Conservative parliamentary candidate Jesse Norman and Shadow Schools Secretary Michael Gove MP were privileged to award the prizes at a special event last Friday at Clehonger Primary School. The pupils were asked to design a Valentines Day card with a difference: instead of addressing the cards to a boy or girlfriend, they wrote them to the school, to say why they valued it so much and did not want it to be closed.

In the event the competition was so close that ten girls and boys were awarded prizes. Earlier Jesse and Mr Gove led a lively discussion among the pupils on the same topic, before singing the school song. 'What a superb occasion'.

Jesse, who also runs schools campaign website SchoolsFirst.org.uk, afterwards said, 'I feel honoured to have been asked along. And I was amazed by the variety and quality of the children's Valentines Day cards. It is very good to be able to bring the Shadow Minister himself to visit our schools in Herefordshire, so that he can see first hand how much is done with the little Government funding we receive.'

On the previous night Mr Gove had also been the special guest at a working supper of teachers, heads and schools campaigners at the Herefordshire College of Technology. In the course of nearly ninety minutes of Q&A, he spoke on a very wide range of educational issues, and reiterated his opposition at the highest level to rural school closures.

A scheme which helps hundreds of shoppers with mobility problems each year to get around Hereford is holding an open day for people to find out what they can offer. Shopmobility, which is tucked away in a corner of the Maylord Orchards car park, will throw open its doors for two days, on Friday, 29th February and Saturday, 1st March, to show what they've got on offer.

'The main aim of these days is to help people with a temporary or permanent physical disability, their families, friends and carers to see for themselves what Shopmobility can do to help people with improved access to shopping and other leisure experiences,' said Cllr Glenda Powell, Chairman of the Hereford Shopmobility liaison committee.

'Hereford's Shopmobility scheme has been running since June 1990. We have 17 scooters, nine electric wheelchairs and 12 manual wheelchairs which we loan out free of charge,' added Cllr Powell.

Jim Lawes, from Herefordshire Access for All, said, 'We are proud to have been in partnership with Hereford City and Herefordshire Council since the beginning of Hereford Shopmobility service. Over the years our fund-raising efforts have fulfilled our commitment to provide, maintain and insure all the vehicles in use and to make certain that a good, reliable fleet has always been available.'

Cllr Brian Wilcox, cabinet member for highways and transportation, said, 'It's amazing what a difference the scheme makes to people's lives when they visit Hereford. As well as having regular customers from across the county, we also cater for lots of visitors to the city who are extremely grateful for the service which allows them to enjoy what we have on offer. We are proud of the service we provide and we simply want more people to know about us and how we can help them'.

Booking is not necessary for visitors on the open days - just turn up between 9am and 4.45pm. The open day is part of a national awareness event organized by the National Federation of Shopmobility which brings together a network of around 350 Shopmobility schemes. It is estimated that nationally 1.5 million people benefit from Shopmobility schemes on about 3.5 million trips when they spend around £260 million boosting local economies.

Herefordshire is lending its green space and wide open countryside to some of the very best outdoor activity and experience providers in the country to create 'The University of the Great Outdoors.'

Former Welsh rugby international turned TV presenter Leuan Evans will kick start the May Bank Holiday event which takes place in the shadow of the Malvern Hills in the grounds of Eastnor Park at Ledbury.

The event, which will be held on Sunday, 4th and Monday, 5th May, is at the heart of the brand new 'The University of the Great Outdoors' campaign, which is aimed not only at highlighting the county's claim as one of the best destinations in Britain for an activity holiday, but also at enticing visitors to the county to try something entirely different, or to extend their abilities.

Set within the Malvern Hills and surrounded by a deer park, arboretum and lake, Eastnor Castle will provide the perfect backdrop for this multi activity event, which will allow individuals, groups and families to try anything from grass sledging to orienteering, and from zip lining to archery, in a safe, secure and controlled environment.

The University of the Great Outdoors is the only regional two day event focusing exclusively on outdoor activities, where visitors can pay a one off entrance fee, which will then enable them to circulate within the grounds, and enjoy taster sessions in a choice of 25 different activities.

'If you've never tried mountain boarding down a steep slope, or grass sledging over bumpy terrain, then Herefordshire can break you into the habit,' said VisitHerefordshire's Cultural Services Manager, Jane Lewis. 'You'll even be able to camp out under the stars and learn the true art of bush craft. If you're not feeling so energetic, there will be some more leisurely activities available, including from wine tasting, green woodcraft, photography and wildlife trails.'

Exhibitors and leisure equipment suppliers will also be on hand throughout the event to provide expert advice, and essential kit, to anyone interested in taking the taster sessions on to the next level.

A central arena will have a full programme of spectator events to keep the whole family amused, from a birds of prey display, to an adrenaline pumping parachute jump.

Easily accessed by road and train, and with a vast range of quality-assessed accommodation available locally, The University of the Great Outdoors event is featured on www.visitherefordshire.com.

For further information, please contact: Jane Lewis, Cultural Services Manager, Visit Herefordshire on 01432 383068 or via e-mail: jlewis2@herefordshire.gov.uk.

Further details can be also be obtained by telephoning 01432 260621.

Herefordshire is to have its first part-time 20mph speed limit as part of a pilot scheme endorsed by the Department of Transport. The part-time signals will be put in place at Sutton St Nicholas's new primary school, which is due to open later this year.

Councillor Brian Wilcox, Herefordshire Council's cabinet member for highways and transportation, said, 'These part-time signals will only operate at school opening and closing times. Flashing lights will warn motorists they need to slow down but, outside of school times, the limit rises to 30mph and this will help to ensure traffic can keep flowing. We also want to encourage as many pupils as possible to walk and cycle to school and this 20mph limit will allow them to do this more safely'.

The part-time signals were chosen following consultation with the public, including an exhibition held last year. Work began on Monday, February 18 to introduce both a new 30mph limit on the C1125 at Sutton St Nicholas and, within this, a part-time 20mph limit near to the school. The 20mph limit will only operate during term times at school opening and closing hours.

The scheme has been designed by Owen Williams on behalf of Herefordshire Council. It aims to reduce vehicle speeds and increase road safety for all road users especially children and encourage more pupils to walk and cycle to school.

Work includes a new pelican crossing near the school entrance, road signs including vehicle activated variable speed signs, improvements to footways, new road surfacing and road markings.

The council's contractor Amey Wye Valley is responsible for the work on site and completion is expected early in April. Every effort will be made to minimize disruption to road users.

S & A Property Limited's application to the Court of Appeal in London on Monday, 25th February to try to prevent enforcement action by Herefordshire Council has been dismissed. The decision now clears the way for the council to take enforcement proceedings against the company.

This action followed Herefordshire Council's legal victory at the High Court of Justice in Birmingham against a similar injunction in a case decided by His Honour Judge Brown QC earlier this month.

Lords Justice Carnwath, Toulson and Waller were asked to grant an injunction preventing enforcement action being taken by the council until the Court of Appeal have ruled if His Honour Judge Brown was correct to refuse the originally sought injunction.

Lord Justice Carnwath said, 'The case is weak in the extreme.'

Lord Justice Waller said, 'The longer this matter went on, the more misconceived it seemed to be.' and Lord Justice Toulson added that 'The case was quite hopeless.'

Costs of £8,850 were awarded to Herefordshire Council and must be paid within 14 days.

The company failed on Thursday, 7th February in a bid to get an injunction to stop council enforcement action against buildings at Brierley Court Farm, near Leominster, from going ahead. The enforcement required S & A Property Limited to remove a sewage treatment works and amenity buildings, erected without planning permission, by January 10th, 2008, but this had not been done. S & A sought an interim injunction to preserve the status quo at the site pending its application to the European Court of Human Rights but this was refused.

His Honour Judge Brown turned down the earlier application for an injunction in Birmingham and costs of £6,852.40 were awarded to Herefordshire Council. S & A Property Limited then sought leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal but His Honour Judge Brown turned down this request.

The company said at the time it would still be looking to appeal this decision and the urgent hearing was listed for the Court of Appeal in London on Monday, 25th February 2008.

Hereford Leisure Centre has been rated fifth in the country for public leisure services and has joined Ross Swimming Pool in being rated as within the top one per cent of public leisure facilities nation-wide

This accolade comes from Quest, the UK quality scheme for sport and leisure, who are completing the latest round of external inspections on Halo operated leisure facilities in Hereford, Ledbury, Ross, Bromyard and Leominster.

All of the county's public leisure facilities managed by Halo have now been inspected and the overall scores put Halo within the top 10 per cent in the UK, with Hereford Leisure Centre ranked as equal fifth.

Halo, a social enterprise and registered charity, manages leisure centres on behalf of their major partner Herefordshire Council. It is one of only two companies to have achieved accreditation for all centres and at a 'highly commended' level, the other being Sheffield International Venues.

Alex Haines, manager of Hereford Leisure Centre said, 'We have made consistent progress year on year, both in terms of service and support systems. However, the most rewarding part, as manager, is having the commitment of the staff. Without their support, we would not have achieved this level.'

Councillor Adrian Blackshaw, Herefordshire Council's cabinet member for economic development and community services said, 'When we set up the trust for Halo leisure, we wanted it to achieve the highest possible standards and this external inspection shows they certainly have.

People in Herefordshire are fortunate to have such splendid leisure facilities across the county and I would encourage everyone to make full use of them so Halo can continue to build on their success.'

Jon Argent, chief executive of Halo Leisure said, 'I am delighted that Alex and his team have seen their hard work rewarded. This is an example of partnership working at its very best and shows how councils can work with organizations like Halo and in return gain top class leisure facilities for the public. Our aim is to be recognized as a model of best practice in the leisure industry, so we are delighted with the results of these independent inspections.'

For further details on using Halo leisure facilities, log onto the website at http://www.haloleisure.co.uk/

Herefordshire Council is to get its urgently needed social care computer package to replace outdated computer systems and improve its service to the most vulnerable members of the community. On Thursday, 21st February, the council's cabinet approved an investment of £2.47 million over four years after it had been scrutinized by the council's strategic monitoring committee last month

Councillors upheld the recommendation to replace the eleven-year old system that is struggling to meet unprecedented demands as the number of older people needing help in the county soars.

The new Corelogic software system is used by 24 other local authorities in the country and will enable social care workers to accurately, quickly and simply share vast amounts of electronic information to make better informed judgements about individual care needs, whilst monitoring performance against set standards in order to improve service. .

The cabinet heard that data security measures were included in the package and the council's ICT division has recently achieved accreditation to ISO 27001, which is the international information security standard. To answer previous concerns, cabinet were assured that the new system will be able to be used by employees in the council's antiquated Bath Street premises in Hereford, and there was sufficient capacity in the information links to the council's data centre at Plough Lane, Hereford.

An assessment panel of 32 staff from the council's adult and children social care services, finance and the primary care trust scored demonstrations from several potential providers before Corelogic was chosen as the preferred option. Visits to other local authorities took place to see the system in action. Neighbouring Worcestershire County Council was particularly positive in its experience of Corelogic. It had used the same system as Herefordshire, which dates from the time the two authorities were one council until the creation of Herefordshire County Council in 1998.

The new Corelogic system is expected to be in place by the summer of 2008.

Plans for 151 homes on land off Bullingham Lane, Hereford, were deferred by members of the Central Area Planning Subcommittee at their meeting on Wednesday, 20th February.

Councillors on the subcommittee wanted more information regarding the sustainability of the development and the management of the affordable housing before making a final decision on the plans.

The site comprises the last phase (Phase 3) of residential development on the former SAS camp known as Bradbury Lines. Outline planning permission was granted on February 10th, 2005, for the mixed use development of the site comprising housing, public open space, community and retail facilities.

Homes planned were one, two, three, four and five bedroomed homes and one and two bedroom apartments.

Thirty six per cent of the total homes would be affordable with 18 per cent being low cost discount market housing, nine per cent rented and nine per cent shared ownership.

Hereford City Council objected to the over development of the site feeling it would have an adverse effect on the already over used A49.

Lower Bullingham Parish Council was concerned at the lack of infrastructure and disagreed with the intensity of houses. They were also concerned about drainage issues and parking.

A report to the subcommittee said the density of the site was acceptable under the Unitary Development Plan.

The homes on this final phase are to be designed to a minimum standard of Eco Homes Good and this will increase the energy efficiency of the houses.

The report added, '… the additional sustainable transport contributions will assist in reducing the overall carbon footprint of the development from the start of the construction process through to future occupation of the houses.'

Members of Herefordshire Council's Central Area Planning Subcommittee have decided to hold a site visit over plans for erecting two buildings for light industrial use at Marshall Business Centre, Westfields Trading Estate, Hereford.

The site visit was decided upon at their meeting on Wednesday, 20th February.

Herefordshire Council's environmental health and trading standards manager had no objection but felt conditions were needed to prevent noise as complaints had been received from two residents groups active in the area.

Hereford City Council had no objection.

Letters of objection were received from 23 properties in Grandstand Road and six properties in Armadale Close. Concerns were expressed that the site was not large enough for the development, that the buildings are too large and near to residential properties and will give rise to additional noise and traffic.

The application site lies within an established industrial area allocated for a mix of employment purposes with the Herefordshire Unitary Development Plan.

Plans for a glasshouse at Whitethorn Farm, Carey, Hoarwithy, were approved by members of Herefordshire Council's Central Area Planning Subcommittee at their meeting on Wednesday, 20th February.

The glasshouse will be used for the organic production of plants, fruit and vegetables.

Herefordshire Council's conservation manager had expressed concerns about the scale of the glasshouse but felt a landscaping scheme produced addressed the visual impact of the scheme.

Little Dewchurch Parish Council recommended refusal due to the adverse impact on the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Sixteen letters of objection were received expressing concerns at increased noise and light pollution, increased traffic, excessive scale of the development and the fact there were more suitable sites in the holding for a development of this type and size.

As part of the conditions attached to the planning permission, two existing permissions for the erection of glasshouses elsewhere within the holding are to be rescinded.

Plans to extend quarrying operations at Wellington Quarry, Marden Lane, Wellington, have been approved by members of the Central Area Planning Subcommittee at their meeting on Wednesday, 20th February.

The proposal is to extend the quarry in both area and working time and will involve the extraction of a further 1.46 million tonnes of sand and gravel at about 150,000 to 200,000 tonnes per year.

This would extend activity at the quarry for about 10 years, during which time the land would gradually be restored to create a mixture of grass meadows, wetland habitats and open water.

The Environment Agency had no objection but wanted conditions on drainage.

Advantage West Midlands supported the application, saying the site lies within the Rural Regeneration Zone and this scheme would underpin economic growth in the region.

The Council for the Protection of Rural England sought conditions to protect residential amenities and environmental quality.

Objections were received from the Woodland Trust, concerned about the damage to Long Coppice and that it would disturb fauna in the area.

Herefordshire Council's county archaeologist said the site was of high importance but was satisfied any interesting finds would continue to be safeguarded if the quarry was extended.

Marden Parish Council and Wellington Parish Council had no objection in principle but wanted to see Marden Lane upgraded.

Moreton-on-Lugg Parish Council had no objection in principle but wanted landscaping measures carried out around the site.

Representations were received from three local residents. They were concerned at the potential for noise, dust and light disturbance, increased traffic and felt there was a need for appropriate screening.

Beverley Hughes MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, has congratulated Herefordshire Council for being one of the first ten authorities in England to complete phase two of the Children's Centre Programme.

Children's centres provide services and information for families with children under five years of age. They offer child and family health services, early years education and access to childcare, ante natal and postnatal services, family support such as home visiting, group activities and support for children and parents with special needs.

Each children's centre tailors its services to local need. All centres have good quality early years learning through play activities and links with Jobcentre Plus to help parents and carers who wish to retrain or return to work. If there's enough demand, a crèche facility may be available to support meetings and training. Each centre also provides a base for childminders.

The first phase of the children's centre programme in Herefordshire took place between 2004 and 2006 with the opening of the Green Croft and Springfield Centres in Hereford and the Conningsby Centre in Leominster.

Phase two has involved children's centre services being provided in Kington, Ledbury, the Hope Family Centre in Bromyard, the Ryefield Centre in Ross on Wye, the Golden Valley and North Hereford City.

Beverley Hughes, MP praised Herefordshire Council for its success in a letter to the council's director of children's services. She said, 'This is a significant achievement and an important milestone and I'd like to offer my congratulations to everyone involved. Children's centres will play a major role in making a reality of our vision for excellent integrated services built around the needs of children and their families.

'Councillor Jenny Hyde, Herefordshire Council's cabinet member for children and young people said, 'I have watched many of our children's centres develop and spent time with some of the children and families who are benefiting from the services they provide.

Our early years and extended services team have done incredibly well to complete phase two so well and so quickly. Working successfully in partnership with the private and voluntary sector, they have managed to deliver what has been a very challenging agenda.

Herefordshire Council is one of the first ten councils in the country to meet our phase two targets which is great news for the county's families and children.'

Herefordshire Council is one of the first authorities in the country to launch a new health passport for looked after children. The passport will be used to keep together important medical and historical information which the child can take with them and pass on to their carer.

With significant input from children and young people, and sponsorship from the Children's Bureau, each looked after child in Herefordshire will receive their own personalized health passport designed to follow their development through care and beyond. It is a way of ensuring that children in care have information about their childhood illnesses such as chickenpox, history of inoculations, hearing and eye tests, allergies and other medical issues.

Maintaining and updating the medical and personal information will be the responsibility of the carer, but the passport will move around with the child providing essential information for the child's future carers too.

A breakfast launch of the new health passport drew over 60 people to Hinton Community Community Centre last week. Festive balloons, hot blueberry pancakes, banana muffins and organic muesli with fresh fruit were among the attractions and the room buzzed with appreciative comments from social workers, foster carers and others who work with children and young people in Herefordshire. The food and festivities were prepared by some of the young people who have been attending the popular accredited course, Care2Cook.

Councillor Jenny Hyde, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People said, 'I thoroughly enjoyed attending the launch of this very important scheme. It's a real pleasure to be part of so much positive work and to learn about all the other exciting activities our children have been involved in. I'm so proud of them all.'

The passport has been warmly welcomed by young people and professionals alike.

'I expect the passport to become a key working document for carers, and a valuable source of personal information for our young people in later life,' said Rebecca Plato, fostering manager who has developed the passport with the county's nurse for looked after children, Anna Cassin.

'Many of our children have lived in a number of different places which can make it difficult for them to keep track of when and where they were during certain times in their lives,' she continued. 'The transfer of information has traditionally been form based, but the new health passport will be a great way of keeping everything together in an easy to use format.'

Herefordshire Council is one of the first in the country to embark on this scheme which has already attracted a lot of attention nationally.

A severe national shortage in social workers has prompted Herefordshire Council to launch a transatlantic drive to recruit qualified personnel.

Like most local authorities, the council has struggled to recruit sufficient qualified and experienced social workers in recent years, despite extensive local and national advertising campaigns.

Working with specialist social care recruitment agency Pulse Recruitment, the council has 16 confirmed candidates to interview over five days in Atlanta, Georgia later this month with possibly more candidates to add to the list.

The council's contract with Pulse Recruitment means that the council will pay a £4,000 fee for each successfully recruited social worker. This is refundable if the worker does not arrive in the UK or leaves within the first six months of contract. The fee includes all travel and accommodation costs for interviewers to travel to the USA, as well as documentation, checking, visas and work permits.

Shaun McLurg, head of safeguarding and assessment, said, 'Many other local authorities have resorted to recruiting social workers from Australia, Canada and the USA. For Herefordshire, this will be a more cost effective solution than using agency staff, as each one costs an extra £20,000 per year when compared with a full time social worker employed by the council, and it also compares favourably with the costs of a national recruitment campaign.

Whilst we will continue to strive to recruit staff locally and nationally we have a statutory obligation to safeguard vulnerable children in Herefordshire, and so must consider every available option to ensure we have sufficient qualified staff to meet this challenge.'

Herefordshire Council is running a two week, hands on celebration of Japanese culture over the Easter holidays. The council's museums and libraries across the county will be providing top quality workshops for all ages as part of the Destination Japan project, which is funded by the council and Japan 21, a UK charity that supports and encourages Japanese educational activities.

Councillor Adrian Blackshaw, cabinet member for economic development and cultural services said, 'We have an exciting range of activities on offer with something for everyone, including Manga comic drawing, kite making and Japanese sewing.

A highlight of the celebration will be an open day at the council's new Museum Resource and Learning Centre on Thursday, 27th March.

With its contemporary architecture and comfortable family spaces, the new centre is definitely worth a visit", added Councillor Blackshaw. "We have some fantastic libraries and museums in Herefordshire, and Destination Japan is a great opportunity to see how much they provide for their local communities.'

Visitors to the open day can enjoy Taiko drumming with accomplished Japanese drummer, Kino, as well as Zen gardening, and martial arts displays by Central Dojo.

Even the mobile libraries will be taking part, with Haiku poet Alan Summers creating poetry with the public. In addition to the hands-on workshops, there will also be striking displays of Japanese prints and artworks in Hereford Museum and the Museum Resource and Learning Centre.

For a full list of what's on, contact the council's Cultural Services Team on 01432 260646 or visit the council's web site at www.herefordshire.gov.uk.

If you would like to be more creative and improve your drawing skills, you may like to attend a taster workshop on drawing skills at Belmont Community Centre.

The workshop is being organized by Herefordshire Council's Learning Champions and will be run by artist Filbert Splosh on Thursday, 6th March between 10am and 3pm. All materials will be provided but there is a small fee of £5 which must be paid at the time of booking.

Karan McKelvie, Herefordshire learning champion said, 'Drawing can be a fun pastime but many people just don't know where to start. Filbert is an experienced artist and I'm sure everyone attending will end up sharing his enthusiasm for drawing.'

For further details and to make a booking for the course, telephone Karan McKelvie on 07792 881071 or email kmckelvie@herefordshire.gov.uk .

The County Council's Info in Herefordshire and Info by Phone have given Herefordshire residents excellent customer service over the past year and as a result, they have been awarded a charter mark for the fifth year running.

Charter Mark is the UK national standard of customer service excellence for public sector organizations. To meet charter mark standards, the council had to submit a series of documents and receive an assessment visit in January.

Charter mark assessor, Pat Board, was very complimentary about all the Info in Hereford services during her visit to the Hereford Centre, Garrick House and Info by Phone at Plough Lane. After interviewing members of the public and council staff to check that the required standards were being met, she praised the team for working in partnership with others to provide co-ordinated services, using resources well and being positively involved in the community.

In particular, she singled out the Bromyard Centre's role in providing a rest centre during the summer floods and the way Info by Phone handled calls about the floods and subsequent funding schemes.

Councillor June French, cabinet member for corporate, customer services and human resources said, 'I am delighted to learn that the team have met the standard once again and offer them my heartiest congratulations.

It is very important that residents are able to access local services and be able to talk to someone from the Info customer services team who is helpful and knowledgeable. All the employees working in our Info Shops and Info by Phone have received extensive training and are able to provide a wide range of information on all the council's services.

The council has invested in a new Info centre for Hereford and refurbished others to bring them up to standard and make sure they are able to deal with the growing range of information customers require.'

The council has Info Shops in Hereford, Bromyard, Kington, Leominster, Ledbury and Ross on Wye. In addition, information can be obtained by ringing Info by Phone on 01432 260500.

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