My lovely wife grew up in Ross-on-Wye, a beautiful town in rural Herefordshire. A couple of weeks ago, after returning from our honeymoon, we spent a weekend in Ross and whilst there I got my hands on a copy of the fine Ross Gazette.
This publication is legendary among people from Ross and I had heard many things about previous headlines such as ‘Riot!’ when a handful of sixth-formers gathered by the river with a stereo and a bottle of Strongbow, but I didn’t quite believe it. That is, until I saw the 2 September issue. The article on the right completely cracked me up – imagine the look on the policeman’s face when he heard the tale of the canoe-bound umbrella thieves. Classic.
The cream of the crop, though, was to be found on page 11. ‘The Lea Show Results of the Fruit and Vegetable Show – 2004‘ was something else. Imagine being the winner of the ‘arrangement incorporating a kitchen utensil’ category! Marion Martin and Sarah Williams, I salute you!
Thanks for that trip down memory lane Andrew. My family was once the subject of one of the Gazette’s fabulous exclusives. Our lawnmower was taken from our back garden and joy ridden through our fence into the field next door by ‘local youths’. It made the front page!