The lovely village of Newnham runs alongside the river Severn in Gloucestershire. The village flanks the Forest of Dean and is also ideally placed for visitors to the beautiful Wye valley. Visitors flock to Newnham to watch the Severn Bore with its surfers and to take walks in the wonderful nearby forest, where they can see wild boar, deer and an abundance of birds. This year Newnham has the added attraction that many of its residents are opening their gardens to the public on the 4th and 5th of July.

The gardens that are opening are not just the hidden spaces of the Regency or often earlier buildings fronting the High Street, but also extend to the wider village where the mix of scale and maturity of the gardens offer an eclectic mix. If you have never visited Newnham then the view from the bench at the rear of the church overlooking the Severn is spectacular and the bird song and scenery are always a delight. Why not stop for a bite to eat at a local pub like the White Hart in Broadoak, a leisurely quarter mile walk from the centre of Newnham along the riverbank and then enjoy what will undoubtedly be an interesting open gardens event. Refreshments and plants will be on sale and a children's trail will keep youngsters busy.

Newnham-on-Severn is a delightful village and a wonderful staging point for access to some other great places and activities in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley. This event could just be part of your visit, but we hope you'll join us to celebrate the gardens of Newnham. Tickets are available in advance of the event from the Post Offices in Newnham and Blakeney, but will also be on sale on both days at the Old House in the Lower High Street in Newnham. Tickets will cost £5 per day for adults and children below fourteen will be admitted free of charge. Gardens will be open from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. and everybody is welcome.

Newnham-on-Severn lies midway between Gloucester and Chepstow on the A48; the bus route is number 73 and nearest rail links are Lydney and Gloucester.

The Ross-in-Bloom committee would like to remind all those who wish to enter their gardens into the competition that their entry forms must be received by the judging co-ordinator by Wednesday, 30th June. Any forms received after that date will not be taken into account. If you would like to enter your garden but you don't have a form you can obtain one from Ross Garden Store, Lucas Motorcycles or Ross Heritage Centre. Send an sae with your form and you will receive a 10% discount voucher to help with the cost of your plants, courtesy of Ross Garden Store.

The above deadline does not apply to the Childrens' Competition. The closing date for their entries is Saturday, 11th July at 1pm.

The Elgar Award winning Tarrington Brass are preparing to hand over the award in style at the Hereford Prom concert on Saturday, 11th July. The concert, which will take place at the Shire Hall at 7.30pm will open with a fanfare arrangement from the Severn Suite by Elgar, which has been specially commissioned for the evening and will also feature Sir Malcolm Arnold Suite for Brass Opus 80 along with the delightful Second suite in F by Holst.

The band will be joined by The Hereford Police Choir who will be singing in English, African, French, Latin and Maori and the outstanding local Clarinet soloist, Becky Griffiths will also be performing. Becky is well know as a peripatetic teacher in the county and recognized nationally as an outstanding exponent of the clarinet. Tarringtom Brass are also delighted to welcome popular Baritone David Coulson who will deliver items from his extensive repertoire that always raise a smile. The evening will conclude in true promenade style with the sea songs, pomp and circumstance and the combined forces, singing 'Jerusalem.'

Tickets cost £8 and £5 and are available from The Outback, Church St Hereford, Tarrington Brass, The Hereford Police Choir or by calling 07764 921401. Children under the age of 16 years will be admitted free.

Local campaigner Jesse Norman led two teams of volunteers last week in a co-ordinated attack on litter in Hereford City. Nearly 20 volunteers from HALTER, Hereford Against Litter, joined up with the Police, Council enforcement officers and with local contractors, Amey in litter picks in High Town on Saturday and Thursday.

Altogether, the volunteers cleaned up in the Cathedral Close, in Church Street, Widemarsh Street, St Owens Street, Broad Street, West Street, Bewell Street, Commercial Street and around Maylords, as well as in High Town itself. This marks the first time that volunteers have worked alongside local police, litter enforcement and litter clearance in a collective public-private effort.

Speaking afterwards, Jesse said, 'Many people have said to me that Hereford is starting to look cleaner over the past few months. But there is a long way to go yet. We have been campaigning for ages for a tougher and more co-ordinated approach to litter and it is great to see these efforts start to come to fruition. People need to understand that litter is not just ugly and expensive to clean up. It deters tourists, hurts our shops and is known to lead to higher levels of antisocial behaviour. They cannot just drop litter with impunity. This is a gorgeous city, in a gorgeous county, and we need to take care of it.'

Hereford will get its first multi screen cinema if Herefordshire Council's cabinet gives the go ahead to a development agreement for the city's new retail quarter. Cabinet will meet on Thursday, 25th June to discuss the signing of the agreement between the council, ESG Herefordshire and developers Stanhope plc. The agreement will pave the way for the regeneration of the old livestock market site into a new retail scheme that will revitalize the whole city centre.

The council set up the ESG joint venture company to breathe new life into the economy of Hereford, whilst connecting with and supporting its medieval core with its traditional tourism and shopping attractions. The first phase of the project will start in 2011. It is intended to herald a range of substantial economic and social benefits for the county, including a new multi screen cinema, new restaurants, household name retailers, car parking and high quality pedestrianized streets with connections to the city's High Town and Maylord Centre, all helping to generate a thriving new evening economy.

The retail development, just north of the inner ring road that circles the city's historic core, will create 1500 new jobs and will need 600 workers to build it. Almost entirely owned by Herefordshire Council, the retail and leisure quarter is the first slice in the regeneration of the entire 100-acre ESG site. The 20-year project is Hereford's biggest development since the building of its ancient cathedral in the twelfth century.

Since Stanhope's selection as preferred partner for the development in February 2008, the company has been negotiating a final development mix and designs for the site. Stanhope will progress the planning process, negotiate with various agencies, demolish existing buildings and construct the approved scheme, letting to retailers, restaurants, and leisure providers, and manage the completed scheme according to its agreement with Herefordshire Council. A 250-year lease to be granted to the developer once the scheme has been completed.

The retail quarter is one of the key elements of the regeneration of the city. The 12.5-acre site includes 9.9 acres of council-owned area and, as a condition of the development agreement, Stanhope will fund the acquisition of any further land and property required to bring the retail quarter to fruition. The site includes not only the livestock market area, which will be freed up with the building of a new market to the north west of the city, but also the associated business premises, Garrick House and adjacent multi-storey and surface car park and the New Market Tavern site.

The wider framework consists of off-site flood alleviation work, a new link road, a new urban village with a least one third affordable housing and a new transport hub. Cabinet will consider the development agreement in public session but the detailed and commercially sensitive items will be discussed in confidence to protect the council's negotiating position on behalf of local taxpayers. The signature of the development agreed will give greater certainty to the overall scheme and the funding package required to finance the wider Edgar Street Grid regeneration, as well as concluding the open market selection of Stanhope as the preferred developer.

The board of ESG Herefordshire is recommending to the council that the development of the retail quarter is realized in defined stages and will be under constant review to ensure measured progress in line with the recovery of the economy. A planning application for phase one is expected to be made by Stanhope next summer, with work starting a year later. The development will be funded by Stanhope plc. This development of this first phase will coincide with the Herefordshire Council's refurbishment of the Butter Market as part of the whole city centre regeneration programme. The ESG team is working closely with the council and the city centre tenants group on plans to modernize the Butter Market and create within it a centre of excellence to help promote Herefordshire's high quality local produce.

Hereford police have confirmed that a 20 year old man was injured in a shooting accident in a field in Lower Lyde, just north of Hereford at the weekend. The incident happened at 9pm on Saturday 20th June 2009, as one man was passing a shotgun to another through a hedge. Police launched an immediate investigation and detectives are satisfied that the injury caused was accidental and that there are no criminal offences disclosed or suspicious circumstances. The unnamed man is currently being treated at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham for a non-life threatening shotgun wound.

After several years of planning and fundraising, Llangarron Church which is a Grade l listed building dating back to 14th century and the only church in England dedicated to St Deinst, is counting down to the start of essential repairs on 27th July. The repairs will be carried out by local building firm, H T Kettle Ltd, in conjunction with Shrewsbury based architects Donald Insall Associates. The 10 week programme includes repairs to the roof, valley gutter, gable copings and exterior stonework plus the installation of a drainage channel for and damp course in the North Aisle. During the works, the church will function as normal, including coffee mornings in the Nave on the 2nd Saturday of every month.

To date, £72,895 of the required £76,509 has been raised. This is largely due to the generous support of English Heritage, National Churches Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, Hereford Historic Churches Trust, Allchurches Trust and the Listed Places of Worship Scheme. It has also been supplemented by PCC funds raised through various village events.

To raise the balance, plans are in place for an extra special Summer Fête at Langstone Court on Saturday, 4th July and the action packed programme includes a display of gundogs and hawks by Black Mountains Falconry and an afternoon of children's entertainment by Jenny-Any-Dots. A mountain bike skills circuit is also planned as well as a duck race and a fire engine. Berry Hill Band will be providing the music.

Entrance is £1 for adults (children 16 years and under free). Please go along and help to swell the funds.

Police in Herefordshire are warning church staff and local residents to be on their guard against thieves, following three theft incidents across the county in the past few days. Between 6th and 20th June, a thief forced the collection box in the entrance to the St. John The Evangelist Church in Shobdon, near Leominster, removing the cash it held.

Another incident occurred between 14th and 21st June, when somebody entered St Deinst's Church in Llangarron, near Ross. They unsuccessfully tried to force the safe in the vestry and left empty handed. The latest incident was at St Mary's Church at Fownhope between 14th and 22nd June when somebody attempted to break into the collection box, again without success.

Given the time frames for these individual incidents, it is possible that all three offences were committed on the same day, although at this stage Police have no firm evidence either way. They are urging all those charged with the care of rural churches to make sure that security is as tight as possible, especially where many churches are left open during the day for those wishing to visit or pray. Safes and collection boxes should be checked as often as possible. Householders living in the vicinity of rural parish churches can also play their part by keeping a surreptitious eye on their local church, noting registration numbers where appropriate and reporting all suspicious activity to police as soon as possible.

Anyone with information on the recent spate of thefts should contact the Public Service Desk at Hereford Police Station on 0300 333 3000 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555111.

Police in Ross on Wye are appealing for information following the theft of a pedal cycle from a shed in the town. Between 12.30am and 10am on Thursday 18th June 2009, a garden shed in Station Street, Ross was entered by thieves and a 'Big Hit' model Specialised downhill pedal cycle, valued at £1,300, was removed. The cycle is coloured white with black forks.

Police are anxious to speak to anyone who witnessed the theft or may know the current whereabouts of this distinctive machine. Anybody with any information should contact PC Andrea Morris at Ross Police Station on 0300 333 3000 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Rhiannon Jones who is currently studying at Reading University was selected to cox the Legs, Trunk and Arms Mixed Coxed Four (LTAMix4+) in Munich on Saturday. The LTAMix4+ can have a mixture of rowers with disabilities in the boat and often blind rowers dominate. The crews are coxed by an able bodied coxswain who steers them to the finish.

Germany kept Great Britain honest in the final adaptive rowing race. Victoria Hansford, James Roe and David Smith, with stroke Naomi Riches and coxswain Rhiannon Jones, got out in front at the start with Germany right on their tails. Rhiannon began her rowing career with Ross returning regularly during college breaks. Having starting her career at Ross, Rhiannon pursued her rowing career whilst at college. Coxing the Reading 1st eight at Henley and now being selected to representative GB in the 2009 Adaptive world championship. Rhiannon is a crowning example of what can be achieved through hard work and dedication to her sport. The Club is suitably proud of the role it has played in introducing and inspiring Rhiannon with her passion for Rowing.

New Rowers Strike 6 Gold at Stratford

Suitably inspired by the success of Rhiannon, the club's newest group of competitive rowers were racing for the first time at Stratford regatta. The new rowers were all highly successful with each one distinguishing themselves with great credit. All of the beginners learnt to row at the 'Discover Rower' during the Easter camp. The Wj11 doubles was won by Tilly Lawson and Imogen Gray and in the quads, Christina, Imogen Alice Reynolds and Jess Boon with Olivia Baynham-Williams coxing, narrowly beat the other Ross Crew of Jacoba Hale , Megan Jepcote , Jenny Reeves, and Tilly Lawson with Jess Crossman Coxing.

In the Wj12 open class the new starers were teamed up with more experienced rowers. This event was won by Catrin Morris and Jacobe Hale only narrowly beating Olivia Baynham-Williams and Christina Stevenson. In the quads event Megan Jephcote, Alice Reynolds Pippa England and Imogen Gray coxed by Jess Crossman vanquished a plucky Evesham crew. Leading the charge for the boys were the experienced J12 quad of Johan Lai, George Probert, Dale Kernot, Nick Burden and coxed by Jess Crossman. Having beaten Leicester in the semi final they vanquished another plucky Ross crew Jess then Teamed up with Johan Lai to win J12 double sculls.

Rowers travel to Reading Thames Valley Park Regatta

Thames Valley Park regatta is traditionally the last schools regatta of the season and as such attracts very strong oppostion from the London area. Ross squad members travelled down to test themselves at this level. The boys J13 quad made up of Johan Lai, Morgan Gray, George Probert and Sam Taylor with Olivia Baynham-Williams coxing, having won their semi final were only narrowly beaten in the final by 6 feet. Rosie Brandram-Jones and Zoe Sarjant were also victorious in their semi final only to come up against a strong Avon County double in the final. Overall it was another excellent weekend of rowing for the Ross Club.

Many thanks must go to the support teams at both regattas especially the supporting parents at Stratford and TVP. Special thanks go to the trailer drivers, Ian Howell, John Lewis and Jonathon Preece.

Following the success of last year's event, The Banned are all set to repeat the experience of giving a great performance of classic rock music at Cuckoo's Corner, Howle Hill this coming Saturday. The Banned is a good JKHS teacher / student mix of talented musicians who really enjoy performing and on Saturday will be raising money to support the John Kyrle High School's link with Kisiki College and Ross Town's link with Namutumba.

Several talented guest artistes will be performing during the event and are: new local boy band Caddy, great local rappers, Controversial Minds, Vic Bailey, Bekki Steele, acoustic duo The Ben and George Experience, Alex Knapman of X-Factor fame, Ed Arnold, Vertical Dropout, Starlight Through Storm and Alan and Tony. All of these acts are performing for free and the event promises to be a great family day out. Tickets are available from the John Kyrle High School and cost £5, concessions £4 and a family ticket £10. You will need to take your own food to the picnic but there will be a bar open and free overnight camping is available.

If you are thinking of holding a fund-raising event, why not book The Banned to play? Over a number of Years the Banned have raised thousands of pounds for charities at home and abroad including Megan Baker Trust, Childrens' Cancer Trust, Red Nose Day Appeal, Acorn Hospice, Namutumba Sewing Machines, St Mary’s Church Appeal, John Kyrle 25th Anniversary Celebration as well as a annual contribution to the school’s Uganda and South Africa appeals and on 12th September, they will be fronting an indoor picnic in support of Zisize Ingwavuma Orphage in South Africa.

There will be lots of fun for all the family at Bridstow Primary School on Saturday, 4th July. The event is a joint venture between the school, the Parish Council, the Parish Hall Committee and a whole range of activities has been planned to take place between 3pm and 5pm.

The organizers have arranged face painting, a charity tug-o-war, a rounders match, a bouncy castle, a summer hat competition, traction engine rides, go karts, a toddlers corner, tombola and cake stalls, cream teas, a barbecue and much more. Why not go along and join in the fun?