Sites set up across the county to give workers better access to COVID-19 rapid testing

Essential workers across Herefordshire, who cannot work from home, are being urged to join an initiative to help drive down the number of COVID-19 cases by doing twice-weekly rapid tests (known as Lateral Flow Tests).

Four council test centres for people without COVID-19 symptoms are now open for bookings in Herefordshire. They are in Hereford, Ross-on-Wye, Ledbury and Leominster, and critical businesses and essential workers who need to attend a workplace, are invited to use the testing facilities.

In addition, tests for people without symptoms will also start to become available at selected community pharmacies across Herefordshire.

The scheme is part of the Government’s Community Asymptomatic Testing Programme and is being run locally by Herefordshire Council.

Around one in three people who are infected with COVID-19 have no symptoms so could be spreading the disease without knowing it. Broadening testing to identify those showing no symptoms will mean finding positive cases more quickly, and help break the chain of transmission.

With its targeted approach, this programme aims to improve the detection of positive cases so people can isolate and prevent spreading the disease in the workplace and reduce the prevalence of the virus in some of the highest risk areas. It is being used in addition to the established testing venues, which are for anyone with symptoms of Covid-19 in Herefordshire.

Eligible workers can book an appointment at a community asymptomatic test site by following the link on the Council’s website. The rapid tests produce a result in up to 2 hours and people are notified by text message or email. Anyone who does not receive their result within 12 hours, should take another rapid test.

The rapid testing sites in Herefordshire are:

Hereford City - ThePoint4, Venns Ln, Hereford, HR1 1DT

Monday: 8am – 2pm

Tuesday: 12:30pm – 6:30pm

Thursday: 8am – 2pm

Friday: 12:30pm – 6:30pm

Saturday: 9am – 1pm

Ross-on-Wye - Ryefields Centre, Grammar School Close, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 7QD

Monday: 8am – 2pm

Thursday: 12:30pm – 6:30pm

Ledbury – The Master’s House, Bye St, Ledbury HR8 1EA

Tuesday: 7:30am – 12noon

Friday:  2pm – 6:30pm

Leominster - Old Priory, The Priory, Leominster, HR6 8DA

Monday 12:30pm – 6:30pm

Wednesday 8am – 2pm

The first community pharmacy currently offering rapid tests is:

Westfields Walk Pharmacy, Leominster, HR6 8HD

Book a community pharmacy test here.

Herefordshire Consultant in Public Health Sarah Smith said:

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It is important we use every means available to help us detect the virus in our communities and make sure people isolate to prevent it spreading. Under the current lockdown arrangements, there are still people who need to attend a workplace and they are the focus of our current community testing programme.

“We know a significant number of those who contract COVID-19 do not display symptoms and are unknowingly passing it to others. These tests are vital to our efforts to suppress the transmission and I urge every essential worker in Herefordshire, who cannot work from home, to use these new testing facilities.”

 

Health Minister Lord Bethell said:

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We’ve already come so far since first setting up a national testing programme at an unprecedented pace to help counter COVID-19, but we continue to strive to go further, faster.

“Around one in three people have the virus without symptoms so could be spreading the disease without knowing it. Broadening testing to identify those showing no symptoms will mean finding positive cases more quickly and break chains of transmission.

“I’m delighted Herefordshire Council is working with us to roll out community testing across the county and I look forward to seeing the results.”

 

Baroness Dido Harding, Interim Executive Chair of the National Institute for Health Protection, said:

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NHS Test and Trace continues to play a leading role in the fight against COVID-19.

“Increased community testing is a vital additional tool at our disposal to help identify those who are infected and infectious, but unaware that they might be spreading the disease.

“The work of Herefordshire Council will be essential in driving down transmission rates. I urge all those living in areas where community testing is offered to come forward and get tested.”

 

To protect yourself and others, you must remember: Hands. Face. Space.

Hands – wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water often, and as soon as you get home - use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available.

Face – wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet.

Space – stay at least 2 metres away from anyone you do not live with, or who is not in your support bubble.

In a time of doom and gloom on the High Street some positive movement on the two empty restaurants on the Old Market site.
Both Prezzo and Chimichenga units are under offer.

https://www.realla.co.uk/details/13157948

Herefordshire Council’s project provides new state of the art facilities for pupils and staff at Marlbrook Primary School

New state of the art facilities opened for pupils and staff at Marlbrook Primary School at Green Croft this week following a £6 million investment project by Herefordshire Council.

The council funded sustainable scheme has provided six new classrooms, a new hall and a special hygiene and physio room.  The school has also benefited from new netball courts and improvements to the car parking area.

Local company, Morgan Sindall Construction, were contracted by the council to carry out the work which they completed in time ready for when pupils return to school after February half term.

The school – rated Outstanding by Ofsted, has experienced a significant rise in pupil numbers in recent years and the council’s investment has enabled the size of the school to be significantly increased. 

Councillor Felicity Norman, Herefordshire Council Cabinet Member for Children and Families, and Councillor Gemma Davies, Cabinet Member for Commissioning, Procurement and Assets, said they were delighted that the scheme had been completed on time and within budget by a local construction company, using the council’s new project management system.

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“Marlbrook Primary School is a real success story during what has been a really difficult time for schools due to the pandemic.

“This significant investment by the council means that pupils and staff can enjoy using the new high quality spacious facilities.  Pupils will now benefit from a state-of-the-art learning environment and the very latest facilities to help make sure they get the best possible outcome from their education.”

Head teacher Tracey Kneale said the opening of the new facilities to pupils and staff was a much-needed boost to Herefordshire primary school education in the midst of the continuing coronavirus situation.

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"The whole school community is delighted with the new facilities.  It’s been a difficult time for our pupils, their families and our staff - this project has given us something to look forward to that will be a really important asset to the school and our community for years to come. We’re also extremely grateful to everyone in the local community, our neighbours have been very patient and tolerant of the increased traffic and difficult parking situation."

Robert Williams, Area Director at Morgan Sindall Construction, added:

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“We are delighted to hand over this important education asset for the Herefordshire community.  We have worked collaboratively with the council and all of the project’s stakeholders to deliver the work safely, efficiently and in line with current government COVID-19 guidance.”

Hereford City Council approved a grant of £1,510.38 for Hereford Canoe Club, which will go towards purchasing another two canoes for use of the club’s members.

Hereford Youth Canoe Club is a voluntary club providing boat-loads of positive paddle-sport opportunities for the young people of Herefordshire.

Vic Gamage, representing the Canoe Club, explained to City Councillors that the application covered the costs of two canoes large enough for their teenage members; the existing canoes simply cannot support the members and larger ones are needed.

The Canoe Club has unfortunately lost much of their income over the last year due to the Covid-19 restrictions which have been in place, and so assistance was needed to cater to their members. Like many of our Youth Clubs, the Canoe Club has been fighting against the tide of uncertainty which the Coronavirus Pandemic has brought about.

Mayor Kath Hey expressed her appreciation for the work the Youth Canoe Club does, and the importance of encouraging young people to undertake outdoor exercise and activity. City Councillors unanimously agreed to grant £1,510.38 for the purchase of two large canoes as stated in the application.

For more information on Hereford Youth Canoe Club, visit their Facebook page.

#herefordvoice #herefordcity #herefordnews #hereford

This gentleman of the sport once owned and had a financial share in The Temple bar in Ewyas Harold Herefordshire and can be seen in the pub in this photograph taken in May 1984.

Professional snooker player Doug Mountjoy playing at the Temple Bar in Ewyas Harold. 03-05-1984.

His last season on the tour was 1996/1997 and he then went on to coach in the Middle East for two years before coaching back in Wales.

Doug Mountjoy was from Tir-y-Berth, Gelligaer, Glamorgan, Wales. He was on the professional snooker circuit during the sport's golden era of the late 1970s and 1980s, and remained within the top 16 of the world rankings for 11 consecutive years.

He won both the 1978 UK Championship and the 1979 Irish Masters, and reached the final of the 1981 World Snooker Championship where he lost to Steve Davis. He also finished in second place at the 1985 Masters.

Doug Mountjoy | Photo Credit: PA Sport

Doug Mountjoy passed away on Sunday 14th February which was Valentine's Day - RIP

Having Your Say | Hereford Voice 'Councillor Sessions' Q&A Continued - Part 3 Hereford Transport Hub

At Hereford Voice our slogan has always been 'Having Your Say' and through our network we are going to give you the opportunity to ask your questions to some of our Councillors.

Cabinet Member - Infrastructure and Transport Councillor John Harrington agreed to be put under the spotlight and to answer as many questions put to him in our first exclusive 'Councillor Sessions' series here https://hfd.news/eec

Tonight in part 3 of our series Cllr Harrington responds to questions about the Hereford Transport Hub

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Cllr Harrington for agreeing to be the first of many councillors who will be engaging with you all this year as part of our 'exclusive' Hereford Voice 'Councillor Sessions'

#herefordvoice #herefordnews #herefordshire #hfdvcs

13 year old Frank has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Frank has osteosarcoma a rare bone cancer and is having intense treatment in Birmingham and Hereford Hospitals.

Let's help Frank achieve his bucket list and give him and his family all the love and support that we can.

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/joanne-smith-659?utm_term=pEYkxxNAM

Frank has already received some wonderful messages of support from celebrities and football starts including - Sir Kenny Dalglish, Matt Lucas, Phil Neville, Alan Shearer, Jamie Carragher to name just a few and the list is growing rapidly.

More details and updates can be found on the Team Frank Facebook page.

#herefordvoice #herefordnews #hereford

Having Your Say | Hereford Voice 'Councillor Sessions' Q&A Continued - Part 4 - Emergency Active Travel Measures across the county inc the closure of the Old Bridge in Hereford

At Hereford Voice our slogan has always been 'Having Your Say' and through our network we are going to give you the opportunity to ask your questions to some of our Councillors.

Cabinet Member - Infrastructure and Transport Councillor John Harrington agreed to be put under the spotlight and to answer as many questions put to him in our first exclusive 'Councillor Sessions' series here https://hfd.news/eec

Tonight in part 4 of our series Cllr Harrington responds to questions about the Emergency Active Travel Measures across the county inc the closure of the Old Bridge in Hereford

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Cllr Harrington for agreeing to be the first of many councillors who will be engaging with you all this year as part of our 'exclusive' Hereford Voice 'Councillor Sessions'

#herefordvoice #herefordnews #herefordshire #hfdvcs

Staff at Wye Valley NHS Trust will stand shoulder to shoulder on Friday this week in honour of a colleague who sadly died recently.

Dave Morgan, logistics team leader in the theatres team at Hereford County Hospital, died on Thursday, January 28, having tested positive for COVID-19.

Dave Morgan - a much loved colleague at Wye Valley NHS Trust who will be missed by everyone

His funeral is to take place this Friday, February 19, at Hereford Crematorium.

The hearse bearing David’s coffin will drive along Stonebow Road and through the County Hospital grounds where staff will have the opportunity to line the pavements in honour of their popular colleague.

Dave, 59, was born in Hereford and went to the local Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School and Hereford Sixth Form College before joining the RAF where he worked as an Electronics Technician working on flight simulators.

He had worked in Theatres at Hereford County Hospital since 2014 and was described as much loved and everyone’s “go to guy” at the heart of the Theatres’ team by colleagues.

His knowledge of theatres, its equipment, cost and location was encyclopaedic and he was always ready with a kind word, a helpful nod or a funny story.Jane Ives, the Trust’s managing director, said:

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“Dave was a great example of what we stand for in this Trust. He played a big part in co-ordinating theatre supplies across the surgical division and will be remembered for his diligence and loyalty.

“Colleagues have vowed that Dave’s vision for more efficient logistics will be completed as his legacy in the Theatre department.

“The whole WVT family is deeply saddened by losing Dave, and our thoughts are especially with his wife, Penny, and his family.

“Our condolences go out to them at this time - we know that through the passion and professionalism he brought to a key role in the Theatres team, many patients – most of whom never met Dave - will have had successful operations and gone on to make full recoveries.”

Dave’s wife, Penny, said:

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“The whole family is truly devastated at the sudden loss of David. He was my amazing husband and incredible father and grandfather.

“The sadness we feel is more than words can express.

“We would like to thank Hereford County Hospital for the compassionate and outstanding care of David and the extraordinary support from family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time.

“All donations will be forwarded to Aylestone Park, a favourite place for all the family and pet dog, Emma.”

The funeral procession will pass along Stonebow Road to the mini roundabout and then turn right past the path labs and out of the hospital site via the rear access road onto Union Walk at 10am this Friday, February 19.

Jane added:

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“Dave’s passing has left a huge void in the Theatres’ team and he will be very much missed by us all”.

We have received a number of reports in the past few days advising that us that people were having problems trying to use Beryl Bikes in Hereford.

We have been informed that both Wednesday and early yesterday morning there was a connectivity issue with Beryl Bikes in the city however, we have been assured by the team at Beryl that everything is now back to normal.

In an email to us this morning Jack from Beryl Bikes wrote:

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"On Tuesday 17th February we encountered a connectivity issue with some of our bikes in the Hereford scheme. This has now been resolved and all bikes are online with minimal disruption to service."

#herefordvoice #herefordnews #hereford

 Part 2 - B4224 - Fiddler's Green - Fownhope 

At Hereford Voice our slogan has always been 'Having Your Say' and through our network we are going to give you the opportunity to ask your questions to some of our Councillors.

Cabinet Member - Infrastructure and Transport Councillor John Harrington agreed to be put under the spotlight and to answer as many questions put to him in our first exclusive 'Councillor Sessions' series here https://hfd.news/eec

Cllr Harrington will do this in a series of short videos over the coming week, here is the second video in the series;

Part 2 🔷 B4224 road from Fiddler's Green to Fownhope 🔷

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Cllr Harrington for agreeing to be the first of many councillors who will be engaging with you all this year as part of our Hereford Voice 'Councillor Sessions'

#herefordvoice #herefordnews #herefordshire #hfdvcs

Undeterred by the furore at Kingsland, seems someone has tried building a bund to prevent flooding of Westfields FC pitch. Is this a sensible move, bearing in mind the delicate eco-structure of the Yazor Brook and the many hundreds of thousands of £s spent on flood-amelioration measures to enable development of the ESG?

Herefordshire Council has now received its percentage of local authorities £500 million to fix potholes across England.

• Department for Transport (DfT) allocates £500 million to local authorities in England for highways maintenance
• funding will go toward ensuring potholes and other road maintenance issues across the country are fixed
• the equivalent of 10 million potholes could be filled in as a result of today’s allocations

Councils across England have today (15 February 2021) been allocated their share of £500 million for highways maintenance, with the funding expected to fix the equivalent of 10 million potholes across the country.

It is the second of 5 equal instalments from the £2.5 billion Potholes Fund, providing £500 million a year between 2020/21 and 2024/25, announced by the Chancellor in the 2020 Budget – and is part of wider funding the DfTprovides for road maintenance, totalling over £1.1 billion across England in 2021/22.

With the average pothole costing around £50 to fill in, the funding will ensure that the equivalent of 10 million potholes can be rectified, making thousands of local roads both safer and easier to drive and cycle on.

Transport Minister Baroness Vere said:

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We know potholes are more than just a nuisance – they can be dangerous to drivers and cyclists alike, and cause damage to thousands of vehicles every year.

The funding allocated today will help councils ensure roads in their area are kept up to standard, and that the potholes that blight road users can be dealt with promptly.

The DfT has already invested heavily in pothole filling since 2015, including the £296 million Pothole Action Fund, which ran from 2015/16 to 2020/21. It also topped up highway maintenance investment in 2018 with a one-off £420 million boost to all highway authorities in England, including London.

The government is committed to supporting motorists. Through Road Investment Strategy 2 (RIS2), the government is investing £27 billion in the biggest ever roads programme – with £10 billion of the record-breaking sum specifically for road maintenance, operations and renewals.

A woman suffered minor injures after an assault in Pamona Place Hereford on Saturday night.

Police and Fire crews were called to the scene.

West Mercia Police said;

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“Officers attended Pomona Place in relation to a report that a woman had been assaulted. She suffered minor injuries and a man has been arrested. The fire service attended as the fire alarm was activated.”

These are the plans said Infrastructure and transport cabinet member John Harrington and work on this will begin immediately.

The original Western link road would have taken at least 10-12 years so this is the best and fastest option.

#herefordvoice #herefordnews #hereford

The public riverside footpath which runs down alongside the Saracens Head Pub has bee closed to the public since February 2020.

Rone Properties who own the Saracens Head from our understanding are responsible for the cellars underneath which support the footpath.

Whilst the council has responsibility for the top layer of a footpath like this the sub base is the responsibility of landowner, in this case, the owners of Saracens Head.

We understand that the landlords of the pub believed that the cellars were no longer their responsibility but Herefordshire Council disagreed.

After a year of nothing being done we believe that the pub owners have now agreed to do some shoring up work beneath the footpath (between the underside of the footpath and the top of the old cellars) in order that the Council can then reinstate the footpath for public use once again.

#herefordvoice #herefordnews #hereford

I have been a member here for a long time and I think it only right that we give credit where credit is due. As a collective HV and the members here have achieved many good things over the years and I think we should start to list them in recognition of all the hard work put it. Please forgive me because I can only think of a few that stand out, notably the hot food campaign and the cctv on the gww. Then there was the grass cutting petition and the working boys home and off course the keep clear road making on the Belmont roundabout.

Let's all start listing these results.

1. Successfully campaigned to reverse reduced grass cutting with this petition
2. New metal fencing on the Belmont Iron bridge (preventing kids climbing)
3. New duck signs installed following request along Haywood Lane near to Belmont Pools.
4. Open space at bottom of Glastonbury Close cleared and tree's cut back and 2 reduced to stumps preventing kids climbing over metal fencing near McDonalds.
5. Litter pick around the Oval Shops and various other locations
6. Successfully campaigned for CCTV along the GWW.
7. Campaigned successfully to reverse previous decisions to prevent late night food curfew - many food outlets are now open until 3am and even later on bank holidays, thanks to this long campaign
8. Working Boys Home
9. Colin James cleaned all of the road signs from the Iron bridge on A465 Belmont to the Clehonger junction and also along the whole length of Haywood Lane and other signs around the Parish.
10. Successfully campaigned and managed to have 'Keep Clear' road markings painted A465 Tesco roundabout exits.
11. Highlighted, contacted HH and managed to have the garages at Redhill repaired (GWW)
12. Cleaned the GWW with many other residents, Cllrs and Police.
13. Successfully campaigned to have Salt Bins placed for Sydwall Road and Glastonbury Close with thanks to the Parish Council. 
14. Campaigned here for New lightbulbs and repairs to the lighting within the Greyfriars Subway.
15. Colin James managed to persuade Balfour Beattie to cut down dangerous trees and bushes on blind corner in Glastonbury Close Hereford.
16. Clean up of Hereford Duck Pond with many volunteers and managed to obtain 3 new information signs kindly sponsored by Vets4Pets. Repainted fence with funds from Hereford City Council and secured up £5000 for aeration pumps/fountain.

Charles Byrne, aged 24, from Waterworks Road, Worcester, has been charged with murder and attempt murder. He is remanded to Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court to appear tomorrow (Friday 12 February).

He was charged in relation to an incident that occurred in Worcester on Wednesday 10 February.