POLICE are appealing for witnesses to come forward after an assault in Cheltenham over the weekend.

A 43-year-old man from Cardiff was punched by a man while he was in Clarence Square around 11pm last Saturday.

The offender was described as white, in his 30s and around 6ft 1" tall.

He was of slim build and was wearing a dark coloured hooded top.

The victim was taken to Cheltenham General Hospital for treatment after he suffered injuries to his face.

Officers are eager to hear from anyone that witnessed the assault.

Information can be given to Gloucestershire police by dialling 101 and quoting incident number 455 of February 23.

LESS than a year ago, Amy Taylor was unable to run a mile.

But after being inspired by the memory of a friend, who died of leukaemia aged 16, she is now aiming to run an entire marathon.

Laura Edwards died in March 2006 following a two year battle with the disease and now 23-year-old Amy is taking on the gruelling challenge in her honour.

Amy decided to take on the London Marathon after watching her uncle complete it last April and wanted to support the Elimination of Leukaemia Fund as a tribute to her school friend.

The nursery worker at The Ark has been running four times a week and completed a 30k race earlier this month.

Amy, from Charlton Kings, said: "Before I pretty much didn't get off the sofa exercise wise, so the change has really surprised my family and friends.

"Laura would be quite shocked and think I might have gone a little bit crazy, but I think she would be pleased I was doing it."

The former pupil at Balcarras School has lost more than two stone in weight since she started training.

She had hoped to raise £1,500 and is already on £1,750.

"I have never done anything like this before and so all of it is a big challenge," added Amy.

"I could not even run a mile when I started, but I have kept going and just slowly made my runs longer."

Laura, who was from Leckhampton, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia and was told only a bone marrow transplant would save her.

The bone marrow operation seemed to be a success and Laura began AS-levels at Balcarras School.

But complications set in and she was taken to Bristol Children's Hospital. She died after two weeks in intensive care.

Some of Cheltenham's biggest organisations including GCHQ, Chelsea Building Society and the Echo held special clinics for staff to sign up to become donors after her death.

To sponsor Amy in the London Marathon, log on to www.virginmoneygiving.com/amytaylor6.

OPINION, P8

TRAINS from Cheltenham to London came to a halt yesterday after a signal failure in the Swindon area.

Passengers were left stranded after signalling problems around 7.30am between Didcot Parkway and Bristol Parkway stopped all trains between Gloucestershire and London for more than three hours.

Trains resumed service around noon, although it took nearly two hours to clear the backlog.

A Network Rail spokesman said: "A major signalling failure meant trains were currently unable to run through the Swindon area.

"Engineers worked at a number of locations to rectify the fault and get trains moving as quickly as possible."

NOTORIOUS troublemaker Ashley Nicholls-Perry bit a taxi driver in the chest during a row over the fare.

Cabbie Howard Harvey drove Nicholls-Perry to a police station when he realised he was not going to pay up.

When they arrived, Nicholls-Perry, who is subject to an anti-gang injunction, sank his teeth through two layers of Mr Harvey's clothing and drew blood.

The 20-year-old former Stroud College music student admitted assaulting Mr Harvey causing him actual bodily harm. He also admitted being in breach of a 20-week suspended sentence for having an imitation firearm. Recorder Michael de Navarro QC jailed him for 46 weeks.

Prosecutor Tim Hills said the taxi driver took Nicholls-Perry and another man from an address in Matson to a garage in London Road.

There was an altercation at the garage between the other passenger and someone else but Nicholls-Perry was not involved in it.

"On the homeward journey it became apparent to the driver that the two people were planning not to pay. He stopped his taxi and the other man got out," said Mr Hills.

"But the defendant remained and instead of taking him home the driver drove him to Barton Street police station – much to Mr Nicholls-Perry's discomfort.

"When he realised what was going on he began to fight with the driver and bit him in the chest, drawing blood.

"A police officer in the station came out, saw what was happening and arrested him. By then the victim had also been punched in the face."

Mr Hills said Nicholls-Perry, who now lives in Gloucester Road, Cheltenham, had "many previous convictions".

Joe Maloney, in mitigation, said Nicholls-Perry wants to put crime behind him and leave Gloucester to take a music course in Birmingham which starts in September.

Recorder de Navarro then did calculations to see what length of sentence he could pass which would allow Nicholls-Perry to be released in time for the course.

"Taxi drivers must be protected," the judge said.

THAT special time of year has arrived at Hartpury College.

About 250 lambs have been born at the Gloucestershire site over the past two weeks.

And unusually there have been hardly any single lambs born but lots of triplets and even a set of quintuplets.

A team of 100 students have been helping with lambing season to ensure the animals arrive safely.

Tara Penter is among those who have been doing shifts from 10am to 10pm.

She is studying at Hartpury for her Level 3 extended diploma in agriculture.

She said: "It's extremely valuable because a lot of people don't come from lambing backgrounds so we get experiences we haven't had before."

Head of agriculture Janatha Stout said: "It's a special time of the year for our agriculture students.

"We'd love to show people the lambs and we have an open morning next Saturday, March 9, for people thinking about coming to Hartpury."

Every now and then, a rare motor emerges from the shadows and the latest is a real 'barnstormer'.

One of the oldest surviving examples of a Morris Mini Minor was found rusting in a barn in Oxfordshire and is said to be the 15th oldest in existence and the 529th to roll-off the production line.

The car was registered in 1959 – as "620 GFC" and its owner benefited from the sharp handling, fun-focussed looks, and fashionable image for 46,971 miles. But then disaster struck. The Morris Mini Minor had a small shunt that smashed the right-hand headlight, bent the wing and scuffed the blue paint.

Apparently there were plans to repair the vehicle, but these failed to come to fruition so it sat in a barn for the next 40 years.

Although having its original engine, transmission and interior, it is rusty and requires a considerable amount of work before being road-worthy. The original owner has passed away so his children have decided it will be sold at the Bonhams Auction on March 2, where it is expected to sell for £10,000 but could fetch a considerably higher sum and the restoration might then cost thousands more. But there are countless enthusiasts who would cheerfully get stuck-in.

Designed by Alex Issigonis, the Mini was launched in 1959, just two years and one month after BMC boss Leonard Lord had driven the Issigonis prototype and given it the go-ahead.

It was launched in two versions – the Morris Mini Minor and the Austin Seven but was not initially popular. It was only when personalities such as film star Peter Sellers, the Beatles and the Queen started driving Minis that it began to take off.

Rob Hubbard, senior specialist at the Bonhams Motor Car Department, said: "This is one of the oldest surviving Mini cars and that in itself makes this one special. Over 50 years on, people are still obsessed by the cars."

CHRISTOPHER Nicholls was "fly-tipped" like a piece of rubbish by the Connors family when they no longer considered him fit to work in their forced labour empire.

An open verdict was delivered at yesterday's inquest into his death.

His daughter was the lone family representative in court, five years after his decomposed body was discovered in a collapsed Staverton shed.

Christopher lost touch with his family after he split with his wife and became addicted to drugs and alcohol.

The 41-year-old father of two was taken in by Billy Connors in 2000. He began working as a salesman, trying to drum up business laying driveways. The police investigation into the forced labour revealed £109,000 had been recouped from benefits taken from the workers.

The last known sighting of Christopher was in March 2005, but benefits were claimed on his behalf a year after his death. Five months earlier, he had been struck by a van in the early hours after chasing after his dog, near the Willowdean site where he lived, suffering a fractured skull and six broken ribs. After returning to the Connors, his impaired speech, incontinence and difficulty to walk made him useless.

Lead investigator DCI David Selwood said: "We are of the opinion that in March 2005, Christopher was 'fly-tipped' by William (Billy) and Breda Connors when still feeling the effects of his accident. He had no access to benefits or any way of providing for himself."

However, he said: "There is no reason to link the Connors family directly to the death of Christopher Nicholls."

The family had been exploiting him for years, but he was only known to police when he was arrested in January 2005.

Christopher, Edward McGann and another man had offered to re-lay an elderly woman's patio, but when she refused they dug it up anyway. Mr McGann later pleaded guilty to the charge of criminal damage and was jailed for two months.

Police say he saw it as a chance to escape the family. The court heard Mr McGann told police he had witnessed Billy Connors assaulting Christopher with a rake, causing puncture wounds to his limbs.

Billy Connors, 51, sons James, 29, and John, 20, and son-in-law Miles are serving a total of 18 years for forced labour.

A YOUNG careers event is taking place next week for youngsters who can find out about there education and work options.

Skillsfest 2013 is holding the event next Tuesday at Gloucester Rugby Club, Kingsholm from 9.30am to 6.30pm

School leavers, students or those unsure of what the next step is for them, can find out more about practical skills they need.

They will also be able to talk to employers about apprenticeships and training programmes available.

To book a free place visit glosskillsfest@apprentice ships.gov.uk.

RELATIVES are still banned from visiting patients at Cheltenham General Hospital following an outbreak of norovirus.

The hospital was closed to all visitors on Wednesday after the diarrhoea and vomiting bug hit wards at the hospital.

A spokeswoman for the hospital trust said NHS chiefs were keeping a close eye on the situation and hoped to allow visitors back inside in the coming days.

But she admitted that it was impossible to give an exact date when the ban would be lifted.

The spokeswoman said: "The bug started in the community, not within the hospital. It could have been a visitor or a patient coming in from the outside."

CAGE fighter Ronnie Mann has branded the sentence received by the "thug" who left him permanently disfigured as "a joke".

The professional cage fighter, who is known as "Kid Ninja", was left facially scarred after being attacked with a broken bottle outside a Cheltenham nightclub.

He hit back at his assailant Jed Dicks, leaving the 22-year-old unable to walk after the beating.

But yesterday, after hearing Dicks, of Selkirk Gardens, Pittville, Cheltenham, had not been sentenced to prison, Mr Mann hit out. "I think it's a bit of a joke. I feel let down by the criminal justice system," he said.

Judge William Hart sentenced Dicks to 12 months jail, suspended for 18 months.

Dicks was also ordered to pay Mr Mann £500 in compensation and to do 100 hours of unpaid work and attend 22 days of a thinking skills programme and 10 days of education and employment training.

Mr Mann, who is also known as 'Iron', said: "He's a thug. I feel like I now have to constantly watch my back. There is no doubt I could have overwhelmed him in a fight, but I'm a professional and I don't want violence on the streets and that's why I went to the police.

"I feel if it was the other way around I would have been sent to prison because I'm a professional. Perhaps they feel like I should be able to take care of myself and that's wrong really because I'm a normal person."

Ronnie said his scar was very visible and he had lost a potential £5,000 because his injuries meant he had been unable to train for a fight in America.

"The £500 compensation doesn't really cut it," he added.

Dicks pleaded guilty to unlawfully wounding Bangkok- born Mann, who has won 21 of his 27 fights as a mixed martial artist.

The two men were both outside Lace club in Albion Street, at 3.30am on December 18, 2010, when the offence happened.

Prosecutor Tim Hills said Dicks was holding a bottle when he left the nightclub and he then got into an argument with another man.

The bottle broke but Dicks kept holding it, then went to grab the other man, slipped on the ice, and as, Dicks lashed out at the other man, hit Mr Mann in the face instead.

Mr Mann "meted out some violence of his own on the defendant" before going home and two days later he went to hospital for treatment to his facial cut, Mr Hills said.

MIKE Tindall will finally rack up his 150 not out for Gloucester at the second attempt tonight – pledging he is nowhere near finished yet.

The 34-year-old centre will captain the Cherry and Whites against his former club Bath in the grudge West Country derby at The Recreation Ground (kick-off 8pm).

Gloucester's player-backs coach is already in advanced talks on a new deal for next term, to take him into a ninth playing year with the Cherry and Whites, as revealed in The Citizen on February 21.

And England's most-capped centre admits he wants to continue his playing role at Kingsholm next season, just as much as his new coaching duties.

World Cup winner Tindall was primed for his 150th competitive appearance against Worcester last Friday – but pulled up with a hip problem in the warm-up of the eventual 29-23 win.

Now he is fit to notch that milestone tonight – at the ground where his impressive career began back in 1997.

Gloucester boss Nigel Davies reckons Tindall is playing some of his best rugby for years – the centre himself credits his new coaching role as crucial to that resurgence.

Tindall explained: "It wasn't something I was thinking about until last week when I saw it was the 150, but it's great.

"I've had the time of my life here in the last eight years, and I would like it to always be more, and hopefully it will keep going, and it will be more.

"The main thing for now is that I don't mind if I play like a bag of spanners, as long as we win tonight!

"I always wanted to continue the coaching role anyway, but with how much I've enjoyed playing this year, I don't think I'm quite done yet.

"And I've always said I won't stop until I'm not enjoying it, or I feel I can't keep up with these young lads.

"And I think they've helped me as much as I try to help them.

"It's been good fun this year, and hopefully it will continue into next.

"Billy (Twelvetrees) getting fully into that EPS, that's a great boost for everyone here.

"Henry's (Trinder) had his injury problems, and that's opened up opportunities for me.

"But at the start of the year I always wanted to play as much as I could anyway, and it's gone pretty well.

"I'm happy with how I'm playing, you can always play better and I'm always a realist.

"I think a lot of it comes from the coaching side and the understanding side on what we're trying to get out of it as well.

"And that's helped me play better and understand how I can get myself in the game a bit better, so I am definitely loving it right now.

"It's fantastic to reach 150 games, and hopefully it will be a great occasion.

"But we've got to go down to the The Rec, put in a big performance and come away with a win – that's what counts."

Tindall's 150 just had to come at his former stomping ground.

Everything is teed up for a fairytale night then – everything that is, save Tindall's mindset.

"Well, we'll just see how it goes," smirked the pragmatist.

Gloucester bludgeoned just a second league win at Bath in 23 years in October 2010 – and have not lost at The Rec since.

Bath blitzed Gloucester 32-5 in the LV=Cup at Kingsholm on February 2 – Gloucester's heaviest professional-era home defeat to their bitter rivals.

Tindall has challenged Gloucester to make their five-straight Premiership wins over Bath count for more than that Anglo-Welsh horror show tonight.

He continued: "You'll watch that LV=Cup game and bring it up as a motivational factor.

"But realistically each game goes on its own merits.

"They played pretty well but we made a lot of errors that created a lot of pressure on ourselves for the whole of the first half, that caught up with us in the last ten minutes.

"So you've got to learn from things like that, but you can't dwell on it.

"We went up to Northampton after losing there in the LV=Cup and won – now we've just got to do the same thing this weekend.

"Getting that first win down there, every time Gloucester went to The Rec the story would come up about how long it had been without a win down there.

"So that really was half the battle.

"We went through the same thing under Dean Ryan with not winning big finals.

"And until you break that cycle and mould, it's always going to be in the back of your mind.

"Then we went down there, broke that cycle and we've had success since.

"That instils the belief you can go down there and it's not a place you think about.

"We've nullified that, now we need to nullify that cup match too."

BATH: N Abendanon, H Agulla, M Banahan, K Eastmond, T Biggs, T Heathcote, P Stringer, P James, R Webber, D Wilson, D Day, D Attwood, F Louw (capt), C Fearns, B Skirving. Replacements: R Batty, N Catt, A Perenise, W Spencer, M Gilbert, M Claassens, S Vesty, S Rokoduguni.

GLOUCESTER: R Cook, C Sharples, H Trinder, M Tindall (capt), J May, F Burns, D Robson, N Wood, D Dawidiuk, R Harden, L Lokotui, W James, T Savage, A Qera, S Kalamafoni. Replacements: H Edmonds, D Murphy, D Chistolini, P Buxton, A Hazell, D Lewis, R Mills, M Thomas.

CRIMINAL finishing could blight Gloucester's Premiership top-four chances, believes Nigel Davies.

The Gloucester boss has told his Cherry and Whites to start converting their line-breaks into tries – or fail in their league play-off bid.

Gloucester take on Bath at The Recreation Ground tonight (kick-off 8pm), desperate to avenge their 32-5 LV=Cup shaming at Kingsholm on February 2.

Davies' men can rack up the treble double: their third-straight league double over their bitter rivals.

But the Gloucester rugby director has told his players to forget the bragging rights and start thinking more clearly and clinically when they break into Bath's 22.

Davies said: "We've got to be a lot more clinical. Against Worcester last week we created six or seven line-breaks, but we didn't finish any of them off.

"And that's criminal really, top teams like New Zealand, they finish off 60 per cent of their line-breaks, and we have to aspire to be far more clinical.

"It's some of the decision-making once we do get behind teams.

"And when we train, we train to attack in front of the defensive line, but also when we get behind that line and we take advantage of that.

"A couple of times, when the contact has been made, we are not making the right decision at that breakdown, to take advantage of where the space is.

"So there's some clear areas where we need to improve on that front, and we've got to take the next step forward."

Former Wales centre Davies said Gloucester appreciate the enormity of tonight's derby, as much for the chance to stay in the top-four hunt as to claim ascendancy over their rivals.

Gloucester sit fourth with 45 points, with Bath down in seventh with 38, but the Premiership switches around week on week, and Davies said it is imperative the Cherry and Whites maintain pressure on the upper reaches of the table.

Gloucester now boast ten points in three weeks, after victories over Northampton and Worcester and claiming two bonus points in defeat to Wasps.

Davies said he had targeted 12 points from this four-match sequence but would gladly take the 14 that victory tomorrow would bring.

He said: "It's a massive game for both sides, in terms of the context and position and the league position, and also the local rivalry.

"And on the back of the last performance too, so there's a lot to play for.

"It's a compact stadium: we'll have two sets of passionate supporters on top of the players really, urging both sides on.

"So I think we can expect a very intense, intimidating atmosphere, and I'm sure our own supporters will add their own flavour to it.

"And both sides realise how important this fixture is, for a number of reasons.

"Twelve points across these four games would probably indicate three wins. It's a good opportunity for us.

"The pressure's all on them in some regards, playing at home.

"We go there with a clear mind, a clear view of how we need to play, of how we need to make some statements, and we'll look forward to the battle."

Calling on Gloucester to hit back to top form after their struggles in their last-gasp 29-23 victory over Worcester victory last week, Davies said: "It's funny, if we'd lost that game it could have been a completely different perspective.

"We were dominant but didn't take our chances.

"There's a lot left in this team – now it's time to show it."

Drivers should expect delays on the M5 northbound but not as busy as it is normally.

Traffic is slow but moving on A40 in Highnam eastbound from Highnam traffic lights to Over Roundabout.

JOBLESS dad-of-four Garry O'Neil has been left without enough money for food or rent – after turning up late for a benefits meeting by just six hours.

Mr O'Neil, 43, said his family would now have to find other ways of raising the money after being left more than £1,000 down.

The former full-time electrician, who lost his job in December, applied for jobseeker's allowance last month.

He was told to attend a meeting a the job centre in Cheltenham every other Thursday, at 3.40pm.

But when the appointment was changed to 9am on January 24, he accidently turned up at the usual time instead.

And despite arranging to attend a meeting the next day, Mr O'Neil received a letter last week telling him he will not be able to receive benefits for the next month.

He hit out against the punishment and said it was his wife and children, aged two, six, 10 and 13, who would suffer.

"This is a great blow," he said. "I calculate that this will leave me with a debt of £1,131.

"I cannot afford this. We now have no way of paying the rent or bills and am lost as to how to continue to feed and roof the family.

"I'm lucky I have people to turn to, and am in affordable housing, but can you imagine someone else who is in private accommodation?

"I am not whining about not getting more money, it's just the system will affect other people as well.

"A fine of £1,131 for lateness is just ridiculous. You would not accept that for minor crimes. This debt will affect my kids, my wife and my rent. That is unjust.

"It is entirely disproportionate to being late."

Mr O'Neil receives £111.78 per week in allowance, and said he hoped to be able to raise the money for rent and food.

A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions said: "It's absolutely right that, when people claim Jobseeker's Allowance, they stick to the contract they make with us. The conditions that go with that ensure people aren't taking advantage of taxpayers' money.

"We take care to ensure people understand what is expected of them and encourage them to take up all the help that is available to them so they can get back to work.

"Sanctions are applied in the same way across the UK and are only used where people have not adhered to their jobseeker obligations. If someone disagrees with a decision made on their claim, they can appeal."

PLANS to encourage thousands of Cheltenham residents to recycle their garden waste have proved overly ambitious, council leaders have admitted.

The borough council had hoped people in the town would subscribe to using its brown rubbish bins.

Just over 12,000 people in the town hold a subscription to have their garden waste collected. But the authority had originally anticipated selling 20,000 bins by 2013.

As a result, the council has 9,600 brown garden waste bins in storage – valued at a total of £150,000.

Council staff have insisted the number of people taking up the service is rising steadily with approximately 2,000 new bin subscriptions in 2012.

But the council has insisted that the number will eventually be taken up – and will save the authority money.

Slow uptake on the scheme has been attributed to the fact people are used to putting their garden waste into their normal household bin, even though this is not allowed.

The council has also pointed to people using the Swindon Road Recycling Centre or Wingmoor Farm to dispose of waste rather than subscribing to the brown bin service.

And the sheer size of the bins has been cited as off-putting for some homeowners who do not have space to store them, while many people in the town do not have gardens large enough to fill the bins with cuttings.

Councillor Roger Whyborn, cabinet member for sustainability who is in charge of waste, believed more people could still take up the service.

He added: "In hindsight, it may have been ambitious to expect the anticipated level of take up.

"Due to the fact that bins become broken or damaged, the council will always need a supply for replacement.

"With wheeled bin production prices increasing year on year and the fact that the council has the necessary storage space to house the containers, having this large stock will undoubtedly end up saving the council money in the future.

"It's more expensive to buy smaller quantities of bins, so the council would have secured the best possible price by ordering in bulk."

It is hoped that some of the bins can be sold to other authorities such as Tewkesbury Borough Council which bought 1,000 bins from Cheltenham in 2012 and is purchasing another 1,000.

Mr Whyborn added: "It is anticipated that this arrangement could be repeated with other local authorities."

OPINION, P8

CHRISTIANS from across the country will be heading to Cheltenham as a religious festival celebrates its 40th birthday.

Cheltenham Racecourse will be playing host to the Greenbelt Festival as it marks its fourth decade.

The controversial festival, which draws thousands of visitors every year, runs events and activities focusing on the arts, faith and justice.

Titled Life Begins this year, the four-day event runs from August 23.

Greenbelt has been housed at Cheltenham Racecourse since 1999, and takes place during the August Bank Holiday weekend.

It has lead to tensions with some Christians accusing it of being too liberal.

But the Rev Malc Allen, rector at St Michael's and All Angels Church in Bishop's Cleeve, said he would be urging his flock to go along to the event this year.

He added: "Greenbelt is a absolutely fantastic event.

"Although at one point it might have become a bit too liberal, that is no longer the case.

"It is a wonderful opportunity to hear a wide range of speakers about faith issues.

"Some of the speakers will challenge Christians to explore their faith and that is not a bad thing."

The event will be advertised at the church, and the Rev Allen is expecting people from all ages to be part of the festival.

"We encourage people to go from the church," he said.

"The thing about Greenbelt is that it is available for more than just young people. I've gone for a few years, and there is something for everybody."

Organisers have announced the first acts for the festival this year, with a Grammy-award winning duo from Mali, Amadou and Mariam, headlining one night on Greenbelt mainstage.

Paul Northup, director at the festival, said: "This year marks Greenbelt's 40th birthday, and our 15th festival at Cheltenham Racecourse.

"Time flies when you're enjoying yourself.

"We have built up strong links with Cheltenham and we're extremely grateful to the racecourse staff and the people of Cheltenham for their hospitality."

Early bird tickets are now on sale until April 30 at £109 for an adult weekend ticket.

They are available from www.greenbelt.org.uk/boxoffice/tickets/weekend.