ALMOST half of the people in Cheltenham with dementia remain undiagnosed, according to figures released by the Alzheimer's Society.

The charity said just 46 per cent of those with the condition were diagnosed, accounting for 849 people in 2012/2013. This means the actual figure of people living with dementia is 1,818, the charity said.

The statistics were released at the same time as a new guide for people with dementia and their carers. The charity hopes it will encourage people living with undiagnosed dementia to seek help.

It described the guide as the first of its kind to provide comprehensive information about the condition, which affects one in three people over 65, all in one place.

The guide offers advice to help people come to terms with their diagnosis and plan ahead and enable them to live well with the condition and comes a year after a report from the All Party Parliamentary Group on dementia, which found more immediate support was needed after diagnosis.

See www.alzheimers.org.uk for more.

CHILDREN will be able to make their own cup and ball game next week.

It is part of a special workshop being run at the Holst Museum.

Staff at the centre in Clarence Road, Pittville, are holding the session on Tuesday.

It is one of a series of workshops being held every week to teach young visitors about the toys that Victorian children would have played with.

Sessions in August will teach them how to create homemade playthings, including spinning tops and jumping jack games.

The drop-in sessions at the birthplace of the composer run from 10.30am to 3pm.

Children go free with an accompanying adult.

Gustav Holst was born in Clarence Road in 1874.

He was a prolific composer who wrote in practically every classical genre from solo-song and chamber pieces to massively scored orchestral works and opera.

CHARLTON Kings councillors Rob Reid and Helena McCloskey will hold their next outreach session at the start of August.

The councillors will be at the Blend Coffee Shop in Church Piece between 11am and 12.30pm on Saturday August 10.

The surgery is an opportunity to discuss issues and ideas.

A TEENAGE boy has said he was 'brainwashed' into ignoring inappropriate behaviour by a Stroud businessman.

Stephen Read, 59, is standing trial on 15 charges of sexual abuse against four young boys between July 1997 and May last year.

Yesterday, a third boy said he was shown pornography by Read and was asked to commit a lewd act in front of him.

Gloucester Crown Court heard the lad came forward to tell police after two other boys made accusations against Read, of Bussage.

Married Read, who set up Enviro Technology Services, denies all the charges against him.

The trial continues.

DEVASTATED Carol and Robert Rickards are coming to terms with the sudden death of their beloved daughter Alice and bringing up her two children.

The mum-of-two died on July 13 aged just 34 after suffering a major aneurysm.

Her children Brendan, 10, who is disabled, and Bertie, two, are being taken under the wing of the couple, who are from Longford.

"We are still in shock, we just can't believe what has happened," said Carol.

"She was a beautiful girl, absolutely adorable and would do anything for anyone. Everybody loved her.

"Brendan has had some major operations in his life and Alice has always been there for him, every step of the way. Now she's gone.

"He knows what has happened and he's having good days and bad days. We've been looking through family photo albums which has been upsetting but I think it helps too."

The couple have been reflecting on Alice's childhood when she was an aspiring performer.

She scooped first prize at the Gloucester Carnival aged nine when she dressed up as Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII.

During her life the family moved to Cambridge and also to Gibraltar before returning to Gloucester to their Tewkesbury Road home.

"She went to stage school and auditioned for quite a few parts," said Carol.

"But in the end she went on to follow in her mother's footsteps and became a demonstrator."

She did demonstrations at major events in London such as boat shows as well as working on cosmetic stands closer to home at department stores such as Debenhams in Gloucester.

Carol said: "She had lived with us for most of her life, up until the last few weeks.

"She had been going through a rough time and had just started to sort herself out again.

"She'd moved into a very nice place near the Cathedral.

"She will always be my beautiful little princess.

"Now I want to make sure Alice has the best send off possible."

Alice will be taken to her funeral at St Mary de Lode Church, in Archdeacon Street, in a horse-drawn carriage on Wednesday. The funeral is at 2pm.

POLICE are searching for an "an exceptionally dangerous man" who absconded from Leyhill open prison.

Adam Mark was serving a life sentence after being convicted in 1996 of three rapes and one attempted rape of women and girls.

He is said to be a danger to the public, particularly children. He was last seen outside the reception area at the prison near Wotton-under- Edge at 7.30pm on Tuesday.

He is white, about 5ft 6ins tall, of medium build with short cropped brown hair. He wears a diamond earring in his left ear. If you see him, do not approach him, but dial 999 immediately.

NEW homes described as "ugly" by residents are already being snapped up – despite a £1 million price tag.

Buyers have snapped up two of the four Tivoli Villas properties even before they are officially launched this month.

The four-bedroom luxury townhouses have been built in Lypiatt Drive.

Some neighbours in near-by streets have likened the homes to "glorified shoeboxes".

But both the developer and architect of the development said they were confident they would prove to be popular.

Developer Marcus Hawtin, owner of Marcus Homes, said: "We have already received a lot of interest.

"The houses are conveniently placed near to local amenities, which is why I chose the area. It is great that I can use my interest in architecture to create something different from the usual house designs found today."

They have provoked a mixed response from Tivoli residents. Christopher Lisney, 47, said: "From the front, they may look a bit strange – a bit modern – but they look exciting.

"I expect the only problem may be is that they have small gardens."

Oliver Bruce, a 20-year-old businessman, added: "They are not very in-keeping with the other houses in the area but I guess you have to keep up with the 21st century.

"Maybe they will attract young and wealthy business people from London."

Richard Stanley, principal for Stanley Partnership Architects who designed the build, likened the houses to previous projects led by the company.

He said: "They are visually very strong and the reason for that is they have been built in a back lane. You can compare them to the old Victory Club in Imperial Square, for which we received an award."

The project, Tivoli Villas, has been supported with a £1.5 million loan from Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking.

RAIN and cloudy weather will continue throughout the weekend across Gloucestershire.

After warmer weather yesterday, experts at the Met Office are predicting rain throughout parts of the county today.

They are expecting heavy showers this afternoon, although this is due to ease off around 4pm.

Temperatures could hit a high of 22C, with a low of around 18C.

The Met Office is also predicting unsettled and breezy weather for the weekend.

But weather experts have said there will be sunny spells throughout Saturday and Sunday.

The weekend is set to be cooler than today.

Temperatures are predicted to reach a high of 20C, with a low of around 15C.

FORENSIC scientists are continuing to examine a skeleton dug up in Gloucestershire.

Specialist pathologist teams are expected to carry out tests for a further two weeks as they determine the age and cause of death of bones unearthed from a riverbed in the River Coln, in Fairford.

The find was discovered by two schoolboys last month.

It was thought the body was from the Saxon period.

BROWNIES have been nurturing colourful blooms to brighten their streets.

Up Hatherley Brownies showcased their garden in Cheltenham in Bloom, having prepared hanging baskets at their centre in Hollis Gardens.

They decorated 12 hanging baskets – two of which they helped created in May when they planted petunias and Bizzie Lizzies.

They were displayed at the house of Brownie helper Fred Farmer. Around 20 Brownies, aged seven to 11, helped create the baskets.

Mr Farmer said: "We have had great feedback and everyone has said the hanging baskets are stunning.

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to reverse the downgrade of Cheltenham's A&E have been heartened by a High Court's decision to overturn a similar move in Lewisham, south east London.

On Wednesday Mr Justice Silber ruled that Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt's decision to downgrade the casualty and maternity departments at Lewisham Hospital was unlawful.

This has given fresh hope to those battling to overturn Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group's (GCCG) decision to close Cheltenham Hospital's emergency department to critically ill patients between 8pm and 8am.

Ambulances began taking 999 emergency patients picked up in Cheltenham to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital (GRH) in Gloucester on Monday evening.

Calls to reverse the change are being made by Cheltenham's MP Martin Horwood, the borough's chamber of commerce and health campaigners 38 Degrees.

Appealing for a judicial review into the decision is one option currently being considered by opponents to the downgrade.

David Perry, from 38 Degrees, said: "We have been heartened by the High Court decision and its potential impact on giving the people what they want rather than what has been imposed upon them without a mandate."

Mr Horwood and chamber of commerce representatives met with the GCCG on Tuesday.

They asked how it will carry out its six month and 12 month review of the impact of the changes.

Mr Horwood said the GCCG had promised to write to the chamber to explain how the review will work.

"We want to see how the data will be gathered on mortality rates and how detailed the review will be," he said.

On Monday and Tuesday this week a total of 33 ambulances arrived at GRH between 8pm and 8am with 22 patients admitted.

This compared with 22 ambulances during the same period the previous week, where there were 21 patients admitted.

GCCG has said it made the A&E decision due to a national shortage of emergency doctors.

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's director of service delivery, Eric Gatling, insisted that there had not been any noticeable problems as a result of the changes. "Although 11 additional ambulances arrived at GRH this week compared to last, the number of admissions was virtually the same which suggests the impact on our emergency department and the wider hospital was fairly minimal," he said.

FIRE crews were called to a blaze in a house amid fears that a person was trapped inside.

Two calls were made to Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue about the incident in Stoke Orchard.

But they discovered that everyone had escaped when they arrived on Wednesday afternoon.

IT is official: A giant Morrisons supermarket will headline the town's ambitious £60 million North Place and Portland Street redevelopment.

Rumours have been circulating for months that the shopping giant was being pursued to fill a 73,000 square feet store at the car park site off St Margaret's Road.

And now the company has signed and sealed to move into the new building on a 25-year term. The major town centre redevelopment will also include a five-storey car park, 143 homes, a public square and a new bus station.

It is hoped work will start on the development early next year with an anticipated completion date of the middle of 2015.

Jeremy Williamson, managing director of the Cheltenham Development Task Force, which is leading the charge to transform the town, said: "The signing of Morrisons marks a major step forward with our ambitious plans for the centre of Cheltenham. We are delighted they have shown the confidence to make a major long-term investment in Cheltenham."

Morrisons was also granted permission in July this year to set up an M local shop in the former Blockbuster store in Winchcombe Street. The supermarket yesterday said it had every intention of still doing that, even though the site was a few hundred metres away from the North Place development.

A spokeswoman said: "Shoppers use our bigger stores for their main weekly shops but like to have the option to pop in to a small Morrisons M local to grab items they may have forgotten or simply to pick up food on the go."

The North Place/Portland Street development was granted planning permission in February and it has long been identified by Cheltenham Borough Council as a key strategic development site for improving the town. The existing car parks provide a combined 813 spaces.

The new multi-storey car park will have 634 spaces, with 300 for public use and the rest set aside for supermarket customers. It means Cheltenham will lose about 500 public car parking spaces with the under-used Grosvenor Terrace multi-storey expected to pick up the slack.

The addition of Morrisons to the town centre will mean Cheltenham will be home to eight large-scale supermarkets.

The new supermarket building will also see room set aside in the atrium, facing toward The Brewery complex, for a large restaurant while there will also be space for some other shops.

Morrisons believes the "town centre nature" of the site and Cheltenham's status as an "affluent" town provided a "perfect opportunity" for expansion.

Robin Langford, development surveyor for Morrisons, said: "Our new store at Cheltenham will be full of the latest retail ideas and will be offering our customers the full fresh range that Morrisons is renowned for."

OPINION, P8

CAREER criminal Nathan Hibberd cried as he was sent back behind bars yesterday.

The Matson drug addict was jailed for three and a half years for committing his 200th burglary.

The 39-year-old was told he had caused "untold misery" to his latest victims and it appeared no amount of jail time could reform him.

Judge Jamie Tabor QC said: "I can't stop you without whatever jail sentence I impose, unless it is life, which I'm not entitled to do.

"If you are going to stop it's got to come from you and no one else."

Hibberd's life of crime stretches back more than 25 years and his first house burglary was in 1992.

He was jailed for three and a half years in 1999 for 62 burglaries, for four years in 2001 for 54 burglaries, and four-and-a-quarter years in 2005 for 41 burglaries.

He was jailed again in 2009 for four-and-a-half years after admitting 42 burglaries in Gloucester.

He was caught red-handed committing his latest crimes on July 16.

He broke into a home in Henry Road, Kingsholm, and one in Coronation Grove, Wotton, and stole jewellery.

He went on the run and a manhunt was launched on July 19 by officers, with a reward of £1,000 offered by Crimestoppers.

Shocked residents spotted him cowering in a Tuffley garden the next day.

He was captured by officers after climbing on to the roof of a house in Fox Elms Road.

Hibberd, of Winnycroft Lane, pleaded guilty to two counts of dwelling burglary at a previous hearing at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court.

Yesterday at Gloucester Crown Court, Judge Tabor said: "You have been before this court on many occasions, many occasions, for burglary."

He added: "Yet again you have caused untold misery by breaking into peoples houses.

"I don't think the victims have exaggerated when they said they were frightened and feel absolutely outraged.

"You were caught red-handed.

"You have been jailed in the past and now it's up to you.

"Enough is enough."

Sniffing back tears, Hibberd responded: "I'm trying, sir."

Judge Tabor said: "You may be, but breaking into people's houses shows you are not trying hard enough."

He sentenced him to three and half years for each burglary, to run concurrently, and said: "Get off the drugs inside.

"Come out changed and I hope the probation service will help to provide you with an environment where you are not tempted to do it again."

Hibberd was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £150.

THE ANNUAL battle to hold on to Kingsholm's top talent has started earlier than ever before.

Gloucester's board and management team have already launched their assault on retaining their frontline stars whose contracts will expire at the end of the coming season.

The Cherry and Whites have a hefty 24 first-team squad members out of contract at the end of the new campaign.

Freddie Burns, Billy Twelvetrees, Charlie Sharples, Sione Kalamafoni, Rob Cook, Akapusi Qera, James Simpson-Daniel, Matt Cox and Henry Trinder are just a selection of the coveted Kingsholm stars whose deals will expire this term.

Existing contracts for a whole host of stellar talents and mainstays will run their course this season.

And that means in January it will be open season for rival clubs to make offers to those Gloucester favourites, if no new Kingsholm deals have been agreed.

Gloucester are naturally keen to avoid that situation, and tie up their top performers before rivals can start making formal offers to prise them away from Kingsholm.

So rugby director Nigel Davies and Gloucester's board have already kick-started the process of earmarking exactly where the squad budget for 2014/15 will go.

The Echo understands that Gloucester are keen to start making new contract offers as soon as possible.

And Kingsholm chiefs have certainly started this process well in advance of previous years.

Gloucester will want to retain the bulk of their out-of-contract personnel, with Rupert Harden, Ryan Mills, Lua Lokotui, Darren Dawidiuk, Shaun Knight, Tim Taylor and Tim Molenaar also on that list.

Antipodean stars Jimmy Cowan and Huia Edmonds are also among the nucleus of stars whose deals will expire, while veterans Andy Hazell, Will James and player/backs coach Mike Tindall swell those ranks still further.

New recruits Johnny Bentley and Dan George, and re-signed full-back Martyn Thomas complete the roster of out-of-contract Cherry and Whites.

Davies' late arrival as rugby director last summer meant he could not make the jump on contract discussions he would have liked.

The former Wales centre had a whole host of more pressing concerns to address after arriving from Llanelli Scarlets before he could turn attention to squad make-up and tinkering.

This time around, though, Kingsholm affairs are in far better order, allowing Davies, his coaching team and the Gloucester board to sink their teeth into the annual jigsaw puzzle of building the strongest possible squad within both budget and salary cap.

England's coming inside backs partnership of Burns and Twelvetrees will no doubt command serious attention from rivals, and not just among the Premiership rich boys either.

Former Championship men Sione Kalamafoni and Rob Cook have impressed to such an extent after just one season in the Premiership that there will no doubt be more than admiring glances there too.

Two years ago Fijian flanker Akapusi Qera admitted he rejected several big-money offers from France to stay on at Kingsholm.

And there is no doubt those same money-bags chairmen from across The Channel will be circling with intent again come the turn of the year.

Wing wizard James Simpson-Daniel was seriously tempted by a hefty offer from French Top 14 club Castres in 2011. The stealthy line-breaker chose Cherry and White over bank balances when signing a three-year deal.

Once again he could come under further French scrutiny, with his mercurial talents showing no signs of abating.

The greatest challenge of retaining all the top stars comes with players naturally, and rightly, commanding higher salaries as they rise through club and international ranks.

Gloucester were unable to hold on to the likes of Dave Attwood and Paul Doran-Jones under Bryan Redpath.

The squad, with Redpath's help it must be stressed, has moved in a different direction since.

Davies was clear on his arrival last summer that the squad he inherited needed little work at that point.

But the situation will certainly be different by the end of his second Kingsholm campaign.

The former management consultant has already made an impressive Cherry and Whites mark.

Balancing the books while retaining all the assets could prove Davies' biggest challenge yet.

OUT OF CONTRACT AT THE END OF 2013/14:

FRONT-ROW: Huia Edmonds, Rupert Harden, Darren Dawidiuk, Shaun Knight, Dan George.

LOCK: Lua Lokotui, Will James.

BACK-ROW: Sione Kalamafoni, Akapusi Qera, Matt Cox, Andy Hazell.

SCRUM-HALF: Jimmy Cowan.

FLY-HALF: Freddie Burns, Tim Taylor, Johnny Bentley.

WING: James Simpson-Daniel, Charlie Sharples.

CENTRE: Billy Twelvetrees, Henry Trinder, Tim Molenaar, Ryan Mills, Mike Tindall.

FULL-BACK: Rob Cook, Martyn Thomas.