Friday 30 January 2015

Discretionary Housing Payment

Message from Colin Case.

As Colin says, he is just stating his observations as an individual.

Apparently there was some sort of meeting yesterday that confirmed that about £80,000 of the £380,00 grant given by Westminster to our Council to help less affluent residents with their rent is likely to be given back to Westminster. The grant is intended to help tenants struggling with their rent - perhaps because of the (inaccurately named) "Bedroom Tax"

It also became apparent that £60,000 of last year's grant of £270,000 has already been given back.

I don't understand all the reasons - maybe not enough claimants? (I don't recall it being extensively advertised) Or maybe the qualification criteria exclude many residents? Or perhaps our less affluent residents are too affluent?

Either way, this is surely outrageous - the money was intended for the less affluent in our communities and it is being returned.

I have copied this to local media in the hope that they can confirm the figures and maybe offer some sort of sensible explanation. But until there are proper reasons it just seems immoral to me.

I don't want to use Yoland's excellent list for politics, and of course this is not a matter for our Parish Council - it just seems wrong to me as an individual.

If I get a sensible explanation I promise to pass it on - I don't want to be unfair.

--
Colin Case
www.ruytonxitowns.org.uk
Tel: +44 1939 260628
Mobile: +44 7860 904006
Fax: +44 872 115 8730



--   Yoland Brown  Brownhill House B&B, Ruyton XI Towns, nr. Shrewsbury SY4 1LR  ShACC - Shropshire Alternative Car Club  www.eleventowns.co.uk  www.eleventowns.com  www.ShACC-uk.org  Tel:  01939 261 121       Fax:  01939 260626  Yo's blog: http://yo-emails.blogspot.co.uk

pre VALENTINE DINNER AT MOOR FARM

Message from Elaine at Moor Farm.

 

Presents……..                            SEE MENU ATTACHED

 

Our Inaugural Evening Dining Experience

 

Must be pre booked with a deposit of £5 per person in store or over the phone

 

Meal choice must be confirmed on or shortly after booking

 

Limited numbers available

 

Please contact the shop on the phone number below for bookings or further details

 

Menu is attached to this e-mail

 

 

Regards,

 

Elaine Timmis

 

Moor Farm Shop

Ruyton Road

Baschurch

Shrewsbury

Shropshire

SY4 2BA

01939 262632

 

Website: www.moorfarmshop.co.uk

Facebook: facebook.com/moorfarmshop

Twitter: twitter.com/moorfarmshop

 


--   Yoland Brown  Brownhill House B&B, Ruyton XI Towns, nr. Shrewsbury SY4 1LR  ShACC - Shropshire Alternative Car Club  www.eleventowns.co.uk  www.eleventowns.com  www.ShACC-uk.org  Tel:  01939 261 121       Fax:  01939 260626  Yo's blog: http://yo-emails.blogspot.co.uk

Wednesday 28 January 2015

Hot Minestrone soup at Cafe Eleven



Brrrrr! It's cold outside but it's warm in here. We are serving delicious, warming Minestrone soup today, just the thing to fend off the winter chills and served with either bread and butter or a cheese toastie. If you only want a drink then our delicious, smooth hot chocolate has got to be the choice to warm you through. 

We have a bookshelf full of books for you to take away and return when you are ready, or just sit in the comfort of the tea room with a book and drink. There is also some boxed games to keep the children occupied whilst you relax. 

Looking forward to your visit.

Karen

--   Yoland Brown  Brownhill House B&B, Ruyton XI Towns, nr. Shrewsbury SY4 1LR  ShACC - Shropshire Alternative Car Club  www.eleventowns.co.uk  www.eleventowns.com  www.ShACC-uk.org  Tel:  01939 261 121       Fax:  01939 260626  Yo's blog: http://yo-emails.blogspot.co.uk

Valentines Afternoon Tea

What a lovely idea from Mark Williams at the Derwen.

Please go along and support the Derwen College

VALENTINES AFTERNOON TEA
 Monday 16th February at 2pm

at the Derwen College Gobowen

Please put the attached poster on a door, gate, wall, fence or even a noticeboard near you.
--   Yoland Brown  Brownhill House B&B, Ruyton XI Towns, nr. Shrewsbury SY4 1LR  ShACC - Shropshire Alternative Car Club  www.eleventowns.co.uk  www.eleventowns.com  www.ShACC-uk.org  Tel:  01939 261 121       Fax:  01939 260626  Yo's blog: http://yo-emails.blogspot.co.uk

News travels far & wide!

You may not know that the mailing list goes out to Radio Shropshire (as well as all the rest of you) and James Bond assures me that he reads every posting.  Some of the postings are taken up by the radio such as Colin offering lifts to Baschurch for anyone not able to collect their pensions in Ruyton.

Pam Johnson, the Mailing List`s friend in Trefonen, sent a notice that the village shop was re-opening again and Radio Shropshire paid the new shop and post office a visit which was broadcast a couple of days ago.

Pam emailed:
Most interesting - the owner of the shop (rather than the new manager) appeared clutching a copy of your Ruyton book and said that her brother in Carmarthen had rung her to say the shop opening was being announced on your mailing list.  He had heard from their cousin in Baschurch who is obviously on your list.  I wonder what is the furthest your news has travelled - is Carmarthern a first?  Marie (shop owner) was telling me how interesting your book was and did I know you did a mailing list - so we had rather a circular conversation!!    Yes, the mailing list does travel a long way, this morning I heard from Colin Case that my blog (see below) has had   

67445 visitors by this morning.
There is even a visit from CHINA! Heaven knows why - and only one visit anyway.

So you see, the Mailing List really does get around the world.

Don`t forget to send me your events, lost and found, Can we help?  And anything else you would like to ask or publicise as far as Carmarthan or even China!


 
--   Yoland Brown  Brownhill House B&B, Ruyton XI Towns, nr. Shrewsbury SY4 1LR  ShACC - Shropshire Alternative Car Club  www.eleventowns.co.uk  www.eleventowns.com  www.ShACC-uk.org  Tel:  01939 261 121       Fax:  01939 260626  Yo's blog: http://yo-emails.blogspot.co.uk

More news from Beth in Senegal

Message from Claire Vuckovic.

I hope Beth`s experiences encourage other local young people to do something similar and so worthwhile.
-------------

December: Birthday, travel, party, birthday, travel, visas, travel, a lost passport, Christmas, crocodiles and a coup. Get it?

Maybe not. I'll give you some better explanations! December has by a long way been the busiest, but most exciting month of the year so far. I'm not even sure how we managed to squeeze it all in!

At start of this crazily busy month, (the 6th for those who didn't know - and if you didn't, why not.) was my birthday, and it was a great day from the offset. I woke up to cards and balloons from Charlotte, and my presents that she hadn't let me open as they arrived in the post! I'd never felt so accepted into the Wone family, as when I opened the door to a pile of presents from Amadou, Aicha and the children! Taking this opportunity to thank everybody for the cards, presents and messages I received, I'm still amazed you hadn't all forgotten about me by now! (Also shout out to my 4eme class, who the day before, managed to trick me into telling them when my birthday was, and singing me happy birthday in both English, and then, in what they told me was going to be Chinese, but was in fact just noises, but still greatly appreciated.) Charlotte and I then headed out to our favourite new find (see previous blog) where we treated ourselves to a day beside the pool, a 'Tequila Sunrice' (accident or pun we don't know, either way I think they're obsessed with rice) and got filmed for a tourism video. (This has happened to me before, in Belgium, and I'm not entirely sure how it happens!)

The 10th was a very exciting day! We all woke up (reasonably) early, and headed out to the other side of Dakar, and onto a ferry, to the historic Isle de Goree. I hope to write a blog post on this visit alone in the near future, so I won't tell all now! Isle de Goree is an important part of Senegalese history. Located on the island is a slave house - the last place where the slaves from West Africa were housed before they made the long journey to America during the slave trade period. As a history lover, the visit really appealed to me. Seeing something like this, kept in almost original state, and learning about its background really brings history to life, and it was such a fascinating insight into a period which shaped the world as we know it today.

We were delighted to be invited to the home of the British Ambassador in Dakar, for his annual Christmas Carol party. I know, how fancy. And yes. It was the single most fancy event that I've possibly ever had the honour of being invited to. We were 6 teenage volunteers, surrounded by what must have been politicians, successful businessmen and their families and even a professional tennis player who had to leave early so he could play in the semi-finals of the open the following day! The night was the first reminder that Christmas was nearing that we had had, so we all fully embraced the tinsel, Christmas trees, cheese, champagne, biscuits and piano-accompanied Carols!

Making the most of these few days off in Dakar, we followed a recommendation of a friend, and took the pirogue ride (finally!) to the tranquil Island of Ngor. We spent the day exploring the amazingly decorated buildings, andchilling on the gorgeous beach - even joining some of the locals for Attaya after they found we could speak (and haggle!) in Wolof! Later that evening, we found a huge Western supermarket, where all of the posh 'Toubabs' who can afford to live in Dakar do their shopping. Despite not being able to afford a lot, we treated ourselves to a few favourites from home. Needless to say a trip to a supermarket has never been so exciting!

Due to a few visa, erm, complications(?) the girls from Ziguinchor came to check out our crib in Joal. It was lovely to spend more time with them, and show them around the town (which in fairness, didn't take up even nearly half of the week that they stayed for) We feel so at home in Joal, and are beginning to really appreciate it's beauty, (underneath all of the litter, and the smell of burning rubbish) - we felt so proud to be able to show it off to the girls! We were also able to celebrate Susie's birthday with her whilst they were here! On the subject, she managed to, in the week that  she was here, make me excited to wake up at 6am, and go on a bike ride for 2 hours, before attending the long, all-day meetings with all of the English teachers in Joal. We saw some lovely scenery, and met some people to chat to along the way, but 6am. 6. 6am, and then school. 6.

The last week before the holidays was filled with teaching Christmas songs in Christmas themed lessons and wishing our students a Happy New Year! (whilst also gently reminding them to please glance at their English books at least a few times during their break.)

Having realised that it's now getting late, my blog is getting long and the water has just come on, that's it for this post. The end of term was not what I would normally expect of the start of the Christmas holidays. No films, hot chocolates and lie-ins for us, but so much much excitement. I think, however, that our adventures over the following 2 weeks warrant a post of their own!

It seems like ages ago now, but Happy New Year - see you all this year!

B xxx

 
--   Yoland Brown  Brownhill House B&B, Ruyton XI Towns, nr. Shrewsbury SY4 1LR  ShACC - Shropshire Alternative Car Club  www.eleventowns.co.uk  www.eleventowns.com  www.ShACC-uk.org  Tel:  01939 261 121       Fax:  01939 260626  Yo's blog: http://yo-emails.blogspot.co.uk

Monday 26 January 2015

Lunch at Cafe Eleven

Message from Karen at Cafe Eleven.



Cafe eleven has an ever changing lunchtime menu, consisting of delicious hot paninis, cold sandwiches or 'toasties' and we serve freshly made soup on Thursdays. Children can choose from Ham, Tuna or Cheese sandwiches served with slices of apple and a drink of squash all for only £1.80.

If you haven't visited us yet, please do, you will be made very welcome and can enjoy a freshly ground coffee or a pot of tea and decide which one of our delicious homemade cakes to try. 


Thank you to all our customers old and new. See you soon

Karen and David'

--   Yoland Brown  Brownhill House B&B, Ruyton XI Towns, nr. Shrewsbury SY4 1LR  ShACC - Shropshire Alternative Car Club  www.eleventowns.co.uk  www.eleventowns.com  www.ShACC-uk.org  Tel:  01939 261 121       Fax:  01939 260626  Yo's blog: http://yo-emails.blogspot.co.uk

Borderlines Film Festival, Oswestry

Message from Kinokulture, Oswestry.

Borderlines Film Festival 2015
Screenings In Oswestry
View this email in your browser
Borderlines Film Festival returns for its 13th year to cinema screens across Herefordshire & Shropshire & we are pleased to once again be a partner venue bringing festival screenings to Oswestry audiences.

This year we are expanding on our festival screenings with five fantastic & very different films that highlight the differing strands across the full festival programme.


Tickets for Festival screenings at kinokulture cinema, Oswestry can be booked online through our own Box Office system: 0845 2500517 (local rate)

http://www.kinokulture.org.uk/box-office/4585677279

Or through the Film Festival Central Box Office at The Courtyard, Hereford: 01432 340555
http://www.courtyard.org.uk/event_type/borderlines-film-festival/


"Borderlines is back, loud and proud in 2015, offering our biggest ever selection of films for audiences 
in Herefordshire and Shropshire with the added boost of a thrilling three-day Festival of British Cinema at Hay-on-Wye
 to launch our opening weekend. Our Film Programmers from the Independent Cinema Office, David Sin and Jonny Courtney, have brought in a wealth of terrific films on preview, screening at the Festival with special permission from the distributors. Don't miss this incredible opportunity to see fascinating and absorbing films before they go on general release.
Enjoy what promises to be our biggest and best Festival ever!"
 

Festival Director Naomi Vera-Sanso

For more information & the full festival programme visit
the Borderlines website:
http://www.borderlinesfilmfestival.co.uk/


The doors open 30 minutes before the screening time and our licensed bar/cafe sells a range of wines, beers, soft drinks, hot drinks, Ice cream & snacks
(sourced locally where possible).


Car parking is available in the Horse Market car par at the back of the Market Hall, just a short walk from the cinema.
Borderlines Film Festival 2015
Screenings at
kinokulture cinema, 9 Arthur Street, Oswestry, SY11 1JN
Still Life (12A)

Friday 27th February  7:30pm
&
Saturday 28th February  7:30pm

Tickets: £6.00 Adult/£4.00 Under 16's
Book online: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/78489

Or call the Box Office: 0845 2500517 (local rate)


The long-awaited and multi award-winning new film from Uberto Pasolini, producer of the beloved worldwide smash-hit The Full Monty, STILL LIFE is a poignant and inspirational drama about a quiet, optimistic and selfless man who finds joy in helping everyone but himself.

For over 22 years, life for the unassuming John May (an indelible performance from the extraordinary Eddie Marsan) has been his work for the local council in South London, finding the next of kin for those in his community who have passed away alone. But in this age of 'efficiency', John's meticulousness and care is no longer deemed necessary, and he is abruptly made redundant. John is left with one assignment: a search for the relatives of an elderly neighbour, Billy Stoke.

As he journeys beyond London to piece together Billy's past, John uncovers a life of mischief, misadventure, love and regret, most of all for an abandoned daughter, Kelly (the radiant Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey) whom John manages to locate. These two insular people are naturally drawn to each other, and as friendship blossoms, John's outlook opens imperceptibly to life's possibilities…

Beautifully observed and profoundly affecting, STILL LIFE is a gem – a resonant and universal celebration of dignity, community values and human connection, and ultimately, all that life is worth living for.

WINNER – 2013 VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Art Cinema Prize for Best Film, Best Director (Horizons) &
Pasinetti Critics' Prize
WINNER – 2013 REYKJAVIK FILM FESTIVAL – Best Film
WINNER – 2014 EDINBURGH FILM FESTIVAL – Best Actor
WINNER – 2014 VOICES FILM FESTIVAL – Grand Prix & Best Actor

★★★★
"Deeply moving and richly rewarding – a film with incredible heart." Empire

★★★★
"Wistfully funny. Sweet, poignant and absorbing." The Sunday Telegraph

Run time: 92 mins

View the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt9CsXrlO8Y

 
Testament Of Youth  (12A)

Tuesday 3rd March  1:30pm
Thursday 5th  7:30pm
Friday 6th   7:30pm
Saturday 7th March  7:30pm

Tickets: £6.00 Adult/£4.00 Under 16's
Book online: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/79258

Or call the Box Office: 0845 2500517 (local rate)


Vera Brittain's classic memoir - the first part of a trilogy - is such an important book, both for its vivid portrayal of a generation lost to war and as a woman's account of her life in a time of tumultuous change. Eventually mother to politician Shirley Williams, Brittain's autobiography is a seminal text depicting a life altered by history and also a vivid portrayal of the development of an instinctive and distinctive writer, a woman finding her own voice and the conviction to speak.

This is a faithfully rendered interpretation following Vera from her teenage years as an academically ambitious teenager in pre-WWI England, horsing around with her brother and his school friends, through to the shattering impact the war has on all of their lives, their dreams and their futures. There is stellar acting talent on display from a uniformly excellent cast, a keen visual eye which contrasts the lyricism of a pastoral idyll with the mud and grit of the trenches and at its centre, a poignant and heartfelt depiction of grief and loss.

"..a restrained cinematic polish that feels wholly appropriate to its subject: it's soberly moving" **** - Tim Robey, The Telegraph

"Traditional, heartfelt and stirring in all the right ways, the filmfeels as though it is the natural successor to the war romances of Powell and Pressburger." - Wendy Ide, The Times

Director: James Kent
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Hayley Atwell, Dominic West

UK, 2015
Run time: 2 hours 10 minutes

View the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tP7k4wqVJo

 
National Gallery  (12A)

Saturday 7th March  2:00pm

Tickets: £6.00 adult/£4.00 Under 16's
Book online: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/79481

Or call the Box Office: 0845 2500517 (local rate)


After his magisterial accounts of the Paris Opera Ballet in La Danse and the University of California in At Berkeley, documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman explores another august cultural institution, London's National Gallery.

Running just shy of a mesmerising three hours, this is a richly detailed, beautifully nuanced portrait of the gallery's working life, from the difficult financial decisions facing the charity's executives to visitors' awed appreciation of its blockbuster exhibitions.

Combining a vivid sense of how vast the gallery's many activities are with an eye for droll observational detail, the film finds Wiseman in commanding control of his material. And perhaps unsurprisingly for such a tireless and painstaking artist, we ultimately find him drawn to the work of other visual practitioners, notably the gallery's restorers and curators.

A profound mediation on the act of looking, National Gallery is a triumphant summation of Wiseman's career to date.

"Truly inspiring…a great, great film. It's like being lulled with intelligence."

"…It's beautifully organised, and there's no way you could possibly watch it without learning all kinds of stuff." –Tim Robey, The Telegraph

Director: Frederick Wiseman
USA/France 2014
Run time: 2 hours 53 mins

View the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyYBz5_aMM8


 
A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence  (15)
Preview Screening
Courtesy of Curzon Film World

Tuesday 10th March  7:30pm
&
Friday 13th March  1:30pm

Tickets: £6.00 Adult/£4.00 Under 16's
Book online: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/79315

Or call the Box Office: 0845 2500517 (local rate)


We are pleased to present this preview screening before general release in the UK of the Winner of the Golden Lion, Venice Film Festival 2014.

An absurdist, surrealistic and shocking pitch-black comedy, which moves freely from nightmare to fantasy to hilariously deadpan humour as it muses on man's perpetual inhumanity to man.

Embodying the Swedish spirit through phrasing, mood and general interactions; capturing the sharp tongue and redundancy of speech that feels like a definition of a tired society, but a society that still has an underlying humaneness to its intentions.

The two main characters represent two regular tempers; one who is gloomy, but sensitive, who's become beaten by the world, and another that is irritable and brushes off anything that has the possibility of confronting his hidden despair.

This is a world dominated by morose and resigned people, but there are still glimmers of humanity within them, even if its interrupted by snarky remarks and half-hearted advice.

Captured through static shots and long, but vivid, sequences, Anderson has made another film that captures the absurdities of the human condition through deadpan and sardonic humor.

A pigeon.... is a film that will keep a persistent grin on your face as you experience an odd and tragic world seen through a comedic lens.

"…a species of existential comedy, playing out like a series of skits by Beckett, a sort of Saturday Night Live of the soul." Catherine Bray, Hitflix

"Roy Andersson's series of comic sketches may be untranslatable cinema, but it's heaven." ***** - The Telegraph

"What a bold, beguiling and utterly unclassifiable director Andersson is. He thinks life is a comedy and feels it's a tragedy, and is able to wrestle these conflicting impulses into a gorgeous, deadpan deadlock. " ***** - The Guardian

Director: Roy Andersson
Starring: Holger Andersson, Nils Westblom, Charlotta Larsson

Sweden/Germany/Norway/France, 2014,
Run time: 1 hour 41 minutes
subtitles

View the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7pna4laaAk

 
The Duke Of Burgundy  (18)

Friday 13th March  7:30pm
&
Saturday 14th March  7:30pm

Tickets: £6.00 Adult (18 +)

Book online: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/79494

Or call the Box Office: 0845 2500517 (local rate)


The new film from Peter Strickland, director of the acclaimed Katalin Varga (2009) and Berberian Sound Studio (2012) is an intensely erotic melodrama that has already received huge praise at early festival screenings.

Cynthia, (Sidse Babett Knudsen) a lepidopterist (the title of the film refers to a rare type of butterfly) seems to treat her newly hired housekeeper Evelyn (Chiara D'Anna) with dismissive cruelty. In time we discover that they are entwined in a very curious, very particular S&M relationship, which Strickland invites us to view, but not judge.

Despite the explicit sex scenes, this is a beguiling, tender, even humorous film with a heightened sense of emotion, confirming Strickland as one of the UK's most ambitious and intellectually probing filmmakers.

"Knudsen and D'Anna are both terrific, and have tremblingly palpable chemistry, although the film is so teasing and elusive that after one viewing, you just want to watch the thing again" **** - The Telegraph

Director: Peter Strickland
Starring: Sidse Babett Knudsen, Chiara D'Anna, Monica Swinn
UK, 2014
Run time: 1 hour 41 minutes


View the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-xIMBnclyA

--   Yoland Brown  Brownhill House B&B, Ruyton XI Towns, nr. Shrewsbury SY4 1LR  ShACC - Shropshire Alternative Car Club  www.eleventowns.co.uk  www.eleventowns.com  www.ShACC-uk.org  Tel:  01939 261 121       Fax:  01939 260626  Yo's blog: http://yo-emails.blogspot.co.uk