After I called for action, the council have cleaned the open space sign on Scott Avenue.
As you can see from the photo below, it was quite mucky before!
I have written to the team to thank them for their work. If you know of a sign that needs attention, or any other issue in Podsmead, please let me know.
I was delighted to see street signs installed at Earls Park. I have been campaigning for these for a long time.
Over on my Facebook page I have provided a fuller update of news from the area. Follow me there to see more local news every week.
This week I had a briefing with the Gloucester city manager for the Cityfibre internet project.
This is a national project to invest in our communities and to bring super-fast, fibre broadband to homes and businesses.
Gloucester will be receiving £31 million of investment, with the ultimate result an internet connection being capable of speeds up to 1 gig.
The Fibre Exchange building will be located in the Podsmead area, and Cityfibre will begin connecting up homes in Gloucester early next year.
This is good news for Gloucester and for Podsmead too. Read more about this project here.
Are you a tutor or trainer but don’t have a recognised teaching qualification? Or do you have aspirations to go in to teaching or training or to work in an education setting in some way?
In January we are running an accredited NCFE Level 3 Award in Education and Training course. This course is being run fully online and is being offered at a discounted price of £295. It is a recognised qualification that can be used in any UK education and training setting.
You will need to sign up to the Initial Assessment first before enrolling on to this course. If you would like any further information please contact Dr. Baylie Hart Clarida at bhartclarida@wea.org.uk
There an opportunity for families who use Healthy Start vouchers to receive a £1 bag of frozen vegetables for free at Iceland until 31st December 2020. See here for more details.
Healthy Start is a Government funded scheme that provides £3.10 worth of vouchers every week to eligible families which they can use to obtain free milk, fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables, fresh, dried, and tinned pulses and instant formula milk. Find out more about the scheme at: https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/
A family is eligible if they’re at least 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four years old and they receive certain benefits.
Women who are under 18 and pregnant also qualify for the scheme even if they don’t receive benefits.
Families can check if they are eligible by taking this short ‘Do I qualify’ questionnaire:
Some other supermarkets offer to enhance the Healthy Start scheme. For example, please see Tesco.
It’s disappointing to see this vandalism of a bus shelter on Stroud Road. I reported it to Highways this morning and they have said a team is attending. There has also been some vandalism to the shelter up the road opposite the Co-Op.
Mindless destruction of this sort costs money to clear up and put right, which comes out of our taxes. If you have any information as to the culprits, please contact the police.
When lockdown ends on Wednesday 2nd December, Gloucestershire will move into Tier 2. The table below outlines what this means, but if you have specific questions do let me know.
For more information about the Tier system, please see the NHS website.
Back in May I was very pleased to see that Highways had installed bollards along the top part of Tuffley Avenue. I had lobbied for this and was glad to see it done.
Problem parking was an issue here, and although this stretch of grass it is not quite in my ward, the problem does affect residents nearby.
That’s why I was disappointed to learn that the bollards have seemingly been removed again. I’ve asked Highways for an explanation and will report back when I have heard.
Poets Pantry is a new project to provide a food store and community space on the ground floor of Halford House. I am really pleased to see this space being brought back into use as it was something I campaigned on, and have been working with Podsmead Big Local and Gloucester City Homes to bring to fruition.
Podsmead Big Local are now fundraising to get the furniture and equipment they need. Please see below a message from PBL:
“Poets Pantry” is our latest project which will help those members of our community that are struggling to put food on their tables to feed their families during these difficult times.
We have been working to reduce food poverty for over a year in cooperation with Fairshares charity to utilise food items that would not make it to the supermarket shelves or food that would otherwise be disposed of. We are not a food bank as such, but a food distribution club. This removes the stigma associated with foodbank use and enables people to feel that they are helping to reduce food waste.
Over the last six months we have all had to deal with the impact of Covid-19. Ranging from lockdown and shielding to lack of contact with friends and family.
Food poverty has become an issue, not just for those on benefits but for those who have been furloughed and made redundant. Families that were just about managing are finding it difficult to provide food and, in some cases, parents are going without meals to ensure that their children are fed. Since the beginning of the first lockdown we have seen more than double the demand for support.
We have been given the opportunity to move the Butterfly Food Distribution Network into new premises which will allow us to continue to grow and increase the support we provide to more families and individuals who need a little extra help.
We need your help to get the project up and running, so we can support those families that are struggling to feed their families and ensure that as many people as possible don’t have to go without so that their children can have healthy meals. Help us to combat food poverty.
We would really appreciate your support in this very important local project. If you could donate or promote this link to the crowdfunder, we would be so very grateful.
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/poets-pantry-a-resource-to-combat-food-poverty
The city council once again is offering free trees to Gloucester residents.
In order to manage requests, please contact me to let me know if you would like any trees, and how many, up to a maximum of three per household.
You can choose between:
For medium size larger gardens:
Silver birch
Wild cherry
For smaller gardens:
Rowan
Field maple
Please make your requests to me by Monday 14th December. Nb this is slightly earlier than initially stated. I will then pass your requests on to the council who will be in touch about how to collect your trees, or possibly how they will deliver them.
In the new year we will also be looking to plant some trees in parts of Podsmead, as part of the drive for more trees in the city. See my earlier story for more details.