THE jury has retired to consider its verdicts on a man on trial for a prostitution and people smuggling racket at Worcester Crown Court. Fei Zhang, who runs a Chinese takeaway business in Barking, Essex, denies conspiracy to traffic for the sex trade
DETAILED plans of exciting new construction projects to improve walking and cycling around Worcester will be made available this week. Worcestershire County Council is holding a series of public exhibitions to showcase forthcoming projects in the city
NUNNERY Wood Tigers are continuing next season at under 11s level with the majority of current players under new manager Colin Jones. Tigers had an excellent season, finishing runners-up in the Stourport Youth League Under 10s division, and are looking
MID-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff led a House of Commons Committee visit to Worcestershire as part of an inquiry into the impact of innovation on West Midlands businesses. The Commons Business and Enterprise Committee took the unusual step of taking evidence
WESTFIELDS' youngsters James Holland and Will Tolley have been invited to Aston Villa's summer trials. Striker Tolley was a member of the successful under 15s side who completed a Herefordshire Junior League and cup double. He also played for the men's
A DEVELOPER has hit back at criticism about the company's role in developing the western side of Droitwich town centre. Last month, we reported how some Droitwich councillors were disappointed by the work being carried out in the town centre by Kandahar
WORCESTER'S Sammi Meese was named keeper of the tournament at the Tesco Cup Under 14s south-west finals as Warndon Villages crashed out. The 12-year-old Christopher Whitehead Language College pupil pulled off a series of outstanding stops as the shots
JUST three cases where teachers have been dismissed or resigned in Worcestershire after being found to be incompetent have been referred to the General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) in almost seven years, figures show. Think tank Policy Exchange
WORCESTER number eight Catherine Spencer will captain the England women's team in this weekend's FIRA AER European Championship in Amsterdam. Spencer's Sixways team-mates Samantha Dale and Katherine Merchant have also been named in head coach Gary Street's
TRAVELLERS will keep using a plot of land and causing a nuisance to nearby residents, according to a councillor. Alan Fisher, Wychavon District Councillor, believes people living in Martin Hussingtree and Fernhill Heath have not seen the last of groups
WORCESTER Warriors players have been overlooked by England and England Saxons for the forthcoming tours to New Zealand and North Am-erica. Wing wonders Miles Benjamin and Marcel Garvey can consider themselves especially unlucky to miss out as they had
KIDDERMINSTER Harriers want to make Dean Bennett and Darryl Knights permanent additions to their squad for next season. The pair enjoyed successful loan spells at Aggborough during the last campaign as Harriers finished 13th in the Blue Square Premier
IVO Mandradzhiyski was the most successful competitor for Worcester Swimming Club at the Midland Youth Championships. Although a little short of his personal best times, the University of Worcester student collected silver medals in the 200-metre butterfly
ANOTHER swan has been attacked and killed by a dog in Worcester. The death takes the number of swans killed in the last six months to three, and volunteers at Bishops Wood Swan Rescue Centre are concerned dog owners are encouraging their pets to attack
TWO men have been arrested on suspicion of stealing metal from a construction site in Malvern. The arrests were made in the early hours of this morning after a member of the public called police. Metal had been stolen from a construction site in Geraldine
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WORCESTERSHIRE director of cricket Steve Rhodes believes Steve Davies played the "perfect game" in the emphatic nine-wicket Friends Provident Trophy victory over Hampshire Hawks. The 21-year-old wicketkeeper batsman helped guide the Royals to their success
BLESSED Edward Oldcorne Catholic College scooped the fair play award from the Daily Express Emerging Schools Rugby Festival at Staines. But the under 14s girls, picked from years seven to nine, missed out on a national place at Twickenham after finishing
A DROITWICH man verbally abused a pregnant woman for walking past his house in "loud shoes", a court was told. Brian McWilliams shouted at the woman, who was five months pregnant, before swearing at her. The 45-year-old, of Vines Mews, admitted a charge
WORCESTERSHIRE'S Vikram Solanki remains top of the Sky Sports Sixes League thanks to two maximums against Hampshire. Solanki leads the league with seven, one six ahead of second-placed Martin van Jaarsveld, who continued his strong start to the season
HARNESS racing enthusiasts opened their season at the 12-race Tregaron Spring Festival with a flourish despite strong opposition from Irish visitors. Though the maiden events were liberally peppered with guests from all over the UK, both divisions saw
A MAN kicked the back door of an ex-girlfriend's house in the early hours of New Year's Day after she did not pick up his phone calls, a court heard. Matthew Hollis also sent text messages to another former partner of Holly Matley threatening to "kick
RECENT Lady Dudley Cup winner Cottage River was defeated in the Mixed Open at the Wheatland Hunt point-to-point. A large crowd at Chaddesley Corbett saw River beaten by the only other runner in the race, Itsalf. Sent off as the heavily odds-on favourite
COMPANY bosses have spoken for the first time about the fire which gutted a tyre warehouse. Auto Tyre and Battery lost 2,000 tyres as 40ft-high flames ripped through the warehouse in Spring Lane, Malvern. Operations manager Richard Winters, speaking
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NODDY and Big Ears brought old-fashioned family fun to Worcester Racecourse. The rising temperatures helped bring larger than expected crowds to the family fun day at the racecourse on Sunday. Children also played on a bouncy castle, had their faces
THIEVES have stolen £400 worth of asparagus from land in Pershore Road, Evesham, police have revealed. Witnesses are now being sought to the theft, which took place between 11pm yesterday and 6am today. Officers believe it is unlikely that the asparagus
A FORMER soldier has been jailed for kicking a man in the head in an unprovoked attack in Worcester. Gavin Davies was sentenced to 12 months in prison at Worcester Crown Court after admitting assault occasioning grievous bodily harm. Tim Sapwell, prosecuting
WORCESTER City will begin their pre-season programme against a Cheltenham Town XI. The Whaddon Road side, who finished 19th in League One, are due to send a team to St George's Lane on Saturday, July 12, as well as to Team Bath. The match will kick-off
MEDICS were at the scene of a road collision between a van and a car three minutes after the first emergency call, today. West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust had a rapid response vehicle at the accident in Blackpole Road near the junction with
SEGELOV Gladys Aged 88 years. Passed away peacefully at Welland House. Will be much missed by all her Family and Friends. Funeral to be held at Worcester Crematorium on May 15th at 4 p.m. Donations, if desired to Alzheimers Society, c/o George Crump &
KASCH Bernard Titch Aged 74. Brother of Betty, Doreen and Peter. Passed away peacefully in hospital on May 9th, 2008. Funeral Service at Worcester Crematorium on Monday, May 19th at 10 a.m. Family flowers only, donations if desired for St Richards Hospice
HILL Dennis Formerly of West Malvern. Son of the late William and Lucy Hill. Passed away suddenly at the YMCA Worcester on May 4th, 2008. He will be sadly missed by all his Family and Friends. Funeral service at Worcester Crematorium on Monday, May 19th
JAMES Nellie May Passed away peacefully aged 94 years at Teme Court Care Home on May 8th, 2008. Much loved mother to Colin, Anne, John and Trevor. Dearest grandma and great grandma. Funeral service at Worcester Crematorium on Friday, May 16th at 12.30
EDWARDS Dorothy Passed away peacefully after a long illness, on May 9th 2008, aged 80 years. Beloved wife of the late Allen and the late Alec Coleman. Dear mother of Hazel and Martin, beloved step mother to Sally and Gillian. She was also the adored grandmother
FULCHER Tom Passed away peacefully at home on May 7th, 2008 aged 70 years. A much loved husband, dad and grandad. Funeral service will take place at St Johns Church on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 at 10.30 a.m., followed by interment at St Johns Cemetery.
CALE Ethel May Passed away on May 7th, 2008. Aged 84 Beloved mother and grandmother. Funeral service on Thursday May 15th at 12.15 p.m. St Clement's Church. Flowers may be sent to Bedwardine Funeral Services,St Johns, Worcester. Published in paper 13/
O'HARA Eileen Mary Nee Stanley Local flower seller. Passed away peacefully on May 9th, 2008, aged 87 years. Wife of the late Hugh and beloved mum of Barry and daughter in law Zillah. Also loved gran to Tim and Penny and their families. Special Auntie
TURVER Megan Formerly of Ganderton Court, Pershore. On May 8th, 2008, peacefully at Stonebow House Rest Home, aged 91 years. Dearly loved mother of Jeffrey, Roger and the late Colin and Gwyn Jones. A much loved grandmother and great grandmother. Cremation
STOCKBURN Andrew L Passed away suddenly but peacefully at St Richard's Hospice on May 8th, 2008, aged 59 years. A loving dad to Ruth and Kate. Funeral service to take place at Worcester Crematorium on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 at 2.30 p.m. Family flowers
BRYAN William Alfred Of Bevere, Worcester. Passed away suddenly on May 5th 2008, aged 87 years. Much loved husband of the late Peggy. Dear father of Susan and son in law Bob. A loving grandfather and great grandfather. Will be sadly missed by all his
HOLLAND Lawrence The Family of Lawrence would like to thank all Family, Friends and Neighbours for cards and messages of sympathy and to all who attended his funeral and for donations for County Air Ambulance. Special thanks to Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics
TIERNEY Shev Happy 15th Birthday. All our love Mum and Dad. xx Published in paper 13/05/2008
A BRAVE woman with Parkinson's Disease took part in a sponsored walk to help Africans who are forced to trek miles for water. Janet Stilgoe who has to walk with the aid of a stick, also has bad knees and has had a hip replacement. That did not stop
A FORMER Worcester pupil who co-produced a hit internet television show watched more than 1.7 million times, is now looking to make more programmes. Nick Jones, 28, who went to The King's School, helped film and edit The London Affair, now the 10th most
VAL Jolly took the honours when the Defford-based Arden club staged a ladies race. She made the handicap tell in her Heron to finish in top spot with Jane Smee, sailing a Laser, although first on the water was pushed into second on handicap. Third place
WHEN Matt Mason made his first-class return last week at Kidderminster, Worcestershire showed not a blast from the past but a glimpse of the future. The Australian-born seamer, making his return from a shoulder injury which has kept him out of action
IT'S not hard to see why Stephen Moore is walking around the New Road dressing room with a broad grin on his face. The England-qualified South African is having the best start to a season in his career with three first-class hundreds in four games.
SIR - One-fifth of hospital patients in Worcester complain of lack of respect. Let's face it, the staff are rushed off their feet. I had excellent treatment in both Worcestershire Royal Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. GEORGE COWLEY
WITNESSES are being sought following a road collision in which a motorcyclist was left with serious injuries. Police have renewed an appeal for witnesses following the accident on the Hartlebury Road, in Stourport, on Sunday. A blue Vauxhall Corsa driven
DROITWICH Rugby Club will be celebrating a highly successful season at their summer ball next month. The Glyn Mitchell Memorial Ground side finished second in Midlands Three West (South) but were beaten by Stoke in the play-off for Midlands Two (West
GRAHAM Turner has been named League Two manager of the year after leading Hereford United to their second promotion in three years. The Bulls, who won the Conference play-offs in 2006, finished third in the table and will take their place in League One
SIR - I think the people of Lichfield Avenue who were given a £100 fine for leaving surplus rubbish by the side of their bins should ask our MP for Worcester to pay the fines and claim the money back on his expenses. R W CORE, Worcester.
PEOPLE living near a Worcester brook say they fear their homes could flood again after a recent storm swamped their gardens. Couples Don and Jayne Thomas and Emma and Mark Baker, both of Bath Road, Worcester, saw their back gardens inundated after torrential
WORCESTER City Amateur Boxing Club's promising schoolboy Usman Multoni came up against local fighter Aiden Simons of Solihull ABC at a show in Birmingham. Boxing for three one-and-a-half minute rounds, both boxers give it their all in an exciting contest
TWENTY-EIGHT Upton-upon-Severn Homing Society members sent 395 birds to Exeter. Results: I Bull 1586; D Cartmell 1583; I Bull 1570, 1546; Fam Pittstucker 1545; K P M Fitzpatrick 1540; Mr & Mrs J Reardon 1540; L Brewer 1539; Mr & Mrs M Hyatt 1537; Mr
SIR - With reference to the post office move I would like to know how much room will be allocated at WH Smith's for it. When my friend asked for a jigsaw puzzle for my birthday she was told they had been sent back to make room for the post office. H
A WORCESTER woman has been sentenced to more than five months in prison for repeatedly smashing her daughter's head against a concrete pavement outside a bar in the city centre. Patricia Carr committed the offence after she got into a drunken argument
SIR - John Banner and John Reynolds would like to thank all those people who attended the St George's Day concert on St George's Day. It was good to see a near full Huntingdon Hall. Clive John and the Malvern Male Voice Choir were on top form. A cheque
SIR - Why did the Conservative party deny voters a candidate in Nunnery Ward? They have found resources recently to publish a city-wide newspaper sheet in support of their parliamentary candidate and to distribute a newsletter in Nunnery Ward - and yet
OVER the past week at Kid-derminster we were trying out a new make of ball in our game against Loughborough UCCE and I hope that we never see them again. Thankfully, Stephen Moore turned into the Incredible Hulk' and blasted quite a few of them out of
OLD Vigornians won by 56 runs at Martley to remain the early pace-setters in Crusader Worcestershire League Division Four South. OVs fielded an inexperienced side, missing several first-team regulars, while Martley had nine men away at a stag weekend
PEOPLE in Worcestershire soaked up the sunshine and basked in the hottest temperatures across Britain at the weekend. Great Malvern recorded the highest temperature in the country and the hottest day of the year so far on Sunday with 27.5C (81.5F) -
WORCESTERSHIRE and Herefordshire have made four changes to their side for the final RLF North Midlands Championship group match against Shropshire at Droitwich tonight (7.30). The two counties, seeking a third consecutive title, booked their place in
AMANDA Mason, who works for Waitrose in Malvern, has been seconded to help at an animal charity through an initiative set up by the supermarket's owners. Amanda, a food service assistant, was awarded her six-month secondment to Worcestershire Animal
YOUNGSTERS at a Worcester after-school club have seen their work published in a national book. Children at Kids Care Unlimited After School Club, based at St Clement's School in St John's, drew pictures of what they would like to do when they grew up
SIR - With reference to my previous letter about gipsies leaving signs to their fellow travellers concerning the friendliness or lack of it in households they had visited, Roy Oseman of Worcester telephoned me to say that from his experiences, gipsies
DIVERSIONS are in place following a three-car collision on a motorway bridge. The accident involving a blue Mercedes C180, a Citroen Saxo and a silver Vauxhall Vectra happened on the B4636 at 7.50am today. The shunt happened less than a mile from
FORMER Great Britain hockey player Jane Sixsmith MBE officially opened the new all-weather pitch at a Worcester school. Dr Robert Ingle, chairman of the RGS Worcester & The Alice Ottley School (RGSAO) Governors, started the proceedings by reconfirming
PUPILS from a Worcester school got the chance to discover much of the city's history during a visit to Worcester Civil War centre at the Commandery. Year five children at nearby King's St Albans spent the day at the museum in Sidbury as part of their
PUPILS from a Worcester girls school showed they were no dunces after becoming runners-up in a regional University Challenge-style competition. The lower school general knowledge quiz team from St Mary's School were just pipped at the post in the final
A SERIES of events are to take place in Worcestershire to help support children with physical and emotional health issues. The events are primarily being offered to parents and carers with children who are not in, or have difficulty in accessing, mainstream
BLIND and partially sighted young people at New College Worcester will soon be putting the kettle on, thanks to a £1,500 donation from the Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation to buy specially-adapted kitchen equipment. The donation has
ABOUT 15 members and guests of the monthly Greek interest club enjoyed a most entertaining evening as committee member John Fryer gave a well-researched talk entitled: 1940 - The Italian Invasion. After a short break for refreshments and the drawing
Hosted by Alfrick WI on April 30, the president welcomed the new county chairman Julia Roberts to talk on county matters, relevant to our 90th birthday celebrations. Our main speaker Annie Hartwright, from Billington's, was a witty, knowledgeable speaker
ThiS month we had a preview of the 2009 calendar and congratulated Val Durnell on one of her photographs being used. We had various items in our business, including the church fete on May 31 and a coffee morning for Christian Aid. We then discussed
Tony Baker presented a programme of recorded music entitled Out and About. He began with 18th-century composers Michael Haydn and Johann Christian Bach, featuring the latter's sextet for oboe, violin, cello, two horns and forte piano. An unusual recording
SIR - Your exclusive story regarding Worcester and Malvern Hills councils joining together comes as a complete shock to me and members of the city council's Labour group. Surely this is the sort of issue that should have been debated during the recent
The society's spring show was held on Saturday, April 5, in Wychbold village hall and, as usual, the hall was a blaze of colour courtesy of the splendid exhibits. The judges are always very complimentary about the high standards achieved by the exhibitors
A flower demonstration by Virginia Davis, assisted by Christine Huzzey, proved very popular. Entitled The Journey, it was held at Stoke Works Social Club on Wednesday, April 9, by kind permission of Neil Toothill. The event raised £800 for new equipment
Pat and Len Tonks have celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary. The special occasion was marked by a thanksgiving service in St Mary de Wyche Church at Wychbold and many of their friends were there. It was a privilege to join the Tonks family for
A SOCIAL and support group for people with younger-onset dementia has celebrated its fourth birthday. Al's Cafe marked the milestone with a party at the Three Pears Inn in Warndon, Worcester, this month. The group is for people with early-onset dementia
WHAT'S your honest view of today's youth? Unruly, unpleasant and bad-mannered? Or misunderstood and misrepresented? I went to meet a group of inspirational youngsters who are challenging the hoody' stereotype and striving to have their voices heard.
A NEW fleet of environmentally-friendly buses have been carrying passengers around Worcester this week. The fleet - emblazoned with the words Woosh - were bought by Worcestershire County Council to operate the W1 service from the Perdiswell park-and-ride
Well this is the last diary from me as I hand over the weighty (2.2lbs) mayoral chain of office to my successor at tonight’s annual council meeting. For the record, I won’t neglect to mention just a few events I attended this week which I appreciated
SIR - Does Malvern Hills District Council have any idea what it is doing? Having just announced its intention to spend more money exploring the provision of a new council headquarters outside Malvern town centre, we hear through your Worcester News that
OUR exclusive report yesterday, revealing proposals to merge the staff and services of Worcester and Malvern Hills councils, has provoked something of a storm. While other media have been playing catch-up on reporting a proposal that could see job losses
WORCESTER Warriors are being linked with several top New Zealand-based players. Speculation in the southern hemisphere has reached fever pitch as the exodus of top Kiwi talent to leading European clubs is expected to gather pace in the coming months.
A RAIL users group is starting a campaign to get extra trains put on between Worcester and Gloucester to enable commuters to arrive at work on time. There are currently no trains running between the two cities that allow people to get to work at the
OPPOSITION councillors have reacted with fury after plans to merge Worcester City and Malvern Hills district councils were revealed in your Worcester News. We reported yesterday that a confidential Guildhall document details proposals to merge the two
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A MAN pushed another man and a woman into the river Severn in Worcester before committing an assault. Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident which happened near Quay Street at 12.35pm on Saturday. After the male victim got out of the water
AMANDA Mason, who works for Waitrose in Malvern, has been seconded to help at an animal charity through an initiative set up by the supermarket's owners. Amanda, a food service assistant, was awarded her six-month secondment to Worcestershire Animal
POLITICAL opinions are plentiful on our website, but we've noticed that they're spread over many stories and you may not catch every one. So we have opened a new forum in our Your Say section where your topics and replies - and those of others, can be
A WORCESTERSHIRE company proved that innovation is alive and well in the county when it walked off with one of the major titles at the first- ever Staffordshire University Stars' Awards evening. Central Weighing of Kidderminster, a market leader in vehicle
