Parts of The Prospect Gardens in Ross-on-Wye have become a mine of historical finds this year. Not only were Roman remains discovered during work being carried out to repair the Prospect wall, it now appears that remains of the foundations of the 800 year old Bishops' Palace has been unearthed.

It has always been known that there used to be a medieval Bishops' Palace around the area, but nobody was quite sure where it was exactly. It now looks as if the answer to the mystery has been solved. The Prospect now has the remains of a 1,900 year old Roman site and the medieval palace to place alongside its already recognized historic importance as one of the region's earliest public gardens.

Wyenot News went along to the Prospect on Tuesday to view the new find. Whilst there we spoke to Councillor John Jarvis about the opportunities that the discoveries will provide both in education and tourism. You can hear what Councillor Jarvis had to say in this week's WNTV News programme.

Both sets of remains have been protected by temporary covering structures with raised viewing platforms and will be open to the public between 10am and 4pm from Friday, 5th until Saturday, 20th December.

Planning permission to construct a retaining wall at Thorny Orchard, Coughton,near Ross-on-Wye was approved by members of the southern area planning subcommittee at their meeting on Wednesday, 12th November.

Land at the site has been terraced after planning permission was granted in 2004 for the erection of a building for the storage and repair of vehicles. The present wall is not considered to provide adequate support to a public footpath running alongside it and it is now proposed to erect a "timber crib" wall which will be filled with planting bags so that, over time, plants can become established across the wall face.

Herefordshire Council's traffic manager expressed concern regarding the stability of the existing wall and wanted full details of the proposed wall to be provided and approved by the council's construction team. Herefordshire Council's public rights of way manager expressed concern about the safety of pedestrians using the public footpath and wanted the work overseen by a chartered engineer. Walford Parish Council had no objection.

Two letters of objection were received concerned that the wall will be much longer than originally envisaged and the fact that footpath WA50 has been closed as a result of being undermined.

Herefordshire Council is extending its Special Energy Efficiency Scheme (SEES) to all private homeowners and private tenants aged 60 plus. The scheme, which provides funding for energy efficiency improvements such as insulation and draught proofing and heating controls, is available to anyone over 60, regardless of income.

Councillor Phil Cutter, Herefordshire Council's energy champion, said, 'With fuel prices at their highest level for some years together with the credit crunch adding further pressure on people's incomes, we have decided to extend this scheme to all over 60s. I would urge anyone who is struggling with their bills to take advantage of this scheme. There is only limited funding so as always it will operate on a first come, first served basis.'

Anyone interested in applying for one of the £500 grants should contact Domestic and General Insulation, who this year operate as partner with the council should telephone 0844 543 0043.

For further information on reducing your energy bills, contact Herefordshire Council Energy Efficiency Department on 01432 260398 or the local Energy Efficiency Advice Centre on 0800 512 012.

Campaigners from Ross on Wye Baptist Church are joining thousands of people world-wide in hosting the World's Largest Chocolate Fondue Party 2008 in order to raise awareness and funds for STOP THE TRAFFIK's Chocolate Campaign - a deeper look at the darker side of cocoa.

Groups from around the UK, and countries as far flung as Bangladesh, Mozambique and Australia, will be dipping their strawberries and dunking their donuts throughout the course of the last week in November with the same aim in mind; to put an end to the trafficking of children within the cocoa industry.

The International Labour Organization wrote in 2005 that an estimated 12,000 children have been trafficked to work on cocoa plantations in Cote D'Ivoire, West Africa; a country which produces over 40% of the world's cocoa crop. Many children trafficked into the industry are from nearby Mali.

The 2000 US State Department Human Rights report said, 'It is estimated that some 15,000 Malian children work on Ivorian cocoa and coffee plantations. Many are under 12 years of age, sold into indentured servitude for $140 and work 12 hour days for $135 to $189 per year.'

Through initiatives such as The World's Largest Fondue Party, STOP THE TRAFFIK aims to put an end to the exploitation and abuse of these children by raising awareness in our communities and encouraging individuals and groups to take action.

The chocolate used at the fondue party has to be TRAFFIK FREE which, at the moment, means fair or ethically traded. The wrappers will be collected and creatively used by STOP THE TRAFFIK as a protest against the manufacturers who aren't meeting their promises to put an end to child trafficking.

Ross Baptist Church are one such group doing this. By combining a fun (and delicious chocolatey goodness) with an all important message, Ross Baptist Church will raise the awareness and vital funds necessary for STOP THE TRAFFIK to finish what chocolate lovers world-wide have started.

If you would love to help this cause as much as you love chocolate, go along to Ross Baptist Church on Saturday, 29th November from 7pm and join them for fun, games, music and lots of chocolate!. A ticket to the World's Largest Fondue Party costs £5 (£3 concessions) per person. This covers both the hosts' expenses and raises money to take Stop The Traffik's chocolate campaign to the next level.

Tickets available from the Church Office, 18 The Crofts 01989 566966 or Beth Underwood 07815 461141.

Local Post Office campaigner Jesse Norman has welcomed the Government's decision to keep the Post Office Card Account, which is used to provide pensions and benefits to 4.3 million nationwide--and some 10,000 people in Herefordshire. Ministers scrapped plans to hand the these payments over to another company last week, and said the Post Office would retain the business under a new contract running for five years from 2010, with the possibility of a further extension.

The government's current Post Office closures plan will close 2,500 branches by the end of 2008, and it had been feared that as many as 3,000 more branches would go if the Card Account was axed. 'This a complete U-turn, but a very welcome one,' said Jesse, who has run the Save Our Post Offices campaign in Herefordshire since May 2007. 'We have long campaigned for the Post Office to be allowed to keep the Card Account, and I warned in August of the threat to branches if the contract was not renewed. I said then that they should use the Card Account to help people pay their utility bills. Many people do not have bank accounts and pay extra because they cannot use direct debit. The Post Office Card would help to solve this problem.

The government has taken many sources of income away from the Post Office, and then used that as an excuse to cut branches! This shows it should be doing the exact opposite: using the network better to offer new services that help people. This is more important than ever as the country goes into recession.'

Sarah Carr, Parliamentary candidate for the Liberal Democrats said, 'This announcement comes as a huge relief to the thousands of Post Office Card Account holders, many Sub Post Masters and communities in Herefordshire that may have lost even more post offices across the county if the decision had been different. The Post Office Card Account should never have been put out to tender in the first place. Three thousand more post offices would have been under threat across the UK if the POCA had been given to a different organization.

I welcome the news that the POCA has been awarded to the Post Office but the government has wasted time and money and caused immeasurable heartache by dragging this process out for so long.'

Two special events are being held at Ross Market House this coming weekend. The first, which will take place on Friday is a Local Authors Day and Craft Market. Local authors will be on hand to sell their books and sign them as excellent Christmas gifts. There will also be local craft traders for those special purchases.

The second event will take place on Sunday, 30th November. This will be the Annual Advent Market when local crafts people and charities will be selling goods, with plenty of gift ideas. Both events, which have been organized by Ross-in-Bloom will be taking place between 10am and 3pm and will complement the switching on of the Christmas lights on Saturday and the Christmas Tree Festival which also starts on Saturday.

Pitches space under the Market House is full but if there is anyone who would like to have a stall and is prepared to go outside they are very welcome to join in. Please contact Mary Sinclair Powell at the Heritage Centre for information.

Local campaigner and Conservative parliamentary candidate Jesse Norman has welcomed a new move to support riding and the UK equine industry. The Conservative front bench has proposed Early Day Motion 14, calling for the government to address the whole issue of insurance for horses and riders. North Herefordshire MP Bill Wiggin in particular has been leading the fight in Westminster.

The House of Lords' legal judgement in Mirvahedy v Henley in 2003 has meant that keepers of animals, such as horses and cows, can be liable for accidents involving their animals even when they have taken all reasonable steps to prevent the accident. The result has been to make it much more expensive, and sometimes even impossible, for keepers of horses and other animals to get insurance. Campaigners have argued that such a strict, non fault-based liability regime should be restricted to animals that are fundamentally dangerous and which should be kept away from people, rather than being applied to normal animals behaving in a normal way.

Commenting on the new Motion, Jesse said, 'It is now five years after the key legal judgement and the government has still not addressed this issue. The result of this inaction has been to push up insurance costs to riding schools and keepers of animals, and to undermine the commercial viability of the equine industry as a whole. Of course riding can be dangerous, as we have seen from two recent dreadful accidents. But it is also fantastically rewarding. It gives huge joy to thousands of people, young and old, in Herefordshire and the Marches. And specialist riding schools do incredible things for those with disabilities. The government should not continue to put these things at risk.'

Dave and Jacqui Newman would like to welcome you to the White Lion 16th Century Riverside Inn. Situated right on the banks of the River Wye at Ross, the White Lion is a picturesque local inn with an interesting history and is noted for its spectacular river views. The White Lion has long been a favourite place to relax by both local people and tourists alike.

The White Lion's extensive and picturesque gardens reach right down to the river's edge and are a wonderful place to enjoy views of the river. It is a great spot to watch the local otters, nesting swans and other wildlife.

Accommodation

Log Fire

Old Gaol Restaurant

Meals served every lunch time
and evening in the bar and restaurant

CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2008

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Thank you very much for your understanding and help.

Alan

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