Your guide to everything that’s going on in your area WHERE I LIVE

LECKHAMPTON & CHARLTON KINGS

» Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra are performing a one hour concert of music from the films on Sunday at 3pm in the Pump Room. Composers featured are Mozart, Beethoven, Elgar and J Strauss II with music from the films Dunkirk, Jungle Book, Apocalypse and many others. Tickets cost £10 at the door or from the Town Hall Box Office now in the Leisure Centre.

» Cheltenham Flower Club meet on Monday in the Pump Room. There will be a Flower Arrangement demonstration by Elaine Stoner on the theme “Flowers on Vacation”. The doors open from 12.30pm and the demonstration will take place from 2pm. Visitors are very welcome. Ticket is £7.

» Charlton Kings Senior Citizens Group are offering Monday Afternoon Teas from 1.30 to 3pm in the Stanton rooms next to the Library and cost is £4. The Thursday Lunch club is now running again offering a 2 course hot lunch for Charlton Kings senior residents also in the Stanton rooms from 11.25am to 2pm. Cost is £4 and to book for either occasion please telephone Ian 01242 250591

» A SEVEN week course for parents of children with special needs has begun on Tuesday evenings at Holy Apostles Church. The course runs weekly from 8pm to 10pm until Tuesday June 21. Contact the organiser Veronika at Holy Apostles Church to book a place or email careforthefamily@holyapostles. org.uk The course provides an opportunity for you to support and encourage each other, helping you share feelings and experiences, and come up with solutions to problems on the basis of what works – not what’s meant to work! The seven sessions are written by parents and professionals with input from many different families with experience of children with special needs. They aim to help support you in meeting your child’s needs, focussing on children aged between 3 to 11 years with a disability or special needs, particularly those who have learning, developmental and behavioural issues.

» Cheltenham Horticultural Society meet at 7.30pm on Thursday May 12th in Century Hall, Bishops Road, Shurdington GL51 4TB. Vanessa from the National Garden Society in Gloucestershire will give a short history about the aims of the NGS also showing a colourful tour around some of the supporters’ gardens.

» Funding information from the Midcounties Coop - £150 vouchers available! To celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, our Local Community Grant Funding will focus its priorities around specific support for events linking to local celebrations that see our communities take the opportunity to come together.

Eligible groups may apply for up to £150 of funding which will be distributed in Coop Vouchers and redeemed at a local Midcounties Food Store.

Any local group/charity meeting the application criteria may apply to the fund, but their event will need to demonstrate alignment with the following theme directly linking towards delivering Community led events which bring people together to celebrate during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations In most cases the applicant will be informed whether vouchers can be offered to support their celebration event no later than May 2h (two weeks after the fund closes for applications). This then gives enough time for the voucher to be collected and redeemed in advance of the main National Jubilee weekend from June 2– 5.

PITTVILLE TOWNSWOMEN GUILD

» At our meeting in April we had a very interesting talk about Edith Cavell by Mike Bottomly. Edith Cavell is one of those people we have heard of but never really knew what exactly she did. Born in 1865 in Norfolk she went on to train at the London Hospital as a nurse. After excelling as a nurse, she went on to open a training hospital in Brussels. When the German army occupied Brussels in the First World War, Edith helped injured allied soldiers to recover and escape. She set up a network of helpers to do this which obviously brought her to the attention of the Germans. After being arrested Edith was tried and sentenced to death by firing squad.

After a worldwide protest, her body was repatriated to England with full honours. Edith was buried in Norwich outside the cathedral where there is a monument to her. Mike’s grandfatherin-law was a member of the guard, and we were shown some mementos he kept of the occasion which were very moving. This is a very brief résumé of the life of a true heroine so do look for more on the internet, it is really fascinating and inspiring.

Our next talk is on May 25 at 7.15pm in Highbury Church Hall. This will be a talk entitled “History of the Incas and a Trek to Machu Pichu’ by Lewis Lawton. Visitors and new members are always welcome.

For more information contact cmhyett@virginmedia.com.

ALL SAINTS CHURCH, CHELTENHAM

» Cotswold Jaunt on a Vintage Bus, Wednesday, May 18, 8.45am, for departure at 9am from All Saints Church, All Saints Road, Pittville, Cheltenham. GL52 2HG.

We at All Saints Church are organising the following event to help with raising funds for a proposed Pilgrimage to St Kenelm’s Well in Winchcombe.

This is a grand tour of the Cotswolds. Relive your childhood on a vintage bus with a Conductor, share the fun with your, family, friends and children.

This exciting bus tour, starting from All Saints Church, will take you around the Cotswolds, with stops at several Cotswold churches, the Old Northleach Prison and Bourton on the Water.

Ticket £25, to include Old Prison museum entrance, free coffee/tea at two different locations

» A guided tour of Northleach church

» A guided tour of Sherborne church

» A guided tour of Burford church

Tickets can be obtained online at skiddle.com/e/36033282 or by contacting 01242 702573, for other options of payment and for further information about this event.

BISHOP’S CLEEVE

» Next month’s Tabletop Sale at the Seniors’ club Denley Hall, Bishop’s Cleeve, will be at 10am on Saturday May 7. There will be books and puzzles, clothes, household goods and a raffle. Entrance is free and refreshments available.

» MU3AC, Bishop’s Cleeve U3A’S very own Rock and Blues Band, is holding a concert in aid of the cancer charity MAGGIE’S, on Saturday May 21, 7.30pm in the Function Room, Gupshill Manor. Tickets £5, if purchased previously by email, mu3ac2021@virginmedia.com. Tickets will be £7.50 if bought at the door on the night.

» Plans are progressing well for the Bishop’s Cleeve Street Fair, to be held on Sunday June 12, noon-5pm. We are going to dedicate the event to celebrate our Queens Platinum Jubilee.

This year’s event will be the best Street Fair ever, with extra attractions. We are now looking for any organisation that wants to be part of THE GRAND PROCESSION, this could be a walking group or any vehicle.

For any information on how your organisation can take part in this event, please contact Peter Badham, phone number 07837513492

» On Tuesday May 24 at 7.30pm, the Methodist Church in Bishop’s Close (off Tobyfield road) are teaming up with Transition Cleeve for a talk by Professor Dr Patricia Thornley.

Patricia was one of the contributors at last November’s COP26 Conference in Glasgow and has extensive experience in working on climate change issues. Her focus for the vening will be; ‘International development and climate change; so, what is needed in different parts of the world and what can the UK do about it’;. This is an issue that affects all of us and all are welcome. Admission is free but retiring donations will be welcomed. This is also an opportunity to view the creative range of climate change banners that has been touring the county over recent months. For more information ring 01242 244785 or visit the Transition Cleeve facebook page

» obalt, the local Cancer Charity, is organising a number of events to help us raise money this year, challenges for all ages and abilities.

June 26, Gloucester 10K, 8.30am Gloucester Park. Online registration only. Virtual event available. Entry is £23.

For more information on the exciting challenges we have available, or to offer help at an event please call us on 01242 535922 The money raised will help us to purchase a new PET/CT scanner.

» Bishop’s Cleeve Methodist Church, Wednesday Fellowship has resumed its meetings in the church hall on alternate Wednesdays at 2pm. The meetings are open to everyone and all are welcome to attend.

» Gotherington Singers have resumed weekly rehearsals at Gotherington Village Hall on Monday evenings 7.459.45pm.

New and experienced singers are welcome to come along to meet members of our friendly women’s choir and our new musical director. Please see gotheringtonsingers.co.uk or telephone 01242 317276 for more information.

» Bishop’s Cleeve Foodbank. Please can you take any donations to Bishop’s Cleeve Parish Office (next to Tesco’s car park) any Friday morning between 9am and noon.

Please refer to the latest shopping list for further details of shortages on the donating food link at https://northcotswold.foodbank.org.uk and also details for making direct monetary donations.

» Badham Pharmacy has a special collection point to tackle hygiene poverty in the UK.

Required donations, toiletries, female sanitary products, baby wipes, nappies and laundry products

» Christian Aid week begins on May 15, but envelope deliveries can start before then. We are looking for volunteers to deliver our envelopes to allocated streets in our local area - but you are not expected to knock at the doors or call back.

The envelope invites people to give in different ways – cash, cheque or online. Gifts of cash and cheques can be left at Lowry’s Cafe or at St Michael’s Church or at the Church Office.

If you would like to be involved, please contact Yvonne Penn, the local representative of Christian Aid in our area on 07778 109480 or email ypenn@christian-aid.org

Thank you everyone.

» Gotherington, Woolstone and Oxenton WI, host monthly meetings on Wednesdays, in Gotherington Village Hall at 7.30pm. May 25, The Everyman Theatre. Talk by Caro Day.

June 22, The Four Seasons, Cotswold Style, talk by Mandy Bradshaw.

New members welcome. For more details contact 01242 317276

» The Bishop’s Cleeve WI host meetings in the Tithe Barn on the third Tuesday of each month, 7.15pm - 9pm. May 17, Resolutions, Fish & Chips. For more information about meetings, contact www.bishopscleevewi.org.uk or 01242 676647.

WOODMANCOTE

» Woodmancote WI, host meetings at Woodmancote Village Hall on Thursdays at 7.30 pm.

May 19, Heritage of Songs.

» Woodmancote Probus Club host meetings on Tuesdays at Woodmancote New Village Hall. Meetings start at 9.30am, followed by the talk at 10.30am. May 10, The mighty Severn Bore. For more information contact 01242 702573

» For information about Woodmancote Cricket Club, contact mikejrobinson55@gmail.com or 07946 378244. For information about, Woodmancote Cricket Club junior team, contact 07948094905, email woodmancotecricketclub@outlook.com