THE county federation of Women's Institutes is in fine feather and finishing the year on a high note - by adding another branch at County Hall to its network. The County Hall Swans WI was officially launched on Friday, December 15, after a three-month
SCRUM-half Matt Powell will make his one-hundredth Premiership appearance tomorrow night when Worcester Warriors open their festive camapign with the visit of London Irish (8pm). Powell and his team-mates go in search of their fifth consecutive win in
PLANS for 23 allotments in Malvern have been put on hold pending the results of an appeal. Malvern Town Council had applied to Malvern Hills District Council for planning permission for 48 allotments at Greenfields Road but this was rejected. An alternative
HEREFORD have called a precautionary inspection for 7.30am ahead of racing tomorrow due to the threat of frost. Temperatures at the track are set to fall below freezing overnight, although the course is raceable at present. Clerk of the course Gemma
A NEW beginning or a false dawn? The next 10 days should give us a pretty good indication of Worcester's prospects for Premiership survival. Four wins in a row is the perfect preparation for a run of three games which could seal the club's fate or give
PATIENTS and the public in Worcester are to have easier access to information on how well healthcare prov-iders in the independent sector are meeting standards. The Healthcare Comm-ission has launched a new web service that provides information about
GRAHAM Turner is hoping Hereford United can reproduce their FA Cup form tomorrow night when they take on Notts County at Meadow Lane (7.45pm). Hereford have not won since beating Port Vale 4-0 in the FA Cup second round at Edgar Street on December 2
A VILLAGE hall that was under threat of closure following a series of attacks by vandals is safe for the time being. Last month the Worcester News revealed how thousands of pounds of damage had been caused at Wychbold Village Hall in a series of attacks
EVESHAM United manager Paul West does not want his players to dwell on their FA Trophy exit. West's men were beaten 1-0 at Nationwide South side Weston-super-Mare last Saturday but had several chances to force a replay. However, although disappointed
MALVERN Town are hoping to end their home hoodoo when Spalding United visit on Saturday (3pm). Paul Molloy's side have won just once at Langland Stadium this season, beating Aylesbury United 2-1 on December 2. But they have done well on their travels
ROD Brown has targeted a 10-point haul from Bromsgrove Rovers' Christmas and new year fixtures. Rovers host Chasetown in Southern League Division One Midlands on Saturday (3pm) before matches with leaders Brackley, Solihull and Bedworth. The Victoria
STOURPORT Swifts are set to be boosted by the return of two strikers for Saturday's Southern League Division One Midlands match with Barton Rovers (3pm). Dean Curtis and Richard Burgess are expected to be fit following hamstring and back injuries respectively
FIFTH-from-bottom Westfields contest important Midland Alliance points at home to mid-table Coalville Town on Saturday (3pm). In the Linaker-Insurance Brokers Challenge Cup first round, Pegasus Juniors are at home to North Leigh who beat them 5-0 earlier
Along with turkey, crackers and the Queen's speech, pictures are an obligatory part of the festive period. Lisa Haynes finds out what to do if you are behind - or in front of - the camera on Christmas Day. In front of the camera If you're not so
Pictures have been released of the horrific injuries to a train driver who was hit by a missile. The EWS freight train was travelling through the Kidderminster area on Sunday, December 17 at 10.45pm, when it was hit by a large piece of masonry weighing
STAFF and students at Pershore Group of Colleges have their green fingers crossed after it was shortlisted for a prestigious environmental award. The college is up for a Green Gown Award, organised by the Higher Education Enironmental Performance Improvement
HAVE you ever fancied taking up a new sport or activity but have not known where to start? Thanks to Worcester City Council's recreation team there is an online database with information about hundreds of activities from yoga sessions and fencing to
THE Bishop of Worcester helped celebrate the success of a school in its annual prize-giving ceremony. Dyson Perrins CE High School in Malvern held the evening to show off the achievements of its pupils. Headteacher David Griffin told the school and
TALENTED staff at the county's hospitals have been recognised at a special awards ceremony. Twenty-eight healthcare assistants from Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Kidderminster Hospital and the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch have received certificates
BULLYING was one of the main reasons why a top secretary with the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust became ill with stress and left her job, Birmingham Employment Tribunal was told. The allegation was made as Kate Quick of Gregory's Mill Street
A 100-year-old Worcester firm will have to find a new home after council bosses approved a compulsory purchase order to pave the way for a £50m super library. The fate of Coombers, based in Croft Road, was sealed after the city council cabinet voted
SIR - We are being told that the Government is going to allow the Child Support Agency to name and shame the absent dads who don't pay towards their children's upbringing. Why stop there? Why don't they also name and shame the many thousands of resident
SIR - I felt compelled to write regarding the merger of two independent schools within the city (Worcester News, December 8). It may interest your readers to know that single-sex education continues to thrive at St Mary's School, Battenhall, just minutes
WORCESTER Sixth Form Colleges have clinched West Midlands honours in various sports. They also won the right to represent the region in the British Colleges National Finals at Loughborough University next April. Jamie Mills was crowned boys' table tennis
A Christmas extravaganza held in Barnards Green, Malvern, was a great success, according to organisers. All the green's traders joined in with Saturday's festive fun and games to make the event go with a bang. "There was a really fantastic Christmas
SIR - I thank Philip Bushill -Matthews (Letters, December 9) for pointing out that MEPs voted by a huge majority in favour of a report which would totally alter the inheritance laws in this country yet this vote has no legal force and - therefore - was
THE Worcester teacher who was seriously injured in a road accident will get his Christmas wish of spending time at home with his family. Robert Young, aged 29, of Caldy Avenue, St Peter's, suffered a broken pelvis and ribs and a punctured lung in the
A MEMORIAL fund set up following the death of teenage motorcyclist Chris Jones has hit the £70,000 mark - and the fund-raising will not stop there. The new year sees more and more events being held at race meetings across the country in Chris' memory
SMITH Derrick Ernest Aged 77 years. Loving husband to Margaret, loving father to Linda, Mandy, Derrick, Karen and Andrew, also loving grandad. Funeral service on December 28th at 10.30 a.m. at Worcester Crematorium. Flowers to be sent to Co-operative
TOMKINS Elsie Elizabeth Peacefully, on December 14th, aged 94 years. Much loved mum of Doreen, nan of Adrian and Julia and great nan of Emily, Lucy, Jack, David and Grace. Funeral service at Worcester Crematorium on Friday, December 29th, at 2 p.m. Family
WILLIAMS Denis John Den December 21st, 2005. In loving memory of a dear husband, dad, grandad and great grandad. One year has passed since that sad day,The one we loved was called away.The blow was hard, The shock severe.To part with one, We loved so
SHADDOCK Peter Passed away peacefully on December 17th 2006, aged 79 years. Beloved husband of Pat. Dearly loved father of Stella, Janice, Gillian, Anne and Paul. A much loved father in law, grandfather, great grandfather and brother, who will be sadly
WHARTON Doreen Nina Rosemary and Jimmy wish to thank most sincerely, all concerned for their kind messages of sympathy and donations for St Richard's Hospice. Special thanks also, to the Family Doctors and her Primary Care Nurses, St Richard's Hospice
ROBERTS SIMON Happy 40th birthday. "Such a handsome little boy!" Lots of love from Mum and Les.xx Published in paper 21/12/2006
RUSSELL James Thomas Jimmy Remembering you on this day as always.God bless.Dawn, Margaret, Gary, Keith, Pauland Jane. Published in paper 21/12/2006
BRIXEY Charlie Passed away December 21st, 2005. Sadly missed by Joan and all the Family. Published in paper 21/12/2006
SIR - I recently received a newsletter from Worcester MP Mike Foster which said if I had any concerns to contact him, so I did. I said I was concerned that the immigration and asylum seekers system in this country was a shambles. He replied: "I do
Dogs were enlisted by police to help detect drug-related crime in an operation in Worcester city centre. Worcester police used Toby, a specially trained Labrador borrowed from Warwickshire Police, to try to sniff out drug users and dealers in city centre
Have a great Christmas and a fab New Year. Well you can probably all guess what I asked Santa for on my wish list, so here’s hoping that he can deliver, as I have been a good girl this year, and would like Santa will grant my wish on my Christmas list
CHRISTMAS is a time to be thankful for what we have, while thinking about others less fortunate - that was the message at the annual Worcester News Christmas Carol Service. More than 1,000 people packed Worcester Cathedral last night to rejoice in the
THE decision of Worcestershire hospitals' League of Friends to fund a chaplain could fall foul of Charity Commission rules, it has been claimed. The president of the College of Health Care Chaplains (CHCC) has written to the commission asking him to
SCORES for the Chantry High School talent competition were collated yesterday after a packed house watched the annual event. Three panels of staff at the school in Martley marked the competitors. In first place were dancers Anna Hancock, Sophie Maddocks
YOUNGSTERS in Worces-tershire are being urged to have their say about housing and community issues. Festival Housing Group has launched a campaign to get young tenants involved in their work. Steve Main, resident in-volvement manager with Festival,
PEOPLE have been urged not to buy pets as presents this Christmas unless they can give them the care and love they need, following the death of two abandoned puppies. The call from Wychavon District Council comes after a Jack Russell and her three one-day-old
SMALL businesses in Worcestershire are being warned to be on their guard against burglars and robbers as Christmas approaches. Insurer Zurich says nearly a quarter - 23 per cent - of small business owners it questioned take cash to the bank every day
HARTLEBURY Castle and its contents could be made more accessible to visitors after the Bishop of Wor-cester moves out next year, according to West Worcestershire MP Peter Luff. Mr Luff visited the castle and its library and thinks the building could
TIS the season to be jolly - so the song goes. But Christmas is far from a jolly time for thousands of people up and down the country who find the whole festive period stressful as it shines an unwelcome spotlight on their personal problems. There is
Two weeks ago, the Conservative leader of the county council predicted that a unitary council for Worcestershire, while keeping the local parish and town councils, would save £15m each year. He bravely broadcast this in local government circles. Figures
THE news that pupils at a city school are choosing to sneak out at lunchtime and gorge themselves on sausage baguettes and fizzy drinks will hardly come as a surprise. Ever since Jamie Oliver kicked off his healthy school lunches initiative, there has
More than 40 people have been arrested in Droitwich and Bromsgrove in a police drugs investigation codenamed Operation Cleopatra. Enquiries are continuing into the supply of class A drugs, said Peter Parson, prosecuting at Worcester Crown Court, and
MOURNERS packed a Droitwich church to say a final farewell to a teenager killed in a car crash. The life of Martyn Pickering was celebrated at St Nicholas Church by 112 mourners. Martyn was one of four teenagers killed in a crash on the A449 Kidderminster
Tell your family and friends what you've done in 2006 - and wish everyone a happy New Year. Just e-mail your messages and greetings to wenedit@worcesternews.co.uk and we'll publish them all on a special channel, set to go live at www.WorcesterNews.co.uk
PUPILS are avoiding healthy meals by sneaking out of a Worcester school to visit a fast food trailer. Some days, queues of children can be seen at the van parked on an industrial estate near Elgar Technology College. The school has strict rules not
WARRIORS director of rugby John Brain has confirmed the club will not be appointing a new head coach before the end of the season. The position has been vacant since Anthony Eddy was sacked at the end of November but Brain has restructured the coaching
MORE than 500 Worcester News readers received a Christmas treat this week. On Tuesday and Wednesday, senior citizen readers headed to the Odeon cinema in Foregate Street, Worcester, for our annual free film screening. As well as watching The Queen,
POLICE are asking for information after a driver asked a young girl if she wanted a lift. The driver wound down the passenger window of his car and asked the 11-year-old girl several times if he could take her home. It happened just before 5pm on Friday
SIR - We are constantly told to save water. Why then don't housing associations put in low flush toilets when they up dated hundreds of houses? These toilets use half the water of the ones they have replaced. FREDA THOMPSON, Worcester.
SIR - I travelled by car at the weekend to Malvern to find free parking on Fridays and Saturdays in the run up to Christmas. As far as I am aware the only free parking in Worcester is on Thursday evening after 6pm. I came to the conclusion that Scrooge
PEDESTRIANS in a Worcester parish are one step closer to having a new zebra crossing installed. Following requests from St Peter's Parish Council to look into the possibility of having a crossing installed near Farne Avenue in St Peter's Drive, senior
A HEROIN addict and alcoholic who punched a man he thought had passed on a sexually transmitted disease to his girlfriend has been given a last chance to get himself clean. Matthew Martindale appeared in Worcester Magistrates Court on Tuesday to be sentenced
SIR - What great news that Worcester County Council has been given a top green award for its recycling action pack. Although I haven't received one, I thought I would look at the website and the article was there on the home page - great - but could
SIR - I was driving into the city the other day and was surprised to see how many car drivers were using their sat-navs. A lot of these drivers must know where they are going. I own a sat nav myself and yes it's very useful when you are going somewhere
