The winner is... Stroud (From Stroud News and Journal)

The winner is... Stroud

A WOMAN called STROUD from Stroud has won the Stroud 700 ring.

Pippa Stroud, who lives in Butterrow's Stroud View Terrace, was the improbable winner of the competition run by the SNJ, Tideline Books and jeweller Richard Mellish.

With a unique white-gold ring commemorating the town's 700th anniversary up for grabs, competition was fierce and the paper was flooded with entries.

And in a twist of fate so perfect it almost looked rigged, Mrs Stroud's entry was the first out of the hat.

Reporter Sam Bond who pulled the winning entry out of the hat said: "I couldn't believe the coincidence."

But Mrs Stroud said: "I'm extremely pleased to have won." "I loved the ring so much when I saw it in the SNJ competition I went up to Richard Mellish's shop to find out how much it would cost to have a similar one made."

Despite her patriotic name, Mrs Stroud, who works at Ebley Mill, is not a local lass. "It's my married surname and my husband is from Cheltenham, so it's sheer chance we ended up living here," she said.

Patricia Olsen of Bowbridge Lane won second prize, a large print of any of the beautiful photographs by Douglas Maxwell in Tideline's Stroud 700 book while D V Young of Slad Road won third prize, a full-colour A3 print of the map at the back of the book by Roger Harris.

All three winner were also presented with a signed copy of the book.