A CRADLEY couple who saw tsunami waves devastate a Sri Lankan coastal resort have stayed behind to help disaster victims. Richard Williams and his Sri Lankan partner Swarni Seneviratne have raised £15,000 by asking friends and relatives for donations
The family of cider-maker Norman Weston has vowed to carry on his traditions and values, which have made the Much Marcle firm an international success. Mr Weston, the grandson of company founder Henry Weston, died on Thursday and his funeral will take
Veteran Poppy Appeal organiser Philip Powell of Ashperton has been awarded the MBE for services to the Royal British Legion. Mr Powell, of Moorend Farm, said: "It's quite a surprise. Folks have been teasing me about whether they'll have to bow in future
Planning permission for a detached house and new play area at Forge Courtyard, Canon Frome, has been refused by Herefordshire Council. Officers recommended refusal at a meeting on Wednesday and councillors on the northern area planning sub-committee agreed
ME To You, a yacht which has Ledbury's Sasha Peake in its crew, has successfully completed the second leg of the Global Challenge race. The yacht arrived in Wellington in New Zealand on Tuesday. It lies in sixth place in the round-the-world race but is
A Ledbury couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary this week looking forward to a belated honeymoon in Austria. Poppy and Cliff Minchin, of Newbury Park, are no strangers to travel, having visited America several times and collected passport
A Ledbury woman, helped to become a mother by Midland Fertility Services, has become the clinic's first full-time marketing manager. Jill Anthony-Ackery, 38, who lives on the New Mills estate, has called her appointment, a dream job. She added: "After
Rehearsals for Ledbury Community Choir will start on Tuesday, January 11. They are at 7.30pm at John Masefield High School and details will be given of the group's 2005 programme. Proceeds from the choir's winter concert last month at the Market Theatre
town crier Bill Turberfield is hoping to represent Ledbury at the World Town Crier Championships in Australia in the autumn. But first of all, Mr Turberfield needs to raise at least £3,000 to pay for air tickets to Marlborough, Queensland and for accommodation
the theme of spring's Kempley daffodil weekend has been set and an appeal for help has been launched. The theme for the display at St Edward's Church will be local interests and hobbies. Organiser Marjorie Jarvis is also seeking photos and accounts of
Ledbury Primary School pupil Sarah Vernall has been named the winner of a new bike provided by Clements Cycles for a charity raffle. Sarah, eight, collected her prize from Edward Clements at the New Street shop. The annual draw was organised by the Ledbury
Kington and District Horticultural Society November talk was given by Charles Chesshire on Clematis including one variety with white bells and a native of the Great Wall of China. He used past experience being 10 years with Treasures of Burford, garden
A keen fundraiser is encouraging the people of Bromyard to get their knickers out in a good cause. Christie Porteous, of Christie Classics in The Square, is hoping to collect a suitcase full of good quality children's underwear to take to a primary school
A barrister may be employed to represent Bromyard Town Council at a Unitary Development Plan inquiry in May. The council is objecting to Herefordshire Council's proposal, contained in the plan, to build houses on the Porthouse estate. At a planning committee
The first performance of Babes in the Wood, at Whitbourne Village Hall, takes place on Friday, January 14. It will also be performed on January 15, 21 and 22. The show begin at 7.30pm with a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. Tickets are £5 adults, £3.50 children
Vandals caused damage to two cars in Bromyard. The front tyres were slashed on a Vauxhall Frontera in Bridge Street between 9am and 4pm on Wednesday, December 29. A Pioneer CD player and three CDs were also stolen from the vehicle. The front windscreen
Planning permission has been granted to convert an outbuilding and first-floor extension into two one-bedroom flats at 24 Rowberry Street, Bromyard. An application to construct a two-storey extension at 11 Bramley Orchards, Bromyard, has been withdrawn
THE NFU has joined forces with Herefordshire Rural Hub to challenge farms to celebrate Farmhouse Breakfast Week by holding at least one breakfast for the public in every parish. And it is hoped that the Herefordshire effort will raise much-needed cash
THE out-of-hours doctors' service in Herefordshire has again been criticised after a Colwall resident was forced to make a 42-mile round trip to see a GP. Now the parish council has written to service provider Primecare to ask if Colwall patients can
Schools in Colwall will be alerted to the problem of speeding traffic after a survey showed drivers travelling too fast past Colwall Primary School. The parish council is sending warning letters to the primary school, along with The Downs and The Elms
COLWALL Trade Justice Group is supporting a Tearfund ethical trade campaign encouraging firms to stock Fairtrade clothes. For more details, see the display at St James' Church.
AN eight-week computer course for beginners starts at the Millennium Rooms, Colwall, on Thursday, January 20, from 10am to noon.
BROMYARD Rugby Club host the North Midlands (South) Two match of the day tomorrow (Saturday) when Chaddesley Corbett are the visitors. Third-placed Bromyard will be hoping to fortify their championship challenge with a victory against second-placed Chaddesley
HEREFORD United coach John Trewick reckons victory over Burton Albion at Eton Park tomorrow would be the perfect tonic after a lousy points haul over the festive period. The Bulls lost further ground on Nationwide Conference leaders Barnet by grabbing
CHURCH 100 CLUB - The draw of the Allensmore Church 100 Club took place on December 12. Prize winners were as follows: 1st prize, No 75, Ken Williams; 2nd prize, No 57, Miss Mattey; 3rd prize, No 90, Mrs Rose Evans; 4th prize, No 79, Libby Lloyd. The
Ballroom Dancing Classes - Following the successful introductory evening held just before Christmas, regular dance classes will commence on Thursday, January 13, in the village hall from 8 pm to 10 pm. Quiz Night - A quiz will be held on Friday, January
ONE TO REMEMBER - A magnificent performance by the Mansell singers made this years carol service at St Lawrence Church, Bishopstone, on Sunday, December 19, one to remember. The service officiated by Rev Angela Deane had a warmth and happiness that fitted
PARISH COUNCIL - Breinton Parish Council met at the village hall on Wednesday, December 15. Apologies were received from the ward councillor, Bob Matthews. A total of 18 members of the public were present. The clerk reported that a risk assessment carried
VILLAGE HISTORY - Copies of the second edition of Cradley: A Village History by local author Wynnell Hunt, are now available to buy from Cradley PO and Stores. The book is well worth buying and provides an insight into life in Cradley in years gone by
ST MARY'S CHURCH CHOIR - During three nights of hearty carol singing prior to Christmas Day, the choir raised £850 to be donated to the Hereford Breast Cancer Haven. A coffee morning organised in November by the parish council raised money for the purchase
Parish Council - Precept 2005/2006. The village website would be funded from 2004/5 budget. The clerk is to ask for help from Hereford Council. Also to be paid for from capital funds, work on the Recreation Ground is to include safety surfacing around
Bumper congregations - In the wake of news that Herefordshire has the highest church attendances in the country at Christmas, Kingstone is no exception. More than 220 people attended the Crib Service on Christmas Eve, and 78 came to the Midnight Service
MYSTERY AND MURDER AT KINSHAM - To start the New Year with a bang and to bring some excitement to the dark evenings, the Companions of Kinsham Church have extended an open invitation to attend a Mystery Murder Evening in the Arkwright Hall, Kinsham, at
Parish Council - Richards Castle Parish Council will hold its first meeting of 2005 next Monday at 7.30pm.The meeting will be in the Main Hall at the village hall. Parishioners will be welcome to attend. Pantomime - The players of Richards Castle are
OLD TYME DANCING - The mince pies and sherry evening, with 40 people attending, was a great success at the village hall. A gift of money was presented to Dai Jones and Clive Eagling for their great efforts in running the dancing every Monday evening,
Events/talks January 7 Herefordshire Headway New Year's Party, Aaron (singer), 8pm, 01432 761000. 8 Talk by Rose Kerr, influence of Asian Art in Europe, Woolhope Room, Hereford Museum & Art Gallery, Broad Street, 11.30am. 01432 260692. 8 Card Making
TEAM selections for matches tomorrow (Saturday), all games at home v Stratford-on-Avon. 1sts. Kick-off 2.30pm. B Sparey, S Green, A Gardner, A Dixon, Matt Williams (captain), G Rowlands, S Scholefield, C Lewins, T Houlbrooke, R Collins, A Smith, R Putland
A New year windfall from the J Paul Getty Jnr charitable trust means that the immediate future of Newent's Chill Out Zone youth caf looks secure. Newent mayor Fred Passant says the trust has agreed to fund the caf to the tune of £10,000 a year for the
Cash problems have further delayed a major refurbishment programme at Newent Leisure Centre. However, hopes are high that the partnership project will get off the ground this year, after a series of false starts. Forest of Dean District Coun-cil had hoped
Restoration work on the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal near Newent is set to gather pace at both the Oxenhall and Willows sites. So far this winter, volunteers have demolished a cracked wall close to the aqueduct at Oxenhall and had to shore
The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has launched a busy programme for the Newent area for the start of 2005. The group will meet at Newent Library on Monday, January 24, when Phil Mugridge will give a talk on Wildlife Photography in the Forest and Beyond
HEALTH care assistants in the obstetrics unit at Hereford County Hospital are the trail blazers in a new training development. They are the first in the country to become involved in a project that provides extra training to improve their status. As a
LEDBURY people have been so moved by the tsunami disaster in Asia that they have already donated close to £10,000 and the total is still rising. Thirty businesses, including shops and pubs, have become collection points for an appeal organised by Ledbury
The New Year's Eve charity dance at Ledbury Community Centre has raised more than £1,000 after the tradition was revived this year. The dance was a regular diary date for Ledbury, taking place seven years in a row until 2000 and being revived again last
The first meeting of Bromesberrow Gardening and Social Club this year is on Thursday, January 13, at 7.30pm, at Bromesberrow Village Hall. Keith Prowse, from Rentokill, will give a talk on pests in the garden. Members will also receive details of the
BYE Street will be closed to traffic to allow the steel frame to go up for a £750,000 office and shops development. Signs have gone up advertising a five day road closure from Sunday, from The Homend junction to St Katherine's car park. The car park will
THE Britten Singers celebrate their 30th anniversary this month. Since their foundation in 1975 the group have built up a wide repertoire, raising thousands of pounds for charities in nearly 200 concerts. To commemorate the anniversary, director Pamela
The sixth Wye Valley Chamber Music Festival opens this weekend, with concerts in St Briavels Church, Wyastone concert hall, Ross-on-Wye Baptist Church and the Bishop's Palace in Hereford. This year's line-up of musicians is a mix of well-loved artists
THE Brazilian Soccer School Herefordshire, which hosts courses in Ledbury, has received its second national award. It has gained the FA Charter Standard Holiday Courses Award, which seeks to offer a safe and quality football environment and reward and
AN unusual ceremony was held at St Ethelbert Lodge of Mark Master Masons in Hereford to which members' wives were invited. The banner of this 125-year-old lodge had deteriorated due to age and a beautiful new one has been made by Mrs Christine Body, the
THE Leominster Lions Club Christmas draw took place at the Leominster Community Hospital. Caroline Gallen, Team Leader Physiotherapy for Leominster and Kington drew the following winning tickets. First prize No 0631 - Much Birch; Second prize No 0099;
Peterstow WI are looking forward to an outing to Denman in February and are hoping members of other institutes would join them to make the trip worthwhile. Eardisley were given lots of ideas for decorating their homes for Christmas by Gail Scott who is
Money raised from a year of community events was presented to Acorns Hospice yesterday (Thursday). The Bromyard Ladies group handed a cheque for £1,400 to a hospice representative during their monthly meeting at the Falcon Hotel. The group, which chooses
LEDBURY Town returned to league action after a three-week break when they travelled to West Midlands League premier division basement-side Coseley Town. COSELEY TOWN 1, LEDBURY TOWN 6 Ledbury started very brightly and opened the scoring after six minutes
LEDBURY Rugby Club return to action tomorrow (Saturday) with all three sides at Ross Road against Stratford teams. The first team clash in a Midlands Three West (South) fixture and the home side will be hoping for two points that would move them away
CONTINUING disruption at British Sugar's West Midlands processing factory is causing farmers and hauliers in Herefordshire a succession of problems. Although almost threequarters through the 24-week harvesting campaign, it is estimated that only just
THE advent of the Single Farm Payment and declining producer returns could force landowners to cut farm rents. Land agent David Thompson of Tillington Road, Hereford, said the agriculture climate was putting pressure on farm rents with the likelihood
FWAG'S first two events of 2005 concentrate on Defra's new environmental schemes. At an evening meeting next Wednesday at the Compasses Inn, Wigmore, FWAG adviser Mike Williams will give an update on the schemes. And an afternoon walk on Wednesday, January
THEATR Powys will be back at Wyeside on Tuesday with more of their highly original, dynamic theatre in All At Sea. Join Becky and Tan and cast off for an evening of theatre you won't forget. It's suitable for anyone over six. The show starts at 7pm.
COCA-Cola Enterprises, which extracts and bottles Malvern Water, has confirmed its withdrawl of a plan to open up a second source of water on the hills - but only temporarily. In a statement sent to the Malvern Gazette on Tuesday, the company says the
It's full steam ahead for the Downs Light Railway, after a volunteer secured a grant to help build a new station. Peter Smith, a BT engineer who helps run the railway at the Downs School in Colwall, was given £250 by the BT Community Champions award scheme
A COLWALL farmer is urging dog owners to be extra vigilant about their pets' behaviour as lambing season begins. John Bishop, of Cummins Farm, warned that farmers had the right to shoot dogs that were worrying their animals. Mr Bishop said that last year
A BENCH donated to Colwall Parish Council when the railways were privatised in 1995 has been restored. The Great Western Railway bench, restored by Graham Carless, is now outside Colwall Library.
THERE were 28 children at Burghill Primary School when John Litchfield took up the post of head teacher 18 years ago. Now as Mr Litchfield, who lives near Hereford, retires to spend more time on his creative hobbies, numbers at the successful school are
LEDBURY DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB In the last club event before 2005, 17 pairs took part in a Mitchell movement event. The leading N/S pairs were: Janet Holder & June Homes 64.58; Marjorie Archer & Greta Dallimore 52.68; June & John Davies 51.49
SATURDAY FOOTBALL THE TRAVEL FACTORY MIDLAND FOOTBALL ALLIANCE Stratford Town v Malvern Town (3.00). WEST MIDLANDS LEAGUE Premier Division: Ledbury Town v Shawbury United (2.45); Smethwick Sikh Temple v Bromyard Town (2.45). Division One: Malvern Town
WHIST DRIVE - Almeley Whist Club held the last whist drive of 2004 in Almeley Village Hall on Tuesday, December 21. There was a record turn out of players who enjoyed the choristers from St Mary's Church singing Christmas carols, before play began. A
PARISH CHURCH - A coffee morning in aid of the Indian Ocean Emergency Fund is being held on Saturday, January 8, at 10.30pm in the village hall. Meet the neighbours for a chat whilst supporting the fund raising, items for the bring and buy stall gratefully
JOYOUS SERVICE - The Christmas Eve Service at St Michael's church Edwyn Ralph was held at 8pm with the organ played by Mrs Alice Robinson. The church was full and the singing certainly raised the roof. Unfortunately the Rector, Rev Dr Chris Fletcher was
NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS - A crowd of around 70 people gathered at Knighton's clock tower on New Year's Eve to welcome in 2005. The mood was boisterous but good natured and the chimes of the clock at midnight were clearly heard. There were also a few fireworks
THE PAVILION - In a letter to Knighton Town Council, Mr Paul Griffiths, head of Recreation and Countryside Services at Powys County Council set out the county council's position on the lease held by Knighton Town Council for the former tennis courts and
CHAPEL SERVICE - Glebe Chapel was packed in the run up to Christmas for a Carols by Candlelight Service with about 170 people who enjoyed a varied programme of carols and musical presentations from different age groups linked to the chapel and a talk
BAR MEADOW PLAY AREA - The parish council send heartfelt thanks to all the parishioners who turned up on Saturday to move the pile of shavings. POLICE WARNING - There is a spate in and around Shobdon of Diesel theft from lorries parked overnight. Members
GROSMONT BELLS RUNG FOR CAROL SERVICE - The Skenfrith group of learner bellringers had their first opportunity on Sunday, December 19, to ring the Grosmont bells for the Christmas Carol Service. This was an awe-inspiring event for the new ringers, who
PLANNING - Permission has been granted for a change of use of a barn to a swimming pool, games room etc at Monnington Court; a four bedroomed house at Oakchurch Farm and, extension to the food hall and storage at Oakchurch Farm Shop. The parish council
RELIEF ROAD - News that the definitive route has been chosen for Talgarth's long awaited relief road has been hailed as a great New Year boost for the local community. Liberal Democrat County Councillor William Powell, who helped to argue the case for
DANCERS aged 55+ have the opportunity to take contemporary classes with a professional dancer in Malvern's Forum Theatre on its beautiful sprung floor. The one-hour classes run for eight weeks, starting on January 24, and include gentle exercise to improve
Newent's rector, Reverend Robert Simpson, is looking for a record response this year to Christian Aid Week, because of the tsunami disaster. Christian Aid is one of charities co-ordinating the international earthquake appeal in the wake of the disaster
EASTNOR Cricket Club are holding their annual general meeting at The Brewery Inn, Ledbury, on Wednesday (January 12) at 7.30pm. The Clenchers Mill Lane club, founded in 1884, run several club sides in senior competitions and have a thriving junior section
