With the closure of many local bank branches and ATMs across the country, it is good to know that you can access high-street banking services through the Post Office.

You can find out more via their website.

I have a walkabout planned for next week in Earls Park, with the Managing Director of Matthew Homes.

We will be looking at various issues including road surfaces, the new play parks (and bin provision), street lights and street signs, security and the cut-through.

I will also be raising the problem of these cobbled rumble strips which cause difficulties for cyclists.

Tomorrow will see the final of the Euro 2020 tournament and it promises to be a great match.

I’ve worried my way through plenty of England matches over the years and I’m sure this will be no different.

Whoever comes out on top, it’s a good thing to get behind the England team, and to be reminded once again of the values of teamwork, resilience and sporting honour. And for those who are not interested, it’s only one game to go!

Last month I had a walkabout with the city council tree officer in Podsmead.

We looked at a number of trees, some of which had had some work carried out on them already, such as the trees by the athletics changing rooms by the Poplar Close entrance to the running track.

We also identified some work to be done elsewhere. Some trees have now been removed at Redwood Close after our walk and some contact from a resident, and there is a need for some pruning at the back of Chaucer Close to allow the residents more light.

I have been in touch with Gloucester City Homes over the pruning and the moss on the roofs at Chaucer Close. I hope that we can organise a walkabout with GCH officers soon.

If you have an issue in your area of Podsmead that you want me to take a look at, please let me know.

A resident alerted me to a sinkhole that had appeared on Tuffley Avenue and I made sure it was reported to the county council.

Arrangements have been made to repair the hole and I hope this safety work will be done soon.

If you know of any other highways safety issues in our area please let me know.

A £2million Build Back Better Fund is set to be launched by the county council later this month, subject to Cabinet sign off on 21 July. The fund has been developed to help communities recover and rebuild from the impacts of Covid-19.

The fund is set to be allocated evenly across the county’s 53 divisions to allow each county councillor to support bids in their area and ensure the benefits of the investment are shared right across Gloucestershire. Each councillor will be able to allocated a total of £40,000 in grants to support their local area.

Recognising the diverse nature and needs of Gloucestershire’s communities and neighbourhoods,  criteria for bids is likely to consist of key themes including ‘community health and wellbeing’, ‘digital inclusion’, ‘nature and/or the environment’, ‘healthy lifestyles’ and ‘safer neighbourhoods’.

A range of groups and bodies will be able to submit bids including but not exclusively; community and voluntary organisations, charities, community interest companies, town and parish councils, sports groups.

Funding will need to be spent by 31 January 2025.

Further details about the proposed fund will be set out in a cabinet report, due to be published next week, that Cabinet will consider at its meeting on 21 July.

In a countywide social media campaign, residents are being encouraged to recycle their metal packaging to make every can count.

Metal can be recycled endlessly so the county and all six district councils have teamed up with MetalMatters to highlight the benefits of recycling our metal packaging to inspire everyone to get involved and do their bit.

With more than 12 billion items of aluminium packaging alone sold every year in the UK, householders are being encouraged to recycle their cans, foil, empty aerosols, trays, tubes and metal screw tops. 

Every district in the county provides a frequent and convenient door-to-door recycling service so it’s never been easier to recycle our metal packaging; and once recycled, it takes around 60 days for a drinks can to return to the supermarket shelf.

Tom Giddings, general manager of the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) said: “While our MetalMatters programme has been operational for nearly ten years, Gloucestershire will be the first local authority that takes the campaign online. By educating the general public about the benefits of recycling metal packaging, in a simple yet relatable fashion, we aim to make a measurable difference to Gloucestershire’s recycling rates.”

For more information on the MetalMatters campaign or recycling and waste reduction in Gloucestershire visitwww.gloucestershirerecycles.com.

Gloucestershire County Council is offering £200,000 to support digital community projects across the county.

Through its Digital Innovation Fund the council has £200,000 worth of grants available to community or voluntary groups and charity organisations to fund digital and technology-led initiatives.

This is the second year of the fund and applications of up to £20,000 per project will be accepted from Monday 12 July. Collaborative partnership bids will be considered for combined funding but would need to clearly demonstrate the added benefit of the collaboration.

The funding panel is particularly keen to hear about projects that could continue this support, address digital exclusion and help people remain independent. 

Successful applications would be likely to demonstrate how their use of technology or digital methods will support adults in Gloucestershire by:

• Improving literacy, including digital literacy
• Preventing a decline in independence, health or wellbeing
• Encouraging digital access opportunities amongst BAME communities
• Providing equipment and support to those with disabilities and sensory impairments 

In 2020, funding was used for projects that enriched people’s lives by tackling social isolation, helping to maintain independence and improve personal wellbeing.

Last year’s grant was oversubscribed, with 38 applications received and 21 projects funded. Some of the projects funded supported teaching residents digital skills to help them use video platforms to keep in touch with family during the pandemic. Others used the funding to purchase health and exercise monitoring devices to support virtual fitness and wellbeing classes.

Successfully funded projects will work together to bring their ideas to life within a Digital Innovation Forum group, in which all the other funded projects can support each other.

Members of the council’s Adult Transformation Team will be attending Know Your Patch meetings and sharing information about the funding through this network. The Know Your Patch network is a multi-sector network bringing together the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector and public body organisations for effective partnership working across each district of Gloucestershire.

Further information on this grant, including access to application forms, can be found at https://www.yourcircle.org.uk/Information/DigitalInnovationFund.

The closing date for applications will be on Friday 6 August, with successful applicants receiving grant funding in September.

For more information, please email asp@gloucestershire.gov.uk.

New play areas are currently being installed at Manu Marble Way and Neven Place.

The original plans for the site show public open space at these two locations.

I am meeting the Managing Director of Matthew Homes on site later this month and will be asking about the plans for the play areas, security in the development, and other issues that residents have raised with me.

Visitors will get the chance to see Gloucester’s remarkable history when artist Joe Hill returns on 30 July to bring the city’s past to life in spectacular 3D technicolour.

 

Wherever you go in the city centre you’re walking over Gloucester’s history; city walls, Roman buildings and even medieval churches survive beneath Gloucester’s streets. 

 

Returning this year after a successful event last September, Joe Hill of 3D Joe and Max will be creating three more amazing optical illusions based around the city’s heritage during 30 July – 1 August. 

 

Joe has been making holes in the ground come to life all over the world, and this will be a spectacular way to bring the city’s archaeology to life as part of the National Archaeology Festival. 

 

Come and have your photograph taken to share with friends over social media and find out about the plans to conserve and revive Westgate Street.

 

There will be eight pieces of artwork set out along Westgate Street and Eastgate Street, and an exhibition and consultation event will be running in the former jewellery shop at 21 Westgate Street.  

 

Joe has created artworks for a range of clients over the years including Google, Disney, Reebok, Save the Children and Coca-Cola.

 

The artworks will be revealed on Friday 30 July and will be on display until Sunday 1 August. Access is available from 11am – 4:30pm except for Sunday when they will close at 4pm.

 

The event will be weather permitting and will be re-scheduled if there is high wind or heavy rain.