This
Week - [Mamma Mia - What a Show - Ross Wins Gold - Trikers
and Bikers - Llangrove Flower Show]
[Take Your
Dog to Work Day - Visitors - Naming the Thieves - Out of This World
- Topical Photography - Nature Watch]
[Mamma
Mia - The Day's Events]
[Mamma Mia
- The 'Abba' Performance]
| Mamma
Mia! What a show! |
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Compere, Den Rickets with the girls from 'Abba'.DSC_9358 
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At
the very least, 5,000 people turned up to support the
afternoon and evening fund-raising event in aid of Cancer
Research, which was held at 'Hill Top',
Upton Bishop on Saturday, 3rd September.
I
have to admit that I am more a Pink Floyd than an Abba
fan and when I went there to take photos, I imagined it
was going to be one of those ''panda' events (eats, shoots
and leaves). I was totally stunned however by the sheer
professionalism of the organization, the support - both
local and from afar and by the performance itself.
The
afternoon began with a jazz band stepping in at the last
minute, whilst 'Alfredo, the Clown' and David Prouse,
the magician entertained groups of children and various
other entertainment took place around the huge 'Hill Top'
site, donated for use by farmer, Les Edwards.
A
falconry display by 'Ancient Art Falconry' then captivated
the growing audience. Due to the crowds and high noise
level, this caused quite some amusement as the peregrine
falcon decided to go backstage and the falconer spent
a good ten minutes chasing to retrieve the bird, who then
gave a great performance.
At
this point, I decided that it would definitely be worth
staying to the whole event and shot off home briefly,
to collect Tina, who used to be an Abba fan. On returning,
half an hour later, the '
Allstars' a band from Newnham were providing some great
rock music.
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The
auction, conducted by Herefordshire Auctioneer Richard
Williams, which followed, included all high quality lots
donated by too many local businesses to mention. This
raised a lot of money towards the good cause.
'Mamma-Mia',
the internationally acclaimed Abba tribute band began
their performance at nine o'clock, immediately captivating
the by then, small town size audience. After an initial
generator problem, which brought about a sudden silence,
the girls filled in the downtime by singing unaccompanied
and then carried on with the band as if nothing had happened,
getting everybody cheering and singing along to all of
the well known Abba songs.
The
amount of money raised for Cancer Research is not known
at the moment but will be published next week, once it
has been fully calculated.
I
took lots of photos during this event. Above, compere
Den Rickets from Bolton can be seen backstage, after the
event with the two girls from Mamma-Mia. I took a series
of three shots of this pose and they are quite funny to
look at due to Den's expression changing between the shots.
When animated they remind me of a scene from the Benny
Hill Show. You will see what I mean if you view the gallery.
Below,
the band and organizers of the event can be seen. Many
more photographs from the event can be seen on pages three
and four of this news. In the gallery,
those who wish to can view all photos of the event.
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Den
Rickets - Compere, 'Agnetha', 'Bjorn', Adrian Cook - Organizer,
'Frida', 'Benny', Jan Blackmore, David Fouracre, and Co-organizer,
Sally Cook.
DSC_9352
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Ross wins Gold!
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Ross-on-Wye's
Mayoress, Margaret Lucas and Mary Sinclair Powell, both
of Ross-in-Bloom travelled to Trentham Gardens, near Stoke
last Friday, to the Heart of England in Bloom Awards.
Over
three hundred representatives from the region were there
to find out who had been successful in the many 'In Bloom'
competitions. There were sixty competition entrants this
year, ranging from village to large city, with seventeen
entries in the Royal Horticultural Society 'Neighbourhood'
competition.
The
Heart of England in Bloom Judges visited Ross on a wet
day in July. A pageant of characters from the past took
place in the town on the day and everybody had a wonderful
day, despite the weather.
The
awards were announced by population size, so Margaret
and Mary waited eagerly for the results of the town judging.
When Gold for Ross-on-Wye was announced there were whoops
of delight from the Herefordshire tables, where thirty
representatives sat together to either congratulate or
commiserate with one another. There was even more delight
when it was announced that Mary had been awarded an individual
award by Royal Worcester for work with 'In Bloom'.
Continued
. . .
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Proud
Ross in Bloom Organizers at the Market House on Monday, 5th September.
DSC_9512
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Ross
has waited a long time for a Gold award. The last time Ross-in-Bloom
achieved a top award was during the very early 1990s, when
they achieved a first for the town. Mary has been working
for the past eight years with Ross-in-Bloom and has certainly
earned this accolade.
In
their comments the judges said "Nobody denies that taking
up the baton for In Bloom can be all consuming, but the
recipient of this award always manages to have a ready smile
and a word of encouragement for everyone who gets involved
in her town's entry. She is a wonderful asset to Ross-on-Wye
and we congratulate her for all of her hard work, commitment
and enthusiasm".
In
her interview afterwards, Mary told how proud she was to
have received this award, not just for herself, but in memory
of her family, who taught her well in the art of organization
and how to carry it out. Mary had previously decided to
retire from the organizing of the 'Heart of England in Bloom'
due to time and to work commitments. She would however continue
for now with the organization of the local judging. Following
this award, and of course the highest accolade the town
can receive in regional level, she will now have to reconsider
but will announce her decision at the Presentation Evening
later in the month.
'I
would like to thank everyone who has helped this year to
make it such a successful one. A year like this can only
succeed with a good working team and I have certainly had
that behind me this year. I would especially like to thank
my fellow committee members, without whose backing I would
not have been able to carry this through. I am also extremely
grateful to all of my work colleagues, who do a tremendous
amount for me in the background. If I do decide to pass
on the baton, I wish my successors every success for the
future. There is now an excellent grounding for future members
of Ross-in-Bloom to work with,' she added.
This
year has been a very successful year for the whole of Ross.
Not only did the town receive Gold, but also four other
individual awards, as well as Mary's. Representatives from
the Friends' Meeting House at the ceremony were delighted
to receive a Merit Award in the National Neighbourhood Awards,
as were those who had travelled to represent Ross Court.
Nursery Road Community Gardens also received a Merit whilst
Brampton Abbotts School received an Outstanding Achievement,
both in the same competition.
Herefordshire
did very well this year as a whole. There were fifteen awards
in all across the county, of which Ross gained six. Bromyard,
Ledbury and Hereford joined Ross with a Gold and Leominster
(first time entrants) gained a Silver Gilt. Eardisland and
Tarrington (again a first time entrant) gained Silver. There
were three other awards for waste management and schools.
A haul of awards which exceeded the thirteen Herefordshire
won last year.
The
judges' comments for Ross were: 'Overcast skies and eventual
rain did nothing to hamper the enjoyment of the residents
of Ross-on-Wye, who were enjoying a fun historical day for
the judging of the Heart of England in Bloom campaign. Admiral
Lord Nelson, Mr John Kyrle, Nell Gwynne, and not forgetting
the peasants, all helped to promote Ross. The judges' tour
followed a comprehensive itinerary and they met a wide cross
section of the community. The 'flame' colour theme was well
executed throughout the town and gave a warm welcome to
residents and visitors alike'. The judges were impressed
with: 'The well planted gardens in Crossfields, the Prospect
Gardens and Rotary carpet bed, the colour theme for the
town, Nursery Road Community Gardens, Permanent Planting
in Prospect Gardens, Brampton Abbotts School new ECO garden
and environment, tree planting, recycling areas, the cleanliness
of Broad Street, the whole theme and community involvement
- a really fun day.'
Well
done Ross!
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Trikers and Bikers raise money for charity
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The
South West Trikers and Bikers held their 'Footloose and
Fancy 3' rally at Symonds Yat West between Friday, 2nd
and Sunday, 4th September with all profit from the event
going to two worthwhile causes, the Meningitis Trust and
the Foundation of Sudden Infant Death. On Friday night,
the group enjoyed live music from 'The Holloh', a young
local group who are fast making a name for themselves.
Both
Stevie, 'One Bloke and his Mandolin' and the ever popular
classic rock band, '1st Offence' entertained on Saturday
evening. There was a raffle held with many great prizes
as well as trophies for the best bike and trike.
The
South West Trikers and Bikers would like to say thank
you to everybody who attended including Meteor Motorcycles,
'Fundemental' Biker Clothing, Bike Spec, Digger Custom
Motorcycle Seats and Motoring Artist. They would also
like to thank Henry Danter and everybody at the Symonds
Yat Leisure park.
Theresa
Davies, one of the group said: "Without their help
we would not have managed to raise the £840 which
is to be equally divided between the two charities."
The group would also like to thank all of those who kindly
donated the raffle prizes.
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Fund
raising 'South West Trikers and Bikers' at Symonds Yat West. DSC_8970
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Llangrove Flower Show
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The
Llangrove Flower Show took place at Llangrove Village
Hall on Saturday, 3rd September. The event was very well
attended with some beautiful exhibits on display.
Pictured
below are some of the prize winners at the show: Anne
Whiteley, Sheila Howarth, Jean Hawksworth, Mike Hawksworth
and Maggie Pridgeon.
Prize
Winners
The
Llangrove Cup - Most Points in the Show - S Howarth
Div 1 - Llangrove Gardening Society Cup - Highest points
- S Howarth
Div 2 - Llangrove Gardening Society Cup - Highest points
- G Hicks
Div 5 - Llangrove Gardening Society Cup - Highest points
- M Wall
Div 6 - Llangrove Gardening Society Silver Salver - Highest
Points - J. Oakley and J. Rowen
Div
1 - Perpetual Challenge Cup to the member gaining the
most points - S Parkinson
Div 2 - Roger Robson Memorial Cup to the member gaining
the most points - S Dean
Div 5 - Perpetual Challenge Cup to the member gaining
the most points - S Howarth
Cups
/ Prizes for the best exhibit in each division
Div
1 Harry Stancer Memorial Cup (vegetables) - M Hawksworth
Div 2 - Harry Wall Memorial Cup - H Ackerman
Div 3 - For a Pot Plant - P Walshe
Div 4 - For Handicrafts - K Knowles
Div 5 - Bert Hall Memorial Cup (Arrangements) S Howarth
Div 6 - Margaret Storer Trophy - J Morgan.
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Winners,
Anne Whiteley, Sheila Howarth, Jean Hawksworth, Mike Hawksworth
and Maggie Pridgeon. DSC_8960
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