NEW security fencing could be installed around a Tredworth school that has been plagued by youngsters getting into the ground at night and climbing onto the roof.

Hatherley Infant School wants to install a 1.8-metre-high fence behind the existing fence.

The school is currently awaiting planning consent for the proposal from planners at Gloucester City Council.

But in their application the school said: "The existing fencing on the Vicarage Road boundary does not provide security as children can easily push through it.

"This gives the children attending the school the opportunity to leave the grounds unhindered and unnoticed.

"The fencing in situ also allows children to access the site when the school is closed.

"Currently the school is having issues with children gaining access to the site and climbing onto the roof when the site is unoccupied, causing damage to the roof covering, and leaving the children vulnerable to injury from falling."

CAMPAIGNERS have set up a steering group with the aim of reversing the overnight closure of Cheltenham General Hospital's emergency department to critically-ill patients

The Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (GCCG)'s decision to direct ambulances to take Cheltenham patients to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in Gloucester between 8pm and 8am came into effect at the end of last month.

The steering group, led by Cheltenham Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Ratcliffe is considering calling for a judicial review into the decision.

In a statement, the steering group said its aims were:

■ To get a fully-staffed and fully-functioning 24 hour A&E department reinstated at Cheltenham General Hospital;

■ To confirm with the GCCG that the decision to downgrade the A&E department was taken solely as a result of the lack of suitable members of staff;

■ To understand what steps would be taken to reverse the current position with regards to the recruitment and retention of staff;

■ To highlight the "flawed nature of the consultation process" and its "lack of transparency"

Mr Ratcliffe said: "The option to take the GCCG decision to a Judicial Review is still being actively considered.

"The decision to down grade the A&E department at Cheltenham General Hospital does not just affect over 120,000 people in Cheltenham, it also affects 80,000 people in Tewkesbury Borough and thousands in the North Cotswold area.

"We should remember that if Gloucester cannot cope with all the emergency ambulances sent to them, then the next nearest hospital is probably Bristol, not Cheltenham.

"We will work together to get a fully functioning A&E department at Cheltenham General Hospital."

Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood added: "If anything, the anger at this decision – and the way it was taken – seems to be growing.

"The group that is coming together has formidable medical, legal and campaigning expertise.

"And we all want to see the future of A&E at Cheltenham protected."

TWICE a day Eileen Weston feeds the birds with a whole loaf of fresh bread.

She evens butters the sliced 50p Morrisons loaf because she believes her feathered friends like it.

But her neighbours say the 68-year-old's antics are attracting so many gulls that their homes, cars and washing are being splattered on a daily basis.

They have even called for her to be given an antisocial behaviour order in a bid to stop her feeding the birds.

VIDEO: Eileen Weston prepares bread for the birds

But defiant Eileen, of Chatcombe Road, Matson, said: "I moved here in 1981 and I have been feeding the birds ever since. I love birds and I have no intention to stop feeding them.

"They are always saying on the telly how we need to feed the birds so I feed them twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

"People can complain all they want. They are just nosy neighbours with nothing better to do.

"It is not my fault that the birds make a mess sometimes."

Retired Eileen spends up to £20 per week stocking up on the cheap supermarket loaves.

She whiles away her time spreading margarine on the bread before slicing it up and putting it on a bird table in her garden.

But neighbours Edward and Pamela Cooke, of Penhill Road, close to Eileen's corner plot, said they are constantly "bombarded" by gull mess.

Retired Pamela, who has lived in the street for more than 20 years, said: "Despite polite requests she still feeds the gulls with whole loaves of bread. Our washing, vehicles and houses are bombarded with disgusting mess from these birds.

"It is especially galling because a lot of the residents had their houses painted last year to smarten the street up but their efforts have gone to waste.

"She is acting in a very antisocial manner. Perhaps she could be given an Asbo to encourage her to stop feeding them."

Her husband Edward, who works as a gardener, said: "I no sooner wash my car and it is filthy again. I went around there again this morning to ask her to stop but she doesn't seem to take any notice."

But another neighbour, Donald Walker, leapt to Eileen's defence. He said: "She's got nothing else in her life. She can't get out much and it is something she enjoys.

"There is a gull problem everywhere in Gloucester so people should leave Eileen alone.

"I have been her neighbour for 24 years and I do her gardening for her. She's a lovely lady who means no harm to anybody."

Bosses at Project Solace, the squad that tackles antisocial behaviour in the city, said they could take action.

A spokeswoman said: "If a person has been asked to stop feeding the birds and they keep on going then we could carry out a joint operation with Environmental Health."

A Gloucester City Council spokeswoman said: "People are entitled to feed the birds in their own garden but if there is an accumulation of waste or vermin is being attracted the council may investigate."

Three elderly women in nearby Wiltshire were last year landed with Asbos to halt two decades of their pigeon-feeding habits.

Council bosses there said that the feeding by the three women – dubbed the "pigeon ladies" – had led to an explosion in the population of the birds to the point where Trowbridge, a town with just 28,000 people, had a bigger problem than the city of Edinburgh.

SHOULD bird lovers who put out bread which attracts seagulls be given an Asbo?

That's the question being asked in the county after neighbours called for the authorities to do something to stop a woman from enticing gulls to their street.

Twice a day Eileen Weston feeds the birds with a whole 50p Morrisons loaf.

She even butters the sliced bread because she believes the birds like it.

But her neighbours say the 68-year-old's antics are attracting so many gulls that their homes, cars and washing are being splattered on a daily basis.

They have even called for her to be given an antisocial behaviour order in a bid to stop her feeding the birds.

But defiant Eileen, who lives in Gloucester, said: "I moved here in 1981 and I have been feeding the birds ever since. I love birds and I have no intention to stop feeding them.

"It is not my fault that the birds make a mess sometimes."

She spends up to £20 per week stocking up on supermarket loaves.

She whiles away her time spreading margarine on the bread before slicing it up and putting it on a bird table in her garden.

But neighbours Edward and Pamela Cooke, from Penhill Road, Matson, said they are constantly being "bombarded" by mess from the gulls.

Retired Pamela, who has lived in the street for more than 20 years, said: "Despite polite requests she still feeds the gulls with whole loaves of bread.

"Our washing, vehicles and houses are bombarded with disgusting mess from these birds.

"She is acting in a very anti-social manner. Perhaps she could be given an Asbo to encourage her to stop feeding them."

Claire Harris, from Hester's Way, said she believes Asbos should be given to people who encourage seagulls to an area.

The 41-year-old said: "Seagulls are a real nuisance so if someone is putting out bread and bringing them to the area, something should be done to stop them."

Peter Tarling, 54, from Pittville, said: "I think an Asbo might be a bit harsh, but if someone was attracting gulls to the area I'd want someone to have a word with them to get them to stop."

The 2013 Great Taste results are now out and The Artisan Kitchenis a winner

Handmade preserve company The Artisan Kitchen in Gloucester is celebrating the news that 5 of its products have wowed judges in Great Taste 2013 by being awarded 2 stars for Pink Grapefruit & Lemon Marmalade, Blackcurrant & Sloe Gin Jam, Summer Citrus Marmalade, Seville Orange Marmalade & 1 star Gold for their Lime Lemon & Vanilla Marmalade – in the world's largest and most rigorous food awards scheme involving over 400 judges and thousands of hours of blind tasting. 

Great Taste is simply about taste, not clever branding or smart packaging.  Judges are presented with, for example, a piece of cheese, a pie or a little dish of chutney, with no wrappings, jars or marks – and they taste, confer and re-taste before making the decision on whether a product should be a 1-, 2- or 3-star winner.  In total more than 12 judges will have tasted and commented on each product. 

Sarah Churchill the owner & producer at The Artisan Kitchen says " Winning the 5 Great Taste awards this year is incredible, I work hard to source great tasting ingredients & produce great tasting, innovative flavoured preserves to add to my range, and to be recognised by the awards is a huge honour. To attain 2 stars in 4 products is truly amazing. I am looking forward to getting the award stickers on the jars and out to my customers"

 Out of almost 10,000 products entered into Great Taste 2013 just 125 have been awarded 3-star.  All 3-star products have been re-judged by a panel including Masterchef judge and restaurant critic Charles Champion, food buyers from Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Whole Food Markets and Michelin Star chef Russell Brown who have together decided on the 2013 Top 50 Foods, the Golden Fork Trophy winners as well as the new 2013 Supreme Champion.     

Finally on Monday, 9 September, at a nail-biting Awards' Dinner at the Royal Gardens Hotel, London, the great and the good from the world of fine food will gather to hear who has won the Golden Fork Awards and the final applause will be reserved for the Great Taste Supreme Champion 2013. 

WORRIED residents are urging drivers to slow down at a Cheltenham junction after a fatal crash at the weekend.

Abdul Haque, 45, died following a collision at the junction of Park Place and Andover Road.

He was driving a Mitsubishi Grandis when it collided with an Audi A4 in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The driver of the Audi, a 22-year-old man from Gloucester, has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Following the crash, which happened at 3.30am, neighbours called for drivers to take more care at the junction.

Martin Kennedy, 56, who lives nearby, said: "Whenever I'm at home, I can hear horns blaring and tyres screeching.

"People go too fast through the junction. You have to be really careful here.

"I'm not sure what can be done to the junction, except for drivers to slow down a bit."

Another resident in Andover Road, who did not want to be named, said he had heard the crash early in the morning.

He said: "I've lived here for more than 10 years.

"Sometimes drivers don't stop when they get to the junction, and it's just dangerous.

"People tend to go really fast down the road, and I think the junction might need traffic lights or some sort of measure to ensure something like this doesn't happen again."

Tim Harman, borough councillor for the area, said: "There might not be much traffic at night, but drivers still really have to take care when they used the road.

"It is certainly very tragic and when something like that happens, we have to learn lessons from it."

Emergency services were scrambled to the scene after the crash, in which the Mitsubishi rolled and landed on its roof.

The 45-year-old man, who has not been named, died at the scene. The 22-year-old was treated at Cheltenham General Hospital for minor injuries.

He has been bailed to return to Cheltenham police station on October 21.

Police closed the road for more than seven hours to carry out investigations. There is no suggestion that speed was a factor in this case.

Flowers have been placed at the site in tribute to the man who died.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or saw either of the cars prior to the collision should call the police on 101, quoting incident 80 of August 10.

■ Do you know the man who died? Pay tribute to him at www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk

VANDALS targeted a community football club's tea and changing rooms, causing hundreds of pounds of damage just days before the start of the new season.

Committee members at Cheltenham Saracens Football Club were left shocked after vandals broke in twice in the space of two days.

During the first burglary, they smashed up the tea room and stole food, drink and footballs worth £25 each, as well as a wall clock.

The next day, a break-in saw a changing room trashed at the club's ground in St Peter's.

Director of football Brian Dix had made sure the lock was welded on after the first break-in at the tea room on Tuesday.

But vandals managed to force their way in again the following night.

They sprayed vulgar graffiti on the walls of the changing room and made off with another wall clock and a stereo set which helps the players get pumped up before matches.

Mr Dix said: "It is just disgraceful. I can't believe they have done it twice in two days, and they just took everything with them.

"When they came back the second night, it was like an act of defiance.

"After stealing the stuff in the tea room and the changing room, they smashed all the glasses and cups, and then drew on the walls.

"We are just a community club and we had to band together quickly to make sure the repairs were done in time for the first match."

The damage cost the volunteers at the club around £500 to repair and they also had to buy new kitchen utensils for the tea room.

Despite this, the first team triumphed in their Hellenic League game, winning 3-1 against Oxford City Nomads.

Mr Dix said the team had bonded together to ensure the events of the past week did not affect their performance.

He said: "What happened was horrible, but what we have here is a great team spirit, and a willingness to push on together.

"The players were not about to let it put them dow and it did help them focus to put out a good result for the fans.

"We had a very good turnout for the first game of the season, and the support has been great since we started letting people know about the break ins.

"We are all for bringing sport to the community, and working with them, but sometimes it is very difficult when something like that happens.

"It is like a slap in the face really, but we will move on from here."

Anyone with information about the break-ins should call Gloucestershire police on 101.

OPINION, P8

Community volunteers will be joined by City Council officers and staff at from the new Sainsbury's Barton store to help tidy up litter left by others in the Barton area.

Volunteers will be litter picking their way from the St James Street City Farm to pick up rubbish left by others from 10am – 4pm on Monday 12th August.

The event is part of the Believe in Barton campaign, which helps communities to take pride in their area.

The litter collected will then be sorted into what can be recycled and what is general waste, helping to educate the community of what they can recycle themselves.

Councillor Sajid Patel, cabinet member for environment, Gloucester City Council said: "It's really important that we remind residents and also help educate them in what can be recycled to help reduce the amount of waste which is sent to landfill.

"Many residents we have spoken to are happy to recycle, but just didn't know what they could recycle and how to do so.

"The clean up days are also being complemented with visits from officers to properties in the area to check they have the right bins for the job of managing their waste and recycling which should make a lasting difference for the community.

When an area is looking clean and tidy there is more pride in the area and people try hard to keep it looking that way."

A number of streets have registered to take part in the Believe in Barton Street competition which will see the best improved street presented with a plaque at a prize giving event at the Barton Cultural Fayre on August 24th.

"THE community was on our side."

Those are the words of Sharon Freeman, from Chosen Hill Rugby Club, which raised £1,000 for two charities at its fun day on Saturday.

Help for Heroes and the ABF Soldiers Charity are set to benefit.

Soldiers from Imjin Barracks and the rugby club's players took part in a match while visitors enjoyed tug of war and a host of stalls.

Sharon said: "It was our first fun day and everyone came out to show their support. There was a fantastic atmosphere."

THE safety of pedestrianising Boots' corner while continuing to allow dozens of buses through every hour has been questioned by a Cheltenham stalwart.

At the moment, 49 buses pass through the heart of Cheltenham town centre during each morning rush hour, while 52 pass through during the evening's busiest period.

Plans to pedestrianise the area as part of a wider bid to tear up the town's one-way system are currently subject to consultation and Councillor Barbara Driver (C, Lansdown) believes the "very frightening aspect" of having a bus pass through nearly every minute must be challenged.

Writing in today's Echo she states: "With all the reports given by Cheltenham Borough Council and Gloucestershire Highways, and indeed in the questionnaire, there is one very frightening aspect not mentioned: that buses will go through the pedestrian area one per minute, 60 every hour.

"Is that really a safe idea?

"Would it be family friendly, especially for those with young children, let alone the elderly?"

She said disabled people were currently being consulted on, and she hoped their feelings on the matter would be taken seriously.

"The blind and partially sighted have asked that members of Cheltenham Development Task Force, Cheltenham Borough Council's cabinet and Gloucestershire Highways spend time in the town centre while blindfolded," she added.

Gloucestershire Highways said there was no prospect of bus numbers increasing to 60 an hour.

Proposal

Project manager Andrew Hieron said: "Throughout the consultation we have been clear that, under the proposal, buses will still use Boots' corner.

"We are at the consultation stage and no decisions have been made – we want to know what people in Cheltenham think of the idea.

"During the morning rush hour, 49 buses currently enter Boots' corner. In the evening rush hour there are 52, with less at other times.

"As a comparison, 36 buses in each peak hour use the High Street towards The Brewery."

Every morning between 8am and 9am, 23 buses going through Boots' corner come from Clarence Street and 26 from Pittville Street.

Thirteen continue their journey up North Street while 36 enter the High Street.

Between 5pm and 6pm, 52 buses enter Boots' Corner, with 27 from Clarence Street and 25 from Pittville Street.

Sixteen of these vehicles continue the journey up North Street while 36 enter the High Street.

Under the Boots' corner plans, two-way traffic would be restored to sections of the town which are currently one-way, including in front of Town Hall.

The aim of the transport scheme is to make it easier for people to access the town and to improve the centre by reducing traffic emissions and creating new public space.

Consultation on the plans runs until Sunday, September 1, with thousands of people across Cheltenham being asked for their opinions.

A number of consultation workshops have also been held and there will be two more in the coming days with one held in the Promenade tomorrow outside Waterstone's from 11am to 3pm.

■ See page six for Barbara Drivers' column Barb's Wire.

GLOUCESTERSHRIE coroner Alan Crickmore stands accused of fraud and theft of more than £2million, a court has revealed.

Crickmore, one of Britain's longest-serving coroners, is accused of stealing from four dead people while acting as the executor of their estates. At Westminster Magistrates' Court yesterday he was ordered to stand trial. Crickmore is accused of 13 counts of theft, seven counts of fraud by abuse of position and one count of fraud by false representation. He is yet to enter a plea.

A BARRIER that prevented an ambulance from getting to a man who collapsed and died in a Cheltenham park was installed to make the area safer.

Police confirmed last night that paramedics had to leave the ambulance behind and run to the aid of a 64-year-old man from Cheltenham, who it is thought was "out for a walk" when he collapsed.

An ambulance was called to Brizen Playing Fields in Up Hatherley at about 2.45pm on Saturday after witnesses called 999.

On arrival, they had to call the police for assistance to get the ambulance through.

A police spokesman said: "We were called to the scene by paramedics at 2.55pm requesting bolt cutters to open a (2.2m high) gate for ambulance access."

At 3.10pm, medics were still working on the patient at the scene.

Adam Reynolds, Cheltenham Borough Council's green space development manager, said: "The borough council is extremely sorry to hear about this incident.

"As with many public spaces in the borough, the park has a height restriction barrier to prevent access by joyriders and unauthorised traveller encampments.

"Brizen Playing Fields has a toddlers' play area, a skate park and ball court area and is very popular with children of all ages.

"Therefore, the approach we have taken to enclose the park ensures safety and is widely adopted by authorities in other towns and cities throughout the country, particularly where the threat of joyriding exists."

A spokesman for South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said that its emergency staff needed to adapt quickly.

He said: "Emergencies can happen anywhere – home addresses, coastal paths and beaches, urban and rural roads, woodland etc – and we have many different resources we can use to ensure we get to our patients quickly, even those in particularly difficult locations.

"Our staff will always find a way of getting to patients to begin treatment and while this is underway, ambulance officers and staff in our control room can make the necessary arrangements to ensure we can also get our vehicles as close to the patient as possible.

"If there are areas we attend quite regularly, such as shopping precincts or some parks and paths, we work closely with the local authorities to ensure our vehicles carry the necessary passes, codes or keys to be able to gain access.

"Difficult access can be due to terrain or gates and barriers and sometimes it can mean the police and/or fire services assisting us, or we may require our Hazardous Area Response Team."

A 21-YEAR-old driver whose car crashed into parked cars in Tewkesbury has been bailed.

Emergency services were called to Northway Lane in Tewkesbury around 3.30am last Saturday after a black Vauxhall Astra Sport collided at speed with a parked silver Nissan Terrano and blue Ford Fiesta.

As a result of the impact, both cars were written off.

The driver of the Vauxhall suffered minor injuries in the collision.

Police officers arrested him on suspicion of drink driving.

He has now been bailed until Monday, September 30 to return to Cheltenham police station.

Police are appealing for information and witnesses to come forward.

Anyone who can help should call the police at 101, quoting incident 78 of Saturday, August 10.

TICKETS to go on a tour of Gloucester Prison have sold out, before they have even gone on general sale.

The tours were expected to be extremely popular so the Ministry of Justice made 520 tickets available for the September 14 and 15 dates and they were quickly booked up.

But the MoJ had made the tickets available before Marketing Gloucester said they would be on sale.

They announced in their booklet they would be up for grabs yesterday. Instead, after the booklet was published, the MoJ decided it would deal with the ticketing.

A spokesman for Marketing Gloucester said: "The MoJ didn't make Marketing Gloucester Ltd aware of their own ticketing arrangements for this particular event."

HELP is at hand for mums in Gloucestershire who have been victims of domestic abuse.

Gloucestershire Dom- estic Abuse Support and Advocacy Project has been funded to provide a new scheme called You and Me Mum.

It is a women's aid accredited group work programme for mums in Gloucestershire who have experienced domestic abuse.

You and Me Mum is a 10-week programme that helps victims to understand how domestic abuse affects them as a parent and how it affects their children.

It helps to develop effective communication skills with children and young people, promote healthy and non-violent relationships and explore key protective behaviour messages and strategies for keeping mothers, children and young people safe.

For further information on the programme people ca contact Amanda Wilsdon by calling 01452 500115 or by email at amanda@gdvsap.net or alternatively on mar garetwd@gdvsap.net