Archive

  • Award is safe and sound

    A DOUBLE celebration is in store for an Alvechurch businessman who is set to pick up a prestigious award on his 75th birthday. Earlier this year members of the small team of three at Safe and Sound Lighting were introduced to the Queen and the Duke of

  • Silver anniversary with the golden arches

    FROM flipping burgers to becoming franchise owner of four restaurants, Redditch businessman Robert Holdcroft is celebrating his silver anniversary with the golden arches. Mr Holdcroft, 47, began his career at McDonalds in Birmingham in 1981, working

  • Fond farewell to Wendy

    CHILDREN at St George's First School, Redditch, said a special goodbye to a classroom assistant who has worked there for more than 20 years. Wendy Pitt, who retired on October 20, also worked as a dinner lady during her time at the school. Secretary

  • Day out thanks to Sam's Google doodle

    A BIRCHENSALE Middle School pupil has won her classmates a day out at the Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) after doodling for Google. Samantha Cohen, 12, was a regional finalist in the "My Britain" competition, which offered young artists the chance to win

  • Fundraisers were in the pink

    SHOPS and businesses in Redditch were tickled pink raising money for breast cancer research. A group from the Market Place Cancer Research UK shop donned wigs and pink outfits, sold pink items and asked for donations from shoppers to raise as much money

  • Students were all smiles at arts workshop

    KINGSLEY College performing arts, dance, drama and music students had a taste of jazz poetry when two members of the Dr Teeth Big Band dropped in to show them how it's done. Lead singer Stephen Steinhaus, also a published poet, trained drama teacher

  • Record amount raised at exhibition

    A SUCCESSFUL art exhibition held at Studley Parish Centre raised a record £300 for charity. Members of the Studley Arts Circle put on the show, which resulted in 47 picture and embroidery sales. Secretary of the 20-strong group, Carol Ellis, said: "

  • Bethany is a mini marvel!

    A FOUR-year-old Redditch girl had her first taste of stardom when she took to the catwalk in the Mini Miss British Isles competition. Bethany Lloyd, from Church Hill, was one of 30 finalists chosen to take part in the contest in Liverpool. According

  • Children's charity toddle

    CHILDREN from Headless Cross Toddler Group completed a sponsored toddle around Arrow Valley Lake. The walk on Friday, October 20 raised £260 for the Meningitis Trust. Group organiser Jayne Davis said: "Because of the age group of children in the toddler

  • Scaling new heights

    INKBERROW youngsters were climbing high at a event organised to find out their views. Elizabeth Collins, chairman of the parish plan steering group, arranged for a climbing wall to be put up at the village hall on the Monday of half term week. Steering

  • School welcomes Warriors

    PUPILS at Redditch middle schools have been training with young stars from the Worcester Warriors rugby team. Ipsley Middle School, in Winyates, is one of 60 schools across the county involved in a tag rugby programme run by the club's community development

  • Letter from Westminster

    On Friday, I had the honour of officially opening Abbeywood First School in Church Hill. The new school, formed by the amalgamation of Marlfield Farm and Ravensbank First SchoolS has inherited the best of both schools. Improved facilities, such as a

  • Lads’ mags just love CC

    A REDDITCH glamour model is being snapped up by more national men's magazines wanting her to grace their pages. Earlier this year CC, from Church Hill, was selected for a photo shoot in Tenerife for Loaded magazine. She has now been invited out for

  • Cinema takes shape

    BOREDOM may soon be a thing of the past for Redditch people as building work forges ahead on a new multi-screen cinema in the Kingfisher Shopping Centre. Centre manager Ian McLelland said he had recently visited the site and was delighted with the progress

  • Man’s death was due to industrial disease

    A WYTHALL man died from industrial disease after decades of exposure to asbestos, an inquest heard. Peter Norman Fisher, 67, of Station Road, died at his home on May 25. He had worked for the Co-operative Wholesale Society from a young age, first as

  • Kitchen fitter in Idol final

    A CRABBS Cross kitchen and bathroom fitter could become the next Will Young if he wins the Rock Idol Final 2006 contest. Celebrity judges Carrie and David Grant will make up part of the panel at Redditch's Chicago Rock Cafe when Peter Baker, from Jordan's

  • Party to mark 30th birthday

    A CELEBRATION was held on Saturday for all the people who have helped the blind and partially sighted in Redditch keep abreast of the news. Redditch Talking Newspaper celebrated its 30th anniversary with a party for its volunteers, benefactors and beneficiaries

  • Old woman found dead

    AN elderly woman was found dead in the garden of her home in Oakenshaw, an inquest heard. According to the initial findings of a post mortem, Florrie White, 89, a widow who lived on her own in Outwood Close, may have died from respiratory failure caused

  • Tesco jobs joy

    TESCO has created 70 new jobs with the expansion of its Tesco Extra store in Coldfield Drive, Redditch. More than 840 staff are now employed at the supermarket, which has become one of the biggest stores in the West Midlands after a first floor extension

  • Meadow tribute to village couple

    TWO Broom residents have been remembered in a special way. Douglas and Mary Morley, who first moved to the village in 1968 after frequently visiting the area from Birmingham, have had a bench and plaque installed in their memory. Although Mr Morley

  • Man exposed himself to girl

    A MAN indecently exposed himself to a nine year old girl in Alcester. The girl was standing inside a shop in the alley way which leads from High Street to Bull's Head Yard last Wednesday when the man, who was accompanied by a female, unzipped his trousers

  • Air views for a parish plan

    ALCESTER residents will get the chance to win £200 if they take time out to get involved in community affairs. Questionnaires are being dropped through letterboxes with the aim of drawing up a parish plan. Community leaders are urging people to fill

  • Racial abuse man jailed

    A BATCHLEY man who hurled vile abuse at nurses and a police sergeant after being taken to hospital with a head injury has been jailed for a total of 15 months. James Cooper had been hit with a bottle after drunkenly insulting people in Stratford's Bancroft

  • Arrest over flashing

    POLICE have arrested a man in connection with two incidents of indecent exposure in the south of Redditch. The first took place in Flyford Close on Saturday, October 21 when a man exposed himself to a seven-year-old girl and the second incident took

  • School flies green flag with pride

    YOUNGSTERS at Ridgeway Middle School have been flying the flag for environmentally friendly issues. The school, which has been praised for the attention it pays to the environment, has been named an Eco-School and awarded a prestigious Green Flag. Thanks

  • 25 years ago - October 30, 1981

    WINES and spirits should be removed from supermarket shelves to cut back the problem of teenage alcoholism, say members of Bromsgrove and Redditch CHC. Easy access to alcoholic drinks in supermarkets puts temptation in the paths of young people, says

  • 50 years ago - November 2, 1956

    FOR the first time a committee has been formed in Redditch to raise money for the local work of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. "All the money raised in Redditch will be spent in Redditch on Redditch children," a spokesman

  • 100 years ago - November 3, 1906

    FREDERICK Harbon, of Crabbs Cross, was engaged with another man named William Batson, on the roof of a house in Evesham Road when he met with a serious accident on Monday. The men were re-covering the house and while in the action of turning around to

  • The Redditch Society

    OUR talk on September 29, entitled A Year in the Life of the Batsford Arboretum, was given by Sue Burn, the propagator education supervisor of that establishment. Its origins are to be found in the building of Batsford Redesdale, a "wild garden" which

  • Hopwood WI

    DOREEN Springer opened the meeting by recording the sad and very sudden death of member Margaret Cull and asked for us to stand for a minute's silence in remembrance. We had received a letter from Margaret's sister thanking us for our support and the

  • Redditch Shakespeare Theatre Club

    AT the recent AGM the members present re-elected Pat Morley as chairman, who welcomed members and talked about the plays the club had seen in the last year. These included an excellent production of Antony and Cleopatra starring Patrick Stewart and Harriet

  • Astwood Bank Flower Club

    OUR October meeting had the intriguing title of The Theatre Awaits. Frances Hayles was the demonstrator and her arrangements depicted favourite shows Phantom of the Opera, with the mask, My Fair Lady, in black and white, an arrangement for the ballet

  • Cymdeithas Gymraeg

    OUR October meeting was well attended. Chairman Catherine Hughes welcomed everybody - including new members. The speaker - Peter Frazer - needed no introduction, he is one of our members. His talk was very interesting. The topic of his talk was Sir

  • Bee's on a roll with US craze

    MOTHER, wife and marketing professional Bee Bentley has a secret... In her spare time she becomes Iva Issues, a diva rock chick on rollerskates who competes in a retro sport called Roller Derby. Bee, 36, from Studley, has been skating for 30 years and

  • Roof blaze at firm

    FIREFIGHTERS from Redditch and Bromsgrove were called to Mettis Aerospace after a fire broke out. The blaze started in the roof space of the Windsor Road factory at 9.40am on Thursday. Firefighters put out the flames and cut away some of the roof to

  • John wins racing title

    AT an age when many men might want to move into a slower lane, one Redditch businessman has opted to step up a gear. Business property consultant John Truslove, 57, who has been at the helm of Redditch based Neason & White for 25 years, was crowned Formula