TRAFFIC For up to the minute local A49 information, why not join A49 chat and community page and/or A49 local traffic news between Shrewsbury and Leominster onFacebook [https://www.facebook.com/] Market Street, Craven Arms 30 August - 2 September Delays likely Roman Road End Of To A49 Junction Felhampton 23-25 August Delays likely
Are you working with families who might need some extra advice or support?
Locality Development Officers, within the Strengthening Families Team, are available to support practitioners from all agencies who are working with children, young people and their families residing in Shropshire. We are an integral point of contact for all practitioners who provide services to these children, young people and their families.
Our key purpose is to support, advise and guide partners and external agencies to work together to support families, when required, through a whole family approach.
We work closely with partner agencies and services with a consistent emphasis on quality of support provided to children and their families, offering information, advice, and guidance to partners to enable them to ensure families access the right service at the right time.
We are also available to offer any support and further guidance relating to accessing and using EHM; Liquid Logic and the Early Help process.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any queries regarding families with whom you have contact.
Charlotte Evans charlotte.evans@shropshire.gov.uk
You may be interested in the following sports equipment giveaway for any community groups, sports clubs, or schools that you are involved with. Extracts below from the Sports England website - follow the link for full details including how to apply (Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin groups will need to apply via Energize STW). We’ve teamed up with the Birmingham 2022 organisers and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to give away more than 16,000 sports items used at the Commonwealth Games. The items, which include bikes, martial arts mats, weights, T20 cricket equipment, basketballs, boxing gloves and weights, as well as general equipment, such as cones and bibs, are being made available to local sport and community groups across the West Midlands. The community giveaway will support the shared goal to create a lasting community impact in the West Midlands, by supporting people to be active beyond the Games. Not-for-profit community-based organisations, such as local voluntary groups, schools, sports clubs, Community Interest Companies (CICs) and social enterprises that deliver community-based projects, that seek to tackle inactivity and promote the physical and mental benefits of leading an active life, are encouraged to apply and have until 19 September to get their application in.
EVENTS Summer Fun
. Monday 29th August to Friday 2nd September Experience life two thousand years ago in the Iron Age Camp activity for 4 – 11 year olds.
Activities are Monday to Friday 1pm-2.30pm and are £4.40 per accompanied child (£3.96 for members). Booking advised, call 01588 676 060 to book.
Click on logo for link to website.
The FUTURE of Halford Church
A Public Meeting about the next steps for St Thomas’ Church Halford
September 12th at Halford Church – 7pm
Please come and hear what has been happening and what the next possible steps might be. Sarah Girling the Pastoral Adviser for the Diocese of Hereford will be present with Fiona Gibson, the Archdeacon of Ludlow, to help inform our discussions about the Church’s future.
The national report on the building by the Church Building Council is available to be read in the Church.
Further information under "Church Services" below
Teas in Church at Stokesay
Tea and cakes will be available in St John the Baptist Church over the August Bank Holiday weekend - Sunday 28th from 2 - 4 pm and Monday 29th from 10 am - 4 pm together with a sale of books.
SERVICES, TRAINING, LEISURE AND SUPPORT
Craven Arms Town Council meets on the last Tuesday of the month Parish Councils in the Craven Arms area - list and websites Shropshire Councillor and Craven Arms Councillor Surgery.
First Saturday of every month at the Discovery Centre. 10am until 12 noon.
David Evans Shropshire Councillor.
Nick Carter Craven Arms Town Council help to solve problems.
Looking to work up a sweat?
Head down to our exercise studio, equipped with everything you need for your workout!
You get: Unlimited workouts for just £9.50 a month NO joining fee NO contract Access to bikes, treadmills, weights, kettlebells and plenty more
Check out the studio below!
You can join online here: https://www.haloleisure.org.uk/sign-up/
Give us a call on: 01588 672847
Or pop into the centre and get signed up!"
[click banner to view website]
“Mammoth” walking festival in Craven Arms.
Taking place over the first weekend in April 2023, the Festival will offer stunning courses which showcase the rugged beauty of this fascinating area - taking in Iron-Age hillforts, jagged peaks, ancient woodlands, upland heath and traditional market towns. Run as a fundraiser for Grow Cook Learn, the charity which has operated the Centre since 2014, the event is about supporting the charity’s mission to connect people to the food, history and landscape of the Shropshire Hills.
The team at the Centre are delighted to welcome back as headline sponsor to the event for this year - Airband, the UK’s leading rural broadband provider.
Since 2009, Airband has been on a mission to transform connectivity for people in need of broadband, spanning even the hardest-to-reach areas of the UK. Working alongside the government, councils and communities, Airband is working full speed ahead to deliver their ground-breaking fibre broadband technology in the area, to offer supersonic speeds up to 900Mbps for people in Shropshire and beyond. Visit their coverage checker at www.airband.co.uk to get the speeds you need to stay connected no matter what.
On Saturday 1st April, runners and walkers from across the UK and beyond will descend on the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre in Craven Arms to take part in one of four events- the mighty SW80K, The Mammothon, the Half-Mammothon or the Tusker 10K.
If you would like to take part in any of the events, a link to the bookings page can be found on the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre website.
New online coaching service for people who struggle with reading
It’s taken for granted that we all learned to read and write at school, however there are many local people who struggle with this essential life skill. Just imagine how your life would be if you couldn’t read forms or letters, follow medicine instructions, or read a new recipe? Free, confidential, one-to-one help
Read Easy Shropshire Hills matches up adults who want to learn to read with a trained reading coach and they work together through reading manuals, in private, at a time to suit them both. It’s as easy as that and its free!
What’s important is that everyone can learn at their own pace without feeling rushed. There’s no pressure or targets or exams to worry about and no reminders of what it was like at school.
Before the pandemic all coaching sessions were held face-to-face in quiet locations such as cafes and libraries, but out of necessity we have had to find new ways to keep on coaching.
Online coaching, using Zoom, has been so successful and convenient for many reading pairs, that we have decided to use it to reach a much wider population. New readers are provided with a tablet if they don’t have access to a computer. It is set up by Read Easy beforehand so it can be used without any computer knowledge or keyboard skills. However, Zoom isn’t for everyone and for some of our readers coaching by WhatsApp or phone are better options.
We will continue to offer face-to-face coaching to people who would prefer to meet in person if there is a suitable local venue. Jay Blades proves it’s never too late to learn
Jay Blades, presenter of BBC's Repair Shop, finds reading a challenge. He concealed his inability to read until he was in his 30s, after he struggled to learn to read as a child and compares looking at words on a page to a 'book of ants'. Jay, 51, has been learning to read online with Read Easy in Birmingham and his story was shown on BBC TV earlier this year.
How to get in touch
Learning to read can literally be life changing. People grow enormously in confidence, self-esteem and independence as well as being able to navigate the world of the written word.
If you would like to find out more, or you know someone who would like to learn to read contact Amana Winchester on 07707762653 or email her shcoordinator@readeasy.org.uk.
YSS is a charity operating across Shropshire and Telford for over 30 years now. Our aim has been to support people in the local community to overcome obstacles, feel safe and be part of their local community. Volunteers have always been an important part of our operation, as we recognise the difference they can make in supporting people alongside our local practitioners.
YSS Volunteers can do a variety of tasks depending on their preferences and availability. The only certainty is that by volunteering, they can make a real difference in a person’s life while gaining valuable experience and knowledge.
For people who enjoy learning more about the criminal justice system and supporting young people navigate through it, you could act as an Appropriate Adult for YSS. All you have to do is support the young person while in custody and make sure all procedures are followed.
On the other hand, for people who enjoy supporting individuals on an one to one basis, we have volunteer mentors opportunities. Our volunteer mentors work with service users in their local area who could come from any of the services.
If you are interested in finding out more of what we do, our services and our volunteering opportunities contact us, talk to us and get to know us!
Our Volunteer Coordinator for Shropshire and Telford is always happy to have a chat! Simply email Pam.Fenkli@yss.org.uk or call at 07815 961188
CRAVEN ARMS
GOOD NEIGHBOURS
We have restarted our services
Call 01588 673732
for help with transport and other difficulties
weekdays between 9am and 12 noon
Now we need your help!
Volunteer Drivers required
Mileage reimbursed at 50p per mile.
Telephone volunteers required
Interested? Contact Secretary on 07790747023 or via number above.
St Andrews Community Food Bank, 11 Market Street, Craven Arms. Open each Tuesday from 10 am to 12 pm.You will be made very welcome.
From May 2022 we are returning to a referral voucher scheme. You can get these from various agencies such as Connexus, the Medical Centre, Mental Health Services and others. If you have a support worker they should be able to assist you.
Contact Angela on 07852 310514 if you need help with this or if you want to make a donation. Donations of food (in date, please), cheques or cash can be brought to the food bank. We are reliant on the kind donations we receive to help others in need.
Shropshire Council Community Reassurance Teams and Helpline help those who are vulnerable and in need of help. The Helpline 0345 678 9028 is available 8am to 6pm weekdays, and 9am to 1pm Saturdays.
August September The FUTURE of St Thomas’ Church Halford An Open Meeting at Halford Church MONDAY 12th SEPTEMBER 7PM You are invited to attend to hear what has been happening and what the next possible steps might be. Please come if you can. Sarah Girling the Pastoral Adviser for the Diocese of Hereford will be present with Fiona Gibson, the Archdeacon of Ludlow, to help inform our discussions about the Church’s future.
What has happened since the November meetings:
The November Open Meetings did not want to see the building closed, nor does the PCC; but the meetings found it hard to find alternative or additional uses. The costs for restoration and the need for updating were recognised. In private conversation people have been honest and there have been a variety of opinions expressed. The PCC later decided to begin the process which might lead to it being closed for Worship.
The meeting on 12th September allows us to explore what this means and its consequences. Sarah Girling and the Archdeacon will be able to outline the process, where we are in it, and what remains to be done. No decision has been made by the necessary local and national parties and this meeting is part of ongoing consultation. Is one possibility that the local community and not the PCC take on responsibility for the Church?
As part of the consultation process the Churches Building Council has written a report about the features and the value of the Church. This is available to be looked at in the Church and can be sent to you if you email janet.dovey@btinternet.com
No decisions have been made about the future of the Church building. Until a Church has been properly closed for worship, alternative uses for the building cannot be decided.
The Churches are preparing to appoint a Pioneer Priest to Craven Arms and a new part time vicar to the surrounding parishes including Halford. The Archdeacon will be able to share more about this process.
The meeting will be an opportunity for local people to make their views heard. If you are unable to attend the meeting or have thoughts already on the future of the church, please feel free to share any comments, ideas, concerns with Rev Mark Sanders, Interim Minister revmarksanders@tiscali.co.uk
Unlimited workouts for just £9.50 a month
Craven Arms Community Food Bank 
