MP says more midwives needed to cope with rural births
Man guilty of child sex offences sentenced to 16 years in prison
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Updates on Friday 23 June 2017
Fire crews from Ludlow will be taking part in a charity car wash in aid of victims of the Grenfell Tower Fire in London, as well as the Fighters Charity this weekend.
It will take place at Ludlow Food Centre between 11:00 and 15:00 on Sunday.
Image source, @SFRS_LudlowPolice missed an opportunity to confiscate a shotgun shortly before a Telford sports coach killed himself, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has found.
Officers searched Matthew Kendall's home in the West Midlands shortly after he was released on bail as part of an investigation in Bolton into alleged grooming.
However, a request by Greater Manchester Police for colleagues in the West Midlands to confiscate Mr Kendall's legally held shotguns never made it to the officers on the ground, the IPCC said.
Two days later he was found dead. Coroner John Ellery today found Mr Kendall had shot himself and said officers involved were not to blame.
Likewise, an IPCC investigation found the message to confiscate the guns was not due to individual failings, but "due to communication processes and the volume of activity on the log at the relevant time".
It said the original request was "precautionary only" and a risk assessment "did not raise any concerns around increased risk of self-harm".
Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today
The heatwave seems to be officially over.
Find out what's in store for the next few days.
West Midlands weather forecast
Shropshire's coroner says police officers who were investigating a man accused of grooming, weren't to blame for his suicide.
An inquest today heard how Matthew Kendall, who is 39 and from Wednesfield, shot himself near the top of Lond Mynd last October.
It was just days after being released on police bail ibn Bolton following an alleged incident of grooming.
Image source, GoogleAs a result of Mr Kendall's death, an investigation was launched by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
Today, the coroner John Ellery said none of the police forces involved - including West Mercia - contributed to his death.
Tim Page
News Editor, BBC Shropshire
A specialist school near Shrewsbury, which had been classed as inadequate, has been given a clean bill of health by inspectors, external.
Cruckton Hall School, which caters for pupils with autistim spectrum disorders, is now rated good by Ofsted, which previously found serious failings in its education and social care.
Image source, GoogleToday's report says the management team have taken effective action to improve the school, creating an "ambitious culture".
It also says teaching has got better, with some now of the "highest quality".
An AFC Telford football player is lucky to be alive after falling 60ft through a building, external.
People across Shropshire are being asked to consider donating blood.
NHS Blood and Transplant, external say they need 200,000 new blood donors each year to make sure they have the blood they need.
They particularly want more young people to come forward, as well as black donors to help combat sickle cell disease.
Last year nearly 5,000 people in Shropshire gave blood.
Mark Elliott
Shrewsbury Town summariser, BBC Shropshire
Shrewsbury Town boss Paul Hurst says the club will be battling in a "stronger league" when their new season starts in August.
Former Premier League sides Blackburn and Wigan join the division, having been relegated from the Championship in May.
Coming up from League Two are 2008 FA Cup winners Portsmouth, along with Plymouth and Doncaster.
Quote MessageAny team coming down from the Championship now is going to have a really good chance of winning promotion back."
Paul Hurst, Manager, Shrewsbury Town
Farmers from around the country are in Shropshire today for a conference, and Brexit is on the agenda.
The Arable Event 2017 is happening at Woodlands Farm near Weston Park.
Image source, Arable Event
Image source, Arable EventOne of this afternoon's keynote speakers is agricultural business consultant Simon Ward, external, who has compared the situation to New Zealand, saying that fewer than 1%, external of farmers went out of business when their subsidies were removed there.
Shropshire Council's cabinet has approved plans to cut funding for indoor leisure centres.
Its strategy for 2018 to 2023, will see funding for facilities including The Severn Centre in Highley and Shrewsbury's Roman Road Sports Centre scrapped in 2019.
Image source, GooglePlaces including Church Stretton Leisure Centre and Whitchurch Swimming Centre will retain their funding for another six years, and seven of the county's largest leisure facilities will be protected from the cuts.
Lezley Picton from Shropshire Council says the council has no plan to close leisure centres entirely, but needs to prioritise how money is spent.
Discussions have started to bring an 8,000-seater football and rugby stadium, external to Oswestry.
Image source, Shropshire Star
Faith Page
Reporter, BBC Shropshire
A coroner's court has heard how a Telford martial arts coach shot himself in a car park in Church Stretton.
Matthew Kendall, 39, who lived in Wednesfield, was being investigated by the police following allegations of grooming.
Image source, GoogleThe inquest at Wellington Civic Centre heard how Mr Kendall drove to a car park at the top of the Lond Mynd in October last year.
A witness taking photographs nearby heard the gun shot, found Mr Kendall's body, and called the emergency services.
Shropshire's coroner John Ellery said Mr Kendall was on police bail following an alleged incident in the Bolton area.
Alex Seftel
BBC Local Live
Women due to give birth at Ludlow's maternity unit say they've now been told it'll be closed until 11 July.
The centre, along with one in Oswestry, were due to reopen today after being closed for a week.
Image source, GoogleThe closures are down to staff sickness, meaning more people are needed at the main unit at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital.
Shropshire is likely to miss the government's mental health target for children, according to the independent think tank Localis, external.
The government has set a target of treating 35% of 5 to 18-year-olds suffering a mental health condition, by 2020.
Image source, Getty ImagesBut the think tank says that's not achievable unless schools do more to tackle mental health.
Chief Executive, Liam Booth-Smith, says otherwise there is a "risk as a nation of failing an entire generation of vulnerable young people".
A farmer has admitted a health and safety breach after a worker was killed when he was electrocuted, external on the roof of a barn.
Image source, Shropshire Star
BBC Midlands Today
Reports of children being emotionally abused increased by almost 60% in the West Midlands last year.
That's according to new figures released by the NSPCC, external, which says it received 1,017 calls in 2016-17 from people concerned about children, up from 641 calls in 2014-15.
The charity fears the problem could be the tip of the iceberg and is urging the government to investigate.
More than 1,000 farmers are gathering this morning to discuss how their industry might look after the UK leaves the European Union.
The Arable Event 2017 is being held at Woodlands Farm near Weston Park.
Image source, Arable Event
Image source, Arable EventIt will also feature machinery demonstrations and showcase the latest in arable technology.
BBC Sport
Shrewsbury Town will begin their season at home to Northampton on 5 August.
League One's fixture list then sends them away in three of the next four games, starting with a trip to Wimbledon.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Town are away at Wigan on Boxing Day, at home to Oldham on New Year's Day, and finish the season with the visit of MK Dons on the 5 May.
Telford United say one of their players is "lucky to be alive" after falling 60ft through a roof.
The club says defender Jordan Broome, who is part of The Bucks' academy, has broken both his legs, kneecaps, and pelvis.
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Today will be a sunny day for most of us but an unlucky few could see very different weather.
The Met Office is warning , externalthat some parts of the West Midlands could face torrential downpours, frequent lightning and even a chance of hail from late on this afternoon.
Areas affected could even be subject to sudden localised flooding affecting roads, homes and businesses.
Image source, Met Office