The Pretenders are currently enjoying renewed success in USA with their new album 'Breaking Up The Concrete'. Chrissie Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers are now the only two original members of the band, which has a new single release, 'Boots Of Chinese Plastic'

The original members of the Pretenders were Chrissie Hynde, Martin Chambers, Pete Farndon and James Honeyman-Scott. Chrissie Hynde is American but the other three were from Herefordshire, with Martin being from Ross. Unfortunately James Honeyman-Scott, main guitarist, (Jimmy Scott as his friends knew him) and Pete Farndon, bass guitar both died along the way, but not before the band's first two major album sucesses.

The extract below, is from a film which is being made as a tribute to James Honeyman-Scott, and is narrated by James Williams, who was born in Ross but has been living in Holland for the past 18 years. In the film James explains briefly about knowing these musicians, and the primary connection of being a friend and fellow musician of Martin Chambers during the very early days in Ross, Hereford and around the UK.

The film clip is part 3 from a still being formed, longer research documentary into the background of, primarily, James Honeyman-Scott, but also the other Herefordshire members of The Pretenders. Research for the film is being carried out by 'Kerami-Ken', another Herefordian living in Sweden, who can be looked up on 'MySpace'. Kerami-Ken is working on various video projects with Swedish musicians and bands and was a school friend of James Honeyman-Scott.

The short film below, 'Talk of the Towns', is about memories of Hereford and Ross during the early days of The Pretenders' history, and briefly features well known local musician Paul Randell. Further information on Kerami-Ken's 'MySpace' 'In memory of James Honeyman Scott' project can be seen by clicking here.

If you are looking for somewhere to hold a Christmas party, or dine out on Christmas day, or maybe thinking of getting away from home this Christmas, you may find some of the offers below very useful.

The Royal Lodge at Symonds Yat East has an excellent range of packages currently available. For instance a 3 night Christmas package, from the evening of 24th December to the morning of 27th Decemberhas now been reduced from £339 per person to £299. An absolute bargain. There are still a few places available for Christmas Day lunch and there are single night (£135 per person) and two night (£195 per person) deals available for New Year. The menus are available to view on the Christmas Menus page in this issue of Wyenot news.

If you are holding a party and don't want to go home, you and your friends are welcome to book in for a night's bed and breakfast for a emre £35 per person, Normal cost £40.

Norton House are currently offering 'a candle-light dinner with family and friends. Have Norton House to yourselves for two nights for £190.00 per couple, includes two nights B&B and a 3course meal on one night' Click on to their web site for further details. (Offer not applicable between 24th December and 2nd January, inclusive)

From Boxing Day, Judy from the White House is offering a three nights for the price of two package. Telephone Judy for further details.

Last Saturday Ross-on-Wye joined in with the world’s largest chocolate fondue party. It was held at the Baptist church and organized by Stop the Traffik - a global movement of ordinary activists from around the world who believe that people should not be bought and sold. The venue was crowded with people who met to celebrate a mutual love for chocolate while at the same time calling for the end of child trafficking labour in the manufacture of our chocolate.

There was live music, quizzes and games, plus delicious fairly traded melted chocolate to dunk bananas, strawberries, grapes and pineapple into!

Every day an estimated 12,000 trafficked children are forced to work the Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa plantations. For more information visit www.stopthetraffik.org

The two bright moving lights which glided silently over Ross on Friday night were not UFOs. They were IFOs, predictable, to the second and were Space Shuttle, Endeavour followed closely by the International Space Station.

Endeavour had undocked from the space station just a few hours before the flyby, had flown a circuit of the space station before heading out in front, ready for re-entry on what was Sunday evening our time. They appeared on Friday, in the West South West exactly on time, at 17:30 and 36 seconds GMT and eclipsed towards the East at 17:34 and 57 seconds GMT. I was waiting with my video camera, ready to film the pass and it can be seen on this week's WNTV programme.

Homecoming in California

Space shuttle Endeavour touched down at Edward's Air Force Base on Sunday, 30th November, concluding the STS-126 mission. The image below, taken by Tony Landis of NASA shows Endeavour's drag chute as it deployed, as the shuttle touched down on Runway 4. The original landing plan at the Kenedy Space Centre in Florida had to be aborted due to adverse weather conditions.

In April 1981, I stood at the foot of those mountains in the background with my own camera, to catch the landing of the first Space Shuttle, Challenger (STS-001). One of the most memorable times of my life. There is an article about that somewhere among the back issues of 'Wyenot News'.

The Chase Hotel was packed out with people on Saturday evening with over 200 people enjoying a fabulous dinner which preceded some fantastic entertainment from Queen Tribute Band 'The Bohemians.' Our friend and ace DJ, Nigel Gaudion invited us to go along and see some of their act.

Nigel had everybody up dancing to his disco and warmed the crowd up nicely for when the band took to the stage and I must say, they were brilliant. They covered everybodys favourite Queen songs in true Queen style and everybody had w wonderful time.

Message to the young man who was sat near to Nigel: that definitely WAS nigel's smoke machine! Honest!

Thanks for inviting us Nigel. The band were great and so were you.

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