RATS The Finish Line - recognise your friends in the cast

Dear Blogger

RATS summer production see all the characters and recognise your friends!

Cliffe Crafts - have a go at applique tomorrow

Dear

Message from Joanna Gears Cliffe Crafts

Some beautiful work was produced yesterday. If you are interested in Applique and quilting then join us tomorrow for a great and fun day out. We have a couple of places remaining. Please email cliffecrafts@gmail.com for further details. If you don't know where we are, no worries , we will arrange to meet you .

Jo

07940536047

Book your tickets for RATS summer production

Dear Blogger

Message from RATS, Ruyton Amateur Theatrical Society

Just a reminder for those who haven't bought tickets for this year's spring production by RATS Ruyton Amateur Theatrical Society to call 07852 808069 or contact us through Facebook by going to @RATSpanto.

2 cucumber plants for sale

Dear Blogger

Roger has two CUCUMBER PLANTS for sale

Baschurch Planning Group and Village Fete

Dear Blogger

Message from Jon Easter, Baschurch Parish Neighbourhood Plan - Baschurch is part of Ruyton and District Mailing List

A clever bit of marketing here, combining promoting the Neighbourgood Plan with advertisments for the Village Fete

See their innovative publicity in three attached posters.

Cliffe Crafts sessions in May and June

Dear Blogger

Message from Joanna Gears Cliffe Crafts

I have scheduled a couple more sessions for May / June that I want to make you aware of. Plus I would like to see how many would be interested in a couple of my new ideas for July / August

So we have:

Quilting and Applique	Tuesday 27th May
Quilting and Applique	Sunday 25th May
Sew and Tell	Tuesday 17th June
Sew and Tell	Sunday 29th June

Sew and Tell is where you bring existing Sewing Projects that you have started but haven't finished yet!  These may be projects that you also haven't been brave enough to start, but need some pointers in the right direction.

For July / August the sessions that have been requested are a Parent / Carer and Child session in Needle Felting and also a further session in Linocut but this time onto Fabric.

We would also like to repeat the Painting sessions as this was very popular. Could you please let me know if you would be interested in any of these sessions?

Many thanks

Jo

07940536047

Play reading at the Attfield Theatre, Oswestry

Dear Blogger

Message from Attfield Theatre, Oswestry

?? All aboard!   Come and join us on Thursday the 22nd of May at 7:30pm for a fun play reading social. There will be nibbles and plenty of laughs as we read-through Willy Russell's school classic Our Day Out.   Our Day Out" follows Mrs. Kay's "Progress Class" – a group of disadvantaged children in Liverpool – on a school trip to Wales. The trip, intended as a fun and educational experience, quickly spirals into chaos as the children, led by the mischievous Digga and Reilly, cause trouble on the coach, shoplift, and generally wreak havoc at the zoo and other locations.    We hope to see you there!

Trefonen walking festival & car meet

Dear Blogger

Message forwarded by Ingrid Knowles Oswestry Net

TREFONEN WALKING FESTIVAL 23 - 26 May and

CAR MEET 2-4pm, Sunday 25th May

See attached flyer for lots more details.

Crafts on the Cliffe coming sessions

Dear Blogger

Message from Joanna at Cliffe Crafts

We have just a couple of sessions for May and June. 

Sunday May 25th - Quilting and Applique 

Tuesday May 27th - Quilting and Applique

Tuesday 17th June - Sew and Tell

Sunday  29th June - Sew and Tell

Bring along your sewing issues and we will assist in getting you past that bump in the road

All sessions start at 10am and run to approximately 2.30pm. A minimum donation of £5 will be requested for the Lingen Davies Cancer Fund plus materials supplied at cost.

Please email cliffecrafts@gmail.com for further details.

Jo

New addition to the Business Directory - Gardening Services

Dear Blogger

We have a new addition to the Business Directory, Please let me know how you get on if you make use of his gardening services.

Keith Lloyd K.L. Gardening Services

Phone - 07494 766 008

Email - klloyd538@gmail.com

I cover grass/hedge cutting, strimming, weeding , planting etc & would consider small patios/paths, garden maintenance neat job …, but don't actually have a website 

 My rate is £15-£20 per hour   depending on type of job .

Booka bookshop news

Dear Blogger

Message forwarded by Ingrid Knowles Oswestry Net

May 2025

Welcome to our May Newsletter! Sun, sun, sun, books, books, books! Read on for details of all our latest events, our Books of the Month for May, signed copy pre-order opportunities, guest blogs and new offerings from Cafe Booka!

View from the Street Latest bookshop windows showcasing The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce in Bridgnorth and The Names by Florence Knapp in Oswestry

Revised Opening Hours Please note our revised opening hours in both Oswestry and Bridgnorth. We have taken the decision to close in Oswestry on a Sunday and close on a Monday in Bridgnorth.

Café Booka It's smoothie season! We now have three delicious and nutricious superfood smoothies to keep you fuelled: Vitality Smoothie for immune system and positive gut health Boost Smoothie for energy and focus Replenish Smoothie for overall wellbeing for body and mind

Booka Blog Check out recent guest blogs: 'It Takes a Community to Write a Book' by Julie Leoni and 'The Books That Made Me' by Joanna Miller

Books of the Month The Names - Florence Knapp A once-in-a-generation debut from a major new talent, The Names is the story of three names, three versions of a life, and the infinite possibilities that a single decision can spark.   Blueprints - Marcus Du Sautoy Award winning mathematician Marcus Du Sautoy looks to the arts to uncover the key mathematical structures that underpin both nature and human creativity. Purchase either of these titles in Oswestry this month and get a free drink from the cafe.

Out and About.... A few pics from recent events: St George's Hall in Liverpool with Duncan Ferguson, Everton's iconic No 9 for his autobiography Big Dunc Military historians Al Murray and James Holland at The Holroyd Theatre, Oswestry, for their new book Victory '45 A Much Wenlock book launch for local author Susannah Stapleton for her new true crime mystery That Dark Spring With  the lovely Rachel Joyce at Bridgnorth Library for her new book The Home Made God Signed copies of all the above titles are available on our website via the links and in both bookshops.

More exciting events to look forward to this May, June and July - get your tickets now!

OSWESTRY Wed 14th May - 7.00pm Holroyd Community Theatre An Evening with Reeta Chakrabarti - Finding Belle Join us for an evening with journalist and Chief Presenter for BBC news, Reeta Chakrabarti, as she talks about her career and her debut novel Finding Belle.

OSWESTRY Tues 20th May - 7.00pm Booka An Evening with Marcus Du Sautoy - Blueprints Leading mathematician Marcus du Sautoy talks about his new book Blueprints, an entertaining exploration of how Mathematics shapes creativity.

CHESTER Wed 21st May - 7.00pm Storyhouse Theatre An Evening with Ruth Jones Much loved actress, screenwriter and bestselling author, Ruth Jones, talks about her new novel, 'By Your Side'.  Booka Bookshop and Linghams Booksellers, working with Chester Literature Festival at Storyhouse Chester

OSWESTRY Thurs 22nd May - 11.00am Sweeney Hall Hotel, Oswestry A Morning with Alexander McCall Smith Join worldwide bestselling author, Alexander McCall Smith for a morning of sheer delight as he talks about his latest books.

OSWESTRY Tues 3rd June - 7.00pm Booka An Evening with Conn Iggulden - Tyrant Join us for an evening with bestselling author Conn Iggulden as he transports us to the heart of a Roman dynasty beset by power struggles and betrayal in his new book Tyrant, the second book in his epic Nero trilogy.

OSWESTRY Thurs 5th June - 7.00pm Hope Church, Oswestry An Evening with Luke Rowe - Road Captain Journey to the heart of pro cycling as Team Sky and Ineos Grenadiers legend, Luke Rowe, talks about his new memoir Road Captain and life at the heart of the peleton.

OSWESTRY Tues 17th June - 7.00pm Holroyd CommunityTheatre An Evening with Tracy Chevalier - The Glassmaker Tracy Chevalier, the globally bestselling author of Girl With a Pearl Earring, talks about her latest latest novel The Glassmaker to celebrate its paperback publication.

OSWESTRY Wed 18th June - 7.00pm Booka An Evening with Eowyn Ivey - Black Woods, Blue Sky Eowyn Ivey, author of the million copy bestseller The Snow Child, talks about her new novel Black Woods, Blue Sky, a novel about the beauty and terror of the Alaskan wilderness, the love between a mother and a daughter, and what it means to face down our fears and survive them.

BRIDGNORTH Thurs 19th June - 7.00pm Bridgnorth Library An Evening with Susannah Stapleton - That Dark Spring Local author Susannah Stapleton talks about her new book That Dark Spring, a gripping true crime story of death and desire in 1920s Provence.

OSWESTRY Thurs 10th July - 7.00pm Holroyd Community Theatre An Evening with Steph McGovern - Deadline Award winning journalist and TV presenter Steph McGovern talks about her debut thriller Deadline, based on her behind the scenes experiences as a broadcaster.

BRIDGNORTH Thurs 10th July - 7.00pm Bridgnorth Library An Evening with T.M. Logan - The Daughter Bestselling author T.M. Logan, the master of the 'up-all-night thriller', as he talks about his latest book The Daughter.

More exciting author events to be announced soon, including the first in a series of Supper Clubs with visiting food authors! Watch this space...

Signed First Editions for Pre-Order We are offering lots of signed copies for pre-order. Many of these are Independent Bookshop Exclusive Editions with special features, including bespoke endpapers and spayed and printed edges. For crime fiction fans, we have also teamed up with author Mark Edwards to run a special pre-order promotion for his new book 'The Wasp Trap', published on 31st July.  First Edtion, First Printing copies of the book will be signed by Mark at our Bridgnorth shop with a dedication of your choice and will be stamped with an exclusive Wasp Trap stamp (see image). All pre-orders will include an exclusive foil bookmark. Purchase will also entitle you to  membership of the author's invition-only Facebook group: The Mark Edwards Elite Readers Club.

View Here

The people you meet - just a few of the authors we've met whilst out and about at book events recently. Don't forget to follow us on social media, where you can stay in the loop of our shop floor antics and see what we've been up to! Thanks for reading!