Joshua Freeman is an adorable little six year old boy with Cerebral Palsy who attends Walford Primary School. Apart from his wheelchair his only other mode of 'ambulation' is his Tricycle, which allows him to join in with his friends during playtime in the playground at school.

When Ross Lions were approached to help fund a new trike for Joshua, they were keen to help as he had outgrown his current one. As a result the Lions were able to fund the new tomcat trike, which cost £1300.00. The Tomcat Trike is specially designed for children and young adults with special needs and comes with a unique range of options to suit individual requirements. The custom-built Tomcat is available from approximately age 4 to adult, depending on size.

Joshua's mother, Lyuda Freeman said, 'In addition to allowing him his independence, the tricycle also helps to strengthen the muscles of his lower limbs and improve his sense of position.' She and her husband Jim would like to express their sincere appreciation to Ross-on-Wye Lions Club, for funding the new tricycle.

Andrew Middlecote, President of Ross Lions said, 'It was a pleasure to provide Joshua with his new trike. His smile said it all.'

To contact Ross-on-Wye Lions Club phone 0845-833-5786 or view the web site at http://www.rossonwyelions.org

The final stage of repair for Ross Market House clock which broke down at the end of last year has now begun as Specialist engineers from J.B. Joyce and Co. arrived to remove the broken elements from Ross-on-Wye yesterday, Tuesday, 13th July. The work is expected to take between three and five weeks as many of the very old parts need attention.

Three thousand pounds was raised by the Association of Ross Traders thanks to many generous donations by individuals and organizations with the remaining balance being given by the Herefordshire County Council.

Both the clock and the chime will be back working once again after this work is completed.

Special Happy Birthday greetings go to John Draper, who celebrates his 60th birthday today, Wednesday 14th July. John and his wife, Hilary own the lovely Broome Farm B & B and Restaurant in Peterstow, but I doubt either of them will be doing any cooking this evening.

We hope you enjoy your special day John, with many more to come.

Residents from Ross-on-Wye and the surrounding area are being invited to attend an event to inform them of preferred plans for more homes in the town.

Members of Herefordshire Council's planning policy team will give a presentation in Ross-on-Wye on Monday, 26th July at John Kyrle High School, Ross-on-Wye starting at 7.30pm. The presentation will be a chance for people to find out more about the Council's preferred option for future growth in Ross-on-Wye. This consultation is part of the preparation of a new plan for Herefordshire, called the Core Strategy.

The event follows the recent 'Place Shaping Paper' consultation which was held earlier this year. Anyone wishing to attend this event should contact Emma Lawrence on 01432 383357 or e-mail her at ldf@herefordshire.gov.uk. Consultation documents will be available via the council's website (www.herefordshire.gov.uk) during the consultation time. Relevant literature can also be picked up from council info shops and libraries.

This is a chance for people to help finalize part of the Core Strategy, which will be the blueprint for planning and developing in Ross-on-Wye for the future. People's views will be analysed and a final document prepared and submitted to the Secretary of State, who will arrange for a public examination. Final adoption of the Core Strategy is anticipated in 2011.

The Ross-on-Wye Walking Group has taken advantage of the fine weather to enjoy a variety of walks over the past two months in five counties. From gentle strolls to energetic mountain walks, splendid views and a variety of flora and fauna have been enjoyed. One walk took in the famous Arthur's Stone and on Midsummer day the group enjoyed a short stroll, culminating in a cream tea at Broome Farm.

Walkers have been delighted to find splendid displays of bluebells, orchids and other wild flowers as well as fields covered with a spectacular display of fluttering butterflies and darting dragonflies.

Mr Linton Rainbow, a guest leader, took the walkers on a historical and archaeological walk around Merthyr Tydfil, which was a delightful walk along the River Tach Fechan using local paths and part of the Taff Trail. They climbed up on to Pantsam Viaduct then along fields and lanes to Vaynor Church and walked on the tramway where 'Pennydarren', the first actual working steam engine, ran. It was the brainchild of Richard Trevithick and predated Stephenson's 'Rocket' by 20 years. The group then made a gentle climb up to Morlais quarry, and a short steep climb up to Morlais Castle where they were very surprised to see a vaulted crypt on top of the hill. A picnic was then enjoyed overlooking the golf course, with far 360° views of the Brecon Mountains. They were lucky enough to see the Brecon Mountain Railway steam train pull out of Pant Station, before continuing their walk back to the cars. Linton has kindly agreed to lead another walk in the Forest of Dean in September.

Allison and Andrew Chalmers led Ross Walking Group's contribution to the Herefordshire Walking Festival on the last weekend in June when they introduced people to the Ross Round. The two days were extremely hot which meant that two walkers felt unable to complete the whole 'Round', and were met at a convenient point to take them back to their car. However, those who did finish the 18 miles found it an interesting and enjoyable experience.

The Armstrong Siddeley Owners Club held their National Rally and Family event in Ross-on-Wye at the weekend and some of the visitors arrived several days earlier to drive around and take in the beauty of Ross and the surrounding countryside.

On Sunday, the riverbank was adorned with many of these vintage vehicles, attracting the interest of many people who were very welcome to take a closer look at the owners' prized possessions. We are reliably informed that the owners club thoroughly enjoyed their time spent in Ross and that they intend to return.

Herefordshire's Independent county shopkeepers are being reminded that they have until the end of August to apply for a grant to restore or reinstate their traditional shop front. The deadline for the shop front scheme is Monday, 23rd August the grant is open to all independent retail traders across the county who have not received a shop front grant within the last five years. The maximum grant is £2,000, or 50 per cent of the costs, which ever is the lesser.

Eligible works include restoration and repair of an existing acceptable shop front and reinstatement of historical, original or traditional architectural features. The scheme excludes banks, building societies, private residences, franchises, guest houses, public houses and charity shops. To obtain an application form contact the Herefordshire Council's delegated grants team on 01432 260753 or email delegatedgrants@herefordshire.gov.uk.

For advice on your project proposal with regard to permissions, acceptable design and colours, please contact the conservation teams who are available by calling: Neil Robertson 01432 261950 for Hereford city and immediately surrounding wards; Marianna Gilbert on 01432 260171 for Ross-on-Wye and South Herefordshire; Chris Partrick on 01432 261951 for Bromyard, Ledbury and East Herefordshire or Robert Walker 01432 383694 for Leominster and North West Herefordshire.

Congratulations are due to our 3 new Club Coaches, Greg Best, Ellen Starling and Gary Wakerley who passed their Level 1 training and assessment in May. Congratulations are also due to Kyla da Cunha who has passed her Level 2 training.

Attracting Newcomers to Orienteering in the Cheltenham area Greg Best, North Gloucestershire Orienteering Club Captain has run a series of successful 'Come and Try It' evenings for newcomers to the sport and others just wanting to enjoy a 'training' session for the last four weeks in the Cheltenham area. Three courses were offered on each evening in safe areas and offered simple orienteering to allow newcomers to try the sport, and then hopefully to attend some of our regular events. With the aid of a grant from British Orienteering to support the series, the Club was able to offer free participation to everybody.

After a slow start, it was very encouraging that the number of participants each evening grew steadily. The first event was held at Bournside School and attracted just 15 people. 20 came to each of the next two events at Pittville Park and Cox's Meadow. The fourth event was again at Pittville, where the numbers jumped to 40, with the final evening in the series being at Crickley Hill Country Park. There has been a good mixture of families with children and adults all taking part. While some people have come to all the events, many have at least come back to try it a second time.

Greg spent a lot of time making new maps and updating existing ones for the series. The Pittville Park and Bournside School maps both needed some updating. Cox's Meadow is a new area for us, but is a nice small area for simple low-key events of this nature. Crickley Hill Country Park is also a new area for us. The intention is to be able to hold mini-league events there in the Autumn and Winter. Greg has put in a huge amount of time and effort to ensure that this venture would be successful and intends to keep in touch with those who came along to let them know of future events. He is also grateful to the Club members who came along to help each evening.

We have now started our Summer Series of Wednesday evening weekly events during July at Oxstalls Campus, Longlevens, Gloucester, part of Gloucester University. These comprise short training events and our first evening saw members with a choice of three competitions. An easy short course for beginners, a slightly longer course demanding keen attention to detail as none of the controls on the competitors' maps had a number! The third course was for pairs, with one having a map and walkie-talkie and the other having to follow the instructions to find the controls. With occasional loss of signal this made it great fun and more of a challenge.

The next three Wednesdays will also have three courses on offer with the 28th being more like a treasure hunt with competitors looking for clues on a map with no street names! The start times for the courses are between 6 and 7 pm and equipment can be hired at a nominal cost. ALL ARE WELCOME! Further details can be found at the North Gloucestershire Club Website: www.ngoc.org.uk

The main car park entrance is in Oxstalls Lane. For full travel directions visit: http://www.glos.ac.uk/travel/Pages/oxstalls.aspx

Gill James, NGOC.