A lecture by  Dr Boddington Saturday 29 March 2014, from 12pm  This lecture Click Here will take place in the Brockhampton Chapel and focus on Emily Lutley and the two window designers. A fascinating talk by Dr. Boddington on Emily Lutley (1843—1846) and the two window designers Mary Lowndes and Ada Currey. Mary the mother of Jesus,  Mary Magdalen and St  Cecilia,  and the  four figures of Emily showing clever body language imagery in the south windows.

Meeting of Town Council  on March 17th.  Nominations were sought for the vacancy for the Vice Chairman of the Council. Jan Pearce-Higgins asked councillors to give careful consideration as  the Vice-Chair would be likely to be the next Mayor. Alan Seldon was nominated, agreed to stand and was elected unopposed. Later in the meeting Fred Clark was appointed to fill the vacancy on the Planning Committee. One of the main agenda items concerned the Youth Club having the use of the Heritage Centre for the next 12 months. This was agreed after considerable debate (see below) at a rent of £4000. (The Councill had an offer from a retailer of £6,000 on a full repairing lease)

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Next Sunday the 23rd March sees the Bromyard Sport Relief Mile! Turn up at the Leisure Centre for around 10:15, warm up at 10:40, starts at 11:00!! Do the one mile or do more laps depending on how fit you are and how good a Saturday night you had the night before! It’s got something in for all levels of fitness, last year some even walked around with their families. Many do it to raise money for charity  Full details, including entry forms at  http://my.sportrelief.com/search/event/result?id=2012&location=bromyard

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The medieval manor house at Lower Brockhampton nestles within 25 acres of Shropshire Prune damson orchards. Banish the winter blues with a day out amidst this picturesque scene.   Once a year, for approximately two weeks, the house becomes an island in a sea of white blossom.    (Pictures:      Brockhampton Blossom from across the moat. Les Rogers:  Beautiful Brockhampton, gatehouse and manor house. Nick Birkin:     Beautiful blossom surrounding the manor house. Nick Birkin:     Fresh, seasonal and local produce in the Granary Farm shop. Kate Oakley

From Alfred Mann

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Join us at our next exhibition at the Conquest Theatre on the 22nd March, 10.30am. Some live readings, book signings, children's poetry book on sale. Art prints and free nibbles. Thanks to the theatre for their kind support and to the town Mayor, Jan Pearce Higgins for agreeing to perform the opening

From the Hereford Times
PLANS to move to fortnightly bin collections will be offset by black wheelie bins. In a letter to the Hereford Times, councillor Harry Bramer, cabinet member for contracts and assets, confirms the authority is looking at alternate weekly collection because it will "reduce costs and increase the rate of recycling across the county".  But he says the council is also looking to supply "the majority" of households with free black wheelie bins for general waste.

Herefordshire is one of sixty local authorities in line to receive more money for schools with effect from April 2015.  The announcement came from the Department for Education yesterday, and was shared with colleagues at a meeting of the council’s Cabinet yesterday afternoon (13 March).  Herefordshire Council has long argued that the funding it receives per pupil is unfair and one of the lowest in the country.

From Worcester News

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FREEMASONS in Bromyard have raised £600 for Macmillan Cancer Support's Not Alone campaign which was launched just over a year ago.  Paul Beaumont, Worshipful Master of Saint Peter’s Lodge, and lodge charity steward Richard James, recently presented a cheque to Jenny Goddard, fundraising manager of the Herefordshire and Forest of Dean branch in the Patient Garden Area of the Macmillan Renton Cancer Unit, in Hereford.

There was a lot to catch up with at our March meeting: our first meeting of 2014. January is our rest month and the February meeting had to be abandoned due to atrocious weather. So, once the business part of our gathering had been efficiently handled,  we drew our chairs closer to our speaker, Gwen Winterton, and to the table where she had spread her treasures.

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SATURDAY 12th APRIL at 7.30pm.  TICKETS: £15 (concessions £13)  BOOKING:  go to www.conquest-theatre.co uk Traditional singer Maddy Prior has become a tradition in herself, a major player in the 'modernisation' of folk music in the early 70s when she helped found Steeleye Span and electrified both the genre and the folk world.

From the Hereford Times

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The club, which split from Bromyard Town just a couple of seasons ago, are now top of Division Two of the Herefordshire League after winning Division Three at a canter last term.And now, after victory over Pencombe in the quarter-final of the Jock Handley Cup last Saturday they are now in two cup semi-finals, a source of great pride for player/manager Matt Beale.

We're looking for gardening enthusiasts who can grow a variety of
fruits, vegetables and flowers, those who can make their green tomatoes
into yummy chutney, their strawberries into jam or arrange their roses
into a bouquet.  FOR APPLICATION FORM CLICK HERE. The programme will follow a handful of talented amateur
gardeners as they transform a plot of earth into a patch of beauty in
our beautiful walled garden to reveal all the wonderful possibilities
that can be unlocked from allotment growing. Kitchen gardening and
growing your own produce is an amazing way to live and this series
celebrates that.

From Herefordshire Council

We announced in October that we would consider introducing alternate weekly collections of waste and recycling in 2014. We included this proposal in our budget consultation.  We are looking at this because it will reduce costs and increase the rate of recycling across the county. It is important that we reduce costs so that we can fund our priorities of keeping vulnerable children and adults safe and investing in jobs, roads and homes.

From Councillor Roger Page, Chairman -  Planning and Enconomic Development Committee.

At the meeting of the Planning Committee held on Monday (3rd March) it was resolved to support the hybrid planning application by Marsten Developments (Worcester) Ltd for outline consent for 76 houses (35% affordable/social) and 5 B1 industrial units together with a full application for one industrial unit. The application also included office space provision at the frontage of the industrial units at Porthouse Farm,Tenbury Road

The meeting  at the Falcon Hotel opened with Ian Raven describing plans for this years Hop Festival.  Members expressed total support for the  unique Festival which brings a large number of visitors to the town.  Ways were identified of mitigating any adverse impact on local traders during the Festival.  Consideration will be given to moving the  Festival to a Sunday from 2015. Phil Bettington a member of Ledbury Town Council attended in order to find out about more about  Bromyard Christmas Lights  with a view to seeing what might be applicable to Ledbury.