IT’S half term next week and much of it is being run by Stroud District Council-run services. The Museum in the Park is organising an apple and pumpkin day with Stroud Valleys Project on Sunday (October 27), The Pulse leisure centre in Dursley has a great range of sporting and Halloween activities, and there will be some great firework displays including at Dursley recreation ground and Marling School fields.

These are just some of the 16 activities for all weathers. I’m grateful to council staff but particularly volunteers who help some of these events happen – thank you.

One activity which will be vastly improved is cycling and walking along the cyclepath from Nailsworth – last week we were proud to unveil the first part of the newly-surfaced path, which will be very much smoother than the stony patches between Nailsworth and Dudbridge.

Thanks to partnership working between Stroud District Council, Gloucestershire County Council, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, the European Union Regional Development Fund and the NHS, 1.2km of previously unsurfaced pathway is being covered with a smooth surface.

The environment is a core concern for the council.

The Environment Committee will meet on Thursday evening, and is being asked to press ‘go’ on the latest round of consultation on the Local Plan Draft

It is good to see once again SDC is leading the way in having such high environmental standards in our local plans. There is also a proposed policy around community-led housing, and we have examples of community land trusts providing housing in Nailsworth and Eastington.

On Sunday I paid a visit to the Springhill Cohousing development in Uplands, Stroud. Community is at the heart of this project and it will be crucial that everyone in the community can play their part.