Worcestershire | Archive | 2005 | January
MANY of us will have or will be planning to take a trip to the seaside this summer to relax and enjoy the natural facilities found at the beach. more...
HABBERLEY Valley Nature Reserve is a location many people visit over the holidays to take in the beauty of the landscape, enjoy a stroll and relax in the countryside. more...
RECENTLY my duties as Countryside and Conservation Officer for Wyre Forest District Council took me for a walk along the River Stour near Puxton Marshes. more...
BEING a Scooby-Doo fan since childhood, it was a real treat to see my favourite cartoon characters transformed into real-life by actors. more...
IT might be a rather pessimistic observation, but it would seem that the nature reserves are already starting to show the first signs of the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. more...
ONCE again I enjoyed a relaxing evening of beautiful music, very varied, and well-performed in the company of this talented society. more...
A HOST of exciting conservation and outdoor activities are in the pipeline with the re-vamp of the Young Rangers Club. more...
BASED on Hans Andersen's fairy tale, this is certainly not an "Ugly Duckling" of a show - it is most definitely a swan. more...
A SIGHT I often take pleasure in is of magnificent birds of prey twisting in thermals or tearing across woodland clearings in the sky above the reserves. more...
THE action revolves around Draycott Harris, a successful television chat-show host, who, contrary to his image, has had no luck with women. more...
OVER the past few years, the Young Rangers Club has grown to be very popular with its members. more...
THE latest in the Classical Music Society's series of Live at the Library recitals began with Beethoven's Sonata in D Major. I was rather disappointed at a lack-lustre performance, though Bloomer was impressive, especially in the first movement. more...
AUTUMN is always a time of change and this is reflected in the work of the Wyre Forest District Council Rangers. more...
Anthony Hopkins returns as charismatic cannibal Dr Hannibal Lecter in the prequel to Silence of the Lambs. more...
ON a recent visit to Puxton Marsh, Kidderminster, I encountered a rather impressive beetle. more...
I MIGHT have thought twice before going to see this play had I been half-awake and realised it was by Alan Ayckbourn. more...
FOR the last few weeks our skies have been filled with formations of foreign birds. more...
I SPENT a wonderful evening in the company of the Von Trapp family, courtesy of Carpet Trades Operatic Society. more...
A WALK through the countryside at this time of year has always been a favourite of mine as it blends some of the most beautiful features of autumn with a last chance to get a glimpse of the remnants of summer wildlife. more...
PAUL DANIELS more...
LIFE as a butterfly is rather hazardous. Butterflies are seen by many a creature as a welcome snack. more...
GERMAINE GREER more...
MAYBE it is just me, but one of the things I enjoy is taking a trip across some of the bogs, wetlands or marshes we find in our district. more...
JULIAN LLOYD WEBBER more...
THIS year has been a particularly good year for the Fly Agaric Toadstool which has been made famous in children's stories because of its and white speckled appearance. more...
IT is small wonder the Kidderminster Male Choir is so popular, as they have such a broad repertoire, with something to please everyone. more...
AT first glance the humble earthworm appears to have no human characteristics, but if you take a closer look you will see it has a surprising number of similarities. more...
FOLK legends Lindisfarne finally arrived in Bewdley - a lifelong dream, the lead singer joked - on Friday to the delight of their Wyre Forest fans. more...
CATTLE in the Grazing Animals Project have been on the heathlands of the Rifle Range and Devils Spittleful nature reserves for a few weeks now. more...
TONY Benn appeared "unmuzzled" in front of a respectable festival audience to win over hearts and minds to his "subversive" agenda last Thursday. more...
THE cattle grazing on the Rifle Range and Devils Spittleful Nature Reserves have been munching away on the heath. more...
THE murky world of British intelligence was the intriguing topic of Kidderminster-born and bred author Stephen Dorril's talk. more...
THIS month has been remarkably mild so far with only the occasional frost. more...
BLOODTHIRSTY zombies which actually move faster than a drugged tortoise? What a great premise for a horror film, I thought. more...
ALL the deciduous trees this year put on a fantastic autumn colour show, transforming our country landscape in the most delightful way. more...
YOU did not have to be around at the time of the Second World War to enjoy this sing-a-long evening as the songs are so well-known. more...
BURLISH Top is one of the districts' heathland nature reserves. On a recent visit I was rewarded with a beautiful and yet completely unexpected scene. more...
A DECADE OF KODYS more...
OF all the recitals organised at this venue by the Classical Music Society, this rates as one of the best, and there has, surely, never been a more talented artiste there. more...
THE festive season is upon us and many of us will be sending each other Christmas cards. more...
A NIGHT of music, jokes and lots of innuendo - the Freddie Starr show was warmly received by its Kidderminster audience. more...
THEY don't make 'em like this anymore! more...
THERE was a really relaxed and friendly atmosphere on Friday night, not least because of the band's musical director, Captain RW Hopla, who introduced the items with jokes and quips, often taking the rise out of his talented musicians. more...
IT is always nice to spend a few moments reflecting on the previous months at this time of year. more...
I ALWAYS look forward to this annual event, and am never disappointed. more...
THERE is always a special moment at this annual event, when children from the audience join Santa on stage and sing Away in a Manger. This year just a few children went forward, including one dressed, she said, as a princess, but Santa thought she was an angel, and the children sang so beautifully that members of the choir, and audience (me included) had to reach for our hankies. more...
I have seen better productions than this at the college, but the cast were good, costumes colourful and imaginative and my young grandson enjoyed it immensely. more...
Birds and trees are two of the main features of this walk. The birds include a variety of species, from blackbirds to buzzards, but it is wetland birds which are most numerous, thanks to the proximity of the River Severn and the proliferation of pools (former gravel pits) between Hallow and Grimley. more...
JANE Hunter is New Zealand's first woman of wine. more...
Theatre January more...
THE musical That'll Be The Day is set to have audiences at the Roses Theatre dancing in the aisles. more...
AN enormous green monster will be on the rampage in Dymock Parish hall next week. more...
OVER the festive season I decided I needed a break from eating and making small talk with relatives. more...
WHILE the weather recently has produced some of the most stunning displays of natural beauty, it has to be said that for many people the icy roads and freezing mornings can become a bit tedious. The warmer days of summer seem a lifetime away. more...
AS the frost and snow of the New Year period melt, the first green leaves to be seen in the woody areas of Habberley Valley are thoseof the small and unobtrusive plant called dog's mercury. more...
They say that in our world, change is the only constant, and change is recognised as something that leads to uncertainty, and can lead to stress. more...
RECENTLY, the owner of one of the Stourport caravan sites that borders the local nature reserve of Redstone Marsh telephoned me. more...
BEFORE opening the new nature reserve of Hurcott pools and wood in October last year, a huge amount of work was needed to make the site safe for visitors. more...
During the early half of this month, weather and ground conditions were wet. Heavy rain and the high levels of water combined with mild weather created miserable conditions. But, it provided the ideal conditions for amphibian wildlife to begin their springtime activity. more...
Looking at an oak tree at this time of year you will see the tree is still mostly dormant. more...
Malvern Cinema: The Merchant of Venice (PG). Evenings 7.30pm, Sat, Sun & Thurs mats 4pm. more...
AT this time of year when most trees are still bare and lifeless, blackthorn comes into bloom. more...
AS with all things in life, money is an important part of the fuel which drives the conservation works in Wyre Forest. more...
AS the weather begins to warm up many of the rarely seen residents of local nature reserves slowly wake up from hibernation. more...
THE wildlife which comes to mind most readily at Easter are birds preparing nests and watching over clutches of newly laid eggs. more...
GOOD weather, especially at this time of the year, always seems to bring out the best in a nature reserve. more...
FOR most of us who prefer to avoid being attacked by squadrons of bloodthirsty mosquitoes with the unsightly lumps and itching that result, this month and the early part of Maywill be our last chance to visit the new nature reserve of Hurcott Pools and Wood. more...
Redstone Marsh nature reserve has a split character. There is a woodland area which extends from the marsh and it is this area which people mainly use as a short cut from the Walshes estate to Stourport town centre. more...
There are animals which will now be casting their eyes at British shores to spend the summer months here after avoiding the cold of the English winter in the warmer climes of southern Europe or even Africa. more...
Here in the Wyre Forest district visitors from Africa are arriving. more...
THE rangers special four- legged conservation volunteers have returned to the Wyre Forest District Council's nature reserves. more...
AS the weather begins to warm up, the heathland nature reserves become increasingly devoid of water. more...
ON warm late spring or early summer evenings, just as dusk is setting in you may catch a glimpse of one of our most acrobatic flying creatures. more...
THE woods at Hurcott Pools and Wood nature reserve have a wonderful appeal. more...
COME high summer, most of the wetland nature reserves are covered with tall, rank vegetation. more...
IT has been four years now since cattle grazing was introduced on Wyre Forest nature reserves. more...
I will always remember my first encounter with grass snakes at Puxton Marsh. more...
Until Jan 22: Kays Theatre Group presents Robinson Crusoe at The Swan Theatre, Worcester. Tickets: 01905 420083. more...
Jan 22: Forces Sweethearts, Huntingdon Hall, Worcester. Box office: 01905 611427. more...
Jan 21: Backdoor Blues Corporation, Marr's Bar, Worcester; Jacqui Dankworth, Huntingdon Hall, Worcester; Come Together, Drummonds Bar, New Street, Worcester; The Shakedown, Actress & Bishop, Birmingham; Rockin' On Heaven's Door, Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham. more...
THE choir were joined by Holborne Brass Ensemble, who began brilliantly, transporting us to New Orleans as they walked through the audience playing Just a Closer Walk with Thee. more...
The Barber's Baroque masterpiece, The Marriage Feast at Cana, by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo has just gone back on the walls of the main gallery following a nine-month leave of absence, during which time it has enjoyed a major facelift. The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham. For further information contact Barber Press and Marketing Officer Andrew Davies on 0121 414 2946/07769 958114 or andrewdavies@barber.org.uk more...
Jan 21: Karaoke Night at Westside, with your host Dave. All welcome, free admission. For further details telephone 01905 429300. Westside, Hylton Road, Worcester (Find us at the back of the Evening News building, turn left and drive down to the bottom). more...
PEOPLE easily offended were warned to stay away from the Roy "Chubby" Brown show and I hope for their sake they took note of the warning. more...
DESPITE its title, this is not a dreary play. more...
THE Classical Music Society's latest "Live At The Library", provided an evening of piano trios. more...
THE childhood of Laurie Lee unfolds in a series of "pictures", accompanied by glorious dialogue. more...
THIS year's concert which comprised part of Kidderminster Carnival celebrations featured the music of Cole Porter. more...
I REALLY enjoyed this performance by Kidderminster College students, who had created a clever set and had gone to a great deal of trouble with their costumes. more...
THE orchestra played well in the first half, and got even better in the second. more...
THE concert marked the return of musical director Judith Standing, and Angela Savage made a most impressive Kidderminster debut as accompanist. more...
AS I am not usually a fan of Alan Ayckbourn's plays, my enjoyment of this production was probably largely due to the first class interpretation by Kidderminster Operatic and Dramatic Society. more...
DOWNING my eighth vodka in the Rose Theatre bar before Monday night's performance, I pondered with some scorn the ridiculous cliché that all journalists are heavy-drinking slobs. more...
THE latest in the Classical Music Society's Live at the Library series featured popular local pianist Janine Smith. more...
On Sunday I spent a relaxing afternoon being entertained by the supremely talented husband and wife duo from Stourbridge, Nic Fallowfield and Linda Rhodes. more...
Resident group The Nonentities turned their attention to farce, a notoriously difficult genre to perform, with their latest production at The Rose. more...
There are many good performances in this production, with excellent versions of those wonderful songs, but the show is dominated by Nigel Preece. more...
YOU never feel short-changed by Kidderminster Male Choir, and this superb concert was no exception. more...
DUNCAN Honeybourne's display as a piano virtuoso at the latest Live at the Library presentation by the Classical Music Society, was especially notable as he had endured a six-and-a-half hour drive to get to Kidderminster, having been held up in traffic, and arrived with 10 minutes to spare. more...
THE familiar strains of Down at the Old Bull and Bush opened this evening of nostalgia when the audience joined in the choruses with gusto. more...
THE story features two maids, sisters, working for the same "madame". more...
I WAS impressed by the orchestra's new musical director Damian Penfold when he appeared at Music For You, which gave a taste of great things to come - and I was not disappointed on Saturday. more...
Rose Theatre, until Saturday more...
IF Rachel Greenwood, already known to us as a violinist and now making her debut as conductor of Bewdley Choral Society, was at all nervous, there was no sign of it. more...
THE opening carols sung by Kidderminster Male Choir were somewhat marred by the sound of money chinking and the tearing of raffle tickets at the back of the hall. more...
The Jerry Springer - The Opera argument has got everyone fired up. more...
IT is the time of year again, when the marshlands undergo a slight change which affects everyone's perception of these beautiful areas. more...
ALEX Weatherill is pinching himself. For as long as he can remember, the 27-year-old actor has dreamed of landing a role in a West End production. more...
ALL life on earth is dependent on capturing energy. more...
LIKE most people, I always enjoy a beautiful summer's day, but the occasional blast from a passing storm is always spectacular too. Whether it is just because I'm out more, or there is a better contrast between conditions, the best storms always seem to occur in the summer. more...
BLAKE Marsh, in the Franche area of Kidderminster, is one of the district's more recent nature reserves. more...
JANUARY was certainly a time when it looked as if Armageddon had broken loose on Burlish Top Nature Reserve. more...
I HAVE always enjoyed watching the way different wild flowers come into bloom at different times of the year. more...
SO far, the weather this month has been glorious, nearly always hot with just a few humid days. more...
FINALLY the temperature is hitting the 30s, and everyone is enjoying the gorgeous sunshine and warmth we do not see enough of in this country. more...
WHEN you think of caterpillars you envisage a little green insect larvae eating away at a leaf and then turning into a beautiful butterfly. more...
THE early arrival of spring is still influencing the seasonal change out on the nature reserves. more...
LAST week I took my family holiday to one of the harshest wild habitats on earth - the beach. more...
THE hot humid weather may be a bit wearing for some of us but one plant, the Himalayan balsam, seems to have thrived and has grown in many areas with alarming vigour. more...
HABBERLEY Valley local nature reserve is a location many of us choose to visit over the summer holidays to take in the beauty of the landscape, enjoy an easy stroll and relax in the countryside away from the strife of modern life. more...
TO me, September is always best summed up as the month of the spider. more...
EARLIER this year I wrote an article remarking on the abundance of swifts, swallows and house martins. I wrote this after I had witnessed some fantastic flying displays by these birds as they hunted for insects over the heaths. more...
THANK goodness we have had some rain this month. I was starting to get rather concerned at the drought conditions were going to have a real impact on the wildlife of the nature reserves. more...
WORKING as part of Wyre Forest District Council's Ranger Service team, you cannot help but become aware of the changing seasons. With each season there are different types of jobs that need doing and wildlife to watch and keep note of. more...
FOR many years now I have been organising and leading children's "bug-hunting" activities. more...
EVERY year, during the month of September, Wyre Forest District Council's Ranger Service holds a "Fungal Foray". more...
I LIKE the darker evenings that October brings. The evenings are not too chilly and it gets dark early enough to go out and about trying to meet some of our nocturnal wildlife. more...
IT IS almost that time of year again when people in the district go out to their local nature reserves and collect chestnuts. more...
THIS year, so far, has been one of strange and unseasonable weather. A month doesn't seem to go by without me having to pass comment on another strange wildlife-related phenomenon that is connected to the climatic conditions. more...
A DJ is asking a Malvern venue to help out for a marathon fundraising event. more...
THE wind and rain has now started to strip the wonderful autumn colour from the trees and it is easy to feel gloomy about the approaching drabness of winter. more...
The centenary of Edward Elgar's appointment at the University of Birmingham will be marked with a range of events. more...
FRIENDS and supporters of the English Symphony Orchestra are being invited to a concert to celebrate the new year. more...
WHEN working out on the nature reserves you never really know what to expect. You can come across all sorts of bizarre and wonderful things but not all of them are good. more...
AFTER a stunning autumn with many shades of red, yellow and orange liberally draped across our landscape, colours will once again slowly fade to a dull, drab brown heralding the arrival of winter. more...
THE Wyre Forest District Council Ranger Service has only been looking after Hurcott Pools and Wood nature reserve for a couple of years. This follows its purchase by the district council with grant help from both English Nature and the New Opportunities Fund. more...
AT this time of year many of us are starting to turn our thoughts to the coming Christmas festival and, with this, the thought of either purchasing a real Christmas tree or imitating this with an artificial one. more...
DURING the winter months most of the smaller animals which live on the nature reserves will either have flown to warmer climes or have entered into hibernation. more...
NO matter what the weather, season or time of day, one bird you are almost always certain to spot on the nature reserves is the magpie. more...
AT Christmas many of us send each other greetings cards displaying scenes including snowmen, decorated Christmas trees and the native wildlife in wintery landscapes. more...
IT would seem to me this summer there are more puddles to be found on the nature reserves than usual. more...
MY job is to manage the nature reserves of the Wyre Forest district. more...
THESE days low-lying wetlands, bogs and wet woodlands are habitats which are under threat from the pressure of mankind. more...
THE good weather we had last week brought out the best in the district lowland heaths. more...
Summer has always been a hectic time ever since I started working for the Wyre Forest District Council Ranger Service. This year was no exception, and, if anything was even more busy. more...
When out for a stroll in the countryside it is quite a sobering thought that maybe, just a few metres away hidden in the undergrowth lurks a predator which has a fabled reputation for being one of the most ferocious and vicious on earth. more...
One animal which always seems to be around in abundance at this time of year is the spider. more...
AS we move into October and the weather starts to turn we often start to think about getting out our warmer winter clothing. more...
I HAVE always harboured a soft spot for foxes. more...
OCTOBER has given us our first few chilly days. One consequence of this is the low lying land which runs along the district's major river corridors has been shrouded in a deep creepy mist. more...
AT last, as far as the fungi are concerned, autumn has arrived. more...
LAST week's high winds saw the end of many fine trees. more...
For four years, Wyre Forest District Council's nature reserves have been managed with the help of grazing animals. more...
Malvern Theatre Players' production of The Snow Queen is a specially adapted stage version of a classic fairy tale. more...
IT may have been a wet month, but in terms of temperature it has been very mild. more...
A first night audience thoroughly enjoyed being reminded of many well-known tunes in this production, directed by Denise Churchett with music direction by David Whitehouse. more...
MOST of us either when we were at school or, from an early age, learned a little about the lifecycle of butterflies. more...
MOST of the trees have now lost their leaves and things are really starting to look quite bare. more...
NOW the trees are almost if not completely bare, there are some things which seem to stand out in the woodlands, things which may well have previously gone unnoticed. more...
ONE of the hardest things about managing nature reserves is looking after the trees. more...
IT was a pleasure to see Mark Bebbington back in the latest Live at the Library organised by the Classical Music Society. more...
I FELT extremely proud on Monday night when I saw our two choirs, Kidderminster Male Choir and the Valentines Ladies Choir on stage at the Alex. more...
ON Friday night a disappointingly small audience was treated to another musical extravaganza which comprises Kidderminster's Proms. more...
AN all-round spectacle greeted those who stepped back in time courtesy of the 18th Century Concert Orchestra on Sunday. more...
WYRE Forest's marvellous band delighted their audience with music from the show/film Brassed Off, which they have appeared in on stage several times. more...
LINDA Marlowe has been, at various points in her life, a lesbian, drug smuggler, wife to four husbands, mother of four, circus performer, burnt-out rock star, sexploitation movie "actress" and jungle adventurer. more...
THE last time The Valentines and Russell Painter combined in a concert, it was so successful they decided to repeat the idea, and again entertained us superbly. more...
WHEN it comes to movie anecdotes, Barry Norman has them coming out of his ears. After five decades spent probing the good, the bad and the ugly of Hollywood, the legendary film critic certainly has a few stories to tell. more...
THIS brave attempt at contemporary comedy is let down by a bitty script that never gets to grips with the matter in hand - a phobia of flying. Writer John Godber - who penned Fly Me to the Moon for amateur societies - doesn't include many gags but tries to parody people who attended a course to counter their fears. more...
LEONARD Bernstein's famous musical is one of the most difficult to stage, and I have seen some utter disasters, with singers unable to follow the complicated music, and ensemble numbers a shambles with so many people on stage. more...
SO much has been said about Quentin Tarantino's long-awaited fourth film ahead of its release that you could well find yourself loving or hating it before even settling into a cinema seat. more...
LAUGHTER filled the Ramada Hotel last Wednesday when Rabbi Lionel Blue performed an evening of amusing anecdotes and jokes as part of this year's Bewdley Festival. more...
ANOTHER excellent offering from our "Men in Red" got off to a cracking start with a Cole Porter Medley, and the rousing Battle Hymn of the Republic, which featured a solo by chairman Peter Burns. Close Thine Eyes was dedicated to president Richard Scotcher, who died recently. more...
WHEN it comes to having a good time, the good folks at Bewdley Festival certainly know how to throw a party. more...
CATS is not so much a musical nowadays as a phenomenom. One of the West End's longest running shows, it further cemented Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's status as the nation's leading musicals composer, brought TS Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats into the national consciousness and created more than a showbiz star or two. more...
THIS concert of musical favourites from the world of opera and theatre proved once again that you do not have to hit the bright lights to hear top class singing - and most of the talent was home-grown. more...
FOR anyone still mourning the loss of Channel 4's ground-breaking soap Brookside, this release is a must-see, helping to tie up the loose ends from the final televised episode as well as previewing future releases. more...
SHE may be 58 but iconic pop star Debbie Harry can still cut it live as the band which made her a legend proved in Birmingham on Saturday night. more...
FLUTE player Kerry-Anne Searle, clarinettist Judith Hood and bassoon player Joanna Coombes did Birmingham Conservatoire proud at their concert at Kidderminster Town Hall on Friday. more...
THIS concert celebrating 25 years of service to the society by president Mary Southall, was packed with glorious music from old Vienna, all accompanied by the talented Angela Savage on piano. more...
SPIRIT of the Horse is a fantastic spectacle performed by 30 beautiful horses: Arabians, Andalusians, Lusitanos. more...
Jim Davidson's latest DVD/video, which sees him extol the virtues of the Purple Party in a tongue-in-cheek bid to become Prime Minister, would make the perfect Christmas present for any xenophobic, foul-mouthed relative. more...
To say Blur were well received during their two-hour set would be an understatement. more...
THERE is no sweeter sound than that of children singing, and there were more than a few moist eyes at this concert. more...
I APPROACHED this play with trepidation because it is by Alan Ayckbourn, a playwright I try to avoid. But this was brilliant. more...
FOR me Christmas began on Friday night with this fantastic evening of festive music. more...
THE choir's annual Christmas concert was held mainly in aid of Kidderminster War Memorial Conservation Trust, and Victory Outreach UK.On Saturday night the men were joined by the children from Comberton Middle School, who sang carols, including an unusual one Gabriel was an Angel, and The Christmas Children which included some very good harmonising. There was also a trumpet solo by Emily Batson. more...
TO paraphrase a football cliché, this was a concert of two halves. more...
DON'T expect glittery palaces, lavish sets and all-round colourful opulance a la traditional fairy-tale pantomime from the RSC's new telling of this age-old magical favourite. more...
A textile designer whose work is her passion has just won a professional photography shoot to publicise her latest creations. more...
AFTER poor reviews of some current shows and the uproar over the radical re-structuring of the company, the RSC needed a hit - The Prince of Homburg, I suspect, isn't it. more...
BACH has become very much a symbol of all that is correct and orthodox. more...
THIS thought-provoking and perceptive play captures the problems of growing old and the thoughtlessness of youth. more...
IT is impossible not to feel admiration at the decision of cellist Dawn Gwilt and pianist Janine Smith to play both the Bantock and Rachmaninov Sonatas in a single evening, and then not to feel dissatisfaction at criticising this choice. more...
COMEDY is a funny old business and farce particularly so. Or not, depending on your taste. more...
AFTER some disappointing recent productions at the RSC, their winter season came gloriously to life with a visually ravishing production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. more...
FOR those of you who missed the comedy act Garth Marenghi (Duke of Darkness) at the MAC, Birmingham, on Thursday, stop kicking yourselves. It was awful. Not just plain awful, but real fancy. more...
ONLY those with a fondness for walking around with paper bags on their heads will have missed the hype surrounding this impossibly cool New York five-piece band. more...
IT'S rather like visiting an old friend to see a production of this wonderful Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, and the KODS' latest version does not disappoint. more...
HOT on the heels of the dire Perrier award-winning Garth Marenghi show, Unlimited Theatre's Neutrino, which also won acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival, brought real thrills to the MAC. more...
This performance was virtually a dress rehearsal for the group's entry in the annual Worcestershire Theatre Festival, which is being held this year in Evesham. more...
THE concert on Saturday began with the rousing Academic Overture by Brahms - I particularly love the final Gaudeamus Igitur passage. The brass section had a few problems in the opening passage but the rest of the piece was played well. more...
HELEN should be a name that launched a thousand trips, if the performance of The Clearing I saw at Birm- ingham Rep, is anything to go by. more...
COR phew! Entertainment of the ancient Greek kind came to Worcester and the viewing was far from comfortable. Trojan Women, by Euripides, narrates the fall of Troy at the hands of the Greeks, the subsequent slaughter and the taking into slavery of Hekabe, Queen of Troy, and her kin. more...
NEARLY 50 years on after its premiere, Waiting for Godot, voted the most significant English language play of the 20th century in a recent Royal National Theatre poll, has lost none of its ability to amuse, bewilder and exasperate. more...
THE two Korean sisters delighted the audience on Friday night when they made their recital debut at the 28th Young Musicians Recital organised by the Classical Music Society. more...
THE Songs of a Wayfarer that began an evening of Mahler, were a perfect counter to the titanic Sixth Symphony. more...
IT is very easy to hide rough edges in performance with sheer weight of sound or numbers, so the forces arrayed at St Anne's Church under Rachel Greenwood, just 17 players supporting 50 or so singers, were certainly vulnerable. more...
KIDDERMINSTER Male Choir were in excellent voice on Saturday evening, with songs to please every taste, while their guests, Worcestershire Jazz Orchestra, had us all tapping our feet. more...
CARYL Churchill's Top Girls was voted number 16 in a recent poll of the best plays of the past 100 years. I must confess I'd never heard of it before reading rave reviews of the Oxford Stage Company's excellent touring revival but - having seen it - I am now wiser but hard-pressed to easily describe it. more...
HAILED as "the theatre of the 21st century" by The Guardian, Frantic Assembly had a lot to live up to and, inevitably, Heavenly, their latest touring show, did not quite hit these lofty heights. more...
THIS is the lesser of Bach's two Passion settings that survive; two are lost, probably irretrievably. more...
THE revival of Hobson's Choice, best known for the film version starring John Mills and Charles Laughton, seemed a somewhat odd choice by recently appointed Birmingham Rep artistic director Jonathan Church, being a period piece - 1880 to be exact - if ever there was one. more...
ALTHOUGH not a massive Crowded House fan, I personally find their laid-back sound the perfect accompaniment to those idyllic, lazy summer evenings. more...
TO say this Chaste Maid was on the cheap side would be like saying Liberace's taste was a little brash. It must rank as one of the single worst pieces of theatre I've seen. more...
THE new season at the Birmingham Rep is proving very much a matter of two halves. more...
THE Nonentities have again triumphed, as this story of Henry VIII's fifth queen kept the audience riveted throughout and provided a most enjoyable theatrical evening. more...
YOU can visit the fairytale world of Cinderella at the Civic this week, where the popular film comes to life with sumptuous costumes. more...
OUTSIDE, objectors to the proposed redevelopment of the Stratford theatres (Hands Off Our Theatre) were protesting - in the most genteel way. more...
IT is always going to upset the purists to see old organs dismantled and digital pipe-less organs put in their place. more...
AFTER the fire and colour of Antony and Cleopatra which opened the new season, Edward III, now officially attributed to Shakespeare and never before staged at Stratford, was a drab affair. more...
BOTH choirs will be visiting Husum next year, and this concert in celebration of the twinning of the towns, raised cash to help towards the trip. more...
A CRACK cast, critical acclaim and the only performances outside London of a new play by veteran South African playwright Athol Fugard proved an insufficient draw at Warwick Arts Centre. more...
TWO bright stars have risen out of this east - Lucy Pitman-Wallace, director of this rarely performed Jacobean caper and Amanda Drew, aka Gertrude, a comic tour-de-force as a would-be social climber. more...
BOUQUETS for Birmingham Rep and its director Jonathan Church for securing the UK premiere of Elizabeth Rex by Canadian playwright Timothy Findley - the second UK premiere at the venue following the recent hosting of the much acclaimed The Clearing at The Door. Plaudits too to Stephanie Beacham who is first rate as the Virgin Queen, near the end of her reign as the play opens. more...
ANYONE wanting an evening of light entertainment had probably better steer clear of this play, which runs at The Rose until Saturday. more...
BUY, beg or steal a ticket to see Much Ado about Nothing at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre which is a joy from start to finish. more...
HATS off to the Rep for staging theatre aimed at a younger/less traditional audience. more...
IT has been observed that Chekhov is our second national playwright so strong an echo does he seem to find our collective consciousness, so often are his plays performed. more...
JUGGLING his time between writing, teaching and performing, accomplished musician Rick Payne has made a huge impact on the blues scene with his talents. more...
THE world of music is an odd one, which often throws up a few surprises here and there. more...
IN a comeback comparable with England's restored World Cup hopes, the RSC at Stratford continues to ride the crest of a wave with its latest offering at The Swan. more...
Verdi's glorious music again brought Dumas' "fallen woman" to life in style at the Alex last week. more...
IT could be I'm a lot braver than I thought. Either that or Malvern theatregoers are a nervous lot, judging from the jangled nerves on display during this touring production of Woman in Black. more...
I AM so grateful this talented young pianist managed to fit Kidderminster into his busy schedule. more...
THE Nonentities close their current season in style with this popular Terence Rattigan play, based on a true story. more...
IT is the second production of this popular Shakepearean comedy to open this month and the second to be rained on, if not off. more...
"I went out on a first date but I don't think I'll see her again. She got mad when I didn't open the car door - I just swam to the surface." more...
A FEW of the things you will need if you are planning to see this film are a two-litre supply of your favourite soft drink, 10 tonnes of popcorn and a strong bladder. more...
DESPITE being the entertainment reporter for the Shuttle/Times and News, I don't see as many of Kidderminster's bands in action as I would like. more...
VISITING a marshland in summer time can leave you with the feeling that you have taken a trip to a far distant land. more...
BIG fluffy Belted Galloway cattle wandering through head height scrub and grassland may create a bit of a spectacle but does it really benefit our wildlife or is it just a way of giving cows holidays? more...
READERS were told work on the M42 would begin within the coming year. Plans were discussed at a joint meeting of Bromsgrove District Council and Hereford and Worcester County Council. Community leaders also said the new motorway would hopefully be linked with the M5 by 1982/83. more...
BROMSGROVE Musical Club was tuning up for its annual concert at the Drill Hall. more...
TALENTED actors from a parish near Bromsgrove set the stage alight when they presented a Welsh comedy to fellow villagers. St Andrew's Dramatic Society members starred in Wishing Well, a humorous play about a country inn. more...
THE owner of a listed Worcester house is urging people to take heed of his story after he was forced to change the windows of his home twice - which cost him thousands of pounds. more...
I SUSPECT for many it is hard to return to work after a super holiday. more...
BROMSGROVE community leaders wanted detailed information before they would accept that more than half of 117 homes modernised in Catshill suffered from varying degrees of damp. The complaints were raised at Bromsgrove District Council's housing and health committee after Bromsgrove MP Hall Miller and two councillors visited the estate. They found 61 homes had damp and in some mushrooms were growing out of walls. The authority's environmental health expert said condensation and rising damp caused the problems. Councillors called for a detailed study. more...
LANNIE has been the name synonymous with ice-cream in the Worcester area for the past century - and to many, this family brand has always been a lick above the rest! more...
RESIDENTS in the north of Bromsgrove were to meet next week at Lickey End Board School to decided on what form the celebrations to mark King Edward VII's coronation in June would take. One of the chief considerations would be money, as the urban district council was unlikely to chip in. more...
WE believe that there is an intention by Worcestershire County Council to change our schools from the current three tiers to the two-tier system during the current review in Wyre Forest. more...
WORCESTER'S new multiplex cinema centre, between Friar Street and the City Walls Road, is partly occupying the site where a one-time Mayor of the city was in business for 30 years. more...
ADMIRAL Sir William Tennant, a famous son of Worcestershire and a great naval hero, played a key role in the Dunkirk evacuation of exactly 60 years ago. more...
A PROPOSAL by Mr W Neal that subscriptions for members of Bromsgrove Cricket Club be increased was resoundingly rejected at their annual meeting held at the Golden Cross Hotel. more...
The few disappointed words I received during the election campaign in 2001 came from people living in Rock and Ribbesford who, although within Wyre Forest district, had been excluded from the Wyre Forest parliamentary constituency. more...
THE consuming passion of recent years for John Houghton of Colletts Green has been collecting photographs taken down the decades in and around the villages of Powick and Callow End. more...
STANLEY Nokes of Quarry Lane, Bromsgrove, realised a dream that tantalised millions of people every week, when he won a fortune on the pools. He was shocked when a representative from Littlewoods called to say he had won at least £20,000, but was even more surprised later to learn he had in fact scooped a £38,703 dividend. more...
DISTRICT councillors in Bromsgrove were split over deciding on the future use of Crown Close which the authority had acquired for recreational purposes. The Recreation Ground at Parkside had recently closed forcing youngsters to play football and cricket on the Green resulting in damage to the grass and trees. Cllr Routh told colleagues at a meeting that if the hobbledehoys were banned bad language would diminish and more room would be made for youngsters who wished simply to stretch their legs. more...
MANY people have expressed their concerns to me about justice in international trade (the Trade Justice Movement). more...
HARD times but happy days living among the poor of Worcester's Hylton Road and Tybridge Street area between the wars and in the 1940s are remembered vividly by 78 years-old Bill Weston. more...
CRAFT and organisational skills which were applied to many major public works projects in Kidderminster between the 1930s and 70s also played a part in the D-Day landings. more...
A COMMUNAL wash house was included in a list of "wants," put forward by Cofton Hackett residents who attended the annual parish meeting in Rednal's Gospel Mission. Other requests were for a village hall and additional bus services. more...
WE ARE APPROACHING the 50th anniversary of a dramatic rail crash near Worcester which left two steam locomotives on their sides across the tracks at Fernhill Heath. more...
BROMSGROVE'S branch of the Womens' Institute, the oldest in the district, celebrate its 60th birthday. The inaugural meeting chaired by Lady Plymouth had been held in the ladies' waiting room at Bromsgrove railway station. more...
WITH the disappointing results from the Harriers, due partly to the low level of support and hence the available cash and the loss, hopefully only temporarily, of the Wyre Forest Birth Centre we need some good news. more...
FOR much of the 20th Century the name Tansell was almost as familiar on the roads of Worcestershire and of the nation, as are today those of Taylors of Martley and Eddie Stobart. more...
IF ever there was a model ``jolly postman'' it should have been Evan Jasper. more...
AMONG the tenders accepted by Droitwich Board of Guardians for the supply of goods and services to the workhouse for the next 12 months were: Haircuts and shaving paupers, Mr Beddoe £2 for six months, milk 8d (3.5p) a gallon Jabez Dunn, Hampton Lovett, and coal 14/6 (72.5p) per ton supplied by Underwood and Co. more...
DURING the recent May Bank Holiday, I caught up again with headteacher Barbara Dunn, working away at her school while the pupils were enjoying the week's break. more...
PUTTING your children on the stage can be difficult, as Margaret Watkins will testify. more...
A RECORD 101 blood donors turned up when the mobile unit visited Bromsgrove recently. Red Cross nurses took care of bandaging the donor's, while WVS volunteers kept them supplied with cups of tea. more...
WALKING through a lush and colourful back garden, I recently came upon a wonderland in miniature, offering visitors a nostalgic and vivid insight into the bygone Age of Steam. more...
THE description ``special school'' seems misplaced to anyone who visits Stourminster School, Kidderminster. more...
A MOVE to give Bromsgrove borough status was overturned by district councillors. The motion failed by one vote to get the necessary two thirds majority in the council chamber. more...
THE good news this week is that staff and students at Baxter College have achieved excellent results in the Ofsted inspection that they faced in September. more...
A PAST Worcester Mayor well remembers a valuable lesson he was given in the intricate art of eating trout - by the Queen Mother! more...
PING-PONG enthusiasts were preparing for a tournament at All Saints' Schoolroom, in Bromsgrove. Residents were urged to support local players at the two-day event. Admission was 6d (2 1/2p). more...
MORE infromation is being keenly sought about the life and exploits of the Royal Navy destroyer which proudly carried the Faithful City's name on the high seas - HMS Worcester. more...
ONCE there was an art college graduate who could not get a job because of the sealed brown envelope he had to present at interviews. more...
COFTON Hackett Youth Club, which was forced to close in 1951, reopened and was now going from strength to strength. Youngsters met at West Heath Village Hall and enjoyed activities including drama, sports and reading. Visitors also taught the youngsters about acrobatics and hypnotism. more...
Last week I attended a conference in Bournemouth organised by the NHS Alliance on engaging professionals and the public in health decisions. more...
A PAST mayor's homage to a big-hearted Worcester coal merchant of yesteryear has brought an emotional response from the coalman's family. more...
LIVING every day as if it was his last is Brian Glass's motto in life and his own experiences seem to bear out that principle. more...
A SUPERB family group photograph, taken nearly 90 years ago, forms the keystone to fascinating memories of Claines village in Edwardian times, sent me by former Worcester Mayor, H J (Bert) Evans. more...
IN times of war, the military services are necessarily thrown into high profile. more...
ONE of the most forceful indictments of the intolerable conditions Bromsgrove shoppers had to endure on the busy days in the High Street, came from the town's planning officer, John Tozer. In a frank document given to Bromsgrove District Council planning committee members, he said Bromsgrove needed interesting buildings, attractive shops and shoppers required protection from bad weather and heavy traffic. more...
BEING a single Independent MP among 658 other MPs does present some dilemmas, although they are by no means insuperable. more...
THE first people to open an inn at the British Camp, Malvern, more than 150 years ago and the wife of the famous founder of the British Medical Association in 1832, are among the forebears of a Malvern man who has traced his family tree back to 1474. more...
IT was what can only be described as a ``gaffe'' when the health visitor called on Thelma Smith on her 75th birthday and asked kindly if she would like to be put in touch with the Stourport Day Centre. more...
DROITWICH Town Council was deeply upset at discovering that the River Salwarpe was being systematically polluted by effluent from Bromsgrove Sewage Farm, mainly after dark. more...
IT was finding out about a serious heart condition that led Roberta Carradine to leave a high-flying job and look to her roots. more...
BROMSGROVE'S first traffic warden was sworn in by town magistrates on Tuesday. He was retired policeman John Tasker who had spent much of his 28 years in the force on the Catshill beat. Clad in a blue mackintosh and peaked cap and sporting white gloves his duty was to help pupils at Stourbridge Road School cross the busy main road. more...
REMEMBRANCE Sunday is nearly with us again and I was reminded of its continuing relevance at a workshop held in Kidderminster. more...
AN insight into the Curtler family and their wide influence in church and legal circles in Worcester through Victorian times and the early decades of the 20th Century is to be found on the Worcestershire History Encyclopaedia website. more...
EVERY town has its ghosts, but not always a raconteur for the spooky stories. more...
A 15-YEAR-OLD physically handicapped boy, Adrian Holmes of Brueton Avenue was voted Bromsgrove Sports Council's junior male personality of the year. Adrian had an 18-inch steel brace in his back. The supreme men's award went to top-flight soccer referee John Yates. more...
A BIG-HITTING cricketer has handed over £4,000 to the Acorns Children's Hospice Trust following a successful charity dinner. more...
A COMPREHENSIVE community history of Worcestershire is fast appearing on the internet, thanks to John Stafford, a senior librarian at the City Library in Foregate Street. more...
A BRADLEY Green farmer reported a freak among a new hatch of ducklings. One had four wings and four legs. more...
THE Water Bill was debated on Monday and was passed with some amendments. more...
EARLIER this year, Memory Lane featured Worcester dental surgeon Bruce Maher in his leisure-time pursuit as a steam railway enthusiast. more...
EVERY mother knows there is nothing like having young children for drawing you into commitments and community activities. more...
BUOYED by Labour's recent seat gains on the county council, Bromsgrove Trades Council decided to stage the town's first May day rally to protest against the Tory government's policies. more...
FORMER city pupils are being invited to dig out their old school ties for a grand reunion. more...
AN old photograph rekindled memories of "a most wonderful childhood" for 65 years-old Mrs Devorie Lockyer of Checketts Lane, Worcester. more...
A PASSION for politics started with a disgust for heavy-handed landlords for Londoner Eric Higgs. more...
THE giant sails of the Danzey Green windmill, Avoncroft museum's latest acquisition were turning again for the first time in a century. The mill, dating from about 1800, had been re-erected and restored at the Stoke Heath museum at a cost of some £4,000. more...
WHEN two caring souls told guests to forget presents and bring a few pennies for Acorns to their Golden Wedding celebrations, they never imagined it would generate more than £1,000. more...
NEVER before had I seen a photograph of Sir Edward Elgar's funeral until reading the excellent new book, Elgar in Love by Malvern Wells author Kevin Allen. more...
THERE can be few people as much in demand in the community as Ray Harrowing. more...
INMATES at Bromsgrove's workhouse were unhappy with the broth, bread and cheese that made up the regular Monday menu. The ruling guardians decided instead to give them beef stew containing fat, flour, carrots and onions. The change would cost less than 2/- (10p) per day. more...
WORCESTER'S police station may have moved house but the cells at Deansway are preparing for a new set of "prisoners". more...
THE horror of war became a painful reality for Worcester people for a few fleeting but tragic minutes in the autumn of 1940. more...
BEWDLEY has lately been paying tribute to a Scotsman who may never have lived in the town and become one of its most prominent citizens had it not been for love. more...
RECENT wet weather followed by warm sunshine had suited local crops of early potatoes. It seemed likely that farmers would be digging in May well ahead of the traditional June 24, Bromsgrove Fair Day, date. more...
BUDDING David Beckhams can help Acorns to its goal by taking part in a mini soccer tournament. more...
THANKS to Memory Lane readers and others, John Sanders, chairman of the Worcester Sea Cadet Unit, is piecing together a comprehensive record of HMS Worcester, the former Royal Navy destroyer. more...
CLAIRE Worboys talks passionately about her job as an actress - it is all she ever wanted from an early age. more...
THE new headmaster at South Bromsgrove High School to replace Dennis Matthews, who had retired, was his deputy Alan Baker. He said his task would be to promote academic achievement and good behaviour. more...
THE chance to be serenaded by an authentic Scottish bagpiper or have a website designed free of charge is up for grabs at a Hereford venue tonight. more...
IT'S great when the chance comes up to interview one of your great local sporting heroes - and such was the case when I recently went along to the Worcester home of Martin Horton. more...
IT will truly be the end of an era when Simon Arbuthnott leaves the helm of the Chaddesley Corbett school he has been involved with since the age of four. more...
Eight-mile sponsored walk over the Malvern Hills starting at the British Camp car park. Includes a trip to the Obelisk and Gullet Quarry. Starts at 10.30am, Saturday, March 29. For a sponsor form call Evening News reporter Alison Fraser on 01905 742252. more...
THE Faithful City's present Mayor, Councillor Mary Drinkwater, considers herself very much "a Worcester woman" having spent her first 21 years living in the shadow of the Cathedral. more...
GOOD historians often make exciting discoveries. But when Ruth Butler's researches uncovered details about Countess Rachel of Witley Court and her nursing background, especially her presidency of Kidderminster District Nurses' Society in 1912, she was ``over the moon''. more...
PUBLIC meetings to arrange celebrations to mark the forthcoming coronation in June were being held in villages all around Bromsgrove. While everyone agreed events should equal those associated with the late Queen's diamond jubilee, the cost as always was the overriding consideration. At Stoke Prior it had been agreed the 240 or so village youngsters would be given a tea as would the aged poor residents. more...
September 16, 1977 more...
A CHARITY shop in Barnards Green, Malvern, is appealing for more volunteers as it struggles to cope with its success. more...
THIS autumn marks the centenary of the first performance of, arguably, Elgar's greatest choral masterpiece, The Dream of Gerontius, but it was a disastrous baptism. more...
THEY say Guinness is good for you. It certainly led to fame, and even fortune of a kind, for Clows Top man Terry Keegan. more...
THE inaugural meeting of the Worcestershire Guild of Artist Craftsmen was held in Bromsgrove Library. Its aim was to further an interest in traditional skills. The meeting elected Robert Pancheri as its president. more...
September 19, 1952 more...
SCORES of budding football stars put their best feet forward for children with life-limiting illnesses by taking part in an Easter Monday soccer tournament. more...
THE future continues to look rosy for Wyre Forest Young Enterprise group under the leadership of new chairman Malcolm Plant. more...
KIND hearted staff at Bromsgrove General Hospital had raised £2,500 to buy their own electrically powered internal ambulance to ferry patients around the complex. more...
September 20, 1902 more...
A FOOTBALL fun day in aid of children with life-limited illnesses is kicking off at Worcester City Football Club over the May Bank Holiday weekend. more...
JONATHAN Darby is a ``natural'' as they say in showbiz circles, not one to suffer stage fright. more...
TWO Bournheath lads, John Hurley and George Reynolds, paid dearly for stealing a rabbit from a snare on Mr Blakeway's land at Chaddesley Corbett, when they were hauled before Kidderminster magistrates. Evidence was given by Francis Bennet, who was employed as a rabbit catcher by Mr Blakeway. He told the court that while many of his snares had been sprung the coneys were missing. Hurley was fined 40/- (£2) and Reynolds £1. more...
September 9, 1977 more...
A COUPLE experienced an Easter to remember after mounting a marathon charity motorcycle trip from Land's End to John O' Groats. more...
HOUSEWIVES in Bromsgrove were being slow to collect the new issue ration books which had been a fact of life since 1940. Eleven clerks were on duty in the Congregational Schoolroom to hand out the 27,000 books to residents living in the urban district of Bromsgrove, but so far only half had been given out. Around 2,500 books could be issued in a day. more...
September 12, 1952 more...
MAGGIE King looks back on more than 11 years of achievement as she leaves the school gates for the last time as headteacher today. more...
A TOTAL of 555 people were on the dole in Bromsgrove, 385 men and 170 women. The figures did not include young people or students. more...
September 13, 1902 more...
MORE than 1,000 students, teachers and parents narrowly missed yesterday's downpour as they embarked on a riverside walk to raise money for children with life-limiting illnesses. more...
MOST people would need two lifetimes to do it all - accountant, director of a football club, MD of a nationwide bakery business and treasurer of the FA in Ireland. more...
BROMSGROVE Charities Board took out an advertisement in the Messenger to advise eligible people residing in the All Saints district of Bromsgrove that the tenancy of an alms house was available. Prospective tenants had to be poor, aged not less than 60, have lived in the area for three years and not received any Poor Law Relief. more...
IT was no mean feat that Denis Dipple escaped with only slight bruising when a ton of steel bars fell on his toes. more...
TWO energetic nurses will be taking on a challenge of a lifetime when they walk 190 miles for charity. more...
IT would be an unenviable task to find anybody who has served a school and its community as loyally as Lynne Marshall has done. more...
SIDNEY Farr, assistant clerk to Droitwich Rural District Council, decided to retire after clocking up 52 years' service. During that time he had only been absent for two weeks due to illness. more...
IN the last week of this parliamentary session there is frantic activity to force through outstanding Government Bills. more...
September 5, 1952 more...
CORONATION Street's jailbird Jim McDonald was given parole from TV prison to take part in a celebrity-studded cricket match for Acorns. more...
FARMERS who are young, fit, prepared to weather the financial storms of farming and keep in tune with new conservation ideas are few and far between. more...
BROMSGROVE'S proposed new Western Relief Road would be planned to have the minimum impact on Crown Close, Bromsgrove's quiet, green backwater the district council claimed. However, the disadvantages would have to be weighed against the advantage of easing the traffic congestion in the town. more...
September 6, 1902 more...
THERE may be many superwomen living in Kidderminster but few perhaps so deserving of the title as Jola Merrick. more...
A DROITWICH training company has won an exclusive contract to teach 1,000 people in Europe. more...
THE Bromsgrove Charities board was seeking a married couple to fill a vacancy in a town almshouse. An advert in the Bromsgrove Messenger said the applicants must be poor, of good character, have lived in the parish of All Saints for three years and be aged 60-plus. more...
LAST week, the end of the parliamentary session, was an eye-opener. more...
BUSINESSES are being urged to join the recycling revolution and turn used printer cartridges into cash for Acorns. more...
IT will be an exciting 10 years for Kidderminster, according to the manager of one of the town's two shopping centres. more...
A WORCESTERSHIRE clay brick maker is on target to make 100 million bricks this year after enlisting the support of Ceramic Industry Forum. more...
July 24, 1977 more...
A STAGGERING £15,000 has been raised for Acorns by more than 200 walkers striding out across the Three Counties. more...
DOREEN Reynolds will always be content with her life as long as there is happiness in it. more...
AN intrepid explorer who was the first British woman to climb Mount Everest has given an inspirational speech to businesswomen in Worcestershire. more...
FIT Bromsgrove men were being sought to work as locomotive firemen. The London Midland region of British Railways wanted workers aged 18 to 30 to enter the one-month training programme for the position. Successful applicants could expect to work a 44-hour week, with paid holiday and free protective clothing. There would be opportunities to train as a driver. more...
LAST week the pageantry of the Queen's Speech took place safely in the midst of intense security. more...
July 26, 1952 more...
TWO nurses went that extra mile - 190 to be exact - in an energetic fund-raiser for Acorns Children's Hospice. more...
LIVING in a town where the River Severn flows through provides ample opportunities for boating enthusiasts, but there are few who can have done as much for others as Arthur Page. more...
WORCESTERSHIRE-based Cirrus Technologies is aiming to become one of the top 10 safety testing equipment specialists in the world after securing £5m worth of deals. more...
TOWN MP Hal Miller raised questions about six historic chartist cottages in Dodford, in the House of Commons. The recent listing of the cottages was now the subject of a complaint to the Local Commissioners and the MP hoped to draw the government's attention to the consequences of the listing for the residents and to appeal for the restrictions to be lifted. more...
July 26, 1902 more...
GOOD-hearted citizens who can spare a few hours of their time a week are urgently needed to run a new Acorns shop. more...
IF Jenny Paddock were not "an unfailing optimist" she might think times could never be better. more...
A WORCESTER firm of solicitors has welcomed Lisa Kemp into its family law department. more...
THE Sick and Dividend Club at the Ewe and Lamb pub at Stoke Health, Bromsgrove, held its annual sports day on Whit Monday, when around 1,200 turned up to watch. There was a variety of events including hammer throwing and races for all ages. One of the highlights was the womens' race for a first prize of a pig. more...
I AM delighted that Yvette Cooper, Minister in the office of the Deputy Prime Minister, has announced that Oldington and Foley Park has been selected as one of the Neighbourhood Management Round 2 Pathfinders. more...
July 15, 1977 more...
YOUNG Robert Davison hates the hour-long trek from his Worcester home to Acorns Selly Oak in Birmingham and sometimes screams throughout the car journey. more...
ONE of England's leading model railway experts, John Webster of Kempsey, is overjoyed with the "absolutely brilliant" response he has received from Memory Lane readers in the wake of my feature on him a few weeks ago. more...
IT is rare for an everyday occupation to bring a great deal of enjoyment - but do not tell that to Kidderminster puppeteer Mary Baulk. more...
THE search is once again on to find Worcestershire's most worthy women. more...
A MEETING of his creditors heard that Maurice Booth, aged 61, lessee of the Salters' Cinema and Diana Cafe in Droitwich had assets of only £110 to meet debts of £2,483. Mr Booth, of Fernhill Heath, had taken on the cinema's lease in 1948 for £30 a week rent. more...
July 19, 1952 more...
THE building of the new Acorns Children's Hospice in Worcester has finally begun - making the hopes of life-limited children come one step closer to a reality. more...
ANOTHER of Worcester's coal merchants of yesteryear is remembered affectionately today through the recollections of his two grandchildren. more...
A REMINDER has gone out to business owners in Herefordshire and Worcestershire that self-assessment tax returns are due back to the Inland Revenue at the end of the month. more...
AN attempt by the minority Labour group on Bromsgrove District Council to get their veteran leader Cllr Henry Webley installed as vice-chairman to mark the silver jubilee had failed. The holder of an MBE, he was the only member of the council to have been honoured by the Queen. Cllr Jim Bekenn from Hagley won the vote overwhelmingly. more...
THE final capture of Saddam Hussein has come as welcome news to us all. more...
July 19, 1902 more...
FOUR SUBSTANTIAL locomotives have so far proudly carried the name of Worcester's most famous son, composer Sir Edward Elgar on the railways of Britain. more...
A CAR accident at the age of seven was a life-changing event in the life of Steve Swansborough. more...
THE living of Hanbury had been offered and accepted by the Rev Reginald Harvey of Bristol. The living was the gift of Sir Harry Vernon, Bart. of Hanbury Hall. more...
July 8, 1977 more...
AN artful afternoon will be held in aid of Acorns Children's Hospice Trust. more...
MEMORY Lane raises the curtain in homage this week to the theatrical Wyatts of Worcester, who have now been delighting local audiences for more than a century and through three generations... so far! more...
IF it was not for the distinct personality of its postmistress, Wolverley shop and post office could be in Postman Pat's Greendale. more...
WORK had started on the construction of the new traffic island at the junction of Alvechurch Road and Cofton Road. It would be used as a turning point for buses when new services were introduced following the scrapping of trams in July. more...
July 12, 1952 more...
A CHOCOLATE-making company in Upton-on-Severn has come up with a mouth-watering way of raising cash for a charity that helps life-limited children and their families. more...
He's 88 years-old Wilfrid (Tom) Widdows of Droitwich, who, under the byline Checkmate, has been writing our chess column for no fewer than 55 years! more...
IT was by a twist of fate that Julie Saunders became a librarian at Stourport and started writing books with her husband Dave. more...
A NUMBER of silver birch trees and Queen Elizabeth roses were to be planted in Sanders Park. They had been given to Bromsgrove District Council by Roseacre Nursery at Hagley to mark the Queen's forthcoming Silver Jubilee. more...
July 12, 1902 more...
TODAY marks the first anniversary of the death of little Jaymie Reynolds and as Christmas approaches her mum Lesley Brown is trying to put on a brave face. more...
WILFRID Widdows - another old boy of Worcester's Stanley Road School - has sent some personal recollections to be included in the Millennium Book being compiled on the 85-year life-span of the school. more...
UNBLOCKING drains, sandbagging flooded homes and wading through sewage are among the doubtful joys of the council's drain supervisor. more...
FOLK living in the north of Bromsgrove were becoming healthier and living longer, it was revealed. In a report to North Bromsgrove District Council, the medical officer said in the first five months of this year there had been 18 deaths compared with 44 during the corresponding period in 1901. During May there had been 14 births and three deaths, one from accidental poisoning, and three cases of scarlet fever all among pupils at Dodford School. more...
July 5, 1902 more...
FRANK Greatwich of Malvern, who died recently at the age of 93, had a clear influence on the first decade or so of my 47 years to date with the Evening News and Berrow's Journal. more...
A CHANCE visit to the memorabilia shop at the Severn Valley Railway in Bewdley was the beginning of a railway buff's loyal 18 years voluntary work there. more...
TWO members of Bromsgrove Youth Organisation met with a tragic accident while canoeing on the lake at Hewell Grange, Tardebigge. The youths, John Hollis, aged 17 from Churchfields and Brian Jones, 18, from Broad Street, Sidemoor, were members of the club's canoeing group which was holding its first outing of the season. more...
ONE of Worcester's oldest surviving family firms still enjoys a flourishing business both in the Faithful City and throughout the county. more...
WHEN Denise Hodgetts was asked: "What are your hobbies and interests?" for the Worcestershire Business Woman of the Year Award she won in 1996, she was dumbstruck. more...
July 5, 1952 more...
TWO long-lost Worcester schools are fleetingly back in the picture today through the memories of an "exile" of the Faithful City. more...
TIM Morris would say Kidderminster is lucky to have a "gem" of an organ so admired it draws visitors from as far away as Australia and America. more...
THE Queen's Silver Jubilee was the main talking point in Bromsgrove. The event would be celebrated with street parties, a carnival and a bonfire, barbecue and music in Sanders Park. The town was gaily decorated and workers from Garringtons at Aston Fields had undertaken to hang garlands and bunting from the Market Hall. more...
July 1, 1977 more...
A RECENT e-mail to the Evening News offices has brought back in focus a freak and tragic million-to-one accident which befell a Worcester man more than half-a-century ago. more...
ERIC "Ginger" Carter has embarked on a new challenge this year. more...
TRAMPS seeking a night's board and lodging at Bromsgrove's Workhouse in Birmingham Road would not in future need a police ticket verifying that they were a genuine and deserving case. The practice was being discontinued because police were too busy. more...
June 24, 1977 more...
IT was a life-long interest in public transport dating back to a term in charge of the passenger transport authority Centro which started Dr Jones's involvement with the national railways' watchdog. more...
PLANS to celebrate next year's Coronation were being drawn up by the district council. Bromsgrove had a good reputation for celebrating royal events in style. In 1937 the town was picked out by the BBC and many private commentators as being one of the three best decorated places in the Midlands. more...
June 28, 1952 more...
CALLING all surviving members of the Class of '51 at the former Worcester Technical High School! more...
CIVIC events in Kidderminster are unlikely to pass quietly now Clive Webster has been chosen as the new town crier. more...
THE swimming pool at North Bromsgrove High School could be one of several at schools that may be drained and left unused it was revealed. The cost of ongoing repairs and maintenance was proving too costly for the cash-strapped county council. more...
June 28, 1902 more...
A WORCESTER club which quietly celebrated its centenary last year is delightedly catching up on its "lost" history! more...
REVELLERS in Droitwich were to be denied extra drinking time in the Spa's pubs during the forthcoming Coronation celebrations magistrates decided, following a plea by the local licensed victuallers' association for an extra hour on June 26 and 27. The bench said 6 to 11pm was long enough. But in Bromsgrove pubs would be open until midnight for four days next week but that was also in consideration of the town's annual midsummer fair. more...
June 21, 1902 more...
FOUNDER members of a Worcester working men's club were begged at its opening a century ago never to gamble when playing cards or billiards, however small the stakes. more...
THE successes of Burlish Middle School choir would make anyone think Jean Fry was blessed with a collection of angels under her baton. more...
TWO shocks made Bromsgrove School's annual Commemoration Day one of the most remarkable ever. The head, the Rev Walters, senior master Major Mashiter and the Chaplain announced their retirement. And the main guest, World War II legless Group Captain Douglas Bader, was late arriving. Having piloted his own aircraft to Wolverhampton, the weather closed in and he had to return to base at Croydon and drive the 120 miles to Bromsgrove. more...
June 21, 1952 more...
THIS year has marked the centenary of the completion of arguably Worcester's most impressive and imposing piece of Victoriana - the Hopmarket block. more...
PEOPLE who care deeply about wildlife and the area around them are not easy to come by. That is not the case with Edward Leszczynski, however, who became consultancy manager at the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust in January. more...
BELBROUGHTON Parish News won the competition for the best-duplicated parish magazine in the Worcester diocese. Catshill were third. more...
June 17 , 1977 more...
THE help of Memory Lane readers is again being sought, this time in the hope that someone can provide detailed information about a worthy local benefactor who lived at Hallow. more...
THE sad news, less than two days before it was set to take place, that the Coronation would have to be postponed because of the King's grave illness was met with disbelief in Bromsgrove at first. Organisers of the many celebratory events in the town and surrounding villages hastily met to make alternative arrangements. In most cases it was decided to go ahead with planned teas and lunches for the old and young but to postpone other events. Bunting and other forms of decoration would be scaled down until more details of the illness were known. The Messenger kept residents informed about the King's condition by posting regular bulletins from Buckingham Palace in its office windows. more...
AN idea to make Bromsgrove a borough had been floated. The Messenger reflected that while many were in love with the idea of the higher status it would bring, the cost of a mayor, alderman and other officials would turn folk off the idea. It went on to say in Edward I's reign Bromsgrove was sufficiently important to be able to have two MPs but the cost - £5 per day - was too much. more...
May 27, 1977 more...
DURING the last year or so, Memory Lane has, from time-to-time, carried readers' recollections of their childhood days at Worcester's Stanley Road School. more...
THE Rev J Crofts was given a cordial welcome by parishioners at All Saints Church in Bromsgrove when he was installed as the new vicar, the second in 18 months. In the congregation was his father who had been rector of Romsley from 1935-41. more...
POWERFUL motorbikes and ceramic foodstuffs were on show as part of the LG Harris Arts Festival at Stoke Prior. There were exhibits from 20 countries. more...
May 31, 1952 more...
ANOTHER milestone falling this year is the 40th anniversary of one of Worcester's biggest blazes of the 20th Century. more...
RUMOUR and speculation surrounded a plan to stage a punk rock festival at a venue in Bromsgrove on Bank Holiday Monday. The organisers said details were being kept secret to prevent an anticipated flood of objections. more...
TWO hay ricks at Mr Green's Holyoaks Farm, Tardebigge, containing a total of 150 tons of winter fodder worth £300, were destroyed in a blaze which may have been started by spontaneous combustion. A mounted messenger sent to Bromsgrove to raise the alarm arrived at the fire station at 1.20pm and the brigade was at the scene by 1.55. They and colleagues from Redditch were finally stood down some 23 hours later. more...
ALMOST certainly, Worcester's oldest surviving business is Armstrong's, now in its 234th year in the Faithful city. more...
A 24-YEAR-OLD man from Elmley Lovett was committed to Worcestershire Quarter Sessions charged with breaking into a garage at Elmbridge and stealing a pencil worth 4d (1.5p). He was bailed in the sum of £20 on condition that he agreed to a medical examination at his home. more...
THE remarkable bitter-sweet life story of a courageous but ill-fated Worcester man can now be fully revealed, 60 years on, thanks to a touching letter from a local "exile" living in Cheltenham. more...
POSTPONED coronation celebrations went off with a bang at Breakback, in Bromsgrove. The town was finally allowed to go ahead with its High Wood bonfire and fireworks following permission from the chairman of the National Movement, Viscount Cranbourne. Despite the King's continuing illness, it was declared beacons should be lit and 4,000 people turned out in Bromsgrove. more...
DARING nursing officer Nancy Doyle, from Hill Top Hospital in Bromsgrove, presented a cheque for £1,072 to consultant John Burman to buy much needed equipment. Nancy had raised the cash by doing a sponsored parachute jump. more...
MORE past pupils of a two long-lost Worcester schools have been in touch since my recent Memory Lane feature on the childhood recollections of an "exile" of the Faithful City. more...
BROMSGROVE Rovers revealed it had serious money troubles and gate prices would have to go up. The club had suffered £318 losses in 1951/52 and bosses decided to hike ticket prices in a bid to stem its cash crisis. Ticket prices showed that men had to pay more than women to watch the town's team play. more...
THE ruling guardians at Bromsgrove Workhouse, where a child had gone down with measles, had on the advice of the medical officer, ordered other young inmates to be kept in contact to ensure they all caught the disease. more...
MEMBERS of the newly formed Lickey End Hospital Tenants' Association were shocked to discover an area of ground designated as a play area for staff children since 1957 was about to be developed. Following negotiations with the Health Authority, the Red Cross was planning to build new headquarters and car parking on the land set aside for hospital staff children. The other space would be lost when the M42 was built. more...
DROITWICH Town Council learned that the local government minister was to reconsider his refusal to allow the authority to buy the Brine Baths Park and Lido. A referendum was to be held to see if residents were in favour of public ownership. more...
WORCESTER'S nine centuries-old Cathedral certainly did not escape the effects of the Second World War, though, mercifully, it was spared any damage from German bombers. more...
THE date for the execution of Samuel Middleton, who had been found guilty of murdering his wife at Foxlydiate, had been set for July 15 at Worcester Jail. He was reported to be indifferent and not appearing to dread the fate that awaited him. He had recently been visited by his son to whom he had given 9/- (45p). He would be allowed to see his children for the last time four days before he was hanged. more...
A STRAY firework may have been responsible for setting fire to the thatched roof of a building used by Bromsgrove School in Conway Road as a music block. more...
A MARVELLOUS and witty poem vilifying Napoleon Bonaparte appeared in the Worcester Journal this week exactly 200 years ago when the nation was once again at war with France. more...
A Malvern family who became popular personalities in and around the town during the 20th Century are in the spotlight this week. more...
BROMSGROVE Youth Organisation in New Road, looked set to be wound up and taken over by Worcestershire County Council after the founder, Major Ryland, had indicated that he intended to move away from the district. It was felt the facility would not be able to function satisfactorily without him at the helm. In 1945 the buildings, running track and playing field had cost £15,000. more...
ONE of the most prominent historic features of the Worcester city scene was emerging from a major restoration at this time a century ago. more...
DESCENDANTS of a Malvern wheelwright firmly believe he made the wheels for the first ever Morgan "car." more...
PAST and present staff and their families at the Blue Bird toffee factory at Hunnington enjoyed an open day to celebrate the firm's golden jubilee. more...
FIVE troublemaking boys were summoned before the courts for lighting up fireworks in a public place. Robert Troth, aged 12, William Pinfield, 11, Albert Stanton, 11, William Peplow, 12, and Frank Crawford, aged ten, all of Bewell Head, were accused of lighting fireworks in Stourbridge Road. PC Walters said that they went late at night to Stourbridge Road School, opened two doors and threw some firecrackers into evening classes. They were summoned because a previous caution seemed to have no effect. The chairman said they deserved to be birched but instead they were each fined 2s 6d (12.5p). more...
1803: The triennial meeting of the Three Choirs of Worcester, Hereford and Gloucester commenced here yesterday. The stewards, with their friends and the principal vocal performers, dined at the Unicorn Inn and spent the evening with the utmost hilarity and loyalty. Several songs and glees were given by Messrs. Nield, Incledon, Knyvett and Bartleman with their accustomed excellence. more...
MEMORIES are being sought of the former Oyster Bar which stood opposite the Theatre Royal in Angel Street, Worcester. more...
WILLIAM Deeley, aged 16, from Rubery Lane, Rubery, a non-swimmer who worked as an engine cleaner at Frankley waterworks, drowned in Cofton reservoir while bathing. Pc Jakeman spent an hour trying to find him but to no avail. Later his body was recovered and taken to the Hare and Hounds pub where an inquest was held. And Albert Pantall, six, whose father James was a carpenter from Stoke Pound, also drowned while taking a dip in the canal near his home. more...
CATSHILL Village Hall Cinema was showing The African Queen starring Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart on Saturday afternoon at 2pm and 6.45pm. more...
THE quality of meals served to the hundreds of inmates of the Powick Mental Asylum was under discussion by Worcestershire County Council at this time 100 years ago. more...
THERE'S to be no new Memory Lane souvenir book this year, but Volume 11 is planned for next winter. more...
NINE records tumbled when Bromsgrove High School held its annual sports day. Hibbins won the inter house competition. more...
A RAIL disaster could well have been the outcome of a road accident near Worcester around this time 50 years ago. more...
WE could well anticipate a white Christmas next weekend on the basis of providence. more...
REPRESENTATIVES of more than 1,000 people who had signed a petition protesting about a plan to build a pub in a residential area of Bromsgrove packed a public inquiry in the town this week. Allied Breweries had a plan to build the pub on the corner of New Road and Fordhouse Road. more...
THERE were no contenders to take on the role of Mayor of Droitwich this year as was usual ahead of the annual selection meeting. Fortunately Alderman Bradley saved the council much embarrassment at the eleventh hour by agreeing to take on the job as he had four times in the past. The Messenger said it hoped his public spirited action would inspire younger councillors to come forward in future. more...
REMARKABLE crowd scenes clearly greeted a prospective Parliamentary candidate for the Worcester area at this time 250 years ago, according to an account in the Journal for this week of 1753. more...
SMALL but significant reminders of Worcester's once proud but long-forgotten role as a major fruit growing centre are now to be caringly conserved. more...
A BROMSGROVE man was told it was "most disgraceful to hit a woman" when he was fined 10s 9d 6d by the chairman of Bromsgrove Petty Sessions. Eoch Wilkes, of Staple Hill, was found guilty of assaulting elderly Jane Layton, also of Staple Hill, after he met her in the street and subjected her to bad language. He also threatened to smother her and jump on her before hitting her in the face. more...
THE cost of the coronation celebrations enjoyed by residents living in rural areas of Bromsgrove was less than had been anticipated. The final bill totalled £1,286/2s/6d (£1,286.12.5p). This was the equivalent of a little over a two penny rate. more...
AS feedback from a previous Journal Journey, Ann Mayor, of Ascot Close, Fernhill Heath has been in touch. more...
WITH all the recent talk over the future of Christopher Whitehead High School, it's perhaps timely to remember the Worcester worthy who gave his name to this educational establishment. more...
BROMSGROVE florist Barbara Winsper, owner of the Flower Box in Worcester Road, was to take on 12 other finalist in a national competition to find the Florist of the Year staged at the NEC in Birmingham. more...
SADLY, perhaps, this summer has seen an end to the tradition of Worcestershire CCC playing one of its first-class home games at Chester Road, Kidderminster. In previous times too, the county used Dudley as the venue for one of its home games each season. more...
May 31, 1902 more...
IT'S something of a long-shot but a Worcester woman is hoping Memory Lane readers may be able to help her "re-discover" a vital piece of her family history. more...
SANITATION in Stoke Prior was again raised at a meeting of the parish council where members called for more frequent rubbish collections because some people were waiting three or four weeks compared to the previous two week wait. The problem was made worse by the current hot spell. more...
THE vicar of St John's Parish Church in Bromsgrove, the Rev E Vine Hall, had been ordered to rest for two months on health grounds. He proposed to leave forthwith for Mentone where he would escape the worst of the British winter. His illness had also prevented him from taking up a temporary post as chaplain of Lucerne for part of the winter. more...
1803: Fine Pyefleet and Native Colchester Oysters are to be had during the season of D. Westbury of No.71 Broad Street, Worcester who begs leave to return thanks for the many favours already received from the public and friends, and hopes for the continuance of the same. more...
August 9, 1902 more...
WE are approaching the centenary of an event which cast Britain into national mourning for weeks. more...
HORDES of `invaders' driving across the Birmingham city boundary into the Bromsgrove district are believed to be largely responsible for vandalism, excessive noise and even arson in the Rednal area at weekends, the Messenger reported. It was reported that most of the visitors were said to come for one purpose only - to "play" the gaming machines or enjoy bingo in amusement arcades in Lickey Road. The allegations surfaced after an application by Smarts Automatics (Birmingham) Ltd to add a two-storey extension to the rear of their much criticised arcade brought a storm of protest at a meeting on Bromsgrove District Council's planning committee. The application was rejected. more...
THE Poppy Day collection in Bromsgrove amounted to £353, last year it amounted to £380. In Rubery £57 had been raised for the Earl Haig Fund. more...
THE FORMER Dolday poor quarter of Worcester was clearly a rough and tough area in times past, judging from regular Journal reports of drunken brawls and street fights. more...
August 9, 1952 more...
FRANK Fletcher from Staple Hill, found himself in front of Bromsgrove magistrates charged with using bad language in Marlbrook. He was fined a hefty 5/- (25p) plus 7/6 (37.5p) costs or in default 14 days' hard labour. The chairman of the bench, Mr White, remarked that this type of offence was becoming more frequent and in his opinion a fine of not less than £1 was more appropriate. more...
BROMSGROVE'S oldest inhabitant Lucy Barnes celebrated her 103rd birthday this week. She came to Bromsgrove with her husband in 1903 when he got a job at the world famous Guild. Lucy had run a small shop in Aston Fields where she lived for many years. more...
August 5, 1977 more...
MANY a black comedy joke about people falling into vats of beer has been cracked on the stage down the years, but just such a tragedy actually happened at a Worcester pub nearly a century ago. more...
A FLOWER show organised by hard-up Bromsgrove Rovers at their Victoria Ground to help boost their dwindling finances fell victim to the storms and apparent apathy of exhibitors and the paying public. A boxing tournament at Whitsun, again to raise cash, had been washed out by the weather. more...
AN extensive area of undergrowth, including some young trees, were destroyed in a blaze which swept over Gorse Hill on the Lickeys. Two labourers, Mark Warman, from Catshill, and George Ballard, 21, from Staple Hill, were arrested in connection with the incident and were in jail awaiting trial at the next assizes. The damage had been estimated at between £5 and £6. more...
A PLEASURE steamer and several small craft "shot" Diglis Weir at this time a century ago, but it was not quite as foolhardy a stunt as it may sound. more...
August 12, 1977 more...
LAST November, Shirly Line - the former cookery writer for Berrow's Journal - wrote to see if readers had recollections of the Oyster Bar which stood in Angel Street, Worcester. more...
THERE was growing concern that more people in Bromsgrove, especially housewives and the elderly, were becoming increasingly dependent on anti-depressants, tranquillisers and similar drugs for non-medical purposes. The disturbing news was contained in a report which revealed that last year the NHS drugs bill for Bromsgrove was an astonishing £100,000. more...
1803: Several of the volunteer militias raised around the kingdom in the face of the latest threat of invasion from France have now been ordered upon actual duty, and it is expected that others will be employed as detached corps or be brigaded with the regulars. At such a crisis every Briton is eager to contribute all his energies to the defence of his country and to prove by his valour that he is worthy of that freedom which the British Constitution imparts. more...
August 16, 1952 more...
PEPLOWS the Jewellers, whose elegant Victorian shop is a commercial gem of Worcester High Street, has a proud and remarkable business history spanning almost two centuries. more...
ALTERATIONS to the entrance of the school in Winnetts Lane, Droitwich, revealed a skull buried under eight inches of soil. It was sent to Professor Webster, Home Office pathologist, to establish its age. It was thought a friary had occupied the site and the skull may have been that of a friar. A few years ago human remains had also been found when a house in Queen Street was demolished. more...
WORCESTER Co-operative Society's extensive new "Model Bakery" at Newtown was completed and officially opened at this time 50 years ago. more...
August 16, 1902 more...
MRS Ray Fowler hardly expected one lamb from her Dorset Down ewes so early in the season but she was delighted when one gave birth to twins. Mrs Fowler, from Burcot, Bromsgrove, acted as midwife as the first new arrival was born backwards. more...
PLANS for a crematorium at Astwood, Worcester received a major boost at this time 50 years ago. more...
HEADLESS Cross residents association landed itself right in the wet and smelly...following an appeal in the Indicator for manure. more...
ON the trading front, the Faithful City was literally the "Garden of Eden" for a successful Worcester trader, shopkeeper, property owner and businessman during much of the 20th Century. more...
THERE was disappointment for Lord Windsor, from Hewell Grange near Bromsgrove. He was one of the largest producers of poultry in the area but this year had failed to live up to his high reputation of taking top honours at the Birmingham show held at Bingley Hall. This year he only attained "highly commended" awards. more...
A PAIR of poachers from Worcester were sent to prison from the County Petty Sessions Court this week exactly a century ago. more...
August 30, 1952 more...
FONDLY remembered this week is a large and popular family grocery stores which graced the east side of Worcester High Street for at least the first half of the 20th Century. more...
SOON after fears that Bromsgrove was heading for an outbreak of smallpox were proved to be unfounded, the prospect of a scarlet fever epidemic hitting the area loomed. Prior to the start of the month no cases had been reported but now there were between 40 and 50 patients suffering from the illness at the infectious diseases hospital at Hill Top. more...
DISTINGUISHED Old Bromsgrovian Sir Basil Embrey was promoted to Air Chief Marshall. He was the hero of four escapes from the hands of the Germans during the war. He became head of Allied Air Forces Central Europe. more...
AN unusual entertainment spectacle took place on the Severn at Worcester this week 100 years ago. more...
August 30, 1902 more...
PURELY by chance, memories of a sad and traumatic incident from my own childhood were graphically reawakened recently while I was researching in the Evening News bound archives. more...
THERE was a sad ending to a full-scale operation to rescue a carthorse belonging to Mr Webb, who had got stuck in a water-filled ditch at Walmers Farm, Wychbold, during a violent thunder storm. After many hours of toil it was finally freed by firefighters with the aid of a large mobile crane, but died within minutes of being hauled out. more...
MRS Jenny Chance, from Hastings Road, Charford, was voted Bromsgrove's Miss British Legion 1978. She had been selected at a dance organised by the branch social club as part of the Poppy Appeal. more...
THIS week 250 years ago, the Worcester Journal reported on "a horrid murder" in the Faithful City. more...
IT was with sadness I heard of the recent death at 98 of Edward (Ted) Clissold, who has twice featured in Memory Lane in recent years. more...
THE thorny question of providing the fire brigade with a telephone was raised at the local brigade's annual dinner, held at the Coach and Horses Hotel in Bromsgrove. The cost, about £40 or so, was said to be an unacceptable extra burden on already overtaxed ratepayers. Captain Crump, a visitor from Selly Oak station, in his speech to the guests remarked he knew of no other town the size of Bromsgrove that had to make do without a telephone. more...
A LACK of carriages and constant delays are leaving disgruntled train passengers sick of a sub-standard service. more...
September 23, 1977 more...
RAISING a glass to his friends and former colleagues back in Worcester is an "exile" of the Faithful City, who has been living in Canada, for about 20 years. more...
STEPHEN Tallet, 19, from Edwin Crescent, Charford, Bromsgrove, got a shock when he went to put on his shoes after enjoying a spot of sunbathing near Tardebigge reservoir. Feeling something with his toe he poked his hand in and out slithered an 18-inch long grass snake. more...
EX-SERVICEMEN in Bromsgrove would not in future be awarded housing "points" towards obtaining a council house, the district council decided. The move had upset the British Legion which said it was a "diabolical" decision. more...
1803: The Worcestershire Yeomanry Cavalry were in training five days last week for the purpose of perfecting in their exercises those young members who have lately entered. It reflects the highest credit on their Hon. Commandant to say that the whole corps is now in a high state of discipline in face of the threat of invasion by the enemy (France). more...
September 29, 1952 more...
MRS Gladys Willcox retains vivid memories of the 16 months she spent as a small girl and TB sufferer at Knightwick Sanatorium in the late 1920s. more...
Lucy Caldwell, from Station Street, found herself up before Bromsgrove Petty Sessions charged with stealing firewood from homes under construction in Bromsgrove. Sgt Wagstaff stated he had witnessed the defendant in the Ednall Lane houses picking up wood and putting it in her apron. Joseph Tilt, who was constructing the homes, claimed that pilfering had become a common problem and that he had lost wood from other sites. But he showed compassion and asked the bench to be as merciful as possible as Mrs Caldwell was previously a respectable woman. She pleaded guilty but claimed she did not intend to do anything wrong and was let off paying a hefty fine of 18s. (90p) more...
THE Uniroyal factory at Stoke Works had been sold to Bayer UK in a deal worth £2.4m. All 136 staff would be kept on. The move gave Bayer its first major synthetic rubber plant in the UK. more...
A FURTHER insight into the social lives of the well-to-do in Edwardian London was offered in the "Ladies Column," written a century ago this week by the Journal's correspondent in the metropolis - "Aurora." more...
September 27, 1902 more...
A Marlbrook man was cheated out of his hard earnings when Birmingham man James Patrick McIlroy was found guilty of obtaining £6 from Birmingham Road resident Reginald Ironmonger under false pretences. The thirty-two-year old was sentenced to two months in prison, while a further two charges were brought against him for embezzling money handed to him by coach parties, which he should have handed over to his employer in Great Barr. In a statement the defendant said that he had spent all the money on backing horses and had lost it all. more...
THE Messenger's pages contained many adverts for Christmas goods. J Wheelock who had a shop in Market Place had children's velvet and fancy party suits on offer. And Longfield's in Worcester Street were proudly advertising their guaranteed English farm fed poultry and game. Counds Cycle Shop in High Street had 55 new and 109 second hand machines to choose from starting at £1. Children's bikes started at £4. more...
September 30, 1977 more...
AWAY from public gaze at Worcester Cathedral is a vast treasury of ancient manuscripts and books forming a priceless part of the national heritage and covering more than 1,000 years of history. more...
Officials of Bromsgrove Farmers Club were looking forward to their annual open Agricultural and Horse Show, held at Kingsland Hill Farm, Wychbold. This was due to `a marvellous sponsorship' for a very full and attractive programme. Highlights included hot air balloon rides, a goat section, a grand parade of cattle and clay pigeon shooting. more...
FARMERS in Bromsgrove were to band together with their counterparts in neighbouring counties to wage war on their feathered foe, the pigeon. Organised mass shoots would start in February. more...
WORCESTER suffered a city-wide power failure this week a century ago. more...
October 3, 1952 more...
WHY is Windmill Lane in Kempsey so called? more...
THE number of tramps seeking outdoor relief at Droitwich Workhouse during the past fortnight had numbered 144 compared with a more modest 84 for the same period last year. The ruling Guardians, who as always kept a very close watch on the purse strings, conclude the increase had been as a result of the great number of hop pickers who had recently crossed the county in search of work - which this year had not been plentiful. more...
1803: A morning paper states that orders have been given for the making of a new Royal Standard. We are assured our Gracious Sovereign himself (George III) has declared his determination to take this new Standard into the field at the head of his armies should the enemy, the French, succeed in landing in this country. more...
October 4, 1902 more...
IN human cost, it was the most devastating and tragic episode of the 20th Century yet, remarkably, it remains almost forgotten and buried in the history of the past 100 years. more...
A FEATURE of the first ever fundraising fete organised by the new Friends of Bromsgrove Hospitals organisation and held at Hill Top chest hospital, was a colour film of an operatiin being performed on a girl. The Friends aimed to raise cash to provide comforts and amenities for patients not available on the NHS. The fete raised £200. more...
WHILE Bromsgrove Rovers were thrashing Bilston at home by four goals to one, manger, Frank O'Hare was oblivious to the fate that awaited him in the dressing room. His joy was short lived when Rover's chairman Charles Poole told him after the game "you're sacked." It was said the two men suffered from a personality clash. more...
DISTRESSING Dickensian overtones surrounded the death of a child in total squalor and neglect in Worcester at this time a century ago. more...
October 14, 1977 more...
THE Fearnside family has now been a well-known feature of the art and commercial life of South Worcestershire for about a century. more...
SCENES reminiscent of wartime were on view in Bromsgrove as houswives queued all day to buy bread when bakery workers employed by the national firms went on strike. Independent family firms Robinsons and Godsells were working flat out to meet the increased demand. more...
BROMSGROVE'S MP Austen Chamberlain, who had recently been elevated to the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer, was about to move into his official residence at 11 Downing Street, which had been completely redecorated. His sister was to keep home for him. more...
A NATIONAL campaign was being waged in England at this time 100 years ago to halt the employment of women as barmaids in pubs. more...
October 17, 1952 more...
THE search is on for descendants of a man who was Mayor of Worcester almost a century ago - Alderman J S Cook whose portrait hangs just inside the main entrance of the Guildhall. more...
A START was made this week on laying mains water pipes from New Road to The Eachway in Rubery. The work was expected to be completed by the end of the month. It was good news for those householders who daily formed a procession to fetch their water in buckets. more...
WITH no snow forecast, Bromsgrove looked set for a "green" Christmas. Shopkeepers reported takings up on last year despite the price of cards and some items bought as presents actually costing less this year. more...
1803: On Monday last, the Worcestershire Regiment of Militia was inspected at Portsmouth by Major-General Whitelock who observed that he thought them the best militia regiment in the kingdom and a pattern to all. more...
October 18, 1902 more...
BROMSGROVE Urban District Council had preliminarily voted to spend £1,500 out of the rates to buy bunting, garlands, and other items to decorate the town for next June's coronation festivities. Councillor Bill Kings suggested the cash be better spent laying out the proposed new Sanders Park off Kidderminster Road, which he believed to be a more fitting and permanent reminder of the royal event. more...
TWO nine-year-old Rubery youngsters had proved they had a thirst for collecting when they amassed a huge pile of 24,875 ring pulls to help fund the purchase of a kidney machine. The pair, Scott Webster, of Leasowe Road, and Duncan Mytton, of Segbourne Road, were pupils at Gannow School. more...
October 21, 1977 more...
CARPENTER Dennis Grubb, of Dragoon Fields, Aston Fields, Bromsgrove, celebrated having notched up 50 years membership of the Union of Construction and Allied Trades Technicians. He had learned his trade at the Bromsgrove Guild and later worked for wood carvers Pancheri and Hack. To mark the occasion, the union presented him with life membership and a silver medal at a party held at the Dragoon Hotel. more...
THERE was a shocking accident at Barnsley Hall Farm, in Bromsgrove, when John Harris, a 58-year-old engine driver of West Lodge, Grafton Manor, had his arm torn off just above the elbow by a threshing machine. He was trying to unblock it at the time. His employer, Robert Smart, was informed and had him conveyed to Bromsgrove Cottage Hospital, where he was later said to be going on well. more...
THE crucial importance of coal mining to Britain was highlighted by Mr (later Sir) Gerald Nabarro, then Conservative MP for Kidderminster, in a speech delivered at Malvern this week 50 years ago. more...
RECORDS had been broken at the Post Office in Bromsgrove over Christmas, where close on one million letters, cards and parcels had passed through the sorting office. Many staff had worked 19 hours at the peak of the rush and over 60 temporary staff had been employed. more...
1803: The medical gentlemen throughout the Kingdom have recommended in the strongest terms that the Volunteers who are at present unused to the inconvenience of military duty should, when called out into actual service, be furnished with extra warm clothing, and we observe with great pleasure that the ladies in this city, as well as in Birmingham and other parts of the country, have in the most kind and handsome manner begun subscriptions for supplying the brave and generous defenders of their persons and country with flannel dresses. more...
October 24, 1952 more...
JO Hunt, from Romsley, founder secretary of the Housman Society, claimed an anonymous poem he had discovered in a copy of the Pall Mall Gazette, dated 1895, may have been penned by Bromsgrove's most famous son. He said it had the stamp of the great poet. more...
THE morals of the nation were seen by some as being at "a very low ebb" at this time exactly half-a-century ago. more...
October 25, 1902 more...
A "RAILWAY disaster" on the Worcester-Cheltenham line was reported by Berrow's Journal this week exactly 100 years ago, with five people killed and more than 50 injured. more...
October 28, 1977 more...
October 31, 1952 more...
November 1, 1902 more...
November 4, 1977 more...
November 7, 1952 more...
November 8, 1902 more...
November 11, 1977 more...
November 14, 1952 more...
November 15, 1902 more...
A COURT in Worcester heard how two Bromsgrove men were spotted riding their cycles in a "furious" fashion at 18 mph downhill at Holt Fleet from the direction of Ombersley. Shop assistant John Field, from Stoney Hill, and Ronald McGilchrist, an ironmonger from Worcester Road, were each fined 7/6 (37.5p) plus 10/6 (52.5p) costs. more...
November 18, 1977 more...
A PARTY of members of Bromsgrove Round Table, plus representatives from the Worcester branch, spent a day down a coal mine when they were guests of Mid Cannock Colliery. more...
November 21, 1952 more...
THE secret, which had been closely guarded for months, was finally out. more...
November 22, 1902 more...
A COACHMAN died after being kicked by the horse he was clipping for his master, Dr Ambrose, of Barnt Green. An inquest jury sitting at the Victoria Hotel in the village, returned an accidental death verdict on 34-year-old Edward Jones, who died a day after the incident. A fund for the deceased's dependants had been launched to which Dr Ambrsose had contributed £5. The coroner and jurors had also made donations. more...
WITH the gradual arrival of the motor car on the scene, Britain of a century ago was beginning to worry whether the nation's roads were sufficient for the new mode of transport after coping for centuries with only actual horse power. more...
November 25, 1977 more...
HANBURY Bowling club held its annual meeting at the Vernon Arms. Fifty-four members, including many from Bromsgrove, sat down to a capital goose supper followed by entertainment, which included an accordionist. Dennis Baylis won the club championship. more...
EXACTLY 100 years ago, traders along Worcester's two prime shopping thoroughfares - High Street and the Cross - were fearful that the city's so-called "Tramway Siege" would devastate their Christmas season bonanza. more...
November 28, 1952 more...
BROMSGROVE would soon be featured on the world squash map when a new club built by town building firm William Weaver opened in Worcester Road. The town's MP Hal Miller was to perform the opening ceremony. more...
1803: At a large meeting of Russians at St Petersburg, the following toast was drunk with enthusiasm: "Success to the British arms over those of France." more...
November 29, 1902 more...
RESIDENTS in Finstall, Bromsgrove, asked the Post Office to consider making deliveries to the village on Sundays, a service already enjoyed by their neighbours in Aston Fields. The application was being made through Stoke Prior Parish Council which appeared to be divided on the issue. At a meeting, its chairman, the Rev Stockdale, commented that London, the World's greatest city, managed perfectly well without one, therefore so could Finstall who only had a handful of residents. The pro-lobby felt they had a strong hand as Bromsgrove's MP Austen Chamberlain had recently joined the Cabinet as Postmaster General. more...
SIR Ivor Atkins, who was Master of the Choristers and Organist of Worcester Cathedral for more than half-a-century, died this week exactly 50 years ago and within three days of his 84th birthday, writes Michael Grundy. more...
THIS was Ipsley Mount Nursing Home, seen here in the early part of last century. more...
THE design for a new coat of arms had been agreed by Bromsgrove Rural District Council. It consisted of a sickle to represent industry, a demi crosier because of Bishop Latimer's association with Alvechurch, a beech tree to signify Frankley Beeches and the four stones of Clent, supported by a green and white wreath. Beneath would be the motto in Latin, "By Service Let Us Govern." more...
1803: On Saturday evening last, a farmer, returning home from this city, rode his mare furiously along the streets. A trolley laden with coal was standing at the door of a person's house in Broad Street against which the farmer's poor mare came with such force as to be immediately thrown down. The rider escaped any material injury but the mare died next morning. We hope this incident will operate as a caution to others not to ride so violently along the streets, a conduct in the highest degree reprehensible, but too frequently practised. more...
December 9, 1977 more...
AVONCROFT Museum's latest exhibit, Forge Cottage which had been rescued from Wellington in Herefordshire, was being erected at the popular tourist attraction at Stoke Heath in Bromsgrove. more...
WORCESTERSHIRE County Cricket Club was still battling with financial problems at this time a century ago, despite a series of major fund-raising events. more...
December 5, 1952 more...
ASPIRING gardeners were invited to learn more about potting, planting and pruning at Bromsgrove School of Science and Art. The New Road school was offering free tickets for a lecture on gardening. They were available from Thomas Horton. more...
ONE hundred years ago, prisoners in Worcester Gaol at Castle Street were clearly benefiting from the chance to earn money from their labours, according to the annual report from the prison governor. more...
December 6, 1902 more...
FIREFIGHTERS were scrambled to All Saints Hospital when a fire broke out in the east wing. Patients were carried from smoke-filled wards and the staff rooms were completely gutted. The Women's Voluntary Service managed to serve hot meals to distressed patients and help them settle into new wards. Three roofs in the east block were destroyed, along with the block's day room. It is believed the blaze began in the kitchen. more...
AN insight into the exploitation of children 100 years ago is given by a case brought before Worcester magistrates in this week of 1903. more...
December 9, 1977 more...
A VOCAL section of Bromsgrove and Redditch Community Health Council was critical of the new strategy document concerning health care in the district, for the next two years. A number of town members said the document assumed a new district general hospital would be built on the Woodrow site at Redditch. They feared Bromsgrove faced a serious number of bed losses but they were told that regardless of where casualty services were sited, they would have to be shared between Bromsgrove and Redditch patients. more...
1803: Henry Davis has been dismissed from the Loyal Worcester Volunteers for improper and unbecoming language as a soldier towards the captain of his company. more...
December 12, 1952 more...
BROMSGROVE and Droitwich was enjoying a new homes boom with several new estates presently under construction. In Grayshott Close, Bromsgrove, new semi-detached houses were on the market for £12,175 while at Friarscroft four bedroomed detached properties were selling for £21,500. In Droitwich, at Hillview Estate, three bed semis were being snapped up for £10,950. more...
December 13, 1902 more...
BOB McArthur, a 26-year-old American, stopped off briefly in Bromsgrove while making a round the world tour on his bike for bet which if he succeeded would land him a cool $10,000. His specially adapted cycle which was equipped with a harpoon for spearing fish, aroused much interest from shoppers in High Street. more...
HEALTH campaigner Dr Richard Taylor obliterated the opposition in a landslide General Election victory in Wyre Forest. more...
WORCESTER'S new Central Hotel and Restaurant was completed and opened at this time exactly 100 years ago. more...
December 16 1977. more...
GEORGE Dyer, James Price, Herbert Stanley, Fred Kite and brothers George and Fred Insull appeared before Droitwich magistrates charged with letting off fireworks in Church Lane, Hanbury. All were fined 3/- (15p) except the Insulls who got away more lightly with a fine of 2/- (10p) each. more...
It has been an amazing few days since June 7. more...
HOSTILITY between stallholders in the historic City Market Hall off Worcester High Street led to a much-publicised civil action, heard at the Birmingham Assizes exactly 100 years ago. more...
December 19, 1952 more...
MEMBERS of Droitwich Rural District Council, at a meeting, declined to support a plea from councillors in Yeovil who wanted to see a ten mph speed restriction put on all motor vehicles. Cllr Philips remarked it was "ridiculously slow" and barely the speed of a "good donkey." They did however support some form of identifying markings on vehicles to enable them to be traced if need be. more...
1803: S. Linton, ladies hairdresser and perfumer at The Rose in High Street, Worcester, respectfully informs the ladies and gentlemen of Worcester and its vicinity that he has opened a real perfume shop where he has laid in a generous assortment of useful perfumery containing violet, almond, fine rose, orange, marrow, honeysuckle, lavender and cold cream. Some of the perfumes may prevent hair from falling off. more...
December 20, 1902 more...
FRANCIS Millinchip, aged 11, a Rubery Wolf Cub in the St Chad's pack who had both his legs amputated below the knee, was presented with a Cornwall certificate as a reward for his unfailing cheerfulness. more...
AFTER the initial excitement of arriving at Westminster it has been hard work for my secretary and myself coping with masses of correspondence punctuated by periods of high adrenalin flow waiting to be called to speak. more...
DRUNKENNESS in the city and county was clearly a worry a century ago. more...
December 30, 1977 more...
ABBA and their Name of the Game was at number one in the singles charts in Bromsgrove with the Bee Gees How Deep is your Love in from nowhere at number seven. more...
TWO centuries ago this week, the Journal heralded the latest productions at the Theatre Royal in Angel Street. more...
December 26, 1952 more...
OPINIONS were divided on the suitability of a new stone and marble pulpit to be installed in St John's Parish Church, Bromsgrove. Some believed it would be out of place in the fine old building. The present oak pulpit had replaced an elaborate three decker wooden structure in the nave, built in 1744 for £41. Further, elaborate decoration had added an extra £20 to the cost. more...
MUCH has happened in Westminster in the last week. more...
A DESPERATELY sad tale was told by the Worcester Journal of exactly 250 years ago this week. more...
December 27, 1902 more...
MORE prehistoric finds had been unearthed at a gravel pit at Upton Warren, following the exciting discoveries last year. The latest was a part of a mammoth and a rhino jaw, complete with teeth. more...
MUCH was being done with flowers, trees and shrubs to beautify the railway stations of the Midlands at this time 100 years ago, according to Berrow's Journal for this week of December 1903. more...
THE initial excitement of arriving at Westminster and the intense press interest is now settling down. more...
1803:The prisoners in our county gaol return thanks for £2 from a lady unknown and also for 80lbs of beef sent them by a gentleman. And the prisoners in our city gaol likewise send grateful thanks to the Lord Bishop of Worcester for one guinea. more...
SO far there had been no emergency calls to Bromsgrove Fire Station since the start of the national firemen's' strike in support of a wage claim. It would remain to be seen if the retained men would, as they had promised, cross the picket line if a life or death emergency arose. more...
AS we know to horrendous effect, the roads of Britain are now crammed with millions of cars and other motor vehicles, but it's all a far cry from the highway scene a century ago when genuine horse-power was still the most widely used form of transportation. more...
A LARGE gathering met at Droitwich Spa Town Hall to discuss the formation of a Ratepayers' Association. The organisers stressed it must not be antagonistic towards the town council, but should play a helping role to enable residents to speak with one voice. more...
THE Christmas Days of exactly 50, 100 and 200 years ago were not white nor bleak but bright and sunny, according to the Berrow's Journal archives. more...
THE BISTO kids were heading Bromsgrove's way. Housewives were told to look out for their car carrying the pair and if they called and you could show them a packet of the famous gravy powder you could win a £1 voucher. more...
TO my amazement I have now been an MP for six weeks. more...
IT was the thrill of a lifetime for 16-year-old Bromsgrove Schoolboy Michael Banner when he won a prize to meet Prime Minister Jim Callaghan at 10 Downing Street. Michael, from Stratford Road, won the prize in an essay competition organised by Hansard. more...
1803: The intimation given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer that he is to issue £5,000,000 of new Exchequer bills to take up the old ones at present in the market affords the most pleasing picture of the state of the nation's finances. If anything can open the eyes of Boneparte to the madness of his plans against this country, it must be the knowledge that the current revenue of this nation nearly equals its expenditure in the midst of the mightiest preparations it has ever been called upon to make in its defence. more...
AFTER a hectic last week of my first Parliamentary session, the House adjourned for the summer recess on July 20. more...
In its final edition of the year half-a-century ago, Berrow's Journal published its best "Pictures of 1953", among them this fine view of the 1st Battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment marching across Worcester Bridge on its return from years of active service in Malaya. The Regiment, which received the Freedom of Worcester in 1950, was exercising its right to march through the city with bayonets fixed and colours flying. more...
THE Kensit Preachers were in Bromsgrove conducting their crusade against ritualism at the Drill Hall. Their talk was titled England's Betrayal. The speaker took the stand as a member of the Church of England opposed `a conspiracy conducted by lawless clergy aided and abetted by Romanising bishops'. more...
THERE was excitement among Finstall Women's Institute (WI) members when the opening of their meeting was recorded for the Archers world famous radio show. Programme bosses needed a typical WI meeting opening for a forthcoming episode. The women sang Jerusalem and club president Mrs Wales addressed members. more...
THE House of Commons is in recess so I will take this opportunity of telling you about the Parliamentary Health Select Committee. more...
PLANNERS were preparing a three day exhibition of blueprints for the proposed Bromsgrove Eastern By-Pass scheme. Residents were invited to view the plans at Bromsgrove Council House, in Birmingham Road and a surveyor would be on hand to answer their questions. Work on the new road was expected to start in 1979 at an estimated cost of £2,750,000. The original £5m plans for a dual carriageway were scrapped for a cheaper single carriageway road. The display coincided with the opening of several hundred yards of new western inner relief road through Crown Close. more...
CHRISTMAS shoppers were being urged to take a look at the gift selection in Whitfields, the Bromsgrove outfitters. The Worcester Road shop boasted a large selection of festive presents including handkerchiefs, travel rugs, braces and leggings. more...
WHILE England was trouncing Germany last Saturday, my wife and I were enjoying the Stourport river procession aboard an ocean-going motor yacht. more...
COMMUNITY chiefs decided the time had come to demolish former prisoner of war huts in Cofton Hackett. Bromsgrove Rural District Council said they needed costly repairs and were uneconomic to run. The occupants, many of whom had originally been squatters at All Saints Hospital, would be rehoused in the district. more...
I AM writing this on the day the civilised world has been paralysed by the horror of the terrorist attacks on civilian targets in the USA. more...
A PEAL of four bells was rung for the first time at Christ Church, in Catshill, to celebrate the church's 139th birthday. The bells were dedicated by the Rev Michael Smith during a special family service organised by the young people's group of the junior church, with their leader Bob Miller. more...
FIGURES obtained from last year's census revealed that far from being dead the handmade nailing trade in Bromsgrove still employed 964, people split equally between men and women. However, these figures served to highlight the industry was in decline when compared to the 1851 census which showed that 3,119 were earned their living at the nail block. more...
A FIREMAN had to be lowered down the face of a cliff in Leach Green Lane, Rednal, to rescue a dog trapped on a ledge. The animal, which was none the worse for its ordeal, belonged to Mr Johnson from Leach Heath Lane. more...
FOLLOWING the tragic events in New York last week, the recall of Parliament was welcome and expected. more...
ANOTHER battle in the campaign to stop the M42 was lost this week. A High Court ruling in London removed one of the last obstacles to the proposed motorway. Protestors from Bromsgrove were dismayed to hear judge Sir Douglas Frank say: "There must come a point when the rights of objectors ends and the freedom of a minister to implement policy begins." more...
MRS Unite from Blackwell Court, near Bromsgrove had again this year made her usual generous gesture by arranging for meat and coal to be delivered to poor and needy families in the district. more...
I HAVE been continuing my summer recess task of up-dating myself about as many local issues as possible. more...
A PLAN to establish a light industrial zone on the outskirts of Bromsgrove at Aston Fields was announced by the town council. It would help restore Market Street where there were factories, into an amenity area. Eleven half-acre plots were proposed to be screened by a wide belt of trees and existing and new roads to the site would be modified and built. more...
CONFIRMATION that Fine Fare supermarket was to be offered the plum former cattle market site in Bromsgrove resulted in a Tory-Labour row at the Council House. Labour Councillor Henry Webley maintained the ruling Conservatives had not given Tesco, the other contender, which already had a store in High Street, a fair chance of acquiring it. Tesco had planned to have an in-store bakery and a rooftop car park. more...
THE recommendations of the long-awaited Darzi report are welcome and I regard them as a first step in restoring sanity to the county's hospital services. more...
THE House of Commons was recalled on Monday for a further debate on the terrifying international crisis. more...
SINCE last week I have been busy in Wyre Forest. My first engagement was to give the prizes to schoolchildren at World Mental Health Day, for which they had designed T-shirts. more...
ITt has been an exciting week in London and at home.The first meeting of the Health Select Committee was held and members asked Alan Milburn and Jacqui Smith questions relating to NHS expenditure. more...
"Dr Taylor, you are stalking me". This was the greeting from Health Secretary Alan Milburn when I walked into a meeting of the Fabian Society last week to hear him talk about his ideas for the future of the National Health Service. more...
TO my delight I have hit the jackpot twice in a week. more...
MY adjournment debate on Kidderminster General Hospital was the high point of the week. more...
I REGRET that I did not achieve an oral question to the Health Secretary last week and I was not called to speak at an adjournment debate on flood defences. more...
I NOW know why the House of Commons appears so empty on television except for Prime Minister's Question Time. more...
CONCERN about local hospital services remains high. more...
I HAVE had an informative meeting with the chief constable of West Mercia Police and met several of his senior officers and the director of finance. more...
100 years ago more...
When a Ledbury woman read an account of a collision between two horse-drawn traps in Edwardian times, she realised her own grandfather was one of the men involved. more...
A CONCERT compered by one of the country's top industrialists is set to bring in £5,000 for Kemp Hospice. more...
THE guardians of a unique garden - which they have opened in aid of Kemp Hospice for a decade - are the latest recipients of a sparkling gift. more...
A COMPASSIONATE climber who experienced a "totally different" Christmas up a mountain for Kemp Hospice has survived to tell the tale - and collect his sponsorship. more...
WORK will start before the end of the month to convert a former hotel into Kemp Hospice's new enlarged day care centre. more...
SHOPPERS can help the environment and Kemp Hospice by re-using carrier bags while shopping at a Kidderminster supermarket. more...
ONE of the best brass bands in the country will again be pulling in the crowds in aid of Kemp Hospice next month. more...
SOMBRE may have been his surname but Jack Blackman brought light, colour and cheer to the Worcester scene for more than a-quarter-of-a-century as a dance band leader, compere and comedian. more...
ARTISTIC calendars featuring men and women in various states of undress are set to go on sale later this year to boost the Kemp Hospice Appeal. more...
CALLING all people who lived in the Foxwell Street area of Worcester between 1930 and 1945, or who went to Red Hill School during the same 15-year period. more...
A SECOND BATTLE OF WORCESTER - this time in words, not slaughter and bloodshed - was breaking out between Royalists and Cromwell supporters at this time 50 years ago. The war of words in 1951 was mainly in the Council Chamber of the Guildhall and came three centuries after the original fateful battle of September 3, 1651. This year is, of course, the 350th anniversary of the Battle of Worcester. more...
ONE of Kidderminster's oldest family businesses has scooped a bottle of champagne after years of helping Kemp Hospice. more...
WE'RE aproaching the 50th anniversary of the Second Battle of Worcester which, unlike the awful carnage of the first, was simply a war of words between Royalist and Cromwellian factions. more...
YANKS at the dentists in Worcester a century ago certainly didn't mean the painful pulling out of teeth! more...
FOR more than a year Kemp Hospice has been enjoying the sweet taste of a cake company's generosity. more...
MY article a few weeks ago about the women who served as railway guards on the steam trains of wartime Worcester overlooked at least one of those worthy young ladies. more...
MILLIONS of pints must have been pulled for Worcester people by the Roberts family of publicans during much of the 20th Century. more...
A QUIZ night in aid of Kemp Hospice is being held tonight at the Briars Hotel, Habberley Road, Kidderminster at 7.30pm. more...
THE three Bowley brothers - Jim, Mike and Wal - have given much enjoyment on the Worcester music and entertainment scene during the past half-a-century or so. more...
A MAN who decked his entire house with festive decorations has more than doubled the amount he previously raised for the Kemp Hospice appeal. more...
A RARE selection of old photographs of Worcester scenes and personalities graces Memory Lane as the lives of three generations of the Bryan family are traced. more...
DETECTIVE work is again asked of Memory Lane readers as I try, to identify the doctor who compiled 13 photo albums, now in the possession of the Worcester City Museum. more...
THE Tree of Light has pulled in a record haul of cash for Kemp Hospice. more...
CALLING all past and present employees, agents and customers of Kay's who may have memories or memorabilia to impart about this 207 year-old Worcester company. more...
BBC Antiques Roadshow expert Henry Sandon of Worcester has told me of a highly amusing incident witnessed on Pitchcroft about a century ago. more...
A "FANTASTIC" concert has raised at least £6,000 for the Kemp Hospice Appeal. more...
THE Religious Society of Friends - The Quakers - have now been influential figures on the Worcester scene for almost 350 years. more...
A RECENT chance meeting in Worcester Cathedral with a young woman from Canada has prompted me to give this week's insight into a family who had a significant impact on the community life of the Faithful City through most of the 20th Century. more...
A CONSPIRACY theory is emerging, five centuries on, surrounding the death of Arthur Tudor, the 15 year-old Prince of Wales, at Ludlow Castle in 1502. more...
THE family of a man struck by cancer has handed over nearly £1,000 raised in his memory to the Kemp Hospice Appeal. more...
The fascinating and painstakingly researched new book Perdiswell Past and Present by Joan Hinks tells us much about the well-to-do families who lived in the country mansion which stood at the heart of the area. more...
MANY readers have telephoned or written in since I recently published a portrait photograph taken more than half-a-century ago. more...
A MAN who spent a freezing Christmas Day up one of Britain's highest mountains for the Kemp Hospice appeal can now enjoy a little luxury. more...
WORCESTER people are still benefiting from the generosity of a wealthy city clothier and merchant who lived four centuries ago. more...
A WORLD-CLASS brass band is set to bring in up to £1,500 after hundreds flocked to Kidderminster Town Hall to see an "amazing" performance. more...
IN today's insular stay-at-home, armchair TV society, it was a delight the other evening to attend a large-scale re-union in Worcester with all its human hubbub. more...
Sixty years ago, the people of Pershore and surrounding villages raised a staggering £200,000 to fund a new Royal Navy Corvette. more...
A £5,000 windfall is set to swell the Kemp Hospice Appeal after Kidderminster Carnival organisers chose the hospice as its annual charity. more...
ROYAL Worcester, a major employer in the Faithful City for 250 years, is looking for the help of past and present employees and their families and descendants. more...
YOUR military musuem needs you ...that's the clarion call to ex-servicemen of the Worcester area! more...
A DARTS marathon is aiming to hit its target of raising at least £1,000 for the Kemp Hospice appeal. more...
OLD-TIME XMAS ATMOSPHERE - "Christmas this year should be an extremely happy one. It is the first peaceful festival since 1938. For weeks the stores have been crowded and, although there was not a great choice of presents, shoppers managed to find something, and cards and calendars, though expensive, seemed to be more plentiful. more...
SIXTH CHRISTMAS OF WAR - "Modified cheerfulness might best describe the atmosphere of any assembly of people in Britain this Christmas. more...
HOME MADE CHRISTMAS - "The festive season in 1943 is going to be a home made Christmas for most British people. There are few things suitable for gifts on the market, and most of them are subject to 100 per cent purchase tax. more...
THE Kemp Hospice appeals office needs a computer. more...
TO raise money for charity, I attempt to give humorous talks about some of the more amusing events that happened to me while I was a member of the local police. more...
CHOCOLATE QUEUES AGAIN - "When we were issued with personal ration books, we thought we had done with queuing for chocolate and sweets. more...
IN response to N Winter (Letters, Wednesday, January 12), may I return the compliment and remind him to pay more attention to detail before he puts pen to paper and makes cheap jibes. more...
POSTAL RUSH - "With many postmen away at the war, a lot of temporary delivery personnel have had to be hurriedly recruited, including 26 women and 59 schoolboys, primarily from the King's School, Royal Grammar School and the Technical School. more...
THE Kemp Hospice appeals office has renewed its plea for a computer. more...
THE great tsunami in the Indian Ocean, appalling storms in UK, unprecedented winds in France, a reported fall of snow in the Middle East among many other freak climatic conditions in various parts of the World, in recent years, indicate that this planet is undergoing radical change. more...
HELEN Donovan's constant harping on about education funding in your letters page has prompted me to look more closely at this issue. more...
PEACE AND GOODWILL - "To think of Peace and Goodwill at this present moment in history may seem to some ironical. Millions of men, armed with the most ingenious weapons of destruction the world has ever seen, are engaged in an orgy of killing, maiming and burning. more...
AN auction of furniture at the Mason Road premises has pulled in £2,000 for the appeal. more...
WHO wants a Worcester where we work as one? more...
TELLING and often poignant insights into the happinesses, heartaches and hardships of Christmases in wartime Worcester are drawn here from the Evening News bound archives for the early 1940s. more...
IF, as UKIP's Richard Chamings says, the chemicals to be tested on animals have mostly been around for years, and have a track record for safety, then surely the 12.8 million animals will suffer no lasting harm. more...
EMPLOYEES at a Wyre Forest computer firm have been tucking in to help the Kemp Hospice Appeal. more...
STAFF and volunteers who had a look round Kemp Hospice's future home have predicted patients will "adore" the change. more...
PARLIAMENT is being recalled for one day on September 24 to debate the Iraq issue in a way I am led to believe that will be designed to avoid Government embarrassment. more...
I was encouraged by the Prime Minister's statement and the adjournment debate on Iraq and Weapons of Mass Destruction for which the House of Commons was recalled on Tuesday. more...
LAST week I attended a valuable meeting of the Wyre Forest Youth Strategy Group. more...
A SUNDAY newspaper raised an alarm about possible closure of 60 hospitals due to the Government's plans for Foundation Hospitals. more...
BY coincidence I have been contacted by considerable numbers of people who have been fined for exceeding the reduced 30 mph speed limit on Chester Road South and also by others who feel that speed limits in other places are too high for safety. more...
KEMP Hospice has kissed goodbye to a £6,000 windfall after trustees unanimously turned down a tanning salon's offer to produce raunchy calendars for its appeal. more...
I AM concerned that some constituents who have received fixed penalties for breaching the 40mph speed limit on Chester Road South in Kidderminster have written to me saying they have been advised on my behalf not to pay the fine. more...
A POETRY booklet launched last spring has proved so popular a new print run has been ordered. more...
WE have had great encouragement this week from the Health Service Journal. more...
A CHARITY bet kicked off refurbishment celebrations at a Kidderminster betting shop. more...
LAST week was hectic with two debates in the House of Commons in which I took part and several votes to conclude outstanding business before the parliamentary session ended last Thursday. more...
A COUPLE have reeled in a whopping £2,250 for Kemp Hospice by asking fishermen based on their land for donations. more...
THE Severnside North flood defences were impressive when they were in position in Bewdley last week. more...
BENEVOLENT members of Droitwich Board of Guardians decided to give an extra 1/- (5p) a week during the harsh winter months to paupers receiving relief but who still lived in their own homes. It had been proposed by the chairman, Sir Harry Vernon, from Hanbury. But board member the Rev Hammond claimed such a large increase would lead to much jealously and proposed halving it to 6d. A 1/- increase would mean the board having to find an additional £300 to £400 every three months. more...
A SPECTACULAR summer ball will form the centrepiece of an enterprising football club's fundraising campaign. more...
AT last a significant development at our hospital has been announced! more...
NOBODY will ever hear John Goodhead complaining of having a "rough" time at work. more...
WALTER Cotton, aged 24, a nailer, and Sam Pugh, 26, a labourer, appeared before the grand jury at the Epiphany Quarter Sessions, in Worcester, accused of stealing three tame fowl from Mr Lloyd, of Bromsgrove. more...
A CHRISTMAS concert was held at the Institute in Bromsgrove to raise cash for the parish church Sunday school treat. more...
DANCE has always played a big part in the life of Lin Hickinbottom. more...
A COW being driven down Bromsgrove High Street by a youth employed by Mr Lloyd ran off and entered Mr Noake's chemist shop. more...
AMBITIOUS plans for Kemp Hospice to move into a former hotel have cleared a crucial hurdle after permission was granted to redevelop its existing site. more...
I VISITED Bewdley High School to meet 120 students from Year 10 to talk about life as an MP and to answer questions. more...
NEWS of Queen Victoria's death cast a deep gloom over Bromsgrove and Droitwich Spa. more...
THE Royal funeral on Saturday meant a solemn holiday for most people in Bromsgrove and Droitwich Spa. more...
THE Kemp Hospice appeals office has taken delivery of a replacement computer following an appeal in the Shuttle/Times and News. more...
WALKING across the Thames to work one day this week I saw 12 cormorants catching their breakfast. two of them were successful in the few minutes I was watching, testifying to the cleanliness of the river. more...
THE upper classes' almost constant complaints about the difficulty of obtaining good servant girls prompted two such young Bromsgrove women to write to the Messenger. more...
A COUPLE who have devoted their time and skill to helping Kemp Hospice have seen their generosity recognised. more...
I SUFFERED one of the aggravations of parliamentary life earlier this week when I sat through the whole of a debate for over five hours without a break and was not called to speak. more...
DESPITE the valiant efforts of her husband and Mr Dobbs -- a neighbour who fetched her brandy -- Jane, the 55-year-old wife of labourer George Brooks, of Alcester Road, Finstall, died in the middle of the night following a coughing fit. more...
GEORGE Phillips, from Sidemoor, was brought in front of Bromsgrove magistrates charged with using foul language in his own home, but within earshot of the general public. more...
A BIKE ride through stunning scenery in memory of a cycling fan will raise money for the future of Kemp Hospice - which helped her through her final months. more...
THE Chief Constable of Worcestershire announced record levels of convictions for drunkenness in the county, with Droitwich Spa being the third most intoxicated town where one in 73 people had been before magistrates for the offence. more...
A WOUNDED soldier discharged from Bromsgrove Cottage Hospital started a fight with an Imperial Yeoman in Worcester when he said the other man was "no class," had been no further than Aldershot and that his kind could not be depended on by this country. The Yeoman knocked the wounded Irish Fusilier down into the gutter and stunned him. George Hughes, the Yeoman, was fined 5s (25p) while the fusilier was fined 2s 6d (12.5p) after Rev G F Hooper testified he suffered from enteric, which made him liable to excitement. more...
THE district support group for people with prostate cancer has handed over £1,000 to the Kemp Hospice Appeal. more...
THOMAS Monkton, a boy living in Worcester Street, was brought before Bromsgrove magistrates charged with using a catapult in the road near his home. He was fined 2/6 (12.5p) including costs. more...
PUPILS playing whip and top at Stoke Prior School were annoying people living nearby. Mr Carter had made an unsuccessful attempt to claim 3/- (15p) from Bromsgrove School Board for broken windows at his home caused by tops spinning out of control. more...
THE deputy clerk of Bromsgrove Urban District Council had received letters from the four boys who had broken one of its lamps. Each had expressed his sorrow and agreed to pay a share of the damage. more...
A REPAIRMAN who fixes second-hand items for Kemp Hospice's fund-raising effort has picked up a bottle of bubbly as a thank-you. more...
WOMEN in Bromsgrove were keeping up with the sudden return of the fashion of wearing earrings. However, the prejudices against having ears pierced was very strong. Jewellers were getting round this by making them with gold clamps to hide the holes in ear lobes. more...
MOLLY Dowell sees herself as a crusader in the cause of art, which has been an abiding passion from the days of her childhood. more...
"SALT King" John Corbett, one of Worcestershire's most worthy sons and a captain of British industry, died at his home at Impney, Droitwich Spa, on Monday, aged 84. more...
THE champagne corks will be popping next month when an unusual venue hosts a ball which is set to raise thousands of pounds for the Kemp Hospice Appeal. more...
GUIDING has come a long way since it began more than 90 years ago - but has maintained a traditional philosophy at its heart since entering the 21st century. more...
THIS week has seen another crest in the storm waves that have gathered over plans for a giant incinerator in Kidderminster. more...
THE funerals of Sarah Broomfield and her mother, Harriet Laugher, took place at Bromsgrove cemetery. more...
A TIRELESS football team which has already raised thousands of pounds and is on target to drum up thousands more for Kemp Hospice has netted a bottle of bubbly. more...
KIDDERMINSTER-born Norman Broadfield found his mind wandering back to his home town while sitting in a hotel room in Santiago, Chile, last September and his creative instinct took over. more...
A MEETING of parishioners and members of All Saints' Church met in the nearby schoolroom in Burcot Lane, Bromsgrove, to discuss installing a peal of bells in the tower. more...
COMBINING business with pleasure is not always the wisest thing to do - but for Stourport's Russell Hinton it is simply doing what comes naturally. more...
MEMBERS and friends of Bromsgrove Rovers Football Club attended the annual supper at the club room of the Boat Inn to hear about the team's progress. more...
I have had a super family Christmas and I am very grateful that people have been so considerate during this time. more...
HARRIERS stars were out in Kidderminster town centre last week drumming up support for this month's glittering ball in aid of the Kemp Hospice appeal. more...
PREVENTING boatloads of Jewish refugees entering Palestine from continental Europe was among Larry Billingsley's duties as a serviceman with the Parachute Regiment policing the territory during the post Second World War years. more...
JOHN Richardson of Mill Fields appeared before Bromsgrove magistrates on a charge of not having a dog licence. more...
WHEN Tom Parry answered a newspaper advertisement for an RSPCA volunteer, a new world opened up to him. more...
JOHN Plain, a shopkeeper from Dunhampstead, appeared before Droitwich Spa magistrates charged with selling adulterated salt butter. more...
THE House of Commons restarted on Tuesday. It was like returning to school with some homesickness! more...
A BOWLING club celebrating its centenary has "adopted" Kemp Hospice for the year - meaning up to £1,000 could soon roll towards the charity. more...
LOUISE Mills was once a county gymnastic champion but now she is helping nurture sporting talent for the future. more...
FOUR Birmingham men John Moore, Frederick Marriott, Henry Swatkins and Peter Farrell all said to be of dubious character and known associates of thieves, card sharpers and pickpockets appeared before Bromsgrove magistrates on felony charges committed at Rubery races earlier this month. more...
HUNDREDS of people lined the route from Bromsgrove Parish Church to Kidderminster Road to catch a glimpse of newly-weds Bromsgrove GP Dr Francis Coaker and his bride, Diana Carey, whose father was also a town doctor. more...
MEAT sellers are in every shopping street, but butchers are becoming a rare breed. more...
HANNAH Guise, of Lloyds Yard, Worcester Street, Bromsgrove, appeared before town magistrates charged with using foul language in her own home to the annoyance of her neighbours. more...
THIS week has seen the Third Reading of the NHS Reform and Healthcare Professions Bill. more...
THE sale of Kemp Hospice's site to a developer could make up to £1 million to secure the move to Mason Road. more...
RETIREMENT in tranquil Rock must seem a million years away from life as an RAF fighter pilot in one of the most dangerous places in war-torn Europe. more...
A CHAPLAIN serving in the Boer War reported that one night in Orange River Colony, the password for their camp was "Bromsgrove". Rev J L Findlay, former curate of St John's Church, was chaplain to a Worcestershire regiment in South Africa. "Send me more Messengers," he wrote to friends back home. more...
FINDING somebody in a job which they never wish to retire from is something of a rarity but it is the "great" situation animal lover Phil Rudlin finds himself in. more...
A DODFORD woman was fined 40s (£2) by Birmingham Police Court for harassing a passenger on a train from Birmingham to Selly Oak. more...
THE Parliamentary Health Select Committee has started its investigation into the functions of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). more...
A GARDEN centre owner who has cultivated his support for Kemp Hospice over 15 years has reaped a little refreshment. more...
ONE of the men who keeps the ambitious Stourport Swifts Football Club ticking insists he prefers to stay in the background. more...
IF something is happening in Bewdley then Pat Jones is sure to know about it. more...
THE topsy-turvy nature of the seasons this year was highlighted by Mr Read, from Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove, who said he had been picking mushrooms from his garden for the past six weeks. more...
BECAUSE of the Whittington Hospital row, I had a busy day with the media on Friday. more...
BUILDERS are set to start transforming a former hotel into Kemp Hospice's new enlarged day care centre in July. more...
CELEBRATION was in the air in more ways than one for a 90-year-old Kidderminster woman last week. more...
PAUPER inmates at Droitwich Spa workhouse were to be trained in firefighting techniques when the ruling guardians got round to buying a hose. The cost-conscious guardians, who were forever looking for ways of saving money, were considering the plan after receiving a bill for £12/13/6 (£12.67.5p) from the town's fire brigade, who were called to deal with a blaze in the laundry. To make matters worse they didn't get their money's worth as it was out on their arrival more...
THERE is nothing unusual about celebrating your birthday with a glass of beer - unless the drink in your glass has been brewed for the occasion. more...
ALBERT Field, aged 18 months, was killed when he was run over by a horse pulling a bread cart in Gibb Lane, Catshill, where he had been playing with other youngsters. more...
THIS week I have had important meetings with Nigel Edwards, acting chairman of the NHS Confederation, with 11 MPs, Sir George Alberti, president of the Royal College of Physicians, and Elizabeth Manero, chairman of London Health Link. more...
HOME-GROWN plants and home-made cakes will be on sale in aid of Kemp Hospice on Wednesday, May 28. more...
IN his gladiatorial quest to brush up carpet's image Rupert Anton is well versed in the cut and thrust of the chase. more...
AT the start of the cricket season The Messenger had offered a prize of a bat worth a guinea (£1.5p) to the local player with the best batting average. more...
A DIMINISHING band of specialist traders still deal in personal service and good old-fashioned courtesy. more...
A PUBLIC meeting chaired by Dr Roden was held in Droitwich Town Hall to discuss forming a hockey club in the Spa. It was agreed that subscriptions be 2/6 (12.5p) a year. more...
LAST week my cash card and some money were stolen and I must pass on lessons I have learnt. more...
THE potential of the new Kemp Hospice is "mind-blowing" according to campaign manager John Fletcher. more...
LIBRARIAN Jenny Lythall is still relishing her work as she continues in the fourth decade of helping bookworms throughout the Midlands. more...
THE gales which had swept the district left a trail of damage in their wake. In Droitwich, a large elm tree snapped off in the grounds of the Worcestershire Hotel and landed in a small garden nearby. more...
BROMSGROVE'S ancient Court Leet met for its autumn meeting in the Town Hall to elect a new Bailiff. The Reeve, traditionally the Bailiff elect, had left the area so the honour went to Thomas Roper. more...
JUSTIN Parker is a happy man. But then, he has every reason to be. more...
ALFRED Byny, of Hanover Street, appeared before Bromsgrove magistrates charged with stealing a pea gun from his employer, William Newman, of Charford Farm. more...
MY gripe this week is about the railways. The commuters among you will know how frustrating train travel has become. more...
A "WILD" time was had by guests at Saturday's ball in aid of the Kemp Hospice appeal held at Kidderminster Harriers' Aggborough Stadium. more...
WHEN sales manager John Greer states he is not half the man he used to be - it's not just his latest pitch. more...
A DRUNKEN sailor was found lying helplessly on a railway embankment in Barnt Green after falling from a train travelling from Hull to Bridgnorth. more...
FINDING ways to spend time after retirement may present a problem to some, but Stourport's Jill Fairbrother-Millis is faced with no such dilemma. more...
SERGEANT G Housman, the youngest son of the late Edward Housman, solicitor of Perry Hall, Bromsgrove, had been killed in action in the South African war. more...
THE Parliamentary Health Select Committee visited Canada and the USA to study delayed discharges from acute hospital care. more...
THE woman behind Saturday's stunning ball at the Harriers football ground has won a sparkling thank-you. more...
CUSTOMERS at Cookley's Bridge Road butchers know they can expect entertainment as well as fresh meat when they walk in. more...
FANATICAL Aston Villa supporter Les Jones completed two very different marathons during the glorious weekend of his team's last FA Cup final appearance a year ago. more...
THE public inquiry into the appeal by West Mercia Waste continues at the Town Hall. more...
A GROUP of friends is taking to the water in aid of a "cause close to everybody's hearts". more...
BALLROOM dance teacher Wynne Freeman has rubbed shoulders with all the greats - Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant, Black Sabbath, Marc Bolan. more...
PUTTING something back into the town she has come to admire is the inspiration behind the work of Stourport's Pauline Annis. more...
THE hospital battle is accelerating and spreading. more...
A MANUFACTURING firm has handed over £1,000 to the Kemp Hospice appeal after a joint effort by staff and directors. more...
THE decision to give up the glittering world of modelling may surprise thousands of women who aspire to become a catwalk queen, but for Anette Rodal-Rouse it was the wisest choice she ever made. more...
RETIREMENT usually brings the opportunity for rest, relaxation and generally living the quiet life. more...
TO me there are four important local community issues at the moment and these are the incinerator, Kidderminster Harriers, Bewdley Museum, and of course, the hospital. more...
A "MUSICAL extravaganza" with almost 200 parts will take to the stage next month in aid of the Kemp Hospice appeal. more...
HAVING an appreciation of what you are trying to sell is an advantage in any walk of life - and Stourport's Richard Woodhead is in a better position than most for doing so. more...
FROM Kidderminster convent girl to Hollywood star, life has been a rollercoaster ride for erstwhile actress Sammi Davies. more...
THE Easter recess was overshadowed by the death of the Queen Mother. more...
THE Friends of Kemp Hospice are holding a bazaar at Kidderminster's Corn Exchange next Thursday. more...
IN 1968, at the height of the Swinging Sixties, while the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix ruled the nation's airwaves, a musical `revolution' of a much gentler sort was getting under way in Kidderminster. more...
FROM an early age, the future Kidderminster Cricket Club captain Mark Mansell was never stumped for a choice of sporting career. more...
Excellent statements from Government and Shadow Ministers had an amazing degree of unanimity during a debate on the Middle East. more...
ORGANISERS of Kidderminster Carnival are hoping to raise up to £1,000 for charity with a "quacking" new event. more...
IN football terms, Walshes Meadow is a world away from Old Trafford - but a Stourport man has proved himself to be equally at home in both. more...
WITH more strings to his bow than Nigel Kennedy, Gordon Ward, chair of governors, freelance photographer, electrical engineer, inveterate traveller, gardener, fundraiser and pillar of the community, is not a man to let the grass grow under his feet, least of all his own. more...
THE demolition of the old Indigo Works, in Worcester Road, Bromsgrove, was yet another lost link with the town's past, the Messenger said. more...
THE prime requisite for a frontbencher in the House of Commons is a loud voice. more...
KIDDERMINSTER folk went quackers over the launch of the town's first-ever carnival duck race. more...
AN RAF veteran can continue his ambition to build a Second World War aircraft museum in Wyre Forest when he takes his foot off the pedal to begin retirement. more...
MR J Wright, from Sagebury Terrace, Stoke Works, received the sad news from two of his comrades that his son, Pt E Wright, had been shot and killed at Pampasfontein, in South Africa, on October 24. more...
HARVINGTON Hall curator Julian Foord is a past master, twice over. For the former Oxford history student turned his back on a near quarter century career as a teacher for his current job, overseeing the running of one of the Midlands most important historic homes. more...
A WORKING MEN'S social club opened in Catshill creating great excitement in the district. Some years ago a reading room had been created, but had closed though lack of interest. more...
It was a great privilege for my wife and myself to attend the presentation of the loyal more...
A REGAL performance will be supported by the king of all props when a musical extravaganza takes to the stage in aid of Kemp Hospice. more...
MIXING business with pleasure is sometimes described as a dangerous thing, but Stourport pub landlord Andy Holmes has no such worries. more...
FULFILLING a teenage ambition to work in a job helping the community has left Ellen Coe contented in her work. more...
A real rebellion in Wyre Forest - this was how the Rev Martin Smyth, Ulster Unionist MP for Belfast South, couched his congratulations to me after Health Concern's stunning results in last week's local elections. more...
KEMP Hospice has hit the jackpot this week - and every week - after it teamed up with a Premiership football club's lottery. more...
JOINING Bewdley Town Council was not a political decision for John Iles, but a way of "giving something back to such a wonderful place". more...
A PAIR of doting dog lovers were compelled to do their bit for the £4m Acorns Children's Hospice Three Counties Appeal after a neighbour's "beautiful" little girl died at the age of nine. more...
CATHERINE Guest is a woman with a past - as secretary of Kidderminster Archaeological and Historical Society she has spent much of the last ten years delving into the story of the town, though as she admits, much of that past has been swept away. more...
I HAD a busy day last Friday starting with breakfast with the Chamber of Commerce. more...
TWO full houses saw a "show full of colour and vitality" staged in aid of Kemp Hospice. more...
LAST week we debated the Lords' amendments to the NHS Reform Bill. more...
A WORKING men's club has handed over £1,221 to Kemp Hospice after staging a Black Country musical evening. more...
I ENJOYED every minute of the Whitsun/Jubilee recess. more...
ORGANISERS of a clay pigeon shoot are gunning for thousands of pounds for the Kemp Hospice Appeal. more...
DESPITE the World Cup and threatening weather, crowds turned out to watch the procession at Bewdley Carnival. more...
THE fruits of 18 months' fund-raising by a church group is heading for Kemp Hospice. more...
A STRIKING victory for commonsense has been announced regarding the A&E department at Solihull. more...
MORE than 60 shooters took aim on Saturday in an annual fund-raising event for Kemp Hospice. more...
CHILTERN Railways plan to start the through-train service from Kidderminster to Marylebone at the end of September. more...
THE fruits of a year's fundraising have been handed over to the Kemp Hospice appeal. more...
I HAVE just returned from a brief visit to Brussels as a part of the Health Committee's inquiry into sexual health. more...
AN exciting weekend which will see firefighters put people through their paces is being organised as a ground-breaking fundraiser for the Kemp Hospice appeal. more...
THE Private Finance Initiative (PFI) has suffered further criticism in the national press and by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee. more...
A SOUL band has struck a generous note by dedicating cash from its tenth anniversary concert to the Kemp Hospice appeal. more...
THE House rose for the summer recess yesterday so it is appropriate to reflect on the past year. more...
HOPES of opening Kemp Hospice's new base in Kidderminster this year have been dashed - but bosses promise the end result will be worth the wait. more...
DEDICATED youngsters donated their free time this summer to help out at Kemp Hospice - and entertain the patients. more...
AN original Muhammed Ali dressing gown was the star attraction of an auction which brought in thousands of pounds for Kemp Hospice. more...
NEARLY £500 has been handed over to the Kemp Hospice appeal after MFI challenged customers to guess the number of sweets in a jar. more...
A BIKE ride in memory of a keen cyclist helped by Kemp Hospice in her final months has pulled in almost £3,000. more...
THE man charged with promoting Kemp Hospice has pledged to push the charity to the "forefront of people's minds" as it gears up for the biggest expansion in its history. more...
May 26: Open gardens, lunches, teas and cookery demonstrations, Ashford Carbonnel, near Ludlow. more...
A FORTY-MILE cycle ride provided the new fund-raising chief with his first sponsored donation. more...
IN the coming weeks, the Shuttle/Times and News will feature an interview with new Kemp Hospice manager Mike Rowan who will share his thoughts on developments at the Kidderminster centre. more...
THE third concert in memory of a firm friend of Kemp Hospice strikes up this month. more...
UNLIKE many hospices run as part of the NHS or by national charities, Kemp Hospice has been an independent venture run almost entirely on voluntary contributions for more than two decades. more...
UP to 10 teams are needed to compete in a hotly-contested event in aid of Kemp Hospice at Kidderminster Fire Station. more...
WHEN the new centre opens in 2004 a major gap in the health care available in Wyre Forest will be plugged. more...
A FURNITURE company with storage and transport facilities is being offered a "long-term mutual arrangement" with Kemp Hospice. more...
TWO of the biggest donors to the Kemp Hospice Appeal have handed over £20,000 each and demonstrated the depth of support for the project. more...
A STOURPORT schoolboy was today handing over some of the "dough" he won in a competition by bread giant Warburtons to Kemp Hospice, where his dying dad received vital help in his last months. more...
CLASSIC dance moves will be resurrected this summer to celebrate the Queen's golden jubilee. more...
A FORMER England international and legendary Wolves striker will be in town next week to promote a lottery run by the Premiership football club for Kemp Hospice. more...
THE campaign for a new hospice for Wyre Forest has made a tremendous start - but the momentum needs to continue. more...
A MAGNIFICENT start to Kemp Hospice's multi-million pound appeal has seen almost a quarter of the cash raised within six months. more...
THE new man at Kemp Hospice has dedicated himself to fighting for its future. more...
THE momentum created by the public launch of Kemp Hospice's £2.2 million appeal nearly two weeks ago has continued with the prospect of another huge donation. more...
THE wife of a former patient at Kemp Hospice has paid tribute to its care for her husband - and highlighted the much-needed benefits from the planned £2.2 million expansion. more...
THE whole community continues to back Kemp's appeal and this week a police officer finally decided what to do with the money he raised in the London Marathon. more...
MONEY really does grow on trees for Kemp Hospice at Christmas - and this year a second Tree of Light will brighten up Bewdley to add to the festive fundraising. more...
WHEN cancer struck one Kidderminster man, Kemp Hospice helped him back on the road to recovery. more...
AS you will know I am a great sports fan. Rugby, cricket, football, darts, underwater hand-gliding, I've had a go at or watched, to varying degrees of success, pretty much everything - although, off the top of my head, my sporting successes could be counted on the hands of a grand-father clock. more...
TWO Kidderminster businessmen were "over the moon" when they turned up for a charity date to discover their footballing hero Wolves' Steve Bull was there. more...
DESPITE her cancer, Kemp Hospice gave Julie Smith her pride and dignity back. more...
KEMP Hospice's popular Tree of Light, on which people can leave a message or memoriam to a loved one, has already raised £1,800 - and it only went live on Sunday. more...
EVER wondered how much that old clock or chair is worth? An antique valuation day next month could satisfy your curiosity and help a good cause. more...
TWO young saxophone players trumpeted support for Kidderminster's Kemp Hospice when they busked for shoppers. more...
A RUNNER in a nationwide relay is dedicating the money he raises to the Kemp Hospice appeal. more...
A STONE woman is well on the way to raising £1,000 for Kemp Hospice by turning her home into a Christmas tourist attraction. more...
THE new Kemp Hospice will make life easier for both terminally-ill patients and their families, according to a woman who lost her husband. more...
KEMP Hospice is asking Wyre Forest people to give them a gift this Christmas - the gift of time. more...
A SALE of bric-a-brac, cakes and toys is being held in aid of Kemp Hospice. more...
"GIVE your hospice a tax break" - that is the plea that has gone out to Kidderminster people from a group of dedicated charity fundraisers in the town this week. more...
A WHEELBARROW race has proved an inventive way of raising cash for the Kemp Hospice appeal. more...
KEMP Hospice is appealing for drivers. more...
A BOOK chronicling a pre-war Herefordshire childhood has gone on sale to benefit Kemp Hospice. more...
A COUPLE are preparing to cycle the length of Britain for the future of Kemp Hospice. more...
THE sun shone on a group's bid to boost Kemp Hospice. more...
A SHOOTING afternoon is aiming to keep the Kemp appeal on target this weekend. more...
A UNIQUE memento for a former pupil or teacher of a Kidderminster school is on offer. more...
THE wheels on the Kemp Hospice Appeal are still spinning thanks to a tireless orthodontist who has raised £10,000 cycling across a continent. more...
GOLFERS will club together this autumn to raise thousands for Kemp's multi-million pound appeal. more...
AN antiques valuation day has given a welcome boost to Kemp Hospice's planned state-of-the-art home. more...
A STREET collection has pulled in a record haul from generous townsfolk. more...
A FUN day out has put a smile on the face of a Kidderminster hospice. more...
AN intrepid couple have survived a two-wheeled trip the length of Britain for the Kemp Hospice appeal - and even enjoyed it. more...
FINES have been astronomical at a cricket club this season - but the players have been happy to pay them. more...
EXHIBITS tailored by a group of patchworkers and quilters are going on display to mark its 10th birthday and drum up cash for charity. more...
HEALING hands will be invigorating an appeal when a masseur attempts a day-long marathon for charity. more...
A CLAY pigeon shoot in aid of the building appeal was such a hit it will be repeated. more...
ONE of the region's representatives in Brussels has dropped into Kemp Hospice to pledge support. more...
CHAMPAGNE corks popped for a pensioner who won a "thank-you" bottle of bubbly for her charity work - just in time to celebrate her 80th birthday. more...
THE biggest fund-raising event yet in aid of Kemp Hos-pice's multi-million pound appeal will be staged next month. more...
A BARBECUE that bagged a sizzling £1,100 for Kemp Hospice's appeal has helped a retired nurse land a bottle of bubbly. more...
A SUPERMARKET charity day earlier this summer raised £528 for Kemp Hospice. more...
A PATIENT on just his seventh visit to Kemp Hospice has told how he has already started to regain his self-belief. more...
GENEROUS fund-raisers are making sure Kemp Hospice is bucking the nationwide trend of centres struggling to make ends meet. more...
THIS week's winners of a bottle of champagne are husband and wife team Bob and Pauline Powell. more...
EVER since Kemp Hospice was founded two decades ago this week's winner of a bottle of champagne has been a staunch supporter. more...
THE camaraderie at Kemp Hospice is helping to make one patient's life worth living. more...
KEEPING up with Kemp Hospice's day-to-day costs has added importance with all eyes currently on the building appeal, according to the campaign manager. more...
TWO brothers will be pounding the streets next month to help keep the building appeal on track. more...
VOLUNTEERS at Kemp Hospice have praised its stimulating atmosphere and professional care - and highlighted the need for a bigger base. more...
A PRIVATE party had a public spin-off after a couple celebrating their ruby wedding anniversary asked guests to help Kemp Hospice's building appeal. more...
DURING the summer recess I have had a week in mid-Wales and a week in Suffolk with my family. more...
MORE than a decade of dedicated service has been recognised with this week's bottle of champagne. more...
A HAVEN for people recovering from major treatments is set to welcome more people through its doors. more...
A CHARITY golf day has swung into action and raised more than double the anticipated amount for Kemp Hospice's building appeal. more...
A COUPLE who declined ruby wedding anniversary gifts and asked well-wishers to support the building appeal have won a bottle of champagne. more...
SPIRITUAL healing - and physical refreshment - is a big draw for one patient marking her first anniversary at Kemp Hospice. more...
PATIENTS and volunteers at Kemp Hospice have made a collage to brighten up a brand new facility in Africa. more...
SLIMMERS are losing pounds and Kemp Hospice is gaining them as waistlines shrink for the charity. more...
A law firm is offering free wills for a donation to Kemp Hospice of just £10. more...
A CONCERT in memory of a late trustee - and to celebrate Kemp Hospice's 21st birthday - is being held next Friday. more...
A MAN whose wife died of cancer has been spurred on to raise money for Kemp Hospice and keep her memory alive. more...
CLOSE in death yet arch enemies in life - that was to be the ironic fate of two remarkable and colourful Worcester characters of the 17th Century, whose ornate tombs lie opposite each other in St Helen's Church off High Street. more...
A church may well have stood on the site of St Helen's since Roman times though the present building dates in part from the 11th or 12th Centuries. more...
RESIDENTS are clearing up after storms flattened cars and flooded low-lying Wyre Forest areas. more...
FAST approaching his 100th birthday is a past Mayor of Worcester and former owner of a city radio and television shop for many years. more...
KEMP Hospice has seized a "golden opportunity" to deliver its dream of a new enlarged day care centre at a huge saving - and almost two years sooner than planned. more...
SAM Smith was the name of the popular newspaper seller whose "pitch" for many years was outside Worcester's Foregate Street station. more...
A FAMILY is still reeling at the shock of finding a fallen tree just inches from a room where a new-born baby was sleeping. more...
AN intimate history of Mildenham Mill was written in 1974, by Denis Watts, the last member of a family who owned and ran the water mill for a century. more...
TWO new lay chaplains have been welcomed to Kemp Hospice after the Bishop of Dudley formally commissioned them. more...
FOR Kathleen Harrison, the pinnacle of her lengthy career in the caring profession was perhaps reached when she nursed composer Sir Edward Elgar through his last five months of life. more...
A view of the Sabrina foot-bridge from the Evening News' office this morning! more...
THE Faithful City has been home to Gladys Milton throughout the 100 years of her life to date. more...
A WOMAN who suffers from vertigo has tackled her phobia to boost Kemp Hospice's appeal after being inspired by friends' praise of its care. more...
A view from the Evening News' office this morning! more...
KEMP Hospice is appealing for sponsorship for a concert on Saturday. more...
A CHAMPION coffee morning organiser who has helped raise thousands of pounds for Kemp Hospice has earned some liquid refreshment. more...
Lil Andrews, aged 88, is rescued from her Diglis home by firefighters Adrian Farmer, left and Adrian Mayhew. more...
WITH the remaining 28 or so nuns proposing to sell up and move from Stanbrook Abbey, Callow End, it's perhaps timely to re-visit a Memory Lane article I wrote almost two decades ago. more...
New Road (Worcester) and the floods of 1947 when the Severn rose to 17ft 9in above summer levels. more...
A GRANDFATHER will forego the comforts of family life on Christmas day to tackle the highest mountain in Wales to boost Kemp Hospice's building appeal. more...
Judith Robbins with her dog laddie on her doorstep in Hylton Road Worcester. more...
BACK in the 1930s and 40s, Worcester was a positive mecca for amateur boxing, but very few of the well-known local names who then fought in the ring for the pure love it ever took the courageous step of turning professional. more...
Christine and Martin Deakin are rescued from Lax Lane Bewdley, in an inflatable boat. more...
DRINKERS at the Hare and Hounds pub in Shenstone have put down their pints to raise more than £600 for Kemp Hospice. more...
Rob Barton is forced out of his Bewdley home with only a few belongings. more...
TAKING a bow in the Memory Lane spotlight this week is a prime mover on the Worcester entertainment and pop scene for two decades from the Swinging Sixties. more...
An aerial view of Powick roundabout on Wednesday November 1st, where the River Teme flows into the River Severn. more...
FOND memories of the late and eccentric Elsie Wood, for years a familiar figure on the Worcester street scene and nicknamed The White Lady, have been sent me by 77 year-old Miss Jean Turner. more...
HEROES and villains will tread the boards next weekend to pull in the crowds and drum up cash for Kemp Hospice. more...
The scene of devastation in the centre of Worcester. (Picture by News Team International) more...
On foot Worcester commuters in New Road this morning. more...
THIS summer marks the centenary of the start of the so-called Siege of Worcester 1903-4 when the city was cast into total chaos as it prepared for the arrival of its electric trams. more...
REACTION to Kemp Hospice's plan to move to new ready-made premises - at a huge saving - has been universally positive, according to the campaign manager. more...
Police and the Army block off Worcester Bridge after gas problems. more...
A LONG-FORGOTTEN but once prominent and prosperous "City Father" of Worcester in Victorian times is the subject of this week's Memory Lane. more...
A soldier surveys New Road from the top of his vehicle just before Worcester Bridge was closed to pedestrians. more...
THE indomitable spirit of Annie (Nancy) Hancock of Worcester radiates out from the sorrows and hardships of much of her life as recounted in her memoirs, published recently in book form. more...
THE Tree of Light is back to brighten up the lives of patients suffering from cancer and other life-threatening conditions. more...
Patients evacuated from the Castle Street site of Worcester Royal Infirmary. more...
THIS spring marks the 20th anniversary of the revival of the centuries-old Cathedral Watergate Ferry at Worcester. more...
LAST year, I took my first look into the 270-year local history of the Freemasons, and this time it's the turn of another society whose work and worth remains largely a mystery to the general public - the Oddfellows. more...
Patients evacuated from the Castle Street site of Worcester Royal Infirmary. more...
INTERMITTENTLY over a period of a month, I rang a 101-years-old Worcester exile living near Bournemouth in Hampshire, seeking a telephone interview, but Jack Ellis was always "too busy"! more...
A HOSPICE has been given the green light to open an enlarged day centre at a Kidderminster hotel. more...
The Severn View Hotel, Worcester completely cut off by floodwater and the Newport Street car park totally submerged. more...
ONE of the last living links with the Worcester families who, for centuries, earned their livelihoods by netting salmon from the River Severn is about to leave the Faithful City for America. more...
Tony Blair talks to flood-hit residents on Bewdley bridge. more...
IT WAS on a fateful day back at the start of the 1930s that a young Worcester girl took to the air from Pitchcroft to enjoy her first taste of flying. more...
A SNOW-dusted scene of a church is selling like hot cakes as Kemp Hospice's Christmas card - boosting its appeal and earning the artist a bottle of champagne. more...
The Prime Minister in Bewdley town centre. more...
HOMAGE in words and music to the legendary World War One padre and Worcester Vicar "Woodbine Willie" is to be paid at an evening's presentation in St Clement's Church, Worcester on May 17. more...
The main entrance off New Road under at least eight feet of water more...
TALES have been told me by 70 years-old Gerald (Gerry) Wilkes of happy and sometimes mischievous boyhood exploits in Worcester's Powick Lane of the 1930s and early 1940s. more...
A SPECTACULAR seasonal sight has been unveiled to tempt people to dig deep for the Kemp Hospice appeal. more...
Worcester's only amphibious car takes to the road! more...
Lickhill Manor, Stourport, Friday morning. more...
THE death earlier this month of Elgar's godson, Wulstan Atkins at the age of 98, comes poignantly in the year that marks the 50th anniversary of the passing of his father Sir Ivor Atkins, who was a major driving force in the musical life of Worcester through the first half of the 20th century. more...
A STUDENT wheelbarrow push has raked in about £200 for the Kemp Hospice appeal. more...
Friday November 2nd more...
AN extremely rare Roman gold coin, collected by a Worcester woman in Victorian times, is about to enjoy pride of place at Oxford's prestigious Ashmolean Museum. more...
John Prescott in New Street, Upton-upon-Severn, yesterday (Friday). more...
BACK in 1962, an 80 years-old Worcester man took the trouble to write a thumbnail sketch of his life story, but somehow it was discarded after his death and only re-discovered in recent times. more...
A DEDICATED all-rounder introduced to Kemp Hospice through the loss of her husband has seen her fund-raising rewarded. more...
John Prescott meeting the media in Upton-upon-Severn. more...
TALES of a happy boyhood, living at a 400-years-old pub in the heart of Worcester, have been told me by Arthur (Archie) Fidoe. more...
FORGOTTEN now, it may be, but a Worcester building firm of yesteryear left a indelible mark on the face of the Faithful City with an array of imposing and prominent Victorian and Edwardian buildings. more...
A canoeist on the forecourt of the garage in Hylton Road, Worcester. more...
WHENEVER I recall Worcester's Tallow Hill area of the past, Dickensian images and scenes from the film Great Expectations spring readily to mind. more...
AN active eighty-year-old who is showing no signs of slowing down his fund-raising drive has received an early Christmas present. more...
Army vehicles ferry people along New Road as the main river bridge remained closed to traffic more...
AMERICAN GIs were based in Worcester during the Second World War and I've often heard tales of "racial battles" between the servicemen. more...
Steve Yeomans delivering grocery to the trapped residents of New Street Upton-upon-Severn more...
TRAMPS in the Pershore Workhouse appear to have had a lucky escape from death or injury around this time 100 years ago. more...
STAFF and patients at Kemp Hospice toasted their last Christmas at the current premises - with the New Year set to signal a fresh start. more...
The river in flood in the heart of Worcester with the Cathedral towering above the scene. Friday evening November 3rd. more...
THE Memory Lane spotlight falls this week on a county family who were butchers in Worcester and Malvern for more than a century and through four generations. more...
GANGS of young people are continuing to cause trouble by drinking in Priory Park and disturbing residents in Avenue Road and Barnards Green. more...
Landlocked jet skiers took advantage of the record floods to jet around the racecourse yesterday (Sunday). more...
TWO north Worcester families are remembered thanks to a series of old photographs loaned by Kate and Geoffrey Smith, of the historic Old Rectory, Leigh. more...
As the main river bridge in Worcester was closed for only the second time in 50 years, the county was again under threat from the rising rivers. more...
The water logged view from Andy Haugton's garage at his home in Severn Stoke as the swans visit for breakfast! more...
A NEW audio car tour to the countryside around Ledbury and Bromyard is being launched next week. more...
The Territorial Army, 214 Battery Artillery, ferry people along New Road, Worcester after the main city bridge was closed to traffic and pedestrians. more...
A Malvern designer with bags of talent has been short-listed for a prestigious award. more...
Passengers are shipped out by First Midland Red despite the rising levels of water surrounding the flood-torn bus station in The Butts, Worcester. more...
Malvern Scottish Dancing Club is celebrating its 60th year with a haggis supper to mark the life and works of the poet Robbie Burns. more...
Council workers build a raised roadway in Worcester Bus Station to help keep the buses running during the floods. more...
Passengers are angry about changes to one of Malvern's main bus routes, councillors heard this week. more...
THERE are key moments in any town's history and this is one of them - the decisions taken shortly on the future of Malvern Community Hospital will impact on the lives of residents for years to come. more...
The Dolday car park and the River Severn become one in the centre of Worcester. more...
VOLUNTEERS are wanted for the new Acorns Children's Hospice, which is opening in March. more...
Bewdley riverside residents under siege from renewed flooding have had their spirits buoyed by hopes of rates relief. more...
AN engineer from Malvern has described the landing of the Huygens space probe on Titan as one of the highlights of his life. more...
A FISH and chip shop owner who woke yesterday morning to find his restaurant five feet deep in river water for the second time in a month has called for big money to be spent on a "long-term solution" to River Severn defence. more...
A pensioner evacuated to Malvern during the First World War is trying to trace her family history. more...
America auditors from the Worcester Evening News' parent company Gannett in the United States got a taste of British weather as the River Severn broke its banks and lapped at the entrance to the building. more...
Diglis Lane under flood waters. more...
Vigilance, common sense and being a good neighbour are essential in preventing crime. more...
DESPERATE city traders were sending a Christmas message to shoppers today - please come to Worcester, because we're still open. more...
An aerial view of the ring road on the outskirts of Worcester where the River Teme flows into the River Severn. more...
THE music and life of Malvern's most famous composer will be celebrated at the Elgar Festival 2006. more...
FLOODED Worcester as seen from the Cathedral tower. more...
THE headteacher at Dyson Perrins CE High School has announced his decision to leave this summer after 20 years at the school. more...
Flooding misery has dampened the spirits of hundreds of people who were expecting to hold their Christmas parties at Worcestershire County Cricket Club's New Road headquarters. more...
Another view from the Cathedral tower. more...
A military police corporal from Malvern Link has survived an horrific accident in Afghanistan, to the relief of her proud family. more...
Sandbags are deposited in New Street, Upton-upon-Severn as the river continues to rise. more...
The flooded River Severn, on a late sunny afternoon looking downstream, taken from the College Green walkway in Worcester. more...
A LEGEND with the farming community of Worcestershire, whom I featured in Memory Lane last year, has, alas, died recently. more...
Projects tackling drug misuse are being launched in Bromyard. more...
Flood waters submerge New Street in Upton-upon-Severn as the river continues to rise. more...
A security guard checks the ticket barriers in Worcester's Crowngate Shopping Centre car park. more...
WORCESTER'S "MUSIC MAN" John Merrick has now been entertaining and delighting dancers, diners and audiences for 60 years. more...
THE curator of London's Tate Modern has been among those paying tribute to Ledbury's most renowned artist, following his death. more...
The December floods engulf The Plough Inn on Upton-upon-Severn's riverside. more...
Barr and Jane Pritchard, owners of Ostlers restaurant, check the sandbags in Worcester's Severn Terrace. more...
I FELT I had to respond to the latest letter in the Malvern Gazette (January 7) about the grot spot! more...
FLO Weaver is of a rare vintage in more ways than one as a much-valued and popular figure in the Worcester Wine Circle. more...
WARTIME memorabilia is wanted by Leigh and District Royal British Legion for an exhibition forming part of its VE Day and VJ Day celebrations. more...
The Territorial Army ferry members of the public across the river bridge in Upton-upon-Severn. more...
Come hell or HIGH WATER! copies of the Evening news were delivered by tractor as floods swept the city. more...
THE members of the Malvern Churches Justice and Peace Group would like to thank the people of Barnards Green for their support and encouragement at our stall on Saturday. more...
UNCONFIRMED reports via a Boer source claimed Capt Vernon, son of Sir Harry Vernon, from Hanbury Hall, had been killed at Mafeking, in South Africa. more...
The Rice and Ince family tree has been outlined to me through the generations by 81 years-old Harvey Ince of Glenthorne Avenue, Worcester, who describes himself as the "family's historian". more...
A NEW statue commemorating the founders of Morgan cars may take years to come to fruition. more...
Jessica Norman walks her dogs past a pile of sandbags left for collection outside the Memorial Hall in Upton-upon-Severn. more...
I'M puzzled. Why do you think that Seaford Court is the better site for a new hospital when the NHS managers and the leader of Malvern Hills District Council tell us that the former gas works site on Pickersleigh Road is so much better? more...
AT a meeting of Bromsgrove Rural District Council members heard a report by Dr Swete that there had been 23 births this month -- nine boys and 14 girls. more...
THE Malvern Gazette& Ledbury Reporter is backing the Rotary Club's Aquabox Appeal. more...
The Territorial Army ferry members of the public across the river bridge in Upton, which has been closed to traffic. more...
I AM writing to add my voice to the many who have already expressed dismay at the closure of the Great Malvern Club. more...
THE guardians at Bromsgrove's workhouse advertised in the Messenger for a cook. The successful applicant could expect a salary of £20 per year to include board, food and washing -- but not beer. more...
ARCHITECT Henry Gorst has very much left his own distinctive mark on the townscape of the city and county of Worcester over the past 60 years. more...
Great Malvern Club has been offered a place to hold live music events until it can negotiate a lease to stay at its base in Church Street. more...
Kempsey flood victim Marc Crowie surveys the scene in the submerged street outside his home. more...
A caravan site between Bewdley and Bridgnorth submerged by the Severn flood waters. more...
I would like to thank your readers for the support we have had in raising vital funds for the County Air Ambulance throughout 2004. more...
IN 1968, Henry Gorst transferred his practice to the elegant Georgian property at 3 Edgar Street which also became his home. more...
Sir John Harman, chairman of the Environment Agency, hears concerns expressed by Helen Flann who is buying a property in New Street, Upton-upon-Severn which is currently submerged under flood water. more...
An aerial view of Bewdley as the flood waters reached peak levels. more...
DR Colin Starkie has played an incredible role in the medical and social history of Wyre Forest district. more...
Walking down Church Street, my wife and I were asked for directions to Waitrose. The lady informed us she was from Cheltenham, but had come all the way to Malvern to visit the many charity shops which, she added, were so much better in Malvern than the charity shops in her home town. more...
BOURNHEATH was in mourning following the death of the five-year-old son of Mr and Mrs Fox. more...
THIS arresting array of old photographs offers a glimpse of a captivating cavalcade of vintage vehicles from the early years of the 20th Century. more...
A referee has threatened to quit over a charge that he brought the game of football into disrepute. more...
AMBULANCE staff who filled an office with items donated for tsunami victims have at last found a way to transport it to Asia - thanks to a story in the Evening News. more...
Neil Culley carried his friend's dog Girlie who is 18 years-old, blind and deaf, through the floodwater at Upton-upon-Severn. The dog's owner, Peter Emms, follows behind. more...
CAN you imagine being suddenly cut down in your prime and left helpless, unable to talk or walk? more...
I was somewhat surprised to be accused of "emotional blackmail" by Coun Serena Croad (Malvern Gazette, January 14) following the debate regarding the Splash overspend. more...
FOND memories of boyhood days through the 1940s when Worcester's former Vinegar Works was their vast "playground" have been related to me by three local lads, now in their mid-60s. more...
THE public must get fully involved with the consultation process if the new Malvern Hospital is to reflect their needs. more...
OPERATION Baby Box - a scheme to collect clothes for the children affected by the Asian Tsunami Disaster - has made a good start but more can be done. more...
Traffic warden Sharon Webb still reported for duty despite conditions being somewhat challenging. But if these scenes near Brown's Restaurant in Worcester, are anything to go by, she surely must have found herself putting in a shorter working day! more...
THERE are not many people willing or with the necessary qualities to take on the position and responsibilities held by Bewdley's Eric Rowland. more...
I READ with some disbelief your article (Malvern Gazette, January 14) on the recent spate of vandalism in Callow End. more...
THE father of little Fred and Bessie Wall complained to Bromsgrove School Board -- which oversaw the area's schools -- that they had been savagely caned by Mr Jones, headmaster at Rashwood school where they were pupils. more...
Today marks Michael Grundy's 50th year as a journalist in Worcestershire... virtually all of that time spent with the Evening News. We asked him to turn the Memory Lane spotlight on himself... more...
WE want a big enough hospital for a growing town and at Seaford Court - that was the message from residents at the public meeting. more...
Delivering on their promises, the world's richest nations today pledged millions of pounds for a new network that would detect tsunami in the Indian Ocean and alert vulnerable coastal communities to approaching killer waves. more...
A view of the Severn Bridge in the city centre from the cathedral tower. The bridge was once again closed yesterday (Monday) at 3.30pm and remains closed today. more...
IT was a visit to an Ideal Homes Exhibition which led former district nurse Bob Belding to move to Stourport 31 years ago. more...
After reading the Malvern Gazette (January 14), I find an article regarding police patrols being stepped up as a result of vandalism and cats being shot. more...
CECIL Harmsworth, mid-Worcestershire's Liberal candidate in the forthcoming General Election, spoke to supporters at a rally in Aston Fields, Bromsgrove. more...
Mike Ridley has given a formal commitment to providing a new hospital in Malvern but has not said where it will be. more...
Gunfire rang out today near a tsunami refugee camp, reminding Indonesians of a civil war that's been on hold since the tidal wave killed up to 220,000 people last month. more...
BUSINESSES on a Stourport industrial estate were left deluged by up to four and a half feet of water after the floods swept onto the site. more...
A CARNIVAL queen has received a crown. Or so it feels to Angela Pitt of Bewdley who was "surprised and delighted" at a phone call from the Mayoress informing her she had been awarded a civic accolade for her services to the town. more...
POTENTIAL landlords made their way to the sale of the Red Lion Public House, in Alvechurch. Bidding started at £300 and, after some spirited competition, it was sold to Henry Ward for £545. more...
THE RECENT remarkable discovery of a cobbled Roman road and other ancient artefacts on the north side of The Butts, Worcester, has prompted a reader to send in fascinating details of a prestigious garage company that once occupied the site. more...
THE people of Malvern will not be short-changed when the town's new community hospital is built, according to the man heading the project. more...
FLOODED-out resident of Beales Corner Gillian Holland had also engaged Mr Blair's attention on the bridge. She talked to him for well over a minute in full view of TV cameras. more...
THERE can be few retired folk either willing or physically able to enjoy the active and sporting life led by Kidderminster's Maurice Bissell. more...
THE appearance of the photograph (Your Letters, January 14) of Sir Michael Spicer, with myself and others, on the Seaford Court site in 2001, together with comments made recently by Mike Ridley requesting a partner for the project, has prompted me to write this letter. more...
A LOYAL Bromsgrove Rovers fan wrote to the Messenger suggesting townsfolk should show their appreciation of the club's recent success by going to more games. more...
A LONG-FORGOTTEN feature of the Worcester scene, which brought sweet delights to generations of city children in the first half of the 20th Century, is fleetingly remembered today, thanks to reader Beryl Gough of Bilford Avenue. more...
A PAIR of Worcester market traders have raised nearly £1,000 for the tsunami appeal. more...
MEMBERS of Wyre Forest Friends of the Earth have been contemplating flooding in Bewdley and Stourport in the run-up to the sixth world summit meeting on climate change starting in The Hague, Holland, on Monday. more...
ANYONE drawn to a key role in influencing important changes in the way society is organised would envy Isobel Dale's CV. more...
MAY I, on behalf of the League of Friends of Malvern Community Hospital and the many people who have fought to see a new hospital built in Malvern for the last 25 years, urge every reader to attend the last public meeting at the Abbey Hotel next Monday and to make your views known. more...
FREDERICK Rutter, of Bournheath, was charged on a warrant for being in arrears for £1 4s 6d (£1.22.5p) in regard to an order made by the bench calling on him to pay 3s 6d (17.5p) a week towards the support of a child of Amelia Griffin. more...
BACK in the war years and through the 1940s, Ray Dovey was Worcester's equivalent of Mike Yarwood and Rory Bremner. more...
THE YMCA in St John's, Worcester, will host a coffee morning as part of a national fund-raising event for the victims of the Asian tsunami disaster. more...
MISERY and mayhem has returned to Bewdley which is now enduring traffic chaos and flooded homes for the second successive week. more...
THE Greek Government is set to recognise David Walker's service during the Second World War by awarding him a medal. more...
BROMSGROVE Rovers' impressive unbeaten run since October 14 ended when they lost 1-0 to Birmingham Junior League's bottom club, Windsor Street Gas, at the Nechells ground. more...
FOR centuries, Worcester had its own sturdy castle set on an 80ft high man-made hill beside the Severn and close to the Cathedral. more...
ALTHOUGH no longer a rarity on the roads, a motor car still attracted considerable attention. more...
BUILT in 1860 as part of an impressive engineering and construction job, Worcester's railway bridge is now nearly a century-and-a-half old. more...
HOLY Trinity Church, in Hereford, will this weekend host a concert in support of the Tsunami Emergency Appeal. more...
A KIDDERMINSTER man is enjoying every minute of his working life after conjuring up the careers of his dreams. more...
THREE Bromsgrove bakers appeared before town magistrates charged with failing to carry proper scales on their carts while delivering bread. more...
DONKEY rides at the seaside have long been part of the English scene, yet for 150 years, or more, they were also a huge tourist attraction on the Malvern Hills. more...
LIFE took an abrupt right-angle turn for Mike Lewis the day he was told to wear glasses. more...
BROMSGROVE Urban District Council elections broke all records this week -- more residents placed their vote and John Brazier, who headed the list, polled more votes than any other candidate before. more...
ALL the gripping ingredients for a romantic, historical novel were surely packed into my favourite story of the 1,000 I have told so far in Memory Lane over the past 19-and-a-half years. more...
DEDICATED is the word that springs to mind when someone tells you they have devoted 20 years to a particular cause as a volunteer. more...
BEN Juggins, Walter Perrins and Alfred Hall, three lads from Aston Fields, found themselves in front of Bromsgrove magistrates charged with annoying residents of Factory Road by playing football with a paper ball. more...
A POPULAR Worcester personality, known simply and affectionately to many as "Major Tom," has regaled me for hours with stories from his extremely eventful and colourful life. more...
BINDIANA Jones, Mad Mac, John McBride or just Mac - whatever the name, there is a good chance anyone connected with Wyre Forest has heard of "Kidderminster's famous globe-trotting binman" as he has been described in dozens - possibly hundreds - of newspaper articles. more...
WHAT we know today as Worcester's Angel Place has undergone a series of dramatic transformations over the centuries. more...
UPTON Town Council has set its precept for 2005/6 at £88,746 - a 5.4 per cent rise. more...
BETTY Bridgewater is well known in Bewdley for her commitment to the public good. What she is not yet well known for, though she fully intends to be very soon, is her new mission to support women suffering from breast cancer. more...
THE Easter holidays were marred by gale force winds which never let up from Good Friday through to Tuesday. Even the oldest Bromsgrove residents could not recall such a "boisterous Easter", the Messenger said. It seriously disrupted outdoor activities such as cycling and football and many people preferred to stay by their firesides. more...
THIS year has marked the 75th anniversary of the sad demise of Worcester's trams and the arrival of motor buses as the Faithful City's new mode of public transport. more...
A PARISH quiz takes place at Hanley Swan Village Hall on Friday, January 28, at 7.30pm. Entry is £10 per team of four. Proceeds go to the churches of St Mary's and St Gabriel's. Call 01684 311748. more...
BEWDLEY people have something to celebrate this year, though perhaps not all are aware Bewdley has a special reason for marking the centenary of the death of social reformer and art critic John Ruskin. more...
ABEL and Leo Jelfs, from Catshill, appeared before Bromsgrove magistrates charged with assaulting their other brother, Heber. The three were involved in a brawl on Heber's Horse Course allotment in the village after a disagreement over the land. The bench dismissed the case against Leo but fined Abel 1s (5p) with 10s 6d (52.5p) costs. more...
A TALK on the flora and fauna of Worcestershire takes place at the Memorial Hall on Thursday (January 27), at 7.30pm. It will be given to members of Upton Garden Club by Richard and Lesley Betts. For details, call 01684 593821. more...
IT'S a long way from Kimberley to Kidderminster, but bridging huge gaps is all in a day's work for Wyre Forest's very own bagpipe-playing church minister. more...
A YOUNG pauper living at Bromsgrove Workhouse, said to be a bad boy and incorrigible, had been given nine strokes of the birch rod for breaking windows and stealing. more...
FOR many years, Droitwich boasted a remarkable and popular pub known widely as The Crooked House. more...
AN afternoon of music will take place at the Memorial Hall, when Upton Arts Music Group hosts The Art of Song and Piano at 3pm on Sunday (January 23). Mezzo Hilary Wilkinson, pianists Margaret Dixon and David Jones and soprano Emma Gough will perform a selection of music. Tickets are £4 members, £4.50 non-members on 01684 593465. more...
FOR somebody who "doesn't particularly like running" Bewdley's Ted Dalton has a remarkable set of achievements to recollect from his athletics career. more...
A RECENT farm fire at Bournheath, near Bromsgrove, where firemen had experienced serious problems obtaining water with a hand operated pump, led to renewed calls for steam equipment to be purchased. more...
THIS group of photographs, taken exactly 50 years ago, offer a little of nostalgia to older citizens, who remember the days when Worcester's late lamented Public Hall was still a popular and welcoming venue for dances and other entertainments. more...
CONSULTANTS will carry out a survey into the need for traffic-calming measures in Upton. It has been commissioned by Malvern Hills Highways Partnership and will be carried out over the next few weeks. This follows a meeting between highway partnership manager Mike Davis and the town council on Friday (January 14). more...
FIFTY students who worked hard through the winter learning French and shorthand were put to the test during end of term exams. more...
UPTON people came to the rescue when the front window of Gifted was smashed in the early hours of last Saturday. Owners Bill and Margaret Dovey received a call at about 1am but were told that Rob Walker, from nearby Pepperpot Print, and a neighbour would guard the shop until the couple arrived from their Worcester home. Mrs Dovey said: "It was so good of them to do that. It shows there are still lots of nice people in Upton." The damage is expected to cost hundreds of pounds. more...
THERE are two seats which loom large in my memory so far as Acorns is concerned, and I could take you to both of them now. more...
TONY Ray's cheerful personality is in keeping with his "thoroughly enjoyable" former life as an independent baker and his just as rewarding new life in retirement. more...
THE half-yearly Court Leet and Court Baron of Lord Windsor was held at the Town Hall. more...
PUPILS at Upton CE Primary are holding a non-uniform day, sponsored bead threading, tea party and karaoke for the tsunami appeal. more...
EVERY year, 25 children who could have benefited from Acorns die across the three counties. more...
THE parents of Pt William Dyers, who lived in Stourbridge Road, Bromsgrove, learned this week of his death from dysentery while serving with the 2nd Worcesters fighting the Boers in Bloemfontein. more...
A TABLE-top sale for local charities takes place at the Memorial Hall on Saturday, January 29, from 10am noon. more...
SIX other Worcestershire runners will also be pounding the streets of London for the charity. more...
ANYONE who has experience of dealing with youngsters of today would know the wide range of skills needed to be a youth worker. more...
HE sudden death of William Llewellyn, from Elmshurst, a Bromsgrove worthy in the true sense, saddened many townsfolk. more...
PARENTS of pupils at Hanley Swan Primary School will take part in a sponsored rowing event to buy outdoor play equipment. more...
IF there is more prestige to be had in the school playground than bragging you have a dad who plays for Kidderminster Harriers, perhaps it is a dad who is a paramedic. more...
100 years ago more...
ONE fund-raiser is Kevin Garford, head chef at Worcester Rugby Club. more...
SINCE becoming the first full-time marketing manager at the Severn Valley Railway in Bewdley, John Leach is simply `chuffed' to bits with the progress being made. more...
CHARLES Gibbs, aged 31, a baker by profession, appeared in the dock at the Worcester Quarter Sessions charged with stealing various items, including clothing, from his employer, Charles Taplid, of Upton Warren. more...
A SALE will be the first in a series of events to raise funds for Upton Youth Band. more...
WORCESTER MP Mike Foster handed over his prize car to a new owner - with the proceeds going to two local charities. more...
GAZING out of the window of Emma House's office at County Museum, Hartlebury, provides a serene experience which is a far cry from the hustle and bustle of city life - but the talented designer would not have it any other way. more...
FAMILY and friends have gathered to celebrate the life of former Upton butcher Walter Hartley. more...
IT was Willie Sayce's dying wish that his land be donated to help life-limited children and their families. more...
THE image of "old chalky", of Dennis the Menace fame, may be long outdated. more...
ALL Saints' Church, in Bromsgrove, took space in the Messenger to advertise its forthcoming garden fete at the vicarage. Included in a packed programme would be a parade of decorated cycles, a gymkhana, maypole dancing and a washing competition. Admission was 6d (2.5p) and 2d (1p) to park bicycles. more...
A PUBLIC party could be held on Upton's newly-rebuilt viaduct when it is officially opened. more...
THE idea for an Acorns Children's Hospice Trust came to fruition in 1988 when the first unit was opened by Princess Diana in the Birmingham suburb of Selly Oak. more...
FOR someone who only joined his first Scout group because he was persuaded to by his father, Kidderminster's Ted Ebury has gone on to record a remarkable list of achievements. more...
A PECULIAR accident happened in Sidemoor, Bromsgrove. Mr Waldron, of Catshill, was driving in Broad Street when the seat of his cart tilted back and Mrs Giles and Mrs Horton, who were riding with him, were thrown to the ground. Dr Rowland was sent for and it was found both women had severe bruising. more...
THE chances are you will never have heard of Adrian Pengelly yet this softly spoken man with a ponytail and healing hands is something else. more...
EDWIN Docker, north Worcestershire coroner, held an inquest at the Turk's Head pub, in Worcester Road, Bromsgrove, into the death of Edward Wallis, of Peter's Finger. The nailer died the previous week in unusual circumstances. His wife, Ann, said the 48-year-old was in good health but addicted to drink. She found him lying dead on his bedroom floor. A doctor said there was no definite fracture to his skull, but a clot of blood was pressed on the brain. Both his liver and kidneys had stopped working from alcohol abuse. The jury returned a verdict of death from excessive indulgence in alcohol. more...
Ann Wheeldon meets two families for whom Acorns has meant so much - coping as they face the stresses life has bought them. more...
A MAN who has handled all the strange things life has had to throw at him with steely aplomb was hoping for good luck as he looked to the future and "reflected" upon his past. more...
100 years ago more...
THE Evening News is celebrating the launch of Acorns Children's Hospice Trust's Three Counties Appeal by committing the newspaper to supporting every fund-raising effort - and pledging to raise a significant sum itself. more...
JANE Hatton can be expected to cope well in the Three Peaks Challenge team she joins for charity this month. more...
WITH the soft fruit season now in full swing, the courts would be kept busy during the next few weeks dealing with what Bromsgrove's police chief, Supt Jeffreys, called "fruit picking nuisances" -- travelling casual workers. more...
A SEASONED fund-raiser is set to take on the challenge of Peru's Inca Trail to clock up cash for Acorns. more...
CONSIDERING the effort Stourport's Avis Field puts into her work as a volunteer worker at Kemp Hospice, it is small wonder she has any time left to enjoy the whole array of hobbies she has. more...
CHARLES Tandy was hauled before Bromsgrove Petty Sessions charged with being drunk in charge of a pony and trap in Stoke Heath. more...
THE dream of an Acorns Children's Hospice in Worcester has taken another step nearer to reality after the first month of fund-raising. more...
TWO Droitwich soldiers, who had been invalided home from the war in South Africa, took part in a procession at Droitwich horticultural show held in Brine Baths Park, courtesy of John Corbett. more...
SUPPORTERS who packed into the Roe Buck pub, in High Street, for Bromsgrove Rovers' annual meeting heard the club was £45 in the red. more...
CONSCIENTIOUS objector Frederick Cullupp, a signalman from Stoke Works, successfully applied to Droitwich magistrates for his daughter to be exempted from compulsory vaccination. more...
WILLIAM Newport, a pauper at Droitwich Workhouse, was given 21 days' jail and hard labour by Spa magistrates who found him guilty of punching Mr Loader, the master, in the face. more...
AIR pollution, congestion, road safety and bus services will be the subjects of a meeting about the Local Transport Plan where Droitwich people can give their views. more...
THE swarm of bees which had gathered inside the large lamp in front of the Bell Inn, in Bromsgrove, on Wednesday was still there on Friday. more...
JAPANESE-style raw fish is one of the mouthwatering dishes being cooked up at a Droitwich school in preparation for a national competition. more...
AT a meeting of Bromsgrove Rural District Council, the chairman, the Rev C Stockdale, mentioned an outbreak of scarlet fever at Stoke Pound where the inspector said four people were removed to the Infectious Hospital without notification being sent to him from the doctor. more...
THE owner of a listed Worcester house is urging people to take heed of his story after he was forced to change the windows of his home twice - which cost him thousands of pounds. more...
A TRAMP who refused to perform his allotted tasks at Bromsgrove Workhouse seriously -- and assaulted the labour master -- paid a heavy price. Wm Barnes appeared in the dock at Bromsgrove Petty Sessions charged with neglecting to work, wilfully and maliciously breaking a lock and a pane of glass and assaulting the labour master, Charles Edmunds. more...
WATER bills across Worcestershire will rocket by 15 per cent this year - three quarters of the total increase householders were expecting over the next five years. more...
THE sitting Member of Parliament for East Worcestershire was returned to the House of Commons after standing unopposed. more...
THE TV pranksters subjected to a withering attack by mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff have retaliated today - by saying they could not care less what he thinks. more...
NEWS that Pt B Twigg of the Worcestershire Yeomanry had been seriously injured fighting the Boers had got back to his family in Bromsgrove. more...
A NOVEL performance was set to take place at Bromsgrove's Drill Hall. A military drama, entitled For the Colours, would feature 14 Zulu chiefs and warriors brought over especially to England to appear in the main scene -- The Defence of Rorke's Drift. more...
THE wraps are about to come off one of the most impressive new office frontages in Worcester. more...
WYCHBOLD'S recently opened telegraph office was doing good business. In the three weeks since it opened some 100 messages had passed through. This was good news for Dodderhill Parish Council which had guaranteed to underwrite any loss. more...
A SECOND chance to have a say in the future of Kempsey is being offered this weekend. more...
AFTER supporting the club as a teenager, Steve Thomas has just landed his dream job - as Kidderminster Harriers' new media development manager. more...
BROMSGROVE Urban District Council called a public meeting of ratepayers at the Drill Hall to consider the authority's plan to buy Llewellin's site to base the New Market and to consider the alternatives. A good turnout was expected. more...
GOOD leadership and management, good teaching and an enriched curriculum have led to good achievements by pupils at a Droitwich school. more...
SKINNY schoolboy John Wyatt didn't need sand kicked in his face to undergo a Charles Atlas type transformation. more...
THE Vicar of Bromsgrove said the conditions working men lived in were an obstacle to religion. more...
A MAN who moved to Upton-upon-Severn to retire 25 years ago has just received an award for his long and dedicated service to the Upton branch of the Royal British Legion. more...
FANS of Kidderminster Harriers are still bubbling over with happy memories from last season and waiting with breathless anticipation for the new one starting in a week's time. more...
A SIDEMOOR man was charged twice with drunkenness on consecutive days, after 47 previous court appearances for the same crime. more...
GOVERNMENT plans to crack down on separated parents who ignore child contact orders have been welcomed by a Worcester organisation aimed at helping families. more...
BRIAN Daniels seems to have all the essential ingredients of a purpose-built Rotary Club leader. more...
A MOBILE phone mast put up without permission could stay for a year if the firm responsible decides to appeal against an order to take it down. more...
ERIC Kent is a man on a mission with his work for children's charity ChildLine. more...
A CURIOUS accident happened in Droitwich Spa on Monday night when a herd of cattle belonging to Mr Wall was being driven along High Street. more...
PUPILS at Bishop Perowne High School got the chance to quiz Worcester MP Michael Foster about their "crumbling" classroom block yesterday. more...
WHEN Wyre Forest Community Housing took over 6,000 council houses at the end of March the move represented a sea change for Chris Lewis. more...
PLAYING a game of pitch and toss for money at the back of Market Street landed two men, James Giles, of Stourbridge Street, and Fred Stanton, from Church Street, in the dock at Bromsgrove Police Court. more...
PLANS to turn a beautiful private wood into a burial ground could be scuppered by fears the buried corpses would affect the trees. more...
A WOMAN with a natural talent for organisation has pledged to bring a Wyre Forest advice service up to date for the 21st century. more...
THE name Housman, already distinguished in various forms of literature, had appeared again on a new volume by another member of the talented family. more...
THE Government has rejected calls to ban off-road vehicles from Worcestershire's ancient rights of way. more...
TWO happenings in the life of Carole Swingler have made the last few weeks a time of celebration. more...
A TEENAGER was found "severely impaled" on a metal spike today. more...
THE urban sprawl of Nick Hughes's native Birmingham held relatively little appeal when he was looking for somewhere to settle down and carve out a career. more...
THE post office in Bromsgrove was urging residents to post early for Christmas and, in any event, as early on December 24 as possible to ensure local delivery on Christmas Day. more...
AN outbreak of mumps has struck in Worcestershire - hitting students and teenagers the worst. more...
IF the traditional image of a painter's life is of isolation in a garret with only an easel for company, it does not fit with Colin Simmonds, of Kidderminster. more...
AUTUMN is a busy time for Pat Simmonds. It is the season for grant applications and preparing for Christmas at Age Concern's Tulip Tree Centre in Castle Road, Kidderminster. more...
KIDDERMINSTER Harriers fan John Bulmer attends all the club's games - home and away - but does not see much of the action on the pitch. more...
KIDDERMINSTER Ladies' Circle's "gregarious" chairman is on a mission - to tell the world: "We are absolutely NOT a knitting group!" more...
FROM the highlands to the islands many a proud Scot will celebrate St Andrew's Day next week. more...
TERRY Smith may be quick with a wisecrack but he's also been rapid in taking advantage of the new commerical opportunities open to Kidderminster Harriers in the Football League. more...
GETTING on with what life throws at you is a philosophy that has served Sheila Salmon well during challenging times. more...
A NEW face will be saying `allo, allo, allo' to the media and public after taking up a community relations role at Kidderminster Police Station. more...
YOU would be hard pressed to find anyone more contented in their job than Kemp Hospice's Ali Taylor. more...
RON Price prides himself in his achievements at the Sunday football club he set up and runs - but there's more to the busy 70-year-old than that. more...
FOR Eric Davies, there was only one solution to the problem of finding good fish for dinner. Become a fishmonger! more...
January 6, 1978 more...
January 2, 1953 more...
January 3, 1903 more...
January 6, 1978 more...
January 9, 1953. more...
January 10, 1903 more...
January 13, 1978 more...
January 16, 1953 more...
January 17, 1903 more...
January 20, 1978 more...
January 23, 1953 more...
January 24, 1903 more...
January 27, 1978 more...
January 30, 1953 more...
January 31, 1903 more...
February 3, 1978 more...
February 6, 1953 more...
February 7, 1903 more...
WILLIAM Starfield, a tramp, appeared at Bromsgrove police court charged with refusing to break his allotted 13 hundredweight of stone in return for a night's board and lodging at the town's workhouse. His excuse was that he was too cold and hungry, the amount of food he had been given he said was not enough to "keep a spider alive." Magistrates were told tramps were given a hammock and two blankets and that the ward was heated to the regulation 56 degrees F. He had also been given the customary ration of eight ounces of bread for his supper. He was sentenced to 14-days' hard labour at Worcester Jail. more...
February 10, 1978 more...
DR Alan Nunn May, 41, a former lecturer and member of a Barnt Green family, who had been sentenced to ten years' jail in 1946 for communicating information about atomic research was released from Wakefield prison very early on Monday. He did however, manage to dodge the 30 or so pressmen waiting by the gate. more...
February 13, 1953 more...
THE sales were in full swing with many shops in Bromsgrove taking large adverts in the Messenger. John Justin in High Street had men's suits on offer at £17.99 and shirts for just £2.59. Avalon three-piece suites at £244 were selling well at Baylis furnishers also in High Street. Among the many holiday ads Universal Travel had Laker air trips to New York for £89. more...
February 14, 1903 more...
PERSISTENT drunks appearing before magistrates in Bromsgrove and Droitwich would pay higher fines in line with new national licensing laws aimed at trying to cut drinking. However, many believed it went against the fundamental right of the individual contained in Magna Carta that a man should be allowed to regulate his own thirst. The Messenger observed that drink-related problems in Bromsgrove were fewer in 1903 than ten or 20 years earlier. more...
February 17, 1978 more...
A PLEA by the authorities in Droitwich that the Spa should get its own full-time ambulance fell on deaf ears. It was said it was not necessary as there had only been 11 accidents in the past six months and 18 emergencies requiring an ambulance. Presently one was sent from Worcester and took 15 minutes to arrive. more...
February 20, 1953 more...
AN eminent local GP, Dr Michael Drury from Church Hill, Belbroughton, was awarded the OBE in the New Year's honours list. Considered to be one of Britain's leading academics he was also a senior tutor at Birmingham university. more...
February 21, 1903 more...
A TOTAL of 32 cases of scarlet fever, in Bromsgrove during December and the first two weeks of this month, had been notified to the town's medical officer Dr Kidd. He suspected that in the case of children, the epidemic was being made worse by parents "concealing" their children and allowing them to mix with others during the peeling stage. more...
February 24, 1978 more...
SOME 65 veteran members of Bromsgrove Labour Club sat down to their annual supper. Most of them had supported the club since its formation in 1927. A capital meal had been prepared by Mrs Dyer, Mrs H Webley, wife of the secretary, and Mrs Troth the stewardess. more...
February 27, 1953 more...
PUPILS in Bromsgrove were taking packed lunches because of the small portions dished out by schools, the town's Trades Council claimed after receiving complaints from parents. Presently one in four youngsters were in receipt of free meals. more...
February 28, 1903 more...
THE first of four men only Sunday afternoon services was held at St John's Church in Bromsgrove. A fairly large congregation turned up to hear the vicar give his sermon on the subject "Workingmen and the Church." The aim was to encourage more men to attend services. Coincidentally, a letter signed by someone calling themselves "a well wisher of the poor" appeared in the Messenger suggesting that special simple "plain language" services be held at St John especially for the poorer classes. more...
March 3, 1978 more...
THE £1,500 out of the rates Bromsgrove Urban District Council had set aside to pay for the forthcoming coronation festivities looked woefully inadequate. It would not stretch to pay for fireworks and floodlights and decent souvenirs for adults and children alike. At the last coronation in 1953, the council had initially earmarked £500, but later had been forced to dip into its coffers for another £250. more...
March 6, 1953 more...
GOVERNORS at North Bromsgrove High School were to make representations to the county council for £29,000 to refurbish the school's swimming pool which had fallen into disrepair. more...
March 7, 1903 more...
BROMSGROVE and Stoke Prior were thrown into a high state of excitement when inmates at Stoke Reformatory rebelled and escaped. The Messenger said: "If the emergency had not been met promptly and determinedly the outcome might have been serious, but the active measures which were taken to restore order were successful, and soon the rebellion fizzled out." more...
March 10, 1978 more...
VICAR of Cofton Hackett, Rev H.R. Chaffer, made a plea to Bromsgrovians not to overlook the spiritual significance of the coronation amid all the festivities. He said: "I feel we must stress that the essence of the coronation is not all the parties, or even the pomp and circumstance. It is primarily a religious function." more...
March 13, 1953 more...
SKATEBOARD crazy youngsters were warned that they were likely to be disappointed because Bromsgrove would most probably be the last town in the West Midlands to get its own skateboard ramp. A request by the Recreation committee to build a skateboard ramp in Sander's Park was turned down. more...
March 14, 1903 more...
A COMPLAINT was made at Bromsgrove Rural District Council about the manner in which swine fever regulations were administered. It was stated that it was of great inconvenience to farmers that no one had been at Redditch police station to sign the removal orders, last week. more...
March 17, 1978 more...
FINANCES had so improved at Bromsgrove Parish Church that the vicar had to `blink and look twice' at them. The Rev FG Shepherd said he was grateful for the help and kindness - in the form of gifts and co-operation. more...
March 20, 1953 more...
MOTORISTS were warned against panic buying of petrol in the light of a possible tanker driver's strike. One garage proprietor commented: "A complete disregard of this timely warning simply means a drying up of supplies much sooner than expected." more...
March 21, 1903 more...
BROMSGROVE Nail Forgers Ltd held their 14th annual general meeting. The chairman expressed his pleasure at the favourable state of the balance sheet. He remarked the provident fund had also been most useful, in the case of the death of a member a £4 grant was made to relatives. more...
THIS old picture is believed to be Amelia Mary Chantler, a woman who lived in Redditch in the late 1800s. more...
A FURTHER extension of Bromsgrove District Council's housing estates in the Rock Hill area was suggested at the General Purposes Committee. The surveyor was preparing a report on the possibilities of further houses being built at Millfields and Fox Lane. more...
March 24, 1978 more...
LICKY End Methodists had a big disappointment when they heard that plans to build a new church and hall had been turned down by planners. more...
March 27, 1953 more...
WILLIAM Sparkes, a saltmaker from Union Lane, appeared before Droitwich magistrates on a "nuisance" charge." He had committed the offence while hopelessly drunk at Stoke Works Railway Station. Stationmaster George Barker told the court that several people had complained about his conduct. He was fined 10/- (50p) with 7/6 (37.5p) costs. more...
March 21, 1903 more...
A YOUNG police constable stationed at Bromsgrove, Victor Jones, 23, died when his motorcycle skidded on ice at Spring Pools as he returned home to Rubery after a spell on night duty in the town. His body was found next to his machine by an early morning motorist. more...
March 31, 1978 more...
HOOLIGANS and vandals were making life a misery for scores of people in Rubery especially the elderly who were afraid to venture out after dark. Gang warfare between pupils at schools in the area was also a cause of concern for local people. A lack of amenities was one reason put forward for the problem. more...
April 3, 1953 more...
AN inquest was held at Powick Lunatic Asylum into the sad death of 49-year-old inmate George Spicer, from Droitwich Spa. George died from haemorrhaging caused by a four-and-a-half inch long beef rib bone having been lodged in his gullet for a week. Staff, who were cleared of any blame by the coroner, said he had not complained of being in pain. more...
April 4, 1903 more...
TWO members of Bromsgrove Women's Voluntary Service, Mrs Butcher, of the Old Forge, Park Gat, and Mrs Graves, from Marlborough Avenue, have joined a national "flying squad" of volunteers to help with the East Anglian flood disaster. The two women had helped serve some 100,000 meals to the stricken victims. more...
April 7, 1978 more...
TUESDAY'S rain falling on already freezing footpaths and roads in the Bromsgrove district quickly turned them into skating rinks. Long queues of patients nursing a variety of broken bones and sprains caused by the slippery surfaces built up at hospital casualty units. The cold snap was also responsible for a 92-year-old woman being taken to hospital who was suffering from hypothermia. more...
April 10, 1953 more...
HENRY Smith, of no fixed abode, was brought up at Bromsgrove Police Court charged with assaulting William Simpson, a lamplighter, at Rock Hill, while he was doing his rounds. The bench heard a fight ensued after Simpson refused to give Smith a copper with which to buy tobacco. Simpson was slightly injured and his pole was damaged. Magistrates took a dim view of Smith's behaviour and sent him to Worcester Jail for 14 days' hard labour. more...
April 11, 1903 more...
BROMSGROVE firemen had answered 28 calls so far throughout March, nearly half of them during the past week. Chimney fires accounted for most but the men had also been kept busy dealing with grass fires caused by the recent very dry spell. more...
April 21, 1978 more...
A FULL military funeral was to be held in Bromsgrove for young town soldier Lance Corporal David Jones, 23, who, with a colleague, had been shot while on patrol in County Londonderry. He had planned to marry this week. more...
WYRE Forest walkers put their best feet forward to raise cash for Acorns. more...
April 24, 1953 more...
THE horse road running through Stoke Works, the middle of which formed the boundary between Bromsgrove and Droitwich, was in a terrible state of repair. And the path in front of Sagebury Terrace, which was the responsibility of the Salt Union, was no better. But before they would consider adopting it, the council was to insist that large boulders be spaced at intervals along the path's edge to stop vehicle mounting it. more...
MORE than £300 has been donated to Acorns Children's Hospice Trust from the Portman Building Society. more...
April 25, 1903 more...
GIL Merrick, the Birmingham City and England goalkeeper, had agreed to present two monster solid chocolate Easter eggs to young cripple patients at the Forelands Hospital in Bromsgrove. They were gifts of Dudley Rotary Club. more...
STAFF from a Worcestershire garden centre have bagged more than £1,000 for Acorns Children's Hospice Trust. more...
April 28, 1978 more...
BROMSGROVE Rugby Club was back home after a successful Easter tour to Apeldoorn in Holland where they had won two games. more...
WILLIAM Parkes, aged 46, said to be an "old offender" appeared at the Quarter Sessions in Worcester charged with stealing a potato fork valued at 2/6 (12.5p) - the property of William Walters, of North Bromsgrove. It was his seventh conviction - a fact that helped the jury find him guilty and a sentence of nine months' hard labour. more...
THE prospect of a children's hospice for Worcester is £90,000 closer thanks to generous fund-raisers flocking to support Acorns events. more...
THE weather, which up until Easter had been good for several weeks, turned unkind for the holiday with sleet, hail and a tempest over the two-daybreak. more...
A TWO-week charity art exhibition has revealed a huge demand for a permanent display, the organiser has said. more...
A 6.3 ACRE piece of land adjoining Denmark House in Kidderminster Road, Bromsgrove, was sold by auction for the astonishing sum of £55,000 or around £8,600 per acre. It had outline planning permission for four detached houses. more...
ACORNS has found its coffers £1,000 better off thanks to a brass band concert arranged by the Rotary Club of Worcester Severn. more...
FARMERS at Frankley applied to Bromsgrove Rural District Council for permission to deposit heaps of manure at the roadside contrary to local by-laws. It was said they caused a nuisance and damaged the highway. But councillors, many of whom were themselves farmers, were sympathetic and thought it a good idea. more...
GOLFERS throughout Worcester got into the swing of things for a charity match to raise cash for Acorns. more...
FREDERICK Hibbins, from Victoria Road, who had been headmaster at Bromsgrove High School from 1906 to 1940, left £2,466 in his will published this week. more...
A LOTTERY game using scratchcards, which was organised by Vernon's Pools in conjunction with Bromsgrove District Council, was officially launched by top TV star Norman Vaughan. The cards were priced at 25p each and prizes ranged from 50p to £1,000. The profits, which were estimated to be £100,000 annually, would be used to pay for sports and other amenities in the town. more...
Albert Rutter, of Madeley Heath, was involved in a shocking accident in Belbroughton. He was in charge of a horse and a lorry loaded with turnips near the Holly Bush inn on Hollies Hill, when the horse shied and bolted. Rutter jumped but was kicked badly by the horse. His jaw was fractured in three places and he was in a critical condition. more...
A TEENAGE entrepreneur hopes to raise thousands of pounds for the Acorns Children's Hospice as he starts the first of a series of car boot sales. more...
AT a women's institute meeting in Cofton Hackett, Mrs Yardley gave a talk on a cycling holiday to France. She said the food was wonderful, the scenery spectacular and they had much fun trying to make the French people understand what they said. more...
A ten-year-old collie dog called Dusty got into a spot of bother when he got wedged 10ft down behind a 14ft wall in his garden. Bromsgrove firefighters were called and intrepid fireman Dave Craig climbed down and pulled Dusty out. Looking a little dustier than before, the collie was pulled out two hours later to be reunited with his grateful owners John and Janet Cave, of Warren Lane, Rednal. more...
A WORCESTERSHIRE Model Laundry was to open for business at Blackmore Mill in Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove. The firm took out a large advert in the Messenger to emphasise the fact that the premise was fortunate to be supplied by soft spring water, ideal for washing woollens. It also boasted being hygienic and having sound drains and having two acres of drying grounds. The town's medical officer, Dr Cameron Kidd, added a footnote saying he had inspected the premises and found them to be satisfactory in all respects. more...
May 1, 1953 more...
THE Rev Glenmore Jenkins, the congregational minister in Rubery, was standing as an independent in the forthcoming local council elections. At his first meeting in St Chad's Hall, just 30 people turned up and agreed among themselves, as befitted a man of the cloth, not to heckle him or ask difficult questions. more...
May 2, 1903 more...
AROUND 1,000 Scouts and their leaders from the Bromsgrove area, together with a number of Girl Guides, marched through the town on Sunday for their annual St George's Day service. more...
May 5, 1978 more...
SPEEDY Robert Helsall and Sam Wilkes appeared before magistrates at Kings Heath charged with "scorching," that is riding their cycles at excessive speeds. Superintendent Chare was on duty on horseback near Rubery when he saw the pair riding furiously at speeds of not less than 18 or 20mph. He gave chase but the cyclists outstripped him. Eventually he caught up with them at the New Rose and Crown. They were fined 5s (25p) plus costs. more...
HARNESS racers from all over the country flocked to an event staged to raise cash for Acorns Children's Hospice Trust. more...
May 8, 1953 more...
BROMSGROVE magistrates fined a woman cyclist from Penn, Wolverhampton, 15/- (75p) for not dismounting at a halt sign at the junction of Twatling Road and Fiery Hill Road, Barnt Green. more...
GENEROUS fund-raisers have swelled the Acorns appeal to build a new Worcester children's hospice to nearly £1m in just four months. more...
May 9, 1903 more...
VILLAGERS in Belbroughton defied the rain to welcome in the new month of May with a range of activities, including maypole dancing on the village green. Jennifer Yates was crowned May Queen. more...
THE Acorns shop is a cornerstone of the charity's fund-raising appeal. more...
May 12, 1978 more...
THE annual medical report for Droitwich Town prepared by medical officer Dr Roden revealed that last year there had been 102 births, but for the second year running there had not been any child born to unmarried mothers. There had been only 62 deaths, pneumonia, bronchitis and alcohol related diseases being the chief causes. more...
A TOP fashion expert has won more than £7,000 for Acorns Children's Hospice Trust on a TV gameshow. more...
May 15, 1953 more...
THE Messenger itself made news this week when its new press broke down as the paper was about to be printed. Managers faced the prospect of it not being published for the first time in its 93-year history when the Birmingham Post and Mail stepped in to offer use of its press. Lambe's hauliers from Charford were summoned at 3am to transport the heavy printing "forms" to Birmingham while compositors at the Post worked overtime to make the necessary changes to enable the print run of 17,000 copies to go ahead. more...
A WORCESTER manufacturing company raised £500 for Acorns Children's Hospice Trust when it staged a fun-day. more...
THE outbreak of mumps that has hit Worcestershire's students and teenagers has been blamed on the fact that, when these youngster were children, the MMR jab was not available. more...
May 16, 1903 more...
THE octagonal 19th century counting house in Bromsgrove Cattle Market was to be moved in one piece to Avoncroft Museum of Buildings in Stoke Heath where it would be used as a ticket office. The town centre site had to be sold off to make way for a supermarket. The building dating from 1853 had been used by auctioneers for settling accounts with farmers. more...
A PLOUGH-A-THON staged to raise cash for Acorns Children's Hospice Trust has reaped £2,500 for the charity. more...
May 19, 1978 more...
LONG awaited improvements to Birmingham Road from the new asylum gates at Barnsley Hall to the Plough Inn at the Whetty in Rubery were announced. The sides would be edged in stone and channelled to take away storm water at a cost of £300. The Messenger observed the road could no longer be deemed rural as houses were beginning to spring up along its length. more...
May 22, 1953 more...
FINAL preparations were in hand for next month's Coronation festivities. Decorations were being erected in Bromsgrove, for which traders had chipped in £300 towards the cost, and in Rubery. A 16mm cine film was to be made of Bromsgrove's Coronation carnival procession. more...
TREKKERS across the Malvern Hills have raised money for Acorns Children's Hospice. more...
May 23, 1903 more...
THE recent resurgence of interest in Bromsgrove's ancient Court Leet was demonstrated at its annual spring court when a record five new jurymen were sworn in. It prompted senior member and past Bailiff Mr W Weaver to remark he had never known so many. The current Bailiff Ray Neale welcomed the court's new Chaplain, St John's vicar the Rev Peter Larkin. more...
A DETERMINED Kempsey woman has pledged to trek across China to raise money for Acorns Children's Hospice Trust. more...
May 29, 1953 more...
FRANCIS Knight of Stoke Prior was charged a £2 fine for not keeping his two dangerous dogs under control after one of his dogs bit a nine-year-old boy. more...
May 29, 1953 more...
BROMSGROVE'S Coronation beacon was in the process of being built at Breakback with the assistance of Wilfred Dunn of East Lodge Farm and the Evergreen Rover Crew. In recognition of their hard work in preparing and guarding the beacon the Rovers drew lots for lighting it at 10.30pm on Coronation night. more...
A SLIMMER shed pounds and raised cash for Acorns Children's Hospice Trust. more...
May 30, 1903 more...
A `SIMPLE meal' was staged in All Saints Church Hall in Burcot Lane and proceeds were donated to Christian Aid. Many families gave up their traditional Sunday lunch for a small portion of bread and cheese. more...
A PAIR of graduates have completed an assignment of a different class, after challenging themselves to walk for charity. more...
NEARLY 100 years ago, these were the young footballers of the Marsden Road Swifts, based in Smallwood. more...
Members of the New Inn Friendly Society held their anniversary on Whit Monday with the Blackheath Brass Band leading the procession. They paraded through Bournheath and Catshill after enjoying a successful year with the addition of 11 new members. more...
June 2, 1978 more...
Charles Crump, of Stourbridge Road, Bromsgrove, claimed £27 7s and 6d (£27.37) in damages after an articulated lorry, which was laden with six tons of tubular steel, mounted the footpath and crashed into a low garden wall. The driver was held by the judge to be guilty of negligence. more...
A VISUALLY-impaired canoeist and his friend have raised almost £400 for Acorns Children's Hospice Trust. more...
June 5, 1953 more...
HE road repairs to the M5 continued to bring misery to the residents of Bromsgrove and the surrounding areas. A West Mercia Police spokesman claimed that there had been more "shunt" accidents since the repair work began. Frustrated and fatigued drivers were also using the A38 as a bypass creating even more traffic in the town. more...
FUND-raising for a new children's hospice has hit the £1.75m mark thanks to generous donations from people throughout Worcestershire and Herefordshire. more...
June 6, 1903 more...
THE Rev Alan Dickenson, aged 41, son of the Rev Canon Dickenson vicar of Tardebigge, near Bromsgrove, died while on honeymoon in the West Country. He had married Miss E Dickenson at the end of April. Bearers at his funeral at Tardebigge were drawn from the church choir. more...
A CARING schoolboy covered a box in acorns for his great-grandparents' diamond wedding anniversary and used it to collect £300 for a Worcester charity from party guests. more...
FESTIVITIES to mark the Coronation continued in many villages around Bromsgrove and Droitwich. Teas accompanied by fancy dress competitions and races for adults and children appeared to be the most popular form of celebration. One of the main attractions, at a big party organised by residents at Norton and All Saint's Road in Bromsgrove, was the ladies' ankle competition. It was won by Mrs Biddle, who welcomed the prize of a pair of nylon stockings. more...
AN evening of sequence and modern dance is being held at Christopher Whitehead High School in aid of Acorns Children's Hospice Trust. more...
June 9, 1978 more...
A Stoke Heath man was awarded the CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list for his public service to health. The proud town resident, who first became involved when he was appointed secretary of the League of Friends of Bromsgrove Hospitals in 1952, celebrated his new title in Bermuda. more...
A PILOT clothes bank scheme based at a Droitwich garden centre has been hailed a success after raising thousands of pounds for a Worcester charity, so far. more...
June 10, 1953 more...
A KIND-HEARTED schoolgirl has raised funds for a new Worcester hospice after learning that it was specifically for youngsters. more...
June 13, 1903 more...
A KIND-HEARTED schoolgirl has raised funds for a new Worcester hospice after learning that it was specifically for youngsters. more...
June 20, 1903 more...
WORCESTER youngsters have been drumming up money for charity after packing as many items as possible into a small box of Smarties. more...
June 19, 1953 more...
BBC Hereford & Worcester presenters joined models from a city college to sashay down the catwalk and raise cash for Acorns Children's Hospice appeal. more...
June 16, 1978 more...
A NATIONAL re-enactment group is to stage a huge event in Worcester to raise cash for Acorns Children's Hospice Trust. more...
June 23, 1978 more...
VOLUNTEERS are being urged to step forward and offer their services to a new children's charity shop set to open in Malvern. more...
June 26, 1953 more...
WI members braved torrential downpours to raise more than £1,000 for Acorns. more...
June 27, 1903 more...
STAFF at a children's charity are urging the public to come forward and help boost its appeal to the £2m mark before Christmas. more...
June 30, 1978 more...
A WORCESTER family met a top TV star to help promote the work of Acorns Children's Hospice Trust. more...
July 3, 1953 more...
WORDS cannot describe the beauty that is the lost city of the Incas. High in the Andes, miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Machu Picchu lies deserted of its inhabitants. more...
July 4, 1903 more...
A SERIOUS catastrophe was narrowly averted at Mr James Evans' grocer shop at Aston Fields on Sunday. Customer, Mrs George Dyer, was walking down the path used by hundreds of people at the rear of the premises, when it suddenly gave way revealing an unused well. Fortunately she had not stepped on the centre or otherwise she would surely have plunged into the water beneath. more...
THE parents of a Worcestershire toddler who died from a rare brain tumour have spoken out about the crucial role Acorns Children's Hospice played in their lives. more...
July 11, 1903 more...
THE death occurred of the renowned artist Archibald Davies, whose stained glass windows graced churches and cathedrals the world over. He died, aged 75, at his home in Marlborough Avenue. He was working on a window for a cathedral in Halifax, Nova Scotia, when he died. more...
GIRL Guiding units across Worcestershire have rallied together to raise nearly £25,000 for the Acorns Children's Hospice Trust. more...
July 8, 1953 more...
DESPITE the cold, blustery weather, a fete at Parkside school, which was organised by the Friends of Bromsgrove Hospitals, raised a record £600. The cash was welcome as demand from hospitals in the town was as great as ever. Recently the Friends had bought a special eye camera for the General Hospital. more...
DAVID Beckham fans throughout Worcestershire are being given the chance to sleep on a pillow signed by the England star as part of a nationwide draw to raise cash for a new city children's hospice. more...
July 7, 1978 more...
A verdict of accidental death was returned following a fatal cycling accident in Rubery. Harry Brook, aged 30, suffered a severe fractured skull and lacerations to the brain after falling off his bike on his return journey to Birmingham. Brook, having swerved in front of his companion's bike, was thrown over the handle bars, which left him unconscious and he died the following day. A post mortem revealed he died as a result of an injury to his brain. more...
THE Acorns charity found the festive spirit was alive and kicking when it receiving a gift of 35 Christmas trees. more...
July 18, 1903 more...
Five new beacons were installed in Bromsgrove and three in Rubery to enhance road safety across the district. But some town residents were concerned that the beacons, with their 100w lamps, blinking 24 hours a day, would be a waste of current. But Bromsgrove Urban District Council decided it would give drivers advance warning of the oncoming pedestrian crossing and be "a step closer towards greater road safety." more...
MARK Duckworth, son of Worcester Rugby Club benefactor Cecil, celebrated his birthday by presenting Acorns charity with a cheque for £950. more...
July 17, 1953 more...
TOWN residents were warned that unemployment was on the increase from a Bromsgrove manager. Sheila O'Gormon claimed that unemployment figures were on the increase and more people would soon be out of work. She put this partly down to the high level of redundancies being made at the town's biggest employer, Garringtons Limted in Aston Fields. Figures revealed 311 men and 142 women were unemployed in the town compared to 301 and 147 in the month before. more...
ORGANISERS of the Acorns Children's Hospice Three Counties Appeal are celebrating the best fund-raising month they have had so far. more...
July 14, 1978 more...
HAROLD Laugher, aged 12, from Staple Hill, Bromsgrove, appeared at the town's police court charged with being in possession of two larks, contrary to the Wild Birds' Protection Act. His mother told the court he was not aware he had broken the law. Magistrates let him off, but made him pay 2/6 (12.1/2p) costs. more...
July 25, 1903 more...
BROMSGROVE Rovers, who had a disastrous season on the pitch, made a loss of £29 despite putting up entrance charges and being given £250 by the supporters' club. Manager Jimmy Duggan was now concentrating on building up his squad for the forthcoming season. So far 27 players had signed, 14 of them were professionals. more...
July 24, 1953 more...
LABOUR'S Education Secretary Shirley Williams paid an informal visit to Lickey End First and Middle Schools where she saw some of the work being done by pupils. more...
23 July, 1978 more...
THE high cost of equipping a young female inmate at Bromsgrove workhouse in readiness for her transfer to live in a home for epileptics was raised by the institution's governing Guardians. Mr Brazier considered £5/7/0 (£5.35p) too dear. He complained spending 2/6 (12.5p) on such luxuries as a sponge when they could be bought for 1/- (5p) and a brush at 3d (1p) was "extravagance." The matron was ordered to watch such expenditure in future, especially the cost of sponges. more...
August 1, 1903 more...
THE Stoke Prior brush works of L G Harris celebrated its silver jubilee with a gala and sports day held on the Hanbury Road playing field. The company's managing director Leslie Harris crowned Mrs Joan Walters as Miss Brushworks. Jean Barratt and Brenda Taylor were her attendants. All of them had been chosen by popular vote among employees. more...
July 31, 1953 more...
THE former vicar of St Godwald's, Finstall in Bromsgrove, the Rev Leslie Dicker, died while on holiday in Australia. He was 64. He had been at Finstall from 1955 until his retirement three years ago. more...
July 28, 1978 more...
A VALUABLE horse was found straying in the town by a constable on duty in Bromsgrove who placed it temporarily in a field off College Road. The animal subsequently escaped and was later found dead in a yard near the railway station, belonging to Mr Evans, a butcher. The horse, which appeared to have died a natural death, belonged to William Halfpenny, a market gardener from Bewell Head. more...
August 8, 1903 more...
NEWS that a new secondary grammar school to accommodate 646 pupils was to be built in Bromsgrove came as quite a surprise. It would be built on land between Alcester Road and Burcot Lane. Other new schools in the pipeline were planned for Lickey and Charford. The town's first secondary school had opened at the Institute in 1905 with room for 105 students. In 1912 a secondary school was built in the old park off Stourbridge Road, which in 1937 was revamped and enlarged to take 400 pupils. more...
August 7, 1953 more...
"MANIACS and louts" were ruining the game of rugby with the authorities doing little to stamp out the bad behaviour of some players. The strong words came from Bromsgrove Rugby Club secretary Paul Rabey in a speech at the annual meeting. He went on to say Bromsgrove had no such players, their's were "gentlemen." Last season the club made a £650 profit. more...
August 4, 1978 more...
HENRY Duffill, a shoemaker from Perry Cottage, Bromsgrove, appeared at the Police Court on a bigamy charge. Magistrates heard how he had returned from the South African war and married his cousin Lizzie while still married to the former Emma Goddard, of Wychbold. Magistrates committed him to the next Assizes at Worcester. more...
August 15, 1903. more...
CLOSE on 200,000 gallons of water a day was overflowing from the new 600ft-deep 30-inch borehole which had been sunk at Wildmoor by the East Worcestershire Waterworks Company. It would be capped when work was complete. Together with another, also at Wildmoor, they would supply Barnt Green and Rubery with the surplus being piped to Bromsgrove and Droitwich. more...
August 14, 1953. more...
CARL Osborne, aged eight, was hailed a hero when he carried his brother Andrew, two, from their burning home in Woodrow Close, Catshill, while their parents were away. The cause of the blaze remained a mystery. more...
August 11, 1978 more...
YOU can always trust a spat to get politics back into the headlines. With the dreadful scenes from the Asian tsunami dominating people's minds over the New Year, the David Blunkett affair and all its ramifications had faded into the distance. more...
The town was in holiday mood and Bromsgrove Cycle Sports was to be the premier vacation fixture in the district. A programme had been arranged which would be hard to beat for variety and fun, according to the Messenger. Three challenge cups were to be competed for, and the prizes together amounted to £200. more...
APPARENT euphoria among the Worcester sporting public for the City FC's proposed move from St George's Lane to a new purpose-built football stadium is not shared, at least for one, by Mrs Mary Saunders. more...
August 18, 1978 more...
Children at Watt Close Modern School were to get lessons in printing with the recent installation of a printing machine. The machine cost £120, a substantial portion of which was donated by the parent-teacher association. more...
Memory Lane this week looks at the life of Benjamin Bray, a Worcester builder who was one time licensee of the Crown & Anchor pub in Hylton Road and long-term steward of the city's Conservative Club. more...
A POLICEMAN'S lot is clearly not a happy one when he is assigned to the role of Coroner's Officer and has to deal solely with death, as in the case of the late Joe Freeman at Worcester. more...
August 21, 1953 more...
Bromsgrove District Council's crackdown on rent defaulters was paying off. Over the last year the council had warned tenants about the prospect of having their goods impounded by the bailiffs and the result was a £3,000 drop in arrears. more...
MY recent feature on Christmases past in Worcester during the Second World War evoked much nostalgia for Beryl Gough, who for many years, has been well-known locally as a dancer and choreographer. more...
August 22, 1903 more...
JAMES Stride, of Hanbury, had a lucky escape from death while in charge of a wagon laden with sand. Another man was drawing the wagon with three horses and Stride got off the wagon while it was in motion. He stumbled and fell, and one of the wheels passed over his chest. The other man brought the horses to a standstill just in time to prevent the second wheel going over him. Mr Stride was conveyed to hospital with a broken collarbone and some bruising. more...
FONDLY remembered this week are a popular Shambles character of yesteryear and a once-familiar landmark building in the heart of Worcester. more...
August 29, 1903 more...
MORE than 1,000 people took the opportunity to visit the beautiful gardens of Church House, Belbroughton, for the annual fete in aid of the Holy Trinity Church. The gathering achieved its usual success and a total of £484 was raised. more...
FLEETINGLY back in the spotlight is a Worcester family firm which ran a thriving hop and seed merchants business from three landmark city buildings through much of the 20th Century. more...
August 28, 1953 more...
HOME economist Mrs J M Stubbs gave members of Sidemoor WI some interesting decorative summer recipes at their July meeting. Mrs Bridgewater gave a report on the county `At Home' attended by several members and a competition for making three cakes from one mixture was won by Mrs K Hughes. more...
TO me, and I am sure others, one of the most impressive buildings in the Worcester suburbs is the large scale, Georgian-style block occupied by Kays in Northwick Avenue, Barbourne. more...
August 25, 1978 more...
THE Worcestershire Poultry Farm, based at Tardebigge near Bromsgrove, was fast gaining an international reputation for producing quality birds. Some prize White Leghorns had recently been exported to Ireland and 27 had been dispatched to Cape Colony, while others had gone to Natal and Lisbon. more...
LIFE at Lowesmoor, Worcester, of the 1920s and 30s is vividly remembered by the surviving members of the Tunstall family. more...
September 5, 1903 more...
WYCHBOLD'S new post war housing estate, a mix of private and council houses, was officially opened by Archdeacon Wilson - chairman of Droitwich Rural District Council. De Wyche Park had been built on a 13-acre site alongside Chequers Lane. Tenants were having to fork out the not inconsiderable sum of 33/6 (£.167.5p) a week to rent some of the properties. more...
September 6, 1953 more...
THE sudden death of councillor James Beckenn, who had been chairman of Bromsgrove District Council for less that three months, shocked townsfolk. Cllr Beckenn, who was aged 58, lived in Hagley. more...
September 1, 1978 more...
A FOURTEEN-year-old Albert Collins, of Catshill, who was in the employment of Mr Rutter, a farmer at Bournheath, had an accident with a chaff-cutter. Some men were engaged in cutting chaff in the barn at Hill Farm when Collins accidentally put his hand in the cogs of the machine. His hand was crushed and his fingers very much lacerated. The boy was rushed to Bromsgrove Cottage Hospital, where he was reported to be doing well and it was hoped his hand could be saved. more...
September 8, 1978 more...
The National Trust issued a statement regarding the extensive repairs which are being undertaken at Hanbury Hall, which was acquired by the trust under the will of the late Sir George Vernon. It said that the repairs needed were so great and costly it was necessary that the National Trust take over the building. Lady Vernon, who was to live in the hall for the rest of her life, agreed to the plan. Messrs J and A Brazier, of Bromsgrove, were carrying out the repair work. more...
September 11, 1953 more...
IT was reported that a traffic-free High Street for Bromsgrove shoppers was no longer a dream, and could soon be a reality. It was hoped the western inner relief road would be completed by next spring and soon after the pedestrianised shopping area from Stratford Road to New Road would be completed. The chairman of the planning committee, Mrs Margaret Taylor, said: "This was something we looked forward to in the future. But this has suddenly come upon us and we must all be very conscious that this is a great step forward." more...
September 12, 1903 more...
GEORGE Stanton, aged 43, a nailor and labourer from Bromsgrove, would rue the day he trespassed on to Mr Thomas Key's land at the Foxwalks to steal 14 pounds of mushrooms worth 7/- (35p). Magistrates at the town's police court fined him 10/- (50p) plus 5/6 (27.5p) costs with no time to pay. Stanton, who earned little more per week that the 15/6 total, opted instead for 14 days' hard labour at Worcester Jail. more...
September 19, 1903 more...
THE free summer dances in Bromsgrove's Market Hall were proving very popular, some 50 couples taking the floor on Saturday. Bromsgrove Town Band provided the music. more...
September 18, 1953 more...
FEARS that the new £10m district hospital to serve Bromsgrove and Droitwich may be shelved because of a lack of cash appeared to be unfounded. The health authority confirmed it was still the county's number one priority to replace the outdated and inefficient general hospital in Bromsgrove. more...
September 15, 1978 more...
ON Monday, January 24, at 7.45pm, St James's Church, West Malvern will host a Malvern-wide interdenominational service as part of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. more...
THE foundation stone was laid at the new £250,000 County Lunatic Asylum now under construction at Barnsley Hall estate in Bromsgrove. The bad weather forced the ceremony, carried out by the Lord Lieutenant of the county, the Earl of Coventry, to be performed in a marquee, which was decorated with exotic palms. Among the large gathering were representatives of many leading Worcestershire families. more...
September 26, 1903 more...
ALTHOUGH the venue had to be changed for the Christmas lunch for Staunton & District Over- 60s Club, it was a great success and most members agreed it was a very happy and relaxed atmosphere in the lounge at Johnstone Close, with the music of Jolly Roger. more...
BROMSGROVE beauty Rita Blackham, who came from Lydiate Ash, married racing driver John Clark, at All Saints' Church in the town. Rita was a past winner of the Dance Hall Dream Girl contest and last year had been third in the Miss Great Britain competition. more...
September 25, 1953 more...
REDMARLEY had been beautifully decorated by Redmarley Playgroup when Redmarley Women's Fellowship held their evening of carols. A warm welcome was given by Muriel Houldey to the programme of local talent, and everyone was invited to join in the carols, which were accompanied at the piano by Anne Solesbury. more...
WITH the prospect of an October General Election on the cards, Bromsgrove's three candidates were busy drawing up battle lines. Sitting Tory MP Hal Miller would be opposed by Anne Davis. Her husband Terry had defeated Miller in 1974. Mervyn Morgan was the Liberals' choice. It was only the third time since 1964 they had fielded a candidate. more...
September 22, 1978 more...
MEMBERS of 1st Powick Brownies are going to the Malvern Theatres tonight (Friday) to see The Snow Queen. Please meet at Powick Parish Hall at 6pm to share transport. The performance starts at 7pm and ends at 9.15pm. Please wear uniform! more...
AN inquest into the death of labourer William Fisher, aged 55, from Green Lane, Catshill, found he had died accidentally after he fell 40 feet from scaffolding while hod carrying at the new vicarage under construction in Lickey Square. more...
A FAMILY firm of butchers, one of the best-known in Worcestershire, is celebrating its centenary this year. more...
October 3, 1903 more...
Congratulations are certainly in order to the pupils and staff at Pendock CE School for their sterling efforts last Friday morning, when they hosted a coffee morning/lunch in the new school hall to raise money for the tsunami disaster fund. more...
A £600 DRAINAGE scheme in Littleheath Lane, Lickey End, had to be temporarily shelved when it was discovered a privately-owned watercress bed behind houses would be affected and the owner refused to give up his rights to the free water. more...
THE title of one of the arresting pen pictures of Worcester past - so eloquently painted in words by the late Betty Fulcher - is Jemima and Charlie more...
October 2, 1953 more...
THE Revellers' casino evening last Saturday was a great success with 60 people attending. A sum in excess of £300 was raised for the Save the Children Tsunami Appeal. more...
THE £500,000 LOWES Court Community Centre in Elm Grove, Norton, Bromsgrove, was officially opened. The complex had accommodation for 119 residents and included some bungalows. more...
FINALLY, and sadly, to be disbanded next month are a group of volunteers who, for the past 67 years, have brought refreshment to hundreds of thousands of patients, out-patients and visitors to the historic Worcester Royal Infirmary at Castle Street. more...
September 29, 1978. more...
A Quiz night will be held in Cradley Royal British Legion tomorrow (Saturday). The evening, which will include a quiz and raffle, will start at 8.30pm and is open to all ages and interests. Tickets cost £5 for a team of four and proceeds will go to Cradley Playgroup. more...
HARVESTING in the fields in and around Bromsgrove and Droitwich was still in full swing but the task was being made difficult by the crops having been flattened by bad weather and the abnormally low temperature. In the markets apples were currently fetching 7/6 (37.5p) to 14/- (70p) per hundredweight, blackberries 3/- (15p) to 4/- (20p) per 12 pounds and potatoes 50/- (£2.50) to 60/- (£3) per ton. more...
WITH Worcester Royal Infirmary in its final days, I reproduce three photographs here of the historic hospital exactly a century ago. more...
THE next meeting of the parish council will take place on Wednesday, January 26 at 7.30pm in the village hall. more...
... and it cost just £1,575 more...
October 10, 1903 more...
SUNDAY, January 23 at St Gregory's, holy communion is at 11.15am when Malvern College chamber choir will join the congregation. Everyone welcome. There will be lunch following the service. more...
THE tenancies of the first nine homes on the new De Wyche Park estate off Chequers Lane, Wychbold, at a rent of £1/11/3 (£1.56) per week were allocated. Part of the estate would be used for private building. more...
FORTY people gathering for a cheery re-union to-night will readily testify that Worcester's Happy Land very much lived up to its name in their "wonderful" childhood days of the 1930s and early 1940s. more...
October 9, 1953 more...
A SCHEME to pedestrianise Bromsgrove High Street got a mixed reception from traders. Many said they preferred a one-way traffic system through the town with free short-term kerbside parking. more...
A RECENT Memory Lane photograph of Worcester from the 1920s brought a very interesting call from a local man whose forebears, it turns out, were butchers in The Shambles for at least a century. more...
October 6, 1978 more...
A FAMILY disco in aid of the Asian Tsunami Appeal takes place tonight (Friday) at Callow End Village Hall from 7pm-10pm. There will be a licensed bar plus soft drinks and crisps. Entry is £2.50 per person. more...
THE "bathing season" was in full swing in Droitwich. Most of the Spa's premier hotels were bursting at the seams with titled guests from all over Britain who had journeyed to Droitwich to take the waters. more...
MEMORY Lane pays belated homage to quite an accomplished Worcester amateur artist of yesteryear. more...
October 17, 1903 more...
AT last Thursday's open meeting for all parishioners, John Edgar, of Cradley, gave an excellent presentation showing how his village produced their parish plan and encouraged the whole community to get involved in preparing the plan for Bosbury. more...
THIS year's Battle of Britain parade in Bromsgrove was larger and more impressive than ever before, despite some organisations being under represented. The parade marched through the town to the parish church for a special service. more...
NOSTALGIA and sadness are naturally felt by the 337 members of the Worcester Royal Infirmary Nurses' League at the closure of the historic hospital at Castle Street. more...
October 16, 1953 more...
Tickets are now virtually sold out for the scratch concert in aid of the earthquake/tsunami disaster fund tomorrow (Saturday). If you are lucky enough to have purchased one, don't forget proceedings begin at 6pm with a varied programme to entertain you. Join in the fun and help raise money for this worthy cause. more...
THE massive Fine Fare department-type store under construction on the old cattle market site in Bromsgrove would find jobs for 240 local people. However, it remained something of a mystery. District councillors had been given details in a glossy brochure but few others knew what was planned. The Messenger had acquired one and had discovered that it was proposed that less than a quarter of the floor space would be given over to provisions. The remainder would be used for the sale of clothes and household items. more...
TUCKED away behind the scenes off Worcester's Angel Street is a small-scale mock version of the auditorium of the city's former historic Theatre Royal. more...
October 13, 1978 more...
A VERDICT of accidental death was returned at the inquest into the death of eight-year-old Ernest Hewlett. The youngster was in a fatal accident while transporting coal between Dunhampstead and Galton Arms in Himbleton. Ernest's father said he was in charge of the wagon, which was being drawn by three horses with his son Henry, 16 and the deceased accompanying him. He told the coroner he had looked back at his sons to see Ernest lying in the road. There was no evidence he had fallen underneath the wheel of the wagon but he had a large bruise on his head. more...
October 20, 1978 more...
`I HAVE no excuse' was the reason stated by Arthur Hobbis, of Gibb Lane, Catshill, when he was hauled before the bench for cycling at night without his lights on. Temporary sergeant Griffen in Meadow Lane, Catshill, caught the 30-year-old man on his bike in Meadow Lane, Catshill, on September 7 at 11.10pm. He was ordered to pay £1. more...
THIS summer marks the 150th anniversary of the opening of the railway line between Stourbridge and Evesham, which extended the train network to Droitwich, Pershore and Fladbury. more...
October 23, 1953 more...
BROMSGROVE police were puzzling over the identity of an elderly man killed in a road accident on the A38, just 500 yards from Lydiate Ash. They believed the man to have come over to England from Northern Ireland 25 years ago. They were planning to fly friends or relatives over from the Emerald Isle to help identify the man's body. more...
OCCASIONALLY, I have glanced at an impressive tomb in a fairly isolated position within Worcester Cathedral, but only recently have I been aware of the noble personage whose remains lie below it. more...
October 24, 1903 more...
A SERIOUS accident happened in Droitwich when a Miss Perks, from Oakland Cottage, and her companion Mrs Jones, who was in the Spa to take the waters, were flung from the carriage they were travelling in when a trace broke and the pony bolted. Fortunately a medic at the brine baths saw the accident and bound Mrs Jones' broken ankle. Her doctor was summoned from Birmingham but advised against amputating her foot as her condition was too frail. more...
THIS summer marks the 70th anniversary of the opening of the Bromwich Road Mission - the lasting legacy of a member of the famous Cadbury chocolate-making family who lived in Worcester and was a significant local benefactor. more...
IDO hope everyone had as good a Christmas holiday as I did - seeing many family members. more...
October 27, 1978 more...
A FIVE-BAY Dutch barn and several ricks of unthreashed wheat totalling 60 tons was destroyed in a fire at Mr John Hodgetts' Farley Farm at Romsley. Joseph Low, chief engineer, at the nearby sanatorium, led a team of volunteers who tackled the blaze. more...
WORCESTER High Street was closed to traffic and lined by silent crowds on the day of the funeral of Richard Cadbury in 1935. more...
SEVENTY-five not out and progressing confidently towards a century - that's the Worcester Nomads Cricket Club. more...
IT has been an interesting week. I took part in the debate on the Opposition Day Motion on Foundation Hospitals. more...
October 30, 1953 more...
BROMSGROVE was lagging behind other county towns in its roads maintenance programme. The town was at present being plagued by an exceptional crop of weeds, which were growing luxuriantly between kerbs and gutters. It was said the reason was the mild winter when little salt had been used on the highways and which was followed by the wet summer. more...
REMARKABLY, a country pub near the village of Ombersley, has now been owned and run by the same family for more than 150 years. more...
October 31, 1903 more...
THE LONDON Daily news was now available in Bromsgrove from 7.40am each day. The paper's proud boast was that it contained no betting or Turf news and carried no advertisements for alcohol. more...
ANOTHER tale of a miraculous escape from death in the Meco bombing has been told me in the wake of my recent feature on that fateful day - October 3, 1940. more...
November 7, 1903 more...
MEMORY Lane pays homage this week to the teams of volunteer women who, down the past 62 years, have run an invaluable service for the needy in Worcester. more...
The main news of the week is the devastating annual audit letter from the district auditor to the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust. more...
November 6, 1953 more...
Jim has memories of Elgar: more...
November 3, 1978 more...
THE weekend "party nights" atmosphere and sing-alongs at the Cock Inn, Tybridge Street, during the 1950s are fondly remembered by Muriel and Arthur Cotterill of Kingsbury Road, Worcester. more...
On Monday morning a journey to Worcester took me 55 minutes because of the extensive road works on the A449. more...
November 14, 1903 more...
November 13, 1953 more...
GASCOYNE House, the historic riverside warehouse apartments block at South Quay, is now Worcester's only prominent reminder of a once flourishing city family business. more...
I WAS pleased to have an adjournment debate last Monday on the subject of Worcestershire's NHS hospitals. more...
November 10, 1978 more...
FONDLY remembered is a well-known Worcester High Street shop which was frequently an eye-catching feature of the city centre scene through the first half of the 20th Century. more...
November 21, 1903 more...
A PAST Bishop of Worcester suffered one of the most horrific of deaths in being burnt at the stake. more...
FIRST this week a word of warning! If you receive incapacity benefit you require 50 weekly credits per year. more...
November 20, 1953 more...
It's believed Freemasonry had its roots even earlier, in local associations formed by master craftsmen in the art of stone masonry, together with other local "worthies." more...
I've been learning all about the hard-working dynasty from Mrs Betty Brown (maiden name, Worthington) who, with husband Derek, was the last in the family line to trade in Lowesmoor. more...
AS I could not return to London as usual on Monday evening I was at the mercy of the railways to get me to London on Tuesday in time for Mr Blair's statement on Iraq. more...
November 17, 1978 more...
FOND recollections of Lowesmoor in the 1920s and 30s and of her courtship and marriage are highlighted in the hand-written memoirs of Kathleen Worthington, who died two years ago at the age of 86. more...
November 28, 1903 more...
WORCESTER'S nationally-renowned College for the Blind is celebrating its centenary on its present site. more...
November 27, 1953 more...
COLOURFUL times half-a-century ago amid the former closely-knit riverside community of houses, shops, pubs, lodging houses, scrapyards and warehouses of Worcester's Quay Street area are fondly remembered by Robert Wardell. more...
IT is hard to have to say that something people very reasonably want and which I support is, in fact, impossible to achieve under existing circumstances. more...
November 24, 1978 more...
WHEN I joined the staff of the Evening News as a boy, 48 years ago, the group advertising manager of Berrow's Newspapers was a charming chap named Harold Gibbons. more...
December 1, 1978 more...
STEAMY nights in Paris were experienced in the summer of 1880 by Worcester's most famous son, Edward Elgar, and his future brother-in-law, Charles Pipe. more...
DEEP concerns about the Middle East remain. As readers will know, I was among the 199 MPs who voted that the case for war was not yet made. more...
December 4, 1953 more...
December 5, 1903 more...
A WIDE circle of friends and neighbours have, this weekend, been helping Worcester "born and bred" Ernest Smith celebrate his 90th birthday. more...
VERY sadly, by the time you read this the first bomb may have been dropped on Iraq. more...
December 12, 1903 more...
GEOFF Budd is something of a legend with the farming community of Worcestershire. more...
YOUNGSTERS' lips will be sealed at a Malvern school next week - as it holds a sponsored silence in aid of the tsunami appeal. more...
December 11, 1953 more...
THERE was certainly something fishy going on at Upton-upon-Severn in the 1600s and 1700s as far as Worcester people were concerned. more...
A CUSTOMER threatened to petrol-bomb a restaurant after a row over takeaway meals, Worcester Crown Court heard. more...
ALTHOUGH we all feel deep sadness for the loss of life and injuries among servicemen and civilians in Iraq and we hope and pray for a rapid resolution to the conflict, life here at home has to go on. more...
December 8, 1978 more...
I AM often asked how Worcester's Bull Ring got its name but the answer is, alas, very unsavoury. more...
A RECORD number of people are in work following a huge increase of almost 100,000 in the UK's employment total. more...
ANOTHER significant milestone in the history of the Three Choirs, the world's oldest choral music festival, is reached this evening with the special Centenary performance at Worcester of Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius. more...
SPORTING fanatics from across Wychavon district have scooped a host of awards. more...
SEVERAL people have written to me about the problem of high hedges. more...
WE tend to blame global warming for the extremes of weather Britain and Europe has seen this August, yet a quick trip through the bound archives of Berrow's Journal suggests that these spectacular climatic conditions are nothing new for the eighth month of the year. more...
FOUR Worcestershire councils yesterday agreed to work more closely together to deliver value for money services. more...
THE glaringly obvious can often be missed as, in my case, with the late realisation that Worcestershire villages with "castle" in their names, once actually had ... castles! more...
AN evening minibus service from rural villages to Malvern and Worcester was well used in its first month for late-night Christmas shopping. more...
THANK goodness, many will say, that a ludicrous and much-published idea of the redevelopment-crazed 1960s never came to fruition at Worcester! more...
A MOTORIST was taken to hospital with minor injuries after three cars collided in Worcester. more...
LAST week I met Graham Smith, the acting chief executive of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust. more...
THE year this atmospheric view of Tallow Hill, Worcester, was captured on camera is, I'm afraid, not recorded, though the photograph appears to me to have been taken sometime between the First and Second World Wars. more...
ONE of Ledbury's most fascinating sons, the Surrealist painter Conroy Maddox, has died at the age of 92. more...
A WELL-known Worcester cycle dealer was in court this week a century ago for speeding in his automobile. He was alleged to have been travelling at more than 12 miles an hour! more...
HAYFEVER and asthma sufferers in Worcester may be able to manage their condition better thanks to a new weather information service thought to be the first of its kind in the UK. more...
I AM pleased that the Shuttle/Times & News has set up an opinion survey about a local cinema. more...
1802: On Tuesday, a violent storm of rain fell on the Parish of Abberley, attended by thunder and lightning. A beautiful old oak, containing three tons of timber and gracing the ground of Mrs Blayny, was shattered by a lightning strike in a most dramatic manner. A bomb or large quantity of gunpowder lodged in the tree and fired could not have had such a devastating impact. more...
A MOBILE phone mast nearly 100ft high could be installed in Worcester. more...
BY the time this report appears in print the debate on the controversial NHS Foundation Trusts will have taken place and we will know if the Labour Party whips have stifled a potential revolt among their backbenchers. more...
FOR more that a century, a local family firm has been delivering the news every day to the people of Worcester's Westside. more...
AN EMINENT yet controversial Archbishop of York in the turbulent 16th Century stands out prominently in the long and complex lineage of the present Lord Sandys of Ombersley Court. more...
WORRIES about our children's education are coming before us as the Wyre Forest Schools Review draws closer. more...
A BIRD'S eye view of the heart of Worcester exactly half a century ago - recently spotted by me in our archives - offers a telling insight into the dramatic and sweeping changes seen in the cityscape over the past 50 years. more...
TODAY marks the 80th anniversary of the official opening of the War Memorial Hall at Fernhill Heath. more...
TWO local problems have arisen and both are potentially serious for many of us. more...
The Mayor of Worcester, Councillor David Clark, greets King Charles II on the steps of the Guildhall as the first contingent of The Sealed Knot arrived in the city in preparation for the 350th anniversary re-enactment of the Battle of Worcester at Lower Wick next week. more...
December 19, 1903 more...
A CONCISE and extremely useful booklet guide to the churches and chapels of Worcester is now available at only around 50p. more...
WORCESTER was thrown back 350 years when the Battle for Fort Royal Hill was re-enacted at the weekend. more...
December 18, 1953 more...
IT was with deep personal sadness I learnt on return from holiday of the death of my friend Bill Gwilliam, at the age of 90. more...
Smoke hangs heavy over the battlefield. more...
December 15, 1978 more...
SEVERAL times on our many meetings, I asked Bill Gwilliam which of all the tales he had researched in his lifetime was his favourite, and his answer was always the same. more...
It has been a good fortnight. First came the news about the proposed developments at the Lucy Baldwin Hospital. Instead of being sold off for housing as was expected, it is proposed to be retained for the elderly mentally ill. more...
A Sealed Knot member silhouetted against a September sky. more...
SOMEBODY recently asked me a very pertinent question about Worcester's past but, alas, I didn't know the answer. more...
Modern day transportation! more...
IT would be fascinating to discover if Kenneth Mears, who at the age of four was rescued from drowning in the canal at Worcester in 1938, is still alive, and where he can be found. more...
AT a meeting with councillors representing our northern wards we agreed to organise a public meeting to raise awareness of the threat posed to our quality of life in the whole of Wyre Forest by the proposed expansion of Wolverhampton Business Airport. more...
Youngsters take refreshment before battle commences. more...
Families make their way to the battle field. more...
ALBERT the Albatross is celebrating his 100th birthday as a conspicuous feature of the Worcester Museum display in Foregate Street. more...
LAST weekend was enjoyable starting with a visit to the fete at St Barnabas School, Kidderminster. more...
The Battle commences. more...
A SERIES of fascinating photographs I have discovered in the pictorial archives of Berrow's Journal - the world's oldest surviving newspaper - reveal that Worcester people chose unusual, if not rather strange ways to mount Peace Celebrations in the summer of 1919. more...
A young face amongst the crowd at the re-enactment of the battle. more...
CAN Memory Lane readers answer a couple of posers I have been set but can't answer? more...
THERE is widespread resistance to the Wolverhampton Business Airport proposals. more...
SOME pub landlords in Bromsgrove had already found a loophole in the new act which came into force on January 1, banning children under 14 from buying intoxicating liquor - they fastened down the corks with gummed paper. more...
HAD it survived, the fourth Methodist church to be built in Pump Street, Worcester, would be celebrating its centenary this week. more...
Time for a spot of refreshment on the battle field. more...
RUBERY Hill Asylum advertised in the Messenger for male attendants, preferably those skilled in bookbinding and gardening, at a salary of £28 per year including board and uniform. It would rise by £2 a year to a maximum of £34. more...
BEWDLEY and Kidderminster Carnivals have passed in gorgeous weather. more...
A quick smoke steadies the nerves before the start of the battle. more...
VILLAGERS and staff employed at the Isaac Nash scythe works in Belbroughton risked their lives when they formed a human chain to use buckets of water to tackle a blaze at the factory. They also managed to move tens of thousands of scythe blades and hay knives from a nearby warehouse which was in danger of catching fire. Firemen, summoned from Stourbridge, took an hour to reach the scene by which time the immediate danger was over. more...
WORCESTER'S Westside has lost one of its most amiable and friendly characters with the death of Horace Perks. more...
Lorraine Knaggs, Timothy Hall, Lindsay Cameron, Nick Gray, Chris Wilkinson and Julie Tilley at the dedication ceremony for the Powick Bridge memorial. more...
THOSE of you with enough years on the clock might like to jog the old memory bank - while those of you too young to be able to remember back 50 years might enjoy a brief history lesson. more...
THIS atmospheric and vintage set of photographs offer a reminder of a once bustling hub of humanity right in the historic heart of Worcester. more...
THOUSANDS of onlookers descended on the Faithful City to see a re-enactment of one of England's most famous battles. more...
TRAMP William Meysey found himself in front of Bromsgrove magistrates charged with sleeping rough in Mr Banner's hay barn at Lickey Square and having no means of subsistence, not even a pipe, tobacco or matches. He told the bench he was walking from Birmingham to Wales in search of work and had sought shelter in the barn from a snowstorm. He was let off on condition he left the district forthwith. more...
RECENTLY, in my weekly feature for Berrow's Worcester Journal, I published what I considered a very significant photograph taken in the Faithful City exactly half-a-century ago. more...
THE Government consultation about the development of airports in England closed on Monday. more...
THERE was an upset at a land sale held at the Golden Cross Hotel in Bromsgrove when town auctioneer A Victor Powell was suddenly forced to withdraw a 16 acre plot at Broad Street Sidemoor, belonging to Mr Rencher at the last minute. The district council, which previously had twice been offered the site, dramatically declared its intention to put a compulsory purchase order on it. more...
LEGEND has it that the corner building in this vintage photograph from the 1920s was once a smugglers' haunt. more...
LEE Garry, of Margesson Drive, Barnt Green, was fast making a name for himself in the under 14s world of badminton. Having won almost all the local and county tournaments, he recently had added the Sussex Open Junior Trophy to his tally. more...
AS the only unwhipped MP I was delighted to hear during the debate on the Health and Social Care Bill that a senior Tory ex-minister regards himself as unwhippable. more...
FORMER North Bromsgrove High School pupil Elizabeth Williams, aged 21, had been successful in winning through to the forthcoming Miss ATV beauty contest. more...
THE Worcester Air Training Corps had much to celebrate at this time 50 years ago after being adjudged "the best squadron in Great Britain". more...
THE Wyre Forest Education Review, including the proposed closure of small schools, is of great concern to all of us. more...
THE death occurred at his home - Blackmore Lodge in Bromsgrove - of Mr Louis Kings, the chief test engineer at the Longbridge car plant. He was 63. Thirty years ago he had worked alongside Herbert Austin, in great secrecy, to develop Britain's first "baby" car. more...
A CENTURY ago, the City Fathers at Worcester were faced with a local unemployment crisis which had plunged many local families into poverty and hardship. more...
JAMES Vines, lock keeper of Astwood, Droitwich, appeared before Spa magistrates charged with setting rabbit snares on Sir Harry Vernon's land at Astwood. The court heard William Sergeant, his gamekeeper had caught him in the act after keeping watch in a field all night. Vines was fined 10/- (50p) with 7/6 (37.5p) costs. more...
THE Worcester Journal found it necessary exactly 200 years ago to warn local people to take extra precautions in protecting their homes against a gang of burglars. more...
THE tragic death of Dr Kelly dominates the news. more...
RESIDENTS were urged to voice exciting ideas to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII at a public meeting called by Bromsgrove Urban District Council. more...
PLANS were afoot to build an adult learning centre at Colmers Farm Secondary Modern Boys School, in Bristol Road South. It would provide a meeting place for adults to enjoy cultural and recreational activities. more...
AS I am on holiday the editor has allowed me to write about birds this week! more...
KIDDERMINSTER Harriers boss Jan Molby believes central defen-der Craig Hinton's best position is in midfield. more...
TONY Bird has emerged as the latest transfer target for Nationwide League new boys Kidderminster Harriers. more...
Evesham Utd Ladies 3, more...
WORCESTER Rugby Club have poured cold water on stories that All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu is set to sign a Sixways contract. more...
WORCESTERSHIRE are to offer a new one-year contract to veteran wicketkeeper Steve Rhodes who will celebrate his 40th birthday mid-way through next season. more...
JOHN Brain is hopeful that Tim Walsh will stay at Worcester Rugby Club un-til the end of the season. more...
WORCESTER City's title hopes lie in tatters today after the weekend's 2-1 defeat at Stafford Rangers. more...
LONDON Welsh coach Adrian Davies has insisted there is no fear factor as Worcester Rugby Club travel to Old Deer Park tomorrow. more...
JAN Molby's top strike target Iyseden Christie today penned a two-year contract with Kidderminster Harriers in a busy build-up to the League Two campaign. more...
WORCESTER coach John Brain hailed his side's performance in the 50-3 demolition of Moseley as `the best of the season'. more...
Saturday, September 16, 2000 more...
WORCESTER City boss John Barton has warned his players of the dangers surrounding tomorrow's trip to bottom club Fisher Athletic (3pm). more...
TOMORROW marks the tenth anniversary of the most famous day in the history of Bromsgrove Rovers. more...
SPORTS EDITOR'S MAILBAG more...
ADIE Smith believes his debut season in the Football League has been a steep learning curve -- and one that will benefit him in the future. more...
LEFT-ARM paceman Alamgir Sheriyar is well on course for his most productive wicket-taking season for Worcestershire -- but he's not taking anything for granted. more...
AMBITIOUS Jan Molby would love to reach the top rung of the managerial ladder. more...
Evesham Utd 2, Redditch Utd 0 more...
WORCESTER lock Dave Sims and scrum-half Bruce Fenley have accepted invitations to play for the Barbarians against a Combined Services XV. more...
WORCESTERSHIRE paceman Matt Mason has rejected an offer to be part of Ireland's 2007 World Cup squad. more...
WERNER Swanepoel is an early doubt for Worcester Rugby Club's clash at Birmingham & Solihull. more...
PROMISING defender Dan Jones has pledged his immediate future to Worcester City by signing a contract extension. more...
SCOTT Barrow is hoping to bring some of St Hel-ens' success to Worcester this season after his move from Merseyside. more...
WORCESTER Rugby Club have been handed a mouth-watering RFU Senior Cup fifth round clash with Rotherham at Sixways. more...
ON-loan full-back Allan Davies says he's delighted to be spending a second month with Worcester City. more...
WESLEY Mole, general manager of Bromsgrove Rovers Football Club, has died suddenly after suffering a heart attack. more...
JOINT top scorer Danny Williams is thinking over his future at Kidderminster Harriers after agreeing to join Chester City on a month's loan. more...
WHEN Daire Doyle joined Kiddermin-ster Harriers in January, the club's official website trumpeted his arrival by proudly announcing: "Molby snaps up Irish gem". more...
MANAGER Jan Molby accepts that Kidderminster Harriers will be linked with a variety of players during their preparations for life in the Nationwide League Third Division. more...
ANOTHER three points, another unbeaten record torn to shreds and a Manager of the Month in wa