EDITORIAL
News: Aston Ingham, Gorsley, Lea, Upton Bishop & Combined.
LINTON & BROMSASH NEWS
AN APPEAL FROM ROGER BARNES
Within the parish of Linton and Gorsley, there is a small charity which annually distributes cash payments to deserving people resident within the parish. In order for the successful administration of the charity to continue into the future, there is an urgent need for volunteers to come forward and replace the three current trustees, all of whom are advanced in years. The roles are not time-consuming, involving very simple record keeping and, currently, visiting seven people once a year. For further details, contact Roger on Contact Details on PDF copy on Home Page
BAT SURVEY: WATCH THIS SPACE!
During 2026, a county-wide survey is being organised by the Herefordshire Mammal Society (HMS) in order to identify the species and habitats of the various bat species living in this area. While seventeen species of bat breed in the UK, it transpires that Herefordshire has never before been surveyed to see which species are to be found locally. For this purpose, HMS has set up a dedicated Herefordshire Citizen Bat Team to coordinate the survey, and Julie Houston and Roger Davies have been earmarked to lead the survey in the Linton area. Although precise timings are not yet known, please note that on one evening this summer a "bat walk" will be held in the Linton area around dusk from the Village Hall. It will use bat echo-detectors provided by HMS and use AI to help identify the specific bat species. Date and time to be confirmed. Full details concerning bat identification will be provided to all attendees. For more information, please speak to Julie Houston or Roger Davies via Contact Details on PDF copy on Home Page
THE LINTON FESTIVAL 2026 - THE ALMA
Situated in the delightful natural amphitheatre at the rear of the Alma, this lovely event is very much a community effort. As always, there is excellent live music from highly regarded bands and equally excellent food and real ales. Magic of Motown, King King, and Dark Side of the Wall will feature prominently in the programme. The Festival, the last in Linton, is variously described as “friendly”,“intimate”, “well organised” and “unbeatable”. What is more, it is a non-profit occasion that supports local charities and organisations. Full information about the event (including lineup, tickets, prices, camping arrangements and much else) can be found on the official Festival website at www.lintonfestival.org
LINTON VILLAGE HALL - WHAT’S COMING UP
LVH THANKS TO LMF. We are once again preparing to take part in the wonderful Linton Music Festival, which is a brilliant weekend of excellent music, and we thank the festival committee and everyone involved in this event for again enabling us to raise funds for the village hall through our truly amazing breakfasts, served in the hall on the weekend mornings (all welcome), and wonderful homemade cakes and hot drinks served from the Cake Tent on the festival site. We are all looking forward to another unforgettable event, and thank all our volunteers and cake bakers for their help and support.
VILLAGE HALL BREAKFASTS
From 8am until 11am on Saturday and Sunday, the Village Hall will be open and serving cooked breakfasts to festival goers, visitors, passers-by and local residents. Breakfast includes free-range local eggs, bacon, sausage (from local butchers), beans, toast and marmalade, with plenty of tea and coffee for £10. Cards and cash accepted.
VILLAGE HALL TEA & CAKE TENT - CALLING ALL CAKE BAKERS
Throughout the festival, the Village Hall team will be serving delicious homemade cakes, freshly brewed coffee and cups of tea. We are seeking cakes for the festival Cake Tent! If you would like to showcase your favourite cake to a very appreciative audience, then please let us know!! Contact Carol on 07811 012593, she will be delighted to hear from you.
AULINE-JEAN MELBOURNE ‘HOLLYWOOD’ FRIDAY 31ST JULY
7pm start, doors open 6.30pm. Tickets: Adult £12, Child £6. Following the fantastically well-received sell-out of Sarah McQuaid, we are delighted to present: Auline-Jean Melbourne. Auline is a London-based classical soprano soloist who has an extensive repertoire of songs to suit all special occasions. She brings her new show called ‘Hollywood’ - classic style, a mix of Hollywood musical classics and pure classical repertoire. It’s intimate, cinematic, and emotionally immersive.
Simply email: Contact Details on PDF copy on Home Page to book your place.
Below is a link to a video that gives you a taste: www.auline-jean.squarespace.com/youtube-link
The friendly Cash Bar is well-stocked with quaffable delights, including great wines and beers, prosecco, champagne and cider. Alcohol free varieties are also available.
GMT FRIDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER
A collaboration between 3 seasoned musicians for an evening of intimate acoustic music featuring original songs, music and chat. 7pm start, 6.30 doors.
Patsy Gamble: saxophone/vocals. A long-standing member of the Keith Thompson Band, and together they have performed all over the UK, Poland, Switzerland, Germany, etc. She has also recorded with many artists, including Mick Jagger, Paul Weller, Suggs, Jasper Carrott and others.
Muddy Manninen: Guitar. Best known for his ten-year stint with Wishbone Ash. After settling in Gloucestershire, he has made two solo albums and collaborated with several artists and continues to delight audiences with his stylish guitar playing.
Keith Thompson: Guitar/Vocals. Keith and this band have repeatedly toured in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Poland, Croatia, the Czech Republic, the USA & UK and appeared at several major festivals in Croatia, including Baska International Guitar Festival, Umag and Kastav Blues Festivals. Also performed on the folk circuit with the Jigantics for six years. Tickets £12 from Contact Details on PDF copy on Home Page
LINTON VILLAGE HALL
100 CLUB WINNERS
Feb £5 Catherine Goldthorpe, £10 Suzanne Hemingway, £25 Ella Casson
Mar £5 Paul Farr, £10 John Foley, £25 Sue Bertenshaw
Apr £5 Denise Travers, £10 Kim Hampson, £25 Claire Gardner
May £5 Claire Dale, £10 Ernst Zillekins, £25 Jeanette Erry
NEWS FROM ST MARY’S CHURCH
COMMUNION SERVICES
There will be Communion Services at St Mary’s on Sunday 7th June
and Sunday 28th June at 11am.
BIBLE BOOK CLUB
Is on Sunday 14th June where we meet to discuss a book of the Bible. The current book is the book of Joshua, a book which starts with crossing the Jordan and the battle of Jericho, but raises some controversial issues which are still have echoes in modern Israel today. Wrens Nest from 10.30am.
THIRD SUNDAY WORSHIP FOR REFUGEE WEEK 21ST JUNE
Refugee Week is the world’s largest arts and culture festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. We will be marking the week in St Mary’s with a thought-provoking display of images of refugees and an interactive prayer station as well as using Refugees as a theme for our Third Sunday worship. Do call into the church at any time to see the display and contribute your own prayers.
If you are in Hereford Cathedral, it may be possible to see the results of The Hereford Prayer Beads project, a project which has involved schools, churches and other groups in showing empathy and prayer toward those affected by armed conflict, displacement and migration. The resulting beads, created with modular origami, contain the thoughts and reflections of hundreds of children and adults.
ADVANCE NOTICE CADENZA - SATURDAY 4TH JULY 7PM
We are lucky enough to welcome Cadenza to St Mary’s on Saturday July 4th. Cadenza is a Gloucester-based chamber choir that will present a mixed programme of choral and instrumental music for the summer, perhaps with an American flavour!
Cadenza was formed in 1992 at St Catharine’s Church in Gloucester. Now with just ten singers, they will take us on a musical journey from the sixteenth to the 21st century, featuring compositions by Thomas Tallis, Gerald Finzi, Kate Rusby, Billy Joel and Charles Villiers Stanford amongst others. Also included are poetry readings, instrumental interludes and a homage to July 4th! Free admission and refreshments: retiring collection.
For up-to-date news on St Mary's Church, please go to the website:
www.lintonvillage.com/st-marys-church
LINTON (SOUTH) PC REPORT
The Chair of the Parish Council (PC) presented the council’s annual report for 2025-26 at the Annual Parish Meeting on 11 May. The reduction of traffic speed within the parish remains a priority for the council. Statistics gathered from the SIDs in both Gorsley and Bromsash show that the devices continue to have a positive impact on speed reduction, albeit with some alarming exceptions where very high speeds have been recorded. Thanks are due to Councillor Bertenshaw for the numerous maintenance activities he has carried in keeping the SIDs operational.
A revised solution to the flooding issue on the B4224 near Bromsash House has been implemented by the Roads Lengthsman, and this has proven to be largely successful. The PC notes with concern that the Neighbourhood Development Plan for Linton and Gorsley will carry only limited weight in planning decisions from July 2026 as the Plan will then be over 5 years old. Unfortunately, work on the generation of an updated plan cannot realistically begin until a new Herefordshire Council Local Plan is in place. Work on this new Local Plan is yet to commence.
The PC continues to maintain the Gorsley allotments. Councillor Williams has taken the lead on this and has instigated several changes to improve both the interactions with allotment holders and the general condition of the site.
A highly successful ‘Greener Living Show’ was organised and run by the PC’s Climate Change group. With leading experts and suppliers from Herefordshire and north Gloucestershire, the event showcased the very best advice and products across many aspects of Home Energy.
The PC finances remain healthy, and its fiscal management procedures were approved by internal and external audits under the Annual Governance and Accountability Return process. The annual precept has been raised from £14,400 to £16,500 to cover the significantly increased cost of essential services and supplies, as well as the anticipated withdrawal of grant funding to produce a revised Neighbourhood Development Plan. The budget for this fiscal year features continued provision for road safety and parish property care projects, and the PC is again participating in the HCC grant schemes for roads, drainage, and footpaths.
There are two vacancies on the PC which can be filled via co-option. If you are interested in becoming a councillor, please contact the Clerk, Rich Hunt, e-mail Contact Details on PDF copy on Home Page.
There is also a vacancy for a Public Footpath Officer (PFO) for the Linton area.
See the following for more details:
LINTON PARISH COUNCIL LITTER PICK
The inaugural Linton Parish Council Litter Pick was held on the 18th of April. We had approximately thirty litter pickers spread over the three sites in Gorsley, Linton and Bromsash who generously gave of their time in a great community effort. We were blessed with perfect weather, and a large pile of litter was collected, which was then taken away by Herefordshire Council. In addition to the litter picking, it was a great social event with much chat, tea and cake consumed.
All involved agreed it was a worthwhile event and should be repeated later in the year. Thanks are also due to all of our friendly helpers who served teas and cake, and acted as stewards, to Herefordshire Council who loaned out the litter picking kits, to the village shop who donated free of charge some treats for the kids, and to Gorsley Village Hall and Castrees Garden Centre for the use of their sites.
THE LINTON POUND – AN UPDATE
As the site is not legally in the ownership of any person or organisation, before taking any next steps, it is our plan to obtain advice from Herefordshire Council on the bureaucratic processes we need to follow to do some work on the site.
Roger Davies & John Lancaster
