Featured Fire Station 🚒 | In our series, we are focusing on the very important work and training that Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service crews undergo on a regular basis.

Today we look at the remarkable training that Kingsland fire station did yesterday evening.

Last nights training was back to basics brushing up on ladder pitching skills for the crews who were kindly allowed by Vaughan farms of kingsland to use their yard and buildings for this essential training excercise. It’s always a benefit using different venues to practice 🚒👍🏽 🪜

'Thank You For Your Service' to the crews at Kingsland Fire Station and to all our emergency services for the vital work and support they provide to the community.

📸 HWFRS Kingsland

Councillors from the Belmont Rural Parish Council Overwhelmingly Objected to the Lidl Planning Application to Demolish the Three Counties Hotel and Build Supermarket.

This evening we attended the Extraordinary Meeting of the Belmont Parish Council at The Kindle Centre.

There were about 50-60 local residents many who gave their concerns, including employees of the Three Counties Hotel who pointed out that Lidl have given wrong information suggesting that there is only 18 people employed at the hotel, when in fact there are over 30 said one employee.

The Parish Council agreed and will be sending their objections to the planning department before the end of the day tomorrow, which is the deadline for residents to submit any letters, whether in support or as an objection. (The Parish Council can only object or support as an advisory and they cannot actually reject the application itself, that is controlled by the Planning department).

You can submit your comments in just a few minutes, simply be completing this form 👉 https://bit.ly/3vgx6jE

Our petition 👉 https://chng.it/bWYtFHb78S is great and has over 980 signatures but the more INDIVIDUAL COMMENTS AND LETTERS submitted will carry much more weight in planning terms.

Belmont Rural Parish Council Website | https://belmontrural-pc.gov.uk from 

During the whole pandemic many people got filthy rich off government contracts for PPE including the dubious religious sect the Plymouth brethren/brethren according to a article in the Sunday times today they received millions from the awarding of government contracts…the brethren who own a factory down Rotherwas industrial estate as well as development land…they also have connections to political figures past & present which begs the question was there any corruption by parliamentarian involved in the awarding of these contracts? 

https://apple.news/AHHHWof0wTmC8_Yv2v3L9sw 

Convenience store chain McColl's is on the brink of collapse, potentially placing thousands of jobs at risk.

The retailer said it was "increasingly likely" it would fall into administration unless talks around a rescue deal were successful.

The statement on Thursday came after Sky News reported the company could call administrators in on Friday.

More than 16,000 people are employed by McColl's, which also has a partnership with supermarket Morrisons.

The company wrote that without any fresh funding in the short-term, the group would likely "be placed into administration with the objective of achieving a sale of the group to a third-party purchaser and securing the interests of creditors and employees".

But the chain also stressed on Thursday that discussions are still ongoing.

It added that it wanted to create a "stable platform for the business going forward".

The 1,400-store group has a wholesale tie-up with Morrisons, as well as Martin's newsagents, with a strategy centred around an image of a "neighbourhood retailer".

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Bet Lidl will be pleased. No Newspapers, no convenience shopping and I imagine the Post Office will close.

Two men have been arrested after police uncovered a significant amount of cannabis growing at a farm in Ross on Wye.

A member of the public reported suspicious activity at the location, and the smell of cannabis, and when officers arrived on Wednesday 4 May, they found in excess of 1000 plants at various stages of growth.

A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis and a 74-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of being involved in modern slavery.

Anyone who has witnessed suspicious activity, or has concerns about drugs or drugs supply in their area, is asked to report it to police on 101 or visit https://www.westmercia.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/ quoting incident 144 of 4 May.

Alternatively, if you have information but don’t feel comfortable speaking to police, you can speak to the independent charity Crimestoppers. It is 100% anonymous, they never ask your name and they cannot trace your call or IP address.

You can contact them at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ or 0800 555 111.

T’other day I was down on the Wye fishing for Barbel. As is always the case I’d mounted a Halibut pellet on a hair rig and employing my Shimano Barbel Vengeance rod and a two ounce quiver tip, I cast out waiting for this species to swim along and feast upon the bait and its size nine barbed hook.

For reasons unbeknown to me as I was sat there minding me own business hoping that promiscuous women wouldn’t emerge from the undergrowth and subsequently violate me because I’m the most desirable man in the world and generally speaking women can’t keep their hands off me, I glanced across to me left and found a pile of neatly folded clothes placed alongside a Bosch Strimmer. Atop of the clothes was a little handwritten note that read, ‘ Dear finder, you can keep the clothes and the Strimmer. I no longer have use of them. I’ve gone to a better place’.

Course, being on the Wye fishing for Barbel and living in the City of Hereford I honestly wracked my brains trying to work out where this better place was because, to my mind Hereford is as good as it gets. Anyways, if this fella has moved to another area and didn’t want his clothes or his Strimmer and he’s managed to find some place better than here in Hereford then more fool him I say. So I decided to do as he asked and take ownership of the Strimmer and try the clothes on.

Sadly, mostly because I’m a fat old bas.tar.d, the underpants, the vest, the trousers, shirt and jacket didn’t fit me so I discarded them, neatly folding them so that some other passing pilgrim could try the clothes on and decide whether or not they wanted to take advantage of this well meaning gift from the person who had found a better area to live in. Seemed to me to be the proper way to comply with the instructions relating to the tiny hand written note from this unknown person who didn’t want to keep his clothes or his Bosch 180 cordless Strimmer.

Anyways, to cut a long and tediously boring story very short, I kept the Strimmer and cleared off home. It was only when I returned to my abode did I suddenly realise I’ve no grass or foliage to Strim. Before taking ownership of the aforementioned property it completely escaped me that I lived at a property that had no grass because I lived on the fifth floor. I genuinely had forgotten that I and my property were completely lacking in the grass department and so I was now in possession of a Strimmer with no grass to do any strimming.

Me options suddenly became three. One keep the Strimmer and never use it. Two, lug the bloody heavy cumbersome thing back to the Wye and reunite it with the clothes and it’s little note or three, sell the bloody thing and get down the Commercial with the lads and enjoy my good fortune.

I went for option three. I popped an advert in the paper asking for twenty quid. From hereon, one could argue things went downhill. My view is things actually went uphill and if anyone on here wants to purchase this Strimmer then the following précis of my first encounter with a prospective buyer should act as a salutary warning to those who have grass, need a Strimmer and desperately want to acquire a device to cut grass.

He tipped up at my threshold, had a look at the Strimmer, noted I hadn’t got grass to Strim and offered me ten quid. It was at this initial point that I realised that he and I had entered into an exercise in haggling. Now, I know that haggling is traditionally a process whereby  two people, a buyer and a seller, enter into a little word of mouth game that eventually arrives at a place where one buys and the other sells. Thereafter, there’s an exchange in monies and property, in this case the bloody Strimmer, concluded with a shake of hands and a couple of fair thee wells.

I on the other hand chose a different approach. One designed to confuse him, literally ‘p’ him off and result in him regretting ever trying to haggle with me. Following his offer of ten quid, my selling offer shot up dramatically to thirty quid which left him in a state of bemused shock. He laughed mistakingly thinking I was a reasonable man and said, ‘ok. I’ll give you fifteen quid’. I laughed and offered to sell for thirty five quid. It was then that the buyer realised that going down or up in tens and fives wasn’t really helping and so he gave in and said, ‘ok. Twenty quid’

Now I could have then completed this transaction with relative ease. I could have but I didn’t. I explained that as a result of the haggling which he introduced, it wasn’t my decision, the price of the Strimmer had now shot up to forty quid which was actually twice the amount I had originally asked for. Quite simply I explained to him that around these here parts we haggle very differently and if he now chose to offer me thirty five quid I’d respond by asking for forty five quid. Indeed, the reality of it all meant that if he continued undercutting my asking price, as unreasonable as it was, I’d also go upwards rather than downwards. This fella, who clearly wanted and needed a Strimmer became fully aware  that if he went on like this he could end up paying me hundreds of pounds for a tool which he could easily have purchased for twenty quid.

Suffice it to say he left without purchasing the Strimmer cognisant that he’d wasted the best part of thirty minutes of his life trying to do business with me.

Now, to my original point. Does anyone on these here pages keen to avoid haggling want to purchase a Strimmer for twenty pounds?

Dramatic drone images from Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service at the 10 pump factory fire at Overross Industrial Estate in Ross-on-Wye this morning.

Good progress made through the early hours and now 4 appliances remain on scene damping down, with fire investigation officers working to establish the cause.

Thankfully there are no reports of any casualties and fantastic team work from all the fire fighters and emergency services who attended.

Photographs courtesy of Ade Farmer (Group Commander HWFRS)

Multiple fire crews are in attendance this morning at Large factory fire at Overross Industrial Est, Ross on Wye in #Herefordshire.

Photograph courtesy of Ade Farmer (Group Commander HWFRS)

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service have 10 appliances on site with support from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

Great effort from all crews especially the first pumps from Ross-on Wye-Fire Station who established a sound IC structure.

Photograph courtesy of Ade Farmer (Group Commander HWFRS)

The Guardian 1st May 2022:

‘Dental deserts’ form in England as dentists quit NHS, experts warn

Patients struggle to get treatment as report says health service has lowest number of dentists for a decade

‘My teeth still hurt’: patients unable to get on to NHS dentists’ lists

The number of dentists providing NHS care in England fell from 23,733 at the end of 2020 to 21,544 at the end of January this year, according to the latest NHS figures, which have been obtained by the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) under freedom of information laws.

Given that dentists each have a caseload of about 2,000 patients, the depletion of the workforce has left an estimated 4m people without access to NHS care. The NHS now has the smallest number of dentists it has had for a decade, according to the ADG, which represents major chains of surgeries.

Access to NHS dental care is now so limited that people in some areas are forced to wait three years for an appointment. The difficulty obtaining treatment is one of the public’s main sources of frustration with the health service, with just one in three people satisfied with dental services.

Many are forced to go private, after seeking an NHS dentist in vain, in order to have problems resolved. Some have rung dozens of surgeries in their area in a vain quest to be accepted as an NHS patient, or had to travel outside their home area to get it. A growing number of dental surgeries do little or no NHS-funded work, citing problems with the dental contract.

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I am resigned to go private as The NHS has been ruined by this Conservative government. Their plan of creative chaos is working wonders and I see Bill Gates is winding us up for another spate of Coronavirus and new vaccines - worse than the last lot.

Lidl are to hold a Public Meeting at Three Counties Hotel on Wednesday 11th May 12:00noon - 19:00

Further to our previous breaking news article here https://hfd.news/bgq regarding the Lidl supermarket planning application to demolish the Three Counties Hotel and change it into a supermarket and immediate backlash this has caused this meeting was inevitable.

Lidl have also confirmed that they plan to have a dedicated website and we will advise once this becomes live.

It is important that anyone with objections to this planning application, send in their individual letters (can be done on the Herefordshire Council planning portal) outlining their concerns and objections based on planning law ie, traffic, local disturbance, noise levels etc.

You can also sign our Petition https://chng.it/bWYtFHb78S

#HerefordVoice | #HerefordNews | #Hereford

People could find themselves being issued with an instant fine for revving their engines, playing loud music or just being a general nuisance in local car park.

Public order comes into force for Hereford car park.

Herefordshire Council has introduced a public spaces protection order for Garrick multi-storey car park in Widemarsh Street in Hereford.

The order comes into force on Sunday 1 May 2022.

Having consulted on the matter, the order is being implemented to reduce the antisocial behaviour that has been happening in the car park.

As well as posting news of the order on our website, we will place signs within the car park. Implementing the order allows the council and the police to issue on-the-spot fines to offenders.

Marc Willimont, Herefordshire Council’s head of public protection, economy and environment, says:

“We hope local residents will be reassured that the council is working to make all our public spaces free from all forms of antisocial behaviour. Nuisance behaviour, including drinking alcohol and playing loud music in open spaces, can blight people’s lives. In the worst cases, the antisocial behaviour of just a few can deter the many from enjoying some of our most precious public spaces. Clearly, that’s unfair on them, so this order will make Garrick multi-storey car park a more welcoming place in future for everyone to use. It will also protect the nearby residents from the noise and nuisance caused by gangs revving cars, loud car stereos and all the other sorts of antisocial behaviour associated with these activities.”

Hereford Voice have learned that plans are about to be submitted to turn the Three Counties Hotel on the notorious Belmont Road in Hereford into a Lidl Supermarket.

The A465 is possibly the worst main road into the city with daily congestion, adding another supermarket here would just make this road even worse.

There are often huge queues of traffic waiting to enter the McDonalds Drive-Thru regularly blocking the road in both directions.

On the plans below there is also another Drive-Thru earmarked which could possibly be a coffee Drive-Thru near to to the Brook.

Local residents have already started a petition in an attempt to block this going ahead.

An Extraordinary Meeting of the Belmont Parish Council will be held at the Kindle Centre (Asda) on Thursday 5th May 2022 at 7.30pm to discuss and agree a formal response to the Three Counties Hotel Hybrid application for demolition of existing hotel and build a Lidl Supermarket.

Monday 9 May, 9.30am – 10.30am

Hereford Cathedral launches a brand-new Toddler Group for young children and their grown-ups.

Starting on 9 May, and meeting at 9.30 am every Monday in term-time, the Toddler Group will be open to children aged 1-3, and free for families to attend. Taking place inside the beautiful cathedral, the sessions will be led by cathedral staff and volunteers. After a bible story, children will be able to take part in a craft activity, enjoy playing together and finish the session with a song - lots of fun, and refreshments will be available for both parents and toddlers.

Sarah Brown, the Dean of Hereford, is excited, “I’m so happy to invite the tiniest children, and their parents and carers, to come in and discover what a great place this amazing cathedral can be. The cathedral really is a place for little children, because it is God’s house, and He tells us to welcome the little children in his name. This time of fun (with a bit of learning thrown in) is our gift to the little ones, and hopefully a time of rest and refreshment for parents and carers too.”

William Talbot-Ponsonby, Head of Education & Family Learning, adds: “we are so looking forward to launching our Toddler Group in May. It’s open to all, whether you visit the cathedral regularly or have never stepped through the doors – we see it as a great opportunity for us to welcome in new people and to share our wonderful building. If you would also like to help out in running the sessions, please contact me at education@herefordcathedral.org, as I am always on the lookout for enthusiastic volunteers to help share their Christian knowledge and inspire young people.”

The Toddler Group will be free to attend, and advance booking is not required – just turn up on the day. If you would like to find out more about the group, please email education@herefordcathedral.org.

It seems that money is not a problem for the Council

£54,000. for a room and desk booking system. This will be on top of the costs of the project team attending demonstrations.

Can nobody get a grip of this spending

https://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/documents/s50099879/Award of contract for room and desk booking solution.pdf

West Mercia Police (OPU) arrested a male for threatening members of the public with a large length of wood in Hereford.

Driver was reported for no insurance, driving without a valid MOT and the vehicle was seized by Police.

West Mercia Police were called to the Hampton Bishop area of Hereford at around 8pm last night following a report of an assault and robbery.

A woman was injured during the incident and has been transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham for treatment. Her injuries are not life threatening.

Officers attended and a thorough search of the local area was conducted, with support from the National Police Air Service.

Officers remained on scene overnight and this morning.

Insp Dan Pilkington, said “we understand that a heavy police presence can be alarming, but would like to reassure residents that we believe this to be a contained incident with no threat to the wider community.

“Enquiries are going, and in the meantime there will continue to be a visible police presence in the area to provide reassurance.”

The new store building work has significantly progressed in the past few weeks and the store is on schedule to open on Saturday 14th May.