Hereford Voice

No further cases in farm outbreak Herefordshire Council and Public Health England (PHE) Midlands have confirmed that all remaining workers have tested negative for COVID-19 at an outbreak on a farm in Mathon, Herefordshire. The majority of farm workers are now able to return to work and daily life- a few workers remain living in self-isolation as contacts of positive cases.Katie Spence, PHE Midlands Health Protection Director, said: Karen Wright, Public Health Director for Herefordshire Council said: A spokesperson for AS Green and Co said: " To prevent further outbreaks and to protect yourself and others, please continue to wash your hands regularly, keep your distance and use face coverings in public spaces, shops and on public transport. Anyone who has a fever, persistent dry cough, or loss or change in their sense of taste or smell should call 119 or go online to arrange a test.

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service mobilised crews from Hereford Fire Station, Fownhope Fire Station and Peterchurch Fire Station following numerous calls reporting an agricultural building alight at Hampton Bishop during the early hours. Crews have been tackling the fire this morning, 3 x pumps from Hereford, 1 x Fownhope and the water carrier from Peterchurch attended a storage barn fire involving agricultural vehicles on the outskirts of Hereford. The fire was brought under control quickly with pumps from Ledbury and Ross in on reliefs to maintain control and dampen down the fire for the remainder of the morning. Thankfully there were no casualties. #HerefordVoice #HerefordNews #Hereford

The people who own this foodie are really nice and genuine, trouble with FB too many throw away comments

It was a faulty temperature gauge on the fryer Rob

See a megaphone 📣 think Hereford Voice 📢 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 and 'BE POSITIVE' about this fabulous city of ours. 👉 'Positive Hereford'

It's great to see Hereford City centre really busy with shoppers today! We took this photo within just before 1pm, the shops including the Hereford Butter Market are all busy which is great to see, we also had no problem parking, plenty of people walking and enjoying this fabulous weather. Good to see all parts of the city centre busy today, we walked along Eign Gate, people everywhere and majority of people adhering to social distancing. It's nice to be able to promote positive news Have a wonderful weekend 🌞 😎

Horse dies as a result of eating grass cuttings. Thursday 30th July, in the Hampton Bishop area we have had a report that someone put grass cuttings into a horse’s field. Unfortunately this has resulted in the Horse loosing is life on the 2nd August. But why? The grass cuttings begin fermenting almost as soon as they are cut and the horses will gorge on them as they are so palatable, causing a build-up of gas in the Horses stomach. As horses have a one-way stomach valve, they are unable to vomit or even burp to relieve the pressure. The gases given off by the fermenting cuttings can expand to the point where they rupture the stomach, causing an agonising death. Choking hazard As the grass cuttings have been finely chopped up, horses won’t need to chew as much or at all before swallowing the grass. This results in the horse gorging on the pile of cuttings and therefore eating large amounts very quickly. The cuttings can compact and become lodged in the horse’s throat, causing them to choke. Poisonous Plants There are many plants that are poisonous to horses. These could be mowed up along with the grass cuttings which may cause the horse additional harm. Depending on the plant, the range of problems include severe diarrhea, liver damage, collapse or even death. Although feeding horses may seem harmless, your kindness may kill! https://www.bhs.org.uk/…/horse-health-and-si…/grass-cuttings

The Leader of Herefordshire Council has welcomed a multi-million pound investment into the county, announced by Government and allocated by the Marches LEP. More than 700 new jobs and 300 homes are to be created across the Marches region as part of the Government’s Getting Building Fund (GBF), and three of the six projects that will benefit are in Herefordshire. Planning applications for housing and employment sites in the north of Herefordshire are being delayed because of the elevated level of phosphates in the River Lugg catchment area. As part of the Integrated Constructed Wetlands project, up to 8 wetland sites can be built adjacent to sewage treatment works in the River Lugg catchment area to lower the phosphate levels, creating up to 500 jobs by unlocking development potential for 1,385 homes whilst also delivering strong environmental benefits through these rich bio diversity habitats. The money from the Marches LEP will add a further £1m to this project to add to the funds already earmarked by the Council. The council’s refurbishment of the historic centre of Hereford will also benefit from a £3m investment in the streetscape with high quality materials as part of a masterplan to ensure Hereford is vibrant and supports businesses creating new opportunities for visitors and retailers. Again this will add to the funds already earmarked for this project by the Council. Accelerated funding will also speed up the Skylon Park Campus Development, which is a pivotal component of NMiTE, and will create 26 jobs, 100 construction jobs and 200 new learning opportunities.Cllr David Hitchiner, Leader of Herefordshire Council, said:

UPDATE 17:30 The fire is out and fire crews are still damping down, residents in the apartments above were evacuated and all accounted for. Union Street remains closed. The guy's at the restaurant put the following message on their Facebook page this evening;

Polska Street Food in Union Street currently has a fire and crews from Hereford Fire Station are on scene. Union Street is closed to traffic 📷 Kelly Crumpton

The council have now made some modifications and opened up disabled parking bays and also addition parking both sides of Broad St as well as clearly marking out the Taxi rank. To be fair these temporary measures are fluid and the council are reacting to feedback.

The Earl heard about the council’s response to flooding and Covid-19 Herefordshire Council was delighted to be joined by His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex for his first ever virtual Royal Visit on Wednesday 22 July. The visit was hosted by Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire, The Dowager Countess of Darnley. The Earl was keen to hear about the experiences of children, adults and communities and hard work of schools, services and Herefordshire Council staff, partners and volunteers who have provided support during the Covid-19 pandemic and local flooding events. There have been many unexpected changes to teaching and delivering services over the first half of the year. The Earl learned about the impact of these changes on children, young people and adults, and staff. The Earl also heard about the strong and resilient relationships between the council, schools, partners and volunteers. The Earl met with staff who have supported vulnerable children and young people through the pandemic, two head teachers shared how their schools have adapted. He met with children from Weobley School and listened to poems they had written about their lockdown experiences. Mariam Njeri, a young person with care experience, read her poignant poem about life under lockdown. Chris Baird, Director of Children and Families said: The Earl was then introduced to the adults and communities services and heard about Talk Community which has provided support to the most vulnerable during lockdown. Wendy Carter shared her experiences of volunteering as a ‘shield buddy’ during lockdown, which provided extra support for clinically vulnerable people . He then met partners from HVOSS, Vennture and other community leaders who have worked with the council to provide ongoing support to vulnerable people. Stephen Vickers, Director of Adults and Communities said:

Diners will be able to claim 50% off food and drinks at participating restaurants during August. Between 3 and 31 August, diners will get a 50% discount on food and non-alcoholic drinks at participating restaurants, cafes and pubs. The offer is only available from Mondays to Wednesdays and people will receive a maximum discount of £10 per head. Therefore if two people spend £50, they can only receive a discount of £20. Will you be taking full advantage of this new scheme which has never been tried in the UK before? Please find below list of participating venues, please advise if we have missed any and we will add them to our list The Cafe at All Saints Church The Glass Tandoori, Commercial Road The Bookshop, Aubrey Street Ascari’s Cafe, West Street The Loft Cinema , West Street The Beefy Boys, Old Market Meze, West Street The Coffee Cart, Old Market and High Town The Oxford Arms, Widemarsh Street Pikadish Canteen, Netherwood Road Rotherwas Ind Est Golden Cross, Sutton St Nicholas Moka Bar Church Street Nutters, Capuchin Yard (Church Street) Queens Arms, Broad Street Green Dragon Hotel, Broad Street, The Spread Eagle, Kings Street The Den, Bridge Street, JJ and Little Dots, Bridge Street The Herdsman, Widemarsh Street Cookies Cafe, Bewell Square The Wellington, Widemarsh Street The Kerry, Commercial Square Subway, Commercial Street Pepes Piri Piri, Commercial Street En Sushi, Widemarsh Street The Grapes, East Street Jalsagor, St Owen Street Taste of Raj, St Owen Street The Venue, Goal Street Brewers Arms, Eign Road Planet Buffet, Commercial Road, Sensory and Rye, Union Street Babar Cafe, Union Street Gilbies Bar, St Peters CloseThe Wye Inn, Holme Lacy Road #HerefordVoice #Hereford #Herefordshire

Ross on Wye fire station has taken delivery of a brand new 20 plate Scania fire appliance. Crews have been working hard training with all the new equipment over the last month. Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service have taken delivery of three new fire appliances with significantly greater capability. The new Scania ‘CAFS’ or Compressed Air Foam System models have been deployed to Ross-on-Wye, Bromsgove and Upton-upon-Severn stations to replace the Service’s three ageing CAFS appliances. CAFS can carry 300 litres of foam and 2,400 litres of water each – significantly more than previously. Sourced fully from UK outlets, the new models are built on an 18 tonne Scania chassis, and fitted with the ‘Godiva Smart CAF system’, putting them at the centre of the Service’s bulk foam strategy for tackling bigger incidents that need a large quantity of foam to handle the situation. Designed for maximum versatility, they can deploy equally to more routine incidents as well as those requiring bulk foam. Due to improved technology the system can simultaneously deliver water through both their main jets and hose reels at the same time as producing compressed air foam, offering a significant upgrade on existing appliances CAFS’s combination of water, compressed air and foam solution can produce 21,000 litres of finished foam, needing considerably less water than traditional appliances and achieving a greater cooling effect, resulting in reduced fire and water damage. Deployable to any kind of incident, and especially effective where there are poor local water supplies, CAFS will have particular advantages for tackling basement, large building, hazardous material, watercraft and agricultural incidents, as well as thatch and fuel/oil fires. Other CAFS benefits include greatly reduced environmental impact, quicker handling of incidents, better deployability of aerial appliances and lighter hoses, helping reduce fire fighter fatigue and risk. Additionally, the new appliances will have greater serviceability than the outgoing ones, reducing the need for expensive repairs by specialists and therefore driving down costs. Group Commander Jon Butlin said:

RTC involving large goods vehicle carrying farm feed and a tractor/trailer carrying potatoes. The A449 Beefeater towards Ledbury and at Fownhope turning, Ross on Wye bound from Ledbury. Photo courtesy of Ross-on-Line People have been treated by West Midlands Ambulance Service. Both drivers had a lucky escape. Ross on Wye Fire Station and Whitchurch Fire Station crews have both assisted with significant fuel leaks which were prevented from entering drains using environmental grab packs and soil. Road will remain closed for some time while they await recovery of vehicles.

Police Appeal: Did you see an altercation on Wednesday at 1.50pm near to WHSmiths in Broad Street, Ross on Wye? Two men were involved in a psychical and verbal altercation. If you have info call West Mercia Police on 101 quoting 335 I 29072020 or contact Crimestoppers

Also these are tyre marks made by the same mindless people, which we highlighted in a previous topic in the same area at the beginning of the year.

More photographs After we took these photographs, we cleaned up the litter and placed the pallets in a safe area. We collected all of the litter. A nice collection of other people's litter. We placed the broken pallets in a safe area away from kids and put this litter back inside this wheelie bin.

Antisocial Behaviour: This is the Spur Retail Park in Holmer Road Hereford this morning. This is the mess that is here virtually every morning from people’s behaviour from the night before. West Mercia Police / Hereford Cops should be handing out regular fines to each of these culprits. This is not something new either, this has been going on for a few years. This is quite frankly disgusting behaviour, why can’t people gather quietly and dispose of their litter properly? We even have wooden pallets being thrown around the car park now.. Please Note: After we took these photographs and video we collected all the litter and put it in the bin correctly and the pallets were also removed and put in a safe area. Herefordshire Council

Safeguarding support for Herefordshire's vulnerable children and young people has continued throughout the pandemic The Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, recently released a report “Teenagers Falling Through The Gaps” highlighting concerns for children and young people who were already vulnerable and falling through gaps in the UK’s school and social care system, before the pandemic. The report rightly focuses on how vulnerable children and young people can now be more vulnerable due to the impact of the lockdown and COVID19. I acknowledge the content of the report and I feel it is important to highlight the work of the council and our partners to safeguard Herefordshire’s children and young people. The wellbeing of children and young people is our core priority. Working closely with our partners and children and young people themselves, we have created a Children and Young People’s Plan which lays out a multi-agency approach to the safety of the children and young people living in the county. Our multi agency safeguarding measures enable support to be in place to keep vulnerable children and young people in education, guide them towards employment and protect them from the risks of domestic abuse, poor mental health, substance misuse, crime and exploitation. During the recent lockdown these multi-agency safeguarding measures have continued to operate and have responded to any safeguarding concerns received regarding any child or young person in Herefordshire. The council’s social work teams, family support and early help services have quickly adopted new ways of working to ensure that support has continued across the county for children and families that needed our services. In April the council introduced a new ‘Edge of Care’ service to work with children and young people and their families to either prevent the child entering into care or to enable them to leave care services and live back within their family network. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the partners involved in the care of Herefordshire children and young people and to the staff who have embraced their new ways of working during this pandemic to ensure that support services have continued. I would also like to thank the children, young people and their families themselves, who have shown immense strength during these difficult times and have adapted to the changes in their lives under extraordinary circumstances. I recognise that the effects of COVID-19 and the lockdown are significant and serious. This includes reduced opportunities for employment. It is something that as cabinet we are focusing on as part of our work, particularly with regard to young people and those who are vulnerable. At this present time we are not sure how the future will look, but along with our partners Herefordshire Council, through the Safeguarding Children and Young People in Herefordshire Partnership will continue to work to ensure that we stay connected to the vulnerable children and families in our local communities and they can be assured that the wellbeing support will be there for them when they need it.

These new measures started being put into place from today..

Visitors are welcome with a brand new exhibition, The Two Thomases. Monday – Saturday, 10 am – 3 pm The Cathedral kindly ask that if you are displaying any symptoms of Covid-19 that you refrain from visiting the Cathedral To access the Mappa Mundi & Chained Library, visitors will be asked to arrive at the main entrance of the Cathedral and follow the one-way system through the building into the Chapter House Garden. There will be a hand sanitising station at the entrance to the exhibition that they ask all visitors to use before entering Staff will be taking a name and contact number or email from one person in each party to support with NHS Test and Trace Limiting numbers of visitors into the exhibition to support with social distancing. On arrival at the Mappa Mundi & Chained Library, you may be asked to wait at the door as other visitors move through the exhibition. To support with the one-way system and to prevent crowding, they have opened the cloister doors at the end of the exhibition so that visitors will exit to the West End of the Cathedral. Currently, visitors do not need to book tickets in advance of their visit. Instead these can be purchased on the day from the member of staff at the Exhibition entrance. Card, cash or smartphone payments, but cards are preferable if possible. The one-way route through the Mappa Mundi & Chained Library is easy to follow, but one of their volunteers may ask you to wait outside the Mappa Mundi chamber for other visitors to move on to ensure everyone’s visit is comfortable. Volunteers will be welcoming visitors to the exhibition and helping to control visitor numbers. You are kindly asked that visitors respect social distancing guidelines throughout their visit. Unfortunately they are unable to distribute any leaflets or interpretation literature within the exhibition at this time. Information can be found online here and a range of books and souvenirs are available to purchase from the Cathedral Shop. The touchscreens may be unavailable for use to avoid any health risks If you are looking to plan a larger group visit with individuals from outside of your household or bubble, you are kindly asked that you contact the Cathedral Office (office@herefordcathedral.org) in advance so that they can support your visit. Full details can be found on the Cathedral website

Fabulous new coffee cart has opened over looking the river next to the Victoria Bridge. We popped by over the weekend and tried their coffee and can confirm it's delicious ☕ We love to support local businesses and surprised that nobody has thought of this brilliant location before. If you're in the area give pop by and try their coffee. They are open all over the weekend and now also in the week: Sat-Sun 9-5pm - Tues-Fri 8-4pm (closed Monday)