Hereford Voice

'Thank you' to the fabulous biomedical scientists and technicians, the Infection Prevention team at the microbiology dept at the Wye Valley NHS who have been processing all the COVID19 samples locally to ensure prompt diagnosis for the people of Herefordshire! Photo courtesy Evelyn Williams

Happy St George's Day Who remembers when this knight rode into Hereford? This brilliant photograph from our archive captured outside Hereford Cathedral.

Check out 'The River Wye with Will Millard' this Thursday at 19.30 on BBC2 and BBC iPlayer. This is a short 3 part series. Writer and angler Will Millard begins his journey down the River Wye in the wild mountains of Mid Wales. He goes in search of the river's source on the slopes of Plynlimon, before learning how a local sheep farmer has diversified by turning some of his land into a destination for petrolheads. He explores how a legacy of heavy industry polluted the entire Wye catchment, acidifying its waters and damaging the ecosystem. Now an environmental charity is working hard to right the wrongs of the past with some basic chemistry and some heavy machinery. The way rivers are viewed is changing and Will takes a detour off the main river up one of its tributaries to reflect on the benefits of being immersed in nature. After spending a night in the wilds, Will explores how the waters that feed the Wye have been harnessed as a valuable natural resource. The upper reaches of the River Wye are also an important sanctuary for a diverse range of wildlife, but what we see today is just a fraction of what the river must once have been and could be once more. Will goes in search of a river-dwelling animal that hasn't been seen on a Welsh river for centuries. As an obsessive angler, Will couldn't make a journey down the Wye without trying to hook a fish or two. He's never caught Wye salmon, the river's most iconic species, and it's not going to be easy. We might be stuck indoors for now, but you can escape to the source of the River Wye at 7:30pm this Thursday on BBC Two

Please be safe and vigilant when going out and about on your daily exercise! A small slip down a riverbank or canal can be fatal. Look out for other people when on your travels near water. Hereford Voice is supporting the NFCC Drowning Prevention and Water Safety Week to raise awareness of the risk of accidental drowning and reduce the 263 deaths that occurred in 2018 in the UK.

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service 'Blue Watch' today in Hereford showing their appreciation to all their fellow Key Workers. Thank you!

Herefordshire Council | Talk Community. Looking after each other? The weekend is the perfect time to call friends, neighbours and relatives to see how they are coping and to check they are ok during this difficult time. If someone you know is having trouble please call 01432 260027 or visit the Talk Community website HERE What is Talk Community? Herefordshire Council Talk Community COVID-19 response team has been set up to provide help and support where it’s most needed in Herefordshire, to identify and support the most vulnerable residents in the county. The response team is made up from volunteers based around the county so they can reach people no matter where they are located, or how isolated their location. This is a worrying and challenging time for many, so in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 they are working with community organisations and local businesses to help connect people to support in their local area. They will continue to provide reassurance and support over the coming weeks, helping you to live well in your own home for as long as is needed. If you are worried about how you might cope in the coming weeks, have gaps in your support plan or need extra assistance, then the Talk Community’ COVID-19 response team can help you. You can complete our request for support form / Request for help from community volunteers HERE Call them on 01432 260027 or email talkcommunitycovidresponse@herefordshire.gov.uk Local support and assistance If you would like to volunteer to help support elderly, frail, disabled, and vulnerable people and families in Herefordshire, please complete our volunteering form HERE Health advice Follow NHS advice if you have coronavirus symptoms as described on their website HERE There is currently no specific treatment for coronavirus. It's therefore important to follow the latest NHS advice and stay at home guidance for people with confirmed or possible coronavirus infection on the gov.uk website. This will help stop the spread of coronavirus and help protect others in your community while you are infectious.

He's only gone and done it!! WOW! Captain Tom Moore has surpassed the £20 Million! Should we now think about addressing him Sir Tom Moore? Captain Tom Moore just keeps smashing incredible feat after feat. He has just raised an unprecedented £20 million for the NHS, to help support them during the COVID-19 global health emergency and the numbers are still growing!

Our friend Kyle has made the BBC HERE with his Captain Tom illustrations, congratulations Kyle!

Advice to landowners and the public when accessing public rights of way and open spaces The government’s priority is to save lives and the best way to protect yourself and others from illness is to stay at home. However, exercise is still important for people’s physical and mental wellbeing and many people look to take their daily exercise outside. The extended restrictions on movement announced by the government also apply to public rights of way and everyone must follow government rules and advice for the safety of all. Please be aware that some people live in very close proximity to public rights of way, which can be through gardens, schools and farmland. Make sure you consider everyone’s need for social distancing, treat each other with respect and remember that some people may be in self-isolation because of illness or other vulnerabilities. The risk of the Coronavirus being passed on to others from people using public rights of way and other paths and trails is considered to be very low as long as everyone follows the government’s social distancing rules. Advice to landowners Landowners do not have the legal right to block or obstruct public rights of way. However, in very limited circumstances where large numbers of people are using such routes, landowners may consider the following temporary measures: Tying gates open if it is safe to do so, so that walkers do not need to touch the gate Temporarily displaying polite notices that encourage users to respect local residents and workers by following social distancing guidelines and consider using alternative routes that do not pass through gardens, farmyards or schools Offering an alternative route around gardens and farmyards only where it is safe to do so (you must gain permission from relevant landowners and make sure the route is safe for users and livestock) provided that the original right of way is maintained All temporary measures must be lifted as soon as social distancing guidelines are relaxed Advice to the public If you do choose to take your daily exercise outside, make sure you follow the government’s social distancing when accessing countryside or public open spaces local to you. Stay local and use open spaces near to your home where possible – do not travel unnecessarily You can leave the house for one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household only Even when doing these activities, you should be minimising time spent outside of the home and ensuring you are 2 metres (3 steps apart) apart from anyone outside of your household Follow the Countryside Code If walking your dog in areas used by other people, you should walk your dog on a lead to ensure you can safely keep 2 metres away from others. Take home your used tissues and litter Ensure you wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds when you return home. Use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available

'Thinking of you’ service set up for loved ones to keep in touch with patients There was no image, so we have created this one which has been endorsed by the trust for us to use. A new ‘thinking of you’ service has been set up for loved ones to keep in touch with patients staying in hospitals across the county, whilst ward visiting remains suspended. Wye Valley NHS Trust has introduced the new service to help keep patients and their family and friends in contact with one another during Covid-19. The service is available seven days a week and messages will be delivered by hospital staff to patients on the wards at Hereford County Hospital, Leominster, Bromyard and Ross Community Hospital. Catherine Davies, associate director of nursing at Wye Valley NHS Trust, said: The relative of a Trust patient said: What you need to do to send a message to your loved one: Choose one family member or friend to send the letter Include the patients full name, date of birth and ward/department where they are an inpatient Email the letter and the above details to Thinkingofyou@wvt.nhs.uk

Please sign this petition to give fundraising veteran Captain Tom Moore a knighthood. Captain Tom Moore This petition has already gained almost 500,000 signatures! This amazing motivational hero deserves to be awarded a knighthood. World War Two veteran Tom Moore who is walking 100 lengths of his back garden before his 100th birthday has already raised over £17 million for the NHS in just one week and the amount is still growing. This petition calls for him to be recognised in the next honours list, which is due to be published on the Queen's official birthday in June. Sonia Wilson, an NHS midwife, started the petition, explaining that Captain Tom has received huge support on Social Media with the hashtag #KnighthoodforCaptainTom trending. Please sign the petition here

The artist has also created these awesome supportive illustrations.

Captain Tom Moore 100th Birthday Badges! Our friend Kyle Dowling (artist)has created these fantastic birthday badges to celebrate Captain Tom Moore's 100th birthday. Hereford Voice appreciates this nice gesture and is happy to share this idea from the artist however, we are not involved in any sales or profit whatsoever. You could also celebrate by changing your profile photos to a 'Happy Birthday' badge or maybe wearing a birthday badge for Tom and sending him your wishes with a photo. Captain Tom has so far raised over £17m for the NHS. If you prefer, you can purchase a badge and wear it with pride both to celebrate Captain Tom's 100th birthday and as a symbol of your support for both Tom's brilliant fundraising effort for the wonderful NHS.| 50% from all profit will go directly to Captain Tom's fund. You can purchase your badges here HERE or you can donate direct HERE #HerefordVoice #CaptainTomMoore #TomorrowWillBeAGoodDay

Life Saving: Lock's Garage now has defibrillator on-site. This is much welcomed life-saving equipment! A post on their Facebook page reads:

Check out this brilliant illustration tribute that we had sent to us by our friend Kyle Dowling of 'Captain Tom Moore' who will be 100 years old at the end of this month and has raised over £13m for the NHS. You can donate HERE Illustration courtesy of Kyle Blade please email any art enquiries to kdowlingart@gmail.com #HerefordVoice #walkwithtom #NHS

Here is a wonderful illustration kind sent to us by Kyle Blade Any art enquiries to please email kdowlingart@gmail.com

It is wonderful to see the Hergest Croft Gardens, Kington listed in the Guardian's top 10 places to visit in the spring. Photograph: Alex Ramsay/Alamy Guardian article HERE

WOW! This guy is incredible! Photo courtesy of SkyNews A 99-year-old war veteran who has raised more than £13m for the NHS by walking around his garden has now completed his challenge. Captain Tom Moore, who turns 100 at the end of the month, smashed his original target to raise £1,000 for the NHS fighting COVID-19, by walking 100 lengths of his Bedfordshire garden. Completing the challenge - with a guard of honour from the 1st Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment - he said he felt "fine" and that he was glad to be "surrounded by the right sort of people". Captain Tom Moore has so far raised £12.3m for the NHS Soldiers from 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, surprised the Captain as he completed his challenge. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Defence News source: SkyNews If you would like to support Captain Tom Moore's fundraising you can make a donation HERE

The NHS is opening seven new hospitals across the country to fight Coronavirus. London 4000 beds Birmingham 2000 beds Manchester 1000 beds Bristol 850 beds Harrogate 500 beds Sunderland 350 beds Exeter 200 beds These sites will provide hundreds of extra beds to help make sure the NHS capacity remains higher than required during the peak of the #Coronavirus.

Sometimes we see an image that speaks volumes, this powerful image says it all, so we just felt compelled to share it. Artist MJ Hiblen Art THANK YOU to our NHS, such courageous dedicated people confronting this horrible virus head on! #HerefordVoice #NHS #Herefordshire #Hereford

Turkish Air Force Deliver 250,000 Items of PPE Equipment in Brize Norton for Our NHS. See the Royal Airforce tweet below: It's great to see all these countries working and supporting each other.

Club launches food parcels scheme Hereford City Rotary Club has launched a new food parcels scheme to assist families disadvantaged by the Coronavirus pandemic. The City has received an overwhelmingly positive response to its latest initiative in supporting the community against the Coronavirus. The club had already set up a Facebook information portal and a fund to assist charities and community groups. And now, after being approached by Cllr Jim Kenyon about helping vulnerable people in the pandemic, the Rotarians have launched an emergency food parcel scheme. said club president Katie Farmer. Schools contact vulnerable families and explain that the City of is offering food parcels. If they wish to accept the offer, they reply to the school and a parcel is delivered to their home. The content of the parcels has been agreed with the Public Health Team and is being sourced from a variety of wholesalers and local businesses. said Katie Farmer. The club is working with three local businesses. The School Uniform Shop is co-ordinating the sourcing of the food with Cllr Kenyon; Shack Events, who are providing a warehouse for storage and packing, and Pedicargo are then helping Rotarians deliver the food parcels. The first 96 parcels were delivered last week with 59 going to families from The Church of England Hereford Academy School while 37 were delivered by Vennture to the families that they support. The system put in place worked well and there is now the capacity to deliver 200 parcels a week. said Academy headteacher Mike Stoppard. One of the parents said: “Thank you so very much for my boxes; I’ve got tears in my eyes and a massive smile.” said Katie Farmer. For details about the scheme, contact Bobby Morris, City of ’s chairman of Community and Vocational Service on robertamorris01@gmail.com. To make a donation, contact club treasurer John Tallis on john.tallis@btopenworld.com

Paying Our Respects When Funeral Procession Passes During these extraordinary times with this unrelenting Coronavirus pandemic and where funerals are limited to just a few family members and the much needed support during bereavement is almost non existent. How about we revive the old tradition that would show grieving families and friends that their loss is noticed and shared by us all. If you see a funeral procession, please stop for a moment as it passes, remove any hat and just bow your head as a sign of respect. This would mean the world to these families in their time of sadness. This kind act will make you feel good, just think if this was one of your family members and you were in those cars, seeing a member of the public offering this kind gesture would go a long way. We're all in this together.

Madley Aerial 1 illuminated Blue at 8pm tonight. To all the keyworkers - NHS, delivery drivers, post office, retail shops, police, fire, ambulance and many many more - including communication workers maintaining all our comms in the UK and globally, too many wonderful people to mention - Thank you.