Cheltenham Standard 18th September 2014

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www.cheltenhamstandard.co.uk 18 SEPTEMBER 2014 ISSUE 9 Your discerning local weekly newspaper FREEROBINSSUFFERDOUBLEDEFEAT

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ITmay only be September but bossesat The Everyman Theatre arepredicting a bumper Christmas, as

this year’s Pantomime sales top the quarterof a million poundmark. With almostthree months to go before opening nighton 28th November, it looks like this yearwill be the best ever with ticket salesalready well up onprevious years.The Everymanreports that 1,000more tickets havebeen sold for thisyear’s Pantomime thanat the same time lastyear. Sleeping Beautystars the returningfavourites of Tweedythe Clown andWilliam Elliott as theDame, alongsideCheltenhamnewcomer EleanorBrown whomakesher Everyman

debut in the title role. ChiefExecutive, Geoffrey Rowe, said, “To reachsales of £250,000 this early is fantasticand well ahead of previous years. We areclearly in for a busy December andJanuary. Audiences have built steadily

over the past few years and morerecently Tweedy has proved agreat hit both with adults andchildren”. Don’t despair if youhaven’t yet got your tickets.There are 72 performances, sostill plenty of tickets left.Tickets start from as little as

£9 for schools (early birdoffer ends 21st

September) and £52for a family of four.Call the Box Office on01242 572573.Sleeping Beautyruns from Friday28th November2014 untilSunday 11thJanuary 2015.

Boom time as Pantosales reach £250,000

PHOTO: THOUSANDWORD MEDIA

2 CHELTENHAM STANDARD 18 SEPTEMBER 2014

AWOMANwho was involved in a crashwhile taking part in a national cyclingevent has died from her injuries. Mum-of-two Sally Preece, a Lloyds Bank workerfrom Cheltenham died after being hit by avehicle while cycling close to Loch Earn inScotland last Friday. She died in hospitalon the Saturday. Mrs Preece was takingpart in the Ride Across Britain cyclingevent when the accident happened. TheLloyds Bank worker was taking part in theDeloitte Ride Across Britain. A 71-milediversion was set up at the time after theA85 was closed at the junction with theA827 Killin Road. A spokesperson fromPolice Scotland said inquiries were on-going. Her devastated husband Nick saidthis earlier this week, “Sally was the mostwonderful, loving wife and devotedmother to our children Brad (16) and Amy(13).’’ He went on to add, “the opportunityto ride from Land’s End to John O'Groatswhilst raising over £4,000 for

Alzheimer's was a challenge she couldn’tresist. She had trained for many months,having already completed the LondonMarathon, becoming one of the fittest andleading riders on the event’. Mr Preecealso said his wife would be “sadly missed”by her family and her wide circle offriends. He finally commented, “only herown physical and inner strengthpermitted her to survive the initial

collision long enough for her family to saytheir final farewells. “She never had a badword to say about anyone, and it'simpossible to say a bad word about her.She was just so nice and lively andcheerful.” Mrs Preece had been hoping toraise £4,000 for the Alzheimer's Society.At the moment donations to her charitypage justgiving.com/Sally-Preece-RABalready total more than £5,000. On herpage, Mrs Preece wrote that she wastaking part in the ride because she wantedto ‘challenge herself ’ and said it would bevery difficult and had also added, “but thisis nothing compared with dementia andwhat it can do to sufferers and theirfamilies and friends. It is a horrible scarything and nobody is immune.” A LloydsBanking Group spokespersoncommented, “we are shocked andsaddened by this devastating news andour thoughts are with the family andfriends of Sally at this very difficult time”.

Local woman Sally Preece diesin Scottish cycling accident

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THURSDAY 18th SeptMin 16ºC Max 23ºC

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SATURDAY 20th SeptMin 14ºC Max 19ºC

SUNDAY 21st SeptMin 12ºC Max 18ºC

MONDAY 22nd SeptMin 11ºC Max 18ºC

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A DRIVER was air-lifted tohospital after yet anotherA417 crash last Thursday.The 66-year-old female

driver was taken to hospitalby air ambulance after beinginvolved in a crash on theA417 near Birdlip. Her BMWcar was in collision with askip lorry near the AirBalloon roundabout. Firecrews were called to cut herfree from the vehicle. She wasflown to Southmead Hospitalin Bristol suffering severalfractures. The driver of theskip lorry, which had gonedown an embankment andlanded on its side, wastreated at the scene for minorinjuries. The incidenthappened just before 10amlast Thursday causing severetraffic delays in the area. Partof the A417 at Birdlip wasclosed and diversions wereput in operation.

Air BalloonaccidentTHEQUAICH

(Gaelic for drinkingcup) pub on thecorner of AmbroseStreet and ClarenceStreet is in a realquandary when itcomes to this weeksvote on Scottishindependence. ThisFriday after thereferendum resultscome in could seeScotland becomingan independent nation,breaking away from theUnion with England,Northern Ireland andWales.The Quaich, which is aScottish themed pub is a realhotbed of opinion as the ‘yes’and ‘no’ voters mix both theirdrinks and their opinions.The pub, which was formerlythe twelve bedroom St JamesHotel was taken over byScotsman Kevin Grieve(pictured) in March this yearand was promptly given a£50k makeover. Kevin who is

from the Leitharea ofEdinburgh said,“things havepicked up nicelysince weconverted thepub and we areexactly where wewanted to be onthe growthfront”. When itcomes to theprickly issue of

independence, Kevin has hisfeet firmly set in the ‘no’camp. Kevin said, “I’m votingno because I don’t think it willdo Scotland any good to breakaway from England”. Hecontinued to comment, “forme personally I haven’t beengiven all the facts. All I see isthe passion of the ‘yes’ campwithout the solid facts to backup their claims”. It alsotranspies that two of Kevin’sScottish staff at the Quaichwill also be voting aresounding ‘no’ for the very

same reasons. Having saidthat the pub is split 60/40 onthe vote by its Scots regulars.So in a sense it’s a fairreflection of what’s actuallyhappening in Scotland thisweek. Kevin went on tofurther add, “I don’t think it’sfair that we Scots livingoutside Scotland don’t get tovote, whilst people from othercountries who are justworking in Scotland do.” TheQuaich pub does have astrong Caledonian identityand of course they’ll beshaking the timbers thisHogmanay with a huge party.It might be that those timberswill be pulsing and creakingto the sound of the pipes ineither celebration orcommiseration on theoutcome of the vote. TheQuaich is open seven days aweek serving food frommidday to 9pm. It also has afunction room for hire, withlots of live music and an openmike night on Thursdays.

Scottish pub in voting dilemma

18 SEPTEMBER 2014 CHELTENHAM STANDARD 3

THELocal GovernmentMinister KrisHopkins announced that 80 localauthorities will share £9millioninvestment as they join up services andreduce costs for taxpayers. This is excellentnews for CheltenhamBorough, Cotswold,Forest of Dean, andWest OxfordshireDistrict Councils who have agreed thefollowing vision for closer partnershipworking in the future:‘Four independent councils determiningtheir own policies, priorities and decisionssupported by a small number of expertadvisors who commission andmonitorservices either from the private andvoluntary sectors or from local authorityowned service delivery companies.’ Currentmodels for shared Chief Executive andManagement Team arrangements could

not simply be extended to cover fourdistrict councils which collectivelyrepresent over 400,000 residents across ageographical area of 934 squaremiles.That is why the partner councils havecommissioned work by independentspecialists to identify themost appropriateinterim sharedmanagementarrangements which would have theauthority and responsibility to deliver the2020 Vision across all of the councils. Thedetailed business case for the 2020 Visionalong withmanagement arrangementproposals will be reported back to eachcouncil later this year which, subject toagreement by each council, could enableimplementation to be completed beforethe end of the financial year.Subject to agreement in the autumn

this would result in an interim integratedsharedmanagement team across the fourcouncils, with sustainable annual savingsof at least £500,000 per year from April2015. The funding award that has beenannounced today would be used to fundthe one-off costs of implementing thosesharedmanagement arrangements. CllrJohn Rawson, cabinet member for financeat Cheltenham Borough Council, said, “weare currently undertaking an engagementprocess with members and officers abouthow we could implement the 2020Vision. If the four councils can agree onan approach in the autumn then thisfunding will help to support theimplementation of our vision for publicservices whilst delivering significantsavings’.

Boost for councils running joint services

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TWO teenagers, one of them fromCheltenham, have been chosen to receivethe inaugural Hollie Gazzard Trustaward to help them to studyhairdressing.Miss Gazzard, 20, was murdered by

her ex-boyfriend Asher Maslin, 22, whileat work in a hair salon in Gloucester lastFebruary. He was found guilty and jailedfor life. Hollie’s family set up the trust tohelp young people to become hairstylists. The bursary was awarded toCourtney Shaw, 18, from Cheltenhamand Laura Tibbetts, 18, from Gloucester.A further four students are being soughtto receive the fund to study Level 2Hairdressing at Gloucestershire College.Hollie’s father Nick Gazzard said thetrust wanted to support young people totrain.Father Nick Gazzard commentedthat hairdressing was Hollie’s life. “Shewas very stylish and fashion conscious,”Mr Gazzard, who is the trust’s founder,said, “we want to financially support

young people to train in hairdressing andwe are quite determined to do that inHollie’s name”. He went to say, “we lookforward to working with Courtney andLaura and wish them the best of luckwith their studies.” The fund will pay formaterials, trips, equipment and uniformfor the six applicants who share similarcharacter attributes to Miss Gazzard.

First Hollie Gazzard TrustAward bursaries awarded

POLICE are appealing for information tohelp trace thieves who broke into thebungalow of a disabled couple inCheltenham while they slept. Theburglary happened in Bowen Close lastThursday night, September 11th after thecouple had gone to bed. On waking thefollowing morning, the husband went tothe living room and found several itemsmissing, including an Apple MacbookPro laptop, an iPad Air tablet computer, ared rucksack and keys.Outside, he saw that their car, which

had contained his wife's wheelchair, wasmissing from the front drive. The vehicle,

a blue 2008-registered Vauxhall Agilawas found a few hours later, abandonedand badly damaged inMalden Road. Thewheelchair and 'blue badges' werereturned to the victims before the car wastaken away for forensic examination. Thehusband subsequently found that hisGarmin 620 running watch had alsobeen taken. The thieves are believed tohave entered the bungalow through akitchen window. Officers carried outhouse-to-house enquiries, but wereunable to locate any witnesses. Anyonewith information is asked to call 101,quoting incident number 46 of 12/9/14.

THIS week the Brewery car park atBaynhamWay closed permanently. The23 space car park is closing aspreparations start for phase two of theBrewery redevelopment. Hoardings willbe put up ready for the contractors tostart on site next month. JeremyWilliamson, managing director ofCheltenham Development Taskforce,says: “The car park will be closed from

Monday for the next phase of work to theBrewery to start. “Whilst we appreciatethat may be inconvenient to some people,the benefits to the town of linking theBrewery through to Cheltenham’s HighStreet will be enormous and this is a veryexciting time for Cheltenham.” Thenearest car parks to BaynhamWay arethe NCP and North Place on StMargaret’s Road.

Cruel thieves stealfrom disabled couple

Hollie Gazzard

POLICE in Cheltenham have arrested twopeople during a drugs operation in the town.Last week, uniformed and plain clothesofficers from the StMarks local policingteam carried out patrols in and around ArleAvenue andMarket Street. A 41-year-oldlocal man was arrested on suspicion ofpossession with intent to supply a controlleddrug. He was bailed to appear atCheltenham police station on 4November.A 25-year-old local womanwas arrested onsuspicion of possession of a Class A drug andbailed to appear at Cheltenham policestation on 6October. Quantities ofsuspected crack cocaine and cannabis wereseized during the operation. PC JustinBrennan said: “We've had ongoing reportsfrom local people about drugs activity neartheir homes and businesses and we areacting on their concerns”.

Arrests in drugs crack-down

WEall want Cheltenham’seconomy to thrive. A strongeconomy brings jobs and

opportunities close to home,particularly for our young people.Prosperity also offers a pathway out ofthe deprivation which still exists atunacceptable levels in parts of ourtown. But if we are going to makeCheltenham a town of opportunity forall we need a plan - one with a clearvision and clear goals.Alarmingly, none exists in

Cheltenham. The old version, whichdates back to 2007, has been severelycriticised by the Council itself as ‘out ofdate and no longer fit for purpose’.Scathingly, they also admit that it ‘doesnot concentrate on delivery of solutionsto problems’. So how is the process ofdevising a new strategy going? Notvery well, it seems. Having resorted toadvertising externally for someone tocome up with a plan (there’s no one inCheltenham who can do it, apparently)there was only one bidder. That bidwas deemed too weak, and so theproject has gone back out to tender inthe hope that there will be better lucksecond time around. It hardlyinspires confidence in anybusiness thinking of setting uphere. All the while, there is agrowing sense that ourcompetitors are drivingforward. Readers of my lastcolumnmay recall that Iexamined statisticscomparing us withGloucester. Steered byConservative MPRichard Graham,Gloucester is deliveringa long-establishedplan for its own

economic future. Not only have theyreached their £500million target forprivate investment, Gloucester is set toreceive a further £60million for theretail development due in the KingsQuarter area. Sadly these figures dwarfinvestment here in Cheltenham, evenallowing for welcome developmentssuch as the Brewery Phase II. For thoseof us who are proud of Cheltenhamthat's a worrying trend. But I believeit’s entirely reversible. We can do somuch better here in Cheltenham. If weraise our game, we have the potentialto become a key economic hub,building on our expertise intechnology, but also the other areas inwhich we thrive, such ascommunications, engineering andtourism. Our goal should be nothingless than making Cheltenham the mostattractive town in Britain to dobusiness.But if we’re serious about competing

over the next decade I believe we needto get far more professional. Aneconomic strategy for Cheltenhamshould be a central priority, not anafterthought. We must also prioritiseconsulting local businesses. I havevisited dozens of Cheltenhamemployers, and many are full of ideasabout how we can make Cheltenhammore competitive if only they wereasked. So, if you are a Cheltenhambusiness or are thinking aboutsetting up here, I would bedelighted to hear from you. Letme know how we can make ourtownmore business friendly.Get in touch [email protected], with a clear vision,I believe we can create atown of opportunity for all.


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New era dawns for leisure and cultureASIGNIFICANT point has been reachedin establishing a trust to manageCheltenham’s leisure and culture services.At a meeting this week cabinet was askedto agree the awarding of the contract toThe Cheltenham Trust from 1 October2014. The decision will be subject to TheCharity Commission approving the trust asa charitable body by that date. Thedecision would mean The CheltenhamTrust would oversee the management,operation and development of some ofCheltenham’s most iconic cultural venues.These include Cheltenham Town Hall, TheWilson and Pittville Pump Room. Thetrust will also be responsible for runningLeisure @ Cheltenham, the Prince ofWales Stadium, our tourism services andthe Tourist Information Centre, as well asour ‘Sport, Play and Healthy Lifestyles’outreach service. The trust will be workingclosely in partnership with the council butit will be run independently by a board oftrustees. The trustees – two of whom arecouncillors - bring with them a range ofskill sets and will be chaired by JoannaStringer. The creation of the trust willresult in net savings to the council of£125,000 in 2014/15 rising to £833,000by 2018/19. As a trust, it will also look togenerate additional income throughfundraising, as well as commercialactivities through its trading subsidiary.

The trust will also ensure thatthe services continue to makea vital contribution to thetown, both to the everydaylife of its residents and as adestination that inspires andexcites visitors. CouncillorRowena Hay, cabinetmember for healthy lifestyles,said: “It’s taken two years and a lot of hardwork but I’m delighted to be at the pointwhere we are seeing The Cheltenham Trusttaking on the management anddevelopment of our leisure and cultureservices. “I am confident that the boardmembers and staff will bring a huge rangeof skills and expertise that will drive thetrust forward and will help promoteCheltenham as a town rich with leisureand culture services and attractions.”Joanna Stringer, chair of the trust, added:“We are honoured to be trusted with thisconsiderable responsibility and lookforward to working with all those inCheltenham to develop these services overthe next decade. We would also like toextend our thanks to all those involved inthe project at the borough council,particularly Pat Pratley, Ken Dale andRowena Hay who have gone above andbeyond in the spirit of creating a betterfuture for Cheltenham.” The contract is forten years, with a review at five years, with

potential for the councilto extend the contractby a further five years.Staff currently workingin these areas willtransfer under TUPE toThe Cheltenham Trust.In the event of TheCheltenham Trust not

being registered as a charity before 1October 2014 the cabinet will be askedto delegate authority to the council’sdeputy chief executive in consultationwith the cabinet member to completethe transfer by 1 November. If servicesare not transferred by that date a furtherreport will be brought to cabinet on 11November.

CHALKTALKConservative ParliamentaryCandidate for Cheltenham gets vocal...

POLICE in Cheltenham have arrested awanted man who failed to appear incourt at the end of August to face aburglary and attempted burglary charge.Declan Lonergan, 18 of Welch Road in

Cheltenham, was due to appear atGloucester Crown Court on FridayAugust 22 for a preliminary hearing inconnection with the incidents inCheltenham during the daytime onTuesday May 27. After failing to appearat court a warrant was issued forLonergan's arrest. Officers arrestedLonergan on last Thursday, September11th. He has been remanded in custodyand will appear at Gloucester CrownCourt this Thursday September 18th.

Wanted man DeclanLonergan �nally arrested


LOCAL authority owned environmentalservices company Ubico Ltd is sending agroup of volunteers to help the Friendsof Leckhampton Hill and CharltonKings Common (FOLK) clear anexpanse of overgrown land on theLeckhampton Hill nature reserve. TheUbico management team agreed theywould like to give up some of their timeas part of an ongoing commitment tosupport local community and voluteergroups. They decided to join the Friendsof Leckhampton Hill (FOLK), adedicated team of volunteers that hold

work parties three times a month toimprove the environment of the site.Ubico will send along 8-10 volunteers

on Tuesday 16 September who will assistin grass cutting, general scrub clearanceand raking work. Cheltenham BoroughCouncil’s Senior Community RangerWayne Sedgwick has earmarked an areathat has been overgrown for some timenow and has recently had a contractor into carry out some heavier tree and hedgeclearance works in preparation. Thevolunteers will be working together toclear the site which is a Site of Special

Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is hopedthat the clearance works will open up anew view point for visitors of the site toenjoy for years to come. Rob Bell,Managing Director, Ubico Ltd said: “Iam pleased that we are able to offersome help to a worthwhile cause righton our door step. The Leckhampton Hillnature reserve and common is awonderful place to visit and we arehappy to be able to offer some supporttowards the ongoing maintenance of thesite. “FOLK work incredibly hard allyear round and in all weathers tomaintain the site and we wanted tocontribute in some way.” Mike Donnelly,

FOLKWork Party Coordinator adds:“We are very grateful for the extravolunteer help from Ubico. The Ubicocontribution will help us complete thislarge project to recreate an open area ofgrassland that over the years has becomevery overgrown with weed andHawthorn. This work will help maintainthe grassland, increase the views and theopen space for the public recreation.”If you would like to offer some of yourfree time to help on the project, pleasecontact Cheltenham Borough Council’sCommunity rangers:[email protected]: 01242 250019.

Leckhampton Hill gets a clean and brush-up

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FAMILY lawyers in the region are goingthrough one of the busiest times of theyear following disastrous summerholidays, claims a leading Gloucestershiredivorce expert. An estimated 40 per centof marriages end in divorce, and it is inearly autumn, following the summerbreak, and January following Christmasand New Year that see an increase incouples parting ways.Wayne Phillips, an expert in family law

at DF Legal said it was a pattern that is tobe expected. "When marriages are understrain it is often the case that one of theparties decide to start divorceproceedings following a bad holiday,which should be when couples andfamilies are having one of the happiesttimes of the year," he said. "During asummer break couples generally havebeen in each other's company more than

most times, and as soon as normal liferecommences they often take stock as towhether the marriage is worthpreserving," he said. Mr Phillips whosefirm has offices in Cheltenham saiddivorces are no longer as high as theywere in the latter part of the 20th centurywhen they peaked, but this is due to morecouples living together, but not marrying.He added that there is no set formula asto why marriages fail. "Sometimes adifficult marriage can limp on for yearsbefore there is a point where action istaken, but sometimes a marriage candisintegrate very quickly," he added."However, for sure there are times of theyear where traditionally a difficultrelationship ends and autumn is one ofthose times and that is why family lawspecialists in the region will findthemselves being called upon now."

Summer holidays finalstraw for manymarriages


LATEST research findings revealed thisweek by My Home Finance, a nationalsocial lending organisation, shows it hasbecome morally acceptable for individualsto pay extortionate rates for short-termloans, with no questions asked by the loanprovider to determine whether they canafford it.On the launch of My Home Finance’s

Affordable Lending Campaign, findingsshow that nearly one in four people areusing the Internet and telephone to accessshort-term loans, with nearly 50% ofapplicants not doing any research ahead ofhitting the ‘accept’ button. Worryingly,over a quarter of people had no idea of theactual cost of the loan they took out, mostpeople just picked a company they hadheard of when they needed money. TessPendle, Chief Executive of My HomeFinance said; “Latest findings show analarming culture has developed, wherepeople think it’s perfectly acceptable not tocheck what the actual cost of the loan is;and worse, companies are lending topeople without assessing if they canactually afford to repay the loan”.“Nearly one in five people who took out

a loan think it is absolutely normal to pay

at least £780 back on a £300 loan. Itisn’t, and it needs to stop”.My Home Finance is today launching an

awareness campaign, with a host of 21supporting partner organisationsthroughout the UK including local WessexResolutions. Wessex Resolutions is aCommunity Interest Company working inpartnership with local councils in SouthWest England to provide sociallysupportive finance to assist private sectorhomeowners to maintain their homes to a‘decent’ standard. AndrewWallace, theirManaging Director, said, “WessexResolutions has been delivering

affordable,community basedfinance for nearly tenyears. Our loans aretargeted to assistthose who cannotafford to borrow fromcommercial or higherrate finance providersand are delivered byfriendly, qualifiedstaff who give thehighest priority toquality customer

service. We believe in financial inclusionfor all and are happy to support My HomeFinance in this campaign”. Ben Hughes,Chief Executive of the CommunityDevelopment Finance Association said;“We should all have the basic right ofaccess to fair finance. Like all ourmembers, My Home Finance is changing

lives and putting wealth back intocommunities. But more people need toknow about the affordable loans that areon offer and that won't trap them inspirals of debt. More investment is neededto link up community lending, savings andadvice services.” Tess Pendle concluded;“We need a huge change in the waycustomers of short term lending are givenchoices and information on what theactual cost of the loan is. Customers havebeen led to believe that it is fine for themto be allowed to take out credit, withoutany affordability checks; but this usuallymeans that they have to pay it back atgigantic interest rates. What kind ofsociety are we when we do not allowpeople to borrow in a way that enablesthem to still be in control of their money?’For more information call the nationaloffice on 0121 212 9568 or visitwww.myhomefinance.org.uk

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HI, I’m KimberleyWall and I’m the newAgony Aunt for theCheltenham Standard.I work for RelateGloucestershire andSwindon and I really

want you to write in with your worries.Sometimes it helps to get a differentperspective on something.And with a team of Relate relationship

counsellors, family therapists, youngperson counsellors and sex therapistsbehindme I can access the expertise ofmany specialist areas.

In August, Relate’s ‘TheWayWe Are Now’ survey found that…

• Over 8 out of 10 people have goodrelationships with their partners (85%)• 1 in 10 people don’t have a single closefriend (9%)• Nearly 1 in 5 people never or rarely feltloved in the two weeks before thesurvey (18%)• 1 in 5 people say they are not satisfiedwith their sex lives (22%)• 3 in 10 people think their bossesbelieve the most productive employeesput work before family (30%)• One in four people in the SouthWesthave experienced the breakdown oftheir parents’ relationship (25%)• 60% think money worries are one ofthe biggest strains on a relationship

Money worries was cited as the biggestchallenge to relationships which was

followed bymaintaining a work-lifebalance, infidelity, not understandingeach other and communicationproblems. No relationships are immuneto tough patches or challenges butsometimes we can experience a problemthat isn’t easily resolved and/or spiralswithout intervention. If this occurs andespecially if you are someone who feelsthey do not have a close friend; wherecan you turn? Relationships, likepeople, are diverse and while familyseparation continues to shape modernfamily life, Relate Gloucestershire andSwindon understands that the quality offamily relationships matters more thanthe size, shape or structure of the familyunit (we’ve come a long way since wewere theMarriage Guidance Council).We recognise that there is no one-size-fits-all solution but please contact me [email protected](anonymously if you prefer) if arelationship, family, friendship or sexproblem is causing you distress orworry. You don’t have to suffer insilence. If you would prefer to talkthrough an issue face-to-face with aRelate counsellor then please contactour Cheltenham office on 01242523215. If you prefer to tweet aquestion you can also find us on@LooksLikeLove using hashtag#agonyaunt. Don’t forget I’m here tolisten!

AgonyAunt Kimberley Wall


GIANT vegetables, colourful paintings,animals made from fruit and veg and achildren’s fancy dress parade will be amongthe attractions at a fun-filled family event inCheltenham. Bakers, crafters, growers andartists will showcase their skills at theCheltenhamConnect Village Show thisSaturday (September 20), to raise money forcommunity development. This is a fabulousopportunity to exhibit hidden talents and

even win a ‘Best-in-Show’ award for biggestpumpkin, best jam ormost creativeneedlecraft. There will be fancy dress, foodand drink stalls, a range of competitions foradults and children, and variety ofentertainment, with visitors encouraged totry their hand at new skills like buntingmaking, pottery and painting. The showtakes place at the University ofGloucestershire's Park Campus from 12pm

– 5pm, alongside the GreenerGloucestershire Festival, which promotessustainability, new technologies andpromoting simple ways to lead a greener life.Chairman of CheltenhamConnect Dave

Savell said: “This is a family-focused, funevent involving the whole community, it’s areal celebration of people's creativity and wecan’t wait to get started. “We would urgeeveryone in Cheltenham to come along and

support a good cause.We are a committee ofvolunteers and proceeds will go to continuethe great work of CheltenhamConnect,which aims to improve the residential andtrading community of south Cheltenham.”Formore details and an entry form seewww.ccvillageshow.weebly.com or pop intoCook on Bath Road. Or to get involved inrunning the event, please [email protected]

Vegetables ready to go for Cheltenham Connect Village Show

LEFT: The fancy dress parade will be a hit at the CheltenhamConnect Village Show on September 20. On the catwalk carpet are(left to right): Eloise Verlaque, Freddie Plaskitt, Archie Moule,Pollyanna Mayhew, Matilda Mayhew, Harry Plaskitt, Elodie Verlaque.

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BUSINESS

DRIVING in thetown rightnow is

becoming more than anuisance. It’s like tryingto herd cats; almostimpossible and very

annoying. Navigating your way acrosstown is also akin to participating in theDakar Rally. If the pot holes don’t getyou, then the noxious fumes building upfrom the long lines of stationary cars will.Back in January this year environmentchiefs at the borough council said that theamount of nitrogen dioxide polluting theatmosphere in parts of the town hadreached unacceptably high levels. Nice ofthem to caption the obvious. At the timeour borough council had come up with a20-point action plan to tackle theproblem, with improvements to trafficflows in the town centre which was at theheart of their strategy. Of course then thebanana skin that is the Severn TrentWater sewage repair works arrived, waspromptly discounted, omitted or justplain forgotten about. It took me twentyfive minutes to navigate from Tivoli toEagle Tower. That’s unacceptable. Thetown council must have known aboutthese road works and that closures weregoing to have to be put in place. Wherewas the contingency and the planning tokeep the town flowing properly? Drivingon Bath Road has become a slow death; ameandering, frustrating snake of trafficwhich renders you almost comatose.Getting around by car in this town right

now is like wading through treacle. Thetempers are flaring as most folks findthey’re almost certainly going arrive lateto wherever they’re going. It doesn’t helpthat a number of drivers in Cheltenhamaren’t exactly Lewis Hamilton when itcomes to the speed stakes. You know whoyou are! The only way to get aroundproperly is to use all the back doubles.And that’s if you know them. And eventhe back doubles are now congested. It’s adownward spiral of queuing traffic andlengthy waits at most intersections whilstyou try to get through the traffic lightswithout getting caught on the yellowboxes. Paul Scott, contaminated landofficer at the authority, said much earlierin the year, ‘everyone has a right to live,work and relax in a healthy environmentwhich includes having good quality air tobreath. Good air quality is an importantfactor in protecting people’s health’ Hewent to comment at the time, ‘evidencesuggests poor air quality is a major causeof premature death in the UK witharound 29,000 occurring annually’. Wellthe death rate in Cheltenham over thepast two months must have soared. Weall know these works have to be done, butit’s the way it’s been communicated andas importantly it’s the way it’s beenhandled operationally that’s key. I can’tfind a single soul out there who has saidthat they don’t mind the congestion, thefumes, the delays or the frustration.Right, I need to be the other side of townin an hour… better leave now and getready to gnash my teeth.

Cheltenham Standard is published weekly by Paul.Bates Publishing Ltd is registeredat Suite 104, Eagle Tower, Montpellier Drive, Cheltenham, GL50 1TA. Reproductionof any material, in whole or in part, is strictly forbidden without the prior writtenconsent of the publishers. All material is sent at the owner’s risk and whilst everycare is taken, Paul.Bates Publishing Ltd will not accept liability for loss or damage. Dates, information and prices quoted arebelieved to be correct at time of going to press but are subject to change and no responsibility is accepted for any errors oromissions. Neither the editor nor publisher accepts responsibility for any material submitted, whether photographic orotherwise. All rights reserved. ISSN no. 2055-2092. Terms and conditions at www.cheltenhamstandard.co.uk

Editor’sDESK

Got a comment?Contact us at [email protected]

CheltenhamStandard

BUILDERSMerchants have been part ofthe construction and building scene inCheltenham since 1854 and Bencebuilders merchants fully intend to be herefor many more years to come. The familybusiness located in Fairview Road iscelebrating its 160th anniversary this yearand looking forward to the future. In ‘theday’ it would have been horse and cartsdelivering the supplies in and aroundtown, now of course that’s given way to afleet of vehicles, including six-wheel cranelorries, and specialised lorries for

delivering the more fragile items. Butsixth-generation managing director PaulBence, 35, is adamant that the core valuesof the firm these days are as relevant nowas they were way back in the in the 19thCentury. ‘’At Bence's our objective issimple: we work hard to provide first-class products and service to all ourcustomers at the most competitive rates.Established in 1854, we are still a localfamily-run business, serving the localcommunity and playing our part in thelocal economy’’, he said.

Illustration by James Tandy www.jamestandydesign.com

Bence, 160 years and counting

A BUSINESS-BOOSTING eventfeaturing inspiring speakers,entrepreneurs and expertexhibitors is expanding by 50 percent for 2014. Connect Business,now in its fourth year, has movedto a bigger venue in Cheltenhamand sold out of exhibition spacethree months in advance. Thefree-to-attend event will seekeynote addresses by MartinHorwood MP, Steve Knibbs,Gloucestershire Reporter for BBCPoints West and Luan Wise andFiona Spencer from the CharteredInstitute of Marketing. Wellestablished business people fromacross the county will be passingon their knowledge and advice.There will also be a paneldiscussion about how to growyour business with threesuccessful local entrepreneurs,and the event will be opened by

Cheltenham’s mayor SimonWheeler. Connect Business isorganised by community groupCheltenham Connect. It bringstogether more than 200 people,from leading business experts tonew and growing Cheltenhambusinesses, aiming to encouragenetworking and local sourcing inGloucestershire. OrganiserBelinda Wilson urged everyonewith an interest in business tosnap up a free ticket as they aredisappearing fast. “This is awonderful opportunity to meetother local companies and discusshow we can help each other toachieve our business objectives.Whether you are looking foradvice on social media, a freshnew designer or an experiencedrecruiter who can help you findthe best local talent, thisCheltenham event will have

people who can help.” The eventtakes place at the new location ofThe Pavilion, Hatherley Lane,Cheltenham, GloucestershireGL51 6PN, on Thursday 25thSeptember 2014 from 10am to3pm. Visitors will be able tonetwork throughout the day andover an informal lunch. Forbooking and more informationvisit www.connectbusiness.org.uk,join the Connect Business #CCBizgroup on LinkedIn or follow theevent on Twitter using #CCBiz.

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BUSINESS

FOLLOWING a recent visit to10 Downing Street, localCheltenham companyCircle2Success has expandedits horizons promoting thebenefits of the GovernmentsCorporate Covenant. Thisweek saw leading UK timberand panel importer PremierForest Products based inNewport become the firstprivate company in Wales tosign up to the armed forcescorporate covenant. Over fortycompanies in Gloucestershirehave already pledged theirsupport to current and ex-military personnel. TerryEdgell, Director and co-founder of Premier, said,“Whilst working withCirlce2Success they brought toour attention the Covenantand it was an easy decision forus. As well as showing ourappreciation for the hard workthe men and women of the

armed forces do, it also givesus access to a highlydisciplined, well trained poolof staff that would be an assetto any business.” PremierForest Products also receivedsupport from BaronessRanderson, ParliamentaryUnder-Secretary of State forWales, Baroness Randersonsaid: “Following the brilliantsuccess of Meet the Forces dayin Cardiff Bay this week, it’sparticularly timely for me to bethanking Premier ForestProducts on having signed upto the Corporate Covenant. Ilook forward to many moreWelsh businesses signing up indue course.” Suzanne Hall-Gibbins, Circle2Success said,“it was great to have a grouplike Premier Forest sign up tothe Covenant. We aredelighted they have come onboard and leading the way inWales”.

No. 10 visit for C2S


HEALTH&LIFESTYLE

I TOOKmy daughter to see Maleficentstarring my girl-crush Angelina Jolie atthe weekend. Being a non-discerning,lazy viewer of nothing but chick flicksand whichever Disney film we have on aloop at the whim of said daughter, Iloved it. Maleficent, Ange’s malevolentvillainess/magnificent heroine was asuper-good faerie until the man sheloved stole her wings and threatened herkingdom’s security (great metaphors,Walt!). In retaliation, the girl done bad.Very bad. Disney, role models to ourchildren, have thus finally addressed thefact that there is no such thing as puregood or evil; our actions, good or bad,are driven by our experiences andemotions, good or bad, as the wrongedfaerie beautifully illustrated. It’s mademe view what I call the Cheltenhamgossip carousel a little differently. Thereare circles in town that seemingly thriveon criticising who said/did/wore what,

or who’s with whose ex (yup, it’s anincestuous town). I’ve been guilty oftaking sides, of judging others. But inreality, there are valid reasons for everyaction and reaction, and people can’tsimply be labelled as nasty or nice. Forexample, it’s not unknown for nice, non-malicious people to have extra-maritalaffairs and go on to survive long, happymarriages. It doesn’t make them evil;although I doubt the exes agree. Yes, Iknow what you’re thinking, but it’salways more complicated than that.And take murder; most heinous of

crimes of the heart. I’m sure I don’t needto point out I’m not in any way excusingor condoning it, but I was once of thefew privy to the other human,exceedingly complex side of a shocking,sensational story that hit the headlines.And on a lighter, more superficial note,mobile phones have been aglow withtoxic texts in my peer group of late – yes,

even at our age. But if we unpick whosaid what and when and why, it’s notbecause anyone is particularly right orwrong, good or bad, it’s because everyonecomes from their own place of hurt andis motivated by emotional and moralself-defence. People instinctively protectwhat is sacred to them, whether it betheir heart, their home or their beliefs.To prove my cultural consumption doesnot begin and end with Disney,Shakespeare aptly illustrates my nextpoint: “If you prick us do we not bleed?If you tickle us do we not laugh?... And ifyou wrong us shall we not revenge?”Revenge then, whether in the form of acutting put-down or worse, is perhaps anatural reaction of the wronged, just ashappiness is a natural reaction of theloved. Strong, regretful reactions can beprovoked in the best of us when thatwhich we most fiercely protect isthreatened. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not

saying we should accept bad behaviouror that tit-for-tat retaliation is excusableor right. So my point? It’s hard not tojudge a person by their wrongdoings orthe things they say. But if you dig a littledeeper there’s nearly always a story, ahidden reason to foster empathy. Rarelyare we good or bad people, we’re justhuman, driven by our base instincts andemotions. And hurt people hurt people.

PS apologies to the lady I was involved ina minor car crash with the other day. Asshe later realised, my somewhat over-the-top vocal reaction (cringe) was froma deeper source. I explained. Sheunderstood. And she forgave.So love one another, gossipers of the‘Nam! Understand. Empathise. Forgive.Vengeance shall not be yours, you’rereally not that evil.

Surging throughthe veins of

Cheltenham LifeThePulseBy JO BETTERIDGE [email protected]

Musings of a CheltenhamWannabe

UNDER PRESSURE:HOW HIGH ISYOUR BP IQ?

ANEW national survey has revealedthat more than half of adults over fortyhave never had their blood pressureresults explained by their GP.One in three UK adults has high

blood pressure or hypertension, dubbed‘the silent killer’ because its victims oftendo not notice symptoms. Eight millionBrits with high blood pressure are notundergoing treatment, and every day350 people suffer the preventablestrokes or heart attacks it causes.The survey, commissioned by Kinetik

Medical, showed that while 96 percentof people knew hypertension upped therisk of heart attack, stroke and heartfailure, 46 percent of forty year olds didnot know what their blood pressurereading actually was. Kinetik Medicalspokesman Ian Baker said: “We knowthat a third of people with high bloodpressure are walking aroundundiagnosed, but even those that takethe time to get tested can struggle.Gloucestershire GPDr DawnHarper,

star of TV’s ‘Embarrassing Bodies’comments: “It’s completely normal andappropriate for blood pressure to go upwhen we are anxious or in pain but bloodpressure that is consistently raised can

put a strain on your heart.I liken it to driving withyour foot flat on thethrottle. That's great if youneed to accelerate past a carbut if you drive like that all the time, theengine will eventually start to complain!”Simon Flynn, Cheltenham resident

and 10-year high blood pressure suffererwas diganosed whilst being treated by achiropractor and was advised to visit hisGP. He admits “I haven’t hadmy bloodpressure readings explained, I don’t evenreally knowwhat the two numbers mean.I probably should know but the GP is abusyman and I don’t like to make a fuss”.Neetan Jain of The Spa Pharmacy inMontpellier clarifies “Blood pressure isthe pressure of blood in your arteries oryour blood vessels and recorded as twofigures. The top or first number is thesystolic pressure – the pressure in thearteries when the heart contracts. Thebottom or second number is the diastolicpressure – the pressure in the arterieswhen the heart rests between each beat.“Generally the higher the blood

pressure the greater the risk to health. Ifyou are worried contact your localpharmacist for advice.”The survey also showed that over two

thirds of people wouldmonitor theirblood pressure themselves if they

understood hypertension better.Blood pressure monitors areavailable for use at home or atwork, enabling earlydiagnosis if readings are high.

High blood pressure patients use themas aids in better health lifestyle regimes,as diet, exercise, smoking and alcoholcan shape blood pressure. They are alsoused to validate readings in a clinicalenvironment where a patient’s stress attheir environment can cause falseresults. Dr Dawn is all for the use ofhomemonitors;“I often recommend patients use

homemonitors to give me a picture ofwhat their blood pressure is doing atdifferent times of the day. I always askthem to bring their monitor into surgeryto check against mine.”GPs do not always have time to

explain the numbers, and with ‘white-coat hypertension’ making bloodpressure results higher in the surgery, itis not surprising patients can leave theGP baffled. Kinetik Medical appear tohave provided the answers: “We havedeveloped the BP IQ quiz to help pointpeople to some simple facts, the bestresources and lifestyle measures for adose of self-help”.To take the ‘BP IQ’, visitwww.kinetikmedical.com/bpiq.html

BASQUE BOOT CAMP

THE diets are charted, the scales areprimed, the tape measure warmed andthe personal trainer warned…Cheltenham’s twomost un-motived,exercise-loathing, food-loving, wine-guzzling birds are about to go head-to-head in the battle of the basques. Drivenby the need to squeeze ourselves intoburlesque-themed birthday party fancydress at the end of October, NatalieNeale and I have decided to makeourselves publicly accountable and shareour fitness voyage into the unknown.Aside from not wishing to lookmountainous inMoulin Rouge-stylecorsets, we each have very differentpersonal reasons for our potentiallyhumiliating three-month fitness andweight-loss quest. Natalie’s exploring theeffects of diet and fitness on health ingeneral, and on her migrainesspecifically, whilst I want to uncover theconfidence-boosting, happy-makingpsychological effects of a finely tonedbody. Yes indeed, personal trainerMattCoulthard has his work cut out. Ourinspirational journey kicks off here nextweek – see you then!Follow us on Twitter:Natalie@CheltStandard andJo@CheltStandard.


FINDING the right diet to suit you andyour lifestyle can be a minefield. There arediets aimed at rapid weight loss or thosefocussed on changing attitude towardsfood for slower weight loss. Over recentyears the following diets have become thesubject of media scrutiny: South Beach,Cabbage Soup, Atkins, 5:2, Cambridge,Weight Watchers, Dukan, Paleo, GI(Glycaemic Index) and Slimming world. Sowhich one should I pluck for? I don’t wantto spend my day obsessing and cravingfood. I can’t sleep if I’m hungry, and if I’mrunning on empty I start to shake. Idon’t want to feel weak and tired if I’mexpected to exercise (actually just thatthought is making me feel weak andtired) and I could do without anabundance of headaches and lack ofconcentration whilst I try and holddown a job. Here’s a snapshot.

South Beach Diet – Designed by acardiologist, it’s basically a low fat diet thatoccurs in 3 phases. Phase 1 (first 2 weeks)is to cut out all processed carbohydrates,fruit, vegetables of a higher glycaemic value(yep sounds like putting your body in toketosis to me). Phase 2 continues forweight loss and introduces fruit, vegetablesand some grains. Phase 3 is maintenancefor life. Frankly this just sounds like amixture of any normal low fat diet,Cambridge and GI. This is not for me andnutritionally I don’t like the idea oflimiting so many fruit and vegetables.

Cabbage Soup Diet – Recommended fora quick fix. I did actually do this manyyears ago. ‘Flatulence’ and ‘boring’ springto mind. Little nutritional benefit with thevegetables being overcooked. Not for me.

Atkins – A very low carb diet allowing fullfat and fried foods. It works by puttingyour body in to ketosis which is frownedupon by many in the medical professionbut personally I really believe the sciencebehind it. You will get incredible halitosison this diet, so if you’re planning a date, I’dgive it a miss. This is not a diet that shouldbe undertaken by diabetics and medicaladvice should be sought if you have anymedical history if you plan to start thisdiet. I’m not big on full fat foods. I don’twant dog breath so I’m moving on.

5:2 Diet – This involves restricting calorieintake to 500 calories on 2 non-consecutive days of the week. I liked it butfound it difficult to limit the calories on thetwo days, and found it hard to sleepbecause I was hungry. In order to keep tothe 500 calories, I ate low calorie bulkyfood that lacked nutritional content, andbecause I had restricted my calorie intakethe previous day I over compensated with abinge the next day. This could work for meif I could find a better way to use my 500calories.

The Cambridge Diet – I tried thisrecently. It’s hard! A low carbohydrate diet

that consists of drinking 3-4 mealreplacement shakes a day. Like Atkins itputs your body in to ketosis which takesapproximately 3 days to achieve, gives youa nasty headache and yep, you get dogbreath. I failed on day one and had to eatan evening meal thus moving me from theSole Source step (shakes only and no solidfood) to Sole Source Plus that incorporatesa small evening meal. There are 6 steps tothis diet and your GP will be informed ifyou opt to start on the Sole Source. I lost9lbs in 2 weeks, felt absolutely fantastic,and am positive that the shakes werenutritionally better than my own diet. Ihad bundles of energy, slept well had greatskin which was probably as a result of the2 litres of water that needs to be consumedon this diet. The water consumption isparamount on this diet. The onlydownsides were the cost (around £42.00 aweek) and you can put the weight back onvery quickly, so a massive amount of self-discipline is required and you might as wellditch your social life. Alcohol no matterhow small the amount is a no-no and it’snot quite the same going to friends for aSunday lunch and sitting there with yourshake. It’s borderline depressing.

WeightWatchers – A national favouriteI gather, but sadly not one of mine. Youcan join a local group (plenty inCheltenham) or online. The diet gives youthe opportunity to use daily ProPoints(that are calculated on your height, weight,age and gender) for your meals, and someadditional ProPoints that you can use overthe week. If you don’t want to countProPoints you can choose from a list ofhealthy foods, but you will still be given aweekly allowance of ProPoints for foodsthat aren’t on the list. Failing either ofthose options you could choose one day tocount ProPoints and the following not to.Confused? I think I’ve just burnt some fatoff the grey matter just trying to fathomthat out.

Dukan Diet – A low carbohydrate, highprotein diet which consists of 100 foods. 72

of which are sourced from animals and 28from vegetables. You can eat as much as youlike of these foods only. The diet has “4pillars” – Attack, Cruise, Consolidation andStabilisation. Attack is protein only for upto 10 days along with 1.5 tablespoons of oatbran and 1.5 litres of water. This phase ismeant to give you a ‘kick start’ (sounds likeputting yourself in to the ever popular‘ketosis’ to me). Cruise is where you canintroduce your 28 vegetables (to be eatenon alternate days only) and continue withthe oat bran. No fruit allowed. You continuewith this phase to lose 1kg per week untiltarget weight has been achieved. If there isany weight gain some of the vegetables arebanned. Consolidation is the phase aboutnot putting the weight back on. One pieceof fruit is allowed and 2 pieces ofwholegrain bread a couple of times a week,and finally Stabilisation is about long termmaintenance. This diet is way tooregimented for me.

Paleo Diet – Also known as the ‘Caveman’diet because it literally consists of eatingonly foods that that would have beenhunted by our ancestors. We’re talkingmeat, fish, nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables(except potatoes). No sugar, dairyproducts, grains or legumes allowed, andthat for me is a problem. I want a diet thatthat I will stick to and will suit my lifestyle,and guess what? I’m not a cave-woman, soI wouldn’t stick to this.

GI (Glycaemic Index) Diet – To me thisis just eating sensibly. It involves eatingfoods with a low GI value that are low fat,preventing high sugar surges. This diet isabout releasing sugar steadily so thatinsulin (a hormone that is produced by thepancreas) can eliminate excess sugarsinstead of them being converted to fat. Ithink this is a great way for anyone withdiabetes (in particular diet controlled) toeat, but unless I was morbidly obese, orneeded to control my sugar levels, Iwouldn’t consider this a diet forme to lose weight, only as a way tomaintain weight.

SlimmingWorld – Probably myfavourite of the bunch. Not only does itpromote healthy eating (easily achievingyour 5-a-day) but you’re never hungrywhilst you munch away on an abundanceof ‘free foods’. You can add some measuredhealthy extras and with an allowance of 5-15 Syns a day you can enjoy the odd treat(alcohol, chocolate or cake for example)without ‘failing’. I like the idea that if youabstain from using your daily Syns you canallow yourself some indulgence at theweekend if attending a wedding or othersocial event. Once you know your freefoods (the healthy extras) it’s easy. You canjoin online or at one of the many groupsrunning across Cheltenham. Personally Ican’t find anything much negative aboutthis diet, although you need to be wary ofportion sizes. It’s a slow burner, so not theone for you if you want rapid weight loss,but I know many people this diet has beena huge success for and the weight hasstayed off. This is the only diet I think Icould actually stick to but I want ‘faster’weight loss. Therefore, I’m going to createmy own programme to lose weight usingthe principles of 3 diets that I believe willfit my lifestyle and that I can sustain longterm. Each week I’m going to include thetwo non-consecutive days of the 5:2 diet. Iwill plot these on my busiest work daysand the days that I don’t plan to exercise.On these days I’m going to have 3 mealreplacement shakes (similar to that of theCambridge diet). They are nutritionallycomplete and contain approximately 130calories per shake. The 2 litres of waterthat I’ll consume on these days will keephunger at bay and in the evening I’ll allowmyself a light meal. For the days where Idon’t need to restrict myself to 500calories, I’m going to stick with SlimmingWorld so I can have my binge but thistime with an unlimited amount of “free”healthy foods. Hooray as I start ahealthier me.

*If you have any medical history youshould always consult your GP beforemaking drastic changes to your diet.

LOCAL DEALS ANDPROMOTIONS AT A GLANCE…

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HEALTH&LIFESTYLE

HealthMattersYour essential guide to staying healthyand enjoying the best life has to offer

Diet dilemma…By NATALIE NEALE


EDUCATION

MOST parents have heard the stories abouthow children aren’t allowed to play conkersat school, or wear ties, because of healthand safety rules. But while such tales aremainly myths, the more disturbing reality isthat thousands of kids have been seriouslyinjured in accidents at school over the lastfive years, costing the taxpayer more than£3.3million in compensation in just threeof England’s biggest cities alone.Incidents include fractured bones and

severed fingers, with many resulting fromunsafe classroom and PE equipment,according to health and safety expertsEmployment Law Advisory Service (ELAS),who obtained the figures. They found that atotal of 1,980 personal injury claims werelodged across Greater London,Birmingham and GreaterManchester inthe five years since September 2008, and444 of themwere successful.“These figures are shocking and clearly

not enough is being done to protectchildren in schools fromwhat are, in themain, preventable accidents,” saysWayneDunning, ELAS’ lead health and safetyconsultant.“The statistics emerging from these three

cities are only the tip of the iceberg. “Healthand safety’s not being managed properly inthe education sector and this is costingtaxpayers millions, not only in directcompensation but also additional hiddencosts from administration.” Dunning saysthat it’s clear from the nature of theaccidents that many areas are beingoverlooked by school managers andteachers, and points out: “It’s not throughany fault of their own, but because theyhaven’t received the necessary trainingrequired to identify the potential risks andhazards that may prevent an accident fromhappening in the first place.”These are quitebasic health and safety failings and the

Government needs to invest more intraining, so that accidents that put childrenin danger are avoided.” Christine Blower,general secretary of the National Union ofTeachers NUT), agrees that schoolmanagers and teachers often don’t haveenough guidance to make schools the safestthey possibly can be. She says school healthand safety guidance is currently piecemeal,and suggests: “There should be nationalguidance available for school managers onwhat their duties are, how to avoid risk, andwhat’s a reasonable way of doing that. “Youcan’t avoid all accidents, but schools have tomake sure safety requirements are met,such as adequate staff supervision, andnational guidance will help staff.” She saysthat while stories about seemingly over-zealous school health and safety measureshave hit the headlines in recent years, suchtales are often taken out of context, andthere’s no reason to think that rules are anymore or less stringent than they were in thelast generation. Certainly, the Health andSafety Executive (HSE) confirms that theno conkers or school ties rules are indeedmyths - the conkers story is believed to havearisen after a well-meaning head teacherdecided children should wear safety gogglesto play conkers, and subsequently someschools banned the game ‘on health &safety grounds’. However, the HSE pointsout: “Realistically, the risk from playingconkers is incredibly low and just not worthbothering about.” And as for banningschool ties and wanting children to wearclip-on ties: “HSE doesn’t ban school ties -it’s up to schools to make their owndecisions about uniforms.”Generalguidance from the Department forEducation (DfE) stresses that health andsafety measures should help childrenexperience a wide range of activities safely,but not stop them.

Absolutely conkers…

Thirlestaine Road, Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 7AB

T: 01242 522697 E: [email protected]

www.cheltenhamcollege.org

Preparing young people for success in school and in their lives is both a vocation and an honour. Prepare to be proud.Open Morning Saturday 4 October at 9:30am

Bursaries and a wide range of 11+ Scholarships are offered. Please contact the Admissions Office for more information.

Loopholes causing risksLOOPHOLES are leaving someacademies at risk of sponsors cashing in,MPs warned. A recent report warnssafeguards to protect taxpayers’ money inthe flagship academies programme are fartoo weak and highlights the dangers oftakeovers by "cabals and cliques" such asin the Trojan Horse scandal whichrecently blighted Birmingham. Taxpayerfunded academies are open toexploitation by big business and politicalor religious “cliques” which support thembecause of “almost non-existent”safeguards, the report warned.Research commissioned by the

Commons Education Committee said

checks and balances to guard againstconflicts of interest between the academychains and their sponsors are too weakdespite efforts impose greater scrutinyand in some cases are “largelymeaningless”. It also warns that theacademy system which was thecentrepiece of the former Education.Secretary Michael Gove’s reforms ofschools is widely seen as lacking intransparency and “overly politicised fromthe top down”. It cited cases of directorstaking expensive “fact finding” tripsabroad or family members being put onthe payroll with jobs which did notappear to have been advertised publicly.

18 SEPTEMBER 2014 CHELTENHAM STANDARD

BRIAN Lightman (pictured), head of theAssociation of School and College Leadershas said, ‘unannounced inspections treatedstaff like “naughty children”. Ofsted saidthere would be 40 no-warning inspectionsthis month alone. These will test thefeasibility of unannounced inspections,proposed after the Trojan Horse inquiriesin Birmingham schools. There were callsfor inspections to take place withoutadvance warnings after claims someschools in the city were being taken over byhard-line Muslim groups. This followedconcerns that some of the schools were ableto conceal unacceptable behaviour whenthey knew Ofsted inspectors were about tocall. But head teachers' leader MrLightman said, “moving to no notice forroutine inspections is unnecessary andwould be counter-productive. It stiflescreativity and treats professionals likenaughty children.” Sir Michael Wilshaw hasannounced a wave of no-notice inspections“Schools currently only receive half a day'snotice. This is the absolute minimum timeneeded so that key staff and governors areavailable to meet with inspectors and staffcan gather the facts and figures thatinspectors need during their visit,” said MrLightman. He accepted that where there isan “urgent cause for concern”,unannounced inspections could beappropriate, but it should not become thestandard procedure. Ofsted plans to testthe idea of no-notice inspections, with awave of two-day unannounced visits acrossEngland. “I'm currently giving thought towhether Ofsted should move to moreroutine, no-notice inspections as part ofour wider education inspection reforms,which we will be consulting on later thisyear,” said Sir Michael. “In the meantime,under our regional structure, inspectors are

well-placed to use their local knowledgeand contacts to identify where these sortsof problems may be taking hold so we canrespond swiftly and report publicly onwhat we find.” Tip-off claims MeanwhileOfsted is investigating claims that anumber of schools in academy trusts inNorfolk were given advance warning ofinspections. The education watchdog alsorevealed that inspectors have returned formonitoring checks on five of theBirmingham schools placed into specialmeasures after the Trojan Horseinvestigations. The National Union ofTeachers says it opposes adopting a systemof routine no-notice school inspections.“For accountability to be meaningful thereneeds to be proper professional andrespectful dialogue,” said the union'sgeneral secretary, Christine Blower. “Thegovernment should look to and learn fromthe light touch accountability systems ofhigh-performing countries such asFinland and New Zealand which are basedon trusting schools and teachers to do thebest by their students, rather than theissuing of threats or penalties.”

Head teachers attack idea of Ofstedinspectors visiting schools without warning

For girls and boys, aged 3-11 years, the King’s Junior School offers a unique programme for identifying and developing individual talents. Come and see

how we offer each child every opportunity to realise their full academic, sporting or artistic potential.

www.thekingsschool.co.uk

For further details, or to arrange an individual tour, contact the Registrar, Sharon Bird: 01452 337337 or [email protected]

Open Morning

Saturday 18th October

10am - 12noon

Nurturing

since 1541Talent

ALL schools 'should run a longer day' tobenefit pupils from poorer backgrounds. TheDepartment for Education tells all stateschools in England to consider running alonger day, saying head teachers should putpupils' education before "tradition". It saysschools should run a longer day to preventpupils from working-class white familiesfalling behind their peers, according to theDepartment for Education. All stateprimaries and secondaries should considerextending the school day to give pupils moreteaching time and access to "characterbuilding activities". This is likely to includeextra-curricular activities such as sport, cadetforces, the Duke of Edinburgh award anddebating societies which are seen as vital tothe development of important "life skills"outside the classroom. The report outlinedthat officials said pupils from poorbackgrounds would benefit most from alonger day because it enabled them time to“complete work in a calm and supportiveenvironment” well away from often chaotichome lives. The DfE failed to set outrecommended opening and closing times

but evidence from the EducationEndowment Foundation which is agovernment-funded charity has found thatsome schools extended the day from theusual seven or eight hours to 12.It would involve running lessons and extra-curricular activities from 7am until 7pm. TheEEF however has indicated that "smallerincreases are associated with greater gains,and with more than three of four hours a daythe benefit decreases".Schools should plan their day based on“what works in the best interests of theirpupils’ education and not simply ontradition”, the DfE said. Some schools thathave already extended the day make itcompulsory for pupils to attend extra lessonsbut extra-curricular activities run into theevening are only often option. The reportalso said, “longer days can mean schools havemore time to work with pupils who needadditional help, and can open upopportunities for pupils to access purposeful,character building activities that help thembuild the confidence to succeed when theyleave school’.

Longer school days


QUIRKY NEWS Something a bit different...

About as useful as…FIREFIGHTERS who responded to aman having a heart attack whilstcutting the lawn, went back to finishthe job as a gesture of goodwill tohis family. After JohnMcCormick was taken tohospital by firefightersand an ambulancecrew, fire enginedriver Luke Badnarak

came up with the idea to goback and finish off the lawn.

McCormick, 65, sadly died twodays later, but his family said

they were grateful for the gesture.“It just speaks to their character,”

said McCormick’s son-in-law DanBlackford. “They say honour is doingthe right thing when nobody’slooking. That’s a fact.”

HUNDREDS of peopledescended onCheltenham town

centre last Saturday for theworld’s most exclusive treasurehunt. A total of £10,000 worthof diamonds were hidden acrossthe spa town by luxury jewellerBeards. The event, whichattracted global media attention,was held in aid of Maggie'sCancer Care Centre. Treasuremaps priced at £10 each wereavailable for the public topurchase. Additional clues werealso available on the day pricedat £5. Initial fundraising figuressuggest the Beards DiamondRush raised inexcess of £5,000for Maggie's. Thefirst diamond wasfound within 10minutes of theDiamond Rushkicking off. Theevent started at9.30am and by

9.37am, the first diamond hadbeen found in The DaffodilRestaurant in The Suffolks. Thefinal diamond was found at1.34pm. Lucky winners 23-year-old Matthew Jefferies and 28-year-old Fay Morehen found thefirst diamond and purchasedtheir treasure map one weekbefore the event. “The town wasbuzzing with people hunting forthe diamonds. We had beenplanning our strategy all weekbut we were absolutely stunnedto have found one. I cannotexplain the feeling of excitementwhich dawned on us when wecame across that special littlepurple pouch,” said Miss

Morehen.Other diamonds werefound inCheltenham’s iconicLido, MontpellierGardens and atthe top ofLeckhamptonHill. Meanwhile

one lucky shopper found adiamond in the Celebration CakeCounter in Waitrose and anotherwas found in Ellis and KilpatrickOpticians in The Regent Arcade.Other diamonds were found in abush at 131 The Promenade andunder a bin in Pittville Park.One Cheltenham couple, who

found the diamond in 131 ThePromenade, heightened theemotion of the day with amarriage proposal. Builder ScottThompson, 27, got down on oneknee to ask his girlfriendLucienne Simpson, 26, to marryhim. The final gem, which wasnot found until 1.34pm, was

hidden in the underground carpark at The Montpellier Chapter.Managing Director Alex Rose,from Beards Jewellers, said:“The success of this event hasbeen phenomenal. It has been somuch fun for everyone takingpart while also making 10 luckydiamond hunters incrediblyhappy. We have raised a fabulousamount of money for Maggies –a truly amazing charity. All in all,the Beards Diamond Rush was afantastic success. We would liketo thank everyone who tookpart.” Spokesperson AnnaMason, from Maggie’s, said: “Ithas been an amazing and ratheremotional day which has notonly raised a huge amount forMaggie’s but has also changedlives of people taking part. Thepeople who have found thediamonds have been over themoon, and this was simplytopped with one of the luckyfinders popping the question tohis girlfriend.”

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER...

Man asks Siri tohelp cover up murder

NEW licensing laws mean competitorsin the Pewsey Carnival wheelbarrowrace will be sober for the first time in 33years. Organisers of the annual three-legged ‘wine race’ and ‘wheelberro’ racesat the Wiltshere festival have brought inthe unpopular change this year tocomply with the 2003 Licensing Actpreventing ‘drinking alcohol at speed’.This weekend, anyone who wants torace in either event will have to drinknon-alcoholic beverages at each of thedesignated stops around the village.There will be a second non-competitiverace, starting five minutes later, forentrants who want to drink booze andmake their way around the stops at aleisurely pace.Organiser David Major told the

Gazette and Herald: “It’s been a bit of anightmare but we’ll just have to see howthings go. “We won’t know how it willaffect entries until the day, but peoplehave been talking about it, so hopefullyeveryone will still get into the spirit ofthings.” Jerry Kunkler, landlord of theMoonrakers pub, one of the stops onthe race route, added: “It’s a bit of astrange one, but it’s all to do withhealth and safety which I don’t alwaysagree with.“We live in a nanny state and it’s the

minority that the rules are in place forand the majority are the ones that haveto pay. “The Wheelberro race has beengoing for 33 years and we’ve only hadone person fall out of a wheelbarrowwhich isn’t bad going.”

No booze at festival

BOFFINS at Nestle have produced achocolate teapot which held boilingwater for two minutes and made adrinkable cup of tea. Reports say that theYork chocolatiers were challenged toprove the phrase “as useful as achocolate teapot” wrong. The result was

a hand-crafted, working receptacle madeof dark chocolate containing 65 percentcocoa solids. The hot water melted someof the chocolate inside the teapot, butthe viscous molten chocolate helpedinsulate the outside layer and the teapotdid not leak.

Fire�ghters with hearts of gold


ACROSS1. You don’t get cross when you get one(4)3. The bus decor becomes hidden (8)8. As well as a London orchestra (4)9 and 20 Across. Sum to do in per centto work it out (8,8)11. Lost me cash in terrible contraptions(4,8)13. Father’s attempt to make dough ... (6)14. ... or bits cooked in a smallrestaurant (6)17. The government representative gotin a >ap over Ray and the police force(12)20. See 9 Across.21. To return to the man (4)22. Normal procedure used for skipping?(3,5)23. It’s a long walk from the theatre,kids! (4)

DOWN1. Strange patterns in the wing of achurch (8)2. Conventions where you may make adeclaration (7)4. An ornamental clasp and two ringsfound in a British Church (6)5. Being impulsive, write a hundredcredit notes on an Italian island (10)6. Itinerary for the tour around the East(5)7. Terribly odd love-bird (4)10. One more Paris performancearranged by the theatrical producer (10)12. It shouldn’t be used as a blotter (4,4)15. Driven to tears by a domesticappliance (7)16. False lashes can give trouble (6)18. Improper treatment of 6 down? (5)19. The main point of registration (4)

CRYPTICCrossword

YourWeekly HOROSCOPESARIES (March 20 – April 18): You resent walking on eggshells. It’s just not your style. Makethe extra effort today because loved ones and friends will appreciate it.

TAURUS (April 19 – May 19): Things are going swimmingly on the professional front, butdon’t relax. Maintain your lead because your competition’s just a breaststroke behind.

GEMINI (May 20 – June 20): There’s networking and then there’s building allegiances.Don’t be impatient. Put in the time and energy and you’ll reap long-lasting results.

CANCER (June 21 – July 21): Everyone’s convinced you’ve got the answer. If only youshared their con0dence. Follow through with what you have planned and you’ll see theirfaith isn’t misplaced.

LEO (July 22 – Aug 21): There’s been so much back-and-forth lately that you may have ahard time remembering what you 0nally agreed to. Ask.

VIRGO (Aug 22 – Sept 21): No sooner do you write off an acquaintance as a snake in thegrass then this person pulls your fat out of the 0re. Apologize – and fast!

LIBRA (Sept 22 – Oct 22): You’re surprised to see the human side of someone who’salways “on.” Is it enough to revise your opinion? You betcha!

SCORPIO (Oct 23 – Nov 21): You suspected something was up, but today’s revelation isstill a surprise. You’ll need some time to absorb the repercussions.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 20): You’re used to doing things by yourself, but this needsto change. You’re never too old to learn how to be a team player.

CAPRICORN (Dec 21 – Jan 18): There’s more to a romantic interest than meets the eye.Expect things to get deep. You’ll appreciate the added dimension to your life.

AQUARIUS (Jan 19 – Feb 17): The hidden cost to success is that you have to answer toyour own amazing track record, but don’t worry. You’re on a roll so keep on rolling.

PISCES (Feb 18 – March 19): Asking for help actually gives the impression of you wantingto do your best. A colleague or client is happy to show you the ropes.

CoffeeBreak

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9

10

11

12

13 14 15

16

17 18

19

20 21

22 23

DEER

BEAK

MASK

BURN

WordLadderConvert the word at the topof the ladder into the wordat the bottom of it, usingonly the three steps inbetween. Every word mustbe a valid four-letter word.

Last week’s solutions (11th September 2014): Across: 1 Church-goers; 9 Upbraid; 10 Phial; 11Total; 12 Nankeen; 13 Errata;15 Corset; 18Magnate; 20Throb; 22 Romeo; 23 Immense; 24 Inelegantly. Down: 2 Habit; 3 Reallot; 4 Hiding; 5 Orpen;6 Raiders; 7 Furthermore; 8 Plane-tables; 14 Regimen; 16 Ottoman; 17Meting; 19 Atoll; 21 Renal.

Astronaut on ocean �oorAN ASTRONAUT is spending a weekliving at the bottom of the ocean tosimulate and prepare for future spacemissions. Jeremy Hansen is currentlyon the floor of the Atlantic Ocean at theAquarius Reef Base in Florida, about20m (65ft) below the surface. He hasbeen tweeting images of his underwateradventure, including an early morningsnap of a passing barracuda.In one message posted online he said:

“In bed for first night’s sleep under 20metres of ocean. I got the top bunk! “Ihear water surging back and forth andother strange sounds.” The Canadiantold CBC before the mission: “For me,mentally, I’m preparing to go on aspace mission for the next seven days.“We’ll be going to space walks, if you

will, out of the habitat every day andexploring the ocean floor as if it were anasteroid or the surface of Mars.”The 38-year-old is the exploration

lead for Nasa’s extreme environmentmission operations. He will guide afour-man crew for the week-long event.He said: “There’s a hole in the floor

that’s open to the ocean all the time,and the air pressure keeps the waterout, and we just go in and out.“One of unique things I’m really

excited (about) is just to see the oceanlife. It’s kind of like a big aquariumfor me.”

MOURNERS in Florida werehorrified when the wrong corpse wasbrought in to a funeral. MaryAnderson, 64, had chosen the clothesin which she wanted to be buried,including underwear, but relativesfound they had been put on the bodyof a dead stranger. Mary’s daughter,Marvelle Freeman, was first to spotthe horrendous mistake after funeralworkers opened the casket.The wake inWest Palm Beach had

to be delayed by an hour until Mary’s

body was fetched from anotherlocation and the clothes weretransferred.“We get here today for her wake,

and it’s not her. They have somebodyelse in all of her belongings,” Freemantold the Sun Sentinel. Anderson’ssister SusanWilliams added: “To takeher undergarments and put onsomebody else, and then take themoff her, and put them back on (mysister)... Come on! Come on! That’snot right.”

Right cof�n, wrong body


TELEVISIONYour one-stop guide to the besttv over the four-day ‘weekend’


CHELTENHAM Borough Councilhas been quietly beavering away foryears on plans to partially

pedestrianise Boots Corner. This is oneof a number of changes included in the‘Cheltenham Transport Plan’. Duringthe summer of 2013 the Councilconducted a consultation with the town’sresidents about plans for Boots Corner.People were shown imaginative sketchesof the area transformed by fancy roadsurfacing, along with options for a newfountain, trees or public art. The Councilconcluded that there was support for theirplans. Not happy with the way thisconsultation had been undertaken, Icarried out my own online survey earlierthis year (you can view the results and readmy objection to the plans on my bloghttp://klara1967.blogspot.co.uk). Mysurvey showed that the largest number ofpeople want Boots Corner to stay as it is.Interestingly it also showed that manypeople, who say they support the Council’splans to change Boots Corner, actuallysupport full pedestrianisation and not thefudge of partial closure.What is proposed simply will not deliver

the significant level of improvements atBoots Corner the Council say it will becausebuses and taxis will be trundling throughthe area.

With buses and taxis going through butno controlled crossing, Boots Corner willbecome a difficult environment for manyvulnerable people to use. Over 67% ofpeople responding to my survey said theydid not believe allowing buses and taxis to

share space with pedestriansat Boots Corner would be safefor people with disabilities.Partial pedestrianisation of

Boots Corner will shiftcongestion from a towncentre location where no onelives to roads where there aremany local residents. Almost79% of people responding tomy survey expressed somelevel of concern about this,with the largest number ofpeople saying they are veryconcerned. And they are rightto be concerned. The

transport ‘plan’ will move pollution from amobile population of shoppers to a staticpopulation of residents, with all thenegative health impacts that will have. Theroads affected by increased traffic will bemuch worse for all road users, not just

motorists or bus users stuck in traffic jams;cycling and walking on these routes will bemuch more unpleasant. Increasingcongestion and making journey times moreunpredictable will also harm localbusinesses. The current one way system inour town needs sorting out but that can bedone without the proposed traffic changesat Boots Corner. Improving the appearanceof Boots Corner is not dependent onreducing the traffic there. In thePromenade by theWarMemorial a greatdeal of investment has taken place inimproving the pavements. And yet thispotentially wonderful civic square remainsa glorified taxi rank and bus station. Noone wants Cheltenham to stagnate. It is abeautiful town and a wonderful place tolive. We need to pursue plans for the futurewhich will bring genuine improvements.Given how damaging the current plans areit is time for a fundamental rethink. Let’skeep the traffic flow at Boots Corner as it is– yes it’s busy but it works, the crossinghelps people cross and traffic around thetown is not continually gridlocked.Resurface and repave the area and give thefountain some TLC. Remove the trafficfrom the Promenade by the Long GardensandWarMemorial and create a world classcivic square which will be a real asset to thetown and its residents.

ON MYSoapbox

By COUNCILLOR KLARA SUDBURY

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CULTURE

Thanks to our friends at The EverymanTheatre, Cheltenham you couldWin one ofthree pairs of tickets for George Orwell’sclassic novel ‘1984’ now adapted as a playfor the Friday 26th performance.

To go into our free to enter draw to wina pair of tickets just answer this question....

Q. Which other novel byGeorge Orwell immediately

preceded ‘1984’?

A. Coming up for AirB. Animal Farm

C. The Road toWigan Pier

Answers by email to:[email protected] three correct randomly chosen answers win.

Closing date 22nd September 2014

Long Distance love… Part 1STACEY had been dating Mark for around eighteen months and itwas never going to be a serious relationship as she had just comeout of a long-term relationship with the father of her Krstdaughter. She had basically hooked up with Mark after meetingin a nightclub not long after her daughter was born. He wasseven years younger than Stacey and had made no bones aboutthe fact that he wanted to go travelling for a year whilst he wasstill young.They both thought they could handle the impendingmoment when Mark would leave. However, they hadinadvertently fallen in love and when the day Knally arrived forMark to step on the plane, he had actually pleaded with Stacey towait for him at least for the Krst couple of months. He was due togo toVancouver for a month and then onto Perth in Australia fora year. Mark had not been particularly computer literate andStacey had set up a Hotmail account for him to remain in touchwith her in Internet cafes throughout his trip. In a freak twist ofevents, Stacey sends an email to Mark’s Hotmail account andaccidentally omits one of the full stops in the address.The resultis that the email goes to somebody with the same name,surname and year of birth as her Marc, But whom lives in PerthAustralia.What is even spookier is that the Australian Marc, whogoes by the name of Marcus, has been in an almost identicalsituation and his girlfriend has left him to go to travelling for ayear. She resides inVancouver, which is where Stacey’s boyfriendis staying at that precise time in history The story followsStacey’s developing relationship (Online and by telephone) withMarcus and how coincidences in life can lead us to unknownpaths that form part of life’s rich tapestry.The story Knishes atthe point where Stacey meets Marcus face-to-face for the Krsttime inVancouver as he seeks to rekindle his romance with theestranged Isabelle.

To be continued next week…

The Dating Diaries is due to be released as an e-book on Amazonkindle, priced at £1.99 on September 30th 2014 and a follow upcollection is due to be released next year.

THE Cheltenham Bach Choir and the GöttingenStadtkantorei are combining once again to presenta great choral work at CheltenhamTown Hall onSaturday 8 November at 7.30pm.The massed voiceswill number some one hundred and Kfty singersand will be conducted by Dr. Bernd Eberhardt, theStadtkantorei’s musical director.The choirs will singthe Latin text of Beethoven’s magniKcent MissaSolemnis.The Cheltenham Bach Choir has beentwinned with the Göttingen Stadtkantorei (TownChoir) from Cheltenham’s German twin town since1971. John Bristol, chairman of the CheltenhamBach Choir, said “The Cheltenham Bach Choir isabsolutely delighted to be performing with theStadtkantorei.There are longstanding linksbetween these two choirs and we have exchangesevery two or three years, which are important

events in our choir’s programme. “We’re delightedto welcome the Göttingen Stadtkantorei back toCheltenham. On the last visit of the Göttingen choir,we performed Mendelssohn’s Elijah inTewkesburyAbbey.We hope many people will be inspired bymemories of that Kne concert to come and supportus on 8th November.They will not be disappointed.”The visitors, who are in Cheltenham from 4-9thNovember, will also have time to explore their twintown with a guided tour and a welcome receptionwith the Mayor, Councillor SimonWheeler.Cheltenham has been twinned with Göttingen inLower Saxony since 1951 and this visit is one ofmany well established links that exist between thetwo towns. Councillor Garth Barnes, chairman ofCheltenhamTwinning Association, said: ’’I amdelighted that the two choirs from Göttingen andCheltenham have forged such a superb relationshipthat has enabled them to perform at the higheststandard together.This shows twinning at acultural and personal level that brings muchenjoyment and lasting friendships to many.’’Ticket prices range from £10 to £30 and areavailable from CheltenhamTown Hall’s website.

Twinning choirreturns to performat Town Hall

TOURING ConsortiumTheatreCompany hold regional auditionsfor community casting in nextproduction of Arthur Miller’s ‘AView from the Bridge’. In spring2015, the Touring ConsortiumTheatre Company will, with YorkTheatre Royal, co-produce ArthurMiller's modern classic, A Viewfrom the Bridge, directed byDamian Cruden. 2015 is thecentenary of Arthur Miller’s birthand they are delighted to be celebrating it with thisproduction of one of his most popular plays. Set in1950s NewYork and crackling with raw emotion,this American classic simmers with tension aslongshoreman Eddie Carbone's obsession with hisorphaned niece spirals out of control. In a closeItalian immigrant community bound by codes ofjustice and vengeance, the scene is set for disasterwhen Eddie and his wife welcome Sicilian cousinsinto their home. Sexual repression, paranoia andhomophobia drive Eddie to an act of betrayal thathas tragic consequences for himself, his family andthe whole community.This dark and passionatetale ranks as one of the great classics of our time.The Touring ConsortiumTheatre Company will beholding open auditions at the EverymanTheatre,

Cheltenham to cast between10-12 people who will make upthe ensemble casting for thisproduction. Local members ofthe community will performalongside the professional castfor the entire week that it playsat the Everyman (Tuesday 10th– Saturday 14th March 2015).It’s a wonderful opportunity forlocal actors to be part of anational touring production.

The Touring ConsortiumTheatre Company hasincluded community ensembles in their previoustours ofWhatsOnStage nominated To SirWith Loveand Brassed Off. Anyone with even a little actingexperience is welcome to audition. Just bring yourenthusiasm and commitment. Auditions will beheld on the EverymanTheatre stage this autumn.To apply for a casting slot, please send a recentphoto and a short paragraph about yourselfexplaining why you would like to take part [email protected]. Please note youmust be over 16 years old to apply. Deadline forapplications is 3rd October 2014.The next TouringConsortium production at the Everyman will be astage adaptation of Pat Barker’sWW1 novelRegeneration next month (21st – 25th October).

Community casting for Miller masterpiece

Competition Final Week!

By KAREN PERRETT

Karen Perret formerly of Cheltenham and now living inrural Herefordshire has compiled collection of short storiesunder the name Stacey Ingal. They’re based on her real lifeexperiences, whilst playing the dating game over a sevenyear period.

THE D TING DIARIES….a collection of shortstories from the heart

Karen Perrett A modern day Bridget Jones

A

Sophie and Daren“The service given by Oliver and his team at Elliot Oliver Sales and Lettings is simply /rst class, they made the stressful

experience of buying a house simple and smooth. We are both extremely grateful for the attentive, professional and honestmanner in which they do their business and would strongly recommend them to anyone.”

Buyers, 2 July 2014

Stephen“Thank you again for all your time and effort, you were certainly the best estate agent we came across in Cheltenham.”

Applicant, 22 July 2014

Marc“I highly recommend Elliot Oliver, they operate a professional service with a smile, always happy to go that extra mile. My properties

have been let with minimal turnaround and ease. A pleasure working with you all and thanks for the Peroni from the fridge.”Landlord, 12 July 2014

RECENT figures indicate that care homefraud, i.e. families disposing of propertyand assets to claim state funding hasnearly doubled in the past year, up to 82%which is tantamount to £4million.However many would people argue that afar bigger con trick is being perpetrated bythe NHS and local councils. This isbecause families are not being informedabout funding or exemptions they areentitled to and as a result some expertsbelieve thousands of houses are being soldunnecessarily each year, and inheritancesdrained when they don’t have to be. Toadd to this, an estimated 100,000 familiesare unaware of some schemes that couldsave them a fortune in care home fees. It’sa shocking revelation, especiallyconsidering those most affected will be thetax-paying middle classes. For relatives ofthe estimated 130,000 elderly people whoenter care homes every year, the sums atstake can be vast. According to healthcareanalysts Laing Buisson, residential carecosts about £600 a week and more thanthat for people suffering from dementia.Costs also vary by location. It was foundthat patients in the South East who paycloser to £1,000 a week for residentialcare clock up a bill of nearly £100,000over two years (the average time a personspends in care), compared with £73,000in other parts of the country. So what canthose at risk do about it? First, they needto understand the rules surrounding carefor the elderly. Who pays depends uponthe financial circumstances of theindividual needing care. If the localauthority arranges the care homeplacement, then a financial assessmentwill be carried out, with both income andsavings taken into account. Most forms ofcapital and savings are included in theassessment, including bank and buildingsociety accounts, National Savings,premium bonds, shares and property. As itstands, anyone with property or capitalworth £23,250 or more has to pay the fullcost of their care. Because of this rule, it isestimated that 40,000 family homes aresold each year to cover the bills. It isestimated that three out of four peoplewhose parents go into a care home lose allor most of their inheritance. As part of theassessment process, councils have thepower to investigate the way in which anycapital or assets have been disposed ofbefore going into care. And they are takingincreasingly aggressive steps to delve intopersonal finances. These includeemploying ‘avoidance inspectors’, whoroutinely demand to see everything, fromtax returns to notes frommeetings withfinancial advisers. Even attempting to getrid of thousands on extravagant holidayscould fall foul of these rules. Timing isoften crucial. If someone transferred theirhouse to a relative when they were fit andhealthy, and had no plans to go into ahome, then they’re unlikely to transgress

the law. But if it can be shown to havebeen done with the intention of gettingthe council to pick up some or all of theirfuture care costs, they can be treated asthough they still have that capital. In caseswhere this happens within six months ofthe individual applying for funding,councils have the power to recover moneyfrom the person to whom the asset wastransferred. It’s a frightening thought.Some people find themselves accused offraud, and facing criminal prosecution.The emphasis seems to be ’can you pay?

but it surely it ought to be, ‘should youpay?’ It seems that in many casesignorance is not bliss!


HERE’S SOME NEATWAYS OF ENSURINGTHAT YOUR FAMILYDOESN’T LOSE OUT...

MAKE SURE A RELATIVELIVES IN YOUR HOUSEIf you own your property but yourspouse remains in it when you gointo a care home, the local authoritycannot take it into account for thepurposes of their +nancialassessment, and so must ‘disregard’it.The same applies if it is occupiedby another family member.

ACT EARLY TO PROTECT ASSETSAssets should not be given away atthe last minute but can be protectedas part of long-term estateplanning. So act early, when you are+t and well and unlikely to requireimminent residential care.

RELY ON A TRUSTAn elderly person can transfer theownership of a property into alifetime discretionary trust.Thiswould allow you to go on living in it,with the ownership of the propertygoing to a relative on your death.Again, this has to be done early andas part of estate planning strategy.The most common form of trust is alife interest trust, whereby half thevalue of your home, up to theinheritance tax threshold, is putinto a trust on the death of the +rstspouse, for the bene+t of children.

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Cheltenham Youth FootballLeague Weekend Fixtures


SPORT

SATURDAY

Under-11 Arthur Stiley TrophyBishops Cleeve Colts v Southside Tigers; FC LakesideReds v Churchdown Panthers; Leckhampton RoversHarriers v Charlton Rovers Reds.

Under-10 Development RedChurchdown Panthers Rovers v LydneyTown;FC Lakeside Blues v Chuchdown Panters United;Longlevens Infants Lions v Prestbury PhantomsRovers; Prestbury PahtomsTornadoes vWinchcombeTown Charlton Rovers Blues v Bishops Cleeve ColtsUnited.

Under-10 DevelopmentYellowBishops Cleeve Colts Rovers v Leckhampton RoversPirates; Bishops Cleeve Colts v Gotherington Juniors;Leckhampton Rovers Lemurs v FC Lakeside Reds;Leckhampton RoversWolves v Churchdown PanthersAlbion; Charlton Rovers Reds v FC LakesideWhites.

Under-11 Division 1St Marks Juniors v TufAey Rovers; CheltenhamSaracens v Southside Panthers, Southside Lions vLeckhampton Rovers Spit@res.

Under-11 Division 2Churchdown Panthers Colts v Gotherington Juniors;SwindonVillage Bowmen v Charlton Rovers Blues;Leckhampton Rovers Meteors v Bishops Cleeve ColtsRovers U11.

SUNDAY

GFA Under-14 County CupBishops Cleeve Colts v Longlevens; ChurchdownPanthers v PainswickYouth; FC Lakeside v NewentTown; LydneyTown (Youth) v Sevenside Nuclear;Leckhampton RoversWhites v TufAey Rovers;Charlton Rovers Reds v FC Barometrics; Lydbrook vLeckhampton Rovers Sharks; Gotherington Juniors vCirencester Town.

CHELTENHAMYOUTH LEAGUEUnder-12 Ted Croker CupBishops Cleeve Colts Rovers v FC Lakeside Blues,SwindonVillage Bowmen v Abbeymead RoversYellows; Prestbury Phantoms Falcons v LeckhamptonRovers Lions; Broadwell AmateurYouth v ChuchdownPanthers Reds; Longlevens Lions v Abbeymead RoversReds; Forest Rangers vWorcester Colts; LeckhamptonRovers Predators v Cheltenham CSYouth Blues;Prestbury Phantoms Spirts v Leckhampton Rover Jets;Charlton Rovers Reds v LonglevensYouth; CharltonRovers Blues v FC LakesideWhites; LeckhamptonRovers Eagles v TufAey Rovers; Southside Sharks vBishops Cleeve Colts; QuedgeleyWanderers vCheltenham CSYouth Reds.

Under-13 C&G League CupBishops Cleeve Colts v Charlton Rovers Reds; FCLakeside BLues v Bishops Cleeve Colts Rovers; Fintanv Bishops Cleeve Colts United; Shurdington Rovers vCinderford Town; FC Oakwood v Kingshill Lions;Charlton Rovers Blues v TufAey Rovers.

Under-12 Division 3WinchcombeTown v Southside Tigers.

Under 13 Division 1Worcester Colts v Gotherington Juniors; QuedgeleyWanderers v Shurdington RoversWolves;Leckhampton Rovers Falcons v FC Lakeside Reds.

Under-13 Division 2Hardwicke Rangers v NorthleachT.

Under-14 DivisionCheltenham Spa CS v Leckhampton Rovers Cheetahs.

Under-15 DivisionSouthside v Leckhampton Rovers Cougars; FCLakeside v RodboroughYouth; Cashes GreenYouth vGotherington Juniors; PainswickYouth v CinderfordTown; Fintan v LydneyTown (Youth); Charlton RoversReds v Charlton Rovers Blues; Cheltenham Saracensv Bishops Cleeve Colts United.

Under-16 Division 1St Marks Juniors v FC Lakeside; Ruardean Hill Rangersv TufAey Rovers;Wotton Rovers v Fintan; EveshamUnited v Churchdown Panthers;Whitecroft FC vQuedgeleyWanderers.

Under-16 Division 2Bishops Cleeve Colts v PainswickYouth; EnglishBicknor v Abbeymead Rovers; Gotherington Juniors vCharlton Rovers; Harvington CC v CheltenhamSaracens FC Highnam v FC Oakwood.

Under-18 DivisionBishops Cleeve v Fintan; Cheltenham CSYouth vHucclecoteYouth; Churchdown Panthers vTewkesbury Town Colts; Southside v FC Lakeside;Shurdington Rovers v Gotherington Juniors Blues;Gotherington Juniors vWhites Southside Galaxy.

Here at The Standard we’ve teamed up with our sisterpublication Cotswold Style,House of Fraser and rugbyicon Phil Vickery’s clothing brand to @nd the newmaleface for Raging Bull. This is an amazing opportunity toget noticed and be the face of the brand. Simply sendus an image of yourself or your partner to enter thisfabulous competition.The winner will model in afashion shoot for Cotswold Style Magazine and willalso have the chance of winning £300 of Raging Bull

clothes, together with anovernight stay at the stunningEllenborough Park with a meal fortwo. House of Fraser is featuring aspecial window display (onTheEverymanTheatre side) during oursearch for the Raging Bull Star,displaying some of the imagessent to us on a large screen.

The winner will be chosen from an invited short list atthe store by a panel including the House of Fraserstore manager and Phil Vickery.

Images can be emailed to of@[email protected] your contact details by October 21st 2014.

BE THE NEW FACE OFRAGING BULL


SPORT

NEWLY promoted Cheltenham Spartansclaimed a double victory, on the opening weekof the National Waterpolo League season.In their first match in Division Four, Dave

Edwards and Nick Armitage-Bond led theyoung team to 9-3 win over Grantham. Bothplayers scored twice in a promising start forSpartans.They were made to work for it early on, a

low scoring first half saw Cheltenham leading2-1, but took the game by the scruff of theneck in the third quarter, adding another five

goals and running out eventual winners.Their second game was a muchmore

dramatic affair, with Spartans having torecover from a 4-1 deficit to take a 15-20victory against City of Cambridge.Dave Edwards continued his form from the

first game, scoring seven times. Rudi and JakePolster were also instrumental in thisimpressive performance. Rudi added 5 goalsto his opening match tally of one and Jake hita hat-trick.The opening wins means the Spartans are

top of the league, on goal difference, from YorkCity who also won their two opening games.

WATER POLO

WHADDONUNITEDmade it fourwins from four games, as theythrashed Upton Town 5-0 inDivision One.Michael Winter was thee standout

with a brace, while Ryan Peach,Lewis Peters andMarkWalshrounded off another good week forWhaddon. They are now threepoints clear of FC Lakeside, who stillhave a game in hand.Churchdown Panthers remain in

contention with a 4-0 win over StarFC Reserves. The home-side led 1-0at half-time but scored another threetime to secure another victory.Daniel Alderman claimed a double asthey moved up to fourth in the table.Hanley Swan romped to a 4-0 win

at AC Olympia, an impressive way toclaim their first win of the campaign.The result keep Olympia just oneplace off the bottom of the table.R.S.G. managed to overhaul

Newton FC, winning 3-1 at SpringFields. Jake Johnson, Leo Kent andTomWebb all grabbing goals in a

comfortable victory.While Falcons and GalaWilton

Reserves played out a 1-1 draw.In Division Two, Cheltenham

Patriots dealt Cheltenham CivilService Reserves to their first defeatof the season, with a comfortable 3-0win. The win moves the hosts towithin two points of the top, helpedby goals from Conor Barrowcliffe,Thomas Jenkins and KayneSamapuria.Andoversford failed to take

advantage of the leader’s defeat,losing 2-1 at Staunton & Corse.Goals from Thomas Lyon and JoshuaSteele ensured Andoversford wouldnot be taking over at the top of thetable.FC Barometrics Reserves pulled off

the most emphatic result of theweekend, with a 6-1 demolition ofW.M.K, at the Newlands.Southside FCmoved into the top

four, with a 2-0 over PrestburyRovers. While Tewkesbury Town gottheir first points of the season with atight 1-0 triumph over WhaddonUnited Reserves.

GRASS ROOTS FOOTBALL

Whaddon maintain Top Spot

GLOUCESTER picked up their first winof the Premiership season, with acomeback victory over Sale Sharks.Trailing 6-17 at half-time, the Cherry

and Whites produced a fighting displayin the second period to overcome theteam that finished sixth in last season’sstandings.Sale took full control of the first half,

Tom Arscott went over for the first try ofthe game. And the visitors added to theirlead with following tries from ChrisCusiter and Luke McLean.Gloucester’s first-half six points, came

from the boot of Greig Laidlaw. TheScottish international landing twopenalty kicks for the hosts.Another two kicks brought the home-

side to within a try of their opponentsand Jonny May managed to provide it.His try levelled the scores at 17-17.Despite Danny Cipriani kicking Sale

back in front, Gloucester managed toclaim their second try of the match. Maywas involved yet again as he fed RobCook to touchdown.Laidlaw converted the try and added

another penalty to increase Gloucester’slead.And it looked like the game was settled

when the hosts were awarded a penaltytry and Laidlaw added the extras.Cipriani managed to claim a late try for

Sale, but they could not stop Gloucester

claiming their first win under DavidHumphreys.“After going down 17-3 down, and

following on from the disappointment oflast Friday, we were in a hole and I thinkit showed the character of the squad toturn it around,” Humphreys told thepress after the game.“There’s huge amounts still to work on

but we’re delighted to have come awaywith the win.”Gloucester will be back at Kingsholm

on Saturday as they take on ExeterChiefs, who are currently fourth andnarrowly lost to Leicester last weekend.

RUGBY UNION

Cheltenham Spartans claim opening wins

Gloucester battle to first victory

AHOST of rugby stars swapped their playingboots for cycling cleats for charity, at Cyclothon2014, at BrandHatch.The event is now in its fourth year and was

conceived in an attempt to raise awareness andmoney for a host of charities, supported by someof Britain’s top sportsmen and women.Mike Tindall MBEwas one of a number of ex-

rugby starts taking part on the day. He was also

joined by former England internationalcolleague LeeMears and Roger Uttley OBE.Former Bath and England prop, Victor Ubogu

is the brainchild behind the event, which startedin 2011 and has been staged at BrandsHatchever since.The day consisted of two events, an 8 hour and

12 hour event and between the teams theymanaged to raise over £150,000 for theircharities, including the RFU Injured PlayersFoundation.

CHARITY

Rugby Stars Cycle for Charity


SPORTYates: Can’tfault my players

I THINK it’s fair to say that this pastweek couldn’t have gone much worsefor Cheltenham Town.The Robins’ slumped to their first

league defeat at Luton, and thenlosing against Southend after havinga man sent off.However, looking at the

performances, especially at Luton,you can argue that the Robins’deserved at least a point out of thegames.Mentally the team looks a lot

stronger than last season and, asMark Yates’ has eluded to already,the effort is there for the fans to seeso they have no grounds to complainabout the start to the season theyhave had.

The only aspect I can see that theteam need to improve is theirproficiency in front of goal. When Iwas at the Hartlepool game a coupleof weeks ago, which Cheltenhamwon 1-0, they should have been infront well before injury time andwith a bigger advantage on thescoreboard.What won’t help is the fact that

Birmingham City decided to recallKoby Arthur from his loan spell atthe Robins. The Ghanaian hadarguably been Cheltenham’s bestattacker this season and losing himis a big blow.So it’s up to Terry Gornell, Byron

Harrison and the other loanee JohnMarquis to provide Yates’ side with

the goals they crave.Then came Tuesday’s game against

Southend. The main talking point ofthe match was of course the red cardfor Jason Taylor.While the decision may have been

harsh, I have to say Taylor haswalked that disciplinary tightrope acouple of times this season.We’ve seen already that he can

have a temper and he was nearly sentoff against Oxford, in the cup tie, forhis reaction to a challenge on him.It’s ok having passion, and that isone of his best attributes.Apart from that he has been a

great presence in that Cheltenhammidfield and will continue to be akey player, even after his ban.

By MATTHEW THOMAS [email protected]

SportsEye....MARK YATES remained upbeat despite Cheltenham’sfirst defeat of the season at Luton Town.Mark Cullen scored an eighth minute winner for

newly promoted Luton ended Cheltenham’s unbeatenstart to the League Two season.“I thought for the first twenty-five they were better

than us,” Yates said.“They paid us a massive compliment by changing

their shape. I thought second half we were outstanding,if we had got one we could’vegot a couple.I won’t fault the lads as long

as I get effort like that. We’vebeen built of hard work andcommitment, and I got thatfor all the game.”The Robins have now failed

to find the net in their last twogames. Yates still believes theteam are creating good

chances, but does rue those missed opportunities.“Credit to them, they had something to hang on too

and managed to.We had chances in the second half to win three or

four games. The keeper makes a few good saves and Ithink we picked the wrong option three or four times.”Despite this setback the manager is still happy with

the start his team has made to the campaign.“We’ve had seven games, fourteen points and that’s

tremendous from the whole group.It’s not a response where, we’re after the players

because it was a poor performance, the work rateand effort was there we just didn’t get anything out ofthe game.”

GOT A LOCALSPORTS STORY?Contact our Sports Editor via

[email protected]

Arthur recalledby Birmingham

CHELTENHAM TOWN loan star,Koby Arthur, has been recalled byparent club Birmingham City afterjust under two months at WhaddonRoad.The Ghanaian made eight

appearances for the Robbins scoringthree league goals, plus another in

the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy win over Oxford United.His first goal came in the 2-1 win over Accrington

Stanley. He then scored Cheltenham’s equaliser on theway to a 3-2 win at Tranmere and the winner againstHartlepool at the end of August.Arthur’s departure leaves Mark Yates’ team with three

first-team strikers. Byron Harrison and Terry Gornellwill now be looking to link up, while trying to fight offcompetition fromMillwall loanee, John Marquis.

PHOTO:THOUSA

NDWORDMED

IA

Cheltenham Town sufferLuton Town defeat

SPORT32 CHELTENHAM STANDARD 18 SEPTEMBER 2014

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withMATTHEW THOMAS, SPORTS [email protected]

CHELTENHAM TOWN failed tobounce back from their weekenddefeat, and succumbed to a 1-0

defeat to Southend United.The hosts lost Jason Taylor to a,

controversial, 25th minute red card.Then Conor Clifford scored the winner forthe visitors, just seven minutes after half-time.It was an unentertaining first half,

although JordanWynter stung the handsof Daniel Bentley.On twenty-five minutes, the

controversial moment of the gamehappened as Jason Taylor was shown astraight red card. After he and Cliffordtangled, a scuffle broke out after MylesWeston seemed to shove Taylor in theback. To the dismay of the home crowdthe referee gave Taylor his marchingorders.The only other threat that Cheltenham

posed, before the break, came throughCraig Braham-Barrett cutting in from theby-line, only to see his shot blocked by theSouthend defence.United very rarely showed any attacking

impetus, but had a chance to take the leadjust before half-time. Shaq Coulthirstmanaged to get on the end of a cross fromAdam Thompson, but Trevor Carson wasequal to it and parried it behind for acorner.Cheltenham’s stopper was called into

action again early in the second-half todeny Jack Payne, but was beaten in the52nd minute.Clifford picked up the ball, 25 yards

out, and struck a lovely drive into thebottom corner. Sending the traveling fanswild.

Coulthirst nearly got on the end of across, before Clifford had another longrange effort that curled just wide.Southend were now fully in charge and

tested Carson yet again, as Weston sawhis effort denied.Just before the hour mark it should

have been 2-0 to the visitors. It wasWeston who found himself with the goalat his mercy, he managed to place hiseffort wide of the open goal, as Unitedmissed a golden opportunity to put thegame beyond Cheltenham.The woodwork denied Southend

another goal on seventy-two minutes, asKevan Hurst looked to put a seal on theresult.Cheltenham’s final contribution came

right at the end, when Matt Richards’tame shot was gathered easily by Bentley.“The game got ruined by the official,”

said manager Mark Yates.“Our supporters are the most mild

mannered, and for them to give the

referee what they gave him at the end andthroughout the game just summed it upfor me.”Yates also saw Jason Taylor receive a

straight red card in the first-half, andwhile believing his player was did notdeserve the punishment he conceded themidfielder asked for it with his reaction.“I saw it at half-time and I thought it

was harsh. But Tayl’s has given him (thereferee) the chance to. I thought it was agood game till then, two teams playingsome decent stuff.”It was a disappointing end to a tough

week for the Robins’, first losing theirunbeaten start at Luton then losing aplayer and the match at Whaddon Road.They will have a chance to right the

wrong, with another home game nextweekend against Dagenham & Redbridge.“The effort and commitment is there to

see. In the three games we haven’t won,we’ve played well in them all so we’ve justgot to be more clinical.”

PHO

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Cheltenham fallto Luton defeat

AN early goal ended Cheltenham’sunbeaten start to League Two, after goingdown 1-0 at Luton Town.Mark Cullen scored an 8thminute

header to condemnMark Yates’ side totheir first defeat of the league campaign,and their second in all competitions.It was a slow start for the Robins’, as

Steve Elliott had to clear off the line beforeCullen opened the scoring before tenminutes.And the Luton threat continued, as Luke

Guttridge’s shot was deflected wide by TroyBrown before Alex Lacey’s 11thminuteheader sailed over the bar.JoeHanks had Cheltenham’s first

meaningful effort, bringing a good savefromMark Tyler. Then it took a good blockromLuton’s SteveMcNulty to deny JohnMarquis.Amistake fromMatt Richards handed

Guttridge another opportunity to get hisname on the scoresheet, but luckily for theCheltenhamman the effort was wide.The visitors improved after the break, but

it was Luton who nearly scored a secondand had the ball in the net on fifty-eightminute. Jim Stevenson bundling the ballhome, but the referee deciding not to awardthe goal.Eight minutes later and Cheltenham

threatened the equaliser through JasonTaylor. The Luton goalkeeper had to bealert to palm away a fierce drive from themidfielder.Omari Sterling-James looked like he

would finally find a breakthrough for theRobins’, when he controlled a lovely ballfromRichards but a tame finish ended upsafely in Tyler’s arms.Only onemore opportunity came for

Cheltenham, within the last tenminutes.The referee awarded a free-kick in adangerous position, and JohnMarquistested Tyler yet again but the keeper wasdetermined not to be beaten and Lutonheld on to claim their first home victoryback in the Football League.Despite the result, Cheltenhamwill have

a chance to redeem themselves when theyhost SouthendUnited atWhaddon Road.

CHELTENHAM TOWN 0SOUTHEND UNITED 1

TUESDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Robins SufferDouble Setback

SATURDAY FOOTBALL

Cheltenham Standard 18th September 2014

Documents

Transcript of Cheltenham Standard 18th September 2014