Hereford and Leominster household recycling centres reopen 9 May

Restrictions will remain in place to ensure safety of public and staff

Herefordshire Council will reopen Hereford and Leominster Household Recycling Centres for essential use only from Saturday 9 May.

They will be open from 8.00am to 6.00pm every day

The other Household Recycling Centres in Kington, Bromyard, Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye will remain closed for the time being, until available staffing resource will permit these sites to reopen as well.

Government guidance will be followed to ensure our sites can safely operate, and strict social distancing measures will be in place to protect both the public and staff. Only limited numbers of vehicles will be permitted entry at any time so long queues and delays are likely.

The government’s view is that household recycling centres play a critical role in the local management of waste, so making a journey to one is considered a “reasonable excuse” if a resident has difficulty safely storing unavoidable waste.

Journeys to HWRCs must only be undertaken if your waste or recycling cannot be stored at home without causing risk of injury, health or harm, and cannot be disposed of safely by other means. If you can temporarily store your waste or recycling in a way that does not pose a risk to yours or others safety or human health, then you must do so.

Social distancing measures mean staff cannot provide assistance, so please make sure you are able to unload your waste unaided. If you are able, take additional measures to protect yourself and others such as using gloves and have sanitary wipes to use in your vehicle.

Anyone who is self-isolating or has Covid-19 symptoms must not visit a household recycling centre.Councillor Gemma Davies, Cabinet Member for Commissioning, Procurement and Assets, said: 

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I thank the public for their patience and understanding whilst plans have been made to re-open the recycling centres. Unlike many other councils we have decided not to instigate a booking system and are trusting the residents of Herefordshire to exercise their judgment as to whether their visit to the centre is essential.  Any swamping of the sites will unfortunately result in more restrictive access to the sites and this is certainly not what anybody wants.

“It is important to recognise that we are still in a global pandemic and, wherever possible, we advise residents to take measures to avoid creating waste and manage it at home.  I would also urge members of the public not only to follow the social distancing measures we will have in place but also be respectful to the members of staff facilitating the opening of the sites, they are doing a fantastic job in incredibly difficult circumstances.

The council’s waste collection service will continue to prioritise the collection of general rubbish and recycling. You can manage your garden waste in the following ways:

* Cut and Drop - Don’t collect grass cuttings unless you intend to use them for home composting, simply cut the grass without the collector on.

* Create a compost heap - No matter the size of your garden you should have space for a heap. If not use a low cost home composter to keep the garden tidy.

* Create a wildlife habitat or bug hotel with thick branches and wood.

* Use a licensed garden waste disposal service.

* Do not burn your garden waste, as the smoke can aggravate respiratory difficulties of those suffering from Coronavirus and other     illnesses.

Herefordshire Council also continues to offer a bulky item collection service. Please call 01432 260051 to make a booking.

For more information please visit www.herefordshire.gov.uk/recyclecentres

A wonderful aerial view of Hereford's Edgar Street football ground.

The Merton stand was built in 1968 following the demolition of the old Edgar Street stand for road widening. The Len Weston was built in 1974.

So does anyone know the history of this photo from our Old Hereford Pics archive and what year this could have been? 

Check out this stunning sunset captured perfectly from Merbach Common Herefordshire.

Photo courtesy of Tom Arnott

Herefordshire is so beautiful, it is such a privilege to live in this most picturesque part of the world.

On This Day: 40 years ago today saw the Iranian Embassy Siege brought to a dramatic end with 'Operation Nimrod' successfully executed by the Special Air Service (SAS). Also discussed HERE

'The Back Door' depicted in this painting by John Tidewell

"Who Dares Wins"

Fire crews from Eardisley Fire Station with support from Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service tackled a 25 acre bracken fire Fire well alight on Bredwardine Hill last night. 

Backpacks and beaters used to control and extinguish the blaze. 

Contractor agreed for major expansion to Herefordshire primary school

Image credit: Quattro Design Architects

A £6million expansion of a popular Herefordshire school has taken a major step forward after a contractor was appointed to carry out the work.

Herefordshire Council has signed a contract with builder Morgan Sindall Construction for the work to provide six new classrooms, a new hall and a special hygiene and physio room at Marlbrook Primary School at Green Croft.

The school – rated Outstanding by Ofsted and which has experienced a significant rise in numbers in recent years – will also benefit from new netball courts and improvements to the car parking area.

Councillor Felicity Norman, Herefordshire Council Cabinet member for Children and Families, and Councillor Gemma Davies, Cabinet member for Commissioning, Procurement and Assets, said they were delighted that the scheme was progressing.

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“Marlbrook Primary School is a real success story and this significant investment will help the council and everyone concerned to build on that.

“Once the work is complete pupils will benefit from a state-of-the-art learning environment and the very latest facilities to help make sure they get the best possible start to their education.”

 

Head teacher Tracey Kneale said the announcement was much-needed good news in the midst of the coronavirus situation.

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"The whole school community is delighted that the building work will soon begin. At such a difficult time for all our families, it is something for us to look forward to in the months ahead."

Robert Williams, area director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said:

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“We are delighted to be awarded the contract and look forward to delivering the project safely, efficiently and in line with current government guidance.”

Work will start in compliance with all Government coronavirus regulations and the council has pledged to help keep disruption from construction traffic to a minimum for residents.

Construction of the project – the capital funding for which was approved in November – is expected to take around a year.

Herefordshire Council invests in additional care facility to assist former NHS patients with their recovery

A Herefordshire hotel has reopened to support Herefordshire Council provide additional care and rehabilitation capacity for former NHS patients and members of the community, as part of the county’s response to the Covid-19 emergency.

The council has leased the Three Counties Hotel at Belmont Road, Hereford, as a temporary accommodation to support the NHS and social care sector.

Agincare UK Ltd are providing the care and support service on the site, which can offer accommodation for up to 46 people during the Covid-19 outbreak.

The service will provide short term care and a rehabilitation service to help people to live independently when they return to their place of residence.

Protective measures have been put in place, including the use of PPE, to ensure the safety of the residents and the staff.

Councillor Pauline Crockett, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Wellbeing said:

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“Herefordshire Council has made a significant investment towards providing this additional social care facility for the county.  We would like to thank the management at The Three Counties Hotel for offering their premises and by working with us they have enabled the council to make up to 46 beds available for the more vulnerable members of the local community.  This initiative will assist residents with their recovery and rehabilitation before they return home and will also help to relieve the pressure on the NHS and the social care sector.”

Luke Holmes, Agincare Operations Director, added:

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“Agincare is delighted to be able to support Herefordshire Council and the county’s residents during this difficult time. Our staff on site have all received bespoke training for their roles and with the help of the council we have plenty of PPE readily available for them to use.  This is an example of excellent partnership working between the council, a local hotel and Agincare as a local care provider. The hotel is an ideal environment for residents as it has comfortable, spacious facilities whilst being at a distance from the wider population, so everyone can remain safe within the government’s social distancing guidelines.”

Michelle Standell, Manager of The Three Counties Hotel, said:

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“We are pleased to be able to offer our services.  Not only is it supporting the NHS and social care sector, it has also resulted in many of our staff being able to come off furlough which, of course, is a very positive outcome for any business in the hospitality sector at the moment.”

Thank you to all Key-Workers and the NHS in the fight against the Coronavirus, we thought this illustration was just perfect for today.

May the 4th be with you! 

Illustration courtesy of mjhiblenart

The Iranian Embassy Siege 40th Anniversary

The Iranian Embassy siege took place from 30 April to 5 May 1980, after a group of six armed men stormed the Iranian embassy on Prince's Gate in South Kensington, London. 

Operation 'Nimrod' began. 

The gunmen, members of Arabs of KSA group campaigning for Arab national sovereignty in the southern Iranian region of Khuzestan Province, took 26 people hostage, mostly embassy staff, but also several visitors, as well as a police officer who had been guarding the embassy. 

On the sixth day the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered the Elite Special Air Service (SAS) to take over and they stormed the embassy and ended the siege by eliminating the terrorists and releasing the hostages. 

Go Go Go - The operation took just 17 minutes

On International Firefighters Day Hereford Voice take this opportunity to salute Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service and every other firefighter around the world, these are the brave, courageous and fearless heroes who save millions of lives every year.

These people go head-on into situations that everyone else is running from.  

Thank you for your service and 'May the 4th be with you' 

Have you stopped smoking since the Coronavirus pandemic? 

We are all aware that this dreadful virus killing thousands of people around the world attacks the human respiratory system and if you’re a smoker and worried about COVID-19 then now would be a good time to think about quitting for good.

Research into previous coronaviruses show that smoking makes the impact of the virus worse.  Smokers are more likely to develop severe disease from the COVID-19 virus, than non-smokers.

Britain's chief medical advisor, Professor Chris Whitty, urged smokers to ditch the habit immediately to lower their risk of Covid-19. He told MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee:

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"To be clear on smokers, my recommendation is that they stop smoking.

"If you are going to give up smoking, this is a very good moment to do it."

Chancellor Rishi Sunak also increased the tobacco tax in the recent Budget, with the cost of cigarettes to go up to £12.73 a pack.

With this in mind, here are just a few websites to help advise you on how to quit smoking for good.

Wish (Herefordshire Council)

NHS Quit Smoking - NHS Smokefree

Follow the hashtag #QuidforCovid campaign on Social Media for more advise and support

The Hereford Mayfair has taken place for over 900 years!

The first weekend of May is when we usually see all the showman's vehicles pulling up into Hereford.

Hereford’s Mayfair has been with us since the 12th Century and it was originally known as St Ethelbert’s Fair and started back in 1121 and a street fair has been held in the city ever since. 

Every year the streets are closed off in the city centre and the thrilling rides and stalls with all their lights, music, food and prizes open for this three day annual street extravaganza. Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus pandemic both The Hereford and Leominster May Fair events for 2020 have been cancelled. 

Will you miss this Hereford tradition?  

Here are some fabulous historic photographs of our Mayfair together with some Pathe film circa 1920-1929

Billy Stevens Glamour Parade 1955 photograph courtesy of Derek Evans Studio Hereford

King Street photograph courtesy of P Watts and Old Hereford Pics


Photograph courtesy of Walter Pritcard and Old Hereford Pics

A stunning sunset across Herefordshire tonight, thank you Ella for capturing this so well.

We are absolutely thrilled and excited to announce today that we have joined teams and created a new partnership with our brilliant friends over at Old Hereford Pics.

The original Old Hereford Pics was established by local Herefordian, Chris Adcocks way back in 2008. 

The aim of their websites was to give a different look at Old Hereford with new and old pictures of its people, its buildings, its businesses and events from over the years and in Chris's words to offer 

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something a little different for people to take a look at and talk about

After much deliberation Chris announced that due to family commitments and not having the hours to keep up with the continuous work involved in running Hereford's busiest old picture websites, he reluctantly said that they would have to close however, that was two years ago and after some discussions, we are delighted to have partnered both of our long established websites and we look forward to encouraging people to continue sending us their contributions, which will enable us to go from strength to strength.

To help kick-start our new partnership, can we please kindly ask you to spread the word - LIKE and SHARE our new partners at Old Hereford Pics

Do you think this will be the end of cash? 

During this Coronavirus pandemic many businesses as part of their social distancing procedures no longer accept cash and will only take card and contactless payment methods.

Nowadays, there are new digital ways to pay and there is a greater choice than ever.

Then there are services allowing contactless payments to be made using a PC or smartphone (like Paypal and Apple Pay). Other services link your mobile phone number to your bank account so you can pay someone by sending a text. You can even pay using your watch or smart phone.

Most of these innovations are about making it easier to pay for things. 

We believe that cash will always be used but maybe less and less...

What do you think? 

Once again it's Thursday and at 8pm tonight, we will express our solidarity and full support for our front line workers from our doorsteps.

Please join us in a 'round of applause' and saucepan tapping for ALL our NHS heroes, carers and key workers
#HerefordVoice #Herefordshire #ClapForOurCarers

 Happy 100th Birthday Colonel Tom Moore.

The veteran's big day will also be marked with a flypast by a Spitfire and a Hurricane over his Bedfordshire home. He has also received thousands of cards including that special one from Her Majesty The Queen.

The war hero has been appointed as the first Honorary Colonel of the Army Foundation College Harrogate for his birthday.

This incredible man has raised over £30m by walking laps of his garden and has also broken two Guinness World Records along the way. He is the oldest person ever to have a No.1 single in the UK charts and the veteran has raised the most money ever as an individual with his charity walk, which has captured the nations hearts. Well done Sir!

It's good to see that the UK government have started human clinical trials to find a vaccine for Coronavirus.