Clifford Primary School, near Hay-on-Wye is enjoying a week of special activities dedicated to the school's past, present and future.

On Monday, 12th November the children explored old log books and school plans to see how the building used to look. They undertook a historical who's who of past and present staff and investigated school dinners through the ages, cooking up and tasting some of the old favourites such as jam tarts, semolina and home made biscuits.

The children learned about how their school fitted into the universe when they were treated to a session on Victorian astronomy. Later in the day children worked on their very own school tapestry to depict the history of the school, replicating the style and colours of the Bayeux Tapestry.

Historical research into the links between the school also took place, when the children were taken on a church walk.

Ex- pupils, parents and staff, including two past head teachers, were invited to come and talk to the children in the afternoon about what it was like at Clifford School in their day.

The whole school dressed up on Thursday as the children experience being either a Victorian, a Second World War evacuee or a child of the future for the day.

Continued . . .

The school experienced a Victorian Drill, an air raid drill and receive messages from the future. The week finished with each class completing their part of the school's tapestry so that it can be put together for the first time in a special whole school assembly on Friday afternoon.

Jeremy Piper, head teacher, said: 'The school is in the process of a great amount of redevelopment and refurbishment which has enabled us to become, for the first time in the school's history, a four-class school with a separate Reception class. As we celebrate this expansion, we are also commemorating our 170th birthday by actively researching and experiencing Clifford School's history from its beginnings to the present day, with a little look at what the future may hold.

The staff organized a wonderful week of activities and the children have had a fantastic time finding out about how the school has grown, identifying the original parts of the school, and finding out about how the school, and school-life has changed throughout its history. The staff and children are absolutely buzzing about what they are finding out'.

Since her return to her native Herefordshire, Grace Anderson has been inspired by Hereford and its surroundings to pick up her pen and produce her first book of poetry.

After living in Newbury for many years, Grace found that Hereford gave her the peace an time to make her first attempt at writing a collection of poems. She said, 'The people of Hereford are fortunate with their environment. I couldn’t have imagined writing such poems in the south east.'

The poems range from topics such as the Cathedral and Elgar to flood defences and love and are on sale from £4 at the Tourist Information Centre and Hereford Cathedral Shop. Any profits will be shared between Herefordshire Growing Point, a charity that helps vulnerable people through Horticultural Therapy and Newbury District Crossroads.

Copies will be on sale at this Saturday’s Charities Market, otherwise please contact the author on 01432 341406.

Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership and Hereford United Football Club have teamed up to help bring an end to domestic abuse in Herefordshire. Activities will be taking place at Hereford's home match against Accrington on Saturday, 24th November to highlight International White Ribbon Day which is Sunday, 25th November.

Members of Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership, staff from West Mercia Women's Aid and football club staff will be supporting the campaign by wearing white ribbons for the fixture. Ribbons will also be sold around the Edgar Street ground to Hereford and Accrington supporters before, during and after the match. There will be an item placed in the match day programme explaining what the campaign is about, as well as messages going out over the tannoy and on the club's scoreboard during half time.

White Ribbon Day is an international event that aims to stop domestic abuse towards women. Anyone is able to buy and wear a white ribbon, however men are particularly encouraged to do so. By wearing the ribbon, men are pledging to never commit or remain silent about abuse against women.

Domestic abuse is any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse, including psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional abuse. Sadly, domestic abuse is common and statistics from the national charity Women's Aid indicate that 1 in 4 women experience domestic abuse in their lifetime, and between 1 in 8 to 1 in 10 women experience it annually.

Geoff Hughes, Chair of Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership, said, 'Working with Hereford United has given us a valuable opportunity to get this crucial message out to a large number of people. Domestic abuse is an unacceptable and cowardly crime that cuts across all sections of society, often behind closed doors. Those affected by domestic abuse may find it difficult to approach others for help. However, everyone has the right to live in a safe and secure environment, and if you are a victim of domestic abuse or know someone who is, there is help available.'

Those affected can contact West Mercia Women's Aid on 0800 783 1359 or visit www.womensaid.org.uk.

For further information, please contact Susanne Graham, 01432 260324, or Alison Grange, 01432 260658.

Herefordshire Council is encouraging residents to compost their fallen leaves this autumn. The leaves that fall at this time of year can often cause havoc for gardeners across the county And in certain places, leaves can also be a danger when wet.

Residents don't need to dispose of any dead leaves that litter their gardens, they can also make great use of them. The council's waste management team recommend collecting them up and either keeping a few back to put in the compost bin, or making leafmould. Dead leaves can help to make excellent compost when mixed with grass cuttings. Leafmould is beneficial for the garden and increases the potential for water retention within the soil, therefore reducing the need for watering.

Making leafmould is easy to do and eliminates the need to light smoky bonfires. Viktoria Salisbury, project development officer for composting, said, 'In our recent composting clinics, residents asked what they should do with the massive quantities of dead leaves in their gardens. Either making leafmould or composting some of the dead leaves will not only save residents a trip to the household recycling centre, it will also be beneficial to the garden. We are constantly striving to help residents with their composting and we urge people to contact us if they require any advice.'

Compost bins are available from £8. Those wanting further information about composting or leafmould should call the Mission Impossible hotline on 01905 766883 or visit www.wastemissionimpossible.org.uk.

Today, Herefordshire residents will get the chance to see the newly completed Museum Learning and Resource Centre in Friar Street, Hereford. The event will run between 11am and 3pm and will include guided tours of the new hi-tech facility together with refreshments.

Herefordshire Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund have jointly funded the £1.8 million project which provides one of the best museum collection facilities in the West Midlands. The extension offers a learning centre able to seat 60 people in a lecture format or 35 seated at tables and can also be divided into two smaller rooms.

100,000 objects will be housed at the resource centre, including a Turner painting, a collection of water-colours and other work by 18th century Leominster artist, John Scarlet-Davies and a collection from 19th century county painter Brian Hatton. The extensive learning collection and the natural history collections are also transferring to the centre. The objects will be kept under state of the art storage conditions.

There will also be a range of learning programmes for school groups and adult learners, public open days, a public display in the entrance area and facilities for the fine art collection. Staff transferred to the centre at the beginning of November and are now preparing to move collections in.

The exhibition and learning programmes will be fully operational in January 2008, so today's event and another to be held on Friday, 21st December are a great chance for a preview.

The building has access and parking for visitors with disabilities. Entrance is free.

Recently discovered documents showing the supply of water to houses in Victorian Hereford will soon be made available to researchers at Herefordshire Council's Record Office.

Dating from the 1870s, these registers show the households that were increasingly being connected to the city's supply of clean drinking water. This was during a period when epidemics caused by poor sanitation were still rife. Cataloguing the registers will be one of the tasks undertaken by the staff of the Record Office during its annual stocktaking closure which runs from Monday, 26th November until Friday, 14th December inclusive. Other projects will include the indexing of a major local history collection of archives that was formerly held at the Library.

During the stocktaking closure there will still be a full service for enquirers by telephone, email and letter. Rhys Griffith, senior archivist said, 'We aim to take advantage of this year's closure to make some really exciting archives available to our researchers. It will be yet another window opened on the county's history.'

Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership is inviting young people from the county's youth groups to enter a competition to design an anti vandalism poster. The Partnership wants to encourage young people to think about the damage vandals cause and how this could affect them, their friends, family or people in their local communities.

Vandalism is another word used for criminal damage. Vandalism can happen to all types of property such as cars, buildings, items in the community such as play areas, phone boxes and bus shelters. According to Home Office statistics, it is an increasing problem and two thirds of offenders are aged 21 and under.

If young people are caught causing vandalism, they can receive a criminal record, which could reduce their chances of being accepted onto a course or into university, discourage companies from employing them or make it difficult to travel to some countries, such as America. Offenders may also be fined or given an Anti Social Behaviour Order (ASBO).

Geoff Hughes, Chair of Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership, said, 'Vandalism can have a negative impact on local communities. It can make an area feel uncared for, make people feel worried or unsafe and limit the availability or development of community facilities. This is just one of the ways we are working to reduce the problem in Herefordshire and hope this competition will make young people stop and consider the effects that their actions may have.'

The competition is open to all 13 to 18 year olds in Herefordshire who belong to a local youth club or group. Posters must be A4 and include a picture and slogan that discourages other young people from vandalizing property. They can be designed in any style, either on paper or using a computer. They can come either from individuals, from a small groups or from the club / group as a whole. Entries will be judged by members of Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership and the winner will be announced in January.

The winner's youth club / group will be awarded £300 to spend on equipment for the group and the winning design will also be featured on posters used around Herefordshire, on the internet and in the local press. The closing date for entries is Monday, 18th December 2007.

Entries should be sent to Sophie Young, Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership, PO Box 4, Plough Lane, Hereford HR4 0XH or email syoung2@herefordshire.gov.uk. Please also use these contact details if you would like further information.

Planning permission for the erection of 17 homes at Frome Valley Haulage Depot, Bishops Frome, was approved by members of the northern area planning subcommittee at their meeting on Wednesday, 14th November.

The 17 homes will comprise four two bedroomed units, five three bedroomed units and eight four bedroomed units. Five of the homes will be affordable and 34 car parking spaces will be provided.

Three residents objected to the proposed development, concerned at over development of the site, overlooking and road safety concerns. Bishops Frome Parish Council felt 17 units was too many for the site which is allocated for 15 units in the local plan. They were also concerned about road safety and the lack of a play area for children.

Conditions were imposed and a section 106 agreement will have to be signed by the developer.

Planning permission for the erection of 10 stainless steel storage silos for fruit juice at Orchard Business Park, Bromyard Road, Ledbury, has been approved by members of the northern area planning subcommittee at their meeting on Wednesday, 14th November.

The silos, each with a height of 18 metres, are needed to help meet increasing demand for the product made by Thomas Services Company Limited. The site, part of an employment allocation, lies outside but next to the Malvern Hills area of outstanding natural beauty.

A report to the committee said the scheme had no significant detrimental impact on the landscape of the area. Conditions attached to planning permission included submitting a landscaping scheme.

Children's activities have been arranged for the drop in session over the future of the Masters House on Wednesday, 21st November. The session is to be held at the Burgage Hall, Ledbury and will start at 4pm.

The drop in session is for people who might find it difficult to attend the public presentation and meeting on the same day, which begins at 5.30pm.

Children's activities will be run by the Cultural Services team at Herefordshire Council and will relate to the history of the Masters House, while parents and guardians can discuss with officers and councillors the preferred option for the future of the Masters House.

Natalia Silver, Herefordshire Council's head of economic and community services, said, 'We want as many people as possible to know the council's approach in terms of the future of the Masters House. Hopefully, the timing and arrangement of the children's activities will enable people with child care responsibility to attend.'

Murder most foul was afoot during a recent open day at Tupsley Community Hall which was organized by Herefordshire Council's archive service. However, the event, was a friendly affair as the murder took place 120 years ago.

The notorious murder in Tupsley of Philip Ballard, the elderly and wealthy resident of the Knoll, hit the headlines in October 1887 and attracted huge interest throughout the West Midlands at the time. Mr Ballard was brutally murdered in his bed during a burglary and his death shocked and stunned the people of Hereford.

'The story of how Mr Ballard's killers were brought to justice is a prime example of Victorian law and order at work,' said Elizabeth Semper-O'Keefe, the archive service's information services manager. 'We were really pleased with the enthusiastic response to our open day. Looking at one dreadful episode in our city's history helps us to understand so much about Hereford's past.'

Despite the macabre theme of the open day, there was plenty of fun for visitors, with children's activities and competitions for the best reward posters and funniest captions. Guest of honour was a "real" Victorian policeman who described his working life and how the culprits were brought to justice.

Members of Herefordshire Council's northern area planning subcommittee meeting have agreed to hold a site visit over plans by Tyrells crisp company to create a potato vodka distillery at Rosemaund Farm, Preston Wynne.

Tyrells, based at Stretford Bridge, Leominster, are seeking planning permission for the change of use from warehousing to a distillery and biofuels plant at Rosemaund Farm, Rosemaund Drive, Preston Wynne. They also want to create a new vehicular access. Councillors met on Wednesday, 14th November and agreed to have a site visit.

Rosemaund Farm is currently used by ADAS as a research and development centre. The plan is for Tyrells to change the use of a hop kiln within the farmyard into a distillery to produce potato vodka. This would be the first commercial distillery in Herefordshire for many years. A by product of the distillation process would create methanol and the scheme also includes a facility for the production of bio-diesel. A 15.5 metre high distillation tower would be erected.

Herefordshire Council's principal tourism officer supported the plans as an excellent diversification scheme. Felton Parish Council objected to the scheme, concerned about the number of vehicles accessing the site and about the change of use from agricultural to commercial. Withington Parish Council also expressed concerns about traffic and highway safety. Twenty one letters of objection were received from local residents concerned about highway safety and emissions from the distillation tower. A petition signed by 29 people has also been received, concerned about increased traffic movements.

In support of the application, councillors were told around 80 people are currently employed on the site by ADAS. The distillery would have a capacity of 3,600 bottles per week. It would be planned to deliver waste sunflower oil from Tyrells Potato Chips to the site once a week for conversion into bio-diesel which will be used to run a generator for the distillery and to run farm vehicles.

Visitors to Hereford's Record Office are promised a fascinating insight into the Romany Way of life in the county, courtesy of specialist chronicler, Mary Homer who has dedicated her life to studying Romanies from Herefordshire and beyond..

Mary will be at the special exhibition which will take place on Wednesday, 21st November between 7 and 9pm and will be happy to talk to visitors. She will have some of the thousands of photographs she has collected over the years on view.

Mary will also have examples of memorabilia, from beautifully crafted model wagons to colourful and intricate paper flowers, on display. Throughout the evening she will be on hand to share some of the tales she has gathered over many years and hopes to attract new contributions of memories. Light refreshments will be available.

Rhys Griffith, senior archivist, said, 'Mary's collections offer a fascinating insight into a changing world. Her work has ensured that endangered Romany traditions will be remembered in the future.'

For further information please contact Rhys Griffith 01432 260750.

Students, parents, local organizations and residents are being urged to voice their opinions on plans to replace Minster College in Leominster.

Since Herefordshire Council gave approval to replace the existing college with a new modern building for 1020 students, work has continued at the college to prepare plans for the rebuild. A great deal of research and consultation has been going on behind the scenes in order to make sure that the new building will provide the best possible facilities for a 21st century school and college in Leominster.

Herefordshire Council Cabinet met in September and agreed that the plans should be for a school for children aged 11 to 18 with space for 900 students in the 11 to 16 section and 120 students in the sixth form. There are also plans for further community facilities on site to complement the Leominster Leisure Centre, swimming pool and the Children's Centre. For example, the plans have capacity to include a youth centre, the Marches Consortium teacher training centre and a Learning and Skills Council employer business centre.

'Having a new building provides us with a fantastic opportunity to bring services together and make sure our children can access top quality facilities at school, college and after school too,' said Richard North, College Principal. 'We are eager to ensure that we consult as widely as possible with all our partners in the local Leominster community. We need to make sure our plans meet as many needs as possible, now and for future years and look forward to a high attendance at this very important community meeting.'

Herefordshire Council has arranged a consultation meeting in the Minster College Main Hall at 7.30pm on Thursday, 6th December, in order that members of the community can express their views at an open forum.

A plan for change of use of the former post office in Leominster into a public house was approved by members of the northern area planning subcommittee at their meeting on Wednesday, 14th November.

JD Wetherspoon plc applied for the permission for change of use of the building in Corn Square, which is currently vacant. Plans also involved refurbishment of a single storey extension at the rear, the demolition of an outbuilding and a new rear extension.

The scheme, which was refused in June this year, has been amended and now retains the basic form of the former post office sorting office.

One letter of support was received, saying the scheme would attract customers to the town centre. Five letters of objection were received, concerned at highway safety and increased risk of night-time rowdiness and vandalism. Conditions were imposed and members requested officers contact the applicant to seek voluntary agreement on servicing.

Plans for the erection of a 12,000 bird free range, organic egg laying unit on land South of The Lodge, Hatfield, near Leominster, were approved by members of the northern area planning subcommittee at their meeting on Wednesday, 14th November.

The plan seeks outline planning permission for the erection of a 12,000 bird egg laying unit and a new access. The building will be of timber framed construction. Five letters of objection were received concerned at extra traffic, smell and noise and standards of animal welfare.

Herefordshire Council's public rights of way officer objected to the location because it would have a detrimental effect on the adjoining bridleway. Conditional outline permission was granted and officers were given delegated powers to approve the application subject to amended plans increasing the distance of the building from the bridle path.

A special conference focussing on people with learning disabilities who live in Herefordshire is to be held at The Kindle Centre, Hereford on Thursday, 13th December.

The conference, entitled 'A Better Life' will be hosted by the Herefordshire Valuing People Partnership Board, a group which brings together all those who have an interest in ensuring good life chances and positive outcomes for people who have a learning disability in Herefordshire. The conference will feature three national speakers, as well as presenters who are service users, and their carers.

A Better Life will provide an opportunity for people with a learning disability, and those involved in supporting them, to hear the latest national and local news and contribute to local developments. The three national speakers are, Rob Grieg, National Director for Learning Disabilities; Chris Davies, ex-chairman of the Learning Disability Task Force and Caroline Tomlinson, Associate Director, In Control.

The welcome speech will be given by Councillor Olwyn Barnett, Herefordshire's Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Housing. The event is open to invited guests. For further information contact Sara Siloko, Directorate Services Officer (health), on 01432 261804.

A video showcasing the work of Herefordshire Council's transport planning is to be shown at the Local Government Association general assembly, which is being held in London on Wednesday, 12th December.

The finished footage will also be aired on The Community Channel, a free to air digital channel which is wholly owned by the Media Trust and supported by major broadcasters. The channel is dedicated to raising awareness of issues which affect communities.

Herefordshire Council's highways and transportation department is working on the video which aims to showcase some of its major schemes and projects in the county. These will include road safety schemes, Rotherwas access road, Colwall Bridge, community transport and road safety education.

Councillor Brian Wilcox, Herefordshire Council's Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said, 'It will be wonderful to showcase the work we do to fellow professionals at the conference and for the general public to get a chance to see the final film on television. We are a centre of excellence for transport planning and being invited to create a permanent record of our achievements will further help to put us on the national map.'

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