A heritage railway line has extended its track into Worcestershire as part of a move to reopen Broadway station.

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway's extension towards Broadway has now reached Little Buckland.

The plan is for the line to Broadway station, which is being rebuilt, to reopen by 2018.

Image source, Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway

A share issue to fund the extention of the line has so far raised £880,000.

Worcester News

A couple has donated £1,000 to a life-saving hospital unit, external which ensured they could celebrate their ruby wedding anniversary together.  

A bull has spent the morning on the loose on the road between Ledbury and Ross on Wye.

Police officers confirmed they were helping a farmer rescue the bull from near the A449 Preston Cross roundabout.

No injuries have been reported and the incodent is expected to be resolved soon, police say. 

About 200 Blackpool football fans have donated money to Kidderminster Harriers, after deciding to boycott their FA Cup game on Sunday.

The teams are due to meet at Bloomfield Road, but Blackpool fans are protesting against the running of the club.

In the FA Cup both clubs share the gate receipts, so for smaller clubs it can be a financial lifeline, particularly playing at a larger ground.

Blackpool fans are trying to make up for Kidderminster's loss by putting their hands in their pockets and donating the equivalent of £6 each.

Image source, Getty Images

The chair of the South Warwickshire Foundation Trust (SWFT) is set to take on the same role at Wye Valley, the Herefordshire hospital trust confirms.

Russell Hardy will now oversee both trusts from Monday.

SWFT has been supporting the Wye Valley trust after they were put in special measures, but last week rumours of a possible permanent takeover began to emerge.

The MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire Jesse Norman said he was "seriously concerned" if it went ahead with no public consultation.

Here are some of the stories we're looking at this morning:

- Herefordshire's hospitals come out of special measures, two years after being rated inadequate

- Plans to build a new recycling plant on Sandy Lane in Bromsgrove are rejected

- More than 12,000 people sign a petition set up by a Worcester teacher to retain the archaeology A Level course

BBC Weather Watchers

As temperatures drop, BBC Weather Watcher Terry Gorsley took this wonderful picture in Ross-on-Wye.

I'd love to feature your photos - you can email, tweet us on @bbchw, external or message via Facebook, external.

Image source, Terry Gorsley

A teacher is considering launching his own exam board to keep the archaeology A-Level going.

A petition launched by Dan Boatright, who teaches the subject at Worcester Sixth Form College, after the exam board AQA said it was scrapping the A-level, has attracted more than 12,000 signatures.

Image source, Getty Images

AQA say their decision to scrap archaeology won't stop students going on to do it at degree level, as universities don't currently require an A-level in it.

Kidderminster Shuttle

One of Kidderminster’s retail parks has been put up for sale, external just under three years after it was bought by a company chaired by an ex-Dragon’s Den star.  

Campaigners in Bromsgrove have welcomed the decision not to approve plans for a new recycling plant in the town.

The proposals, for Sandy Lane, would have seen the facility dealing with up to 120,000 tonnes of incinerator waste each year.

Image source, Google

The trust running hospitals in Herefordshire has made "substantial improvements" to be taken out of special measures, according to a health watchdog.

The action was taken against Wye Valley NHS Trust, which runs Hereford County Hospital, after a visit by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in 2014. 

Image source, Google

BBC Hereford and Worcester

Here are some of the main stories we are looking at in Herefordshire and Worcestershire:

- The trust running the hospitals in Herefordshire has been taken out of special measures

-  Plans for a waste recycling plant in Bromsgrove have been rejected

- West Mercia Police has been rated as good following a government inspection of all the forces across England and Wales

Charlie Slater
BBC Weather presenter

Another cold day, with decent sunny spells at first once any early fog clears. Highs of 8C (46F).

You can read a full forecast on the the BBC Weather page.   

Jerry Chester
BBC News Online

Welcome to the Local Live service for Herefordshire and Worcestershire on Thursday morning.

I'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather as it happens. 

If you'd like to get in touch you can email, tweet us on @bbchw, external or message via Facebook, external.

A hospital trust branded inadequate by inspectors two years ago is taken out of special measures.

Danielle Hayden
Broadcast journalist

We'll be back with our usual mix of news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 tomorrow, but keep an eye out here for more updates this evening and into the morning.    

Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today

Dry overnight tonight with clear skies for much of the night, allowing temperatures to fall quickly with frost likely to develop, especially in rural spots such as Aconbury Hill. 

Isolated fog patches are also likely to develop during the early hours.Minimum Temperature: 0C (32F)

BBC Hereford and Worcester

There are concerns that tens of thousands of people in Worcestershire could be affected if hearing aid services are cut by the county's health bosses.

Clinical Commissioning Groups, external in the county have selected six areas to focus on to try and save £25m, including hearing aid services and IVF treatment.

Vicky Carrabin, of the Deaf Direct charity in Worcester, says it is worrying that hearing services are under consideration for cuts.

"Seeing that hearing aids are still on the list is a bit of a concern," she said. 

"The numbers of people affected by hearing loss in Worcestershire alone is about 45,000 at the moment so it's going to have a huge impact."

Worcester News

All the volunteers' hard work will pay off tomorrow night when Brickfields Fireworks returns with a bang. , external

Danielle Hayden
Broadcast journalist

A corn snake discovered inside a car driving along the M5 in Worcestershire has been reunited with its owner.

The reptile, called Keith, was found by the car's new owner, Claire Brearley, as she drove it home from Bristol to Sheffield on Thursday.   

It then disappeared inside the car and a mechanic had to be brought in to take the car apart until Keith was found alive and well in the passenger door.

The snake belongs to the eight-year-old son of Fiona Wellington, who sold the car to Ms Brearley (pictured).