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News

Royal air tragedy is recalled in Express & Star photo archive

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24th June 2019

- News

Dramatic photos of an air crash that claimed the life of the Queen’s cousin in 1972 have been added to the Express & Star’s digital photo archive.

Pictures of the fatal crash at Halfpenny Green airfield near Wolverhampton involving Prince William of Gloucester have been uploaded to the Express & Star Photographic Collection website.

Having been the Queen’s page boy at her wedding in 1947, Prince William was a glamorous society figure when he died aged 30 while competing in the Goodyear International Air Trophy competition.

A licensed pilot who took part in air competitions on a regular basis, Prince William was killed alongside co-pilot Vyrell Mitchell when their Piper aircraft crashed not long after take-off on August 28 1972.

In total 24 photos were donated by Ray Bradbury, the Express & Star staff photographer who captured the day on film.

Ray, 76, had kept the negatives of the accident, which made headlines around the world.

He donated the photos, which appeared in newspapers worldwide, after reading about the launch of the Express & Star online archive.

He said: “I was photographing the Goodyear air show for two days for the Express & Star, specifically to get photos of Prince William.

“I got close enough to talk to him at the beginning of the race as he polished his aircraft.

“There was an entourage of glamorous people around him as he was a very attractive character.

“He was very charming so I could see why he was so popular with women.”

Ray, who now lives in Macclesfield, followed the Piper aircraft with his camera as it took off.

He explained: “I watched him take off from my position in the control tower and then saw his aircraft veer off and hit a tree.

“I ran down and jumped on the fire and rescue vehicle which meant I was among the first to reach the wreckage.

“In those days I was working with a Nikon film camera so you were never sure what you had until it was developed.

“It was late afternoon so they held the presses to get the photos into the final editions. It was an international story which meant there was demand for my photos from all over.”

In total Ray worked for the Express & Star for nine years. He credits the success of the Prince William photographs with helping him to work at a national level.

“On the back of the crash photos I was offered a job at the Sun where I went on to work for 26 years,” he added.

The Prince William photos are the first to be added since 3,000 historic photos of the Black Country and its surrounding areas were published on the website in March.

The Express & Star Photographic Collection partnership, co-ordinated with the University of Wolverhampton and council-run City Archives, received a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to digitise photographs dating back over the past century for future generations.

Chris Leggett, marketing and communications director for Express & Star publisher Midland News Association, chairs the project committee.

He said: “We were delighted when Ray got in touch to offer us his historic photos which sent shockwaves around the time.

“The aim of the project is to share local history with the widest possible audience online. We look forward to adding more images to the collection to ensure future generations learn about their past.”

After volunteers gave the equivalent of 260 working days, the launch realised the partnership’s ambition of making the photos available through a single web portal, allowing free on-line public access for the first time.

The partners are now fundraising for more images to be preserved.

To see the images go directly to: https://bit.ly/2RoTjYN. Or visit the website at: https://photo-archive.expressandstar.co.uk.
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News

Read all about the MNA’s Facebook-backed new reporting team

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24th June 2019

- News

The first of three reporters taken on as part as Facebook’s Community News Project has started work at Midland News Association.

James Vukmirovic has joined the reporting team at the Express & Star.

He has been given the specific task of engaging with religious and ethnic minority groups across the region.

James is one of three reporters to be taken on by MNA under the scheme, funded by Facebook and aimed at covering members of the community potentially underserved by local media.

He will be joined in the next few weeks by Harriet Evans and Charlotte Bentley. Harriet will be tasked with increasing the number of stories relating to young people in the Express & Star circulation area and Charlotte will work as a reporter at the Shropshire Star, concentrating on increasing engagement with rural communities.
Partnership
All three are from the West Midlands and have recently graduated from journalism courses, with James and Charlotte training at Wolverhampton College and Harriet in Sheffield.

Their appointment is part of an initiative to appoint 82 local newspapers across the UK. Facebook is donating £4.5m to the National Council for the Training of Journalists.

Martin Wright, editor-in-chief of the Express & Star and Shropshire Star, said: “This is an exciting partnership and we are delighted to welcome James on board.

“The Community News Project aims to drive up coverage of individuals and groups who may not get the exposure they deserve.

“We are looking forward to James, Harriet and Charlotte bringing in stories that reflect important issues in our region but also highlight some of the fantastic people that live here.”

Facebook’s Nick Wrenn, said the aim of the project was that it “helps more people access the news that matters to them most and promotes quality local news”.
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News

Shropshire Star launches search for most popular chip shop

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24th June 2019

- News

The Shropshire Star has launched a search to find the county’s most popular chip shop of the year.

Shropshire Star readers have the chance to vote for their most popular chippy, with five in the running. The launch appeared in the Star on Saturday.

All readers have to do it is take a voting token printed each day in the Star into one of the participating chip shops to pledge their support.

The winner will be decided by two factors: the number of reader tokens collected by each chip shop plus the verdict of the mystery judging panel visit.

Voting tokens will be printed up to June 29. The deadline for the submission of public tokens is June 30.

The 2018 competition saw Shrewsbury Fish Bar finish top of the pile.
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News

Strike gold with 2022 Games

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24th June 2019

- News

The Commonwealth Games may still be three years away, but double gold medallist David Moorcroft has reminded businesses across the Black Country that the clock is ticking if they want to be involved.

The former chief executive of UK Athletics won gold in the 1,500 metres at the Commonwealth Games held in Canada in 1978. The world record holder then topped the podium once again to by winning the 5,000 metres at the 1982 games in Australia.

It’s now three years until the 2022 games gets under way with events due to be held in host city Birmingham and across the West Midlands. And with business contracts to be won and a host of volunteering opportunities on the horizon, Mr Moorcroft, who was involved in the successful bid for the games, has urged people to make the most of having a major sporting event on their doorstep.

“Outside of London, the West Midlands was the most successful region in the country to benefit from business contracts for the Olympic games in 2012,” Mr Moorcroft said during a visit to the Express & Star. And the most successful region in the West Midlands was the Black Country. “There were so many lessons learnt from 2012 but for me one of the most important was really understanding that the last couple of years fly by.

“Sometimes you only realise the opportunities you can get from a major games, after the games has been and gone.

“It’s really easy to wake up the day after the closing ceremony and think ‘if only we had done this, if only we had done that.’

“The Black Country is so close to Birmingham and is hosting the aquatics in Sandwell. You don’t just want to get to the games and think ‘oh, it’s here now.’”

Any businesses keen to be involved in working at the Commonwealth Games should visit commonwealthgames.finditinbirmingham.com
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News

Chamber group discuss performance improvement during MNA session

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14th June 2019

- News

Representatives of leading businesses from the Black Country learned ways of improving workplace performance during a training session hosted by the Express & Star.
 
The Black Country Chamber of Commerce’s platinum peer advisory group were coached on ways to support staff during the training, held at the Express & Star’s Queen Street offices in Wolverhampton on Thursday.
 
Led by trainer Jerry Bernstein, the group were given advice on best practice to help staff become more connected to their roles.
 
The event allowed representatives to brainstorm ways of allowing colleagues to rediscover their passion for their work and tools for drawing out “remarkable workplace performance”.
 
The companies taking part included Truckman, Hill and Smith, Vacuum & Atmosphere, Gotronic, Zaun, Lord Combustion Services and Rubery Owen Holdings.
 
Chris Leggett, marketing and communications director for Express & Star publisher Midland News Association, hosted the event.

He said: “It was fantastic to host the Chamber platinum peer group for the workplace performance session as it gave those taking part the opportunity to process issues and analyse each other’s strategies.
 
“Getting the best performance possible is a priority for every business and organisation, regardless of their sector.
 
“As Jerry showed through the training, helping employees to put more passion into their work can have a hugely positive impact throughout a business.”
 
The Chamber platinum peer group meets five times a year to offer training opportunities to senior managers from member businesses.
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Events

Business boost thanks to free MNA Digital training

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14th June 2019

- Events

Black Country businesses are being given the chance to boost their online presence in the latest in a series of free digital workshops.
 
The scheme is being delivered by experienced and knowledgeable experts from the Midland News Association’s online operation, MNA Digital. 
 
The programme has been created in response to a demand from small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to more fully understand how they can use digital techniques to their advantage.
 
The next event, which follows a successful workshop held last month in Shropshire, will run from 9 am on Thursday, 27th June, at Wolverhampton’s Casino 36 and is free for any business looking to attend. 
 
Previous workshops run by MNA Digital have covered topics including managing reputation, optimising websites, and measuring business conversion. 
 
The latest event will be lead by Matthew Fowell, head of PPC at MNA Digital, and will focus on pay per click (PPC) internet advertising via paid search engine result placings which can drive traffic to a business website. 
 
Delegates will be given the chance to network, ask for expert advice, and hear more about maximising website content, conversion rates and paid search. A hot buffet breakfast will also be on offer.
 
Andy Hill, MD of MNA Digital, said it was increasingly important for businesses to have an effective marketing strategy and online presence.
 
“Search engine advertising is the most popular form of PPC and it allows you to bid for ad placement in a search engine’s sponsored links section. 
 
“When PPC is done correctly it’s a cost-effective way of generating leads and sales for your business. 
 
“In today’s fast paced world if a company does not have a strong website or the skills to use it effectively it will get left behind.
 
“These workshops have been created to meet a demand from smaller independent businesses across Wolverhampton, the Black Country, and Shropshire. 
 
“The MNA Digital team has a wealth of knowledge from working with clients and partners across all industries. 
 
“We have covered subjects including reputation management, optimising websites and measuring business. 
 
“By sharing our skills with smaller organisations, we intend to help them grow their revenue which will ultimately have a positive impact on the local economy. People leave our workshops with skills and knowledge they can utilise and implement in their own offices,” he added.
 
For more details and to reserve a place on the workshop contact Natalie Coughlan on 01902 319 292, email natalie@mnadigital.co.uk  or visit mnadigital.co.uk for the latest event news.
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News

Read all about it – we’re still madly in love

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7th June 2019

- News

They met through the pages of the Express & Star – and 25 years after getting married Linda and Paul Bate are still very much in love.
 
Linda had an advert published on her birthday, November 30 1992, asking for a “fun loving” man aged 28-40, and it didn’t take long for Paul to get in touch. 
 
The pair met at a pub in Dudley on December 18 and began their whirlwind romance. 
 
“He answered it and had to send off a letter for me. He didn’t send a picture but I met him anyway,” Linda said. 
 
“We went to the pub and were just getting to know each other and it took off.”
 
The Netherton couple tied the knot on June 4 1994 at Dudley Wood Methodist Church on Quarry Road and they haven’t looked back since.
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Events

Best of the region’s firms prove they are the business!

By on

7th June 2019

- Events

Housebuilder Cameron Homes landed the top award at last night’s glittering Express & Star Business Awards 2019.
 
Brierley Hill business Homeserve Furniture Repairs also enjoyed double awards success at the awards dinner in the EBC Suite at Wolverhampton Racecourse.
 
Awards host Johnny Phillips, the Sky Sports presenter, announced Chasetown-based Cameron Homes as the winners of the overall Business of the Year award, sponsored by the Express & Star itself.
Midland News Association print managing director Graeme Clifford presented the trophy to the jubilant Cameron Homes team.
 
Judges said it was a successful housebuilder which has retained its family ethic whilst improving turnover and profitability significantly year on year with its team demonstrating exceptional customer service.
 
Wolves fan Johnny had opened the evening telling the guest at the sell-out event: “After such a fantastic season for Nuno and the boys which has resulted in the return of European football to the city, it is great to welcome you to a celebration of the best of the region’s business sector. 
 
“And that invitation even extends to the Albion fans among you this evening. Good luck in the Championship next season.”
 
He said to even have been shortlisted in the tough business competition was a fantastic achievement.
 
Three awards were presented before dinner with the first winner Black Vets, of Dudley, who received the Best Place to Work award from Greg Reed from the category sponsor HomeServe.
 
Judges said Blacks Vets in Dudley was an excellent example of how an organisation has implemented programmes to support colleagues’ careers and mental wellbeing as they care for animals and their owners.
 
Best Use of Technology went to Homeserve Furniture Repairs, which has grown rapidly over the last five years and had developed its own customer relationship management system, with the presentation made on behalf of sponsors Altodigital by MNA director Chris Leggett.
 
Family Business of the Year, sponsored by Crowe, went to Rowley Regis funeral directors F P Gaunt & Sons, which has been in business since 1900.
 
Judges were impressed with how it had identified new opportunities and was providing a separate low-cost funeral service.
 
Following dinner the Excellence in Customer Service category was won by Wolverhampton-based Marston’s Beer Company with Indi and Jasbir Wouhra from sponsor East End Foods making the presentation.
 
The judges were enthused by Marston’s Beer Company’s exceptional care, thought and dedication, which is offered to every customer.
 
Finalists Wealth Design Group, of Cannock,  were highly commended for their entry.
 
Young Business of the Year went to Savesta Construction, of Wolverhampton, with Henry Carver and Neil Kendrick from sponsors Carvers Building Supplies, a long-time supporter of the awards, presenting the trophy.
 
Savesta was set up quickly following the fall of Carillion after founder Samuel Hudman recognised the demand and opportunity to become a well-run construction main contractor. 
 
Smethwick’s A&M EDM was winner of the Manufacturing Champion category and James Holland from sponsor Collins Aerospace made the presentation
 
Judges praised the company policy on recycling materials and waste and its strong focus on environmental responsibility. 
 
Tim Johnson, managing director of the City of Wolverhampton Council, which sponsored Micro Business of the Year, handed over the trophy to city firm Huxton Resourcing. The specialist recruiter’s amazing dedication to its work and professionalism impressed the judges.
 
The Business Person of the Year award was won by Melvin Sinar, managing director of Dudley-based Petford Group with Richard Westwood from category sponsor Marston’s handing him the trophy.
 
Mr Sinar has overseen the large growth of Petford Group, mostly due to his relentless drive and determination. 
 
Judges said his desire to stay ahead of competitors was evident in the bold decisions he had made. 
 
Homeserve Furniture Repairs’ second award of the night was as Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year. Richard Griffiths and Kathryn Small from law firm Higgs & Sons, who sponsored the category, made the presentation.
 
Wolverhampton Grand Theatre sponsored the drinks reception at the start of the evening which was put on by production company and associate sponsor Yarrington. Star Public Relations, the racecourse and the theatre were also associate sponsors.
 
The evening was also raising funds for The Way Youth Zone, based  in Wolverhampton.
  • See the picture gallery on expressandstar.com and in a Business special in Tuesday’s E&S.
The winners and finalists
Best Place to Work sponsored by HomeServe
Winner: Blacks Vets
Finalists: The Kaleidoscope Plus Group and whg
 
Best Use of Technology sponsored by Altodigital
Winner: Homeserve Furniture Repairs
Finalists: Coinadrink and Rotronics Battery Management Solutions
 
Family Business of the Year sponsored by Crowe
Winner: F P Gaunt & Sons
Finalists: Diamond Fire & Security and RB Windows, Doors and Conservatories
 
Excellence in Customer Service sponsored by
East End Foods
Winner: Marston’s Beer Company
Finalists: Nant and Wealth Design Group
 
Young Business of the Year sponsored by Carvers
Building Supplies
Winner: Savesta Construction
Finalists: Jet Express, Silvaman Group and SMART Ballustrades

Manufacturing Champion sponsored by
Collins Aerospace
Winner: A&M EDM
Finalists: CS Labels, Somers Forge and MJ Sections
 
Micro Business of the Year sponsored by City of
Wolverhampton Council
Winner: Huxton Resourcing
Finalists: Hayden Kilkelly Independent Financial Advisors and Johnson
Design Partnership
 
Business Person of the Year sponsored by Marston’s
Winner: Melvin Sinar, Petford Group
Finalists: Neil Lloyd, FBC Manby Bowdler, and Greg Reed, HomeServe UK
 
Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year sponsored by Higgs & Sons
Winner: Homeserve Furniture Repairs
Finalists: Midwest Motor Factors, In-Comm Training and Rotech Laboratories
 
Business of the Year sponsored by Express & Star
Winner: Cameron Homes
Finalists: Handicare Accessibility and MAHLE Aftermarket
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Events

Babies in the frame for stardom

By on

28th May 2019

- Events

The most beautiful babies and cutest toddlers in Telford came out to take part in a competition.
 
The Baby and Toddler of the Year competition, run by the Shropshire Star, launched earlier this month, and parents from around the county have been putting forward their youngsters for the coveted title.
 
The free photography sessions have been taking place at Telford Shopping Centre since Monday, and our professional photographers will be in Dean Square, near Primark, until next Wednesday.
 
Entry is free and open to parents and guardians within the Shropshire Star circulation area with a child aged five or under. 
 
Sessions will run from 9.30am until 4.30pm every day, except Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, when they will run from 10.30pm until 4 pm. 
 
The children will be split into four age categories – 0-9 months, 10-18 months, 19-35 months and 3-5 years.
 
There will be a £500 prize for the winner in each category and a further £250 for the overall winner with the most votes. 
 
The photographs will be featured in the Shropshire Star on Thursday, June 27 and on our website. 
 
Visit baby.shropshirestar.com for more information
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