Putting a new spin on fitness
Nina Davies
A Bridgnorth father who shed nearly seven stone after being declared clinically obese has now set up his own fitness club.
Edward Brown was told his health was at serious risk when he went to see his doctor, weighing 18-and-a-half stone, complaining of a bad back.
Three years on and after losing his job of 13 years at foil firm Novelis, he has opened health and well-being club ‘Edspin’ and competes in triathlons during his spare time.
The 45-year-old, who lives near Claverley, is now a qualified personal trainer and runs the static bike class three times a week at St James’ Church Hall in Bridgnorth.
“When I was diagnosed as clinically obese in 2008, I knew I needed to do something about it and I was looking at where to start when a friend suggested a spinning class,” he said
“I hadn’t got a clue what it was but I went along and to be honest after I got off my bike I said to myself ‘never again’.”
He claimed it was only when he woke up the following morning “feeling great” that he decided to persevere and the weight started falling off.
“I bought myself a road bike too and started swimming which I had always had an interest in, and it inspired me to work towards a triathlon.”
He has recently competed in two Olympic distance events in Shropshire and London, consisting of a 1,500m open water swim, 25 mile bike ride and a 6.2 mile run.
“I had lost around six-and-a-half stone when they initially announced they were going to close the plant at Novelis,” he added.
“The minute they said it, I knew I wanted to set up a fitness club so I used my redundancy money to pay for the bikes.”
He says his life has been transformed since losing the weight and is now able to run around with his two sons Matthew, aged 12, and 10-yearold Adam.
“I feel like a new man. The difference is just incredible, not least of all the confidence and self-esteem that comes with losing weight.
“When I was heavier I would go shopping for clothes and stand in front of the changing room mirror and not recognise the person looking back at me.
“I am probably the least vain person I know but even now I can’t walk past a shop window without catching sight of myself.”
The 45-minute classes, which currently cater for 18, are held on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 6pm with plans for another on a Friday at 7pm.
For more information go to: www.edpsin.co.uk
Guild gets all set to show off
Members of the Shropshire Guild of Contemporary Craft will be ‘Showing Off’ again at their annual event at Ludlow’s Harley Centre over the weekend of 22 and 23 October.
“The event promises to offer a vibrant and exciting array of items made by talented designer makers not only from Shropshire but also from Worcestershire,” said guild member and organiser of the event, Caroline Bennett.
One exhibitor this year is blacksmith, Roy Abbott. Roy, who works from his purpose-built studio in All Stretton ventured into blacksmithing in 1999,
having spent 28 years in architectural private practice.
“Artistic creativity has always been a particular focus of my life and I felt drawn to express my ideas in a more solid and tangible form. Metals became my medium and blacksmithing the art form,” he said.
“The flora and fauna of the countryside are a major influence in my work
‘Showing Off’ is open from 10am to 5pm on the Saturday and from 10am to 4pm on the Sunday. Admission is free.
Cliff railway is sold
Bridgnorth’s historic Cliff Railway has been sold to a family of property developers from Suffolk. Local operators Allan and Jean Reynolds put the company up for sale in February and say they are delighted the company has been sold to the Tippings family he said: “We have a great deal of confidence in the new owners. Our plan is now to retire, but I’m sure we’ll find something to keep us busy.”
Plough match date
The 16th annual vintage ploughing match will take place near Bridgnorth to raise money for the Air Ambulance.
The event at Norton Farm in Norton, will be staged by kind permission of the Dalton family on 9 October at 10am.
The entry fee is £6 and forms can be obtained by contacting Bob Adams on 01746 765517.
Restaurant to open
A new restaurant is set to open its doors in Bridgnorth creating six jobs.
Nomis will be based at the premises of the former Bamber’s Restaurant in St Mary’s Street, which is currently being revamped. New owner Mr Szymanski, who lives in Worfield, says he will be serving classic British food with a twist.
Hands on history at your fingertips
History has never been so hands on and now as pictures of Shropshire’s heritage go on-line enthusiasts will have even more material at their fingertips.
The hit television show ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ has captured the imagination of the nation when it comes to finding our ancestors and taking a trip down memory lane.
Now officials at Shropshire Archives are hoping to jog more memories as they catalogue 45,000 never-before-seen images depicting life in the region over the last 150 years.
The unseen photos will soon be available at the touch of a button once the process of digitising the department’s entire library is complete.
Archive boss Mary McKenzie is now asking those with connections to the county, both past and present, to help her team identify people and places.
“We have got a wonderful collection of photographs but it is held here in our archives and we have to keep it secure to make sure it is preserved.
“Technology offers us this opportunity to show people what we have got, they can sit in the comfort of their own homes and browse the collection,” says Mary.
“These are pictures of Shropshire that have never been seen before.”
Among the mysteries they hope can be solved include finding the identity of an accounts clerk from Apley, Bridgnorth, who instead of doing the books spent his time making chess boards.
And also to find out if anyone remembers seeing elephants being paraded through the streets of Ludlow.
“It was the circus coming to town in 1840,” says Mary. “This photograph has clearly had a hard life and it shows how precious it is but at the same time it would perhaps have been one of the biggest events of the year.”
A small collection of similar photographs and images is already available to view through the Shropshire Council website, categorised as Leisure in Past Times, Market Towns and Wintry Scenes.
“The problem we have got is that the old photographs are not categorised at the moment and we have teams of volunteers going through them all.
“Eventually people will be able to search through the entire catalogue and find particular images that they want and ultimately all the pictures will go online, hopefully over the next few years, but it’s a huge undertaking.
“Personal information is being lost all the time so it would be great if people have any information they can add to help us with the project.”
For more information and to view the current collection of photographs visit www.shropshirehistory.org.uk
Phil steps up to the plate
PHIL BROWN, deputy operating manager of the Ffestiniog Railway and a key member of the team which re-established the Welsh Highland Railway, is the man the Severn Valley Railway has chosen to be its new operations manager.
Filling the post that had been vacant since the departure of Andy Hitchman earlier this year, he becomes at 30 one of the youngest railway operating managers in the heritage railways sphere, but has nevertheless been actively involved in the industry for very nearly half his life.
A graduate in Politics from Leicester University, Phil has been deputy to FR operating manager Sean Britten for the past four years, and was the FR’s operating officer for five years before that, having joined the full-time staff at Porthmadog in 2002.
He is credited as the chief architect of the safety management system devised for the combined Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway train operation, and also of the training regime for the FR/HR combined workforce of some 250 staff.
