Hereford Voice

Disturbing seeing rubbish being left on the hills, commons & car parks of Malvern Hills Trust land. If you can't leave it the way you find it then politely consider staying away and not spoiling it for others. Malvern Cops spotted a few youths having a BBQ and made to tidy up. More people were also removed from Gullet Quarry yesterday. Details of those breaking Malvern Hills Trust bylaws taken for potential enforcement. The owners of the disgusting amounts of rubbish left behind couldn't be identified. What is wrong with some people? First of all people shouldn't be having BBQ's particularly with all of their dry weather we have been enjoying these past few months and it is forbidden on Malvern Hills Trust land. There are been many field and bush fires reported recently across the county by Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service including another one just today! Crews from Evesham, Ledbury, Pershore, Tewksbury and Worcester have extinguished a barn fire at Bredon near Tewksbury involving 50 hay bales.

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service attended a fire at Kingstone. Upon arrival they were faced with a double garage with two vehicles well alight and the fire had spread to the roof space of the adjoining house with crews quickly bringing the fire under control using hose reels and BA. Six pumps and a water carrier together with crews from Hereford, Peterchurch, Eardisley and Ewyas Harold fire stations all attended the scene. As can be seen from the photo the garage and two cars were completely destroyed. Crews were left on scene dampening down hot spots with an inspection organised later in the evening. All persons were accounted for with no injuries reported.

Rachel Jones has been appointed as the Assistant Chief Constable for Local Policing and Operations at West Mercia Police and will join the force in the middle of June 2020. Rachel’s first twelve years’ service were in Gloucestershire Constabulary, where she undertook a wide range of uniformed, detective and business related roles, as well as tactical firearms, public order and major incident command, including Gold Control for the 2007 floods and subsequent loss of water to 350,000 people for two weeks. Culminating in the positon of Director of Intelligence, as South West Regional Lead for Intelligence, she oversaw the creation of the then South West Regional Intelligence Unit prior to transferring to West Midlands Police in 2008. Working in Local Policing, Programme Change and Child Protection in her first few years in West Midlands Police, in 2012 Rachel was appointed Head of Professional Standards where she led the development and implementation of the Force Integrity Programme. Rachel became Local Policing Commander for the North of Birmingham in 2013. Reframing the role of the Partnership Team, she worked with partner agencies and communities to uplift services to vulnerable people. She also led on delivery of the Troubled Families Programme and proposals for broader adoption of early intervention and prevention practices across the Force and partner agencies regionally. This resulted in her appointment in 2016 to lead the West Midlands Combined Authority Public Service Reform Programme with responsibility for developing the framework for more joined-up working across the public sector. She also held complementary positions of Force Intervention and Prevention lead and Commander for Corporate Integrated Offender Management. As Head of Force Criminal Investigations Department, Rachel delivered a change programme which brought all investigative functions, from Homicide to those previously delivered by Local Policing Commands, into a Force-wide investigative model and saw the creation of additional disciplines focusing on harm prevention, diversion and vulnerability. Later as Temporary ACC for the Crime Portfolio, Rachel had responsibility for Forensics, Criminal Justice Services; Force CID; Public Protection and Intelligence. Most recently, Rachel has been working for the NPCC on police pay and conditions, pay reform and the Police Uplift Programme. Rachel lives in Worcestershire with her partner and young daughter.

Herefordshire Council leaders have agreed in principle to spend £4.5m on buying Maylord Shopping Centre in Hereford Council officers say the purchase would give them the opportunity to develop the site in line with their plans to grow the county’s economy. They expect the rental income from the property to cover maintenance and running costs, leaving a surplus cash return for the council to meet its key priorities. According to council documents the cost of purchasing the premises and paying stamp duty amounts to £4.25m while the purchasing costs and legal fees amount to £200,000 and £50,000 respectively. The council’s decision report says it will need an agent to manage the site who would provide a fully managed service dealing with the rental and the maintenance requirements. They say an agent would provide them with the expertise for managing the commercial elements of the site. They believe the management company’s fees would be covered by the rental income. However, a number of councillors are concerned about purchasing properties at such an uncertain time for the economy when the valuation at present and immediate future is questionable. The decision to purchase the freehold premises is subject to the chief finance officer being satisfied that appropriate heads of terms have been agreed, due diligence has been completed and the purchase provides value for money. The director economy and place, in consultation with the cabinet member commissioning, procurement and assets, has been authorised to complete the acquisition and to take all operational decisions necessary to appoint a management company. Source: Sunshine Radio

The NPCC National Speed Operation is now in full swing for the next 2 weeks. West Mercia Police aim is to educate people on the dangers of speeding to reduce the amount of people dying on our roads. Please, watch your speed.

McDonalds Drive-Thru Reopening Next Week. 🍔🍟🥤 We have been reliably informed that the Belmont Road 'Drive-Thru' could reopen from as early as Monday or Tuesday, initially offering a limited menu. This follows the news that KFC will reopen in Hereford next Wednesday. Have you missed your fast food in Hereford and which is your favourite?

A huge thank you to everyone at Covid-19 support in Herefordshire. You have given local people across our county a invaluable service for the past 10 weeks. Give yourselves a massive round of applause 👏👏👏 📄 A statement on their page reads; 👇

Barn Fire Update: A busy 24 hours for Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service. Crew 502 called out at 23.10 last night to a large farm building fire near Eardisland. Additional crews from 8 fire stations battled throughout the night to contain the fire. They have all been working today damping down and making the area safe.

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service crews called to a large barn fire at Lawton near kingsland. 6 pumps from 3 brigades worked through the night to stop the fire spreading. Crews will remain on site today.

Light Aircraft Crash Landing Near Kingsland. Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service with crews from Kingsland, Leominster, Hereford fire stations all attended the light aircraft incident, near Shirl Heath, Kingsland. Crews from Droitwich and Malvern stood down en route when the scale of incident was assessed by initial crews. The incident involved light aircraft crash landing on field. One person self rescued prior to arrival, uninjured thankfully. Aircraft has been made safe.

Well done to the Herefordshire Council street cleansing teams who have been making the most of the lower levels of traffic on the network on the A40. In just 3 days, 4.5 tonnes of litter and road debris was removed by their sweepers and litter pickers. Please help keep it this way, take your litter home!

A second man has died after he and two others were attacked by a water buffalo in Wales. The 19-year-old victim, named in reports as Peter Jump, had been taken to hospital in a critical condition following the incident in Gwehelog, Monmouthshire, on 5 May. A 57-year-old man, believed to be his father and known to family members as Jon Jump, was pronounced dead at the scene, while a 22-year-old woman was taken to hospital with a serious leg injury. Jon Jump, 57, was pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency services were called to the incident at a commercial property at about 2.50pm. On Wednesday, Gwent Police confirmed the teenager had died from "critical injuries" the following day on 6 May at the University Hospital for Wales, Cardiff. A neighbour told the South Wales Argus at the time: "One of the buffalo managed to escape its pen and it attacked when they were trying to get it back in. It's an absolute tragedy." In a statement, a police spokesperson said: "A 57-year-old man from the Gwehelog area was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics from Wales Ambulance Service.

Organ donation law in England has changed. What has changed? Organ donation in England has moved to an 'opt out' system. You may also hear it referred to as 'Max and Keira's Law'. This means that all adults in England will be considered to have agreed to be an organ donor when they die unless they have recorded a decision not to donate or are in one of the excluded groups. Your family will still be approached and your faith, beliefs and culture will continue to be respected. You still have a choice whether or not you wish to become a donor. Get the facts about organ donation to help you decide. Why has the law changed? The law has been changed to help save and improve more lives. Every day across the UK, someone dies waiting for a transplant. What do I have to do? We are asking everyone to: Record your organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register Tell your family and friends what you have decided If you would like to speak to somebody about your choices, please call our dedicated line: 0300 303 2094 When did the law change? The opt out system in England came into effect on 20 May 2020. Who will the changes affect? These changes will affect all adults in England unless they have recorded a decision not to donate or are in one of the following excluded groups: Those under the age of 18 People who lack the mental capacity to understand the new arrangements and take the necessary action Visitors to England, and those not living here voluntarily People who have lived in England for less than 12 months before their death Download the factsheet below The factsheet explains the changes to the law around organ donation in England, and the choices you can make. organ-donation-law-in-england-factsheet-updated-010520.pdf

Captain Tom Moore to be knighted The World War Two veteran, who raised funds by walking up and down his garden, says he is "absolutely overwhelmed" at the award. Captain Tom Moore, who raised almost £33m for the NHS as it battled to cope with coronavirus, is to be knighted, Boris Johnson has said.The 100-year-old World War Two veteran, who raised the extraordinary sum of money by walking up and down his garden, said: The prime minister, who recommended the award, which the Queen approved, called Captain Moore a "true national treasure" who "provided us all with a beacon of light through the fog of coronavirus". His knighthood comes just weeks after he was made an honorary colonel to mark his centenary and fundraising efforts. Source SkyNews

A woman whose body was discovered in the Forest of Dean last Tuesday (12 May) has been named as Phoenix Netts, aged 28. Phoenix Netts A statement released on behalf of Phoenix’s family reads: Our thoughts are with Phoenix's family at this extremely difficult time. We've been working closely with detectives from West Midlands Police over the past week and they are now leading the murder investigation. Two people charged in connection with the investigation appeared at court this morning (19 May). Detectives from West Midlands Police have been working closely with colleagues at Gloucestershire Constabulary and are now leading the murder investigation. Exactly where Phoenix was killed is still unknown and officers continue to follow-up a number of enquiries in a bid to establish what happened. Our specialist family liaison officers are working with the 28-year-old’s family at this devastating time. Two people charged in connection with the murder appeared at Gloucester Crown Court this morning (19 May). Gareeca Conita Gordon, aged 27, from Salisbury Road, Birmingham was charged with the murder of a woman on or before 12 May 2020. Mahesh Sorathiya, aged 38, from Denmore Gardens, Wolverhampton was charged with assisting an offender on or before the 12 May. Gordon was remanded into prison, while the court granted Sorathiya conditional bail, and both are next due to appear at Bristol Crown Court on 4 August. Detective Chief Inspector Scott Griffiths from our homicide team said: Anyone with any information can contact Gloucestershire Police or call 101 anytime.

Local Business Hey, Honey has just launched their online store and it's buzzing! Head over to their online store here and select ‘shop’ New lines & new items are being added each day, so be sure to keep popping back! Click-&-Collect or home delivery are now available. Either can be curb side/contact free, just let them know at checkout, (include your contact details) please be mindful & adhere to social distancing. Worldwide shipping with all major credit/debit cards accepted inc ApplePay. 3% of all profit goes to projects directly helping the UK 🐝 bee population 🐝 20% off EVERYTHING for the entire FIRST WEEK with discount code 👉 WBD20 👈 at checkout to celebrate & support 🌍🐝*World Bee Day*🐝🌍 on Wednesday 20th May, 2020. Please sign up to their mailing list on the website for news, updates, offers & more discounts! Supporting our local businesses #HerefordVoice #HfdLocal #Hereford #KeepItLocal

Over 1.8 Million People (85%) have recovered and been discharged from hospital from Coronavirus worldwide. Most people who catch coronavirus will only get mild symptoms and make a full recovery. We are in no way trying to dilute the severity of this virus or the impact of loss and bereavement this disease is having for so many people but just wanted to 'highlight' how many people are recovering each day, rather than publish the daily doom and gloom numbers of deaths being constantly reported. World statistics of the Covid-19 - Coronavirus pandemic recovery rates last updated: May 17, 2020, 0:50 GMT. Source: Worldometer Graphic designed by Freepik #HerefordVoice #Coronavirus

February, Calm, Coot Calling' a studio watercolour created from outdoor sketches at Bodenham Lake Nature Reserve managed by Herefordshire Wildlife Trust Thank you to Richard Bavin for painting this superb watercolour for our viewing pleasure. Richard is a local landscape painter specialising in trees and woodland, Richard seeks to capture the character and atmosphere of particular places in all weathers and seasons.

Congratulations to Kate Bingham, wife of our own Jesse Norman, MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire. Kate Bingham has today (16 May) been appointed chair of the UK’s Vaccine Taskforce – the group set up by the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Business Secretary and Health Secretary to lead UK efforts to find and manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine. This is a cross-government role and Kate Bingham will report directly to the Prime Minister. Kate Bingham is a leading figure in the life sciences sector and her appointment will enable the Vaccine Taskforce to accelerate the development of a safe and effective vaccine, one of the long-term solutions to controlling the coronavirus pandemic and saving lives without social distancing or contact tracing in place. Kate will co-ordinate the work already underway across Government, academia and industry to rapidly develop vaccines, and ensure that as and when a viable one becomes available, it can be produced in mass quantities and safely administered to the public – both in the UK and around the world. The Taskforce is ensuring the work being done to find a vaccine in the UK complements and supports global efforts. The UK is a leader in the global response, committing £250 million to the international drive to develop a coronavirus vaccine through the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and hosting the upcoming global pledging conference for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, on June 4th. Kate is uniquely qualified for the role, having worked in the biotech sector in the UK and internationally for 26 years – most recently as Managing Partner at SV Health Investor. Her work has led to the launch of six drugs for the treatment of patients with inflammatory and autoimmune disease and cancer. Business Secretary Alok Sharma, who has been tasked with ministerial responsibility for the government’s work on vaccines said: Chair of the Vaccine Taskforce Kate Bingham said: Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: Government Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said: About Kate Bingham Kate is temporarily stepping back from her full time role as Managing Partner at SV Health Investors, a leading international life sciences venture capital firm to take on this role as Chair of the Taskforce. At SV she is responsible for biotech investments and activities in the UK and serves or has served on the boards of companies in the UK, US, Ireland, Sweden and Germany. Her investments include small-molecule drug discovery and development projects, biotherapeutic development projects, and drug discovery platforms in a broad range of clinical areas. Kate played a leading role in setting up the UK’s Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF) and serves on the DDF Investment Committee. The DDF was created by six leading pharmaceutical companies (Biogen, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Takeda), together with the UK Department of Health and Alzheimer’s Research UK. Launched with initial commitments of £70m it now has £250m to invest in new potential disease modifying therapeutics for dementia. Prior to joining SV, Kate worked in business development for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company in Cambridge, MA and at Monitor Company, a strategy consulting firm. She has an MA in Biochemistry from Oxford University (First class) and studied on a Kennedy Scholarship at Harvard Business School (MBA Baker Scholar). Jesse Norman In 1992 Hereford and South Herefordshire MP Jesse Norman married The Honourable Kate Bingham, daughter of The Lord Bingham of Cornhill, the former Lord Chief Justice. They have two sons and one daughter.

A woman has been charged with murder in connection with the discovery of human remains in the Forest of Dean on the evening of Tuesday 12 May. Photo courtesy of Gloucestershire Live/BPM Media Gareeca Conita Gordon, 27 and of Salisbury Road, Birmingham has been charged with the murder of a woman on or before 12 May 2020. Mahesh Sorathiya, 38 and of Denmore Gardens, Wolverhampton has been charged with assisting an offender on or before 12 May 2020. The pair have been refused bail and are due to appear before magistrates in Cheltenham via video link today, Saturday 16 May. Police are awaiting results of DNA tests to establish the identity of the victim.

Gloucestershire Constabulary have confirmed human remains found off a road in the Forest of Dean were a woman. Earlier today officers were been granted a 36-hour magistrates' extension to continue questioning two people who were arrested on suspicion of murder. Overnight a 12-hour custody extension had been granted for both the woman aged in her 20s and from Birmingham and the man aged in his 30s and from Wolverhampton. The further 36-hour extension was granted at around midday today and means they can remain in custody for further questioning. Forensic testing is ongoing to establish the identity of the victim after human remains were found by police shortly after 11.30pm on Tuesday 12 May. Police granted more time to question suspects in murder investigation Gloucester Police gave the following update: Photograph: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans/Rex/Shutterstock

We have acquired this old postcard recently and thought it was quite interesting.. The caption on the card says, "Hereford, Cathedral from the River Bank" It is printed and has been postally used dated September 15th 1908, what is written on the reverse is fascinating... see here >>> https://hfd.news/2rd

Car parks around the Hills and Commons will be open from Wednesday (13th May) in response to recent Government coronavirus advice. Following the announcement of the Government on Sunday 10th May, which allows people to travel to exercise, the Malvern Hills Trust will be reopening its car parks.Duncan Bridges, CEO of the Malvern Hills Trust said “ The Trust are urging people to keep their travel to a minimum, stay local where they can, and avoid crowding in ‘honey pot’ locations such as British Camp. Mr Bridges added The organisation is also encouraging people to take the necessary precautions such as washing their hands, to stay safe and to keep up to date with the latest Government advice relating to access in the countryside. “It is important that those who choose to exercise here follow the social distancing guidelines for their own safety, the safety of their family and the safety of the wider community.” The car parks have been closed since the 27th March in response to the Government’s lockdown to tackle the coronavirus outbreak. Further information regarding the reopening of car parks, visiting the Hills and car park passes can be found on the Trust’s website STAY SAFE Please do your bit to keep people safe and healthy and to stop the spread of the virus. We’ve provided some further information on how you can keep yourself and others safe when exercising on the Malvern Hills and Commons in line with official Government advice. Walking Explore some of the lesser known paths and avoid the more popular areas to minimise contact with others. As a walker you have a right of access over land under our care so you have lots of opportunities to find your own space. Stay at least 2 metres away from others. Please be generous with space when passing people on paths. Be polite and considerate to others. If you’re more mobile and able to, please step aside to allow cyclists or wheelchair users through where space is limited, to make sure everyone is at a safe distance from each other If walking with your dog please keep it under effective control and do not let your pet run up to other visitors. Please keep your dog on a lead near livestock as there are lambs around the countryside and it is important that you keep the sheep safe. Look out for ground-nesting bird signs and keep yourself and your dog to the paths in these areas to avoid disturbing these vulnerable birds. Cycling Use a bell or call out in plenty of time to alert other visitors to your approach. Stay at least 2 metres away from others to keep yourself and other safe. Be polite and considerate to others. You may need to stop and dismount or wait when passing other visitors in order to maintain a safe distance. Please keep your speed down and consider your abilities so you don't take risks that might cause you to require assistance from an already overstretched NHS. The byelaws still apply so please keep to bridleways and permissive paths (map) Running Explore some of the lesser known paths and avoid the more popular areas to minimise contact with others. As you're more likely to be breathing hard and sweating, please take extra care to keep your distance. Be polite and considerate to others. You may need to slow down or stop to keep your distance to allow others the time to move aside to maintain a safe distance of 2 metres. Please follow these tips to keep yourself and the local community safe during this difficult time. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS The trust have put together some answers to questions about accessing the Malvern Hills which you can read here. They are expecting a number of enquiries at the office so please bear with them at this time.

A 45 year old man from Leominster has been convicted of assaulting a paramedic. William Stevens from West Street, Leominster, was sentenced at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 1 May to twenty weeks for assaulting an emergency worker, four weeks for racially abusing an emergency worker and 2 weeks for criminal damage. Stevens was arrested on 1 December 2019 after paramedics and police officers attended the property (which contains several flats) following concerns for the safety of one of the residents. While at the address, Stevens grabbed the paramedic by their throat and punched them in the face. He further racially abused a detention officer whilst in Hereford custody. Chief Inspector Ross Jones said Assistant Chief Ambulance Officer, Nathan Hudson, said: