Each year, regular visitors to Ross Cider & Perry Company at Broome Farm, Peterstow raise money for charity. This year is a little different however, as not one but two charities will benefit from the events held at the farm: WAWA and The Santa Rosa Fund. On Friday, 3rd July representatives from both charities went along to the 'First Friday' to talk about their work and where the money will go.

WAWA is a small charity founded in Powerstock, West Dorset, which raises funds to provide educational opportunities and improve medical care for children living in some of the poorest communities in Peru. WAWA in the indigenous language Quechua means “Child”. Since the charity was set up in 2003, over 30,000 US dollars has been raised by UK volunteers.

The Santa Rosa fund was originally established in 1988 to provide support for the Managua School in Nicaragua. Given its success in fund raising, it has broadened its scope to support a range of educational projects in other areas (especially rural ones). The charity also provides funds to help defend the ever increasing number of street children in Nicaragua from the threats they face.

Phil Long of Ross Cider told us, 'It was wonderful to hear and see what two small charities can achieve. After their presentation, Mike presented each charity with a cheque for £1,000. We hope to raise more cash for them between now and the festival.'

All at the farm would like to thank everybody who has put a donation in 'The Old Tin.' Every penny does make a difference to helping those less fortunate than ourselves.

Police officers in Herefordshire are set to become a regular sight at auctions and car boot sales in the future, thanks to the purchase of a special high-powered ultra-violet (UV) lamp that can detect marks on property, made by UV pens or UV liquids such as SmartWater or RedWeb. The lamp, which all officers in Herefordshire Division will have access to, shows up UV markings on property as a yellow light, indicating to the user that the property has been marked in some way and may be stolen.

Chief Inspector Sue Thomas, head of policing in the Hereford area, said, 'Now that products like Smartwater are in common usage for marking property and much in demand with Neighbourhood Watch schemes, we needed a powerful and reliable device that we could use away from police stations at events like car boot sales and auctions to readily identify any property that has been so marked. Unlike many collectors and browsers who will be looking for that special unnoticed item that turns out to be worth a fortune, police officers will be scanning the lots looking for that special item that turns out to be nicked.'

Nigel Ward of Nigel Ward & Co, auctioneers in Pontrilas, is pleased to see the police presence. 'As a businessman, I have a responsibility to protect the reputation and integrity of my company and also ensure that my customers are not sold stolen goods,' he said. 'Not only does the UV scanning by officers detect possible UV-marked stolen property but the customers can see at the same time that we take security seriously and have their best interests at heart. If anything is found that may be stolen, we can withdraw it from the sale before it is sold and lost from public view.'

If you would like to know more about property marking products such as SmartWater, please contact your local policing team or the Herefordshire Crime Risk Manager, PC Charles Naylor, on 0300 333 3000.

Herefordshire Council's waste management team will be holding a special road show in Ross-on-Wye on Monday, July 27, to promote the new waste recycling service which will be launched in November. The team will be near the Market House from 9.30am until 3.30pm and will be on hand to answer questions. The new wheeled bins to be issued will also be on display.

The idea behind the new scheme is to make it far easier for people to recycle and the majority of households in the county will be getting a wheeled bin which can be used to store all of their recyclable materials. Plastic bottles can be collected using the wheeled bins along with other materials, including tins, cans, glass bottles and jars, paper and card. Collection of the wheeled bin will be made once a fortnight.

Councillor John Jarvis, Herefordshire Council's cabinet member for the environment and strategic housing said, 'This new scheme will really help residents to increase the amount they can recycle and I would urge them to come along and find out more and get any of their questions answered. We want people to have as much information as possible before the scheme starts and this road show is one of many we have already staged or have planned to spread the word around the county.' .

Green wheeled bins will be delivered to households in September and October so residents should be on the look out for them. They will be accompanied by an information pack which will explain the new system and advise when your collection days will be. The new scheme starts on 2nd November. In the meantime, residents are asked to continue using their current blue box scheme. It is not intended to collect the blue boxes so people are encouraged to use them as handy storage devices. Even if you don't have a recycling service at the moment, the council's intention is for all households to be included under the new scheme so look out for further details.

Residents will be keeping their weekly black sack refuse service but should be aware that their collection day and time may change. Any changes in collection days will be included in the information pack delivered with the recycling bin.

Police in Ross on Wye are pledging to clamp down hard on riders of 'off-road' motorbikes who ride them on the roads in and around the town. The robust approach is being taken following complaints from local residents and visitors alike.

PC Mark Murphy, the Local Police Officer for Ross Town, has called time on the riders' antics and says enough is enough. 'There appears to be a core of youngsters who think it is cool to ride around parts of the town and countryside on these unregistered machines, without insurance or an MOT. I am concerned that someone is going to get seriously hurt one day, especially when they are used on common land or footpaths which are used by walkers of all ages,' he said.

The law is quite simple regarding the riding of motor bikes on a road. ALL riders must be at least 16, have a valid driving licence, valid insurance and MUST wear a helmet. The bike must be DVLA registered, taxed and MOT'd and fitted with lights and a registration plate.

The law is also quite simple regarding the riding of motor bikes 'off-road' in that off roaders may only ride on private land AND have the express permission of the landowner. It is not permissable to ride on common land, footpaths or bridepaths.

PC Murphy continued, 'We have increased patrols in those areas where members of the public have identified continuing problems and, as a result, have already seized four motorbikes with their riders facing prosecution for various motoring offences.

Officers in Ross are also now equipped with body-worn video equipment (please note the photograph below) to help record offences as they are being committed and present best evidence at Court. Once we have seized a bike, it will cost you around £150 for its recovery and you then face further fines and endorsements for the associated riding offences.

Our message is simple - don't ride off-road bikes on the road, and if you ride off-road do it with permission on private land. Persistent offenders may end up having their machines crushed and parents of young offenders could end up in Court themselves and being fined. We urge everyone with access to a motorbike to ride responsibly. Ross Police operate the 'Educate, then Legislate' principle. This is the educate part - let's hope everyone takes the hint!'

Anybody who wants any advice on safe or legal riding can contact PC Mark Murphy at Ross Police Station on 0300 333 3000.

A last minute injunction which prevented Herefordshire Council from relocating the retail market to the city centre was overturned in the High Court of Justice on Monday, 13th July. The grand opening which was originally planned for 27th June will now go ahead on Saturday, 25th July.

As well as overturning the injumction, Justice Blake refused Chairman of the Butter Market Independant Traders Association, Mr, Len Tawn permission to seek a judicial review and also refused to grant leave for appeal. The Court's ruling said Mr Tawn 'has no arguable case that the market traders have a right to object to the relocated market' and determined that 'there was consultation on the relocation proposal as required by statute, and there is no basis for impugning the decision on the grounds of procedural impropriety.

Councillor Adrian Blackshaw, cabinet member for economic development said, 'We are delighted that the retail market will now go ahead in line with the wishes of local people. The judge's emphatic dismissal of the original injunction, which was made at the eleventh hour and gave the council no opportunity to make its case in court, was ill conceived and based on vested self-interest that had no hope of prevailing. It is regrettable that those who tried to stop the market are trying to restrict the choices that Hereford can offer, when common sense indicates that we will bring in more shoppers by providing more choice and more reasons to visit our beautiful and vibrant city centre.'

Herefordshire Council reports that the High Court of Justice acknowledged that it did consult fully on the proposed move of the market and that 86 per cent of the public who responded to consultation were in favour. The grand opening will now go ahead at 10.30am on Saturday, 25th July, together with a programme of entertainment and family events.

Keen to show that they could do as well as their Mother Club, The Ross Lions Club, the Ross Young Lions decided they would sell strawberries and cream at the John Kyrle High School Sports Day to raise their first funds.

They advertised the event in the school, found local suppliers for the fruit and cream, worked out the costing and put together a plan for who would do what on the day. On the day itself, Ross Lions put up a gazebo for them and they all pitched in, preparing the strawberries and the stall. They had sold just five bowls when the rain came down really heavily and the school had no alternative but to call in all the spectators and cancel the event.

Not to be beaten, the Young Lions took their bowls of strawberries and cream into the school. Starting with the Staff Room and moving on to the class rooms, within three hours they had sold all they had and raised over £100 profit for their club funds. The Head Teacher, Nigel Griffiths had said at the clubs inauguration that taking on this project would improve the young pupils characters but for their first event you can't beat this for initiative and being positive. Not only do the teachers feel proud of them, but so do the Ross Lions who's President, Keith Wilding, said this was an excellent result. They worked hard and raised a good sum of money. The future bodes well for them and they can look forward to good things to come.

The Young Lions at The John Kyrle High School are still looking for new recruits so if you attend the school and are interested in joining them why not contact either Matthew Petrie or Ryan Green, they would love to see you.

Herefordshire Council has been celebrating the fact that many schools in Herefordshire have achieved a Travel Plan, Eco-Schools, and / or Healthy Schools awards and this year decided to join all three schemes and have one big award ceremony with the aim being to encourage all schools in Herefordshire to work towards these award schemes in order to become more sustainable.

The awards were presented at a special ceremony at Hereford's Town Hall when the county's Travel Plans, Eco Schools, Healthy Schools and Junior Road Safety Officers were celebrated. Travel Plans are intended to encourage pupils and staff to travel to school in a more sustainable way, by walking, cycling or using buses. Schools then gain rewards from the government to further promote sustainable travel initiatives. So far, 100 schools in the county have signed up to Travel Plans. The council is now well on target to achieving its aim of having all county schools signed up by 2010.

Councillor Brian Wilcox, Herefordshire Council's cabinet member for highways and transportation, said, 'I am pleased so many schools have now signed up to Travel Plans and encourage pupils to cycle or walk to school, as long as it is safe. We now have only four state schools and eight private schools without Travel Plans and we will now be working to get these signed up as well.' A special award also went to Lauren Deem and Ella Latham of St Mary's Primary School, Fownhope, for their work as junior road safety officers.

Twenty schools also received Eco School awards this academic year, bringing the total of schools in the county to 102. Councillor Philip Price, Herefordshire Council's cabinet member ICT, Education and Achievement, said, 'The fact we have so many Eco Schools in the county is a cause for celebration. We face a constant battle to reduce the impact of climate change and schools are crucial in not only reducing their own impact on the environment but also getting the message across to their parents and other family members.'

Seven new schools received Travel Plan awards. These were Burley Gate primary, Clifford primary, Holmer primary, Michaelchurch Escley primary, St Peter's primary in Bromyard, the Steiner Academy and Coddington Court. Bronze Eco School awards went to Holmer primary, Our Lady's primary, Pembridge primary, Ayelstone High School, St Mary's High School, The Brookfield School and The Priory Centre, Leominster.

Silver Eco School awards went to Clifford primary, Eardisley primary, Gorsley Goffs primary, Kingsland primary, Pencombe primary, Wellington primary, Weston under Penyard primary, Bishop of Hereford High School and Whitecross High School. Four eco schools also received Green Flag awards, being Garway primary, Whitchurch primary, Kingstone and Thruxton primary and Wigmore primary.

Healthy School awards went to Burley Gate primary, St. Paul's primary, Ewyas Harold primary and St Peter's primary. School Travel First Achievement awards went to Ashfield Park primary, Brampton Abbotts primary, Longtown primary, Pencombe primary and John Kyrle High School. School Travel Second Achievement Awards went to Gorsley Goffs primary, Leominster Infants, St Michaels primary in Bodenham, The Aconbury Centre and the Brookfield School, while Whitchurch primary received a School Travel Third Achievement Award.

Hereford Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward following a road traffic collision between a bicycle and a car which claimed the life of an elderly man. The incident happened on the Holme Lacy Road, Hereford at the junction (roundabout) with Hoarwithy Road at 2.50pm on Friday, 10th July 2009 when a black Honda Accord motor car was in collision with a red Raleigh pedal cycle.

An 80-year old male pedal cyclist, who has been named as Mr. Christopher Staunton, of Waggoners Way, Hereford suffered serious head injuries and was taken to Hereford County Hospital, where he later died. A woman was arrested on suspicion of driving without due care and attention and has since been released on police bail whilst further enquiries are carried out.

Holme Lacy Road was closed for several hours whilst police crash investigators examined the scene to determine the cause of the collision. The closure caused considerable traffic congestion in the area during the rush hour. HM Coroner has been informed and both a post-mortem examination and an opening inquest are expected to be arranged early this week.

Police are keen to speak to anyone who witnessed the collision or who saw either vehicle immediately before it. Anyone with information should contact PC Kevin Carter of the Roads Policing team at Hereford Police Station on 0300 333 3000.

The Ross Lions Club held their Handover Ceremony during a Sunday lunch at the Conservative Club and forty members with their wives and family members attended the event which turned out to be exceptionally enjoyable. This was however, not because of the changeover at the top of the club but because of the excellent food, service, friendship and short speeches.

Lion Andrew Middlecote received a great welcome as he was presented with his Badge of Office for the second time as President of the Ross Club by the outgoing President, Lion Keith Wilding. Before handing over the responsibilities of Club President to Andrew, Lion Keith told the guests how he had enjoyed his term in office, in fact two terms, as he had been President for two years running. This was the first year the club had paid out more money to deserving causes than had actually been raised during that year. His time in office had been exciting and very eventful.

The Ross Round Walk had become an annual event, the Lions part in the Ross Carnival was becoming more established and the clubs involvement with the John Kyrle High School was also growing. These were just a few examples of the number of events that took place over the year although the Annual Bonfire Night was a bit of a washout. He was especially pleased that during his term the club had gained a net increase of six members including its first lady Lion, which was a real change. However, the crowning glory was that after months of talks a Young Lions Club had been established at the John Kyrle High School. This was really special because it was the first Leo Club to be formed in the District for over 20 years.

Lion Keith thanked members and wives for all the support they had given him over the two years without which, his successful term would not have been possible. He picked out three members who he said had given exceptional service to the club. Lion Bernard Fowkes, Secretary and Public Relations Officer and Lion Don Wood, Treasurer, both of whom received Certificates of Appreciation. He also thanked Lion Andrew Middlecote for all the work he did for the club; way beyond what was expected.

In his acceptance speech Andrew said he would find it difficult to follow in the footsteps of Lion Keith as he had been an excellent President, but he would do his best and he looked forward to the continued support of all members and their wives. He then presented Lion Keith with his Past Presidents badge.

Anyone interested in knowing more about the Ross Lions will find the information on their website www.rossonwyelions.org or ring 0845 8335786.

Detectives investigating the attempted robbery of a Hereford newsagents last week, in which a couple were stabbed, have charged a man with the incident. A 39-year old Hereford man was charged with robbery and two counts of wounding and detained in custody to appear before Herefordshire Magistrates Court today, Monday, 13th July.

Superintendent Kevin Purcell, Head of Territorial Operations in Herefordshire, said, 'Robberies like this are a rarity in Herefordshire and we put considerable resources into investigating them if they do occur. Local communities can be reassured that since last Tuesday, we have taken some very positive action which has resulted in the arrest of a man on Saturday 11th, who was charged with offences in relation to the robbery on Sunday 12th.'

Sarah Carr, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Hereford and South Herefordshire, launched a massive new campaign on Monday, 13th July called 'Protect our local Post Offices' and is requesting local people to write in with suggestions as to additional services they would like to see offered at their local Post Office.

The campaign was launched after the recent publication of a report into the future of the Post Office Network which highlights a number of practical measures that could be taken to help preserve this vital social service including allowing it to offer a much greater range of services. Sarah said, 'Today I am launching a massive new campaign to protect our remaining Herefordshire Post Offices. A recent authoritative report by a cross-party group of MPs identified the need for Post Offices to offer additional services to combat declines in its traditional delivery business as being key to the Network's survival. As the ill-thought out closures programme in Herefordshire showed last year, the Post Office fulfils a highly valued community role that must be maintained. It is vital that we proactively work to protect our remaining Post Offices before they come under threat again.

Given this, I am requesting that local people contact me with their suggestions as to which additional services they would like their local Post Offices to offer. I will collate all suggestions and present them to senior Post Office representatives as evidence of the types of services they could add to support and sustain our local branches. Examples of the sort of additional services that could be added to our local Post Offices include:

· Central government services: e.g. payment of fines, leaflets about government services, application forms and information on energy saving schemes, and provision of popular government forms.

· Local government services: providing internet access, setting up community information points, information on local and national consultations, able to pay council tax, rent, etc.
· Financial services: free cash machines, access to bank accounts, offer loans, provide financial advice, wider range of savings options
· Community Services: Double as a Tourist Information office, offer services such as a prescription collection service, take delivery of parcels/packages from mail orders for later collection.

People can pass on their suggestions or get involved in helping the campaign by contacting me at: info@sarahcarr.org.uk, Sarah Carr, Liberal Democrats, Hereford House, 20 East Street, Hereford HR1 2LU or by telephone on 01432 265528.

I will also continue to press for a review of the criteria used to assess whether a Post Office should close or not (the Post Office Assess Criteria). Under the current criteria, a further 4,500 post offices could be allowed to close, a third of the remaining network - this cannot be allowed to happen. The criteria should be altered to take full account of the social role these vital outlets play, not just the economic case.'