Police are appealing for witnesses to a collision involving a car and a motorcycle near Ledbury in which a man died.

The collision happened shortly after 11am on Saturday, 22nd March on the A438 and involved a red Honda 600 motorcycle and a black Mercedes Benz E Class car. The motorcycle was headed towards Ledbury when the collision happened, with the car headed in the opposite direction.

The motorcyclist sustained fatal injuries and was declared dead at the scene. The Mercedes car suffered only minor damage and there were no other injuries.

Police closed the road while emergency services were at the scene and diversions were put in place until around 5pm when the vehicles had been recovered and collision examiners had concluded their initial investigations.

The rider of the motorcycle was later formally identified as Mr Phillip Paul, aged 39, from Goodrich in Herefordshire.

The Herefordshire Coroner has been informed of Mr Paul’s death and an inquest is due to be opened later this week.

Anyone who witnessed the collision or saw the motorcycle, which was the last in a small group of other motorcycles on the road beforehand is asked to contact PC Darren Collett at Hereford Police Station on 08457 444888 quoting incident number 287-s-220308.

Police from Leominster took part in a special evening to arm parents with the knowledge they need to spot when their children may have problems with drugs or alcohol.

The special event, organized by the Leominster and Area Drug and Alcohol Forum, took place at Minster College on Tuesday evening and was funded by Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership. It saw police officers joined by feature a range of guest speakers and displays from local services, including Zig Zag, a young persons substance misuse service that provides treatment, advice and information for people aged 18 and under. Information was also provided by organizations such as Herefordshire Primary Care Trust, CLD Youth Counselling Service, Family Drug Support and Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership.

Parents were given the opportunity to learn what different drugs look like, what their effects are, how to tell if their children may have started using drugs and how to discuss the issue with them.

PC Tracy Lewis, Local Police Officer for the Leominster Town South area, told the audience of drug and alcohol misuse by young people can often lead to antisocial behaviour and explained some of the measures the police and other agencies have been taking in Leominster to address this. He outlined how the introduction of public drinking bans in the town centre had given greater powers for officers to seize alcohol and deal with those who were drunk in public places.

Under age drinking had also been addressed through a special 'Why Did You Get My Child Drunk?' campaign, aimed at adults who buy alcohol for young people. In addition, the use of antisocial behaviour legislation to disperse the large groups of people that had previously been gathering the town centre has also had a dramatic impact on the levels of reports of disorder.

PC Lewis said, 'We do a lot of work to address drug and alcohol misuse with young people because we know that it can very often lead to antisocial behaviour, as well as having a very detrimental impact on their own health and welfare. We work closely with our partners to help educate young people about the dangers of drug and alcohol misuse. This is just as important as the enforcement activities we undertake. However, it also important that parents are given clear, factual information and advice about the issue, so they too can know what the danger signs are and, should their own children have problems with drink and drugs, know what to do and who they can turn to for support and advice.'

Police are appealing for information following a robbery at the Wine Rack store in Ledbury High Street on the evening of Friday, 21st March.

A small amount of cash was taken after a man entered the store and demanded money shortly before 9.30pm. The man was carrying a plastic bag which is thought to have contained a hammer, although no direct threats were made and no one from the store suffered any injury.

The man left the store and disappeared into the town centre immediately afterwards. The whole incident lasted less than a minute.

'Incidents of this kind are unusual in Herefordshire and police are treating it extremely seriously,' said a Herefordshire Police spokesman. 'We believe the offender may be local, so we are keen to speak to anyone who believes they may recognize the man from his description.'

The man was white and aged in his 20s. He was between 5ft 8ins and 5ft 10ins tall and of slim to medium build. His clothing was quite distinctive, as he was wearing a ‘parka’ style jacket with a furry lining around the hood. Underneath he had a hooded type jacket in a light coloured camouflage style with the hood worn up and dark coloured tracksuit trousers.

Police are continuing to study CCTV footage from the area at the time of the incident and conducting enquiries in the Ledbury area.

Anyone with information should contact DC Sue Prosser at Hereford CID on 08457 444888.

'Information can also be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers by anyone who would prefer not to talk to the police directly. You won’t be identified from the call and you may qualify for a reward if your information leads to an arrest and charge,' added the spokesman.

Conservative parliamentary candidate Jesse Norman has publicly called for fairer funding for Herefordshire's schools on the BBC's flagship radio programme Any Questions?

Responding to a question put by presenter Jonathan Dimbleby about the Government's latest idea for class sizes of up to 70 students, Jesse said, 'You only have to say it to see how daft the idea is. The whole trend to bigger government and bigger schools is profoundly the wrong direction. Head teachers should have far more control over what happens in their schools. In Herefordshire, where I live, we have been fighting a campaign for 3 or 4 months to prevent the closure of rural schools. But the government has only been focusing on its 'voting corridor' [of parliamentary seats].'

Commenting afterwards, Jesse said, I thought it was important to bring out on this well-known radio programme the level of public concern about school closures, and the unfairness of Whitehall's treatment of Herefordshire in particular. Since the show went out my in-box has been full of emails from people in support. But we need to do so much more to get the message across.'

This edition of Any Questions? was chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby and also featured Health Minister Ben Bradshaw MP, Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee and the economist Ruth Lea. It can be downloaded from: www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/anyquestions.

Due to the success of last year's visit, the team of traders Marche de France is returning to the county early next month, visiting Ledbury, Hereford Hightown and Bromyard.

Once again, they will bring their famous high quality range of produce direct from producers in Normandy, offering cheeses, charcuterie, and the bakery stall will be baking on site to offer visitors the wonderful smell of baking baguettes, hot croissants and pains au chocolat.

Shoppers will also be able to buy soap from Marseilles, and, new this year, jewellery and handmade bedcovers.

This is a great opportunity for local people to enjoy a touch of France on their doorsteps and get a taste of some lovely French products, as well as the chance to practise their language skills, as the traders will be happy to chat to shoppers in French.

The markets will operate as follows:
Ledbury on Friday, 4th April, Hereford Hightown on Saturday, 5th April and Bromyard on Sunday, 6th April.

The market will be open for trade from 9am to 5pm on each of these days.

Motorists are being advised that road closures will be put in place to allow the markets to take place:

· No parking will be permitted in the parking bays in High Street, between the Market House and the pedestrian crossing from 6am until 7pm at Ledbury on Friday, 4th April.

· Market Square and Broad Street, in Bromyard, will be closed from 6am to 7pm on Sunday, 6th April.

For further information, please contact Marjorie or Martine on 07980 865832 or via email on marche-de-france@wanadoo.fr

Local Policing Teams in Leominster are making sure that the public has plenty of opportunities to raise community issues by holding a series of surgeries in the town. Community Support Officers are now holding regular surgeries at Leominster Library, the Priory Church and at Barons Cross Community Centre. These allow people the chance to speak with Local Policing Team members as part of the Partners And Communities Together process.

Information on crime prevention, home security and signposting of services from other agencies are available at the surgeries, and they are the perfect opportunity to meet team members to discuss any issues which might affect quality of life within the community.

'Since I have been in Leominster I have been trying to get to a variety of different places to hold PACT surgeries, including the local library and at the Priory Church, which has proved a great success,' said CSO Christina Howard, who is part of the Leominster Town South team. 'We try and vary the times we hold the surgeries to give everyone the opportunity to attend - whether they are coming after work or during the daytime, at weekends or through the week.'

When not holding the PACT Surgeries, Christina and her colleagues are out and about on patrol in the area, very often dealing with some of the issues raised through PACT.

'As an example, since the start of the school year I have been regularly patrolling outside the Junior School during the week to try and address some of the parking problems,” Christina explains.

'At the end of the school day, parents are tempted to park on the double yellow lines and parents, but with George Street being very narrow and lots of children about this can be very dangerous. But now I patrol up there and make sure people park properly elsewhere. At the same time I have been getting to know the children and their parents and they are now used to having me around. It has made the situation a lot better and I often get nice comments from parents saying what a difference it has made.'

For your chance to influence how issues are dealt with in the local community, make sure you attend a PACT Meeting or PACT Surgery. The next Leominster surgeries take place at: The Priory Church on Wednesday, 26th March from 11am to 12 noon. Baron’s Cross Community Centre on Tuesday, 1st April from 5.30pm to 6.30pm Leominster Library (upstairs) on Saturday, 5th April from 10am to 11am.

The aim of Local Policing Teams is to provide a visible reassuring police presence. The police officers and community support officers have local knowledge about their areas and are more easily accessible. In addition to using their enforcement powers to deal with crime and disorder, their role is to work with communities and local partners to resolve the problems that matter most to local people. For more information please go to the West Mercia Constabulary website at www.westmercia.police.uk/, and click on the link to the Local Policing section.

Herefordshire Council is launching a series of short walks to help people walk their way back to health.

Walking for health is part of the national Footprints Countywide initiative which aims to offer local people a timetable of led health walks and increase the number of people walking in the county.

The scheme is co-ordinated by Herefordshire Council and targets people of all ages who need to get involved in gentle exercise to improve their health. Participants typically include people referred by their GPs or recovering from an operation or illness.

The programme of walks take place weekly and vary in duration from 20 to 60 minutes. All walks have been designed so that walkers can opt out after 20 minutes if they wish, making them ideal for those getting back into fitness.

Short walks are already well established in Hereford, Fownhope, Ross-on-Wye, Clehonger and Kington and on Monday, 31st March, when the scheme is officially launched, a new walk will begin at Ewyas Harold. Additional walks are planned for later in the year in Ledbury and Weobley..

The launch, which takes place at the Kindle Centre at 12 noon, includes the presentation of the scheme's newly achieved accreditation from the British Heart Foundation and Natural England.

Charlotte Dodson, the walking for health co-ordinator, said, 'These walks are great fun and are absolutely free of charge. We live in a beautiful county which makes it easy to get out and about. All of our walks are on flat, mud free routes to make it easier for people who are gradually becoming active again. Many of our walkers have met new people and carried on with the weekly walks, even when their fitness levels have returned.'

Anyone can get involved in setting up a walking group by contacting Charlotte Dodson on 01432 261864. Charlotte will provide free training to help identify and lead walks, and provide publicity for groups as well.

MPs were told that money should be found to improve transport links across the Welsh border. In a submission to the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Select Committee, the West Midlands Business Council called for co-operation between the Welsh Assembly Government and English public agencies to improve transport links and public services.

West Midlands Business Council Executive Director, James Watkins, said:, 'If politicians and officials from England and Wales put their heads together they can find ways to improve public services and transport links across the border. We have called for English public bodies and the Welsh Assembly Government to share the cost of financing major transport work, such as key by passes, more road bridges and a better rail network. Rural urban areas also need better access to public services - so we have called for the Welsh Assembly Government and English bodies to share the cost for setting up one stop shops for people and businesses on both sides of the border to get access to the services they need to boost the economy and serve the needs of local people. Different marketing of the Welsh Mountains – depending on which side of the border you are on – won’t drive tourists to this beautiful area. Co-ordinated marketing across the border would help to do the trick. We welcome the decision of the House of Commons’ Welsh Affairs Select Committee to examine the issue of cross border services. We hope this inquiry will be the long awaited development we have all been striving for to end the bureaucratic red tape that holds up the delivery of top quality services for people in the border areas'.

National Farmers Union’ West Midlands Regional Direc-

tor, David Collier, added, 'The rural and agricultural economies of the West Midlands region and Wales are closely linked. Livestock markets would be an example of the complex trading patterns between the regions. So any move to improve transport links and other economic opportunities are needed. Some farmers have land either side of the border so any means to simplify their business operations would be very welcome.

It is a well-known fact that Herefordshire has one of the fastest growing populations of older people in the UK. This means that a range of services designed to let older people live independent and fulfilled lives is of key importance to Herefordshire Council and its partners.

Each week hundreds of older people visit day centres. However, the number of users is low compared to the number of older people in Herefordshire.

'There's a mismatch. The services need modernizing to meet the needs of older people in the 21st century,' said Councillor Olwyn Barnett, the council's cabinet member for social care adults and health. 'To tackle this, the council has visited other authorities to see what works and as a result, new ways to provide these services are being considered.

To make sure services provide what people want, an ambitious consultation campaign is underway. The council met with people who deliver the services in January this year and nine public consultation events are being held across the county throughout April.'

The details of the consultation events are:

· Tuesday, 1st April at Hampton Bishop Village Hall
· Wednesday, 2nd April at Wigmore Village Hall
· Thursday, 3rd April at The Larruperz Centre, Ross-on-Wye,
· Monday, 7th April at The Kindle Centre, Asda, Hereford,
· Tuesday, 8th April at The Royal British Legion Club, Leominster,
· Thursday, 10th April at Ledbury Community Centre,
· Tuesday, 15th April at The Burton Hotel, Kington,
· Thursday, 17th April at The Falcon Hotel, Bromyard,
· Tuesday, 22nd April at Peterchurch Community Centre.

All events will run between 1.45pm and 4.30pm.

Parish councils have also been contacted directly and invited to have their say.

'We want to hear from as many people who use the services and their families and friends as possible,' said Councillor Barnett, who is being assisted by the council's Adult social care and strategic housing scrutiny committee which has reviewed day centre services. Survey packs, which include information about the proposals and details of the options, can be picked up at day centres, libraries and the council's info shops.

If you want to have your say, please pick up a survey form and let us know what you think. These are crucial services and this is your opportunity to shape them for many years to come - please don't miss out.'

For those unable to collect a copy of the survey, it can be found on the council's website - www.herefordshire.gov.uk. Anyone wanting more information about the consultation should contact Sheila Morgan on 01432 261742 or via e-mail: shmorgan@herefordshire.gov.uk.

A valued pilot village warden scheme, which helps older people feel safe and in touch with their community, will continue with the support of Herefordshire Council and Herefordshire Primary Care Trust.

The village warden scheme currently covers Kingsland, Weobley, Ewyas Harold, Wellington and two parishes in the south of Hereford city. The wardens, with the help of community volunteers, work to identify the needs of older people and match those with services that can help.

Jean Howard, of Herefordshire Primary Care Trust, said, 'Sustainable funding is available and people who depend on this valuable local service need to know that the village warden scheme is to carry on in the pilot sites. Based on the success of the pilot scheme we are also looking at a programme of expansion into other areas of the county.

The village wardens have become such a valuable and integral part of many communities", said Councillor Olwyn Barnett, cabinet member for social care for adults and health. "I want to pay tribute to their commitment, their local knowledge, and the fact that they care so deeply for the well-being of their neighbours. Many parts of Herefordshire are a better place to live as a result.'

Motorists in Hereford are being advised to leave a little extra time for their journey on Sunday, 6th April, when temporary traffic lights will be used on the A465 Aylestone Hill..

As part of the staggered zebra crossing scheme on this section of road, a high friction surface will be laid on the carriageway on both approaches to the crossings.

The new crossing at the top of Aylestone Hill will be a major help to pedestrians wanting to cross at this difficult junction.

The work is to be carried out on a Sunday to minimize the disruption to road users.

To allow this work to be undertaken safely, traffic will be reduced to single lane through the use of a four-way traffic signal system.

This method of traffic management is intended to provide a safe area in which the council's contractors can undertake the required works.

The authority would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused to motorists and would ask that road users bear with them whilst this important work is undertaken.

By working together, Herefordshire Council and the Primary Care Trust will cut the average delivery time by half for special equipment to help people with disabilities, or those who may be recovering from illness, to live independently at home.

The two organizations set up an integrated store for equipment in Hereford four years ago, but have now improved the service by recruiting a team of people who are trained not only to deliver, but also to fit equipment for people in their home. Previously the delivery of items, like bath aids or raised toilet seats, would be done by one person, but fitted by an occupational therapist on a later visit. Now a team of three delivery fitters with vans are able to quickly cover the whole county. This is one of several benefits of the new, closer partnership working between Herefordshire Council and Herefordshire Primary Care Trust.

'This new service means that people can now have equipment installed ready for use within two or three days of the request reaching the store. The process could take a week or more before and require two different people to visit before the equipment could be used,' said Jo Hart, manager of the service. 'This means that people with a long term illness or disability, or who have recently returned home from hospital now get a much better service and are supported in their wish to stay at home rather than be admitted to residential care.'

A wide range of equipment is available on loan free of charge. People who are eligible for a service can get help either by asking their district nurse or by contacting the Primary Care Trust's Occupational Therapy Service.

After learning that a member of the taxi trade had concerns for the safety of converted vans and wheelchair access vehicles, Herefordshire Council are addressing the situation by insisting on stringent VOSA tests, to ensure public safety.

The council's investigations found that tests did not assess the wheelchair access facilities fitted to vehicles, and to ensure these were safe, the council asked manufacturers to demonstrate that they had quality procedures.

The manufacturers could show a test had been carried out on a prototype, but were unable to demonstrate that every vehicle that is fitted with wheelchair access facilities is manufactured to that standard. The council is still working with the manufacturers to obtain assurances, but until they are satisfied that the vehicles are consistently produced safely, they will continue to ask for the VOSA tests..

Herefordshire Council requires special safety tests to be carried out on all licensed taxi and private hire vehicles that have been modified for wheelchair access.

The council has and will continue to suspend licences of taxis that have been converted from vans until they have had an enhanced safety test. The council will not license any new vehicles that started life as a van. However, the council has extended the closing date for operators to submit test certificates to Friday, 30th May. This is to allow the trade to book appointments for tests and have any failures rectified.

'The council continues to listen very carefully to local taxi operators and manufacturers, and we have tried to make concessions to help them,' said the council's licensing manager Suzanne Laughland. 'We trust that taxi operators would agree that the safety of people who use their vehicles is the first and most important concern, and people who use a wheelchair should not have a lesser standard of safety than anyone else.'

The council reports that it has acted on information provided by representatives from the trade and vehicle manufacturers during a meeting on Wednesday, 5th March 2008.

It has sought further advice from the Public Carriage Office, which licenses taxis in London, Department of Transport and VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency), which is responsible for assessing additional vehicle safety requirements. The council has also examined approaches by other local authorities. Furthermore, they will be working with a council-appointed vehicle test centre to sign off corrective action for minor non-conformance.

The council will produce guidance for the trade to provide clarification of the process; any other non-conformance will still be required to have the corrective action examined by VOSA.

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