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An electrical mechanical engineer employee at the Ross on Wye Laundry firm 'Clean' that was recently destroyed by a devastating fire has just won his dream car and £20,000 cash. Presenter Christian Williams with lucky winner Jonathan Smith Jonathan Smith was shocked when the online competitions company BOTB Presenter Christian Williams surprised Mr Smith with his prize while he was at work. Jonathan won a brand new Ford Mustang and £20,000 in cash all for £2 entry. It is so nice to have a really positive story like this to start the day. More details - https://www.botb.com/winners/mw1722/

1️⃣ Capooches is a Dog Outfitters, Specialising in Collars, Leads, Harnesses, Coats and a selection of Premium Healthy Foods & Natural Treats for your pups! Opening today in Capuchin Yard just off Church St in Hereford If you love Dogs you'll just adore Capooches Pop along and say hello to Hereford's latest Doggy Boutique. 2️⃣ Pear-Laine Lingerie are opening their exclusive lingerie store in Broad Street Hereford this morning. They have a huge selection of bra's including first bra, maternity, post surgery, mastectomy, special occasion and sport! They have also teamed up with a couple of breast cancer charities. Against Breast Cancer have even supplied a bin so you can donate your old bra’s to be recycled for charity when you come in for a nice good fitting new one. Hereford Voice wishing Anna Barnes and her family good luck 3️⃣ Wren Kitchens grand opening is also today! Wren Kitchens have now moved into the unit formally occupied by Harveys on the Newtown Road Retail Park (next to Curry's) Wren Kitchens is a privately owned British designer, manufacturer, and retailer of kitchens. It has over 106 stores nationwide, employing over 4,000 people throughout the UK. The majority of their kitchen components are manufactured in England. Hereford Store is the latest state-of-the-art showroom offering a huge selection of kitchens. Let us celebrate Hereford and all the good things that our wonderful city has to offer. Hereford Voice will also be announcing some exciting news soon! ❤️ Please share our positivity ❤️ 🔸Shop local and visit some of our fabulous local independent retailers including all those lovely shops, cafes and boutiques in The Independent Quarter and Hereford Butter Market 🔸Outdoor markets and events in the city centre are very popular and bring vibrancy, together with some unique products and produce from many independent traders. 🔸Take a walk along the River Wye and stroll over the Victoria Jubilee Bridge or just relax on the Castle Green. 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 truly privileged to live in such a beautiful part of the World. Hereford Voice will continue with our efforts to promote local business and encourage people to visit Hereford and Herefordshire. Join us in our campaign and 'BE POSITIVE' about this fabulous city of ours. 'Positive Hereford' 'Embrace Hereford' Follow our latest hashtag #EmbraceHereford #HerefordVoice | #HerefordNews | #PositiveHereford

Jon wrote "An illuminated variation on the Elgar view of #HerefordCathedral in #Hereford, #Herefordshire. I'll have to revisit this sometime as I'm sure I can improve on my light steering effortsElectric light bulb"

Hereford Mayor Cllr. Paul Stevens did the honours by cutting the ribbon earlier this week. They have so many beautiful, original gifts on sale, handmade by their wonderful team of artists. Open Monday - Saturday 10am - 8pm 📸 The Courtyard Hereford

We received this absolutely wonderful creative short film from James Fox back in 2018, looking at different parts of Hereford over the last few years and centuries. This is brilliant! yt5s.com-A Time Tour of Hereford.mp4 Thank you James Fox for sending us your work, we love it!

Watch this space 👀 All will be revealed in the next 48 hours..

Twinkling lights, mulled wine, a festive atmosphere and fabulous gifts – Christmas markets are one of England's fondest traditions. Getty Images Many cities enjoy wonderful Christmas Markets throughout the festive period, with their classic wooden chalets often showcasing local produce, wines, crafts, food and gifts. Which is your favourite market and would you support bringing this tradition to Hereford ? Ho ho ho

The Little Princess Trust will be soon moving into 'The Hannah Tarplee Building' in Berrington Street Hereford. The former Bob Gallier site has been transformed into a state of the art facility for this fabulous charity. The Trust, founded in memory of 5 year old Hannah Tarplee, supplies the best real-hair wigs available, free of charge, to children and young adults up to the age of 24, who have lost their hair through cancer treatment or other illnesses, donations gratefully received here ➡️ https://www.justgiving.com/littleprincesstrust Website ➡️ https://www.littleprincesses.org.uk

The all new Hereford City Life Gift Card - the brand the Hereford Business Improvement District are behind. Launching in the next few weeks - the official Hereford City Life Gift Card has 100 shops for the public to use their card in including big names like McDonalds, Primark and Marks and Spencers....to local independents such as Fodder Wholefoods, Avant Garde Hereford or Hey, Honey ....this is the perfect gift to give and receive and is ideal for companies to use as a thank you to their staff too! Using this means the public also support local shops which is good for everyone. Available later this month to order online or locally from Hereford Tourist Information Centre - watch this space for more details.

Our good friend Just Jon Simpson shared this with members of our Hereford Voice Photo Studio this morning. Jon wrote;

The popular Home Bargains store on Holmer Road is extending to almost double its current size into the unit next door, formally occupied by Bensons for Beds. Home Bargains have confirmed to Hereford Voice that they will be closing their Hereford store on Christmas Eve in order to complete the expansion work before re-opening the newly refurbished extended store in Early 2022, which is likely to create additional employment, which is welcome news for Hereford.

From the people at Hereford City Life ...this is a consumer brand of the Hereford BID HerefordBID_Hospitality_Watermarked_YouTube_H264.mp4 The fabulous local businesses featured in the video are: En BBQ Saxtys Venue Nightclub Castle House Hotel Green Dragon Hotel Left Bank King Street Kitchen The Courtyard Lupa

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. 👇

As Hereford bids farewell to the Knife Angel, the official figures have just come in and during the month that the National Monument Against Violence and Aggression was on display at Hereford Cathedral there were 102,000 visitors. £9,200 raised from the generosity of visitors filling the charity boxes - these funds will go toward the continuation of supplying educational resources and workshops for schools and youth organisations. Knife Angel Statue on the lorry heading back to the British Iron Works Centre in Oswestry, photo courtesy of our friend Jon Simpson (official knife Angel Hereford photographer) 284 knives, 2 guns were surrendered and there is still a surrender box at Hinton Community Centre, so we don’t know what is in there yet. Alison Davies looks at the hundreds of weapons and knives handed in. What a fabulous achievement by Alison Davies and Meryl Cain who have worked tirelessly for over 2 years just to bring the monument to Hereford. Alison Davies lost her son Mark to knife crime in December 2018 and together with Meryl Cain and a small group of friends wanted to raise awareness of the catastrophic impact violent crime has on individuals, families and communities. The team’s involvement with this project was carried out on a completely voluntary basis. The group are known as The Knife Angel Hereford Team. Hereford Voice is so proud to have been able to promote and support the Knife Angel Hereford project as an official 'Working Partner' for the many months leading up to the arrival of the statue in Hereford last month and would like to thank Alison Davies, Meryl Cain and the whole team behind the scenes for being hugely successful in highlighting the devastating impact violence has on all our lives and for boosting tourism in Hereford by bringing this fabulous statue to our city.

Today (Sunday 11 July) is the final day to see Knife Angel Hereford before it returns to The British Ironwork Centre The project has truly had a massive impact on our community - as of this weekend we are approaching 100,000 visitors, 250+ weapons have been handed in and the project has worked with over 600 schoolchildren. So many people have been involved in bringing the Knife Angel to Hereford so we have spoken to just a few members of the team to share their experiences. Knife Angel Hereford Summer 2021 | Farewell Video.mp4

WOW What a superb aerial photograph captured 100 metres above the Victoria Bridge in Hereford. Thank you to our friend and regular Hereford Voice Photo Studio contributor Steve Norgrove for this fabulous shot.

Go ahead given to priority City transport improvements Priority improvements for transport in Hereford have been confirmed with funding for the further development of key schemes, including safer routes to school, walking and cycling network and a new river crossing to the east of the City, approved by Cabinet today (Thursday 24 June). Funding of £1.24m has now been allocated to take forward these schemes, which were identified in the Hereford Transport Strategy Review, to help increase low carbon active travel options and also to provide an alternative to the single river crossing. The council has also secured government funding to develop proposals for improved bus services across the county. Government published its National Bus Strategy in March and has confirmed that it intends to provide more funding for councils to improve bus services in partnership with local operators.Councillor John Harrington, Cabinet member for infrastructure and transport said:

Herefordshire Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on the C1081 - Gorsty Corner to Lower Green, Bearwood in Herefordshire

Hereford Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on the C1091 - Venmore Lane, Dilwyn in Herefordshire.

After 18 months of preparation and anticipation, the Knife Angel will finally be arriving at Hereford Cathedral tomorrow! Hereford Voice is so proud to have been able to promote and support the Knife Angel Hereford project for many months leading up to the arrival of the statue in Hereford tomorrow and wish Alison Davies, Meryl Cain and the whole team behind this fabulous event a very successful month ahead. Our good friend Jon Simpson is the Knife Angel Hereford official photographer and our long friendship spans back many years, Jon will be providing us with some 'exclusive' photographs which we will publish over the coming days. 'Knife Angel' Also known as the National Monument Against Violence and Aggression, this magnificent 27ft statue built from 100,000 confiscated knives and blades and will be on display at the Cathedral between Monday 14 June - 12 July. Thanks to generous grant awards from West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, West Mercia Police, The National Lottery Community Fund, The High Sheriff of Herefordshire (2020/1 & 2021/2), Eveson CharitableTrust, Community Safety Partnership and the Clocktower Foundation, the Knife Angel team has been able to organise an exciting range of free-to-attend events to accompany the Knife Angel’s visit and in order to stimulate discussion on the devastating impact violence has on all our lives. These include: A full day virtual conference, entitled ‘Knife Angel Hereford: Crime in 2021 – From Knowledge to Practice’ (see: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../knife-angel-hereford... for further information and bookings) A comprehensive selection of workshops to be held in locations throughout Hereford City from 21 June to 11 July. Subjects range from ‘Managing post-lockdown stress’ to interactive medical workshops and creative activities. Further details of these free-to-attend events and booking information can be viewed on the Knife Angel’s website: https://bit.ly/3vSI9in Hereford Voice have drawn up a complete and comprehensive list of venues, dates and times etc https://hfd.news/em9 Two walks (22nd and 27th June), arranged as part of the Herefordshire Walking Festival, which include the Knife Angel as part of their route (see: https://www.herefordshirewalkingfestival.co.uk/our-walks for further information). A weapons amnesty, approved by West Mercia Police, where knives, blades and other weapons can be safely disposed. The team responsible for bringing the Knife Angel to Hereford is headed by Alison Davies, who lost her son, Mark, to knife crime in 2018, and Meryl Cain. Alison Davies comments: The Knife Angel will be located outside the cathedral and will be free to visit with no need for visitors to book in advance. Relevant precautions, including a one-way system around the Knife Angel and volunteer stewarding teams, will be in place during the day to help welcome and guide visitors. For further information about the Knife Angel’s visit to Hereford, please visit the website https://knifeangelhereford.co.uk/. #EmbraceHereford and please make time to visit this thought-provoking 'Knife Angel' statue.

After 18 months of preparation and anticipation, the Knife Angel will finally be arriving in Hereford City Centre in less than a fortnight. Also known as the National Monument Against Violence and Aggression, this magnificent 27ft statue built from 100,000 confiscated knives and blades will come to the city on Monday 14 June and will remain in place outside the West door of Hereford Cathedral until 12 July. Thanks to generous grant awards from West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, West Mercia Police, The National Lottery Community Fund, High Sheriffs of Herefordshire (2020/1 & 2021/2), Eveson CharitableTrust, Community Safety Partnership and the Clocktower Foundation, the Knife Angel team has been able to organise an exciting range of free-to-attend events to accompany the Knife Angel’s visit and in order to stimulate discussion on the devastating impact violence has on all our lives. These include: A full day virtual conference, entitled ‘Knife Angel Hereford: Crime in 2021 – From Knowledge to Practice’ (see: HERE for further information and bookings) A comprehensive selection of workshops to be held in locations throughout Hereford City from 21 June to 11 July. Subjects range from ‘Managing post-lockdown stress’ to interactive medical workshops and creative activities. Further details of these free-to-attend events and booking information can be viewed on the Knife Angel’s website here Direct Workshop booking link: https://www.facebook.com/knifeangelhereford/events Two walks (22nd and 27th June), arranged as part of the Herefordshire Walking Festival, which include the Knife Angel as part of their route (see: https://www.herefordshirewalkingfestival.co.uk/our-walks for further information). A weapons amnesty, approved by West Mercia Police, where knives, blades and other weapons can be safely disposed. The team responsible for bringing the Knife Angel to Hereford is headed by Alison Davies, who lost her son, Mark, to knife crime in 2018, and Meryl Cain. Alison Davies comments: The Knife Angel will be located outside the cathedral and will be free to visit with no need for visitors to book in advance. Relevant precautions, including a one-way system around the Knife Angel and volunteer stewarding teams, will be in place during the day to help welcome and guide visitors. For further information about the Knife Angel’s visit to Hereford, please visit the dedicated website: https://knifeangelhereford.co.uk/

We were invited to a sneak preview of the new En BBQ Hereford at Hereford Old Market Shopping Centre Their will be a 'Soft Opening' from Wednesday 2nd June in the evenings until 6th June then will be full days. (Closed Mondays and Tuesdays for staff training) #SupportLocal and visit Hereford's latest new eatery - book your table here 👉 www.enbbq.co.uk Hereford Voice would like to thank Peyman and Pampi for their kind 'sneak preview' invitation in the week and wish them the very best of luck with their new business! More Positive #HerefordNews

The beautiful 400-year-old Old House in Hereford will be undergoing some much needed repairs if the recent planning application to carry out these repairs is approved. The Black and White House Museum Hereford. As you can clearly see from our photographs below, many of the infill panels need to be repaired and brought back to their former glory. Donald Insall Associations - Chartered Architects and Historical Building Consultants Herefordshire Council appointed Insall to undertake a condition survey of the first and second floor level external elevations, to identify the condition of the timber frame, infill panels and associated external joinery i.e. windows, bargeboards and finials, and provide budget costs to allow a capital funding bid for the work. The findings of the inspection were to inform recommendations for improvement works sufficient to allow tenders to be invited from suitably experienced contractors. Recommendations Timber Frame and Joinery Necessary repairs to joinery on the upper-level elevations are minor in nature and largely focused on arresting the further loss of the delightful decorative details which are such a feature of this eye- catching building.  Repair 5no carved pendant characters adorning gable apex. Introduce discreet lead cover flashing over upper surfaces of all 8 pendants following repair and redecoration.  Repair several other missing or damaged decorative joinery features.  Numerous previous patch repairs to frame and joinery require refixing.  Remove extensive modern sealants before repair and redecoration.  Remove leaching bird deterrent gel on transoms and sills before repair and redecoration.  Prepare and redecorate external timber with linseed oil paint.  Arrange close inspection by a suitably experienced structural engineer when access is next available during planned works. Infill Panels The constructional build-up and layered provenance of each panel is difficult to determine as the building has undergone may phases of adaptation and repair, but some original panels are likely to have survived at least in part and these are of high significance. Consequently, a cautious approach to repair is required where the type of construction is not apparent in a defective panel. The cause of panel defects may often be the result of a combination of factors. It appears that many of the defective areas are of modern construction and relate to recent phases of repair. Remove defective and delaminating coatings to panels and perimeter sealant at junctions with frame. Progressively open up defective areas recording existing individual panel construction on reference sheet.  Where defective panel is supported on modern woodwool slab or expanded metal lathing, assume complete replacement with new wattle and daub panel construction.  Where defective panel is of modern, or historic, wattle and daub construction, assess soundness of panel and integrity of wattles/ laths to establish suitability for stabilisation or patch repair. Samples of any soil or lime-based daub should be carefully salvaged and bagged for analysis by others. Replacement panels of new wattle and daub construction – refer to specification and drawings. Repairs to existing wattle and daub panel construction – refer to specification. Prepare and redecorate panel exterior with mineral paint – refer to specification. Prepare and redecorate panel interior with distemper – refer to specification. Ancillary Items Minor repairs to fixed leaded light windows in timber frames. Renew isolated broken clay plain tiles to bay window roofs. Repair/ renew sections of lead cover flashing to south elevation 2nd floor bressummer beam. Remove sealant joint over lead cover flashing at top abutment of tiled roofs – refer to specification for repair detail. The Condition Survey and Recommendation for Improvement Works PDF from Donald Insall Associates is attached below; ProposalAttachment.pdf

Herefordshire Council teams have recently completed a programme of resurfacing and drainage works on the U80011 - Union Street, Hereford.

The Knife Angel (Also referred to as the National Monument Against Violence & Aggression) is a contemporary sculpture formed from 100,000 confiscated knives and is an incredible 27ft in height and weighing over 3.5 tonnes, created by artist Alfie Bradley (pictured below) and the The British Ironwork Centre based in Oswestry. This thought-provoking angel artwork is scheduled to be hosted by the magnificent Hereford Cathedral from 14 June for 28 days. Hereford Voice is proud to be a 'Working Partner' with this fabulous charity. Donations https://www.justgiving.com/knifeangelhereford About Knife Angel Hereford Alison Davies lost her son Mark Hamilton to knife crime in 2018, together with friends Meryl Cain, Pauline Strong and Jan Jefferies they decided to bring the Knife Angel to #Hereford in 2021 to help raise awareness of the catastrophic impact of violent crime on communities, families and individuals. Visit the website www.knifeangelhereford.co.uk During the Knife Angel’s visit, the Knife Angel Hereford team will run a series of workshops and interactive events. It is envisaged that this initiative will continue after the Knife Angel leaves Hereford. Another reason to Visit Herefordshire this year!