Ledbury Poetry Festival is in line for a three-year funding deal with Herefordshire Council. This follows a study by the authority which concluded that the event had the strongest community roots of any county festival it supported. This year, the council
LEDBURY stationmaster John Goldrick says he is offering hard facts in the debate over the state of railway services in the area, following a sit-in by disgruntled passengers at Malvern. Mr Goldrick has obtained the running record for Central Trains services
A 32-year-old Ross man will appear before Gloucester magistrates on Monday charged with causing the death of a Newent women by dangerous driving. Amanda Hyett, aged 37, of Foley Road, died when her Toyota MR2 car was involved in collision with another
LEDBURY firefighters will say a fond farewell to Sub-Officer Terry Phillips on his retirement after more than 25 years. A party to celebrate Mr Phillips' quarter century of service was taking place this evening (Friday) at the town's Royal British Legion
The Acorns to Oaks charity is preparing to expand into offices on two floors above Ledbury Tourist Information Centre. The expansion is a further step towards opening a purpose-built £1.5m Community Learning Centre, possibly within two years. The charity's
A committee is to be formed to help secure lottery funding for a new book on the history of Redmarley. Author Eric Warde, of Pool Hill, is a member of the Newent Local History Society and well known for his work on the 200-page Chapters in Newent's History
A Parent and toddlers' Christmas celebration at Ledbury Baptist Church on Friday, December 12, from 9.45am, will be followed by a festive party. Everyone will be made welcome.
AN auction of promises at Dymock Parish Hall on November 7 raised £1,937. Parish clerk Jenny Thick said: "The hall committee would like to thank auctioneer Chris Maulkin, who did such an excellent job, the people who attended and those who so generously
LEDBURY residents are being warned about letters saying they have won prize money. The letters ask them to send a cheque in order to receive their prize. Dora Sinclair, 81, of Birch Close, got a letter from Prizes Unlimited telling her she had won £5,000
SWIFTS overcame a spirited Pegasus side on Sunday after putting in plenty of effort in difficult conditions. LEDBURY SWIFTS U13s 2, PEGASUS JUNIORS U13s 0 The game started at a fast pace with both sides moving the ball forward quickly but unable to find
BROMYARD residents will be able to access several facilities under one roof when the town's redeveloped leisure centre opens next year. The Cruxwell Street building, formerly known as Bromyard Leisure Centre, will re-open as the Bromyard Centre on January
ST PETER'S Primary School, Bromyard, has been judged "a very effective school", by Government inspectors. The school, which has 230 full- time pupils and a nursery, was rated good, very good or excellent in all areas considered by the Office for Standards
A Pencombe pub has been named the Best Country Pub and runner-up in the Pub of the Year competition run by the Herefordshire Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). The Wheelwright Arms won the award for its range and quality of beer and the vital role it plays
MULLED wine will be flowing at two Christ-mas fairs on the Brockhampton Estate tomorrow (Saturday) and next Sunday (December 14), from 10.30am to 4pm. Local crafts, mistletoe, holly, ivy and Christmas trees from the estate will be on sale and children
PEOPLE with an interest in farming should enjoy Bromyard History Society's next meeting when there will be a talk entitled The Ferguson Story - a new farming era. It takes place at the Methodist Hall, New Road, on Friday, December 12, at 7.30pm.
A PUDDING tasting event at Bromyard Leisure Centre organised by Queen Elizabeth High School's Parent Teacher Association, raised more than £530 for the school.
LEDBURY Town had to settle for a point in their West Midlands Premier Division derby game at Wellington on Wednesday night. WELLINGTON 2, LEDBURY TOWN 2 Town made a superb start and found themselves two goals up inside the opening 15 minutes. Midfielder
LEDBURY'S recent good run continued and they remained unbeaten during November but high-flying Lye pushed the home side all the way in an entertaining end-to-end game. LEDBURY TOWN 4, LYE TOWN 3 Playing up the slope in the first half Ledbury started the
LEDBURY Rugby Club return to action tomorrow (Saturday) with a home Midlands Three West (South) fixture against Leamington. Last weekend's league fixture at Old Coventrians had to be postponed due to the Ledbury side being hit by the flu and unavailabilities
LEDBURY and District Swimming Club were celebrating reaching a total of 80 new club records this year following great performances in the longest annual event, the 1500m freestyle, 60 lengths of the pool. The swim attracted a good entry of 43 competitors
ANOTHER successful windsurfing year ended last month for the Solven brothers from Storridge, near Malvern. The boys have raced in a long and arduous National Series of 10 major events, from Marazion to Pwllheli to Bridlington. Guy, aged 21, finished seventh
IN near perfect rugby playing conditions, the venerable members of these two local clubs took to the field at Bromyard. BROMYARD VETERANS 5pts, UPTON VETERANS 12pts Upton arrived a player short and in a fine sporting gesture Bromyard loaned Upton a player
SATURDAY FOOTBALL WEST MIDLANDS LEAGUE Premier Division: Malvern Town v Heath Hayes, Ledbury Town v Wolverhampton United, Newport Town v Bromyard Town. Division One South: Malvern Rangers v Bewdley Town (1.45), Reality Sports v Malvern Town Reserves (
Volunteers at the Newent Charity Shop, in Church Street, started work this week on what will be the store's biggest ever Christmas display. It was due to be completed in time for the switch-on of the town's Christmas lights this evening (Friday). Shop
Newent Community School is celebrating the success of a number of pupils in district and county rugby trials. Among the under-14 players, Glen Ferguson, Sammy Ellis, Stuart Gayther, Jake Perry Gardener and Alec Cuthbert have been selected for the Forest
The Story, a new look at the nativity, will be staged at St Mary's Church, Newent, from Friday to Sunday, December 12-14. Tickets are on sale at the church office.
A Ceilidh will be held tomorrow (Saturday) at Newent Community School to raise funds for its links with schools in Kenya. The evening of Irish music takes place from 7.30pm to 11pm. Tickets are £5, from the school.
The new chairman of Ledbury in Bloom was among the supporters at the group's Christmas fair at the Market House on Saturday. Sue Holland, of Fairfields Road, takes over from long-serving Tom Deane, who stood down at the recent annual meeting. Around 100
A LEDBURY woman who stole from her employers is to have almost £28,000 confiscated from the sale of her house. At Gloucester Crown Court, Judge Jamie Tabor QC ruled that Susan Kendall, 35, had benefited from her crimes to the tune of £27,894. He said
Ten youngsters are being sought to join Ledbury Youth Needs Xpressed Group (LYNX). Supported by Ledbury Youth First, the group act as a mouthpiece for young people in the area. Ledbury Youth First spokesman Susan Crumpler said they were looking for people
Chris Tweedale ended on a note of optimism for the future in his final speech as headteacher at Ledbury's John Masefield High School. However, he also warned of the challenges that lie ahead with the possible closure of small rural primary schools. Speaking
A CHRISTMAS festival will be held over three successive weekends at St Mary's Church in Dymock. The church will be open to visitors on each weekend, beginning tomorrow (Saturday), when and tea, coffee and mince pies will be served. On Sunday, Bretforton
The autumnal colours around Dymock this year surpassed those of New England, according to the Great Woodend weather watcher Tony Denby. Mr Denby said his information came from far-travelled friends, who had seen both. He added: "The autumnal colouring
plans for a Homebase store on the edge of town will be "another hammer blow to local retailers". That is the warning from Ken Davies, president of Ledbury Tourist Association. Pettifer estates is building a £3.5m complex on the Lower Road Trading Estate
THE crew of HMS Ledbury are planning a sponsored bike ride from Ledbury to Portsmouth, on behalf of the Marie Curie cancer charity. The event is likely to take place early next spring. The ship's captain, Lt Cmdr Peter Olive, has told the town council
MORE than £2,000 was raised at a Christmas fair held by parisioners from the Catholic Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Ledbury. The event attracted around 200 people to St Katherine's Hall last Saturday. There were a variety of stalls, along with turkey
WITH three of its teams in the WFA Sunday Minor Cup, The Soccer Site Malvern League had hopes that at least one club would get through to the last 16 to fly the flag for the league. In fact, both Talbot Head and Morgan Aero 8 did the league proud by both
BROMYARD Leisure Centre was filled with tables crammed with goods for sale on Saturday. The table-top sale was organised by the Bromyard Friends of Guiding and raised around £600 for Guide and Brownie units in the district. Mari Nowell, Friends of Guiding
THE future of new buildings for the Hope Family Centre is no longer in jeopardy after Bromyard Town Council reversed a planning objection at a meeting on Monday night. The decision paves the way for the project to receive European funding.
A CAST iron letterbox was stolen from the garden of a house between Pank's Bridge and Stoke Lacy overnight on Friday (November 28).
LEDBURY darts ace Terry Jenkins reached the quarter-finals of the Vauxhall Pro-Classic 128 championship in Great Yarmouth. He was then eliminated by the world champion, Canadian John Part, who went on to be beaten in the final by reigning champion Wayne
LEDBURY RFC played host to the Gentlemen of Ledbury and District Rugby and Golf Society, better known as the GLADRAGS, who held their annual dinner and presentation evening. Formed 11 years ago by a small group of Ledbury rugby players, the society has
BROMYARD Town completed their first double of the season with a 4-3 win over Wolverhampton United in this West Midlands Premier Division clash. BROMYARD TOWN 4, WOLVERHAMPTON UNITED 3 The home team went in front in the 12th minute when loan signing Alex
COLWALL continued their good form in the league with a 3-2 win against third-placed team Shipton Oliffe at Ledbury Leisure Centre on Saturday. COLWALL 3, SHIPTON OLIFFE 2 Shipton Oliffe took the lead early in the first half before Coral Handley converted
LEDBURY DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB It was Mixed Pairs Championship night on November 26 and by prizing apart one or two established single sex (strictly bridge) partnerships, we had 28 pairs. The winners were Denis & Mary Ann Reay with 63.6. (Strange bedfellows
NEWENT'S Shopwatch scheme is being expanded to include all businesses in the town as part of a New Year crackdown on crime. At present, 44 shops are involved in the ring-round scheme, which gives early warning of shoplifters, counterfeit notes and other
Newent and District Choral Society's autumn concert on Saturday is being hailed as a great success. The hall at Newent Community School was full to capacity with the choir, orchestra and an audience estimated at 200 people, who enjoyed a performance of
Newent Beekeepers Association was holding its annual social meeting at Newent Library yesterday (Thursday). The new president is Norman Trafford. He fills the vacancy left by Robin Hooper, who died earlier this year. A new volunteer apiary manager, Bernie
Members of Newent and District Craftworkers' Guild are celebrating one of their most successful Christmas shows, thanks in part to rainy weather last Saturday. Marianne Trevis, who was selling goats milk soap and hand-knitted Norwegian-type children's
Newent Local History Society will meet next at the library on Thursday, January 8, at 7.30pm, after a break over Christmas.
Big Read mania came to Newent Library on Tuesday as book lovers and local readers' groups met to make their case for the nation's best novel. Under discussion were the top 20 titles highlighted by a BBC poll, including The Lord of the Rings, The Lion
NEWENT Quilters will not be holding a meeting this month. Instead members will enjoy a festive meal at the Penny Farthing restaurant, in Aston Ingham, on Thursday. The group's first meeting of the New Year will take place on Thursday, January 15, at 7.30pm
The Cotswold Singers will join Newent Orchestra for a Christmas concert at Newent Memorial Hall on Saturday, December 20, at 7.30pm. Tickets are £3 and £1, to include coffee and mince pies.
LAST summer proved to be a superb one for Brockhampton Cricket Club whose first team captured the Worcestershire County League Division Two title, netting a record 394 points on the way. And next season promises to be equally memorable with the completion
