There are plans to reopen Acton Scott Historic Working Farm next sprint, reports the Shropshire Star. Before it closed in the summer of 2021, the historical attraction near Church Stretton welcomed thousands of visitors. It received UK-wide attention after the BBC series Victorian Farm was filmed there in 2008. Now Shropshire Council has handed it back to the Acton Scott Estate, which plans to establish a not-for-profit body and reopen the attraction during the spring of 2024. The Acton Scott Estate website tells readers:We're fixing leaking roofs, woodworm infestations, drainage issues, weeds, asbestos, the blacksmith's forge, the threshing barn floor ...
What a career Barry Humphries had! An avant-garde artist and actor in Fifties Australia, then part of the satire boom in Sixties London and after that best known as the manager of housewife gigastar Dame Edna Everage. One achievement that may get overlooked in the tributes is that in 1960 he was in the cast of the original production of Oliver! and then went to Broadway with the show. He played Mr Sowerberry the undertaker, and Lionel Bart liked him so much that he wrote this song for him. If you don't know it, that may be because it's not ...
Somerset Live reports: The Yeovil constituency has been held by Conservative MP Marcus Fysh since 2015, who defeated the incumbent David Laws with a 16 per cent swing. Mr Fysh is currently fighting to remain his party's candidate for the next general election, going to party members for a ballot after the executive of the Yeovil constituency branch did not vote to re-adopt him. The Lib Dems – who held the seat continuously between 1983 and 2015 – have now announced Adam Dance as their candidate... Mr Dance currently serves on Somerset Council, representing the South Petherton and Islemoor division ...
Many of our readers will still be missing the wonderful Erlend Watson, who sadly died in January 2022, 8 months after a lung transplant carried out at the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge. The team there were so brilliant to him. Tomorrow, Erlend's great friend James Wright is running the London Marathon to raise money for the Royal Papworth. On his Enthuse Donation page, he says: In May 2021, my dear friend Erlend had a double lung transplant, as an incurable lung condition had caused his lungs to fail. He received the most amazing care from the team at the ...
Last month, Neil Stockley wrote about a fringe to be held celebrating the wonderful Shirley Williams, one of my political superheroes, at the York Conference. But what made Shirley Williams so special was the way which she articulated her political views. She always spoke clearly and directly, combining charm and eloquence. She came across as thoughtful and logical, as well as authentic and sincere. With her passionate advocacy of a fair and tolerant society Shirley energised liberals over many years. At our Spring Conference fringe meeting, the Liberal Democrat History Group will assess the life and legacy of Shirley Williams. ...
From the Herald: An MP since 2010, Mr Raab barely held his Esher and Walton seat in 2019, as the Liberal Democrats cut his majority from 23,298 to just 2,743. The knife-edge Surrey marginal is now a prime Lib Dem target for 2024. Mr Raab's refusal to confirm he is standing again in the seat suggests he may be thinking of leaving the Commons or potentially trying to find a safer Tory candidacy elsewhere. As headmasters used to say, a bully is always a coward.
Sat 22nd
10:14
"A dram and a fish supper" Carmichael offers reward for holding Scottish Conservative MPs to account
Alistair Carmichael is angry. He has today offered "a dram of whisky and a fish supper" to anyone who can track down Scottish Conservative MPs missing in action while distillers and fishermen suffer. Not content with supporting a Brexit that has screwed over both industries, the Conservative Government is making it worse by whacking up spirits duty and scrapping a visa system for fishing crew overnight that forced boat owners back to port. During a key vote this week, Scottish Conservative MPs including Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack, Andrew Bowie, David Duguid and John Lamont voted against Alistair's ...
I've been a civil servant for more than thirty-six years, and thus am rather nearer to the end of my "career" than the beginning. But, whilst my personal ambition has been limited, my belief in the power and value of public service remains undimmed. After all, I'm clearly not doing it for the money... Now I ought to preface what comes next with an admission that I don't know what happened between Dominic Raab and his civil servants. As someone who believes in due process and the rule of law, I tend to acceptance of the findings of independent reports ...
Residents recently complained to us about the extent of graffiti in Bankmill Road. We raised this with the council's environment management and received a helpful response promising to power wash the graffiti off.
