West Shropshire Talking Newspaper

09/09/2026

Harriet's our Presenter this week, leading the team reading the news for the past week from the Shropshire Star on Tracks 1, 3, 6 and 8 and welcoming Swan from Sight Loss Shropshire to update us on their news on Track 2 and Mike on Track 5 with this week's local sports report.

Kathy Bristow from East Shropshire Talking Newspaper - ESTN reads the feature about Nigel Hawkins' falconry business by Daniel Morris from this month's Shropshire Magazine on Track 4, whilst Peter travels south to Bewdley on Track 7 to tell us about the new Bewdley Express service which the Severn Valley Railway started early on September 1st. In another feature from the Magazine, on Track 9 Diane reads Heather Morris' interview with Bridgnorth entrepreneur Charlotte Ferris about her new home fragrance and lifestyle brand - Cerita.

So, lots to listen to and enjoy at www.wstn.org.uk, on Alexa or other smart speaker, on your memory stick, as the West Shropshire Podcast or by dialling 01743 387 287 from any phone.

02/09/2026

With the hot weather having well and truly broken, there are no weather-related stories in this week’s West Shropshire Talking Newspaper, apart from a trail of cancelled cricket matches in the Sports Report with Mike Jones. We have plenty of News and Features though, with editor and presenter Ian Musty introducing a regular update from the Macular Society; two nature pieces by Ben Waddams including a piece on a very rare visitor, the wryneck; the afore-mentioned sport which as well as cricket includes bowls and football; a Whitchurch Report read by our regular Whitchurch A-Team of Gwyneth, Jennifer and Judy; and a piece from the Shropshire Magazine about the well-loved Town Crier, Martin Wood. Between those features, we have four sections of news covering everything from the new Community Bus serving Clun after Shropshire Council were unable to support the previous service; actor and comedian Brian Conley and daughter making a mad dash from Shrewsbury to Black Rock Sands; and heritage events in Oswestry including tours of the Guildhall on Bailey Head. Something for everyone on this week’s Talking Newspaper!

21/08/2026

It’s hard to avoid mention of the extreme weather we’ve experienced this year, especially for a Talking Newspaper, where current events and news are the bedrock of what we provide. This week’s presenter Kath Bristow does try, though inevitably we have stories from the local press that cover the problems and consequences the heat has brought. In our gardening feature too, Alan Copplestone and Margaret Thrower wonder aloud how to make gardens more resilient as we face the prospect of regular hot summers. Elsewhere, there’s one of the regular updates from Guide Dogs, featuring ‘buddy’ companions this time, dogs that for various reasons do not complete Guide Dog training but are perfect candidates for becoming canine friends, often to young people. There are plenty of scores from the various Shropshire bowls leagues in our Sports Section, then Ian Musty reads a Toby Neal piece from the Shropshire Star about a mostly-forgotten tea room in the garden of a thatched cottage near Hope Bowdler which served walkers drinks and cake for decades. Finally, Diane reads a piece from Shropshire Magazine about ‘The Shropshire Wedding Collective’, a business trying to encourage more couples to tie the knot in Shropshire. All this and four tracks full of news in this week’s West Shropshire Talking Newspaper.

30/07/2026

At the West Shropshire Talking Newspaper, we have a fine mix of local news and features, as you will have come to expect from us as we continue to celebrate our 50th year! This week, there is the latest instalment from Charlotte in her popular ‘Puppy Academy’ series, with thanks to the St Albans & District Talking Newspaper for allowing us to share this via TNF Soundings. Also from TNF Soundings, we have the story of blind marathon runner Clarke Reynolds and the technology that allows him to run safely. Ben Waddams has the first part of our nature feature, looking at the behaviour of crab spiders in Corfu after a recent holiday there, and our own Steve Bristow reads Dr Paul Evans’ piece from the Guardian Newspaper on the scarlet tiger moth. Our new Sports Editor, Mike Jones brings the latest news on local cricket, bowls and Shrewsbury Town as they prepare for the new football season via various ‘friendlies’, including at home to Championship side West Bromwich Albion. Our own Margaret Bowman shares an interesting feature by Phil Scoggins from MyShrewsbury Magazine on the ‘wretched hovels’ in the shadow of Old St Chad’s church, and finally Gwen Cox talks about her great enjoyment from being part of Roxane Smith’s ‘Acapella Choir’ who many of us will have heard singing at various events in and around Shrewsbury. Enjoy!

19/07/2026

No Shrewsbury Flower Show this year for the second year running but perhaps just as well, given the long period of hot, dry weather we've had. Margaret and Alan discuss the impact of the weather on their gardens on Track 4 this week. On Track 2 Bob and Gill of Sound and Vision share their holiday travel tips for Visually Impaired passengers with us, whilst on Track 5 Mike brings us the Sports news for the County hot from Shropshire's national cricket league encounter with Cornwall in Truro.

There's so much to explore in Ludlow, says Daniel Morris of the Shropshire Magazine on Track 7, whilst Samantha Gray looks back on more than a decade spent raising animals and growing food with her family on a smallholding on the slopes of the Long Mynd on Track 9. These features are read by Chris and Terry of our sister Talking Newspaper East Shropshire Talking Newspaper - ESTN.

Mary and her team bring us up to date with 32 news stories from the Shropshire Star over the past week.

Shropshire Council Shrewsbury Town Council Shropshire Community Foundation

10/07/2026

10/07/2026

As ever, the new issue of the WSTN has much of interest in the way of news and features. Amongst the latter, Sight Loss Shropshire report on their very successful 'See, Hear, Remember' exhibition held last month; Ben Waddams 'On the Wildside' column from the Shrewsbury Chronicle features Painted Lady butterflies and common lizards; we have what is sadly Sian and Pete's final and farewell episode of the Strettons Podcast; and Guy King from the East Shropshire Talking Newspaper reads a conversation between Heather Large of the Shropshire Magazine and Beth McGowan who is the director of the Shrewsbury International Comedy Festival which is running this weekend through to Sunday the 12th of July. Along with lots of news reports from around our area, and a Sports report from Mike Jones to boot. Enjoy!
Shropshire Star Sight Loss Shropshire Shropshire Magazine Shropshire Lieutenancy High Sheriff of Shropshire INTune Radio CIC Shropshire Live Shropshire Community Foundation Community Resource Ben Waddams Wildlife and Art East Shropshire Talking Newspaper - ESTN

01/07/2026

This week's Talking Newspaper has the usual rich mix of news and features - we have a piece from TNF Soundings examining the issue of unemployment amongst young people with sight loss; Ben Waddams uses the nature spot to focus on those nocturnal furry flying mammals, bats; Mike Jones reports on local sports where Shrewsbury bowling superstar Callum Wraight didn't sweep all before him for once; our Whitchurch duo Gwyneth and Jennifer read their local area reports, and Peter Waller reads a tribute to Severn Valley founder member Keith Beddoes, who passed away recently. Finally, Diane Brown reads a piece from the June Shropshire Magazine about Wild Edric Media. The Shropshire Magazine is published this week and audio highlights are dispatched as a second (orange) memory stick to our Registered Subscribers.

Ben Waddams Wildlife and Art Severn Valley Railway Shropshire Lieutenancy Shropshire Star Shrewsbury Chronicle Appreciation Society Shropshire Magazine Shropshire Community Foundation Shropshire Chamber Whitchurch Herald Whitchurch Town Council Visit Whitchurch Shropshire BBC Shropshire Sight Loss Shropshire INTune Radio CIC High Sheriff of Shropshire