The Patients Participation Group (PPG) supporting Hilary Cottage Surgery, Fairford, would like everyone to know that Citizens Advice Stroud and Cotswolds is still open for support and advice if needed. For more information, visit: bit.ly/2yS2YC9.

The Fairford Flower Collective, a group of florists and growers from Fairford, Lechlade and Kempsford, should have been exhibiting in the Floral Marquee at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. However, their dreams have been dashed due to the Covid-19 crisis, but they are now offering luxury bouquets, DIY flowers for those who love to arrange their own flowers as well as pretty jars of flowers for the kitchen table. Find out more from their Facebook page @fairfordflowercollective or email fairfordflowercollective@gmail.com.

Fairford is just one of 15 towns that has seen its public toilets re-open on Monday. The toilets are managed and maintained on behalf of Cotswold District Council by Healthmatic. New safety measures will be introduced and, when the toilets are being cleaned, they will be temporarily closed whilst the work is carried out. Anyone who does use the toilet facilities are reminded that they do so at their own risk and should main social distancing and use hand sanitiser before entering the toilets and wash their hands thoroughly afterwards.

Fairford’s eco warrior, Heather Kent would like to say a massive thank you to Fairford Rugby Club and The Outside Inn Company for sponsoring her endeavours with ‘A bag a day keeps the litter away’. Now the new owner of a litter trolley, Heather said: “This will really help me with my mission to make the world litter free! Together we can make a difference.”

Five members of the Fairford & Lechlade Business Club who launched the competition, The Cotswold Challenge, in April are thrilled to announce that the latest judge for the Art & Design category of the competition is Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, TV personality and interior designer. He said: “I am really looking forward to seeing how the entrants use ingenuity and individuality to get their creative message across. I suspect that their work will have flourished thanks to the absolute excess of me-time we’ve all had as we sit it out through lockdown.” Laurence is now planning to join fellow-judge, Lady Bathurst, in a socially-distanced judging session in his garden near Cirencester. The competition closed at 9pm on Monday and winners will be notified towards the end of June.

The annual Fairford Festival, which takes place over the first weekend of June each year, has sadly been postponed due to the Covid-19 crisis. The organising committee is now considering whether or not it might be possible to hold it in September or re-schedule it for June 2021. The theme for the 2020 Festival was to have been “Tudor” to commemorate 500 years since King Henry VIII visited Fairford in 1520.

Residents in Fairford and surrounding areas were affected by a loss of water supply last week due to an airlock at Bibury Farm Reservoir. Some residents were affected for over 24 hours, after the water supply cut off on Wednesday (May 27). Bottled water stations was set up in Lechlade and Eastleach so those affected could safely collect bottled water in line with government advice about social distancing. Water supply was restored to all by Thursday night.