Sad news over the last week, as we have lost two of our best known residents.

In this issue:
  1. Stuart Crowther
  2. Des Hollier
  3. St James’ Church Services – August
  4. Birlingham Photography Club, Tuesday 6th August
  5. Cuppa & Chat, Wednesday 7th August
  6. Worcestershire Open Studios 2019, Saturday 24th – Monday 26th August
  7. Road Closure at Eckington Road, Tuesday 27th – Wednesday 28th August
  8. Farm Theft
  9. Poppy Appeal Organiser
  10. Dog Fouling
  11. Worcestershire Passenger Transport Strategy, closing date Friday 13th September
  12. Planning Applications
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1. Stuart Crowther

We are very sorry to inform you that Stuart Crowther died on 22nd July. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

The funeral service will be at the Vale Crematorium, Fladbury on Tuesday 13th August at 11.00am.

Family flowers only please; donations, if desired, for St Richard’s Hospice may be sent to E Hill & Son, Funeral Directors, Pershore, WR10 1HZ.

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2. Des Hollier

We are also sorry to inform you that Des Hollier died on 23rd July, at the age of 91. He will be sadly missed by wife Joan, daughters Angie and Nikki, son-in-law Steve and grandchildren Richard and Robert.

The funeral service will be at the Vale Crematorium, Fladbury on Thursday 8th August at 1.00pm. Please wear bright clothes in memory of Des.

Family flowers only; donations, if desired, for the Salvation Army may be sent to E Hill & Son, Funeral Directors, Pershore, WR10 1HZ.

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3. St James’ Church Services – August

Services at St James’ Church during August will be held at the following times:

  • Sunday 4th: NO SERVICE. A Coffee Morning will be held in the Church at 10.30am. Donations for the Children’s Society. All welcome.
  • Sunday 11th: Holy Communion, 10.30am (led by Revd Philip Hughes)
  • Sunday 18th: Morning Praise, 10.30am (led by David Bray)
  • Sunday 25th: Holy Communion, 9.00am (led by Revd Claire Lording & Revd Steve Dunton)
Please note that from October the regular services will be on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month. There will be no services on the 2nd and 4th Sundays, apart from special services such as Bulb Sunday and a Pet Service.

Dates for the diary:
   1st September: Garden Party, 3.00pm (details to follow later)
   15th September: Harvest Festival

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4. Birlingham Photography Club, Tuesday 6th August

Angela Fitch writes:
Tuesday 6th August, 7.00pm – 8.30pm: BPC’s Annual Print Competition – submissions are open exclusively to members but visitors are very welcome to join club members for an evening of photo critique.

Tuesday 2nd September, 7.00pm – 8.30pm, sees a return to the usual club format when top photographer Rae Prince will reveal the secrets to taking amazing portraits of dogs and horses.

All club meetings are open to anyone, it doesn’t matter what kit you have, whether it’s the latest mirrorless or you just like the convenience of using your phone, there’s something for everyone. No annual fee, just £4pp per meeting which includes light refreshments.

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5. Cuppa & Chat, Wednesday 7th August

The next Cuppa & Chat takes place on Wednesday 7th August, from 3.00pm to 4.30pm. Come and enjoy tea, coffee and cake in Birlingham Village Hall – an opportunity to meet friends, catch up on local news and debate the merits or otherwise of our new Prime Minister.

All are welcome, especially families new to the village. Cost is £2 per head and it is always held on the first Wednesday of the month. For more information please contact Adrianne Woodward on 01386 750936.

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6. Worcestershire Open Studios 2019, Saturday 24th – Monday 26th August

Angela Fitch writes:
Save the date for a brush with art! Birlingham Village Hall is taking part in the free, artist-led Worcestershire Open Studios initiative from 24th to 26th August.

Nine artists, Karen Brighton, Rob Broadhurst, Nick Dawes, Angela Fitch, Rosemary Frith, Paulette Moore, Jenny Pratt, Kirsten Protherough and Hayley Reynolds, will be showing and selling originals, prints and greetings cards and some of the artists will also be demonstrating their techniques and talking to visitors about their ideas, inspirations and generally the life of an artist.

Karen Brighton, one of the ‘Birlingham Nonet’ said, ‘I thoroughly enjoy sharing my art with visitors, whether they are artists themselves or people who enjoy looking at art. I really hope to see lots of people of all ages from the local community and beyond – everyone is very welcome.’

Along with Birlingham Village Hall, there are 82 other artists’ spaces to visit, including those right on the doorstep: Gary Coates at Strensham, Christopher Hughes at Upton-upon-Severn, Peter O’Neil and Sarah Nicol at Earls Croome, and Susan Faulkner at Severn Stoke.

Worcestershire Open Studios was highly commended in the Visit Worcestershire Awards of Excellence 2018 and is sponsored by Bevere Gallery and Malvern School of Art. It is not-for-profit, organised by artists and all venues are free to visit.

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7. Road Closure at Eckington Road, Tuesday 27th – Wednesday 28th August

Eckington Road (B4080) will be closed between the junctions with Defford Road (A4104) and New Barn Lane for two days from Tuesday 27th to Wednesday 28th August. This is to allow for resurfacing of the carriageway.

More details will be available in the next issue of Birlingham News.

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8. Farm Theft

Between last Saturday 27th evening and Sunday 28th morning items were stolen from the farm at Gravelly Hill, Eckington Road. The thieves took things they could carry but also tried to take parts off a digger and attempted to get into a locked shed. All internal gates were left open so ponies got into the hay and lids were left off feed bins so ponies were eating feed – luckily only theirs but it could have been dangerous for them.

The police were informed and came round and gave advice. If you noticed anything suspicious in the area last weekend, please call West Mercia Police on 101, quoting Incident Reference Number 22-69324-19 PHELPS.

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9. Poppy Appeal Organiser

Chris Reynard writes:
From the end of this month (July 2019) after 10 years I’m relinquishing my post as the local Poppy Appeal Organiser (PAO) for the Royal British Legion.

At the present time a replacement has not been found for me and additionally Pershore is also looking for a replacement PAO for the area that they cover.

If there are any volunteers for these posts, please contact me on 01386 751122.

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10. Dog Fouling

One of our residents is suffering from their garden being fouled by an uncontrolled dog. This is particularly worrying as the garden is used by children.

If you take your dog out in the village please either keep it on a lead or make sure it does not stray into private gardens. If you see a dog running loose in the village, please let us know.

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11. Worcestershire Passenger Transport Strategy, closing date Friday 13th September

Worcestershire County Council have developed the Worcestershire Passenger Transport Strategy to support Worcestershire’s Local Transport Plan 4. The Strategy sets out how Worcestershire County Council, working with its partners, aims to make passenger transport improvements for the benefit of all residents.

If you would like to have your say on the Strategy, which covers local bus services and connections with railway stations, please print and complete the survey at www.birlingham.org/docs/worcestershire_pts_survey.pdf and return it to Pershore Library, the Tourist Information Centre or directly to the County Council at County Hall.

Full details of the Strategy can be found at www.birlingham.org/docs/worcestershire_pts.pdf, with a summary at www.birlingham.org/docs/worcestershire_pts_summary.pdf. Contact details are at www.birlingham.org/docs/worcestershire_pts_contact.pdf.

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12. Planning Applications

The following planning application has been determined by Wychavon District Council:

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