Saturday roundup of Gloucestershire news - 22nd February
Weekly news including out-of-date food at a supermarket, housing rows, council tax hikes, penguins and a gathering of dalmatians (15-21 Feb)
Dear readers - because Gloucestershire is a gigantic county, covering Gloucester, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury, Stroud, the Cotswolds and Forest of Dean, I have to make clear to you that not every piece I write will be relevant to your local community but I do hope you’re sticking with me as some great pieces are coming soon.
My own independent journalism could be relevant to someone you know living in a different part of the county and I always appreciate your feedback. It is always a difficult balance to strike, where one reader contacted me thankful for more coverage of Cotswold communities and less coverage of Gloucester or Cheltenham.
On the other hand, I had a message this week saying thank you for covering stories in Cheltenham and Gloucester in more depth - this is Gloucestershire news in a nutshell, a broad mix of communities, no such thing as a slow news day and the fact that the county is huge.
To make this easier for you to navigate, I’ve decided to put stories below into groups via each of Gloucestershire’s six districts and put other stories (particularly politics and crime) separately.
I have also created a section dedicated to positive news only!
News from Gloucester, Stroud and Forest of Dean…
😖 There is growing frustration over the ongoing closure of the Black Bridge in Lydbrook, which is also known as the Stowfield Viaduct. The River Wye footbridge forms part of the 50-year-old Wye Valley Walk - Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
🏠 A political row has broken out over delays affecting plans to build 172 homes in Gloucester which could see the city lose out on £20m of government funding. Gloucester City Homes bosses fear they will lose funding for the regeneration of the Podsmead Estate project at Masefield Avenue - Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
⚽ The CEO of Forest Green Rovers, Dane Vince, has issued an update about several major projects in the area. Son of owner Dale Vince, he has spoken out about progress at the Eco Park development, their training centre at J13 and other issues such as season tickets plus engaging with disabled supporters - James Felton, Stroud News & Journal
➡️ A group raising funds for a memorial to the Forest of Dean veterans of the Battle of the Imjin River has identified a new veteran as it reaches the halfway mark of their campaign. Alan Davies, who was born in Redbrook and lived in St Briavels and Lydney, will have his name added to the memorial - Kim Horton, Gloucestershire Live
🐦 A new survey aims to track the Dipper population in Stroud. The first coordinated survey of breeding Dippers in the area will take place this year. The Dipper, a small brown bird often seen in Stroud rivers, has seen a nearly 40 per cent decline in the UK since 1995 and is now an Amber species on the UK Red List - Nathan Russell, Stroud News & Journal here.
🗣️ Professor David Olusoga OBE, BAFTA winning film-maker, broadcaster and author is coming to Stroud Sub Rooms on Thursday 5th June. He will present his talk The State of the British Union, Why Black History Matters, coupled with an exclusive audience Q&A and book signing with the author - David Wood, Punchline
“I work in a retail setting myself and seeing food out-of-date annoys me loads.”
A Cheltenham man who works in retail has shared his anger at a supermarket selling out-of-date food.
Whilst shopping in Sainsbury’s for something to eat, Rob Hopkins discovered a packet of Walkers crisps that were best before the 16th November 2024. Because of his job, Mr Hopkins felt he had to get in touch as he told staff at the Gallagher Retail Park store twice to move the roast chicken flavoured crisps, call to talk to the manager, but nothing changed.
He says staff did not call for the manager or even ask him which flavour the crips were.
On the amount of packets out-of-date, Mr Hopkins said he found “more than just a couple, I would say around six to seven. They filled up the shelf by putting a different flavour over the top This has happened before with the same company in the same town. Same thing happened as they did not get it off the shelf until I complained to head office.”
Mr Hopkins adds: “I work in a retail setting myself and seeing food out-of-date annoys me loads. It makes me question whether the staff actually care to check. If it was a day or two I would be less angry but this is four months and on such a small section. It always brings up the question of waste and how much food gets thrown away by supermarkets. The amount thrown away due to not properly date checking must be huge.
I felt that they were not taking the situation seriously. You would think as soon as someone mentions an issue, you would get someone down to rectify it. Both times I felt it was dealt with very badly.”
To dispel any conspiracy theories that Mr Hopkins placed the packet in Sainsbury's, he says “that's false and not my style."
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said, “Providing quality products and great service to our customers is extremely important to us and we are sorry for this rare experience. We have measures in place to prevent this from happening and we’re looking into what went wrong in this case.”
News from Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and Cotswolds…
🏠 There are calls for Cotswold District Council leader Joe Harris to resign over comments he made during a meeting amid fears 6,300 new homes will turn Moreton-in-Marsh into ‘Moreton Keynes’ over the next 20 years. Moreton residents are angry over comments by the Lib Dem councillor at a meeting which discussed development in the market town - Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
😞 A wildlife trust has said it is "really disappointed" after what appears to be tyre tracks left across one of its nature reserves. A video posted by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust showed churned up mud across its Sapperton Valley nature reserve near Cirencester, which it claims was left by "a few irresponsible 4x4 users"- Maisie Lilywhite, BBC Gloucestershire
🚆 Plans are underway for nearly 300 additional trains to pass through Cheltenham Spa railway station each week, thanks to a £1.75 billion hub project. Cheltenham’s Lib Dem MP Max Wilkinson met with Midlands Connect and rail executives on Wednesday to discuss the plans - Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
🚆 An important community hub is being taken over by a charity as the former owners ceased operations after 20 years. Gloucestershire-based charity, Caring for Communities and People (CCP), is taking over the Jubilee II Neighbourhood Centre from Priors Park Neighbourhood Project, based in Tewkesbury - Abigail Nicholson, Gloucestershire Live
💩 Villagers who endure “faeces mixed with floodwater being forced up drains and manholes” applauded Tewkesbury Borough Council civic chiefs as they rejected a bid to change the conditions of a controversial housing development in Twigworth - Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter
👷 Demolition work has got underway in a street of 60-year-old properties near Cirencester which will pave the way for more than 80 modern homes. Housing association Bromford has begun one of its biggest regeneration projects to date in South Cerney, where it is replacing 56 dated properties and 21 garages with 82 energy-efficient homes - Kate Jones, Wilts & Glos Standard
🚶 Offering the chance to conquer Cleeve, Crickley and Leckhampton Hills in just one day, entry to Cheltenham’s Three Peaks Challenge on Saturday 14th June are still open - Annabel Lammas, SoGlos
Photo of the week
A busy week of council tax rises…
The appointment of a new NHS Gloucestershire CEO was not the only new announcement to happen in the county this week as a new top boss was also hired to Gloucestershire County Council.
Jo Walker is now in place in a week when Gloucestershire residents will face bigger bills after local authorities in Stroud, Wotton-under-Edge, the Forest of Dean and Cheltenham agreed to increase council tax.
Earning more than the Prime Minister was a stark headline and the raising of council tax at the County Council even saw Conservative cabinet members, who are officially on leave, turn up to vote on the budget debate. As Carmelo Garcia reports, both are foregoing their cabinet role allowances.
In other political news, Tory Shire Hall chiefs have been accused of 'burying their head in the sand' by three of the county’s Labour MPs as Gloucestershire is not in the first tranche of areas to “benefit” from devolution.
Elsewhere, councillor Sue Williams has re-joined the Conservatives on the county council after defecting to the Greens last year, the “eyesore” hoardings at Shire Hall are not expected to be removed for several months and Chief Constable Rod Hansen’s more than £150,000 salary is being paid for by Gloucestershire while he works for the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).
Two brief crime stories…
Police are reminding people to keep an eye on vulnerable family and friends after a number of reports of fraudsters posing as police officers and fake banking employers calling members of the public in Moreton-in-Marsh, Cirencester, Gloucester and Cheltenham. Over the last fortnight, Gloucestershire Constabulary has received at least five reports of people living across the county being targeted, with one person being tricked into handing over £10,000 to the scammers.
AND, a woman from Gloucester has been jailed for more than four years after defrauding her elderly neighbour out of his life savings. Chelsea Iles, aged 29, from Matson, exploited her relationship with the victim to steal almost £290,000; using some of the money to fund her gambling addiction.
Positive news for you…
🙌 A Gloucestershire man has become the first male British bobsleigh athlete in 60 years to win a world title. Corie Mapp travelled from Cirencester to St Moritz, the spiritual home of sliding, to claim the crown on Valentine's Day - ITV West Country
🐕 A dog has finally found his forever home after spending almost four years in a rescue centre near Dursley. Yoko, a 6-year-old jagdterrier, had been at Cotswolds Dogs & Cats Home since February 13th, 2021 - Alice Knight, Gloucestershire Gazette
In other dog-related events, did you know that Sunday February 23rd is National dally rally day? Gloucester Dalmatian Walks are organising an event at 10:30am at the Severn Ham in Tewkesbury (depending on the weather). The location may change, but if you have a dalmatian and want to join the gathering, do keep an eye on the Facebook event here and group for any updates.
➡️ Dymock Daffodil weekend is not far away. In recent years the wild daffodil flowering starts earlier than ‘normal’ in mid-Feb, developing across the cooler meadows by-mid March - Andy Sherwill, The Forester
👍 Nights out in Gloucester are getting safer thanks to local charity the Hollie Gazzard Trust, as it rolls out the Best Bar None scheme across the city this February 2025 - Chloe Gorman, SoGlos
🍻 Members of a community group which tried to buy a village pub near Stroud are celebrating after it was recently saved. Villagers and members of the Chalford Hill Community Benefit Society have been fighting for over two years to save their only pub from being lost forever after serving the community for nearly 170 years - James Felton, Stroud News & Journal
🍰 A baker from Stroud has opened her own business making delicious sweet treats for the county. Carly Cleasby opened her own cake making business Made by Carly, which is located in the Krate Village in Whitminster - Kim Horton, Gloucestershire Live
🙌 Forest of Dean-based charity Toucan For Children is celebrating 15 years of helping children. In this time, the Mitcheldean charity has provided a safe and nurturing environment where children can express themselves and work through challenges with the help of play therapy - Tomos Evans, The Forester
🐧 AND FINALLY: Birdland Park and Gardens at Bourton-on-the-Water have welcomed two new females to its colony of king penguins in a bid to boost its breeding programme. The females are yet to be named and are believed to be the first female king penguins imported to the UK in 15 years - Tess De La Mare, BBC Gloucestershire