A HOLIDAY in Stroud was perhaps the last thing Five Valleys mother and daughter Carole Stafford and Donna Bott were hoping for, but when they took part in the latest BBC holiday series - Holidays at Home - that was precisely what they got.

Donna, 40, from Amberley, and her mother Carole, 59, from Horsley, applied to go on the show hoping for a trip away, but ended up staying in the Five Valleys and visiting attractions across the south west.

Donna said: "We were picked up on the first day in a chauffeur driven car - they drove us round for about an hour and then when we arrived we realised we were back at home."

The programme, aimed at giving the participants a fun break without leaving their home town, took the pair on day trips to Bristol, Bath, Gloucester and the Forest of Dean as well as a day trip a little further afield to Giant's Causeway in Ireland.

"Because we're very different, I had asked to do lots of sports activities and my mum wanted to do a lot of crafts - but full credit to her she abseiled down a cliff and did rock climbing," added Donna.

"I didn't realise all the activities that were near Stroud. People always spend so much money going abroad, but our holiday at home ranks among the highest of all my holidays."

During the week, the pair went kayaking on the River Wye, abseiling at the Forest of Dean, did Le Roc dancing in Yate, took part in a stained glass painting course in Bristol, took a trip to Gloucester Cathedral and took part in a comedy tour in Bath.

Donna and Carole then finished the week off with a plane ride taking them over all the places they had visited and their homes near Stroud. The episode was shown on BBC One last Monday.