WHERE I LIVE

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

LECKHAMPTON AND CHARLTON KINGS

» The Parish council Planning Committee meet virtually at 7pm on Monday. All members of the public are welcome to attend virtually. Please contact the parish clerk to obtain your invitation. You will be unable to join the meeting once it has begun.

Following the end of the recent COVID-19 lockdown all Parish Office staff are now working their normal hours. However the Parish Office will not be re-opened to members of the public until after the Christmas break. In the meantime anyone who wishes to speak to a member of staff is asked to get in touch by telephone or email and a face-to-face appointment can be arranged if appropriate. The Parish Office will be closed for the Christmas and New Year break from December 24 and will re-open on January 4 2021.

It will be re-opened to members of the public from that date for the usual hours of 10am to 2pm each weekday. Telephone 01242 250087 or email to clerk@charltonkingsparishcouncil.gov. uk

The Stanton Hall and Conference Room will remain closed until after Christmas and New Year. Bookings of both facilities at the reduced rates of £8 per hour and £5 per hour respectively will be taken from January 4 2021.

» Sadly due to Coronavirus restrictions our annual Christmas Fayre and lights switch on at Church Piece is unable to be held this year. Despite this there will still be a community Christmas Tree to hopefully bring a little festive cheer in the run up to Christmas. Once again this year residents of Charlton Kings are invited to help decorate the Community Christmas Tree. This could be a small decoration of your own design or a dedication in memory of someone special. Please make sure your decoration is not too big or heavy and where possible please use weatherproof materials. You will be able to hang your decorations on the tree from Friday December 4th. Please follow social distancing rules when hanging your decoration. If you would like any more information, please email the office on admin@ charltonkingsparishcouncil.gov.uk

» At a Full Council meeting on November 30 the Parish Council agreed its support for the Slow Ways initiative and undertook to make local residents aware of its work. Slow Ways aims to create a network of walking routes to connect all of Great Britain’s towns and cities. It is looking for volunteers to help identify suitable routes. Further information including how to get involved in the work can be found on the Slow Ways website at www.slowways.uk

» Charlton Kings Parish Council are proud to present our new Tree Strategy that mirrors the Gloucestershire Nature Partnership’s Tree Strategy for Gloucestershire. Our strategy is a key part of CK Futures, which is Charlton Kings Parish’s response to the Climate Emergency. Although the strategy will be for adults to strive to deliver its introduction is written to gain the attention and interest of the generations that will succeed us. They are the ones who will most benefit if the strategy succeeds although even a 10-year-old tree is very efficient at locking up carbon so tree planting in our lifetimes will be immensely worthwhile. On its own, the Strategy is just three sheets of paper. It will take a considerable and concerted effort by Councils, landowners, arboriculturists, volunteers, and funders, to achieve all or any of its many goals. Working together for Cheltenham and Charlton Kings, we can help to make it happen. If you have any questions please contact clerk@ charltonkingsparishcouncil.gov.uk » Rose Ashton 01242 262042 ashton.r@btinternet.com

BENHALL

» Benhall Residents’ Association Seniors’ Coffee Mornings take place on Tuesdays, from 10am-1oon at the National Hunt.

After the latest lockdown We were hoping to get together for more Coffee Mornings and perhaps a Christmas lunch but with the new restrictions in place it will not be possible.

When we know the situation in January Jenny Jan and Julie will be waiting to welcome you again on a Tuesday - date to be advised at the newly refurbished National Hunt.

Landlord Fay will be delighted to see you too. This time will pass we just need to be patient. When the time comes why not go along to meet up with long time friends and perhaps make new friends too? Everyone is welcome especially men to join our small group of men who are part of our regular meetings.

Go along anytime after 10am and stay as long as you wish- you may even join those who stay for a lovely lunch. » Jan Febery jan-dave-febery@msn.com

BISHOP’S CLEEVE

» Serious Scam warning. There is a gang operating in the area targeting the 50+ age group. They make contact by phone and pretend to be from ‘Safety Awareness in Cheltenham’ and » connected to First Responders, The service they purport to offer concerns safety alarm systems for your home plus and personal safety devices. The matter has been reported to Gloucester police, who advise that you do not continue any conversation with them and do not invite them to your home, under any circumstances.

» Flu Vaccinations are available from Badham Pharmacy, Church Road. No need to book, just walk in. Free vaccine available to all eligible groups. For more information contact badhampharmacy. co.uk/flu

» The Cobalt is asking for support with their wonderful Quilt Raffle The online raffle ends in a month’s time and they need to sell more tickets to raise funds from this beautiful piece of handwork. If you know of any sewing or craft clubs or societies, or if you have craft loving friends that may know of any, can you pass the news of the Raffle on to them.

The Stinchcombe Quilters spent more than 125 hours making the Quilt and it has wonderful stories stitched into it; each panel has a name, and some are intriguing such as Starry

Path, Jacob’s Ladder and Dutchman’s puzzle. Tickets are just £2 from the Cobalt website cobalthealth.co.uk/ support-us/get-up-get-going/cobaltquilt-raffle/buy tickets now to win a unique and beautifully handcrafted luxury Quilt, an heirloom for the future or a wonderful gift.

» Cobalt is organising a number of fundraising activates to support the work of cancer services in the area. Challenge your wits with our monthly quiz for you and your friends and family or on the next sunny day choose your favourite walk and step out with sponsorship to raise funds for Cobalt’s research nurses.

» Research nurses work alongside doctors and with patients for local, national and international research trials. These posts are not funded by the NHS and medical charity Cobalt needs to raise over £100,000 each year in donations to fund these nurses. Call us on: 01242 535922, email: fundraising@cobalthealth.co.uk

» You can also support Cobalt by ordering your Christmas cards from the safety of your own home. You can choose your pack size below, place your order and make payment.

Each card has been lovingly upcycled by our volunteers and will help us to continue our work to support local people with cancer, dementia and other conditions. For more contact 01242 535922

» Cleeve Common is the largest common in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Common is a conservation area and Site of Special Scientific Interest for its geology, habitats and botany and it contains a wealth of archaeological interest, including three Scheduled Monuments. It is looked after by Cleeve Common Trust, for information regarding events on the common contact, Parish Office, Church Road, Bishops Cleeve, 07471 687 877 – Ranger 07756 828 458

» For revision of services, at St Michael’s and All Angels Church, please contact Admin.stmichael@ gmail.com or telephone 01242 673612 For further information. The Church will remain open for private prayer, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 10am-11am.

» St. Michael’s online services will still continue, reaching out to the cmmunity especially the young. Sunday morning service 11.15am on St. Michael’s Facebook page. Biblewatch can be found at facebook.com/groups/ stmichaelbishopscleeve and email the Children’s Ministry on cafministry. stmichael@gmail.com

» Bishop’s Cleeve Foodbank. The foodbank in Bishop’s Cleeve has seen a big rise in demand last week following the closure of local schools. Grateful thanks to those remaining local volunteers who have provided extra cover to run this service as more than half of the existing volunteers are now self-isolating following the latest guidelines.

Besides local volunteers, there are also volunteers working at Guiting Power Central warehouse doing extra shifts processing donations and preparing food parcels. Please can you take any donations to Bishop’s Cleeve Parish Office (next to Tesco’s car park) any Friday morning between 9am-noon.

Thank you for your generosity supporting local people who don’t have the money and are really struggling to feed their families at this time.

Please refer to the latest shopping list for further details of shortages on the donating food link at 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.

» The Co-op on the Green is also taking donations for the Food Bank, and is now operating a system whereby you can donate monies to the Foodbank charity.

» Lidl Supermarket also has a food bank collection point in store.

» Mac’s Cobblers will offer services on Mondays Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 10-2pm, Saturdays 10-1pm, closed on Wednesdays.

» There will be no Table Top Sales at Denley Hall, Bishops Cleeve, until further notice.

» Bishop Cleeve Methodist Church Wednesday Fellowship, no meetings until further notice.

» Cleeve Ladies Probus Club, for any information about meetings in the current situation contact 01242. 529664.

» The Bishop’s Cleeve WI, for any information about meetings in the current situation contact www. bishopscleevewi.org.uk or 01242 676647

» Gotherington, Woolstone and Oxenton WI, for any information about meetings in the current situation contact 01242 317276 or go to gwowi. org.uk

» Bishop’s Cleeve Library, for any information contact 01242 672217.

WOODMANCOTE

» G&S Newsagents and General Store (next to Beautiful Bathrooms) in Station Road, Woodmancote, 01242 672945. will deliver daily newspapers to Bishops Cleeve as well as Woodmancote residents at a cost of £3 nper week delivery charge. The delivery charge can be paid by card on the phone or by cash.

» Woodmancote Cricket Club junior team, for more information about this group in the current situation contact 07948094905, woodmancotecricket club@outlook.com

» Dog training classes, Woodmancote village hall, for information regarding this group in the present situation contact 07830 247691. » Ann Lewis maggieann1949@hotmail.com 01242 702573