£5,000 Awarded to Yeleni Therapy and Support

Hereford City Council awarded £5,000 to Yeleni Therapy and Support, to help them meet increasing demand in supporting those who have undergone treatment for cancer.

Yeleni Therapy & Support is a complementary therapy & Reiki training centre, plus a charity providing free therapy sessions to anyone at any age, with any cancer at any stage in Herefordshire and surrounding counties. Yeleni is also open to the general public. At Yeleni they have a wide range of therapies available in their warm and welcoming therapy rooms. If you have aches and pains, suffer with conditions like anxiety or insomnia or simply need to talk to someone, the staff at Yeleni are there to help.

The group is seeking to expand their activities to offer services to people of any age, with any type of cancer and at any stage of the disease. They offer a range of complimentary therapies which are particularly valued for their capacity to reduce harmful side effects of the aggressive chemo and radio therapies that are used to attack cancers. Often people come when they have got well into treatment or even after a course, as side effects can build up and continue after a course. Completion of therapy can often be a crisis point.

The service is very much client-led, with each patient having a key worker. With Haven having closed down, 77 new patients have come in with breast cancer, and the temporary funding the group had during the COVID-19 pandemic has now ceased. Just over 50% of clients come from within the City, and there is also an online advice and support service. On average there are about 1,300 new cancer cases in the county every year and about one third of all people will get cancer in their lifetime.

Hereford City Council agreed to support Yeleni Therapy and Support with a grant of £5,000, helping to provide a means for the continuation of this vital service.

Great Choice! 🇺🇦 👏

Why have the Environment Agency not removed this massive build up of trees and branches caused from the recent heavy rain at the Old Bridge in Hereford?

This timber which has been carried along the river Wye has completely blocked the centre arch of the Old Bridge and must be placing massive pressure on the structure.

The fencing which runs along the footpath has not been repaired or replaced since storm Dennis back in February 2020, that's almost 3 years ago!!

It appeared that some work had began back in July 2022 when the debris was cleared and temporary fencing was secured, as reported in our topic here https://bit.ly/RiverFenceHfd however, nothing has happened since.

Herefordshire Council Cabinet approved the use of £6.49m funding at a meeting held on Thursday 24 November 2022, to continue to transform Herefordshire Children’s Social Care Services.

The £6.49m investment is the remaining amount of £11.49m funding, previously approved by Cabinet in March 2022.

The funding will help to ensure the council’s children’s services are adequately resourced and can provide a more secure and resilient service to Herefordshire children and their families in the future.

Corporate Director for Children and Young People, Darryl Freeman, said:

“The remaining £6.49m investment provides us with security to continue our work to transform Herefordshire Children’s Services and deliver our improvement plan.

“The first £5m in funding has led to increased stability in our workforce, reduced caseloads, improved systems and closer management supervision. We’ve also seen an increase in the frequency of visits and our Social Workers are now able to spend more time supporting children and families that are in need.

“The release of the remaining funding will allow us to focus on the priority areas identified by Ofsted following their July 2022 inspection to ensure significant and lasting improvements in the services we offer Herefordshire families.

“We will also continue to build Herefordshire Children’s Social Care Services into a desirable place to come and work with a good work/life balance in a beautiful, family-friendly environment.”

Ben Prothero was sentenced today (Tuesday 29 November) at Birmingham Crown Court to 24 years following his conviction for multiple sexual offences.

The 26-year-old of Metcalfe, Ross-On-Wye, pleaded guilty earlier this year to 17 offences, which related to crimes he committed between 2008 and 2020. The charges included:

• Two counts of rape of a child under 13
• Five counts of rape of a female under 18
• Attempted rape
• Causing a female under 15 to engage in penetrative sexual activity
• Penetration of a female under 16
• Engage in controlling/coercive behaviour in an intimate/family relationship
• Two counts of sexual assault on a child under 13
• Two counts of sexual activity with a child under 18
• Two counts of sexual activity with a child under 16

He will serve 18 years in prison, with six years to remain on licence as a dangerous offender and is now listed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Prothero’s conviction and sentencing followed a long and thorough investigation by Hereford CID Vulnerability Team.

Detective Constable Emma O’Hare, who led the investigation, said: “Prothero committed these horrendous crimes against children and women over many years who weren’t able to defend or protect themselves. He was a bully, a predator and controlled them by hurting them and changing their lives forever.

“As pleased as I am with the lengthy sentence, the true tribute is paid to the victims, who not only survived despite his best efforts to break them, but who then showed immense courage and bravery in coming forward about his abuse and rapes.

“My hope is that this significant prison sentence will bring some measure of comfort to those whose lives have been forever damaged by his cowardly and predatory actions.

“This sentence needs to serve as a reminder to those who think that abusing women and girls will go unchallenged. Survivors are strong and with our support, patience and understanding an investigation will uncover the truth about their abusers’ actions, who will face consequences.

“West Mercia Police remains committed to seeking justice for rape victims and survivors, and we, the police and wider support services are here for them.”

If you feel you are a victim of any sexual offence you can report it to us online, on 101 or via West Mercia's Victim Advice Line on 0800 952 3000 or visit www.victimadviceline.org.uk. This is a free, independent and confidential support service. In an emergency always dial 999.

If you do not feel comfortable speaking to police officers, you can contact a referral centre which specialises in helping victims of rape and sexual assault - including providing medical care and counselling. For information and details on how to contact or refer please visit the Get Help page of the Stop Rape Now website www.stoprapenow.co.uk

The prolific fly tippers were jailed following a two year fly tipping investigation in Bromyard.

On 24 November 2022 at a sentencing hearing at Worcester Crown court, Zackery Biddle (23) and Jessie Biddle (26), both of Openfields, Bromyard, were handed lengthy prison sentences for their part in a two year tirade of fly tipping on Council land at Openfields caravan site in Bromyard, Herefordshire. A third individual, Declynd Mellings (21), also of Openfields, was ordered to carry out community work.

The court heard how in May 2020, officers discovered that Zackery Biddle and Declynd Mellings used a false profile name to advertise waste collections on local Facebook groups, offering to be the cheapest around at a time when household recycling centres were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Officers from Herefordshire Council’s Community Protection team visited Openfields caravan site in May 2020 and found enormous amounts of fly tipping spanning across the site, which triggered a long and robust investigation.

Officers searched the waste and found evidence which led them back to a customer who had paid money into a bank account to take away a large amount of house refurbishment waste, the arrangements having been made on Facebook. Officers were able to trace the bank account to Declynd Mellings, who was found to be working with Zackery Biddle. Zackery Biddle pleaded guilty to multiple charges of fly tipping and treating and disposing controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution of the Environment or harm to human health, namely by burning waste collected and allowing other hazardous chemicals to leak into the environment.

The courts further heard how between the years of 2020 and 2022, Jessie Biddle operated his own waste collection service on Facebook and collected controlled waste and disposed of it at Openfields caravan site in a manner likely to cause pollution of the environment and harm to human health. Officers were able to identify Jessie Biddle by a mobile phone number given to a customer and found that he had collected commercial waste from a shop in Leominster for the payment of £100 and had failed to provide the necessary waste transfer notes. CCTV footage showed the waste being driven out of Leominster by Jessie Biddle who admitted to fly tipping the waste at Openfields. The court further heard that Jessie Biddle had considerably profited financially by transporting scrap metal without authority to do so over a two year period.

Zackery Biddle pleaded guilty to multiple charges of fly tipping and received a 54 week custodial sentence, receiving a one tenth discount for a last minute guilty plea. Jessie Biddle pleaded guilty to multiple charges of fly tipping and received a custodial sentence of 44 weeks, receiving a full third discount after pleading guilty at his first hearing. Declynd Mellings was considered to have played a lesser role in the fly tipping operation and was given a 12 month community order and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

Herefordshire Council further succeeded in these cases by applying a Criminal Behaviour Order to all three individuals which include conditions to prevent them from collecting, carrying, treating and disposing of any controlled waste and will be applicable for three years.

Marc Willimont, Head of Public Protection at Herefordshire Council said: “Herefordshire council will not tolerate fly tipping. The community protection team have therefore worked tirelessly to bring these offenders to court after they went on a 2 year fly tipping spree using false Facebook accounts to avoid being caught. Their irresponsible and selfish actions have cost the council thousands of pounds of taxpayer’s money to clear the fly tipping. That said, the sentences given out by the court on this occasion are welcomed as they recognise the damage that these individuals have caused to the environment and the unnecessary costs to the council to clear”.

The maximum penalty for fly tipping is a £50,000 fine and/or five years imprisonment. The twelve and ten month imprisonments for Zackery and Jessie Biddle are the most severe custodial sentences ever given for fly tipping offences committed in Herefordshire.

This funding award aims to capture the legacy from the success of the England Women’s Football Team and to take on the rapidly rising enthusiasm for football among girls and women in Hereford.

The grant will help provide access to training for women to become coaches working mainly, but not exclusively, in female clubs. The club will provide free access to sessions at schools with one-off tournaments to encourage participation in clubs. School sessions can be in games, lessons, at lunch time, or after school, so there is great flexibility in timing.

Hereford City Council agreed to award Herefordshire Football Association £5,000 to provide training and facilitation for women’s football, a much-needed addition to Hereford’s wide range of sporting activities. This will hopefully be a timely project, with so many being inspired by the lionesses success against the World Champions recently.

For more information on Herefordshire Football Association, visit https://www.herefordshirefa.com/, or for more information on our funding awards, visit https://herefordcitycouncil.gov.uk/funding-award-for.../.

Hereford Voice will do all we can to highlight and help assist this very important campaign to save Hereford's Athletics Track.

A spokesperson for the campaign told Hereford Voice;

"It's time to act now!

Hereford's athletics track faces losing its competition licence if action isn’t taken to refurbish its deteriorating surface.

The athletics track, on Holmer Road, was built in 1988 and during the past 34 years it has been a popular facility for athletes staging training sessions throughout the year and summer race meetings.

The track is used every night of the week by Hereford & County Athletics Club, HEREFORD GHOST RUNNERS, Wye Valley Runners, Hereford Triathlon Club, Hereford Couriers Running Club & Western Tempo Running Club.

We need your help to raise awareness and to support this campaign"

More details 👉 https://www.facebook.com/SaveHerefordsTrack

I found this bike, which I presume has been stolen and abandoned by the garages in Muir Close. This item has also been posted on Facebook, but to no effect. The bike is now in my garden. I have tried to report the matter to the council and local police and as usual you go round in circles. I need to dispose of it as soon as possible.

ELO Again return to The Courtyard this January with their ‘Re-Discovery Tour’, celebrating the truly universal music of Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra.

Saturday 21 January, 7.30pm - Tickets £28.50

ELO Again present a dramatic taste of what an ELO concert would have been like back in their heyday, the whole experience is professionally re-enacted with impressive sound reproduction, light show and visual effects.

The band perform all the big hits including Mr Blue Sky, Livin’ Thing, Sweet Talkin’ Woman, Shine A Little Love, Confusion, Last Train To London, Roll Over Beethoven, Wild West Hero, Don’t Bring Me Down, The Diary of Horace Wimp, Telephone Line, Turn To Stone plus many more.

As the UK’s No.1 tribute show, ELO Again provide a spectacular live effect of ELO’s famous orchestrations, strings and vocals.

Audiences can enjoy and relive the age of Glam Rock as ELO Again pay tribute to the beautifully crafted songs of Jeff Lynne.

ELO Again will be in The Courtyard’s Main House on Saturday 21 January at 7.30pm. To book tickets, or for more information contact the Box Office on 01432 340555 or visit www.courtyard.org.uk.

Tesco Community Grants - Presentation of the £1500.00 cheque won by St Martin's FoodShare following on from the recently advertised in store support that we were promoting at the end of the summer.

This a fabulous local community initiative in South Wye that we have been involved with since its inception a few years ago.

This money will contribute to upkeep of the van used to transport collection’s from supermarkets and FareShare across the county, to their distribution points across the South of Hereford.

To learn more about this absoultely brilliant local scheme Cllr. Kevin Tillett explains all about it in our recent interview that Hereford Voice had here 👉 https://bit.ly/StMFoodShare 

For more information follow the link St Martin's FoodShare

https://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/documents/s50105190/The future use and refurbishment of Shirehall.pdf

Stop Hunt handing billions to the banks

As Dire Straits told us 1985:

Now look at them yo-yos, that's the way you do it
You play the guitar on the MTV
That ain't workin', that's the way you do it
Money for nothin' and your chicks for free

Now that ain't workin', that's the way you do it
Lemme tell ya, them guys ain't dumb
Maybe get a blister on your little finger
Baby, get a blister on your thumb

We gotta install microwave ovens
Custom kitchen deliveries
We've got to move these refrigerators
We've got to move these colour TVs

See the little faggot with the earring and the makeup
Yeah buddy, that's his own real hair
The little faggot got his own jet airplane
The little faggot, he's a millionaire

Sign Positive Money petition here:

Enhancement works will be carried out to Widemarsh Street, Hereford, as part of the Hereford City Centre Improvements (HCCI) plan.

The scheme, estimated to take 16 weeks, is scheduled to begin in February, subject to detailed design being completed, and will include the removal of the current 50mm kerb by lifting and replacing the road surface, with new channel blocks and drainage system.

The existing Widemarsh St design was completed in 2011 and has been subject to a number of specialist design and safety reviews. All of these have concluded that the scheme is fully in line with design guidance and best practice.

However, the public have continued to lobby local councillors as well as the Cabinet Member regarding incidents personal to them. In light of this a Cabinet Member decision made last year ensured that a budget to enhance Widemarsh St was included in the HCCI programme.

Councillor John Harrington, Cabinet member infrastructure and transport said:

“The existing layout of Widemarsh St was conceived with the best of intentions, conforming, I believe, to design and best practice guidance, and with the aim of promoting pedestrian safety. And this remains the professional view of officers and our public realm contractor. However, it is our opinion as an administration, that unfortunately and undeniably, the design has caused difficulties for some pedestrians, and this is something we were keen to remedy.

“Widemarsh St is a key part of the City centre, being a popular route for pedestrians and vehicles, home to many shops and businesses, and providing an important link between Old Market and High Town. It is a central component of our transport network and economy, along with the status and appeal of Hereford as a visitor destination and place for local people to enjoy their leisure time. As such it is important that we listen to feedback from the public to make it as safe as possible.

“We explored a wide variety of options, with emphasis on aesthetics, safety, ease of use, drainage and cost. Unfortunately, no matter which way we cut it in terms of trying to remove the kerb and its negative effects - balancing that out against best value in trying times financially - nothing provided the certainty that we insisted on other than this optimal solution of removing the kerb completely. This will be expensive but it is a cost we are certain we must pay to ensure this street scheme is what the visitors and residents of Herefordshire deserve. I am only sorry that it has taken so long to address”.

More details can be found on the Decisions Page of the Council website.

We also published an article back last December (2021) Here

Hereford Voice understands this morning that temporary black tape will be placed along the low kerbs in Widemarsh Street within the next 24hours, marking the infamous kerbs that many of us (or folks we know) have taken a tumble over.

Hereford Voice have been advised that works will begin at the end of March next year, for approximately 8 weeks (keeping road open for access as much as possible).

This work is long overdue, over a decade after the road was redesigned and this hazard has been allowed to continue for too long.

Hereford Voice would like to thank campaigners like Barb Tilling and Anna Gardiner from local group Widemarsh Street Trips and Falls for their hard work over the years to raise awareness on this issue and also want to thank the coalition administration who have took the decision and secured the funding for the levelling of the kerbs after nothing was done by the previous administration. We appreciate things take time but are very pleased that common sense has prevailed here.

If everything goes to plan the new store will open at about 10am in High Town Hereford (former Starbucks unit).

The official grand opening is this Saturday (19th) with a LIVE show from Ollie Grove and the good people at Sunshine Radio.

The perfect place for natural pamper products, luxury soaps or that quirky gift for someone who has everything. Essential oils, bath bombs, salt lamps, aroma diffusers. They have it all!! So join the thousands of satisfied customers who already shop with them in their stores in Abergavenny, Cwmbran and Monmouth.

Steve got in touch with Hereford Voice recently telling us about his new business opening in the city, so we would like to take this opportunity to wish Steve all the very best of luck and we look forward to welcoming Mother Nature's Goodies to our wonderful city of Hereford. 😀

CEO Mike Truelove on behalf of the Hereford Business Improvement District writes;

It is not that businesses are ungrateful for the recently unveiled vision for Broad, Bridge and King Street – in fact, the hospitality sector (in particular) are delighted that there could be extended paving for a café culture.

As for more trees in the ground, what’s not to like? However, what truly worries many is that if you are a retailer, pharmacist, sandwich shop, florist, or estate agent, how are their customers going to pop in to grab items and then go if the parking is down the road? Yes, you may well argue (justifiably in some cases) that people ought to park in larger car parks and not on the street, but that ignores those who struggle to walk far and those who, dare I say it, pop into these shops because it is convenient. Take away the parking and you remove a major reason to shop here which equates to shop closures. Suddenly, once popular streets become a hotchpotch of empty units; it is as simple as that.

If we are serious about improving the area, everyone needs to be taken on the journey and not leave behind those who have been there for (in some instances over 100 years) and have evolved around the ability to park outside. There must be a compromise.

It would also be useful if there was a parallel or even leading plan to improve parking and transport in the city. Where is the vision for new multi-story car parks? Further, High Town and St Peter Street have been discussed for the last 6 years with millions ready to use from the LEP and match-funded by Herefordshire Council. If projects that have funding cannot be implemented, what hope do we have for Broad Street?

One last final point, it is critical that the whole of the city centre is looked at as part of a masterplan – we need streets that flow into each other with a common theme or 'brand' (think of those ugly stainless steel benches in Eign Gate that were recently taken down). Either way, I encourage you to air your views whilst the online consultation is open 👉 https://lnkd.in/eVjNqcE6

Mason who is a pupil at St Francis Xavier school in Hereford who has recently just turned 9.

Mason who is active competition climber and climbs regularly at Green Spider Climbing and at the boulder barn here in Hereford.

He has recently finished the season by taking part in the The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) youth climbing series which is a national competition divided in to regions.

Mason represents South West North Region which includes Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Berkshire in Youth category E...

It is a 4 round series consisting of 2 roped rounds and 2 boulder rounds at 4 different centres across the region.

Mason has trained hard for this supported by his local climbing community and his hard work has payed off as he secured 4 first places to become series winner of Youth category E South West North. He has had a great first year of competition climbing all over the UK

🏆 Midlands Youth Boulder Cup Winner

🏆 Young Climbers Festival (Sheffield) Winner

🏆 Rock Solid Bouldering Series (North East ) Winner

🏆 BMC YCS South West North Winner

🥈 Youth Boulder Cup (Sheffield) 2nd Place

Mason will continue to have fun and train hard over the winter ready to see what next year will bring ..

Congratulations Mason on your fabulous success in just your first year! The future looks bright!