Blog Page 4

Kobe, Blink and Dude, three rescue dogs from Gloucestershire, have been chosen as the tail-wagging stars to feature in the 2021 Kennel Club Breed Rescue calendar.
The calendar is made up of stories and pictures of seven rescue dogs striking their best ‘pawse’ after overcoming the odds, highlighting the work of the organisations that gave them a second chance and found them loving new homes. The sales of the calendar raise funds for The Kennel Club Charitable Trust, one of the largest charities dedicated to dog health and welfare in the UK.

Spoil from a canal near Stroud has been used to help repair a road in the Cotswolds – saving the county council £700,000.
The Old A40 near Northleach, also known as Prison Copse Wall, has been closed since autumn 2015 because of damage caused to the wall supporting the highway and cracks appearing in the carriageway. The cost of repairs was estimated at more than £800,000.

Bourton-on-the-Water Primary Academy has welcomed pupils into their new classrooms following the completion of a major programme to expand and improve facilities at the school.
The academy, which is situated in the picturesque Cotswold village, has now moved into its new Early Years and Reception classrooms in the final step of the £1.8m, three-phase construction programme, expanding the school so it can admit 45 children per year.

Three thousand Christmas meals for people in need, including those who are self-isolating, will be created this year thanks to the social enterprise The Long Table with support from the Stroud District Council.
The arrangement came about when SDC offered a licence to use the kitchen at the council-owned pub The Ship Inn in Brimscombe, when it became vacant and before the lease was remarketed.

Fairytale Farm, just outside Chipping Norton, has been named as England’s fastest-growing farm attraction, according to the Annual Survey of Visits to Visitor Attractions, just published by Visit England.
The results from this survey are reported annually, providing an overview of the visitor attraction sector. The newly-published figures, which are for the full 2019 season, show that Fairytale Farm’s visitors grew by 56% between 2018 and 2019, to 37,825.

Villagers in Ashton under Hill, near Evesham, have produced their own calendar to make up for the fact that the 42nd Ashton Open Gardens didn’t happen there this summer.
Resident Andy Cooke, who took some of the featured photographs, said: “This will be the first year that there will be an Ashton Open Gardens Calendar. The calendar features some lovely appropriately seasonal pictures of the village, useful monthly gardening tips and a voucher giving you one free entry to the 2021 Ashton Open Gardens. What more could anyone want?”
The price is £6 per calendar (in an envelope for posting if needed), £5 without the envelope. There will be an extra £2 charge per calendar to post.
Anyone interested in buying a first edition Ashton Open Gardens calendar should email contact@ashtonopengardens.co.uk

A Cotswold inn has been named among the UK’s best restaurants, receiving the coveted accolade of three AA Rosettes.
The Feathered Nest Country Inn at Nether Westcote, Gloucestershire, is among 26 British restaurants to have received three AA Rosettes, a record number for a single announcement, along with four restaurants to have been awarded four AA Rosettes.

The Duchess of Cornwall, Royal Patron of the Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum charity, visited Forestry England’s Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, yesterday (Monday).
The Duchess took in the spectacular autumn colour display and found out more about the arboretum’s work and activities in conservation, education and participation.

Madness will be playing at Westonbirt Arboretum, near Tetbury, as part of Forest Live 2021, the summer concert series presented by Forestry England.
Drawing on their musical roots in ska, Madness were responsible for some of the most credible pop compositions of their generation with the ability to write songs that sparkle with the spirit of British life.

A notice was served by the county council on Friday to stop the Stow Horse Fayre from going ahead this week.
Using its powers under Covid-19 regulations, the county council and Gloucestershire Police had jointly served the landowner with a ‘notice of concern’ last Monday, October 12, giving them 48 hours to address concerns raised by the county council, Police and Cotswold District Council (CDC).

A crucial phase of the development of the Performing Arts Centre in Chipping Campden has been completed this week, with the final section of the steel frame now finished.
Chipping Campden School (CCS) is creating a new performance centre that will transform arts education in the North Cotswolds and be a much-needed community asset. The project is set to be completed in time for the next academic year.

Volunteers on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) are celebrating two grants from the Cultural Recovery Fund for Heritage: £318,000 for the railway and £26,100 for the Dinmore Manor Locomotive Group based on the line.
Both grants are part of the first wave of grants under the ‘Here For Culture’ campaign, announced today (Friday, October 9).

Cotswolds Tourism has today announced it has received funding from VisitEngland for its successful ‘Uncover the Cotswolds’ project.
The project – encompassing the wider Cotswolds, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Forest of Dean and Wye Valley – is to benefit from Year 5 funding from the UK Government’s £40 million Discover England Fund, administered by VisitEngland.

Campden Home Nursing and Chipping Campden School are excited to announce a joint fundraising project.
A Christmas Card Competition, sponsored by Cotswolds’ printing group, Vale Press, will be open to all students at the school and will raise funds for the local charity and the school’s new Performing Arts Centre.

People across Gloucestershire are putting their best foot forward this October and walking in honour of their loved ones to raise money for a local hospice.
Walk to Remember 2020 will see people walk a route that means something to them to remember the life of someone special, while taking the opportunity to get outdoors to boost their wellbeing.

Something truly wonderful happened during lockdown for the pupils at Paternoster School in Cirencester: work on a fantastic new inclusive playground was completed in time for the new school year.
The project was driven by the Friends of Paternoster School, a dynamic group of parents who worked tirelessly to raise the funding from local businesses, Cotswold District Council, and national and local charitable organisations.

Local photographer Mark Anthony Sweeting has captured the unique beauty of the Cotswolds countryside during Covid-19 lockdown in a special 2021 calendar – using just his camera phone.
He says the photography has not only helped keep him grounded during lockdown, but also provide a stress release as relaxation measures have been introduced over recent weeks. His hope is that his images might inspire others, too.

Two ‘superstars’ from Gloucestershire will have trains named after them to celebrate their outstanding work during the coronavirus pandemic.
Emma Hurrell from Stroud was nominated by listeners to become one of BBC Radio Gloucestershire’s ‘Make a Difference Superstars’. The other winner was Martin Heath, also known as ‘Mitcheldean’s Running Man’.

D’ora is the newest addition to the rhino family at Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens.
She is the seventh rhino calf to be born at the Burford collection and is Monty and Nancy’s fourth breeding success together. Her birth is testament to the dedication of the mammal keepers and the Park’s commitment to the European Breeding Programme (EEP).

Sir Geoff Hurst, former England footballer and World Cup winner, has been appointed as the very first ambassador for Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice in Cheltenham.