⏩ The Gloucester Start: Monday April 14th
Hospital workers on strike | Nine arrests after burglary | Things to do
Good morning, welcome to Monday’s Start. There’s plenty of Easter activities coming this week, the first few of which are rounded up below. Advance notice that this Thursday’s Start will be the last for a few days while I take a family break, returning on April 28th. Here’s today’s bulletin.
☁️ Today’s weather: Overcast and a good chance of rain through the middle of the day. Temperatures in the low teens.
🩸 Strike action by phlebotomists - experts in blood sampling - at Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General hospitals restarts today and is set to run for two weeks. - NHS Gloucestershire
↪️ They are in dispute about their pay banding, with union Unison accusing hospital bosses of ‘taking the mickey’. - Unison
↪️ Elsewhere at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, the courtyard entrance off London Road is closed from midnight on Tuesday to midnight on Wednesday this week for work involving a new modular MRI unit. - NHS Gloucestershire
⛪ Previously unknown details about a medieval church have been released by archaeologists working on the transformation of Gloucester’s former Debenhams. The size and form of the former St Aldate’s church were a mystery before the work, which will turn the building into a modern University of Gloucestershire campus. - University of Gloucestershire
🫶 The Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Rev Rachel Treweek, is urging people to roll their sleeves up and help tackle global poverty by taking part in Christian Aid week next month. - Gloucestershire Live
⚽ A walking football club celebrating its third birthday this week is ‘one big happy family’. Abbeymead Pirates is helping people recovery from injury and illness as well as those less mobile with a slower-paced form of the beautiful game. - BBC Gloucestershire
🍺 It could be a dream job for the right people - a favourite riverside pub just up the road from Gloucester is looking for someone new to run it. The picturesque Red Lion at Wainlode Hill needs new tenants. - Gloucestershire Live
🧀 Could our famous cheese rolling event be officially recognised as an example of ‘living heritage’? Communities will soon be able to put forward their favourite traditions for consideration, into the Inventory of Living Heritage in the UK. - Gloucester News Centre
🗳️ Election watch
🗳️ Today is your last chance to register for a postal vote, with local elections due in Gloucestershire on May 1st. What’s at stake in the polls has been covered by BBC Gloucestershire.
See who’s standing where you live using your postcode - Who Can I Vote For
If you’re away on polling day, apply for a postal vote (deadline today) or a proxy vote (deadline April 23rd)
🗳️ The leader of the Green Party in Gloucestershire, Chloe Turner, has outlined her party’s priority areas in the county in an interview with community journalist Will Luker. She’s the first in what will be a series with other party leaders.
🚨 Police and crime news
🚨 Police have made nine arrests after a burglary at a commercial property in Russell Street in the early hours of Sunday. A group of men wearing hi-vis vests and balaclavas were seen loading items into a van, fleeing when officers arrived. - BBC Gloucestershire
🚨 Suspected fake barbershops believed to be involved in money laundering and drug dealing have been targeted by police in a national operation. Premises in Barton Street, Gloucester were among those targeted and five men were arrested by Gloucestershire police. - Gloucestershire Live
🚨 Two men from Gloucester have been jailed after breaking into a home and threatening the owners with a knife while a baby slept upstairs. Colin Brown and Craig Wood will serve a combined 16 years behind bars. - BBC Gloucestershire
🚨 A woman with a ‘violent history of offending’ has been given a police order on her release from prison. Layla Warburton was freed from jail last month but is subject to a violent offender order, for people deemed to ‘pose a significant risk to the public’. - BBC Gloucestershire
🚨 An image of a dog which killed a lamb in Matson has been released by police who want its owners to come forward. The dog was seen chasing sheep near the golf course last Monday. - Gloucestershire Constabulary
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📌 Enjoy the water and meet new people at Gloucester Community Paddle Hub by the National Waterways Museum. Free sessions are guided by experienced and qualified volunteers and are suitable for anyone wanting to try paddling. All you need to do is book your spot for this free paddling session. Sessions are coming up on Monday April 14th and Wednesday April 16th with more to be added the next week. 👇
📌 Are you looking to supplement your child's home education? Every Wednesday (10am-1pm) during term time the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum will be offering a vastly reduced rate to those that home educate. Adult and child entry to the museum will be £1 each so that you can come and learn about 300 years of local and international history. - Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum
📅 Things to do today and tomorrow
🏉 Walking Rugby at Gloucester Cathedral | Today, 9.30am | Free | Details
📽️ Disney’s Snow White showing at Sherborne Cinema | Today, various times | £6/£7 | Details
🪡 Easter Crafts Morning at Kip McGrath, Railway House | Today, 11am-1pm | Free | Details
🧚 Meet the Fairy Day at Faeluna Crafts, College Street | Today, 11am onwards | Details
🏗️ Lego Club at Roots, Alvin Street | Today, 1.30pm-3pm | Free | Details
🎨 Easter Crafts at Lighthouse Children’s Centre, Linden | Today, 2pm | Free | Details
🛝 Stay and Play + Bouncy Castle at Saintbridge Sport Centre | Tomorrow, 9am-1pm | £3 per child | Details
🥚 Medieval Easter for Families at Gloucester Cathedral | Tomorrow, 11am-3pm | Free | Details
🐰 Easter Crafts at The Folk of Gloucester | Tomorrow, 1.30pm | £4 donation | Details