Herefordshire Council and West Mercia Police have warned the organiser of the Jamstand event in Ross-on-Wye due to take place between the 13th and 15th August to cancel it or face a large fine and/or imprisonment if it goes ahead.

For events like Jamstand to be lawful there must be either a Premises Licence or Temporary Event Notice (TEN) in place and, despite efforts on the part of the council to ensure that an application was made, neither of these have been applied for.

Paul Nicholas, assistant director public health, said: "Licences are essential for events such as this as they ensure the right measures have been taken by the organiser to keep the public safe and also prevent any public nuisance.

'If the event were to go ahead it would be an unlicensed event which is a criminal offence. The organiser would face a fine of up to £20,000 and/or six months imprisonment. Not only does the event not have a licence, but the organiser has not obtained permission from the owners of Caroline Symonds Gardens (Herefordshire Council) and the bandstand (Ross-on-Wye Town Council) to use those areas. In addition, if the event was to go ahead, it would not have the benefit of any public liability insurance. We have, together with the police, advised the organiser that he should cancel the event with immediate effect and advertise the fact it has been cancelled. We will be taking every action possible to prevent the event taking place. While we encourage musical and other events, the safety and protection of the public is a concern to us and we therefore have no alternative but to take this course of action. The organiser has failed to apply for a licence. He has had plenty of time and encouragement to apply. He knows that without a licence the event is unlawful. We urge him to cancel it straight away.'

Ross and District Motor Sports Club is celebrating it’s 60th birthday this year and to celebrate, the club are holding a party at Broome Farm, Peterstow.

The party will be a 'non-motorsport' event, although it will have a motor sport theme, and will take place on Saturday, 7th August and everybody is welcome to go along and enjoy a great social evening, where celebrated singer/songwriter Amy Wadge will be providing the entertainment.

Tickets to the event cost £15.00, which includes a delicious, two course meal. Ross Cider Company world famous Cider will of course be available at the bar together with local guest beers, wines and soft drinks. Camping is available on site so that everybody can enjoy themselves to the full without the worry of having to drive home.

Tickets to the party are limited, so book yours now to avoid disappointment. For further information, please contact Gary Bollands on 07905 440655 or by email at gary@bollands.net.

If you are wondering how to keep the children occupied during the summer holidays, you will be pleased to know that a range of activities are being held both at Ross Library and Ross Heritage Centre.

On Thursday, 5th August, Starlab, an amazing inflatable observatory will be visiting Ross Library. There are two sessions, both of which are aimed at the 7 to 12 year age range. Starlab will be running from 2pm until 2.45pm, then 3.15pm until 4pm. Tickets cost £3.50. Please contact Ross Library on 01432 383280 for further information.

Watch out for the Alien Invasion, also taking place at Ross Library. From 2:15pm until 3:15pm on Friday, 13th August there will be a story time and mask making session for young children. Tickets cost £1 and all children and aliens must be accompanied by a parent or carer during this event.

For Warhammer 40,000 fans aged 10 to 16 years, on Thursday, 12th August there will be a special session for both new and experienced gamers. Armies are provided or you can take your own. The workshop will run from 10am until 12 Noon. Places are free, but must be booked in advance.

At Ross Heritage Centre on Thursday, 19th August youngsters will be given the chance to find out about the adventures of Percival the Pirate Donkey. Percival has travelled the world collecting unusual, mysterious and magical things and youngsters are invited to go along to the workshop and create their own picture books of his adventures.

The workshop will run from 10.30am until 12.30pm and is suitable for accompanied children aged five to 11 years old. Places on the workshop are £3 each and bookings should be made by calling 01432 260675.

On Wednesday, 25th August, Ross Library are inviting children aged 7 to 12 years to make their own wearable work of art in a special Cosmic T-shirt session. The workshops will be run from 10am until 11am, then 11.30am until 12.30pm. Tickets cost £3.50. Please note that children should wear clothes suitable for painting in.

For those of you who have missed the familiar ring of Ross Market House clock chiming, there is good news, for after J. B. Joyce and Company carried out extensive repairs, the town clock will start to ring out the hours once again this week.

The clock was originally bought and put in place by public subscription on the Market House in 1852. The clock has seen 157 years tick past but the town has been strangely silent since October last year when the clock collapsed, breaking the winding mechanism and the hourly chimes. The Ross Civic Society paid for the operational clock repairs but a bigger budget was required to mend the chime. Half of the £6,000 required to foot the bill was raised by the local residents and retailers of Ross and Herefordshire District Council paid the balance.

The Association of Ross Traders (ART) organised the public collection and the money was raised in five weeks thanks to many independent personal gifts and local initiatives. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

Coincidently, as the clock engineer was considering how to lift the mechanism from his van, Mary Sinclair-Powell from Ross Heritage Centre was asked by a scrap metal collector if she had 'any old iron?' Knowing it would take at least four people to lift the clock mechanism, she joked, 'if you can lift that on your own you can have it!'

One of Britain's most endangered bees has been discovered in an urban site in Herefordshire. The Brown-banded Carder Bee Bombus humilis was discovered by Wye Valley AONB Officer and local enthusiast Andrew Nixon whilst he was looking at specimens for a bumblebee training day.

This ginger coloured bee is restricted to southern linear coastal habitats or inland in rough grassland sites that have long flowering seasons to accommodate the early queens emergence right through till late summers when the workers are most active. The bee nests in rough and tussocky marginal grassland areas and requires targeted management which Herefordshire Council aims to provide, along with suitable site interpretation and, most importantly, appropriate sustainable management prescriptions.

Nicky Davies, Herefordshire Biodiversity Partnership Co-ordinator said, 'Over recent decades, this bee has suffered a drastic national decline. Agricultural intensification and the associated loss of flower-rich grasslands has resulted in the disappearance of Bombus humilis from more than 95 per cent of its known localities nationally over the past 100 years, leaving them vulnerable to national extinction. It is now one of the most endangered of Britain's 24 species of bumblebee.

Unfortunately, there is no legal protection associated with this bee although under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, local authorities now have a duty to conserve and protect local biodiversity which is being taken very seriously in light of this discovery. We are delighted to have found this rare bee in Herefordshire and we shall continue with our efforts to manage sites appropriately so they encourage this species to thrive.'

West Mercia Police and Safer Herefordshire are urging the county's residents to 'Be Safe - Be Water Wise' this summer, as the run of hot weather continues and the school holidays have now started.

As enjoyable as a swim in one of our many rivers may seem, people often don't think about the high risks attached to swimming in unattended rivers and areas of open water. Herefordshire has a number of established swimming pools throughout the county, where swimming can be enjoyed in a safe and life guard controlled environment. Police in Herefordshire will be increasing their patrols in areas with water access and are more than happy to offer guidance and advice where necessary.

Chief Inspector, Jim McLaughlin said, 'There is not just the risk of drowning involved. Children have been known to jump off bridges into rivers and this can be very dangerous as water levels can be shallow and the children can risk being maimed or killed. We ask that parents take responsibility for their children during the summer holidays in relation to water safety.'

Councillor John Jarvis, Chair of Safer Herefordshire said, 'Understandably, when the weather is hot it's nice to get out and about and enjoy our beautiful countryside and waterways. There can often be hidden dangers beneath the surface, including hidden currents, reeds and abandoned bikes or shopping trolleys. Even when the weather is at its hottest, the water can still be extremely cold and deeper than you think.

We ask the public to take care around Herefordshire's waterways for a safe and enjoyable summer. However, please remember if you do spot someone in trouble dial 999 immediately.

Communications Minister, Ed Vaizey will be the key note speaker at a Broadband Summit organized by local MP Jesse Norman this coming Friday. The event will bring together experts in rural broadband delivery from around the country, together with the head of BT's Next Generation Access programme. Local wireless provider Allpay will also outline their own exciting new wireless broadband plans.

Speaking about the event, Jesse said, 'Good broadband access is vital to the future of Herefordshire, both socially and economically. We have pulled together this Broadband Summit to help the county push for better access and better coverage, and to understand what we ourselves can do to make better broadband happen. I am delighted that Ed Vaizey is coming to Herefordshire to see the problem for himself, and to hear first hand what a difference proper broadband could make.'

The event is being held at the Three Counties Hotel in Hereford, from 10.30 am until 2 pm. The cost is £10 and includes a buffet lunch.