Hereford Voice

15 July 2020 Update (pm) Herefordshire Council and Public Health England (PHE) Midlands continue to work with AS Green and Co to contain an outbreak of COVID-19 at their farm. The total number of positive cases linked to the outbreak is 93. Further testing is ongoing. Wherever a case of COVID-19 is confirmed, close contacts of the case are identified and followed up through Test and Trace. This includes anyone who may have come into contact with confirmed cases within the local community. Contact tracing with over 100 existing workers continues on-site. In addition, a group of agricultural workers who travelled into the UK by private coach, including some of the workers who went on to work at AS Green and Co, are being followed up. Another group of workers travelled to the site on a flight bringing agricultural workers to the UK. As an additional precaution, the individuals who travelled on this flight are also being followed up. Seventy-six workers on the flight who travelled onwards to other farms in England have already been offered testing and no further cases have been identified to date. Public health partners in Scotland have been notified of a further group of 63 workers on the same flight who travelled onwards to Scottish farms in order that they too can be followed-up appropriately. Katie Spence, PHE Midlands Health Protection Director, said: Karen Wright, Director of Public Health for Herefordshire, said:

Buzz Bingo (formally Gala Bingo) in Berrington Street Hereford to remain CLOSED. In a statement on their Facebook page CEO Chris Matthews wrote: Why is Buzz Bingo closing clubs? Coronavirus has had a significant impact on our business and on the entire leisure and hospitality industry. Following government advice, we temporarily closed all clubs from 21st March, meaning we have been unable to generate any revenues from our retail business, and day to day operations have been severely affected. The affects will be felt for many months to come, so we have had to make some difficult decisions about how we move forward and ensure a sustainable future for Buzz Bingo. Our Buzz Bingo community means the world to us, and we know how disappointing this news will be – especially for those of our customers who are losing their local club, and of course, our colleagues from those clubs. The decision to restructure our club portfolio is the right way to secure our long-term future and make sure that we can still bring bingo to our customers in the majority of our clubs around the country and online at buzzbingo.com. We are reopening 12 clubs on 6th August with more to come and, of course, our online bingo and slots are open to all at buzzbingo.com. I have credit on my account and my club is closing – will I get it back? How? Absolutely. Any customers with credit on their account should contact customer services who will organise a refund for you. Contact our Customer Service team between 10am and 10pm by email at support@buzzbingo.com, or you can chat to one of our Live Chat Stars at buzzbingo.com. How do I contact you? Contact our Customer Service team between 10am and 10pm by email support@buzzbingo.com, or you can reach us via Live Chat on buzzbingo.com.

Sad that people cannot dispose of their litter properly

As shops re-open, people return to work and more people visit Hereford and the market towns, the government has asked local authorities to introduce temporary measures that give pedestrians and cyclists the space they need to maintain social distancing and travel safely. The measures, which will include using temporary barriers and signage to widen footways, some timed or partial road closures and dedicated cycle lanes, will allow more space to walk and cycle in busy areas. Speed reductions to 20mph on some streets will help pedestrians and cyclists feel safer where road space is shared. The temporary measures, which are being introduced week beginning 20 July, are being funded by government Emergency Active Travel Funding, which has allocated £20,000 to Herefordshire to promote walking and cycling for short and local journeys. The temporary nature of the measures will allow them to be reviewed and additional funding is expected in the coming months to install further measures. Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet member infrastructure and transport, explains: Full details including location maps are available on the Herefordshire Council website HERE The temporary measures being introduced to provide more space for pedestrians and cyclists are: Hereford Cycle lanes on Newmarket St, Blueschool St, Commercial Rd, Ledbury Rd (uphill Extended timed closure in High Town and Widemarsh St – 10.30am – 5.30pm Closure of Old Wye Bridge except cycles and buses northbound Closure of Aubrey St at junction with King Street Parking suspension on Broad Street (west Green Dragon side), King St (south Spread Eagle side) and Bridge St (east Left Bank side) Shared use footway on Station Approach Extended 20mph zone (see map for exact area) Bromyard Footway widening on High Street and New Road Suspension of some parking bays 20mph zone town-wide (see map for exact area) Ledbury On way on Woodleigh Rd except cycles 20mph zone town-wide (see map for exact area) Leominster Timed closure (except cycles) on High St, Victoria St, Corn St and Corn Square 10am-1pm Mon – Sat 20mph zone town-wide (see map for exact area) Kington Moderated traffic speed on High St 20mph zone town-wide (see map for exact area) Ross on Wye Moderated traffic speed through the town centre 20mph zone town-wide (see map for exact area) Hereford_active_travel_response_map.pdf Bromyard_active_travel_response_map.pdf Kington_active_travel_response_map.pdf Ledbury_active_travel_response_map.pdf Leominster_active_travel_response_map.pdf Ross_on_Wye_active_travel_response_map.pdf

Wearing a face covering in shops and supermarkets in England is to become mandatory from 24 July. Those who fail to comply with the new rules could face a fine of up to £100, the government has announced. The move will bring England into line with Scotland and other major European nations like Spain, Italy and Germany. Enforcement will be carried out by police - not retail staff - and anyone failing to wear a face covering while shopping will be subject to a fine of up to £100, or £50 if paid within 14 days. Can wearing face masks stop the virus? Face masks won't stop coronavirus from spreading so you still need to follow health officials' advice for social distancing and washing your hands regularly. What they can do is help reduce the likelihood that you pass it on if you are suffering from the virus – remember that there are also people who don't show symptoms of COVID-19. As Professor Chris Whitty, the government's Chief Medical Officer, puts it, wearing a face covering "is an added precaution that may have some benefit in reducing the likelihood that a person with the infection passes it on." Most retailers producing these commercially-available face masks state that the face masks they sell are not sold as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health and care workers to use in the work place. Who is exempt? Children under 11 and people with certain disabilities will be exempt as they already are on public transport. Other countries The World Health Organisation shifted towards recommending face coverings in June. Britons have been among the slowest to embrace mass mask-wearing. Many European countries, including Germany, Spain, Italy and Greece, have already made it compulsory to wear face coverings inside shops. A YouGov poll found that 36% of people in the UK wear a face mask in public places, compared with 86% in Spain, 83% in Italy, 78% in France and 65% in Germany. Tourists visiting the Costa del Sol must wear masks in public places from Wednesday, mirroring moves in Catalonia and the Balearics to fine people up to £90 for flouting the rules.

UPDATE: Health officials in Herefordshire say there's no risk to the general public after more than 70 people working at a vegetable farm tested positive for coronavirus. All 200 staff at AS Green & Co in Mathon are now isolating to contain the outbreak

Joint statement from Public Health Midlands (West) and Herefordshire Council Herefordshire Council is working with Public Health England (PHE) Midlands to support vegetable producers AS Green and Co, based in Mathon near Malvern, following an outbreak of COVID-19 among their workforce. Around 200 key workers are employed to carry out picking and packing work vital to the UK food supply chain and local economy. During the harvesting season, the workforce resides in mobile homes based on the farm, so as a precaution, the whole group are being treated as one extended bubble. Workers are being asked to remain on the farm during the period of isolation and stay within household groups, to reduce risk of spread within the workforce and into the wider community. Herefordshire Council is arranging food and essential supplies for residents on the site, while they self-isolate. Katie Spence, PHE Midlands Health Protection Director, said: A spokesperson for AS Green said: Karen Wright, Director of Public Health for Herefordshire, said:

The Greggs branch on Belmont Road which we originally reported opening here only in November 2017 has closed down with a Cooke & Arkwright TO LET sign in the window. The branch at 109-111 Belmont Road, next to the existing Domino's was targeting new and existing customers in South Wye Hereford but this strategy has clearly failed. Greggs is a long-standing client of Cooke & Arkwright, who previously announced that they had helped Greggs bolster its presence in Wales during 2018 by sourcing and securing nine new units, collectively creating over a 100 new jobs. During 2018, the bakery giant opened nine new premises in Wales and the Marches which include Belmont Road in Hereford, New Road in Neath Abbey, the former Little Chef in Newtown, a store on Stephens Way in Carmarthen, a prominent roadside unit on the A470 in Builth Wells, a unit in Cardiff city centre within the new BBC building in the landmark Central Square development, and three new units in the Newport area, being on Cardiff Rd, Caerleon Rd, and to the east of the city on the Langland Park West industrial estate. As part of its ongoing work with Greggs, which has spanned over 25 years, Cooke & Arkwright’s responsibilities have included identifying and sourcing new locations and agreeing new lease terms, assisting with the business rates on the portfolio and renewing expired leases.

Statement from Herefordshire Council strongly rejects the Prime Minister’s comments that ‘too many care homes didn't really follow the procedures in the way that they could have’. Read the full statement from Herefordshire Council in response to the Prime Minister’s recent comments regarding care homes. Herefordshire Council strongly rejects the Prime Minister’s comments that ‘too many care homes didn't really follow the procedures in the way that they could have’. Cabinet Member for Adults & Wellbeing, Councillor Pauline Crockett, said:

The planning application for the proposed erection of two storey McDonalds restaurant with drive-thru, car parking, landscaping, play place and associated works on land at Morrisons Car Park Barons Cross Road Leominster in Herefordshire have today been withdrawn. Application P181448/F

The 1.6m (5.2 ft) high bronze statue was sculptured by Brian Alabaster and was funded by a benefactor called Clive Richards as a "thank you to the city". The city's mayor Councillor Brian Wilcox said of the statue when it was unveiled in July 2012 Brian Alabaster was awarded the commission for a life size Hereford bull for Hereford City centre and he said;

The club confirmed the news in a statement explaining that both are asymptomatic but, as part of the procedures introduced by Premiership Rugby as part of Stage Two of the Return to Training Protocols, they will be re-tested. Both are currently self-isolating at home. Stage Two of the Return to Training Protocols require clubs to provide a written declaration to Premiership Rugby that they have met a number of key criteria alongside a full risk assessment informing the operational policy for their training facility. These include: All players and support staff must undertake an Education Module and sign a formal “opt in” process for moving to Stage 2. All players and designated support staff undergoing weekly COVID-19 testing, and maintaining the high standards of hygiene introduced at training facilities. All clubs in conjunction with Premiership Rugby and the Rugby Football Union undertaking a rugby risk assessment to support the mitigation of risk in training. The continuation of a daily medical screening for players and support staff, which involves the completion of a symptom checklist and temperature check before entering the training facility. A contact tracing protocol which will be supported by GPS data and the videoing of training sessions. The provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) appropriate for the setting.

Hereford's New Foodie 🇵🇱 Uwaga! Ogłaszamy konkurs! Do wygrania przepyszne specjały kuchni Polska Street Food o wartości £25 !🇵🇱 We have teamed up with our Polish friends at Hereford's latest restaurant and takeaway Polska Street Food (we've had many dishes already and can assure you the food is lush)🥙🌮🍕🍟🌭🌯🥖🍔 To be in with a chance of winning a superb selection of food from their fantastic menu all you have to do is follow these 3 simple steps... 👉 LIKE & SHARE Polska Street Food & Hereford Voice 👉 Comment, telling us which dishes you would like to try 👉 Tag a friend who would enjoy some new style food 😜 A lucky winner will be selected at random on Tues 14 July (Entrants MUST at least 16 years of age) ☎️ 01432381200 - 'Just Eat' or visit their website HERE Good Luck 👍 Competition / Giveaway T&C's #HerefordVoice #hvcomps #Hereford #hfdcomps

CONGRATULATIONS Debbie McCauley who is this weeks winner!!

Thousands of homeowners across the UK are set to receive vouchers of up to £5,000 for energy-saving home improvements as part of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s proposed £2bn grant scheme in England. The Green Homes Grant, announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer today, will give hundreds of thousands of homeowners vouchers of up to £5,000 for energy-saving home improvements, a move which the Treasury hopes will help to support more than 100,000 jobs in the industry. The Chancellor also revealed that the poorest homeowners could receive up to £10,000 as part of the plans. Rishi Sunak set out a £2bn grant scheme in England for projects such as insulation as part of a wider £3bn plan to cut carbon emissions. Under the Green Homes Grant, the government will pay at least two-thirds of the cost of home improvements that save energy, the Treasury said. For example, a homeowner of a semi-detached or end-of-terrace house could install cavity wall and floor insulation for about £4,000 – the homeowner would pay £1,320 while the government would contribute £2,680. The scheme will launch in September, with online applications for recommended energy efficiency measures, along with details of accredited local suppliers. Once one of these suppliers has provided a quote and the work is approved, the voucher is issued.

Get your entries in by tomorrow! We have had a huge response on Facebook to this giveaway

Tesco will be relaxing some of their social distancing measures from tomorrow. The store will be removing the one way system in the aisles and all arrow floor stickers will be removed with some being replaced with occasional 'Keep Your Distance' stickers. Tesco feel now is the time to improve the ease of shop across their stores and also remove the need for staff to what are sometimes, difficult conversations with customers. We understand that other measures will also be relaxed similar to that now in place at the Ledbury store, where door staff will no longer be restricting customer numbers entering the store, customers will also need to clean their own shopping trolleys. B&Q have also removed the need to have a trolley when entering their store in Hereford and customers are also required to clean their own trolley, if one is required. Sanitisers and cloths will still be provided.

More photographs..

At approximately 11.30pm on Sunday night, Ledbury Fire Station attended a tree fire in #Eastnor near Eastnor Castle. The tree was well alight when the crews arrived and unfortunately it was not possible to extinguish quickly. Great efforts were made by the crew from Ledbury and also by a crew from Upton Upon Severn Fire Station. The crews ran out hose approximately 120metres and used an appliance to shuttle water to and from the incident all through the night. Foam was also used to blanket the tree in great efforts to save it. This once magnificent tree in question is a very well known and admired tree called #TheWhiteLeavedOak. We understand that this tree is visited by people from all over the world and plays a large part in the rituals of Druids. The White Leaved Oak is thought to be around 500 years old and is featured on many websites and books. The cause of the fire is unknown, However please be careful when visiting the countryside, especially when visiting somewhere that is as sacred or precious to many people.

Hereford FC is delighted to announce that popular local restaurant The Beefy Boys, will be the home short sponsor for the upcoming 2020/21 season. Lee Symonds of The Beefy Boys said, Hereford FC General Manager, James Watts said: “

Local people from Herefordshire and the rest of the UK can now travel freely to and from Wales as the lockdown measures that were introduced in March are lifted from today 6th July 2020. The Welsh government had imposed a "stay local" requirement which advised people to remain within five miles of their home. Visitor attractions can open and it will pave the way for the tourism sector to begin re-opening from July 11, providing conditions allow. Families will be reunited as people from two households are now able to form one extended household.

Hi Matt, welcome to Hereford Voice! Yes there are plenty of fish, always fisherman sat around on the banks etc

Harveys and Benson for Beds enter into Administration. Harveys goes into administration with 240 jobs lost and branches under threat. Bensons for Beds, which is owned by Harveys' owners Blue Group, will see around 50 of its outlets close, leaving between 150 and 175 open. Blue Group formally appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers as administrator on Tuesday. The move leaves the future of Harveys hanging in the balance, with PwC looking for buyers for the business and its three manufacturing plants. Harveys is not currently taking any new orders but will honour existing ones, according to its website Harvey’s have had financial trouble for the past 12 months and have been seeking a new buyer. Most stores were due to re-open today, with staff spending the past two days cleaning showrooms. The two furniture retailers operate from 269 stores across the UK and employs 2700 in total, 700 of which are directly employed at Harvey’s. Both Bensons for Beds and Harvey’s also had a change of hands last November, when former parent company Blue Group was sold off by Steinhoff to Alteri Investors for an undisclosed sum. Alteri Investors, which owns Blue Group, has decided to restructure the business so that Bensons will become a standalone business. Bensons is the second largest bed retailer in the UK behind Dreams in terms of market share.

WIN a Sunday Roast for 2 People at The Den Hereford. "It's what Sundays are all about" We have teamed up with our lovely friends at The Den to celebrate their reopening this coming weekend. To be in with a chance of winning a mouthwatering Sunday roast for two people on Sunday 12th July between 12-4pm (table has already been reserved) pop over to our Facebook page.. 👉 LIKE & SHARE The Den & Hereford Voice FB Pages 👉 Leave a comment telling us your favourite veg or meat 👉 Tag a friend who would love a roast 😜 A lucky winner will be selected at random on Wed 8th July (Entrants MUST at least 16 years of age and available Sunday 12th July 2020) Good Luck 👍 Competition / Giveaway T&C's #HerefordVoice #hvcomps #Hereford #hfdcomps