Shropshire Council are not providing bin collection calendars this year.
Bin collection dates are available on their website – but not in a format you can easily download and print.
We have produced a calendar for both Tuesday and Friday collection days which can be printed.
A copy is also on display in the library, and can be photocopied there.
Please let anyone you know without internet access how they can get a copy
Ageing Well in the Strettons
A talk by Graham Haynes – a Shropshire lad, a Church Stretton resident and a post-graduate researcher at Bangor University.
11th November 2025, URC hall, 2.30pm
According to the 2021 census data, Church Stretton’s population is heavily skewed towards older residents, yet despite this, our health seems to be robust, with above average numbers of residents reporting to be in good or fair health. Is there something about our community that may be contributing to this scenario? Graham will present findings from his research about the role of community in facilitating older people to age well, in a rural context. These will include the views of older people who have taken part in a small-scale study based in The Strettons.
PLEASE BOOK YOUR PLACE – as we expect a large number of people wanting to attend this event.
You can book by email admin@strettonlibraryfriends.org.uk
or Telephone/ Text 0771 049 1951
ADMISSION: £5 on the door
Do come along to the library on Thursday 28th August for tea and cake and help us celebrate our 100 year anniversary.
Our fabulous 2026 calendar makes a wonderful Christmas present, providing lovely photographs of the local area .
They are still on sale in Church Stretton Library, Peppers and the Outdoor Depot. For those who live outside the area or have difficulty visiting the town, calendars can be ordered by emailing admin@strettonlibraryfriends.org.uk
All profits from the sale of this calendar will go to supporting our local library here in Church Stretton.
You can browse the photos below which appear in the 2026 calendar below.
Discover the secrets of the Swift with Julia Cowley from the Stretton Area Wildlife Group
16th July at 7.30pm in the library. Admission £5.00
The Common Swift (Apus apus) has graced our skies for millions of years. These remarkable birds spend almost their entire lives on the wing – feeding, mating, even sleeping in flight – and touch the ground only to nest.
Each year, swifts return from Africa to breed in the very places they were born. Many of us delight in watching them swoop and soar over Church Stretton on warm summer evenings.
But swifts are now critically endangered due to the loss of their breeding habitat and the global decline in insect populations – their only source of food.
Join Julie Cowley from the Stretton Area Wildlife Group at the Library on Wednesday 16 July at 7.30pm for a fascinating talk about these ancient aerial acrobats, learn how dependent they are on us, and what we can do to help them.
Admission: £5 on the door
All proceeds go to support the Library.
AGM 2025, Wednesday 11th June
United Reform Church Hall, 7.30pm
You will hear more about the new funding agreement made between the Town Council & Shropshire Council to support the running of the library.
Hayley Reynolds, Church Stretton Library Manager will also give a short presentation on the impact the Friends of Church Stretton Library has on library’s operations.
The AGM will include the annual report and accounts presented by the Chair and Treasurer, as well as a vote on new trustee appointments.
Following the AGM there will be wine, soft drinks and nibbles in the URC garden.
You can download the agenda and papers for the meeting here
ALL WELCOME
An illustrated talk by local resident Peter Toghill
March 19th 2.30pm in the library. Admission £5.00
Following his previous popular talks, we are delighted that Dr Peter Toghill has agreed to return with a third talk. This time he will be focusing on the rocks we find in the area and what they have been used for.
Church Stretton lies in one of the most varied geological areas in the UK, with rocks representing 11 of the 12 recognised periods of geological times. The great variety of rocks found around Church Stretton has been used for so many economic purposes, including building stone, road stone, roofing tiles, metal ores, sand and gravel, fertilisers and so much more.
You can expect to see some fantastic photos of the area which will illustrate this talk.
Come and find out more about this fascinating topic.
All proceeds to go to the library
Trustees needed – can you help?
We are delighted that our recent fundraising work has supported a three-year agreement between Church Stretton Town Council and Shropshire Council to keep our lovely local library open.
We are totally run by a small committee of volunteers and want to recruit two additional people to join us .
Our Main Activities
This involves planning, organising and publicising a host of events from quiz nights to sea shanty concerts, including the creation of our ever-popular calendar!
Recent talks we have organised have covered a variety of topics such as local geology, the Narnia books of C.S. Lewis, healthy living, Syria, book illustrations and Medical Royal colleges. Our events are nothing if not varied!
To do this, we have volunteers who open the VIC on days when the library is closed. This helps make visitors to Church Stretton feel welcome and thus supports local traders in the town.
We are a registered CIO charity, fully insured and Trustees are not financially liable for the running of the charity.
What does being a Trustee involve?
We want people who would be able to commit around eight hours a month, some of which could be worked from home. Computer access for email and documents is essential. Anyone with a working knowledge of social media would be very welcome, but it is not an essential requirement.
Trustee meetings take place once a month and last one to two hours.
As well as attending Trustee meetings, Trustees are expected to help in some way with the running of the charity. This could be helping with admin, running events or helping with publicity, depending on your personal skills and preference.
We are a friendly group of local volunteers where everyone’s contribution is welcomed and we work around our members’ work and family commitments.
Our activities are both interesting and rewarding.
If you might be interested, please get in touch to find out more. You are welcome to attend a few Trustee meetings before making any final commitment.
