In a notable shift within Herefordshire's local media scene, Matt Healey has officially resigned as a director of Your Herefordshire Ltd, effective October 2024. Despite stepping down, Healey continues to contribute occasional live updates for the platform. His departure as a company director marks the second resignation of a director since the company’s establishment in April 2019. 

Our good friend Nicola Bates, one of the company’s original directors, previously resigned in February 2021, leaving the business under the management of its remaining directors. With Healey’s resignation, the company’s leadership now rests with Alison Rogers and Stefan Davies, who continue as active directors.

Your Herefordshire has established itself as a local social media page in the community, providing some various news and updates through its digital platforms, including their Facebook page. However, the company recently experienced a period of turbulence when its Facebook page was taken offline unexpectedly for over a week during Christmas and New Year. While the reasons for this sudden interruption remain unclear, some speculation arose locally about the reasons behind the outage, no official explanation has been provided. Your Herefordshire has also faced ongoing criticism publicly for its use of clickbait headlines and for publishing content perceived as unrelated to Herefordshire and its surrounding areas. Despite these challenges, their Facebook page has since been restored and continues to operate.

The departure of Healey as a director raises questions about the future direction of the business. As one of its key figures, Healey played an instrumental role in shaping Your Herefordshire’s growth and engagement with the local community. His resignation represents a notable shift in the company’s leadership dynamic.

Your Herefordshire Ltd has yet to issue a public statement regarding Healey’s resignation or the recent disruption to its Facebook page. Local businesses and residents will undoubtedly watch closely to see how the company navigates these changes in the months ahead.

This story highlights the evolving nature of Herefordshire’s business landscape and underscores the challenges faced by modern media organisations. Your Herefordshire’s commitment to serving the community will be a key factor in maintaining its reputation and presence in the local market but it’s recent downtime raised a few questions locally.

Company House - Your Herefordshire Ltd https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/11954421

We understand that our friend Matt Healey, a familiar figure in Herefordshire as the Master of Ceremonies at Hereford FC possibly wants to shift his focus more on this and his ever popular DJ business, if this is the case, we wish him good luck

You can book Matt Healey - Mobile DJ here - www.djmatthealey.co.uk.

TV presenter Richard Hammond and his wife have announced they are splitting up after an "amazing 28 years together"

"A little update from us; this Christmas we were together as a family and this year we will still be a family but just structured a bit differently.

Our marriage is coming to end, but we’ve had an amazing 28 years together and two incredible daughters.

We will always be in each other’s lives and are proud of the family we created.

We won’t be commenting further and sincerely hope that our privacy and that of our children will be respected at this time.

With Love, Richard and Mindy"

Richard and his family live at Bolitree Castle in Weston-under-Penyard near Ross-on-Wye.

The 55-year-old, best known for hosting motoring shows Top Gear and The Grand Tour, tied the knot with newspaper columnist Amanda "Mindy" Hammond, 59, in 2002.

Hammond also has The Smallest Cog classic car renovation workshop based at Rotherwas Industrial Estate in Hereford.

Herefordshire Council has achieved a significant milestone in its fight against environmental crime, seizing a vehicle and securing a suspended prison sentence for one of the county’s most prolific fly-tippers.

All householders have a duty of care to ensure that the waste they produce is disposed of correctly and they have documentation to show who they have transferred the waste to and keep those records for at least two years. Failure to comply can result in substantial fines or prosecution. The maximum penalty for fly tipping is a £50,000 fine and/or 5 years imprisonment.

Between February and August 2024, David Murray orchestrated a six-month campaign of illegal fly-tipping across Herefordshire, advertising fraudulent waste collection services via a false Facebook profile. Notable incidents included the dumping of household waste and hazardous asbestos in a rural gateway in Kenchester, the disposal of large amounts of waste into the River Monnow under cover of darkness, and a substantial fly-tip in Kingstone.

Investigators linked each incident to residents who had paid Murray for waste removal, and despite repeated legal notices, he failed to provide required waste transfer documentation. This led to the seizure of his vehicle in September 2024 to prevent further offences.

Murray received a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to attend 39 rehabilitation activity days, complete 150 hours of unpaid work, and pay fines and costs totalling £1,154. His seized vehicle was forfeited, and he was issued a three-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO), prohibiting him from advertising waste services on social media and conducting waste collections.

Charles Yarnold, Head of Regulatory and Technical Services at Herefordshire Council, said: “Mr. Murray’s actions were not just careless; they were calculated, deceitful, and highly damaging to our environment. This case should serve as a stark warning to anyone thinking they can exploit social media to profit from illegal waste disposal.

“Fly-tipping is not a victimless crime; dumping asbestos, polluting rivers, and blighting rural gateways are crimes that strike at the heart of our community’s wellbeing, blighting our communities, harming wildlife, and costing taxpayers thousands of pounds to clean up. By seizing vehicles and pursuing robust legal action, we are sending a clear message that environmental crime will not be tolerated in Herefordshire.

“We urge all residents to play their part by ensuring their waste is disposed of responsibly and keeping records of who they hire for waste collection. Together, we can protect our beautiful County for future generations.”

Suspected fly-tipping can be reported by calling 01432 261761 or via the Council’s website at www.herefordshire.gov.uk/flytipping

The Installation Of New LED Floodlights At Hereford FC Could Begin This Week Following Planning Approval.

Photo courtesy of Air Vistas

Hereford FC – Edgar St, Hereford HR4 9JU, United Kingdom Reference: Musco Lighting System and Design

Musco Lighting has completed lighting designs and spill light calculations for the lighting assessment of the Hereford FC Stadium in Edgar St, Hereford (HR4 9JU).

Based on consultation with the club and the lighting standards enforced by the Premier League Stadium Fund to assess the quality of the technical proposals, Musco has designed the pitch lighting to levels that are suitable for non-professional games in accordance with BS EN 12193 – Sports Lighting and the Football Foundation criteria. In addition, the system will be designed to be dimmable to allow lower lighting levels for training and underage matches, when the highest light level is not required.

The club has asked that Musco’s lighting design would minimize the spill light and glare on the surrounding areas with particular consideration for the residences that are in the vicinity.

Musco has proposed the appropriate number and height of columns to provide adequate downward aiming angles of the floodlights onto the pitch surface, thus minimizing glare and spill light. In addition, the Musco system is custom-designed with full cut-off visors and reflectors to control the light output from the floodlights and direct as much light as possible onto the pitch surface and away from surrounding areas. The following report details the proposed Musco system and design and how it has been developed to control light, maintain performance, and comply with the lighting requirements.

Experience

Musco Lighting has nearly 50 years of experience in the sports floodlighting industry worldwide. Musco has had a presence in the United Kingdom for over 25 years and has provided floodlighting solutions on hundreds of projects all over the country. This experience extends from grassroots clubs to professional training grounds to major stadiums.

Some notable projects similar to the proposed development at the Crystal Palace FC Training Ground include Musco installations at training grounds for Manchester City FC, Arsenal FC, Liverpool FC, Leicester City FC, Burnley FC, Fulham FC, Brighton and Hove Albion FC, Manchester United FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC and many others.

Each project involves unique locations that require very specific designs to accommodate the facility users as well as the surrounding residents and road networks. Musco has an extensive team of project engineers who design in accordance with specific codes and guidelines of each individual project location to provide the best possible floodlighting solution.

In addition to actual project experience, Musco is consistently on the cutting edge of floodlighting technology in product design and performance. The Musco Total Light Control (TLC) LED system cuts operating costs by around 50%, significantly reduces off-site spill and glare, eliminates all maintenance for 10 years, and guarantees the actual performance of the system for 10 years – all covered by a comprehensive 10 Year Warranty.

Our uniquely designed luminaire uses a system of optics and visors to control and re-direct light onto the pitch, thus significantly reducing the negative impact of the floodlights on nearby roadways and residences. Each luminaire is custom-designed and built according to its specific purpose for the pitch lighting.

Another critical aspect when designing an environmentally friendly lighting system is the reduction of Sky Glow or Upward Light. Sky glow is the illumination of the night sky by an artificial light source. Musco’s luminaire is designed to redirect upward light back down to the pitch, using the custom design and patented visor and reflectors, in accordance with the international lighting guideline.

A Herefordshire man has been prosecuted for littering following a dramatic altercation in Ross-on-Wye, thanks to footage from a Civil Enforcement Officer’s bodycam.

The bizarre incident occurred on 5 April 2024 when a Herefordshire Council Civil Enforcement Officer issued a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) on Gloucester Road, Ross-on-Wye. The owner of the vehicle, Mr. Laszlo, emerged from a nearby pub, shouted at the officer, before leaping onto the car bonnet, dramatically sprawling himself across it, and throwing the PCN to the ground before driving off.

The entire encounter was captured on the officer’s body-worn camera, providing clear evidence for the case.

In a hearing at Hereford Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 4 November 2024, Mr Laszlo (41), of Three Crosses Road, was found guilty of littering after failing to appear in court.

He was fined £220, ordered to pay £300 in costs, and handed an £88 victim surcharge, totalling £608.

Refusing to cooperate with the investigation meant that Mr. Laszlo could not be offered a Fixed Penalty Notice, leaving the council with no choice but to prosecute.

Charles Yarnold, Herefordshire Council’s Head of Regulation and Technical Services, said: “This case highlights the consequences of unacceptable behaviour. Littering, no matter the circumstances, is a criminal offense, and our teams are committed to ensuring Herefordshire remains clean and safe. Body-worn cameras are proving to be invaluable in protecting our officers and securing evidence to support prosecutions like this.”

Anyone caught littering can face a Fixed Penalty Charge of up to £140. If prosecuted, fines can rise to as much as £2,500.

Herefordshire Council’s Community Protection Team will investigate littering which is reported by calling 01432 261761 or online at www.herefordshire.gov.uk/report-problem/litter

A draft budget for 2025/26 will be considered by Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet at its meeting on Monday 13 January 2025.

Like many other councils across the country, Herefordshire Council has seen changes to funding arrangements which has reduced the money it receives from central government. The most significant of these is the removal of the Rural Services Delivery Grant which was awarded in recognition of the increased cost of delivering services in a rural county and worth £7million locally in 2024/25.

This reduction in core funding comes against a backdrop of increasing demands for statutory services including child and adult care services and an increase in the cost of providing them. While the government has indicated it will provide support to offset the increased national insurance contributions for council employees this remains unfunded for those employed by businesses who provide services to the council.

When the reduction in central funding, increased demand for services and inflation are considered together, the total budget pressure facing the council prior to any mitigation is £26million.

Work to develop the council’s budget has responded to movements in expected funding from government and identifies budget pressures, and the council is now in a position to publish a balanced revenue budget for 2025/26.

The total draft revenue budget proposed for 2025/26 will be £232million.

In order to balance the budget it proposes a council tax increase of 4.99% along with £6.9million savings and mitigations across council services.

Subject to approval by Cabinet, the draft budget will then be considered by the council’s scrutiny committees. Any changes to the proposals will be included in a report to Cabinet on 23 January 2025 before the final budget is submitted to Council for approval at its meeting on 7 February 2025.

Councillor Jonathan Lester, Leader Herefordshire Council said:

“This proposed budget does not shy away from the significant challenges handed to us by inflation, increasing demand for services, a reduction in government funding or the changes to national insurance. Instead it harnesses our previous prudent and strong financial management to preserve and protect the council’s financial resilience and sustainability at a time when other councils are having to cut services and investment.

“We took some extremely difficult decisions last year, making wide-ranging savings across all council service areas, which has left us in a more robust financial position enabling us to address the extra pressures on services and the reduction of government support. Alongside the savings last year we also committed to investing more than £2.5million to support local priorities. This included more funding for Parish and Town Councils to open up public rights of way and to improve drainage, and a freeze on parking charges. This was in addition to a capital budget which allocated record levels of investment in our road network with £8million spent on road resurfacing.

“Despite reduced funding from government our draft budget takes the same approach this year - investing in local priorities, including maintaining the freeze on parking charges, and investing in our roads, while at the same time balancing the budget by making efficiencies and ensuring best value for public money.

“The decision to propose an increase to the council tax by 4.99% has been a very difficult one. The government has removed the rural services delivery grant, worth around £7million to Herefordshire, and introduced other grants for social care. Despite this, our total revenue grant funding from central government has reduced by around £2.5million. Alongside this, measures in the government budget around national insurance and national living and minimum wage rates impacts all employers, and our providers are passing on their costs to us. Those costs need to be met and funded. In the context of these pressures the only alternative would have been to cut services.

“We will continue to campaign hard for the government to rethink its decision to get rid of the rural services grant before the final financial settlement is announced in January.

“We’ve developed a sustainable financial strategy for 2025/26 and onwards, to ensure the council can achieve an ambitious programme of innovation and improvement to deliver the best for Herefordshire.”

A message announced on their Facebook page today reads;

"Hello everybody.

Sadly Cotto (the restaurant) is now Closed.

We had a great time and made some real friends for life and thank you so much for your support during these 5 years.

However do get in touch as we will carry on doing our catering events and festival work.

We are super excited for the next adventure.

See you soon. Ciao ciao

F&A"

Public Holidays for England and Wales 🇬🇧 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

⭐ Get 58 days off work by requesting 28 days of annual leave.

England and Wales have eight bank holidays in 2025. 

• New Year’s Day – Wednesday, 1st January 2025
• Good Friday – Friday, 18th April 2025
• Easter Monday – Monday, 21st April 2025
• Early May Bank Holiday – Monday, 5th May 2025
• Spring Bank Holiday – Monday, 26th May 2025
• Summer Bank Holiday – Monday, 25th August 2025
• Christmas Day – Thursday, 25th December 2025
• Boxing Day – Friday, 26th December 2025

⭐ Get 60 days off work by requesting 27 days of annual leave.

Scotland has nine bank holidays in 2025. 

• New Year’s Day – Wednesday, 1st January 2025
• 2nd January – Thursday, 2nd January 2025
• Good Friday – Friday, 18th April 2025
• Early May Bank Holiday – Monday, 5th May 2025
• Spring Bank Holiday – Monday, 26th May 2025
• Summer Bank Holiday – Monday, 4th August 2025
• St Andrew’s Day (substitute day) – Monday, 1st December 2025
• Christmas Day – Thursday, 25th December 2025
• Boxing Day – Friday, 26th December 2025

Public Holidays in Northern Ireland

⭐ Get 65 days off work by requesting 29 days of annual leave.

Northern Ireland has ten bank holidays in 2025. 

• New Year’s Day – Wednesday, 1st January 2025
• St Patrick’s Day - Monday, 17th March 2025
• Good Friday – Friday, 18th April 2025
• Easter Monday – Monday, 21st April 2025
• Early May Bank Holiday – Monday, 5th May 2025
• Spring Bank Holiday – Monday, 26th May 2025
• Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day)(substitute day) – Monday, 14th July 2025
• Summer Bank Holiday – Monday, 25th August 2025
• Christmas Day – Thursday, 25th December 2025
• Boxing Day – Friday, 26th December 2025

APRIL - If you book off Monday, April 14 to Thursday, April 17 2025, as well as Tuesday, April 22 to Friday, April 25 2025, you can enjoy a whopping 16 consecutive days off work for just eight days of annual leave.

MAY - By booking four days off between Tuesday, May 6 to Friday, May 9 or Tuesday, May 27 to Friday, May 30, employees can enjoy nine consecutive days off. For those seeking an even longer holiday, booking all eight days off will extend the break to 16 days in total.

AUGUST - By scheduling leave from Tuesday, August 26 to Friday, August 29, you can enjoy nine consecutive days off - perfect for basking in the sunshine without exhausting too many leave days.

DECEMBER - To maximise your Christmas break next year, consider booking just six days off between Monday, December 22 to Wednesday, December 24 and Monday, December 29 to Wednesday, December 31. This will provide workers with a festive 13 consecutive days off.

'Proposed erection of 31 no. key worker dwellings, including access from Clubtail Drive with associated infrastructure and landscaping'.

The site is located on land subject to an outline planning permission for residential development, known as West Holmer. A further housing development known as Holmer House Farm is located to the south of the site, adjacent to the A49.

Outline planning permission was granted for the development of 460 dwellings and associated infrastructure at West Holmer. A full application for a further 105 dwellings was also granted on part of the West Holmer site. An additional 83 units has also been delivered by Bloor as part of the Holmer House Farm Development. The majority of the West Holmer development has now been constructed.

The application site forms part of the area approved for a new Buffer Planting ‘Park and Choose’ facility within the outline application.

The proposed development for 31 new dwellings will be located in the west of the wider ‘Park and Choose’ site on land identified for ‘potential future expansions’.

Planning Application - P243045/F

MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire)

Miranda Abigail Appleton. Principal, Hereford College of Arts. For services to further education (Hereford, Herefordshire).

Photo courtesy of Hereford College Of Arts 

The Reverend Dr Kenneth Victor John Hopkins. Chair of trustees, Heart of Mercia Multi Academy Trust, Hereford. For services to education (Hereford, Herefordshire).

Gareth William Ratcliffe. Deputy chair, Brecon Beacons National Park Authority and councillor, Hay on Wye, Powys County Council. For charitable services to Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) (Hereford, Herefordshire).

Karen Anne Rogers. Chief executive, Herefordshire Care Homes Group. For services to social care (Malvern, Worcestershire).

BEM (Medallist of the Order of the British Empire)

Elizabeth Fryer Davies. For services to the community in Kimbolton, Herefordshire (Leominster, Herefordshire).

MVO (Member of the Royal Victorian Order)

Ronald George Whitfield. Royal visits co-ordinator, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Lieutenancies (Herefordshire).

• Full list below 

NEW_YEAR_HONOURS_LIST_2025.pdf

The award was made in recognition of Wendy's services to children with cancer.

Photo courtesy of The Little Princess Trust

The Little Princess Trust was founded in Hereford in 2005 in memory of Wendy's daughter, Hannah Tarplee.

A year earlier, Hannah had been diagnosed with a Wilms Tumour and the loss of her hair was especially traumatic.

Wendy and Hannah's father, Simon, had struggled to find a wig suitable for Hannah when she underwent treatment, and felt the most fitting tribute to the five-year-old would be a charity dedicated to providing wigs for children.

In the first years of the charity, Wendy dedicated much of her available time helping to build the charity.

Phil Brace, Chief Executive of The Little Princess Trust, said it was this dedication that helped the charity grow and develop - and today the charity helps around 2,000 children and young people every year through its free wig service and has now helped nearly 18,000 children and young people in total.

The Little Princess Trust, which moved into its own purpose-built home - The Hannah Tarplee Building - in Hereford city centre in 2021, is also now one of the UK's largest charity funders of childhood cancer research.

In her current role, Wendy ensures the children and young people with hair loss helped by the charity receive the very best service available.

She also liaises with the childhood cancer researchers that The Little Princess Trust funds to search for kinder and more effective treatments for all childhood cancers.

Mr Brace said the honour is a "reward for Wendy's selfless work and dedication to help so many children and young people".

"She is such a modest person but all of us associated with LPT know how much she deserves this wonderful accolade,"; he added.

"What she has achieved in memory of her daughter Hannah is incredible and I know she inspires everyone associated with our charity every day."

On receiving the award, Wendy said: "I am honoured to receive this recognition, but I can never forget the huge personal trauma and how it affected my family having lost Hannah, but I am so aware of how many families are still being affected by childhood cancer today.

This is what drives us on to do more, so I would like to accept this honour on behalf of all the families affected by childhood cancer.

"I would also like to thank everyone who has supported The Little Princess Trust over the past 20 years, particularly my fellow co-founders Simon Tarplee and Tim Lowe without whom the charity would not be here today."

The Little Princess Trust

The Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive of Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) has received the prestigious award of the King’s Fire Service Medal (KFSM) in the New Year Honours List 2025.

Photo courtesy of HWFRS

CFO Jon Pryce said: “I am proud and humbled to receive the King’s Fire Service Medal in this New Year Honours List, something I never expected to receive in my career. Whilst this honour is personally something I will cherish, more importantly I accept it on behalf of all the staff in HWFRS who together deliver such amazing services to our communities every day. My holding of the KFSM is only a reflection of the superb Fire and Rescue Service that I have the immense privilege to lead.”

The Chairman of Hereford & Worcester Fire Authority, Cllr Kit Taylor said: “The Fire Authority are delighted with the announcement. The awarding of the King’s Fire Service Medal (KFSM) to Jon Pryce, our Chief Fire Officer is very well deserved and is testimony not only to his hard work but also to his dedication and support given to all of us at the Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service.”

CFO Jonathon Pryce KFSM has served more than 32 years in the Fire and Rescue Service, starting his career in 1992 as a Firefighter in Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service. He later transferred into HWFRS in 2001, and was appointed Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive in April 2021.

📢 Hereford Voice - 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲

A refurbishment costs £225,000 is scheduled to start in the New Year. The Volunteer Inn pub will close from January 1 and is expected to reopen by early March.

Image courtesy RussellLewisPhotography.co.uk

In August 2023, Suzie Tortalino took charge of the Volunteer when it was closed and boarded up. Since then, she has dedicated herself to revitalising the pub, alleviating residents' concerns about its future, and creating six new jobs in the process.

A commercial kitchen will be installed, allowing Suzie to expand the menu with traditional pub classics. The offerings will include a variety of options, from small sharing plates to fish and chips, burgers, and hearty Sunday roasts.

The Volunteer Inn in Harold Street revamp is being undertaken by Heineken-owned Star Pubs.

Midlands Air Ambulance reveal their new helicopter 🚁

Midlands Air Ambulance

It will now undergo additional work before becoming fully operational as call sign Helimed09 early January 2025.

This is excellent news for this wonderful charity

Herefordshire CAMRA, organisers of the popular Beer On The Wye Festival, have announced the event will not be running in 2025. The annual riverside festival, that has taken place in a marquee at Hereford Rowing Club since 2005, was due to take place next July.

Mark Haslam, Chair of the festival’s organising committee and original creator of the festival, had this to say:

“It is regrettable that this decision has had to be made, and I appreciate a lot of people are going to be disappointed: not just the many visitors who enjoy coming to the festival, but our small army of volunteers who work so hard to make it happen each year. However, it was difficult to see an alternative with so many changes and challenges that the festival currently faces.

“Over the next few months a number of significant changes are to be made to our site as part of improving the facilities at the festival’s Rowing Club home. Whilst the organising committee are comfortable that these alterations will not prevent us from running the festival in the future, we can see great merit in waiting for the works to be completed. This will then allow us to organise with 100% certainty based on with what is actually ‘on the ground’. It is vital to minimise all risks to the event, particularly as it involves a considerable financial outlay to stage.

“More significant is the fact we need more people to step-up and get involved in planning and organising the event. It’s ironic that over 130 unpaid volunteers were recruited to work at the festival this past summer, but we do not have enough bodies on the organising committee to do all the necessary planning in the months beforehand. We have now arrived at a situation where we have too few people trying to do too many tasks. An appeal has now gone out to our members and past festival volunteers to persuade more of them to get involved, and it is hoped that this will bring the ‘new blood’ that is needed onto the organising committee.

“With all these changes in the pipeline, it is also considered that now is the right time to undertake a thorough root and branch review of the festival. Such an exercise is long overdue, and to achieve this aim it is essential to stop the treadmill of monthly planning meetings, so as to provide the time and space for those on the organising committee to devote themselves to this important process.”

It is anticipated that Beer On The Wye Festival will return in July 2026.

Beer on the Wye takes place each July in a marquee adjacent to Hereford Rowing Club, HR4 0BE.

It is run by the Herefordshire Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) with the help of unpaid volunteers.

Next July’s event would have been the nineteenth Beer on the Wye festival.

In July 2024 it attracted in excess of 5,200 visitors, who between them consumed nearly 20,000 pints of beer, cider and perry.

We will not be publishing multiple links about the same topic, please just bookmark this one and we will update road closures as often as possible.

• Follow This Link For Updates - https://hfd.news/Darragh

Official Road Closures (updated 14:00- 08/12/2024)

• B4399 Holme Lacy Causeway - Closed due to flooding
• U75220 Bredwardine Hill, Bredwardine - Closed due to fallen tree
• U81244 Greyfriars Avenue, Hereford - Closed due to flooding
• U93605 Newtown Lane, Leominster - Closed due to flooding
• C1268 Holme Lacy Road - Closed due to flooding
• U72016 Watery Lane, Lower Bullingham - Closed due to flooding
• C1222 Allensmore - Closed due to a fallen tree
• U72413 Shelwick Lane, Munstone - Closed due to fallen tree
• U72621 Litmarsh Road Marden - Closed due to fallen tree
• U90131 Brickyard Road, Kingswood - Closed due to fallen tree
• U70409 Bulls Hill, Walford - Closed due to fallen tree
• A438 Letton - Closed due to flooding
• C1197 Stretton Sugwas to the A438 - Closed due to tangled power cable
• U92403 Lower Yatton - Closed due to fallen tree
• U92412 Buzzards Lane - Closed due to fallen tree
• C1308 Little Marcle Road - Closed due to a sagging cable
• A4113 from A4110 to Manor Farm - Closed due to flooding
• C1098 Bridge Sollers - Closed due to a fallen tree
• U71205 Boat Lane, Glewstone - Closed due to an abandoned vehicle in the road
• C1122 Wellington - Closed due to flooding
• C1195 Peterchurch - Closed due to flooding

Please do not remove flood road closure signs or barriers OR attempt to drive through road closures or flood water for your own safety, even if the flood water looks like it has receded the road won't officially reopen until it has passed a safety inspection.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻.

Following an information request from Hereford Voice we can today confirm that Lidl GB Ltd purchased The Three Counties Hotel just before the end of the 2023 financial year on 2nd April 2024.

PROPRIETOR: LIDL GREAT BRITAIN LIMITED (Co.Regn. No.2816429) of Lidl House, 14 Kingston Road, Surbiton KT5 9NU.

The price stated to have been paid on 2 April 2024 was £5,760,000.

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗜𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁!

The demolition of the Three Counties Hotel marks the end of an era in Hereford's history. The founding stone plaque from the hotel, built and financed in partnership between Alfons Sikora and a prominent local landlord, has been gifted to a family friend by Wye Valley Demolition.

The site on Belmont Road (A465) is being prepared for the construction of a Lidl discount supermarket, scheduled to begin in early 2025. Wye Valley Demolition has nearly completed levelling the former hotel, which was granted approval for demolition in April.

Alfons Sikora’s family friend shared insights into the hotel’s history while collecting the stone from Stuart Crowe, a supervisor at Wye Valley Demolition. He recounted that the hotel was established in the late 1970s by two Polish émigrés, Alfons Sikora and Frank Taday. Both men came to Herefordshire after World War II, drawn by the county’s existing Polish community and opportunities for a fresh start.

Sikora, who had built a successful business producing computer flooring and suspended ceilings under the company Sikora Ltd (later Intek Flooring), financed much of the hotel’s construction.

Taday, a well-known publican and former operator of the Spread Eagle Hotel in King Street, intended to manage the new venture, originally named the White Eagle Motel. Despite its modern design and comprehensive facilities, financial difficulties forced the pair to sell the hotel to Queen’s Moat Houses PLC, then one of the UK’s leading hotel chains.

Over the years, the hotel underwent several ownership changes, becoming the Three Counties Hotel and later operated by the Price family, who expanded and modernised the facility. In its prime, the hotel boasted Hereford's largest conference room and hosted numerous events. However, it ultimately struggled under its final owners, leading to its closure and sale.

In March 2023, the hotel temporarily served as accommodation for asylum seekers under a contract with the Home Office, managed by Serco in collaboration with Herefordshire Council and local partners. By February 2024, the asylum seekers had been relocated to alternative housing, paving the way for the site’s sale to Lidl. Despite concerns over the notorious traffic on the busy Belmont Road, Herefordshire Council approved the new development.

Reflecting on the hotel’s legacy, the family friend expressed disappointment at its demolition, noting the absence of comparable venues in Belmont for events or social gatherings. Nevertheless, he praised Wye Valley Demolition for their professionalism and care during the project.

“I was deeply impressed with the team’s responsiveness and attention to detail, particularly supervisors Ashley Davies and Stuart Crowe,” he said. “The founding stone, weighing a tonne and made of slate, was handled with exceptional care. Their efforts demonstrate the high standards of the Wye Valley Group, a family-run company that combines personalised service with operational expertise.”

The Three Counties Hotel will be remembered as a significant chapter in Hereford’s history, symbolising the ambition and contributions of its founders.

By C. James (Hereford Voice)