Worcester

Worcester Worcestershire UK Hub

Approximate Population: 93,700

Worcester is a city and county town of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Birmingham, 29 miles (47 km) north of Gloucester, and has an estimated population of 94,300 people. The River Severn runs through the middle of the city, overlooked by the 12th century Worcester Cathedral.

The 2001 census recorded that Worcester had a population of 93, 353 with 96.5% White ethnicity including 94.2% White British, greater than the national average.   The largest religious groups are Christian (77%) and No Religion or Not Stated (21%) with other religions totalling less than 2%.   Ethnic minorities include people of Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Italian and Polish origin, with the largest single minority group being the ethnic Pakistani population of around 1200 people (around 1.3%).

This has led to Worcester containing a small but diverse range of religious groups; as well as the commanding Worcester Cathedral (Church of England), there are also Catholic and Baptist churches, a large centre for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), an Islamic mosque, and a number of smaller interest groups regarding Eastern Religions such as Buddhism and the Hare Krishnas.

Worcester is the seat of a Church of England bishop.   His official signature is his Christian name followed by Wigorn, which is also occasionally used as an abbreviation for the name of the county.

Worcester Worcestershire UK Hub

Redditch

Redditch Worcestershire UK Hub

Approximate Population: 79,216

Redditch lies just south of (but is not part of) the West Midlands urban area, northwest of Studley on the A435, which skirts it to the East. The main route of access is the A441, a trunk road from Birmingham to Cookhill, via junction 2 of the M42 Motorway. The Roman Road known as Icknield Street is prominent, running North to South through the eastern side of the town.

The first recorded mention of Redditch (”Red-Dych”, thought to be a reference to the red clay of the nearby River Arrow) is in 1348, the year of the outbreak of the Black Death. During the Middle Ages it became a centre of needle-making and later prominent industries were fish-hooks, fishing tackle, motorcycles and springs, the latter notably by Herbert Terry and Sons. It was designated a new town in 1964 and the population increased dramatically from 32,000 to around 77,000. Housing developments such as Church Hill, Matchborough, Winyates, Lodge Park and Woodrow were created to accommodate the large overspill from an industrially expanding Birmingham. Redditch was built as a ‘flagship’ town using new methods and new town planning, all the main roads in Redditch were banked to reduce noise to the new housing estates and the whole of Redditch was landscaped.

Redditch schools operate a three-tier system, where students progress from a ‘First (or Primary) School’, to a ‘Middle School’, and then to a High School (rather than the more common two-tier system). Redditch currently has four high schools, Saint Augustine’s High School, Kingsley College, Trinity High School and Arrow Vale High School.

North East Worcestershire College (often referred to locally as “NEW College”) is a large general further education college: one of its two campuses is in central Redditch; the other is in Bromsgrove.

In 1956 Redditch was twinned with Auxerre in Burgundy, France. This twinning proved sufficiently popular to form an organisation named The Friends of Auxerre (FoA). At the beginning of June each year the coupling of these two towns is officially celebrated.

In 1986 Redditch was twinned with Mtwara in Tanzania. Frequent events are organised with assistance from the community of Tanzanian students at Birmingham University and Selly Oak College.

Redditch Worcestershire UK Hub

Kidderminster

Kidderminster Worcestershire UK Hub

Approximate Population: 55,348

Kidderminster is a town in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town. The town is twinned with the town of Husum, Germany.

The town centre area has undergone substantial redevelopment in recent years, with the commercial retail area of ‘Weaver’s Wharf’ attracting many visitors and shoppers. ‘Slingfield Mill’, a Grade II listed building, has been converted into a retail outlet and incorporated into ‘Weaver’s Wharf’.

The Wyre Forest District Council is currently run by a minority Conservative Party group, who hold eighteen of the council’s forty two seats. In addition there are still Kidderminster Health Concern candidates on the council.

Kidderminster is an unparished area within Wyre Forest District, but Charter Trustees maintain the traditions of the town and elect a Mayor.

It is notable that in the United Kingdom general election, 2001, the town returned Dr Richard Taylor as an independent MP for the Wyre Forest parliamentary constituency. Only a handful of independent MPs have been elected since World War II and Taylor had fought the election to protest against the proposed reduction in services at Kidderminster Hospital. He held his seat at the 2005 election, the first independent MP to do so since 1949.

Formed in 1886, Kidderminster Harriers F.C. is the town’s professional football club. Local rivals of the Harriers were traditionally Worcester City and Bromsgrove Rovers, and in recent years also Cheltenham Town and Hereford United, although as of 2009 both Cheltenham and Hereford are in divisions above Kidderminster. In 2005 the Harriers were relegated to the Conference National after five years in the Football League Two division. They had reached the Football League as Conference champions in 2000. They had won the title in 1994 but were denied promotion then as their stadium did not meet Football League capacity requirements - this came the same year that they eliminated Birmingham City from the FA Cup.

The Kidderminster & District League has operated since 1984 and draws teams from Worcestershire and South Staffordshire.

Kidderminster Worcestershire UK Hub