Inspector Jim McLaughlin took over command of the South Section in April of this year and Wyenot News went along to Ross Police Station talk to him about how he has settled in.

Inspector McLaughlin spent many years in the armed forces before joining the Police Force in 1988, spending some time working with the Drug Squad and was part of the team responsible for the piloting of the CSO Squad. He has lived in Herefordshire for the past twenty years.

Herefordshire is a relatively low crime area but we asked Inspector McLaughlin for his views on tackling anti social behaviour. He willingly gave us an interview on the subject and you can find out what he had to say in this week's WNTV NEWS programme.

Thank you for giving up your valuable time to talk to us Inspector. It was good to meet you and we look forward to meeting you out on the beat. Yes, you will occasionally see Inspector McLaughlin out and about. He told us that he wouldn't ask his team to anything he wasn't prepared to do himself.

Do you have concerns on local policing matters? Would you like your views to be known? If so, why not go along to the Larruperz Centre on Thursday, 26th June, where a public meeting on policing matters in South Herefordshire is being held?

You will be able to find out what Herefordshire's Divisional Commander and Local Policing Authority Member are doing for you in your area. You will also get the opportunity to let the panel know what you think, as well as find out how you can help.

The meeting will begin at 7pm and run until 9pm and a warn welcome awaits you. Why not go along and have your say?

Ross Childminding Support Group held an open morning on Tuesday morning to celebrate National Childminding Association week and the National Year of Reading. Everybody dressed up in pyjamas for the meeting and all of the children made bookmarks and were given a book.

NCMA week gives parents a chance to meet childminders and ask questions to put their minds at ease, should they be thinking about returning to work. They can then rest assured that their children would be cared for in a safe, fun and loving environment. National Reading Year encourages children from a young age to enjoy books and all of the children enjoyed the story sack session.

The Tudorville Allotment Association grew on 1st May when it took on more land from Ross Town Council, and gave homes to fifteen more allotment gardeners. The land formerly known as the Green Strip, was handed over after a very long process which Denise Mason the town clerk knows all too well.

Before the allotments were let, allotment holders new and old erected a fence to contain the land. On the weekend of hand over some people came with tools as well as cheque books, and as soon as they had signed their agreements, started digging. Others used a very different method - a mini digger to turn over the plots and bury the surface growth.

The Association's sincere thanks go to Denise and all at Ross Town Council for this opportunity. The new tenants give a really broad age range among our now 41 'allotmenteers'.

The pictures show the lease being signed by our Chairman Brian Austin, Liaison Officer Ernie Gibbons and Town Clerk Denise Mason, an aerial view of the allotments (as were) and the green strip and last weeks view, showing just how much work has been achieved in only six weeks.

Richard Pope, Secretary Tudorville Allotment Association.

Herefordshire Council is extending its consultation of local people on how household waste should be collected and recycled in future. As more and more local residents contact the council's web site to make their views known, the deadline has been put back to Thursday, 10th July.

The council has proposed that it continues with its weekly black bag collection service, rather than moving to fortnightly collections like many other local authorities. It has also decided against national ideas about inserting microchips in wheelie bins to record how they are used, and has rejected any moves to impose draconian rules or fines.

Instead, the authority wants to know what people think about the idea of using wheelie bins for collecting a wider range of recyclables, such as glass, every two weeks. This would enable the council to provide a kerbside recycling service to every home in the county, an improvement on the current 72 per cent of households.

Herefordshire currently recycles 30 per cent of its household waste but needs to do more to meet a government target of 40 per cent by 2010.

According to a web 'blog' discussion site set up by the council, there are mixed views on wheelie bins and whether they are suitable for all locations.

'Herefordshire people care very much about how the council collects and disposes of the waste we all produce,' said Councillor John Jarvis, cabinet member for environment and strategic housing. 'We listen to and value all views, as this will help us come to the right decision.

The online consultation is proving to be very popular and the numbers of people logging on and having their say shows no sign of slowing down. For this reason we are extending the period of consultation for a few more weeks until Thursday, 10th July.'

If you would like to have your say, why not visit the council's web site, on www.herefordshire.gov.uk or speak to an advisor by telephoning the council on 01432 260051.

Wyenot News opinion: If after consulting the public Herefordshire Council decide to stay with the weekly black bag collections, then surely the Re-Box team should be allowed to continue and possibly extend their current and invaluable service of collecting recyclable materials, rather than be replaced by wheelie bins!.

IN MEMORIAM

Norma Evelyn Wood
10th November 1933 to 13th June 2005

We love you and think of you every day.
Alan and Tina

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