Beginning this Saturday (4 September), the council is pleased to announce that all bus travel within Herefordshire will be FREE AT WEEKENDS!!

Thanks to investment as part of the Covid-19 Recovery Fund, anybody and everybody will be able to hop on and off any bus in the county, as many times as they like. No fares.

The only condition is that the journey must be entirely within the county.

To help people make the most of the scheme, there will also be additional services on Sundays, serving several locations including Bromyard, Ledbury, Leominster, Kington and Colwall.Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet member for infrastructure and transport, said:

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“We are very pleased to be able to offer free, unlimited weekend bus travel for the whole county for what we hope will be at least a year. By making it easier and cheaper to get around, the scheme will help to connect people and communities, and provide a kick start to the local economy by getting people back to enjoying our vibrant city and market towns.

“Travelling by bus is often better for your physical and mental wellbeing, allowing you to sit back, take in the world from the window and enjoy the ride. It also reduces congestion and wear and tear on the road network, and is better for the environment.

“We’re encouraging everybody to compile their own ‘bus-it list’ – a selection of locations, journeys and experiences in the county that can be enjoyed thanks to free bus travel. Whether it’s an afternoon shopping in a high street, a day out to a museum or historic site, or travelling to meet friends for a meal or a drink at a local café or restaurant, you have all the reasons in the world to ‘bus-it’.”

 

Free weekend bus travel is just one element of the Covid-19 Recovery Plan, which is providing funding of £6m to support the county in its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cllr David Hitchiner, Leader of the Council, added:

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“We know how important it is to connect people with their communities and to the wider world and to help people feel safe and supported. The investment, support and activities outlined in the Recovery Plan help to address the impact of covid-19 on people of all ages, as our communities look towards recovery.”

Bus travel will remain free to residents of pensionable age, and those with a qualifying disability through the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS).

To help keep everybody safe, it is recommended that you continue to wear a mask when travelling by bus – and don’t forget to check timetables for your return journey before travelling.

For more information, visit herefordshire.gov.uk/bus-it

Free bus travel at weekends within Herefordshire

ALL bus travel within Herefordshire will be free on weekends from now on, Herefordshire Council has pledged.

Thanks to investment as part of the £6 million Covid-19 recovery fund, anybody will be able to hop on and off any bus in the county, as many times as they like, without paying a penny.

The only condition is that the journey must be entirely within the county.

To help people make the most of the scheme, there will also be additional services on Sundays, serving several locations including Bromyard, Ledbury, Leominster, Kington and Colwall.

No information has been released yet about the extra services.

Coun John Harrington, cabinet member for infrastructure and transport, said the scheme would make it easier and cheaper to travel, helping connect people and boost recovery from the pandemic.

With the free travel starting this Saturday, he said: “We are very pleased to be able to offer free, unlimited weekend bus travel for the whole county for what we hope will be at least a year.

The Little Princess Trust’s new HQ is now open, allowing the charity to help more children and young people with cancer than ever before.

The new site, named The Hannah Tarplee Building, will shine a light on the charity’s work with its provision of wigs as well as its funding of childhood cancer research.

Located in the heart of Hereford, LPT’s home houses a custom-built wig-fitting salon and a designated space that now allows the charity to physically knot the real hair wigs that make such a difference to their young recipients.

The site also has a conference room where many of the scientists and researchers funded by The Little Princess Trust will present on their work focused on finding kinder and more effective treatments for childhood cancers.

Experts in the field of paediatric cancer say the presentations given by some of the world’s leading scientists and academics will firmly put Hereford on the research map.

Dr Pam Kearns, Professor of Clinical Paediatric Oncology at the University of Birmingham, said LPT’s new conference facility is “of national significance” and “demonstrates the charity’s ongoing commitment to change the lives of children with cancer”.

“The space will be such a fantastic hub for paediatric cancer researchers, oncologists and the wider cancer community,” she added. “And it will act as a catalyst for collaboration to drive forward innovation in paediatric cancer research.”

The charity had previously rented offices and Phil Brace, from The Little Princess Trust, said everyone associated with LPT was delighted to now have a purpose-built home of their own.

He added: “We notified our supporters of our intention to invest in a new headquarters and are incredibly grateful to the many businesses who have supported us to significantly reduce costs.

“This new premises means we can do so much more by increasing our efficiency, our own wig production, furthering our research and reaching more children and young people.”

The Little Princess Trust was set up in memory of Hannah Tarplee in 2006 and the new premises has been named in her honour.

Hannah, who was from Hereford, was diagnosed with a Wilms Tumour shortly after starting primary school and the loss of her hair proved especially traumatic.

Her parents struggled to find a wig suitable for her and felt the most fitting tribute to the five-year-old would be a charity dedicated to providing wigs to children who had lost their own hair due to cancer treatment.

The Little Princess Trust has since gone on to provide more than 11,000 wigs to young people and the charity’s new home, and the work taking place there, will act as a permanent legacy to Hannah.  

Wendy Tarplee-Morris, Hannah’s mother and LPT Founder, said the charity was committed to remaining true to its Hereford origins and that is why the investment was made in a new home which would be open to the local community.

Schools will be encouraged to visit and learn about LPT’s work while the conference facilities will be freely available to other Herefordshire charities wanting to use them.

Mr Brace added: “The Little Princess Trust is, and always will be, focussed on both its provision of wigs and its essential research funding while maintaining its core values.

“We are always grateful to our supporters and recognise our responsibilities to the children and young people whom we serve.”

“And we will never forget our roots and that is why we have chosen to invest in Hereford – the city where we will remain.” 

West Mercia Police are appealing for witnesses and anyone with dash-cam footage to please contact them following a fatal road traffic collision yesterday (Saturday 28 August) in Herefordshire.

Officers were called to the A44 Worcester Road near Bromyard where at around 12.20pm a silver Skoda Octavia Estate, a Blue Audi Q5 and a white Volvo Traffic Artic lorry had collided.

Sadly, the driver of the blue Audi Q5, a 44 year-old woman from Leominster sustained fatal injuries as a result of the collision and died at the scene. Her next of kin have been informed. No one else involved in the collision was injured.

The road was closed for several hours while investigation and recovery work took place.

If you have any information that can help with the investigation, please contact the Police via their website quoting incident number 312i of 28 August 2021.

Not much info on this.
Plans for new Uni student accommodation have been drawn up that will see Gibbs & Dandy in Widemarsh St relocate near to Jewsons with their old business premises used to build Uni student accommodation.
 

The Little Princess Trust will be soon moving into 'The Hannah Tarplee Building' in Berrington Street Hereford.

The former Bob Gallier site has been transformed into a state of the art facility for this fabulous charity.

The Trust, founded in memory of 5 year old Hannah Tarplee, supplies the best real-hair wigs available, free of charge, to children and young adults up to the age of 24, who have lost their hair through cancer treatment or other illnesses, donations gratefully received here ➡️ https://www.justgiving.com/littleprincesstrust

Website ➡️ https://www.littleprincesses.org.uk 

The all new Hereford City Life Gift Card - the brand the Hereford Business Improvement District are behind.

Launching in the next few weeks - the official Hereford City Life Gift Card has 100 shops for the public to use their card in including big names like McDonalds, Primark and Marks and Spencers....to local independents such as Fodder Wholefoods, Avant Garde Hereford or Hey, Honey ....this is the perfect gift to give and receive and is ideal for companies to use as a thank you to their staff too!

Using this means the public also support local shops which is good for everyone.

Available later this month to order online or locally from Hereford Tourist Information Centre - watch this space for more details.

In The Hereford Times today:

Idea for new advertising board in Hereford unveiled

A NEW digital billboard could be coming to Hereford, if Herefordshire Council agrees to plans and does not think it would make the A49 dangerous for drivers.

Alight Media, based in London, has asked the council if it can put the digital screen – which would be 6.4 metres wide and 3.4 metres high – on land at the Richmond Place Club in Edgar Street.

Documents submitted with the plans showed the adverts would be mainly seen by traffic heading southbound.

And while consultants recognise there was currently no advertising at the site, it did feel as it was an "appropriate location for a landmark advertising site".

They said The Richmond Club Place had been severely impacted by the coronavirus lockdowns so money from adverts would "assist significantly to the survival of the club along with the opportunity to advertise upcoming events at the club to the local community".

Anything to distract drivers while they wait to cross Greyfriars Bridge.

Our good friend Just Jon Simpson shared this with members of our Hereford Voice Photo Studio this morning.

Jon wrote;

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"Went to take a photo on the walk home yesterday and saw a gentleman painting one of Hereford's finest views. Jonathan Roger a local artist was creating this piece for the upcoming h.Art week HACS exhibition at the Green Dragon in Sept. Looking forward seeing the finished work"

It is good to see the river path which runs alongside the Saracens Head pub on St Martin's Street Hereford has reopened.

Ian Rivers and rowsentinel is about to make history, he is arriving anytime in the Isles of Scilly

The land crew are now on St Mary’s Island awaiting Ian's imminent arrival (and Captain Paddles too of course! )

Former SAS soldier Ian has rowed 3400 miles solo from NY to the Isles of Scilly without GPS!

What a fabulous adventure, full of twists and turns and some terrifying force 10 storms too but you're almost home now Ian, we've been following you all the way, it's almost time to get the flags out!

More details - https://rowsentinel.com/

📸 rowsentinel

Former SAS Soldier Ian Rivers has successfully rowed over 3,400 miles solo across the Atlantic Ocean without a GPS! He left New York 85 days ago to begin his voyage to the Isles of Scilly.

We have followed Ian and Sentinel from the beginning and wow what a journey it has been!

A fabulous adventure, full of twists and turns and some terrifying force 10 storms too, Ian is not only a brave man he is clearly very determined and has completed his task, making history today!

Massive congratulations to Ian and the team at rowsentinel from all of us at Hereford Voice, it has been a privilege to have been able to follow you on such a thrilling and exciting voyage. You have truly achieved something incredible today and raised so much money for your charities, the SAS Association's charity and St Michael's Hospice - Hereford, thank you and congratulations!

We hope that you have enough strength left in your arms to raise a well deserved glass or two tonight

#HerefordVoice | #PositiveHereford | #Hereford

The popular Home Bargains store on Holmer Road is extending to almost double its current size into the unit next door, formally occupied by Bensons for Beds.

Home Bargains have confirmed to Hereford Voice that they will be closing their Hereford store on Christmas Eve in order to complete the expansion work before re-opening the newly refurbished extended store in Early 2022, which is likely to create additional employment, which is welcome news for Hereford.

A WELCOME AWAITS….

The land crew are now on St Mary’s Island awaiting Ian’s arrival (and Captain Paddles too of course! 🐻) Ian and rowsentinel are less than 40 miles away so he may decide to keep going and arrive tonight! Ian will be the first person to row across the Atlantic Ocean solo and without GPS from New York to the Isles of Scilly.

ℹ️ Former SAS soldier Ian is rowing 3400 miles solo from NY to the Isles of Scilly without GPS! He hopes to raise £500,000 for his charities, the SAS Association's charity and St Michael's Hospice - Hereford, more details ➡ rowsentinel.com

What a fabulous adventure, full of twists and turns and some terrifying force 10 storms too but you're almost home now Ian, we've been following you all the way, it's nearly time to get the flags out! 🇬🇧 👏

📸 rowsentinel

Ian, sentinel and Captain Paddles are just 60 miles away from the Isles of Scilly.

Ian may get his first glimpse of land for more than 80 days later today as he approaches the Bishop’s Rock Lighthouse.

Former SAS soldier Ian is rowing 3400 miles solo from NY to the Isles of Scilly without GPS! He hopes to raise £500,000 for his charities, the SAS Association's charity and St Michael's Hospice - Hereford more details rowsentinel.com

What a fabulous adventure, full of twists and turns and some terrifying force 10 storms too but you're almost home now Ian, we've been following you all the way, time to get the flags out!

He is 300 miles from Bishop’s Rock lighthouse, his finishing line and he will be able to see it from 20 miles away

What a fabulous adventure, full of twists and turns and some terrifying force 10 storms too but you're almost home now Ian, we've been following you all the way, you've got this!

Follow Ian's journey and donate here https://rowsentinel.com

If McDonald's get the go-ahead a new drive-thru would be located close to where the A449 meets the A40 in Ross on Wye, Herefordshire.

A man has been jailed for the murder of Neil Parkinson, who was found dead in Cotheridge in Worcestershire last December.

Neil, who was 66, from Clifton-Upon-Teme was leaving his partner’s property in Cotheridge on Saturday 12 December when it is believed he was attacked at the end of the driveway. He and his vehicle were driven to a layby on the Ankerdine Road and set alight. 

On Monday (16 August 2021), Mark Chilman, 52, from Pencombe in Bromyard, was given a mandatory life sentence with a minimum of 22 years after a jury found him guilty of murder.

Senior Investigating Officer, DCI Dean Jones, from West Mercia Police’s Major Investigation Unit, said: “I’m pleased that a significant sentence has been handed to Chilman for the brutal murder of Neil Parkinson.

“Chilman committed a senseless act that ended Neil’s life prematurely, and he will now serve a considerable sentence in prison where he cannot cause further harm to the wider public.

“Neil Parkinson’s family have understandably been left devastated, Neil was simply leaving his partners home to return home to take care of his elderly mother when he was tragically killed in a senseless attack and my thoughts and condolences remain with them.”

Neil’s family have paid tribute to him: 

“Neil was a loving, caring, happy person who enjoyed life to the full; his infectious personality will be missed by all of his family and friends in our local community and further afield that he had met throughout his life.

“We would like to express our thanks to all parties involved in bringing the evil, calculated individual to justice that took Neil from us. This includes the Police force members that have been involved from the tragic start, throughout court and continue to support us at this heart-breaking time. We would also like to express our gratitude to the courts and jury members that have heard the case.”

Neil’s family continued: “As a family it’s been a very difficult eight months and our lives have been changed forever. The result from court today means we can have some peace now that the individual responsible for Neil’s death will spend time within the prison system away from society. We take a small amount of comfort that at least he cannot cause harm and the grief to anyone else, like he did to Neil and our family. We hope that during his time in prison he reflects and regrets his actions.

“Neil will be sorely missed by all his family and the memories of him as a loving father, grandfather, brother and son and will be remembered dearly for all the happy times.”