Latest news with #Tench
BBC News
30-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Good Samaritan praised after fire at Telford restaurant
The owner of a family-run restaurant in Shropshire said a Good Samaritan inadvertently saved her towels caught fire inside Restaurant 1840 in Dawley, Telford, on Sunday morning, setting off a fire alarm.A nearby dog walker investigated, triggering the security alarm which alerted owner Jelly Tench, who was able to get to the building and put out the fire."There are so few people that would stop and try and do something in that moment," said Ms Tench. "He thought they were the security alarms going off and he thought somebody was robbing the place, so he did come and make sure there was nothing he could do."Ms Tench started a social media campaign to try and find out who the man was in order to thank has since been identified and she said he would be invited for a meal at the site which is based in a restored 19th Century former Methodist church."That single action, it stopped a church from burning down, we are so incredibly grateful for what he's done," she said."Just taking that moment out of his way has changed our lives."I have seen him quite a few times locally and he's such a polite and lovely man, and I don't know if he realises yet quite what a difference he made here, he saved our livelihoods and business."Ms Tench said she did not know what had caused the towels to go up in flames."There is no explanation, I was in the kitchen two hours after everything was turned off, there were no problems at all," she said."It's very scary to see how easily things can happen. It's a sharp reminder that actually you need to do your fire drills and your preparation as much as you can beforehand." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Powys County Times
19-07-2025
- Powys County Times
Renault drink-driver flipped car on A458 near Welshpool
A drink-driver who flipped her car in a crash and had to be cut free by firefighters has lost her licence for 16 months. Clair Masterman had been driving a Renault Kadjar on the A458 in Foel, near Welshpool, on June 25 when it was involved in a single-vehicle collision and ended up on its roof. The 43-year-old, of Foel, admitted to being over the legal limit when she appeared at Welshpool Magistrates' Court on Tuesday (July 15). The court was told she had 57 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath when the legal limit is 35ug. Helen Tench, prosecuting, said: "Police received a call from a member of the public about a single vehicle road traffic collision in which a car was on its roof. "When they arrived, firefighters were cutting the defendant free as she was trapped inside. "Her speech was slurred when she spoke to officers." Ms Tench explained that Masterman was taken to hospital and because she was placed on a spinal board as a precaution, police felt it would be "inappropriate" to test for drink-driving while she was there. When she was discharged, she was taken into custody and gave a breathalyser reading five-and-a-half hours after the incident of 57mg. Ms Tench added: "She couldn't recall what had happened leading up to the incident and her next memory was of being in hospital." Rob Hanratty, defending, told the court: "She is not entirely sure how she came to be driving that day. "The incident is a one-off, and it is very much out of character for her. Fortunately, no-one else was involved in the accident." Mr Hanratty warned that a driving ban could affect her ability to work as she relies on driving to get to work, adding: "I can assure you she will never find herself in this situation again." Magistrates disqualified Masterman for 16 months, but she can take the drink-driving awareness course, which would reduce her ban by 16 weeks if successfully completed.
Boston Globe
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
With a new solo album out, former Heartbreaker Benmont Tench plays City Winery Thursday
I last spoke to Benmont Tench in 2017, days before what would become Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' final Boston concert. Petty died less than three months after that 'Reality changed,' says Tench, 71, reflecting on 'Three months later, my daughter was born. Thank God for Catherine. One teacher goes, another appears,' Tench tells me in a phone interview from his LA home where he lives with his wife, Alice Carbone Tench, and their daughter. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up While Tench had songs in his pocket in '17, between death, life, and battling cancer, 'a few things got in the way' of releasing his sophomore Advertisement More than a decade after his 2014 solo debut, rock's most in-demand session keyboardist — described as a 'genius' by Heartbreaker Mike Campbell in his recent arrived as a singer-songwriter with Now on a solo tour in support of the album, the '71 Phillips Exeter alum returns to Boston to play Advertisement In conversation, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is warm and down-to-earth. We talked Exeter days, Boston nights, Petty, the power of human connection, the Heartbreaker renaissance, and more. Q. The Heartbreakers have always had a special connection with Boston. A. The two cities in America that first responded to us were Boston and San Francisco. We've always been thankful to Massachusetts fans in general, but Boston fans in particular are among the best fans we ever had. Loyal and loud. Q. That's us. So how are you feeling? You said you were first diagnosed with tongue cancer around 2010. A. Between 2011 and 2019, I had five surgeries. In 2023 I had my jaw [partially] replaced. So we decided to hold the record until I recovered enough to play gigs and talk to people. But I love how it came out. Q. What inspired these songs? A. They're usually about something on my mind, but often I find, as I play them, they might be about something else. When it comes [out], it's like, 'Oh, that's a biblical metaphor. That's interesting.' Or 'That's a riff on a John Prine rhythm.' Tench's new album, his second as a solo artist, is "The Melancholy Season." Summer Moon Q. You grew up in Gainesville, Fla., playing classical piano from age 7, and loving rock 'n' roll. Your time in Exeter had a profound effect on you. A. What happened at Exeter, there was an explosion of Chicago blues getting its due with white kids. Now I came from the South. North Florida, until I was 10, was Jim Crow. So I come up to New England and [hear music] that inspired the Beatles and Stones. The second I heard an this ?' So I got a huge musical education, not formal, but cultural, up there. Advertisement Q. A. I raved about that concert when I met him, because it was very fresh in my mind, so that stuck with him, I know. One of my closest friends at Exeter got me into the MC5. I went because MC5 was opening, Led Zeppelin was headlining. Johnny Winter was in the middle. It was glorious. Q. After A. My friend from Exeter was an assistant engineer at a studio. He called me: 'Look, the studio is giving me free time and tape so I can work on my skills as a recording engineer. Get over here.' He had to bug me a few times because I'm lazy and my self-esteem was low. I'd called Tom to come down and just listen. I got a call two days later from Tom's first wife, Jane: 'Tommy wants a band. And he wants the band you and Stan have.' I went, 'I'm in.' Tom wants to get back together? Hell yeah. Q. I grew up going to epic concerts at the old Great Woods, where the whole crowd and band sang together, every song, every word. You must've had some magical moments. Advertisement A. Too many to name. The first times we played anywhere where we felt like people got it. When we played Paul's Mall in Boston [opening for Al Kooper] there were more people on stage than in the audience. But playing to however many or few people, if you feel like 'I'm trying to do something here, and they get it' — it's so rewarding. It's a thrill to headline some festival — but it's also a thrill to play the smallest gig in the world and feel people connect with you. That's the thing for me: connection. You want to connect. Because this world is such a mess, and everybody is so off their own head. There are many functions of art, but one function is for finding common ground. That's why any attempt to censor or control the arts — you can't. It's food for the soul. It's crucial. Q. Are you still close with A. Yeah, I talked to him about two weeks ago. I love him. Q. I'm a huge Dylan fan. I have to ask about the Heartbreakers A. Q. Mike is touring with , Stan has a new band, Advertisement A. It kind of is. None of us ever stopped making music, but it's all coming out in the BENMONT TENCH At City Winery Boston, June 26, 7:30 p.m. Lauren Daley can be reached at
Powys County Times
23-06-2025
- Powys County Times
Drink driver banned for a second time following crash
A POWYS man knocked out and trapped in his vehicle after he crashed it after drinking with friends has been banned from the roads for a second time. Kelly Tompkins, 51, crashed his Vauxhall Combo van in Llanwnog, near Caersws, on the night of February 22 this year. He admitted drink driving when he appeared at Welshpool Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, June 17. Prosecutor Helen Tench said the single vehicle road traffic collision occurred on the B4568 at The Vicarage, Llanwnog, at around 10pm. 'Police had a call about a collision involving a white Vauxhall van, in which the driver was still trapped,' said Mrs Tench. 'The fire service were on the scene and the driver was trapped, but he managed to get himself out. 'Alcohol was smelt by officers and he was slurring his words and unsteady on his feet. The vehicle had rolled. He was taken to hospital. 'The defendant said he did not have much recollection of the crash and thought it was in a different place. 'He admitted driving and couldn't remember what he'd been drinking that evening.' Mrs Tench said Tompkins had a previous drink driving conviction from 2016. A reading showed Tompkins had 172 milligrams of alcohol in his blood – the legal limit is 80 micrograms. Acting for the defendant, of Llanwnog, Gurleen Kaur said: 'He was compliant with officers, he even thanked them during police interview, in which he was honest and held his hands up. 'He had been in with friends drinking. He said he wanted to get away and ended up driving, which was a big mistake. He is remorseful. 'He is in employment as a farm engineer, he manages hen sheds. This is secure, despite the loss of his licence, although it will limit his employment. It would impact out of hours issues.' Ms Kaur said Tompkins' niece was reliant on him financially and she said it would be 'incredibly difficult' for him to do any unpaid work due to being in full time employment, with the job being a very demanding one. She said he had no convictions since his 2016 drink driving offence and he would welcome a chance to complete a drink driving awareness course. Magistrates ordered a report and probation officer Carl Atkinson said: 'He says he has no memory of the event as he was knocked out. 'He takes full responsibility for his actions. This is his third offence, which are all related to alcohol, which poses concern." Magistrates disqualified Tompkins for three years but offered him the chance to reduce this by allowing him to undertake a drink driving rehabilitation course. He will be made the subject of a 12-month community order, which will include 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days. He was also fined £362 and must pay a £114 surcharge and £85 costs.
Powys County Times
10-05-2025
- Powys County Times
Powys train fight man charged with Victorian era offence
A Mid Wales man has been sentenced under a Victorian era law after his actions led to a train being stopped in Welshpool. Anatolijs Zurba pleaded guilty to obstructing a train using the railway after he was involved in a fight on the Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth service on the afternoon of January 25, this year. Magistrates sitting in Welshpool today (Tuesday, May 6) were told that the offence comes under the Malicious Damage Act of 1861 and is rarely seen in courts, and at one time would have been punishable with hard labour. Helen Tench, prosecuting, explained that Zurba had been drinking with a friend in Shrewsbury that day and was on the train home when he got into an argument and struck his friend. She said train staff chose to halt the train for safety reasons at Welshpool Railway Station and Zurba was restrained by passengers before being arrested and handed over to British Transport Police. Ms Tench continued: "The victim of the assault didn't wish to take any further action. "In interview, he [Zurba] said he had been drinking that day and had had two bottles of spirits. "He was asked if he was aware of the 30-minute delay he had caused and he said 'I am now', and he said he was 'sorry', for his actions." Ms Tench added that an application for £3,764 compensation had been made by Network Rail after the train was only able to continue to Machynlleth - missing out four stops, including the end of the line at Aberystwyth - due to the delay at Welshpool. She continued: "This caused disruption to a lot of people." Rob Hanratty, defending, explained that by the time reached Machynlleth it was 38 minutes behind schedule. He continued: "My client went to Shrewsbury with his friend, and they both got a bit lairy on the train home. "He very much apologises for his behavior. He had drunk for a significant amount of the day in question. "When he was arrested, he co-operated with the police and he admitted it." Zurba, 35, of Cambrian Street in Aberystwyth, was given a six-month community order, which means he must stay out of trouble during that time, and ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £26 victim surcharge. They added that no compensation would be given to Network Rail as they failed to include a breakdown of how they had reached the amount they requested.
