In days of yore, a leafy rural churchyard was the ideal resting place for members of the local community. In these more populous times, however, churchyards and public cemeteries are beginning to fill up, prompting many people to try alternative methods
A CRYING baby can drive a parent to distraction and often there is no way of knowing what is wrong without going through a checklist of basic needs. Now a group of mums in Stroud is introducing an American idea which might shortcut the way babies communicate
IF Chelsea flower show has inspired the gardener in you then a trip to Chalford and France Lynch is a must this weekend as villagers proudly show their gardens. 53 gardens will be open to tempt any budding Monty Don or Alan Titchmarsh. Ashley Loveridge
FOR any newcomer to the five valleys keen to discover the hidden delights of the countryside a guide is always helpful. SNJ Reporter David Gibbs set out with local historian Claire Forbes for a ramble up hill and down dale, through butterfly-kissed meadows
AS the world adjusts to life without Concorde, the first, only and possibly last supersonic passenger aircraft, Nailsworth resident and retired design engineer Bryan Saunders reflects on the part he played in aviation's great adventure. The plane which
Stroud Maternity Hospital was opened 50 years ago this week. Since then approximately 20,000 babies have been born within the walls of the single-storey building in Field Road, Stroud and generations of families can justly claim to owe their very existence
There is a room in Gloucestershire Royal Hospital that contains 30 kidney dialysis machines. Every four hours 30 patients leave and another 30 arrive for their four-hour life-saving treatment. It takes four hours for the blood of a single patient to pass
THE fear of flying is a common one but is usually associated with powered aeroplanes. Gliders, with their large slender wings and small fuselage, are altogether another matter, designed to remain aloft for hours by gliding from one hot-air current (thermal
THE people of the Five Valleys will have a say on the future use of Standish Hospital as a public consultation period gets underway. Everyone has until December 12 to say what they would like to happen to the historic hospital as it prepares to close
FORMER Marling student Andrew Pollard has every reason to be feeling on top of the world. The Royal Navy Lieutenant was one of a group of volunteers who took part in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines North Ridge Expedition to climb Mount Everest last month
PAINSWICK thespians will be taking their audience on a whistle-stop tour of their greatest hits next month when they raid their back catalogue for some of the most dramatic moments from the society's long history. The Painswick Players were launched back
AMONG the countless unsung heroes of World War II, Wing Commander Adrian Warburton stands tall. The most decorated pilot of the war, renowned for the daring of his low-flying reconnaissance missions, he went missing in action while on an American sortie
MARCHERS turned up in their thousands to take part at a demonstration at Fairford airbase on Saturday, March 22. The protest was organised by the Stroud-based Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors. A star-studded line-up of speakers included political comedian
British Waterways is spear heading ambitious plans to restore the Cotswold Canals - bringing two of England's most beautiful inland waterways back to life, making them accessible to the community and providing widespread public benefits. The project has
AS THE controversy over Stroud's Bus Station continues the author of a new book Stroud's Buses by N P Daniels reflects that the town centre bus terminus has never been a stranger to controversy... The book combines local history with transport history
IN a scene eerily reminiscent of Hollywood blockbuster Outbreak, two figures clad in bulbous yellow chemical suits carry the body of a boy up a hill. But this is not the setting for a multi-million dollar action thriller starring Dustin Hoffman in a battle
When Lee James came over from Australia 12 years ago he thought he was just here for a holiday. He had no plans to stay and certainly did not expect to become an entertainer. Sam Bond and Simon Harwood spoke to the reluctant performer who has been bringing
AT THE battle of Solferino in 1859, thousands of troops clashed as the French and Piedmontese drove the Austrians out of northern Italy. After the short and bloody battle, more than 40,000 men lay dead or wounded. Henry Dunant, a visiting businessman
AS A YOUNG ambitious writer not long out of Cambridge University, Stephen Davis was summoned to Hollywood by actress Jane Fonda to write a movie. Since then he has made a good living out of supplying drama for both the silver screen and television and
BUILDERS' hats blooming in steel poles like yellow buttercups and a telly-tubby mound with a fuchsia pink wall inside... the second International Festival of Gardens at Westonbirt has just opened... In interior designer Deborah Nagan's garden, a metal
ONE sure way to get people in the Stroud Valleys scurrying from shops and offices and heading for their cars is for Jayne Fellowes to walk down the street. Jayne has been a traffic warden for the past seven years and she is now used to the fact that simply
Memories of school geography trips traditionally involve soggy sandwiches and counting pebbles on a rainy beach in Wales. But a group of lucky pupils from Archway came home from their excursion with tales of baboons and rhinos, panning for gold and shopping
Early next month celebrated conductor Martyn Brabbins will be going through all nine of Beethoven's symphonies in one sitting to raise money for his children's school. Sam Bond speaks to the Ruscombe-based conductor about the musical marathon and his
A STONEHOUSE mother who lost her 22-year-old son in an horrific car crash has spoken of her support for a charity which helps those affected by road accidents. Jacqui Funnell, has been a member of Road Peace for the past year. She first heard of the organisation
MORE than 200 boats - long, short, narrow and broad - turned up at Saul Lock last week for the three-day boat festival. The festival began on Friday evening with musical events after the majority of the boats had moored on the Stroudwater Navigation but
When bird expert Neil Forbes built his nest in Stroud 20 years ago, he had no idea his career would take him all over the world. The internationally renowned veterinary surgeon moved to the Five Valleys at the age of 24 and three years later became one
ARTIST Leo Baxendale is preparing for a year long tour of Britain to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his famous Beano comic creations - Minnie the Minx and the Bash Street Kids. It was in 1953 that the characters which have now taken their places in
LOTS of people have a pet project to keep themselves occupied and enjoy a bit of DIY. For most of us it is nothing more ambitious than restoring an old car or redesigning the kitchen. But when Gerry Nash set to work on his own dream his plans were a little
NEWS that Stroud District Council has decided not to give any grants to churches this year has been greeted with ripples of discontent. Religious leaders who devote hours of their time to local projects were stunned when the council declared churches
TOM Herbert would seem to have it all. At 26 he is a director of Hobbs House bakery and he is also an award-winning baker in his own right. He is married to childhood sweetheart Anna and the couple have two children. Life is good for a hard-working young
It has been held up as the Holy Grail of public transport in Stroud, but do the people who are expected to use it really want it? Reporter Sam Bond took to the streets to find out what people thought about the long-awaited transport interchange... THE
A PARISH priest, a top ranking public sector chief executive, a model family man and the newly appointed chairman of Gloucestershire's economic development. Minchinhampton man Jeff James has come a long way from humble Welsh origins. But does he feel
THEY have been trundling along the highways and byways of Gloucestershire come rain or shine for decades. But the mobile library is more than just a book bus. It is a community lifeline delivering education, entertainment and companionship to residents
The age old tradition of giving out Maundy money by the monarch to deserving members of the community took place in Gloucestershire this year. Gloucester Cathedral played host to The Queen who carried out the ceremony for people from all walks throughout
Tim Powles' rodent-tracking senses are so finely tuned he can quite literally smell a rat and his karate-honed reflexes give him an edge when it comes to catching his four-legged foes. Yet the district council's rat man is fascinated by his favourite
AS 2004 approaches and with it the 700th anniversary of the first documentary reference to Stroud as a place of habitation, the question of where it gets its name will once again assume prominence. On the face of things, the answer is easy: Stroud is
IT IS election time again - one third of district council seats are up for election at the end of this month. The 17 district council seats across the region will be decided after telephone and internet voting next week as well as at the traditional polling
THIS week is National Allergy Week. Often dismissed by a largely-ignorant public as barely registering on the medical scale, allergies do not always get the serious recognition they deserve. Sam Bond speaks to Stroud sufferer Domonic White about living
THE sight of a bunch of men running around in tights is really too good to miss - so when the staff from the Stroud News & Journal were invited to take part in an evening of archery, the answer, especially from the female staff, was a resounding yes
STROUD College has been dogged with less-than-positive news in recent months, with the controversial resignation of the former principal and the running battle over plans for its Nailsworth campus grabbing the headlines. But scratch the surface and you'll
FROM next month, the Government will start to change the way pensioners pick up their state pensions. By 2005 it is likely all pensions will be paid direct into bank accounts but the knock-on effect from this is catastrophic for village life as small
TOURETTES Syndrome can be frightening both for the sufferer and the observer. People tend to shy away from the erratic outbursts which are frequent and disturbing but composer Crimea Butler Downton tells Sam Bond how he believes Tourettes has helped to
A Stonehouse construction company has recently undertaken the third stage of the Woodchester Mansion restoration project. Tom Shepherd went along to find out how the work is progressing on the 19th century gothic building which stands in one of the most
THE SUN shone, the villagers thronged and the band played on as Bisley celebrated Ascension Day with the Dressing of the Well. Blue Coat School children led last Thursday's service at All Saints Church to commemorate Christ's ascension on the 40th day
THIS autumn MPs will vote on a new water bill which would give strategic health authorities the power in law to force water companies to fluoridate our water supplies. The government says it is a move intended to reduce tooth decay. Opponents say it would
MOST of us complain about having to get up in the mornings to go to work. But what if we had nothing to get up for? Hundreds of people across the county are desperate to start a regular job, but cannot do so because of injury or illness. 2003 is the European
IS MORRIS dancing a pagan ritual sanitised by the straight-laced Victorians or simply a folk tradition to celebrate rural life and the changing of the seasons? Sam Bond talks to Morris man Mark Rogers about the history of the eccentric art form and its
UMBRELLAS were essential but it didn't stop the crowds enjoying the Randwick Wap festival on Saturday. The popular Wap dates back to the Middle Ages when it is thought to have initially been a celebration which followed the building of the fourteenth
NO matter how carefully you follow the recipe, the curry you make at home never seems to live up to the one from the restaurant. Sam Bond took a cookery lesson with Raihan Ahmed, chef at Balti Nailsworth, to find out where he was going wrong... WHENEVER
IN NOVEMBER thousands of tenants will vote to decide the future of Stroud District Council housing. They will be asked whether or not 5,400 council homes should remain under district council control or be transferred to a newly created stand-alone, not-for-profit
SHE writes national anthems, teaches children, gives stunning guitar performances, composes fantastic music and even fits in a surf or two - is there no stopping Hayley Savage? SNJ reporter Will Saunders went to the guitarist's Slimbridge home to find
A CONTROVERSIAL plan to move Minchinhampton out of the Stroud Constituency in time for the next General Election was debated in Gloucester last week. In 2002 the Parliamentary Boundary Commission announced a Gloucestershire reshuffle and proposed transferring
A RETIRED school teacher with a lifelong aversion to racism is the driving force behind Stroud's forthcoming One Nation festival. The event takes place over the weekend of June 20 and 21 and is intended to celebrate ethnic diversity in Gloucestershire
SLEAK curves, gleaming bodywork and a style seemingly-forgotten by today's designers marked the arrival of classic cars on a country-wide relay in Stroud this week. The classic cars from a bygone era rolled into Stroud on Wednesday to mark the 100th anniversary
