The Town Council has added its voice to the growing opposition over government plans to close Stroud Magistrates Court.

The building in Parliament Street serves the whole district and currently operates for two days every week.

The Town Council has pledged a further £5,000 to assist residents in Paganhill who have been working tirelessly to restore their ‘village hall’.

Almost £50,000 has already been raised to modernise the Maypole Hall. New toilets, insulation, electric and water supplies, lighting, heating and sound-proofing are already in place. New furniture, windows and CCTV are in the pipeline.

Stroud will know in November if it really is the greatest town in the country.

At the end of July a team of judges spent two days assessing our town after it was shortlisted for the Great Town Award. We are one of three towns up for the award, alongside Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire and Westport in Ireland.

Residents from all generations turned out in force to give their views on a new play area for the Summer Street area.

Around 80 people took part in the community consultation and fun day organised by the local residents association. Along with a free BBQ and bouncy castle, residents selected a mixture of natural and more traditional play equipment for the site off Summer Crescent.

Stroud’s women’s refuge is one of four local groups to receive a share of £1,500 of funding from Stroud’s Town Council’s community grants scheme.

The Stroud Beresford Group has been operating in the town for 34 years and has Archbishop Desmond Tutu as its patron.

One of the questions that older residents often ask us is: “Where can I go for some company and a chat in the day time?”

As Fran Sinclair, Community Agent for Older People in the Stroud area explains, there are quite a few choices, depending on your taste and needs.

The July edition of About Town has been published, with a broad summary of our main activities over the past month or so. You can also subscribe to receive a regular email version via your Inbox here

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Two major new landscaping projects in two of Stroud’s public parks are winning warm praise from residents and visitors.

A previously drab corner of Bank Gardens in the town centre has been transformed into an exotic fern garden, whilst a 30-metre long border in Park Gardens has been rebuilt and turned into a sea of summer-long colour.