It is with deep sorrow that we have to say goodbye to Alan Weston, who passed away suddenly last Wednesday morning. Alan, who was known and loved by many in Ross was one of those always happy people, who enjoyed life and would do anything to help anybody. Alan had been one of my closest local friends since 1976, when I first came to Ross.

Alan was born in Ross and was a car mechanic by trade, working at Nelson's Garage, Walford when I first met him. He also worked evenings at the Hope & Anchor, in the famous Potters Bar where, along with Andy Ward and many others, he and I had lots of fun together. One thing which immediately springs to my mind about Alan at that time was the tee shirt he often wore behind the bar. 'So many women! So little time!' read the bold statement on its front.

Alan was inspirational in helping me to arrange the recent Potters Bar Reunion Party and was due to attend. He had planned to get tongues wagging at the party by arriving with his girlfriend of the time and first wife, Gill. Alan leaves behind his wife, Carol, who of course gave her full blessing to this planned joke. Unfortunately, Alan became ill just weeks prior to the event and was unable to make it on the night - something which deeply upset him because he was really looking forward to seeing all of his old friends again. Gill said to him, 'Never mind, Alan. There will be another one.' But alas.

Alan and I did both grow up - eventually. I became involved with 'Wyenot' and Alan became a Ross Town Councillor. Flying was one of Alan's passions and he took up hot air ballooning with friends, Rob Little, Nigel Gaudion and Ian Ashpole. He also built and flew model aircraft and enjoyed playing the guitar.

Some years ago, Alan and his wife, Carol moved away from Ross, to Hundleton in Pembrokeshire. We kept in touch occasionally on the telephone and many people often enquired as to his well-being. He enjoyed the quieter lifestyle there and made new friends, although he did not enjoy particularly good health. He and Carol returned to Ross recently to attend Gill's 50th birthday party and we met up again for the first time in three years. Other than that his medication had caused him to put on weight, Alan had not changed one iota! His sense of humour had not faded in the least. We had a great time, sitting in the garden and catching up on old times and with old friends.

Gill suggested that I use the photo of the two of us together at that party to go with this tribute. I also however took the top photo on the same occasion, which I don't think she or Alan's wife, Carol had seen, so I have shown that one at the top.

Alan, we will all miss you very much and all of our thoughts are very much with Carol.

Alan's funeral service will take place this coming Friday with a cremation at Narberth Crematorium at 11.30. His ashes will be brought home to Ross and a small memorial service will be held at a date to be arranged in January.

For those who would like to attend Alan's funeral service but do not know Pembrokeshire, The crematorium post code is SA678UD and the telephone number is 01833 4861 309.

I was very sorry to hear of the sad passing of Alan Weston, on Wednesday last. I know he was a great friend of yours during days gone by, and also as one of the icons of 'The Potter's Bar'. I remember him from his days on the spanners at Nelson's Garage, Walford, prior to his days when he founded Autocare Mobile, and then setting up on the Alton Industrial Estate in Ross-on-Wye. I also remember when he got his Air Balloon Licence, and could often be seen hovering over the local area.

Even though he left the area some year's ago, I'm sure quite a few people will remember him, and for the excellent service he gave to the local motoring community whilst at the garage.

God be with you Alan 'Autocare' and make sure those pearly gates are well oiled when you pass through.

Colin Davies
(Colin's Tyrecare Ross).

Police in Caerphilly are appealing for information regarding 16 year old Holly Hughes who has been missing from her Gruffydd Drive address in Caerphilly since the morning of Thursday December 11th.

Holly is described as 5 foot 4 inches tall and of a medium build.

When she was last seen she was wearing navy school trousers, a grey McKenzie jacket and carrying a large white bag. She has brown hair, green eyes and a fresh complexion. She may be in possession of a pair of blue jeans.

It is believed Holly may be in the Ross-on-Wye area.

Holly is considered vulnerable because of her age and if any one knows of her whereabouts they are asked to call Gwent Police on 01633 838111.

I spent Sunday of this week building a new trial system for publishing 'Wyenot News'. The fact is that, although this past couple of weeks have been relatively quiet from a local news point of view, Tina and I really struggle to meet the Wednesday deadline every week, often working all day until 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning on Mondays and Tuesdays to get the news out. This is beginning to have a knock on effect on our health and I have been trying to think of a way round this. A way which will both make life a little easier for us, yet not detract from the news outlet. Hopefully, improve it in fact.

Since we have started unscripted busking of the in between bits, the WNTV weekly television programme has become relatively simple to put together, compared with the rest of the written and photographic news, so we would still publish this as normal, on Wednesdays.

My thoughts are that, instead of publishing on Wednesdays, we start publishing as and when an event takes place and as the news happens, or as soon afterwards as possible, using THIS SYSTEM (click for a test example of the new layout to open in a separate window). Not exactly daily but quite literally, as soon as we receive or cover the news or as soon afterwards as possible. (Sometimes, I am shopping or otherwise busy when the news emails arrive.)

Note that, in the example, I have also increased the width of the usable page to 1000 pixels. When I first designed 'Wyenot', most users were using 800 x 600 pixel screen resolution but technology has improved greatly since those days and most use at least 1000 pixels wide. I cannot possibly go back and change all the thousands of old pages on 'Wyenot', so they will remain at their current 760 pixel width. I need to know how many readers this new size does not work for.

I am still not 100% settled on the above front page example being the final layout, but it is somewhere near. Headline style links to the most recent news items (each item appearing on its own individual page) would appear at the top of the news index page. As this page fills to the area of the bottom supporter's ads, (which would happen almost immediately) older news items would move to the 'recent news, back news and news archive' page.

The advantage of the new system to readers is obviously, that you will be able to log on more frequently and will not have to wait until Wednesday to find out, for example, that the commotion was because little Johnnie got his head stuck in the park railings. It would also have a big advantage to the police and those affected if we were to immediately publish details of crime and missing person requests for help.

Please, it really is important that you let us know your opinion on the new system either way by emailing wyenotnews@googlemail.com. Let us know what you think, even if it is just a one word, 'yes' or 'no' email. I will go along with the majority as to whether or not I make the change. I hope you do not think this rude but I will not be able to reply to emails answering this question as I simply do not have any time to do so - neither will I store your information in any shape or form (I am 1million percent against spam). If I do change the format of 'Wyenot News' , I will start the New Year with the new system.

The flower delivery lorry misjudged the turning from Gloucester Road into Broad Street this evening (Tuesday) and got stuck, blocking the road. Having received a call, I attended the scene to take the photos below. Some posts had been damaged and with the lorry unable to move for fear of damaging the shop fronts, I left to finish this week's news with the driver and local police waiting for assistance to arrive.

NICK KISS & SON
PLASTERERS AND GENERAL BUILDERS

All types of plastering work undertaken
Clean and Tidy - Free Quotes

Telephone: 01989 763441
Mobile: 07810 174670

PAUL AND STEVE RANDELL
GENERAL BUILDERS

Extensions - Renovations - Brickwork
Stonework - Floor Laying - Roofing

Telephone Paul on 01989 564112
Mobile 07812 564112
Steve on 07971 535064

A special tree planting took place at Deanhill Park on Tuesday, in memory of the last Master and Mistress of the Work House, Rex and Gertie Roff, who were in charge between 1923 and 1952. The workhouse later became Deanhill Hospital and is where Ross Community Hospital stands today.

The tree, a Prunus Autumn Flowering Cherry will be the last to be planted at the park which stands opposite the site of the old work house. Mrs. Joan Robbins, daughter of the Roffs performed the planting ceremony, watched by her daughter, Sue Purrington. Also present was Mrs. Jean Bryant, who said that she remembered from when she was six years old and waiting outside the maternity wing whilst her mother gave birth to siblings, Mrs. Roff had always been very kind to her, saying that any minute now she would have a baby sister or brother.

Another special guest was Dr. John Powell, author of the book 'Hard Times in Herefordshire.' Mrs Robbins was looking at it and exclaimed, proudly, 'Oh look! There's a picture of my mother and father in here!'

It was lovely to see Margaret Lucas representing Ross-in-Bloom as Chairman, with husband Councillor Gordon Lucas. Councillor Anne Gary was also present, along with Andrew Tomkinson of Herefordshire Council's Parks and Countryside department, who funded the cost of the planting, and Phil Pankhurst and Kyle Waring of Amey, who prepared everything for the ceremony.

Visitors to Orles Barn last Wednesday were greeted with wonderful mulled wine, delicious mince pies and a host of favourite carols, beautifully sung by Ross Choristers. The singers were all dressed up in Edwardian costume and encouraged the audience to join in, which most of them did.

Proprietors of Orles Barn, Richard and Kelly Bailey organized the event to raise funds for two charities; Cancer Research and childrens charity Winston's Wish and a handsome £370 was raised at the event.

Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward after a car crash on the A49 near Peterstow, left a passenger hospitalized in a serious condition.

The collision occurred at 3.53am on Saturday, 13th December 2008 when a red Ford Focus travelling South towards Ross was in collision with a white Peugeot 306 travelling towards Hereford. The passenger in the rear near side of the Ford sustained life-threatening head injuries. He was taken to hospital at Hereford, then subsequently transferred to Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham, where his condition is reported as serious.

The driver of the Ford and his rear offside passenger received minor injuries. The front seat passenger of the Ford and the driver of the Peugeot were uninjured.

Police are keen to hear from anyone who may have witnessed the collision or saw either vehicle being driven along the A49 immediately prior to the crash.

Anyone with information should contact PC Richard Pearce of the Roads Policing Team at Hereford Police Station on 0300 333 3000.

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

The absolute deadline for Wyenot News stories and other items is 12:00, midday on Tuesday, for inclusion in the following day's edition.

PLEASE NOTE HOWEVER: This is an absolute deadline and not the time I am asking for articles to be sent in. Mondays and Tuesdays here at 'Wyenot News' are Hell with by far, the most events I cover occurring at the weekend. The photography that the public sees happening is only one tiny part of the whole picture (please excuse the pun) of running this weekly news publication and the bits of prep that people do not see, are actually the most time consuming part of getting the story out.

If at all possible, please send your story in as early as you can, rather than wait until the very last minute, so that I can have at least a fighting chance of getting to bed before 3:00 am every Tuesday and Wednesday morning after what has lately become two 18 hour working days on the trot.

Thank you very much for your understanding and help.

Alan

DO YOU HAVE A STORY FOR WYENOT NEWS?

If you have a local news item or story you can submit it here
or call Alan or Tina on 01989 763217

There is no charge for publishing NEWS items - a small discretionary charge may be made to cover travel expenses for photographic coverage of events

What's On Events - see page for details

Wyenot News, 1, Hillview Road, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. HR9 7EY

If you would like to order prints from Wyenot News photographs, please click here.

Prints are only available for photographs taken by Wyenot News (Not of those which have been sent in by readers).

Prints of 'people' photographs are only available to those directly involved in the news event covered. i.e. I do not sell prints of people to the general public.