BBC Local Live: Shropshire on Friday 30 June 2017

Summary

Man appears in court charged with Halfway House murder
Telford MP warns over 'political posturing'
Folk festival founder dies
New Telford manager has ambitious aims
Updates on Friday 30 June 2017

Live Reporting

Andy Giddings

Oswestry knife amnesty project nominated for international peace prizepublished at 17:52 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Nick Southall
Journalist, BBC Shropshire
A nationwide knife amnesty campaign launched by an Oswestry-based business has been nominated for an international peace prize.
The British Ironworks Centre's Save a Life, Surrender Your Knife project has been nominated for the Rotary International Peace Award.
The project has seen a sculpture entitled Knife Angel built out of 100,000 knives and dedicated to victims of knife crime and their families.
Weapons have come from 43 different police forces, among other sources.
Local artist Alfie Bradley disinfected and blunted each of the knives before adding them to the sculpture - some families opted to engrave individual weapons with a message.
The winner of the Rotary International Peace Award, will be announced at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.
Quote Message
We work closely with those who have been affected by knife crime and have launched a petition to ensure that the monument fulfils its destiny by being placed on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. We hope it should have the loudest voice there and know it will be a huge focal point in raising awareness of this scourge on our streets."
Clive Knowles, Chairman of the British Ironworks Centre
Four arrested over assault on Newtown womanpublished at 17:40 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Shropshire Star
Four men have been arrested in connection with a brutal assault on an 88-year-old woman , externalin her home near Newtown.
Image source, Google
Watch: Weather forecast for the West Midlandspublished at 17:30 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Lucy Martin
BBC Weather
It looks like today might be the best day of the week.
For a full forecast, visit the BBC Weather website.
Media caption,
West Midlands weather
Compromise reached over road closures for Ludlow 10Kpublished at 17:18 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Tracey Higgins
BBC Local Live
A compromise has been reached between the organisers of a 10K road race in Ludlow in July and local residents who were unhappy about roads in the town centre being closed for four hours on a Saturday evening.
Organisers now say the longest road closure will be for two hours, with Mill Street only being closed for 15-20 minutes.
Image source, St laurence's church
College Street won't be closed now until 19:30 to make sure everyone going to the Choral Society's summer concert at on St Laurence's church can get there.
Originally much of the town centre was going to be closed off between 18:00 and 22:00 on 8 July.
Couple raise awareness about infertility and raise funds for the clinic that helped thempublished at 16:54 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Kate Tebby
Journalist, BBC Shropshire
A Shropshire couple, who have become parents through Shropshire's fertility unit, are hoping to raise awareness about infertility.
Lucy and Dave Andrew, from Knockin near Oswestry, had treatment with the clinic at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for five years, and now they have a two-and-a-half-year-old son, and a little girl on the way.
They've been raising money for the clinic, and Lucy says she wants couples to know that infertility is more widespread than you might think, and there is help.
Quote Message
We wrote to businesses and to local companies and it was amazing how many people wrote back and said I've had my son through the fertility clinic as well. So there's so many children that we know wouldn't exist, if it wasn't for this part of the hospital, doing what they do."
Lucy Andrew, Mum and fundraiser
In Pictures: Dramatic skies over Shropshire as the cloud buildspublished at 16:30 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
BBC Weather Watchers
Thanks to BBC Weather Watcher Tay for this dramatic picture of the sky over Newport, showing that the cloud is building and the sunshine becoming more hazy. It's a similar scene in Ludlow. Thanks to BBC Weather Watcher, Shropshire Lass for her picture.
Image source, Tay
Image source, Shropshire Lass
Shrewsbury Town sign Jules and Adamspublished at 16:06 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Shrewsbury Town sign Reading defender Zak Jules for an undisclosed fee and Ebou Adams on loan from Norwich.
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Firefighters raise cash for Grenfell Tower survivors fundpublished at 15:44 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Firefighters in Ludlow have raised more than £1,000 for the survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire in London, doing a charity car wash.
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Shropshire hospital boss cancels meeting for baby unit talkspublished at 15:17 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Shropshire Star
The chief executive of the trust which controls Shropshire's two main hospitals cancelled a meeting in London to meet midwives, external following the suspension of more maternity services.
Image source, Shropshire Star
Shrewsbury Town new signing hopes to break into first teampublished at 14:53 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Nick Southall
Journalist, BBC Shropshire
Shrewsbury Town's new signing Zak Jules says he is relishing the opportunity to play first-team matches.
The 20-year-old has signed on a two-year deal from Reading for an undisclosed fee.
Image source, Getty Images
Jules didn't play a first-team game for the Royals, but made 10 Scottish Premiership appearances for Motherwell during a loan spell last season.
Long-serving councillor receives special awardpublished at 14:29 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
David Lloyd MBE has been made an Honorary Alderman of Shropshire Council in recognition of his service to local government over the past 40 years.
Image source, Shropshire Council
Mr Lloyd, who is now 85, was presented with the award by Ann Hartley, Chairman of Shropshire Council. He was elected to Shropshire County Council in 1977.
After serving local government for 40 years he stood down as a councillor in the local elections in May.
As well as being given an MBE, he has also been mayor of Oswestry, chairman of Shropshire Health Authority and a Conservative candidate for both MP and MEP.
New cycling group to help with drink and drug problemspublished at 14:09 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Nick Southall
Journalist, BBC Shropshire
A new cycling group has been set up in Telford to help people who have drink and drug problems.
The sessions are being run by the Energize sports partnership and a recovery project called A Better Tomorrow from the Park Lane centre in Woodside.
Image source, Press Association
Ollie Atkin said he used drugs and was arrested for drink driving five years ago. He took up cycling and now helps others who've had the same experiences.
"I just owe my entire life to that night really [the arrest]. I really would have given myself six months if I hadn't changed," he said.
Closure of A49 'will leave Ludlow a ghost town'published at 13:45 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Shropshire Star
The closure of one of Shropshire’s busiest trunk roads will cause Ludlow to become a "ghost town", external, traders claim.
Image source, Shropshire
Police to raise awareness of human trafficking in week-long campaignpublished at 13:20 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Tracey Higgins
BBC Local Live
West Mercia Police is supporting an international campaign to raise awareness of modern day slavery, human trafficking and exploitation for sexual purposes.
The UK part of the international operation is being led by the National Crime Agency and West Mercia Police will be raising awareness about how these issues can affect communities in Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire.
Image source, AP
The operation will coordinate the effort targeting those criminals who use the internet to engage in trafficking.
Quote Message
While we support this operation locally, this is an issue that impacts the whole country and internationally. This is why we work closely with UK partners and international partners such as National Crime Agency and Europol, to help gather a picture of human slavery and trafficking and how this could affect people living and working in West Mercia policing areas."
Det Insp Steven Fitzpatrick, West Mercia Police
Council leader defends £200k spend on Telford's 50th celebrationspublished at 13:01 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Tracey Higgins
BBC Local Live
The Labour leader of Telford and Wrekin Council, Shaun Davies has defended the Council's plans to spend £200,000 on a series of events to mark Telford's 50th birthday.
A series of events including parties, festivals and carnivals will run from January through to December next year.
But it's been criticised by some, including the Conservative group on the council, who say, with cuts to services, now is not the right time to spend money on a celebration.
But Mr Davies has defended the move, saying it will bring social cohesion and inward investment into the town
Quote Message
It will bring a sense of pride, It will bring inward investment from tourism coming into Telford and Wrekin."
Shaun Davies, Labour leader of Telford and Wrekin Council
Witnesses sought to fatal crashpublished at 12:35 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
West Mercia Police
Officers from West Mercia Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal crash in Shrewsbury.
It happened on the B4386 Yockleton to Stoney Stretton road at around 09:50 on Saturday.
A Fiat Panda was travelling towards Yockleton and a BMW motorbike and sidecar was being ridden in the opposite direction when the two vehicles collided.
A Ford Galaxy was damaged by debris from the crash. The rider of the motorbike, a man in his 50s, suffered head injuries and later died.
His next of kin have been informed.
Officers are keen to speak with anyone who saw the incident, who saw the vehicles and the manner in which they were being driven prior to the collision.
Political week in 60 seconds: West Midlandspublished at 12:12 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Headlines from the political week reviewed in 60 seconds by BBC Sunday Politics West Midlands.
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Plans for new Oswestry stadiumpublished at 11:46 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Nick Southall
Journalist, BBC Shropshire
The New Saints owner Mike Harris wants to build an 8,000-seater stadium in Oswestry to help both the football club and local rugby club to grow.
Mr Harris said early talks between different parties had taken place and he hopes the council will provide backing.
He said land had been identified and it's hoped The New Saints would share the facility with FC Oswestry Town and Oswestry rugby club.
Campaign to target 'negative' attitudes to breastfeeding in publicpublished at 11:23 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Tracey Higgins
BBC Local Live
Telford and Wrekin Council has launched a campaign to address negative attitudes towards mothers breastfeeding in public places.
It's called It's Only Natural and is part of the Unicef breastfeeding awareness week.
People are being encouraged to show their support by posting photographs of themselves on social media holding up a card with messages of support.
Talks held over another huge new factory for Telfordpublished at 11:07 British Summer Time 26 June 2017
Shropshire Star
Another factory matching the massive new Magna site in size could be on the way to Telford,, external with discussions already under way with prospective occupiers.
Image source, Shropshire Star