April 2009

NHS Herefordshire and Herefordshire Council are working closely together, and with the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the Department of Health, and are well prepared to take any actions necessary in support of local people, based on national guidance in respect of swine flu.

Commuters travelling to the Porter Industrial Estate in Bromyard are being warned by Herefordshire Council that the southern access road under the bridge is to be closed for a week so essential maintenance work can be carried out.

Herefordshire Council is encouraging residents busy with their annual spring clean to think twice about what they throw out.

Herefordshire Council will be playing its part during Compost Awareness Week (May 3-9) by spreading the word and offering free advice at a special compost roadshow on Friday, May 8.

Herefordshire is hosting the second “University of the Great Outdoors” event on May 3 and 4 at Hampton Court, Nr Leominster. Last year the two day event attracted more than 3,500 visitors and was voted a top outdoor event by participants and organisers and awarded Highly Commended at the regional Tourism in Excellence awards in 2008.

Have you been busy finding out all about your family tree and collecting a wealth of photographs, letters and other materials during your search but don’t know what to do with them all?

The Medieval Murderers present: an evening of Medieval Mayhem, Murder and Magic at Ross Library on Friday, May 8 from 7pm until 8.30pm.

Herefordshire Primary Care Trust has set out a series of actions designed to further improve the experiences county patients can expect when they are referred to hospital for treatment.

A special event is to be held in Ledbury on Friday, May 8, to give local people the chance to find out about services for older people.

As part of Herefordshire Council’s aim to get more adults learning new skills, two special workshops are being held at the museum resource and learning centre focusing on perfume.

Herefordshire Council is offering county residents a chance to help beat the recession by attending four special workshops on how to revamp their wardrobes.

Herefordshire Walking Festival, running from June 13 to 21 2009, offers ten days of unrivalled opportunities to discover the countryside of Herefordshire, in the company of experts on butterflies and birds, archaeology, local lore, history and heritage, with plenty of time to enjoy the delicious home produced food and drink and simply to stand and stare. 

Herefordshire’s public services are coming together to find out what it’s like being a disabled person living in Herefordshire. 

Heart-stopping rides, side-shows, food stalls and ancient ceremonies are all part of the street extravaganza which is Hereford’s May Fair.

Business leaders are backing Herefordshire Council’s bid to build an outer distributor road for Hereford. A second river crossing and bypass is ‘one of the highest priorities for planners’ said the West Midlands Business Council (WMBC).

Herefordshire school children are to help promote the national Change4Life programme across the county thanks to a poster design competition.

Users of Herefordshire’s Council libraries will now be able to have a library membership card which has been designed by county residents.

Herefordshire Council’s new Community Protection Unit, which includes two dog wardens, is spearheading an event in Hereford’s High Town aimed at encouraging dog owners to be responsible.

Herefordshire Council has helped more than 660 households reduce their energy bills through handing out a series of energy saving grants.

Herefordshire Council is looking to hear from residents about future plans for waste management in the county and neighbouring Worcestershire.

Herefordshire council is pleased to announce that county residents are to get exactly what they asked for when consulted about the new waste collection contract which has just been awarded.

Herefordshire Council and Network Rail are to stage a joint exhibition so residents can see how the new Colwall Bridge will operate.

Family Historians and other researchers from Herefordshire can take advantage of a door-to-door service to the country’s foremost archive on Wednesday, June 3, this year.

An exhibition has been organised in order to give residents the opportunity to view the scheme details prior to the opening of Colwall bridge. The exhibition will take place on Tuesday May 5, 2009 in the Millennium Room of Colwall Library between 3pm and 7pm. Officers representing Herefordshire Council and Network Rail will be present to explain the layout and the programme of works.

Off the Page, a week of practical, fun sessions on the theme of paper, books and tales is running in Herefordshire Council’s libraries and museums from May 11 to 16.

Herefordshire Council is urging members of the public to have their say over plans for improving Knapp Lane in Ledbury.

Herefordshire Walking Festival is offering a chance for people to walk in the footsteps of folk legend John Jones during this year’s annual event which runs from Saturday, June 13 until Sunday, June 21.

Two young students from Ledbury’s John Masefield High School swapped their classroom for the council chamber when they met the chairman of Herefordshire Council as a thanks for their contribution to the “I’m a councillor, get me out of here!” project.

More than 6,500 people have registered for Herefordshire Council’s free swimming scheme, which launched on April 1, at Halo swimming pools throughout the county.

An informal event for people to find out more about the opportunities available to adults with learning difficulties in Herefordshire is to be held on Sunday, April 19, at Hinton Community Centre.

Put the ‘spring’ back in your step by joining a guided walk led by the Herefordshire Council Countryside Ranger Team.

Herefordians running projects in the county to enhance local facilities or help people enjoy their local area are being encouraged to bid for a slice of £250,000 up for grabs through The People’s Millions TV contest.

There is a chance for young people’s organisations to find out about heritage grants at a workshop in Hereford on the afternoon of Thursday, 30th April.

Herefordshire Council is urging county residents and visitors alike to make sure they don’t miss out on seeing one of Hereford’s hidden gems, the Coningsby Museum, during the Easter or summer holidays.

The 2009 Flavours of Herefordshire awards scheme has just been launched - sparking yet another flurry of activity among the county's best chefs, restaurateurs, publicans, accommodation providers and food producers.

Herefordshire Council is lobbying for a better deal for the county’s rural schools and recently took part in discussions with Secretary of State Ed Balls, as the government reviews the methods it uses to fund all schools in England.

The Safeguarding Children Board is to host its first ever Safe, Sound & Sorted event for children, parents and carers in Herefordshire on Wednesday next week, April 15.

Garway Primary School is celebrating its third successive Eco Schools “Green” flag award.
As only the second school in Herefordshire to achieve this prestigious award – pupils, staff, parents and governors have had to demonstrate a commitment to making environmental issues a part of school life.

Herefordshire Council’s cabinet has agreed the Hereford Open Retail Market will move to St Peter’s Street, High Town and Commercial Street each Saturday and Wednesday. It is hoped to relocate the market after the annual May Fair has been held.

Herefordshire Council’s cabinet has decided to permanently close the LEA pool at St Martins, Hereford, after it was revealed it would be unviable to re-open it.

Members of Herefordshire Council’s planning committee have been told the application for four wind turbines at Reeves Hill, Knighton, will not be called in by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Plans for the future of Herefordshire’s schools were under discussion this week as the Education Task Group met to discuss some of the challenges facing the county’s schools.

Herefordshire Council leader Roger Phillips gave a stark warning (2 April 2009) to the Welsh Assembly that there would be resistance on both sides of the border if devolution polices inhibited people in Wales from receiving treatment at Hereford’s new well-equipped hospital.

One of Herefordshire Council’s pupil referral units, the Aconbury Centre has cause to celebrate this week as Ofsted has published a report which judges the centre to be outstanding.

Children’s centres across the county are encouraging families to have their say over what sort of activities they’d like the centre’s to provide for them over the next few months.

A dedication service for Herefordshire Council’s new state-of-the-art £3.1million crematorium in Hereford city is to be held on Saturday, May 2 at 11.30am

Herefordshire Council’s library service is searching for a talented young poet to become the county’s first Young Poet Laureate.

Herefordshire Council is helping budding engineers at Hereford Cathedral School who have designed their own bridge to cross the River Wye as part of the city’s Connect 2 scheme.

“The new GP-led walk-in health centre is really good news for Hereford. It has been very well researched and welcomed by local people”, said a spokesperson for NHS Herefordshire, which is leading on the implementation of the new service.

Places are still left for a writing workshop led by bestselling author Manda Scott being held on Saturday (April 4) at Hereford Library’s Woolhope Room.

As from today, users of Herefordshire’s Council Colwall Library will be able to have a library membership card which has been designed by own of the village’s own residents.

Herefordshire Walking Festival – running from June 13 to 21   offers the chance to not only explore the county’s countryside but also enjoy tasting some of its best produce including ice cream and cider as well as enjoy a meal at a Michelin-starred pub.

Herefordshire Council, working with partners Amey Wye Valley, have just finished work on extending a popular footway in the Belmont area of Hereford.

Kington Town Council has a new member – Stephen Dudhill, of Kingswood, Kington.