Shipston fire station may be downgraded from an on-call station to a ‘surge’ station under new proposals.

The town’s station currently has seven on-call firefighters – trained firefighters who have other jobs. Warwickshire Fire and Rescue’s new ‘Resourcing to Risk’ proposals would mean that while an appliance would continue to be kept at the station, the on-call fire service would be replaced with a surge service, with teams ‘available for recall in the event of significant incidents or periods of high demand.’ The plans would affect six stations in the county and have been criticised by the FRSA, the firefighters’ union. The public can have their say during a three-month public consultation due to begin in December.

On a beautiful sunny, autumn morning, a group of supporters and friends gathered at the entrance to Cornmill Meadows with Ian Jelley, a director of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, to declare the official opening of the Meadows.

The Meadows were donated by a local family to the Town Council, for the enjoyment of Shipstonians and visitors.

The area has been declared a Local Wildlife Site, and, over time, we hope to develop a wildflower meadow, a community orchard, a bug hotel and a new area of woodland, amongst other activities which will increase the biodiversity of the area.

Afterwards, people gathered in New Clark House for refreshments and an opportunity to see a display of photographs showing some of the activities that have been taking place at Cornmill Meadows.

Many thanks to all our supporters who are helping care for the Meadows. In order to progress our plans, lots of help will be needed. If anyone is interested in getting involved, please contact John Dinnie or Hilary Kelly at Shipston Town Council.

Each December the Tree of Life stands proudly in the centre of Shipston, its white lights glowing symbols of love and hope in memory of loved ones who will not be with us at this special time of the year.

If you would like a friend or relative to be remembered, you can sponsor a light by making a donation (£5 min), knowing that every name will be entered into the Book of Remembrance.

Every contribution will be donated to Rotary charities and good causes.

The Tree of Life will be illuminated at the Rotary Victorian Evening on 1st December.

Sponsor forms are available in local shops, banks, library, and post office or from Avryl Thompson Tel 01789 740047.

Look out for new maps that are being installed around the town. All the maps have information about Shipston on Stour and each has a small history of that particular area of the town.

The new maps are being installed at High Street, Bridge car park, Mill Street car park, West Street car park, and Telegraph Street car park. There will also eventually be a new map at the Black Horse.

The project to replace the town maps was led by the Heritage Amenities and Leisure Projects Working Group who would like to thank Martin Russell and his team for putting them together.

Nearly 400 years ago Royalist Civil War soldiers marched through our Shipston streets. On Saturday 5th August a troop from Lord Hopton’s Regiment of Foot re-enacted that event for another historic moment: the launch of the Shipston Museum. In the Town Square, the Town Crier’s bell rang to mark the official opening with the soldiers marching to the West Street Museum’s home in Old Clark House for the ceremony.

The crowds followed the soldiers to the front door where trustee Martin Russell thanked the Regiment and drummer Alice Free, while Trustee President Bekky Hillman introduced the Museum.

Dick Burge, who has long been associated with the Museum, performed the opening ceremony, reminding us of the Museum’s long journey, starting with the Shipston on Stour and District Local History Society. At one point it was in the old School Room and then Sheep Street before moving to the home of his fellow curator Mike Ashley. It was Mike’s dream to have a proper base for the growing collection. To him the finds and donations from local people were not just artefacts, but the story of Shipston and its surroundings.

Sadly Mike died before the dream could be fully realised, but it is still ‘in the family’ as daughters Rebecca Ashley and Justine Taylor are trustees. Dick recognised Mike’s immense contribution before cutting the ribbon and announcing that the Museum was now well and truly open!

Nearly 100 visitors accepted the invitation to see the displays which included the story of the region from when giant mammoths were wandering in the ice tundra through to Roman times, the medieval town market and the now defunct Shipston railway. Most found it difficult to choose their favourite items among the many fascinating articles. For one man it was the Quaker bench which he admired as a carpenter, for another the maps had always been of interest. And for one little girl it was the handling room, where she was able to pick up Roman tiles and medieval dishes.

The Museum will be open on Saturdays and Sundays 1-4pm until the autumn. There’s an opportunity not just to visit but also become more involved – either by supporting the Museum as a Friend or becoming a volunteer, either front-of-house to greet visitors, to help with administration, cataloguing or follow up research. To find out more please contact: shipstonmuseum@outlook.com

Well done to everyone who entered Shipston on Stour Rotary Club’s competition this year.  We hope you enjoyed looking after your sunflowers - watering
them, watching them grow, and managing to keep them upright during the strong winds we have experienced this summer!

Congratulations to the winner of the over 16 years class...

**Teresa Brookes**

Teresa's sunflower measured an impressive 7ft 7 inches.

Teresa received a Certificate and £10 Amazon voucher.

Well done!

Congratulations to the winner of the 11 years and over class...

**Henry Bramble**

Henry's sunflower measured an amazing 8ft 5.5 inches.

Henry received a Certificate and a £10 Amazon voucher.

Well done!

Congratulations to the winner of the 11 years and under class....

**Emmie Bramble**

Emmie's sunflower measured an incredible 10ft 4.5 inches.

Emmy received a Certificate and a £10 Amazon voucher.

Well done!

The runner up was...

**Millie Yates**

Millie's sunflower measured an amazing 9ft 9 inches (exactly the same height as her entry last year!)

Well done!

The highly anticipated refurbishment of the Shipston Town Museum is to be unveiled on 5th August.

The ribbon will be cut by local historian David Burge at the Old Clark House (West Street car park) and it will be Shipston’s first chance to see the revitalised museum, and learn about Shipston’s rich past and historical DNA.

Did you know that Shipston once had 29 pubs? Not all at the same time, of course. Most have disappeared over the years but our oldest, The Black Horse Inn, has been serving ale to locals for at least 500 years. Identifying these pubs has been the task of Martin Russell who has put together a location map and pictures as a special display at the Shipston Museum. And there will soon a lot more there to discover about the town’s buried past.

Following the demolition of the original building, the main contractors Speller Metcalfe have started on-site to create a modern, purpose-built hospital for the community of Shipston and the surrounding villages.

Recognising the rich history of the original building, the Trust have secured as many historical artefacts as possible which will be incorporated into the new hospital. All of the brick work from the demolished building is also being used as materials for the new build. This demonstrates the Trust’s commitment to sustainability, which will be a key focus throughout this development.

Groundworks have now been completed to enable the building to start taking shape and over the coming months the local community will start to see the steel work going up, with the work expected to be completed next summer (2024).

The new site is going to provide enhanced clinical spaces for hospital and community services, bringing more specialties and clinics closer to the local communities in and around Shipston. All of the specialties that were previously run from the site will return and clinical and operational teams are continuing to identify other services. Returning services include: Heart Failure Nurses, Urology, Maternity, Health Visiting, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Audiology, ENT, Physiotherapy, Ophthalmology, Specialist Parkinson’s Disease Nurse. The development will also include the infrastructure to bring on-site mobile diagnostics and we are working with partners who run services such as the breast scanner to understand what their plans are.

Clinicians and operational teams continue to work together to identify other specialties that will run from the new site, and these will be shared as the project develops over the next year.

The Trust is also working closely with the Stour Health and Wellbeing Partnership to co-design the Health and Wellbeing Hub. This will be a community-led space that will offer a holistic range of activities to support the wellbeing of all age ranges within the local community. The out of hospital teams will also be part of this design work to understand how we incorporate the benefits from the day hospital into this space. To support the development of the Health and Wellbeing Hub, Stratford District Council have awarded £900,000 of community infrastructure levy funding to the project.

Dr Charles Ashton, Chief Medical Officer at South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It is fantastic to see work starting on site to develop a facility that will offer so many clinical services – making them more accessible for local people. There have been several factors that have resulted in changes to the design, plans and timescales, but despite those external influences the Trust has remained committed to investing in healthcare for Shipston and the local villages.

“As part of our Trust strategy, we know that keeping people well in their community for as long as possible supports better long-term outcomes for patients. Therefore, the services provided at the new Ellen Badger Hospital will help us to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and help people to live longer lives, with fewer years of ill health.”

Bob Armstrong, Chair of the Stour Health and Wellbeing Partnership’s Trustee Board, said: “We have been working with the South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust for some time on the design of the Health and Wellbeing Hub in the new Ellen Badger Hospital. Over the last twelve months we have run a number of activities in Shipston and the surrounding villages. These activities have given us a valuable insight into the potential health and wellbeing benefits for the Stour community from this type of facility.”

Mark Hudgeon, regional director at Speller Metcalfe, said: “Having delivered a number of community hospitals on behalf of the NHS, we understand the importance of local residents being able to access these services – particularly those who reside in more rural areas. Speller Metcalfe is absolutely delighted to be a part of this scheme and we are looking forward to supporting the local community and the Trust to make it a reality.”

Statement from Gerry Kelly (Town Mayor) on behalf of the Shipston Town Council regarding the Ellen Badger Hospital
“Shipston Town Council are responding to the disappointing outcome of the Ellen Badger bed review. Shipston Town Council have demanded the publishing of the bed review and a public consultation. We are awaiting a response from South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust.”

Shipston’s Great Big Green Week had many fascinating walks and talks including information on electric bikes and eco-friendly building with walks around Cornmill Meadows and foraging around our town.

Thanks go to all who offered their time and expertise as well as many volunteers who helped organise the week.

The photo shows Katie Beswick talking about plants growing literally on our doorstep which can be used for various ailments, including lime tree leaves which make a relaxing tea, and goose-grass (sticky plant) which can be screwed up to put on nettle stings.

Many thanks to the many people who turned out for a couple of hours on Coronation Holiday Monday to volunteer to collect litter on the outskirts of the town to mark His Majesty the King’s Coronation.

Huge amounts were collected and Shipston is now looking much more attractive.

The current sitting Councillors who have been re-elected unopposed are: Sarah Beckett, John Dinnie, Tony Booth, Ian Cooper, Jo Barker, Paul Tesh, Zoltan Kovari, Gerry Kelly and Hilary Kelly.

Christopher Howarth and Brian Cooper have been newly elected to council unopposed.

The memorial plaque for Micky and Linda Cornock has now been installed on the bench where Micky was often spotted by Shipston residents observing the world go by.

Linda was one of the leading members of the Shipston Knitting & Crochet Group and also the instigator of the Yarnbombing Group, who have been responsible for decorating the town in eye-catching wool creations over the last few years.

Micky was the caretaker at the Shipston Junior & Infants School, also giving his time freely and generously to help out wherever he felt it was needed - particularly helping out around the Rugby & Sports clubs as he was an enthusiastic follower of all the Shipston sporting clubs.

They will both be missed dearly by the town.

Well, who would have thought it? Of all the activities that I have taken part in throughout my life I think I may have saved the most fulfilling role till last as (hopefully) an On-call Firefighter!

A casual conversation with my hairdresser Claire in Shipston (who is the partner of “T”, one of the crew members at Shipston Fire Station) made me aware how desperate the Fire & Rescue Service here in Shipston was for crew members. This certainly made me curious so that very Tuesday evening in October, which was drill night, I made my way to Shipston Fire Station. There I met Chris Townsend (Watch Commander), Sian (Crew Manager) together with the rest of the crew, Steve (who incredibly is also a Whole-time Firefighter in Kent!) Jack, Warren and of course “T” (Tristan).

How welcome they made me feel! It was immediately obvious to me that here was a very keen, professional, and enthusiastic squad that meets every Tuesday evening for 2-3 hours of theory and/or drill in the performance of certain simulated emergency scenarios. These have included, in the time that I have been going along on Tuesday evenings as an observer, search of a building and rescue of casualties reported (in which I played the role of the casualty in order to give it some authenticity) wearing Breathing Apparatus and blindfolded, rescue of a casualty from height using lines and ladders, accessing the third floor of the purpose-built drill tower by ladder with hose-line wearing breathing apparatus, swift water rescue simulation, setting up of a makeshift dam using a tarpaulin and a ladder framework to simulate an open source of water, where mains water is not available, and pumping from there to the fire appliance or firefighting branch (hose nozzle) via a hose-line using a light portable pump and setting up of a hazardous chemicals protective clothing and treatment station. Next week I shall be observing how the crew deal with a trapped driver in one of the donated car wrecks stored in the drill yard. This will involve use of the hydraulic “jaws of life” which cuts through steel like a knife through butter.

I have been asked to muck in on several occasions and, under supervision wearing PPE, I have run out hose-line and rolled up the hose after use and tried on a breathing apparatus set, to get a feel of what it would be like in the role. My learning curve is vertical, but I am soaking up information about firefighting like a sponge and I have been encouraged to ask questions of the team who have been only too pleased to impart their knowledge and experiences. I am beginning to slowly grasp the Firefighters technical language and use of the many acronyms in the Service.

Of course, there are however certain tests to pass before one can become a Firefighter. These are both physical strength tests and written tests involving standard numeracy and demonstration of understanding information provided. For me these take place in March of this year. This is the challenge I face since I do not have age on my side! Regardless, it has really given me a goal to aim at and what better reason to get me back in the gym three times a week knowing that one day I could possibly be involved collaboratively in saving a life!

I am certainly working hard to give it my best shot to pass the tests and hopefully to proudly take my place alongside “T” and the crew at Shipston Fire Station, call sign FS34 Papa 1. So how about joining me on this journey? Your Fire Station needs you!