The future of Hereford’s Town Hall lies in the hands of those who love it, according to Coalition councillor Gemma Davies.

Councillor Gemma Davies

Regarding news that Herefordshire Council can no longer afford the Town Hall, Councillor Davies said:

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‘As a Herefordian, I am as sad as any that austerity has led to the neglect of our precious civil buildings such as the Town Hall. Yet, under the present conditions Herefordshire Council cannot be a responsible landlord of the Town Hall.

The Council simply does not have the money to maintain the building properly and it will only deteriorate further. We must find another solution.’

‘Herefordshire Council’s revenue support grant from central government has diminished from £60 million in 2010, to £600 thousand in 2021. The effect of that on the council’s ability to support civic buildings, never mind people and families at breaking point, has been catastrophic.’

Councillor Davies said:

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‘If ever there was a time for a partnership between the Town Hall and the community it serves, that time is now. It is time for a group to emerge that can forge a cohesive plan for how this much loved building can best serve the people of Hereford.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Town Hall is an asset of community value and I look forward to seeing how a plan for the building can develop and how Herefordshire Council can help facilitate a viable vision.’

The B4362 between Orleton and Woofferton was closed at the railway bridge earlier this afternoon. Rail services between Leominster and Ludlow were disrupted and emergency services attended the scene. Unfortunately one patient sadly died.

The road is now open.

📷 Google

Herefordshire Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on the U75235 - Browns Lane, near The Bage, Dorstone in Herefordshire 

The incident happened around 11.15pm last night (Friday 16 July) in High Street.

A 29 year old man attended hospital for lacerations caused by a knife.

A 26 year old man and a 23 year old woman have been arrested on suspicion of assault and are currently in police custody.

Officers are carrying out enquiries and appealing for witnesses, in particular two people seen on CCTV in the area at the time.

Detective Sergeant Jim Moore, from Hereford CID, said: “We believe we have identified two people we have on CCTV who may have witnessed the assault and would ask they get in contact with us.”

Witnesses can contact Hereford CID on 01432 347399 or alternatively online under the Tell Us About section of West Mercia Police’s website (quote reference 00192_I_17072021). If you do not wish to speak to police direct you can speak to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Good to see West Mercia Police & Crime Commissioner, John-Paul Campion out on the streets with Hereford Police last night.

Livestreamed documentary Rivercide to unmask UK’s water polluters

George Monbiot hosts innovative investigation naming the farms and water firms damaging Britain’s rivers

Giant livestock farms and privatised water firms accused of polluting the nation’s waterways are to be named in what is thought to be the world’s first livestreamed investigative documentary.

The crowdfunded investigation Rivercide, which will be broadcast online at 7pm on Wednesday, will be hosted by environmental journalist and Guardian columnist George Monbiot. Monbiot will travel along the River Wye, which flows between England and Wales, to collect water samples that will be analysed as the documentary unfolds.

“This is a really shocking story of how our rivers are being devastated,” said Monbiot. “We’ll be revealing some serious wrongdoing.”

Monbiot decided to focus on the River Wye after a disturbing canoeing trip last summer. He found the Wye, which was once prized for its salmon, had changed beyond all recognition over the course of a decade. “There hadn’t been any rain so it should have been crystal clear but you couldn’t see anything,” he said. “I made the mistake of going swimming. As soon as my nostrils got near the water I nearly gagged because it was so disgusting. When I got out, my whole body felt like it was coated in slimy snot. It was like something out of a 1970s science fiction film.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/14/livestreamed-documentary-rivercide-to-unmask-uks-water-polluters

Hereford Voice understands today that the Showman's Guild have pulled out of bringing the May Fair to Hereford in August due to lack of its members willing to change their current commitments.

We previously reported back in March here 👉 https://hfd.news/ry1 that due to the Coronavirus pandemic the original 900th May Fair was rescheduled to arrive in the city from Tuesday 3rd to Thursday 5th August 2021. 

It was also due to arrive a few days earlier in Leominster from Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 July, which we understand has also been cancelled.

The Hereford May Fair will celebrate the 901st anniversary as usual in May 2022.

Exceptional photographs again from our good friend Jon Simpson, the Knife Angel Monument looks even more incredible in the rain, we're just loving the reflections and another set of extraordinary images that Jon has managed to create.

Jon wrote;

Reflecting on the Knife Angel.

• The Knife Angel Hereford is free to visit and on display outside Hereford Cathedral until 12 July.
• Created by Alfie's Art and the The British Ironwork Centre, to highlight knife crime and educate young people of the harmful effect violent behaviour can have on their communities.
• It was absolutely chucking it down when I took these and despite the rain people were still stopping on their walk home from a night out to stand for a while and take it in.
• The 2nd photo is the reflection in the water on top of the Knife Bank Amnesty Bin, and is among my favourite photos I've ever taken. 👇

As Hereford bids farewell to the Knife Angel, the official figures have just come in and during the month that the National Monument Against Violence and Aggression was on display at Hereford Cathedral there were 102,000 visitors.

£9,200 raised from the generosity of visitors filling the charity boxes - these funds will go toward the continuation of supplying educational resources and workshops for schools and youth organisations.

Knife Angel Statue on the lorry heading back to the British Iron Works Centre in Oswestry, photo courtesy of our friend Jon Simpson (official knife Angel Hereford photographer) 

284 knives, 2 guns were surrendered and there is still a surrender box at Hinton Community Centre, so we don’t know what is in there yet.

Alison Davies looks at the hundreds of weapons and knives handed in.

What a fabulous achievement by Alison Davies and Meryl Cain who have worked tirelessly for over 2 years just to bring the monument to Hereford. 

Alison Davies lost her son Mark to knife crime in December 2018 and together with Meryl Cain and a small group of friends wanted to raise awareness of the catastrophic impact violent crime has on individuals, families and communities. The team’s involvement with this project was carried out on a completely voluntary basis. The group are known as The Knife Angel Hereford Team.

Hereford Voice is so proud to have been able to promote and support the Knife Angel Hereford project as an official 'Working Partner' for the many months leading up to the arrival of the statue in Hereford last month and would like to thank Alison Davies, Meryl Cain and the whole team behind the scenes for being hugely successful in highlighting the devastating impact violence has on all our lives and for boosting tourism in Hereford by bringing this fabulous statue to our city.

Today (Sunday 11 July) is the final day to see Knife Angel Hereford before it returns to The British Ironwork Centre

The project has truly had a massive impact on our community - as of this weekend we are approaching 100,000 visitors, 250+ weapons have been handed in and the project has worked with over 600 schoolchildren.

So many people have been involved in bringing the Knife Angel to Hereford so we have spoken to just a few members of the team to share their experiences.

Embrace Hereford | It's the last weekend before the magnificent Knife Angel Hereford leaves us.

Have you visited this magnificent ‘National Monument Against Violence and Aggression’?

The fabulous thought-provoking Knife Angel Hereford has had a huge impact on the city with plenty of daily visitors.

Hereford Voice is so proud to have been able to promote and support the Knife Angel Hereford project for many months leading up to the arrival of the statue in Hereford last month and would like to thank Alison Davies, Meryl Cain and the whole team behind the scenes for being hugely successful in highlighting the devastating impact violence has on all our lives and for boosting tourism in Hereford by bringing this fabulous statue to our city.

Even after the Angel has left us, Hereford Voice will continue to support the Knife Angel Hereford project who are hoping to continue with a programme of legacy events, so that important messages regarding the futility of violent crime are continued into the future.

For further information about the Knife Angel’s visit to Hereford, please visit the website https://knifeangelhereford.co.uk/.

Donate to support Knife Angel Hereford 👉 https://hfd.news/u4c

#EmbraceHereford and please make time to visit this thought-provoking 'Knife Angel' statue before it leaves us.

📷 Official Knife Angel Hereford photographer Jon Simpson

#herefordvoice #positivehereford #herefordnews

Row Sentinel Ian is one very happy football fan and he’ll be cheering England on from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Is he England’s most socially distanced fan?! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

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"Despite the weather throwing all it has at him and an unexpected swim, Ian Rivers is making good progress on his journey to be the first person to row 3400 miles unsupported from New York to the Isles of Scilly. He's raising funds for the SAS Association's charity and St Michael's Hospice - Hereford"

Follow his journey and donate here 👉 https://rowsentinel.com

Freehold Disposal of the Town Hall, St. Owen Street

Any background information about this?

Elevate Property Group (developers of Alban House) have purchased the Booth Hall.
 

Work will soon begin to build 18 residential dwellings and two ground floor retail units.

Initially, The Booth Hall will be used as a site office and storage facility for the overall project, once completed the developers will then look to restore the interior and bring it back to life.

Below is an illustration of how Alban House will look once completed.
(Photo courtesy of Elevate Property Group)

Full details can be found here on the developers website: 

Unsafe building St Owen's Street, Hereford, cordon in place, please avoid the area.

The building is the Tattoo Parlour which has substantial structural damage, of which the cause is still unknown but early reports suggest that the building was hit by a vehicle a few days ago.

Emergency services and structural engineers are at the scene.

Photo courtesy of Google Maps & Simon Sloan 

WOW What a superb aerial photograph captured 100 metres above the Victoria Bridge in Hereford.

Thank you to our friend and regular Hereford Voice Photo Studio contributor Steve Norgrove for this fabulous shot.

Embrace Hereford | There are plenty of superb things to celebrate about our wonderful city.

The fabulous thought-provoking Knife Angel Hereford has had a huge impact on the city with plenty of daily visitors.

The National Monument Against Violence and Aggression will be on display until 12th July and there is a month-long programme of events.

Hereford Voice has drawn up a complete and comprehensive list of interactive medical workshops and creative activities, venues, dates and times etc 👉 https://hfd.news/em9

Hereford Voice is so proud to have been able to promote and support the Knife Angel Hereford project for many months leading up to the arrival of the statue in Hereford and we would like to thank Alison Davies, Meryl Cain and the whole team behind this fabulous project for all of their hard work for the past two years leading up to this fabulous event.

There is more good positive news! We have more new shops that have opened recently! Ga&Bi Polish Shop have been open for the past few weeks, check out their delicious fresh Polish cakes! you will find their shop in Bewell Street.

En BBQ Hereford have recently opened their superb new Korean restaurant within the Hereford Old Market Shopping Centre where you will also find other fabulous restaurants, coffee bars and shops.

Wonderful to see Saxtys Bar & Club thriving once again and if you have not been yet it is a must visit!

A new Tapas restaurant is also on the horizon and with the fantastic winning bid from the StrongerHereford team our brilliant city has a lot more new and exciting projects on the way!

We love our city and county and we like to shout about it and promote everything positive.

It's all too easy to moan but we are privileged to live in such a beautiful part of the World.

We will continue to promote local business and encourage people to visit Hereford and Herefordshire.

Join us in our campaign and 'BE POSITIVE' about this fabulous city of ours. 'Positive Hereford' and 'Embrace Hereford'

#PositiveHereford #EmbraceHereford #HerefordNews

We have to keep congratulating the fabulous Stronger Hereford team for their excellent campaign and winning bid securing over £22 million for some wonderful projects for Hereford.

To put into context just how incredible it is to achieve £22.4m, Hereford MP Jesse Norman said

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“This is the largest amount awarded in the region, which reflects the incredible amount of local consultation and sheer hard work from everyone involved."

Below is another new project that will benefit from this huge 'Towns Fund'

The Southside project will be located in Newton Farm in South Wye and is a collaboration between Growing Local is Going Local CIC, Belmont Wanderers Football Club and NMITE.

Their common goal is to improve the future health, wellbeing, life chances, and employment skillsets of the people of Hereford.

Alongside a main building, this project StrongerHereford will develop 3G and 4G pitches, a wheelchair-accessible plot, a community market garden, and an educational garden to help engage the individuals in this area.

You can read more about it here 👉 https://hfd.news/5f4