village life

The Village Life Magazine Committee plans to have a verbal edition of the magazine for those with visual impairments. They have received donations for the necessary equipment and are seeking volunteers to help with recording. There is a new purple pot weaving bin for dog poo bags in the village. The Parish Council has a new chairman and is seeking volunteers to join. They are also concerned about delays in installing new streetlights. They discussed the Community Infrastructure Levy and its impact on the parish. St Martin's Village Life, December-January 2023-24 Update from the Village Life Magazine Committee Hello everyone, the team wish you all a very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. We are nearly in 2024 and I'm beginning to think what does the New Year have in store for us here at the Magazine Central. One new initiative is to have a verbal edition. We do hope to have it sorted by next issue. There is a very kind lady who has made a donation towards getting the equipment needed, memory sticks and pouches, and another who has committed herself to recording the whole of the magazine to be able to send out at no cost to the user or to us. If you are blind or have a slight impairment that restricts your ability to read the magazine or have a relative who would benefit from and have the equipment, same as the talking newspapers, please do email us with names and addresses and we will let you know when it is up and running. Also, do you have a good reading voice? Are you able to help our volunteer to produce the recordings? If you'd like to help, please email us and we will pass on your details. Do you have a dog that you walk around the village? Have you noticed that there is a new purple pot weaving bin at the end of Collery Road by the substation for all dog poo bags? How convenient! As it is so big, we will not have the issue of it overflowing like the one at the top of School Lane. All I can say at this point is, please use it. I do. Why not you? We have a lovely village and it is up to us to look after it. Whenever I talk to anyone and ask, what would you change to make life in the village better? Dog poo on pavements, speed of traffic through the village, and gas surges not being cut are regularly the three main issues. So come on folks, let's eliminate the dog poo problem at least. If you wish to submit an article or advertise in the next publication, please email your submission to stmartinsvillagelive.gmail.com by no later than Wednesday 10th January 2024. Parish Council from the Chair Well, what an unexpected month it has been! In my mental plan for what the future may hold, becoming Chair of our Parish Council never raised its head. But it happened, and I now find myself in the hot seat. It's 28 years since I held this position in another authority, and my initial sessions show that I am somewhat rusty. However, hopefully a good spray of WD-40 will enable me to quickly return to full operational capacity. I must begin by giving my sincere thanks to Parish Chair Sophie for her unstinting dedication and involvement over the past six months. Her inputs associated with all matters green have been enlightening. Thankfully, she continues as a councillor, leading schemes such as local rights of way, access paths and on-street charging points for electric vehicles. The Parish Council is here to represent the views of all residents across our wonderful village, and we welcome input from as many directions as possible. But you can't forget that we are all volunteers, and we now need you to volunteer to join our council. Without a full complement of councillors, it puts pressure on the remaining officials. We presently have one vacancy, so please consider joining us. Application forms can be obtained by emailing our Parish Clerk, Edward Davis, clerk at stmartinsparishcouncil.gov.uk. Our council meets every month apart from August, and our discussions are strictly limited to two hours maximum in a weekday evening. Surely two hours in a month is not excessive. We need your help. Another area close to my heart is being a member of our community speedwatch group. There are two or three sessions every month, at which we continue to register vehicles exceeding the 30 mile an hour limit across the village. At every one hour session we will identify between 10 and 15 vehicles, putting other road users and pedestrians at risk. It truly is absolutely unacceptable that drivers continue to ignore the basic requirements of road safety and the highway code, and the digital flashing signs at the entrances to our village. We'd like to increase the sessions to four or even six per month, but to do so we need you to volunteer. Again, please consider joining us, and contact our coordinator, Di Slater, at protonmail.com. We're now very close to most important religious and family time of the year, and I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone in our community a very happy and peaceful Christmas. George Smith, MBE, Chairman, St Martins Parish Council. Report from St Martins Parish Council Clerk. The last meeting of St Martins Parish Council was held in St Martins Village Hall on Thursday 9th November 2023. Unfortunately, at the October meeting, our Chairperson, Councillor Sophie Hughes-Thorner, due to change in her employment that had put a strain on her carrying out her role as Chairperson successfully, had to stand down from this position. Councillor George Smith has now been elected as Chairman of the Parish Council. The Parish Council again expressed concern over the delay in installing new cabling for streetlights along Overton Road from Sand Superstore to the Quays Public House. This has been ongoing for months, despite assurances from Jason Hughes, Structure Council's Street Lighting and Traffic Signals Commissioner, who stated in his last email on 3rd November 2023 that CAIA, the contractors, have permitted to undertake work from 30th October until the project is complete. We envisage the work to take up to two weeks on site, subject to any unforeseen circumstances. Our MP, Helen Morgan, would be advised of these delays. The main discussion was on the Community Infrastructure Levy, SIL, which is a charge by Shropshire Council on new development to help fund supporting infrastructure across Shropshire, of which each parish town council receive a percentage proportion of this. On 24th October, alongside Shropshire Council Councillor Steve Davenport and Chris Schofield, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulation, Months of the year quiz answers on page 30. 1. Which month is the only month with the same number of letters in its name as the number of the month? 2. The Battle of Hastings was fought in 1066, but in which month? 3. According to the poem The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot, which month is the cruelest? 4. What was the month called Quintilis, renamed in 44 BC? 5. In a well-known saying, which food should we only eat in the months with the letter R in? 6. In which month of the year did the October Revolution take place in Russia in 1914? 7. An Americanizationism for something that is painfully slow, complete the saying, as slow as molasses in? 8. Can you name the ninth month of the Islamic calendar? 9. Which astrological star sign covers July 24 to August 23? 10. Which cartoon character, created in 1940, has three leases aged April, May and June? St. Martin's Methodist Church, Ellesmere Road. Minister for St. Martin's, the Rev. Juliet Schitt. Phone number 07810 360 778. Deacon Karis Woodley 01939 235504. Sunday Worship. Coffee Morning. Join us for coffee, biscuits, chat and a warm space. February 1st, 15th, 29th, March 14th and 28th. 10.30 till 11.30. Mothering Sunday. Afternoon tea, crafts and readings. March 10th at 2pm. Follow us on Facebook, St. Martin's Methodist Church and St. Martin's Chapel. St. Martin's Rainbows. St. Martin's Rainbows have started back at the Methodist Church on Ellesmere Road. There are still spaces for any girls aged between 4 years and 7 years. We run from 5pm till 6pm every Tuesday evening. We are also looking for a volunteer to help with the group on a regular basis. Could be anyone needing a placement for their Duke of Edinburgh or someone wishing to join the group as a trainee. Please contact Heather on 0750 628 280 482. You can register using the girlguiding.org.uk website. St. Martin's Youthy. St. Martin's Village Hall. SY11 3AY. Friday evenings, term time only 7 till 8. Entries still only £1. All school year 6 and older welcome. A celebration, remember. Playing darts in the Scout Hut. Designing the mosaic for Ifton Meadows. Drumming on the float in the St. Martin's pageant. A youthy talent concert at the Stukes. Football at the Quinta. Painting your portrait on the wall. Canoeing on the canal. Sea fishing. Silent disco. Human hungry hippo. Dodgeball. 30 years and still going. All you youngsters join us to try new skills. All you oldies join us for some fun, laughs and memories. Save the date. Saturday April the 20th. Second St. Martin's Scout Group. A great autumn term for our Scouts and Cubs. Culminated in an overnight winter camp just before Christmas. The Cubs put their tents up inside the hut. A challenge in itself. And the Scouts outside despite the weather. And then they lit fires and played games. In the morning they all successfully cooked their own breakfast. Both groups have had a busy term ahead. Cubs will be working towards a number of badges. Including Artist, Chef, First Aid, Backward Cooking and Personal Safety. And ending the term with an Easter Camp. The Scouts will be training for a shooting competition. Improving their navigation skills. Expanding their knot knowledge. And then developing pioneering skills and taking on personal and group challenges. There will also be evenings where the more experienced Scouts. Who are now patrol leaders or assistant patrol leaders. Will be training their patrols. And learning valuable leadership and planning skills. Sounds fun? I think so. Why not come and see for yourself. Turn time at the Scout Hut from 6 till 7.50. Cubs 7.30 till 9.00. Scouts on Thursdays. For more information please contact Dave Cripps. On 2ndStMartinsScouts at gmail.com. Or just call into the Hut. Happy New Year for all volunteers at the Village Hall. I wish to thank all the community for the support, gifts and many donations. Given to the Village Hall in the run up to Christmas. Stan's Superstore, The Keys Pub, Foundation Pilings and many individual prize givers. We have had a busy run up to Christmas holding many events. From car booths, bingo evenings, table top sales, Halloween craft events. And not to forget Father Christmas' visit to the Hall. We thank you for your support. Please keep an eye out for further coming events. Or if you have any ideas for events please feel free to pass them on. Many thanks, Heather. St Martins Village Hall, the heart of the community. Walk-in, free books, libraries, exercise classes, parties halls, coffee mornings, meeting rooms, spinning classes, car booth sales, free IT, computer help. Telephone 01691770204 Please leave a message or email stmartinscentre at mail.com SY113AY Monetary donations always gratefully received for improvement. St Martins Village Hall News Happy New Year to you all. Our Village Hall Centre is open again now after Christmas break. We have a new exercise class running on a Wednesday morning and Thursday evening. Yoga, move freely, which is a class to restore movement to our winter bodies. Our coffee and chat Tuesday mornings are enjoyed by many, making new friends and renewing friendships. A warm welcome is there for everyone. We are installing new bookshelves in the library and there are books for everyone from children's, crime books, autobiographies to travel books, cookery etc. You are welcome to browse our bookshelves and take as many as you wish. No records are kept so bring along books you have read and find new books to take. We have many regular groups that meet now such as the Parkinson's Support, St Martins History Group, ballet, yoga, move freely. Spinning, Youth 3A, Youth Club, parish council meetings and many more. Our activities room is ideal for children's parties and allows for more to date parties. We have a large group of volunteers to help with functions throughout the year and we will be starting the car booth on Saturdays again soon. Please pop in as you pass to pick up a book or two or looking on a Tuesday morning when it is open to everyone wanting a snack or a drink. St Martins volunteer car scheme. If you need to get anywhere local and you are unable to access local transport, please ring to make a booking. 07921 760879 Line open 9am to 5pm, 7 days a week. Please ring for more information if you would like to be a voluntary driver. No distance too small. If you want to go to doctors, surgery, a hospital appointment, chiropodist, dentist, visit someone in a care home. Ring and see how we can help. We have now undertaken 95 trips and lots of passengers lost. Cold morning vehicle safety. As the mornings appear to be getting colder and we are seeing some snowing places, this is just a message to remind people that although vehicle crime is low across West Mercia, every winter the force receives a number of reports from drivers who have had their car stolen after leaving the engine running while they wait in the warm of their home for it to heat up and defrost the windscreen. Some vehicle owners nip inside for just a few seconds to collect their bag or finish the last mouthful of their breakfast coffee. But that's all the time and opportunity thieves need. To freeze out the thieves, West Mercia Police advise motorists to clear windscreens with de-icer and a scraper. Sit in the vehicle to allow heat to demist the windscreen. Drivers who ignore this advice are taking big risks. Thieves will drive around residential areas looking for likely targets. When they spot a vehicle with its engine left running on a drive or outside a home, it's there for the taking. One person will be dropped off, get into the target vehicle and simply drive away. Many of the vehicles are never recovered and some, especially high value models such as Mercedes, BMWs and Audi, may be shipped overseas. It is also worth remembering if your car is stolen when keys have been left in, you may find your insurance will not cover you. If your house keys are stolen along with your car, your home is invulnerable too. A warm welcome, hello to 2024 and farewell to a giant of a friend of Ifton Meadows. It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of a stalwart friend of Ifton Meadows. On the 3rd of December, 23, Neil Graham died. He was a founding member of the Ifton Meadows Management Committee. This group of local volunteers have given their time freely to undertake management work on the meadows. Neil was always down on the meadows, usually with his dogs, Frankie and Gwyn, to name two. He was most knowledgeable about the habitats and nature's creatures of the meadows. He was sociable, approachable, amiable and welcomed to all that he met down there. Neil, you wear unique and irreplaceable and will be missed by your friends in this group and your friends on the meadows, and indeed in St Martin's. Rest in peace, sir. So 2024, as with all years, in marches on. And we are due to enter the fine month of February. The days are drawing out, hopefully the rainy days will be getting fewer per week. Spring shoots are growing and indeed if you look over any fence, especially in and around the meadows, the grass is definitely getting greener. And we can hope that the ground is getting drier, less squelching around as you walk the paths of the reserve. And as you visit the meadows, keep an eye out for the skylarks as they will now be becoming more prominent in the sky above. And back to green shoots in the dingle, the snowdrops should be giving a good display and hopefully some of the transplanted bulbs on the slope just down from the railway entrance pond may have been bold enough to show their heads. You should also start to see the yellow selendine. The volunteer work parties are continuing. We will be meeting as usual at the main entrance at 1.30 on the second Sunday of each month. In December, unfortunately due to wet weather, we had to abandon the work party. However, the January work party took place and we continue to cut back brambles that are overtaking the grass. We're hoping that cutting them will weaken them and slowly then march to conquer the meadows. In February, we will continue to do this and even take down more of the invasive birch saplings. If you're interested in helping us, then the dates for February and March are Sunday the 11th of February and Sunday the 10th of March. Please visit and enjoy the meadows. The views from the mosaic are beautiful. A view of our friend Neil, who's very fond of. What's on in February 2024? Tuesday the 6th, the WI Adventures of Dame Agnes Hunt at Martin Miners Institute, 7.30pm. Tuesday the 7th, Hearing Loss Support Hub. Usually the first Wednesday of every month. Also through libraries. Booking required 01743 342168. Thursday, Tuesday and Thursday, Shropshire Council Local Drop-in, Police Shepherd and Orphanage Library, Central 2. Thursday the 8th, St Martin's Parish Council, St Martin's Centre, 7pm. Wednesday the 14th, Western Wrynn and District Gardening Club, Western Wrynn Institute, 7.15pm. Thursday, Carer Support Drop-in, Police Shepherd and Orphanage Library, 10.30pm to 12.30pm, 1.30pm to 3.30pm. Thursday the 29th, The Extra Day, Do Something Great With It Today, Leap Year. What's on in March 2024? Tuesday the 5th, WI Ruth Martin, Osnosh, The Lounge of the Miners Institute, 7.30pm. Wednesday the 6th, Hearing Loss Support Hub. Usually the first Wednesday of every month. Also through libraries. Booking required 01743 342168. Tuesday and Thursday, Shropshire Council Local Drop-in, Police Shepherd and Orphanage Library, Central 2. Wednesday the 13th, Western Wrynn and District Gardening Club, Garden, Mood and Colour, Western Wrynn Institute, 7.15pm. Thursday the 14th, St Martin's Parish Council, St Martin's Village Hall, 7pm. Please let us know the time and date of your events in April and May for the next edition of Village Life. Free on the What's On pages by no later than Wednesday the 6th of March 2024. If you send us an article for the next edition, please bear in mind that it will be delivered at the end of March, so any events you report on will have happened before then. If you want to mention any upcoming events or activities, please make sure they are in April and May or later. St Martin's School. Amy Gaskin in Year 8 has decided to donate her hair to the Little Prince's Trust to make wigs for children who have lost their own hair due to illness. She has also decided she'd like to raise money for them to go towards some of the costs of making and fitting the wigs for the children. If you'd like to support Amy, please see the link on her Just Giving page. With the Christmas festivities only just over for many children, Christmas would have seen the arrival of devices that allow them to go online. If parents or carers need any advice or support about online safety, please scan the QR code on the poster or contact the school. Our careers programme goes from strength to strength, with regular guest speakers coming into school and our annual careers fair. We hosted over 25 businesses and educational establishments who gave up their time to talk to students in years 9 to 11. This annual event helps to showcase some of the great careers that are literally on our doorstep. This is invaluable. It helps broaden our students' horizons and inspires them in the future career path. Thank you to all who gave up their time. We couldn't do it without you. Our next major career event is our Year 10 Work Experience Week, 8 to 12 July. If you are a company that wishes to become involved in our careers programme, please get in touch. We'd love to hear from you. Our learning mentor, Tim Davis, has been working with students offering practical lessons with a work-related theme. This supports classroom lessons and the curriculum, while also providing an opportunity for mentoring and career inspiration. Western Women's District Gardening Club, Happy New Year to you all. The sharp cold spell after all the rain over the seasonal festivities is a welcome respite, but roll on summer, I say. On 13 December, Tammy Weaver from TMS Events, which specialises in floral design and venue dressing, came and demonstrated Christmas wreath making. The session was relaxed, informative, and many useful tips were shared. Tammy made it look effortless, and I'm sure many of us had a go at home. I certainly did, and this is my effort. There's a picture of it there. Tammy's wreath looks bright and cheerful, and she emphasised that she is conscious of being sustainable in using materials that are biodegradable. On 10 January, we had our annual Christmas dinner, held this year at The Last in Hengwys. On 13 February, our next meeting is held at Western Women's Institute, 7.15pm to 7.30pm. Look forward to seeing you all there. Did Martin stay centre at Cedar Close? Did you know that a group of cats is called a plowder, a group of sharks is called a shiver, and a group of hedgehogs is called a prickle? To cheer up the dark, chilly winter months, Dee has been creating quizzes, such as the Collective Noun Quiz, to challenge the memory and spark the imagination. Another great game we have been doing is the Alphabet Challenge. Can you name an animal for every letter of the alphabet? We never know what creative ideas the clients will come up with. And speaking of prickle, our leader Val came up with an idea that we could make hedgehogs from folded books. The clients got to choose the eyes, nose, feet and all the accessories for the hedgehogs. What an adorable prickle they created. Why not come and join us? The day centre is open on Tuesdays every week from 10am to 2pm at the Cedar Close Community Centre in St Martin. We provide older people with both practical assistance and a chance to socialise and have plenty of fun, while providing a day of respite for their carers. We offer lots of activities including games, seated exercises, crafts, bingo, dominoes, seated, voice, as well as a two-course hot meal from Sam's. Transportation can be provided through Dial-A-Ride. Come in for a day and meet the team and join the fun. You get a lot for the cost of only £15 a day. For more information please contact Marilyn at 07769 915201 or Dee at 01691 777842 or Dean Barnhart at gmail.com Dee Ann Barnhart, St Martin's Close Day Centre at Cedar Close. Answers to the quiz on page 8. 1. September 9th month 9 letters 2. October 14th October 1066 3. April 4. July after the death of Julius Caesar 5. Oysters except the answer Shellfish 6. November 7th November 1917 to 8th November 1917 7. January 8th Ramadan also known as Ramazan 9. Leo 10. Daisy Duck Do you remember filling in the health survey for St Martin's before Christmas? Here are the results. Comments and queries are welcome. 100 households took part Doctors surgery 77% go to chirp surgery 3.5 Overton surgery 5.3 Caxton 3.5 Platfinnan 7.1 Cambrian 89% yes 3.7 yes 6.4 no How do you get there? 71.4% said their own car 12.5% said a lift 5.4% said public transport 4.5% said taxi 5.4% said other St Martin's Football Club vs Ludlow Town St Martin's Football Club started this Shropshire Cup match with sensitivity so as a result gave the opposition several golden opportunities to score their goalkeeper Finn Gunn made several excellent saves the resulting pressure resulted in a penalty being awarded to Ludlow in the 10th minute that was blasted home by their centre forward Sean Evans the Saints forward Alec Winston drove a long shot that sailed just wide of the opposition's bar and then Kai Herdman, low drive, flew past the opposition's post but sadly for Saints Ludlow increased their lead in the following attack as Ryan Lewis chipped the ball over the Saints defence into the top corner of their goal Ludlow grasped a positive lead prior to half time via two breakaway goals confidently scored by Ryan Clarke securing a positive 4-0 lead at half time the second half began with a mesmerising run from Saints Kai Herdman which resulted in an outstanding save from the Ludlow keeper but this proved to be Saints last scoring opportunity Saints experienced a devastating next step of the second half with a two goal strike by a Ludlow forward Josh Borrell to add insult to injury Ludlow's sticker T-Rod Booth fired home his club's seventh goal Saints eventually found the net via a goal scored by Noah Booth but sadly for them this was a match not to forget but hopefully to learn from Community Wildlife Group Curlews in North West Shropshire The Tannant to Perry Community Wildlife Group area extends from Osler Street into the north to Kinnerley in the south and towards Eastwards from the Welsh border to Wright and Eleventh Town From the Tannant to the Perry our group, together with the three parishes Community Wildlife Group which covers Western Loons, St Martins and Cwmborin has been working with Shropshire Ornithological Society Save Our Curlews campaign to try and locate all the breeding pairs of Curlews find as many nests as possible and protect them from predators with an electric fence then radio tag and track the chicks to see what happens to them The two groups located 12 to 15 pairs altogether 9 to 10 in the Tannant to Perry area 3 to 5 in the three parishes One nest was found in the fence, see photo, north of Osler Street 3 of the 4 eggs hatched but all the chicks were predated one definitely by a fox the tag was recorded, transmitted from inside its den and the other two probably by a fox A well-known chick from a nearby nest was found uncoloured ringed and it went on to fledge Two other separate pairs near Trebon and each also produced at least one fledged young If you saw or heard of Curlew in 2023, particularly if you observed evidence of breeding please tell us, don't assume you know about it The number of fledged young is less than half of the productivity that Curlews need if they are to maintain their population The country Curlew population is estimated at 100 to 110 pairs and at the current rate of decline it will be half in 12 years and become extinct in 25 We haven't got long to save them We will be carrying on this work next year and we need more people to help with the community wildlife group survey There will be a public meeting in Wardle in March but if you are interested in getting involved please email leo at leosmith.org.uk The survey also monitored lapwings and several other priority species and a report with the 2022 results will be published early in the new year The WI Inspiring Women Happy New Year from St Martins WI December saw us enjoying our annual Christmas meal and quiz at the Quays We enjoyed excellent festive fare and a fun quiz with the prize for the winners being afternoon tea for two at the Winstead Artistry as well as a raffle prize Presentation of prizes to the winners of our monthly competition as exhibition winners were presented The competition was won by Shirley Willis and the expedition winner was Sue Bedson A presentation was also made to Jean Lance and Pam Doyle for their years of service on St Martins WI committee The photographs show the winners being presented with their prizes Our first meeting of 2024 was held on January 2nd when Eileen welcomed everyone to the meeting and wished them a happy new year Following various items of business an enjoyable game of fun was held followed by social time and refreshments February's meeting is on Tuesday 6th when our speaker will be Alison Hutting outlining the adventures of Dave and his son On the 5th of March Ruth Martin will be telling us about Cosmos