Local archive
Community
Gloucestershire County Council leader Cllr Lisa Spivey has demanded urgent answers from ministers after the county was excluded from the Government’s latest devolution announcement, while deals progressed elsewhere in the region.
Culture Five Valleys
Stroud’s Grade II* listed Old Town Hall is set to gain a new role as a Centre for Textile Arts after the district council agreed a proposal led by Stroud Valleys Artspace and Stroudwater Textile Trust.
Business & Openings
The Stroud Hotel will close from noon on Monday, November 2, until 7am on Monday, November 9, while ownership transfers to local pub company Brakspear. The hotel says its existing team will continue looking after customers, although some changes are expected.
Business & Openings
Patients at Rowcroft Medical Centre have been warned that the practice website is unavailable after its Gloucestershire provider went into administration. The surgery says appointments, calls, emails, the NHS App and Facebook page remain available, while NHS England and the local ICB work on a replacement website.
Business & Openings
Ecotricity founder Dale Vince has backed the Government’s decision to approve the Jackdaw gas field, while arguing the North Sea project will have only a small effect on energy bills, energy security, emissions and jobs.
Culture
Stroud-based actor Josh O’Connor is reportedly in contention to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond, alongside Callum Turner and Jack Lowden. The reported shortlist has not been confirmed, while the next film is due to be directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Stroud-based screenwriter Steven Knight.
Community Cainscross
Angela Shaw, 65, says losing 6st 0.5lbs has transformed her confidence, energy and lifestyle after she was chosen for the semi-finals of Slimming World’s Woman of the Year 2026 competition.
Sport High Street
Forest Green Rovers CEO Dane Vince says the club is still working through planning conditions and unresolved A419 access issues before its proposed move to Eco Park, while preparations continue for supporter engagement, matchday improvements and the 2027/28 season.
Crime & Public Safety High Street
Police were called to an address in Stroud High Street at around 9.35am on Saturday, October 24, after a man was found dead. His death is being treated as unexplained but non-suspicious.
Culture Nailsworth
Rare Roman curse tablets, including one linked to the theft of a cloak and hood, will be shown publicly at Cirencester’s Corinium Museum during the Cirencester History Festival before a planned 2027 gallery display.
Culture Five Valleys
Italian ska-punk band Los Fastidios will return to the Prince Albert in Rodborough on November 9 to promote their 13th album, Lovesteady. Tickets cost £15, doors open at 7pm and all proceeds will go to Medical Aid for Palestinians.
Traffic & Construction Five Valleys
Roads and a canal footpath near Marling School Playing Fields in Cainscross will close for the Five Valleys Fireworks event on October 26, 2026. Drivers and pedestrians are being told to plan alternative routes.
Culture Brimscombe
Stroud Camera Club has announced the results of its Open No 2 competition, with Peter Weaver praising the quality of photographs across all categories. The club also represented the Western Counties Federation at the National Print Championships for Camera Clubs across England and Wales.
Community Brimscombe
Jacob Pickering won the 44th Stroud Half Marathon for Cheltenham County Harriers, finishing ahead of Max Kelly and David Thurlbeck. The event also included the Stroud 10K, the inaugural Mini Mile, fundraising for local charities and a new JLUXE activewear launch supporting Longfield Hospice.
Community Five Valleys
Families in Stroud and across the wider district can choose from scarecrow spotting, fireworks, reptile encounters, textile crafts, owl-pellet exploration and Halloween boat trips between Monday 26 October and Sunday 1 November 2026.
Community Nailsworth
The Peace Pledge Union is encouraging people in Stroud and elsewhere to wear white poppies at Remembrance ceremonies, saying the symbol honours civilian and military victims of war and promotes peaceful alternatives.
Traffic & Construction Nailsworth
Smoke was reported inside the Shell garage in Nailsworth, where fire crews and police attended as people gathered outside. The cause and whether anyone was injured had not been confirmed.
Sport Stonehouse
Forest Green Rovers’ National League match at Barrow AFC was abandoned in the 14th minute after torrential rain left the Holker Street pitch unplayable, despite an earlier inspection and efforts by ground staff.
Community Stonehouse
The popular event scheduled for Saturday, October 24, at Aston Down has been cancelled after organisers reviewed forecasts for heavy rain and high winds. Ticket holders will be offered a free transfer to the 2027 event or a refund.
Crime & Public Safety Stonehouse
Reader photographs sent to Stroud Times showed two police cars, one police van and three ambulances in Stroud on Saturday morning, October 24, 2026. The circumstances behind the response had not been confirmed when the report was published.
Sport Nailsworth
Businesses will be able to hire Forest Green Rovers’ The New Lawn stadium in Nailsworth for tournaments and 11-a-side matches when a new corporate package launches in May 2027.
Business & Openings Stonehouse
Stroud-based pianist Sarah Nicolls has developed an upright grand piano with a carbon-fibre frame through her company, First Light Pianos, combining a smaller footprint with a lighter design as she works to revive the area’s piano-making tradition.
Culture Nailsworth
Stroud Book Festival will open its 10th anniversary programme on Wednesday 4 November 2026 with “Rewild Your Reading”, an evening designed to help people rediscover the pleasure and benefits of reading.
Sport Stonehouse
Forest Green Rovers have signed 35-year-old former Northern Ireland and Wigan Athletic striker Will Grigg from Chesterfield on a free transfer. He has joined the squad for Saturday’s match against Barrow in Cumbria.
Traffic & Construction Stonehouse
A person died after being hit by a train near Purton shortly after 3pm on Thursday, October 22. The incident closed railway lines between Swindon and Gloucester and affected trains serving Kemble, Stroud and Stonehouse.
Community Stonehouse
Stonehouse has won the overall Britain in Bloom 2026 title after taking Gold and being named Best Small Town in the UK. The award recognises years of work by Stonehouse in Bloom volunteers, who maintain gardens, planters, green spaces and the Community Arboretum across the town.
Business & Openings Stonehouse
Chloe Llewellyn, 17, launched Lemon Squeegee after helping her injured grandmother and now employs five young people serving 20 households across Stonehouse and Stroud.
Community Stonehouse
A new JLUXE activewear collection inspired by Jordan Lansdown’s grandmother will launch at the Stroud Half Marathon, with 10 per cent of sales donated to Longfield’s Hospice at Home service.
Culture Stonehouse
Wotton Auction Rooms is inviting entries for its Winter Fine sale on December 30, with a limited-time 5% vendor commission rate available on items valued at £500 or more.
Community Stonehouse
New Government planning rules coming into force on October 31 will mean most smaller applications in Stroud are decided by planning officers rather than elected councillors. Green councillors say the changes weaken local democracy and could stop communities challenging controversial schemes.
