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Powick Times


Life is full of challenges of all kinds and from a very early age we try to make sense of things. Through touch, sounds, taste and sight, babies learn about
the world about them; they are naturally inquisitive. To try and encourage the skill of understanding and learning, we offer them shape sorting, jigsaws, colour matching, counting games etc. Watching our two and a half (the half is
important at this age!) year old grandson, patiently trying to fit shapes into appropriate holes whilst reinforcing their names for language development, is
fascinating. Concentration and perseverance are rewarded with success but there is obviously enjoyment in the task too. Similarly with jigsaw puzzles,
seeing how he rotates shapes until they magically fit shows that he is already trying to solve problems. In this way, he meets what is a puzzle with the
desire to solve it. This is a very early learning skill which we employ throughout our lives.
Puzzles also provide enjoyment for many adults. There are many puzzle books available with a whole range of different kinds of puzzles. I prefer crossword puzzles as long as they are not cryptic ones which still leave me baffled! Online
games such as Wordle, Scrabble, Solitaire and even board games like chess and
backgammon are great for filling time and exercising the brain. We have friends who start every day with a shared crossword and another friend who plays backgammon online as a mental warm-up to the day. In our household, there is a competitive element to solving the daily Wordle puzzle but it is also fun!
I’ve always enjoyed the mental challenges of solving problems, though the mathematical kind at school were not my cup of tea- best left to those with
mathematical brains! Language and word puzzles interest me and we are told learning a new language is a good way to stave off senile dementia. Anything
which engages the brain, using Poirot’s ‘little grey cells’, will help to keep us mentally fit. My brain seems to be at its most effective first thing in the
morning. I have often gone to bed with an apparently insoluble problem only to wake up with a solution. My sleeping brain seems able to work without me!
TV channels cater for this thirst for problem solving with a whole range of game
programmes. Some provide incentives through cash and attractive prizes. It is a
satisfying experience watching others undergo these challenges from the comfort of our armchairs. It is also possible to offer our own solutions
knowing that if we get it wrong, no-one will know!
There are definitely games such as ‘University Challenge’ or ‘Only Connect’ which appeal to the more intellectual viewers. It is amazing to see the breadth of knowledge these students have quite apart from their own particular subject area. Truly awesome! There are, of course, easier games like ‘Who Wants
to be a Millionaire’ and ‘Pointless’ which offer multiple choice answers. The
competitors are not required to be experts so we can more easily identify with them.
These are fun programmes which make us think and can be a light relief from the more serious documentaries, dramas and murder mysteries.
Our own papers (now Pershore, Upton, Powick and Kempsey
Times) all carry puzzle pages. The anagram puzzle is always very popular and attracts many entries. More puzzles can be accessed through TODAY online which offers a mix of current articles and news, plus updates throughout the month. ( It is currently being revamped so watch this space.) We are doing our best to keep those grey cells active!
Life is a puzzle. There are problems and challenges every day but there are also solutions to many, though not all, things. Whether it is seeking cures for life threatening diseases or attempting to solve world problems, it is fortunate that we are encouraged from those early days to keep trying and not give up. That is also where hope comes in as well, to help us try to overcome even the worst
difficulties life can present.
Life may be a puzzle at times but puzzles can be fun!



Kempsey Times

Pershore Times

Upton Times

Women's Hour -  _t's _ p_zzl_


Leaving school in 1957, I was required to give two years of service in the Armed Services. I had an interest in aircraft and so I chose the Royal Air force. After the initial Medical, above W H Smiths in Gloucester, I joined many other recruits at
RAF Cardington in Bedford where the huge old airship hangers dominated the scene. There, RAF tailors fitted us out with uniforms and we were given the other things we would need which included a knife, fork and spoon, a large china mug, a slotted brass sheet, that would protect our uniforms when
we polished the brass buttons, and also a ‘housewife’. The latter was a cloth containing needles, thread and wool to mend our clothing if socks developed
holes or buttons came off.
Some days later we were put on a train and sent off to a Basic Training camp; in my case it was RAF Bridgenorth. There we learnt to march smartly and to do drill with rifles. Inevitably, discipline was imposed by the instructors with
humour; “‘Ere laddie, am I standing on your hair? Report to the barbers!” I had my hair cut twice one day. However, we became proud of doing things well. We learnt to fire rifles and Bren Guns and I gained my marksman badge; more pride. Also we encountered young men from other walks of life. We learnt habits that became useful all our lives.
After that, Trade Training. Having opted to work with radar, I was sent to the No.1 Radar School, l at RAF Locking, on the edge of Weston super Mare. Here we were instructed in the operation and repair of all the bits of equipment we were likely to encounter on operational stations. This was fun. Also, at the end of the lessons on a particular bit of apparatus, there would be an exam which included fault-finding on the equipment. As I like puzzles, this, in three dimensions, was
most enjoyable. However, it was serious stuff and we all had to sign The Official Secrets Act document. Thus it was amusing when we learnt that two instructors, in a bus queue in Weston, were discussing a problem with a piece of
equipment so secret that even they were not allowed to have its circuit diagram, when a man behind (later found to be a Canadian Air Force officer seconded to RAF Locking) offered to help. Secrecy was more lax in Canada and he had picked up the diagram needed in a car-boot sale in Toronto!
When the ten month training was over and we had passed all the exams, the final stage was to be useful. I was sent to RAF Wartling in Sussex. This was
the domestic camp for a radar station on the hillside above Pevensey. Soon after arriving, the end of National Service was announced. However, we were still deep in the Cold War with Russia and it was the RAF which had the task of using
Vulcan bombers to deliver nuclear weapons in the event of the war becoming ‘hot’. The RAF realised it would be harder work recruiting the people they needed, so at RAF Wartling the result was that the catering budget was increased and, to everyone’s delight, the food in the Mess became restaurant quality.
The radar station was a short bus-ride away. A few of us worked on the dishes and transmitters, like smaller versions of the radio telescope near Croome, but most went underground where there was a huge amount of electronics. This was in the days of valves. (The electronics in our mobile phones today would then have taken up several rooms!) Valves needed cooling so our large,
subterranean rooms had the constant sound of fans and the place was warm. Transistors were just about to arrive but they were still experimental. (We know that the girls operating the Colossus computer at Bletchley Park used to dry their laundry using the heat from the valves.)
All too soon, for me, it was over; I had completed my two years. Again I had to sign The Official Secrets Act. For the next four years, if needed, I could be brought back so I kept my uniform. (Unfortunately, my brother, working on a farm, kept “borrowing’ my greatcoat so it soon was decorated with cow dung.). Then I went off to university to study Physics for which my radar experience was of use, but oh dear, had I got out of the habit of studying!
I enjoyed my National Service but if it happens again I fear it will be far more serious.



National Service

Creating a border in the shade with clay soil -


It’s highly likely there is some level of shade in every garden – whether that’s caused by a fence, a neighbour’s garage or trees. Thankfully, there is a plant for every space, so here’s information and ideas on how to create a beautiful garden in a perceived tricky spot!
According to the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) there are six types of light/shade:
1. 

: More than six hours of direct sun per day at midsummer.
2. 

: A site that is open to the sky, but screened from direct sunlight by an obstacle, such as a high wall.
3. 

 Three to six hours per day of direct sun at midsummer.
4.

: Mainly reflected or diffused light, for example through open tree canopies all day.
5.

: equates to two or three hours of direct sunlight each day at
midsummer.
6. 

: Receives less than two hours of direct sun per day.


The easiest way to work out where the shady spots are, is to simply look and watch the garden at certain points of the day and make a note of where the sun hits the ground. You can then plant the right plant in the right spot!
So what plants are best for shade and grow in clay soil?
Here are some of my favourite plants that look great together – a tall shrub, medium and short perennials to create a tiered effect which is easy on the eye.



Viburnum × carlcephalum – commonly known as a snowball tree. It’s a shrub that will grow in all soil types and in sun, part sun and shade. They grow to around 3m tall, so are ideal for small gardens that need a tree to add height.
They have scented flowers each May with heart-shaped, dark green leaves, turning red in autumn.


 –
Tiarella ‘Spring Symphony’ – commonly known as Foam Flower due to the small spires of blush white flowers from May to July. Ideal for the front of a border as they grow to around 25cm tall. The leaves are pretty too, which are green lobed with a dark centre. 

Hosta ‘Francee’
Beautiful heart-shaped, olive green, puckered leaves with white margins. which blends with the flowers of the Tiarella. Grows to around 55cm tall. They are renowned for attracting slugs and snails, so adding copper rings around the
base of the plant and checking the leaves regularly for signs of them will help to keep the plant healthy.


-
Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna ‘Purple Stem’ flowers from December to March. It’s an evergreen shrub with scented, pink-tinged flowers, which are followed by rounded blue-black fruit.
Remember, when planting in clay soil, consider adding organic matter like composted bark or well-rotted manure to improve its texture and drainage.




Creating a border in the shade with clay soil

Freedom Activities CIC are a not-for-profit local community interest company offering inclusive fun sports and physical activity sessions within and around
Pershore. Our aim is to provide a safe and fun environment for all participants to enjoy our sessions whilst improving fitness levels, mental and emotional
wellbeing and having the opportunity to meet new people.
All sessions we run are very sociable offering refreshments and the chance to enjoy the social aspect of the group.



Young at Heart is a gentle yet effective exercise class, run to music, inclusive for seniors of all abilities and ages. The class also includes a game of Boccia (indoor bowling). Classes are held in Pershore every Monday 1.15 - 2.15pm at Pershore
Leisure Centre and every Friday 10-11am at Eckington Village Hall. Each class is £4 and includes refreshments.


www.freedomactivities.com/
young-at-heart.html

 is a fun social inclusive version of netball. It is suitable for all genders and may appeal to those who are new to netball and prefer a slower pace of the
game. We meet every Tuesday 12-1pm at Pershore Leisure Centre. Sessions cost £4.50 and for those who become regular players a free club t-shirt is available.


is a fun sociable version of football
inclusive to all and open to players of all genders. No previous football experience is required. We meet every Thursday 11am-12pm at Pershore and District Sports Club. Sessions cost £4.50 with tea and coffee included.


www.freedomactivities.com/
pershore-plum-stars-fc.html

www.freedomactivities.com/
pershore-plummies.html


If you would be interested in
finding out more about our fun,
sociable activities.
Please get in touch with Lorna
on:07904 354642 or email:
freedomactivities123@gmail.com
Find us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/
freedomactivities123



Freedom Activities


Keep all newly planted items well watered. This includes ones planted last autumn.
Sow seeds of herbaceous plants.
Sow or turf new lawns and keep mowing established ones – but not too low.
Treat difficult lawn weeds e.g. clovers, black medic with Weedol Lawn Weedkiller, it has the right ingredients for these weeds.
Hang up a codling moth trap in your apple tree ,or a plum moth one in your plum tree, to reduce the number of maggoty fruit. There is also now a trap
readily available for catching box tree moths which are now quite widespread in our area.
Plant out cabbage, cauliflower and other brassicas but take precautions against root fly.
Keep on top of pest and disease outbreaks, as well as controlling weeds.
Don’t forget your houseplants feed and water them regularly.
Control algae and blanketweed in ponds.



Sow suitable varieties of pansies to flower from autumn throughout the winter.
Sow biennials for flowering next spring onwards e.g. wallflowers, myosotis, sweet williams, foxgloves and honesty.
Plant out chrysanthemums for flowering in borders or for cutting.
Plant out summer bedding plants when frost risk is minimal.
Tie in wall shrubs and climbers to their supports try to train them at 45 degrees or horizontally to encourage flowering.
Trim over aubretia and arabis after flowering to keep them neat.
Prune wall trained pyracantha and chaenomeles after flowering.
Keep strawberry fruits off the soil using straw or mats.
Cut down spring flowering perennials – e.g. pulmonarias and doronicums after flowering to produce a neat mound of new foliage. Untrimmed plants often become mildewed.
Sow swedes, beetroot, carrots, parsnips, French and runner beans outdoors.
Plant out sweet corn in blocks, rather than a long row, as they are wind pollinated.
Take cuttings from dahlias and chrysanthemums for flowering later in summer.
Plant tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers etc. in a cold greenhouse or outdoors if in sheltered site.
Make up summer flowering hanging baskets and containers.



Brighten up your patio with some spectacular frost tender container plants, like brugmansia.
Prune clematis montana straight after flowering, if they are getting out of bounds.
Plant out leeks, marrows, courgettes and melon plants.
Enjoy more herbs by sowing Basil, Coriander and Parsley every fortnight.
Spinach often runs to seed if sown after mid May – so sow leaf beet instead.
Sow some half-hardy annuals for use as winter pot plants e.g. calceolarias, schizanthus and cinnerarias.
Sow ornamental cabbage and kale for winter colour in tubs and borders.
Beware of houseplants getting scorched on sunny windowsills.
Listen to the weather forecast in case of any nasty late frosts.



May Gardening

RBL in 1939 at the start of the Second World War and for the next 21 years until 1961


In 1939 at the start of the Second World War and for the next 21 years until 1960, the young menfolk of this country of ours were conscripted to serve in the nation’s armed forces in the hope of protecting this land from any further
assault by a foreign power. Young men were ‘called up’ at the age of 17 but if they were undergoing professional training for a career, National Service could be deferred until they had gained their qualifications.
When I was called up I was 21, having professionally qualified, and was also engaged to be married; so the next two years would mark a major disruption
to my lifestyle whether I liked it or not. I chose to serve in the RAF following a family tradition and my love of aviation, and I was very fortunate to be trained on RADAR the trade for which I had asked. My technical training was near Swanage before being sent to serve abroad in NATO at a secret radar station in North Holland.
I can honestly say that this intervention in my life made a man of me, and looking back now at the age of 90, those two years of national service were
some of the most memorable in my life, even though our nation had managed to procure for itself a private war in Egypt in the Canal Zone with Colonel
Nasser at the time. Setting up our mobile transmitter against the fence of the Iron Curtain in Germany, was never going to be popular with the Russians,
who at that time were threatening us with rockets (after the USA had declined to
support our joint enterprise with France).
Not-withstanding the tensionwe endured during this time, the comradeship built up with your fellow pals all looking out for, and supporting each other,
it was a unique period and although not appreciated at the time, has become very obvious in later life. When my twoyears were over and I returned to England, I could not wait to be home and get married and re-start my professional career.
It was many years later when life had moved on and the family had all grown up and gone their own ways in life, that I came to realise just how much I miss the fun-times and fellowship of those years when serving my country with my
colleagues who were ‘all in the same boat’. If you served your country in
the armed forces and that most definitely includes ‘National
Servicemen’ and perhaps have a secret yearning to re-live some of that close bond and comradeship you once had and now miss, why not come and meet up with like-minded folk male or female, who have served at some time in ‘The Mob’. We (many of us ex-servicemen and women), meet regularly once a month at a local venue for a get together with a chat and hot drink. We also get out and about with our smart gazebo at as many public functions as we can manage.
Come and meet us we would love to hear your stories and if you have any ‘gongs’pin them on and that includes your National Service Medal if you
have it. Tell us the stories about your memorable times in the service as we would love to hear of them and have a laugh along with you.

 John Mason:
Powick and Callow End- Malvern (branch president).

Royal British Legion:
Powick and Callow End –Malvern Branch


Meet: Second Tuesday of each month at 8pm. (Except August and December)
at Madresfield Working Men’s Club.
The first date with our gazebo this year is Priory Park - Malvern on Sunday 30th June



RBL in 1939 and for the next 21 years until 1961


England cricketing legend Allan Lamb will be the guest speaker at a dinner in
Worcester later this year. The dinner will be part of Worcestershire fast bowler Joe Leach’s Testimonial Season and will also support grass roots cricket projects in South Africa.
The dinner, which is kindly sponsored by The Lamb & Flag Worcester, takes place at Worcestershire County Cricket Club on Friday 28th June and along with Joe Leach and Lamby the evening will feature:
- 

A 3 course dinner
- Live music
- An auction
- Competitions, inc Lamb or
Mutton Dressed as Lamb.


The evening will be compered by BBC H&W’s Frank Watson with tickets costing just £60 per person.


Tickets can be obtained by contacting Mark - Email:
ma004g2691@gmail.com or
tel: 07506 747619


Allan Lamb, also known as Lamby – had an impressive international cricketing career. Spanning the decade 1982-92, Allan’s cricketing career included 79 test matches for England and 128 one day internationals. He captained England three times against the West Indies and Australia, and captained Northampton CC from 1989 to 1994. Allan scored 4654 test runs with 14 centuries and 33502 first class runs, scoring 89 first class hundreds.
He won the accolade ‘Cricketer of the Year’ in 1980. As well as having a famous
sporting image, Allan is a popular persona and is indisputably witty and
entertaining. One thing is for certain there is no shortage of stories of his journey to sporting greatness. With an abundance of good humour and his unquenchable drive to live life to the full, this passionate business leader
brings a completely fresh perspective.



An Evening with Allen lamb


Lift and divide herbaceous plants.
Plant alpine and herbaceous plants.
Lightly mow over the lawn.
Prepare sites for new lawns.
Prune rose bushes soon if not already done.
Plant onion, garlic and shallot sets.
Start Begonia and Gloxinia tubers into growth indoors.
Buy seedlings or baby bedding plants to grow on at home.



Support all tall growing herbaceous plants from early in the season. Try growing some ornamental vegetables in the flower garden, e.g. red leafed
lettuce and runner beans.
Prune Blueberries.
Sow hardy annual flowers like Eschscholzia, Godetia, Clary, Mignonette etc. direct in the garden borders.
Treat moss, scarify and aerate lawns as well as feeding the grass, you can now get moss killers that digest dead moss, so no raking or use traditional Lawn Sand.
Prune late summer flowering shrubs, like Buddleia and Caryopteris, as well as
Hydrangea paniculate varieties and Hydrangea arborescensc Annabelle.
Prune down hard shrubs with coloured stems like Cornus, as well as hardy Fuchsias.
Trim over winter flowering heathers cutting to the base of the flower clusters.
Buy and plant pots of herbs.
Sow seeds of hardy herbs in the garden, like parsley.
Plant seed potatoes – but beware of frost once the shoots emerge from the soil.
Vegetable seeds to sow now include: broad beans, lettuce, leeks, parsnips, peas, radish, salad onions, spinach, Swiss chard and spinach beet.
Sow summer bedding under glass: dahlias, impatiens, petunias, phlox drummondii, salvias, asters, tagetes, mesembryanthemums, alyssum,
nicotiana, marigolds and zinnias.
Plant lilies outdoors in borders and tubs.
Lay out growing bags in the greenhouse to warm up the compost before planting.
Sow fruit and vegetable plants for growing on in a heated greenhouse, e.g. tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, cucumbers, etc. or you could decide to buy
plants later.



Plant less robust hardy evergreen shrubs e.g. Hebe and Ceanothus.
Lay turf or sow lawn seed.
Start feeding pond fish more frequently as the water temperature rises.
Vegetables to sow now include: Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, summer cabbage and summer cauliflower.
Dwarf French beans can be sown under cloches.
Watch out for the build up of pests and diseases.
Treat pots against vine weevil attacks using Bug Clear Vine Weevil Killer. It protects your plants for three months.
An organic answer is a half inch deep layer of horticultural grit over the compost surface to deter egg laying.
Marginal plants in ponds can be divided if overcrowded, but watch out for frog spawn.



You can’t race the seasons and seeds do not have to be sown exactly when the packet tells you. My advice with outdoor sowings is watch the weather
not the calendar, as seed sown later when conditions are right usually catches up and surpasses crops put in earlier that had to suffer during bad weather.



March gardening tips - Reg moule

Local musicians and choir aiming high for Air Ambulance Charity

A full orchestra and choir are set to stage a special performance in aid of the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity in Pershore Abbey at 7.30 pm on Saturday 13th April.
The programme will feature a live performance of In Paradisum, an original requiem by Andrew Hemming (Musical Director of popular Pershore Operatic and Dramatic Society) along with music by American composer Keith Jarrett played by award winning local concert pianist Marcel Zidani.
Andrew told us that the Air Ambulance Charity is close to his heart. “My Grandad Harry, who lost his son Stephen after a car crash before I was born,
often wondered would Stephen’s chances of survival have improved had the air ambulance been operating then?
Raising cash to help avoid other families having to ask that question seemed appropriate, especially as the concert date will mark the third anniversary
of Harry’s death. ” Grateful to the musicians and singers volunteering their time and talent to this fundraiser, Andrew added, “Thanks to their interpretive
artistry, the evening’s music promises to match the majesty of its setting. Together, we aim to raise enough cash for one of our Air Ambulance’s life-saving missions, but that’s down to people’s support. Please get your ticket and – together – we’ll keep our Air Ambulance funded and flying for all.”


Tickets are on sale at
Blue in Broad Street,
Pershore Town Hall, or
online at Ticket Source.
www.ticketsource.co.uk/
whats-on/pershore/pershoreabbey-church-walk/inparadisum/2024-04-13/19:30/



Requiem Concert

Kings Worcester- One of Top Sporting Schools in the country

King’s Worcester has been named in the top 1% of sporting schools in the country this week. This impressive ranking sees King’s sitting alongside some of the country’s top sporting independent and state schools,
such as Millfield, Epsom College, and Repton School. The School has jumped 98 places in the last 12 months and this Top 30 ranking puts King’s in the top 1% as well as being the only school in Worcester to appear in the Top 165. The list, independently created by School Sport Magazine, is compiled from 20 different
sports and over 120 different events. Weighting is given to success in a range of sports rather than a particular sport, and to those sports with more schools competing. To be listed, schools must have reached the later stages of at least two, three or four national competitions. Foundation Director of Sport,
Jonny Mason commented, “This is fantastic news for sport at King’s. We’ve had busy and successful few years recently, and the hard work that both the Sports Department and the pupils have put in has really paid off. We are so fortunate, as a day school, to be able to offer such a wide range of sports and to compete in these at national level. Consistently playing at such a standard takes skill,
resilience, and determination.”
Headmaster Gareth Doodes added, “Sport has always been incredibly strong here at King’s and it’s wonderful to be recognised for this and to be up there with the best sports schools in the country. We are fortunate to have an enviable, finely honed, and impressive sports programme, with dedicated and
professional experts guiding the pupils to achieve their very best and more, both collectively and individually. The opportunity for our pupils to play at national level is something that most of us could only have dreamed of as a child.”
This news for King’s follows hot on the heels of their recent Top 10 national ranking for academic performance, as the School was named in the prestigious Sunday Times’ Parent Power 2024 Schools Guide as one of the Top Ten Independent Secondary Schools in the West Midlands.
Ranked for their academic excellence against some of the county’s 900 secondary schools, King’s appears in seventh position, alongside
King’s High Warwick, King Edward VI High School, Birmingham, and Solihull
School. This is a testament to the rounded education and inclusive ethos of the King’s Foundation of Schools.



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