Latest news with #KevinTillett
BBC News
08-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Hereford gathers to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day
People across Hereford have been gathering to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) have taken place from St Peter's Square to the city centre to commemorate 8 May 1945, the day that marked the end of World War Two in who lived through VE Day, including their family members, have attended events to mark the occasion and share their Thursday morning, the town crier read proclamations and a two-minute silence was held. Joyce Nicolls attended a ceremony in the city centre and said she would be remembering her mum, dad and grandparents who served in the Navy and said: "I think it's important for the youngsters to know what people went through in those years, because it wasn't bad for us growing up as we had people to teach us."When they get to our age there will be nobody alive to tell those stories," Ms Nicolls said. Mayor Kevin Tillett said it was his duty and the duty of generations beyond him to keep wartime stories alive."This is the last big anniversary when we'll still have people around who remember the war, who either took part in the war or lived through the war."My father and his brothers fought in the war and my grandparents lived through the Blitz in the East End."Elise Shuker, from Hereford Cathedral School, attended the city centre event to lay a wreath in memory of those who served."If we don't remember it, then it's going to get lost, and we need to celebrate what they did for us and the peace campaign," she Cole was only a baby when Europe won the war and says, despite not having any memory of celebrations at the time, he knows how important the day is."If it wasn't for those that lost their lives, we wouldn't be here today," he said. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
11-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Hereford's free Zipper bus service to be axed, says mayor
A city's free bus service that has been taking people on short journeys since 2023 is to be axed next year, amid concerns over City Council has said its three green, electric Zipper buses, named Handsome Norman, Pilot and Green Horse, will stop running in 2026 when the contract month, the council said the buses were averaging almost 500 passenger journeys per day, describing the figures as "incredible" and proof of the increasing popularity of the of Hereford Kevin Tillett said it had been a tough decision. "The bottom line is it is costing us a huge amount of money to run this free bus service," he stated. He added an estimate given before the service started had proved "a bit unrealistic"."We are only a parish council and we have a very, very modest budget," he said. Passenger Alison Walker said she used the service "all the time" to pick up her granddaughter on Thursdays and to get to work on Saturdays and Sundays, describing the provision as "great".But she complained: "Everything we have for free is taken away from us."She said a lot of older people used the service and said charging passengers fares would be better than losing it. "I'd pay a pound to go on it," she said. Brian Howarth, who uses the Zipper nearly every day for shopping, visiting town, and "just to get out", said: "If you want to do any shopping in Asda, it's a long walk from the bus station."He said losing the Zippers "impacted everything", adding: "You'll just have to walk." The mayor said each journey was currently costing £1.80 per said if journeys were paid for, people would not use the buses."We would have to be charging well in excess of £2 a journey to even make it slightly pay its way. We'd probably still end up having to subsidise it," he said. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
