⏩ The Gloucester Start: Monday January 6th
Flooding after rainfall | Three Counties Mayor plan | Things to do
Good morning and welcome to the first working Monday of 2025. Good luck to those of you herding children back to school and heading back to the day job! If you’ve got a spare few seconds, please hit the share button below.
🥶 Weather first and there’s the tail end of a Met Office warning for rain in place this morning, lasting until 9am. Snow might have failed to materialise in Gloucester yesterday but the temperatures are set to feel sub-zero most of the day. - Met Office
↪️ Travel is likely to be affected after a night of heavy rain. The A40 between M5 J11 and the A417 is reported closed due to flooding, with roads in the city including Lobleys Drive around Coopers Edge affected too 👇- live updates on Gloucestershire Live
↪️ Flood alerts were put in place in several parts yesterday with heavy rain forecast. - Gloucestershire Live
↪️ Temperatures varied wildly over short distances yesterday, as noted by many. Gloucester hit 13C at one point, compared to Hereford ay 1C at the same time. - Ex-EA manager Dave Throup and others on X
🤝 Gloucestershire could pursue a Three Counties unitary authority and merge with Herefordshire and Worcestershire to share a new metro mayor. It’s one option being considered under devolution proposals. - Gloucester News Centre, via the Local Democracy Reporting Service
🏗️ Major infrastructure projects including The Forum, the A417 Missing Link, the University of Gloucestershire’s City Campus and more are set either for completion or significant progress this year. BBC Gloucestershire has rounded up some of the things likely to change the face of the county in 2025. - BBC Gloucestershire
🏉 One of the most-anticipated rugby matches of the season played out on Saturday as record numbers of fans turned out to see rugby phenomenon Ilona Maher make her Premiership Women’s Rugby debut - but Gloucester-Hartpury didn’t get the memo as they well and truly spoiled her Bristol Bears bow with a 17-40 away win. - Guardian
↪️ Gloucester Rugby won their first home game of the year 36-20 against Sale Sharks to go fifth in the Premiership. - Gloucestershire Live
↪️ In football, Gloucester City couldn’t quite make it a hat-trick of local success but did come back from 0-2 down to claim a 2-2 home draw with Taunton. - Gloucestershire Live
🍏 Former Gloucester Rugby star Jake Polledri’s cider business is going from strength to strength. He’s also donating funds from every can and pint sold of his Fratello line to support the installation and upkeep of public defibrillators after losing his brother aged just 24 in 2022. - Gloucestershire Live
🚨 Two vehicles were broken into in separate incidents, with a laptop and documents, including a passport, stolen. - Gloucester News Centre
Things to do this week
Double-check events are taking place before you travel after heavy rain.
🏉 Walking rugby today from 9.30am Gloucester Cathedral - more here
🚮 If your new year’s resolutions included being more active in your community, you’ve got the perfect chance to follow that through this morning. The monthly city centre litter pick and tidy-up, organised by Gloucester BID, starts at 10am. - Gloucester BID
🚶♀️ Nordic walking today at 1pm, in Robinswood - more here
🎵 Roots Acoustic Cafe, an open mic session, returns on Thursday from 6.30pm at Roots in Alvin Street - more here
🥵 There are still free opportunities to try Gloucester’s hottest new sport. The Padel Club offers intro sessions with no charge, and is separately starting kids sessions on Mondays and Tuesdays at 4pm (£75 for five weeks) from this week - you’ll need to download the Playtomic app to book - Padel Club
🕺 Always wanted to be a break dancer? Breaking classes return weekly to Gloucester Guildhall from tomorrow at 5.30pm - more here
ICYMI: Friday’s most popular stories
🚆 Cheap train tickets are on offer from Great Western Railway this month - GWR
💙 Tributes have been paid to former Gloucester MP Sally Oppenheim-Barnes, who died at 96 - Gloucester News Centre
🏥 Hospitals including GRH have been operating at critical levels amid an influx of flu patients - BBC