Saturday roundup of Gloucestershire news - 17th May
Including a new future for former Gloucester pub, main road speed limit changes near Dursley and cows are back on the commons near Stroud
Dear readers - I will keep this week’s Saturday roundup introduction short, mainly because the sun cream is on, the hats are being donned and the sunshine continues to blaze.
One of the most extraordinary stories of the week was a gigantic water leak in Matson, which erupted 100 feet into the air! Reports of homes being left without water, flying debris damaging a house and Severn Trent teams working overnight to fix the problem.
There are community events that might be of interest to those of you who live in Tewkesbury, Cinderford, Gloucester, Nailsworth and Stroud.
Tewkesbury’s Big Weekend and Cinderford artsFEST both take place today and if you’re in Gloucester or Stroud, other events include the city’s Ukraine Festival at the Folk of Gloucester, Vyshyvanka Day as a celebration of traditional Ukrainian embroidery and textiles is taking place in Nailsworth and on Selsley Common, there is an event commemorating 200 years of Stroud’s Chartist history.
The Stroud Festival of Food and Drink is happening this weekend and the Cotswold Festival of Steam is on the horizon next bank holiday weekend.
Tewkesbury has also celebrated the 50th birthday of the Roses Theatre with a street party. A piece on the anniversary is coming soon and the celebration is this week’s Photo of the Week.
Gloucester, Stroud and Forest of Dean
🚣 Teams are gearing up getting ready for the annual Dragon Boat Festival in Gloucester Docks on Sunday (May 18). The event is free, and you are invited to watch the crews battle it out on the water, all eager to win the Dragon Boat Challenge Shield. Kim Horton, Gloucestershire Live
🍺 A boarded-up Gloucester city centre pub may reopen as a food and drink establishment with the aim of “lifting the ambiance” of Kings Square. The former Chambers pub, which is on the corner with Market Parade, ceased trading during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic and has never reopened. Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
🏠 Gloucestershire-based housing association Bromford has completed a deal to purchase part of a former railway depot in the centre of Gloucester which will provide more than 100 affordable homes for the city. Gloucester News Centre
🚨 Police are investigating another violent incident in Coleford’s Market Place – the fourth reported there in the last five weeks. This time, a 37-year-old Forest man was arrested on Monday, May 12, on suspicion of aggravated burglary after police received a report around 9pm that a man had been assaulted inside an address. Tomos Evans, The Forester
🚗There are calls for volunteers to help monitor speeds on roads near Gloucester “blighted” with drivers flouting the limit. Hucclecote residents concerned with speeding traffic, vehicle noise and pollution in the area are being encouraged to attend their parish’s annual assembly next week. Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
➡️ In similar road safety news, the A4135 near Dursley may soon have its speed limit reduced. The main road currently has a 60mph limit but Gloucestershire County Council has plans to drop the limit to 50mph. Alice Knight, Gloucestershire Gazette.
🚨 A 43-year-old man who gained employment at two law firms in the county after he used a false university degree certificate and used a false passport has been sentenced. Gloucester Crown Court was told how Aditya Rai also gained a false UK driving licence under a different name, Ali Ryan, and used a photo of himself and false date of birth. He then applied for two bank accounts under the same false name. Gloucestershire Constabulary
🐈 The Cotswolds Dogs & Cats Home, near Cambridge, is appealing for donations after taking in about 50 cats so far in 2025, at a rate of about three cats per week, including litters of kittens and pregnant females. It has been described as an “overwhelming surge”. Maisie Lilywhite, BBC Gloucestershire
🏭 Plans for a £6m investment to secure Coleford’s Ribena factory as a major employer in the region have been deferred. The Lucozade Ribena Suntory-owned Royal Forest Factory in Rock Lane is one of their largest in Europe and produces around a billion bottles per year. Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
📍 Elsewhere in the Forest of Dean, the district council is inviting residents to share their views about the current active travel infrastructure in the community, to help identify areas for improvement. Tomos Evans, The Forester
🏠 Rising house prices in Stroud are “tarnishing” the dreams of home ownership for the town, as featured by a piece in the Stroud Times. Alex Parnham-Cope writes how ‘London leavers’ and the appeal to live in Stroud is pricing out local people.
Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and Cotswolds
📲 Cheltenham mother Ellen Roome, who is campaigning for an amendment to the government's Data Bill has said she will not stop until she understands why her son took his own life. Ellen’s 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney took his own life in 2022 in what she believed was a social media challenge. She has been campaigning to get an amendment to the law that would force social media companies to give bereaved parents access to their child's data in the event of their death and this week met with government ministers to discuss the proposal. Joe Skirkowski, BBC Gloucestershire
🛩️ Visitors to the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at RAF Fairford are being asked to help build a memory wall to mark its 40th anniversary. The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust wants people to submit pictures and stories of moments they have enjoyed at the event. Steve Knibbs & Leigh Boobyer, BBC Gloucestershire
🏠 Over 50 homes are set to be built on a school's playing fields. Pittville School in Cheltenham has selected Barnwood-based housebuilder Newland Homes as its development partner, which will enable the school to release land for 58 properties. Annette Belcher, Gloucestershire Live
🏠 In other housing news, plans to build 200 new homes in Moreton-in-Marsh have received 128 objections from residents. Up to 195 homes in total are planned off London Road near the Cotswold Business Village. One objector says Moreton is already plagued by traffic gridlock. Daniel Kelly, Cotswold Journal
🏠 People could be moving into Paris Street, Leyland Road, Burgess Close of The Old Coach Station as a list of names for a new housing development in Cheltenham are publicly displayed. Work is well under way on the construction of 147 homes and flats on the former North Place car park in the town centre. Phil Norris, Gloucestershire Live
☕ An independent business in Bishop’s Cleeve is to host Gloucestershire’s first coffee shop rave. Church Road Coffee say it is “a new way to party”, grab an iced latte, gather around the DJ deck and take part in a vibrant boggie. Zoe Gater, SoGlos
🎨 And finally, a video piece at Langston Farm near Moreton-in-Marsh as Cotswold watercolour artist Hannah Quartermain launches her first-ever exhibition of her work.
The positive news section
📷 A photographer from Cheltenham has published a book documenting a 6,835 mile (11,000km) walk around the entire coastline of mainland Britain. Quintin Lake walked the route in chunks over five years, having first set off from the steps of St Paul's Cathedral on 17 April 2015. He says, “unless there was barbed wire, I really did walk the lot.” Jonathan Holmes & Sacha Bigwood, BBC Gloucestershire
💨 Measures to tackle pollution in Gloucester have been lifted after 20 years because air quality has improved. Three air quality management areas (AQMAs) covering Barton Street, Priory Road and Painswick Road have now been revoked thanks to a fall in harmful emissions. Sarah Turnnidge, BBC Gloucestershire
🐄 There are some great images by photographer Simon Pizzey of the Commons cows on Minchinhampton. Featured in the Stroud News & Journal, the images come as at this time of year motorists are urged to slow down as the cows return to grazing.
⛪ Nearby, the story of Holy Trinity church in Minchinhampton has been documented by a new book by Stroud archaeologist Chiz Harward. The book is several years of fieldwork and research. Stroud Times
🎼 Gloucester Cathedral recently celebrated its American connections in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester at a special Choral Evensong sung by the Cathedral Choir. Gloucester News Centre
💪 A personal trainer who nearly lost nearly all his vision at 41 years old says receiving a guide dog has been "life-enhancing". Mark Long, 43, from Stonehouse, was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa aged 12, but his conditions worsened in 2021. He has now adapted to sight loss and launched his own gym at home. Maddie Simpsons & Leigh Boobyer, BBC Gloucestershire
Hi Will, can you email this to me? Thanks