MADAM, From mid-February the Ross Heritage Centre will become known as the Market House Visitor Centre, combining its current role with that of tourist information. Mary Sinclair Powell, who has held responsibility there so capably for 14 years, will no longer be employed by the county council.

Mary has done a splendid job at the centre in her many years there, and has been a good friend to the Civic Society and to other groups. In addition to maintaining the invaluable permanent displays with which so many of us are familiar, she has contributed much to the town, both publicly and behind the scenes. Limited space allows for only a brief outline here of some of her contribution.

Mary has assisted the Civic Society, the Hereford Record Office and individual historians with many queries, and has given great support to local authors by displaying and selling their work and by organising book sale events. Only a few weeks ago, the Market House was the venue for the successful launch of the Civic Society's 'Historical aspects of Ross' volume 2.

At the Centre she has hosted many other book launches and arranged various workshops, meetings and talks. Recently she kindly made the venue available for a meeting to discuss a possible application for Heritage Lottery funding for the town. Last May she played an important part in the celebrations surrounding the new library mosaic, leading walking groups on a John Kyrle tour.

Mary has organised many events for children during their holidays, together with a number of craft and picture exhibitions.

Over the last year or so there has been considerable debate about where the tourist information should be located and whether it can be satisfactorily accommodated alongside the Heritage Centre to the detriment of neither service. Whatever our various personal views on the matter, we all now surely wish both the combined venture and its new head well in the coming years, and hope that the two services will continue to flourish as they have in the past.

Whatever the future of the Market House, however, Mary will be missed. We at the Civic Society thank her for her unfailingly efficient and generous approach and wish her every success in the future.

David Dawson, Chairman, Ross Civic Society