News from the Shire - 14th May 2025
Latest roundup of news from across Gloucestershire
Dear readers - when a new business opens it is a newsworthy story. Pubs, restaurants, cafes, bars, independent shops etc...
What local journalism should do is champion small businesses and in Cheltenham, I did exactly that this week with a brand new takeaway/restaurant based on Grosvenor Street called Tuk Tuk Express.
Bringing something new to Cheltenham with a diverse range of flavours and spices from South Asia, including cuisines from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, Tam and Josh Krori are extremely happy to get going.
Serving fresh dishes including slow-cooked Haandi, Chicken Korma, Garlic Chilli King Prawns, and a variety of veggie sides - over 20 years of culinary experience is what they are bringing to the town, a place both Tam and Josh believe is a great place to be alongside a welcoming community of people.
“We really want to bring a relaxed dining experience and show unique dishes from each of the regions, Tam said. The food is vast and most people might assume that all dishes come from India but each country has its own unique style.”
Tam adds: “A good takeway and restaurant means quality products, quality service and consistency. We cook from the heart and anyone can come for a quick bite to eat or a full feast of mild or creamy, sweet dishes or some spice if they wish.”
⛅ Weekend weather: It looks set to be dry with some possible light rain in places on Saturday. Sunday will have variable cloud, sunny spells but a few light showers might move in from the west in the afternoon. UV and pollen levels remain high.
What has made the news this week?
Really sad news this week has seen tributes to a young Gloucester family who were victims of the Air India plane crash.
Akeel Nanabawa, Hannaa Vorajee and Sara Nanabawa, aged four, were returning from a surprise trip to India when the plane ploughed into a residential area shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, in western India.
Jonathan Holmes for BBC Gloucestershire reports tributes to a family that is “heartbroken.”
The story of the Cotswold school teacher who was sacked for sharing Facebook posts criticising teaching about LGBT+ relationships in schools, took another turn this week.
As reported by Kate Jones at the Wilts & Glos Standard, the Farmor’s School in Fairford has gone through a lengthy legal battle with Kristie Higgs, who shared the posts in 2019 and won a Court of Appeal verdict in February. The secondary school’s appeal against the ruling at the Supreme Court has been dismissed.
Remember the marquees outside Julian Dunkerton’s 131 Promenade in Cheltenham?
The removal of the controversial white ‘tents’ has been welcomed by Cheltenham Civic Society, although we knew they were going anyway. Plans to replace the temporary marquees, which have been in situ since the coronavirus pandemic, with a metal pergola with a retractable roof was approved in January this year. Local Democracy Reporter Carmelo Garcia has the full story.
And are you a fan of Moomin?
Gloucester Guildhall is of one of four UK arts organisations to be commissioned by Moomin Characters and Counterpoints Arts to host Moomin 80, presenting a full programme of free events and activities for all the family.
Reported by the Gloucester News Centre, the event starts today (June 14) and runs until Sunday June 22.
News roundup from Gloucester, Stroud and Forest of Dean
🚗 Former Gloucester car boot organiser Reg Daldry has protested being “labelled a thug” as council chiefs defend informing the police and calling in extra security amid concerns over a possible “people’s uprising” at a meeting. Mr Daldry asked questions about the recent award of the car boot land lease at this week’s cabinet meeting. Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
🐕 Dogs have been fouling graves in a Gloucester cemetery which has prompted the council to tell dog owners to be 'respectful' when walking their pets in the grounds. Dog mess on the graves is causing upset to those who have loved ones buried at the Tredworth Road Cemetery. Kim Horton, Gloucestershire Live
🚲 A Forest of Dean woman will ride a series of five mountain bike rides, covering a total of 200 miles to raise money for Guts UK, in memory of her late brother, Steven Avery. Claire Avery, from Sling, is planning to tackle the rides over one week. Tomos Evans, The Forester
🚨 New CCTV, more police patrols and removing graffiti tags are some of the measures being taken to reduce anti-social behaviour across the canal towpath in Stroud. Volunteers from the Cotswold Canals Trust are working with town and district councils, the police and more in order to reduce anti-social behaviour along the canal path. James Felton, Stroud News & Journal
🌈 The main event at Wotton Pride takes place today with a parade starting in the town’s car park at Ludgate Hill. According to organisers, nearly 400 people attended last year’s first-ever event for the town. Alice Knight, Gloucestershire Gazette
🏭 Gloucester will commemorate the so-called Canary Girls, who risked their lives to provide ammunition for the frontline, with boards telling their story in Quedgeley. The Canary Girls was the nickname given to British women who worked in munitions factories during the two world wars, and were known for their exposure to dangerous chemicals. Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
Photo of the Week
News roundup from Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and Cotswolds
🅿️ Residents in Tetbury pay one of the most expensive car park permits in Britain - but say they still can't park because of all the tourists. People living in the town fork out over £600 a year to park - double the cost of some of London's wealthiest boroughs. Alice Knight, Wilts & Glos Standard
🍺 A village pub that was a popular place of celebration among the horse racing community has closed. The Hollow Bottom in the Cotswold village of Guiting Power lies about 10 miles east of from Cheltenham Racecourse and was a popular spot for celebrating Gold Cup wins and yard successes. Maisie Lilywhite, BBC Gloucestershire
🏠 Cotswold council chiefs have been blasted for “not talking” to local leaders amid plans for more than six thousand homes to be built in a picturesque market town. Civic chiefs at Cotswold District Council agreed in January last year to set up a working group to discuss and help shape development in Moreton-in-Marsh in the next decades. Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
…in other housing news by Carmelo Garcia, there are fears a Cotswold village will be absorbed by a nearby town as plans for 280 homes have been given the go-ahead. Robert Hitchins Ltd has been granted outline permission to develop more than 33 acres of agricultural fields on the edge of Cirencester at Kingshill Lane, Preston.
🫂 Cheltenham Borough Council confirmed its support for the new Petersfield Community and Sports Hub, a pivotal development set to strengthen community bonds and enhance wellbeing within the St Peters and the Moors area that is being led by Petersfield Partnership CIO. The proposed Petersfield Hub will be located at the current Saracens FC football ground in the Moors estate. Gloucester News Centre
♻️ Elsewhere in Cheltenham, a former mayor who defected from the Lib Dems to the Greens, is calling on her former party at Shire Hall to take over and reopen the Swindon Road tip. Lib Dem-run Cheltenham Borough Council closed the household recycling centre temporarily on January 10 and hoped that Gloucestershire County Council would buy it. Borough chiefs say the site needs a £1m investment to bring the tip inline with new environmental regulations. Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
🚃 Offers are being invited to give a town's last surviving tram a new lease of life, after being in storage for more than 30 years. Tram 21 operated in Cheltenham 100 years ago but since 1992 it has been stored away from the public at the town art gallery and museum, The Wilson. Edward Rowe, BBC Gloucestershire
🚗 Young Driver, a driver training scheme aiming to instil good driving habits long before they're legally allowed to get behind the wheel, is launching its second location in Gloucestershire. Coming this July 2025, children aged nine to 17 in Gloucestershire can head to South Cerney Airfield to learn the basics of driving with a focus on safety and responsibility in a dual-controlled Suzuki Swift, under the expert supervision of fully qualified instructors. Full piece by Kayleigh Pritchard, SoGlos
💎 A Tewkesbury jeweller has celebrated 40 years trading in the town. Steve Yost opened The Abbey Jewellers in The Cross House, a 500-year-old timber framed building in The Cross, in May 1985. David Wood & Mark Owen, Punchline
🏆 A three-time shin-kicking world champion from Cheltenham has been honoured in parliament after announcing his retirement from the sport. Mike Newby, a 34 year old PR associate director who is known as "Shindiana Jones", has an undefeated record in the Cotswold Olimpick Games' shin-kicking round - a martial arts contest where competitors kick each other's shins until one submits or collapses. Phil Norris & Molly Powell, Gloucestershire Live
😍 Three peregrine falcon chicks have been named after suggestions from people living near the abbey where they were born. A nesting box on the side of Tewkesbury Abbey's tower has been home to mating pair Christopher Robin and Bella for several years and recently welcomed the three "big fluffy balls of fur", Helen Wolfson, from the abbey, said. Maisie Lilywhite, BBC Gloucestershire
The positive news section
A trail of 32 lion sculptures and 54 little lion cubs will roar onto the streets of Cheltenham and Gloucester this summer, but one will be different from the rest – because it's knitted. Tesco Quedgeley Knit and Natter Group has knitted and crocheted a lion cub which will feature in Lions at Large – The Pride of Gloucestershire Trail which goes live from Friday 11 July to Sunday 14 September 2025. Read more by Emma Luther, SoGlos
A paragliding pilot from Stroud has set a new UK record. Joe Dart, from Rodborough, soared 139km across the Scottish Highlands in a triangle course, launching from Mount Blair in the southern Cairngorms, on Tuesday, May 20. Matty Airey, Stroud News & Journal
Four penguin chicks have hatched at Birdland in Bourton-on-the-Water in what has been described as its most successful breeding season in almost a decade. All three of the established breeding pairs of Humboldt penguins laid two eggs each, resulting in the park's largest clutch since 2017. Birdland said this breeding season has been "especially significant" as the pairs - Pablo and Sunny, Broady and Kat, and Big Mac and Cookie - are all first time parents. Maisie Lilywhite, BBC Gloucestershire
A Tetbury cancer survivor has conquered a Himalayan peak. Alice Bowden, from Tetbury, climbed the 6,119-metre Lobuche East in Nepal, raising £13,000 for Cancer Research UK. She made the climb just months after being given the all-clear following cancer treatment. Story by Matty Airey, Wilts & Glos Standard
Forest of Dean District Council praised 1st Royal Forest Scouts for their recent litter-picking efforts. As Tomos Evans reports, the council thanked the scouts group for the efforts around Pillowell and Yorkley via its social media.
And finally, one of the best postive stories from the week has seen Leonard Stanley Community Swimming Pool reopen, following years of community effort. Matt Bigwood and the Stroud Times team have the story.