Hereford Voice

Hope that you find somewhere, have you tried HomePoint?

We were totally blown away with this lovely gift from one of our local independent clients today. Angelina from Nail Trend in Hereford Butter Market was so pleased with her recent advertising campaign with us that she spend several hours hand painting this very nice bottle of red wine with so much detail which she kindly gave to us earlier. Angelina told us that she got the inspiration from our #PositiveHereford campaign. Thank you so so much, this really meant a lot and is really appreciated. How lovely is that!

New parking charges in Herefordshire (where applicable) mentioned below in the attached PDF, will take effect on TBC. If a car park is not mentioned, then the charges will remain the same as at present. A brief table showing the new prices is illustrated below 👇 NEW CHARGES: Any queries in relation to the above may be directed to the Parking Office (tel: 01432 260974) Email : civilparkingenforcement@herefordshire.gov.uk Many people disagree with increased parking charges by saying it will discourage them from visiting the city however, there are those who argue that people will moan for the sake of moaning and increases are inevitable, yet the people who complain are often the same people who are more than happy to pay £3.50+ for a Latte or some other coffees! In reality this money is used to pay for essential services across the county of Herefordshire. What are the possible options as a scenario ? Cllr Liz Harvey (Group Leader for It's Our County (Herefordshire) and Cabinet member - finance and corporate services) explained recently, She also added; Appendix 3 for Car Parking Charges.pdf

Herefordshire Council has received a planning application for the proposed change of use from A1/A3 retail to Tanning and Beauty Salon at the former Greggs bakery on Belmont Road in Hereford. Planning Application P211131/F

West Mercia Police is encouraging members of the public to hand-in unwanted knives as part of a national knife surrender. Monday, 26 April, saw the launch of Operation Sceptre, led by the Home Office, to help tackle knife crime. Levels of knife crime in the towns and cities covered by West Mercia Police are relatively low in comparison to other parts of the country, however, its vital work to help keep these levels low. In order to help, police are encouraging members of the public to hand-in unwanted knives to prevent them from getting into the wrong hands and being used in crime. Throughout the week officers will be working to raise awareness of the dangers of carrying a knife and speaking to children and young people where possible. Surrender bins will be in place at key locations such as train stations and local schools to highlight the steps police are taking to prevent people from carrying a knife in public. Warrants will be carried out at addresses where there is information to suggest someone in the home may be involved in knife crime, or crime associated with knives such as county lines drug dealing. Community sweeps will take place bringing whole communities together to clear areas of discarded sharp objects that could potentially be used as a weapon. West Mercia Police’s knife crime lead and head of local policing, Chief Superintendent Paul Moxley, said: “Fortunately, we do not experience the same levels of knife crime in our towns and cities as has been seen in other parts of the country, however that does not mean we are complacent. We know it does happen and it is important we take the appropriate steps to prevent young people from carrying a knife and prevent crimes involving knives. “We have recently invested in ten additional police officers to specifically take on an early intervention and intervention role with children and young people across of three counties. Early intervention is vital and for the past two years our successful ‘Steer Clear’ programme has helped young people involved in, or on the periphery of being involved in, knife crime find an alternative route and we are developing this as a programme to roll out across the force area. “One knife incident is one too many and the more we can do to stop knives getting into the wrong hands and being used in crime the better.” During Operation Sceptre which will run until Monday 3 May, unwanted knives can be disposed of anonymously in secure knife bins at Hereford, Worcester, Redditch, Kidderminster, Malinsgate and Monkmoor Police Stations. Each policing area will also have a Knife Arch which will be in place at key locations such as train stations and local schools to highlight the steps police are taking to prevent people from carrying a knife in public. Anyone who is concerned a young person is involved in or on the periphery of becoming involved in knife crime and carrying a knife can report this anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. More information for young people about the stark consequences of knife crime can be found at www.fearless.org where concerns can also be reported anonymously.

Friends of Castle Green (FoCG) are now able to begin the much needed renovations to The Pavilion thanks to significant funding from Herefordshire Council, Hereford City Council and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The funding will enable the community group to begin the first phase of improvements to the building, which was asset transferred to them by Herefordshire Council in 2018. Work has now begun to install a renewable energy heating system at the Pavilion, using the River Wye as its source. By harnessing this renewable energy source, over 15 tonnes of carbon per year will be saved; a giant step toward carbon reduction and a huge money saving exercise. Funding has been received from the government’s Towns Fund programme and Marches Renewable Energy, supported by ERDF funds, as well as Hereford City Council, allowing FoCG to replace the existing gas boiler and install this modern, renewable river source system, the first of its kind in Hereford City Centre. According to Paddy Nugent, Friends of Castle Green Director; Friends of Castle Green has also been included by the Hereford Towns Fund Board in their Town Investment Plan funding bid submission to receive up to £25m from the Towns Fund programme. This initiative aims to revitalise and regenerate the City through investment in a number of projects meeting a strict criteria. Friends of Castle Green has applied for funds to further renovate and regenerate the Pavilion building. The extensive community consultation carried out in 2018 highlighted a significant need for improved facilities and this funding will allow FoCG to carry out proposed requirements to further the Pavilion as a building for the whole community. The project has received £39,778.31 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for the European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regeneration. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding The project has received £50,000 from the accelerated Town Fund which saw Herefordshire Council receive £750,000 to support a number of improvement projects in the City. Hereford City Council has awarded £7,000 to Friends of Castle Green from its Community Development grants programme. The Pavilion at Castle Green is a Grade II listed Georgian building on Medieval foundations with rooms available for hire located in the heart of Hereford City. Now run on behalf of the community by Friends of Castle Green CIC, the Pavilion has three large rooms that make it the ideal venue for private functions, training courses, dance, exercise classes, worskhops, meetings, conferences, parties and a multitude of other uses for groups of all sizes. The central location of the building, on the banks of the River Wye and overlooking historic Castle Green, make the Pavilion a popular space for community groups and individuals to meet for a number of purpose.

Herefordshire Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on the A438 at Falcon Lane, Near Ledbury (SCRIM) in Herefordshire.

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service crews from Leominster Fire Station turned out to this RTC just outside of Leominster last night. 📷 HWFRS Casualty had self extricated and was attended to by West Midlands Ambulance Service. Vehicle made safe by crews.

Have you checked your bank notes recently? Police are warning of a spate of fake £20 notes that have been found in circulation. Identifiable due to the barcodes & poor ink quality. When selling items check the cash being tendered & report any fake notes, even if it is only an attempt.

Hereford City Council have replaced the notice boards at Beaumont Gardens (near The Courtyard) after they were unfortunately vandalised. They are looking much better now!

West Mercia Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal collision in Hereford on Friday (23 April) afternoon. Officers were called at 4.05pm to reports that a black and chrome Kawasaki motorbike and a green Fendt tractor collided on the B348 at the Thruxton junction towards Arkstone Court, Clehonger. Sadly, the man in his 50s travelling on the motorbike, was pronounced deceased at the scene. His next of kin have been informed. Ambulance and air ambulance also attended the scene. Road closures were in place while emergency services were in attendance. PC Lee Palmer from West Mercia Police said: "Our thoughts remain with the man's family at this difficult time." He continued: "While investigations are ongoing, we are appealing for any witnesses who may have been in the area at the time of the incident and may have dash-cam footage to please come forward.” Any witnesses are asked to contact West Mercia Police on 101 quoting reference 427i of 23 April 2021. Alternatively, information can be given anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their website.

Verging on Wild is a group of volunteers working to improve biodiversity on our roadside verges. We are working with Herefordshire Council, Balfour Beatty Living Places, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust and several other wildlife organisations. We want to see a change in verge management across the county and we want to protect the best verges by listing them as Roadside Verge Nature Reserves (RVNRs) and managing them for biodiversity. Protection for our rich and varied verges Road verge flora is deteriorating in many parts of the UK – 87 of the verge species are facing possible extinction – including favourites like harebell, field scabious and ragged robin. The decline is caused by the way we cut and manage verge habitat and the increasing fertility of roadside soils. Cutting begins in the spring and is repeated in the summer so that few plants have a chance to set seed before the mowers arrive. Summer flowering plants, many of which typify our beautiful hay meadows, are disappearing from our verges. The result of this mowing regime and the practice of leaving the cut vegetation to rot down in situ, has caused a decline in roadside species and an increase in weed species such as nettles, cow parsley and hogweed. This is bad news for wildflower numbers and diversity. It is also bad for populations of bees, beetles and butterflies that rely on these plants for food, and for the birds that eat these invertebrates. What a gorgeous welcome to Bishops Frome! There are nearly 300,000 miles of rural roadside verges in the UK, so if this decline can be reversed, the contribution to nature will be huge. Rural verges are equal to half our remaining grasslands and meadows, so if we can change verge management to benefit wildlife, it will make a significant difference. A rural county like Herefordshire can make a great contribution to this with good verge management. Reversing the decline – “Cut Less, Cut Later” Plantlife, the UK’s wild plant conservation body, is behind a national project proposing a new wildlife friendly approach to managing verges. They produce clear verge management guidelines for landowners, local councils and authorities, the gist of which is “cut less, cut late". In Herefordshire in 2018, three friends decided to take action to improve our local verges and “Verging on Wild” (VOW) was formed. VOW is now affiliated to Herefordshire Wildlife Trust and working to encourage Herefordshire Council, Parish councils and their contractors to follow the best practice guidelines. Herefordshire Council and Balfour Beatty Living Places are now considering changes to the verge management in Herefordshire. Herefordshire’s listed verges Verging on Wild is also working to reinstate good management for a list of special verges which are the best wild flower verges in the county. These are called Roadside Verge Nature Reserves (RVNRs). VOW is organising groups of volunteers to do signage, monitoring and management on the listed sites. Many enthusiasts have already proposed their own local sites which have now been surveyed and added to the list for their protection. It is wonderful to see these verges in flower and alive with bees and butterflies, so if you would like to be a verge guardian and help look after a listed verge near you, please contact Verging on Wild. suzanne@lowerhazelfarm.co.uk, annecrane59@gmail.com, sally@sallywebster.net Further Information See “The good verge guide” and “Managing grassland road verges” here Sign Plantlife’s petition here Watch a brilliant presentation on verges from Phil Sterling of Butterfly Conservation here Source | Herefordshire Wildlife Trust

Colleagues pay heartwarming tribute to Herefordshire paramedic Jeremy Daw who tragically died yesterday while on duty and responding to an emergency call. It is understood that Mr Daw had just half a dozen shifts left before he was due to retire. Paying tribute to his colleague in a video online, the West Midlands Ambulance Service emergency operations delivery director, Nathan Hudson, said "the incident was an accident and no one was being sought in connection with it" He added;

The store was formally occupied by ROMAN In private message sent to Hereford Voice this evening, there were some very complimentary and kind words expressed about Gemma Davies - Cllr and Herefordshire Council for being so helpful and supportive. A post on their Facebook page reads.. More positive news for Hereford!! Good luck with the new store guys

A West Midlands Ambulance Service technician has tragically died whilst on duty in Herefordshire this morning. The ambulance crew were on route to a 999 call when an object struck the ambulance’s windscreen at 8am. It happened at the junction of Moreton Road and the A49. Multiple resources attended the scene, which included two emergency ambulance crews, paramedic officers, the Midlands Air Ambulance from Strensham and two Mercia Accident Rescue Service doctors.A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: West Midlands Ambulance Service Chief Executive, Anthony Marsh, said: West Mercia Police are asking anyone who may have seen the incident or have dash-cam footage to contact them on 101 quoting incident 00101i of 24 April.

Our fabulous local independent retailers have all reopened in the last few weeks including all those lovely shops and boutiques in The Independent Quarter and Hereford Butter Market We have a new a nail salon, mobile phone shop and the new tasty Yorkshire wrap! A new pizza restaurant, as well as some fabulous coffee bars, take-aways, bistros, wine bars and pubs and the all new outside seating! New eateries offering Korean BBQ at your table and Amazing Asia all coming soon to the Hereford Old Market Shopping Centre and we have some fabulous hotels too and let's not forget Saxtys Bar & Club which is reopening in May!! June brings Knife Angel Hereford to the Hereford Cathedral We also have some wonderful new planters with seats and trees in the city centre which will look superb once they fully blossom. We love our city and county and we like to shout about it and promote everything POSITIVE. It's all too easy to moan but we are privileged to live in such a beautiful part of the World. We will continue to promote local business and encourage people to visit Hereford and Herefordshire. Keep looking out for our continuous opening headlines POSITIVE NEWS | POSITIVE HEREFORD The lockdown has been a very challenging time for people and businesses alike but there is light at the end of the tunnel.. Join us in our campaign and 'BE POSITIVE' about this fabulous city of ours. 'Positive Hereford' Follow our hashtag #positivehereford

Emergency services are currently at the scene of a serious collision on the A49 in Hereford towards Leominster. The road is currently closed between Church Road and the junction to Upper Lyde. Please use alternate routes while emergency services deal with the incident.

Road is closed at Arkstone, between Kingstone and Clehonger. Emergency services including the Air Ambulance are at the scene dealing with the RTC involving a motorbike and a tractor. Please avoid the area.

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

📷 T.Henderson Photography

The Courtyard Hereford are delighted to reveal The Courtyard Chase Lounge, a brand new independent restaurant, lounge bar and rooftop terrace, created in partnership with Chase Distillery The restaurant will be serving a mixture of innovative small plates and traditional main dishes, offering a unique culinary experience. The lounge bar is a classy yet comfortable space to relax with friends and sample a range of cocktails, fine wines and local Chase spirits. The newly built rooftop terrace offers al fresco dining and a comfortable lounge area, serving up Mediterranean evening vibes. The Courtyard 'Chase Lounge' will open Saturday 22nd May and you can book your tickets from April 21st at courtyard.org.uk. 📷 T.Henderson Photography

Last night a crew from Leominster Fire Station along with a fire crew from Kingsland fire station attended a front loader well alight in a field. 2 hose reels, breathing apparatus and a thermal imaging camera were used to extinguish the fire swiftly. 📷 HWFRS

Hereford Diocese’s plans to demolish the rectory of St Nicholas Church Hereford and build six two-bedroom homes and three three-beds in Breinton Road were given the go-ahead a few weeks ago on March 29. The Victorian Society said in Tweet