⏩ The Gloucester Start: Thursday December 5th
Happiness ranking | Fish theft | Firefighters' outcry
Good morning! It’s Thursday, the weekend is almost visible and we’re up to more than 50 Gloucester Start subscribers - so plenty of reasons to be cheerful. These bulletins are growing almost exclusively by word of mouth alone, which is great to see. Please keep on spreading the word with a quick share.
🙂 How happy is Gloucester? About average tbh, so says the latest Happy at Home index from property site Rightmove, which placed the city 98th out of 220 locations around the UK. More than 35,000 people were surveyed on factors including a sense of belonging, access to green spaces, community togetherness and amenities. In the South West, Gloucester placed 13th, with Cirencester at number one and ninth overall. Nationally, Woodbridge in Suffolk was named the happiest place, Slough came last. - Rightmove
🐟 Have you been offered a Koi Carp for sale, of all things? If so, you might hold the key to solving a fishy crime - 18 of the prized fish were stolen from a garden pond in Longlevens last Tuesday, prompting police to issue an appeal for witnesses. - Gloucestershire Constabulary
🌬️ Winds of up to 60mph are expected on Saturday as the Met Office issued a weather warning covering much of the country, including Gloucester. Rain is on the way too in what’s set to be a pretty miserable weekend, with people told to be ready for the possibilities of longer journeys, minor property damage and power cuts. - Met Office
🌧️ Today’s weather: Dry through the morning but a very high chance of heavy showers later on. Temperatures are warm throughout the day at 12C-14C.
🏃♀️ Jobs including general manager, fitness instructor, catering assistant and many more are being recruited now for a new leisure facility opening in Podsmead early next year. The Blackbridge Community and Sports Hub is a brand new community-owned youth and sports centre being built at the moment, to be operated by Freedom Leisure. - Blackbridge Charitable Community Benefit Society
🚒 Firefighters across Gloucestershire say a decision to change their shift patterns could have a detrimental effect on the workforce, maybe forcing some to leave. The county council, which runs the fire service, voted this week to change the current pattern - nine-hour days and 15-hour nights - to 11-hour days and 13-hour nights. Union reps say it will take a negative toll on mental health and hit those with children and caring responsibilities the hardest. - Gloucester News Centre, via the Local Democracy Reporting Service
🎅 More than 400 people have signed up to Gloucester’s annual Santa Fun Run on December 14th, with organisers now pushing to get it past 500. Entrants can run, walk or jog either a 1km or 5km route through the city - all while dressed as Father Christmas of course - with everything raised going to charities supported by The Rotary Club of Gloucester. - Rotary Club
⛔ Full overnight closures are coming to the A417 for the Missing Link roadworks soon. The road will be shut from 9pm-6am on December 16th, 17th and 18th, from the A46 junction at Brockworth up to the Air Balloon roundabout. - Punchline Gloucester
🛵 Thieves stole a moped from Ivory Close in Tuffley overnight on Monday. The 50cc Lexmoto machine was taken between 6.30pm on December 2nd and 11am on December 3rd. - Your Community Alerts
🚨 Police have been unable to trace a wanted man with links to Gloucester who’s allegedly breached his licence. Nick Hughes, 31, is from the Forest of Dean and has tattoos including a name and a star on his neck, and ‘mum’ on his right hand. - Gloucestershire Constabulary