They've been late coming this year but at last it is bluebell time again. They won't flower for long so do try to get out and about soon if you're to enjoy them at their best. Bluebells are so familiar that it's easy to take them for granted but we're
JOBS could go at cider-maker Bulmers after it was snapped up in a £280m buy-out. The Hereford-based firm announced today it had agreed the terms of a takeover deal with Brewing giant Scottish & Newcastle. S&N, based in Edinburgh, has not ruled
TRADERS claim a roundabout is a potential death trap, after a woman's legs were crushed by a bus. Pedestrians regularly cross the dual carriageway at Worcester's Cathedral roundabout - 50 yards from traffic lights. Martin Moore, of Inspiration hairdressers
DOG owners are being asked not to dump unwanted pets after a rise in the number of strays during the Easter holidays. Over three days during the Bank Holiday, five strays were picked up in Wychavon by the district council's dog warden. "We don't know
WORCESTER will not be entering the Britain in Bloom competition this year due to cutbacks. Despite winning a Silver Gilt medal in the UK-wide competition last year, the Faithful City does not have the resources to enter again this year. Staffing cuts
A FORMER Nunnery Wood High School pupil acquitted of spying in Greece is to have his bail money returned. Wayne Groves was one of 11 British and two Dutch plane-spotters arrested on suspicion of espionage at an air show, in the southern Greek town of
A WORCESTERSHIRE charity has been awarded a £420,000 Lottery grant to breed giant guinea pigs in Peru. The Cusichaca Trust, based in Belbroughton, near Kidderminster, has been given the cash to help Latin American farmers produce the rodents for locals
A FLORAL carpet of colours greeted visitors at Knapp and Papermill Nature Reserve near Alfrick, with its bluebell walks now in full bloom. Purple orchids were also on show for the first time, thanks to clearance and maintenance work throughout the meadows
THE parents of a Herefordshire girl, whose image was used to shock teenagers from dabbling with drugs, have said she did not die from a lethal overdose. Photographs of Rachel Whitear's decomposing body were splashed across the country last year to highlight
CONSERVATIVE candidate and sitting councillor Francis Lankester assured All Saints residents that the Tory-led council, was working hard to provide a city centre community centre. "The Conservatives will deliver the new community centre either using Perryfields
A DAY in the life of Worcester Magistrates Court is to be beamed across the world on a new website aimed at helping witnesses to become acquainted with the legal process. Camera crews from the Home Office visited the Castle Street building on Friday to
1803: On Sunday morning, a very heavy storm of hail fell in this city and neighbourhood. Some of the stones measured upwards of two inches. To Builders - Any person willing to contract to erect a House of Industry for the Parish of Great Malvern may deliver
WHILE the global effort to keep the Sars virus in check goes on, we can't help feeling that some of the reaction to it in Britain begs a health warning. The thought occurs to us after a student at a Malvern boarding school was given a hospital examination
Dr Martens League Western Division AUGUST SAT, 17 GRESLEY ROVERS 1-0 Scorer, Bullock Att, 111 Mon, 19 Solihull Borough (a) 2-2 Lutz, Pinkney 216 Sat, 24 Taunton Town (a) 2-3 Bullock, Preedy 358 MON, 26 CINDERFORD TOWN (H) 3-1 Jukes, May (2) 134 Sat, 31
STOURPORT Swifts made it four draws in six Dr Martens Western Division games as they held high-fliers Mangotsfield United at Walshes Meadow. And manager Dave Titterton said he was happy with the 0-0 scoreline, particularly after Swifts had lost out to
Cinderford Tn 1, Evesham Utd 3 ACTION man is back! And Wesley Joyce was firing on all cylinders as Tuesday's two-goal salvo provided the Robins with a perfect boost ahead of a busy Easter programme, writes Mervyn Collins. Western Division leaders Merthyr
WORCESTER City groundsman Chris Dale has resigned following comments made by manager John Barton about the state of the pitch. The St George's Lane boss has been unhappy about the playing surface and after the recent Bath City game described it as a '
HEREFORD United striker John Grant has left Edgar Street. Bulls' coach Richard O'Kelly confirmed the news after Saturday's 4-2 home defeat to Doncaster Rovers. The forward, who lives in the Manchester area, has struggled to settle in the Hereford area
BROMSGROVE Rovers spoiled Weston-super-Mare's promotion party with a 1-0 win at Woodspring Park in the Dr Martens Western Division. The well-deserved victory takes Rovers back into third place with one game remaining. Bromsgrove were the more enterprising
LEDBURY-based jockey Julian Pritchard fanned the flames of his title-chasing ambitions at the Clifton on Teme Hunt point-to-point at Upper Sapey yesterday where he rode a four-timer. Victories on Owl Vulgan, Teme Willow, Box Car and Titus Bramble took
PHONE BOOTH (15): New York publicist Stu Shepherd (Colin Farrell) is walking past a phone booth, when he stops to answer a call. He listens with increasing unease as gravelly-voiced The Caller (Kiefer Sutherland) offers him a chilling choice confess to
THE Shuttle/Times and News has 15 pairs of tickets worth £360 up for grabs to the hottest new show in town. With Sarah Jessica Parker, Kate Moss and Elle Macpherson all turning their manicured hands to parenting, The Baby Show, at the National Exhibition
The greatest show in earth is back for its 11th year and all green fingers are invited! BBC Gardeners' World Live 2003 will be at The NEC, Birmingham from Wednesday, June 11 until Sunday, June 15. With more than one million visitors since the first show
NOW that the safety to schools project in Astwood Road/Bilford Road and Drovers Way has been completed, I would ask who in their right mind devised such a lay-out? There is no proper defined pedestrian crossing as I can see and the bus shelter outside
MIKE Cartwright (You Say, Saturday, April 19) was being unfair to the anti-war protesters by suggesting that they would be "dancing in the streets" if the war in Iraq had been a fiasco. I have no doubt that they would have been as sorry as the rest of
AS a parent of one of the registered users of the RampAge skate park in Orchard Street, Worcester, permit me to congratulate members of the city council in their positive attitude to the park. First, the owners were instructed to install soundproofing
Saturday, April 26, 2003 THE enigma that is Duncan Roke again underlined his potency at National One level as Worcester ended the season on a high. Roke, who finished the campaign as the league's top try scorer on 26 for the season, was just too much
WORCESTER City groundsman Chris Dale has resigned following comments made by manager John Barton about the state of the pitch. The St George's Lane boss has been unhappy about the playing surface and after the recent Bath City game described it as a '
Until May 3: Exhibition by Alan Smith of his new Ellipsis Series, at Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum. For further information telephone 01905 25371. Until May 3: Balcony Exhibition by Mark Hudson at Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum. For
Sat July 13 Stratford Town (a) 1-1 Lewis Mon July 15 Evesham United (a) 4-0 Ducros, Broughton, Corbett, Shilton Fri July 19 Reading (h) 2-4 Broughton, Henriksen Sun July 21 Solihull Borough (a) 3-4 Shilton, Foster (pen), Corbett Wed July 24 Wolverhampton
FOUR wickets from pace bowler Matt Mason and a half-century from Graeme Hick eased Worcestershire to a 35-run victory over Gloucestershire under the Duckworth/Lewis method at Bristol. Gloucestershire could manage only 143 in difficult batting conditions
HOME, away (Dr Martens Western fixtures unless stated) JULY Thu 18 Cradley Town (Friendly) 1-0 (Crisp) Sat 20 WEST BROMWICH ALBION (Friendly) 1-6 (Burgess) Tue 23 STOURBRIDGE (Friendly) 1-3 (Lloyd) Sat 27 WILLENHALL TOWN (Friendly) 2-0 (Laydon, Palmer
Average pay rises have jumped to 3.5 per cent, as higher inflation feeds through to wage settlements, a new report showed today. The average level of deals has risen from 3 per cent in the first quarter of the year to 3.5 per cent at the start of the
A RECRUITMENT agency is holding a free seminar on employment legislation. Randstad, in Worcester, has joined forces with Peninsula, the UK's largest law consultancy firm, to deliver the seminar. It is due to take place on Thursday, May 1, at the Fownes
EMPLOYERS are being offered the chance to be involved in a skills training shake-up. Employers in Herefordshire and Worcestershire are being encouraged to take part in The Great Skills Debate, a national initiative organised locally by the Learning and
AN AWARD-winning family business which has been held up as a beacon of effective diversification plans is refusing to rest on its laurels. Top Barn Farm, run by David and Di Harper and their family, is a 650-acre farm that has diversified into Christmas
THIS week's fixtures for football clubs across the two counties include: TOMORROW West Midlands Premier Division: Sedgley White Lions v Westfields (7.45). ICIS Midland Combination Premier Division: Continental Star v Fernhill County Sports (7.45); Pershore
A STUDENT from a county boarding school was taken to hospital at the weekend suspected of having the deadly virus Sars. The Malvern Girls' College pupil, who returned from Hong Kong on Tuesday, was being monitored for Sars - severe acute respiratory syndrome
A BRASS band struck the right note with visitors to the South Quay area of Worcester on Sunday afternoon. Musicians from the Malvern Hills & District Brass Band delighted the crowds who gathered to watch them play near the fountains. Huntingdon Arts
VOLUNTEERS raced against time to get the Swan Theatre up to scratch, parts of which have been described as "squalid" by its new manager. Chris Jaeger, head of Huntingdon Arts which now runs the Swan, said he was shocked by the state of the theatre when
MORE than 600 Scouts marched through Worcester City Centre on Sunday to celebrate St George's Day. Cubs and Scouts from Worcester District Scout Council, which covers the city and surrounding villages, took part in the annual parade. They congregated
A FARMER has been fined £4,000 after refusing to demolish a building he had put up without planning permission. But Michael Fryer, of Wood Farm, Peopleton, near Pershore, says he is taking legal advice and could appeal. The 55-year-old appeared before
Saturday, April 26, 2003 GRANT Beckett's 14th minute free-kick helped Bromsgrove Rovers consolidate third place in the Dr Martens Western. Full report to follow.
THE nation will vote tonight on whether Birmingham's bid for European City of Culture, which includes events like Worcester's Three Choirs Festival, should beat competition from cities such as Liverpool, Cardiff and Newcastle. Clash of the Cities, screened
A JAZZ band, bell ringing, vintage cars and falconry will all feature at the annual Cropthorne Villages and Gardens Walkabout this May Bank Holiday weekend. The event, off the B4084 between Evesham and Pershore, takes place every year to raise money for
VOTERS in the All Saints ward hope they will finally get the community centre they have been asking for after the May elections. Arshad Mahmood, a 30-year-old father-of-one, was one of those concerned about the lack of activities for young people in the
A REFORMED heroin addict who made a fresh start in Cornwall was arrested for abusing police officers when he returned home to Droitwich. Christopher Swan moved to Truro as part of his rehabilitation in 2000 and was doing well until he met a group of alcoholics
AN MP is demanding free prescriptions for patients with asthma, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's and cystic fibrosis. Hereford's Paul Keetch has joined a Westminster protest against the NHS continuing to charge patients who are "chronically ill". He is
HOME bird and songbird Emily Slade isn't one for junk food - especially when it comes to cheese burger soup and spray can cheese. Emily came across these culinary delights when she toured America, and said it was one of her strangest experiences there
A SURVEY conducted by farming and various rural groups has concluded that there is a "worrying disconnection" with the British countryside, particularly among people in towns and cities. It certainly makes grim reading. But for those among us who monitor
Evesham Utd 1, Mangotsfield Utd 0 A SEVENTH clean sheet in eight games maintained Evesham's amazing run of form that has now produced 16 Western Division points and a place in the County Cup final. That particular showpiece occasion will now get under
AN INABILITY to make inroads into a Premier Division defence brought a second successive shut-out at Common Road and County Cup disappointment last night. Not even a surprise recall for Sam Bowen could add the cutting edge needed to score twice to even
OLD favourite Phil Preedy was denied a dream comeback in Evesham colours when Stourport snatched a last-gasp leveller on Monday night. Preedy, who left Common Road for Ledbury earlier this season, marked his surprise return with the opening goal ten minutes
Gresley Rvrs 3, Evesham Utd 0 ONCE Rovers had taken the lead within a minute of the restart, there was only going to be one winner last Saturday. Evesham more than held their own in the opening half but failed to respond after Carl Timms bundled in the
Evesham Utd 0, Gloucester City 1 UNITED'S attacking problems suffered a couple of acute blows prior to kick-off but they should still have exacted retribution for last month's heavy reverse. Wesley Joyce was ruled out of the remainder of the season following
Shepshed Dynamo 0, Evesham Utd 1 A THIRD successive clean sheet and a ninth goal in 11 league games from Mark Shepherd earned the Robins three points on their travels last Saturday. A rock-hard bumpy surface made for a scrappy encounter at Dovecote but
FOUR wickets from pace bowler Matt Mason and a half-century from Graeme Hick eased Worcestershire to a 35-run victory over Gloucestershire under the Duckworth/Lewis method at Bristol. Gloucestershire could manage only 143 in difficult batting conditions
HEREFORD'S David Park earned himself almost £9,000 after finishing joint 32nd at the Canaries Spanish Open in Tenerife. Park closed with rounds of 70 and 67 for a 15-under-par total of 273, which was seven shots adrift of England's Kenneth Ferrie who
JOHN Brain dedicated Worcester's 76-24 victory to the supporters in the final match of the season. The Sixways chief was satisfied with the professional display and 12 tries against National One's whipping boys and said the scores were for the fans. "
LUCTONIANS Rugby Club's hopes of promotion to Powergen National Three (North) ended in a 17-3 defeat at the hands of a powerful Macclesfield side. The play-off at Kingsland was settled by a Tom Davenport try in the first half and two Gary Bell penalties
MONDAY Division One of the E&E Engineering Worcester Friendly Skittle League has been thrown wide open thanks to Crown Regulars' defeat of leaders Hillbillies by 16 pins. It was a close game over the first four legs, with never more than two pins
GOALSCORERS 16 - Burgess. 13 - Dyson. 12 - Danks. 11 - Palmer. 8 - Banner. 7 - Frost. 5 - Beckett. 4 - Read. 3 - Benbow, Clifton. 2 - Cartwright, Pope, Southwick. 1 - Blake, Ford, Lloyd, Lutz, McHugh. ADVERTISER/MESSENGER MAN OF THE MATCH 8 - Frost. 5
Saturday, April 26, 2003 THE reasons why Kidderminster Harriers failed to make the Division Three play-offs were there for all to see in Saturday's 4-1 defeat at Hull City. Harriers' hopes of making the top seven finally died at Hull's impressive new
Sat July 20 Halesowen Harriers (a) 3-1 Mulders, Stanier, Dobson Sat July 27 Boldmere St Michaels (a) 1-4 Giddings Mon July 29 Stourbridge (h) 3-2 Giddings, Stanier, Fletcher Thurs Aug 1 Rushall Olympic (h) 2-3 Bailey, A Nicholls Sat Aug 3 Telford United
JOHN Brain dedicated Worcester's 76-24 victory to the supporters in the final match of the season. The Sixways chief was satisfied with the professional display and 12 tries against National One's whipping boys and said the scores were for the fans. "
I HAVE yet to see one comment by your correspondent Ahmed Raza that shows his love for this country. Great Britain may have a lot of faults, but terrorism is not one of them. It is quite strange how people can run down this country, yet still decide to
REMEMBER the New Labour election pledge no tax rises? With the 1 per cent rise on the National Insurance contributions now being taken by Gordon Brown from your pay packets, even on a moderate income you are at least £30 and more per month worse off.
TAYLOR declines my offer of starting a new party. Well, I wasn't holding my breath, Mr Taylor. I didn't think for one minute that you would. But I read the rest of your letter with interest. I had a smile at your silly claims that the people vote for
DAVID Samuel-Camps (You Say, Saturday, April 19) says EEC bureaucrats altered the documents relating to our fishing rights prior to Heath's signing of the relevant treaty. All the way down the line someone has altered the original agreements we voted
Yo-Balls, the latest craze to sweep Bromsgrove, have been banned by some schools in the area after the Government found the toy posed a risk of strangulation to youngsters. The move comes following eight reported incidents in the last month. The department
AN 80-year-old dog breeder from Droitwich Spa is enduring sleepless nights after the theft of two priceless puppies. The Bernese Mountain bitches were snatched from Diana Cochrane's Martin Hussingtree home. Mrs Cochrane, who brought the Swiss breed to
VOLUNTEERS raced against time to get the Swan Theatre up to scratch, parts of which have been described as "squalid" by its new manager. Chris Jaeger, head of Huntingdon Arts which now runs the Swan, said he was shocked by the state of the theatre when
SATURDAY SOCCER NATIONWIDE LEAGUE Division Three: Hull City 4 Kidderminster Harriers 1. Nationwide Conference Hereford United 2 Doncaster Rovers 4. DR MARTENS LEAGUE Premier Division: Worcester City 2 Grantham Town 0. Western Division: Bedworth United
April 28: NEW - Video Pop Stars for kids age 6-14 at Christopher Whitehead School, Worcester. Learn to dance like a pop star. For further information telephone 01386 556 665. April 28: Absolute beginners salsa at Christopher Whitehead School, Worcester
May 3: Eddie K, Barbourne Ex-Servicemen's Club, Worcester. May 4: Mike Prince, Barbourne Ex-Servicemen's Club, Worcester. May 9: Kevin Molloy, The Coach and Horses, Worcester. May 10: Baktrak, Sketchley's Social Club, Worcester (tickets on sale).
May 1 & 3: CBSO at Symphony Hall, Birmingham. Tickets available on 0121 780 3333 or book online www.cbso.co.uk May 2: CBSO Centre Stage at CBSO Centre, Berkeley Street, Birmingham. Tickets available on 0121 767 4050 or book onlinewww.cbso.co.uk May
Saturday, April 26, 2003 STRIKES in either half from a rejuvenated Adam Wilde and Stewart Hadley added to a miserable day for Grantham Town. A motorway pile-up had seen the Gingerbreads arrive an hour late, forcing the kick off to be delayed by 15 minutes
April 28 - May 3: Noises Off, featuring Cheryl Campbell, Philip Franks, Paul Bradley and Sylvester McCoy at Malvern Festival Theatre. Box office 01684 892277. April 29 - May 3: Great Witley Operatics Society presents The Pirates of Penzance at the Swan
