Herefordshire is second in the national league table for successful authorities supporting the environmental award scheme, Eco-Schools. The county has a staggering 86 per cent of schools registered for the scheme. More than over half of these have achieved one or more of the award levels and 15 have achieved the prestigious Green Flag Award.

Eco-Schools is an international award programme that guides schools on their sustainable journey, providing a framework to help embed these principles into the heart of school life.

Children are the driving force behind Eco-Schools - they lead the eco-committee and help carry out an audit to assess the environmental performance of their school. Measuring and monitoring is an integral part of the Eco-Schools programme, providing schools with all the evidence they need to really shout about their environmental success.

Mary Burton, sustainability officer at Herefordshire Council, has co-ordinated the highly successful scheme here for a number of years. She is very proud of the schools achievements in this time and credits success to very committed staff and pupils in schools, excellent partnership working within the council and support of a very proactive local Eco-Schools Co-ordinator, Jane Denny. Mary is about to take up a new one-year secondment role as West Midlands Sustainable Schools Co-ordinator. Based at Government Office in Birmingham, she will be supporting local authorities and other key partners across the region to promote and support Sustainable Schools.

Mary said, 'I shall miss working with the very proactive schools here and supporting them with future projects. I am really looking forward to seeing what other local authorities are doing and developing a programme to support them with the sustainable schools agenda in the West Midlands. I think the successful lessons learnt here can be replicated at a regional level.'

Herefordshire's Sustainable Schools conference will be held in November 2008. For further information contact: eco-schools@herefordshire.gov.uk.

A whole range of entertaining fund raising events are going to take place in Leominster during the coming weeks. The events have been organized to raise money for a Wheel Sports Park in Leominster's Sydonia Park.

The popular Bromyard High School Steel Pans Band is booked to perform at Leominster's Royal British Legion Club 18th April at 7pm, with MC Peter McCall. Tickets are available from Fletchers Newsagents in advance, or by telephoning 01568 613118.

l A family Bingo Night has been organized for Tuesday, 29th April, which will take place at the Community Centre in Church Street and a family Fun Day and Barbecue will take place at Sydonia Park on Monday, 26th May between 2pm and 5pm and will include a skateboard race.

If you would like to have a stall at the fun day a charge of £15 will be made to help boost the funds.

Please telephone Joan Thwaites on 01568 612768 for further information.

Ledbury Alcohol and Drug Forum have launched an anti-spiking campaign to warn local people about the dangers of drink spiking.

The Forum, which works to tackle local substance misuse and alcohol issues, will supply 4,000 specially designed bottle stoppers to pubs in and around the town. It hopes the project will encourage people to think twice before leaving their drink unattended.

According to statistics from the national 'Roofie Foundation' helpline, which provides help and information for victims, over 6,000 women and men have reported being the victim of drink spiking since the foundation was started up in 1997. It is thought these figures are likely to be well below the actual number of incidents as drink spiking often goes unreported.

The Forum, run through Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership, has developed this project in response to a national increase in the number of drink spiking incidents. Ledbury is not a hotspot area for drink spiking but the Forum want to ensure that people are aware of the potential dangers and how to avoid their drink being spiked.

The special bottle stoppers, known as 'spikeys', help prevent drinks from being spiked in pubs, clubs and at parties. This brightly coloured plastic 'use once only stopper that glows in UV creates a seal that helps stop

pills and illicit substances being slipped into the drink. A hole in the top of the device is just big enough for a straw to pass through.

The Forum have also produced and distributed advice cards that give tips on how to avoid drinks being spiked. Advice includes: Never leave a drink unattended. Look out for your friends. People that feel ill or become disorientated should seek immediate assistance from friends and staff at the venue. Go out in a group, stay as a group and go home as a group.

Keith Francis, Chair of Ledbury Alcohol and Drug forum said, 'Drink spiking is not a major problem in the Ledbury. It is a growing issue in larger towns and cities. Many people from the area travel outside Ledbury to go clubbing and we want them to be aware of the potential dangers and make sure they stay safe.'

To get involved in the forum, please contact Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership on 01432 383523 For more information, please contact John Burnett on 01432 260224.

Two men have been charged in connection with a series of robberies in the Ledbury and Malvern areas.

Both men were arrested on the morning of Wednesday, 2nd April at addresses in Ledbury and Hay-on-Wye. They were questioned and subsequently charged to appear before Hereford Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 4th April.

The first man, aged 21, is charged with a robbery at the Ledbury Wine Rack store on Sunday, 23rd March, a robbery at Bicknells in Malvern on Tuesday, 1st April and an attempted robbery at Coral’s bookmakers in Ledbury also on 1st April.

The second man, aged 23, has also been charged with these offences and an additional robbery at the Elgar Housing offices in Ledbury on Thursday, 2nd February.

The arrests followed extensive investigations by officers from Ledbury and Hereford CID and close liaison with colleagues from the South Worcestershire Division.

Superintendent Kevin Purcell from Herefordshire said, 'Herefordshire is a safe county, with the numbers of robberies already at low levels and in fact decreasing further over the past 12 months by almost a third. Any robbery is therefore unusual and to have this small series within Ledbury in a short space of time was clearly very concerning.

As with all robberies, a thorough investigation was launched, which involved officers both in Ledbury and from the CID department in Hereford. The good detective work that resulted led to these arrests being made and the charges brought against two individuals..

Our swift action will provide reassurance to the public and also send out the message that police are determined to investigate fully all incidents of crime.'

Officers are continuing with their investigations into the robberies and following a number of additional lines of enquiry, with several further people remaining on bail at this time.

Visit Herefordshire will this week unveil full details of golf packages in Herefordshire offering golfers a one-stop shop. The aim is to encourage more people to visit and play golf in the county. Working with Tee Time Services, Visit Herefordshire aims to raise the profile of the 18 golf courses in the county by linking them with accommodation to encourage people to stay in county and enjoy the great outdoors.

Visit Herefordshire hopes to capitalize on the benefits of the Ryder cup that is being held at Celtic Manor Resort in Newport in 2010. Peter Hands the Chairman of Visit Herefordshire said 'With the Celtic Manor Resort only a short drive away from the county this is an ideal opportunity for Herefordshire to capitalize on golf breaks. We will raise the county's profile in the world of golf and ensure that we encourage more people to stay and play in the county.'

Golf courses and accommodation providers in the county are being encouraged to sign up to the package deal that will bring in groups of new golfers to the county and showcase the excellent facilities for golf and all other activities. Tee Time services have an excellent track record of developing golf packages across the UK and in Europe and they have close links with Brittany Ferries and Stenna line ferries.

'The golf packages will be officially launched in May. They will be sold via a marketing campaign organized by Tee Time Services to targeted groups throughout the UK and Ireland. Herefordshire's new golf packages will feature in the golfing magazines and also on their web site,' said Jane Lewis Cultural Services Manager.

Bookstart Bear will be touring the county in mid April, visiting libraries, nurseries and children's centres with his goodie bags and lots of cuddles!.

He will be joining in with storytime and rhymetime sessions as well as promoting the gifting of free Bookstart packs for children under five and the Book Crawl reward scheme running in all Herefordshire libraries.

Bookstart Bear's library tour will operate as follows:

Ledbury Storytime on Thursday, 17th April at 2.15pm,
Bromyard Storytime on Friday, 18th April at 10.30am,
Ross Storytime on Friday, 18th April at 2.15pm,
Leominster Baby Bounce and Rhyme on Thursday, 24th April at 10.30am,
Hereford Baby Bounce and Rhyme on Thursday, 24th April at 2.15pm.

Any child under five joining the library and / or signing up to Book Crawl at one of these library visits will receive a small Bookstart Bear. Proof of identity and address are needed to join the library.

Please contact Dawn Harwood on 01432 260646 or visit the website www.herefordshire.gov.uk/libraries for further information on under 5s activities and Bookstart packs.

With spring fast approaching, officers from West Mercia Constabulary have been sowing the seeds of crime prevention at garden centres across the county. Local Policing Teams from across Herefordshire were joined by staff from Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership at the weekend to urge people to review and improve their garden and shed security.

The arrival of spring can herald an increase in thefts from garden sheds, so it is important that people take the time to ensure their valuables are stored securely. And while levels of such thefts in Herefordshire still remain relatively low, opportunistic thieves don't need much invitation, so why give them the chance?

To help householders, West Mercia Police have produced a crime prevention advice leaflet, which gives handy tips on how people can make their gardens and sheds more secure and prevent burglars from breaking in. This is available to download from the Force website and from Local Policing Teams. In addition, special packets of seeds, produced by Herefordshire Community Safety and Drugs Partnership and featuring top crime prevention tips on the rear, were distributed at the weekend to shoppers at the garden centres. Any flowers that bloom as a result should help provide a colourful reminder to householders to keep their gardens secure!

PC Charles Naylor, Herefordshire Division's Crime Reduction Officer, said, 'While many people take steps to protect their homes and the property inside them, they often leave valuable equipment such as power tools, mowers, garden tools and bikes in unsecured

sheds or in sheds that are not strong or secure enough to protect the items from thieves. Garden crime, while remaining at relatively low levels, is still an unfortunate reality but by taking some simple steps you can keep your property safe. We are advising people to look at how secure their garden is and if necessary make some adjustments to help 'weed out' the garden thieves. People should also take stock of what they keep in their sheds - in some cases valuable items might be better stored inside the house for added security.'

Here are West Mercia Constabulary's top tips on how to make a garden more secure:

• Gates, fences and walls should be kept in good repair to stop intruders getting in.
• Grow 'defensive planting' (prickly plants, bushes and shrubs) close to vulnerable areas such as windows, fences, boundary walls and drainpipes.
• Most garden sheds are not designed for safe storage and should not be used to store expensive equipment such as garden tools, mowers, mountain bikes and power tools. If you have no where else to store valuable equipment, take measures to secure your shed by using a closed shackle padlock or invest in an alarm.
• Don't leave ladders and tools lying around in your garden - these could be used to break into your home.
• Mark your garden tools and equipment with your postcode using SmartWater, a UV pen or similar device. Make a note of the serial numbers on your equipment and consider taking photographs of the items stored in your shed so you have a record in case your shed is burgled.
• Check your household insurance policy carefully to ensure it covers garden and shed equipment and whether any minimum security standards apply.

Garden security is part of the force's Safe & Secure campaign, which provides people with advice about how they can make their homes, gardens and cars more secure. For more details, please visit West Mercia Constabulary's website www.westmercia.police.uk, which also provides crime prevention advice for your home and vehicle. To report a garden crime please call the non emergency police number 08457 444888.

Due to a change in legislation, the out of hours service for stray dogs is changing.

Previously, the police dealt with stray dogs reported out of normal office hours, weekends and Bank Holidays but now Herefordshire Council is taking over this responsibility.

The collection service will operate from 6am until 9am, then 5pm until 10pm on weekdays and 6am until 10pm at weekends and on Bank Holidays.

Mike Higgins, Herefordshire Council's animal health and welfare manager said, 'As we have a small number of stray dogs collected throughout the county, we do not consider it necessary to provide a full 24 hour service but we will see how the new system works and keep it under constant review. Over the first weekend things appear to have run quite smoothly.'

Only captive and restrained stray dogs will be collected and the council will not be able to respond to reports of loose dogs, wherever they may be.

To contact the out of hours stray dogs service, people just need to call the council's normal contact line on 01432 260000.

Any reports of dangerous dogs should, however, still be reported to the police.

Any callers with information regarding lost dogs, dog fouling or any other related issue will be advised to contact Herefordshire Council on the usual number 01432 271761 during normal office hours.

If a lost dog is in the council's possession, owners can be assured the dog is safe and being well cared for. Arrangements for its return can be made during normal hours.

Details of all stray dogs collected by Herefordshire Council are also posted on the council's website. Just follow the Current Stray Dogs link in the Spotlights Box.

Herefordshire's new Museum Resource and Learning Centre is set to get the Royal seal of approval when HRH Princess Alexandra officially opens the new facility on Friday, 11th April. The opening ceremony marks the completion of eight years of work to create the centre which houses the 100,000 strong county museum collections.

Funding for the project has come from The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) - £1.2 million, and Herefordshire Council, with phase three costing £1.8 million. This means that the items in the collections are now accessible to the public.

Work to convert the former telephone exchange building has been carried out in three phases, phase one of which involved the purchase of the site and creation of one collection store.

Phase two involved the conversion of the entire building to museum use and moving collections from a number of sites across the county.

Phase three was a new extension to create the final collection facilities, the learning room and public exhibition area.

The temporary exhibition in the atrium is now open Mondays to Fridays, between 10am and 4pm, excepting bank holidays and the day of the official opening.

Schools are now using the centre for educational sessions. There have been a series of evening and weekend lectures and workshops and four open days so far, with a Japanese themed open day on Thursday, 27th March, which attracted over 160 visitors. A full programme of events planned for the coming year.

With the centre fully operational, the service has also just received the good news that the site has achieved Full Accreditation from the national standard for museums and galleries, moving on from the Provisional Status awarded last summer.

Collections are currently being moved into their final locations with cataloguing and sorting and rehousing is underway with the biological, geological, rolled textiles and art collections. Our volunteer teams are playing an important role in this work.

Her Royal Highness, Princess Alexandra will meet some of the staff and volunteers and be shown the type of work they are involved with. The permanent exhibition is currently being designed and will be in place in the summer.

Anne Jenkins, Regional Manager for HLF West Midlands, said, 'We are delighted to see Friar Street officially open and that these important collections are fully accessible to the community for the first time. The Heritage Lottery Fund wishes the museum every success for the future.'

Councillor Adrian Blackshaw, Herefordshire Council's cabinet member for economic development and community services said, 'The facilities in the resource centre are first class and it means that the items from Herefordshire's heritage at the centre are now kept in a state of the art facility. It has taken a number of years to get where we are, but I'm sure anyone who looks round the centre will realize what a wonderful facility it is. We're extremely grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund for their support and I hope local people will now take advantage of the facilities to explore their own heritage in Herefordshire.'

The long running legal fight over planning permission for a waste treatment and recycling plant in Madley is finally over and ends in favour of Herefordshire Council.

Herefordshire Waste Watchers, a local pressure group, applied for final leave to appeal against a previous court refusal of appeal in February, which had denied them the opportunity to apply for a judicial review and challenge the original planning approval that the council had granted for the plant.

The original ruling of the court considering a judicial review was that there was no factual or other basis for concluding that the council had acted improperly.

This week Lord Justice Carnwath refused that final appeal at the Strand courtrooms in London. The council had previously been awarded all of its legal costs against Herefordshire Waste Watchers.

The council originally granted planning permission in March 2004 and Herefordshire Waste Watchers started proceedings to judicially review and quash the decision. That claim was lodged in February 2007 by Public Interest Lawyers acting on their behalf.

'This finally puts an end to the legal issue,' said Kevin O'Keefe, the council's legal practice manager. 'It was clear that there were no grounds for appeal and I am pleased that throughout the whole process the council has been found to have acted properly and in the best interests of the wider community of Herefordshire'

Kington Youth Centre on the Lady Hawkins School site closed before Christmas so that the building could be revamped and turned into a new centre for children and young people, who will see the results of the big refurbishment when the centre reopens next month.

A state of the art information technology suite has been developed, new kitchen facilities, lots more storage, additional toilets and a new outside play area for young children. The work has been carried out so that the building can be used to provide services for younger children and their families five mornings a week, in addition to improving the building for the young people who use it at lunchtimes and evenings.

As well as providing the usual youth club activities, the centre will be able to offer an occasional Ofsted registered crèche, adult learning opportunities in the IT suite, parents support groups and activities, childminding support group and health support services including health visitors. In addition, links will be available to Job Centre Plus, Kington Library and local community groups such as Homestart and Kington Leisure Centre.

Members of the public are invited to look round the building and meet some of the children and young people who will be using the centre at an opening ceremony on Thursday, 17th April from 12 noon to 2pm. Councillor Jenny Hyde, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People will formally open the centre at 1pm with one of the centre's users, before presenting certificates to young people who have recently completed a baby sitting course.

Councillor Hyde said, 'By working collaboratively, the council has managed to combine a number of services for people in Kington under one roof, which is good news for children and their parents. Being on the school site will also make it easier to explore new ways of working to extend the services provided by the school. Bringing the centre up to date and improving joint working means that there will be more training opportunities offered to young people, like the baby sitting courses currently being provided by the children's centre and council's youth services.'

Herefordshire Council has successfully recruited seven experienced social workers from seven different American States in a transatlantic drive to recruit qualified personnel.

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

As a result, three council employees, working with specialist social care recruitment agency Pulse Recruitment, spent five days in Atlanta, Georgia last month successfully recruiting seven social workers from Maine, Chicago, Texas, Florida, New York, Mississippi and Georgia. The new recruits will take up their posts from August onwards and embark on an intensive induction programme to familiarize themselves with UK legislation.

Shaun McLurg, head of safeguarding and assessment, said, 'We are delighted this recruitment campaign has been such a success. Seven experienced social workers will undoubtedly have a positive impact and add to the diversity of our workforce. Their employment will also help the council reduce the costs involved in employing agency staff which can total an extra £20,000 per year when compared with a full time social worker employed by the council.

The council may consider this method of recruiting again, although we shall continue to strive to recruit staff locally and in the rest of the UK.'

If you don't know your wormeries from your mulch, why not go along to a series of free, monthly composting road shows at Morrisons in Hereford and find out more?

Paul Konig, a Herefordshire Master Composter, will be hosting the road shows along with other volunteers and begin on Wednesday, 9th April. The other road show dates are as follows:

Wednesday, 14th May,
Wednesday, 11th June,
Wednesday, 9th July,
Wednesday, 13th August,
Wednesday, 10th September,
Wednesday, 8th October.

Each road show will run between 10am and 2pm.

The Master Composters Programme involves volunteers from Herefordshire and Worcestershire giving up their time to promote home composting and to advise those who are new to the art.

Master Composters are coming to the aid of all those residents struggling with their composting.

This series of free Composting Road shows have been organized by volunteers for residents that don't know their wormeries from their mulch. The road shows staffed by Master Composter volunteers will provide practical support and advice for old and new composters and will answer any questions for those who are thinking of buying a compost bin.

The Composting Road shows will be held at Morrisons store in Hereford on the second Wednesday of every month from April through to October. Master Composters will be on hand to prescribe treatment to solve any compost ailments and help make better compost from 10am until 2pm.

Paul Konig, Herefordshire Master Composter said, 'Composting is an inexpensive, natural process that transforms your kitchen and garden waste into a valuable and nutrient rich food for your garden. It's easy to make and even easier to use. Over one third of the contents of an average UK household bin can be home composted, not to mention all the garden waste that can also be added to a compost bin. What's more, composting at home prevents waste being sent to landfill.

I hope everyone will take full advantage of these free road shows and, as an extra incentive, everyone who visits us at the April road show will receive a free pack of sunflower seeds.'

The Waste Prevention Team covering Herefordshire and Worcestershire are urging residents who are not already composting to get a compost bin and start composting. The bins are available from as little as £12, and residents can find out how to order one by visiting www.wastemissionimpossible.org.uk or by calling the hotline on 01905 766883.

If you have ever wanted to know what being a life coach is all about or wondered how one could help you personally, why not attend a free taster workshop being held on Tuesday, 15th April at the Coninsby Centre, Leominster, between 11.30am and 2.30pm.

The workshop is being led by life coach Clive Green from Max, a performance specialist firm based in Hereford. Jo Alker, Herefordshire Council learning champion, will also be at the workshop to offer advice.

'Life coaches encourage individuals to get to know themselves better and identify what is holding them back from achieving what they want or even more,' said Jo. 'Understanding what people want is the key to life coaching and once this has been established routes can be developed to move forward and make change happen.'

Anyone is welcome to attend the free taster workshop and should contact Jo Alker on 07792 881073 to book a place.

Parents of the county's pre-school age children have been learning which primary school their child will go to in September. Nearly 94 percent of parents in Herefordshire have been offered their first preference, and a further four percent have been offered their second choice. The number of children requiring a place in reception for September 2008 is similar to last year, but slightly fewer in number.

The deadline for primary school applications was one week after the council announced draft proposals for the review of education across the county. The council has helped parents who wanted to change their preferences as a result of the withdrawal of the proposals.

Offers of places have now been made and parents notified of schools that still have vacancies. Parents can still change their minds, provided there is a space in the school they wish to change to.

There has been some understandable concern that the draft proposals regarding the future of schools in Herefordshire may affect school applications. The variation in numbers compared to last year is too small to draw such a conclusion but it is worth noting that from current data, 22 out of the 33 schools that would have been affected have experienced no change or an increase in applications compared to last year's applications. The remaining 11 schools have experienced some increases in the number of vacancies but the variation is too small to draw a link with the proposals, now withdrawn. There may be other factors involved in particular school situations.

Chris Baird, head of planning, performance and development, said, 'Herefordshire Council offered 90 percent of families an offer of their first choice high school earlier this month - one of the highest percentages in the West Midlands and well above the 81 percent nationally. We are delighted to be able to offer so many of the county's parents their first choice primary school as well. All parents will have received a list of schools so they can see which are full and where there remain vacancies. We are happy to accommodate changes if we can and there is an appeals procedure for those who wish to pursue a place in a school which is already full.'

Herefordshire Council's trading standards and waste management services are jointly running a campaign to get residents to jilt their junk mail and make space for the post that they really want.

The campaign is being run as part of Mission Impossible, which is encouraging residents to take action by following some simple steps to stop junk mail. A special advice pack has been developed in a bid to help households stamp out unwanted post.

The pack includes postcards to register with the Mailing Preference Service and the Royal Mail Door to Door Opt Out service, a 'no junk mail' letterbox sticker and two envelope reuse stickers and is free to all households in the county. Alternatively, to further cut down on waste, residents can access all of the information online at www.wastemissionimpossible.org.uk.

Each year 550,000 tonnes of junk mail is generated in country and the average UK household receives 224 pieces of junk mail. 50 million items of junk mail are also sent to the deceased in the UK.

Herefordshire Council's trading standards officers recommend that households stop junk mail, as most scams, including prize draws and clairvoyant scams, are conducted through unsolicited mail. To report scams being operated through junk mail, residents should call Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.

Andy Tector, Herefordshire Council's head of environmental health and trading standards, said, 'The Jilt the Junk Mail pack provides people with the basic knowledge to start shrinking the amount of annoying junk mail that ends up on their door mats each day. If people do still receive junk mail, then we are reminding them that it can be recycled through their kerbside recycling collection, at local recycling banks or scrunched up and composted at home.

To receive a free copy of the Mission Impossible Jilt the Junk Mail pack, residents can log on to www.wastemissionimpossible.org.uk, call the Mission Impossible hotline on 01905 766883 or visit their local Worcestershire Hub or library.

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