We're on the lookout for great images that show the diversity of work done in Shropshire Council - and we want you to help us!

We're in the process of making an image library that anyone can use to illustrate the good work being done within the Council. If you've got a good eye and think you can capture your service venue or action shots of willing members of your team then grab your smartphone - they don't need to be professional shots, just capture the viewer’s attention and create a positive impression that showcases our services.

Now here’s the technical stuff – we're looking for good definition and colour, so you're probably looking at a file size of between 1Mb and 5Mb. Where they include members of the public, you’ll need to get their signed consent to have their photo shared (talk to us about getting a Consent Form). Send your images to goodnews@shropshire.gov.uk with a brief description of what the shot is about, what service area or team it represents, and the names of anyone pictured.

Alternatively, you can always ask us to come and take a picture to accompany a story you have in mind - just email and one of our friendly neighbourhood photographers will be in touch.

So come on then! Get snapping!

On a late Friday afternoon in May, Andy Bishop from Trading Standards received a call from a distressed 92 year old Shropshire resident who had been the victim of a rogue trader.

The vulnerable consumer had paid a gardener to remove his hawthorn hedge, but the trader departed as soon as he received the money instead of remaining to clear the piles of cuttings. The discarded garden waste had been dumped on the gentleman's hedgehog hide which caused him much upset, especially as he was unable to remove it himself and had no family who could help. The waste had been sitting there for over three weeks by the time he called Trading Standards whose remit involves investigating illegal business activity and unfair trading practices, not making physical interventions such as physically removing waste for a consumer.

Andy visited the following Monday and saw the unsightly mess that had been left behind and decided to take matters into his own hands. Andy gathered up the cuttings and, using his own estate car, made a couple of trips to the recycling centre to dispose of them, with a very grateful householder feeding him slices of cake between journeys! However, we imagine restoring the gentleman's independence and enjoyment of his garden, with its visiting wildlife, was reward enough.

Enquiries into the trader are ongoing, but that didn't stop our colleague rolling up his sleeves and making an immediately beneficial impact on the life of one of our residents. Well done Andy!

Marking a significant milestone after several years, the ground floor of Mardol House student accommodation is now fully let by a diverse range of 17 retail units.

Lease agreements have been successfully completed on the Bellstone side for various units, including the former Nationwide Building Society unit which is now occupied by Age UK. Similarly, QA Kitchens and Bathrooms has taken over the former Shropshire Star unit, while a local coffee shop operator has secured the kiosk.

On the Shoplatch side of the building, a specialty oriental grocery store has recently leased a space which should nicely complement the existing food operators within the Market Hall.

Notable lease renewals that have also been finalised include those with Timpsons and with Puff in Peace (a local vape shop operator). The ground floor of Mardol House is also home to renowned brands such as Blacks, Subway, Domino's, Game, Specsavers, as well as other local operators.

“Great Expectations”, “The Apprentice”, “Hunted”, and “Man Like Mobeen” are some of the productions that have chosen Shropshire as a filming location. And why not? It’s a beautiful county! Primarily, this is the result of Shropshire Film, a company established last year as a one-stop-shop for producers seeking shooting locations.

One in five holiday destination choices are influenced by locations seen on film or television. It's estimated that the three days of filming for the BBC's adaptation of Great Expectations in Shropshire has equated to an extra £50,000 being generated within the local economy.

It's easy to see why filmmakers are drawn to our attractive county, but thanks to our Street Works and Licensing team, it's now becoming logistically attractive to production companies too, all of which helps boost our visitor economy. 

Shropshire Council’s Street Work Team has two Event and Contingency Planning Officers – Dave Mansfield and Alex Postlethwaite. Both are also on the Council’s Safety Advisory group. They offer a range of advice and support to organisers, including reviewing what consultation has taken place and ensuring any concerns have been properly considered.

“We do this so that we are able to fully understand and take into account the feelings, effect and comments of local bodies which may also include residents, councillors and business groups."

Sometimes, as with Great Expectations, road closures are required. Dave continued:

"In general, we consider everything and anything to do with the event which may disrupt the highway network with the purpose of instructing or advising organisers on how to minimise the disruption where possible. Some events may not require closures but do require parking restrictions and although they may not cause as much disruption as a closure, are treated in the same way.” 

During recent filming of The Apprentice, Alan Sugar challenged contestants to devise their own event and sell tickets on the streets of Shrewsbury. As this falls under “street trading”, permits were required, but our Licensing Team were only too happy to help out with a temporary permit, ensuring all necessary requirements and stipulations were met.

So, next time you see Shropshire on the silver screen, give a thought to Dave, Alex and the Licensing Team. They may not get their names in lights, but they have certainly contributed to the production!

Operating for over 50 years, Shropshire Music Service has supported thousands of young people to take up a musical instrument, a skill that can stay with them their whole life.

A former student of the service went on to study music at university where her course required her to find a placement with on-the-job experience. A testament to the positive experience the service had offered her, she chose to return and shadow her former violin teacher.

She is not alone. Service head Dr Sarah Browne recounts examples of other pupils returning to support the Service long after they finished and left. We asked, "So, what is it about the Music Service that has such an impact?"

Dr Sarah Browne explained:

“By providing this service, we are giving young people an opportunity that has benefits beyond the pure enjoyment of playing music. Learning an instrument is known to improve memory, develops abstract reasoning, reduces stress hormones, lowers blood pressure, and helps develop friendships. All in all, Shropshire Music Service makes you smarter.”

This is backed by several studies into the benefits of music on our wellbeing and memory. Music is often used as therapy for people living with dementia, as the ability to remember a tune or lyrics often remains into the late stages of the illness.

Music is such a powerful tool. It’s great to think that this traded service is developing a skill set for the next generation that will stay with them for their entire lives.

“Prevention is better than the cure,” goes the saying and the NHS's Social Prescribing service is the epitome of that old adage. Health professionals ‘prescribe’ social activities for people who may be struggling with social, emotional or practical issues. By stepping in early, it aims to ensure issues don’t worsen over time and eventually lead to needing more intrusive intervention by our health or social services.

In Shropshire, the social prescribing service has been running since 2017 and helps over 1,500 people a year, many of whom are already known to social services.

Social worker Chris Sheldon relates how he is working with a gentleman who benefited:

“During an assessment with [the gentleman] he stated he needed help losing weight, budgeting and with social isolation. These issues come up now and again and I am always at a loss as to what we can offer, but Social Prescribing is a great solution.

"I found the referral easy to complete and I was amazed by the wide range of things they can support with. I feel this will be a great resource for the team and I will definitely be using it again.”

To learn more please visit their website: Social Prescribing in Shropshire.

Did you know that as an employee of Shropshire Council you can access this service for yourself? Social Prescribing for Staff.

As part of national Refugee Week 2023 which took place in June, Enable hosted a successful 2-day market event in New Zealand House featuring works by Ukrainian artists, generating over £100 in sales.

For those unable to attend the market event, Enable invites all to the upcoming Ukrainian Cultural Evening on 17th July, 6pm, at Central – above Palmers Café in Shrewsbury. The event will offer a taste of Ukrainian culture through food, music and interactive events. During this gathering, The Skylarks, a group of Ukrainian volunteers, will be accepting donations and contributions for aid packages which will be sent to the most impacted regions in Ukraine.

Through its services, Enable not only aids Ukrainian refugees in their search for employment, but also fosters cultural exchange, benefiting the entire Shropshire community.

The Enable Service, established in 1994, has an extensive track record of supporting people with disabilities to secure meaningful employment.

Over the years, the service has developed a deep understanding of employer needs, successfully acting as an employment matchmaker, and catering to various disability groups, providing whatever support and training they need.

Supported individuals benefit from improved self-esteem and greater independence, while employers gain access to an untapped market with improved staff retention,  and the Council sees a reduction in dependence on other support services.

Shropshire Libraries have forged a good relationship with Barclays Bank. Coinciding with the closure of Barclays branches in Bridgnorth and Ludlow, the bank has leased space within the libraries in these towns to deal with their customers' enquires. Barclays report that both sites are well used and now the Estates team is beginning negotiations to extend these arrangements beyond the initial 12 months. Plans are also underway for Barclays to move into Oswestry Library on a similar basis shortly.

The Library Service has also been successful with a funding bid, being awarded £236,950 from Arts Council England as part of the Libraries Improvement Fund. This will enable the Live Well With Your Library project which will see one-to-one interview pods and flexible shelving units installed in six of our market town libraries. This will enable communities to access more health and creative opportunities locally by extending the Social Prescribing and Creative Health offers. It will also allow libraries to work more creatively with partners using the newly created flexible spaces. A funded project manager will be recruited as part of the bid to oversee installations and co-ordinate outreach to partners. The hiring out of the interview pods will also represent a new income stream.

The Library Service has also submitted an expression of interest to round three of the Libraries Improvement Fund for just under £300,000 to provide self-service kiosks across most libraries in the county, including upgraded kiosks to replace existing older units. It would also mean reconfiguration and replacement of library counters in certain branches, allowing for better use of spaces, easier access for customers and staff, and a refreshed look. The self-service kiosks would all include card payment facilities, helping the move towards cashless transactions.

Another successful venture is the Shropshire Council funded Digital Skills Programme, of which you can read more in our next story...

Older people in Shropshire have been given a digital boost by volunteers from global business and services group Capgemini.

Shropshire Council runs a free Digital Skills programme to give over-65s across the county the confidence to be online and carry out digital transactions in their day-to-day lives.

Over the last six months, 18 volunteers from Capgemini have joined a large team of volunteers who have been visiting our libraries to show learners how to perform day-to-day online tasks such shopping, making medical appointments, emailing, video calling and storing photographs and documents. Capgemini’s support was especially welcome as their volunteers were able to deliver training in areas where volunteers were most needed.

Shropshire Council cabinet member for culture and digital, Robert Macey, said:

“Our Digital Skills programme has had huge success in supporting older people in becoming more digitally confident and the volunteer learning sessions have been taken up enthusiastically, so it was wonderful to be able to boost the number of volunteers with the team from Capgemini.”

Another 15 volunteers from Capgemini which employs more than 2,000 people in Telford, have been helping The Mere Park Rangers at Ellesmere to restore Tricia’s Pavilion in the children’s playground in Cremorne Gardens. Tricia's Pavilion was donated to the town in 1954 and dedicated to the memory of Joan Patricia Needham who sadly passed away at the age of 25.