SNJ reporter Sam Evans takesa look back through the decades for some Stroud nostalgia

1967

  • IT was decided the Gloucester-Stroud-London rail link would be retained under a new scheme.

The railways board agreed that although the line didn’t necessarily pay its way commercially, it was of social and economic value to the community.

The news was met with great satisfaction amongst Stroud residents who feared they would have to find alternative ways to work.

  • THERE was a mandarin orange mystery for Mrs Gardiner of 8, Upper Summer Street, Stroud.

Her 18-year-old daughter Daphne opened a tin of Mandarins only to find stones and pebbles inside.

Mrs Gardiner reported the incident to the Stroud News and Journal and also informed the health inspector.

It was decided industrial sabotage had occurred and the police announced they were taking the case extremely seriously.

The mandarins were of Japanese origin.

1977

  • TWO house break-ins were thought to be the work of the same Stroud criminal.

An intruder broke into the Safari Caravan premises at Bowbridge, smashing a window in the process.

The offices of Valve Conversions in Thrupp were also entered after someone broke a pain of glass and rifled through a number of draws. Mysteriously nothing was taken in either case but there was damage to several pieces of furniture.

  • SIX women failed in their bid to earn equal pay at the Woodchester factory of Bentley Pianos.

It was established that women were receiving 54.18p an hour whilst men earned 60.20p.

An industrial tribunal in Gloucester heard their case but decided the women were less skilled than the men and did not deserve equal pay.

1987

  • A BID to ban foxhunting across Gloucestershire’s 9,000 acres of farmland was dropped.

However, the county council decided to back any individual tenants who wanted to keep hunts off their lands.

The reason for dropping the bid for a full ban was due to a lack of response from the tenants of smallholdings.

  • AN emergency bunker to protect people from a nuclear attack was given the green light.

It was decided the bunker would be made in Ebley Mill despite protests from a number of residents.

1997

  • CHILDREN at Stroud Valleys School raised over £400 for Comic Relief.

Pupils paid 50p to dress up in clown costumes and took part in a sponsored silence during the lunch hour.

Students escaped lessons and were allowed to play bingo, made their own puppet shows and ran races.

  • THIEVES stole a tiger shark golf bag from Painswick Beacon golf club.

A man left his car unattended for just over an hour but returned to find his golf bag had been stolen.

Police believed the Citroen was entered via the sunroof.

The bag contained a full set of irons, drivers and a wedge that were only three-months-old.

2007

  • A SUPERMARKET shelf stacker who left his pet rats to starve was disqualified from looking after any animals.

The man abandoned the five rats a year before they were found.

Three were dead and the other two were barely alive.

The surviving rats were nursed by to health by members of the RSPCA volunters rom the area.