THOUSANDS of music enthusiasts started arriving in Upton-upon-Severn today for the start of the town’s ever-popular jazz festival. More than 15,000 revellers are expected to crowd in for the 27th annual event, which again features a glittering line-up
A BICYCLE crash led to long-lasting love for one Worcester couple. Joan Lampitt, aged 82, and her husband Les, 83, of Comer Gardens, St John’s, met when they were both aged 20 after Mr Lampitt knocked into the back of her bike “accidentally, on purpose
NEW defences in Upton-upon-Severn are set to open almost five years to the day after the riverside town was struck by the devastating summer floods of 2007. The new glass-topped flood wall on the waterfront is now in place and the Environment Agency
THE parents of a young man who bravely battled cancer will be opening their garden to raise money for the charity that cared for him in the last month of his life. Susan and John Fletcher’s garden at Hiraeth, 30 Showell Road, Droitwich, WR9 8UY, will
THE site of a neglected former pub in Upton-upon-Severn could be redeveloped for housing. But the proposals do not include any plans to restore the 18th century pub. The Royal Oak was converted into two flats in the early 1970s, but the site is currently
TWO venues for the Upton jazz festival have been moved after becoming waterlogged. Oliver’s - also known as venue 2 - has moved from Fish Meadow to Upton Church while Duke’s - also known as venue 3 - has moved from the meadow to Hanley Castle
MAGGIE Doyle has become Worcestershire’s second poet laureate and the first woman to hold the role. Ms Doyle was chosen as the winner of A Bard for Worces-tershire during Worcestershire Literary Festival’s launch event at the Swan Theatre, Worcester.
CATHERINE Salthouse is to fly the flag for Herefordshire and Worcestershire at the Olympics and Paralympics next month. The 48-year-old from Ledbury will help to look after the welfare of around 200 horses during both Games in London. Salthouse, a qualified
THREATENED wild bees will be able to stay at five-star bee hotels in Worcester. The two wooden ‘hotels’ provide the perfect home for important bee species at the University of Worcester’s St John’s campus. The homes are needed because changes to land
WORCESTER is unlikely to see any respite from the wet weather for at least another week, according to your Worcester News weatherman Paul Damari. He is predicting there will be no sustained dry weather at all going in to the weekend. “Some of it will
A LEADING international video games publisher is creating jobs after moving to an office development in Brockhampton. Majesco Entertainment, whose best-selling games include Zumba Fitness and Cooking Mama, has headquarters in Edison, New Jersey
A WORCESTER-based public relations company has beaten off dozens of competitors to win a contract with a leading national care home group. GD PR and Media, which is based in Malvern Road, will manage local and sectoral media relations for the Caring
SIR – Why cannot we be like ants and work for work’s sake instead of worrying about wages, pensions and fairness. St Paul wrote that those who don’t work should not eat. A sound policy. GEORGE COWLEY Worcester
IT was business as usual for GP surgeries during controversial strike action across Worcestershire, although some surgeries only provided emergency care. NHS leaders confirmed the industrial action over pensions yesterday caused little disruption. Eighteen
PERSHORE-based Rob Austin Racing will run both their Audi A4s — for Austin himself and Will Bratt — in this weekend’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship round at North Yorkshire’s Croft Circuit. Austin confirmed that, after a hugely promising
SIR – The Government cuts in the Armed Forces are now very clear for all to see. We are left with a regular Army of 82,000. So more people watch the FA Cup final each year that are paid to defend our shores and our people. We are a leading world
SIR – I recently enjoyed a great evening of live theatre – Shakespeare at the Commandery where I enjoyed watching As You Like It. While I appreciate that times are hard, I feel Worcester residents are missing out on wonderful shows not only
SIR – Re my letter ‘Come on, Rooney, show us some pride’ (Worcester News, June 18). For the very first time I, along with millions of other England fans, witnessed Wayne Rooney singing the national anthem [before Tuesday’s Euro 2012 game against
FLORAL tributes have been left at the scene where a man died after being hit by a train in Worcester. British Transport Police said yesterday that the dead man was a 28-year-old from Worcester. He has been named locally as Jamie Harding.
WORCESTER Wanderers will host Camp Hill in the only first round match in next season’s North Midlands Cup. The winners of the tie, which is scheduled to be played on November 10, will progress to the quarter-finals of the county’s senior competition.
SIR – It is the same old story with regards to the advice given by Worcester City Council to ease the city’s parking woes (Worcester News, June 19). The proposals included new signs to direct drivers to car parks and a fresh drive to encourage
SIR – I totally agree with letter from Matthew Jenkins ‘Adult social care has to be protected’ (Worcester News, June 12). He raised many of the concerns I have about the proposals to change social care in the county due to the funding cuts from
WORCESTER have added more Heineken Cup opposition to their preparations for the 2012-13 domestic and European campaign. Having already announced a pre-season trip to Cardiff Arms Park to face former Warriors forwards coach Phil Davies’ Cardiff Blues
SIR – There is much interest in the strategic alliance between West Mercia and Warwickshire police (Worcester News, June 20). But Worcester News readers could be forgiven for thinking that cuts to police numbers are a result of the alliance.
DR WHO legend Colin Baker returns to the Malvern stage next week in the world premiere of new comedy The Final Test. Brought to the stage by Ian Dickens Productions International Ltd, The Final Test also stars Peter Amory (Emmerdale’s Chris
A MAJOR historical find gives details of Sir Winston Churchill’s visit to Worcester and the five-year campaign by city mayors to get him here. Hundreds of original documents, including seven signed letters by Sir Winston dating from 1947 to
WHEN Eric Pickles laid into councils last week for stashing away mega-bucks in their rainy day reserves, the exasperation was felt all the way to Worcester. The minister used a speech before a local government thinktank to lambast town halls
INGREDIENTS 2 British brown onions cut onto 12 wedges 3tbsp olive oil 300g new potatoes, cooked and sliced 5 eggs 2 tbsp parsley Sea salt and ground black pepper METHOD Heat the oil in a 20cm frying pan and add
THE SWAN 2 The Green Broadway Worcestershire WR12 7AA 01386 852278 I ARRIVED at the Swan on a damp but fairly mild evening. Perched near the village green, on which a big white marquee had been pitched in anticipation of the Queen’s Diamond
WITH a grim forecast for tonight’s Worcestershire-Warwickshire derby clash in the Friends Life t20 at New Road (5.30pm), Steve Rhodes is just desperate for his team to get out in the middle and play some cricket. The County’s t20 opener at Edgbaston
MINI skirts. They may have been invented back in the 1960s but they are still proving controversial 50 years on. So it seems at a Worcestershire school, which was considering a trousers-only policy for schoolgirls. The school wanted
WORCESTER’S first food bank opened to the city’s hungry for the first time and gave away its first parcel of goods. The food bank, in Carden Close, Carden Street, off City Walls Road, had just one visitor on its opening day, but those behind
A WIND turbine plan is in the doldrums after councillors gave it the thumbs-down. Wychavon District Council’s planning committee refused plans for a turbine up to 91 metres high on a ridge over-looking junction 6 of the M5, near Worcester. Councillor
CULTURES will be united in an explosive and musical celebration of the Olympics tomorrow. Youthcomm Radio presents the fourth year of Minifest on Saturday (June 23) in Cripplegate Park, St Johns with an around the world theme. Thousands
A NEW £13 million swimming pool is to be built in Worcester – with council chiefs calling it a “golden opportunity to create something great”. The city council’s cabinet has formally backed an option to build a new pool next to Perdiswell Leisure
HEREFORD United manager Martin Foyle looks set to miss out on being reunited with his former goal ace Richard Brodie. The bustling Crawley striker played under the new Bulls boss at York, scoring 58 goals in his three years there, and has attracted interest
A POPULAR monthly live music event held at a riverside pub is being hijacked this weekend to raise money for this year’s Worcester Music Festival. Sunday’s acoustic lunch at the Old Rectifying House will not only showcase a mix of local talent, but will
A ROBBER who preyed upon vulnerable women has been locked up for four-and-a-half years after a judge decided he posed a significant risk to Worcester people. Shamryz Yousaf’s record of 12 convictions for 34 offences since 1997 revealed two
PROPOSALS to scrap GCSEs in favour of a return to an O-level-style exam have drawn criticism from headteachers in Worcester. The education secretary Michael Gove unveiled the plans in the House of Commons yesterday but they have not been welcomed
