Hereford Voice

ART Hospitality Group (previously known as A Rule Of Tum) experienced its most successful year yet with a whole host of new openings, business ventures, investments and refurbishments. 2024 was a year to remember for the Herefordshire-based hospitality group, with many more exciting plans for regional expansion in the near future. Launching over ten years ago, the group now employs 120 staff across three cities and is planning to bring another 30 team members on board to help set up and run a much-anticipated new venture in Birmingham, working with famed chef Pete Dovaston, and increasing their total workforce to over 150 employees. 2024 saw the group completely transform Dr Foster (formally known as Dr Foster’s in Gloucester) from a local drinking spot to a stylish new gastropub. Undergoing an impressive refurbishment with a £375k investment, the new space is unrecognisable and has gone from strength to strength since the reopening, with a locally sourced menu and calendar of regular events. Head Chef behind the opening of Dr Foster and Head Chef of The Bookshop, Callum McDonald, was featured on MasterChef: The Professionals 2024 where he showcased his talent and determination, one of the reasons behind the success of both restaurants. The group also invested £30k in their popular Hereford hotspot, The Yard. Following a seasonal refurbishment of the city centre hangout to make it ‘Winter proof’, the unique venue allows diners to experience food from any of the group’s four Hereford restaurants; Burger Shop, Leaven Pizza, The Bookshop and Maneki Ramen, all through a seamless QR code ordering system. DishByArt, a dedicated events company, was also launched in 2024 and has helped to expand the hospitality group into bespoke catering and event hosting, with a £120k investment to get the latest arm of the business off the ground. This is simply another string to the company’s bow and was a natural progression that made sense to the founders, who have not only opened several restaurants in recent years but also run successful local food and music celebration, Hereford Indie Festival. Hereford Indie Festival 2024 hosted over 12,000 attendees during four days, generating over £400k for local suppliers, independent food vendors, makers and market stalls. The impressive line-up brought top-tier entertainment to Hereford and featured artists such as Feeder, Gabrielle and The Lottery Winners. In total, ART invested over £500k across new openings and renovations, demonstrating their commitment to growth and enhancing customer experiences. 2024 saw a phenomenal 34% revenue growth compared to 2023, showcasing the strength of the brand and offerings. With multiple award wins under their belt this year across numerous restaurants, including Leaven Pizza taking home four major accolades in the 2024 Italian Awards, there’s no stopping this hospitality group. The highly anticipated second Maneki Ramen restaurant is set to open early next year in a swanky Jewellery Quarter location with additional new group openings in the pipeline in the not-so-distant future. Dorian Kirk, ART Hospitality Group Founder and Operations Director, comments: “It’s an extremely exciting time for us, and we are so thankful for all our customers for a truly unforgettable year. 2024 was a great success and we are all raring to go for another jam-packed year. There’s lots of things in the pipeline that we are really looking forward to, and we can’t wait to continue to grow the business with our latest expansion. Work is progressing really quickly with our newest venture, Maneki Ramen in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham. “Guests will be immersed in our Japanese inspired interior, with an open kitchen to display our talented team’s skilled techniques, alongside an exclusive chefs table experience, right in the heart of the culinary action!” Helping to support local is something the company is very passionate about, and giving back is at the core of the company ethos. In total, ART donated £10k to charitable causes in 2024, supporting community initiatives and organisations. As part of their commitment to shopping locally, they also generated over £800k for independent and small operators by using locally sourced, fresh and high-quality products across all restaurants. For more information on ART Hospitality group and their complete portfolio, please visit www.arthospitality.co.uk.

The Prince of Wales will visit Lower Blakemere Farm in Hereford to learn more about how the multigenerational farm has refined regenerative farming practices and farm diversification as part of its journey to net zero. Photo courtesy of Kensington Palace Lower Blakemere Farm is one of the Duchy of Cornwall’s seven Focus Farms, an initiative designed to share knowledge and experiences of the transition to greener farming practices. The 630-acre Hereford based farm was established in the early 1980s as a specialist seed grower with a herd of South Devon cattle. The farm has evolved over time and the family have embraced regenerative farming, with a focus on restoring soil health, boosting biodiversity, and using farming practices that are sustainable for the long term. Such approaches are at the heart of the Duchy of Cornwall’s efforts to reach its target of becoming net zero across the estate by the end of 2032. Tenant farmers Phil and Heather Gorringe, with their son Monty, have also diversified the farm business including repurposing the old grain store, creating an event space for local community use and launching a successful composting business. Kensington Palace

A murder investigation has been launched after a man was found dead at an address in Hereford on Saturday afternoon (18 January). Officers were called to an address on Brierley Court in Hereford at around 3.40pm following reports of a concern for welfare. A 54-year-old man was found with injuries and sadly pronounced dead at the scene. A 42-year-old man was arrested in South Wales on Saturday evening on suspicion of murder and is helping police with their enquiries. Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Lougher said: “Officers attended an address in Brierley Court, Hereford on Saturday afternoon following concerns for welfare. “Sadly, we found a 54-year-old man in the property with injuries who was pronounced dead at the scene. “We have arrested one man on suspicion of murder, and he is helping police with their investigation. “I would like to reassure the local community we do not believe there is any wider risk to the public".

Ashberry Healthcare, experienced boutique care home providers, have been announced as new owners of The Weir nursing home, Swainshill. The 34-bed home is a grade II listed Georgian mansion and National Trust property, set in the beautiful Weir Gardens, which will remain open to the public as usual. Ashberry Healthcare will continue to provide high-quality care for the home’s 34 residents, as all staff transfer over to their employment – meaning the home’s residents will continue to receive care from the familiar people they know and trust. The team at Ashberry Healthcare own two other local homes, Broomy Hill and Holmer Court, which has won several awards including this year’s Care Home of the Year at the Hereford Health and Social Care Awards. The move comes after David Kingham, previous owner of The Weir, is retiring after an impressive 30 years. Nigel Denny, Chief Executive Officer of Ashberry Healthcare, thanked David for his “impressive legacy”, saying “it’s a privilege to be able to continue the home’s heritage and build on the strong reputation of The Weir team. We wish David a very happy and well-deserved retirement”. Experts in community-style living, Ashberry Healthcare have an impressive track record of quality care which they will bring to The Weir. Across their eight care homes, they have an average score of 9.8/10 on independent review site carehome.co.uk – making them one of the top scoring care home groups in the UK. The team at Ashberry Healthcare are already building a packed activities calendar for residents, and plan to make the most of the beautiful gardens for those living at the home to enjoy. They pride themselves on balancing older people’s independence and enjoyment with exceptional standards across residential, nursing and dementia care in community-style living environments. Nigel Denny spoke about the plans for the home, saying: “We are really looking forward to getting to know everyone at The Weir more closely as we welcome them to our family of homes, and to strengthening our existing support for the Hereford community. At Ashberry Healthcare, our care is all about community living, and building a sense of place, friendship and belonging. Building on the hard work and connections of the whole team at The Weir, we’ll bring these values to the local community for people who seek the camaraderie, empowerment, and independence that a smaller home can offer.”

The HGV was traveling along Gains Road, Linley Green, Herefordshire, earlier this week on Thursday evening. The lorry suffered extensive damage, with debris scattered across the road. Reports also indicate that the HGV caused significant damage to nearby hedgerows and trees. Photo credit Tobias Bloomfield

Providers of public realm services are being invited to tender for a major new contract to deliver ‘fit for the future’ services for Herefordshire Public realm services are vital to local residents, businesses and communities as they include the maintenance of roads, roadsides, green areas and public spaces, street cleaning, highway drainage, street lighting and highway winter safety services. They help ensure the spaces where we live, work and travel are safe and clean. The council’s vision is that all of these essential services are ‘fit for the future’ – that embrace technology, automation and digital innovation, that support a transition to electric plant, vehicles and new materials for carbon reduction, that continually improve through investment in developments and people, and that maximise opportunities and resources. To meet this vision, the council has started the process of finding the next provider of public realm services with a view to securing a new contractor from 1 June 2026. Councillor Harry Bramer, Cabinet Member for Community Services and Assets said: “The transformation of all of our services to ensure they embrace best practice, deliver innovation and demonstrate value for money is an integral part of our Council Plan. “To have the best possible public realm services is essential for all of our residents and businesses. We need to appoint the best possible provider to work with us over at least the next seven to ten years, to deliver the best for our communities, keeping our roads and public spaces well maintained, safe and clean. “In the tender documentation for this major new contract, we’ve clearly set out what we expect from our next public realm services partner. Through pre-testing with the market we are confident that there are providers of high quality services willing to submit a tender, and we look forward to finding out more about how they can support.us to provide high quality services for Herefordshire that are fit for the future.” A Cabinet decision on the chosen public realm service provider is expected to be made in November 2025. The current contract with BBLP living places ends on 31 May 2026, and the new contract will start on 1 June 2026.

A planning request has been submitted for screening opinion - proposed installation of a pontoon within the River Wye. To install a pontoon (measured at 12m x 3m) within the River Wye as part of The Left Bank Village and De Koffie Pot Project in Hereford. The proposed Project involves retaining service buildings, no alterations to the main Left Bank entrance and the installation of a pontoon on the north bank of the River Wye. Application and full details can be found here

Questions from Jeremy Milln, Hereford to Cllr Stoddart The proposed Southern Link Road (aka Western Bypass Phase 1) is now estimated to cost £40.3 million (£35m construction, £5.3m for D&M), apparently to be funded using £5M of capital receipts and £35.3M of public borrowing. The Capital Strategy states that funding above £6.7m is available to support capital investments that give a clear pay back through revenue budget savings. How much of the interest payable on this borrowing is contributing to the deficits of £1.217m in 2026/27 and £5.266m in 2027/28 and what revenue will be generated by the scheme to pay back the £35.3m of borrowings and interest over the 40 year repayment period? Response: The additional borrowing to fund the proposed £30m addition to the capital programme for 25/26 has a revenue budget impact aligned to the term of borrowing. Repayments of borrowing and interest will be accounted for by reducing the value of the borrowing in the council’s balance and recognising an interest expense in the revenue account. The impact on the revenue budget in each year of the MTFS is noted below: ▪️ 2026/27: revenue impact of £0.25m (assuming borrowing of £5m in 25/26) ▪️2027/28: total revenue impact of £1.0m (assuming borrowing of £5m in 25/26 and further borrowing of £15m in 26/27) ▪️ 2028/29: total revenue impact of £1.5m (assuming borrowing of £5m in 25/26, and further borrowing of £15m in 26/27 and £10m in 27/28) The council is committed to bringing forward the first phase of the Western Bypass. Once completed, this new bypass connection for the A49, from the south to the north of the city, will deliver the Western Growth Corridor, creating over 10,000 new homes and over 300 acres of employment land.

Do you think this will ever happen?

Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet has agreed proposals of £58million, with £21million planned for investment in the coming financial year. The proposed Capital Programme for 2025/26 presented at the Cabinet meeting today (Monday 13 January 2025) outlined an ambitious programme of capital investment aligned to the priorities of the Council Plan. The report outlines proposals for £58.12million of investment over the next four years. The proposed additional £21million in 2025/26 will fund a range of projects that encourage active lifestyles for children and young people through investment in play areas, deliver new infrastructure to support housing and business development, reduce the impact of flooding and improve the condition of roads and road safety across the county. Councillor Jonathan Lester, Leader Herefordshire Council said: “This report outlines our plans for £58.12million of investment over the next four years. This includes an additional £21million in 2025/26. “In our County Plan we set out how we are going to deliver the best for Herefordshire in everything we do. We are proposing that this additional funding is invested in those key priorities local people have told us are important to them. “This includes £7.5million additional spending on road resurfacing and highways infrastructure in the coming financial year, meaning that between 2023 and 2026 we will have invested an extra £29.7million in this important area, to benefit residents and businesses. “We are also proposing an additional £1.5million for road safety schemes in 2025/26, and just over £1million for measures in areas at risk of flooding. We’ve also identified £500,000 this year for children’s play area investment with a further £500,000 in 2026/27. “This is an ambitious programme of investment and improvement for 2025/26 and onwards to ensure the council is doing all it can to deliver the best for Herefordshire.” The proposals will now be recommended to Council for approval at its meeting on Friday 7 February 2025. The full report which includes outline details of each project is available on the council website at Agenda for Cabinet on Monday 13 January 2025, 2.30 pm - Herefordshire Council. Inclusion of any project in the capital programme is not agreement to proceed, and each project will need a full business case and approval where required. 202526 Draft Capital Investment Budget and Capital Strategy Update.pdf

West Mercia Police Officers are appealing for witnesses following a collision in Harewood End on Friday (10 January). At around 5.05pm two vehicles, a Silver 4x4 Suzuki and a grey Ssangyong pickup, were travelling in opposite directions along the A49 between Hereford and Ross-on-Wye. The cars collided, leaving one driver – a man in his 80’s - with serious and potentially life-changing injuries. He was taken to hospital where he remains. The driver of the second vehicle suffered minor injuries. No one else was injured. Anyone with information or dashcam footage of the collision, or in the moments before, is asked to contact PC Tom Milton. You can email him at tom.milton@westmercia.police.uk.

In a notable shift within Herefordshire's local media scene, Matt Healey has officially resigned as a director of Your Herefordshire Ltd, effective October 2024. Despite stepping down, Healey continues to contribute occasional live updates for the platform. His departure as a company director marks the second resignation of a director since the company’s establishment in April 2019. Our good friend Nicola Bates, one of the company’s original directors, previously resigned in February 2021, leaving the business under the management of its remaining directors. With Healey’s resignation, the company’s leadership now rests with Alison Rogers and Stefan Davies, who continue as active directors. Your Herefordshire has established itself as a local social media page in the community, providing some various news and updates through its digital platforms, including their Facebook page. However, the company recently experienced a period of turbulence when its Facebook page was taken offline unexpectedly for over a week during Christmas and New Year. While the reasons for this sudden interruption remain unclear, some speculation arose locally about the reasons behind the outage, no official explanation has been provided. Your Herefordshire has also faced ongoing criticism publicly for its use of clickbait headlines and for publishing content perceived as unrelated to Herefordshire and its surrounding areas. Despite these challenges, their Facebook page has since been restored and continues to operate. The departure of Healey as a director raises questions about the future direction of the business. As one of its key figures, Healey played an instrumental role in shaping Your Herefordshire’s growth and engagement with the local community. His resignation represents a notable shift in the company’s leadership dynamic. Your Herefordshire Ltd has yet to issue a public statement regarding Healey’s resignation or the recent disruption to its Facebook page. Local businesses and residents will undoubtedly watch closely to see how the company navigates these changes in the months ahead. This story highlights the evolving nature of Herefordshire’s business landscape and underscores the challenges faced by modern media organisations. Your Herefordshire’s commitment to serving the community will be a key factor in maintaining its reputation and presence in the local market but it’s recent downtime raised a few questions locally. Company House - Your Herefordshire Ltd https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/11954421 We understand that our friend Matt Healey, a familiar figure in Herefordshire as the Master of Ceremonies at Hereford FC possibly wants to shift his focus more on this and his ever popular DJ business, if this is the case, we wish him good luck You can book Matt Healey - Mobile DJ here - www.djmatthealey.co.uk.

After years of anticipation, the development plan to transform Hereford's Merton Meadow into more than 200 new homes, along with business spaces, is set to move forward following a significant agreement. Herefordshire Council has enlisted Buttress Architects, based in Manchester, to manage the project as it progresses to the construction phase, in a deal valued at £767,253. The Cabinet Member for Economy and Growth on 9 September 2024 made a key decision spend up to £800,000 for the Merton Meadow sites in Hereford. Reasons for decision: Cabinet Member decision dated 9 September 2024 sets out Merton Meadow Flood Alleviation Scheme. Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF) grant funding has been awarded by government for the Merton Meadow sites in Hereford. The project will also unlock significant growth at a key gateway location, creating opportunities for inter-generational inner city living on currently under utilised land. This will enable people to live, work in the city centre, spend time and money in local businesses. Address flooding issues, affecting these and surrounding properties. Improve biodiversity. The project would have the potential unlock up to 210 new dwellings. Photographs courtesy of Anne Cottringer

TV presenter Richard Hammond and his wife have announced they are splitting up after an "amazing 28 years together" "A little update from us; this Christmas we were together as a family and this year we will still be a family but just structured a bit differently. Our marriage is coming to end, but we’ve had an amazing 28 years together and two incredible daughters. We will always be in each other’s lives and are proud of the family we created. We won’t be commenting further and sincerely hope that our privacy and that of our children will be respected at this time. With Love, Richard and Mindy" Richard and his family live at Bolitree Castle in Weston-under-Penyard near Ross-on-Wye. The 55-year-old, best known for hosting motoring shows Top Gear and The Grand Tour, tied the knot with newspaper columnist Amanda "Mindy" Hammond, 59, in 2002. Hammond also has The Smallest Cog classic car renovation workshop based at Rotherwas Industrial Estate in Hereford.