Saturday roundup of Gloucestershire news - 19th April
Weekly news including heritage status for cheese rolling, a hub for veterans in Gloucester and an urgent food bank appeal
Dear readers - I wish those of you who either relax or celebrate Easter a happy extended bank holiday. To make sure I don’t intrude your time off, I will keep this week’s Saturday roundup short!
One piece of news worth mentioning this week is dozens of specialist healthcare workers at Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General hospitals set to go into their sixth week of strike action. It is a campaign for fair pay say trade union UNISON. 37 phlebotomists, who take vital patient blood samples, say they have undertaken industrial action after Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust failed to resolve a long-running dispute over pay and grading.
The story is here with a response from the NHS.
Elsewhere, my local election leader interviews are still ongoing. So far out of six interviews, two are now published including a new in-depth piece with the Conservative county council leader Stephen Davies.
On a more historic note, cheese rolling could be officially recognised and protected if it is added to a new heritage list.
Every year the Cooper’s Hill event attracts competitors and spectators from around the globe, a tradition where you will see brave souls chase a 3kg wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down an extremely steep hill.
Heritage Minister Baroness Twycross has said the UK “is rich with wonderful traditions” and the government will soon be seeking submissions from members of the public to nominate their favourite traditions. It is a chance to best reflect the nation, which will be recorded in the new Inventory of Living Heritage in the UK.
So maybe, just maybe, cheese rolling could be added to the list.
Gloucester, Stroud & Forest of Dean
🚧 Eight months after Lydney’s Newerne Street Bridge was battered by floodwaters and further damaged in a car crash, repair work is finally set to begin this summer. The bridge, which crosses the River Lyd just a short walk from the town centre, was left in a fragile state after Storm Bert hit in November 2024. Luke Davis, The Forester
➡️ A mobility scooter user says he is "shaken to pieces" every time he travels along an uneven footpath in his local park. Graham Rigby said his whole body shakes when he travels along the path in Tuffley's Holmleigh Park, to get to the shops. BBC Gloucestershire
📮 Concerns have been raised about the future of the Post Office in Stroud while urgent calls have been made for more safeguards to secure it. The Post Office plans to hand over its 108 remaining directly-owned branches to franchisees by the autumn, including Stroud’s Russell Street. James Felton, Stroud News & Journal
🍲 The Forest Foodbank has issued an urgent appeal for donations, warning that stock levels are at their lowest point in recent memory as demand continues to rise across the district. With more families turning to foodbanks in the face of ongoing financial pressures, volunteers are asking shoppers to consider picking up just one extra item during their weekly shop. Luke Davis, The Forester
⛪ A bid to convert a redundant Gloucestershire church into twelve homes is a step closer to approval despite fears lack of parking are a “recipe for gridlock”. Forest of Dean District planners have voted to grant officers the authority to approve plans to go ahead with the works at the Church of St John in Coleford. Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
📞 Concerns have been raised over plans to remove a ‘vital’ telephone box from a small village near Berkeley. BT has applied for permission to Stroud District Council to remove the public payphone currently located in Purton - near the St John the Evangelist Church. According to BT, the telephone box has been used just 41 times over the last 12 months - Alice Knight, Gloucestershire Gazette
🪖 A new initiative to support veterans, serving military personnel and their families, has launched this month at Eastgate Shopping Centre. The Gloucestershire Forces Hub Pop- Up will run from 12th to 25th April 2025, offering vital resources and community engagement for the region’s Armed Forces population. Gloucester News Centre
Latest Crime News
Police are appealing for witnesses after a group of teenagers caused damage to a Gloucester shop while intimidating customers and abusing staff yesterday, Wednesday 16th April. Officers received a report that around 10 youths, aged between 14 and 17, had smashed a window at a shop in Seventh Avenue, Tuffley at around 8.50am.
Police have released an image of a man they would like to speak to in connection with a sexual assault in a Gloucester nightclub. It follows a report that a man repeatedly touched a woman on her bottom without her consent while in a premises on Eastgate Street. The man was not known to the victim. The incident happened between 1am and 2.15am on Saturday 29th March.
A 60-year-old man has been jailed after a jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting a child. The child's mother read a statement to the court in which she said she will "be forever proud" of how brave her daughter had been to tell her what had happened. Former Tewkesbury Borough Councillor Paul Ockelton, of Innsworth, had denied a charge of sexually assaulting a girl under 13 by touching, contrary to Section 7 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. During a hearing at Gloucester Crown Court on Monday (14 April) he was sentenced to 18 months in prison, will be placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for ten years and was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years.
Photo of the Week
Cheltenham, Tewkesbury & Cotswolds
🚌 A controversial trial to stop tourist coaches parking in inappropriate areas in a popular village is beginning this Easter. Residents in Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds have been complaining that the area "has become "choked" by traffic since a private car park stopped accepting coaches in 2023. Chloe Harcombe & Alastair McKee, BBC Gloucestershire
🏠 Plans to build more than 130 homes have been approved by Tewkesbury Borough Council. Developer Taylor Wimpey plans to build the homes on land north of Innsworth Lane in Innsworth, as part of the wider Whittle Gardens development. The new housing estate will be made up of 136 homes, of which 46 will be designated as affordable housing. Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
🪖 The £250m redevelopment of a Ministry of Defence (MoD) site will play a "key part" in the modernisation of the British Army. Storage facilities to house Army vehicles are being built at MoD Ashchurch, near Tewkesbury, as part of an infrastructure programme. By 2027, the site will have capacity to store 4,000 vehicles, including tanks and Land Rovers, in a controlled humidity environment to prevent deterioration and ensure they are ready for deployment. Maisie Lilywhite & Steve Knibbs, BBC Gloucestershire
🏠 Householders in Cirencester have voiced their opinions after adverts for retirement apartments in the town were put up before planning permission was granted for them. The planning portal for the district shows that a decision has not yet been given on an application for 69 retirement apartments at the old Tesco store at 4 Farrell Close in Cirencester. However, signs advertising the properties have been put up on and near the building. Kate Jones, Wilts & Glos Standard
The positive news section…
❤️ A paralysed former sailor says veteran charities helped him "live again" after a swimming pool incident left him unable to walk. Neil Francis, from Stroud, Gloucestershire, joined the Navy at 16, but a few months after his training he hit his head on the shallow end of a swimming pool in Dubai, which left him tetraplegic, where both arms and legs have limited mobility. Dawn Limbu, BBC Gloucestershire
🏃➡️ Following an epic marathon challenge, more than £2,200 was raised for Eastcombe Primary School. Teacher Jon King and teaching assistant Nikki Fowles took on 18 loops of a hilly route around Eastcombe to run an incredible 26.2 miles. Money raised will go to school playground equipment. Ash Loveridge, Stroud Times
💇 A mum-of-two has opened her own business after putting herself through barber school as a single parent. Chloe Breen, 27, from Great Oldbury near Stonehouse, started her career in the hair industry when she was 16 years old by enrolling onto a two year hair apprenticeship with Reflections in Bristol, along with completing a work placement at a hair salon in Wotton-under-Edge. Kim Horton, Gloucestershire Live
🍺 A rural pub on the banks of the River Severn has swapped pints for purpose, transforming into a community lifeline to combat social isolation. The George in Newnham is serving up more than drinks — offering education, culture, and conversation to bring locals together. Lewis Clarke, Gloucestershire Live