Think your child might be eligible for free school meals?

You can apply via the form here, and you can also see the criteria.

School receive extra funding for every free school meal place, so please consider applying even if you do not wish to take up your free meal.

Free school meals were one of the many policies pushed for by the Lib Dems when they were in government.

Gloucester Liberal Democrats are calling for a new arts and culture plan for Gloucester post-Covid. As the Liberal Democrat group spokesperson for Culture and Leisure, I wrote to Cabinet Member Steve Morgan (see above).

Steve replied very warmly and I have been invited to join the Covid-19 recovery group for Culture and Leisure, which meets every fortnight.

During the pandemic, Gloucestershire Highways have been prioritising urgent safety repairs.

I reported this dangerous broken manhole cover in Empire Way, Podsmead, and was pleased to see such prompt action.

Recently I met up with PC Lea and Sgt Kear of Gloucestershire Constabulary.

We discussed issues such as the recent vandalism at Milton Avenue, and criminal incidents in the Earls Park estate.

We will be following up what we discussed in the next few days & reporting back to residents.

Getting ready to start, restart or reset your business?

Lily Pad PR (www.lilypadpr.co.uk) is offering FREE PR, social media and marketing consultancy to support Podsmead businesses and social enterprise as they reopen or pivot.

They have sent this message:

Lily Pad’s reputation has been built on providing expertise via a senior, remote team. Working virtually has become a new challenge for many, but has always been the way we run our business.

We want to continue to support the start-up community which is part of our DNA.

Every week we are offering a free one-hour consultancy slot. We’re giving our time to ensure businesses are fully equipped to maximise all the opportunities in the weeks ahead.

Contact: Linda Cohen, linda.cohen@lilypadpr.co.uk, 07791 110906.

The A38 Cole Avenue in Gloucester is being resurfaced overnight from Tuesday 16 June onwards.

The resurfacing work will take 24 nights to complete, from 7pm to 7am each night (excluding weekends), and will be carried out in two phases.

Phase 1: the road will be closed between 16 June to 29 June from the junction at Bristol Road to the junction at Podsmead Road and Epney Road.

Phase 2: the road will be closed between 30 June to 17 July from the junction at Bristol Road to the St Barnabus Roundabout.

I am pleased to see this work being carried out but it is a shame that it was not started during lockdown, as this could have further minimized disruption. I will keep pressing the Conservative administration at Shire Hall to invest more in our roads.

In recent months, with the exception of during the lockdown, much good work has been done by volunteers, especially Lisa Jevins and the Podsmead Clearance Team, to clear back the bramble and remove the rubbish from around the Milton Avenue area. It has been good to see the path from Milton open, and able to be accessed by wheelchairs and walkers.

We are now looking at the future plans for the area, and how to spend the European funding that will be put into the Gloucester Urban Greening Project. Much will be done to plant flowers, reeds and make other improvements.

The first step will be to get the stubborn bramble cut back, then to clear out the rubbish and think about how we can use the space more effectively. The council has commissioned a contractor to investigate and start cutting back the bramble. I look forward to seeing the changes and helping out where and when I can.

I was disappointed to see vandalism at Milton Avenue play park. Thanks to Jordan of the Podsmead Clearance Team for letting me know about it and putting the wood back in place.
I am writing to the council & police to inform them. Unfortunately it means more council resources to repair it.

It was lovely to see the poppy and flower display at Plock Court, Gloucester. The flowers were planted as part of the Gloucester Urban Greening Project, which is funded by the European Structural Investment Fund.

On Tuesday 9th June a group of people dressed in orange, decorated Tuffley Avenue and The Club at Tuffley Park orange and hosted an event to raise awareness of Batten’s Disease, on International Batten Awareness Day.

We were helping the amazing Josh and his family. Josh is battling with this disease, for which sadly there is no cure yet.

The new Mayor of Gloucester, The Right Worshipful Cllr Kate Haigh, was kind enough to attend and speak at the event in support of Batten awareness.

I would like to thank Josh’s family and friends for making the day happen, Ross at the club for hosting us and the Mayor for supporting.

Incredibly, the fundraiser Josh’s family have set up has already made over £6000 at the time of writing.

Please donate if you feel able to, and share the link: https://gf.me/u/x78bkk