2010 Past Events

Gumdrop......Arrives In Hereford!

Hereford is now 'in the pink' with the arrival of an innovative new chewing gum recycling product called Gumdrop.

Herefordshire Council, Safer Herefordshire and Amey are delighted to announce that Herefordshire is one of only twelve areas in the UK selected by Keep Britain Tidy to participate in the 2010 Chewing Gum Campaign.
 
The campaign, which runs from Wednesday 18th August to Wednesday 15th September, aims to encourage people to correctly dispose of their chewing gum or face an £80 fine.  During the four week campaign, chewing gum waste will be removed from 10 locations across Hereford City Centre, including Eign Street Underpass, Hereford Railway Station and Commercial Road.

To launch the campaign an event was held in High Town Hereford on Wednesday 18th August and offered something for everybody from live music with Sunshine Radio, face painting and a fantastic competition to win a free hot air balloon flight.

As part of the initiative to encourage residents to correctly dispose of their chewing gum waste, Herefordshire is also proud to have been chosen as only the second location in the country to trial an innovative new recycling product called Gumdrop.

Gumdrop allows chewing gum to be recycled instead of being dropped on the floor or in a bin.  When the Gumdrop is full it's taken away and the whole thing is recycled into a number of different items including mobile phone covers, children's toys, car tyres and more Gumdrops.

Cllr John Jarvis, Chair of Safer Herefordshire said: "Although chewing gum litter isn't a significant problem in our county, it is imperative that we all do our bit to correctly dispose of our gum.  This is why Gumdrop is such an exciting new proposition.  Not only does it allow us to dispose of our gum litter, but also to recycle it into everyday items, which helps us to continue working towards a cleaner and greener Herefordshire".

He added: "With statistics revealing that it costs the Government approximately £150 million a year to remove 3.5 billion pieces of irresponsibly disposed of gum in the UK, it is important for Herefordshire Council to take positive steps towards helping reduce this amount.  This is why we are so delighted to be working with Keep Britain Tidy and Gumdrop and look forward to a successful campaign".

Rebecca Joinson, spokesperson for Keep Britain Tidy's Chewing Gum Action Group said: "This year we are hoping more people than ever will take the campaign message to heart and think more seriously about how they dispose of their chewing gum.  By continuing to drive awareness of the negative effects that littered gum can have, we hope to help create a cleaner environment for everyone to enjoy".

The Gumdrop trial will run for 6 months, so don't forget to look out for the pink Gumdrop bins at the following locations across Hereford and remember………

Don't just drop it - Gumdrop it!

• High Town (Outside HSBC)
• Widemarsh Street (At the junction with Bewell Street)
• Commercial Street (Outside McDonalds)
• Hereford Railway Station
• Hereford Bus Station  
  

For further information on the Gumdrop Campaign call Safer Herefordshire on 01432 383523 or E-Mail Sharon Amery (Marketing Officer) on samery@herefordshire.gov.uk.

Gumdrop......Launches In Hereford!

The Gumdrop event in High Town Hereford on Wednesday 18th August, proved to be a great success!  We had a whole host of 'characters' on hand to officially open our event along with launching the Gumdrop trial.

(L-R) Gumdrop's Laura Hasting, Conservative MP Jesse Norman, Councillor John Jarvis from Herefordshire Council and Gumdrop Creator Anna Bullus.

Gumdrop......Receives Mayoral Support

We were honoured to welcome The Right Worshipful the Mayor of Hereford Councillor Mrs Anna Toon to our Gumdrop Event in High Town Hereford.  Mayor Cllr Toon, pictured with Gumdrop creator Anna Bullus, lent her support to the campaign whilst selecting the lucky winner of our hot air balloon flight competition.

Gumdrop......Sisters Are 'In The Pink'

Six year old Jessica Metcalfe and her three year old sister Madison, enjoyed a fun day out at The Gumdrop Event in High Town Hereford on Wednesday 18th August.  The sisters, who come from Coleshill near Birmingham, certainly dressed for the occasion and perfectly matched our pink Gumdrop theme.  They each took away a balloon bunny (in pink of course!) as a memento of their day in Hereford.

Bottletop Wins Awards!

We are delighted to announce that Bottletop, a Herefordshire based alcohol awareness website by young people for young people, have won two local awards.  Bottletop, who have received funding and support from Safer Herefordshire won the HCVYS Young People As Champions Award along with the Herefordshire Youth Awards Young Ambassadors Of The Year at a ceremony held at Hereford Town Hall on Monday 12th July 2010.  The 'Bottletoppers' have developed and delivered some wonderfully thought provoking content to help address the local issue of unsafe drinking by young people and should quite rightly be very proud of their achievements.

Congratulations Bottletop!

Graffiti? Not in Herefordshire

Herefordshire is one of England's most beautiful counties and as such, we're aiming to keep it that way.

The 2010 TAAG Graffiti Campaign (Targeted Action Against Graffiti) has now been launched and will run from Monday 22nd February - Friday 5th March, removing unsightly areas of graffiti across Herefordshire.

The campaign is a joint initiative between Amey, Herefordshire Council's Community Protection Team, Safer Herefordshire and West Mercia Police to reduce criminal damage and anti-social behaviour across the county. 

The campaign is specifically targeting locations, which have been identified by members of the public, as being areas of concern for graffiti.

It's important to remember that Herefordshire has some of the lowest crime levels in the UK, however graffiti can often make areas appear unsafe, even when they're not.

The cost to the county for graffiti removal can sometimes be as much as £2,500 per week, so residents are encouraged to say 'Graffiti - Not in Herefordshire'.

Graffiti does not constitute art and as such can be punishable by a fine of up to £5,000 and a criminal record .  We urge anyone who identifies areas of graffiti or knows those responsible, to immediately report it.

It's imperative that we all work together to ensure Herefordshire remains a safe and clean place to live, work and visit.

To report any graffiti, please contact Streetscene on: 01432 261800 or streets@herefordshire.gov.uk.

TAAG Campaign Dates...

For further details on this campaign please contact Sharon Amery (Marketing Officer) at samery@herefordshire.gov.uk.

If you'd like more information on graffiti or to see our campaign photographs, please visit our anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and graffiti page.