STROUD District Council’s charity for this year is SARA, the Severn Area Rescue Association, a volunteer lifeboat and inland search and rescue charity, with lifeboat and rescue stations along the length of the River Severn.

SARA is an invaluable part of our local emergency services, and has been helping people and saving lives on and around the Severn for over 40 Years.

In our district, the Sharpness Lifeboat Station covers the Severn Estuary and River Severn north of the M4 bridges to just upstream of Gloucester. SARA is a volunteer-based charity, entirely funded by donations from local individuals, community groups and businesses, and the Lifeboat Station is in desperate need of repairs.

So it was good to see last weekend how successful was their Docks to Docks Challenge Walk, with the Sharpness crew walking over 16 miles from Gloucester docks to Sharpness docks in full lifeboat PPE.

Funds raised are well on the way towards reaching the overall target of £25k. If you would like to donate please do visit justgiving.com/campaign/dockstodocks

The Community Services and Licensing Committee meets this week, and an important agenda item is to approve the tender process for the commissioning of a review of Leisure and Wellbeing, to consider the future provision of community leisure and wellbeing provision across the whole district, to be sure we can meet the needs of local people for the next twenty years.

The review will cover the whole district, but will also consider The Pulse Leisure Centre, Stratford Park Leisure Centre, as well the future of leisure, recreation, culture and health and wellbeing in Stratford Park, as one of our district’s most valued assets, in all its aspects and the wider park environment.

Watch our meetings online at youtube.com/channel/UCeH_AmF0s-TShcYlM8Stweg