PAGE 26 • FESTIVE NEWS • DECEMBER 2018
Community volunteers across the city are moving into the gap to take over some of the public service duties which Herefordshire Council
can no longer afford due to cutbacks in government funding to local authorities. Here, Festive News highlights just some of the achieve-
ments of these new groups.
THE SAVING OF
AYLESTONE PARK
Collecting the Gold award on behalf of Hereford are (l to r) George
Thomas, Kevin Knipe, Paul Hodges.
CITY STRIKES GOLD
Hereford in Bloom regained its coveted Gold award in the Britain in Bloom
competition. The display of the flower beds and hanging baskets was the
best ever. Without the bloom volunteers there would be only weeds to
welcome visitors to the city. The Bloom Group took over responsibility for
funding and planting the floral displays from the County Council 4 years
ago.
“The heatwave summer ensured the plants grew bigger and better than
ever, but it also sent the cost of watering soaring. We rely on the generous
sponsorship of local businesses to pay for the thousands of plants to ensure
Hereford continues to welcome visitors with a blaze of colourful flowers,”
said Chairman Kevin Knipe.
“More community action groups in the city are taking up the challenge of
responsibility for the local environment. There is a new sense of Civic Pride.
COMMUNITY CLEAN UP GROUP
Hereford Community Clean
Up Group was set up by
Emma Jones and Andrew
Wood on Facebook starting
with 30 members which has
now grown to 1400
members with clean up’s
and litter picking events
taking place a couple of
times a week.
Events started off with
just doing litter picks
around the city but quickly
turned into incorporating
removing weeds, build ups of mud and moss around
railings, cutting back hedgerows, tidying and scrubbing down bus stops.
Even removing trollies and bikes from the river. The latest new project is
tidying up the beds on the platforms at the railway station. Keeping Hereford
clean and tidy is a priority for these hardworking volunteers, they played a
major role helping the Bloom team get the gold award for the city.
A 47 acre site on the edge of the city was lined up by its owner for new
homes until, in 2002 Herefordshire Council compulsory purchased it to
create a public park. There were big plans for its future, including sport
pitches. The old Gloucester to Hereford canal runs along one side of the
park.
The council built paths and a superb children’s playground, but work came
to an abrupt halt when the nation was hit by the cash crisis. Luckily, the
Aylestone Park Association had been set up, mostly local residents and the
volunteers took over the development and maintenance of the park. Paths
are repaired and new ones built; a gazebo has been erected, wild flower
meadows established, spring bulbs planted on the slopes and nesting boxes
installed. A special feature of the park is an orchard of regional varieties of
apple, pear, plum and damson trees and visitors can pick the fruit. The upper
area of the park is heavily wooded providing good cover for wildlife.
as The Canary girls because handling explosive
material turned their skin yellow.
Three survivors from the World War 2
workforce attended the unveiling ceremony.
BIG FACELIFT FOR
CIDER MUSEUM AREA
HEREFORD YAZOR BROOK
RESTORATION PROJECT
Bugs and Beasties working in association with the Hereford Wildlife Trust
are progressively rehabilitating the Yazor brook corridor through Hereford
City. The watercourse is integral to the city’s landscape and habitat connec-
tivity. Leading the volunteer team clearing the brook is Richard Fishbourne
(pictured above in the brook). Local schools are also involved in keeping
this important watercourse tidy. The brook is home to a large number of
wildlife. A first class example of the community helping itself.
SCULPTURE TRAIL
The latest – and most exciting – new project is the creation of a Sculpture
Trail across the city. The idea of the City Council with support of Hereford
Art College whose students together with other artists will design the pieces
of art. The first one was unveiled at the Skate Park. It is titled: ‘The
Rotherwas Angel’ and represents the contribution thousands of women made
in both World Wars making bombs at the Rotherwas munitions factory on
the edge of the city; now a modern industrial park. The women were known
Local residents are at the forefront of a project to
create something special around Hereford’s
unique cider museum.
The new community group, partnered with
Hereford College of Art and the cider museum
aims to foster a greater sense of community
involvement and care for currently unloved spaces
through the installation of art and revamping the
neighbourhood.
The project has been titled ‘Cider Apple Alley’
reflecting the alleyway running alongside the
museum heavily used by residents and children
from the nearby Lord Scudamore Primary School.
A local artist has been appointed to lead the artistic
side of the project and volunteers have already
cleared scrub and plans are being prepared by a
landscape architect for the planting of trees,
shrubs and ground cover plants.
The nearby Sainsbury site was once a major
GWR railway terminal.
A new sculpture by Walenty Pytel, who created
the Woodpecker sculpture, is also being
incorporated in to the site. It will feature apples,
flowers and a kingfisher, representing the heritage
of the area.