Residents who struggle to find a car parking space at a new housing development hope planners will turn down 15 supported living apartments on their doorstep. Stroud District Council development control committee is set to approve HB Community Solutions Living's planning application tomorrow night (Monday). But those who live in the new canalside Ebley Wharf development say the area cannot take more homes because it will mean more cars. "The main problem is parking," said resident Steve Parker. "All around Ebley Wharf there are parking problems and this will just add to it." The application is for a three storey building with 15 supported living apartments - it comes with eight parking spaces. Highways officials from Gloucestershire County Council have objected because it could push parking out on to neighbouring streets, and the district council's own housing implementation manager has concerns over whether this type of housing is needed in the area. It is in the parish of Cainscross, one of the most heavily developed in Stroud. The parish council originally supported the plans but raised concerns over 'bland' design and parking. It was originally intended to be a doctors surgery but was sold off. Some residents believe they are being short-changed. "We were told it was going to be a doctors surgery but now we have this company saying it will be for people with learning disabilities - they will need carers there and they will need to park. "There is already a parking problem here. This will just add to it." There have been more than 80 letters of objection to the application, including some from residents who said the area already has enough care facilities. The committee has been advised to grant permission for the scheme. If it gets the go-ahead it would be run by Inclusion Housing and Lifeways on a long lease. In its application, HB Community Solutions Living said the amount of support needed should fall over time. "The overall aim of such supported living arrangements is to increase each person's independence over time, for example by reducing the amount of support needed, trying new things or moving to more independent accommodation," it said. "As has been demonstrated across the country in recent times, purpose-built supported living apartment schemes offer a range of important benefits and enhancements." Alastair Sheehan, development director of HB Villages, said: "The issue of parking has been raised by planners at Stroud and has been dealt with as part of the planning applications. Although it was not requested by the local planning authority, we have also conducted a formal traffic assessment on fully operational supported living schemes with similar amounts of car parking. "This has been forwarded to the local planning authority to provide extra comfort to residents. We can assure the local residents that our other developments have been well received and no such issues with parking have arisen."

Moving to a new country can be a tough move for anyone, but for Shabhir Haibary it's turned out to be a knockout.

Shabhir, 16, moved from Afghanistan 18 months ago and is fostered by Ann and Donald McDonald, parents to Tredworth's charity superhero Jamie.

Around 10 months ago, Ann encouraged Shabhir to take up kickboxing but he soon found it was not for him.

Ann said: "At first we told him to go along to kickboxing with the other child we foster but after about five weeks, Shabir decided it was not for him. He did not enjoy it.

"So he decided to go along to a boxing club called Fight Factory. He has been going for about 10 months now.

"The boxing is like therapy for Shabhir, it helps deal with his traumatic past and it gives him something to focus on."

Shabhir's upbringing and journey to England were described as 'troubled' by Ann and Donald but his pugilism is helping him put that behind him.

He was had two competitive fights so far, winning one, and has another in about four weeks.

Gloucester businessman Lee Chapman is now sponsoring Shabhir after watching his fights. Mr Chapman who owns Bloomfield Insurance has offered to pay for his kit.

Shabhir said: "Everybody in the club is very friendly and nice, it really is the best. The training can be tough but I enjoy it. I went for a 10 mile run with Donald on Friday too. I train six days a week at the Fight Factory."

Jamie, who has ran 200 marathons across Canada to raise money for children's charities, said: "After a few months with us, my parents asked him if he fancied giving boxing a go at The Fight Factory, a brilliant boxing gym nearby that is run by John and Liz Pitman -and as it turns out, he's pretty handy and could probably duff me right up.

"Shabhir's trainer Richard Mann thinks he could go all the way if he continues to train the way he is and it makes me feel incredibly proud to see him chasing his dream.

"Local support like this from the gym and Lee goes a massive way to helping a young Afghan kid who has had a tough few years feel right at home."

David Humphreys believes Gloucester's slender defeat to Saracens is proof they can now compete with the best teams in Europe. Following a summer of upheaval and then optimism, the Cherry and Whites were brought crashing back down to earth by Northampton Saints, who inflicted a 53-6 defeat on the opening day of the season. But after completing the first block of Premiership fixtures, Gloucester sit fifth in the table and have made clear progress between each encounter. A trip to face last season's table-toppers, who lost their first match the previous week, was unquestionably as tough as one to the champions' back yard. But there was no capitulation this time around and while sloppy errors again proved costly, Gloucester matched Saracens' physicality, intensity and sheer bloody-mindedness. The Cherry and Whites raced into a 13-3 lead at Allianz Park, thanks by a sublime Rob Cook try, crafted by Billy Twelvetrees, and the boot of Greig Laidlaw. But moments later Twelvetrees was charged-down and Chris Wyles raced clear to swing momentum in Saracens' favour. They then turned on the power and bludgeoned Gloucester to create tries from Alastair Hargreaves and Chris Wyles. But Gloucester refused to throw in the towel and Tom Savage crossed at the death to snatch a well-earned losing bonus-point. Humphreys said: "We have moved along in six weeks and now we have shown we can compete the top teams it's about establishing belief in the squad. "From day one there has been a huge enthusiasm for what we have done, it's shown in the way we have played. "There was the set-back against Northampton which gave us all a wake-up call but we have definitely got better. "Saracens finished top of the league last year, they are a champion team, are competing at the top in Europe and know what it takes to win games. "They have won two games this season with the last play and that shows their attitude and belief - we are working towards it. "People talk of turning points in big games and the charge down was obviously a big one. There was nobody at home, if the kick goes through Jonny May has a clear run to the line. "Against a lot of other sides you would say it was unlucky but with the number of charge down kicks they have through the season you have to credit them. "The second-half was disappointing. Too many turnovers, too many errors that cost us. "But with one minute to go, Saracens were on our line and the energy and enthusiasm to defend and not allow them to score and then go the length to score ourselves was brilliant. "People talk about character and spirit, you can't coach that. The last couple of minutes summed up where this squad have got to in the last couple of weeks." Gloucester made an encouraging start in Barnet with Matt Kvesic welcoming Shalk Brits back to the Premiership with a thunderous collision. The hosts barely touched the ball as Gloucester stretched their defence to earn a pair of penalties, which Laidlaw converted to open up a 6-0 lead after five minutes. Saracens worked their way into the encounter and Gloucester indiscipline allowed them to kick to the corner as they turned the screw. But Gloucester matched their physicality with some bone-crunching tackles in defence. Following a sustained period of pressure Ashton was released on the right but was clattered into touch by fellow England wing Jonny May. Saracens kept coming and Hodgson kicked to the corner again but the Cherry and Whites kept them at bay with the hosts instead settling for a Hodgson penalty. But after weathering the storm Gloucester continued to dominate and Twelvetrees fired a sublime miss-pass to release Cook, who stepped Ben Ransom for the opening try. Laidlaw was once again on target but Gloucester instantly shot themselves in the foot with Chris Wyles charging down a Twelvetrees chip to score. The kick was on and May would undoubtedly won the raise but Twelvetree's execution was a fraction too slow. Hodgson added the conversion to inflict 14-point swing. Just four minutes later they piled on the pressure and Hargreaves galloped over with hosts a 15-13 lead at the break. The former England fly-half booted the scoreboard back into action with another penalty on 48 minutes and they piled the pressure upon the Cherry and Whites. Wave after wave of attacks crashed down on Gloucester and allow they held firm, unforced errors and the refereeing of Dean Richards proved costly. Gloucester were perhaps harshly punished when Nick Wood was sent to the bin, after being red-carded at the same venue last season. The sustained pressure eventually told and Hargreaves smashed through the mid-field before releasing Ashton, unopposed on the inside. Hodgson slotted the conversion and quickly added a penalty to stretch their lead to 28-16. But Gloucester refused to leave Barnet empty handed and after a succession of phases Savage touched down for the crucial try. The Cherry and Whites face Brive in the European Challenge Cup on Thursday night and while Humphreys reckons there will be plenty of battered bodies, he insists wholesale changes are unlikely despite the short turnaround. He added: "When you are playing with 14 men it's very difficult but the sin-bin will not be the reason Saracens got away from us. The reason will be the mistakes we made. "At four consecutive set-pieces we turned the ball over and that's not good enough for a team that wants to win games but we will improve on that. "Coming off the back of Leicester and Saracens it was always going to be difficult to get everybody ready. We will see how we come out of it and then make some decisions. "We're not at the stage where we are talking about resting people, we are going into two weeks of Europe and then the autumn internationals so there will be plenty of opportunities for different players to get game time. "We have talked about winning habits. We have to win games, we have a squad that wants to go out and win every game and it will be no different on Thursday."

A total of one in 10 requests for web links to be removed from the Internet under European 'right to be forgotten' laws has come from the UK.

Google has announced that it has removed 498,737 links from search results – including 63,616 pages following demands from the UK.

This follows a European Court of Justice Ruling that links to irrelevant and outdated data can be wiped if a request is made.

As part of a transparency report, Google also provided examples of the sorts of requests it had received, along with the search engine's decision.

It said it had turned down requests from a UK public official who wanted a link to a student organisation's petition demanding his removal taken down.

Google also rejected the request of a former clergyman from the UK who asked for two links to articles about an investigation into sexual abuse accusations about him to be removed.

It said a news summary of a man who was convicted at a magistrates' court had been removed as, under the UK Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, his conviction had been spent.

Facebook, with 3,353 links removed across Europe, and YouTube, with 2,392 URLs deleted, were among the sites most affected.

In 2012, the European Commission published plans for a "right to be forgotten" law, allowing people to request that data about themselves to be deleted.

With clouds of fog forming over Gloucestershire this morning, drivers have had to take extra precautions before heading out.

No crashes have been reported to Gloucestershire Police this morning due to the decreased visibility, which should clear by this afternoon.

However if you are still planning a Sunday afternoon road trip, here are some extra precautions to take.

Before entering the fog

• Check your mirrors and slow down.
• Be prepared for fog up ahead, even if it seems to be clearing.

When driving in the fog

• Use lights as required.
• Keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front.
• Be prepared to break well within the distance you can see in front of you.
• Be aware of other drivers not using headlights.
• Don't accelerate away if a vehicle is too close behind you.
• At a junction, listen for approaching vehicles and do not hesitate in a position that's in the direct path of approaching vehicles. 

Birthday plans are to go ahead for a young woman with terminal brain cancer who was told she had two weeks to live – four months ago.

Jess Ridler, 23, has exceeded all expectations of doctors after being diagnosed with the disease but wants to, with her White City family, repay the kind treatment she received from Teenage Cancer Trust in the time she has left.

Along with her parents Rob and Jacqui, Jess has arranged that her 24th birthday party will be a fundraising event for the trust.

The 23-year-old former Screwfix worker started having headaches at the beginning of the year but after going for scans she was told that the tumour they discovered was benign.

However several weeks later her condition had not improved and started having double vision.

When she was found collapsed on her bathroom floor she was taken to hospital and the devastating news was discovered that she had an aggressive form of cancer and doctors only gave her two weeks.

The care received by the former Stroud College student from the Bristol Royal Infirmary cancer unit, which is run by the trust has stayed with Rob and Jacqui and Jess' brother Mark.

"Even for us they couldn't do enough, let alone for Jess," said Jacqui.

"We were allowed to stay overnight and arranged where we could stay.

"The way they treated Jess and us it makes us want to repay them for all the good work they did."

Unfortunately Jess's condition has worsened in the last five weeks. She is rarely able to communicate and is now bedridden, needing constant care.

Jess has had numerous visitors including old customers and even those that have seen her walking to and from work as well as frequent visits by her friends.

Rob described how his "fun-loving" daughter was before she contracted the terminal illness.

"Before this happened she was running around Screwfix and carrying things you wouldn't think two men could carry," he said.

"She would do anything for anybody. Family and friends came first.

"We're looking forward to the event but just worried about Jess. I just hope she lasts to see it."

A video link is to be set up so Jess can watch the party from her home.

The event is to be held at The Wingate Sports and Social Club in Gloucester on Saturday, November 1, with tickets being sold for £5 each.

Numerous businesses are lending a hand with donations for raffles and there are over 20 stalls expected to run on the day, with an auction, disco and salsa classes going on into the evening.

To donate, visit: justgiving.com/JessRidler or to buy tickets call 07702 730785.

Gloucester have rediscovered their fight according to Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall. The Cherry and Whites were defeated but not disgraced at Allianz Park and McCall was impressed with their tenacity. He was delighted with his side's victory and believes Gloucester are a entirely different prospect to last season. He said: "Gloucester fought unbelievably hard, and I don't think we saw that kind of fight from them last year. You could see the resolve in their team. "It was an unbelievably physical game, so we are delighted to have come away with the win. "We got off to a slow start. We were 13-3 down, and they came out of the blocks pretty well. "We showed a bit of resilience, a bit of resolve to get ourselves back into the game. "The charge down gave us some momentum but Some of rugby after that period was a little better. We had them under a fair bit of pressure at the end to chase that fourth, bonus-point try so it's a little bit disappointed we didn't get that. "But I thought we bounced back really well." The victory saw Saracens climb back to second in the Premiership table, just three points behind reigning champions Northampton Saints.

Wigan Warriors forward Ben Flower became the first player to be sent-off in Super League Grand Final history yesterday, just minutes into their game against St. Helens.

Flower seemed to completely lose the plot as he was sent down the tunnel for two brutal punches just two minutes into the game, 

The Wales international knocked St Helens stand-off Lance Hohaia to the ground, and then right-hooked his defenceless opponent in the face.

Wigan were left to play for 77 minutes with 12 men after earlier losing hooker Michael McIlorum with a fractured eye socket before kick-off.

They eventually lost the final 14-6 to St. Helens.

Watch the video of the incident below. Is this the fastest sending off ever? 

Old Cents 20 Old Reds 8

CENTS maintained their fine start to the National Three South West season with a hard fought victory over a strong Old Redcliffians side.

Cents had the edge in the tight and Reds had the edge in the lineouts with both sides competing vigorously at the breakdown.

Cents backs also had the edge in both attack and defence although Old Reds were well organised in these areas as well.

Perhaps the difference between the two sides was that Old Cents took their chances when they came and finished the match stronger than their opponents.

Cents started the scoring early on when captain Liam Hemming scored a fine solo try when he spotted a gap and burst through the defence from 22 metres out.

The try went unconverted and soon afterwards Old Reds went into the lead with a penalty and an unconverted try.

On 20 minutes Cents drew level with a penalty from in front of the posts, converted by Hemming, to leave it 8-8 at the break.

Both sides pressed hard for the breakthrough in the third quarter but as the match wore on Cents seemed to be the slightly fitter side and this gave them the edge.

Cents scored their second try just before the hour mark through prop James Elliott who finished off a series of forward drives near the Old Reds line.

The score was 13-8 and the home side had their noses in front for the first time since the early stages of the game.

With about 15 minutes left to play Cents sealed their victory with a try by wing Ben Turk who had charged down an attempted clearance from Old Reds.

The try was converted by Hemming.

The score was now 20-8 to the home side and they now had the breathing space to close out the match and look for the four-try bonus point.

Cents come close to scoring their fourth try on a few occasions but brave defence from Old Reds kept them out.

FORMER Gloucester Rugby player Riccardo Orefice has been named the 'new face of Elvis' in the UK and ranked the sixth best tribute to The King in the country.

Riccardo, from Robinswood, was invited to take part in the Porthcawl Elvis Festival last month after his talents were noticed at a wedding.

After splashing out on a specially tailored suit, Riccardo won the contest in South Wales and was then ranked sixth in a national Elvis competition where he was against professional tributes to The King.

Now he is being offered shows across the country and will perform in an Elvis festival in Benidorm next summer.

For Riccardo, 43, the stage and the bright lights are a long way from his days as a player at Gloucester Rugby's development squad, which ended aged 27 after a spinal injury.

He said: "Although I've always liked Elvis I'd never thought about performing, but it seems to be working really well. I love being on stage and performing and I'm really looking forward to next year.

"I would like to push it so I can go professional. I love making people smile and when they come up after a show and say 'mate, that was fantastic,' that's what makes it all worth it."

So far Riccardo has focussed on Elvis' 1968 comeback special and 1970s era in his tribute performances.

He said: "I think most people recognise the 70's as Elvis' best era, and these are the songs that I love. But when I went to the Porthcawl Festival there was so many different eras on show.

"It's lovely being able to be his personality. I don't want people to think I'm Elvis but you have to respect the man that he was.

"When I started to study him I realised how unbelievable he was. Everything was so natural to him and he was such a wonderful person to be around. It's been a pleasure performing as Elvis because it makes you feel closer to the man."

Riccardo is also using his new persona for charitable causes. On December 13 he will perform at the Walls Social Club in Gloucester to help Longlevens teenager Alex Bayliss, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 1998, to pay for medical treatment in the United States.

SCOTT Redding has secured a factory class bike for the 2015 MotoGP season after penning a two-year deal with the new MarcVDS team.

The Quedgeley race ace spent three years in Moto2 with the MarcVDS team, narrowly missing out on the world title in 2013.

And after it was announced that the Belgian team will step up to the premier class in 2015, they moved quickly to secure the 21-year-old on a two-year deal.

The move will see former Severn Vale School pupil Redding  move from an open class bike to a factory class and his new team will be bidding to fight for the podium.

"We have shown quite clearly we are there to race and there to win," said VDS president Marc van der Straten.

"I am excited about this new project, especially as it means a return to the Marc VDS racing family of Scott Redding, with whom we enjoyed a long and successful association in Moto2."

Team principal Michael Barholemy – with whom Redding had a close working relationship in Moto2 – was also looking forward to working with the Brit and the factory specification Honda RC213v.

"Obviously we are looking forward to welcoming Scott Redding back to the fold next year," Bartholemy said. "I would like to say a big thank you to everyone that has helped us to achieve our aim of racing in the premier MotoGP class, with what is clearly the most competitive bike available."

Redding will continue racing for the Gresini Honda team for the rest of the 2014 season, his first in the elite class.

He claimed a 16th place finish at the Grand Prix of Japan at Motegi yesterday and declared that he was "not satisfied with the result".

Finishing out of the points meant that Redding was unable to cut the gap to fellow Brit Cal Crutchlow in the MotoGP World Championship standings.

With three races of the season remaining, Redding is in 13th place in the standings, three points behind Crutchlow after a difficult weekend in Japam.

He said: "I struggled to follow the right line under braking in the race. I went deep several times and I also went off the track on the grass two times, losing a lot of time.

"It was difficult today to be consistent. We still don't know why we had this problem. We will check all the data in order to fix it ahead of the upcoming races.

"In addition, in the last five laps the front was pushing a lot, because I used a lot the front tyre at the beginning of the race. I'm not satisfied with the result."

MEMORIES have been flooding back after the Citizen asked for information on these two photographs.

The first picture, of a man having a particularly close shave, was taken in August 1964 but at the time little was known about the picture.

But now Citizen reader Kath Turner has been in touch because the barber in the picture is her uncle Desmond Fox, from Hucclecote.

She told us that this scene was at a barber shop in London Road, Stroud, which was run by her uncle and her father Gus Fox until the year before the photo was taken.

Her father then started up his own barber shop in Hucclecote, named 'Gus Fox' on the Hucclecote Road.

Kath's uncle carried on running the barber shop in London Road, Stroud for many years.

However, Kath did not know who the man having his head shaved was. Do you recognise him? Can you remember why he was having his head shaved? Perhaps he was after a fresh look for the summer?

Theatrical performances have long been a feature of Gloucester's schools, so The Citizen recently featured the second photograph in the 'Life and Times' page.

The picture, taken in August 1964, shows 10 children taking part in what looks like a school play.

In the centre of the picture a boy is apparently playing the part of a king, while others are his humble servants.

It is still unclear what the children were performing, but reader Julie McNeill has shed some light on the origins of the photograph.

The pupils were from Lower Tuffley Junior school, which is now called Grange Primary School.

From the back row left to right Julie has named the performers as Delia Ponter, Helen Leach, Sandra Phillips, dont know, Joy Alderton and Lynn Halford.

She names the front row from left to right as Julie Thomas, Anthony Otter, Jane Hewins and Christine Pearce.

Are you one of the performers named by Julie? Do you recognise any of them? Can you remember what they were performing?

Julie said: "Can't recall the play but as fourth year pupils we were lucky enough to do drama with Mrs Alderton, wife of Mr Alderton the headmaster. Happy memories."

Share your memories with us at citizen.news@glosmedia.co.uk

Matson 32 Wells 12

IT was a case of sixth time lucky for Matson as they got their season up and running in South West One.

The win lifted Matson off the bottom of the table and into 12th in the 14-strong division.

It was an impressive performance against opponents who had won three of their opening five games.

The first half was tight with Matson going into the break with an 8-3 advantage.

Their try came from a pushover by their forwards with prop Josh Knight being credited with the final touchdown.

Connor Gwillam also added a penalty but it was in the second half that Maston took charge as they played down the slope.

Wing Arron Moorfield raced over for two tries and there was also a try for man-of-the-match Sam Williams.

The outside centre, a student at Hartpury College, impressed the Matson faithful with an excellent display.

Number eight Joe Hart also scored a try and Gwillam was successful with two conversions.

It was a much-improved display by Matson who conceded far fewer penalties than in recent games.

Their scrum was also a lot better and they dominated in the lineout and up front.

Matson won promotion via the play-offs last season and although they had yet to win, they had come close in a number of games.

Club chairman Steve Sadler "It was a good performance andf it was obviously pleasing to get the win.

"We've got the long trip to Camborne on Saturday so that will be a big test for the players."

Services for vulnerable adults in Gloucestershire could be cut by almost £8 million next year, it has been claimed.

Labour believes the county council's Conservative administration is looking to cut its older people's budget by £7.8 million in 2015/16 after the figure was supposedly mentioned during a behind-closed-doors seminar for councillors last week.

However, the Tories believe the figure is "totally inaccurate" with some sources at Shire Hall suggesting the £7.8 million is "out by an order of magnitude".

This year the county council is spending about £61 million on services for older people.

Labour believes the "deeply troubling" £7.8 million cut mentioned during a briefing on the impact of the Government's Care Act was meant to be kept secret.

The party's shadow spokesman for long term care, Councillor Paul McMahon (Lab, Coleford), said:

"This is troubling news. It has now been confirmed that the Tories are preparing to cut the older people's services budget significantly next year and as we suspected council officers have been working on ways to reduce the budget for quite some time.

"It was a surprise to have officers confirm that they had been asked to cut the older people's budget by £7.8 million next year.

"Sadly opposition councillors were not given any further information.

"We have not been told how the Tories intend to reduce the older people's budget and we have not been given any details of the services that may be cut."

The authority's overall budget was cut by £2.8 million last year.

Mr McMahon said: "It was clear from a few red faces in the room that these figures were not meant to be given to councillors.

"The Tories now need to be open and honest with residents by telling us what services they plan to cut and how will their budget reductions affect older people in Gloucestershire."

But Councillor Ray Theodoulou (C, Fairford and Lechlade), deputy leader of Gloucestershire County Council, has hit back at Labour's claims.

"There are officer proposals being worked up for next year's budget, but they've not been agreed by any councillors yet," he said.

"That said: I don't recognise the figures Labour are quoting at all.

"I suspect them to be totally inaccurate.

"More information is due to be shared with group leaders from all political parties later this month - earlier than ever before - and to be published for the public to have their say on later in the year, with decisions being taken by all councillors in February.

"I know that, with elections coming up, there is a lot of pressure on Labour councillors to score political points – but they do their constituents no favours when they publish inaccurate figures they don't understand."

Brace yourself for a breezy, rainy day.

The Met Office is predicting heavy showers today with a mixed bag of rain and wind for the rest of the week.

The police this morning are also advising motorists to be aware for standing water and tree debris in Redbrook in the Forest of Dean.

Today:

A cloudy day with outbreaks of rain, which will turn persistent and heavy in places. It will be breezy at times, and will feel cold in the wind and rain. The best of any drier spells in the far southwest. Maximum Temperature 15C.

Tonight:

Remaining cloudy with outbreaks of rain, mainly in the east, although the rain will gradually become lighter and increasingly fragmented. The winds will also gradually ease through the night. Minimum Temperature 5C.

Tuesday:

Outbreaks of rain, mainly in the northeast, will gradually clear northeastwards. The cloud will slowly break up from the southwest with some bright or sunny spells likely for many later. Maximum Temperature 17C.

Outlook for Wednesday to Friday:

Rain moves erratically northeastwards during Wednesday and Thursday with sunny spells and showers, locally heavy with thunder, following. Further rain follows from the west on Friday. Becoming mild.

Latest Gloucestershire weather forecast

Strike action by healthcare staff including nurses, paramedics and midwives was starting across Gloucestershire today.

A four-hour stoppage was planned to take place between 7am and 11am due to a continuing protest over pay.

It will be followed by days of action from tomorrow until Friday, when members will stop working in their breaks.

Unison members voted 68 per cent in favour of industrial action in a closed ballot earlier this month.

It could have a major impact on delivering some services, particularly in Gloucestershire where a high number of patients are taken to hospital by ambulance.

Unison South West regional secretary Joanne Kaye said: "Our members across the board work hard to deliver quality public services, day in day out and deserve a decent pay rise.

"The MPs' pay review body recommended an award of 9 per cent. While prices rise and rise, many of our members and their families are finding it impossible to cope. Our members are simply asking for a fair pay rise."

Midwives at Gloucester, Stroud and Cheltenham maternity units are also walking out in Gloucestershire today.

It is the first time in its 133-year history that Royal College of Midwives' members will have taken strike action.

Campaign group Stroud Maternity Matters is supporting midwives in their strike.

A spokesman said: "The fight for pay and working conditions to be improved is something we wholeheartedly stand behind."

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said disruption will be minimal.

Urge all in NHS talks to resolve situation. 60% get annual increments & pay increases & rest get pay increase. We need change fair to all

— Richard Graham (@RichardGrahamMP) October 13, 2014

The unions taking part have more than 400,000 members in the NHS in England out of 1.3 million staff but not all of them will be involved.

Two-thirds of midwives are expected to work, but the union says its members will be wearing badges to express their support of the action.

Many nurses are not involved as the Royal College of Nursing did not ballot its members.

Doctors and dentists are not involved.

The stoppage will be followed by four days of working to rule. This means staff will not be doing unpaid overtime and will be taking their breaks.

There is also a strike by radiographers on Monday, 20 October. This is because they did not have time to give the formal notice needed to join the other unions this Monday.

That action has the potential to affect X-ray and ultrasound services.

Kevin Pietersen has a few axes to grind with those at the top of English cricket.

The publication of his long-awaited autobiography had detailed those grievances, and just as he was box office at cricket grounds around the world, he was box office here in Cheltenham with a full house to hear him tell his story.

The theme which seemed to permeate throughout was the deep-down insecurity of the boy from Pietermaritzburg who achieved things he never dreamed possible.

One of four brothers - one of whom is a Church of England minister in Lancashire, Pietersen came to England as a 19-year-old off-spinner and became the country's highest international run-scorer.

"It was a step into the unknown, as the only person I knew was Clive Rice, my coach at Nottinghamshire, and he gave me tremendous self-belief as he told me he wanted me to bat at six all summer and bowl some off-spin," he said.

"That was a burden off my shoulders and I scored 1,275 runs at (an average of) 56 and scored a hundred in my first game at Lord's.

"I needed that confidence and self-belief as maybe I am a deeply insecure person. Maybe it is a fault of mine.

"I am not ashamed of it, and some coaches have been amazing with me and others have not understood that at all."

Far from the brash, outwardly confident image is the Pietersen who admitted he was desperate to get to 10 runs in every innings he played.

"I would know if it was going to be my day as soon as I touched my bat on the ground when I got to the middle," he admitted.

I would walk out, have a look around and think 'oh s**t' - or walk out and think 'good luck you lot'.

"I worked on that with a psychologist and getting to 10 was everything.Until I got there I knew it was only me who would get myself out.

"Good coaches and captains would understand. Duncan Fletcher and Michael Vaughan did.

"At the Oval in 2005, I was dropped off Shane Warne and by Matthew Hayden, bounced by Brett Lee, got hit a few times, and came in for lunch and Vaughany would say 'go and destroy them after lunch'

"A year or so ago the reaction would be 'what are you doing' - I can't use the actual words as there are kids here."

It is that breakdown of relations between Pietersen and the former England coach Andy Flower along with the allegations of a bullying culture in the England dressing room which dominate the book.

It has all ended Pietersen's 104-Test career - "the most amazing 15 years of my life," he says - and he describes writing the book as a "theraputic experience."

"I was in a regime for five years since (Andy) Flower took over," he said.

"I was not allowed to talk about it then and it was a shambles, so this is my side.

"I had my character assassinated for five years, and needed to clear all that up.

"I am not asking people to take sides, but I am not the sort of person who wakes up in the morning looking for trouble. I am not a villain.

"I had to get off my chest what went on in that dressing room - how I was ostracised by a certain group - ask them why that happened.

"The book aims to swing the pendulum back so people realise there was another side, and to close a chapter for me.

"I know a lot of people in that dressing room have been with me and in the future others will write books and they will say the same as me.

"Success papers over the cracks, and I was fighting this even when the team was number one in the world - I was telling Andy Flower that this had to change.

"Everything in this book I have told Flower to his face several times, in a professional manner. I kept on and on about it."

But now it seems that Pietersen will not strap his pads on for England again, or once more don the cap he was awarded on his debut.

"Playing for England was everything for me but I can't have any anger or bitterness," he said.

"I have five England caps- one I got on my debut,one for 25, then 50,then 75, then 100 caps.

"They went everywhere with me, but I always wore my debut cap, and it was a sad moment putting those caps away and saying goodbye to that part of my life."

Apart from the unhappiness with Flower, Pietersen was also left "at an all-time low" by a parody Twitter account (@KPGenius) which he says was being controlled inside the England dressing room.

That discovery,in August 2012, also co-incided with Pietersen sending texts to the South African side and he described himselfas being at an "all-time low" at that time.

"That South African side contained a lot of my good buddies, some of whom I captained in the IPL, and I think they also saw Andrew Strauss was not treating me well - and they saw people in the dressing room following that Twitter account," he said.

"I was at an emotional low, and my only mistake was not defending Straussy, and I should have done that.

"But I was emotionally not there after the public humiliation of that Twitter account from inside the dressing room. I was a goner in that Headingley Test match."

He still managed to score 149 in the first innings at Leeds, and you are left in no doubt that he would love to go back.

"I would 100 per cent commit everything to it. I'd do anything to play," said Pietersen.

"The bullying side seems to have faded away now and there are talented young players in there, like Joe Root, Gary Ballance and Jos Buttler, who will be a star.

"I think the ECB chairman (Giles Clarke) would have to make way first. If it happens,it happens and I live in hope.

"I am not proud of the PR battle, and it is not good for English cricket, but I had to tell my side of the story.

"Too many times I had my character assassinated and this was my opportunity to tell my side and then just leave it.

"It is a sad state where English cricket is now but it could have been sorted with a different coach."

Whether you are in the "maverick genius who England desperately need" or the "self-obsessed egotist who puts himself ahead of the team" camp, a Festival full house which hung on every word tells us that he is still cricket's main attraction.

Mark Halliwell

Can they fix it? No!

Iconic children's character Bob the Builder has had a makeover - and Twitter users aren't happy.

Gone is the two dimensional face we all grew up with and loved to be replaced with a more friendly face - described by Buzzfeed as 'stepdad like.'

Bob came into being in 1998 and became a massive hit at home and abroad but his new look isn't being well received online.

wtf happened to bob the builder pic.twitter.com/C0Ww4PxjeO

— mai (@janosfck) October 13, 2014

you know your childhood is over when they give Bob The Builder a new look pic.twitter.com/Z0ZfZ4SNjK

— FAT AMY (@RelatableQuote) October 12, 2014

My childhood is officially over Bob the Builder & Dora the Explorer look horrible. �������� pic.twitter.com/x9wvAGu6iO

— Ali ✌ (@shuj1) October 12, 2014

WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO BOB THE BUILDER pic.twitter.com/sw28n6JQxF

— JUST BANTER (@Just_Banter) October 12, 2014

Even Bob The Builder can't fix the hole they've just put in my childhood �� pic.twitter.com/RFYkN9Leck

— Tom Solway (@Tom_solway) October 12, 2014

It's National Curry Week and to celebrate we are asking you which is the best curry house in Gloucester?

Whether it's a traditional Chicken Tikka Masala or a more authentic dish like a Dosa from southern India, we all love a good curry.

Gloucester is blessed with a number of excellent curry houses but which one is the best.

Nominate your favourite using the comments section and we will run a vote later this week. The winner will be announced next Saturday online at Gloucestercitizen.co.uk and in the Citizen.

Please limit your nominations to curry houses in Gloucester, Stroud or the Forest of Dean.

Thousands of naked images of children have been posted online after hackers intercepted messages sent via Snapchat.

First came "The Fappening" where hackers breached Apple's online storage system iCloud and leaked hundreds of private nude photos of celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and and former Dr Who Matt Smith.

Now, there is "The Snappening" - a leak of approximately 90,000 photos and 9,000 videos stolen off the mobile app Snapchat.

There were rumours that the leak was a hoax, however it has been confirmed this morning as genuine.

Hackers intercepted many of the images via a third party app before posting them on a website.

There is concern that many images are of children, as half of Snapchat users are aged between 13 and 17-years-old.

A Snapchat spokesman told Mailonline: "We can confirm that Snapchat's servers were never breached and were not the source of these leaks.

"Snapchatters were victimized by their use of third-party apps to send and receive Snaps, a practice that we expressly prohibit in our Terms of Use precisely because they compromise our users' security.

"We vigilantly monitor the App Store and Google Play for illegal third-party apps and have succeeded in getting many of these removed."