Cinema sell-out? No, there was space galore...

n IS A silly game being played out with Oswestry’s Kinokulture cinema? It relayed the Royal Ballet’s brilliant 2017 Christmas production of Nutcracker from London’s Royal Opera House in the week before Christmas. It was so popular in Oswestry that it was soon declared a sell-out, as a poster outside confirmed. But inside, during fair weather, around half of the 79 ‘reserved’ seats remained empty! Surely having one seat empty is happenstance, two is coincidence while, according to James Bond’s Ian Fleming, three is ‘enemy action’.

We need more facilities

n OSWESTRIANS reacted angrily on Facebook, in the run-up to Christmas, over confirmation there are to be no more births at the Orthopaedic Hospital’s maternity unit. “Taking yet another thing from Oswestry,” claimed ML. “This is ridiculous for a town the size of Oswestry,” said DT. “It truly breaks my heart as the staff at Oswestry are so thoughtful, caring and understanding” stressed TO. And finally MJ said: “Oswestry has had it. It’s the forgotten town in Shropshire.” Isn’t it crazy for a town that is growing, facilities are reduced rather than enhanced!

Time of austerity? Really?

n HERE’S hoping you had a great, if not a thrifty, Christmas, but now take in a huge gulp. Hot on the heels of last week’s decision to buy Shrewsbury’s two main shopping precincts, Shropshire County Council now wants to fork out £18.7 million this spring – not on you or me, but on updating its own Shire Hall! And next year you’re going be asked for a 2.37 per cent more in council tax. Even the feasibility study into sprucing up Shire Hall is to set you and me back by a cool £150,000. What times of austerity?

Sign of the times...

n I DON’T think villagers had festive love in their hearts by twice sabotaging a sign advertising starter homes and bungalows, allegedly planned for Trefonen. The first village sign erected alongside the main road ‘disappeared’ and a second, high up on scaffolding, has had its contact number mutilated!

Hats off to Stans

n A FORMER Oswestry press photographer emailed me to blast the town’s supermarkets during our before-Christmas snow blast, for largely clogged-up car parks. He said, in stark contrast, Stans in St Martins had its car park completely cleared before opening time on what turned out to be Mad Monday.

Thank you for the thank you

n DID you discover Tizer Ted over the past few weeks? Well, over Christmas, out of the blue, I came face to face with a true Oswestry gentleman also named Ted. Quite unsolicited, he stopped me to say how much he liked the style that issues were tackled in Reflections. It’s so simple to grumble but so welcome to get a Christmas gift of a ‘thank you’.

Arresting sight

n DO YOU think Oswestry Police have an image problem? When the Advertizer posted online they were upping their game with Operation Increased Presence over Christmas, folk posted: “You mean we have police here in Oswestry?” “Where are they all year round if they have enough to cover Christmas?” “Father Christmas must have visited, we do have a police force.” And finally: “I guess advertising this will save them putting real bobbies out there.”