Five Herefordshire residents, including one from Ross-on-Wye, have been appointed as Magistrates to the Herefordshire Bench and on Friday, 17th October they were sworn in at the Shire Hall, Hereford.

The five new Magistrates are: Mrs. Margaretta Ann Bigley, JP of Peterchurch, Mr. Nigel Adrian Coles JP of Kington, Mrs. Julieanne King, JP of Ross-on-Wye, Mrs. Wendy Juliette Preston, JP of Ledbury and Mrs. Katherine Louise Neville-Smith, JP of Bromyard.

As traditional for this time of year, this week has been a relatively low photographic news week - the lull before the storm. (Though there is plenty of the more newsy type news - one item of which I personally think will sound the final death knell for Ross Town Centre.) I had intended to get some wildlife and possibly astro photography and film in, to fill in, however the weekend turned out far from the type of weekend I had envisaged.

Our main network computer passed away at the weekend, having sustained a mixture of both hardware and software internal injuries. A post mortum examination revealed that loading 'iTunes' had finally despatched the machine. So beware if you are thinking about installing that particular piece of software on your own computer! It caused mine to 'blue screen' every 10 minutes and was the Devil's own job to remove. I spent the whole of Saturday fighting to resuscitate the machine but finally gave up, switching off life support at about 1.00am on Sunday morning.

Worrying about keeping 'Wyenot' working, later on that same Sunday morning I went to Hereford and purchased a replacement computer. That in itself took just over an hour, but collecting it from the shop is only the beginning! Buying an 'XP' based machine, or indeed a disc containing the 'XP' operating system is not possible if you need one in a hurry, and so I had to buy a computer with 'Vista' installed. In my humble opinion, 'Vista' is the worst operating system Microsoft have launched since the 'Millennium' edition of Windows 2000! (Although I have to say that, along with its mostly bad points, it does have just an occasional good point thrown in for good measure.)

After using 'msconfig' and 'add remove programmes' to disable all of the poop software, built in desktop links to eBay and free 30 day Microsoft trials which come with a new computer, seemingly designed to make it run slowly and make you angry from the outset, I then spent hours adjusting settings within 'Vista' so that I could get it to run properly on our network.

Finishing that job about four hours later, I then had to load on all the necessary software to keep 'Wyenot' afloat. I ended up getting to bed at 3.00am on Monday morning, but at least everything is functional again. Remembering to reinstall all software is always a hit-and-miss process. Days go by and just when you think everything is fine, you find something you have forgotten to reinstall. There has, so far, been only one of my programmes which I could not finally get going on Vista and have had to 'upgrade'.

So, with £639.98 less in my bank account and lots of lost sleep to catch up on, lots of bad language to apologize for, the 'Wyenot News' office is back to near normal ready for the November / December run of events. The hardware problems on the old machine are not anything which will effect it running as a 'standalone' computer, away from the network, so when I find time, I intend to wipe it and then reinstall just enough software for us to be able to use it to watch DVDs in bed.

I definitely do not want the 'Wyenot News' network to extend to our bedroom or I really will never be able to get away from work! I made the mistake once of falling asleep, leaving the network connected laptop running, after having watched a DVD on it in bed. At 4.00am on a Sunday morning, it woke me from a deep sleep. 'Hello from Texas!', exclaimed the instant message. Suitibly unimpressed at the fact that the disturbance had come all the way from cowboy and 70s TV soap country, I responded with a question mark. Without asking if it was a convenient time, immediately the person started firing questions at me about her family name, expecting me to look up possible relatives in the local telephone directory. I had left the hammer downstairs, so instead, I just shut the laptop down and it is still in good health - for the moment!

Planning permission for the erection of retail warehousing at BP on the Ross Spur northbound at Ross was approved by members of the southern area planning subcommittee at their meeting on Wednesday, 15th October. The site is located within the identified settlement boundary of Ross-on-Wye and within the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and comprises land formerly occupied by a petrol filling station and restaurant.

Three retails units are proposed, each with a floor area of 480 square metres, situated between Ross Labels, KFC and an approved office building. The units will be for Carpetright, Pets at Home and Halfords. 70 spaces for customer parking will be provided at the front of the buildings, including 5 spaces for the disabled and cycle parking.

The proposals included a contribution towards the upgrade of footpath ZK1 or ZK2 which runs from Brampton Road to the application site and a contribution towards a bus service to access the site.

The application received a mixed response from consultees, but had support from Ross Town Council, Ross Rural Council, Advantage West Midlands and the Chamber of Commerce. Members debated the impact of the proposal on the vitality and viability of the town centre, the impact on the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the impact on the road network. It was agreed to advertise the application as a departure from the development plan and, depending on the responses received, consider whether the Secretary of State needs to be notified.

If the scheme gains the final go ahead, it will be on condition that the following items are not sold:
Food and drink to be consumed off the premises,
Clothing and footwear,
Cutlery, crockery and glassware,
Toys, camping and travel goods,
Books, audio and visual recordings and stationery except for office supplies,
Medical goods, cosmetics and toiletries,
Sports goods, equipment and clothing.

The Wellingtonia Tree in the Prospect has been giving some cause for concern recently as many people wanted it to remain where it was, instead of being felled in favour of keeping the newly found Roman sites that was discovered during repairs to the Prospect wall.

Unfortunately, it would appear that the tree would have needed felling in any case and so, on Friday morning Acer Tree Services did their necessary work. It's sad, but it really was necessary. We didn't witness the felling as Alan was in Hereford when we got the call, but You can see some of the clean up operation in this week's WNTV News programme.

Ross Town Plan steering group, RoWToP have been holding a series of Planning for Real road shows around the town, with the aim of finding out how Ross-on-Wye's residents would like to see the town develop. One such event was held at Ross Market House on Friday and was extremely successful.

Many people had places their suggestions on the map and there are still a couple of sessions left to run. You can see how the road show went in this week's WNTV News programme.

Police are appealing for witnesses or anybody with information that can help them with their enquiry into an assault which occurred just after 11.30pm on Sunday, 12th October 2008 in Trenchard Street, Ross on Wye.

It is believed that a man was assaulted by a group of youths aged between 16 and 17 years and was punched, sustaining an injured nose, bruising and abrasions. Police would also like to trace two witnesses, a man and woman who checked on the injured man's welfare after the incident had occurred. They are described as middle aged and drove away in a 4x4 type vehicle.

If you have any information that can help, please contact PC 1624 Campbell at Ross on Wye Police Station or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800555111.

Outline planning permission for the redevelopment of Trelleborg site, Alton Road Industrial Estate, Ross-on-Wye for a mixed use development was approved by members of the southern area planning subcommittee at their meeting last Wednesday. The site lies within the settlement boundary of Ross-on-Wye and Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is allocated as employment land in the Herefordshire Unitary Development Plan.

Permission was sought for a mixed use development on the site, including four light / general industrial units with 69 car parking spaces and five retail warehouses totalling 1,646 square metres with 68 car parking spaces. The application was in outline form and the detailed approval of access, appearance and landscaping will need to be the subject of a further application.

The application received a mixed response from consultees but members unanimously supported the comprehensive redevelopment of the site, the increase in jobs and the economic benefits that the proposal will bring to Ross-on-Wye.

There is an air of excitement at the Bridge at Wilton, as proprietors Mike and Jane Pritchard have received a letter inviting them to the regional Excellence in Tourism Awards event to be held in Birmingham on 11th November. At the 2007 event, The Bridge was voted Top Restaurant in the West Midlands, an outstanding achievement.

The Bridge has won many awards for their establishment which focuses on fine dining and those who have dined at the Bridge describe it as a 'unique dining experience.'

I recently read an article in the Telegraph, which began with a description of the best view of Ross as viewed through the window of the Bridge. The journalist went on to say that little did they know that they were about to be served with the best meal of their lives. That just about says it all.

Jane and Mike put the hotel's successes down to their staff, who have all worked hard as a team to make the Bridge at Wilton what it is today. Well done to all of you and we wish you all the best for 11th November.

Children in Ross are in for a real treat during the half term holiday if they go to the story telling sessions at Ross Library next Wednesday, 29th October.

Well known musician and story teller Lenny Alsop will be running two sessions during the afternoon with the first starting at 2:15 and ending at 3:00pm. The second will run from 3:30 until 4:15pm.

Lenny, who takes his craft to many countries and has appeared on television is well known for his ability to entertain children, so it is well worth booking a place now. Tickets cost £2 and are available in advance from Ross Library by telephoning 01432 383280.

On Thursday, 30th October from 5pm until 7pm, a Games Workshop is planned for those aged between 7 and 16 years. Beginners or practised gamers are invited to play the games, paint miniatures and meet fellow gamers. The workshop is FREE, but places are limited and tickets must be booked in advance from the library.

On Friday, 31st October the library's weekly pre-school story time will take a Spooky turn for Halloween. The story time is free to attend, however, those aged under five years of age must be accompanied by a parent or carer. Older brothers and sisters are welcome to join in.

One of the aims of the Home Office's Not In My Neighbourhood Week is to focus on the work carried out by police and partner groups to tackle disorder and antisocial behaviour. One such scheme operating in this county is called Herefordshire Against Night Time Disorder or HAND.

The HAND scheme was formed in 2005 and has gone from strength to strength since. A logical continuation of the original Pub Watch initiative, HAND is made up solely of licensees and landlords of pubs and clubs across the county, though there is a strong link with West Mercia Constabulary. The aim of the scheme is to prevent and reduce disorder, violence and antisocial behaviour in and immediately outside the county's pubs and clubs.

There are three areas in the HAND scheme at present, Hereford City Centre, Leominster and Kington and moves are afoot to introduce Ross and Ledbury to the fold.

Chair of the scheme and licensee of the Hop Pole in Commercial Road, Hereford is Daryl Norrish. Daryl said, 'The scheme is run by those in the licensing trade and the police assist in our administration of it. We aim to develop best practice within the scheme, ensuring that our staff are well-trained and able to deal with potentially volatile situations to stop them escalating.'

One of the methods used to reduce the chances of disorder is through the HAND Ban. Every month, the group meets and nominates customers whose behaviour has been unacceptable. The group can then impose a ban on that person, prohibiting them from entering any of the licensed premises in the scheme for between 3 and 12 months. The police licensing officer also supplies details of anyone charged with serious offences such as drugs, disorder, assault or damage in or near to the pubs and clubs. Again, the circumstances are discussed and they can impose an interim ban on that person. If convicted, the ban becomes a full one and the person can be barred for 3-12 months.

'We feel the scheme works very well,' said Daryl, 'and we have developed a very good working relationship with the police.'

PC Steve Thomas, Licensing Officer at Hereford, said, 'The benefit of the scheme is that the group can bar troublemakers not just from one pub or club but from all those in the scheme. There are 47 pubs and clubs in the Hereford group, 12 in the Leominster group and everyone in the Kington scheme. Having such a good relationship with those outlets in the scheme means we can both keep on top of problems and deal with them robustly and quickly if they do develop. Compared with other places I can think of, Herefordshire is a great place to have an enjoyable evening out.'

Being banned from the local pubs and clubs can have a sharp effect on those banned as it prevents them from socializing with their friends, family and/or colleagues. Their social life is immediately curtailed. A ban can have a large deterrent effect. One local Hereford man has been recently banned by Hereford Crown Court on conviction for an assault charge from entering any pub or club in the whole of the UK for 12 months. He told the Hereford Times newspaper that being banned was 'like a punch in the guts. They may as well have locked me up.'

The final word must go to Superintendent Kevin Purcell, responsible for policing operations in Herefordshire. He said, 'We are determined not to let drunkenness, antisocial and violent behaviour ruin a good night out for the people of Herefordshire. In the last month alone, levels of antisocial behaviour have dropped by a further 11%. We are pleased to work with productive partners like HAND, as it has enabled us to significantly reduce incidents of disorder across the county and ensure that people feel safe when they walk our streets and visit our pubs and clubs.'

A fashion show with a difference is being held on Friday evening. The show, which is being organized by shop manager, Natalie Morgan and her team, is different because the models will be wearing clothes donated to the YMCA charity shop in The Maltings, Ross-on-Wye.

The show begins at 6pm and will end at 9pm. The models will be parading to the sound of a live band and Natalie's twin, Natasha will be bringing her dance troupe along to put on a display as well as model some of the clothing.

The show is being staged to make people aware that it is there and that they will make some money for the charity in the process.

Unfortunately, I can't be there myself, but Alan will be taking some photographs of the event.

We wish you all the best of luck Natalie.

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

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