Ian was upside down, up to his neck in a flooded cabin, in the middle of the Atlantic in the pitch black.

His navigation books are destroyed. He has a rudder so he can steer and he has water and food, but everything is soaking wet. He’ll know what’s possible once he’s checked himself and the boat but he’s a very determined, very special man.

With 4 days of bad weather still to come, Ian is checking what he can but he’s lost most of his power, a lot of kit and communications equipment.He is battered and bruised but feeling strong. He has lost AIS (the alarm) so the coastguard is alerting other ships of his location.

Former SAS soldier Ian is rowing 3400 miles solo from NY to the Isles of Scilly without GPS! He hopes to raise £500,000 for charity more details rowsentinel.com

Latest update an hour ago: 10:00am Ian is continuing to row towards the IOS and has less then 600 miles to go. He’ll do everything that he can to complete the challenge.

Good luck Ian we are following your progress.

From the people at Hereford City Life ...this is a consumer brand of the Hereford BID 

The fabulous local businesses featured in the video are:

En BBQ
Saxtys
Venue Nightclub
Castle House Hotel
Green Dragon Hotel
Left Bank
King Street Kitchen
The Courtyard
Lupa

Three men have been sentenced at Worcester Crown Court for a total of more than 16 years in prison for drugs offences.

Pictured left to right - Keith Hill 47 | Lewis Plant 22 | Bradley Reader 20

Keith Hill, aged 47, of Ridgemoor Road, Leominster, was stopped by officers on June 30, 2020, while driving a van in Leominster. A quantity of heroin, crack cocaine and cocaine was found hidden under a seat. A search of his home was later carried out and officers seized a torch which was a fully working stun gun. Keith Hill was bailed for further enquiries.

While officers investigated Hill’s offences they discovered he was involved in transporting Class A drugs from Liverpool into Herefordshire. He then used others to distribute heroin, crack cocaine and cocaine throughout the county.

On 12 March 2021, officers carried out four simultaneous search warrants in Leominster and Kington as part of the investigation. In total officers recovered just under 1kg of Class A Drugs which had a potential street value of approximately £100,000. Equipment used to compress the drugs was also found at one of the properties as well as £7,000 in cash.

Lewis Plant, aged 22 of Hawkins Court, Hereford and Bradley Reader, aged 20 of Tan Y Bryn, Holyhead, were both distributing Class A drugs in Leominster and Hereford and were arrested as part of the operation. Keith Hill was also further arrested at that time.

Hill was sentenced on Thursday 5 August to 12 years - reduced to 9 years for an early guilty plea - for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine, possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of criminal property.

Plant was sentenced to 6 years - reduced to 4 years 10 months for an early guilty plea - for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

Reader was sentenced to 3 years - reduced to 2 years 3 months for an early guilty plea - for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

Detective Inspector Matt Cartwright said: “Following the initial arrest of Keith Hill we were able to identify that he was distributing drugs throughout Herefordshire.

“I welcome the sentences handed down to these three men. It demonstrates that we will not tolerate any form of drug dealing and those caught should expect a severe prison sentence.

“Tackling drugs and organised crime is a force priority and we will continue to pursue those involved. Our teams have worked tirelessly to uncover this county line and the criminality within it. We continue to work closely with our communities who share vital intelligence with us so that we can help protect people from harm.

“I urge anyone who is concerned that drug dealing is happening in their street or town to please contact us, or alternatively Crimestoppers – an independent charity – and we will investigate.”

West Mercia Police’s Protect campaign aims to tackle serious and organised crime together and is underpinned by a four P principle – Pursue, Prevent, Protect and Prepare.

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 I.P address. You can contact them online or by calling 0800 555 111.

A man from Sutton St. Nicholas, Hereford, who stole £87,640 worth of sheep has been sentenced at Worcester Crown Court on Wednesday 4 August to eight months imprisonment. A proceeds of crime hearing is scheduled to take place on 24 November.

Daniel Smith, 25-years-old, pleaded guilty to four counts of theft at Hereford Magistrates’ Court on 7 July 2021.

The sheep were stolen from four locations in fields in the Marden, Sutton St Nicholas and Cross Keys areas of Herefordshire between 2 November 2020 and 26 January 2021.

One of the victims identified sheep being sold as those stolen from his farm and subsequently 92% of the stolen sheep were recovered over the following two days in March 2021.

Wildlife Crime Officer, PC Josh Kitchen of West Mercia Police, said: “We are pleased with the result of this investigation and hope that it reassures the farming community that livestock theft will not be tolerated and that police will fully investigate these incidents.

“Livestock thefts across the UK totalled £2.3million in 2020 and the act often causes suffering for the animals and additional financial pressures for farmers.

“I would like to thank the farmers involved for their assistance in this investigation as well as the cooperation of Hereford Livestock Market. Without their assistance it is unlikely these sheep would have ever been recovered.”

If you suspect any stolen sheep are being sold please contact Wildlife Crime Officer Josh Kitchen on 07773053436.

The freehold disposal of Hereford Town Hall is being discussed at a meeting set for August 6th

It's not a simple 'yes or no question' because this is public money that needs to be spent!

There are huge maintenance costs to consider, many of the county's historical buildings require regular maintenance and the Hereford Town Hall needs at least £2.5M spending on it immediately just to bring it up to standard, but there is a lot more work required. This is mainly down to the lack of ongoing maintenance since back to the 1990's.

The reason for this consideration, from our understanding, is that the Town Hall could be sold to the Hereford City Council and or including a possible 3rd party (CIC) which will be discussed further at the meeting on August 6th 2021. A community interest company (CIC) is a special form of non-charitable limited company, which exists primarily to benefit a community or with a view to pursuing a social purpose, rather than to make a profit for shareholders. Therefore, access to finance – whether through provide donors, grants or community development finance – may lead a social enterprise to operate as a CIC rather than as a standard company. These funding options such as grants etc are available to CIC's but this source of funding would not be available to a Council. 

Councillor Gemma Davies, cabinet member for commissioning, procurement and assets, said that in setting this year’s budget, it was vital £11.2 million in savings was identified, including new approaches to managing council assets.

Quote

“We are in discussions with Hereford City Council around the transfer of Hereford Town Hall to their ownership,”

she said.

Quote

“The possibility of a community asset transfer has been explored, however, a receiving organisation has not been found to date, so the council is now also considering other options.

“We appreciate how much local people and visitors love the town hall. It is a beautiful, historic building, and we have not taken this decision lightly."

Hereford Town Hall was built in 1904 and is a Grade II Listed building.

In order to bring the Hereford Town Hall and other historical buildings across the county up to standard would most likely result in a increase in Council Tax, so the real question here is; 

'Would you prefer in increase in your Council Tax or for Herefordshire Council to consider these other options'?

Supporting Local Business | Sensory & Rye are opening in the former 'British Heart Foundation' shop opposite the Kerry, but they need a little bit of local support...

Over the last 6 years we have seen the incredible rise in Herefords food scene and they have been right at the heart of it.

Based in Bastion Mews they have built this creative, beautiful restaurant, packed with good vibes, stunningly beautiful food and some of the best coffee in Hereford!

Bastion Mews has been their original home, but they are restricted by size and their ideas, passion and creativity needs space to grow!

They are moving into the British Heart Foundation building, just across from where they are now and they are already in the process of turning it into the most incredible restaurant! The additional space will Sensory & Rye to offer a dinner menu, live music, breakfast, brunch and lunches as well as many more ideas that they have secretly kept up their sleeves.

Their small team have made huge strides in the renovations, but they need local support to help them to complete the journey.

If you would like to help, full details https://bit.ly/3wWxEu8

‘Hereford City Life’ backed by Hereford BID are launching the ‘Hereford Gift Card’!

They are launching a brand new gift card to help encourage customers to spend their money with local Hereford businesses.

The Hereford Gift Card is a pre-paid ‘Master Card’ based programme, that can be accepted by independents and nationals within Hereford city centre.

Consumers

The new Hereford Gift Card can be purchased as a gift for a family member or friend or even to give to someone to say thank you. The gift card is just like any other gift card that you see on the high street and you will be able to use it to spend in many of the local shops, cafés, restaurants and bars and all participating businesses in Hereford City Centre including Marks and Spencers, Primark, New Look, Timothy Hawkins Gallery, Saxtys, Pleasance and Harper, Toni and Guy, Fox and Mabel...to name but a few however, a full list of those participating businesses will be provided once the gift card is launched in the next few months, just in time for Christmas!!

Businesses

This scheme is another great way to encourage visitors to shop and spend with your business and can benefit many sectors, including retail, hospitality, leisure and service. 

How do I register?

To register your business as an approved Hereford Gift Card location, please visit the registration page here https://hfd.news/kwj and follow the steps outlined.

Costs

Being an approved location for the Hereford Gift Card will cost you nothing other than the levy you already pay to us. Every penny the customer spends on the card will be loaded on the card too - there are no hidden fees!

What if I have more questions?

If you have more queries about the Hereford Gift Card and registering your businesses, you can find FAQs on the Hereford BID website using our link - https://hfd.news/2so or alternatively, please feel free to contact Hereford BID by email info@herefordbid.co.uk 

On our recent visit to the Town Hall our friend John Marshall explained the history of the Coat of Arms and we are so pleased that he has put all of the incredible history into writing for your reading pleasure!

It's been 376 since Hereford was under siege from the Scottish!

The infamous battle resulted in the creation of Hereford's Coat of Arms, and the two stories are closely intertwined.

In 1189, King Richard I gave the City its first royal charter, and with it came Hereford's first Coat of Arms, but the remainder of the design dates much later, to 1645, at which time the realm was in a state of Civil War.

The City of Hereford stood for the King, and was stationed with Royalist troops. The garrison for the City, however, was very small, no more than 150-200 men at most. Then, a large Scottish force of 14,000 men marched to attack Hereford - mercenary troops fighting for Cromwell. They surrounded the City with the intention of capturing it, confidant that they could defeat the vastly outnumbered Royalists.

However... the citizens of Hereford joined with the soldiers in the garrison, enacting the duties of fighting men so well that they kept the invading Scottish troops at bay for approximately five weeks. The enemy was unable to make a single penetration of the City's defences during this time, their only achievement being the destruction of one span of the old bridge over the Wye and dislodging a few stones from the City walls.

In the end, the Scots gave up trying to capture the City and retreated, leaving the Royal Standard flying in triumph over the City. King Charles I, upon hearing of this, was delighted and full of praise for the citizens of Hereford. So much so, that he visited the City in order to thank them personally for their success, and made the Grant of Arms which the City now possesses.

The shield on the coat was given ten crosses in white and blue, representing the surrounding forces of the Scottish troops. The motto for the City, which is also on the Coat, was granted; INVICTAE FIDELITATIS PRAEMIUM - which means; "Reward for faithfulness unconquered". A lion crest can now be seen on the top of the Coat, signifying loyalty and defence of the Crown. The helmet below the lion is also very rare, and is only found on the Coat of one other authority in England - the City of London.

Full story of the Coat of Arms HERE

In The Guardian today:

Hay festival in disarray as director quits after bullying claim upheld

Exit of Peter Florence adds to list of woes that include two years of Covid cancellations and a sex assault claim against a Gulf royal.

You could write a book on this!

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service deployed boat crews from Hereford and Worcester stations, a drone was used from Ledbury Fire Station and another fire crew from Fownhope were all mobilised to reports of a person in the River Wye in Hereford.

A Police helicopter was seen hovering over the River Wye using a search light and emergency services were near to the Bunch of Carrots. The incident was finally left with West Mercia Police

We reported the story late last night here https://hfd.news/kud

Here's a wonderful photo of one of the regular coal trains crossing the river along the Great Western Way from our Old Hereford Pics archive.

Who remembers when the trains were active along the GWW?

Herefordshire Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on the U71005 - Sellack Boat, Kings Caple in Herefordshire

Leader of Herefordshire Council, Cllr David Hitchiner, has announced changes to Cabinet Member portfolios, to take effect from 1 August 2021.

Leader of Herefordshire Council, Cllr David Hitchiner

Councillor Pauline Crockett will step down from Cabinet due to personal reasons, but will continue her duties as a ward member.

Councillor Felicity Norman is the new Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Wellbeing, and Councillor Jenny Bartlett will continue as Cabinet Support Member.

Councillor Diana Toynbee’s Children’s and Family Services portfolio returns to the full list of responsibilities which Councillor Felicity Norman had when she had this portfolio, but with the addition of Councillor Kath Hey who is appointed as an additional Cabinet Support to support Young People’s Attainment, including post-16 education, training and skills development.

This additional support role is important to reflect the responsibilities that Councillor Toynbee has concerning the Improvement journey in Children’s Services and also the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people and to ensure that the county’s education and skills are aligned and delivered effectively.

The new Cabinet will come into effect from Sunday 1 August 2021:

• Councillor David Hitchiner - Leader of Herefordshire Council / Corporate strategy and budget
• Councillor Liz Harvey – Deputy Leader of Herefordshire Council / Finance, Corporate Services and Planning
• Councillor Diana Toynbee - Children’s and Family Services, and Young People’s Attainment
• Councillor Gemma Davies - Commissioning, Procurement and Assets
• Councillor Ellie Chowns – Environment and Economy
• Councillor Felicity Norman - Health and Adult Wellbeing
• Councillor John Harrington - Infrastructure and Transport
• Councillor Ange Tyler - Housing, Regulatory Services and Community Safety

West Mercia Police wrote;

Quote

 

"A statement from Superintendent Edd Williams following videos that have recently been circulating on social media.

“We’re aware of two videos circulating on social media filmed at Leominster and Hereford Police Stations showing our officers engaging with a man who was filming in a public place, outside the police station.

Whilst anyone can legally film in a public place there are security and safety considerations around filming police buildings.

Our officers are trained to measure the threat, harm and risk of incidents and act accordingly, and where necessary will challenge individuals.

“However, while it is only right that officers do challenge individuals this should be done in a friendly, professional and appropriate manner.

We recognise the behaviour of one officer in the videos is not to the standard we would expect when engaging with the public and have spoken to the officer about this.

“Our officers will continue to be proactive in addressing security concerns in and around police premises, which is as much about protecting the public as it is our own workforce.”

 

Hereford Video https://youtu.be/10BTI0woGfU

Leominster Video https://youtu.be/cWlN_NLBJtk

#HerefordVoice | #HerefordNews | #LeominsterNews

In line with government advice on the removal of many Covid-19 restrictions, Herefordshire Council will begin the process of removing some Emergency Active Travel Measures following the 19 July 2021. 

Some measures will be removed in the weeks following the 19th July, whilst the removal of others will follow after the summer to allow a more sensible and balanced return to pre-Covid streetscapes. 

The initial elements to be removed are:

• Footway widening in High Street Bromyard, Broad Street and King Street Hereford
• Temporary 20mph limits in Hereford and the Market Towns
• Highway Covid warning signage in Ross on Wye & Kington
• Friday closure of High Street Leominster
• Extension to closure time of Widemarsh Street Hereford

Elements to be removed at the end of September:

• Old Wye Bridge Closure Hereford
• Footway widening in Bridge Street Hereford

The following elements are to remain for the time being:

• Closure of Aubrey Street Hereford
• Advisory cycle lane on Ledbury Road Hereford

Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet member for Infrastructure and Transport, said: 

Quote

“In line with the government’s advice that social distancing and other restrictions are no longer mandatory, we will start to return roads and pavements back to their original layout. 

“During this period many hospitality outlets have applied for pavement licences which we have been happy to support to allow these local Herefordshire businesses to trade as best as possible. Businesses will be able to continue trading until these licences expire at the end of September, so that they and patrons can enjoy the summer and school holidays.

“After some consideration we have decided to keep the Old Bridge closed to non-pedestrian or cycling traffic (except emergency vehicles, buses and taxis) until the end of September. We have seen significant increases in walking and cycling in this area during the partial closure and I hope businesses who were initially nervous have seen the benefits of slower and less congested streets. The footway widening in Bridge Street will remain in place until 30 September to support the continuing closure of the Old Bridge and street pavement licences.         

“I want to thank everyone for their input over the last few months, I know these measures were not universally popular but I believe this period of restrictions has allowed us to see a different way of using our streets. I am committed to providing the best environment for both continued use of motor vehicles in the centre of Hereford whilst encouraging better walking and cycling routes and better use of our pavements for hospitality outlets. 

“We are working towards a masterplan for the City environs and will consult fully with all stakeholders and the public to get the best input for the vision we hopefully all share for our vibrant city and market towns.” 

Over the past few years, we have noticed more and more planning applications to change use from shops to residential flats and accommodation. Again today plans have been submitted here for 145 Eign Street

Quote

Proposed variation of condition 2 of planning permission 163094 (Proposed change of use of shop to two flats and new dormer window to south elevation) minor changes to layout and change from Dormer to roof extension.

Hereford shops are slowly disappearing and Herefordshire Council are often granting these plans. We will attempt to start highlighting each of these applications to show the scale of this trend from the Council.

How plans were passed in Eign Street for this lot previously is beyond comprehension, how is this in keeping with the surrounding area? These buildings bricked up look horrendous! 

Reduce, reuse, recycle, recover – a new way for managing waste

Reducing the amount of waste we produce, and reusing and recycling where possible, benefits the county and the environment, and is the aim of a new waste strategy for Herefordshire agreed at the council’s cabinet meeting today (29 July).

The new waste strategy sets out the changes that will be taking place to the way that household and business waste is collected and then treated, and schemes that support and encourage a reduction in the amount of waste being produced. These include:

• Reduce – promoting schemes that reduce the amount we throw away such as community fridge schemes
• Reuse – supporting organisations that repair and reuse items, community share schemes and encouraging donations to charity
• Recycle – composting garden waste, supporting people to recycle more
• Recover – introducing a new kerbside food waste collection and producing energy from food waste

The small proportion of waste remaining will only then go to landfill.

The strategy also sets out changes to the black bin and recycling collections based on feedback from a resident consultation held earlier this year, when around 3,500 people told us what worked well for them and what could be improved about their kerbside collection service.

A number of pilot schemes will trial these changes to see what works best, so that they can be introduced across the county in the most effective way.Cllr Gemma Davies, cabinet member commissioning, procurement and assets said:

Quote

 

“We want to introduce and support more ways for people to reuse and recycle, reduce the amount of waste we all produce and ultimately reduce what goes to landfill, as this benefits residents and communities and is better for the environment. Our new waste strategy sets out clear measures to achieve this.

“The council’s waste collection and disposal contracts are due to end in 2024. It is important that we use this opportunity to align our waste strategy with our vision for a more sustainable county and our declared climate and ecological emergency, and to fully consider how to make changes to meet the requirements of the government’s 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy for England.

“I am particularly excited to see how we can work with our local communities to support and encourage people to reuse and recycle more. They do say one person’s trash is another person’s treasure - and we have set an ambitious target to increase the amount of recycling in the county. We also intend to make better use of our garden waste for composting and food waste to produce energy.”

 

The new waste strategy, as well as the outcome of the rubbish and recycling consultation, can be found on the Herefordshire Council website.

Police in Hereford are appealing for information following a racially aggravated assault in the city.

The incident happened in the Church Street area of the city at around 4.00pm on Wednesday 7 July 2021. The victim sustained facial injuries as a result.

Officers are appealing for any witnesses to come forward with information and are particularly interested in identifying the man shown in the image below.

If you have any information please contact PC Karol Kujawa on 07971 395081 quoting incident number 369i of the 7th July 2021 or report anonymously using the Tell Us About section of the website.