SNJ reporter Saul Cooke-Black delves into the archives.

1965

FINAL preparations were being made for the Stroud International Brick and Rolling Pin throwing contests at the Stroud Show.

The U.S.A.F. flew over the contest bricks in a Jet C-118 aircraft, christened ‘The Spirit of Oklahoma’ under the supervision of Major General Melvin McNickle, the Tinker Air Force base commander.

It promised to be a truly international contest with teams coming to Stroud from Australia, Canada and America.

PUPILS from a French school were made to feel welcome in Stroud after Stratford Park opened up its sports facilities free of charge for the visit.

On an eduicational trip to Stroud, 35 students and two teachers were given free use of tennis courts, putting greens and the swimming pool during its opening hours.

1975

A NEW £3,800 terrapin classroom unit at Minchinhampton Parochial School was given the go-ahead after the PTA group pledged to provide the funds.

The new building would house 24 children and was officially handed over to the school at a ceremony when the headmaster, H. Bosley, received the keys from the chairman of the PTA, Mr Kenneth Crichton.

PLANS for the installation of a cattle grid at Bowl Hill, Kingscourt, were put on hold after campaigners were told by the county council that funding was unavailable.

Rodborough Common Management Committee had received numerous complaints from residents in the area about cattle damage to hedges and gardens leading to calls for the cattle grid.

The committee had offered to contribute towards the cost but the council indicated that any plan s would have to wait.

STUDENTS from a Canadian High School were given a warm welcome as they arrived in Stroud on an exchange visit.

More than 400 people attended a reception at Minchinhampton Youth Centre, including the chairman of Stroud District Council, to mark the arrival of the 106-strong party from John Rennie High School, Point Claire, Quebec.

The visit was part of an exchange visit with Stroud High School after pupils had enjoyed a tour of Canada at Easter.

1985

ABOUT 130 youngsters from youth groups across the south of Gloucestershire put on their walking boots for the 1985 Night Hike, organised by the Stroud and District Youth Leaders Council.

The eight-hour event, sponsored by the Stroud branch of the Trustee Savings Bank, took place around a ten-mile course based at Bulls Cross, Painswick.

Two youngsters, aged eight and nine, who were too young to qualify for the event, also walked five miles of the course and raised nearly £30 for the Bangladesh Disaster Fund.

A BRAVE student from Randwick was recovering after being stung by a swarm of bees.

Lynda Jones was travelling hiome from Bath University with her boyfriend when they stopped to help a woman who had suffered more than 300 stings after disturbing the swarm near the A420.

The student couple were both treated in hospital after the incident.

1995

MORE than 100 angry residents signed letters of protest against Cristie Electronics’ plan to expand.

People living in Avenue Terrace, Bonds Mill Cottages and Newtown, on the outskirts of Stonehouse, reasserted their opposition to the plan to build a business park and sports centre near their homes.

A decision on the plan had been deferred for a month at a meeting of the district council’s planning committee, after it was amended and a site survey required.

STROUD played host to the 13th National Street Music Festival as around 300 brightly-clothed, all singing and dancing musicians descended upon the town.

It was the first time that the festival had been held in a small, rural town, having always previously been hosted by larger cities.

A TOP hotel which won a national award for its toilets had to call the fire brigade after a man got his arm stuck down one.

The man was freed before firefighters arrived but he still needed ambulance treatment.

The Hatton Court Hotel, in Upton-St-Leonards, won the Daily Telegraph Best Toilets of the Year award in 1991.

2005

AN ACTOR from Stroud was starring on television again after landing another role on Coronation Street.

Colin Prockter first appeared in the popular soap in 1995 when he played bar manager Rodney Bostock.

This time Colin, who worked at Stroud stationers James & Owen, would play Fred Elliott’s rival butcher Eddie Maddocks. THREE gardens in Bussage were opened up to the public as part of a bid to raise £55,000 for a village church.

The cash was needed to replace the heating system in St Michael and All Angels Church after it had failed in the winter, leaving the congregation shivering in the aisles.

Games, activities and stalls were held in the gardens while celebrity gardener David Collins – whose garden at the top of Bussage Hill had appeared on television several times – came along to judge a miniature garden competition.