ONE-TIME nightclub owner Richard Thomas now steps into the limelight as Hereford's Millennium mayor. Mr Thomas, first elected to public office in 1978, has been both a Conservative and Liberal-Democrat councillor during his time in local politics. His
TWO callous young girls stole £80 from the bag of an 86-year-old woman as she queued in a Hereford shop. The victim, whose husband died in February, was waiting to pay for items in a greeting card shop in Eign Gate on Tuesday afternoon when the robbers
AN alcoholic pub landlord walked into the River Wye and drowned after losing his business, his partner, health and money, an inquest heard. Onlookers said Robert Powell, 50, made no effort to swim after going into the river at Hunderton, Herefordshire
PIANO tuners graduating from the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford are three times more likely to find work than other visually-impaired people. Graduate James Henry from Northern Ireland, who tunes, repairs and sells new and reconditioned
STUDENTS from the Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School did the county proud in the area final of this year's Young Enterprise competition. Although unsuccessful, the team performed 'magnificently', eventually losing out to a college based in south Worcestershire
THE next stage in turning Hereford's Royal National College for the Blind into a 21st century campus looks set to commence in September. An £800,000 refurbishment of one of the four accommodation blocks is planned, with designers aiming to provide improved
TROUBLE is brewing over the expansion intentions of a popular Hereford pub. Two neighbours of The Spread Eagle, King Street, say its proposed new patio sitting area and outdoor lighting scheme will pose problems for their privacy. The pair, from adjacent
IT'S not often that you find film stars on Hereford's streets but this week was an exception. Veteran car Genevieve, star of the 1950s hit British film, was one of many vehicles that headed north through the county on a 1,000-mile trial. Pictured behind
HEREFORD'S battle for a bypass may soon be over. The Government is expected to give the go-ahead for a Rotherwas relief road by autumn, writes BILL TANNER. Chris Chappell, council cabinet member for economic development, has confirmed a fresh drive for
HEREFORDSHIRE county womens hockey team is taking part in the National Championships at Cannock this weekend after taking the runners-up spot in the West of England Championships. The county came second in last year's nationals, beaten by Surrey in the
VILLAGE traditions, maintained for more than 200 years, are brought vividly to life in Fownhope at the beginning of June. As part of its Millennium year, the south Herefordshire community's annual Heart of Oak celebrations promise to be bigger and better
DAMAGE to woodland and the potential threat to road-users are two reasons why deer herds in the Wye Valley must be controlled, according to the AONB. A survey in April revealed a rise in deer numbers and management measures are being looked at. Andrew
A THIRTY-year-old dream has finally been fulfilled for Richard Brown, who can drive through the county in the super-slick open-top MG roadster that he built from scratch. The classic-looking 1960s car is actually a Millennium masterpiece that would beat
OBJECTORS want to ban a 'pub' from a Herefordshire school. The bar would serve Ledbury Community Sports Hall, in the grounds of John Masefield High School. But some opponents say school is no place for licensed premises. Herefordshire Council's northern
A THEATRE company based in a small Herefordshire village is making a big impression on the UK's drama scene. Eardisley Little Theatre's production of Dennis Potter's 'Blue Remembered Hills' has made it to the English Final of the All England Drama Festival
BATTLE cries will sound once again in Kingsland on June 10 and 11. But, before local people start ducking for cover, this time the clash of swords is in the name of entertainment rather than for the throne of England, as the Federation of the War of the
LEOMINSTER people have been given a rallying call to get behind the town's Millennium clock project. Town councillor Molly Cooke, chair of Leominster Millennium Association, has appealed to townsfolk to give their financial backing to the £16,000 project
AROUND 65 new jobs are being created in Builth Wells by a wholesale burger giant. The Burger Manufacturing Company Ltd has established a processing plant at the Welsh Development Agency's Wyeside Enterprise Park, where it will produce 150 tonnes of burgers
BROMYARD'S successful anti-drugs campaign is to be taken over by the local police beat managers. The STAR programme has been popular in the town's schools over recent years with its message to 'stop and think' about using illegal substances. But Hereford-based
LEOMINSTER Civic Trust chairman Duncan James stepped in at short notice to give a talk to the society's May monthly meeting on 'Medieval Hall Houses'. These were wooden-framed houses built mainly between 1300 and 1600 to a standard design which was widespread
A BROMYARD quango has been criticised for not consulting with the town council over important planning decisions. The development working party meets to discuss proposed building projects in the town. But concerned councillor David Cave is unhappy with
THE 30-year battle to give Bromyard its own swimming pool moves up a gear tomorrow when a delegation travels to London for high-level talks aimed at salvaging the scheme. Four members of the project's working party will be heading to the capital to meet
LEOMINSTER'S Bridge Street Sports Centre has a new bowling mat in place in double-quick time after recent vandalism, writes RICHARD PRIME. The old mat was slashed over the May Day bank holiday and the damage was too bad to be repaired, but manager David
THE Samaritans are highlighting the plight of young people on the verge of suicide, writes GEORGE CHILDREN. Last year, four under-25s took their own lives in the Herefordshire area. Now the organisation is running an awareness campaign entitled 'Youth
A HEREFORDSHIRE farmer's wife has been crowned queen of the B&B's. Pearl Taylor's polished guest house business at Upper Newton Farmhouse, Kinnersley, won her the title AA Landlady of the Year 2000. This is the second consecutive year that the award
HEREFORD is to get its own gay club night from next month. The Herefordshire Lesbian and Gay Community Forum meets once a month to arrange events such as theatre evenings and dining clubs. But now they have decided to cater for their burgeoning community
EIGHTY-FIVE-year-old Dennis Felton of Knighton thought his wife was recovering well in hospital after a fall at home, writes LIZ WATKINS. He was deeply shocked when he received a letter from social services saying she had died - and enclosing a bill for
ENIGMA singer Lisa-Lee Dark has added her rare congenital disorder to a website launched by two Hereford motor mechanics. Robert Gore and Andy Robinson approached Dark's agent, Emma Rees, after launching their problem-shooting website called People's
A COUNTRYSIDE watchdog is urging the council to reverse its priorities on housing, writes GEORGE CHILDREN. Rather than building homes for incomers, it says, preference should be given to local people. Herefordshire Council for the Protection of Rural
PAST and present cricketers from across the region gathered at St Paul's Church in Tupsley to pay a last tribute to one of the best known of their number. But Eric Jenkins, who had died at the age of 67 after a long period of poor health, was not just
PENSIONERS are protesting against 'once-in-a-lifetime' expansion plans proposed by one of Herefordshire's most successful schools, writes BILL TANNER. St Mary's RC High School, at Lugwardine, wants a nearby former nursing home as its future sixth-form
COALITION control of Herefordshire Council is complete. As expected, a power-share between Liberal Democrats, Independents and Labour was confirmed at the authority's annual meeting, writes BILL TANNER. Conservatives had earlier opted for opposition;
THE 'For Sale' sign is going up at last on the former SAS base in Hereford, but the price is a multi-million poundmystery. But its famous Stirling Lines name will be missing from the sale details. The regiment's old HQ is being advertised next week as
THE first major flower festival in Bromyard for seven years will open in St Peter's Church this Saturday (May 27), at 10am. The Bromyard Floral Club has organised the event at the invitation of the vicar of St Peter's, the Rev. Walter Gould. Festival
BROMYARD photographic student Anthony Evans has been offered the job of a lifetime. Over the next 12 months he will be taking portraits of a variety of Herefordshire people for a huge project celebrating the richness and diversity of life in the county
Two Ledbury men, one a pensioner and the other a doctor, have tackled separate coast-to-coast challenges and raised more than £1,700 between them for charity. Ledbury town crier Mike Evans, aged 66, crossed some of the toughest terrain in the country
COLWALL and Eastnor Cricket Clubs will be hoping to take a step further down the road towards Lord's when they play the next round of the Wadworth 6X Village Cricket Championship on Sunday. Both teams face away ties in the Worcestershire, Hereford-shire
A DECISION on plans for a bar facility at the new Ledbury Community Sports Hall is expected today (Friday). The ruling will be made at a meeting of Herefordshire Council's northern area planning sub-committee, meeting at the council's Hereford base this
COLWALL'S League match with Hereford City was washed out on Saturday although Colwall had completed their innings scoring 160-9 off 50 overs. COLWALL 1st XI v HEREFORD CITY Lincoln Marshall saved Colwall's blushes with a gritty 60 runs after the top order
Ledbury's newly restored organ will be heard again this July, for the first time in almost two years, following an almost completed £180,000 restoration appeal. The Rector of Ledbury, the Rev. Dr Colin Beevers said: "Very many people and trusts have contributed
MOTORISTS in Ledbury face more speed traps with the announcement that police have trained two local officers in the use of a radar gun. The move means that police will no longer have to rely on the traffic unit from Hereford to mount campaigns at speeding
LEDBURY Town conceded two goals in the first 20 minutes of this Banks's Division One League Cup but were denied continually by the Wellington goalkeeper when they tried to hit back. WELLINGTON 2, LEDBURY TOWN 1 A smaller crowd than anticipated gathered
TWO Hereford businessmen have been disqualified from being company directors after the way they ran a company, which failed with debts of nearly £225,000. At the hearing at Hereford County Court on May 15, William David Davies, of Linnet Close, Newton
GARDENING giant Wyevale has confirmed its interest in attempting a take-over of another major enterprise. If successful, the Hereford-based group would add another 39 outlets to its chain from Country Gardens. The board of the Berkshire business has said
THE successful United Sport Karate Organisation, who have clubs in Ledbury, Worcester, Malvern, Pershore, Evesham and Tewkesbury, has yet another reason to celebrate as one Assistant Instructor from the Malvern Club, Paul Taylor, has achieved the rank
LEDBURY DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB THE Summer Handicap pairs continued on May 17 with 28 pairs. We played a Skip Mitchell. The N/S winners were Marjorie Archer & Great Dallimore with 59.3%, 2 Doreen Salis & Margaret Westbrook with 58.9%, 3 Marcus &
THE Bell Inn enjoyed a successful 99/2000 season in the Leadon Valley Crib League winning the League Championship and being runners-up in the Knockout Cup. The roll of honour is: League winners, Bell Inn (Captain E Kerr), runners-up, Newtown Inn A (Captain
AN eight-mile run may be a big challenge but there will be plenty of incentive for the competitors to reach the finishing line - not least the money being raised for a new school at Burghill. The runners will set off from Burghill Community Primary School
THE launch of the 2000 Ledbury Poetry Festival programme was celebrated by lining the town's historic streets with a series of flags that create a complete verse, writes CATHERINE SHOVLIN. At the end of walking from the High Street library to the Farmhouse
THE tiny village of Wormelow is preparing itself for a mass invasion on June 24, writes JON LAND. Hundreds of people from all over the country will be flocking to Herefordshire for the grand opening of a museum in honour of wartime secret agent Violette
PARISHIONERS of Stretton Sugwas are stepping up the fight to save their unique parish church. As restoration work continues on the church's famous black-and-white tower, the community is busy organising this year's flower festival with the hope that it
AN intrepid explorer is returning to his childhood home to talk about his 'life of adventure'. Col John Blashford-Snell OBE, whose father was vicar of Holy Trinity Church, in Hereford, has undertaken more than 60 expeditions, including Operation Drake
ON the day news broke that the Millennium Dome was to receive another cash handout, children from the county discovered that its millions had on the whole been money well spent, writes CATHERINE SHOVLIN. Young people from Ledbury were among those who
FURTHER opposition has been pitched against proposed car park charges at Bowling Green Lane, Knighton. Dr Peter Gooderham, prospective Conservative parliamentary candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire, has written a letter of protest to Powys Highways director
THE Leominster Canal gave north Herefordshire its first glimpse of the industrial revolution. Conceived in the late 1790s, at the height of 'canal mania', the waterway, which ran through Eye, Woofferton, Tenbury and Newham, was intended to connect the
PLANS to build a new community centre at Hay-on-Wye have moved a step further. A management committee is being formed to tackle the centre's business plan and put forward funding proposals. The move follows the finalisation of outline plans by United
ONE of Herefordshire's oldest attractions is getting a new lease of life. In June, the stunning new Van Kampen gardens at Hampton Court will be opening to the public, bringing back echoes of the fabulous formal gardens at the north Herefordshire mansion
TOUGH new operational targets could keep the county's cash-strapped library service from balancing its books, writes BILL TANNER. Government intends to stamp core standards on libraries that cover opening hours, user access and stock levels. But in Herefordshire
HEREFORDSHIRE is being left behind when it comes to cash for roads. Figures show funding differences of up to 119 per cent between the county and its neighbours. Brian Tannatt Nash, former council cabinet member for the environment, says the statistics
HEREFORD Hospitals NHS Trust appeared to be treating people from outside the county rather than its own local patients, it has been claimed. Concern over the situation was expressed at a meeting of Herefordshire Health Authority, when the trust was asked
Ledbury and Herefordshire's day in the Dome started for most at 6am by the Market House on a cold May Monday. By 6.30am all six coaches had arrived and 300 people were on their way to a day they would never forget. But getting there took longer than expected
COUNCILLORS from Ledbury and Bromyard have emerged in key positions in the new administration governing Herefordshire. Ledbury councillor Peter Harling is the new chairman of Herefordshire Council and will oversee full council meetings and act as the
EASTNOR'S WCL Division Two match against Cookley was finally abandoned due to the rain in the 38th over with the home side in the precarious position of 130-9. EASTNOR v COOKLEY Put into bat the villagers suffered a quick early setback as Sellick and
A BID for National Lottery funding is being considered by the Parochial Church Council of St John the Baptist Church, Eastnor, to pay for repairs to the historic building. The Victorians rebuilt the medieval church in 1852, but it still has its original
LEDBURY Cricket Club were surely denied Marches League division two victory last Saturday at home against Shobdon thanks once again to the inclement weather. LEDBURY 1STS XI v SHOBDON 1ST XI The visiting captain won the toss and asked Ledbury to bat.
JOHN Masefield High School may be forced to abandon plans to restructure its working day after being warned the school could be landed with a bill of £28,000 a year as a result. The school Governors and Herefordshire Council are currently in talks following
