News | John Challis, who played Boycie in Only Fools And Horses, has died, the actor who lived in Wigmore, Herefordshire died from Cancer aged 79 years.

A statement on the Only Fools and Horses Twitter page

MEDIA STATEMENT FROM THE FAMILY OF JOHN CHALLIS

Sunday September 19, 2021

“It is with heavy hearts that we bring you such sad news. Our dear friend and yours, John Challis, has died peacefully in his sleep, after a long battle with cancer.

Art | How brilliant is this!

Barbara Shaw creates art in textiles using small scraps of fabric and this is the result of her 'Hereford Bull' artwork which is currently on display at the Old Chapel Gallery in #Pembridge if anyone would like to see it for real.

More details 👉 https://www.artintextiles.co.uk 

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service crews from both Kingsland, Presteigne and Kington Fire Stations attended the blaze at Whitney-on-Wye on Sunday evening.

Crews were faced with an intense fire which engulfed three outbuildings very close to houses. The fire also involved gas cylinders, petrol cans and machinery.

The heat was melting the house guttering and broke windows. Four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus and using two hosereels stopped the blaze reaching the houses and causing further damage while also extinguishing the fire, which was spread across the rear of three properties.

📸 HWFRS

FREE weekend bus travel throughout Herefordshire has been welcomed by those advocating sustainable transport in the county.

‘At last a local authority that is travelling in the right direction,’ responded Herefordshire Sustainable Transport Group to the announcement that a partnership with local bus operators and Herefordshire Council has resulted in free weekend bus travel from 4th September.

‘Over the last thirty years Herefordshire has seen a serious contraction of its bus network,’ HSTG told its members. ‘The result of this has been drastically felt in rural areas leading to increased examples of rural isolation and deprivation particularly affecting young and old alike. It is to be hoped that this welcome initiative by Herefordshire Council heralds a long awaited turn in the fortunes of the rural bus. The Bus Service Improvement Plan currently being drawn up will now need to pay attention to the shortfalls in weekday services. Well done Herefordshire.’

Herefordshire’s coalition administration has responded to the crisis in public transport in the county alongside government ambitions to change the fortunes of bus transport. A government paper on the vision for buses in the UK, Bus Back Better says buses: ‘bring people to jobs, study and local services; they liberate people who are old, young, disabled and isolated; they save millions of tonnes of carbon and pollution, and thousands of miles of traffic jams. The double decker bus is a symbol of Britain. Yet for decades, buses have been largely ignored by policymakers.’

Coalition councillor John Harrington said he was delighted to be able to offer free and unlimited weekend travel for about a year through the Covid-19 Recovery Fund. ‘By making it easier and cheaper to get around, the scheme will help connect people and communities provide a kick start to the local economy by getting people back into enjoying our vibrant city and market towns.’

Coun Harrington encouraged residents to develop their own ‘bus-it list’ – selecting locations, journeys, and experiences in the county, like Herefordshire Art Week, can be enjoyed thanks to free bus travel.

New Sunday services have also been introduced on primary routes throughout the county.

These include:

34 Ross-on-Wye – Monmouth; 36 Hereford – Monmouth; 40 Ross Town service; 401 Leominster Town service; 420 Bromyard – Hereford; 426 Hereford – Bodenham; 454 Hereford – Fownhope; 461 Kington – Hereford; 492 Leominster – Hereford; 496 Leominster - Shobdon - Pembridge - Eardisland circular; 600 Ledbury Town service and 675 Ledbury - Colwall - Great Malvern

📸 Hereford Buses

Gift the city: Hereford launches city wide gift card to support local businesses and make local shopping easy

Hereford Gift cards can be purchased from £5 to £500, and spent like a debit card with Hereford businesses including Printer + Tailor, La Madeleine, Fodder organic wholefood shop, Church Street café Rocket, jeweller C.V Osborne, Timothy Hawkins Gallery, The Coffee Cart Company.

Hereford’s newest business, Löv Leaf, a shop dedicated to house plants also accepts the new Hereford Gift Card. Steph Sparks is the owner of Löv Leaf, located on Hereford’s Church Street:

“I opened Löv Leaf in Hereford at the end of July 2021 and it’s going really well so far. House plant shops are slowly starting to pop up around the UK, mainly in London and the larger cities. When it came to opening Löv Leaf, Hereford, and Church Street in particular, was my number one choice, it is full of quirky independent shops and offers a great shopping experience. The support I’ve had from locals has been amazing. Of course, there are days when it’s quieter.

“I think the Hereford Gift Card is such a great idea. If you’re buying someone a gift and don’t know what to get for them, you can get a Hereford Gift Card and they have so many options. A Hereford Gift Card is a window to the whole of Hereford, and will help people to discover new businesses. Customers get that personal service when they come into the shop and a lifetime of advice too. Rather than every shop having its own gift card, it makes sense for us all to work together to create one fantastic gift card for Hereford.

“The pandemic encouraged us to invest more in our home environments, it became not only home but a work and social space too. Working from home was never for me though, and the pandemic was the catalyst for me to leave the tourism industry and set up Löv Leaf. I could never have envisaged running my own shop before covid, but there are so many benefits of surrounding ourselves with green plants like improved mental wellbeing.”

As well as retail businesses, leisure, services and hospitality businesses are part of the Hereford Gift Card. Gary Waring is the owner of Hereford’s popular Left Bank venue and said the Hereford Gift Card will be useful:

“Left Bank is similar to a French continental bar, it’s a place for people to meet and socialise over a drink. When we were closed due to covid, we put seating in place for over 500 people and that helped us to weather the storm. We also stopped taking cash during the pandemic, so the Hereford Gift Card will be another way people can pay. I think it will be successful.”

Hereford Business Improvement District is behind the new Hereford Gift Card, and all Hereford BID businesses are able to join the Hereford Gift Card, free of charge. The Hereford Gift Card is part of the award winning Town and City Gift Card concept from payments provider Miconex, and is the first programme of its kind in Herefordshire.

Mike Truelove, Chief Executive of Hereford BID said: “Hereford is leading the way in the county by introducing its own gift card. It reinforces Hereford as a brand, and as an appealing city that people want to visit. Retail footfall is slowly returning to pre-pandemic levels, the Hereford Gift Card gives our city an extra layer of support, particularly as we approach the Christmas period.”

Colin Munro is the Managing Director of Miconex: “A cathedral city with great shopping, dining and leisure, the Hereford Gift Card has the potential to be hugely successful. There are around 30,000 households in Hereford. If every household bought, or was gifted, a £10 Hereford Gift Card, that would be £300,000 going into the Hereford economy, supporting local businesses, local people and local jobs.”

The Hereford Gift Card is a prepaid Mastercard and is available to buy now, online or at the Hereford Tourist Information Centre on St Owen Street.

Twinkling lights, mulled wine, a festive atmosphere and fabulous gifts – Christmas markets are one of England's fondest traditions.

Getty Images

Many cities enjoy wonderful Christmas Markets throughout the festive period, with their classic wooden chalets often showcasing local produce, wines, crafts, food and gifts.

Which is your favourite market and would you support bringing this tradition to Hereford ? Ho ho ho

The landlord at The Orange Tree pub in King Street Hereford has made the contentious decision to 'refuse entry' to people wearing sportswear, 'Stone Island' branded clothing, hoodies and bumbags and will only allow entry to adults over the age of 21 at weekend as we reported in this article last Wednesday on our Facebook page.

The Orange Tree Pub Hereford

The landlord wants to restore the pub to its fomer glory and busy times and by refusing entry to these young unruly people will hopefully make it a proper pub again.

Charity | The landlord, Mr Hoyle will also be donating 10 per cent of takings in September to local charities.

The Little Princess Trust will be the first charity to gain from this generous donation scheme.

📸 Google

'An immersive Art Experience for Car lovers' at Lemore Manor 23rd and 24th September.

You will find yourself at an exclusive venue surrounded with car art and with people like you who love, own and/or collect cars.

Art will be available throughout the grounds of the estate as well as inside the building.

There will be a few spectacular art cars and rare cars among works of art brought by car manufacturers and private collectors to be displayed as works of art.

ART CARS

Bentley Unifying Spur by Rich Morris

Polestar 1: The only car you can buy with Art

British and European Custom Art Cars

BMW

LAUNCH

B500X Arkonik by Etienne

FEATURED

AF10 by Arash Motor Company

The Aston Martin Callum Vanquish 25

Morgan Plus Four CX-T

Morgan Plus Six (Viper Green)

Alpine

DISPLAY

Aston Martin Heritage Trust

RACING CARS

Blackbull Whisky's Lamborghini Huracan Evo GT3

DTO Motorsports

PROTOTYPES and RARE PRIVATE CARS

Details and Tickets https://www.sleepingwithart.com

Beginning this Saturday (4 September), the council is pleased to announce that all bus travel within Herefordshire will be FREE AT WEEKENDS!!

Thanks to investment as part of the Covid-19 Recovery Fund, anybody and everybody will be able to hop on and off any bus in the county, as many times as they like. No fares.

The only condition is that the journey must be entirely within the county.

To help people make the most of the scheme, there will also be additional services on Sundays, serving several locations including Bromyard, Ledbury, Leominster, Kington and Colwall.Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet member for infrastructure and transport, said:

Quote

 

“We are very pleased to be able to offer free, unlimited weekend bus travel for the whole county for what we hope will be at least a year. By making it easier and cheaper to get around, the scheme will help to connect people and communities, and provide a kick start to the local economy by getting people back to enjoying our vibrant city and market towns.

“Travelling by bus is often better for your physical and mental wellbeing, allowing you to sit back, take in the world from the window and enjoy the ride. It also reduces congestion and wear and tear on the road network, and is better for the environment.

“We’re encouraging everybody to compile their own ‘bus-it list’ – a selection of locations, journeys and experiences in the county that can be enjoyed thanks to free bus travel. Whether it’s an afternoon shopping in a high street, a day out to a museum or historic site, or travelling to meet friends for a meal or a drink at a local café or restaurant, you have all the reasons in the world to ‘bus-it’.”

 

Free weekend bus travel is just one element of the Covid-19 Recovery Plan, which is providing funding of £6m to support the county in its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cllr David Hitchiner, Leader of the Council, added:

Quote

“We know how important it is to connect people with their communities and to the wider world and to help people feel safe and supported. The investment, support and activities outlined in the Recovery Plan help to address the impact of covid-19 on people of all ages, as our communities look towards recovery.”

Bus travel will remain free to residents of pensionable age, and those with a qualifying disability through the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS).

To help keep everybody safe, it is recommended that you continue to wear a mask when travelling by bus – and don’t forget to check timetables for your return journey before travelling.

For more information, visit herefordshire.gov.uk/bus-it

Free bus travel at weekends within Herefordshire

ALL bus travel within Herefordshire will be free on weekends from now on, Herefordshire Council has pledged.

Thanks to investment as part of the £6 million Covid-19 recovery fund, anybody will be able to hop on and off any bus in the county, as many times as they like, without paying a penny.

The only condition is that the journey must be entirely within the county.

To help people make the most of the scheme, there will also be additional services on Sundays, serving several locations including Bromyard, Ledbury, Leominster, Kington and Colwall.

No information has been released yet about the extra services.

Coun John Harrington, cabinet member for infrastructure and transport, said the scheme would make it easier and cheaper to travel, helping connect people and boost recovery from the pandemic.

With the free travel starting this Saturday, he said: “We are very pleased to be able to offer free, unlimited weekend bus travel for the whole county for what we hope will be at least a year.

The Little Princess Trust’s new HQ is now open, allowing the charity to help more children and young people with cancer than ever before.

The new site, named The Hannah Tarplee Building, will shine a light on the charity’s work with its provision of wigs as well as its funding of childhood cancer research.

Located in the heart of Hereford, LPT’s home houses a custom-built wig-fitting salon and a designated space that now allows the charity to physically knot the real hair wigs that make such a difference to their young recipients.

The site also has a conference room where many of the scientists and researchers funded by The Little Princess Trust will present on their work focused on finding kinder and more effective treatments for childhood cancers.

Experts in the field of paediatric cancer say the presentations given by some of the world’s leading scientists and academics will firmly put Hereford on the research map.

Dr Pam Kearns, Professor of Clinical Paediatric Oncology at the University of Birmingham, said LPT’s new conference facility is “of national significance” and “demonstrates the charity’s ongoing commitment to change the lives of children with cancer”.

“The space will be such a fantastic hub for paediatric cancer researchers, oncologists and the wider cancer community,” she added. “And it will act as a catalyst for collaboration to drive forward innovation in paediatric cancer research.”

The charity had previously rented offices and Phil Brace, from The Little Princess Trust, said everyone associated with LPT was delighted to now have a purpose-built home of their own.

He added: “We notified our supporters of our intention to invest in a new headquarters and are incredibly grateful to the many businesses who have supported us to significantly reduce costs.

“This new premises means we can do so much more by increasing our efficiency, our own wig production, furthering our research and reaching more children and young people.”

The Little Princess Trust was set up in memory of Hannah Tarplee in 2006 and the new premises has been named in her honour.

Hannah, who was from Hereford, was diagnosed with a Wilms Tumour shortly after starting primary school and the loss of her hair proved especially traumatic.

Her parents struggled to find a wig suitable for her and felt the most fitting tribute to the five-year-old would be a charity dedicated to providing wigs to children who had lost their own hair due to cancer treatment.

The Little Princess Trust has since gone on to provide more than 11,000 wigs to young people and the charity’s new home, and the work taking place there, will act as a permanent legacy to Hannah.  

Wendy Tarplee-Morris, Hannah’s mother and LPT Founder, said the charity was committed to remaining true to its Hereford origins and that is why the investment was made in a new home which would be open to the local community.

Schools will be encouraged to visit and learn about LPT’s work while the conference facilities will be freely available to other Herefordshire charities wanting to use them.

Mr Brace added: “The Little Princess Trust is, and always will be, focussed on both its provision of wigs and its essential research funding while maintaining its core values.

“We are always grateful to our supporters and recognise our responsibilities to the children and young people whom we serve.”

“And we will never forget our roots and that is why we have chosen to invest in Hereford – the city where we will remain.” 

West Mercia Police are appealing for witnesses and anyone with dash-cam footage to please contact them following a fatal road traffic collision yesterday (Saturday 28 August) in Herefordshire.

Officers were called to the A44 Worcester Road near Bromyard where at around 12.20pm a silver Skoda Octavia Estate, a Blue Audi Q5 and a white Volvo Traffic Artic lorry had collided.

Sadly, the driver of the blue Audi Q5, a 44 year-old woman from Leominster sustained fatal injuries as a result of the collision and died at the scene. Her next of kin have been informed. No one else involved in the collision was injured.

The road was closed for several hours while investigation and recovery work took place.

If you have any information that can help with the investigation, please contact the Police via their website quoting incident number 312i of 28 August 2021.

Not much info on this.
Plans for new Uni student accommodation have been drawn up that will see Gibbs & Dandy in Widemarsh St relocate near to Jewsons with their old business premises used to build Uni student accommodation.
 

The Little Princess Trust will be soon moving into 'The Hannah Tarplee Building' in Berrington Street Hereford.

The former Bob Gallier site has been transformed into a state of the art facility for this fabulous charity.

The Trust, founded in memory of 5 year old Hannah Tarplee, supplies the best real-hair wigs available, free of charge, to children and young adults up to the age of 24, who have lost their hair through cancer treatment or other illnesses, donations gratefully received here ➡️ https://www.justgiving.com/littleprincesstrust

Website ➡️ https://www.littleprincesses.org.uk 

The all new Hereford City Life Gift Card - the brand the Hereford Business Improvement District are behind.

Launching in the next few weeks - the official Hereford City Life Gift Card has 100 shops for the public to use their card in including big names like McDonalds, Primark and Marks and Spencers....to local independents such as Fodder Wholefoods, Avant Garde Hereford or Hey, Honey ....this is the perfect gift to give and receive and is ideal for companies to use as a thank you to their staff too!

Using this means the public also support local shops which is good for everyone.

Available later this month to order online or locally from Hereford Tourist Information Centre - watch this space for more details.

In The Hereford Times today:

Idea for new advertising board in Hereford unveiled

A NEW digital billboard could be coming to Hereford, if Herefordshire Council agrees to plans and does not think it would make the A49 dangerous for drivers.

Alight Media, based in London, has asked the council if it can put the digital screen – which would be 6.4 metres wide and 3.4 metres high – on land at the Richmond Place Club in Edgar Street.

Documents submitted with the plans showed the adverts would be mainly seen by traffic heading southbound.

And while consultants recognise there was currently no advertising at the site, it did feel as it was an "appropriate location for a landmark advertising site".

They said The Richmond Club Place had been severely impacted by the coronavirus lockdowns so money from adverts would "assist significantly to the survival of the club along with the opportunity to advertise upcoming events at the club to the local community".

Anything to distract drivers while they wait to cross Greyfriars Bridge.

Our good friend Just Jon Simpson shared this with members of our Hereford Voice Photo Studio this morning.

Jon wrote;

Quote

"Went to take a photo on the walk home yesterday and saw a gentleman painting one of Hereford's finest views. Jonathan Roger a local artist was creating this piece for the upcoming h.Art week HACS exhibition at the Green Dragon in Sept. Looking forward seeing the finished work"

It is good to see the river path which runs alongside the Saracens Head pub on St Martin's Street Hereford has reopened.