As a present for his 50th birthday, Glyn Williams (my friend across the street) was given a Champagne Flight in a hot air balloon. Glyn took the flight on Sunday, 17th September and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I did actually see the balloon fly overhead whilst I was in the office preparing last week's news and was aware that Glyn was on board but by the time I retrieved my camera from the house, it was a little too distant to photograph showing people in the basket.

Glyn kindly gave me copies of the photos he took of Ross-on-Wye for Wyenot News. Four of these are reproduced below.

The first is taken from above Gloucester Road and gives a clear view of the Market House and St. Mary's. Photo no. 2 shows a clear view of the Maltings and Broad Street. No. 3 shows virtually the whole town centre, with Station Approach and Morrison's to the bottom. Photo no. 4 shows the junction of Hill View Road and Three Crosses Road. My own garden can be seen in this (with the high hedge and large tree - to the right of the passing cars) and Glyn's house is directly opposite, in Three Crosses Road.

Thank you to Julie Andrews for sending in these beautiful photographs of sunset over Orcop Hill near Ross-on-Wye. If you would like to see your scenic photos published in a future issue of Wyenot News, please email in highest resolution available (so that I can reduce them in size as this helps to maintain the best image quality) by clicking here.

The Annual Presentation of Awards Evening for Ross-in-Bloom 2006 will be held this week. During the evening invited guests will be collecting their gold and other major awards in this years competitions. The full list of all results will be printed in the press within the next few weeks. There is an interim reference list of all winners so far available at the Heritage Centre. A full list will be available after the awards evening which will include surprise results.

This year saw 585 people gaining awards for their floral displays and for services to the community with Community Spirit Awards. The following received Retired/Disabled Individual Garden Awards in this years Ross-in-Bloom Judging in the competitions. In this competition gardeners have to be nominated for a visit, as the judges do not know who qualifies for this category without this information.

Bronze: 11, 20, 27, 32 Cottage Park. 14 Goodrich Court. 16, 18, 22 Grammar School Close. 29 32, 38 Smallbrook Gardens.3 Vectis Close. 34, 39 Bernard Hackett Court. Flat 3 Ross Court. Rettie Chapel Road. Willow Leas Greytree. Silver: 3, 12, 46 Goodrich Court. 15, 21 Cottage Park. 2 Wallace Hall Row. 31, 34, 39, 44 Smallbrook Gardens. 7 The Mead. Cherrian Ledbury Road. Flat 11 Ross Court.
Silver Gilt: 23, 5 Cottage Park. 35 Smallbrook Gardens. 57, 60, 9 Goodrich Court. 6 Merrick Place. 8 The Mead. 8 Wallace Hall Row, 9 Bernard Hackett Court. Flat 16 & Flat 6 Ross Court.
Gold: 15, 16 & 17 Bernard Hackett Court.
Other Private Gardeners:
Bronze: 12, 23, 43 Brampton Road. 55, 6, 8 Three Crosses Road. 7 Kennedy Place. Coln Cottage Mount Pleasant. 8 Brampton Avenue. 22 Oaklands. 39 Primrose Close. 58, 65, 72 Verschoyle Gardens. 9 Orchid Close. 1 Cawdor Gardens. 1 Greytree Road. 1 Homs Road. 46, 55, 61 Nursery Road. 6, 9 Morley Square. Wessington Trenchard Street. 10 Sandringham Close. 12 Overross Farm. 32 Court Road. Arosfa Walled Garden. 13 & Woodhay Blake Avenue. 15, 34, 7 Park Walk. 22 Gresleys. 7 Waterside. 8 Milton Terrace. Lamorna Alton Street. 10 Walford Avenue. 12 Walnut Tree Close. 4, 28 Purland. 4 Erdington Close. 41, 49, 73 Tudor Rise. The Bungalow Chapel Street. Tudor Rose Tudor Street. 6 The Shrubbery. 1 Redwood Close. 103 Roman Way. 3, 12 Laburnum Close. 13 Rowan Close. 20 Duxmere Drive. 3 Goodrich Close. 4 Corinium Road. 5, 6 Juniper Place. 3, 9 Pencraig View. 7 Blackthorn Close. Caprice Sixth Avenue Close. Fairview Third Avenue. Larches Greytree. Linden Second Avenue. Stoneleigh Fourth Avenue. 14 Parsons Croft. 3 The Close. Flat 3 Cantilupe Court.
Silver: 16 Mayhill Road. 22 Brampton Avenue. 4 Brampton Road. Hawarden Cottage Cawdor. 16 Orchid Close. 26, 37 Primrose Close. 2, 49 Nursery Road. The Waltons Prospect Terrace. 1 Rudhall Close. 48, 54, 50 Court Road. Heaven Scent Walled Garden. Redwing Ledbury Road. 10 Beechwood Place. 6 Penyard Villas & Arlington Weston Grove. 22 Alton Road. 23 Gresleys. 7 Milton Terrace. Brookside Alton Street. 14, 39 Purland. 32 Middleton Avenue. 4 Redhill Road. 8 The Shrubbery. Blenwood Hawthorne Lane. 1 Corinium Road. 1 Danum Road. 2 Vectis Close. 1, 2 Blackthorn Close. 11 Backney View. 2 Blackfields Cottages. Bri Alin & Peppercorns Fourth Avenue. Chez Nous & No 24 Third Avenue. Jalna & Rose Cottage Greytree. Summer Place Sixth Avenue. 12 The Glebe. Westlea Hildersley. 21 Crofts Lane.
Silver Gilt: 4, 11 Three Crosses Road. 2 Brampton Road. 2 Wallhouse Road. 19 Orchid Close. 4 Foxglove Close. 20, 60 Nursery Road. 11 Brookmead. 6, 12 Rudhall Close. 2 Chatsworth Close. 26 North Road. Oakdale Gloucester Road. 11 Park walk. 20 Blake Avenue. 21, 23 Alton Road. 16, 34 Purland. 24 Tudor Rise. 31 Middleton Avenue. Foxgloves & Lawrenny Cleeve Lane. 1 Lincoln Close. 12 Vectis Close. 5 Danum Road. Ashbridge & Papillion First Avenue. Kimberley Fourth Avenue. Roma & Ty Cae Fifth Avenue. The Sheillings Sixth Avenue Close. 8 Parsons Croft. White House Hildersley. 1 S Mary's Court. 20, 23 Crofts Lane.
Retired Community:
Bronze: Cottage Park.
Silver: Goodrich Court & Rosedale Retirement Home.
Silver Gilt: Bernard Hackett Court & Merton House Hotel.
Gold: Ross Court.

The lists for the Gold Private Gardens, the Overall Winners and the Community Spirit Awards will be published next week with the report for the Presentation Evening. All other awards will appear the week after. All certificates were sent out by post in August. Any omissions are purely unintentional.

The winter training season of head racing (time trailing) commenced last weekend at Monmouth. Ross Rowing Club had 15 entries and took home 6 victories. The Junior squad achieved yet another new height with each entered crew winning their event! This is unprecedented, especially when you considered that Ross Juniors were up against all local rowing schools, such as Haberdashers and Kings Worcester. The successful crews were , Wj15 4x+ of 5 quad of Hannah Jones, Hannah Lewis, Jasmin-Brandram Jones and Georgina Watling with Frazer Blackwood Coxing; Wj16 4x+, Sarah Woolf, Fiona Rogoff, Jessica Preece and Emily Preece , Frazer Blackwood coxing, Wj162x Hannah Lewis, Jasmin-Brandram Jones; Open J152x . Dan Hunt and Dan Moran, Open j16 1x Borris Darcy.

The Junior wins were added to by the veteran crew of Phil Palmer, Clive Snell, Brain Fountain, Howard Copping with Sheron Dean Lucas coxing. The men's squad lost out in the Snr 3 eights by half a second and men's Snr 4 sculler Joe Bunting was pipped by just 3 seconds over the 2250 meter course.

This is an excellent start to the time trail season and indicated the quality of oarsmanship and enthusiasm at the Ross Club. The club will be celebrating the culmination of a successful season at the Regatta Ball on the 21st October, held at the Chase hotel.

Pictured are the successful Ross Junior Academy squad members.

Ross-on-Wye Weather Station is located by the tennis courts and bowling green at 'Crossfields' and is one of the important stations around the country which regularly sends data to the Meteorological Office. This is why Ross-on-Wye is sometimes mentioned on the BBC weather reports. It is currently still a manually monitored station and readings are taken twice per day by husband and wife team, June and Rex Swallow.

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