⏩ The Gloucester Start: Wednesday January 15th
Gran's Christmas Day terror | Landmark buildings for sale | £50m regen plan
Morning and welcome to Wednesday’s Start. Thanks to everyone who has given us a share and told their friends - it really is the best way to spread the word. Please keep it up if you can, I’d love to be reaching more people across the city. Here’s today’s bulletin.
😱 Grandmother Gerry Hartin has shared her terrifying Christmas Day ordeal which saw every ground floor window of her Podsmead home smashed in an attack suspected to have been a case of mistaken identity. She also revealed it took police four days to come and see her. - Gloucestershire Live
👶 Maternity services at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital are still ‘unsafe’, inspectors have ruled. The trust running the hospital said significant improvements have been made, but there’s still work to be done. - BBC Gloucestershire
🏗️ Big plans to regenerate much of Podsmead are about to reach a critical juncture. Gloucester City Homes is planning to invest about £50million into the area for new homes, community spaces, educational facilities and more. A decision on the plans is due next month. - Punchline Gloucester
⛅ Today’s weather: A balmy 10C and bright sunshine during the middle of the day, but overcast to start with and misty to finish.
👮 A Gloucestershire police officer has been sacked without notice after a misconduct hearing heard he had indulged in a ‘rape fantasy’ during a relationship with a 16-year-old schoolgirl while he was in his mid-20s. Detective Constable Nicholas Henry was described as ‘predatory’ by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. - Gloucestershire Live
🚫 Former Gloucester Rugby player Adam Hastings has been banned from driving after being caught using his mobile phone at the wheel on the A40 Golden Valley. - BBC Gloucestershire
👷 Archaeologists discovered a small Roman settlement - ‘a 2,000-year-old service station’ potentially - during excavations as part of the A417 Missing Link works. Their work will be featured on TV show Digging for Britain tonight. - BBC Gloucestershire
🐄 Gloucestershire County Council ‘didn’t mean to cause offence’ by suggesting people swap cow’s milk for almond and other alternatives in a bid to reduce their carbon footprint. It’s removed all references to milk from its Swaps in Seconds campaign after dairy farmers hit out. - Gloucestershire County Council
🏠 Ninety properties around the county will be bought by a social impact investor to help provide housing for the homeless. - Punchline Gloucester
💷 Got a spare £3.2million? Pillar and Lucy House in Gloucester Quays - home to Coal Grill & Bar and several other business tenants - could be yours. It’s for sale and would net its new owner almost £240,000 a year in rental income. - Bruton Knowles
↪️ If more of a blank canvas is your thing, how about the old Wilko site in Northgate Street? It’s going under the hammer at auction with a guide price of £1.3million on January 28th. - Rightmove
ICYMI: The most popular stories from Tuesday’s Start:
🥛 Farmers criticise council’s oat milk message - BBC Gloucestershire
🏥 MPs invite health secretary to county - Alex McIntyre
🚨 Police appeal to find owners of stolen haul - Gloucester News Centre