⏩ The Gloucester Start: Tuesday February 18th
Neighbour thief jailed | New boss for council | Ice cream boost
Good morning, welcome to Tuesday’s Start. There are more than 400 of you signed up to these daily updates now - thank you. I curate these bulletins by hand each morning to keep you up-to-date on what’s going on in Gloucester, please do share to help spread the word.
⚖️ ‘Cowardly’ Chelsea Iles stole almost £290,000 from her elderly neighbour, using much of it to fund a gambling addiction. The 29-year-old has been jailed for more than four years. - BBC Gloucestershire
🚧 Work will take place over the next three weeks to repair broken and temporary paving in Gloucester’s gate streets. - Gloucestershire Roads
↪️ It was an issue flagged recently by Gloucester BID, with a series of pictures highlighting cracked slabs and patchy out-of-keeping repairs. - Gloucester BID
☀️ Today’s weather: A bright and sunny day ahead, temperatures around 7C.
💼 Gloucestershire County Council has a new chief executive. Jo Walker will start the top job in May, returning to the authority where she began her career as a graduate trainee. - Punchline Gloucester
↪️ The council’s political leaders have been accused of having ‘their head in the sand’ over devolution after Gloucestershire was left out of the first tranche of areas to begin the process. - Gloucester News Centre
💷 Gloucestershire Constabulary is still paying chief constable Rod Hansen his £150,000 salary despite him working elsewhere. He’s working with the National Police Chiefs Council after he was suspended from October to January. - BBC Gloucestershire
🍨 Plans to invest in Gloucester’s Unilever ice cream factory have been boosted by government plans to halt ‘not for EU’ labelling on UK-made products. The company also announced it will give the ice cream arm of its business a primary listing on the Amsterdam stock market when it is spun off later this year. - Gloucestershire Live
👮 Police are concerned about a vulnerable missing man from Gloucester. John, 52, hasn’t been seen since leaving a Horton Road address a week ago. - Gloucestershire Live
🐦 Starlings have been filmed putting on a ‘breathtaking’ display over Linden. Their murmurations are happening most evenings between 5pm-6pm, according to one spotter. - Gloucestershire Live
🐉 Giant mystical light creatures measuring almost four metres big will be on display in King’s Square next Thursday. The Whilers are part of the Bright Nights project, which currently has the interactive Twist and Shine light sculpture in the city. - BBC Gloucestershire
📌 Community Noticeboard
Got something to tell Gloucester about? Community news, events, announcements and more can be submitted to me here.
📌 High Sheriff’s Celebration of Gloucestershire Cathedral Concert, this Friday February 21st. Starts 7pm. A Variety event showcasing performers from every district the High Sheriff represents including Stroud Symphony Orchestra, Chipping Campden Morris Dancers, Cheltenham Childrens choir, Tewkesbury Roses Young Creatives drama, comedy, dance and song. The event is FREE and tickets can be booked here. -Thanks to subscriber Mhairi for the submission.
📌 Lots of extra half-term ideas here, including free movie showings, archery, crafts and much more 👇
📌 Get ready for Roots Day! Saturday March 1st March, 2.30pm-5.30pm. Please let us know if you would like to take part in the community fair, for example if you have a local community group or service that you would like others to know about. Find out more here.
The top posts from Monday’s Start:
🚰 Bid to restore 1863 water tap to public use - Call Me Will
⚖️ Man due in court charged with upskirting - Wilts & Glos Standard
🎸 Line-up announced for Underground Festival 2025 - Gloucester News Centre