The President of the Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI), Peter L. Offer, visited Herefordshire to present a plaque at the newly refurbished Y-Zone in Ross on Wye. The former youth club has been transformed into a creative learning centre.

The Rotary Club of Ross on Wye has provided £15,500 for instruments and equipment for a music-production suite, where young people and the wider community can mix and record their own CDs. Jennifer Lockwood, Assistant Community Youth Service Manager, said: "The development of the music suite, together with the centre refurbishment paid for with European funding, has provided the area with some fantastic facilities. Young people and members of the local community have been able to learn new skills and spend some of their spare time creatively. We're very grateful to the Rotary Club. Without their generosity, this project couldn't have happened. Music is an important part of the youth culture and being able to actively participate allows local talent to flourish and grow."

Rod Barker, President of the Rotary Club of Ross on Wye said "We are very keen to work on projects involving young people and we are delighted to be associated with this project." Demand for the music suite has been high, and the skills of a professional musician are being used to help users find their way around the technical equipment.

The Council plans to lease the centre to the Ross Creative Learning Centre, whose trustees will eventually take over the management of the building. In the meantime, a full programme of creative activities is being developed for the whole community and some weekend music workshops are being organized for those aged 16 and over.

Peter Offer, accompanied by District Governor, Ron McKechnie unveiled a plaque commemorating the funding and work undertaken at the Y-Zone music suite.

'Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and young leaders from Ross, Bridstow, Bishopswood and Goodrich and District took part in a Thinking Day service which was held at St. Bridget's Church, Bridstow on Thursday 22nd February. Founder of the Scout and Girl Guide movements, Lord Baden-Powell was born on February 22nd and on this day each year members of the movements celebrate by thinking about all of the other Brownies and Guides etc. in the world.

A new walks booklet has been published for the Coppett Hill and Goodrich area - based on a starting point in Goodrich Castle Car Park. This new guide covers several walks on and around Coppett Hill and is published by the Friends of Coppett Hill charity with financial assistance from the Wye Valley AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) Sustainability Fund.

Coppett Hill is part of the Wye Valley AONB and takes up much of the famous view from Symonds Yat Rock as seen on the cover of the book. Since 2000 the area has been designated a Local Nature Reserve and is managed by local residents in Goodrich and Welsh Bicknor. It now covers 96 hectares which makes it one of the biggest nature reserves in Herefordshire.

The Hill provides spectacular views over a wide area of Herefordshire and neighbouring counties. It is also unique in the area; having been a common, large areas are unwooded and this provides a range of interesting habitats supporting a wide range of flora and fauna - including several rare species including the endangered Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterfly.

The walks have been researched and written up by Mike Thompson who has recently moved to Goodrich. Mike used to run a walking holidays business in mid-Wales and has written several walking books. In the new guide Mike has mapped out walks ranging from a gentle two mile stroll along the river and lower slopes of the hills to a more energetic eight and a half mile walk around Coppett Hill.

The new booklet also provides a more in depth guide to the area by including some details of local history, flora and fauna, geology as well as giving a set detailed descriptions of the walks. There are clear and detailed maps for each walk and the central pages allow identification of the hills from the trig point stretching from the Black Mountains in the West to the Malverns and Clee Hill to the East and North.

The guide is available from Tourist Information Centres in the area and Jolly's of Goodrich price £3.00.

The skills of Kempley families maintain an 'Arts & Crafts Movement' ethos that has been alive since the original construction of the more recent of the village's churches, St Edward's one hundred years ago.

Much Marcle hard-landscaper Paul Keith this week completed renovation works to the path leading through the lychgate. By salvaging pieces of the original Forest of Dean stone he has repaired the uneven path inside the gate, and found matching 'new' sandstone to relay smashed flagstones in the roadside entrance, which have suffered the effects of trailer lorries turning in the village

The lychgate design of Randall Wells in 1903 owes its simple beauty and rustic charm to the skilled use of local materials by two villagers, Foreman Carpenter, R. James and the delightful ironwork latch and hinge mechanism of blacksmith, George Smallman.

A third generation link is maintained today by the 1903 churchwarden's grandson, Mike Mason representing Kempley Parochial Church Council (P.C.C.) seen below overseeing Paul's work and lending a hand with his shovels.

The works have been financially supported through the fund-raising efforts of The Friends of Kempley Churches. There is currently considerable activity throughout the village in preparation for 'Kempley Daffodil Weekend', which takes place over the weekend of March 17th and 18th.

The Gwillim Memorial Committee at Whitchurch will be holding their third Annual Lecture on Tuesday, 20th March This year's talk is called 'Tales of Travel before Tarmac' and will be given by Ann Parker.

'Tales of Travel before Tarmac' is based on the unpublished memoirs of John Bailey, the long-serving coachman to Lieutenant General John Simcoe and his family. Mrs. Simcoe, whose maiden name was Gwillim, during her long widowhood, 1806 to 1849, loved to travel. She made, what would seem today, great demands on her devoted coachman. Snowdonia and Cornwall were among her favoured destinations.

The lecture will take place at Whitchurch Village Hall at 7.30 PM Tickets cost £5.00, include Wine and Cheese and are available from Whitchurch Village Shop, or by telephone 01600 890243 or 01989 563995.

A lady was walking in Archenfield Road, Ross on Wye on Tuesday 20th February 2007 at 3.45 PM when she saw a car parked with a man in the drivers seat. As she passed by, the man attracted her attention by speaking when it became clear that he was masturbating. The lady was disgusted with the behaviour and walked off. The incident was reported to the police. The car was being navy blue in colour and the offender is described as being a white male, early 20’s short dark tidy hair and well spoken.

Police are appealing for witnesses who may have been in the area at the time or anyone with information to assist the enquiry to contact PC Mike Evans at Ross on Wye Police Station on 08457 44888.

Ross-on-Wye 11 - Westbury 3

Ross took on local rivals Westbury last Saturday, looking to continue their impressive run of league form and keep the pressure on league leaders Dursley,who were 3 points clear at the top of the league. However, with two games in hand Ross are still very much in the hunt for the title.

Ground conditions were extremely heavy and a raft of showers just before kick off did not improve the chances of an open game. As the ball became caked in mud it became very difficult for either side to gain any sort of momentum. The final score might suggest a tight game, however the scoreline was never in doubt after Chris Gage put Ross ahead after 15 minutes with his first penalty. By then Ross were dominating possession and when Westbury did get the ball, Ross's excellent defence ensured that Westbury did not gain any go forward.

The Ross pack continued to work hard and always had the upper hand in the forward exchanges. However, with the ground so heavy they just could not get enough quick ball to allow the Ross backs the opportunity to run in the tries. With the game past the hour mark, Ross were only 6-0 ahead after a second penalty from Chris Gage.

After sixty five minutes, Ross finally crossed the Westbury line to put the game safe. Tim Hanks won a lineout ball wide out on the left. Initially Wayne Williams then Mike Davies and Gavin Oates drove the ball hard into the Westbury defence. Simon Gwynne moved the ball quickly to Chay Brine who cut inside his man. He drew the defence and put Andy Hunt clear. With only the fullback to beat, he drew his man and fed Wayne Bishop who scored wide out on the right. Westbury did get a consolation penalty with 10 minutes to go but the victory was safe and Ross ran out 11-3 victors.

Next Saturday 3rd March Ross travel to Tredworth. Kick off is at 2.30 PM

Ross-on-Wye 2nds 53 - Ledbury 3rds 3

Ross 2nds visited Ledbury 3rds in a thrilling fixture on Saturday, 24th February, coming away with a 53 points to 8 points victory, earning the seconds their highest victory so far this season. With tries coming from Sam Griffiths, Richard Russell, Paul Haywood, Andy Bevan, Marcus Russell and Gareth Holdsworth and with Matt Taylor successful with the boot on three occasions, Ross entered half time 36 points to 3 up.

As the second half began, Ross's heads starting to drop and Ledbury crossed the line for their only try of the game. Ross then regrouped and crossed the line another three times with tries coming from Tony Clements, Kevin Healy, Richard Russell, completing his brace and Matt Taylor successfully kicking another conversion to add to his tally.

With so many outstanding performances to choose from the man of the match was hard to choose but the decision finally went to Kevin Healy for his outstanding performance in the tight and loose. Ross would also like to acknowledge Dan Dickens for his performance on his debut for Ross.

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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