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Herefordshire papers to close
Three local newspapers in Herefordshire are set to close among a series of cuts by owner Midland News Association.Sister weekly publications The Hereford, Ross-on-Wye and Leominster journals are due to publish their last editions next week.In all, 76 posts are expected to be affected at MNA titles including the Shropshire Star and Express & Star.The National Union of Journalists said the closures were a "serious blow" for local communities.MNA said it hoped the cuts could be made as far as possible through voluntary redundancies.Twelve editorial posts across the MNA business are set to go, with receptions at Shropshire Star offices in Newport, Bridgnorth, Ludlow and Oswestry also closing.Chris Leggett, from MNA, said: "At present, the company is in the process of notifying those staff whose applications for voluntary redundancy have been agreed. It is also consulting staff who may be considered for compulsory redundancy.'Incredibly overworked'"After 24 years of publishing the Hereford Journal, we have reluctantly taken the decision to close the title."He added that no editorial jobs would be lost at the Herefordshire weekly papers.Chris Morley, from the National Union of Journalists, said the closures were a "serious blow" for Herefordshire and believed local communities should have been consulted about the move.He added that the latest restructuring followed a string of job cuts at the Shropshire Star and Express & Star. He said journalists were already "incredibly overworked" and described MNA's direction as "unsustainable".Mr Morley said the firm had always prided itself on news coverage and that it was "perverse that a company with those values was seeking to make further cuts".
That'll please the council. One less paper probing into their affairs.
Belmont Country Park
Hereford People, this is the Second Report of Dogs dying in as many Days 5 dogs have died now in a short time, Please be Careful of the top fields Belmont and around the Belmont Pools! Please Share!A
few years ago one of my dogs went in Belmont Pools and ended up with a rash I found out after that there is sewage leaking into the pools is this still happening 4 years on and if so why has it not been fixed.
Letter from our Leader!!
Vicious Assault near Hereford Rugby Club 1 AM 31.05.14
Man Punched And Kicked In Vicious AssaultPolice are appealing for the public’s help, and particularly a couple in their mid 20s, in tracing trace two males responsible for a vicious assault and attempted robbery in Hereford.
The offence took place on the Great Western Way walk (known locally as The Lines) near Hereford Rugby Club at just before 1am on Saturday 31 May 2014.
A man in his 50s was walking along the path towards the rugby club and the River Wye footbridge when he was passed by a young couple, holding hands and walking in the opposite direction, who may have witnessed the assault moments later.
The man then saw a male ahead of him and a second male came out of the bushes and joined him. As the victim approached them, one of the men punched him in the face.
He turned and ran in the opposite direction but the two males, believed to be in their 20s, caught him and he was punched to the face again and grappled to the floor.
He was repeatedly kicked and punched until one of the men demanded money and they tried to get his jacket off him.
The victim tried to run down the embankment towards the rugby club, where a function was being held in a marquee on the pitch, to get help but the men grabbed him and continued attacking him as they all ended up at the bottom of the bank. The attackers eventually fled and the victim was able to get help at the rugby club before going for treatment at Hereford Hospital.
Detective Constable Moore said: “This was a vicious, unprovoked and prolonged attack on a middle-aged man in poor health, who thought he was going to die at the hands of these young men.
“We are appealing to the couple who passed him on the footpath a few moments before the attack to contact us as they may have vital information that could identify the attackers. They are described as being in their mid 20s and the woman wore dark jeans and had long light-coloured hair, while the man was wearing blue jeans.â€
The attackers are described as in their mid 20s and both spoke with Eastern European accents. One was 5ft 10in tall, of slim build, with very dark short shiny wavy hair, dark eyebrows, clean shaven and a clear complexion. He was smartly dressed, wearing a pink shirt with a collar, a dark jacket, smart trousers and dark leather shoes.
The other man wore a dark jacket with a white stripe down the front that went down the right side and was about 1.5ins wide. It is thought, due to their smart clothes, they may have been on a night out in the city before the incident.
Anyone who recognises the possible witnesses or the attackers, or has information that could help the police investigations, is asked to contact DC Moore on the non emergency number 101 quoting incident number 032s 310514.
Alternatively information can be passed on anonymously by calling the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or completing its online form by logging on to www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
Issued: Thursday 5 June 2014
Both suspects spoke with Eastern European accents which is highly relevant as it rules out anyone who speaks with a local accent.
The Hereford Times has got straight onto this press release and has produced it's own story which has edited out the reference to Eastern European accents:
Both offenders spoke with Eastern European accents which is highly relevant as it rules out anyone who speaks with a local accent.
The Hereford Times has obviously got straight onto the story and has produced it's own version of the release:
One of the attackers is described as being 5ft 10ins tall and of slim build. He had very dark, short and wavy hair, and was clean shaven. He wore a pink shirt with a collar, a dark jacket, smart trousers and dark leather shoes.
The other man is described as wearing a dark jacket with a white stripe down the front.
Newmarket street shared space
I have come to the conclusion the new pedestrian Shared Space crossing arrangements on Newmarket Street are not safe through bitter experience.
When crossing with young children to the cinema it is anxiety ridden as the staggered crossing and lack of kerbs or barriers are confusing.
No warning is given to vehicle drivers to beware of pedestrians, so drivers may not be as pedestrian friendly as we'd like.
As a driver I've noticed the 20mph limit is ignored by many drivers.
As a cyclist the narrow lanes and changed priorities, which allow turns onto Widemarsh Street, are difficult to negotiate and complicated. Cars want to pass when the room is not there and keeping safe is a problem.
Yesterday I was in the car travelling towards Franklin House and saw a driver do a U turn straight across the pedestrian area between the bike stands!
Anyone know if there are any plans to improve it?
Black wheelie bins for Hereford
I understand that Hereford will soon be having black wheelie bins and refuse collections reduced to once a fortnight.
Half the rubbish bags that are over a week old stink and that's if the local wildlife has not already opened them and dragged the contents along the streets. Not the best idea in my opinion.
Herefordshire Community Toilet Scheme
Would You Like to Live Next Door to a Romanian Family?
That's the question the media are now shoving out after they managed to get Nigel Farage to give them the answer that they wanted to hear!
I want out of this unholy bloody European Union but at what cost? Good grief! Now we're done picking on the Polish people who've taken all our jobs and all our houses, now its the turn of the Romanian people. And why? Because they have a predisposition to commit crime. That's what they say. If it ain't nailed bloody down, they'll steal it.
Good bloody Lord. Well if anyone here in this fair County is bloody qualified to answer this question, its me and my wife who still ain't cooking for me and still makes me sleep in the High Town bed.
For the past two years my neighbours have been a Romanian family. Since they've been my neighbours my car is still out there on the drive, my house hasn't been burgled, my wallet is still in my pocket and the cans of Ale that I hide in the shed because my wife's a nosey bloody woman are still there. Nothing has been taken! Not one penny piece.
And I'll tell you why! My neighbourse are lovely people. They are kind, thoughtful, caring, extremely polite, they speak English, they work harder than ever I did when I was able to do anything that was ever worthwhile and productive toward society, they love 'family' and they ain't a moments trouble.
In bloody short, I couldn't ask for or want for better neighbours than the ones I've got.
In fact, if anyone's the problem in my manor then its me when I stagger home and try to get over my threshold and past my wife who has a predisposition to commit violence upon my fat face.
Don't listen to the media. Don't let them press your buttons and make you afraid of things you don't understand. There ain't anything wrong with people. People are just fine and dandy. All people want is a better life and that's why the migrants are here. They want happiness and a chance for a better life.
It ain't their fault that the politicians have constructed a crazy social model that allows anyone to leave their home Country and move here.
Me? I simply want the chance to put my 'X' in the box that clearly states I want my Country to leave the European Union. I do not want to put my 'X' in the box alongside people who are happy to demonise a minority group simply because the media thirst for a battle between 'us' and 'them'.
Finally, to illustrate how nice my neighbours are and how humour has no boundaries, T'other day I was spraying weedkiller on the front drive. The lady from next door said, 'Hello Bobby. How are you today'?, to which, I replied, 'Every day is worse than the last one. Im killing these bloody weeds'. She said, in her great English, 'Bobby, you know they are English weeds. They are not Romanian weeds'.
How about that for razor sharp humour. It doesn't get any better than that!
My warmest regards to all.
Demolishing Schools
Last week I spent a few days in Hereford visiting as I've not been back for 3 years (Moved away a decade ago, however).
I decided to have a walk around my old School, Haywood (Formally and originally know as Grafton) as I was aware it had been taken over, rebuilt and turned into an Academy - Great stuff, no problem with that.
What I do take issue with however, is the fact the relatively new 'Grove' building has been completely demolished! It was only built in 1998 at a cost of £3-million pounds!!! (If I remember correctly, which I'm sure I do).
I do not know the facts of how the new school buildings have been funded (privately I assume) but I'm absolutely gobsmacked at how a building only circa' 15 years old can be discarded, especially being a very modern facility.
Fire Station Public Meeting
Vortex site going for houses - what a surprise!
Am 1 of those people who's affected by this. I will not be able to allow children to play outside my house !!! They will have to cross a main rd for a play area. And view will be lovely not.
Beer On The Wye Festival
DOTF Music Festival
Should private companies be allowed to look after vulnerable kids?
Would you trust private companies like G4S, Atos or Serco to look after vulnerable children? Or to influence decisions about taking children into care? Protecting children is one of the most difficult and sensitive roles for a government to perform. But education secretary Michael Gove is consulting on whether to outsource this role to profit making companies. [1]
Environmental Health and Customer Services to go?
Alcohol is a wonderful thing isn't it? Especially when you don't consume it as often as I do. Folk who limit their consumption to a few pints a week tend to lose all self control and start gibbering on about what they've heard at the Council.
T'other day, I was sat in the Commercial holding Court and addressing a number of the Yazor Brook Toad Sexer's who were describing their confrontation with a particularly aggressive Natterjack Toad that did not want to open its back legs and display its sex. Whilst engrossed in this bucket of tripe of a conversation, there was a tap, tap, tap on my shoulder. Turning in the belief that my wife had tracked me down and was about to hit me in the face with her frying pan, I was met by a young suit who'd decided to pour his heart out about what he'd learned whilst at work with the Council.
I said, 'don't tell me the Council are going to knock down the Cathedral because I won't believe you'.
And then it started. He pulled up his chair, he was clearly out of his mind after consuming to much ale and he began to tell me things that made me nibble fast on my packet of Pork Scratchings.
Basically the Department of Environmental Health is going to be released from the Council. Because they need to make two million in savings there is a discussion now ongoing that'll see it taken away from the Council, another Arms Length Company like Hereford Futures or Hoople may be created and it'll take with it, Licensing, Trading Standards, Noise and Pest Control, Fly Tipping and a whole raft of other things.
Course, these were the ramblings of a drunken idiot and this information may be wrong but when he told me that Customer Services at Franklin House are to go as well, and be replaced by an online service that would require everyone, old and young to become Computer literate in order to be able to communicate with the Council, my immediate thought was, 'Hi up. This is so ridiculous it's probably true.'
You have to ask yourselves this one single question. Given the limited areas of business the Council now are involved in, why on earth do we sit back and pay the Council Tax?
Course, my source could be a complete idiot and as mad as me but somehow or other, I think he told me these things because he was frightened about his future and being required to step into the 'Pen' that collects all the good people who are next in line for redundancy.
Herefordshire Council Refused My Hot Food Curfew Petition!
Coucillor this is your opportunity to do something for your constiuents...
So let me get this right, some nightclubs can stay open until 3 or 4am but HOT FOOD places can't?
I repost exactly what I said previously:
Hereford Council destroyed Hereford long ago! They killed the shops in Widemarsh Street n broad st by putting in poxy 1 way systems where people couldn't access them and weren't allowed to park for any sufficient length of time and why pedestrianise everywhere? when there are no decent shops (except if u want to drink coffee all day n just hang out if u havent gor a job - Oh yeh there are no jobs because there are no shops because you can't get to them easily by car - silly me) #justsayin.
I moved away from Hereford over 3 yrs ago and have access to everything right here. Hot food, cold food when ever I want, swimming facilities x 3, shopping facilities x 10, traffic jams don't exist n I can walk my dogs without having to worry who's behind me! Goodbye Hereford n enjoy your cold pasties!!
I completely agree Adrian.
New Footpath Connecting Belmont Rd - Sydwall Rd
I see that a new footpath is currently being installed, I do hope that they get this one right!
This is long overdue, I hope it will be lit up during the hours of darkness.
Dogging Associations (a tribute to N.J)
During the past twelve months I've become increasingly concerned at how frequently my wife is playing bingo. It was only after I became stuck in a traffic jam on the New Bridge and a group of five Doggers suddenly leapt out and began Dogging on the bonnet of my car, did I realise that she wasn't playing bingo at all. Brazen strumpet!!!
Yes, we've all been aware of the growing membership of the Hoarwithy Dogging Association and, to some degree, we've all given their numbers tacit approval to carry on in their pursuit of personal gratification, but other Associations affiliated to Dogging are springing up all over the bloody place and its becoming nigh on impossible to fish down by the sewage works without people jumping out and writhing around whilst Im watching me Shimano quiver tip.
I for one have had a 'guts full' of it and I'll be damned if I stay silent anymore. From hereon, if any Doggers start writhing around by me Im going to tell them to 'clear off.'
During the last quarterly, we've now got The Tupsley Ten, the Dormington Dozen, the High Town One and the Holmer Hoard and I ain't for putting up with it any longer. Just because our society is on the fast slope to ruin, we're fiscally skint and bereft of hope, it doesn't mean we have to hurtle headlong into the depths of depravity. I say, to avoid lustful couples writhing around on the bonnets of our cars, lets switch the lights off, avoid traffic queues and get home and inside our houses as quickly as we possible can.