Community news with Chris Roberts

The new organisation, Working for Wellbeing, has been awarded £20,000 from the Gloucestershire County Council Covid Relief Fund. This means that the group has been able to advertise for a Wellbeing Coordinator, who will be responsible for building up a network of contacts with charities, other organisations and individuals, so that all those needing help in Fairford, Lechlade and the surrounding villages can benefit from the support these can give.

The Friends of Fairford and Lechlade Communities’ Charity Shop has re-opened in Lechlade. It is open on Mondays from 10am-1pm for donations by appointment only by ringing Nicola on 01367 252189. Open to the public from Tuesday to Friday from 10am-3.45pm and Saturday from 10am-12.45pm. For more information, please refer to the website: www.friendsoffairford.org.uk.

Nicolas Kent, best known for his hit London shows, All The President’s Men and Another World, is returning to the Cotswolds to direct The Barn Theatre’s A Russian Doll. Nicholas lives in nearby Quenington, so is able to drive to work for the first time! The one woman show will run in Cirencester from May 18 – June 12 2021. The production will also mark the Barn Theatre’s first live indoor performances since their run of Peter Pan was cut short on Christmas Eve due to the Cotswolds moving into Tier 3 prior to the third national lockdown. Tickets for the Barn Theatre run are now on sale at www.barntheatre.org.uk with prices from £11.50.

Activities for young people aged 12 years and over on Wednesday June 2 between 4pm-6pm in the Walnut Tree Field. Come and share your ideas about being a young person in the Cotswolds, have some fun and grab some freebies. Silent Disco, Fun Activities, Games, Chats n’ Chillin’. For more information, visit: www.worldjungle.org.uk.

Were you in Fairford Amateur Dramatic Society from the 1970s - 2000? Recently, a box of FADS items has been donated to Fairford History Society from a former member who has now left the area. It includes a file of the FADS committee meetings, the Son et Lumière script, press cuttings, many programmes and some photographs, a few with cast names. If you are interested in any of the productions – photos or programmes – there are too many to list, please contact Alison at enquiry@fairfordhistory.org.uk.

Now that lockdown restrictions are easing, The Hyperion Care Home in Fairford would like to plant up their new garden with flowers and small shrubs. If you have any annual bedding plants, perennial cuttings or shrubs that you could donate for the residents and their guests to enjoy, please deliver to the front porch of The Hyperion, London Street, Fairford together with your name and address, so the staff can say thank you. Alternatively, if you need someone to collect any plants from you, then please arrange by phoning Becky on 01285 712349.

The British mountaineer, Kenton Cool, who lives near Fairford reached the summit of the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, in the early morning of May 10 breaking his own record in the process. Kenton is now the first Briton to climb Mt Everest 15 times. At 6.15am, Kenton summited with fellow guide, Dorji Gyalzen Sherpa and, in doing so, broke his own British record for the most successful summits of Mount Everest. In 2013, Kenton became famous for becoming the first person to climb Mount Everest and neighbouring peaks, Lhotse and Nuptse without returning to base camp. Kenton also guided and led Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ two expeditions in 2008 and 2009 and, in 2006, became the first Brit to complete a ski descent of an 8,000m peak on Nepal’s Cho Oyu.

Fairford Town Council would like to encourage dog owners to consider keeping their dogs on a lead along the River Walk from Dilly’s Bridge until they are past the gardens. The gardens and the riverbank on either side of the path are private property, and the householders along the path are increasingly finding dogs in their gardens and, worse still, dog poo in their gardens. In addition, allowing your dog to jump into the river along the footpath is causing damage to the fragile riverbank, which may undermine the path, particularly where the riverbank is narrow. We would also like to remind cyclists that they have no right to cycle on a public footpath. To do so may constitute an act of trespass against the landowner (the riparian owners of the riverbank in this instance), so please, push your bike along the path. An enormous amount of work has gone into the creation of the path and the enhancement of the wildlife and biodiversity along this important stretch of the River Coln. We would urge everyone to enjoy it and respect it.