Black Lives Matter

In Stroud we pride ourselves on our history of tolerance and celebrate our town's history as a cradle for social reform movements. From the abolition of slavery, marked by the Paganhill arch, to more recent environmental movements, our town has often been at the forefront of campaigning for change.

Anyone who has seen the footage of the brutal killing of George Floyd cannot fail to feel the rage and frustration of citizens in the United States that has led to recent Black Lives Matters demonstrations across the world, including here in Stroud. Our town has demonstrated the importance of peaceful and non-violent protests.

The Mayor of Stroud, Cllr Cranston in a personal statement has said, "All it takes for evil to triumph is for well-intentioned people to remain silent and do nothing. People like me all need to learn more, listen more and do more to understand the need for deeper change in our society. "

Our focus at Stroud Town Council will continue to be serving the people of Stroud to create a thriving sustainable community where everyone is welcome, but these events have shown that now, more than ever, we must and will take a lead in fighting the scourge of racism which blights so many people's lives, including here in Stroud.