A 97-year-old man who died after being hit by a car was "out on his daily constitutional stroll".

A fundraising appeal to replace fruit trees in Market Drayton which were damaged by vandals has raised over £200.

About 10 trees in the community orchard were lost and local businessman, Geoff Sherry, set up the online appeal, external, saying the vandalism by "mindless thugs" had upset people living in the town.

Image source, West Mercia Police

The appeal has 24 days to run and has already surpassed its target, so Mr Sherry says any extra money raised will be given to Market Drayton Town Council to plant more trees.

Rebecca Wood
BBC Midlands Today

A band of rain from the west will spread across the region this evening. 

This will clear in the early hours when strong winds will develop, these strengthening close to gale force over hills by dawn - lows of 8C (46F).

Tomorrow, severe gales will bring disruption in the morning, with a band of rain moving eastwards, though brightening though the afternoon.  

BBC Sport

Shrewsbury Town say their full-back Joe Riley could be back in training in two weeks time.

He has been recovering from a hamstring injury.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Travel

The Clock Tower Roundabout in Telford has had to be closed because of a burst water main.

Our short video tour, external of Shrewsbury town centre's McDonald's has now been seen over 86,000 times, by people all over the world.

The pictures seem to be reviving some memories, with Nia Bailey leaving a message on BBC Radio Shropshire's Facebook page to say "It's actually quite sad that it's closing" and Lucie Jones adding "Lots of memories!! Very sad" 

Jennifer Braid wrote: "It was the coolest McDonald's ever. Hope it becomes like an independent book shop or something!"

And Linda Kiff appears to be a fan of the way the building was adapted by McDonald's, writing: "It's beautifully designed to preserve the walls."

BBC Weather Watchers

Has spring started to arrive in Shropshire?We're noticing the BBC Weather Watchers are increasingly sharing photos of flowers blooming around the county.

These ones were taken in Oswestry (left) and Horsehay (right), earlier today.

Image source, Bingoswestry/Biker Don

Andy Giddings
BBC Shropshire

The company carrying out the revamp of the Severn Valley Railway's Bridgnorth station says it expects the groundwork and the reinforced concrete retaining walls to be finished off by the end of March.

Iris Projects says the walls will then be faced by bricks designed to replicate the original GWR buildings from the early 20th Century.

Image source, Iris Projects

The company says it plans to have a lot of these bricks on site and will be picking out the most appropriate, to make sure the new building blends in.

Free runners in Shrewsbury to choose their routes carefully by police, after a rooftop in Barker Street was damaged.

The sport involves running across the tops of buildings and jumping between them, but the police have warned "any reckless damage caused can be dealt with as a crime". 

Image source, Google

Andy Giddings
BBC Shropshire

A reader got in touch with us through the Your Questions section of the BBC website to ask: "Is Shropshire a good county to live in and are there good job prospects? What is the average salary in Shropshire and how does it compare to London?"

The last part of that question is the easiest to answer - the most recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) list the gross weekly pay for someone in London, external as £670.80. The gross weekly pay for someone in the Shropshire Council local authority area, external is £475.60 and for the Telford and Wrekin Council area, external (also part of the county of Shropshire) it is £482.30.

The job prospects question can probably be answered by a look at the number of people not in work and claiming Job Seekers Allowance. The most recent figures from the ONS, external are from January and report 1.3% of the population of the UK fell into this category. In the Shropshire local authority area it was 0.6% of the population and in Telford 1% of the population.

Deciding whether it is a good county to live in is very subjective, although the ONS has also attempted, external to provide a measure of this, suggesting Shropshire is just about average.

Other surveys have suggested towns like Shrewsbury, Ludlow and Bridgnorth are among the best places to live in the UK.

BBC Sport

Step Back, ridden by Jamie Moore, has won the feature race at Ludlow this afternoon.

The favourite, Westend Story, ridden by champion jockey Richard Johnson, failed to finish and the Paul Nicholls' trained One More Hero finished fourth.

Image source, Getty Images

The Museum of Iron in Coalbrookdale is due to re-open at Easter, after a major refurbishment.

The Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, says all three floors have been revamped.

Image source, Ironbridge Gorge Museums

The museum tells the history of iron production, from ancient time to the modern-day.

NHS staff have been out in Shrewsbury town centre today, offering advice on how to spot the signs of cancer and catch it early.

Chris Ryder was one of the people manning their stand in the Pride Hill shopping centre.

James Bond
Sports Producer, BBC Shropshire

Wolves midfielder, Dave Edwards, a life-long Shrewsbury Town fan, says the club can take inspiration from smaller sides like Bournemouth and look to rise out of League One.

He said the club would probably need some time to consolidate itself in the division, before looking for promotion to the Championship, but could probably hold its own at a higher level.

Image source, Getty Images

The Welsh midfielder said if Shrewsbury were to reach the Championship, they would see "full houses every week" and that it would be a "difficult place to come and play".

Andy Giddings
BBC Shropshire

The expansion of the Severn Valley Railway's Bridgnorth train station is starting to take shape, with workmen now starting to build the retaining walls.

All the pipework and ducts have been installed now and metal frames are being put together for the reinforced concrete.

Image source, Severn Valley Railway

The revamp of the station is being partly funded by a £2.5m share issue.

BBC Sport

The second semi-final of the Shropshire Premier Cup is played tonight.

Newport Town face Shawbury United at Ellesmere and the winners will play Market Drayton Town in the final.

Shrewsbury Chronicle

Damage caused to a roof in Shrewsbury town centre was most likely caused by people indulging in the daredevil pursuit of "free running", police said today., external

Nick Southall
Journalist, BBC Shropshire

AFC Telford United Manager, Rob Smith, says he's very happy with his strengthened squad and isn't planning on any more signings.

The Bucks' form and confidence has picked up, with a draw and a win against two of the leading National North sides in the past fortnight. 

Smith feels he doesn't need to tinker. 

The sister of a former West Mercia Police dog handler says he has offered to pay £25,000 to keep his dog, Ivy, now he has retired from the force. 

Sgt David Evans was told his four-year-old dog was due to keep working beyond his retirement date as she was highly trained and it would be best to keep her in active service.

The money has been offered to cover the cost of training a new dog for the force.

Image source, JENNIE EVANS

More than 38,000 people have signed an online petition, external calling for him to be allowed to keep the dog permanently.

Sgt Evans, who's 59, has been told he will have to pass the animal - a Malinois-cross German Shepherd - on to another handler to continue working, say the family.

Shropshire Star

Dozens of people have been killed or injured on Shropshire's most dangerous stretches of road , externalover the last five years, new figures reveal.

Image source, Shropshire Star