Your Whitchurch Herald News Extra

Whitchurch

Church news

Today, Time Together meets in Bargates Hall, next to St Alkmund’s Church, at 2pm. This group is for those with memory loss or Dementia and their family members or carers. For more details call Revd Judy on 01948 667253.

On Sunday, at St Alkmund's, there is 8am Said Communion, 10am Sung Communion with activities for children and young people and with opportunity for prayer for healing and 6.30pm Sung Evensong.

At Holy Immanuel in Fauls, there is 9.30am Holy Communion and Christ Church Tilstock, there is 11am Holy Communion.

Tilstock

Bingo

Bingo lovers can head to Tilstock Bowling and Tennis Club for a great night with a dabber at the clubhouse on Saturday.

Eyes down will be at 7.30pm and all are welcome to join them.

Horseman's Green

St David's Day

The community recently held a very successful Jigsaw evening at the Community Hall on Friday, believed by locals to be the first of its kind in the area.

Their next event is a St David’s Day Celebration on Friday, March 2. Tickets are £10 adults, £5 for under-15’s with children under give free. Ticket price includes a three-course, Welsh-themed meal of potato & leek soup, lamb hotpot and bara-brith bread and butter pudding while there is also a vegetarian option.

A bar is available for beers and wine. Children from St Chads School Hanmer will entertain and between courses there’s a quiz about Wales, bottle tombola and children’s lucky dip.

This is a ticketed event only as we need to know numbers for catering; please get in touch with Andrea on 830710 or at akporter@btinternet.com for tickets and further information.

Malpas

Church news

Today, there is Holy Communion at 10am at St Oswald's Church. There is bell ringing practice at 7pm also at St Oswald's. Tomorrow at 11am there is the funeral of the late Elaine Williams at St Oswald's. St Oswald's Choir Practice is at 6.45pm.

On Sunday – the second of Lent, there is Communion at St Oswald's at 8am and 11am. The 11am service includes Ozzies Club. There is Parish Communion at 9.30am at Holy Trinity Church Bickerton.

There is Evening Prayer at 6.30pm. The funeral service for the late Linda Arthan is at 12.30pm at St Edith's Church, Shocklach on Monday.

On Monday there is also a meeting in St Oswald's Church at 2pm for anyone interested in, or involved with, the project to decorate St Oswald's with red poppies for November 2018 as part of the ways of commemorating the end of the First World War. Anyone who can knit or crochet is welcome to join in.

For further details contact Janet Blake on 01948 860359. The Funeral Service for the late Keith Benson is at Holy Trinity Church on Friday March 2 at 12.30pm.

Jubilee Hall grant

An application by Malpas Jubilee Hall to re-designate a £3,000 grant for car park resurfacing to use instead towards the redecoration of the hall received a frosty reception by Malpas Parish Council on Monday February 12.

Former Malpas Parish Council Chairman Keith Ebben spoke on behalf of the Jubilee Hall Committee. He said that the quote for resurfacing the car park had come in at £8,800 plus VAT. The Jubilee Hall Committee had spent £4,500 plus VAT on the top part of the car park and had decided to leave the bottom part of the car park for a few more years as it stands at the present. There were no Health and Safety issues with the bottom part, i.e. no pot holes or trip hazards to make an earlier repair essential.

However the committee felt the gloomy corridors and stairways in the hall desperately needed attention both to repair plasterwork and a complete redecoration. It had been about 28 years since the last redecoration. The committee had put the work out to tender.

Two quotes had been received and a quote to do the work in five stages from John Digby of J D Decorators had been accepted for £4,145. The first four of the five stages would cost £3,150. Work had begun, and money was needed immediately.

Parish councillor Charles Lowick Higgie proposed agreeing to the proposal, but he was unhappy with the situation, and wanted it minuting that this was not setting a precedent and that in future if an organisation received funding for a particular project they could not automatically expect permission to transfer it to another project.

His views were echoed by Cllr Martin Shackleton, who seconded the proposal and said that the parish council had been pushed into a corner by the situation and would appear mean if it did not agree. The proposal was narrowing agreed with four councillors in favour, five abstaining, and one – Cllr Adrian Waddelove – voting against.

Meanwhile, the parish council is looking to consult on whether parking should be banned from 8am until 6pm on a section of Chester road, near Malpas Alport Primary School.

Cllr Shackleton's proposal for longer hours restricting parking were supported but a date is yet-to-be arranged.

Rock

Malpas Rock on the Rec 2018 will be on Saturday July 14. The gates will open at 6.30pm, while bands perform from 7.45-10.30pm.

The headline sets will be Miss Madonna, the UK’s official number one tribute to Madonna, as voted for by the agents association of Great Britain.

Rock of 80’s meanwhile is preparing a brand new section to their show just for the people of Malpas. They will be opening their second set with a tribute to Queens legendary performance at Live Aid.

Tickets are on sale at Malpas Pet Supplies and Londis Malpas. Prices are adults, £14, child £10, child under eight £5 – all plus booking fee. No alcohol is permitted to be brought onto the concert site by attendees and will be available from the on site bar. All children under the age of 16 must be escorted by a responsible adult.

Tilston

Meeting

Tilston parish Council is facilitating a public meeting on Wednesday, February 28 with a presentation on updating people about the transfer of field behind the hall to the parish Council and an explanation of S106 funding.

The ere will be a discussion on community projects applying for funding, including Tilston Landscape and Wildlife Group projects including proposed project for field behind hall and Tilston Playing Field Association projects for improvements to the playing field.

The parish council and those looking to develop schemes and apply for the funding would welcome residents' comments on these projects.

Bickerton

Monday Club

Broxton and Bickerton Monday Club held a meeting on February 12 in Bickton Village Hall.

The speaker was D Jones and his subject was 'The Tales of a Shropshire Lad' and he was thanked by the leader Mrs A Ryder.

The competition was won by Mrs A Shane while Howey's Kitchens provided the Afternoon Tea.

The next meeting is on February 26 while the speaker will be Shrewsbury's Town Crier and the competition is 'a bell'.

A minute's silence was held for two previous members Vashta Harvey and Joan Evans.

Wem

Garden Club

Wem Garden Club's new chairman, Gill Glover, opened the meeting last week welcoming so many members. She thanked Peter and Angela Jenkins for planting, as usual, the Flowering Troughs along the High Street which are always a wonderful display of colour throughout the season.

The first meeting in the New Year was most encouraging when a large number of members and friends arrived to take advantage of the of expert advice of John Cobbold who gave a most informative talk "Planting for Spring".

He spent some long time advising and encouraging the members who asked varied selection of questions to not only get planting, but to make sure that all their gardening equipment was checked over and made ready for use. He was thanked by Geoff Glover. Light refreshments then followed.

The monthly competition, "A flower from my Garden", had a welcome increase in number of entries and was won by Val Good.

The raffle followed and lucky winners were Andy Betteridge, Beulah Glanville, Denise Dulson, Frank Quartly, Gill Glover and Carol Drew.

The March 15 meeting, in the Senior Club, Chapel Street at 7.30pm, will be a talk by Lisa Hutchinson "Finland History and Culture" with refreshments served by Denise Dulson and Sue Rogers.

On March 24, the Garden Club Spring Show will be held in the Baptist Church Hall when we look forward to many entries. If you would like a show schedule please contact show manager, Peter Jenkins, 01939 232949.

To join the Garden Club which meets on the third Thursday in the month at 7.30pm. Annual subscription is £6 plus 50p per meeting and non-members, who are always most welcome £2 at the door.