Gloucestershire Echo, The

Scout Leaders Need Help to Keep Youths Coming to Club

AN URGENT appeal has been issued by organisers to safeguard the future of Prestbury's Scout group. The group has been meeting for 56 years, but organisers say adult helpers have dwindled in recent years.

Chads Show Their Follies Can Raise Charity Money

THEY'VE been rehearsing since May and have a track record of performing to sell-out audiences. Prestbury's amateur dramatics group Chads will be staging their annual show, Autumn Follies, on October 22 and 23 at 7pm. A cast of 14 will perform a variety of acts, showcasing their singing, dancing and acting skills.

Friends Party to Mark First Year

THE Friends of St Mary's Church will celebrate an important milestone with a birthday party in Prestbury. The group has been together for one year and during that time has raised an incredible Pounds 17,000 for the church.

Homes Progress

Volunteers Clean Up a Churchyard

Village Store Is Winning Battle Against Thieves

PRESTBURY'S family run convenience store is winning the battle against shoplifters. Emma and Steve Hammond opened the Village Stores in Prestbury High Street seven months ago and were immediately blighted by thieves. Low points ranged from an offender stealing Pounds 200 worth of wine and champagne in one weekend to people taking items and promising to come back later and pay, only to never retur n.

An Evening of Pampering to Help Children

A NIGHT of pampering is planned to raise cash for a good cause. Prestbury's United Reformed Church will be hosting the event on November 13 from 7pm to 9.30pm.

Flotilla Attack Man Returns to Gaza

A HUMANITARIAN campaigner who was with an aid flotilla when it was attacked on its way to Gaza is heading back to the region. Ebrahim Musaji was one of the many aid workers aboard the flotilla when it was attacked by the Israelis in May. But the harrowing experience, during which nine people were killed, has not swayed his spirit.

Mp Welcomes Increase in Cotswolds Emergency Cover

AMBULANCES and fire crews will arrive at emergencies in the Cotswolds more quickly following a pledge to base more vehicles there. The move comes after Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown complained about the time it took an ambulance to reach a stab victim in Stow-on-the-Wold.

Bid to Prevent Switch-On of Traffic Lights

TOWN councillors in Tewkesbury will be asked to help prevent new traffic lights by the M5 roundabout being switched on. The lights have been installed on the northbound exit slip road at junction nine of the motorway.

Pupils Launch 'Wonderful' Cd

THE SKY is the limit for musical Cheltenham pupils. Dean Close Chapel Choir has launched its newly-released CD - O Be Joyful! - which features music from English composers recorded in Tewkesbury Abbey.

Hedge Cutter Is Taken From Drive

Social Network Users Log in for 'Superswarm'

SOCIAL media networkers are planning a mass get together at a Cheltenham pub today. Members of the social networking tool Foursquare - in which people "log in" to venues via their mobile phones and earn "badges" - are staging a "SuperSwarm" at Wetherspoon's Bank House in Cheltenham.

From Comedy to Spin, Festival Is First Class

THE 61st Cheltenham Literature Festival got off to a scorching start yesterday as fans flocked to see stars of stage and screen. Highlights today include literary heavyweight Sebastian Faulks, comedy duo Armstrong and Miller and former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell.

Firm Again Tops Donation League

A FIRM from Cheltenham has helped to raise more than Pounds 2.5 million for UK charities. Towergate Bakers, which offers insurance to caravan owners, has collected the huge sum since 2008 by encouraging donations.

Story Time Is Here and We Look the Part

IT'S not every day you see Peter Pan, Princess Jasmine and Harry Potter walking the school corridors, but one Longlevens school saw the famous characters brought to life. Children brought their most-loved stories and dressed as their favourite characters at Longlevens Infant School in Paygrove Lane.

Zumba Dancing

A FULL term of Zumba classes has launched in Brockworth after a taster session was a big success. The classes, at Brockworth Enterprise School, will cost Pounds 25 for nine weeks.

Find Out About Recording Owls

LINDA Moore, development manager for the Gloucestershire Centre for Environmental Records, will hold a talk called Hunting Owls with a Mouse - the Joys of Wildlife Recording. The event, from 7.30pm on Thursday, October 14, will take place at Minchinhampton Church Porch Rooms, near Stroud. Tickets cost Pounds 3 per person.

Oap Taken to Hospital After Blaze at Home

AN ELDERLY woman was taken to hospital after a blaze in Longlevens. Fire crews were called at 6.50am on Thursday to a home in The Hedgerow, where a small fire had broken out.

Historian Tells the Story of Landmark Gates

HISTORIAN Steven Blake will be revealing the history behind a Cheltenham landmark later this month. The Friends of Pittville Park have invited him to talk about Pittville Gates at their annual general meeting.