Archive

THE next Parish Path Partnerships (P3) meeting will be held at the Crawford Hall, Bidford on Avon on Thursday, January 5. The meeting starts at 7.30pm, anyone is welcome and visitors should use the rear entrance.

FATHER Christmas travelled in style when he paid a visit to Upton-upon-Severn on Saturday and made a tour of the town, giving out goodie bags to the children. His transport, courtesy of Mercia Inshore Search and Rescue, was a boat on a trailer pulled

WHETHER it's hopping on to a treadmill or playing badminton, active youngsters in the Malvern Hills are set to be charged for sports facilities they have until now used for free. Malvern Hills District Council has been able to allocate free time slots

PLANS to convert a 19th Century Claines villa into a private care home for people with severe learning difficulties have been withdrawn. Developers proposed to create the home at Northwick House, Old Northwick Lane that would have provided accommodation

Nature lovers in Worcester are being urged to help barn owls get into the housing market. Due to a boom in the number of young hatched this year, there is increased pressure on the available nesting places. The Hawk and Owl Trust wants people to adopt

CHRISTMAS revellers are being warned of the dangers of drinking too much. Paramedics and staff at Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service NHS Trust say they see the problems caused by alcohol and hope people will think about the consequences before they

THOUSANDS of Christmas shopping trips hit the buffers after staff shortages forced Central Trains to cancel all of its services between Worcester and Birmingham. The train operator had to axe all its Sunday services in the west Midands because too few

LIFE is a cabaret for youngsters of Worcester Operatic and Dramatic Society's Youth Section, who are having a ball as they prepare to entertain the elderly and sick throughout Chrsitmas. The Youth Section - affectionately known as WODYS - was formed 24

SATURDAY'S exquisite FA Trophy winner is the start of something big for George Clegg. So says the skilful Mancunian, who promises Worcester City supporters more left-foot fancy work in the second-half of the season. Clegg's new year resolution is simple

CHRISTMAS comes but once a year, goes the old adage. And apart from those Scrooges among us, it's fair to say most of us like to bask in the joy of the festive season. For the majority of people, it is a welcome time of rest and reflection as we slip

ROD Brown has resigned as boss of Redditch United. He made the decision prior to Saturday's 3-1 defeat at home to Harrogate Town - a result that keeps Reds teetering on the edge of the Conference North relegation zone. Brown said matters came to a head

A REDDITCH sports club has clinched a prestigious national award. There were more than 800 entrants for the Club Mirror Awards and the Sports and Fitness Club of the Year accolade went to the Redditch Cricket, Hockey and Rugby Club. And there was more

THE chips are down for The Pie Man as he heads south for a crack at darts' world championships. Andy 'The Pie Man' Smith has qualified for the event at Purfleet which started this week and will be up against some of the world's leading players. It may

REDDITCH MP Jacqui Smith has stumped up £120 following an investigation into misuse of House of Commons' envelopes. The move follows complaints from some constituents that they had received unsolicited mail from her. Conservative Parliamentary spokesman

THE Alexandra Theatre is preparing to take the new year by storm with enough entertainment to blow away any cobwebs that may have gathered over the festive season. A brand new production of The Snow Queen takes to the stage in January featuring music

BANISH those post-Christmas blues with the menu of entertainment ready to roll at Birmingham Hippodrome. Shows to brighten up the new year include the controversial Jerry Springer the Opera, Edward Scissorhands and the Vagina Monologues. Ballet enthusiasts

WORCESTER City chairman Dave Boddy described his side's FA Trophy second round draw at Crawley Town as a difficult tie. City lifted the Southern League Cup at Crawley's Broadfield Stadium in 2000/01 following a two-leg final, but have failed to win at

WORCESTERSHIRE'S Kabir Ali fell agonisingly short of pulling off an improbable win as England lost their one-day series to Pakistan via a 13-run margin in Rawalpindi. England gave themselves obvious prospects of success which would have levelled this

PHIL Taylor's protege Adrian Lewis displayed his Ladbrokes.com World Championship credentials with a clinical 3-0 victory over Worcestershire's Dave Honey in the first round at Purfleet's Circus Tavern. The 20-year-old from Stoke gave a glimpse of why

A DEPLETED Worcester Wanderers slipped out of the Powergen Junior Vase when they lost 12-5 at Market Rasen. As far as the team coaches were concerned, this was a missed opportunity as they had the difficult task of putting together a team with 13 first

KINGS Norton stormed into the next round of the Birmingham Vase with a convincing 70-5 victory at Birmingham Barbarians. The Hopwood side were without seven regular first team players but still proved too strong for their non-league hosts, throwing the

MARTIN O'Connor can stick with a winning formula as Kidderminster Harriers pursue another LDV Vans Trophy shock tonight. Johnny Mullins (dead leg) and Simon Heslop (sore shin) returned to training yesterday after being taken off as a precaution in Saturday's

SIR - I would like the council to explain their justification for a walk/cycle officer at a cost of £22,000. I'd also like to know the reason for the little white cycles painted along the road of Cornmeadow Lane and elsewhere. What a waste of our money

SIR - With regard to your recent article about parked cars in residential streets, it isn't the employees' fault. In Germany, no place of work can be built without sufficient parking for all employees. This is done at the planning stage - which is the

SIR, The review of warden provision in sheltered housing is obviously causing concern to Mrs Chambers and many others who will be affected by the actions of Worcester Community Housing if they decide to impose the changes proposed. You would think that

THIS has been an eventful year. A year that started in the aftermath of the tsunami and ended in the ongoing effects of the earthquake in South East Asia. A year that saw the return of a third-term Labour Government and the fifth leader of the Conservatives

THE dream of a five-year-old football fan came true on Saturday when he ran onto the pitch as mascot for Redditch United. Kearan Tongue-Gibbs donned a specially commissioned football kit for his appearance at the Valley Stadium before the team's match

IN response to the so called market in Redditch (Advertiser, December 7). I work in the town centre and very rarely shop in the market these days. For one, it's out of the way and there is never anything there worth buying (lack of variation). We used

IT was like spending an evening with old friends at the Malvern Theatres on Monday at the first night of Round the Horne...Revisited. They were all there, Kenneth Horne (Jonathan Rigby), Douglas Smith (David McAlister), Hugh Paddick (Nigel Harrison),

CHRISTMAS came early for a ten-year-old, while her forty-something dad also left the Malvern Theatres with a huge helping of festive cheer. With a little helping of Oliver, a whiff of Westlife, a chorus of Queens and an array of acrobatics, Peter Pan

THE chairman of Wythall Parish Council has resigned to voice her opinion more freely on a long-running battle with Bromsgrove District Council. Councillor Sue Baxter told the Advertiser she felt it better to resign so she could speak openly about a new

I AGREE completely with Mrs Beard (Letters, December 7). Instead of looking to line their pockets with £75 fines, the police and council should work together to find a safe area for people to ride mini motos. Surley they can see these bikes are becoming

I AM writing regarding the threatened downgrading of the Alexandra Hospital and the expectation to use Worcester instead. It is quite interesting Solihull is also in overspend to the tune of £20 million and is facing cuts, with patients being expected

I HAVE admired the way John Prescott put away the left/right in-fighting of old Labour to sit at the New Labour Cabinet table and put his views to his party and accept democracy. Whatever the outcome his outburst over school reforms in the Telegraph,

THROUGHOUT Christmas, management at Redditch's Fuse nightclub will ask thousands of clubbers to dig deep and "Give a Kid a Quid" in aid of the Echo charity. Echo, which stands for Entertainment Organised for Children's Health, is the charity of Luminar

A 30-YEAR-OLD Redditch woman pleaded guilty to burglary when she appeared at Worcester Crown Court. Kelly Carter, of Hadzel House, Batchley, admitted breaking into a house in Sanders Close, Redditch, and stealing DVDs, cigarettes, food and children's

A RESIDENT at Terrysprings Court in Smallwood has still not come down to earth after learning she had won a trip of a lifetime to Australia for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Eileen Millinchip, 85, is one of 35 residents from The ExtraCare Charitable

PLEASE can the people responsible for damaging the wall outside the Grieg Hall in Alcester explain to me their reasons for doing so. I walk my children to school every morning and they, among many others, enjoy walking along this little wall each day.

THIRTY-two beat managers have now been appointed to cover north Worcestershire as part of a restructuring which will shape the future of policing. Extra beat managers have been taken on as part of the national Local Policing initiative, which aims to

A TORY councillor claims the former leader of Redditch Council "pooh-poohed" all warnings before the AIR Festival - which led to a £644,000 bill. Councillor Mike Braley said David Cartwright was warned about capacity, resources available, timing and organisation

GROUPS in Redditch are set to cash in on a grants programme announced by Redditch Council. The council has set aside £35,000 to support non-profit making agencies in delivering specific projects. For the first time, councillors have selected the theme

MEMBERS of Redditch Revolutions majorette troupe got into the party spirit by holding an internal competition last week. The girls, aged five and up, competed in three different categories - marching, dance twirl and pom pom - in three age groups at Woodfield

STUDENTS from Kingsley College have been taking part in an innovative project with members of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The CBSO Story Telling Project is an initiative of the orchestra's education programme to support Kingsley, its partner

A MAN who mounted a hammer attack on a love rival in a Redditch street must serve a minimum sentence of six years in jail. Roy Cross, aged 37, was convicted by a jury at Worcester Crown Court of wounding Richard Edwards with intent to cause him grievous

A MOTORIST who used his car as a weapon by running down a teenager has been jailed for 12 months. Philip Ames became angry after a group of youths were slow crossing the road in front of him. He drove his car onto the pavement in Walkwood Road, Redditch

REDDITCH Council sports services is celebrating after Arrow Vale Sports Centre become the second site in the town to achieve national recognition and gain the prestigious Quest accreditation. Quest is a UK quality award for sports and leisure, which defines

CHRISTMAS arrived early for a lucky Matchborough grandmother, who won a cash prize after entering a competition to win a house. Chris Griffiths scooped more than £6,000 on the Redditch-based win-this-house competition. The raffle gave entrants the chance

A CITY couple signalled the start of the festive period in style - as they lit up their house with Christmas decorations all in the name of charity. It is the second year Dave and Jakki Wood, of Jubilee Road, St John's, Worcester, have adorned their house

AN Alcester town councillor has extended a cautious welcome to Government grant increases for Stratford District Council. The council is set to receive about £6.5million in the provisional settlement for next year's local authority spending settlement

Homes struggle THE majority of local authorities do not think they will be able to meet the demand for affordable housing by 2007 - despite £3.3bn being invested in providing it, a report warned. A study by the National Audit Office and the Audit Commission

MOST Worcester companies experience few or none of the problems associated with business growth, says a new report. A poll by Allied Irish Bank revealed that 85 per cent of the city's businesses do not fall victim to their own success and cope well during

DROITWICH-based Train 4 Security has been accepted as a member of one of the country's most prestigious learning associations. The British Learning Associ-ation, a centre of global expertise and best practice in learning, encompasses a cross section of

TWO men wearing balaclavas escaped after an attempted robbery at the One Stop Shop in Bidford last Thursday. The pair entered the High Street shop at 11.35am while a Securicor van was parked outside. They unsuccessfully tried to steal cash from the cash

WORCESTER shoppers are shunning supermarkets and flocking to butchers for turkeys from local farms. Butchers in Worcester and the surrounding areas are reporting a buoyant trade in turkeys at prices of £2.50 per lb as residents turn to traditional suppliers

THE county's police authority has unanimously supported a merger to form a new regional police force. It was agreed at a meeting on December 14 that a merger was the best way forward and chairman Phil Blundell said there was general acceptance that, as

AN ambitious Alcestrian joined the ranks of royalty for the presentation of her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. The ceremony was also attended by Linford Christie and other sporting and TV celebrities. Lucy currently studies psychology at Lancaster University

Wednesday, December 21 Peter Pan, Birmingham Hippodrome, Hurst Street. Until January 29. Tickets on 0870 730 1234 or www.birminghamhippodrome.com Jack and the Beanstalk, Swan Theatre, Worcester. Until December 29. Tickets on 01906 611427 or www.huntingdonarts.com

THE Alexandra Theatre is preparing to take the new year by storm with enough entertainment to blow away any cobwebs that may have gathered over the festive season. A brand new production of The Snow Queen takes to the stage in January featuring music

IT was like spending an evening with old friends at the Malvern Theatres on Monday at the first night of Round the Horne...Revisited. They were all there, Kenneth Horne (Jonathan Rigby), Douglas Smith (David McAlister), Hugh Paddick (Nigel Harrison),

COUNCILS in Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Stafford-shire have teamed up to fight fraud and catch benefit cheats. Stratford District Council is joining forces with 16 other local authorities in a bid to deter and fight abuse of the benefit system. Residents

Yes Santa is great says Roni Skye, because he reinforces the magic of Christmas - as well as showing children the importance of giving IF we don't believe in Father Christmas, there's not much point believing in anything in life, is there? Everybody has

ANGRY neighbours of a proposed business park have vowed to continue their fight against the controversial plans when they are officially submitted to planners. The Grove Farm Residents' Voice group is concerned the 27-acre development in St John's will

FAIRFIELD Primary School in Worcester has received a resounding endorsement in its attempts to improve the lives of its pupils. The school, in Brickfields, Worcester, reopened four terms ago under the Government's Fresh Start initiative, replacing the

THE mother of Sharm-el-Sheikh bombing victim Hannah Lloyd has spoken of her "beautiful, sparkling" daughter at an inquest. Heide Lloyd, of Evesham, Worcestershire, said her 16-year-old daughter Hannah had been "stolen from her" in the attack on Sharm

FIXTURES Harvey World Travel Midland Football Alliance Boxing Day (Monday), December 26, Malvern Town v Westfields (Noon). Friday, December 30, Coalville Town v Malvern Town (7.45). Bank Holiday Monday, January 2, Malvern Town v Tipton Town (3.00). Saturday

A WOODROW man was brutally attacked by a gang of youths brandishing an iron bar. The 38-year-old suffered blows to the face and head during the assault in Cropthorne Close on December 11 at about 8.55pm. One youth was white, of medium build, aged 15-16

Wednesday, December 21 Peter Pan, Birmingham Hippodrome, Hurst Street. Until January 29. Tickets on 0870 730 1234 or www.birminghamhippodrome.com Jack and the Beanstalk, Swan Theatre, Worcester. Until December 29. Tickets on 01906 611427 or www.huntingdonarts.com

CAMPAIGNERS staged a candlelit vigil outside the Alexandra Hospital to protest at plans to transfer vital services to Worcester. More than 40 residents turned out with their candles on Thursday night, hoping the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

PATIENTS at the Alex have given their food the thumbs up. Catering staff at the hospital have shaken off the stereotypical image of bad grub by receiving an ''excellent'' grade for food in the annual Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) ratings. The

A PUBLIC meeting to discuss the possible downgrading of the Alexandra Hospital, which was due to be held on January 20, has been postponed. Campaigners are disappointed they will not have the chance to quiz members of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS

Redditch United 1 Harrogate Town 3 ROD Brown's announcement that this would be his final game in charge seemed to have left the Redditch players in a daze at the start of this game. Woeful defending gifted Harrogate a two-goal lead inside the opening

STUDLEY'S winless streak in the Midland Alliance stretched to six matches with Saturday's 1-0 defeat at home to FA Cup heroes Chasetown. Manager Kevin Rowlands has responded to his side's three-game goal drought by making a seven-day approach for Triplex's

WHILE many other venues may close down over the Christmas period, Alcester's Cuckoo Club will still be treating music-lovers to an evening of entertainment. The town's premier nightspot presents The Notorious Brothers on Friday, December 30, offering

ANDY Preece is eager to pile more misery on managerless Redditch United tonight as Worcester City look to win the first of several games in hand. City will leap-frog Hednesford Town if they beat their Worcestershire derby rivals at the Valley Stadium

MARTIN O'Connor can stick with a winning formula as Kidderminster Harriers pursue another LDV Vans Trophy shock tonight. Johnny Mullins (dead leg) and Simon Heslop (sore shin) returned to training yesterday after being taken off as a precaution in Saturday's

JOHN Trewick is confident Hereford United can upset the Football League apple-cart again in tonight's LDV Vans Trophy clash against Scunthorpe United (7.45). The northern quarter-final showdown at Edgar Street is a repeat of last season's first round

DROITWICH crashed out of the Powergen Junior Vase at the fifth round stage when they went down 33-19 at Manchester-based Aldwinians. The home side were well drilled and workmanlike and went into an early lead with two penalties, which were then cancelled

WORCESTERSHIRE'S Kabir Ali fell agonisingly short of pulling off an improbable win as England lost their one-day series to Pakistan via a 13-run margin in Rawalpindi. England gave themselves obvious prospects of success which would have levelled this

ROD Brown has resigned as boss of Redditch United. He made the decision prior to Saturday's 3-1 defeat at home to Harrogate Town - a result that keeps Reds teetering on the edge of the Conference North relegation zone. Brown said matters came to a head

SIR - It is a sad state of affairs (December 3) if Worcester families cannot enjoy funfairs due to disruption by drunken yobs. These youths are ruining English social life. GEORGE COWLEY, Worcester.

SIR - Across Britain, thousands of our historic buildings are at risk of being lost. BBC Two's Restoration, which campaigns for endangered buildings, is making a new series and this time is specifically looking for buildings that are located within or

SIR - If you are an animal lover like me, now Christmas is drawing nearer, let's hope we do not hear about cases of suffering. We do not want to hear of any torture or torment or creatures thrown out on to the street. I would suggest if you are not an

SIR - David Cameron, the new Conservative leader, tells us that he wants to build a modern and compassionate party. But about the only firm commitment he has given is to introduce a Bill to overturn the ban on hunting wild mammals with dogs. In what sense

SIR - A doctor knows an under-age girl to be on contraceptive treatment or seeking an abortion. He dare not tell her parents for he might be struck off for breach of confidentiality. The girl in such circumstances is deemed to be old enough to know her

FRIENDS of an Alvechurch teenager who spent last Christmas fighting for his life have launched a fundraising appeal to help him live comfortably at home. Andy Perrygrove, who was 13 at the time, was in collision with a van after getting off the school

A MAN who was found crouching over the body of his wife after he had butchered her has been told he will spend the rest of his life in prison. Glynn Dix, of Seymour Drive, Abbeydale, stabbed his wife Hazel to death on June 19 last year before decapitating

REDDITCH Big Hearts have handed over a cheque for more than £2,300 to help keep the County Air Ambulance flying high. The money, which was raised through various fundraising activities, was presented to the air ambulance's area co-orinator Jenny Ashman

AS we near Christmas, I would like to take the opportunity of writing to you and your readers to wish everyone the greetings of the season. At this point, about half way through my year of office as mayor, I would like to say to the citizens of Redditch

JUST weeks after the launch of the Where Next Building Appeal, which is supported by the Redditch Advertiser, public donations have poured in to the tune of more than £2,000. After Christmas, there will be numerous events to take part in to raise cash

HOW dare councillors criticise Redditch market (Advertiser, December 7) when they were instrumental in moving it from the central, traditional and popular space in Market Place to the present obscure wind tunnel. I use the market as much as possible in

I READ the letter "Need for a safe place to ride" (Advertiser, December 7) and wanted to say I have contacted the council on the issue of having a track built in Redditch. I contacted them weeks ago and am hopefully awaiting a solution to having an organised

I WAS delighted to see Marmite, my cat, feature on your letters page (Advertiser, December 7). Sadly, she was unable to enjoy her fame as she is stuck on my roof at the moment. It's my fault really - I never should have bought her that trampoline. Anyway

A NEW order will come into effect at Church Hill Centre on Friday giving police more powers to restrict drinking. Following incidents of alcohol related antisocial behaviour, Redditch Council carried out consultation on proposals to restrict alcohol consumption

WOULD someone please inform John Rostill, chief executive of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, that the name of the hospital in Redditch is the AlexandRA. On Midlands News on Thursday evening, he referred to it as the AlexandER. At the public

ONE of Redditch's very own stars in the making can be seen on the small screen over Christmas in an entertainment extravaganza dedicated to Lionel Bart's much-loved musical Oliver!. Jack Montgomery, who is in Year 9 at St Augustine's RC High School in

I SAW a job advertised in the Advertiser for people to escort children with behavioural problems to school and back. Their were three jobs at £12,000 each, the escorts would be in a taxi (probably also paid by the taxpayer) to get the children to school

IN all our busy preparations for Christmas, may we all pause to remember what we're celebrating. The politically correct brigade are trying to take Christ out of Christmas which, when you think about it, is ridiculous because then you have nothing left

THROUGH your letters page, please may we express our gratitude to the two kind ladies who stopped to help on Monday, December 5 when our elderly friend fell down an escalator in the Kingfisher Centre. Thanks also to the staff at Burger King who provided

A 106-YEAR-old time capsule has been opened by A-Level history students at Redditch's NEW College. The exciting find was unearthed last month when the college's Victorian Z Block was demolished to make way for a new sports hall. The capsule contained

THE manager of Redditch women's refuge Crossways, which closed last year, is concerned residents are confusing the operation with that of another defunct town charity. Maud Latarche claims she has been repeatedly approached by people who think the refuge

WEST Mercia Police Authority has decided on a "go it alone" strategy with an enhanced force instead of any amalgamation to meet Government targets. At a press conference last Tuesday, the authority announced its recommendation for a ''strategic'' West

BUDDING stars at Alvechurch's Crown Meadow First School put on a show for the festive season with their Christmas production. Youngsters took part in this year's annual show, Jesus's Christmas Party, singing and performing for teachers and parents in

RESIDENTS are being warned to be wary of meat offered at discount prices in the area, after an outside refrigerator at a Studley pub was broken into last week. The padlock on the container at Old Washford Mill pub was forced sometime last Wednesday night

WORCESTER City chairman Dave Boddy described his side's FA Trophy second round draw at Crawley Town as a difficult tie. City lifted the Southern League Cup at Crawley's Broadfield Stadium in 2000/01 following a two-leg final, but have failed to win at

"USE it or lose it" is the call to residents from organisers of the town's Farmers Market. Alcester Chamber of Trade and Commerce (ACTC) is warning the Farmers Market could fold if it does not get more customers. Chairman Andy Mills said: "The market

THE beer is flowing at a brewery near Alcester, with its first trial brew tried and tested just in time for Christmas. Purity Brewing, based at Upper Spernall Farm in Spernall Ash, has successfully brewed its first product, Pure UBU, named after the brewery's

THE chef whose snail porridge and bacon and egg ice cream won his restaurant the title of best in the world is to sell soups and gravy in supermarkets. Heston Blumenthal - whose Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, Berkshire, was named best in the world by Restaurant

PLANS to install new pillars in the Town Hall have been refused by the district council's planning committee. An application to replace four pillars in the ground floor room of the Church Street hall and fit steel replacements was made to the district

INDUSTRIAL action by British Gas engineers in a dispute over the company's pension scheme was suspended after fresh talks, the company said. Proposals agreed at discussions between the company and the GMB union will be put to union members, it added.

LLOYDS TSB is increasing the size of its local network of agricultural managers and as part of this expansion Richard Watts (pictured) has joined the team as agricultural business manager for Hereford-shire and Worcestershire. Richard will be based at

AN ancient artefact found in Alcester is set to return - in a rare coup for the town's heritage centre. The Roman Alcester Heritage Centre has been given the go ahead to borrow the Tau Cross from the British Museum, along with Warwick Museum. David Moulson

WORCESTER fast-fit operator, Hi-Q is continuing to lead the way on RunOnFlat tyre technology thanks to an intensive training programme for its fitters. The Droitwich Road store is one of 131 nationwide that has been put through a special Goodyear RunOnFlat

MEMBERS of the public are asked to be on the lookout after insulin and some needles were stolen from a parked car in Oversley Green last week. Thieves smashed the rear near side window of a blue VW Passat estate parked in the Travelodge between 6pm and

COMPETITIVE classes at Bidford Primary School pitted their wits against each other in a Christmas tree decorating contest. Each of the 10 classes was given a Christmas tree to decorate, with ornaments the pupils made themselves. Liz Crothall, teaching

AS Advantage Alcester comes to the end of its four-year plan, chairman Lise Evans spoke to the Chronicle about what the organisation had achieved in its lifetime and how the Market Town Initiative had benefited Alcester... ADVANTAGE Alcester was launched

IN the wake of the second successful St Nicholas Night, organisers are on the hunt for local businesses to support next year's event. The Christmas extravaganza proved a huge success, bringing festive fun and entertainment and attracting hundreds of visitors

AUDACIOUS thieves have struck at five pubs across South Worcestershire, stealing more than £5,000. Some of the raids took place in pubs' private quarters while they were open for business. At the Mount Pleasant Inn in London Road, Worcester, keys were

The leader of Worcestershire County Council has slammed the Government for leaving it with a "disgraceful" £3.5m funding gap that means even the toilet roll budget will have to be slashed to save money. George Lord said the authority faced a severe funding

AN abandoned dog that was a day away from death will have a happy Christmas in her new home. Penny the collie-cross made an amazing recovery after she was found severely emaciated in a Worcester park on March 8, this year. It was a member of the public

BANISH those post-Christmas blues with the menu of entertainment ready to roll at Birmingham Hippodrome. Shows to brighten up the new year include the controversial Jerry Springer the Opera, Edward Scissorhands and the Vagina Monologues. Ballet enthusiasts

WHILE many other venues may close down over the Christmas period, Alcester's Cuckoo Club will still be treating music-lovers to an evening of entertainment. The town's premier nightspot presents The Notorious Brothers on Friday, December 30, offering

CHRISTMAS came early for a ten-year-old, while her forty-something dad also left the Malvern Theatres with a huge helping of festive cheer. With a little helping of Oliver, a whiff of Westlife, a chorus of Queens and an array of acrobatics, Peter Pan