dippyhippy

"A Hedgehogs Christmas Tale." One little hedgehog, Four weary feet. Hungry, cold and all alone, On Commercial Street. Lots of very noisy cars, Hedgehog is in danger, Thankfully, he's rescued, By a kindly stranger. Hedgehog is now warm and safe, In his nice new home, Where he'll be fed and cared for, And will not be alone! ( No worries Ubique...you get two poems.....I was on a roll!!!!)

"Ode To An Orphaned Hedgehog." One dark and gloomy Christmas night, A hedgehog was in need, A stranger stopped to help him, Then continued this good deed. He popped him in a taxi, And sent him off to his new home, Where he was fed and watered, And would not be alone. We could all be a little kinder, Compassion, we should embrace, With more love and understanding, This world would be a better place!

Mrs Ubique is a lovely woman! This little story warms my heart....what a very kind thing to do for a little orphaned hedgehog at Christmas! It's great to hear that this chap was so willing to pull out all the stops to ensure this little hedgehog was safe and sound. He could not be in better hands.....let's hope that 2015 sees him released back into the wild, where he can forage about to his hearts content! Thanks for sharing this with us, Ubique!

Be very careful what you wish for. Whilst the official line from WMAS, is everything is great......frontline staff tell a very different story since Hereford and Worcester merged to become part of West Midlands Ambulance Service. It's true - they are by far the busiest of the emergency services. It's also true that many of our crews end up spending most of their shift in Birmingham. But that's OK....we are all part of the "West Midlands" network now.....well, until there's no cover left in rural Herefordshire. This march towards regionalising absolutely everything continues unabated.....all under the guise of saving money. Call me old fashioned, but I feel saving lives should take priority. Trust me, this could well be a ticking time bomb. Please google "The Spectator.......Revealed. The Hidden Crisis In Britain's Ambulance Services". By Mary Wakefield. This article,plus the hundreds of comments from frontline staff, gives a good indication of the problems this service faces. (Sorry I can't provide a handy link!)

Brilliant post, Flam......absolutely brilliant mate!

And we must continue to challenge, continue to ask the awkward questions and continue to make a nuisance of ourselves. If any political party knocks on my door, in the run up to next Mays election, I shall be inviting them in, putting on the kettle and giving them a good grilling on all that has occurred. And I shall want answers....not fobbing off. This story has been out there for quite some time, and nothing has been said, by any party to reassure me, that this situation is resolved, and cannot happen again.

Once again, it was a magnificent performance! It had everything.....and then some! I left The Commercial, full of Christmas spirit, festive cheer, and a feeling of goodwill towards all men.......until I tried to get a taxi to pop me up Whitecross Road. Admittedly, dressed as the Angel Gabrielle, complete with Doc Martin boots, I may have looked a tad strange.....but c'mon, it IS Christmas!!

This sounds suspiciously like the debacle that occurred in Herefordshire, some years ago. Job Evaluation negotiations went on for a whopping eight years, with the council always proclaiming it would be "cost neutral." Thus commenced a game of what I like to call, Council Snakes and Ladders. With some higher up the pay scale going up a ladder, whilst those employed at a lower grade, slid all the way down a snake. Quite a few dropped off the board all together. Eventually...the council grew tired of trying to justify the rules of this game,(Herefordshire Council were the only council to try to implement TWO separate evaluation schemes.....there was a huge gap in the middle, but that of course, did not matter) and told the minions they had twelve weeks to sign up to new terms and conditions of employment.....or face the sack. Nice.

I see planning permission in now being sought for the illuminated external signs at Debenhams. What an ugly addition this will be, should permission be granted.

Oooh!! A conspiracy theory!! I just love those....and had never thought about that as a possibility!! Sabotage the new system from within!! Welcome to Hereford Voice,Only1deanj....I hope to hear plenty more from you!

Good Lord, Green Knight! Say this isn't so????? Well.......as long as you aren't on "Christmas Card" terms.....I guess I can let it slide!!!

Refusing to take a fare without good reason is a disgrace. Refusing to take a lone female, at night, because the route is too short, is disgusting. I would hope that this is reported. Earlier in the week, over on HT, I was reading about an apparent increase in folks who leave cabs, and run off without paying. The taxi drivers have my sympathy...however, if this practise of refusing certain fares, is allowed to continue unchallenged, that sympathy will soon evaporate.

Good Grief! Grab your coats, all you mendacious oddities!! I have now perused the video, and..........(Pauses for dramatic effect) ................Cllr Johnson says he cannot find anybody who is angry about the way this council is run! He has tried really hard to find the angry folks....by twice walking around his village, and on one occasion, asking a few folks in town! Now he wants them "lined up" so that he can see them! (On second thoughts.....I'm not falling for that old chestnut! He wants us lined up for a very different reason methinks - possibly blindfolded, and backed up against a wall!!)

Thanks for the info on the names, Glenda - much appreciated! Two Wheels.....brilliant! Thanks for providing this link for our perusal. Flam.....is this John Llewellyn Perkins??? If so, and I think it is, he's a great bloke. Bobby and I met him and Amanda Martin last year at The Tree Huggers Ball. He was very involved with the effort to save the Edgar Street Limes. I do believe he has been known to post upon these pages occasionally!!

Sorry to hear you've been unwell Chris, hope you are feeling better soon. I understand that this meeting was filmed....anybody know by whom, and if it is available to view?? There is also a story on HT, linked to this story,(apologies once again, for being unable to provide a handy link!) where Cllr Johnson asserts that he has never had any post from the public, complaining about the cabinet system! Perhaps someone should drop him an email with a link to Hereford Voice!

There are some lovely folks on this forum....it's a great place!

Signed with pleasure. Let's hope this petition has some effect!

Perhaps we should set up our own Hereford Voice Union?? If I was ever in need of representation at work, I would much prefer to have Bobby fighting my corner! Seriously, there are many members with a great depth of knowledge, and many years experience. If I wanted advice, I think I would have more faith in the talents of the bloggers of Hereford Voice! It's a sad day for unions when the motives of reps are questioned. They seem to have forgotten who they are there for. As do most politicians.

That's incredibly worrying. The line seems to have become so blurred, that it's practically non existent. The days when Unions really did have backbone seem to have gone. Leaving members in need of their support, feeling that they have been sold down the river.

Oh blimey! Perhaps in needs to be shaken a little longer then????? Or maybe a quick visual check, to ensure that all contents have been removed??

Hmmm. Very interesting post Bobby. What happens, if for example, Union reps don't want to tread on toes?? Or rock the boat?? What happens, if for example, (with Hereford and Herefordshire Council being relatively small worlds to move in) everybody kind of knows each other, and therefore nobody wants to upset or offend?? Is it not easier to "side" with management (off the record, naturally)?? If this happens.....who is standing up for the little guy then?? Yes Bobby - reading your post has thrown up lots of hypothetical questions. It would be good to have a debate, and perhaps come up with a few hypothetical answers.

Hello Jason, What an incredibly sad time this is for you and your family. Your mum was one of a kind. She absolutely made that pub, she and Al were quite a team. I am so touched that you have taken the time to register, and respond to my post. You and your family are very much in my thoughts. Warm regards, Dippy.x

I have just read that at todays meeting, the vote which could see the end of this God awful cabinet system was backed!!! Apparently,35 votes in favour, 1vote against and 13 abstentions. Any chance we can know who voted which way?? Was it a named vote??

I wonder if this is a health and safety issue for the bin men?? I have seen the bin lorries which are fitted with the lifting mechanism, and they just flip the contents of the wheelies into the back of the refuse trucks. Not all trucks seem to be fitted with them though. I should imagine, that if you have to manually reach right in for that bottom sack, it would put quite a strain on your lower back. I would be interested in knowing how many of the fleet are fitted with the mechanical lifters, and how many are still reliant on the bin men to do all the hard work??

Well.....after our success at halting the demolition of The Working Boys Home, I feel that a new project / campaign could definitely be on the cards! You are quite correct, Cloudberry in your assertion that we, the good folks of Herefordshire are not getting a say in the decision making process - the pot of money to fund these projects is held regionally, and the decision makers are swayed, not by what is going to benefit the people, but what is going to benefit those that they seem to work hand in glove with. There are some very "cosy" arrangements! Time to get busy once again folks!