West Shropshire Talking Newspaper

01/01/2026

We'd like to wish all our listeners a very happy New Year at the start of this, our fiftieth year of providing a weekly service of news stories from the Shropshire Star and features from across the county of Shropshire - whether by cassette-tape, memory stick or online.

Thank you all for your support.

Our next issue will be produced next week and available on-line from Thursday 8th January at wstn.org.uk, via Alexa and other smart speakers, on our dial-in service at 01743 387 287 and on memory sticks to be distributed to our Registered Subscribers on Thursday morning.

We always appreciate your comments - whether positive or negative - by phone (01743 364 726) or by e-mail to [email protected].

13/12/2025

With Christmas fast approaching, we're off to Park Hall Stadium with Charlotte Roberts of Oswestry Life Magazine on Track 7 to visit Santa's Village. Then on Track 9 we head down to Hanwood with Megan Jones of the Shropshire Star who reminds us that community is often found to be strongest in the smallest and most easily overlooked corners of Shropshire.

In a series recorded by our fellow Talking Newspaper in St Albans, we're introduced to Buster - a puppy who's in training as a Guide Dog in Track 2. Track 4 is in two parts: first of all Mavis Gulliver reminds us of the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Br1tain's favourite bird - the robin - whilst Ben Waddams talks of the vulnerability of small birds (in this case the greenfinch) to the risks to their survival which winter poses. Our Sports reporter Dave Gregory brings us his usual bumper bundle of sports stories but includes one this week on fell-running.

In addition to these features, Harriet and this week's readers Ric and Julia share 32 of the most interesting stories from West Shropshire, carefully selected by this week's Editor, Bill.

Do join us on Alexa and other smart speaker systems, on our website (www.wstn.org.uk) or by dialling 01743 387 287 and please do let us know what you liked - and disliked - about this week's issue. 🙂

27/11/2025

Harriet presents this week's WSTN with its 32 news stories drawn from the pages of the Shropshire Star on Tracks 1, 3, 6 and 8; a feature on accessibility in museums by Lindsay and Alasdair of TNF Soundings; a triple bill on Track 4 - our nature track - from Carol Wood and Ben Waddams Wildlife and Art - Carol on holly and Ben on bramblings and nuthatches (Ben's superb painting of a nuthatch appears here); the past week's sport with Dave Gregory on Track 5; Margaret Bowman reads Stan Sedman's affectionate brief history of Shrewsbury's Indoor Market from My Shrewsbury on Track 7; and Clare Ashford's interview with local solicitor turned children's book author Peter Flint on his most recent book - Santa's Second Team - published this week. We're grateful to BBC Shropshire for allowing us to bring this to you on Track 9. We hope you'll enjoy spending time with us. 🙂

24/11/2025

This week's image is a tribute to all our Volunteers at the WSTN but, in particular, to the imaginative, inventive and inspirational flair of the unnamed Volunteer whose clever weaving of the word "Congratulations" into our logo greeted our Despatchers this week.

This followed the news of our King's Award for Voluntary Service which our Chairman, Mary, celebrated with Clare Ashford of BBC Shropshire on Track 2 of this week's TN.

Ian's our Editor and Presenter this week and leads the Studio team through the 32 news stories from the pages of the Shropshire Star which he's selected, together with our Gardening feature with Margaret and Alan on Track 4, Sport on Track 5, wild swimming in the Mynd on Track 7 and a Nurses' 40th Anniversary Reunion at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on Track 9.

Lots to listen to and enjoy in this celebratory issue.

Shropshire Council Shrewsbury Town Council Julia Buckley MP Shropshire Community Foundation Sight Loss Shropshire Shls Rcc High Sheriff of Shropshire INTune Radio CIC East Shropshire Talking Newspaper - ESTN

14/11/2025

14/11/2025

Our Chairman, Mary Pascoe, has just written to all our Volunteers, saying: "Today, November 14th is the King’s birthday, and the WSTN has been given The King’s Award for Voluntary Service!!! I am, needless to say, more than delighted."

This news came after Diane and her team had recorded this week's WSTN, with 32 news stories drawn from the pages of the Shropshire Star and a host of other features. We've an Update from Sight Loss Shropshire and a celebratory feature on Seescape's 160th Anniversary on Track2; a double feature on Nature with Ben Waddams Wildlife and Art on the natural world preparing for winter from the November edition of the Shropshire Magazine, together with this week's On the Wildside column for the Shrewsbury Chronicle on salmon returning to breed in the Upper Severn; Dave Gregory's Sports report on Track 5; Remembrance Day in Oswestry with Charlotte Roberts of Oswestry Life Magazine ; and turkeys being prepared for Christmas at Will Hough’s farm at Harton with Sian Lovegrove of the Strettons Podcast on Track 9.

You can listen to this issue of the West Shropshire Talking Newspaper on our web-site (www.wstn.org.uk), on Amazon's Alexa or other smart speaker systems, as a podcast or via our dial-in service on 01743 387 287 from any phone.

If you're one of our Registered Subscribers, you should have received two memory sticks in your pouch this week. Please listen to and return the green one (this week's TN) as soon as you've listened to it but feel free to take a bit longer with the blue one (the past four episodes of The Strettons Podcast) and savour the sounds and tastes of the Strettons with Sian and Pete.

Whichever way you choose to listen, we hope you enjoy this week's WSTN. 🙂

Shropshire Council High Sheriff of Shropshire Shropshire Community Foundation Julia Buckley MP Shropshire Live Oswestry Life Magazine INTune Radio CIC East Shropshire Talking Newspaper - ESTN

08/11/2025

Our focus in this week's WSTN is Remembrance, featuring on Tracks 2 and 9. David leads us through 32 news stories from the past week on Tracks 1, 3, 6 and 8, drawn from the pages of the Star.

On Track 4 Ben Waddams Wildlife and Art (pictured) and Mavis Gulliver focus on late autumn in our Nature slot. Dave Gregory is back with all the Sport from the County on Track 5 and Guy King reads an interesting feature from the new edition of the Shropshire Magazine about the Halston Chapel appeal, near Whittington.

On Track 9, Charlotte Foster of the Life Magazine podcast talks to Mark Hignett of the Oswestry Town Museum about the illicit love affair between two soldiers during World War II, revealed in letters held at the Museum.

You can listen to the WSTN at www.wstn.org.uk, on Alexa and other smart speakers or by dialling 01743 387 287 from any phone and following Ian's instructions.

Do let us know what you've enjoyed most and least on this week's issue. 🙂

Royal British Legion Shrewsbury Town Council Oswestry Town Council Shropshire Council Shropshire Community Foundation High Sheriff of Shropshire Shrewsbury Chronicle Appreciation Society My Shrewsbury INTune Radio CIC

16/10/2025

It's Autumn and apples are hanging off their branches everywhere across our County. Autumn figures in several of our news stories this week, as well as in our Gardening feature with Margaret and Alan and in our TN Xtra on Apple Day in Oswestry with Charlotte.

Mary introduces this issue which includes Dave's regular Sports Report, Sian's interview with the rather unconventional Town Clerk of Church Stretton, an article from the Shropshire Magazine on the eco-friendly Whitchurch shop Refill Your Boots read by Diane and, as our headline feature, an App which combines therapeutic exercises and games, making the process of easing eye strain both simple and fun, brought to us by Nicki of TNF Soundings.

100 minutes for you to enjoy at www.wstn.org.uk, on Alexa or another smart speaker system, or via our dial-in service on 01743 387 287. Our visually impaired subscribers will find all this and another two hours of listening enjoyment from The Strettons Podcast on the two memory sticks which were posted to you today. 😊

16/08/2025

16/08/2025

We were delighted to welcome Julia to our Studio on Monday. You can listen to her conversation with Ian at www.wstn.org.uk (Track 9), on Alexa and other smart speakers or by dialling 01743 387 287 from any phone and then choosing option 9.

We'd love to hear from you. 🙂