Telford People

Shropshire’s young people are being called on to create an exhibition of artwork honouring the incredible work of a man who grew up in the county.

Andrew (Vern) Stokes OBE, MVO, DL left school in Telford at 16 to join the British Army and has since held various distinguished positions, including Garrison Sergeant Major for the past decade.

Telford College is one of just four finalists in the category for ‘innovation in training and delivery’.

Mark Jones, who signed up for Telford College’s ‘Into Employment’ programme to make learning opportunities more attainable for hard-to-reach individuals, won the New Directions award.

At a meeting of Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet, members voted unanimously in favour of a new youth strategy for the Borough.

The strategy has been developed in recent months in consultation with different groups of young people across the Borough to ensure it’s a true representation of their voice and needs.

Arthog Outreach scored “top marks” for the quality of its outdoor education provision in a recent inspection.

As weather forecasters warn of a possibly significant dumping of snow on Thursday night I paid a visit to Telford’s gritter HQ.

Telford & Wrekin Council’s decision making centre at Granville House, in Donnington, has an array of screens including a weather radar map, and data on the state of the borough’s 1,000 kilometres of roads.

Scott Saunders, who has been involved with event medicine for 30 years, was awarded the British Empire Medal for his services to emergency response and volunteering across Telford.

Shaun Davies MP for Telford has presented special letters of recognition from the Secretary of State for Defence, The Rt Hon John Healey MP, to three Telford residents and organisations.

Year 6 pupils at Captain Webb Primary School in Dawley have been showcasing their creative talents this month. The school recently reached out to share the work of their young writers following a similar project held last year.

The winning entry from Ariella was a completely independent piece of work. She described the student as a talented writer and said the school is excited to see what she creates in the future.

Chris Nutt, who worked at Fujitsu and initiated the firm sending volunteers to the Friends of Telford Town Park (FOTTP) group as part of a staff welfare programme, died suddenly in December 2024, aged 40.

A bench in memory of him has now been installed by Fujitsu and the Friends as they were so grateful for the work he did and wanted to honour him.

Students Lucas Davies and Tyler Klimkowski volunteered to take on the project.

The planters, made from wooden delivery pallets and copper pipe off-cuts, have been delivered to the Friends of Wellington Station.

Hospital chiefs failed to refer a patient “in an appropriate and timely manner”, which may have led to the woman’s death.

That is the conclusion of a coroner who has sent a “prevention of future deaths” report to the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital (SaTH) NHS Trust.

Pupils from Ercall Wood Academy in Wellington hosted their third annual Christmas afternoon tea and welcomed older members of the local community for the celebrations.

Principal Nick Murphy said the much-loved event had become a highlight of the Academy’s calendar and reflected the school’s commitment to community engagement and bringing multiple generations together.

Telford College students have donated dozens of Christmas gift boxes to a local charity which supports homeless and vulnerable people.

Students from the college’s foundation learning department have made up a total of 35 festive gift boxes for Stay Telford & Wrekin, from donations collected around the campus.

The new Shropshire Youth Awareness Day which saw the county turn blue to show its support has so far raised more than £10,000 for youth charities across the county and the amount is still rising. 

Pic: The High Sheriff of Shropshire Jane Trowbridge with pupils at Wombridge Primary School taking part in the Youth Awareness Day

The government announced new planning reforms that could see more homes built on Shropshire’s Green Belt. Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard spoke out in the House of Commons against the changes, which were unveiled by the Housing Minister just before the Christmas recess.

Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and has set itself an ambitious goal – to raise £75,000 to help tackle loneliness and social isolation among older people across the county.

Members of the charity’s Khushdil Day Centre, based at the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Hadley, have enthusiastically risen to the challenge. Through a series of fundraising activities, they have already raised more than £1,900 to support older people throughout Shropshire.

A controversial proposal to build 800 homes on green belt land on the Shropshire/Wolverhampton border has been unanimously turned down.

The proposal has long been met with huge opposition from local residents through the Albrighton Development Action Group (ADAG).

A local couple from Donnington, are being hailed as community heroes after their latest fundraising effort pushed their lifetime total past an incredible milestone.

Ian and Donna have now raised an astonishing £61,000 for the Severn Hospice, thanks to years of dedication and community support.

As Telford & Wrekin Council is facing booing budget pressures from rising care costs David Tooley tells the story of a woman battling for her rights as a disabled person.

Telford College is working with Telford & Wrekin Council on a pilot project designed to challenge popular misconceptions about life at a further education college.

Students from the college’s creative and music department have teamed up with the Telford & Wrekin Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) team to shoot a new video podcast.

Junior chefs at Ercall Wood Academy in Wellington were tasked with preparing and serving a two-course healthy and nutritious meal costing up to £15 – all in the space of two hours.

More photos on the website

Several notable sports figures have donated items to a draw to encourage donations. Olympic Champions Galal Yafai and Lauren Price have provided two signed gloves and two signed pictures.

For every £5 donated via a JustGiving page, an entry is given into a draw. The closing date for entries is 19th December.

The link to the fundraising page is: justgiving.com/crowdfunding/leeandrichiehelpliza

The platform at Wellington Station is looking brighter and more welcoming, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Friends of Wellington Station and some fantastic support from the local community and organisations.

A significant addition to the station comes in the form of brand-new planters which were crafted by talented students Tyler Klimowski and Lucas Davies from Telford College. “We are absolutely delighted with the new planters,” said Kath Howard for the Friends of Wellington Station.

The volunteer-run buggy service plays a vital role in improving accessibility for those who may find the hospital’s long corridors or distances challenging. 

Volunteers at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) provide a friendly face and a reassuring presence, offering lifts between the main entrance and clinics.

A new quarterly perceptions survey shows residents of Telford and Wrekin are the most likely across the whole West Mercia region to see a police officer or PCSO on a weekly basis. One in four (25%) of the local population reported seeing officers this frequently. This represents a significant rise of 7% compared to the same period last year.

Confidence in West Mercia Police remains steady at 80% across the force area. Almost 6 out of 10 people in Telford and Wrekin feel the force is doing a good or excellent job (57%).

The initial funding award of over £400,000 will run until March 2027, with work focussing on understanding why people aren’t currently active; supporting them to find ways to change; support that continued active lifestyle and build healthy habits across children, young people, health, social care and green spaces so that all people can enjoy a healthy lifestyle.

Planners at Telford & Wrekin Council have told Elpis Children Services Limited that they accept that four young adults and carers can form a household meaning that there is no technical change of use of a property in Great Dawley.

The decision means that the company does not have to go through the full planning application process for the move.

Kinship care is when children are cared for by members of their extended families, friends or other people who are connected with them, for a variety of reasons, and in different arrangements. This could be for a short period of time while family members have support to make changes or over a longer-term arrangement.

Earlier this year Telford & Wrekin Council was given £50,984 to after the Government announced plans to implement a national targeted supervised toothbrushing programme for children aged three, four and 5 years in the most deprived communities.

This week the council’s health and wellbeing board will be updated on how the Brilliant Brushers scheme is doing.

An estimated 100 residents flocked to the village hall in Church Aston on freezing Thursday evening to hear that Councillor Eade, the Conservative group leader at Telford & Wrekin Council and representative for Church Aston & Lilleshall, has “called in” the application for a decision by the planning committee.

Alan Adams (Reform) who just missed out to Shaun Davies in the general election last year, won in Oakegates, and Andrew Morris won in Priorslee & St Georges for Reform.

In Wellington, Labours Hugh Sanders took the seat.

A Telford cancer patient held a very special launch last week of his newly published book – written to help others feel ‘less alone’.

Pete Jackson from Lawley in Telford, was part of a delegation from Lingen Davies Cancer Support, who travelled to London last week for the official launch of the charity’s Sunflower Appeal in Westminster. The timing coincided with Pete’s new book ‘Keep On Keeping On’ and the 62-year-old was able to share his story with assembled guests.

New parking rules have been brought in across Hollinswood & Randlay in recent weeks to deal with town centre workers and shoppers who have been leaving their cars all day in residential areas, especially on Deercote.

Councillors reported that residents have been “really upset” after challenging people over parking who then became “abusive.”

Telford & Wrekin Council is reminding residents to check who they trust with their rubbish after a fly-tip was discovered on Madeley Pit Mound earlier this month.

A householder who uses an unlicensed carrier can receive a fixed penalty notice of up to £600 if their waste is subsequently fly-tipped.