations. The corporation wants to capture them before it's too late. Patronising or what? And pretty rich, too. Thanks to the corporation's appalling EastEnders, the
Is this the rape of our rights? A BURGLAR breaks into your home and you take him on. Upstairs, your wife and daughters are huddled in a corner, quaking with fear. How much force do you use against the criminal? The politicians have been debating this
THERE is something profoundly depressing about the way boys' football has now become infected with the growing unpleasantness in British society. I suppose it was inevitable that after more than 20 years of celebrity worship, a culture of thuggish hedonism
WORCESTER City chairman Dave Boddy looked a lonely figure as he wandered around a wind-battered St George's Lane on Thursday evening. He had just accepted manager John Barton's resignation and there was a subdued feeling around the ground as caretaker
HOUSEHOLDERS in a Worcester road joined forces and organised a jumble sale to raise more than £1,000 for the victims of the Asian tsunami. More than 20 of the properties on Greenford Gardens, Martley Road in St John's, rallied together to show their support
CHARITABLE water workers at Severn Trent have swapped ties for T-shirts to raise £27,000 for the tsunami disaster appeal. The staggering sum was raised on Friday, January 14, by workers at the Midlands-based water company. A total of 4,500 employees at
ANDY Keast has no doubts over his Worcester side's sharpness ahead of their trip to Kingsholm. The Warriors have no game this weekend because of their Powergen Cup exit but the Sixways head coach believes his squad are raring to go for next Saturday's
WORCESTER City chairman Dave Boddy looked a lonely figure as he wandered around a wind-battered St George's Lane on Thursday evening. He had just accepted manager John Barton's resignation and there was a subdued feeling around the ground as caretaker
JOHN Brain has dismissed suggestions that he's turned down Andrew Mehrtens. Speculation had linked the New Zealand fly-half with a move to half a dozen clubs and, in some quarters, reports had suggested that Worcester had refused the international ace
HEREFORD United's biggest home win for more than a year may have guided them through to the fourth round of the FA Trophy -- but it did little to swell the club's bank balance. Just 710 supporters watched the Bulls brush aside Accrington Stanley 4-0 in
DROITWICH Dolphins hosted the first round of the Worcester Winter League. Fielding a team depleted by sickness and injuries, the club performed superbly well to snatch third place overall. Fiona Watt was star of the show with first place in the girls
Tribute act Bootleg McCartney are set to take Brierley Hill music fans on a magical history tour this weekend. The band - the ultimate tribute to the music of legends Paul McCartney and The Beatles - will be playing at The Shed, Wedgbury Way, on Saturday
Dudley alternative rock band Introvert were pipped to the first place post in the latest heat of the Robin Live Band of the Year Competition. The band were beaten by Walsall indie rockers Cold Shoulder when they played at the Robin 2, Bilston, on Monday
ANDY Keast has no doubts over his Worcester side's sharpness ahead of their trip to Kingsholm. The Warriors have no game this weekend because of their Powergen Cup exit but the Sixways head coach believes his squad are raring to go for next Saturday's
AT LEAST four Kidderminster Harriers players are up for grabs -- but boss Stuart Watkiss is not about to hound them out of the club. Watkiss has already told two, believed to be defenders Abdou Sall and Steve Burton, that they would be best finding a
There are just some folk you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of and a washed up former CIA agent played by Denzel Washington would certainly fit into this bracket. Tony Scott's Man on Fire puts revenge high on the list in this hard hitting and
The NC Big Band will be taking to the stage for a charity event at Dudley Concert Hall tomorrow night (Friday October 15) at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £5 and are available on 01384 252857. Money raised will go to the leukaemia unit appeal fund at Russells
THERE are critics of the rugby union structure in this country. However, our break from the Zurich Premiership has been invaluable for a number of key players. Touch wood, we're going to have a much healthier-looking squad to pick from when we come to
IF Dave Bradley's moustache is worth more than £25,000, how much is George Cowley's beard worth? JOHN NORWOOD, Kidderminste
I THINK opening all hours would be good for business, create more jobs and stop all the people being turfed out at a certain time. JOHN SHEARON, Worcester.
JOHN Phillpott (Seven Days, January 15) is being ironic. But it might not be a bad idea to shut High Street and Angel Place on Saturday nights, since this is where trouble accumulates. GEORGE COWLEY, Worcester.
FEBRUARY approaches and the annual wind-up, trying to make us feel guilty for Auschwitz, begins. Meanwhile, in Occupied Palestine the wanton slaughter and the wholesale destruction of property goes on. Whose ghetto now? R MARTIN, Evesham.
HOW nice of John Norwood of Kidderminster to tell Worcester people which political party we dislike in council. Since when has he had the right or the super brain to entitle him to speak for us (Letters, Thursday, January 13)? We might take more note
WHAT a fuss is being made over Prince Harry wearing a swastika. Anyone else wearing it, no notice would have been taken. I wonder if the people concerned with this are bothered about the way we are collaborating with the Germans over the formation of
N TAYLOR stated (Letters, Friday, January 14) that "the taxpayers have poured £10m a day into disaster relief since Boxing Day". In his last Budget speech, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a budget for "Overseas Development", in other words charity
ANDREW Hall rambles on, aimlessly and without realism, about Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Churchill, Roosevelt, Mussolini, Mugabe and Pope Pius XII, (Letters, Wednesday, January 12). Freedom of the subject is of great importance. Had ID cards been introduced
IN the latest bizarre twist to the fox hunting saga, fashion trend setters are turning to the country sport for a lead. The politicians may not like it, but ladies of suitable shape are snapping up the skin tight breeches and smartly tailored hunting
THE defection of Oxfordshire MP Robert Jackson last weekend has been puzzled over all week by Westminster observers. Publicly, Labour MPs were only too pleased to rub salt in the Tory wounds as Mr Jackson's move threatened to overshadow Conservative policy
Get out your stetsons and dust off your cowboy boots for a high-charged, non-stop party of the best country hits at Dudley Concert Hall on Saturday 20th November at 7.30pm. Yes, the "Nashville Nights and Dixie Days" show is on the road again by popular
