⏩ The Gloucester Start: Monday February 10th
County split talks start | Tents 'aren't for Covid' | Things to do this week
Good morning, welcome to Monday’s Gloucester Start. For the flurry of new subscribers who signed up over the weekend, thank you for joining and if you’re wondering what to expect, all is explained here. Here’s today’s bulletin.
🤝 Talks have begun to decide whether or not Gloucestershire should split into two separate local authorities under government devolution plans. It’s one idea of several for how the county might look if second-tier authorities like Gloucester City Council are abolished. - BBC Gloucestershire
🗳️ Political parties have reacted differently to the news that county council elections will go ahead in May after the government rejected a bid to have them delayed. - Call Me Will
☁️ Today’s weather: Grey and cold. A reasonable likelihood of some rain for much of the day too.
🎒 Suspensions in Gloucestershire secondary schools have doubled since the pandemic, analysis shows. Almost 5,000 were issued to Gloucestershire pupils in just the Autumn 2023/24 term. - Gloucestershire Live
👩💼 Gloucester BID has appointed a new chair. Becci Zawadzki will steer the organisation, which represents city centre businesses and works to showcase and celebrate the city. - Punchline Gloucester
📖 Gloucester-based storyteller John Row is officially a Guinness World Record holder. The 78-year-old was part of a group who broke the mark for the longest continuous storytelling session in Marrakech. - BBC Gloucestershire
⛺ Tents set up on the Hempsted Meadows car boot site are not for Covid testing - as had been inaccurately suggested in local Facebook groups - but for a film crew shooting at Gloucester Prison. - Gloucester Car Boot
🚲 Pupils and staff at King’s School ‘smashed’ a fundraising target by cycling more than 350 miles on static bikes. They raised £6,000 for 4Ed, supporting families living with MND. - BBC Gloucestershire
Five things to do this week
🚶♀️ Street Tag returns to Gloucester tomorrow, an interactive challenge which ‘turns your neighbourhood into a virtual playground’. Teams can compete for the most distance covered and virtual tags collected. - We Can Move
💡 Twist & Shine, pictured above, arrives in King’s Square on Thursday for five nights. It’s an interactive light sculpture which people can twist into their own shapes. - Bright Nights Gloucester
🎻 The Gloucester Folk Trail returns this weekend for three days of music, dancing and workshops. Dozens of shows are taking place at venues across the city centre from Friday-Sunday. - Gloucester BID
📽️ A Complete Unknown, The Brutalist, Conclave, Dogman, The Wizard of Oz, Mamma Mia, Paddington in Peru, Cinema Paradiso all showing at Sherborne Cinema, Kingsholm | All week, various times | £6/£7 | Details
🍽️ A ‘hidden gem’ riverside bistro has yet to be discovered by many locals, according to its owners who took charge last year. The Lock Keepers, in Over, serves from breakfast onwards. - Gloucestershire Live
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❓ Places are available to book for The Hollie Gazzard Trust’s Spring Quiz on March 19th. It’s £40 for a table of four at Gloucester Brewery’s Warehouse 4. - Hollie Gazzard Trust
🍽️ The Chamwell Centre, in Longlevens, is doing half-price kids meals on Mondays from 3pm-6pm with any adult plate. - Chamwell Centre
🫶 Can you become a Friend of Roots? The Alvin Street cafe, refills shop and community venue is seeking a handful of people to pledge regular support in order to help keep it going. 👇
The top posts from Friday’s Start:
🛶 New activity hub opens in Gloucester Docks - National Waterways Museum
👩👩👧👦 13 free things to do for families around Gloucestershire - SoGlos
❌ Double red lines coming to 30 county schools combat bad parking - BBC Gloucestershire