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Hereford FC is delighted to announce that popular local restaurant The Beefy Boys, will be the home short sponsor for the upcoming 2020/21 season. Lee Symonds of The Beefy Boys said, Hereford FC General Manager, James Watts said: “

Herefordshire Council have fast-tracked a 7 day order to close the Old Bridge to northbound traffic by converting the road to a pedestrian and cyclist only route. Buses will still be able to use the route. These decisions have been made behind closed doors as it's a seven day order there is no public consultation required, is this transparent enough❓ There are many concerns by local businesses about a huge potential loss of trade. We understand that traders were notified on June 20 with the consultation ending on June 23 People living south of Hereford will be most inconvenienced by these changes, If you needed to drive into the city centre your main route would be to drive to the Steels roundabout northbound to then come back southbound to gain access into Broad St and King St. Motorists could attempt to turn right into St. Nicholas St but that junction at best only allows one or two vehicles to cross before the lights change. Additional cycles routes and reduced speed limits are welcome but are these changes going to cause more traffic mayhem particularly if the Greyfriars bridge becomes blocked? The measures in Hereford are shown on the attached map and comprise: - 20mph zones - On street cycle lanes - Footway widening - Extension to the city centre timed closure - Closure of the old Wye Bridge to all but buses and cycles The measures are temporary and although they have a maximum period of 18 months, they will be monitored and retained only for as long as necessary. If a measure is felt to be suitable for retention in the long term, a fully TRO process with consultation will be required.

I have not fished the lake for probably nearly 30 years. I have started fishing again. Are there any fish left in them?

Herefordshire Council have made a u-turn from last week when they reintroduced parking charges only offering a free 30 minute window as we reported in this article however, today there is some better news for local businesses as the council have now completely lifted the charges altogether for the best part of a month to help businesses recover from the Covid-19 lockdown. Parking charges lifted temporarily in town and city car parks to support business To support local business during this particularly difficult time and encourage people to visit their high street rather than shop on-line, Herefordshire Council is offering free parking on street and in council car parks* from Saturday 27 June until Friday 24 July 2020. Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet member for infrastructure and transport explains: Resident parking and other restrictions will be enforced. *Excludes Friar St Military Club car park, at their request

The iconic British sculpture, The Knife Angel, is coming to Hereford on 1st June 2021. Created to raise awareness around knife crime in the UK, The Knife Angel is made out of 100,000 confiscated knives received from 43 Police Forces across the UK. The sculpture has toured around the Country as a monument against all forms of violence and aggression. Standing at 27ft and weighing 3.5 ton, it is an incredible and powerful sight to behold. Beginning in June 2021, the sculpture will reside at Hereford Cathedral for 28 days. During this, a series of interactive workshops and events will take place, including an opening and closing ceremony, a dedicated youth conference, weapon amnesty and more. The Knife Angel Hereford Team explain who they are; “Alison Davies lost her son Mark to knife crime in December 2018 and together with friends Meryl Cain, Pauline Strong and Jan Jefferies wanted to raise awareness of the catastrophic impact violent crime has on individuals, families and communities. The team’s involvement with this project is carried out on a voluntary basis. The group are known as The Knife Angel Hereford Team.” The team are also looking for help in the form of funding and volunteers. For more information, you can read more by visiting the team’s website: www.knifeangelhereford.co.uk

Harveys and Benson for Beds enter into Administration. Harveys goes into administration with 240 jobs lost and branches under threat. Bensons for Beds, which is owned by Harveys' owners Blue Group, will see around 50 of its outlets close, leaving between 150 and 175 open. Blue Group formally appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers as administrator on Tuesday. The move leaves the future of Harveys hanging in the balance, with PwC looking for buyers for the business and its three manufacturing plants. Harveys is not currently taking any new orders but will honour existing ones, according to its website Harvey’s have had financial trouble for the past 12 months and have been seeking a new buyer. Most stores were due to re-open today, with staff spending the past two days cleaning showrooms. The two furniture retailers operate from 269 stores across the UK and employs 2700 in total, 700 of which are directly employed at Harvey’s. Both Bensons for Beds and Harvey’s also had a change of hands last November, when former parent company Blue Group was sold off by Steinhoff to Alteri Investors for an undisclosed sum. Alteri Investors, which owns Blue Group, has decided to restructure the business so that Bensons will become a standalone business. Bensons is the second largest bed retailer in the UK behind Dreams in terms of market share.

Military charity support move to new distribution hub An essential role for Herefordshire Council during the Covid-19 response has been to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to staff carrying out critical business. Since the start of the pandemic, the council has been sourcing, buying, distributing and storing PPE stock for non-NHS settings across the county. Many care providers have had difficulty accessing PPE due to high national demand, so the council has also provided free PPE to these sites. Since early April the Council has provided care providers with over 6 million pieces of PPE including over 1.2 million surgical face masks. As we prepare to live with the long-term impact of Covid-19, the council has created a new Herefordshire PPE hub with support from Operation RE:ACT, Team Rubicon UK’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak. Nigel Jones, the team leader for RE-ACT and his amazing team of volunteers gave up their own time to help the council pack, load and relocate around 25 pallets of vital PPE to a new, secure location. Alistair Neill, Herefordshire Council’s Chief Executive, said: Herefordshire Council and Operation RE:ACT were also assisted by: Eagle Plant Hire Hereford, who provided the Council free use of a self-drive Manitou fork lift; this was expertly driven by Cllr Jim Kenyon. DLT Training Ltd Bridgend in South Wales, who provided the Council with a large van and volunteer driver; Total Produce Foodservice Hereford who provided the Council with a large van and another volunteer driver; Herefordshire Council’s library service who filled up with PPE and drove the library van between the old and new PPE sites.

The sports hall at Hereford Leisure Centre is used to seeing groups of people come together to get active, but recently it has welcomed a new type of team which has been flexing its muscles and pulling together for an entirely different reason. Hereford Leisure Centre may be currently closed to the public but for the past 3 months it has played an essential role as the Emergency Delivery Hub for the County. The large space in the sports hall and good road access meant it was ideally positioned to receive and distribute supplies, with the centre able to adapt at short notice to its new community role. Matt Smith, Hereford Leisure Centre Manager said, Cllr David Hitchiner, Leader of Herefordshire Council, said Matt went on to say,

Herefordshire tourism project awarded £440,000 of Marches LEP funding A major campaign to help Herefordshire's tourism and visitor economy recover from the devastating impact of the coronavirus lockdown and February’s flooding has been awarded £440,000 by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership The money will help launch a co-ordinated drive to promote the county as a fantastic, safe destination for day trips and also staycations if the lockdown restrictions ease sufficiently. It is part of a £1.6million package of funding agreed by the Marches LEP across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin to support businesses hardest hit by the Covid-19 crisis and earlier flooding. Herefordshire Business Board and Herefordshire Council are behind the plan to promote the county’s huge range of tourism attractions, retail and leisure opportunities to both local and national markets. Their plan includes developing a new destination website supported by a smartphone app and local and national marketing and PR campaigns to attract day trippers and families and couples seeking staycations as soon as it is safe to do so. Mandy Thorn MBE DL, chair of the Marches LEP, said the partnership was delighted to support the initiative. Frank Myers MBE, chair of Herefordshire Business Board, said the plan would help support the tourism, hospitality, leisure and cultural economy as well as parts of the local retail and manufacturing sectors. Councillor Ellie Chowns, cabinet member for environment, economy and skills, said: The majority of the LEP funding has come from loan repayments from previous job-creating investment projects the partnership has supported.

Riverside Primary School in Hereford is taking part in a new national government study to assess and monitor the prevalence of Covid-19 among pre-school, primary and secondary school pupils and teachers. On the launch of the study, which will initially collect data from up to 100 schools from across England, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: Pupils and staff at Riverside Primary School will be tested weekly until the end of the summer term for Covid-19. Results will be returned within 72 hours with plans in place if there are any positive test results. Emma Shearer, Headteacher of Riverside Primary School said: Herefordshire Council has been working closely with Public Health England to support the school to take part, and parents, staff and governors have been consulted as part of the process and preparation. Karen Wright, Director of Public Health in Herefordshire added:

I never know which sub title I should put a forum under so just randomly choose. Anyway with the new subscription charge for the Hereford Times can some well informed person tell me and anybody else who may well be interested that if you pay for the HT digitally do you have an actual HT to read on line (similar to the way Hereford Journal used to do it) or do you just have access to certain reports that are posted online by HT? Further more if you enter a shop and buy a copy of the HT I think I am correct in assuming you can only access a certain amount of reports on line Clarification required I took out a monthly on line HT sub but don't think I will keep it going if there is not a copy of the HT to flick through on line

Car park users in Hereford will be able to enjoy 30 minutes of free parking, to make it easier for people to make essential visits. In response to covid-19, Herefordshire Council recognises that there may be many people who need to visit the city centre for essential reasons such as to visit pharmacies. To make this easier, and support local businesses, parking for up to 30 minutes in on street pay and display in Hereford will be free, until 6 July 2020. Herefordshire Council ceased charging at the start of the Covid-19 outbreak so that residents could go about their essential business without the need to find money for parking and enable them to limit social interaction. Parking charges are an essential element in the operation of our city and market town centres. By charging for parking, we are able to limit the length of time vehicles are parked in one place, which allows for greater freedom of movement and more opportunity to find a parking space for all our residents. The council are continuing to support NHS and Critical Care staff during this period by providing free parking, which can be arranged through their employer. Free short stay on street parking is also available in all of the market towns.Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Transport, said: To avoid receiving a Penalty Charge Notice please park considerately and comply with the parking regulations that are in place. If you have a parking problem please contact parking services at civilparkingenforcement@herefordshire.gov.uk

Monsoon Accessorize stores to close as 545 jobs to be axed, unfortunately Hereford store will remain closed. Fashion chain Monsoon Accessorize is to make more than 500 staff redundant after being bought out of administration last night. Monsoon Accessorize’s founder Peter Simon bought the brands and intellectual property, the head office and design teams, and its distribution centre in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire – but not the stores. Around 450 jobs were transferred to Adena Brands, the new group company, while 35 shops have permanently closed and 545 staff were made redundant. The stores which it expects to permanently close are... Basildon Bexleyheath Burton-on-Trent Camberley Canterbury Carlisle Chelmsford Cork Patrick Street A, Republic of Ireland Cork Patrick Street B, Republic of Ireland Crawley Derby Dublin, Republic of Ireland Hereford Hitchin Huddersfield Kilkenny Lancaster Lincoln Liverpool Airport Maidenhead Maidston Middlesbrough Newark Newtownabbey Northampton Southend St Albans Staines Sutton Coldfield Taunton Telford Trowbridg Truro Tunbridge Wells York Davygate

Car parking charges will come back into force from Monday 15 June in line with Government advice regarding the lifting of lockdown In line with Government advice regarding the lifting of lockdown car parking charges will come back into force from Monday 15 June. On 24 March, car parking charges were suspended across the county and the focus of parking enforcement activity has been on tackling unsafe parking, providing free parking for NHS workers and supporting the police to enforce social distancing. The need for good parking management is now greater than ever as the economy recovers, and businesses rely on the population returning to the high streets. The demand for parking is expected to increase significantly as the lockdown eases, and charges are required to effectively manage parking and vehicle movements. The country bus station car park in Hereford will remain free for NHS staff so that they can continue to be supported, while work is on-going in relation to their future parking requirements. Holders of a resident parking permit that has expired or is due to expire, are advised to submit an application if they haven’t already done so. Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Transport, said: To avoid receiving a Penalty Charge Notice please park considerately and comply with the parking regulations that are in place. If you have a parking problem please contact parking services at civilparkingenforcement@herefordshire.gov.uk

Hereford & District Angling Association have submitted a planning application for the proposed construction of 28 fishing platforms along the banks of the River Wye, west of New Bridge in Hereford. Above is a map detailing the proposed locations for the fishing platforms. Above is a photograph of an existing fishing platform already in situ along the riverbank. Ecological Appraisal The proposed work at Belmont will involve installing 28 new timber fishing platforms on the banks of the River Wye (SAC). Minimal vegetation management will be required to create an access route to the pegs. No trees will be removed as part of the works. The ecological appraisal was undertaken on behalf of the Hereford & District Angling Association to give an outline of the ecological receptors on site and identify and protect species or habitat constraints. Full appraisal attached. BiodivRpt_2.pdf

Plans have been submitted for the proposed repair and replacement of timber-frame infill panels and both externally and internally at the Black & White House Museum in Hereford city centre. The Black & White House Museum, formerly the Old House Museum, is a Grade I listed, timber-framed merchants house, constructed in 1621, and situated in its original location in High Town, Hereford. Its external and internal fabric has experienced several phases of change over the preceding centuries with the most comprehensive changes occurring in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Further maintenance is now required. Misc.pdf

Herefordshire have advised that on June 22 Home Point will launch its improved housing allocations scheme to make applying and bidding for properties easier, with more choice over the types of housing people in Herefordshire can apply for 👉 HERE

Noticed this weekend (just gone) that there's a large pothole, inbound, on the Barrs Court side of the metal bridge. Went over yesterday (Monday) and it's got 50% bigger and deeper in a couple of days ... So be careful if you are using that bit of road! If you hit it full on there's a potential to do some damage!

Is there going to be a Community hub at The Oval? Time is passing by and most probably will be forgotten. New community hub Decision - Approved with Conditions Applicant name Keepmoat Homes/Herefordshire Housing Applicant address Keepmoat Homes/Herefordshire Housing Regeneration House (Old House) Gorsey Lane Birmingham West Midlands B46 1JU Decision date Wednesday 18 September 2013 131390/O The second associated application is for the construction of a community hub. This application is in outline form, and the application site is located to the north of the site to the west of the retail units. The proposal is for an 800 m2 building with the remaining area being used for landscaping and car parking. The proposed building would be three storey and would accommodate a reception area, restaurant/café, offices and public facilities.

McDonalds Drive-Thru Reopening Next Week. 🍔🍟🥤 We have been reliably informed that the Belmont Road 'Drive-Thru' could reopen from as early as Monday or Tuesday, initially offering a limited menu. This follows the news that KFC will reopen in Hereford next Wednesday. Have you missed your fast food in Hereford and which is your favourite?

A huge thank you to everyone at Covid-19 support in Herefordshire. You have given local people across our county a invaluable service for the past 10 weeks. Give yourselves a massive round of applause 👏👏👏 📄 A statement on their page reads; 👇

Local Business Hey, Honey has just launched their online store and it's buzzing! Head over to their online store here and select ‘shop’ New lines & new items are being added each day, so be sure to keep popping back! Click-&-Collect or home delivery are now available. Either can be curb side/contact free, just let them know at checkout, (include your contact details) please be mindful & adhere to social distancing. Worldwide shipping with all major credit/debit cards accepted inc ApplePay. 3% of all profit goes to projects directly helping the UK 🐝 bee population 🐝 20% off EVERYTHING for the entire FIRST WEEK with discount code 👉 WBD20 👈 at checkout to celebrate & support 🌍🐝*World Bee Day*🐝🌍 on Wednesday 20th May, 2020. Please sign up to their mailing list on the website for news, updates, offers & more discounts! Supporting our local businesses #HerefordVoice #HfdLocal #Hereford #KeepItLocal

February, Calm, Coot Calling' a studio watercolour created from outdoor sketches at Bodenham Lake Nature Reserve managed by Herefordshire Wildlife Trust Thank you to Richard Bavin for painting this superb watercolour for our viewing pleasure. Richard is a local landscape painter specialising in trees and woodland, Richard seeks to capture the character and atmosphere of particular places in all weathers and seasons.

Sunshine Radio in Breach Of Broadcasting Code in relation to gender identity during a broadcast on the 16th September 2019, 07:45 on the Paul Ellery in the morning show. Type of case: Broadcast Standards Outcome: In Breach Service: Sunshine Radio Date & time: 16 September 2019, 07:45 Category: Generally accepted standards Summary: This programme featured potentially offensive statements about gender identity which were not justified by the context. In breach of Rule 2.3 of the Broadcasting Code. Introduction Sunshine Radio is a local radio station serving Hereford and Monmouthshire with music, speech, local news and information. The licence for the service is held by Sunshine FM Limited (“Sunshine FM” or “the Licensee”). Paul Ellery in the Morning is a daily light-entertainment programme that includes discussions of news of the day. Ofcom received a complaint that a presenter talked in a mocking manner about singer Sam Smith coming out as non-binary,1. After playing a Sam Smith track during the programme, the presenter Paul Ellery said: 1. Stonewall defines the use of the term ‘trans’ as “An umbrella term to describe people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth. Trans people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including (but not limited to) transgender, transsexual, gender-queer (GQ), gender-fluid, non-binary, gender-variant, crossdresser, genderless, agender, nongender, third gender, two-spirit, bi-gender, trans man, trans woman, trans masculine, trans feminine and neutrois”. Ofcom considered that the material raised potential issues under Rule 2.3 of the Code, which states: We therefore sought comments from the Licensee about how the programme complied with this rule. Ofcom also requested information from the Licensee about the content on BBC News referred to in the programme. The Licensee could not find it. Response Sunshine FM described the programme as a live, unscripted “one man show” and stated that there was no production team or “backroom staff” involved in its broadcast. The Licensee said that the comment about Sam Smith’s gender was part of a “throw away short link” and was not intended to offend listeners. However, it added that after reviewing the programme, the presenter’s view was that his comment was “misjudged” and had the potential to have caused offence. Sunshine FM said that the presenter would not have deliberately sought to offend the LGBT community. It added that Paul Ellery had undertaken compliance and legal training, in addition to him attending daily meetings to review content. In response to Ofcom’s Preliminary View, which was to record a breach of Rule 2.3, the Licensee said that the presenter had resigned from Sunshine Radio. Ofcom also provided the presenter with the opportunity to make representations in this case but he did not provide any. Decision Reflecting our duties under the Communications Act 2003, Section Two of the Code provides protection for members of the public from harmful and/or offensive material. Ofcom takes into account the audience’s and the broadcaster’s right to freedom of expression set out in Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights when considering whether a broadcaster has provided listeners with adequate protection from offensive material in a programme. Ofcom has also had due regard in the exercise of its functions to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, to advance equality of opportunity and to foster good relations between those who share a relevant protected characteristic – such as gender reassignment – and those who do not. Rule 2.3 requires that in applying generally accepted standards, broadcasters must ensure that potentially offensive material is justified by the context. Context includes, but is not limited to, the editorial content of the programme, the service on which the material was broadcast, the time the material was broadcast and the extent to which the nature of the content can be brought to the attention of the potential audience (for example by giving information). Ofcom first considered whether the broadcast contained material which could be considered offensive. During the programme the presenter: repeated a remark he said he had heard from another source conflating Sam Smith’s gender and their sex at birth. In our view, it would have been clear to listeners from the presenter’s tone and the manner in which he was discussing this subject (“I can’t get over this...”) that he endorsed the discriminatory and dismissive remarks to which he was referring; and, referred to Sam Smith using the masculine pronouns “he” and “him” and said that they were “definitely a boy” despite the fact that it had been widely reported – and the story that the presenter was discussing referred to the fact – that Sam Smith was identifying as non-binary and had requested that people use the pronoun “they” when referring to them. We considered that these comments had the potential to cause offence as they sought to ridicule Sam Smith’s non-binary status. In addition, by referring to Sam Smith using the incorrect pronoun, the presenter appeared to ignore and undermine Sam Smith’s publicly stated gender identity. As set out above, potentially offensive comments and material can be broadcast, but the Code requires them to be justified by the context in which they are presented to the audience. Ofcom therefore went on to consider whether this content was justified by the context. Paul Ellery in the Morning is a daily light-entertainment programme which includes discussion of news of the day. Ofcom acknowledged that listeners would therefore be likely to expect a range of personal views across a variety of subjects, some of which may be contentious or attract strong opinions from the presenter. We recognise the importance of broadcasters, in line with the right to freedom of expression, being able to discuss issues surrounding gender identity, including those relating to people who identify as non-binary. However, when discussing sensitive issues, particularly those linked to people with protected characteristics, it is important sufficient context is provided so as to comply with Rule 2.3. In this case, the comments made by the presenter about Sam Smith were brief, which may have limited the potential for offence to some extent. However, they did not form part of a serious or considered discussion about issues related to gender identity and, at no point were his comments challenged, scrutinised or otherwise contextualised. Furthermore, the tone of the presenter’s comments was mocking, dismissive and flippant towards Sam Smith’s announcement that they were identifying as non-binary. Noting that we only received one complaint from listeners about the presenter’s comments, we considered that the above factors established the potential for the comments in question to cause offence. Given the strength of the presenter’s views on gender reassignment which had the potential to cause offence to listeners, and in particular, to members of the trans community, we considered that these comments were likely to have exceeded listeners’ expectations of content on this local radio station. We therefore considered that there was insufficient context to justify the potentially offensive references to Sam Smith’s gender. We acknowledged the Licensee’s position that the comments were not intended to offend listeners, and the presenter’s acknowledgement that they were “misjudged”. However, regardless of the intent, in our view the comments had the potential to cause offence for the reasons set out above. Ofcom was concerned by Sunshine FM’s submission that other than the presenter, no other members of a production team or “backroom staff” were involved in the broadcast of the programme. We acknowledged the steps the Licensee has taken to improve compliance prior to the presenter’s resignation, including the presenter undertaking compliance training and attending daily meetings to review content. However, given all of the above, our Decision was that the content exceeded generally accepted standards, in breach of Rule 2.3 of the Code. Breach of Rule 2.3

We have acquired this old postcard recently and thought it was quite interesting.. The caption on the card says, "Hereford, Cathedral from the River Bank" It is printed and has been postally used dated September 15th 1908, what is written on the reverse is fascinating... see here >>> https://hfd.news/2rd