Hereford Voice

Have you checked your bank notes recently? Police are warning of a spate of fake £20 notes that have been found in circulation. Identifiable due to the barcodes & poor ink quality. When selling items check the cash being tendered & report any fake notes, even if it is only an attempt.

Hereford City Council have replaced the notice boards at Beaumont Gardens (near The Courtyard) after they were unfortunately vandalised. They are looking much better now!

West Mercia Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal collision in Hereford on Friday (23 April) afternoon. Officers were called at 4.05pm to reports that a black and chrome Kawasaki motorbike and a green Fendt tractor collided on the B348 at the Thruxton junction towards Arkstone Court, Clehonger. Sadly, the man in his 50s travelling on the motorbike, was pronounced deceased at the scene. His next of kin have been informed. Ambulance and air ambulance also attended the scene. Road closures were in place while emergency services were in attendance. PC Lee Palmer from West Mercia Police said: "Our thoughts remain with the man's family at this difficult time." He continued: "While investigations are ongoing, we are appealing for any witnesses who may have been in the area at the time of the incident and may have dash-cam footage to please come forward.” Any witnesses are asked to contact West Mercia Police on 101 quoting reference 427i of 23 April 2021. Alternatively, information can be given anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their website.

Verging on Wild is a group of volunteers working to improve biodiversity on our roadside verges. We are working with Herefordshire Council, Balfour Beatty Living Places, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust and several other wildlife organisations. We want to see a change in verge management across the county and we want to protect the best verges by listing them as Roadside Verge Nature Reserves (RVNRs) and managing them for biodiversity. Protection for our rich and varied verges Road verge flora is deteriorating in many parts of the UK – 87 of the verge species are facing possible extinction – including favourites like harebell, field scabious and ragged robin. The decline is caused by the way we cut and manage verge habitat and the increasing fertility of roadside soils. Cutting begins in the spring and is repeated in the summer so that few plants have a chance to set seed before the mowers arrive. Summer flowering plants, many of which typify our beautiful hay meadows, are disappearing from our verges. The result of this mowing regime and the practice of leaving the cut vegetation to rot down in situ, has caused a decline in roadside species and an increase in weed species such as nettles, cow parsley and hogweed. This is bad news for wildflower numbers and diversity. It is also bad for populations of bees, beetles and butterflies that rely on these plants for food, and for the birds that eat these invertebrates. What a gorgeous welcome to Bishops Frome! There are nearly 300,000 miles of rural roadside verges in the UK, so if this decline can be reversed, the contribution to nature will be huge. Rural verges are equal to half our remaining grasslands and meadows, so if we can change verge management to benefit wildlife, it will make a significant difference. A rural county like Herefordshire can make a great contribution to this with good verge management. Reversing the decline – “Cut Less, Cut Later” Plantlife, the UK’s wild plant conservation body, is behind a national project proposing a new wildlife friendly approach to managing verges. They produce clear verge management guidelines for landowners, local councils and authorities, the gist of which is “cut less, cut late". In Herefordshire in 2018, three friends decided to take action to improve our local verges and “Verging on Wild” (VOW) was formed. VOW is now affiliated to Herefordshire Wildlife Trust and working to encourage Herefordshire Council, Parish councils and their contractors to follow the best practice guidelines. Herefordshire Council and Balfour Beatty Living Places are now considering changes to the verge management in Herefordshire. Herefordshire’s listed verges Verging on Wild is also working to reinstate good management for a list of special verges which are the best wild flower verges in the county. These are called Roadside Verge Nature Reserves (RVNRs). VOW is organising groups of volunteers to do signage, monitoring and management on the listed sites. Many enthusiasts have already proposed their own local sites which have now been surveyed and added to the list for their protection. It is wonderful to see these verges in flower and alive with bees and butterflies, so if you would like to be a verge guardian and help look after a listed verge near you, please contact Verging on Wild. suzanne@lowerhazelfarm.co.uk, annecrane59@gmail.com, sally@sallywebster.net Further Information See “The good verge guide” and “Managing grassland road verges” here Sign Plantlife’s petition here Watch a brilliant presentation on verges from Phil Sterling of Butterfly Conservation here Source | Herefordshire Wildlife Trust

Colleagues pay heartwarming tribute to Herefordshire paramedic Jeremy Daw who tragically died yesterday while on duty and responding to an emergency call. It is understood that Mr Daw had just half a dozen shifts left before he was due to retire. Paying tribute to his colleague in a video online, the West Midlands Ambulance Service emergency operations delivery director, Nathan Hudson, said "the incident was an accident and no one was being sought in connection with it" He added;

The store was formally occupied by ROMAN In private message sent to Hereford Voice this evening, there were some very complimentary and kind words expressed about Gemma Davies - Cllr and Herefordshire Council for being so helpful and supportive. A post on their Facebook page reads.. More positive news for Hereford!! Good luck with the new store guys

A West Midlands Ambulance Service technician has tragically died whilst on duty in Herefordshire this morning. The ambulance crew were on route to a 999 call when an object struck the ambulance’s windscreen at 8am. It happened at the junction of Moreton Road and the A49. Multiple resources attended the scene, which included two emergency ambulance crews, paramedic officers, the Midlands Air Ambulance from Strensham and two Mercia Accident Rescue Service doctors.A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: West Midlands Ambulance Service Chief Executive, Anthony Marsh, said: West Mercia Police are asking anyone who may have seen the incident or have dash-cam footage to contact them on 101 quoting incident 00101i of 24 April.

Our fabulous local independent retailers have all reopened in the last few weeks including all those lovely shops and boutiques in The Independent Quarter and Hereford Butter Market We have a new a nail salon, mobile phone shop and the new tasty Yorkshire wrap! A new pizza restaurant, as well as some fabulous coffee bars, take-aways, bistros, wine bars and pubs and the all new outside seating! New eateries offering Korean BBQ at your table and Amazing Asia all coming soon to the Hereford Old Market Shopping Centre and we have some fabulous hotels too and let's not forget Saxtys Bar & Club which is reopening in May!! June brings Knife Angel Hereford to the Hereford Cathedral We also have some wonderful new planters with seats and trees in the city centre which will look superb once they fully blossom. 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. Keep looking out for our continuous opening headlines POSITIVE NEWS | POSITIVE HEREFORD The lockdown has been a very challenging time for people and businesses alike but there is light at the end of the tunnel.. Join us in our campaign and 'BE POSITIVE' about this fabulous city of ours. 'Positive Hereford' Follow our hashtag #positivehereford

Emergency services are currently at the scene of a serious collision on the A49 in Hereford towards Leominster. The road is currently closed between Church Road and the junction to Upper Lyde. Please use alternate routes while emergency services deal with the incident.

Road is closed at Arkstone, between Kingstone and Clehonger. Emergency services including the Air Ambulance are at the scene dealing with the RTC involving a motorbike and a tractor. Please avoid the area.

Positive News | Herefordshire Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on Stoney Street, Madley Herefordshire.

📷 T.Henderson Photography

The Courtyard Hereford are delighted to reveal The Courtyard Chase Lounge, a brand new independent restaurant, lounge bar and rooftop terrace, created in partnership with Chase Distillery The restaurant will be serving a mixture of innovative small plates and traditional main dishes, offering a unique culinary experience. The lounge bar is a classy yet comfortable space to relax with friends and sample a range of cocktails, fine wines and local Chase spirits. The newly built rooftop terrace offers al fresco dining and a comfortable lounge area, serving up Mediterranean evening vibes. The Courtyard 'Chase Lounge' will open Saturday 22nd May and you can book your tickets from April 21st at courtyard.org.uk. 📷 T.Henderson Photography

Last night a crew from Leominster Fire Station along with a fire crew from Kingsland fire station attended a front loader well alight in a field. 2 hose reels, breathing apparatus and a thermal imaging camera were used to extinguish the fire swiftly. 📷 HWFRS

Hereford Diocese’s plans to demolish the rectory of St Nicholas Church Hereford and build six two-bedroom homes and three three-beds in Breinton Road were given the go-ahead a few weeks ago on March 29. The Victorian Society said in Tweet

Herefordshire Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on the U91424 - Manley Cresent, Pembridge in Herefordshire.

Sad to learn the sad news of the passing of Sir Clive Richards, he was a great supporter of so many good causes in Herefordshire and throughout the UK, including a huge generous donation of 1 Million pounds to St Michael's Hospice - Hereford. Sir Clive Richards - Photograph courtesy of St Michael's Hospice Hereford. The Hospice said; Charity The Clive and Sylvia Richards Charity (CSRC) was established on 16 May 1986 by Clive Richards, a serial entrepreneur and his wife Sylvia. The Clive and Sylvia Richards Charity is committed to supporting Education, Healthcare, Heritage and Arts CSR Charity Website

Herefordshire Council contractors Herefordshire Highways (Balfour Beatty Living Places) have been working collaboratively with Highways England and Kier to clear litter safely on a Highways England night closure of the A40 Monmouth bound on Friday 16th April. The teams worked through the night and removed 1100kgs of litter from the central reservation and the junction of the A4137 to the Ganarew Bridge Herefordshire.

The road has now reopened.

A Bartonsham Dairy refrigeration lorry caught fire at the top of Aylestone Hill in Hereford this lunch time. Emergency services are at the scene and the road (A465) has been closed in both directions while firefighters and police deal with the incident. Photo courtesy of Karen Pardoe

Hereford planners have approved outside seating for both The Green Dragon hotel and The Pizza Works in Broad Street Hereford Outside seating at The Green Dragon Hotel In a message posted on their website The Pizza Works wrote; This along with the recent approval of outside seating for the The Green Dragon Hotel will revitalise Broad Street and help boost business for the hospitality sector which has suffered greatly during the lockdowns.

The Bromyard Centre owned by Herefordshire Council and managed by Social Enterprise and Registered Charity Halo Leisure was forced to close in March 2020 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The plan to reopen in August 2020 along with all other leisure facilities wasn’t possible due to severe and deliberate damage caused to the roof of the Centre through vandalism. Since then the contractors working on behalf of the Council have made the building watertight and the internal works to repair the substantial water damage caused by the vandalism is progressing. Alex Haines, Halo’s Partnership Manager said, Herefordshire Council and the Contractors are doing all they can to progress as quickly as possible within the demanding constraints of a Covid compliant workplace. They have developed a scheme of work which indicates a handover to Halo by the end of the Summer 2021. Chris Jenner, Assistant Director for Technical Services at Herefordshire Council, said: Alex Haines went on to say, “Everyone involved is working hard to reopen the Centre. We care passionately about keeping community leisure centres open and viable for the long term. We've done it for nearly 20 years in Bromyard and we intend to continue to do so for many years to come.” Halo has developed a number of options for local people to help them keep active during the Centre's closure. Visit haloleisure.org.uk/news/1460-your-options-whilst-the-bromyard-centre-is-closed

Over the next week more seating, planters & trees will be added creating a more attractive environment for residents, workers, shoppers & visitors to enjoy. Photograph courtesy of Herefordshire Council More info from Herefordshire Council 👉 http://orlo.uk/q2Fmg

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service crews from Ewyas Harold Fire Station were called to a car fire in Garway yesterday, upon arrival the crew found the vehicle was well alight. Using BA and hose reel they crew extinguished the fire. Unfortunately the car was totally destroyed, even the alloys had partly melted. Thankfully no persons were injured. 📷 HWFRS