March 2009

Herefordshire Council is looking for talented crafts people and artists for a new market being set up in Ledbury.

Pupils at Aylestone Business and Enterprise College could be instrumental in the county’s credit crunch recovery, as it launches a programme of activity to coincide with the school’s specialist status as a business and enterprise college.

Herefordshire Council is building on its commitment to keep the county clean and green by setting up a new Community Protection Team.

Herefordshire council are very pleased to announce the shortlist of architect’s practices for the St. Katherine’s development of a new library and Info in Herefordshire building and the refurbishment of the Master’s House.

From now until the end of October, (weather dependant), Amey Wye Valley will once again be carrying out grass cutting works as part of the grounds maintenance partnership with Herefordshire Council.

A Herefordshire landlady has been fined £100 at Hereford Magistrates Court after admitting failing to prevent people from smoking in her pub.

Herefordshire Council is helping local residents beat the credit crunch by offering them the chance to loan free energy monitors and smart plugs which will help them reduce their utility bills.

Due to popular demand, staff at Herefordshire Council’s Museum Resource and Learning Centre will be helping the county’s students of fashion and costume to tighten their belts this year by running another Victorian corset workshop in Hereford.

Herefordshire Council’s library service is proud to launch four new designs for the library membership card.

Fifteen Herefordshire eco-schools are to have trees planted in their grounds as a reward for recycling printer cartridges.

Herefordshire's primary schools are to benefit from a financial boost worth £8.3million thanks to the council successfully revising and resubmitting its Primary Strategy for Change to the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). 

Children and families in Ledbury are planning to get active with a week’s programme of energetic events to celebrate Easter.

Images and drawings of the proposed new Hereford Academy building are to go on public display in an exhibition being held at The Hereford Academy (formerly Wyebridge Sports College), on April 1.

Eleven Herefordshire schools have received Government grants so they can put their best feet forward and say goodbye to the school run.

Herefordshire Council continues to ensure the county’s listed buildings are protected for future generations and has successfully prosecuted a property owner and site foreman for carrying out work on a listed building without gaining the necessary planning consent.

Herefordshire Council and Hereford and Worcester Fire & Rescue Service are warning housing landlords in the county that they face prosecution if they fail to comply with housing and fire safety laws

The owner of Eye Game Larder based at Luston, near Leominster, has admitted a series of food hygiene offences.

Herefordshire Council is warning motorists that resurfacing work will be taking place at Little Hereford Street in Bromyard next month.

Herefordshire Council’s community services scrutiny committee has endorsed the Cabinet decision to relocate Hereford’s open retail market into the heart of the city.

Herefordshire Council needs to review and retender some of the county’s subsidised bus service routes and, as part of this process, is seeking the views of parish councils.

“Herefordshire Council is taking action because unregulated homemade commercial signs within the highways boundary are not permitted under the Highways and Planning Act and are deemed a distraction to drivers, a safety hazard, a restriction to visibility, out of place in open countryside and, in the eyes of local residents, a nuisance and blot of the landscape.

The out-of-hours number to contact a doctor or dentist outside office hours is changing on April 1 2009

Herefordshire families were encouraged to get creative, be inspired, get messy and have fun at a spectacular event devoted to outdoor play on Saturday March 14 at the Hereford Racecourse. The event focused especially on the important early years of childhood from birth to five years, though older children and adults also enjoyed the day’s activities.

Pupils and students applying for this September’s Young Apprenticeships and the new Diploma are being encouraged to forget about pens, paper and stamps and apply online instead. 

As the county begins to enjoy lighter evenings again and spring is in the air, Ross on Wye’s Children’s Centre at the Ryefield Centre has decided to keep its doors open for longer by staying open until 7pm once a week. 

Herefordshire Council has confirmed that it has sent out around 7000 rate bills as part of the annual billing cycle, and these were posted on 15 March, in line with other local authorities. The business rates are set at this time of year by central government, not the council, and the first payment is due on 1 April.

Children, parents and governors at Weobley Primary School will being saying farewell to their head teacher, Geoff Williams, at the end of this term when he retires after 20 years of service at the school.

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has now lifted the Article 14 Direction which had previously prevented Herefordshire Council from granting planning permission for the proposed wind farm. On this basis the council can now proceed to issue the decision notice in the usual way.

Following the tragic death of Daren Loader on Friday 13 March, some schools and colleges are planning this week to recognise the loss that is felt by everyone in Herefordshire.

Children at Marden Primary School enjoy outstanding personal development and well-being, particularly in the early years, according to Ofsted inspectors.

The police, the council, the primary care trust and other agencies in Herefordshire have appealed to everyone to continue to maintain the county’s traditional strengths of tolerance and objectivity, following the tragic death of Daren Loader on Friday 13 March.

Some of the county’s14-16 year olds who have previously struggled with their learning are now back on track to gain qualifications because of a new innovative programme in Herefordshire.

Herefordshire Council’s Museum Resource and Learning Centre in Friar Street is hosting a family fun day on Tuesday, April 7.

The new tour of the Museum on the Move kicked off with a launch at Much Wenlock Priory.

The principal of Hereford Academy, John Sheppard, issued the following statement of behalf of staff from the school, where Daren attended until last year:

Herefordshire Council is organising an event to help local businesses access the finance they need to survive and prosper during the economic downturn – and prepare for recovery.

The Expert Patients Programme is a potentially life-changing course run by the NHS to help people with long-term health conditions improve their quality of life.

The exhibition Tooth & Claw: Living with Britain’s Predators exhibition at Herefordshire Council Hereford Museum and Art Gallery runs from Saturday, March 21 until Sunday, May 17 and explores man’s relationship with the natural world using images and thought-provoking storylines in a series of predator and prey case studies.

A new community case display at Herefordshire Council’s Hereford Museum celebrates the Traveller culture.

Hereford’s Town Hall echoed to the sound of virtual bowling, bread making demonstrations and exercise demonstrations during a special event for the county’s older people.

Herefordshire Council’s new-look Belmont Library was officially opened on Thursday, March 12, by Councillor Blackshaw, cabinet member for community services and economic development.

The police, the council, the primary care trust and other agencies in Herefordshire have appealed to everyone to continue to maintain the county’s traditional strengths of tolerance and objectivity, following the tragic death of a young man reported today.

Members of Herefordshire Council’s planning committee granted planning permission for a greenwaste composting facility at Upper House Farm, Moreton-on-Lugg, at their meeting on Friday, March 13.

NHS Herefordshire confirmed that a 21-year-old man climbed onto the roof of the Stonebow mental health unit in Hereford early this morning (Friday 13 March 2009).

Hereford’s retailers and nightclubs are preparing to support NHS Herefordshire’s scheme to help young people feel less embarrassed about asking for condoms.

Herefordshire Council has received a letter from the Secretary of State confirming that the planning application for four wind turbines at Reeves Hill will not be called in but instead can be determined by Herefordshire Council.

NHS Herefordshire has been recognised as one of the Top 100 healthcare organisations to work for in the UK. For the third year running the primary care trust has been identified as one of thousands of public sector and independent health service organisations that develops well-motivated and effective employees.

Children and families in Ledbury are being encouraged to express their creative energy Italian style in an innovative project being run at the Ledbury Children’s Centre. This builds on a highly successful school improvement early years programme piloted last year with five pre-school groups and is funded through an early years budget to enhance the skills of the workforce.

Herefordshire Council has selected Willmott Dixon Construction as the preferred bidder for the design and construction of new buildings and facilities at The Hereford Academy, formerly Wyebridge Sports College.

A little book that aims to make big changes in children’s lives is to be launched next month at Ledbury Primary School.

Herefordshire families are being encouraged to get creative, be inspired, get messy and have fun at a spectacular event devoted to outdoor play this Saturday (March 14).

Herefordshire Council is urging families to take advantage of a special series of walks being held as part of this year’s Walking Festival.

Herefordshire Council’s heritage services has had its most successful indoor event so far at the Museum Resource and Learning Centre in Friar Street, Hereford.

Herefordshire Council’s heritage services shared their experiences of making museums more accessible for people with disabilities when a special delegation from Croatia visited.

Herefordshire Council is adopting a flexible approach to the introduction of green wheeled bins for recycling.

Feeling the pinch during the credit crunch? Want to update your wardrobe but can’t afford to buy new?

Herefordshire Council has now shortlisted three architects for its prestigious new library and Info centre building in Ledbury.

The county’s most talented young musicians are tuning up to prepare for this year’s big musical showcase event which takes place on March 13 at The Courtyard, Hereford.

Hundreds of professionals and people involved in delivering services for children have been attending discussion workshops across the county to talk about changes to the way children’s services are delivered in Herefordshire. 

Herefordshire stop smoking service is offering free carbon monoxide testing for this year’s No Smoking Day which takes place on Wednesday 11 March.

Two head teachers from Rajshahi and the Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Education from Bangladesh will be visiting Herefordshire this week to view the progress of a joint project between a cluster of schools in each country and to exchange experience of delivering education in two very diverse cultures.

The sound of music is jingling from county schools once again as children in four Herefordshire primary schools are learning to play musical instruments as a whole class.

NHS Herefordshire, which leads healthcare in the county, has published the results of an independent assurance process that compares it to best practice in health programmes from around the world.

A special event for older people will bring a host of experts together under one roof to give advice about everything from keeping fit to keeping your blood pressure down.