Hereford Voice

Happy 94th Birthday to Sir David Attenborough, you continue to be an inspiration to us all.

Police Seize £20k of Cannabis from Van in Hereford The Police Operations Patrol Unit said:

On VE Day, 8 May 1945, King George VI expressed his relief that the war on the continent had come to an end in a speech to the nation, delivered from a bomb-damaged Buckingham Palace. The King's Speech #LestWeForget

Today is the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day or 'VE Day' when the Allies formally accepted Germany’s surrender, marking a significant date towards the end of the Second World War. These were some of the newspaper headlines from that special day; Daily Mail Daily Mirror Daily Telegraph Daily Express Photographs courtesy of the Press Gazette

Amazing work created by the Pupils at the Aconbury Centre on Ross Road (Part of Herefordshire Pupil Referral Service) showing their appreciation for all Key-Workers with this brilliant mural.

Hereford and Leominster household recycling centres reopen 9 May Restrictions will remain in place to ensure safety of public and staff Herefordshire Council will reopen Hereford and Leominster Household Recycling Centres for essential use only from Saturday 9 May. They will be open from 8.00am to 6.00pm every day The other Household Recycling Centres in Kington, Bromyard, Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye will remain closed for the time being, until available staffing resource will permit these sites to reopen as well. Government guidance will be followed to ensure our sites can safely operate, and strict social distancing measures will be in place to protect both the public and staff. Only limited numbers of vehicles will be permitted entry at any time so long queues and delays are likely. The government’s view is that household recycling centres play a critical role in the local management of waste, so making a journey to one is considered a “reasonable excuse” if a resident has difficulty safely storing unavoidable waste. Journeys to HWRCs must only be undertaken if your waste or recycling cannot be stored at home without causing risk of injury, health or harm, and cannot be disposed of safely by other means. If you can temporarily store your waste or recycling in a way that does not pose a risk to yours or others safety or human health, then you must do so. Social distancing measures mean staff cannot provide assistance, so please make sure you are able to unload your waste unaided. If you are able, take additional measures to protect yourself and others such as using gloves and have sanitary wipes to use in your vehicle. Anyone who is self-isolating or has Covid-19 symptoms must not visit a household recycling centre.Councillor Gemma Davies, Cabinet Member for Commissioning, Procurement and Assets, said: The council’s waste collection service will continue to prioritise the collection of general rubbish and recycling. You can manage your garden waste in the following ways: * Cut and Drop - Don’t collect grass cuttings unless you intend to use them for home composting, simply cut the grass without the collector on. * Create a compost heap - No matter the size of your garden you should have space for a heap. If not use a low cost home composter to keep the garden tidy. * Create a wildlife habitat or bug hotel with thick branches and wood. * Use a licensed garden waste disposal service. * Do not burn your garden waste, as the smoke can aggravate respiratory difficulties of those suffering from Coronavirus and other illnesses. Herefordshire Council also continues to offer a bulky item collection service. Please call 01432 260051 to make a booking. For more information please visit www.herefordshire.gov.uk/recyclecentres

Co-operative Store and Petrol Filling Station, Holmer Road Hereford Plans have been approved with conditions for the proposed demolition of existing retail store/kiosk and car wash facility. Erection of replacement retail store/kiosk. South view illustration by archer architects East view illustration by archer architects Removal and replacement of existing petrol pumps and canopy, replacement of fuel tanks, re-configuration of car parking layout and installation of plant within an enclosure. Decision Notice.pdf

A wonderful aerial view of Hereford's Edgar Street football ground. The Merton stand was built in 1968 following the demolition of the old Edgar Street stand for road widening. The Len Weston was built in 1974. So does anyone know the history of this photo from our Old Hereford Pics archive and what year this could have been?

Check out this stunning sunset captured perfectly from Merbach Common Herefordshire. Photo courtesy of Tom Arnott Herefordshire is so beautiful, it is such a privilege to live in this most picturesque part of the world.

Contractor agreed for major expansion to Herefordshire primary school Image credit: Quattro Design Architects A £6million expansion of a popular Herefordshire school has taken a major step forward after a contractor was appointed to carry out the work. Herefordshire Council has signed a contract with builder Morgan Sindall Construction for the work to provide six new classrooms, a new hall and a special hygiene and physio room at Marlbrook Primary School at Green Croft. The school – rated Outstanding by Ofsted and which has experienced a significant rise in numbers in recent years – will also benefit from new netball courts and improvements to the car parking area. 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 was progressing. Head teacher Tracey Kneale said the announcement was much-needed good news in the midst of the coronavirus situation. Robert Williams, area director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: Work will start in compliance with all Government coronavirus regulations and the council has pledged to help keep disruption from construction traffic to a minimum for residents. Construction of the project – the capital funding for which was approved in November – is expected to take around a year.

Fire crews from Eardisley Fire Station with support from Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service tackled a 25 acre bracken fire Fire well alight on Bredwardine Hill last night. Backpacks and beaters used to control and extinguish the blaze.

Man dies and two others injured after being attacked by water buffalo in Monmouthshire. It is believed that the animal went on the rampage on a farm near Usk, Gwent. A statement from Gwent Police said: According to a report in the Guardian; The richness of water buffalo milk makes it a popular ingredient in products ranging from mozzarella to ice-cream. Water buffalo are sometimes also introduced as part of conservation projects and have grazed since 2002 on the Teifi Marshes in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales. The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales said that usually they posed no risk to humans.

On This Day: 40 years ago today saw the Iranian Embassy Siege brought to a dramatic end with 'Operation Nimrod' successfully executed by the Special Air Service (SAS). Also discussed HERE 'The Back Door' depicted in this painting by John Tidewell "Who Dares Wins"

Herefordshire Council invests in additional care facility to assist former NHS patients with their recovery A Herefordshire hotel has reopened to support Herefordshire Council provide additional care and rehabilitation capacity for former NHS patients and members of the community, as part of the county’s response to the Covid-19 emergency. The council has leased the Three Counties Hotel at Belmont Road, Hereford, as a temporary accommodation to support the NHS and social care sector. Agincare UK Ltd are providing the care and support service on the site, which can offer accommodation for up to 46 people during the Covid-19 outbreak. The service will provide short term care and a rehabilitation service to help people to live independently when they return to their place of residence. Protective measures have been put in place, including the use of PPE, to ensure the safety of the residents and the staff. Councillor Pauline Crockett, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Wellbeing said: Luke Holmes, Agincare Operations Director, added: Michelle Standell, Manager of The Three Counties Hotel, said:

Thank you to all Key-Workers and the NHS in the fight against the Coronavirus, we thought this illustration was just perfect for today. May the 4th be with you! Illustration courtesy of mjhiblenart

On International Firefighters Day Hereford Voice take this opportunity to salute Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service and every other firefighter around the world, these are the brave, courageous and fearless heroes who save millions of lives every year. These people go head-on into situations that everyone else is running from. Thank you for your service and 'May the 4th be with you'

We are absolutely thrilled and excited to announce today that we have joined teams and created a new partnership with our brilliant friends over at Old Hereford Pics. The original Old Hereford Pics was established by local Herefordian, Chris Adcocks way back in 2008. The aim of their websites was to give a different look at Old Hereford with new and old pictures of its people, its buildings, its businesses and events from over the years and in Chris's words to offer After much deliberation Chris announced that due to family commitments and not having the hours to keep up with the continuous work involved in running Hereford's busiest old picture websites, he reluctantly said that they would have to close however, that was two years ago and after some discussions, we are delighted to have partnered both of our long established websites and we look forward to encouraging people to continue sending us their contributions, which will enable us to go from strength to strength. To help kick-start our new partnership, can we please kindly ask you to spread the word - LIKE and SHARE our new partners at Old Hereford Pics

The Hereford Mayfair has taken place for over 900 years! The first weekend of May is when we usually see all the showman's vehicles pulling up into Hereford. Hereford’s Mayfair has been with us since the 12th Century and it was originally known as St Ethelbert’s Fair and started back in 1121 and a street fair has been held in the city ever since. Every year the streets are closed off in the city centre and the thrilling rides and stalls with all their lights, music, food and prizes open for this three day annual street extravaganza. Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus pandemic both The Hereford and Leominster May Fair events for 2020 have been cancelled. Will you miss this Hereford tradition? Here are some fabulous historic photographs of our Mayfair together with some Pathe film circa 1920-1929 Billy Stevens Glamour Parade 1955 photograph courtesy of Derek Evans Studio Hereford King Street photograph courtesy of P Watts and Old Hereford Pics Photograph courtesy of Walter Pritcard and Old Hereford Pics

Have you stopped smoking since the Coronavirus pandemic? We are all aware that this dreadful virus killing thousands of people around the world attacks the human respiratory system and if you’re a smoker and worried about COVID-19 then now would be a good time to think about quitting for good. Research into previous coronaviruses show that smoking makes the impact of the virus worse. Smokers are more likely to develop severe disease from the COVID-19 virus, than non-smokers. Britain's chief medical advisor, Professor Chris Whitty, urged smokers to ditch the habit immediately to lower their risk of Covid-19. He told MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee: Chancellor Rishi Sunak also increased the tobacco tax in the recent Budget, with the cost of cigarettes to go up to £12.73 a pack. With this in mind, here are just a few websites to help advise you on how to quit smoking for good. Wish (Herefordshire Council) NHS Quit Smoking - NHS Smokefree Follow the hashtag #QuidforCovid campaign on Social Media for more advise and support

A stunning sunset across Herefordshire tonight, thank you Ella for capturing this so well.

Do you think this will be the end of cash? During this Coronavirus pandemic many businesses as part of their social distancing procedures no longer accept cash and will only take card and contactless payment methods. Nowadays, there are new digital ways to pay and there is a greater choice than ever. Then there are services allowing contactless payments to be made using a PC or smartphone (like Paypal and Apple Pay). Other services link your mobile phone number to your bank account so you can pay someone by sending a text. You can even pay using your watch or smart phone. Most of these innovations are about making it easier to pay for things. We believe that cash will always be used but maybe less and less... What do you think?

The Iranian Embassy Siege 40th Anniversary The Iranian Embassy siege took place from 30 April to 5 May 1980, after a group of six armed men stormed the Iranian embassy on Prince's Gate in South Kensington, London. Operation 'Nimrod' began. The gunmen, members of Arabs of KSA group campaigning for Arab national sovereignty in the southern Iranian region of Khuzestan Province, took 26 people hostage, mostly embassy staff, but also several visitors, as well as a police officer who had been guarding the embassy. On the sixth day the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered the Elite Special Air Service (SAS) to take over and they stormed the embassy and ended the siege by eliminating the terrorists and releasing the hostages. Go Go Go - The operation took just 17 minutes

Once again it's Thursday and at 8pm tonight, we will express our solidarity and full support for our front line workers from our doorsteps. Please join us in a 'round of applause' and saucepan tapping for ALL our NHS heroes, carers and key workers #HerefordVoice #Herefordshire #ClapForOurCarers

Happy 100th Birthday Colonel Tom Moore. The veteran's big day will also be marked with a flypast by a Spitfire and a Hurricane over his Bedfordshire home. He has also received thousands of cards including that special one from Her Majesty The Queen. The war hero has been appointed as the first Honorary Colonel of the Army Foundation College Harrogate for his birthday. This incredible man has raised over £30m by walking laps of his garden and has also broken two Guinness World Records along the way. He is the oldest person ever to have a No.1 single in the UK charts and the veteran has raised the most money ever as an individual with his charity walk, which has captured the nations hearts. Well done Sir!