The beautiful 400-year-old Old House in Hereford will be undergoing some much needed repairs if the recent planning application to carry out these repairs is approved.

The Black and White House Museum Hereford.

As you can clearly see from our photographs below, many of the infill panels need to be repaired and brought back to their former glory.

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Proposed repairs to external joinery, frame and infill panels of 1st floor, 2nd floor & attic level elevations.

Donald Insall Associations - Chartered Architects and Historical Building Consultants

Herefordshire Council appointed Insall to undertake a condition survey of the first and second floor level external elevations, to identify the condition of the timber frame, infill panels and associated external joinery i.e. windows, bargeboards and finials, and provide budget costs to allow a capital funding bid for the work. The findings of the inspection were to inform recommendations for improvement works sufficient to allow tenders to be invited from suitably experienced contractors.

Recommendations 

Timber Frame and Joinery

Necessary repairs to joinery on the upper-level elevations are minor in nature and largely focused on arresting the further loss of the delightful decorative details which are such a feature of this eye- catching building.

  Repair 5no carved pendant characters adorning gable apex. Introduce discreet lead cover flashing over upper surfaces of all 8 pendants following repair and redecoration.

  Repair several other missing or damaged decorative joinery features.

  Numerous previous patch repairs to frame and joinery require refixing.

  Remove extensive modern sealants before repair and redecoration.

  Remove leaching bird deterrent gel on transoms and sills before repair and redecoration.

  Prepare and redecorate external timber with linseed oil paint.

  Arrange close inspection by a suitably experienced structural engineer when access is next available during planned works.

Infill Panels

The constructional build-up and layered provenance of each panel is difficult to determine as the building has undergone may phases of adaptation and repair, but some original panels are likely to have survived at least in part and these are of high significance. Consequently, a cautious approach to repair is required where the type of construction is not apparent in a defective panel.

The cause of panel defects may often be the result of a combination of factors. It appears that many of the defective areas are of modern construction and relate to recent phases of repair.

Remove defective and delaminating coatings to panels and perimeter sealant at junctions with frame.

Progressively open up defective areas recording existing individual panel construction on reference sheet.

  Where defective panel is supported on modern woodwool slab or expanded metal lathing, assume complete replacement with new wattle and daub panel construction.

  Where defective panel is of modern, or historic, wattle and daub construction, assess soundness of panel and integrity of wattles/ laths to establish suitability for stabilisation or patch repair. Samples of any soil or lime-based daub should be carefully salvaged and bagged for analysis by others.

Replacement panels of new wattle and daub construction – refer to specification and drawings. Repairs to existing wattle and daub panel construction – refer to specification.
Prepare and redecorate panel exterior with mineral paint – refer to specification.
Prepare and redecorate panel interior with distemper – refer to specification.

Ancillary Items

Minor repairs to fixed leaded light windows in timber frames.

Renew isolated broken clay plain tiles to bay window roofs.

Repair/ renew sections of lead cover flashing to south elevation 2nd floor bressummer beam.

Remove sealant joint over lead cover flashing at top abutment of tiled roofs – refer to specification for repair detail.

The Condition Survey and Recommendation for Improvement Works PDF from Donald Insall Associates is attached below;

ProposalAttachment.pdf

Positive Hereford | Huge congratulations to Hamish at Local E Sourced awarded ‘Net Hero’ Winners at The Small Awards

This is a fantastic achievement and well deserved 👏👏

Interview with Hamish here https://fb.watch/5x7XYzdWfv/

Local E Sourced are absolutely delighted with their win and have written a few words here https://hfd.news/r99

Herefordshire Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on the U80011 - Union Street, Hereford.

The Knife Angel (Also referred to as the National Monument Against Violence & Aggression) is a contemporary sculpture formed from 100,000 confiscated knives and is an incredible 27ft in height and weighing over 3.5 tonnes, created by artist Alfie Bradley (pictured below) and the The British Ironwork Centre based in Oswestry.

This thought-provoking angel artwork is scheduled to be hosted by the magnificent Hereford Cathedral from 14 June for 28 days.

Hereford Voice is proud to be a 'Working Partner' with this fabulous charity.

Donations https://www.justgiving.com/knifeangelhereford

About Knife Angel Hereford

Alison Davies lost her son Mark Hamilton to knife crime in 2018, together with friends Meryl Cain, Pauline Strong and Jan Jefferies they decided to bring the Knife Angel to #Hereford in 2021 to help raise awareness of the catastrophic impact of violent crime on communities, families and individuals.

Visit the website www.knifeangelhereford.co.uk

During the Knife Angel’s visit, the Knife Angel Hereford team will run a series of workshops and interactive events. It is envisaged that this initiative will continue after the Knife Angel leaves Hereford.

Another reason to Visit Herefordshire this year!

Bromyard Lions a community group of like minded people who wish to assist our community in any way we can.

We act independently of the many other community groups, of which there are many in Bromyard already, without stepping on their toes but bringing something else to the community to enhance what is already there. 

We have made scrubs for the hospital when required, masks for groups as requested.

We have embarked on a couple of big garden projects to assist with tidying the sites at the Hope Centre & Bromyard Community hospital and we are able to do so by fund raising to meet the costs. The rewards are in the pleasure we can bring in helping those in the community who are vulnerable. Other projects as and when funds allow.

We also collect spectacles for recycling, some 500+  to date which will help third world countries improve sight.

Also we have given over 100 Message In A Bottle pots for people to record allergies, people to contact in an emergency and medications, inside and place in the fridge. Stickers are supplied for the window and door for Police, Fire and or Paramedics to see on arrival in an emergency.

We also collected and donated 14 laptops and 5 tablets to Queen Elizabeth High School Bromyard for pupils to continue their education from home during the pandemic.

Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organisation.

Lions are an international network of over 1.3 million men and women in over 44,000 clubs within 200 countries who work together through selfless, effective community service to answer the needs that challenge communities. Lions are individuals who volunteer their time to humanitarian causes in their local and global communities, conducting and supporting vision and health screenings, building parks, awarding scholarships, assisting youth, providing help in times of disaster and much more. In the British Isles and Ireland, and the rest of Europe, Lions donate over 5.7 million hours and £88 million to humanitarian causes each year.

As a member of a Lions Club you become aware of the needs of your community and have the opportunity to make a difference. Each Club provides volunteers with project management experience, leadership training, personal development opportunities and organised fund raising programmes. Being a Lion empowers you to help others in a way that no one person could do alone.

Lions International Foundation’s Global Causes
• Diabetes - We serve to reduce the prevalence of diabetes and improve quality of life for those diagnosed.
• Vision - We serve to prevent avoidable blindness and improve quality of life for people who are blind and visually impaired.
• Hunger - We serve to ensure the community members have access to nutritious foods.
• Environment - We serve to sustainably protect and restore our environment to improve the well-being of all communities.
• Childhood Cancer - We serve to help those affected by childhood cancer survive and thrive.

To find out more, or to join us please contact our President Tony John Richards. tjrichards60@gmail.com or 07885647675.

Regular rapid lateral flow tests for people without covid symptoms can help prevent outbreaks by helping detect positive cases that would not otherwise be found.

In Leominster, the testing site at the Old Priory will close from Wednesday 19 May, with rapid lateral flow tests instead being offered at the following pharmacies:

• Westfield Walk Pharmacy, Westfield Walk
• WS&B Rees Pharmacy, Morris Mews, 20 High St

There are also four local pharmacies that where home test kits are available for residents to collect:

• Leominster Pharmacy, 21-23 West Street
• Boots, 18 Corn Square,
• Westfield Walk Pharmacy, Westfield Walk
• W S & B Rees Chemists, 20 High Street

You must be aged 18 and over to collect the kits, however kits can be used by any age group;

See the Herefordshire Council Website for details of other testing sites across Herefordshire.

Elderly Ross-on-Wye resident was deceived into having unnecessary and expensive roof repair works.

A Bournemouth company, its director and salesman, who targeted an elderly Ross-on-Wye resident, have received fines for unfair trading criminal offences.

Herefordshire Council’s Trading Standards Service took the prosecution case which concluded on Friday 30 April after a three day trial at Hereford Magistrates Court.

The Magistrates found all three defendants guilty of the same charges:

Aggressive practice of carrying out the work two days after the contract was made and failed to give the 78 year old home owner her 14 day cooling off period.

Misleading the consumer into having wholly unnecessary roof cleaning and coating work which ended up damaging the roof.

Misleading the consumer into believing £5640 was a reasonable price for the work when a chartered surveyor stated it was barely worth £1000.

More Than Homes Ltd were ordered to pay £15,000 in fines and £2500 costs.

Director Michael Roche, 45, of Stourview Court in Bournemouth, and salesman Jason Johnson, 46, of Porchester Road, Bournemouth were both fined £500 and £100 costs. The low level fines were simply due to both defendants being on universal credit.Herefordshire Council’s Trading Standards Service Manager, David Hough, said: 

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“We ask family, friends and neighbours to remain vigilant in protecting elderly residents who are often the target of cold calling scams. This is an ever increasing problem now with rogue traders taking advantage of the Green agenda. I would urge people to never respond to unsolicited telephone calls, mail shots, text messages or door-to-door selling.

“The council has a zero tolerance policy on rogue trading and our Trading Standards team will work tirelessly to crack down on anyone preying on vulnerable residents. This prosecution is one of a string of cases against companies based in the Bournemouth area who target the elderly for bogus home improvements. These companies tend to sell waterproof wall and roof coatings and spray foam loft insulation. They target the elderly by using databases of home owners over a certain age and telephone them to coerce them into agreeing an appointment which is then attended by a commission only salesman.

“The products are invariably wholly unnecessary and sold at vastly inflated prices. We urge local residents to avoid becoming a rogue trader victim simply by not engaging with any cold callers, whether on the telephone or at the door.”

 

Anyone concerned about the activity of a doorstep seller is urged to contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133 or visit the Herefordshire Council website for more consumer advice www.herefordshire.gov.uk/scams

Herefordshire Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on the A4103 - Egleton Bend (SCRIM) in Herefordshire.

Herefordshire Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on Hafod Road, Hereford.

To see which roads have been repaired and resurfaced across the county recently go here 👉 #hvroads

Hereford Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on the A417 - Hillhampton to Burley Gate in Herefordshire.

Emergency services are currently at the scene between Mayberry Avenue and Bradbury Close (Saxon Gate Junction) attending an incident involving a vehicle on its roof.

Decision details
Procurement of journey time monitoring software

Decision Maker: Acting Assistant Director for Highways and Transport

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Purpose:
• The journey time data is used for both service and corporate monitoring purposes as a key performance indicator (KPI) for congestion;

• The journey time data is also used in transport modelling to provide a comparison between current observed journey times in Hereford with different transport and/or land use scenarios to help assess efficacy of different options;

• The Highways Analyst software produced by Basemap provides the most flexible solution for our basic data requirements but also provides much greater scope for data analysis and assessment of transport schemes than alternatives, providing a great deal of added value;

• It requires minimal officer time to extrapolate and analyse the data;

• The Council has used Highways Analyst to monitor the journey time KPI for 3 years and this will ensure consistency with historic journey time reporting maintaining the integrity of the observed long term trends in journey times;

• There are cost savings associated with securing a 3 year subscription with Basemap, by way of a fixed rate for the three year period (no inflation increases); and

• The council is not bound by a contract with Basemap, and the annual subscription can be cancelled at any time with no penalties.

Contact: Victoria Hammond, Transport Planning Officer Email: vhammond@herefordshire.gov.uk.

Publication date: 12/05/2021

Date of decision: 11/05/2021

Positive News | Herefordshire Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on Stoney Street, Madley Herefordshire.

A40, Ross-on-wye closed for a brief time yesterday whilst this load was made secure. Driver reported for insecure load offences.

Photograph courtesy of West Mercia Police OPU

West Mercia Police (OPU) officers are trained to identify HGV load offences, with the aim of education and enforcement to make our roads safer.

The family of Mary Bastholm has issued a statement as investigation work continues at the Clean Plate Cafe in Gloucester today.

The Constabulary is stressing that the current work relates to assessments of the site, which are likely to take a number of days, and that excavation work has not begun.

Officers say that they could be at the site for a number of weeks.

Mary's family said: 

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“We are aware of the ongoing developments around Mary’s disappearance and are being kept up to date and supported by Gloucestershire Police Family Liaison Officers, at this time please may we ask for privacy so we can grieve for Mary and direct any media queries to Gloucestershire Police’s Press Office.”

Mary was 15 years old when she was reported missing on 6 January 1968 and she has never been found.

Mary’s disappearance had previously been linked to serial killer Fred West and there was suspicion he was involved in her death.

Police activity will be taking place at a location in Gloucester for a number of weeks following a recent discovery.

Photograph courtesy of BPM Media

On Friday 7 May officers were called to a café in Southgate Street by a production company filming a documentary.

They reported how they had found possible evidence to suggest a body could be buried within the property.

Detectives attended and the Major Crime Investigation Team has deemed that further assessments are required in order to determine whether an excavation is necessary.

In the past, people have linked the building to the disappearance of Mary Bastholm.

Mary was 15-years-old when she was reported missing on 6 January 1968 and she has never been found.

Mary's disappearance had also previously been linked to serial killer Fred West and there was suspicion he was involved in her death.

Family Liaison Officers have now been put in place to provide support and updates to Mary’s family as enquiries continue.

Investigating officers expect to be at the location, which is at The Clean Plate café, for a number of weeks.Assistant Chief Constable Craig Holden said:

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"This could be a significant development on a case which has gained a lot of public interest over the years.

"On the basis of the information provided to us, we consider this to be new and potentially important evidence in the case of Mary Bastholm, however further detailed assessments will take place over the following few days to determine the extent of excavation needed.

"First and foremost our thoughts are with Mary’s family and we would ask that their privacy is respected at this difficult time.

"This news may understandably alarm those who work near to the premises, as well as those in the wider Gloucester community and beyond.

 "The Constabulary has always said any fresh evidence would be reviewed. This has happened and a focussed and proportionate investigation will now take place.

"Due to the potential scale of this there will likely be some disruption to those who work nearby, and I ask for their patience and co-operation during this time.

"We will have local officers in the area and a visible police presence at the location possibly for a number of weeks.

"We would also encourage anyone who is affected by this news to please seek support."

 

Anyone who has any new information relating to the disappearance of Mary Bastholm can report this to Gloucestershire Constabulary online by completing the following form and referencing incident 99 of 11 May: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/

The Force still has documentation and information from the original enquiry into Fred West and therefore anyone who submitted information previously does not need to do this again.