Saturday roundup of Gloucestershire news - 15th March
Weekly news including a daffodil weekend, tree planting milestone and final county council meeting before local elections
Dear readers - you can either like or loathe when the Cheltenham Festival comes to town. The four day event is now behind us as the town’s hospitality businesses get their thankful yearly boost.
What remains interesting though is the perspective of some pubs in the town centre. This piece by Katie Oborn at Gloucestershire Live has seen business owners call this year’s Festival atmosphere “flat”. Cheltenham was a “ghost-town” which might explain why attendance figures were expectedly low. The smallest Festival crowd since 1993 was recorded on Wednesday. The cost of accommodation, tickets, travel and food and drink are just some of the reasons absent regulars have cited.
My latest Saturday roundup is below and as always please share. I will add that this is not the only piece arriving in your inbox today…
Final county council meeting before elections
Away from the racing, this week has also seen plenty of stories involving public affairs, especially at Gloucestershire County Council, which saw its last full meeting before the upcoming local elections.
There was a heated row over a ‘racist’ motion which saw calls for apologies rejected, new speed limits and cameras have been announced to cut deaths on Gloucestershire’s roads and firefighters have told civic chiefs that shift pattern changes are affecting their wellbeing, amid calls to drop the plans.
Three new care homes are set to be built in the county thanks to a £57m funding boost, Gloucestershire Constabulary leaders say 2025 is going to be a “tough year” as they attempt to boost morale amid bullying and harassment claims, and in health news, there are concerns that another surge in respiratory infections will happen next winter after there were more than three times as many patients in hospital with flu this year.
One final story was why hoardings have been covering the entrance at Shire Hall since October 2024. The entrance has had to be decontaminated after reports of a person defecating and urinating on its front steps in anti-social behaviour targeted at staff.
News from Gloucester, Stroud and Forest of Dean
❤️ A memorial to honour those who lost their lives during the coronavirus pandemic has been unveiled in Gloucester Park. The memorial features eight trees surrounding a plaque, each representing a group of key workers who provided essential services. Duncan Cook & Leigh Boobyer, BBC Gloucestershire
😔 Images have been released after an oak tree estimated to be around 350 years old was set on fire. The exact time the fire started is unknown, but Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service responded to the incident in Stroud’s Stratford Park shortly after 9am on Monday March 10th. Alice Knight, Stroud News & Journal
🏗️ “Remarkable” plans to restore and enhance historic farm buildings next to Flaxley Abbey and create a new restaurant, winery, wine tasting and events venue in the Forest of Dean have been approved. Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
🏫 A new headteacher has been appointed to lead the controversial merger of two Gloucester primary schools. Greenshaw Learning Trust has taken the decision to close Moat Primary Academy School in Matson and merge it with Robinswood Primary Academy located half a mile away. Kim Horton, Gloucestershire Live
🏠 Motorists have reacted with shock after plans were revealed to build homes in Stroud’s only long-stay car park, Cheapside. Stroud District Council unveiled fresh plans this week to develop two sites near the town’s railway station as part of a regeneration project, including the vacant Coal Yard site located behind Hill Paul. Alice Knight, Stroud News & Journal
🗳️ The former leader of a council has criticised the authority's decision to spend £50,000 on hiring an ecologist "responsible for the ocean". Forest of Dean District Council plans to recruit an "oceans officer", with the Green leadership saying the post will help protect the "precious" environment in the Severn and Wye rivers. Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
🏤 Alex McIntyre, Labour MP for Gloucester, has set up a petition to save the King’s Square Post Office branch from closure. Post Office bosses revealed in November that up to 115 of its wholly-owned branches, branches and hundreds of jobs are at risk as part of a shake-up of the business. Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
❤️ The co-founder of engineering firm Renishaw Sir David McMurtry has been posthumously honoured with a new award. Based in Wotton-under-Edge, Sir David co-founded the business more than 50 years ago. Matty Airey, Gloucestershire Gazette
🌲 A bid has been made to buy an outdoor education centre at Mitcheldean for the community. The Wilderness Centre was sold by Gloucestershire County Council in 2014 but has come back up for sale. Mark Elson, The Forester
🚗 There are concerns over the future of Gloucester’s car boot sale amid claims the process to award a new lease for the site “has been allowed to drag on and on”. The last time a car boot was on at the Hempsted Meadows was November 17th, last year. Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
Photo of the Week
Thousands of daffodils are set to bloom bright this weekend as Kempley Daffodil Weekend takes place today (Saturday March 15th) and tomorrow (Sunday March 16th).
The event is celebrating its 50th anniversary and visitors can experience guided walks from St Edward’s Church (below) in the village and a stroll through Dymock Woods. More information can be found here.
News from Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and Cotswolds
🦊 A woman has expressed her shock that foxes are being shot dead in a school field. She says the animals are being killed once again at Pate's Grammar School in Cheltenham after seeing the same thing happen nine years ago. Kim Horton, Gloucestershire Live
🚧 Plans to remove historic flagstones and replace them with tarmac on a historic street have been slammed by Cheltenham Civic Society. Gloucestershire County Council and Cheltenham Borough Council have said proposed changes to the layout of the Promenade in Cheltenham town centre are essential to enable vehicle access. Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
🗳️ The chairman of the county council Vernon Smith will stand for Reform UK after joining from the Conservatives. The Tewkesbury East division councillor says he feels “let down” by his party after becoming disillusioned with the Tories nationally. Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
🚌 Residents and businesses in Bourton-on-the-Water have had their say on controversial plans to launch a street drop-off and pick-up point for buses. The parish council approved plans to allow buses to stop in a designated on-street parking bay, which would allow people to get off and on their transport for up to ten minutes. Kieran Williams, Cotswold Journal
🅿️ Almost £600,000 has been spent so far on a "botched" rollout of residential parking restrictions. Gloucestershire County Council's implementation of the Zone 15 parking permit scheme in Cheltenham was so bad council chiefs issued a "sincere apology" in 2023. Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
➡️ Tewkesbury’s Liberal Democrat MP Cameron Thomas has travelled to Ukraine to deliver aid to the front line. Mr Thomas, who was in the RAF before being elected at the general election last year, has spoken about “the resilience and resolve of the Ukrainian people.” Edward Rowe & Jon Smith, BBC Gloucestershire
🏨 Plans to close a restaurant and convert it into a hotel have been given the go-ahead. Premier Inn Hotels Ltd applied to Tewkesbury Borough Council for permission to convert Elmbury Lodge Brewers Fayre into 20 hotel rooms, plus a restaurant for hotel guests only. Sarah Wood, Punchline
Crime Roundup
A man from Cheltenham has been sentenced after he admitted to robbing a taxi driver at the beginning of this year (2025). James Smith, aged 38 and formerly of Coppice Gate in Cheltenham appeared at Gloucester Crown Court on Wednesday 5 March where he was sentenced to five years and seven months in prison.
A Gloucestershire police officer has been convicted and sentenced following an altercation on a Christmas night out. Mark Bale, aged 38, and from Gloucester, was found guilty of two counts of common assault and one count of using threatening words or behaviour following a trial at Worcester Magistrates’ Court last week. He was acquitted of a third assault.
A spate of burglaries and car thefts have sparked concerns over the lack of police visibility in rural parts of Gloucestershire. There have been reports of car thefts and burglaries in parts of the Forest of Dean district such as Corse and Staunton. Elderly residents in Newent have also been subjected to youths throwing objects in their gardens and cars also being damaged in a spate of anti-social behaviour.
A Brockworth man who pleaded guilty to engaging a 14-year-old girl in sexual activity has been given a 22-month suspended prison sentence. Kane Pearson, aged 21, had previously admitted to three counts of causing a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in in sexual activity and one count of engaging in sexual communication with a child.
Alarming and suspicious activity has been reported in the Tewkesbury area. Residents have reported people shining lights through their windows and walking down their driveways. There have been multiple reports of these incidents happening in the early hours in the Tewkesbury district. Gloucestershire police are warning residents to be 'vigilant and to watch out for your neighbours'.
Positive News
🎨 Artist Gerald Thornton has celebrated his 91st birthday with a special exhibition at The George Café in Newnham, showcasing a lifetime of painting inspired by the industrial and cultural heritage of the Forest of Dean. Luke Davis, The Forester
🎶 Competing in the West of England region of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain, Nailsworth Silver Band have achieved an outstanding second place finish, a feat that has etched a new chapter in their rich history. Ash Loveridge, Stroud Times
🌳 After positive news this week featuring trees planted in Woodmancote to help combat flooding, Gloucestershire County Council has announced its own planting success story. The 500,000th tree, part of the authority’s goal to plant one million trees by 2030, has been reached. The official milestone was formally planted in Winchcombe Park this week and was visited by Conservative cabinet member for environment Cllr David Gray. Gloucester News Centre
✂️ Vogue Haircare is celebrating 60 years in business at 10 Gloucester Street. The long-standing Stroud hair business was founded by Sue Hickman in March 1965 and later purchased in 2000, by Louise Price, Sue’s former apprentice and long-time hair stylist at the salon. Ash Loveridge, Stroud Times
🙌 Gloucestershire Emergency Care Assistant George Medcalf, who who works for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) will be running the 2025 London Marathon in April, to raise funds for the South Western Ambulance Charity, who are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. Kim Horton, Gloucestershire Live
🖌️ A sculptor from near Coleford is calling on residents to nominate individuals who have made a positive impact within the Forest of Dean for a new series of life-size steel sculptures. The project, led by artist Gabriel Parfitt, aims to celebrate the community by creating realistic, life-like portraits of local people. Luke Davis, The Forester
Great stuff as usual- the format is fantastic