Archive

  • Superfast broadband is still not in town centre

    HUNDREDS of properties in Malvern are still awaiting the much-delayed arrival of superfast broadband. While 43 of 47 cabinets earmarked for an upgrade in Malvern are now running the new fibre-optic service, two cabinets in Abbey Road, in the town

  • Retreat's £150,000 refurbishment project completed

    A £150,000 refurbishment project at a historic country retreat has been completed. Holland House, in Cropthorne, near Pershore, hosts religious, spiritual and secular meetings as well as training events for groups, businesses and individuals from

  • One lane of M5 closed due to accident

    ONE lane of the M5 motorway in Worcestershire is currently closed following an accident. Lane One (inside) of the southbound route is shut at Junction Five for Droitwich. Traffic is beginning to ease having been heavy earlier.  

  • A new lease of life for iconic city centre site

    A LANDMARK Worcester building is being given a new lease of life thanks to a college expansion. The 60s-style brick and glass block in Dolday, once the headquarters of Countrywide Farmers and latterly the Russell and Dorrell furniture store, is

  • Wolves crush Knights to maintain perfect start to season

    WORCESTER Wolves maintained their unbeaten record at the top of the British Basketball League after easily seeing off the challenge of Birmingham Knights. The 100-59 victory at North Solihull Sports Centre means Wolves have now won their first

  • Empty pub to be turned into four-bedroom house

    A PUB which has been empty for almost three years will now be converted into a four-bedroom home. The Berwick Arms in Bath Road, Worcester, shut in early 2011 after becoming uneconomical, according to the applicant Peter Styles. Now his plan

  • MPs call for re-think on fire service cuts

    MPs across Worcestershire have spoken of their fears over fire service cuts - and have urged the politician in charge of the plan to “think again”. All six Conservative MPs in the county have sent a letter to Councillor Derek Prodger, chairman

  • Search for the family of George Wyatt

    SIR – I’m looking for descendents of George Wyatt, whose family lived in Vincent Road, Worcester. He lived with his parents who were Alfred Wyatt and Ellen Badham, his siblings were Elen, Emma, Alfred Sidney and Gertrude. He lived in Worcester

  • More compassion is needed on parking

    SIR – Concessions for hospital parking would appear to vary considerably in different parts of the country. I mentioned some time ago that with a disabled badge one could park free on the seafront at Eastbourne for 24 hours a day. Recently

  • I can’t understand city MP’s statement

     SIR – Take a nasty, ideologically driven, 19th- century ‘bash the poor’ idea, without any thought for the likely consequences of such a ‘policy’, dress it up with bigoted extremist views to appeal to the unintelligent, unsympathetic individuals in

  • St John’s has a really committed head

     SIR –Re: Neil Morris should consider his position. Can I ask Tim Palmer if any of his children attend Christopher Whitehead Language College, or does he work there? I think the answer to both of these questions is no. I, on the other, do have

  • Give us the full picture on immigrants, Mark

     SIR – If Mark Starr is going to give us “facts” about EU immigrants (Letters, October 15), perhaps he would, in future, give us the full picture, rather than the carefully-edited list which he uses in support of his prejudices and wild assertions.

  • We need a regulator for phone companies

    SIR – BT want to increase line rentals. Why? I don’t know, because they are making vast profits. We’ll just have to wait and see whether the other telephone companies raise their rentals, because I’m beginning to think that with the telephone

  • Get rid of taxis, then we get room to move

    SIR – Re: butcher’s beef with traffic warden (Worcester News, October 2). Why is it the traffic warden will order a customer off the loading bay outside M&M Meats? There is never a traffic warden when taxis are on yellow lines round there,

  • Academy now in charge of its own affairs

    A SPECIAL school in Worc-ester has become an academy. Regency High, in Carnforth Drive, Warndon, moved out of local authority control on October 1, after school governors decided it was in the school’s best interests to run its own affairs.

  • Councillors forced into a fiscal bloodbath

    SIR – Worcestershire county councillors have been forced into a fiscal bloodbath. The cuts of approaching £100 million planned for the next few years will take no prisoners. From home care to the very lighting on the street, the county will feel the

  • Roy’s been punished by PC brigade

    I’ve never been one to bother about political correctness. In fact I’ll come clean and say I find a lot of it quite irritating. As a woman I’m happy to be referred to as a chairman – just don’t call me a chair; I rather like someone holding

  • Thousands of drivers speed on school road

    MORE than 23,000 cars triggered a speed capture device in a busy Worcester road over just two weeks – right next to a school. Tests along Tudor Way in Dines Green showed how 23,168 motorists were shown to be speeding by the equipment in the two

  • Sanctuary's plans to expand may see 500 jobs created

    UP TO 500 new jobs could be created in Worcester after a housing and care provider announced plans to expand in the city. The Sanctuary Group has earmarked a vacant plot on Farrier Street, just round the corner from its Castle Street headquarters

  • Senior staff get on the front line for customers

    HOUSING bosses got down and dirty when they went back to the shop floor this week as part of Customer Services Week. WM Housing Group, which includes Worcestershire’s Nexus Housing, joined in the initiative as part of the not-for-profit organisation

  • Bizarre requests from guests at hotel revealed

    TRAVELODGE almost became a travel-dodge for one reluctant Romeo who wanted a hotel receptionist to go on a blind date in his place. The not-so-romantic request was one of a list of bizarre demands guests staying at the Travelodge in Cathedral Plaza

  • Two arrested after pony rescued from canal

    TWO people were arrested after a pony, which is believed to be stolen, had to be rescued from a canal in Stourport. Police were called to Stourport Road, Kidderminster, on Saturday evening to a report of three people riding in a cart pulled by

  • Adding comfort to a stay in hospital

    PATIENTS can now enjoy a more comfortable stay in hospital thanks to the fund-raising efforts of the Friends of the Worcestershire Royal. Members of the friends, who have been supporting the Worcester hospital since 1948, dropped in to deliver

  • Council tax benefit set to be reduced

    PLANS to drastically cut council tax benefits in Worcester have been backed by politicians – who admit they were faced with an unpalatable choice. From April next year hundreds of households across the city will be asked to pay more towards their

  • Worcestershire braced for stormy week

    PEOPLE in Worcestershire are being warned to brace themselves for a wet and windy week.  As the country prepares for winter, the weather is turning, with rain forecast all this week. A wet start today, with persistent rain for most, is set

  • Car hit for third time on fast 'rat run' road

    A WOMAN has called for something to be done to stop a residential road being treated as a rat-run after £1,000 of damage was caused to her car. Penny Perrett was left with the hefty bill when her VW Fox was hit near her home in Fort Royal Hill,

  • ‘Catalyst’ Creevy gives Ryan boost

    DEAN Ryan hailed the impact of super-sub Agustin Creevy, but insists Warriors cannot rely on their Argentinian imports to get them out of trouble. The Pumas hooker played the second-half as he made his Worcester debut and was the one shining light

  • Hair salon cutting it with the top ten

    A HAIR salon in Worcester has been ranked in the top 10 UK small businesses for its marketing efforts – and is keen for the faithful city to help them claim the number one spot. The Avant Guarde salon, in Brindley Road, Worcester, has reached the

  • City 'tough to beat' after latest stalemate

    BOSS Carl Heeley believes Worcester City are becoming an increasingly tough nut to crack. Last Saturday’s stalemate against Oxford City was the eighth time the Blue and Whites have kept a clean sheet in all competitions this season. They have

  • Reece needs your votes to get into pageant’s top ten

    A WORCESTER man is urging the community to vote for him to get him into the next round of the Mr Gay UK competition. Reece Williams, of St Paul’s Street, Worcester, is currently ranked 15th out of more than 200 applications from men up and down

  • Valuers called in as rundown pool is primed for sale

    A CRUMBLING Worcester swimming pool is going to get a “site evaluation” next year – with council bosses hoping a landmark sale will boost the city’s ambitious leisure centre dreams. The Sansome Walk pool, which dates back to the 1970s, will be

  • Pothole couple lose court battle

    A COUPLE have taken highways chiefs to court after a pot hole caused hundreds of pounds damage to their car. Sara and Mark Wakefield used a story featured in your Worcester News as evidence in their case against Worcestershire County Council at

  • We deserved more insists Heeley

    A POINT was the least Worcester City deserved from their goalless draw at Oxford City, according to manager Carl Heeley. The Blue and Whites stretched their run without conceding a goal to three games in all competitions at Court Farm Place.

  • Squad struggle with detail and emotion says Ryan

    “FRUSTRATION doesn’t scratch the surface of what the coaches are thinking,” admitted Dean Ryan in the wake of Warriors’ disappointing Amlin Challenge Cup home defeat to Sale Sharks. Despite having been comprehensively out-played for most of the