1966

  • THE contributions to Church Appeals at Tetbury marked a new record, the annual meeting was informed by the Vicar who said there was “still some way to go”. Of the money contributed, £1,000 went towards the repair and re-hanging of church bells.
  • CRUDWELL parishioners gathered at the school to hear Major Shuter, chairman of the parish council pay tribute to the work of Mrs D Kemp following her retirement as the village postmistress after 24 years of service. Shuter told the audience that Kemp had become an institution in the village and that people from many walks of life went to her from advice.
  • THE special committee set up to investigate objections for experimental one-way street plans for Cirencester gave the project the green light. The experiment started in April was expected to last for six months with the aim of reducing the delays experienced daily by locals due to traffic.

1976

  • THE local tradition of having a Girl Guide Company in Bourton-onthe-Water was revived after a break of four years. Sheila Sowerbutts restarted the group in the village hall, with about 20 girls enrolled before the first meeting, after learning that the village’s previous guide group had to close down due to lack of helpers in the community.
  • THICK black smoke and a small explosion in Cirencester’s Dyer Street caused Cotswold District Council employees and workers from an adjoining garage to be evacuated for 30 minutes. The fire occurred in the electrical installations between the two buildings and was quickly put out by Cirencester fire service.
  • HOLDING a “Plant and Picture” show in early February rather than during the peak season was a novel and successful idea for the Keynes Gardening Club, as it was well attended on both days. The show presented an attractive display of flowering bulbs and plants including daffodils and hyacinths.

1986

  • Cricklade’s Civil defence plans took shape following the second meeting of the town’s 14-strong emergency planning committee. The plans were designed to be used in the event of an emergency situation such as a widespread natural disaster or a nuclear incident that might leave the town isolated and relying on its own resources.
  • RAF Kemble was ‘invaded’ by 1,000 paratroopers of the 5 Airborne Brigade in the first weekend of February as part of a training course. Paratroopers from 1 Group Headquarters at RAF Upavon boarded Hercules transport aircraft to be drooped at the Stanford training area in East Anglia.

1996

  • Charity cyclists, walkers and horse-riders raised £29,018 for the Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust, with half the money raised going by participants going to a church of the individual’s choice and the remainder used for grants to churches facing hefty repair and restoration bills.
  • BBC Points West visited Nelson Inn in Cirencester’s Gloucester Street to see Ted Piesing teaching Japanese to a group of students ranging from a schoolboy to a businesswoman who made frequent trips to the country. “After two or three pints the students’ Japanese improves dramatically” said Ted.

2006

  • Cirencester’s Tina Outlaw undertook The Belize Challenge which involved braving gruelling temperatures, stifling humidity and an array of poisonous creatures. Tina's team learnt survival skills including shelter building and jungle navigation before embarking on the race, which began with a kayak trip through the jungle river ways before hiking through the rainforest and finishing with a marathon to the Mayan ruins.
  • Residents at Cirencester’s Paternoster house enjoyed a Chinese New Year party organised by nursing staff in honour of resident Min Tao Lang, who felt at home with the Asian food and decorations. Min’s son cooked chicken and prawn dishes as well as supplying Chinese sweets and biscuits.