Archive

  • Barbecue sparks off pub kitchen blaze

    CUSTOMERS were evacuated and an elderly woman taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation after fire broke out at a pub near Leominster. Two fire crews and an ambulance paramedic attended the scene at the King's Head, Docklow, after a gas-fired

  • Leominster traders continue spruce up

    BUSINESSES in Leominster are being offered help to upgrade their shop fronts. As part of the town's regeneration, the shop front scheme has now been running for two years and has enabled more than 30 businesses to spruce up their premises. Shops and commercial

  • Age Concern recruits

    ARE you a cake-baker, a computer buff or simply a good listener? Age Concern Leominster is on the look out for people with those skills and many more. The group needs to recruit volunteers and is urging anyone who is interested to attend a Volunteer Skills

  • Friends celebrate 50 golden years of service

    FOR 50 years the County and General Hospitals in Hereford have received generous and loyal support from their own League of Friends. As the nation celebrates Her Majesty the Queen's Golden Jubilee, the Friends say they will follow her example and work

  • Joy in sadness for first triplets

    JILL, Janet and Jean Ward are thought to be the first triplets to be born in Hereford's old County Hospital. The year was 1944 and war-time and their parents Catherine and Reg had sought refuge in Herefordshire after being bombed out of their home in

  • JD Wetherspoon win licence fight

    PUB chain JD Wetherspoon has been given the green light to start serving drinks at its premises on Hereford's busy Commercial Road. An appeal by West Mercia Police against allowing a third large pub between O'Neill's and the Litten Tree was defeated in

  • OK for social club plan

    A CONTROVERSIAL plan to replace a city social club with 19 two-bedroom flats has been given the go-ahead. Planning permission was granted to demolish the Woodpecker Club in Whitecross and build the flats along with 12 garages, and a number of parking

  • Ex-convent answers school's prayers

    A FORMER convent whose sisters founded the neighbouring high school has had its prayers answered again for county education. Lugwardine Court, once the home of the Sisters of Charity who started St Mary's RC High School, will once again support the school

  • Star impressionist guest at Cathedral School

    TELEVISION funny man Alistair McGowan is set to make a big impression on pupils of Hereford Cathedral Junior School when he appears as guest of honour at their annual prize giving ceremony in July, writes HEATH ASTON. The master of celebrity impersonations

  • Westfields slimmers lead the field

    A SLIMMING class at Westfields Community Hall in Hereford has been dubbed one of the best weight loss centres in the country - with a little help from its Slimming World consultant, Joan Hanson. In the last three months Mrs Hanson has helped members lose

  • Small piece of the event which shook the world

    A PIECE of history is on show at Hereford Baptist Church - put there in the worst possible circumstances, but a testament to faith. The small section of marble lobby from New York's World Trade Centre was brought back by city police officer Sgt Tim Powell

  • Understanding crop function to improve decision making

    Pressure on the financial margins in cereal production are immense. Many businesses have taken vital steps to reduce the fixed costs by cutting back on labour and machinery, or by farming larger areas. However, we must also recognise that each crop on

  • What's on at your local cinema this week

    Films change on Friday - you are advised to contact the individual centres for showing dates and times. Coliseum Cinema, Brecon l Time Machine (PG) l Star Wars Episode 2: Return of the Clones (PG) l Spider-Man (12) v 01874 622501. Courtyard, Hereford

  • Abbey to provide shelter from Tempest

    Historic Dore Abbey is once again providing the outstanding venue for a production by Mad Dogs Theatre Company. The Herefordshire-based theatre group hopes that its forthcoming production of The Tempest will be as popular as the highly successful medieval

  • Double celebration as Kington festival kicks off

    KINGTON will combine two special events to form a double celebration as the town kicks off its festival fortnight with a 'past day' on June 8. The whole town will go back in time as it re-enacts the 'Demob to Coronation' in a day to mark the start of

  • Touched by the presence of beauty

    THOUSANDS of gannets flying, hanging on the wind, diving, sky-pointing, landing and bowing in greeting, helped to inspire Midlands sculptor Madeline Goold whose exhibition opens in Hereford tomorrow, in conjunction with the annual Traherne Festival. Madeline

  • Artists' opportunity to learn from each other

    The Arts Interchange is gathering in Hereford this month, designed for all visual artists and craftspeople in Herefordshire and beyond. If you are a painter, designer or crafts-maker, either amateur or professional, this is for you. An artists' seminar

  • Party time as county marks the Queen's Jubilee

    THE heavens may have opened at first but God saved the Queen's holiday when sunshine brought tens-of-thousands of people out to scores of events around the county for the Queen's Golden Jubilee. The biggest party saw around 8,000 people gather on Hereford's

  • Longtown

    EISTEDDFOD -- There was a good attendance at the Longtown Eisteddfod and it was encouraging to see a high number of competitors, especially in the children's classes. There were wide-ranging performances in music, elocution and literacy. The handicraft

  • Knucklas

    COMMUNITY CENTRE - Dr Keith Ackermann, Chairman of the Management Committee, reviewed Knucklas Community Centre's eventful year at the recent annual meeting of Knucklas Community Centre. He said that the functions organised by the Management Committee

  • Knighton

    SAINT EDWARD'S CHURCH -- In his sermon for Trinity Sunday, Father Andrew Pearce, Priest in Charge of the Parish of East Radnor, told the Saint Edward's Congregation that, though the account of the Creation in Genesis was at odds with what science had

  • Gladestry

    WOMEN'S INSTITUTE -- Tractors, quad bikes, farm pick-ups, doubtless many Women's Institute members in Radnorshire don't turn a hair at driving any of these. But a lorry loaded to the roof? And 3,000 miles across Europe to Bosnia and back? This was the

  • Abbeydore

    PARISH MEETING -- Abbeydore and Bacton Group Parish Council held the annual parish meeting for the parishes of Abbeydore and Bacton on May 27. Apologies were received from Mrs Hollom, Cllr A G Morgan Mrs M Jenkins, Mrs M Peacock, Mr H Pullan and WPC F

  • Max takes the lead in charity walk

    FUNDRAISERS go to extraordinary lengths these days. Take Max for example. In raising more than £200 in the Hereford Cathedral School's cancer charity walk, he completed the nine mile course on all fours. Max the spaniel is pictured with Hereford Cathedral

  • Party time as county marks the Queen's Jubilee

    THE heavens may have opened at first but God saved the Queen's holiday when sunshine brought tens-of-thousands of people out to scores of events around the county for the Queen's Golden Jubilee. The biggest party saw around 8,000 people gather on Hereford's

  • Agency tipped as choice to run Wye

    A FOUR-YEAR wait to find out who runs the Wye should be over soon, with Whitehall expected to favour the Environment Agency (EA) over any alternative. That would leave supporters of county control looking to The Lords or even Europe to keep their case

  • RSPCA coped in countryside crisis

    THE countryside 'shutdown' due to foot and mouth disease could have had potentially devastating effects for the Herefordshire branch of the RSPCA, but the organisation rallied. The branch still managed to re-home 62 dogs more than the previous year, its

  • Fears on rural postal service

    LABOUR Party members in the Leominster constituency who fear postal services are being "disembowelled" are launching a campaign to save rural deliveries. Activists expressed alarm at a party meeting after receiving information on proposals by Post Comm

  • Counties sever remaining ties

    HEREFORDSHIRE has severed one of its last ties to Worcestershire. From now on, when it comes to major incidents, the county can go it alone. That is a huge responsibility for Geoff Haskell who heads up Herefordshire Council's Emergency Planning Unit (

  • 'One star' rating for social services

    HEREFORDSHIRE Social Services has received a 'one star' rating by government inspectors who found the council serves some people well and shows promise to improve. The report has been compiled by the Social Services Inspectorate who for the first time

  • What's on in city and county this week

    events/talks to June 9, The Guardian Hay Festival. Details: 01497 821299. to June 9, Leominster Festival of the Arts. Details 01568 611418. 6 Family Story Telling Caf, 2pm-3pm. Ludlow Assembly Rooms. Details: 01584 878141. 7, 8, 9, Flower Festival, All

  • Day dedicated to good health

    RESIDENTS from Ewyas Harold and Ross-on-Wye gathered at Reynolds Court in Ross to discuss healthy lifestyles. As part of national sheltered and retirement housing awareness week, the residents welcomed local dignitaries including health and housing officials

  • Family held at knifepoint in Ross-on-Wye

    A FAMILY has been robbed at knifepoint in a Ross-on-Wye car park. Police are hunting two men on a motorcycle that sped away from the scene. One of the victims was a child. The attack occurred on the upper level of Fiveways just after 11.30am, Tuesday.

  • Wedding bells ring out at picturesque county pub

    WEDDING bells are ringing at an old Herefordshire pub as one of its new landladies prepares to marry the chef, writes ANITA HOWELLS. Emily Robb will wed German fianc Stephan Ludwig on June 26, a month after taking on the romantically set Bridge Inn at

  • Aiming to track the pine marten

    FROM Whitney's Rhydspence Inn they fanned out across the Wye Valley in search of a quarry whose very existence is called into question. At the head of the hunt Tom Fairfield has no doubts - the all too elusive animal he's spent years tracking through

  • Brockhampton craft fair

    A CRAFT fair is to be staged in the newly-converted courtyard area at Lower Brockhampton, near Bromyard, on the afternoon of June 30. For more information ring 01885 482077 or 01885 488099.

  • Swimming club seeks more young recruits

    LEOMINSTER Kingfisher Swimming Club is looking to recruit girls and especially boys from the age of eight years old onwards who enjoy swimming and who want to improve their strokes and to compete in local galas. The club trains once a week at Tenbury

  • Late bid over parking fees meets a firm 'no'

    Leominster councillor John Thomas has plucked the word subsidiarity from Eurospeak in the latest desperate bid to keep the town's prized all-free parking attraction. The county council is on course to levy charges at one Leominster car park ranging from

  • Home from home

    A HEREFORDSHIRE war veteran and his wife have swapped their concrete home of 32 years for a smart new brick bungalow. John Roberts, 82 and wife Winnie, 86, spent more than half their married life at their old home near Leominster. It was one of 170 buildings

  • Success of a salesman...

    It's pretty refreshing to speak to a 'star' (and I don't use that word lightly) like Willie Nelson and to have him admit to having quite a few faults and shortcomings. This in answer to my starter-for-ten - question, "How does it feel to wake up in the

  • Nile trek for Naomi

    A HEREFORD student aims to bring a little 'sunshine' into the lives of abandoned babies in Egypt by trekking along the Nile in November. After reading of journalist Jen Green's visit to the Sunshine International Project in Luxor, 21-year-old Naomi Coleman

  • Looking cool in boxers

    HIS 'whiter than white' boxer shorts have made him a hit with housewives up and down the country. Hereford firefighter Nick Young has cleaned up in a Sun newspaper competition run in conjunction with Surf washing powder. Pictured in the paper in fetching

  • 'Apple of England's eye' aim for Hereford

    ON paper it's quite a sight - Hereford transformed for the 21st century and seen as 'The Apple of England's Eye'. Castle Green and Cathedral Close are lungs breathing life into this blueprint, both getting big money makeovers. But High Town is its heart

  • Burglar in theft trail

    A THIEF who targeted property in Hereford to feed her drug addiction has been remanded in custody at Worcester Crown Court. Michelle Farrow, aged 23, admitted theft of a £10 note from a house in Springfield Avenue and attempted theft at a hairdresser's

  • DIAL office open door to visitors

    THE new Herefordshire DIAL office in Coningsby Street, Hereford, will be on show to the public on Thursday June 30 at 5pm as part of the building's official opening. Staff moved into their new building six weeks ago, but some clients are having difficulty

  • Seeking the best pond

    Have you got a pond? Could it be the Best Pond in the county? If the answer is yes then Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group are looking for your entry. In a departure from the usual format for their annual farm competition, this year FWAG have thrown

  • Judges are looking at economy, community and the environment

    THE countryside, one of Britain's most precious assets, has taken a real battering in recent years but is now fighting back. Its future - and that of those who live and work in it - is looking brighter and to encourage and foster badly-needed new initiatives

  • Game fair theme for Malvern show

    New for 2002 will be a Game Fair style section, and the Society is enlisting the support of both local groups and national organisations including the Countryside Alliance, the Country Land and Business Association and the Countryside Foundation for Education

  • Farming remains at its heart...

    In spite of the fact that there will be no livestock competitions, this year's show will retain agriculture and the countryside at its heart, and will have a strong farming focus and a greatly enhanced countryside area. It will provide farmers and country

  • New name for county's top agricultural spectacular

    The Three Counties Agricultural Society (TCAS) has revitalised its flagship agricultural event, beginning with a name change for 2002. The Malvern-based charity will be staging the newly-named Three Counties Country-side Show between Friday 14 and Sunday

  • Where production and conservation work in harmony

    THERE has to be more to agriculture than growing food at lowest cost for global markets. Conservation of the landscape and wildlife, the development of alternative energy sources and the maintenance of a clean water supply should count on the credit side

  • Refuge for NFU chairman is checking on the poultry

    I'M no superwoman, says Liz Pursey, chairman of Herefordshire NFU. But in combining her political role with working on her poultry unit and being a mother she certainly comes close. When I interviewed Liz, the telephone just didn't stop ringing. The fax

  • Diminutive Dexters to make their debut at Royal Welsh

    MOOR Farm, overlooking unspoilt countryside in south Herefordshire, is home to one of the best-known herds of Dexter cattle in Britain. The smallest British breed numbers about 80 on the Sollershope farm of Sue and Tony Limb and among the herd are those

  • Historic farm is converted into an organic enterprise

    IN the midst of foot and mouth disease a quiet revolution was taking root on a Herefordshire farm and now, eight months after it was initiated, it is starting to bear fruit - or should that be vegetables! Project Carrot, based at Holme Lacy College, near

  • Theatre company makes River Wye the focus of next project

    NEW Theatre Works is initiating another exciting September adventure - this time a theatrical journey along the banks of the River Wye. Since 1998, New Theatre Works has been appropriating backgrounds and landscapes to inform theatrical experience, crossing

  • Courtyard gets a little bit cheeky with it

    AS witty as Wilde, as well-crafted as Rattigan and as unorthodox as Pinter, Entertaining Mr Sloane is a true stage classic and it opens at Hereford's Courtyard tonight. Directed by Jonathan Stone and produced by the same team behind Abigail's Party and

  • Collection to make you sit up and take notice

    The new exhibition at Parkfields Gallery, Ross-on-Wye opened this week entitled 'People and Places'. Scenes from European travels are the predominant focus in artist Laurence Dingley's work - view his colourful oils and be transported to Venice, Morocco

  • 'Buns' hit a cricket ball into Trafalgar Square

    THE Herefordshire-born cricket star nicknamed 'Buns and Jam' caused guffaws with his eccentric antics off the pitch - and gasps of astonishment with his prodigious power on the field. Charles Inglis Thornton, who was born at Llanwarne in 1850, attracted

  • Knill

    OPEN GARDENS -- Knill, claimed to be the smallest parish on the Welsh border, will open its gardens to the public this weekend. The proceeds of the weekend are for the upkeep of Knill church. For details call 01544 267348.

  • Kington

    BLOOM -- A Kington in Bloom competition is being organised jointly by Kington Town Council and the Kington Vintage Club, it was announced this week by tow Clerk Esther Rolls. She added 'The council and the club are pleased to invite all town traders,

  • Edwyn Ralph

    REFURBISHMENT -- St Michael's Church is now graced with a newly gilded weather cock. Craftsmen have completed the refurbishment of the tower and the east end of the church to a high standard. The work has included repointing and where necessary replacement

  • Eardisley

    WHIST DRIVE -- Whist players enjoyed the last of the current series of social whist drives held at the New Strand on Monday, May 27,. Philip Jenkins who has acted as MC throughout the series thanked players for their support and presented prizes to Mrs

  • Bishopstone

    VILLAGE LOTTERY -- Based on the Lotto 'bonus ball' drawn each Saturday night, a new fundraising idea started in Bishopstone in April to raise funds for St Lawrence church. For a £1 stake the lucky winner receives £25. Mrs W Fisk was the winner on May

  • Almeley

    ACORNS CHILDREN'S HOSPICE -- It is hoped that many whist players will come to Almeley Village Hall, on Tuesday, June 18, and take part in a fund raising event for the Acorns Children's hospice Fund. The hospice requires £4,000,000 to build a children's

  • Allensmore

    CHURCH 100 CLUB -- The Allensmore Church 100 Club draw took place on May 26, prize winners were as follows: 1, No 22, Dorothy Griffiths; 2, No 29, Bell Tower Fund, Cobhall Clangers; 3, No 34, Mike Badham; 4, No 51, Flora Turpin. The next draw takes place

  • Death tragedy ends raft race

    THE shock death of a competitor forced the abandonment of Europe's longest raft race down the River Wye on Golden Jubilee Monday. Four hundred rafters were gearing up for an exciting third and final day when race veteran Richard Collison, 48, suffered

  • Have your say on the future of A49

    THE future status of 70 miles of the major A49 trunk road, half of it passing through Herefordshire, is under scrutiny. The Highways Agency is formulating an improvement plan for the road for the next 10 years. It is unlikely to include any radical proposals

  • Vicky in for top education award

    A MULTI-TALENTED student at Hereford's Royal National College for the Blind has reached the final of a prestigious national education award. Vicky Haylott, 21, a student at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford, was one of six hopefuls

  • Key challenge met in education action zone

    THE proof is in percentages - against a background of 'challenge and disadvantage' Herefordshire's Education Action Zone (EAZ) has succeeded in seeing more students on to further schooling. This jump is just the boost the Zone needs on entering a last

  • Wormelow turns the clock back

    TV cameras rolled in a Herefordshire village as children turned the clock back 60 years to help film the life of a celebrated county war heroine. Youngsters in Wormelow will see themselves playing rounders, the game played by secret agent Violette Szabo

  • Inquest fails to discover reason for death crash

    AN inquest into the death of a 33-year-old Clehonger man who died when his car slammed sideways into the path of an oncoming van, failed to pinpoint why he lost control on a road he knew like the back of his hand. The county coroner expressed his sadness

  • Men's elite four lead host club's seven victories

    HOST club Hereford came away with seven wins and six runners-up spots in the Hereford City Jubilee Regatta at Wyeside on Monday. Although overall entries for this annual event were down, the meeting was very successful with continuous racing from 10am