Vandals have decimated soon to blossom apple trees on the corner of the Herdsman Pub in Blue School Street in what the Hereford Business Improvement District (HBID) describes as a “pointless act of sabotage”.
Planted by the HBID team in 2021 and maintained on a regualr basis, Mike Truelove, Chief Executive of HBID said:
“Sometime between Friday 3rd February and early Saturday morning our crab apple trees were pulled from their planters and broken into bits.
“It is such a shame when local businesses funded them to make the area look nice for visitors – they were quite established and about to blossom in the coming months’’.
Discovered by Chris Wood, manager for HBID’s planting and street enhancement operations, Chris quickly went about repairing and replacing the trees that sit inside the four cedar wood planters lining Blue School Street, another investment by HBID in 2021 and 2022 . Chris said “one of HBID’s toppriorities now is to get the city ready for Spring and we wouldn’t let something like this get in the way”.
HBID is currently preparing for the arrival in May of over 450 hanging baskets and planters that will be given to HBID members who fund the company. Mike added “this year has been a challenge with rising prices and our previous fantastic supplier who sadly folded. Whilst the bar was set high, we have sourced a great product that I am confident will showcase the city and our businesses who invest to make Hereford the attractive place to visit and shop that it is”.
Hereford City Life is a consumer brand of Hereford Business Improvement District, run on behalf of BID members. Hereford BID is a non-profit private company (limited) funded by 500 businesses in the city centre. The organisation has 3 core strands underpinning its business plan, a document based on feedback from its member businesses on what they want to see happen, these are: i) High Profile Hereford – Marketing and Events ii) The Hereford Experience – Safe and Clean iii) Business Voice – Lobbying & Support. The company is run by up to 15 board directors who are also levy paying members.
