First of all this week, I have to make something of an apology for the absence of the usual Nature Watch, Ross-on-Wye Archive and to some of the people I have photographed during the week and have not been able to include in this issue of Wyenot News. It has been one of those extremely busy weeks and I think, for the first time since I started Wyenot.com five years ago, I have not been able to keep up with the demands of the site. I have worked taking photographs for Wyenot, The Ross Gazette, the Ross Recorder, plus composing and building web pages from early morning until gone midnight every day. I must confess to having taken time out once, at the Hope & Anchor on Sunday morning for a coffee with friends, Kevin and Jane, but even that I had to cut short, to photograph Morgans at Kilcot. Red Nose Day was good fun and I enjoyed photographing it but it was a killer in terms of keeping up with it all. I have been sent more archive material and some letters for publication, so all of the usual stuff will be back next week.

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Guinness World Record™ holders, Herefordshire's Ready Steady Win will attempt to aim to smash their egg-sisting World's Largest Egg and Spoon Race record Tuesday 22 March 2005 at noon! The event is organized by Ready Steady Win, who have been supporting youth sport in Herefordshire for eleven years. Ready Steady Win's business fund manager Joanna Jones said,
'The egg and spoon race is brilliant fun for all who take part, its great to achieve Guinness World Record™ status and it's an important fundraiser for us to continue our work in Herefordshire.

Thank you to our sponsors, Minster and Whitecross School Sports Partnerships, PGL Travel Ltd, Deans Foods, The Leadership Trust and A4 Office Products. We would not be able to run this special event without their support.' County schoolchildren in School Sports Partnerships (SSCo) can take part in the mass participation simultaneous location egg-stravaganza, which involves people racing with a standard medium sized fresh hens egg on a dessert spoon, along a designated route of at least 100m, without dropping their egg!'

In 2004, 1,277 youngsters successfully completed the race - a truly marvellous achievement for Herefordshire. For three years, school children have had the opportunity to take part through the School Sport Partnerships (SSCo) - a Government initiative designed to raise standards in schools through an improved and co-ordinated delivery of physical education and Sport.

Continued . . .

The partnerships, made up of a Specialist Sports College, Herefordshire's Minster College and Whitecross School are supported by other secondary schools and feeder primary schools. PGL Travel has come on board as a new and very appropriate lead sponsor of the 2005 World's Largest Egg and Spoon race. PGL is a market leader in the field of activity holidays and adventure courses. With its headquarters at Ross-on-Wye, PGL offers children (and families) countless opportunities for fun, adventure and personal development.

Deans Foods is the official egg sponsors for the next two years. Each week, Deans Foods individually grade and pack over 40 million fresh eggs! They led the development of Barn and Free Range production in the 1980's and the introduction of Organic eggs in the 1990's. Today, this growing sector represents over one third of the eggs packed by Deans. Deans is the leading supplier of fresh eggs to all the major retailers in the UK.

The Leadership Trust has supported the event since its inception in 2002, and Ready Steady Win for almost ten years. The Ross-on-Wye based Leadership Trust is an educational charitable trust with a mission to enhance leadership across all aspects of society. The Leadership Trust aims to be "The Centre of Excellence in Leadership". Their vision is supported by four guiding principles: to be a world class organization with a global reach; to inspire and lead each other in the pursuit of excellence; to provide flexible and innovative solutions, which fulfil customers' needs; and to create an environment which is both developmental and aspirational.

Hereford based, A4 Office Products, and independent office supplies dealer has supported Ready Steady Win for four years. They aim to provide the very best in customer care with a first class service on a vast range of office products and stationery.

Herefordshire Council's sports development unit has also supported the event for four years.

Egg-cited? Would like to find out more? Please contact Joanna Jones, Ready Steady Win, c/o The Leadership Trust, Weston-under-Penyard, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire HR9 7YH England. Telephone: 01989 760 713.

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