dippyhippy

Bloody Hell! My memory is better than I gave it credit for! So, it was called 2 XL.....and I remembered it as 3 XL....! I knew it was something like that! And Mr Snowzell was a director. Thanks for this Megilleland. For a moment, I was questioning my own recollection of events. I have to say, I really don't think this group should have ever been in receipt of council money for this "work". They clearly have another agenda.

So will this herald the end of Prime Care then I wonder?????

Just found this..... "Hereford Futures, the company set up by Herefordshire Council to deliver a range of improvements in the city, has agreed to safeguard the position of the Freedom Church as part of a development of 800 new homes close to new retail and leisure attractions, like the new multiplex cinema planned for 2012. "The Freedom Church is very much a church for the future, which has quickly proved to be a positive force in Hereford, reaching out to young people in ways the authorities cannot" said Jonathon Bretherton, chief executive of Hereford Futures." Then further in the same article... "On Friday nights, a team from the church can often be seen in the early hours working with the police in Herefords High Town, armed with cakes, lollipops and the settees from their café, talking to young people about alcohol, drugs, bullying, unemployment and sexual health." And finally..... A quote from Perry Noble, the pastor at New Springs..."Maybe there would be less homosexuality in the world today if there were less greedy Christians who actually cared enough to tithe and spread the Gospel?" How very progressive. Not. There is plenty more in this article, to be found on Anorak.

Thanks for the info Cambo and Megilleland. Interesting stuff is it not??

I must be a bit on the slow side.....I still can't work out if this is in conjunction with BID, or separate from it. Can anybody clarify if they are two different projects, or one and the same.

I went to my local surgery in the week to pick up a prescription, and whilst I was waiting I saw a poster on the noticeboard mentioning this. No address is given for it, the advice given is....if you need to see a GP, and can't get an appointment....ring 111 AND ASK FOR Taurus Healthcare. Not exactly the same as a walk in clinic then??? When they are this difficult to access, I'm not surprised nobody has heard of them!

Yes !!!!! Sticky Carpets! Chips and gravy in a tray in one hand....drink in the other.....!!! Those dreadful UV lights which made anything white go completely see through - and caused many embarrassing moments - and probably damaged your eye sight at the same time! Wonderful, care free times!

There are also many posts on "The Student Room" blog, relating to the targeting of first year University students.

The Hereford Times wrote an article on this a few years ago. Reasons for concern then.... *Brainwashing youngsters with "aggressive" Christian fundamentalism. *Mass Baptisms. *Arranged marriages. In a video, Gary Snowzell is shown congratulating two newly wed teenage church goers. He says "If I can multiply this, then we can start storming nations. We start causing change." He also advices young people to go to them for relationship advice, not their friends or parents as "They aren't great examples" and "Come from different backgrounds." If my memory serves me correctly, it was around this time that they were being funded by the council for their "Youth Work."

Yes, Biomech. It's simple economics, and not unlike the situation with the Old Market shops opting to close early. Not enough customers to be viable to pay staff,or be worth staying open for. At the end of the day,yes, Hereford is a city....but a small one! I don't really think we will ever be able to compete with cities like Cardiff. Perhaps when/if the new University opens, this may change if night time numbers increase. (I just love a veggie burger from Charcoal Grill.....sadly, they now seem to use some internet company - Hungry House??- to take their delivery orders.....that service is diabolical. Much better when you could phone the shop direct!)

Thanks for that post, Two Wheels. I seem to recall they were called something like 3 X.L, that isn't right I know, but it was similar to that.

I know Steve Wheeler....he's quite a character! Good on him for putting pen to paper and highlighting this. I agree Megilleland, all these new eateries and the cinema, and yet in such a rural area, it's getting harder and harder to get from A to B and back again. The only winners will be the taxi companies....that's if you can get your fare accepted!

Absolutely, Colin.

Yes. Hence my "Pay to Pray" description, which I am sure will be told has caused offence to some! I stand by it.

I would disagree with that......in order to be able to express myself through the medium of dance, I have always required quite a lot of room! In too confined a space, there could be serious injury caused to any innocent bystander observing this spectacle!

Of course your opinion counts Colin!! There have been so many concerns raised about this group over the years, and to be honest it wasn't until someone I knew personally, began to get sucked in to this organisation, that I knew much about it. I don't want to say too much, just that this person was at a real low point in their life, and a member of the church began inviting them to lots of church run events. Nothing wrong with that, I hear you say. And I would agree....however, their time began to get completely monopolised by this group, and on the several occasions I suggested I went with them to attend one of these get togethers, the message came back loud and clear, that it was "invitation only." Alarm bells started to ring with me. Discussions about voluntary financial contributions had already been mentioned. I truly felt my friend was being targeted. Luckily my friend listened to my concerns, and took a step back.

Ah....memories!!! The Rooms! I can remember when I was asked to prove my age to get in there......sadly, that hasn't happened for many years now, and I doubt it will ever happen again!

I meant to post this last night, but forgot! I see that Freedom Church is making headlines once again, for all the wrong reasons. Over at HT an article states that they have been asked to leave Swansea University Campus, after blitzing it with leaflets, and holding religious services on site. Not the first time their recruitment methods have been questioned. Anyone else remember the campaign which saw lollipops handed out to children outside the school gates? Tactics which at best could be described as showing a complete lack of judgement, at worst, rather sinister. I also seem to recall being told that at one point in the not too distant past, a company whose staff consisted of several leading lights within this church, had been given a contract to deliver sex education to pupils in some Herefordshire Schools. I have real concerns about this pay to pray organisation. How do others feel?

Having seen the artists impression of these new homes, I can honestly say they are a huge improvement on what is currently there....they look lovely. They will make wonderful homes for many families. (By the way, Colin.....great pictures once again!)

I would agree with Rebecca - this is a loss to the city. I am more folk club than night club, but to lose a venue like this, so soon after the Jail House has closed, is a real concern. To hear Rebecca say that after midnight, Hereford is like a ghost town, is also alarming. Many years ago, when a weekend barely passed by without a visit to The Crystal Rooms (Showing my age, now!) Hereford was buzzing until about 2 in the morning. Out of interest, and because I am completely out of the loop now, what other venues are there? I can think of Play??? Are there any others?

This would appear to be happening in my neck of the woods, and I am slightly concerned about other posters reports of how effective they are. I often walk the dog, alone and in the dark, and have always felt perfectly safe doing so....partly because despite the odd incident, I do strongly believe that Herefordshire is a very safe place to live, and partly because the streets are so well lit. I shall report back with my findings, when my area has been completed!

Biomech!!! Have you managed to escape from your captors???? I thought about putting up a "Missing Poster" poster.....trouble is, you look exactly like me......and Bobby...and Flam....and Two Wheels.......and....!!!!! Good to hear from you again!

Spot on comment there, Green Knight. Local government need to remove their heads from the sand, and start to acknowledge the seriousness of the many issues and concerns that are legitimately raised by their staff. Papering over the cracks, and pretending all is well, is condoning what has happened/is happening. Treating staff who raise problems as being the problem, does nothing to resolve them.

The email shown, states that his area support officer (who is a good bloke) had written to the CEO of Worcester Royal, saying "You knew what he was going to say, and you told him to say it." WMAS have also stated that they will deploy this paramedic as usual. I hope that they continue this stance, and don't bow to pressure. I am sure that with 26 years frontline experience under his belt, if he has seen things which he felt compelled to report, these issues need investigating and rectifying. Not playing the blame game.

I seem to recall this exact same thing happened last year, didn't it??? To add to your list, Megilleland, what about the money raised from all the properties/land they have been busy selling off in London. I'm sure significant savings could be made, if Herefordshire stopped sending children to out of county residential placements. Surely setting up, and staffing a specialist residential unit/s closer to home, has got to be a better option all round? Children and their families could maintain their relationships, they would continue to be a part of their local community, and everything I have read over the past few years about residential placements for vulnerable children and adults, states that it is best they remain as close to home as possible. There is a wealth of knowledge within this county....tap into it!.