Search the Community

Traffic & Travel | EMERGENCY ROAD CLOSURE C1122 - MARDEN - Laystone Bridge, road closed for safety after a vehicle hit the bridge, see images below ⬇️

‘Cathartic, a little bit scary and ultimately immensely rewarding’ A group of men in Herefordshire who have been living with mental ill health have produced a book of their own writing. Further Beyond Words showcases original poetry and short stories by men who use creative writing to help them deal with anxiety, depression or other mental health issues. Many of the 20 poems and stories delve into darker urges and emotions in a cathartic way, while others express hope, positivity and a sense of recovery. Herefordshire-based horticulturalist, broadcaster and writer Monty Don, who has faced his own struggles with mental illness, wrote the foreword, and all artwork is by students at Hereford College of Arts. The book is a result of a collaboration between two prominent Hereford-based mental health champions and FurtherBeyond, a local creative writing project. The two main driving forces, Euan McPherson, chief executive of Hereford Services for Independent Living (who also supports Hereford Men’s Mental Health group), and Cllr Paul Stevens, Mayor of Hereford, have experienced mental ill health themselves – and both have contributed poems. Euan said: Paul said: One contributor, who uses the pen-name BlackDog, said: Another contributor, known as Glyn, said: Monty Don writes in his foreword: “There is still far too much ignorance, shame and fear surrounding mental illness. So it is especially important that publications like this, as well as being a celebration of the creativity that can emerge from troubled minds and troubled times, can help confront these attitudes. ‘Art, of all kinds, can put our own minds right and can change others’ minds.” Funding was provided by Herefordshire Community Foundation and Great Places. The book will be available for purchase from the Services for Independent Living website www.s4il.co.uk with all proceeds going to support Hereford Men's Mental Health (HMMH) group – Further details to follow.

Yesterday (05/10/2021) a group of males were discovered digging a Badger sett close to the River Dulas. The group were subsequently located near a parked car where they threatened a local resident with baseball bats. The four males then left in a silver Peugeot estate (possibly a 54 plate). If anyone has any information about this incident then you are asked to get in touch quoting incident 449_i_05102021. Information can be passed online at www.westmercia.police.uk or via 101. Anonymous information can be passed via Crimestoppers. Badger baiting is a barbaric and archaic activity where terrier like dogs are sent into setts to locate Badgers. The group will then dig down when the dog has located a Badger. The group will remove the Badger and force it to fight a number of large, powerful dogs. The Badger is usually killed by the dogs or beaten to death by the group. The dogs involved usually sustain horrific and long term injuries that are rarely treated by a vet due to the risk of the offenders being identified. Offenders face 6 months imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine if convicted. 21058

Multiple Fire Crews from both Herefordshire and Gloucestershire joined forces to tackle a barn and combine harvester fire last night in Herefordshire. Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service (Official) sent their water carrier from Cheltenham to assist at the scene of the site which is away from a sufficient water course. Fabulous joint effort from both of the Counties fire crews 📸 GFRS

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service crews from both Kingsland, Presteigne and Kington Fire Stations attended the blaze at Whitney-on-Wye on Sunday evening. Crews were faced with an intense fire which engulfed three outbuildings very close to houses. The fire also involved gas cylinders, petrol cans and machinery. The heat was melting the house guttering and broke windows. Four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus and using two hosereels stopped the blaze reaching the houses and causing further damage while also extinguishing the fire, which was spread across the rear of three properties. 📸 HWFRS

FREE weekend bus travel throughout Herefordshire has been welcomed by those advocating sustainable transport in the county. ‘At last a local authority that is travelling in the right direction,’ responded Herefordshire Sustainable Transport Group to the announcement that a partnership with local bus operators and Herefordshire Council has resulted in free weekend bus travel from 4th September. ‘Over the last thirty years Herefordshire has seen a serious contraction of its bus network,’ HSTG told its members. ‘The result of this has been drastically felt in rural areas leading to increased examples of rural isolation and deprivation particularly affecting young and old alike. It is to be hoped that this welcome initiative by Herefordshire Council heralds a long awaited turn in the fortunes of the rural bus. The Bus Service Improvement Plan currently being drawn up will now need to pay attention to the shortfalls in weekday services. Well done Herefordshire.’ Herefordshire’s coalition administration has responded to the crisis in public transport in the county alongside government ambitions to change the fortunes of bus transport. A government paper on the vision for buses in the UK, Bus Back Better says buses: ‘bring people to jobs, study and local services; they liberate people who are old, young, disabled and isolated; they save millions of tonnes of carbon and pollution, and thousands of miles of traffic jams. The double decker bus is a symbol of Britain. Yet for decades, buses have been largely ignored by policymakers.’ Coalition councillor John Harrington said he was delighted to be able to offer free and unlimited weekend travel for about a year through the Covid-19 Recovery Fund. ‘By making it easier and cheaper to get around, the scheme will help connect people and communities provide a kick start to the local economy by getting people back into enjoying our vibrant city and market towns.’ Coun Harrington encouraged residents to develop their own ‘bus-it list’ – selecting locations, journeys, and experiences in the county, like Herefordshire Art Week, can be enjoyed thanks to free bus travel. New Sunday services have also been introduced on primary routes throughout the county. These include: 34 Ross-on-Wye – Monmouth; 36 Hereford – Monmouth; 40 Ross Town service; 401 Leominster Town service; 420 Bromyard – Hereford; 426 Hereford – Bodenham; 454 Hereford – Fownhope; 461 Kington – Hereford; 492 Leominster – Hereford; 496 Leominster - Shobdon - Pembridge - Eardisland circular; 600 Ledbury Town service and 675 Ledbury - Colwall - Great Malvern 📸 Hereford Buses

Beginning this Saturday (4 September), the council is pleased to announce that all bus travel within Herefordshire will be FREE AT WEEKENDS!! Thanks to investment as part of the Covid-19 Recovery Fund, anybody and everybody will be able to hop on and off any bus in the county, as many times as they like. No fares. The only condition is that the journey must be entirely within the county. To help people make the most of the scheme, there will also be additional services on Sundays, serving several locations including Bromyard, Ledbury, Leominster, Kington and Colwall.Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet member for infrastructure and transport, said: Free weekend bus travel is just one element of the Covid-19 Recovery Plan, which is providing funding of £6m to support the county in its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Cllr David Hitchiner, Leader of the Council, added: Bus travel will remain free to residents of pensionable age, and those with a qualifying disability through the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS). To help keep everybody safe, it is recommended that you continue to wear a mask when travelling by bus – and don’t forget to check timetables for your return journey before travelling. For more information, visit herefordshire.gov.uk/bus-it

West Mercia Police are appealing for witnesses and anyone with dash-cam footage to please contact them following a fatal road traffic collision yesterday (Saturday 28 August) in Herefordshire. Officers were called to the A44 Worcester Road near Bromyard where at around 12.20pm a silver Skoda Octavia Estate, a Blue Audi Q5 and a white Volvo Traffic Artic lorry had collided. Sadly, the driver of the blue Audi Q5, a 44 year-old woman from Leominster sustained fatal injuries as a result of the collision and died at the scene. Her next of kin have been informed. No one else involved in the collision was injured. The road was closed for several hours while investigation and recovery work took place. If you have any information that can help with the investigation, please contact the Police via their website quoting incident number 312i of 28 August 2021.

The B4362 between Orleton and Woofferton was closed at the railway bridge earlier this afternoon. Rail services between Leominster and Ludlow were disrupted and emergency services attended the scene. Unfortunately one patient sadly died. The road is now open. 📷 Google

Exceptional photographs again from our good friend Jon Simpson, the Knife Angel Monument looks even more incredible in the rain, we're just loving the reflections and another set of extraordinary images that Jon has managed to create. Jon wrote; Reflecting on the Knife Angel. The Knife Angel Hereford is free to visit and on display outside Hereford Cathedral until 12 July. Created by Alfie's Art and the The British Ironwork Centre, to highlight knife crime and educate young people of the harmful effect violent behaviour can have on their communities. It was absolutely chucking it down when I took these and despite the rain people were still stopping on their walk home from a night out to stand for a while and take it in. The 2nd photo is the reflection in the water on top of the Knife Bank Amnesty Bin, and is among my favourite photos I've ever taken. 👇

The B4224 Fiddler's Green to Fownhope road is due to reopen to traffic tomorrow (Friday 25th March) Mairead Lane, Head of Infrastructure Delivery, said:

A van driver has sadly died and two other people have been injured in a road traffic collision in Herefordshire this morning. West Midlands Ambulance Service was called at 11.09am earlier today to the junction of the B4203 and B4204, Upper Sapey to reports of a collision involving a car and a van. Two ambulances, a community first responder, a paramedic officer and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Strensham with a MERIT trauma doctor and critical care paramedic on board attended the scene. A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said:

Herefordshire Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on the C1059 - Common Farm Bungalow - Holloway Common Farm, Hampton Charles, Herefordshire.

Homes and businesses in Ross-on-Wye will soon benefit from gigabit capable broadband. Wholesale broadband provider, Full Fibre Limited, will build new Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) network across the town, providing access to some of the fastest broadband in the country. Fibre to the Premise (FTTP) known as ‘full fibre’ is the newest form of fibre broadband and is considered more future proof as it can deliver gigabit download speeds (1,000Mbps). The rollout is thanks to a small grant project to connect businesses in the Alton Road area that still require a superfast connection. Fastershire’s Marches & Gloucestershire business broadband grant is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and has enabled Full Fibre Limited to establish a foothold in Ross-on-Wye from which they will expand their network into the rest of the town using their own investment. Full Fibre Limited CEO, Oliver Helm, said Councillor Paul Symonds, said, Over 93% of Herefordshire properties can access a superfast connection of 30mbps or greater, according to ThinkBroadband’s figures, with over 35% mainly in rural areas able to access a gigabit capable full fibre connection, well above the national average of only 21%. Councillor Ellie Chowns, the Cabinet member for environment, economy and skills at Herefordshire Council said, To find out if your property can access faster broadband, visit www.fastershire.com.

Eight men have received prison sentences for Courier Fraud offences they committed in Herefordshire, Shropshire and Sutton Coldfield in 2019. The group of offenders based in London targeted elderly and vulnerable members of the public pretending to be police officers, encouraging them to help an investigation by withdrawing money from the bank. Couriers would then be arranged, also pretending to be police officers, to attend the victims’ addresses and collect the money. Two were arrested following a high speed pursuit in Hereford in which they rammed police cars and other vehicles before they were detained. More than 200 victims were identified by police, with many more targeted by the and with over 1,000 unique and known landline numbers contacted. The benefit amount of the conspiracy, for money stolen or attempted to have been stolen was just under £200,000. Full details 👉 https://bit.ly/3442FQQ

7 cases of variant identified but contained within small work bubble Herefordshire Council is working with Public Health England (PHE) Midlands to support a farm in the county following an outbreak of COVID-19 among a small number of their seasonal workforce. The small number of workers affected had all been routinely tested during their period of isolation when arriving on the farm. Fourteen workers have been found to be COVID-19 positive, seven of which have been confirmed with the variant B.1.617.2 (Indian variant). The farm involved has strict control measures in place to limit transmission, including a period of isolation for all workers on arrival who then live and work in small groups (bubbles). Herefordshire’s Acting Director of Public Health, Dr Rebecca Howell Jones, said: If you have COVID symptoms, no matter how mild, you and your household should isolate and book a COVID test online or dial 119 from any phone to book. Everyone should also take twice-weekly rapid lateral flow device (LFD) testing when symptom-free. There are a number of testing sites available for residents who live or work in Herefordshire, alternatively you can pick up a test from participating pharmacies or you can order tests for home delivery. More information can be found on the council website. To protect yourself and others, you must remember: Hands. Face. Space. Fresh Air. Hands – wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water often, and as soon as you get home - use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available. Face – wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet. Space – stay at least 2 metres away from anyone you do not live with, or who is not in your support bubble. Fresh Air – it is safest to meet outdoors. If you do meet friends or family indoors stick to guideline limits, keep the visit short and ensure good ventilation. Vaccination – take up COVID-19 vaccination when you are invited to do so.

His family, friends and colleagues all paid tribute today in a fitting service for a true gentleman who was tragically killed in an accident last month. Photographs courtesy of West Midlands Ambulance Service

Bromyard Lions a community group of like minded people who wish to assist our community in any way we can. We act independently of the many other community groups, of which there are many in Bromyard already, without stepping on their toes but bringing something else to the community to enhance what is already there. We have made scrubs for the hospital when required, masks for groups as requested. We have embarked on a couple of big garden projects to assist with tidying the sites at the Hope Centre & Bromyard Community hospital and we are able to do so by fund raising to meet the costs. The rewards are in the pleasure we can bring in helping those in the community who are vulnerable. Other projects as and when funds allow. We also collect spectacles for recycling, some 500+ to date which will help third world countries improve sight. Also we have given over 100 Message In A Bottle pots for people to record allergies, people to contact in an emergency and medications, inside and place in the fridge. Stickers are supplied for the window and door for Police, Fire and or Paramedics to see on arrival in an emergency. We also collected and donated 14 laptops and 5 tablets to Queen Elizabeth High School Bromyard for pupils to continue their education from home during the pandemic. Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organisation. Lions are an international network of over 1.3 million men and women in over 44,000 clubs within 200 countries who work together through selfless, effective community service to answer the needs that challenge communities. Lions are individuals who volunteer their time to humanitarian causes in their local and global communities, conducting and supporting vision and health screenings, building parks, awarding scholarships, assisting youth, providing help in times of disaster and much more. In the British Isles and Ireland, and the rest of Europe, Lions donate over 5.7 million hours and £88 million to humanitarian causes each year. As a member of a Lions Club you become aware of the needs of your community and have the opportunity to make a difference. Each Club provides volunteers with project management experience, leadership training, personal development opportunities and organised fund raising programmes. Being a Lion empowers you to help others in a way that no one person could do alone. Lions International Foundation’s Global Causes • Diabetes - We serve to reduce the prevalence of diabetes and improve quality of life for those diagnosed. • Vision - We serve to prevent avoidable blindness and improve quality of life for people who are blind and visually impaired. • Hunger - We serve to ensure the community members have access to nutritious foods. • Environment - We serve to sustainably protect and restore our environment to improve the well-being of all communities. • Childhood Cancer - We serve to help those affected by childhood cancer survive and thrive. To find out more, or to join us please contact our President Tony John Richards. tjrichards60@gmail.com or 07885647675.

Hereford Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on the A417 - Hillhampton to Burley Gate in Herefordshire.

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

A40, Ross-on-wye closed for a brief time yesterday whilst this load was made secure. Driver reported for insecure load offences. Photograph courtesy of West Mercia Police OPU West Mercia Police (OPU) officers are trained to identify HGV load offences, with the aim of education and enforcement to make our roads safer.

Positive Hereford | There are lots of good things about our wonderful city. We have new independent retailers that will all be reopening again on Monday including all those lovely shops and boutiques in The Independent Quarter and Hereford Butter Market We have a new a pizza restaurant, fabulous coffee bars, take-aways, bistros, wine bars and pubs! A new eatery offering Korean BBQ at your table is coming soon to the Hereford Old Market Shopping Centre and we have some fabulous hotels too. 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. 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

A man who was tragically killed while riding his motorbike involving a collision with tractor near to Thruxton in Herefordshire last Friday has been named. Mr Gary Edward Houghton, aged 54, from Newton Saint Margarets died as a result of the RTC. An inquest was opened into his death today and was immediately adjourned until a later date in order to gather further information.

At Hereford Voice our slogan has always been 'Having Your Say' and through our network we are going to give you the opportunity to ask your questions to some of our Councillors. Cabinet Member - Infrastructure and Transport Councillor John Harrington has agreed to be put under the spotlight to answer your questions in the first of our 'exclusive' Q & A sessions. Rules: Abuse will Not be tolerated and offensive comments will be deleted and may also result in that person being banned. Please ask sensible questions on any subject that Cllr Harrington maybe able to address and answer in his capacity at Herefordshire Council. Hereford Link Roads (Bypass) Turning Off Traffic Lights or making them Part-Time (Hereford Voice Campaigns) River Crossings Closure of the Old Bridge Pot Holes Maylord Orchards Shopping Centre Electric Buses Roundabouts Please ask your questions below 👇 and Councillor Harrington will answer as many as he can in a video which we will publish over the weekend.

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.