Latest news with #BBCRadioShropshire
BBC News
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Shropshire rescue dog reuniting pooches with their owners
A stray dog who was at risk of being put to sleep in a pound in Portugal is now reuniting lost dogs with their families in Shropshire. Rico, the star tracer at the Canine School of Trailing in Whitchurch, has been nominated for BBC Radio Shropshire's Make a Difference Awards. The awards celebrate volunteers, fundraisers and animals who go the extra mile for their communities. His owner Rachel Rodgers said there was "no feeling like it" after Rico tracked down a missing dog. "I've never been so proud," she added. Ms Rodgers, who runs the school, discovered the 10-year-old pooch's talent when she was trying to build up his confidence around men and took him to trailing classes and it became clear he was a natural tracker."The second he has a scent article in front of his face he is on a mission, there's a spark in his eye." Ms Rodgers first saw Rico on Facebook after he has been found on the streets in Portugal and taken to a said she "couldn't let this cute little puppy be put to sleep".She paid for him to be taken from the pound by a rescue centre, but when they couldn't find him a local home she brought him to not known what breed he is but she suspects he might be a Kokoni, a small domestic dog that is commonly found in Rodgers says she and Rico have developed a close bond, adding: "He's always there through thick and thin, always by my side."He has also overcome his fear of children and is adored by Harris, Ms Rodgers 10-year-old joked: "He's always the reason why when I look in the fridge there's no cheese or chicken". Rico is a true testament to second chances, now dedicating his life to helping others as a search Rodgers said he had directly located two missing dogs, including a collie who had escaped during a storm and had been missing for several said within minutes of Rico sniffing the scent article, he had found him hiding under a campervan. "Dogs are amazing, and how they can do that when we just wouldn't have a clue blows my mind every time," said Ms Rodgers. More commonly, Rico's role is about narrowing down search areas. One of the most notable searches Rico has helped with was for Cinnamon, the capybara who made headlines after escaping from a zoo in Telford. "It was very difficult because we didn't have a scent article for Cinnamon and so we just had some capybara poo to go off, and he found more capybara poo, he did quite well", she large rodent was found a week later and safely returned to the zoo. Ms Rodgers said the nomination for the award was bittersweet."I'm really, really proud of him but I'm also really sad because I'm conscious at the moment that Rico is not in good health."He's now semi-retired because he has days where he can't walk more than 500 metres. "Maybe this would be a really nice retirement present for him if he succeeds and wins," she said.
BBC News
02-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Shropshire Council: Results from the 2025 local election count
Where can I get results on the road? If you want to stay informed but can't always keep up with this live page, you can tune in on the radio. Our reporters will be keeping you updated in the hourly bulletins on BBC Radio Shropshire throughout the afternoon. And there will be a live election programme from the count between 17:00 and 18:00 BST with the latest standings and reaction.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
First presenter scared when radio station launched
BBC Radio Shropshire's first presenter has marked the station's 40th birthday, admitting she had "never been so scared" as when launching the station. Diane Kemp started the first breakfast show at 06:30 BST on 23 April 1985, with the words: "Good morning, welcome along. It's the birth of Radio Shropshire, the BBC's 30th and newest local radio station." Her first show featured the launch of an appeal to fund a new lifeboat, and interviews with cabinet minister John Gummer and Labour leader Neil Kinnock. "The excitement of doing it, I think, raised my voice about an octave," Ms Kemp said of the launch. Speaking to Wednesday's breakfast show about the initial set-up, she said: "We were bowled over by the reaction we got. "As ever, it's the loyalty of local radio audiences which is always extraordinary, humbling and phenomenal." The news headlines on the first show included Telford Development Corporation's plan to turn the town into Britain's Silicon Valley, cuts to Shropshire health services and a campaign by Labour MP Tam Dalyell over the 1984 murder of Hilda Murrell. The launch was marked by a balloon flight from the grounds of Attingham Park at Atcham, and the day's programming continued with Colin Young, who remained at the station until 2020. Ms Kemp said: "We got a grounding of 'these are the principles and this is the aim of the station', very much, I suspect, how you're still operating it - it's a local station, we exist for reflecting what goes on in the area." "We got to help fashion it along the principles of what the BBC Local values are." The presenter later worked on Midlands Today and is now professor of journalism at Birmingham City University. She said the same ethos of public service journalism had run through all of her jobs: "In the end, it's to make a difference, to amplify voices, to help people hear their own stories." Four decades on, the broadcaster reflected that the St. George's Day launch had been a career highlight. "We were launching a radio station, and that felt such an extraordinary privilege. "We all felt that on the day, and we were trying to do fun things, exciting things, give some of that energy to the programmes - but there's no escaping what an extraordinary privilege it was." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. BBC team takes red nose on Comic Relief hill tour Winners celebrate at Make a Difference awards BBC Radio Shropshire
BBC News
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
First BBC Radio Shropshire presenter scared when station launched
BBC Radio Shropshire's first presenter has marked the station's 40th birthday, admitting she had "never been so scared" as when launching the Kemp started the first breakfast show at 06:30 BST on 23 April 1985, with the words: "Good morning, welcome along. It's the birth of Radio Shropshire, the BBC's 30th and newest local radio station."Her first show featured the launch of an appeal to fund a new lifeboat, and interviews with cabinet minister John Gummer and Labour leader Neil Kinnock."The excitement of doing it, I think, raised my voice about an octave," Ms Kemp said of the launch. Speaking to Wednesday's breakfast show about the initial set-up, she said: "We were bowled over by the reaction we got."As ever, it's the loyalty of local radio audiences which is always extraordinary, humbling and phenomenal." The news headlines on the first show included Telford Development Corporation's plan to turn the town into Britain's Silicon Valley, cuts to Shropshire health services and a campaign by Labour MP Tam Dalyell over the 1984 murder of Hilda launch was marked by a balloon flight from the grounds of Attingham Park at Atcham, and the day's programming continued with Colin Young, who remained at the station until Kemp said: "We got a grounding of 'these are the principles and this is the aim of the station', very much, I suspect, how you're still operating it - it's a local station, we exist for reflecting what goes on in the area.""We got to help fashion it along the principles of what the BBC Local values are."The presenter later worked on Midlands Today and is now professor of journalism at Birmingham City said the same ethos of public service journalism had run through all of her jobs: "In the end, it's to make a difference, to amplify voices, to help people hear their own stories." Four decades on, the broadcaster reflected that the St. George's Day launch had been a career highlight."We were launching a radio station, and that felt such an extraordinary privilege."We all felt that on the day, and we were trying to do fun things, exciting things, give some of that energy to the programmes - but there's no escaping what an extraordinary privilege it was." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
22-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Shrewsbury business to 'lose thousands' as flower show cancelled
The owner of a restaurant and hotel has said the cancellation of Shrewsbury Flower Show means they will lose out on "thousands" of Ditella runs The Loopy Shrew and bed-and-breakfast Darwin's Townhouse in the event, which was due to take place in August, was called off on Wednesday, with the organisers blaming rising costs, including National Insurance Ditella told BBC Radio Shropshire her businesses could lose as much as £10,000 in cancelled bookings as a result. Both the restaurant - with 12 rooms above it - and the B&B are popular with people travelling to Shrewsbury for the event, she said."All of our accommodation was fully booked as a direct result of the flower show," she said, adding that many guests returned every Ditella said she expected many of those reservations to be cancelled, which she said would have "a huge financial impact". But not everyone is expecting to lose out - one cafe even believes it might increase takings. Richard Davis, manager of the Quarry Kitchen Cafe, said security barriers for the flower show last year blocked one of its entrances. "We only had access from inside the leisure centre, which meant our trade dropped drastically from what we could have had," Mr Davis said. "We probably only took about a hundred-and-something [pounds] for the day," he added, estimating that most weekends the cafe earned closer to £1,000 each day. "Now we can have that trade, and see what we would have taken last year." Established in 1875, Shrewsbury Flower Show was for a time listed as the longest-running event of its kind in the world, but has faced a number of issues in recent was cancelled in 2020 and 2021, during the pandemic, while the popular fireworks were cancelled in 2022 due to a following year, a security alert saw the site evacuated in the evening and the event cancelled for the rest of the day. In a statement on Wednesday, Shropshire Horticultural Society, which organises the event, said it had spent more than £150,000 on security and barriers for the 2024 show and had faced other rising also blamed a hike in National Insurance contributions and the minimum Maelor Owen, chairman of the horticultural society, said the team had "struggled to put on a show that was financially viable for several years". 'In shock' He added that organisers were "looking very carefully at the long-term viability of the Shrewsbury Flower Show".Nineteen-year-old Maddie Hards said she went to Shrewsbury Flower Show "all the time" as a child and was "in shock" when it was called off. "I think it's a big thing for Shrewsbury to not have it, you think of Shrewsbury and you think of the flower show," she said, adding that "it's always been such a big part of the town.""I thought [the cancellation] was some fake news thing originally, and then I saw the statement from the horticultural society."It's unreal, it's mad." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
