News

After a short but very successful fundraising campaign, there is now an Automated External Defibrillator installed at Bishopswood Village Hall.  It is on an outside wall in a locked, heated cabinet – accessible to the public by calling 999 in a cardiac emergency and getting the access code.

The Trustees of the Village Hall are very grateful for the many donations from members of the community, some through the ‘Just Giving’ page set up specifically for the campaign.  We would also like to thank The Paddle at the Kerne Bridge Canoe Launch and Ross Jive and Swing – who use the hall regularly – for their very generous donations, and Walford Parish Council for awarding Bishopswood Village Hall a grant towards the purchase and installation.

Thanks to James of Save Electrical Ltd for rapid installation as soon as the equipment arrived.

To help someone who is in cardiac arrest effectively, a defibrillator needs to be found as quickly as possible.  For every minute it takes to get a defibrillator to someone and deliver a shock, their chances of survival reduce.  We hope that by installing this at the Village Hall we can help, and the local community can rest assured knowing if it’s needed then they have the facilities to deal with a medical emergency.

We also hope, though – that it never has to be used!

Parishioners can now keep up to date with local policing news following the July launch of a community messaging service for residents living in the West Mercia Police area. The new system, called Neighbourhood Matters, enables residents, businesses and community groups across Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and Telford to find out more about what is happening in their local community. It also gives them the opportunity to contact police officers and local policing teams directly so they can raise any concerns and provide feedback. It is a free service and those who sign up can choose to receive news and appeals, local crime information and crime prevention advice via a number of different channels. To sign up and receive alerts visit the Neighbourhood Matters website at: www.neighbourhoodmatters.co.uk

We will be adding a direct link for new service onto the Bishopswood Village website once available to enable quick access to the latest alert messages from the service.

It was great to see so many people enjoying the last Big Breakfast of 2021 on Sunday 5th December at Bishopswood Village Hall. The breakfast is run to raise funds for All Saints Church, Bishopswood so thanks to everyone for their support and to the volunteers that make it all happen.

Don’t forget the Christmas Carol Service at All Saints Church on Sunday 12th December.

Please note there is no Big Breakfast in January so we will see you for breakfast again in February.

The popularity of outdoor activities in the UK has grown significantly over the past few years, with the Wye Valley and River a major attraction. The stretch of river from Ross-on-wye to Symonds Yat is a particularly popular destination for canoeists, stand up paddleboarders and wild swimmers. But uncontrolled demand is already damaging the very things that make the area such a draw, and with this comes increased environmental and local community pressures.

At Kerne Bridge the canoe launch, community and environment are struggling to remain in balance due to the growth in visitor numbers, bringing with it increased road and pedestrian traffic, overcrowded car parking facilities, public toilets that can’t cope with the demand, and interference with local community pastimes. This is unsatisfactory for our visitors; frustrating for the community; and increasingly damaging for the environment.

It is time to act before our amenities and environment are damaged significantly. If we in this community don’t do something, no-one else will, because no one else shares the full impact of this damage. A group of like-minded parishioners have drawn up several ideas aimed at restoring and managing a balance between tourism, community, and environment to ensure that each has a long-term sustainable future.

An outline of those ideas has been presented to the Parish Council, who have indicated their support. Clearly the involvement and agreement of stakeholders such as the canoe companies, the launch management company, Parish and Herefordshire councils, AONB, Natural England etc. will be required as a more concrete plan emerges.

But first, we want parishioners’ input and are therefore holding a public meeting to discuss current issues, possible mitigations and begin building a robust plan for future action. The meeting will be held Friday 7th January 2022 7:30pm at Bishopswood Village Hall. Please come along and give us your thoughts and together we can build a better Bishopswood.

Apologies for the change of date which is to accommodate the late publication of the Parish Newsletter.