Hereford Voice

The Wasp Guys The Wasp Guys is a family run company, originally from Hereford, we spent 20 years living and building our business in Oxted, Surrey. As a team we have been successfully eradicating wasp nests throughout Surrey, Sussex, Kent and London for over 20 years. We now have a family base both in Hereford and Surrey and our small family team can therefore provide an excellent service to both these beautiful places. We can nearly always offer a same day service or you can book us for a specific day that suits you. Please note we operate 7 days a week throughout the Summer, from 7am to 9pm. Our trained technician will invariably be with you for about 15 minutes. Generally all signs of wasp activity around the treated area will be gone within an hour. It's very rare we fail with our 1st treatment. If there were to be any activity after 48hrs, we would return and re-treat the wasps nest free of charge. 100% Guaranteed. Call Nick now: 07761 232470 THE WASP GUYS (Nick's Wasp Nest Removal) have the expertise to rid any wasp or hornet problem you may have, quickly and efficiently. All work is 100% guaranteed and always at a low price. We are fully insured and DBS (formerly CRB) checked. For a local, efficient, friendly service call us today. Click here for the website and see over 600+ genuine Checkatrade reviews!

The owners of The Shack Revolution confirm that they will be taking over The Booth Hall and have some new and exciting plans in mind. The hall which dates back as far as 1380 was damaged by fire in 2010 and Elevate Properties have been busy restoring it as a restaurant and hotel. James Manning from The Shack Revolution said: Manbro Developments and the Shack Revolution owners James and Rich Manning have acquired the Booth Hall from Elevate Property Group for an undisclosed figure. History: The hall is thought to have been built between 1380 and 1400 and is said to be mentioned in a deed of 1392. In 1392 the building was acquired by the City by licence from the King because they had no place in which the Sessions of the Justices of Assize or of the Peace or the Pleas of the City might be held. It seems to have been used by the Mercers Company for their Guild Room from C16 until at least 1756. The basement was used as a freemen's prison. The building finally became an inn at the end of 18th or beginning of 19th century, and the Great Room was lost sight of in later alterations until the collapse of a chimney in 1919 revealed the presence of the carved roof.

Winter flood recovery work continues in Herefordshire the Environment Agency are having to raise our river gauge at Ross by 1.5m in light of the huge levels seen over the Winter. New gauge will be up and running by September and available via the Environment Agency website HERE Thank you to Dave Throup for the information and images.

Three people have been charged with drugs related offences following their arrests in the Redhill area of Hereford on Monday 20 July. Mohammed Khan, aged 23, of Villa Street, Birmingham, was charged with conspiracy to supply a Class A controlled drug (crack cocaine) and conspiracy to supply a Class A controlled drug (heroin), possession of criminal property, assault of a constable in the execution of his/her duty and escape from lawful custody. Hakeem Griffiths, aged 20, of Coombe Road, Birmingham, was charged with conspiracy to supply a Class A controlled drug (heroin) and conspiracy to supply a Class A controlled drug (crack cocaine). Sophie Easterbrook, aged 35, of Stanberrow Road, Hereford, was charged with conspiracy to supply a Class A controlled drug (heroin) and conspiracy to supply a Class A controlled drug (crack cocaine). They attended a virtual court at Birmingham Magistrates Court today. Khan and Griffiths were remanded to prison and Easterbrook was bailed. The arrests were part of West Mercia Police’s crackdown on County Lines drug dealing.

‘Click and Collect’ service for books and green garden waste bags will be available from today at Hereford, Leominster, Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye libraries As part of phased reopening plans, Hereford, Leominster, Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye libraries have launched a 'Click and Collect' service for pre-ordered books and green garden waste bags. Although the library buildings will remain closed for the time being, the entrance foyers to the libraries will be available as Click and Collect pick-up points for the pre-ordered books and bags and for customers to return library items. The Click and Collect points will be open: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 2pm – 4pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11am – 1pm To use the Click and Collect service for books, customers will need to complete an online form and the library staff will put together a selection of books. Customers will be contacted when their order is ready to collect. For assistance or further information please contact libraries@herefordshire.gov.uk or telephone 01432 261556. Green sacks for garden waste that have been pre-ordered online may also be collected from the Click and Collect libraries. Customers must order and pay for the sacks online and allow at least two working days before their visit as there will be no financial transactions at the sites at this phase of the re-opening process. Details of how to order and collect sacks from the library sites, along with information on any other outlets selling sacks can be found at www.herefordshire.gov.uk/gardenwaste The council is following national guidance for libraries by taking a phased approach to reopening to ensure the safety of customers and staff. Risk assessments have been completed and safety measures put in place, including the quarantine of all returned items for 72 hours before being returned to stock in line with Public Health England guidelines. The online library services remain as popular as ever and includes resources like Ancestry family history, which library members can now use free from home. The BorrowBox eBook and eAudiobook app has thousands of free titles available, including the latest bestsellers and children’s books, and the brand new PressReader service provides access to a wide range of popular newspapers and magazines. Councillor Gemma Davies, Cabinet Member for Commissioning, Procurement and Assets, said: To find out more about library services, and how to join if you are not already a member, please see the library section of the Herefordshire Council website at www.herefordshire.gov.uk/libraries

Old picture taken we think around the 1890's of boys from the Working Boys Home Bath Street Hereford. More fabulous old photographs can be found on our Old Hereford Pics page

Please help support our latest sponsor, MoovIt4U. They are a great local award winning company, so if you need anything moving you know who to call!

Moovit4u is a award winning removals & transport company Based in Herefordshire. Moovit4u was voted best of Hereford business of the year and best of the UK’s removals and transport business of the year, you can be sure you’re in safe hands when you come to Moovit4u. Specialising in both domestic and commercial removals, we are very proud of our reputation locally and have worked hard to establish ourselves as being very reliable and professional but friendly and affordable too. Moovit4u are specialists when it comes to the transportation of high end goods and we have plenty of experience when it comes to moving larger items such as pianos and grandfather clocks etc. Fully insured, we also feature same day delivery / collections both locally and nationally, weekdays or weekends, 24/7 within mainland UK.

Moovit4u is a award winning removals & transport company Based in Herefordshire. Moovit4u was voted best of Hereford business of the year and best of the UK’s removals and transport business of the year, you can be sure you’re in safe hands when you come to Moovit4u. Specialising in both domestic and commercial removals, we are very proud of our reputation locally and have worked hard to establish ourselves as being very reliable and professional but friendly and affordable too. Moovit4u are specialists when it comes to the transportation of high end goods and we have plenty of experience when it comes to moving larger items such as pianos and grandfather clocks etc. Fully insured, we also feature same day delivery / collections both locally and nationally, weekdays or weekends, 24/7 within mainland UK.

New leisure facility to include soft play, mini gold, arcade, laser tag and bowling to open in Eign Gate Hereford after plans were passed. We originally reported on this planning application back in April 2019 on our Facebook page HERE and planning was finally granted with conditions in June this year. Work has began today to turn the former Pound Stretcher shop into a complete indoor leisure facility. The idea is to create a leisure facility with soft play, minigolf, an arcade, laser tag, bowling, a function area and an ancillary café, plus bar on the first floor. Although aimed at people of all age ranges, the focus would be on children, teenagers, young adults and families.

First e-scooter trial launched in Middlesbrough this week. A fleet of 100 are being distributed across Middlesbrough and nearby Hartlepool for anyone over the age of 18 to jump on, swipe an app and zip away. In the age of coronavirus age, the thinking goes, they could ease pressure on public transport while helping ensure the economic recovery is not built solely on emission-spewing cars. Tees Valley is the first place in Britain to pilot them, e-scooters are almost certainly coming to a town or city near you soon. At least 50 local authorities are currently said to be in talks with different companies about launching similar schemes in their own areas. Portsmouth, Derby, Birmingham and Bristol are all hoping to launch trials later in the summer, while international scooter firms, such as Lime and Tier, are clamouring to be allowed into markets like London, Liverpool and Manchester. If all goes well, bosses at Ginger – the British start-up behind the Middlesbrough trial – hope to have 10,000 of their black-and-orange models on British roads by next summer. Even rural locations could see an influx: council officials in Staffordshire are currently in talks with the firm about how they could be used to connect the county’s villages. Source: Independant Transport secretary Grant Shapps announced the go-ahead for an accelerated trial of e-scooters in a press briefing on May 9. As well as announcing £250 million for pop-up cycleways and widened sidewalks—part of a £2 billion package to boost cycling and walking—he said he was “fast-tracking trials of e-scooters, bringing this program forward from next year to next month.” He was doing this, he said, “in a bid to get e-scooter rental schemes up-and-running in our cities as fast as possible” to “reduce car use on shorter journeys.” The trials will allow companies to offer rental e-scooters to adults only. Hirers will need driving licenses, either full or provisional, but won’t need to wear helmets. The e-scooters will be allowed to be ridden on roads and cycleways, but not on sidewalks or shared-use cycleway/sidewalk combos.

Over night on Thursday 16th July an Apollo twilight bike was stolen from the Mayberry Avenue area Hereford. If anyone has any information about this please contact South Wye Police (SNT) or call l01.

The body of a woman has been found in the river Wye close to the Rowing Club in Hereford. A member of the public noticed the body this morning (18 July) and fire crews from Hereford & Worcestershire Fire and Rescue Service were deployed to the location along with local police officers. A body was recovered from the water and while formal identification has not yet been made, officers strongly believe it to be that of missing June Adams, from Bromyard. June went missing yesterday evening around 5pm and was last seen near Hereford train station. Specialist officers are supporting June’s family through what is an incredibly difficult and tragic time. West Mercia Police would like to thank the public for their support and for sharing our appeal last night.

KC Maintenance For all your gardening and landscaping requirements

Demolition of existing retail store/kiosk and car wash facility has began this week. The erection of replacement retail store/kiosk will follow together with the 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.

Hi Jules and welcome to Hereford Voice. NHS test and trace service & the new 119 telephone number The NHS test and trace service is now live for people that have tested positive for coronavirus. This new service aims to ensure that anyone who develops symptoms of COVID-19 can be tested quickly to find out if they have the SARS-CoV2 virus, as well as targeted testing of NHS and social care staff and care home residents who don’t have symptoms. The service will help trace close recent contacts of anyone who tests positive for the virus and if necessary notifies them that they must self-isolate at home to stop the virus spreading.

Wilson Florists this store was located in Wilsons Chambers, Commercial Street Hereford in the 1970/80s. Photograph taken from our vast archive at our 'Old Hereford Pics' website

15 July 2020 Update (pm) Herefordshire Council and Public Health England (PHE) Midlands continue to work with AS Green and Co to contain an outbreak of COVID-19 at their farm. The total number of positive cases linked to the outbreak is 93. Further testing is ongoing. Wherever a case of COVID-19 is confirmed, close contacts of the case are identified and followed up through Test and Trace. This includes anyone who may have come into contact with confirmed cases within the local community. Contact tracing with over 100 existing workers continues on-site. In addition, a group of agricultural workers who travelled into the UK by private coach, including some of the workers who went on to work at AS Green and Co, are being followed up. Another group of workers travelled to the site on a flight bringing agricultural workers to the UK. As an additional precaution, the individuals who travelled on this flight are also being followed up. Seventy-six workers on the flight who travelled onwards to other farms in England have already been offered testing and no further cases have been identified to date. Public health partners in Scotland have been notified of a further group of 63 workers on the same flight who travelled onwards to Scottish farms in order that they too can be followed-up appropriately. Katie Spence, PHE Midlands Health Protection Director, said: Karen Wright, Director of Public Health for Herefordshire, said:

Buzz Bingo (formally Gala Bingo) in Berrington Street Hereford to remain CLOSED. In a statement on their Facebook page CEO Chris Matthews wrote: Why is Buzz Bingo closing clubs? Coronavirus has had a significant impact on our business and on the entire leisure and hospitality industry. Following government advice, we temporarily closed all clubs from 21st March, meaning we have been unable to generate any revenues from our retail business, and day to day operations have been severely affected. The affects will be felt for many months to come, so we have had to make some difficult decisions about how we move forward and ensure a sustainable future for Buzz Bingo. Our Buzz Bingo community means the world to us, and we know how disappointing this news will be – especially for those of our customers who are losing their local club, and of course, our colleagues from those clubs. The decision to restructure our club portfolio is the right way to secure our long-term future and make sure that we can still bring bingo to our customers in the majority of our clubs around the country and online at buzzbingo.com. We are reopening 12 clubs on 6th August with more to come and, of course, our online bingo and slots are open to all at buzzbingo.com. I have credit on my account and my club is closing – will I get it back? How? Absolutely. Any customers with credit on their account should contact customer services who will organise a refund for you. Contact our Customer Service team between 10am and 10pm by email at support@buzzbingo.com, or you can chat to one of our Live Chat Stars at buzzbingo.com. How do I contact you? Contact our Customer Service team between 10am and 10pm by email support@buzzbingo.com, or you can reach us via Live Chat on buzzbingo.com.

Sad that people cannot dispose of their litter properly

As shops re-open, people return to work and more people visit Hereford and the market towns, the government has asked local authorities to introduce temporary measures that give pedestrians and cyclists the space they need to maintain social distancing and travel safely. The measures, which will include using temporary barriers and signage to widen footways, some timed or partial road closures and dedicated cycle lanes, will allow more space to walk and cycle in busy areas. Speed reductions to 20mph on some streets will help pedestrians and cyclists feel safer where road space is shared. The temporary measures, which are being introduced week beginning 20 July, are being funded by government Emergency Active Travel Funding, which has allocated £20,000 to Herefordshire to promote walking and cycling for short and local journeys. The temporary nature of the measures will allow them to be reviewed and additional funding is expected in the coming months to install further measures. Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet member infrastructure and transport, explains: Full details including location maps are available on the Herefordshire Council website HERE The temporary measures being introduced to provide more space for pedestrians and cyclists are: Hereford Cycle lanes on Newmarket St, Blueschool St, Commercial Rd, Ledbury Rd (uphill Extended timed closure in High Town and Widemarsh St – 10.30am – 5.30pm Closure of Old Wye Bridge except cycles and buses northbound Closure of Aubrey St at junction with King Street Parking suspension on Broad Street (west Green Dragon side), King St (south Spread Eagle side) and Bridge St (east Left Bank side) Shared use footway on Station Approach Extended 20mph zone (see map for exact area) Bromyard Footway widening on High Street and New Road Suspension of some parking bays 20mph zone town-wide (see map for exact area) Ledbury On way on Woodleigh Rd except cycles 20mph zone town-wide (see map for exact area) Leominster Timed closure (except cycles) on High St, Victoria St, Corn St and Corn Square 10am-1pm Mon – Sat 20mph zone town-wide (see map for exact area) Kington Moderated traffic speed on High St 20mph zone town-wide (see map for exact area) Ross on Wye Moderated traffic speed through the town centre 20mph zone town-wide (see map for exact area) Hereford_active_travel_response_map.pdf Bromyard_active_travel_response_map.pdf Kington_active_travel_response_map.pdf Ledbury_active_travel_response_map.pdf Leominster_active_travel_response_map.pdf Ross_on_Wye_active_travel_response_map.pdf

Wearing a face covering in shops and supermarkets in England is to become mandatory from 24 July. Those who fail to comply with the new rules could face a fine of up to £100, the government has announced. The move will bring England into line with Scotland and other major European nations like Spain, Italy and Germany. Enforcement will be carried out by police - not retail staff - and anyone failing to wear a face covering while shopping will be subject to a fine of up to £100, or £50 if paid within 14 days. Can wearing face masks stop the virus? Face masks won't stop coronavirus from spreading so you still need to follow health officials' advice for social distancing and washing your hands regularly. What they can do is help reduce the likelihood that you pass it on if you are suffering from the virus – remember that there are also people who don't show symptoms of COVID-19. As Professor Chris Whitty, the government's Chief Medical Officer, puts it, wearing a face covering "is an added precaution that may have some benefit in reducing the likelihood that a person with the infection passes it on." Most retailers producing these commercially-available face masks state that the face masks they sell are not sold as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health and care workers to use in the work place. Who is exempt? Children under 11 and people with certain disabilities will be exempt as they already are on public transport. Other countries The World Health Organisation shifted towards recommending face coverings in June. Britons have been among the slowest to embrace mass mask-wearing. Many European countries, including Germany, Spain, Italy and Greece, have already made it compulsory to wear face coverings inside shops. A YouGov poll found that 36% of people in the UK wear a face mask in public places, compared with 86% in Spain, 83% in Italy, 78% in France and 65% in Germany. Tourists visiting the Costa del Sol must wear masks in public places from Wednesday, mirroring moves in Catalonia and the Balearics to fine people up to £90 for flouting the rules.

UPDATE: Health officials in Herefordshire say there's no risk to the general public after more than 70 people working at a vegetable farm tested positive for coronavirus. All 200 staff at AS Green & Co in Mathon are now isolating to contain the outbreak

Joint statement from Public Health Midlands (West) and Herefordshire Council Herefordshire Council is working with Public Health England (PHE) Midlands to support vegetable producers AS Green and Co, based in Mathon near Malvern, following an outbreak of COVID-19 among their workforce. Around 200 key workers are employed to carry out picking and packing work vital to the UK food supply chain and local economy. During the harvesting season, the workforce resides in mobile homes based on the farm, so as a precaution, the whole group are being treated as one extended bubble. Workers are being asked to remain on the farm during the period of isolation and stay within household groups, to reduce risk of spread within the workforce and into the wider community. Herefordshire Council is arranging food and essential supplies for residents on the site, while they self-isolate. Katie Spence, PHE Midlands Health Protection Director, said: A spokesperson for AS Green said: Karen Wright, Director of Public Health for Herefordshire, said: