PATE'S Grammar School 1st XV and Chosen Hill competed for the Gareth Warren Trophy in memory of the much-loved Chosen Hill teacher who died in May.

Both sides have had excellent seasons with Pate's unbeaten since September and Chosen Hill still in the NatWest Vase competition.

In a lively, exciting and entertaining encounter Pate's came out on top after a strong first half performance. Both sides played with the philosophy of keeping the ball alive and attacking from all areas of the pitch. Pate's dominated the early stages with tries from Tom Elsey, George Adams, Lorenzo Vilona, Joe Moore and Henry Davies with Joe Gare converting all five to lead 35-0 at the interval.

Chosen Hill then introduced their two England Under-18 players Joe Mullis and Elliot Creed who carried the ball strongly into the Pate's half. Chosen scored the first try of the half with a clever lineout move, which was touched down by Dery Sausman. Pate's hit back with tries from replacement Toby Hill and then Tom Elsey after a good spell of territory by the home side.

The strong running centre Creed stormed over from close range and also converted both Chosen's tries leaving the final score 47-14.

After the game Peter Kingston (ex-head of PE at Pate's) and Jan Warren presented the trophy to the winning captain, Alex Chalklin.

Kingston described the strong connection between the two schools with former Cheltenham Grammar School pupils Adrian Turton and Dave Protherough both teaching and coaching the 1st XV at Chosen Hill and the present Pate's 1st XV coach and head of PE Simon Dandy being a Chosen Hill former pupil. The sides will now play annually for the Gareth Warren Trophy.

Minchinhampton Under-14s 20 Longlevens Under-14s 27

COUNTY champions Longlevens made the trip to much-improved Minchinhampton, looking to get their season back on track.

The draw for this season's County Cup has placed the Under-14s in a difficult group, with Minchinhampton first up.

From the kick-off, it was obvious last year's champions were in for a tough battle in front of a large crowd.

The hosts had the better of the early exchanges but Levens' defence held strong.

When Minchinhampton had an overlap out wide, wing Jack Dance pounced on a loose pass and just outpaced the cover defence to put Levens into the lead.

This looked to have given Levens confidence and soon they were in again.

Excellent tackling from Nathaniel Dunn inside Minchinhampton's 22 forced the turnover and quick hands from the backs saw Rufus Hulbert force his way over, with Harry Atkinson adding the extras.

When the hosts finally got into Levens' 22, Leon Levell stole a lineout and Ethan Hunt launched a massive clearance kick to take play back into the opposition 22.

James Dickson also carried well from another lineout steal and Ajaz Lee produced an excellent tackle on his opposite number.

Jacob Dunn was a constant threat in the loose and stole ball on more than one occasion.

Just as Levens looked to be adding to their lead, Minchinhampton turned the ball over on their own line, and a couple of missed tackles later, they scored.

After all the good work, Levens were caught napping again soon after, when a third try saw them lose their early advantage.

Levens fought back with another excellent passage of play involving forwards making the hard yards and some slick passing in the backs saw wing Tevin Howell show his pace to touch down for a converted try.

Minchinhampton attacked at the end of the half and seemed certain to score, but Alfred Crouch produced an excellent turnover for Hunt to fire another huge clearance to end the half 19-15 up.

The second half was a tight affair.

Up front, the forwards, led by Henry Garner, were getting the upper hand and the front row of Louie Jayne, Stephen Loveridge and Filip Manojlovic were beginning to win the forward battle, gaining some crucial penalties.

Somehow the hosts withstood early pressure and Levens only had a penalty to show for 10 minutes of hard graft.

With seven points in it, Minchinhampton started to look dangerous again.

Luckily a loose ball was pounced on and fed to Lee who sprinted in to score.

Again the hosts came back and scored again with five minutes left making the score 27-20.

The hosts threw everything at Levens in the closing stages.

There were try-saving tackles by Lee, Atkinson and Marshall Walker teamed up to force the hosts' wing into touch right on the line.

In the last minute, there was a desperate tackle from Howell to keep Minchinhampton out.

With a scrum on their own line, the referee called last play and scrum-half Bradley Wilkins kept his cool under pressure to fire the ball into touch and seal a great, morale-boosting victory.

Police are appealing for witnesses following a robbery near Gloucester Bus Station on Friday.

A man was walking along Station Road at 8.15pm when he was approached by two men who stole his Sony Experia mobile phone. 

The victim had just crossed the road from Bruton Way when a man jumped in front of him and tried to grab the phone out of his hand.

He dropped the phone and both men then attempted to retrieve it. The victim received a cut to his hand as the offender dug his nails into him as he tried to force the phone out of his hand. 

The victim decided to hand the phone over when a second man appeared and he found himself  "sandwiched" between the offenders and began to fear for his safety.

One of the offenders was described as black, in his twenties, 5ft 10inch tall, of medium build and wearing a black coat with a hood or a hat. He had a scar or mark on his neck.

The other man was described as white, in his twenties, around 5ft 10inch tall, of medium build with short dark hair and clean shaven.  He had a local accent and was wearing a white knitted jumper. He was described as looking  "scruffy and gaun"t.

Police would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident or has any further information. Please call 101 quoting Incident number 470 of December 12.

A new Morrisons convenience store opened in Barnwood Road today creating 20 new jobs.

It was opened by headteacher Julia Matson and children from Barnwood Primary School and to celebrate its opening, Morrisons M local will make a donation to the school's forthcoming coffee mornings.

Morrisons M Local will stock the widest range of fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, meat, poultry and fish. It will also feature a 'Food to Go' section with fresh coffee, bacon sandwiches and pastries, meaning customers can easily pick up food on the move.

The store will open 6am to 11pm every day, offers a trolley service, has over 15 car parking spaces including a disabled bay, and includes a bike rack park.

Store Manager Katrina Taylor said: "We are proud to have created 20 jobs in Barnwood Road and are looking forward to bringing more choice to the area with a store that has fresh food at its heart.

"We are thrilled to be supporting the Barnwood Road Primary School and its valuable work in our local community. We hope that our donation raise valuable funds at their school coffee morning."

Gloucester Schools A 8 Swindon Schools 2

WITH Gloucester B's away fixture at Wolverhampton falling victim to the weather, the focus was on the city's A team as they entertained Swindon in a Berkshire League encounter at Longlevens.

The hosts pressed from the outset and took the lead in the 12th minute when Callum McGuirk reacted quickest after the Swindon keeper had parried Harry Johns' drive.

Four minutes later Finlay Garfield and McGuirk combined to set up Donny Gordon for Gloucester's second before Jamie Davis saw his effort cleared off the line.

With centre back Kobi Campbell injured the versatile Marcus Drennen stepped confidently into central defence and he and fellow defenders Lewis Stalley and Taye Weir gave the Swindon forwards precious few sights of goal.

After Gordon had twice gone close to extending the lead at the start of the second half, Davis, McGuirk and Garfield combined to set up Finlay Gwillim for the city team's third.

Out of the blue Durdu looped an effort into the Gloucester net but within three minutes Davis's cross was well finished by Garfield to restore the three-goal cushion.

Johnson saved smartly from Davis before Davis and Gwillim set up Garfield for number five and Gwillim then profited from Stalley's fine pass to make it 6-1.

Davis and Johns were both involved as Gwillim completed his treble and though Durdu netted a late consolation for the visitors there was still time for the influential Davis to play in Gwillim who sidestepped the keeper to complete the scoring.

Gloucester: Austin; Stalley, Drennen, Weir; Davis, Gordon, McGuirk, Garfield; Johns. Sub: Gwillim.

Thistle the donkey was said to be shivering with cold, had a weeping lesion on him and was kept in a waterlogged field, according to a welfare officer.

Paul Mitchell, from Innsworth, was banned from keeping horses or donkeys for seven years after he was found guilty of failing to meet the needs of Thistle.

But the 66-year-old is appealing the conviction from December 2013 and denies causing any harm.

Lizzie Ellis, a welfare officer from the Donkey Sanctuary, told Gloucester Crown Court yesterday she had been told about the animal by a concerned member of the public, before she visited the donkey in a flooded field in Blacksmiths Lane, Coombe Hill, near Cheltenham, in early December 2012.

She said: "The access was so muddy it was almost impossible to get into the field. I lost my boot, but we got in there and we saw a donkey near containers.

"He was in extremely wet conditions. He was very cold. He was very wet. When he came closer I could see his feet were overgrown and in my opinion he was underweight.

"He was slightly shivering. It had been raining incessantly for the previous week. He had a lesion which was weeping where the shoulder meets the back bone.

"The field was extremely wet. There was some poor quality hay that was submerged in the mud. There were no visible signs of shelter.

"The containers were quite hazardous with bits of metal sticking out and unsuitable to keep equine in my view."

Mrs Ellis was unsure who owned the donkey so left her card in the area and contacted an RSPCA inspector.

She said days later she was contacted by a man called Mr Mitchell.

She told the court: "He was aggressive saying he had owned donkeys for years and knew the law.

"He said he knew more than I did. He told me categorically that donkeys did not need shelter. He was aggressive saying 'who do you think you are? You don't know anything' and 'never go on my land again'.

"I terminated the call because it was not getting anywhere and he was bringing my personal judgement and character into the call, which was not very helpful."

Mrs Ellis said after the call she continued to get complaints from people in the area and went back later that month when she found Thistle "shivering violently".

Mitchell, of Swallow Court, was also ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid work and to pay £3,600 in costs at the hearing last year.

He is appealing both the conviction and sentence.

The appeal continues.

Tuffley Rovers 9

Wantage Town Reserves 1

TUFFLEY Rovers signed off their home fixtures for 2014 with an emphatic win against strugglers Wantage Town Reserves in Hellenic League Division One (West).

Jordan Dowdeswell further enhanced his growing reputation as he opened the scoring on five minutes, dispatching home Brett James' cross from eight yards.

Rovers continued to press but when the visitors made a rare foray into their penalty box, Macauley Herbert upended an opposition player and Andy Baxter confidently stroked the ball past Aaron Taylor to hand Wantage a somewhat improbable share of the score after 14 minutes.

However, the game took a decisive turn on 23 minutes when Stu Griffith's corner was headed home by Mark Ford at the near post.

Two minutes later another set-piece, this time from Foxwell, was spectacularly headed into his own net by Wantage's Lewis Colewell.

Rovers extended their lead on 31 minutes when another terrific pass from Foxwell was coolly finished by winger James.

Foxwell had a hand in the next goal, as another beautifully measured pass saw Bradley head the ball back across goal into the path of Ashley Davies, who hammered the ball home on 35 minutes.

Foxwell then scored from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time, after James had been felled in the box.

Rovers were to extend the lead on 64 minutes as Ford netted from close range to finish off a terrific individual run.

Tuffley made it 8-1 on 83 minutes as Ford completed a hat-trick following good work from Bick and James.

Ford made one more telling contribution on 89 minutes as another piece of sharp footwork drew a foul, earning Rovers a second penalty, and this time skipper Bradley stepped up to smash it home, in what will be his final game before undergoing knee surgery.

BROCKWORTH Albion had their lead at the top of Northern Senior League Division One cut to two points after they were held to a 2-2 draw at Cam Bulldogs.

Scott Montgomery scored both goals for Albion.

Despite being reduced to ten men, Ruardean Hill Rangers closed the gap with a 3-0 win at home to Harrow Hill.

Luke Johnson scored twice, with Brian Buke adding the other goal for Rangers, who had Stephen Coombs sent off.

Northern Senior League Division One: Cam Bulldogs 2 Brockworth Albion 2 ; FC Barometrics 2 Stonehouse Town 0; Hardwicke 1 Broadwell Amateurs 2; Ramblers 1 Lydbrook Athletic 1; Ruardean Hill Rangers 3 Harrow Hill 0; Sharpness 5 Newent Town 0; Star FC 1 Moreton Rangers 0; Taverners 2 Dursley Town 1.

Division Two: Abbeymead Rovers 1 Charlton Rovers 4; Bredon 2 Avonvale United 3; Chalford 3 Lydney Town Reserves 1; Leonard Stanley P Tuffley Rovers Res P; Quedgeley Wanderers 3 Longford 1; Viney St Swithins 2 Woolaston 4; Winchcombe Town 2 Bibury FC 2; Wotton Rovers P Smiths Athletic P.

Suicide Crisis, the Gloucestershire-based charity, has seen a huge increase in the number of clients in the run-up to Christmas.

In the past week, the charity has seen a 600 per cent increase in the number of emergency situations that they would usually see.

This is where the team has to go out immediately to see a person who is at imminent risk, or where they have to call for an ambulance because a client has attempted suicide.

The charity's founder, Joy Hibbins, said: "We are extremely relieved that all the people, who contacted us in emergency situations, are okay.

"Two are currently receiving treatment in hospital, one is now under the care of a mental health team, and we are supporting the others at our Suicide Crisis Centre. We are so glad that they felt able to contact us."

"Last year, the three weeks leading up to Christmas were extremely busy.

"This year is even busier – with a larger number of emergencies . "

"It can be an incredibly distressing time. There is a huge emphasis in the media on families and reunions and it can be a painful time if you have been bereaved, or have experienced a relationship break up, or if you have lost custody of your children."

The charity provides face to face support at its Suicide Crisis Centre in Cheltenham, and clients come from the whole of Gloucestershire, including Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Stroud.

In one day - Wednesday, December 10 - there were 127 phone contacts to the charity (phones calls and texts). Some of these were three or four texts from one person, but it was a huge volume.

The charity will be open all over Christmas, including Christmas Day.

Its usual opening hours are 9am to 10pm but it does offer a 24-hour service to clients who are assessed as being very high risk and who have made it clear that they would not contact other services in the night/early morning.

"We have limited night cover, but we have responded to a number of emergency situations at night.

"There are times when we need to work through the night, when we have been called out to a client who is about to attempt suicide and we may then spend the rest of the night supporting that person."

Everyone involved in the charity is a volunteer. A representative of the charity has been invited to meet Norman Lamb (the Government Minister whose responsibilities include mental health) in London this week to talk about the work that they do at Suicide Crisis . "We are really pleased that Norman Lamb is taking an interest in what we are doing at Suicide Crisis," said Joy.

The charity is appealing for more volunteers to support their clients. "We are not looking for volunteers to do the emergency work, but we are looking for people with at least a level 3 qualification in counselling, who would be willing to support clients at our centre.

They will need to be prepared to undertake additional training – in particular the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training course, which the Department of Health recommends. "

"Our team members receive clinical supervision and support. Suicide Crisis also has an advising psychiatrist and other advising clinicians including the lead clinician of an NHS Psychological Therapies Service. "

The charity started offering services in May 2013. It was set up because the founder, Joy, could not find the right kind of help and support, when she was in crisis. "What I needed, when I was in crisis, was to work with a very small team who would get to know me and who I could build a trusting relationship with. I knew that the team members needed to be kind, caring, empathic, sensitive and non-judgmental. When you are at risk of suicide, you need support, kindness and care, with a team that you know and trust. What I needed didn't exist (and it was astonishing to me that it didn't exist) and so I set up the kind of service that would have helped me. I know how much this charity is needed. "

"Usually only one or two team members work with each client and we tailor the support for each client. We have exceptional team members and we are very grateful to them for the work that they do."

The charity relies completely on donations from the public. It has no funding from funding bodies or funding organisations. You can donate via their website at www.suicidecrisis.co.uk

If you would like to volunteer, please contact the charity on 07975 974455 or at contact@suicidecrisis.co.uk

Slimbridge 1 Odd Down 0

SLIMBRIDGE completed a Western League Premier Division double over Odd Down with an impressive display.

Swans dominated from the start and Alex Hoyle's piledriver from outside the Odd Down box cannoned back into play off the crossbar.

The home side got the lead their play deserved on 34 minutes. Fred Ward played a pinpoint through ball into the path of Paul Fahy, and he lobbed the onrushing Alex Nash to finish off a lovely piece of play for the Swans.

Five minutes into the second half, another sweeping move move involving Callum Brown, Dean Turner, and Fahy created an opportunity for Sean Lawson, but his effort came off the woodwork.

With 58 minutes gone, Odd Down's Ibrahima Sarr saw red after what was deemed a stamping offence by referee David Sallis.

Lawson saw a second effort hit the woodwork after good work from Fred Ward as Slimbridge held on.

The result moves the Swans up three places from seventh to fourth, with games in hand on all the clubs above them. 

Footage of a van which could have been used to kill Cinderford builder Shaun James has been released by cold case detectives.

Twelve years on from his death, police investigating his murder hope the pictures and video will help lead them to the 32-year-old's killer.

Shaun was run over in Steam Mills Road on December 15, 2002.

The case was thought originally to be a hit-and-run accident and the driver was never identified.

But a review and improved forensic techniques means investigators are now convinced Shaun was laid down in the road and run over deliberately.

Gloucestershire police went on BBC's Crimewatch earlier this month and reconstructed the final hours of the dad-of-two's life in an appeal for information.

They hope that several people who have called in anonymously to the major crime investigation team's incident room will again to help the inquiry.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Porter said: "After reviewing all the CCTV from the time, we've recovered footage of a white van in the centre of Cinderford immediately after the incident.

"It is seen a number of times between 7.07pm and 7.30pm, firstly in Cinderford High Street and then parking and leaving the Co-op car park in Dockham Road.

"We're now working to enhance the images to pick up any wording on the sides and the registration number and occupant of the vehicle but if anyone recognises the van I would urge them to call us straight away."

The team have had more than 30 calls since the programme aired and are still following a number of inquiries.

DCI Porter said: "There were several interesting calls from people who wished to remain anonymous and have said they are scared to identify themselves or come forward with more information.

"I would like to make a personal plea to those people to phone us back."

He added: "We understand Cinderford is a tight-knit community but I can reassure you that we have trained detectives answering the calls and that they will be able to explain how we can deal with any fears you have.

"Remember Shaun's family – it's 12 years to the day since Shaun died. Their suffering has gone on long enough.

"They need to know who did this and why. Please do the right thing and come forward.

"I can reassure the community we're exploring every avenue to solve this crime."

"To indicate the scale of what we have done I can tell you we have generated more than 2,400 documents since the investigation began."

Anyone with information should call the incident room on 01452 754 544.

When both her children told a mum they were being abused by their babysitter, she decided to do nothing, a court heard.

Gloucester Crown Court was told the boy and girl said they were both sexually abused over an eight year period of their childhood by James King of Nailsworth.

The 32-year-old of Highwood Court denied the historic charges against him, but was found guilty of 12 offences against them following a three week trial.

The jury failed to reach a verdict over two of the most serious charges he faced of raping the boy and not guilty verdicts were entered after the court heard the prosecution would not seek another trial.

Prosecutor Robert Duvall said he molested the pair and despite both children telling their mother about the abuse she did not call the police or any other authorities.

Mr Duvall said the children's parents were drinkers would regularly go out to pubs.

He told the jury: "The defendant was a young man, probably 15, when he started babysitting. He would visit them in their bedrooms and abuse them.

"They were abused separately, never together, and they never spoke to each other about what was happening, although they both sensed something was happening to the other."

Mr Duvall said when the boy first made his claims he was met with "disbelief and hostility" and even when his sister added her allegation, their mother was "unsympathetic".

The girl said the abuse came to an end after she stood up to him and told him not to touch her.

But she said she had mixed emotions throughout the abuse, which she told police happened hundreds of times.

She said: "I was confused I did not know what it meant.

"He used to hug me and hold me and tell me everything was ok.

"I just wonder why he did it.

"I told my friend when I was about 11. I just didn't want it to happen anymore. I had started learning about sex education and then I knew it was wrong.

"He probably did it hundreds of times. Maybe I have exacerbated it in my mind, but it was quite a lot of times.

"I felt really angry and I told my mum, but she did not believe me. That was when I learnt it was me on my own and that no one was going to listen."

She added that at some points she felt King was her boyfriend.

Mr Duvall told the court years later she had seen King and he had cried and said what he had done had "eaten him up" for years.

But King told police the pair had both lied for attention and said their family had ruined his life.

When the man came forward and told police what happened in his childhood he told police: "I could never escape it. We would say he does things us and she just shook her head and walked away. I never talked to her about it again."

King was found guilty of four sexual offences against the boy between January 1998 and January 2001. He also pleaded guilty denied a further eight offences against the girl between August 1996 and February 2004.

He will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on a date to be fixed.

WYCLIFFE Preparatory School girls lifted silver in a national hockey tournament.

The Year 7 girls, who have only been playing together since September, were runners-up in the IAPS (the Independent Association of Prep Schools) national finals in Queenswood School in Hertfordshire.

The competition, which involved 10 teams, saw the Stonehouse school draw 0-0 in their first match. Keeper Isobel Lister made several outstanding saves in the school's second match which they lost 1-0.

The girls refused to be deterred and went on to win their next two matches 3-1 and 2-0. Thanks to goal difference the girls went on to the semi-finals against Bishop's Stortford. They drew 0-0 before scoring a golden goal and going on to the finals. Wycliffe was pipped in the final against The Elms with a golden goal by Maddy Palmer after the match finished 0-0.

The tournament had plenty of excitement off the pitch. Captain Evie Evans, from Gloucester, struggled with a tummy bug. Evie Green, from Wotton-under-Edge, almost didn't get to play in the final when her stick was locked in the minivan. Her dad had to crawl through a window to retrieve it.

And then teacher Helena Sherwood, who acted as a referee, was injured during a match and teachers John Newns and Andy Naish had to travel from Stonehouse to collect the girls and the minivan.

Headmaster Adrian Palmer said: "To finish second is incredible."

After displaying their ruthless edge against Zebre, Billy Twelvetrees is relishing the opportunity to welcome Sam Burgess to Gloucester.

The Cherry and Whites warmed up for Saturday's West Country derby with a bonus-point victory over the Italian minnows to take firm control of Pool Five in the European Challenge Cup.

They secured a vital bonus-point in Parma, scoring three of their tries in the space of 12 minutes after David Odiete was given a red card.

The replacement wing took Steve McColl out in the air on the stroke of half-time and just four minutes after coming off the bench.

Twelvetrees reckons Neil Paterson's decision may have been slightly harsh but you can only play what is in front of you and he was pleased with Gloucester's clinical edge.

He said: "We said all week that there can be a lot of excuses coming away from home but we knew what we needed to do.

"We were frustrated after last week, there were far too many unforced errors and we knew away from home we would have to build pressure in different areas.

"The forwards were good and really defended well and they put pressure on the scrum and lineout in difficult conditions. Hooky and the scrum-halves controlled the game really well.

"With the red card it's always difficult and personally I think he was pretty unlucky.

"But that's the game and when you put yourself in that position you have to be accountable for what happens.

"It ruined the game a bit but we had to stick to our guns, keep doing what we were doing and luckily we got a nice try on the back of it from Charlie (Sharples).

"We said at half-time that if we came out and were precise and accurate their heads would go down and that is what happened.

"We were a bit slack for 10 minutes and let them back in it but we made a few substitutions to give guys experience away in Europe."

Gloucester are now seven points clear of Oyonnax in Pool Five and face the French outfit when they return to European action in the New Year.

A win of any nature would guarantee a quarter-final and the Cherry and whites are also on course for a home draw.

With 19 points from a possible 20 so far in the competition, Gloucester are currently top seeds.

Twelvetrees said: "To be four out of four in Europe we can't argue with, we've got three bonus-points and that's a good place to be.

"It's exciting to be here at the moment, we're giving it our all and to get five points away from home is great.

"A home quarter-final would be the ultimate. Kingsholm is where we want to be, we are four out of four, have another home and away game and to get six from six would be great."

But before a return to Europe there is the small matter of a hectic festive period with Premiership clashes against Bath, Wasps, Exeter Chiefs and Saracens.

Bath are first up and given the nature of last season's corresponding fixture which saw Gloucester narrowly lose in a game which included two red cards and four yellow, and the frenzy around rugby league convert Burgess, it promises to be a real Christmas cracker.

Burgess started at inside centre in Bath's 32-12 victory over Montpellier at the Rec on Friday and could line-up against Twelvetrees this weekend.

Slammin' Sam has long been earmarked for a place in the England World Cup squad and standing at 6ft 5ins and weighing in at more than 18 stone he presents a formidable challenge.

But Twelvetrees is relishing the occasion and admits a victory would be the perfect early Christmas present.

He added: "Next week is the big one, there's no hiding away from that and we let ourselves down the last time we played Bath at home which was disappointing.

"But it's Christmas time, we're at Kingsholm against our rivals and if we won 3-0 that would be the best thing in the world. There's no bigger game.

"If Sam plays or doesn't play it doesn't change anything from our point of view but it would be awesome to come up against a player of his quality and something I would look forward to.

"It's great for English rugby to get this calibre of player over here."

Disney fanatic David Lowman may have created the ultimate fairytale Christmas.

Over the past five decades great-grandfather David has been adding themed decorations to his unique tree – which he has bought during dozens of trips to Disney World in Florida.

The 6ft tree stands proudly in David's conservatory in Quedgeley surrounded by a replica Disney model railway.

It even sits in a giant nativity scene with the tree flourishing through a hand-made stable.

David, 80, who lives with his wife Valerie in Park Drive, said: "It started 56 years ago when my daughter was born on December 7.

"I wanted to put the tree up to mark the occasion and the Disney theme has grown and grown each year.

"It is magnificent and a real hit with my four grandchildren and great-grandchild.

"Even the neighbours and our friends come round each year to have a look."

The Disney magic does not end in the conservatory. There is also a replica fibre-optic Cinderella castle in the living room.

"I just absolutely love Disney," said David.

"My wife and I have been to Disney World around 14 times and we usually go at Christmas. It really is magical and sometimes we spend the whole month there.

"Over the years I have bought lots of Disney ornaments, stockings, snow globes and decorations from their Christmas shop."

David has accumulated so many items over the years that he has to start decorating the house in October.

"There are so many boxes that I have to bring down from the attic so I have to start early," he said.

"And I won't be taking it down until after the New Year."

Last week the Citizen published a picture of The Imperial Inn's giant Christmas tree and asked readers if they could do better.

David said: "I know I have done better. I think we have a fantastic tree here. It must be the best in Gloucester."

Do you think David's tree is the best in the city?

Tell us if you know a better one. Call us on 01452 698 828.

CINDERFORD Town will be hoping to claim another scalp when they face Evesham in Southern League Division One South and West tomorrow night.

The Foresters beat title-chasing Stratford Town 2-1 on Saturday to move up to ninth in the table, just five points off the play-offs.

Evesham were amongst the favourites for promotion at the start of the season and have started to live up to their billing in recent weeks with five wins in a row to sit two places and two points above Cinderford.

Brough was delighted with his side's performance against Stratford and is looking for more of the same.

He said: "We played well from start to finish. I looked at the stats and we had 17 attempts on goal with 11 on target and we restricted Stratford to 10 shots with two on target.

"The performance was very good. We passed the ball well on a tricky surface, we showed pace and power in areas and if it wasn't for their goalkeeper it could've been more.

"If it was three or four nil, nobody could've complained."

Brough took his first steps into coaching when he worked under current Evesham boss Paul Collicutt Cleeve towards the end of his playing career.

He said: "I know Paul really well. He's a good manager, he's assembled a good squad and they're just finding a bit of form. They've gone on a run recently so it should be a cracking game."

Ethan Moore could return to the bench for Cinderford after struggling with an ankle injury.

LAST-MINUTE shoppers are helping to boost Gloucester's economy.

Traders are getting ever busier in the run up to Christmas and said the traditional festive spree is still going strong in the city.

Businesses in the city are experiencing their annual boosts in sales as people make their last ditch efforts to buy that perfect gift, despite competition from online retailers.

They said their businesses can offer more reliability than their online competitors and the traditional surge in Christmas sales is important to Gloucester's economy.

Some stores and shopping centres are also staying open later during the festive period.

It comes as drivers will be able to park for free at two major car parks in Gloucester city centre after 5pm.

Chairman of the Westgate Street Traders Association, Ivan Taylor, said: "It's started later this year but trade is picking up. Everyone is working towards December 23 to get all their presents bought.

"Some people even began in June when they were putting deposits down on stuff for Christmas. People were coming in a few weeks ago to get ideas and inspiration for Christmas gifts.

"We're having to work 12 hour days, and people are travelling from Bristol to shop in Gloucester."

Manager of Southgate Street's Scoot 69, Debbie Foot, said many customers are visiting her store after being disappointed with online deliveries.

She said: "Deliveries are not as reliable online, and a lot of people are coming back to a more traditional way of shopping.

"We've had a good couple of weeks, and the Christmas market at the Quays really helped with footfall."

Manager of The Trinket Box in Westgate Street, Kate Lankaster, said: "Last week trade was beginning to pick up and we're selling more giftware, but it is not quite as busy as a couple of years ago.

"A lot of people have been ordering presents online in recent years, but things are often not what they appear to be online."

Shopping Centre opening times:

Eastgate Shopping Centre:

December 18,19,20, 22, 23: 9am to 8pm, Sunday: 10:30am to 4.30pm, Christmas Eve: 9am to 8pm, Christmas Day: closed, Boxing Day: 10:30am to 4:30pm.

Kings Walk Shopping Centre:

This week: 9am to 7pm, December 22 and 23: 9am to 7pm, Christmas eve: 9am to 5.30pm, Boxing Day: 10am to 5pm.

Gloucester Quays Outlet: 

Monday to Friday: 10am to 8pm, Saturdays: 10am to 7pm, Sundays: 10am to 5pm,

Christmas Eve: 10am to 5pm, Christmas Day: closed, Boxing Day: 10am to 5pm, New Year's Eve and January 1: 10am to 5pm

Merrywalks Shopping Centre, Stroud: 

Opens between 8am to 7pm Monday to Saturday. Opening times for the stores will vary.

Car parking: 

Car parking is now free after 5pm in two of Gloucester's main car parks at Eastgate and Kings Walk.

You can also park free from 6pm in all city council run car parks.

If you are visiting the Docks you can now park free of charge from 6pm in Southgate Moorings car park.

Free motorcycle car parking is also available in Longsmith Street, Hare Lane and

St Michael's Square Car Park.

REPAIRS made to a problem road in Linden have not been good enough and the stretch is still a danger to drivers, campaigners have said.

Linden Residents Association has been campaigning since the start of 2014 to fix the busy road, which was scarred by potholes and causing cars to tip when they went across.

Areas of the stricken road have now been covered, but residents say the work has not solved the problem.

They say that debris from the new tarmac has been spewed randomly across the road, and some parts of the thoroughfare have not even been touched.

Drainage works are being carried out in Linden, and will soon move on to Seymour Road.

Lyn Ackroyd, from Linden Residents Association, said: "We've been on to the council about this for months and months. The work has not been done very well and it's going to cause problems for drivers.

"This has just been a quick fix. I was told by the council that it would be completely resurfaces next year. That happened a couple of years ago and the road was completely closed."

City councillor for the area, Matthew Gilson (L, Moreland), said: "The state of the road is appalling and it's collapsed in one area where there's a big hole.

"A lot of buses go up and down the route, and the work has not particularly made a difference."

Jason Humm, area highways manager at Gloucestershire County Council, said the repairs are only temporary as the road is used by the Number 10 bus and because of Severn Trent work nearby.

He said: "After the Christmas period and depending on Severn Trent's work schedule, we're hopeful that we'll be able to make the repairs permanent."

A major incident was declared in Gloucestershire yesterday due to a lack of hospital beds.

The incident was declared due to 51 patients needing beds at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Cheltenham General Hospital.

It was revealed during a heated crisis meeting today between key health care providers across Gloucestershire to discuss 'alarmist' hospital claims over bed blocking patients.

Chief Executive of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Dr Frank Harsent publically criticised the county's healthcare system for letting patients down.

At the meeting at Shire Hall this morning, members of the county council's Health and Care Scrutiny Committee voiced their disappointment that Dr Harsent had chosen to voice his concerns through the media and criticised a breakdown in communication between partner agencies.

Representatives from Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust, Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group and Gloucestershire County Council said the Trust's concerns should have been raised at meetings and reassured councillors that the system was not "broken".

However, Dr Harsent stood by his remarks and warned of the potential for further disruption to acute services this winter.

Dr Harsent said: "If the system isn't broken, why did I have to declare a major incident for the first time in 20 years in the job? I have never had to do that before.

"We managed to get hold of agency staff and we made room to cope with it but there was still a large number of people in A&E who needed beds.

"The reality is that we need to move away from people feeling angry and disappointed and instead recognise that the system is not working.There is a danger here that we are in denial."

The Trust's chairman Professor Clair Chilvers said medically fit patients are not being discharged quickly enough from hospital.

She said: "We put out a press release because we felt that we were failing our patients within the health community.

"We had gone through all the talking that we could and all the meetings. We can argue about whether to use the term broken but the system is not working and the evidence is that we had to call an emergency yesterday.

"It is a problem. Things have changed. There is much greater demand. We have got to work better together to solve the problems.

"We want  to give the best service we can. To do that the whole system has to work better together to ensure that happens so that we don't have the crisis that we have had in the last couple of days.But with current demand I wouldn't bet money on it not happening again."

A combination of factors have been blamed for bed blocking, including administration changes to social services, a lack of suitable home care packages and issues with transferring patients to community hospitals.

Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group chairman, Dr Helen Miller said: "The health and care community has a collective responsibility to work positively together in the interests of the patient. Entering into a blame game serves the interests of no one.

"A number of steps are being taken to reduce delays in patients leaving hospital, provide more care in the patient's own home and improve the patient experience. These include:

• Reviewing the timing of ward rounds by senior staff – including earlier in the day and at weekends
• Additional investment in the Integrated Discharge Team. The team of nurses and social workers make sure everything is in place for patients to leave hospital in a safe and timely way
• Investment in a short stay ward for patients who require a 24-48 hour hospital stay
• Developing the Older People's Assessment and Liaison service – reducing the need for admission to hospital
• Working to ensure maximum bed availability at Community Hospitals, including Stroud, through the recruitment of nursing staff and a revised discharge policy
• Investment of £3.9 million in Integrated Community Teams – providing intensive support to patients in their own homes
• Working with the Ambulance Service so more patients can receive care at home or in the community – including expert advice from GPs, mental health professionals and specialist community teams.

"We will continue to monitor this closely with our partners, recognising that every patient deserves to receive timely care in the most appropriate place to meet their on-going needs."   

The chairman of the Health and Care Scrutiny Committee, councillor Steve Lydon, called for a meeting to be held between the chairman of Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, the chairman of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the chairman of Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust and councillor Dorcas Binns, cabinet member for older people.

Steve Lydon, chairman of the heath and care scrutiny committee, said: "Achieving the best outcome of patients must be our top priority. If there is an issue of bed blocking, then we all need to play our part in resolving it. This isn't about blame to any one organisation; it's about finding a solution.

"Organisations that are involved with people's care need to work together in order to make sure we achieve the best outcome for patients.

"I would like each organisation to draw up a statement of intent that can be brought to the next health and overview scrutiny meeting in the new year."

Labour HOSC member David Drew said: "This is a sad mess. All organisations involved are playing politics with patients. Patients need to come first. Instead of focusing on fixing the problem they busy blaming each other. There are not enough beds in the system because of cuts to the NHS. Patients are now being let down and operations are being cancelled. All organisations involved need to get their act together and sort out this mess."

County councillor Paul McMahon (Lab, Coleford) added: "There is blame game being played here and patients are being let down. It seems that all organisations are too busy passing the buck rather than fixing the problem. There is clearly a shortage of beds. This is not acceptable and patients deserve better."

The health and care scrutiny committee will meet on Tuesday, January 13, at Shire Hall.

Christmas decorations are pulling in the punters at Tredworth's Great Western pub.

Landlady Lynn Mann has decorated the city venue with festive lights and decorations to help her customers to get into the Christmas spirit.

Lynn, 67, who moved to the Great Western, formerly known as The Plough, in 1986, said: "The regulars help me to put up the decorations each year as I couldn't do it on my own.

"We have put up lots of Christmas lights and decorations and a small Christmas tree which is great for the office Christmas parties which are coming here."

The Great Western, in Alfred Street, aims to be a country pub in the middle of the city.

Behind the Christmas decorations, pictures of steam engines and railway memorabilia adorn the inside of the Great Western, which earned its theme due to the nearby train line.

Old railway men still use the pub, and for regulars The Great Western offers a friendly, warm atmosphere which is also enjoyed by a following of rugby fans.