Paul: The Fish logo is transparent. If you place any picture, make certain it has been converted to CMYK. The fish logo master link is on the disk separately. Sent picture to the back and it will appear behind the strapline. The straplines etc are in their correct positions. Stretton Focus Community Voice of the Strettons December 2004 70p Photo: Rachael Photo: Sankey © Operation Christmas Child Cover December 2004 1 12/11/04, 12:03 pm STRETTON FOCUS Contents (founded 1967) News Tourism Group . 5 Average monthly sales: 1,450 copies. Round Table – Rainbow Walk . 6 (About 65% of households in Church Stretton) Love in a Box (cover article) . 9 Mayfair Double Launch . 12 Chairman David Jandrell . .724531 Shropshire Wildlife Trust . 14 Co-Editors Norma Taylor . .723617 Civil Service Retirement Fellowship . 17 Pat Oxtoby . .723199 All Saints’ Church – car lifts . 18 Bill Forsythe . .724100 A49 Safety Group . 28 Cover Design Rachael Sankey . .720024 Church Stretton Library . 33 Computer Production Barrie Raynor . .723928 Food Fayre AGM . 33 Rowland Jackson . .722390 Household Rubbish . 40 Paul Miller . .724596 Distribution Jon Cooke . .723205 Forthcoming events Advertising Len Bolton . .724579 Royal British Legion . 3 Treasurer John Wainwright . .722823 Morning-after Fun Run/Walk . 5 Secretary Janet Peak . .722994 Round Table – Santa in Church Stretton . 6 Christmas Services . 26 email address: [email protected] More Singers . 30 Stretton Choral Society . 36 Advertisements. Rates for block and occasional RNLI . 39 advertisements may be obtained (send s.a.e.) from the Rotary – Tree of Light . 40 Advertising Manager, Len Bolton, ‘Oakhurst’, Hazler Mayfair Party . 42 Road, Church Stretton, SY6 7AQ, Tel: 01694 724579 to Regular Features whom copy should be sent. Anglican Voice . 18 Catholic Voice . 40 The Stretton Focus Management Board cannot accept Focus on Faith . 9 responsibility for any product or service advertised. Herbary . 28 Acceptance of an advertisement does not imply any form Letters . 39 of approval or recommendation. Advertisers are required to Mayfair Lottery Result . 42 comply with the British Code of Advertising Practice. Methodist Voice . 14 Out and About . 42 Submission of articles. Material on 31⁄2˝ disks or CDs, and Recipe . 30 typed or handwritten copy together with good quality glossy Thank you . 36 colour or monochrome photographs should be handed Town Council Minutes . 35 directly to Stretton Focus c/o Wrights, Estate Agent, Trivia Corner 13 . 6 Sandford Avenue by noon on the date below. Material may Trivia Answers . 42 also be sent by e-mail to [email protected] as an URC Voice . 30 attachment by the same copy date. Weather . 11 What’s On . 3 Disclaimer. Stretton Focus prints a wide range of articles and letters. The views expressed by signed articles are Other Items those of their authors and not necessarily those of the Clippings from Cambodia . 7 Management Board. Dominoes . 11 Air Ambulance Service . 12 Copy day is normally the first Monday of the month. Forthe Fresh Fields and Pastures New . 17 January issue it is Monday 29th November 2004 (12.00 noon). Memories of the Flower Festival . 18 Percy’s Memories . 39 The January Stretton Focus will be distributed on Friday Reg’s Ramblings . 42 31st December. Advertising Manager – Focus . 42 Outlets. Stretton Focus may be purchased by annual subscription (delivered) or directly from Newsworld (Sandford Avenue), All Stretton Stores, Coop, Longmynd Filling Station (A49) and the Churches. © 2004 Stretton Focus ISSN 1479-7356 Stretton Focus is printed by WPG, Welshpool The Official Church Stretton web site is at www.churchstretton.co.uk. Stretton Focus - 2 - December 2004 December 2004 mag 1 12/11/04, 11:59 am What’s On in the Strettons ♦ Saturday - 18th December If you wish to know the times of regular meetings of Farmers’ Christmas Market societies and groups, please consult the list of societies and 9am – 1pm Church Stretton Square their contacts in our central ‘yellow pages’. Mayfair ‘Bring and Share’ Party ♦ Saturday - 4th December 7.30pm Mayfair Community Centre Stretton Choral Society Christmas Concert See page 42 7.30pm Church Stretton School Contact: 01694 723294 Tickets: Burway Books Country Dancing See page 36 8pm Ticklerton Village Hall Contact: 01694 722418 ♦ Sunday - 5th December Readings and Music for Advent ♦ Monday - 20th December 3.30pm St Andrews, Hope Bowdler Round Table – Santa’s travels 6pm – 9pm around Church Stretton ♦ Monday - 6th December See page 6 Coffee Morning All Stretton Village Hall ♦ Tuesday - 21st December Round Table – Santa’s travels ♦ Tuesday - 7th December 6pm – 9pm around Church Stretton Church Stretton & District Flower Club See page 6 A Joyful Christmas by Mrs Margaret Ecclestone 7.30pm Silvester Horne Institute, Church Stretton ♦ Friday - 24th December Carols in the Square ♦ Wednesday - 8th December 6.30pm Church Stretton Square Flicks in the Sticks Very Annie Mary ♦ Sunday - 26th December 7.30pm Hope Bowdler, Village Hall Carols for All Contact: 01694 723648 3.30pm St Andrews, Hope Bowdler ♦ Friday - 10th December ♦ Friday - 31st December Farmers’ Market Church Stretton Library 9am – 1pm Church Stretton Square 2.15pm – 3.15pm, reading Winter Favourites Craven Arms Men’s Chorus with Knighton Town Silver All ages welcome, parents as well as children. Band See page 33 Christmas Concert 7.30pm Church Stretton School ♦ Saturday - 1st January Contact: 01694 771306 ‘Morning after’ Fun Walk see below 11am Church Stretton Social Club, Essex Road See page 5 ♦ Saturday - 11th December Edited by Bill Forsythe Stretton Cancer Care 2pm Silvester Horne Institute, Church Stretton Grand Christmas Bazaar including Refreshments More Singers Christmas Concert 7.30pm Methodist Church, Church Stretton see page 30 ♦ Tuesday - 14th December Royal British Legion – Poppy Appeal Concert Countrywomen’s Guild embers of the Church Stretton Branch of the 2.15pm Parish Centre Royal British Legion thank residents of Church Montford Bridge Bell Ringers MStretton and district for their generous support during the ‘Poppy Appeal’ in November. Church Stretton Women’s Institute 7.15pm Silvester Horne Institute, Church Stretton Continuing the Appeal the local branch have arranged a Corners Christmas Concert by the Craven Arms Men’s Chorus and the Knighton Town Silver Band at the Church Stretton All Stretton Women’s Institute School Theatre on Friday 10th December at 7.30pm. 7.30pm All Stretton Village Hall Tickets price £6 to include light refreshments are available A Christmas Full of Surprises by Ann Lloyd from Burway Books and Wrights the Estate Agents Stretton Focus -3 - December 2004 December 2004 mag 2 12/11/04, 11:59 am Church Stretton Area Tourism Group News opefully many residents may have noticed the recent • not yet quite ready, but nearly complete are new town Hadditions to the town’s street furniture: and area maps that will, we feel, prove welcome additions for the new information points and the various local • the three black planters in The Square were made by map sites that presently house old and rather out of date S.F. Vehicle Builders Ltd in Crossways and beautifully historical maps. planted up by Lower Springs Nursery. We think they have added much needed colour and brightness to this important Our Town Council has helped make initial payments for part of town. all these items before reclaiming the sums from the South • the two metal ‘Welcome to Church Stretton’ signs were Shropshire Tourism District Council. In short, European money has funded all these items and local ratepayers have made no direct contribution. We are grateful to SSDC, the European Regional Development Fund, Objective 2 programme & Advantage West Midlands for this funding, and our Town Council for its help. Other tasks recently undertaken by our Group have included: the supply of two large raised beds on the railway station platforms, now planted up with hundreds of daffodil bulbs, and low maintenance plants will soon be added; the eleven concrete planters in Beaumont Court and Road photos: Brian Pegg photos: Brian - maintained throughout the summer and shortly to be replanted with low maintenance perennials; litter-picking and sweeping the main streets and car parks; raking up and disposing of leaves from central areas; brightening up also made by S.F.V.B, painted in the town livery of green various areas such as the bus shelter, railings and planters and gold, and form a restrained but quite effective welcome with fresh paint and the organisation of the Christmas to visitors from the A49 gateway. Fayre on Sunday 28th November, in partnership with the • the new tourist finger post outside Entertaining Christmas Lights Committee. Elephants by the Easthope car park The CSATG is made up entirely of volunteers with no advertises the Tourist paid employees, no offices, no rates or rent. We work hard Information Centre, to earn what money we spend on the area for we feel that the National Trust and if we can help keep Church Stretton tidy then this will be Cardingmill Valley, of benefit not only to tourists but to all the local residents. Church Stretton Golf Our sincere hope is that other groups may eventually Club, Stretton Antiques join us in wanting to make the Strettons as clean, tidy Market, and Rectory and attractive as possible. Until then we will continue to Wood & Field – all the welcome more volunteers and supporters who share our places most tourists aims and aspirations. May I take this opportunity to thank eventually visit. our hard-working volunteers most sincerely for all the work • the new trilateral information post in Beaumont Court was completed this year and John & Lynwen Gott at Berry’s erected after permission was obtained from the South Shropshire for their marvellous hospitality after our working Sunday Housing Association and local residents. South Shropshire mornings. District Council workmen kindly erected both posts. John Woolmer The 2005 ‘Morning After’ in Church Stretton – Sat 1st Jan ollowing the last six years successful event to welcome This event, now in its seventh year and becoming a local in the new year, fun runners and family walkers are tradition, is the brainchild of local runner Terry Davies.