On 5^th December Conservative Councillor Julian Phillips spent 12 hours helping out at the Christmas lights festival in the town centre. He assisted with assembling the stalls at the roadside, marshalling the parade and then disassembling the stalls after the festive lights were switched on by the Town’s Mayor and Carnival Princesses. An estimated 6,000 members of the public turned out for the event backed by around 70 stalls.

Julian commented afterwards: “I was only too pleased to lend a hand. But really it was very little compared to the fantasic job the Bewdley Christmas Lights Festival Committee do in organising the event year upon year. They put in hundreds of hours of organising and planning and do not get paid, they deserve a medal”.

The organisers of the Bewdley Christmas Lights Festival are asking for volunteers to help with various aspects of running the event on Saturday 5th December. The event requires a massive amount of activity for it to run smoothly. Volunteers are needed to assemble the stalls, marshall road closures and disassemble stalls. If you only have an hour to spare on the day it would be a great help as as little or as much time people can give to this cause would be greatly appreciated.

If you can help please phone Maggie Dalloway for more details on 01299 404065. Log on to the Lights Festival website here.

Student representatives from years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 at Bewdley Secondary School brought the following issues to the attention of local police, councillors and community housing.

• Litter left by teenagers at Shaw Hedge Road and Barkhill play areas
• A request for pool tables and football tables in the towns Youth Cafe – currently the only pool tables in the town are in the pubs where the under 18s cannot go.
• Dog fouling in Jubilee Gardens and along The Racks
• Right Turn lights at A456 on to Stourport Rd do not stay on green long enough for pupils being delivered to school from Kidderminster direction
• Flashing Amber Light on pedestrian crossing on Stourport Rd shining in to adjacent house. (A shield has already been installed)
• Pupils smoking along pedestrian routes to school
• Under 18s requesting members of the public supply them with cigarettes via proxy sales
• Build up of leaves causing flooding on Park Lane, a route used by pupils walking from Highclere/Hales Park estate areas

The Wyre Forest Conservative Association held its annual dinner on Friday at the Bewdley Ramada. Nearly 150 local members and their guests came to hear the guest speaker, David Trimble, speak of his work during the Northern Ireland peace process.

Lord Trimble was the Member of Parliament for Upper Bann between 1990 and 2005 and was instrumental in securing the peace process in Northern Ireland. For this work, he jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998, with John Hume, and was elected Northern Ireland’s first First Minster in the newly created assembly.

In 2006, David Trimble was given a seat in the Ouse of Lords and he now sits as a Conservative Peer, continuing his work for Northern Ireland.

“It is an incredible honour for the Wyre Forest Conservative Association to have Lord Trimble as our guest speaker.” Said Mark Garnier after the event. “In this time of global terrorism, we sometimes forget how dreadful the situation was in Northern Ireland and how it affected us all in England. David Trimble and his colleagues were instrumental in bringing peace to this area and it was fascinating hearing about David’s work at the time.

Mark Garnier has uploaded a video outlining his urgent priorities for the constituency, visit www.markgarnier.co.uk to watch it.

It is with great sadness that it is announced the sudden death of Cllr Mike Partridge, who passed away earlier today.  Cllr Partridge was admitted to Worcester Royal Hospital yesterday and passed away peacefully in his sleep overnight.

Wyre Forest residents can opt out of receiving a visit from Trick or Treaters this Halloween by placing a No Trick or Treat poster in their window. These are available from any Police station.

Keep up to date with the Conservative Party Conference by watching the main speeches live online. Click here for the programme of events and webcasts streamed from Manchester.