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News

Safe standing supporters win Shropshire Star fan award

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7th May 2019

- News

Two Shrewsbury Town supporters who have spearheaded the campaign for safe standing at football grounds have been named fans of the season by the Shropshire Star.
 
Supporters’ Parliament duo Mike Davis and Roger Groves won the annual Shrewsbury Town prize for being the supporters of the year during the end of season awards on Sunday night.
 
The duo, who are heavily involved in the Supporters’ Parliament, scooped the award, sponsored by the Star, for their work promoting safe standing.
 
Davis and Groves were instrumental in the pioneering crowd-funding project to bring the first-ever safe standing to an all-seater stadia in England and Wales. 
 
Safe standing has been a huge success at Montgomery Waters Meadow this season and other clubs are looking to follow suit.
 
The club prize comes after joint-SP chairs were named EFL fans of the season at the EFL Awards in London last month.
 
The Salop fans, who both stand in the Salop Leisure rail seats on a matchday, were also recently named League One fans of the season.
 
Davis and Groves work tirelessly alongside the club on all sorts of projects, including day-to-day items such as ticket offers. The SP meets every few months alongside club chiefs.
 
For the footballer awards, Greg Docherty was a popular winner after being crowned Shrewsbury’s player of the season.
 
Rangers loanee Docherty, 22 won the main award for scoring 10 goals and creating 11 more in 50 games.
 
Striker Fejiri Okenabirhie took home the top goalscorer award with 16 goals and was also voted young player of the season by Shrewsbury’s management. Players’ player of the season went to Shaun Whalley, while the goal of the season went to defender James Bolton for his stunning strike against Stoke City.
 
Omar Beckles won Town’s player in the community award for the second season running, recognising his work promoting mental health awareness.
 
A new award, the Roland Wycherley scholar of the year award, was handed to 18-year-old midfielder Kian Taylor.
 
The Shropshire Star was represented at the event by business editor James Pugh, sports editor Russell Youll, marketing services manager Lee Young and director of marketing and communications Chris Leggett.
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News

Super sub Sarah goes the distance to raise money for charity

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7th May 2019

- News

An MNA sub-editor has proven she is quick off the mark by running a half marathon for a charity cause close to her heart.
 
Sarah Cowen-Strong, who is based in the editorial department at Queen Street, completed the Stratford-on-Avon Half Marathon on Sunday to raise money the Epilepsy Society.
 
The cause is one Sarah is keen to help as her daughter Eliza was diagnosed with epilepsy 10 years ago.
 
An experienced marathon runner, Sarah completed the distance in a time considerably faster than her last effort.
 
She explains: “After doing 10 marathons, I thought it was time to calm down a bit and just do halves.
 
“As I seem to get slower every year I wasn’t expecting to beat my last half by 10 minutes. But at two hours 33 minutes, I am still not going to be picked for the Olympics any time soon!
 
“I love the atmosphere of a race and forcing myself out of the bed in the morning to run. 
 
“Also, I live in very hilly Worcestershire so most organised races are not usually going to be as bad. 
 
“It helps that I’m running for a cause so close to my heart. Eliza had her first seizure about 10 years ago while in a drama rehearsal at school and although, cross fingers, she’s coping on medication, life hasn’t been quite the same since. 
 
“Every little bit of support we can give to the charity is a glimmer of hope to millions.”
 
Sarah hopes generous colleagues will join those who have already donated.
 
She said: “Donations can still be made. The JustGiving page stays open for a while. A massive thank-you to my wonderful colleagues who have helped me top the target.”
 
 
The Epilepsy Society conducts “world class medical research projects”, diagnosing and treating thousands of people with epilepsy every year. 
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Events

From the archive: MNA readers on cruise to the Med

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7th May 2019

- Events

Express & Star and Shropshire Star readers pose for a photograph before departing from Wolverhampton for a sponsored cruise to the Mediterranean in 1976.
 
They travelled by coach to Southampton, where they joined the Oriana, the 42,000 ton P&O liner. 
 
During the cruise, they had the opportunity of visiting Monte Carlo, Capri, Sorrento, Amalfi, Pompand Santiago de Competela. 
 
To see hundreds of pictures from the Photographic Collection visit photo-archive.expressandstar.co.uk
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News

Lottery boss praises Express & Star photo archive

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7th May 2019

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The chief executive of Camelot praised the Express & Star Photo Archive project on a visit to Wolverhampton.
 
Nigel Railton and members of his senior management team were in the city to visit the newspaper and present a plaque to Nirlip Hayre of Mander News in the Mander Centre, which has average National Lottery sales of £17,000 a week.
 
The newsagents has raised more than £400,000 for National Lottery good causes since 2016.
 
The visit to the Express & Star came as Camelot celebrates its 25th anniversary of running the National Lottery this year.
 
Mr Railton, who sat in on the Express & Star’s morning conference, said that more than £2.6 billion had gone to 38,000 projects in the West Midlands over the years.
 
“A press organisation like this really understands the local area and the difference the National Lottery has made to the local community,” he explained.
 
“The National Lottery has been an amazing success story thanks to all the people who have played the game over the years.
 
“It was brilliant to see the Express & Star photographic archive which has been supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.”
 
Mr Railton, who worked in Birmingham for British Rail for three years before training as an accountant and joining Camelot, added: “It is hugely important to understand how the National Lottery operates regionally and we have been doing visits like this for the last two years all over the UK. It really gives us an understanding of what the National Lottery means to people and different areas.”
 
There are more than 4,400 retailers in the West Midlands who sell National Lottery tickets and Mr Railton said on each visit they went to a retailer to thank them for the difference they made.
 
The team from Camelot’s head office in Watford also visited two National Lottery-funded projects in Birmingham – creative innovation centre STEAMhouse, which has had £500,000 of funding awarded by Arts Council England to Birmingham City University, and the Lapworth Museum of Geology, which has £1.6 million of funding through National Lottery Heritage Fund for its education room.
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News

Jane sets out to raise funds for friend in need

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7th May 2019

- News

A member of the Wolverhampton-based classifieds team is calling on colleagues to lend their support to a vital fundraising effort.
 
Jane Cornforth, trade sales coordinator based at the Express & Star, is organising a series of events to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA). 
 
As well as a musical extravaganza evening, Jane and her colleagues are organising an in-house raffle and would welcome any donations possible.
 
The fundraising – which has already topped £2,200 – is being held on behalf of Steve ‘Snowy’ Watson, a good friend of Jane’s. Snowy was diagnosed with the condition in 2017 and Jane said it has been horrendous to watch her friend suffer from the rapidly progressing disease. 
 
Motor Neurone Disease attacks the brain and spinal cord, leaving people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk, swallow or eventually breathe.
 
“Snowy has always been a fun loving, intelligent, larger than life man who was cruelly diagnosed with MND in 2017. There is no cure,” said Jane.
 
“It has taken my formerly fit, able, strong friend from an active and rewarding life and has gradually eliminated his ability to move, breathe unaided, or perform the most basic tasks that most of us take for granted. 
 
“Steve is now in a wheelchair and relies on a ventilator to breathe. He needs 24-hour care at his home in Bradmore.
 
“Though Steve’s response to contracting this disease has been incredibly positive, inspirational and truly courageous he needs support from as many sources as possible,” she added.
 
A group of Snowy’s friends initially set out to raise £1,000 for MNDA. 
 
Donations have already exceeded £2,200 and there are no plans to stop there. A musical event being held at The Newhampton Arts Centre is being organised for 15 June with just a few tickets remaining.
 
Jane and her classifieds colleagues are also planning a dress-down day and in-house raffle for later this month to boost the fund further.
 
“Snowy has always loved music and since many of his extended group of friends are musicians, we have decided to put on a musical fundraising event,” said Jane.
 
“I have been so touched by how many people want to help, whether they know Snowy or not, so many contacts have asked how they can get involved.
 
“I will be collecting donations for the raffle throughout May and intend to sell tickets too. If anyone would like to lend their support, I would love to hear from them,” she added.
 
The MNDA is a charity that relies heavily on voluntary donations. It offers those with the condition advisory, financial and practical help, as well as support for their families. Up to 5,000 adults are living with MND at any one time in the UK.
 
Ongoing research aims to find a cure for the cruel disease.
For more information visit https://www.mndassociation.org/
To contribute to Jane’s fundraising efforts visit
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