cheltenham standard 30th april 2015

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30 APRIL 2015 ISSUE 41

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IN a week where the main partiesare turning up the political ‘wick’and amid a 2urry of media activitythe Chancellor of the ExchequerGeorge Osborne made a whistle-stop tour of Cheltenham onMonday to offer his support toConservative hopeful Alex Chalk.George Osborne delivered a

blunt warning to voters in Chel-tenham on Monday as he pressedthem not to risk undermining allof the coalition government'sachievements by backing Labournext Thursday 7th May.In the short time that he was

here the Chancellor managed tosqueeze in a visit to local familybuilding 1rm Bences in Fairviewwhere he met both the Directorsand staff in a mini tour of the busi-ness. He visited Bence's after themanaging director, Paul Bence hadsigned a letter along with thou-

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CHANCELLOR INCHELTENHAM

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2 CHELTENHAM STANDARD 30 APRIL 2015

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CHELTENHAM BoroughCouncil has agreed to pay £mil-lions over the fair market pricefor an of6ce block in Chel-tenham town centre. In ameeting which was largelyclosed to the public, the LiberalDemocrat group on the councilpushed through a decision topurchase the of6ce blockdespite their own independentvaluation showing the buildingwas actually worth £millionsless than the price they aregoing to pay.Opposition councillors

fought against the plans whichwould see taxpayer money usedto make up the shortfall in theovervalued of6ce purchase.Conservative and PAB voicedserious reservations about theexpensive purchase and votedunanimously against, but thecontrolling Liberal Democratgroup voted as a bloc to forcethe contentious move through.Despite the high level of

public interest in the purchase,because the deal is considered“commercially sensitive”, thelocation, name of the seller andmost importantly, the price, willnot be disclosed until the deal issigned. This is not likely tohappen for around a month, de-laying publication of the detailsuntil after the General Election.

Cllr Tim Harman, Conserva-tive Group Leader, said: “This isa bad deal for Cheltenham andshows a huge disregard for tax-payer money. It is incredible tothink the council is knowinglypaying £millions above fairmarket price for a building thatsimply isn't worth it.

“The Lib Dems are raiding theproceeds from the North Placecar park sale to plug the 6nan-cial shortfall in this misguidedproperty deal. This is moneythat should be going towardboosting public assets and serv-ices in Cheltenham.“The sums involved are stag-

gering. This mistake couldeasily end up costing thecouncil more than the ChristineLaird scandal or the major costoverruns at the Wilson ArtGallery.“It is a rushed decision that

could haunt Cheltenham foryears.”

Council to pay £millions above market price for new offices

sands of other small businessleaders backing the Conserva-tives.Mr Osborne went on to add

that, “Cheltenham is really im-portant”. And continued to saythat, “It is one of the 23 seatsthat we need to win in thiscountry to have a stable major-ity government together witheconomic stability and jobsbeing created for families’’.He also simply stated that,

“The alternative is thepolitical instability and theeconomic chaos that would

come from an Ed Milibandgovernment: A weak primeminister propped up by, andheld hostage by, Scottishnationalists. “I don't thinkCheltenham would do wellunder that plan.”On being questioned by The

Standard about the towncentre’s businesses, some ofwhom are struggling under theweight of high business rates,Mr Osborne said that it wasonly Alex Chalk and the Con-servatives that would be able toaddress this issue in the futuretaking the Lib Dem controlledcouncil to task.

>> CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE

Osborne on the campaign trail

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THE Lib Dem parliamentarycandidate for Cheltenham,Martin Horwood, has voicedhis exasperation at the stateof Cheltenham’s roads andlaid the blame squarely at thedoor of the Conservative-ledcounty council.Gloucestershire County

Council, led by ConservativeMark Hawthorne, took overresponsibility for maintain-ing Cheltenham’s roads fromthe town’s borough councilin 2007.“During the election cam-

paign I have been criss-cross-ing Cheltenham even morethan usual “ said Martin. “Ithas really brought home tome what an absolutelyshocking state our roads arein. There are potholes every-where, big enough to damagecars, injure pedestrians cross-ing the road and risk the livesof cyclists. With the summerfestival season upon us, itpresents a terrible image ofCheltenham.”He added: “The Conserva-

tive leadership at Shire Hallmade a political decision totake over road maintenance.So now they have to acceptpolitical responsibility for the

mess we’re in. First they toldus rural roads needed a biggerbudget, then they blamedthe Foods, then they said itwas the two bad winters. Allthe time they refusedLibDem calls to take moremoney out of reserves to

tackle the crisis. We shouldcall them the Pothole Party.“If I'm re-elected I will cam-

paign hard to get road main-tenance back into the handsof our own local council whomanaged it successfully foryears.”

Horwood has a pop at Tory potholes

THE EXECUTION of twoconvicted Australian drugsmugglers on Tuesday(28th) evening of this weekcould spell the end of Chel-tenham grandmotherLindsay Sandiford's ownattempt to avoid her ownexecution by Ering squad.The 58-year-old, from

Warden Hill, is on deathrow after she was convictedof smuggling 4.8kg ofcocaine into Bali back inMay of 2012.Australians Andrew Chan

and Myuran Sukumaranwere executed at aroundmidnight on the Indonesianisland of Nusakambangan -5pm UK time, Tuesday(28th).Chan, a friend of Sandi-

ford's, and Sukumaran, arepart of the Bali Nine whowere convicted in 2005 overa plot to smuggle around18.2lbs of heroin from In-

donesia to Australia.Families of both of the

men visited them onMonday and were told theywill have to say their Enalgoodbyes.Indonesia has said it will

execute all foreign drug con-victs by the end of the yearwith President JokoWidodorefusing any clemency fordrug dealers.The convicted Australian

menwere led from their iso-lated cells in Batu prisonand through tropical forest,on the Javan island.The date set for the execu-

tions, April 28th, became of-Ecial when a local funeraldirector was instructed toinscribe the names of thoseto be shot by Ering squadand the date of their deaths.With the executions

having gone ahead, itcould spell the end of Sandi-ford's struggle to escape

death by Ering squad.The Mail quoted her

telling a friend: "If they killsomeone as good as Andrew,what hope is there for me? I

just want to get it over with.I feel like just giving up."Sandiford claims to have

been coerced by a syndicatewho threatened the lives

of her children.The British government

has refused all requests topay Sandiford's legal fees forher appeal.

POLICE are seeking infor-mation or witnesses in con-nection with a singlevehicle road trafEc collisionat about 5 a.m. last Friday24th April on Old Glouces-ter Road Cheltenham, inwhich a black Corsa was incollision with a tree.Fire and ambulance at-

tended and freed the driver,who is stable but has beentaken to hospital in Bristolwith a life threateninginjury. The driver was thesole occupant.The road has been closed

between the junctions ofWithybridge Lane andHayden Road.Anyone with informa-

tion about the collision isasked to contact police on101, quoting Incidentnumber 30 of 24th April.

Road trafficcollision on OldGloucester Road

Cheltenham drugs granny Sandifordcould be for the chop


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DOG owners are being re-minded to keep theiranimals under control aftera horse rider reported beingchased and attacked onCleeve Hill near Chel-tenham.The incident happened

on a bridle path betweenCleeve Hill Golf Club andPostlip Hall at about9.20am on Thursday 16thApril.A woman was walking

with two dogs on the hillwhen one of them racedtowards the rider and keptsnapping at the horse'shoofs.Although the owner was

said to be very apologetic,the rider has told police hefelt the dog was out ofcontrol and that it was justone of many incidents of itskind on Cleeve Hill.Police are warning that

an owner of any dog whichworries livestock, includinghorses, may be committinga criminal offence.

Warning to dogowners after horse-worrying incident JAZZ sensation Kizzy

Crawford performed asecret set whilst travellingon a CrossCountry trainthisWednesday giving cus-tomers a surprise treat onboard the 11.17am servicefrom Birmingham NewStreet to Cheltenham Spa,to mark the start of theCheltenham Jazz Festival.Welsh born Kizzy, 18,

exploded onto the Jazzscene just two years agoand the talented singer,songwriter and musicianwill be performing at theCheltenham Jazz Festivalthis Saturday (2 May),gracing the same stage asthe likes of Jamie Cullumand Van Morrison.As the Festival's OfKcial

Rail Partner, CrossCountrywas granted exclusiveaccess to the young starand wanted to surprise itscustomers with a journeythey would never forget.“Watching the passen-

gers turn around withsmiles on their faces towatch my performance

was surreal.” said Kizzy. “Itwas deKnitely a Krst formeto perform on a train and Ialso got to sit back andenjoy the journey whilstchatting to other passen-gers and the crew in-between songs."Clare ShufLebotham,

Head of Marketing atCrossCountry said: “Weare delighted to be the Of-Kcial Rail Partner for theCheltenham Jazz Festival

again this year. To haveKizzy on-board one of ourtrains was a real treat forboth customers and thecrew.“Listening to music is a

great way to spend timewhen travelling by train,so why not enjoy the sameexperience but by listeningto a live performance – it’sthe ultimate intimate gigand we're so grateful toKizzy for her support.”

Ian George, Director ofCheltenham Jazz Festivalsaid: “Wewere delighted tobe able to surprise com-muters on this CrossCoun-try train with a brilliantpop up gig from the in-credible Kizzy Crawford.Hopefully it got everyonein the mood for Jazz andwill encourage them tojoin us at the Festival overthe Bank Holidayweekend.”

Jazz FeSTival SeT To be beST yeT

CHELTENHAM’S Interna-tional Street Market returnsto the town for the 14thtime on Thursday 14th Mayfor four days. The marketwill have a continental feel,which will offer morevariety, new Lavours anddifferent crafting tech-niques.

With dozens of stalls onthe Promenade, it will feellike a trip around the worldwith Eastern sweets includ-ing Turkish delight toFrench baked goods. Therewill also be stalls selling arange of crêpes, paella,curry, noodles, Polishcuisine, cheeses and olives.

The market will openfrom 10am until 6pm dailyand 11 – 5pm on Sunday.Kevan Blackadder,

manager of CheltenhamBusiness Partnership, said:“We’re delighted to be wel-coming the internationalmarket back to Cheltenham.The market always bringssomething different to thetown but works very wellalongside our cafes, restau-rants and shops.”The market has been co-

ordinated by GeraudMarkets, which also puts onCheltenham’s Christmasmarket.During the same week,

Saturday (16th May) will seethe monthly CheltenhamArts and Crafts Marketreturn and this will operatefrom the Long Gardens onthe Promenade.

Popular market bringsinternational flavoursto Cheltenham Thursday 14th to

Sunday 17th May- The Promenade

GLOUCESTERSHIRE Police areappealing for information fol-lowing a road trafKc collisionon the M5 last Sunday 26thApril.At approximately 2.45pm

emergency services were calledfollowing a two vehicle colli-sion half a mile north of Junc-tion 11A of the motorway.A Toyota Hilux, driven by a

33-year-old woman fromWake-Keld, Yorkshire was in collisionwith aMercedes driven by a 57-year-old woman from Chel-tenham.The driver and passenger of

the Mercedes were taken toGloucester Royal Hospital forchecks on possible neck in-juries.There were no reports of in-

juries to the driver of theToyota.Lane one of the M5 was

closed for a while and the mo-torway was fully reopened by5.30pm.Police would like to hear

from any witnesses who havenot already come forward andgiven their details. Please call101 quoting incident number220 of 26th April.

Traffic smash on M5

Kizzy Crawford boarding the CrossCountry train at BirminghamNew Street to mark the launch of Cheltenham Jazz Festival


OVER 80 people attended afundraising event at the Cor-nerstone Community Centrein Whaddon last Tuesdayevening.The Cornerstone team are

raising money to improvetheir kitchen facilities so

they can offer affordable hotmeals as well as their ever-popular soup lunches and todevelop their Care and Shareshop so it can be open to thecommunity six days a week.There was an auction of

promises, cake sale, rafIe

and sale of artwork. AlexChalk the local Conservativehopeful was the special guestand Tony Solomon, a Trusteesaid, “Alex is a good friendand supporter of Corner-stone and the evening wasoriginally his idea. We are

delighted that he was able toattend the response has beenfantastic and Cornerstonehas made lots of new friendsas well as raising over£1700.00.’’

CornerStone raiSeSmuCh needed CaSh

POLICE are appealing forinformation after a 16-year-old boy with a learn-ing disability was pushedoff his bike and threatenedwith harm by three youths.The teenager was riding

along the HoneybourneLine cycle path at about4.30pm last Sunday after-noon (26th April) when hewas approached by thethree boys.They pushed him off his

bike and said they wouldhurt him with a knife, al-

though no knife was seen.The only other informa-

tion the victim has beenable to give is that the of-fenders are aged 16 to 19and that the incident hap-pened near to the chil-dren's play area.Police are appealing for

witnesses and would alsolike to trace the couplewho helped the victim.Anyone with informationis asked to call 101,quoting incident 170 of27th April 2015.

TOmark the centenary of theFirstWorldWar, and the 70thanniversary of VE Day, Chel-tenham Borough Council isworking with the Universityof Gloucestershire to recordlocal history from within thecommunity.To help with the project,

they are looking for peoplewho were living in Chel-tenham, or in service duringthe SecondWorldWar. Theyare also keen to have storiesof life in Cheltenham, or offamily members involved inthe First WorldWar. Anyonewishing to share their experi-ences and stories will havethe opportunity to havethem digitally archived.Many people have been

sharing their stories on the

website www.ww1chel-tenham.org since it waslaunched by CheltenhamBorough Council lastsummer.Hannah Wright, commu-

nity engagement assistantsaid: “People have beencoming into the MunicipalOfHces with some fascinatingstories of relatives involved inWorld War One, and bring-ing old photographs, medalsand artefacts to show us. Asthe 70th anniversary of VEDay is near, it seemed appro-priate that we also extend topeople involved in theSecondWorldWar. Bothwarsare currently fairly promi-nent in our minds and in themedia, and this is an oppor-tune time to capture some of

these stories and what theymean to the people tellingthem.”The sessions are by ap-

pointment only, and partici-pants can be individuals orfamilies. The format will bean informal conversationwith an interviewer from theCheltenham Remembersproject, recorded either onvideo or audio and used inthe project and its exhibi-tions.Sessions will take place at

the Park Campus in Chel-tenham, between 10am and3pm on Tuesday 26th andThursday 28thMay. Formoreinformation, emailHannah .w r i gh t@che l -tenham.gov.uk or telephone01242 775156.

First and Second World Warmemories to be digitally archived

Boy with learning disability threatened

A CHELTENHAM man hasbeen jailed for breaching acurfew handed to him afterhe called his pregnant girl-friend a 'fat slag' and said hehoped her baby would die.Daniel Walsh, 22, of the

YMCA in Victoria Walk,Cheltenham, had receiveda four month curfew and arestraining order when hepleaded guilty at Glouces-ter crown court in Februaryto using threatening be-haviour towards his girl-friend.

But on Wednesday ofthis week he was backbefore the court for breach-ing his curfew - and thecourt was told that onlyyesterday he had been sen-tenced to 12 weeks jail byCheltenham Magistratesfor a new offence of usingthreatening behaviour toanother woman.Judge Jamie Tabor QC

lifted the curfew order andsentenced Walsh to oneweek's additional imprison-ment for the breach.

‘Fat Slag’ curfew breaching local man jailed


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IN launching theCompTIA approved Diplo-mas on Wednesday LordNigel Jones commented “Ihad a wonderful career inIT before becoming an MP,and I can recommend it toanyone.” He continued“There is a great shortageof skilled technicians andthese courses offered byPitman Cheltenham inpartnership withCompTIA have worldwiderecognition. Do the courseand get a well-paid job.”

“Lord Jones is right topoint out that these NEWDiplomas will help peopleto acquire the highlyvalued skills that arealways in demand in theIT world. Our Diplomaswill prepare them for thehighly respected CompTIAexams.” commented KevinDaws, Training Manager“We can also offer a widerange of courses that canbe accredited by CompTIAas well as these fantasticDiplomas. If you are think-

ing about a career in ITyou should come and talkto us.”Hannah McIndeor of

CompTIA conGrmed thatthere is a skills shortagewhen she said “As we areall more than aware thereis a large skills gap withinthe IT industry. Employersare on the lookout for in-dividuals with validated,industry recognised skillsand that is whereCompTIA certiGcations Gtin.”

Lord nigel Jones launches Pitman trainingCheltenham’s ComptIA approved Diplomas

GREEN MEP, Molly ScottCato, launched a report onSt George’s day that con-cluded the South West canproduce 100% of its energyneeds from renewables –and have some left over toexport.The study shows that a

renewable energy revolu-tion could create 122,000jobs across the region andadd over £4bn a year to theSouth West economy.Nuclear and fossil fuels area distraction says thereport.Adam Van Coevorden,

Green Party parliamentarycandidate for Cheltenham,said: "This report backs upwhat we have been sayingin Cheltenham throughoutour campaign. By investingheavily in the renewable

energy sector we willrebuild and future proofour economy and energysupply, creating 112,000green jobs at the same time.The Green Party has alsopledged to roll out a houseinsulation programme thatwill dramatically reducepeople’s bills, create warmhomes, and help combatclimate change. “It seems

to me that the only reasonto invest in fossil fuels andthe nuclear industry at thispoint is to line the pocketsof investors.”The report says that po-

litical will is the single mostconstraining barrier to a re-newable energy revolutionin the South West alongwith a desperate need toupgrade the grid.

Green PArty GeAr uP

ON 20th April CouncillorTim Harman hosted hissecond charity dinner herein the past six months.60 guests enjoyed a deli-

cious meal and raised justunder £1,400. This wasshared between the St.Phillip and St. James ChurchRoof Appeal - launched lastApril and they are lookingfor £160,000 – and theKambia Hospital Appeal inSierra Leone. It was a greatoccasion, with an entertain-ing talk from Maurice Gran,which mixed his Chel-tenham memories, politicalindiscretions and wittyasides. Richard Kerr-Wilsonspoke about The Kambia

Appeal, which works in part-nership with The Glouces-tershire Hospitals NHSFoundation Trust to providematernal and child healthtraining to Kambia health

staff, and the repair of thePip and Jim's roof. He alsothanked Mohammed andhis staff and all those whodonated the auctioned lotsas well.

Appeal launched to raise money for a newset of twelve bells for a Cheltenham church

CYCLISTS joined TV celebrityDr Dawn Harper and Para-lympian James Brown as theytackled the Cotswold hills inaid of National Star.More than 100 cyclists set

off on the 100km and 50kmroutes from the college’s Ul-lenwood site.Double gold-medal

winning Paralympian cyclistJames Brown, who is partiallysighted, rode with pilot NeilRutter, using the 100km chal-lenge as a practice session.James is aiming to be the

Grst partially-sighted cyclistto compete in a champi-onship event on a solo bikewithout a sighted tandem co-pilot.The Star Cycling Challenge

will raise more than £10,000for the charity, which sup-ports young people with dis-abilities.“This is such a great event

that goes from strength tostrength,” said Dr DawnHarper. “National Star isamazing for what they dowith young people. Now itsfundraising team has turnedthis challenge into a high-

proGle cycling event.”Four members of the same

family headed up theircompany’s team. Alan Smith,company director of Smiths(Gloucester) Ltd, providedsupport for their team of 16while daughters Rebecca, 24,Lisa, 21, and son Paul, 26, goton their bikes.National Star, which sup-

ports young people withcomplex disabilities and ac-quired brain injuries, becameSmiths’ chosen charity in2012.Rebecca, personal assistant

to her father, said: “We are allso busy and we don’t get tospend a lot of time togetheras a family so this was nice.“National Star is quite

unique and it’s amazing tosee it in its full glory, to go in

the classrooms andhear about every-thing they do.”Andy Metcalfe,

joint managing di-rector of construc-tion companySpeller Metcalfe,was joined by co-workers Kevin

Bloxsome and Stuart Jones.“We are working on the

new Pittville development forNational Star so it’s great totake part to support one ofthe biggest local charities,”said Kevin Bloxsome.Businesses taking part in-

cluded Guy Biggin fromCrowe Clark Whitehill, andteams from Roberts Limbrickand Space Engineering.“National Star is fantastic

and we’re really pleased to beable to help out,” said KarenHolmes, customer servicesmanager at Pulsin.“I used to cycle a lot but I

haven’t done any for a whileso thought itmight Gnishmeoff but when I thought abouthow determined some of Na-tional Star’s students Iwanted to push myself.”

On yer bike for National Star

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USA

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RDM

EDIA

Adam Van Coevorden


THAT’S IT FOLKS - The LiberalDemocrats may have just shaftedevery taxpayer in Cheltenhamwith the purchase of thecouncil’s new home.Earlier this month, the Chel-

tenham Borough Council agreedit would be a good idea to moveall their staff out of the munici-pal ofLces and buy a new basesomewhere else in the town.The move would free up the

municipal buildings for somefancy development – possibly aSelfridges? And the council couldperhaps downsize their staff inthe process of buying smallerpremises? It sounded like asincere effort from the CBC tostart making some much neededcuts.However - according to Con-

servative members on thecouncil, the complete opposite istaking place and the Liberals aresquandering £millions of our taxmoney rather than saving it.Whilst the name, price and lo-

cation of the building is yet to bemade public they are warning us

now that the Lib Dem-ledcouncil have majorly overpaidfor the new headquarters.The borough council’s inde-

pendent valuation of the build-ing shows it is worthconsiderably less than the agreedprice. Even before the Lnerdetails have been released pub-licly, Mark Sheldon, director ofresources for CBC has sheep-ishly admitted: “It is true thatthe negotiated price is abovethe assessed value of thebuilding purely as ani n v e s t -ment.”To make

matters worse,

these buffoons onthe council aremaking a mockeryof the whole NorthPlace car park shamby using £2.5millionfrom its sale to plugthe gap on this newacquisition.The whole thing

stinks of incompe-tency. I mean really?! If youthought national politics were abloody mess then welcome tolocal. It’s diabolical that theycan’t facilitate an ofLce movewithout losing £millions of ourmoney let alone attempt to runour entire country.On a cheerier note – I read

with great interest that localwoman Rachel Child willbe participating in theCheltenham Challengein June. The charity eventis held at the race-

course inorder toraise funds

for some very

worthy causes. But none arequite as important as Rachel’s…in my eyes.Rachel is taking part in the

wheelchair race along with herfriends to raise awareness forMultiple Sclerosis. Diagnosedwith the neurological conditionin her twenties (shortly aftergiving birth to her son), she’sbattled through it and now livesa normal and happy life whilstneeding the help of a wheelchair.To hear she’s still an avidswimmer is really uplifting.MS is a truly awful condition

and to think that in our ad-vanced age of medicine we stilldo not know the cause or cure ismind-boggling. The MS Societyare doing everything possible tofund research and to Lnd a cureso if you can support Rachel andothers sufferers please do help; Icertainly will. More info: mssoci-ety.org.uk/cheltenham

Get more of Tom’s insightsby following him onTwitter @thurlow

The views, opinions and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments on these articlesare theirs alone, and do not necessarily re�ect the views, opinions or positions of The Cheltenham Standard

Venting spleen local man about town, tom thurlow lets loose

WITH more than twomillion people in the UKpredicted to be living withdementia by 2051, CareUK’s SandLelds care homeon St. George's Road inCheltenham has publishedGood to Go – a guide toovercoming the challengesof getting out and about,aimed at transforming theexperiences of those caringfor loved ones living withdementia.Good to Go highlights

how important it is for thoseliving with dementia – andtheir carers – to get out andabout, and the emotionaland physical beneLts ofstaying active. The guide ex-plains how to make themost of every outing, big orsmall, with practical adviceand words of encourage-ment volunteered by peopleworking in Care UK carehomes, as well as residentsand family carers.

According to Ruth Baggs,home manager at Sand-Lelds, Good to Go has thepotential to improve theday-to-day experiences of

those living with dementiaand of those whose lives arealso affected by the condi-tion. “It is absolutely essen-tial that family carers aregiven support and practicaladvice to enable them andtheir loved ones to enjoy allthe beneLts of being out-doors as often as they can,”said Ruth.“Anecdotal feedback sug-

gests outdoor activities canbring back memories to givethose living with dementiamoments of calm andclarity; however it’s perfectlyunderstandable that with somany physical and emo-tional demands on carers itis all too easy to fall into aroutine and stay indoors.”Veteran broadcaster and

journalist, Angela RipponOBE, who cared for her latemother, Edna, when she wasdiagnosed with vascular de-mentia, has welcomed thepublication of Good to Go.

Angela, who is an ambas-sador for the Alzheimer’sSociety and co-chairs thePrime Minister’s DementiaFriendly Communities

Champions Group, said: “Inmy experience, there aregood days and bad dayswhen caring for someonewith a memory-impairmentcondition such as dementia,but it is really important foryou and the person you’recaring for to regularly getout and about – to enjoy achange of scenery and feelthe sun on your face fromtime to time.”Free copies of Good to Go

are available to pick up fromSandLelds on St. George'sRoad and can also be down-loaded fromwww.careuk.com/goodtogo.For more information onSandLelds and any forth-coming dementia adviceevents at the home, pleasevisit www.careuk.com/sand-Lelds or call 0333 321 0921.

Dementia guiDe helps CheltenhamCarers get gooD to go

LOCAL luxury travel company Aber-crombie & Kent is delighted to team upwith charity Wheels of Change, tosupport a life-changing community basedbike project in Zambia.

A&Khave brought a40-foot shipping con-tainer to CheltenhamCollege Sports Centre,where people can

come along and donate any unwantedbikes or tools that they may have.The container will then be shipped to

the village of Nakatindi, in Zambia, wherethe container will be converted into a bikeshop. The bikes will be distributed to thelocal community and a number of localpeople will be trained up in bicycle me-chanics, book keeping etc, creating along-term sustainable bike shop enter-prise.This weekend (2nd/3rd May) is the last

opportunity for people to come along anddrop off their bikes. So far we have re-ceived 134 bikes, but we would really liketo exceed 200.The bikes do not have to be in tip-top

condition, but they do need to be re-pairable.Drop-off information:Saturday 2nd May (9.00am – 5.00pm)Sunday 3rd May (10.00am – 4.00pm)Cheltenham College Sports Centre,Thirlestaine Road, GL53 7AD

Empowering the people ofZambia with donated bikes


1 2 3 4 5

6

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9 10

11 12 13

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18 19 20

21

aCroSS1. Photograph albums (7-5)7. This kind of shooting is pitched toohigh (5)8. Fish put on ice (5)9. And 19 Across. One of the main colours(3-5)10. A man of scruples as far as physics areconcerned! (9)11. Speculation that her toy will getbroken (6)12. A plank on the ship (6)15. Left to be profligate (9)17. To produce sparks in car components(3)18. Try hard to raise the abode of theblessed almost (5)19. See 9 Across21. His work is seen in daily circulation(9-3)

DowN1. One of the embassy staff who makesnews? (5,7)2. Fortunately the Spenserian maiden ishidden within (3)3. Reveal an attitude no longer adopted (6)4. Where to find the natives lying! (6-3)5. He wrote of 8 getting cooked (5)6. About the manufacture of goods inthe antique style (12)7. See 20 Down10. Such exploits can't be viewed lightly(4,5)13. Repeatedly making a profit (5)14. Game in disorder - it may take somesolving (6)16. It has many similar ways to cause as-tonishment (5)20. And 7 Down. Anti-glare device I tint,by the sound of it (8)

Cryptic Crossword No41

Last week’s solutions (23rd april 2015): ACROSS: 4 Offside; 8 Odessa; 9 Grating; 10 Madder; 11 Toffee; 12 Leadmine; 18 Talk shop; 20 Dearth; 21 Debtor; 22 William; 23 Desert; 24 Restore. DOWN: 1 Formula; 2 Headway;3 Esteem; 5 Foretell; 6 Set off; 7 Dancer; 13 In the air; 14 Chatted; 15 Operate; 16 Cerise; 17 Armlet; 19 Keeper.

7 89 5 4 1

1 29 7 8 68 3 4 5 9

3 7 9 6 48 4 6

4 5 91 2 8 7 5

Standoku

TargeTN G RO LT Y F

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Make as manywords of four lettersor more as you can.Each word mustcontain the centerletter and eachletter must onlybe used once.Target:25 words good;35 very good;40+ excellent.

Medium

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CHELTENHAM'S Conserva-tiveMP hopeful has called onNHS bosses to listen to resi-dents' concerns about thelack of health services in oneof the town's most deprivedwards.Mr Chalk's plea follows a

long running campaign byresidents in Oakley, who cur-rently have to travel to theSixways surgery in CharltonKings or the St Paul's surgeryin order to see a doctor.They believe the lack of

NHS facilities in their localarea is putting more pressureon Cheltenham's A+E, asthose in need of treatmenthave no option but to gostraight to the emergency de-partment. This problemcould be made worse by the

closure of the Seven Postssurgery in Prestbury, which isset tomerge with the BishopsCleeve health centre underplans put forward by theNHSTrust.The man who wants to be

the town's next MPbelieves that the time is nowright for a new surgery in theheart of Oakley.Speaking to the Standard,

the Tory hopeful said “Ibelieve there is a strong casefor a new GP's surgery in thisarea, which has a higher thanaverage proportion of elderlypeople living there, so it isdif?cult to access NHS facili-ties unless you get two busesor can afford a taxi. That isdrivingmore people throughour emergency department

and increasing pressure there.Any decision on locationwould up to the NHS trustand local residents, but with

plans being put inplace to redevelopthe WhaddonRoad car park, Ibelieve this couldbe a good poten-tial site for a newsurgery.”Mr Chalk be-

lieves that despiteincreasing pres-sure on NHS re-sources, theresidents' cam-paign is stillachievable. Headded that if the“demand and willis there, anything

is possible” and that he”would bewriting to theNHStrust to ask them to seriouslyconsider this proposal.”

Chalk calls for new doctor’s surgery in Oakley

POLICE are appealing forinformation after a youthon a bike harassed and sex-ually assaulted a woman asshe walked to work.The incident happened

in the Pittville area ofCheltenham just before9am on Friday, 10th April.

The boy started to followthe victim in Albert Road,whistling at her and tryingto talk to her, and ignoringher request to leave heralone.The boy pursued the

woman all the way to herwork place in New Barn

Lane and into the grounds,where he grabbed herbottom and breasts.The offender is aged

about 15, white, 5ft 5install with dark brown shoul-der-length hair in a shaggystyle. He wore a blacktracksuit and was riding a

black mountain bike.Anyone who recognises

the boy from the descrip-tion or who has any infor-mation which could helptrace him is asked to call101, quoting incidentnumber 108 of 10th April2015.

Youth on bike sexuallY assaulted woman in Pittville

Revised collection daysfor this May bank holidayAS it’s the early May bank holiday this weekend, thecouncil’s waste collection provider, Ubico, is remindingresidents of their alternative collection days.Collections of waste, recycling and garden waste will

take place a day later than usual as follows:

Normal collection day Revised collection day

Monday 4 May(bank holiday) Tuesday 5 May

Tuesday 5 May Wednesday 6 May

Wednesday 6 May Thursday 7 May

Thursday 7 May Friday 8 May

Friday 8 May Saturday 9 May

Normal scheduled collections will resume fromMonday11 MayIn some areas refuse and recycling collections take

place as early as 7am so residents are asked to presenttheir food caddies, refuse/garden waste bins and/or bagsand recycling boxes in advance.

The Swindon Road recycling centre will be open onthe bank holiday, 9am until 1pm, with usual openinghours on all other days.See www.cheltenham.gov.uk/recycling for more in-formation or call 01242 262626.


LOCAL LibDem MartinHorwood has criticised Con-servative claims that theywill stick to the economiccourse forged by the Coali-tion after they were calledthe ‘con of the campaign’ bythe Liberal Democrat Treas-ury spokesman DannyAlexander.Mr Alexander, the Liberal

Democrat Chief Secretary tothe Treasury said Tory eco-nomic plans in the next par-liament differed hugely fromthe sensible and balanced ap-proach of the last Kve years.“t is clear the Tories are di-

verting from this plan, a planbacked by the OECD andIMF" said Mr Horwood"Many businesses in Chel-tenhamhave toldme they'vewelcomed the stable andmeasured approach to deKcitreduction adopted by thecoalition which haspainstakingly restored conK-dence in the economy.”“Far from sticking to poli-

cies that have brought recordjobs and growth, GeorgeOsborne's plans represent amassive lurch to the right"

added Mr Alexander."They will cut more than is

economically necessary,risking Knancial stability.""Small businesses are

correct, a change of tack“would be far too risky”.Only the Liberal Democratswill stick to the balanced andfair plan that has got us thisfar."Martin set out the contrast

between the coalition's ap-proach and the published

Tory plans for the next Kveyears:Mr Horwood added:

“Liberal Democrats in gov-ernment have acted as abrake on Tory plans to cuttoo far and too fast. But ifthey win a handful of seatslike Cheltenham they willhave the power to go it aloneand pursue a more extremevision of cuts above andbeyond what is needed tobalance the books. That is

exactly what GeorgeOsborne has set out in hisplan to keep cutting publicspending even after he sayshe will have balanced thebooks in 2-017/18. Andbecause Labour want to dragthe whole process out overthe whole course of the par-liament, borrowing more inthe meantime, only theLiberal Democrats are prom-ising an end to austerity by2018.”

Lib Dems critical of Tory economic claims

or email: [email protected]

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CHELTENHAMcharities areamong thousandsto beneKt acrossthe countrythanks to the gen-erosity of cus-tomers at the UK’ssecond largestbuilding society.Yorkshire BuildingSociety Charitable Founda-tion, which is largelymadeup of customers donatingthe pence of their annualinterest, has announced ithas donated more than£6million since its Krst do-nation in 1999, with anamazing £43,794 beingdonated to charities inCheltenham.Cheltenham Animal

Shelter andMayor of Chel-tenham's Charity are justtwo examples of goodcauses that have been onthe receiving end of dona-tions after being recom-mended for support bycustomers locally – with

each donation contribut-ing to the CharitableFoundation reaching the£6million milestone.David Knight, manager ofthe Chelsea BuildingSociety in Cheltenham,said: “It’s an absolutepleasure to be able tosupport the CharitableFoundation’s fantastic an-nouncement that it hasbroken the £6millionbarrier. I’m especiallypleased to see thatmany ofthese donations have beenmade in support of chari-ties and good causes inCheltenham and our sur-rounding communities.”

small change makesdifference for charities

BOTTLEGREEN Drinks haslaunched an exclusive Chel-tenham Jazz Festival cock-tail ahead of the hotlyanticipated festival nextweek.The landmark event will

see a star studded line up ofmusicians includingGrammy award winningGregory Porter, soulstressLaura Mvula and jazz legendJamie Cullum.Festivalgoers will be able

to enjoy Bottlegreen’s Chel-tenham Jazz Festival cock-tail exclusively from thebottlegreen Garden Bar. Thedelicious concoction show-cases the brands Pink pome-granate and elderLowerTonic Water. Bottlegreen’stonic range is an expertlycrafted blend of fruit andbotanicals, designed toenhance and augment theKnest quality spirits. ThePink Tonic, headlining the

exclusive cocktail, usesthree contrasting Lavours –the sweetness of pomegran-ate, bitterness of quinineand the sweet Loral notes ofElderLower.The Cheltenham Jazz Fes-

tival cocktail is a delicateblend of Pink Tonic Watergently mixed with ice coldGin, Aperol and FreshPink Grapefruit Juice.This refreshing tipplewill be the perfect acces-sory to soak up the sun-shine and soul of theiconic Festival.

Cheltenham JazzFestival CocktailIngredients:• 45ml TanquerayNo. TEN Gin• 15ml Aperol• 25ml Fresh PinkGrapefruit Juice• bottlegreen PinkTonic Water• Wedge ofGrapefruit• Edible Flower

In a highball glass withcubed ice, Krst pour to-gether the Tanqueray Ginand Aperol. Add in the freshgrapefruit juice and mixwell. Finish by topping upwith bottlegreen’s PinkTonic Water. Garnish with awedge of grapefruit and anedible Lower

The bottlegreenGarden Bar will bethe destination forthose looking toenjoy deliciously re-freshing alcoholicand non-alcoholiccocktails. Here thestylish drinkexperts will show-case the brandssignature cordials,sparkling pressésand tonic waters.The exclusiveC h e l t e n h amFestival Cocktailwill only beavailable fromthe bottlegreenGarden Bar for£8.50.

BoTTleGreen laUnches JaZZ FesTival cocKTailavailable 29th april– 4th May 2015

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ON 29th April All Saints’Academy invited stu-dents and parents/carersto enjoy the Gymnastics& Dance Show. Danceand Gymnastics studentsfrom Years 7 – 13 tookpart.There were 21 acts in

total, some studentsstudy BTEC Dance Level2 and Level 3 and othersattend an after schoolgymnastics or danceclass.This was the second

Gymnastics and DanceShow following a suc-cessful one last year.Even more students tookpart in this year’s showand there was a greatdeal of support from the100+ audience. Staff,fellow students,parents/carers and fami-lies came to see the show.PE Teacher Jodie

Oldham and DanceTeacher Sharna Smith or-ganised the show andwere thrilled with theperformances ‘the stu-dents worked really hardon their routines and weare so proud of whatthey achieved. Thankyou to everyone thatcame along and sup-ported the show for thesecond year running, itwas a tremendoussuccess.’Miss Oldham runs an

afterschool gymnasticsclass for studentswanting to learn movesand routines and MissSmith teaches BTECDance and also holds aDance enrichment club.Vice Principal Liam

Wilkinson said ‘it was afantastic event and evenbigger and better thanlast year.’

Dance & Gymnastics Showdraws a crowd at All Saints

ORGANISATIONS in Chel-tenhamwill be out in forceon Friday and thisweekend aiding efforts forthe Nepal EarthquakeAppeal.The Cheltenham Rotary

club have already sent 10water puriIcation boxesand two Shelter boxes tohelp those affected in theregion.David Evans, Interna-

tional Committee chair-man, said: "The RotaryClub of Cheltenham haveset themselves a target of£5000 for aid to Nepal."Twenty members will be

in The Promenade andMontpelier on Friday 1stMay from 10am - 8pm.

The funds will be sent onMonday, direct to Rotarycharities operating inNepal.The Lions Club of Chel-

tenham are also having acollection to raise moneyfor the Disaster Fund.On Saturday, May 2 a

plant sale will be held inChurch Piece, CharltonKings from 9am to 1.30pm.The Lions will start the

collection with the pro-ceeds from a rafJe.The UN has said more

than 4,000 people werekilled in the Nepal earth-quake. Around eightmillion were affected, with1.4million needing foodaid.

Rotary and Lions clubs in Cheltenhamdig deep to help Nepal disaster

GLOUCESTERSHIRE Policeand Crime CommissionerMartin Surl has begun areview of the constabulary’sdog section, one of areas inwhich it works closest withneighbouring forces.While other police forces

have opted to merge tooffset budget cuts, Glouces-tershire - one of the UK'soldest and smallest constab-ularies - remains independ-ent, preferring strategicalliances in speciIc areasonly.As part of the Tri-Force

agreement, as it is called,Gloucestershire works inpartnership with police inWiltshire, Avon and Somer-set. As well as dogs, the threeforces also collaborate overserious organised crime,Irearms and the policing ofroads.Mr Surl, who has called for

a review to make sure theagreement works for allparties and is fair on theanimals too, said: "It's a pos-itive review to see how wellit's gone and to see if it's I-

nancially viable, which Ithink it is.“A lot of these dogs are

specialist and sometimes it'sbetter to share training,share the specialist dogs andsometimes you'll need morethan one."The Gloucestershire dogs

are based here in Gloucester-shire where they spendmostof their time. Certainly, thewelfare of the dogs is para-mount and we'll be lookingat that to see how well theytravel.

“Talking to the handlersit seems okay but I want tobe sure".Gloucestershire Police

Dog Omar and his handlerDebbie Shields were amongthe stars at Crufts recentlywhere they were judgedPolice Dog Team of theYear.They received the Police

Dog Team operational hu-manitarian action of 2014award for saving a man'slife in the face of extremeviolence.

Cross border agreementmust work for Police dogs

editor’sDeskAs the political scene in

Cheltenham gurglesand simmers up to

boiling point, the local wouldbe members of Parliament arestill attempting to garner at-tention for our votes and itmust be said that the quality oftheir signage has taken a bit ofa nose dive of late.

In a hasty attempt to plaster the town with theirnames and party colours the level of joinery is ques-tionable to say the least. In fact one part time amateur‘joiner’ (no names, no pack drill) told me that he wassurprised they were still up.This DIY activity that hits every town in the UK in

the run–up to any election is borderline panic of thewooden variety and if we even have a wind as strong asa pensioner’s candle blow, it’ll look like deforestation ofthe worst kind.I’m sure the part-time party supporters and activists

(bless them) would be the Hrst to admit that the skilllevels aren’t exactly of ‘Grand Designs’ proportions.I personally know that there are number of very

senior ex-CEO’s and Chairmen out there offering theirhelping hands to erect these Iimsy, bonHre-ready mes-sages.It’s perfectly understandable that the levels of joinery

would be ‘ready for the skip.”I’ve seen some very shaky, wind-prone signs Iapping

Ht to drop as the YTS levels of joinery takes a bashing.God knows what the Health and Safety Executive mobwould have to say as this political plywood comes bar-relling down a street near you some time soon.You may not want a Tory or Lib Dem hammering on

your door, but their signage may be about to make anunwelcome appearance as it tumbles past your house.It’s a testament to party loyalties that some house

owners allow these ‘Heath Robinson’ temporary struc-tures to be erected outside their houses. In fact some ofthe signs make the Estate Agents efforts look good byway of permanence.Mind you I’ve only seen two Green Party signs in the

town. Perhaps they’re worried about the forest, use oftimber or just being too obvious. I do hope the paintthey’re using is made of spinach or such like and notsome commercially bought toxic mix?

Eric Barton, Editor

Cheltenham Standard is published weekly by Cheltenham Standard Ltd isregistered at Suite 104, Eagle Tower, Montpellier Drive, Cheltenham, GL50 1TA.Reproduction of any material, in whole or in part, is strictly forbidden without theprior written consent of the publishers. All material is sent at the owner’s riskand whilst every care is taken, heltenham Standard Ltd will not accept liabilityfor loss or damage. Dates, information and prices quoted are believed to becorrect at time of going to press but are subject to change and no responsibilityis accepted for any errors or omissions. Neither the editor nor publisheraccepts responsibility for any material submitted, whether photographic orotherwise. All rights reserved. ISSN no. 2055-2092. Terms and conditions atwww.cheltenhamstandard.co.uk

Got a comment?Please contact us at

[email protected]

A NEW debt-recovery solici-tor has joined the growingteam of experts working atthe professional services Hrm,Knights.Chris Harmer has more

than 15 years’ experience indebt recovery and joins the16-strong dispute resolutionteam based at the Hrm’s headofHce in Staffordshire andworking with clients acrossthe UK.Chris said: “I’ve always

worked in debt recoverysince qualifying as a solicitorin 2000. I think it’s one of themost interesting aspects oflaw and I really enjoyhelping clients to retrievewhat’s owed to them."I’ve previously worked

with international brewery,Carlsberg Tetley covering theeast of the country and havea great deal of experiencewith large clients as well assmaller businesses. I spentthree years working for adebt recovery consultancy inthe North West of Englandbefore moving back intoprivate practice.”Chris will be helping to im-

plement a bespoke case man-agement system to improveefHciency and streamlinecurrent cases.“Graduating from Stafford-

shire University meant I wasalways aware of Knights as aninIuential and forward-thinking Hrm. I’m reallylooking forward to the new

challenge this role brings andworking with clients acrossEngland andWales who needour support,” he added.Chris’ appointment is part

of Knights’ ambitious strat-egy to become a top 100 lawHrm by 2017 and he joins anumber of talented lawyersrecruited by Knights, whichhas seen its team grow bymore than 100 percent in thelast three years.

David Beech, Knights’ CEOwelcomed Chris to the team.He said: “Chris’ expertknowledge in the Held ofdebt recovery is a real asset toour dispute resolution team.His wide experience meanswe can offer even moresupport to new and existingclients and we’re delighted towelcome him to our team.”The dispute resolution

team offers pragmatic andexpert advice on contractualdisputes, construction, in-junctive relief, insolvency, in-tellectual propertyinfringements, mediation,partnership and shareholderdisputes, professional andother negligence and prop-erty litigation.

APPOINTMENT OF DEBT SPECIALISTGROWS CHELTENHAM-BASED FIRM

A CLUTCH of small businessleaders have offered theirformal backing to the Conser-vatives ahead of the 2015General Election.A number of Hrms have

signed an open letter to theDaily Telegraph calling for theTories to be "given the chanceto Hnish what they havestarted.”The letter has more than

5,000 signatories and statesthat shaking things up politi-cally would be “far too risky.”MarkOwen the chairman of

the Federation of Small Busi-nesses for Gloucestershire andthe south west, is one of thepeople to have signed.Other Cheltenham busi-

nesses who have also signedthe letter include:Paul Bence,managing direc-

tor of Bence's Builders Mer-chants in Cheltenham.Richard Martin, managing

director of Crown Dry Clean-ers in Cheltenham.Ray Gill, director of Lans-

down Properties in Chel-tenham.

Local business leaders offer theirformal backing to Conservatives


BUSINESS

A CHELTENHAM cleaningproducts company hasbeen sold after nearly acentury in business.Premiere Products in

Bouncer Lane, has been ac-quired by James Briggs Ltd,an aerosol and speciality

chemicals manufacturer.Premiere was established

in Cheltenham in 1924and distributes its productsacross the World.Both the business and its

assets have now been ac-quired by James Briggs.

Premiere Products sold afternearly 100 years in business

MONTPELLIER Chapter, inBayshill Road which openedits doors in 2010, willbe sold as part of a move byparent company, SwireHotels.The building which houses

Montpellier Chapter hasserved as a hotel for decades,having previously been aSavoy Hotel and KandinskyHotel.It was one of the locations

in the Great Diamond Huntlast year.A statement from Swire

said: "Christie and Co havebeen appointed to conHden-tially market Swire PropertiesPortfolio.“It is business as usual for

the hotel in the meantime.“We will update themarket

as and when we have moreinformation on the sales.”Swire currently manages

urban hotels in Hong Kong,mainland China and theUnited Kingdom.Previous visitors to the

Chapter have said on Face-book that they will be sad tosee it sold.The Chapter's website de-

scribes it as: “Sophisticated,calm and contemporary, ithas a style and energy in tunewith the town's idiosyncraticspirit.“And it's not just us that say

that, the hotel was voted inThe Sunday Times TravelMagazine as one of the Top100 Hotels in the World.”

Montpellier Chapter to be sold

SUPERMARKET giant Tescohas conHrmed that its metrostore in Cheltenham's HighStreet will be moving to theBrewery development.The store in the High street

is still trading but it will be va-cating its premises to allowfurther work on themajor newdevelopment of the centrewhich is expanding to includeshops and hotels as well asrestaurants and entrainmentvenues.Rumours had started to cir-

culate that the store mightclose completely as Tesco, an-nounced record losses this

week andmay have decided topull its Metro store out of thedevelopment and possibly thetown centre altogether.But those rumours have

been denied.

Tesco Metro to move to Brewery

Chris Harmer


WHAT’S ON

stUDEnts from theUniversity of Gloucestershireare celebrating the goldenage of hollywood with ascreening of the Big sleep atthe Park campus inCheltenham.

the free event, whichincludes food, drink andmusic from the era, featuresa reception before theshowing of the 1946 thrillerstarring humphrey Bogartand Lauren Bacall.

Film students JoshMoulinié, from the Forest ofDean, and natalieFeatherstone are part of theteam organizing thescreening which takes placeon May 9th from noon.

she said: “it promises tobe a great afternoon to

enjoy with friends or even tomeet new people. You candress to impress if youprefer, but it’s notcompulsory. there’s also araffle and the proceeds will

be raising funds for theGloucestershire branch ofthe age UK charity, whichpromotes social andinteractive activities for theelderly to battle loneliness

and isolation.”To book your seat contactnatalie Featherstone on07402 002 022 or [email protected]

With their husbands andboyfriends fighting forfreedom in France duringWorld War 1, the womenfolkof Gloucestershire determinethat it must be Business asUsual on the home front.

Paul Milton, Everymantheatre’s Creative Directorsaid: “this is the rural touringstrand of our work tocommemorate World War 1,Gloucestershire remembersWorld War one. it is a brandnew musical show, with allthe actors singing and/or

playing instruments. theshow is touring to ruralvenues, including CliffordsMesne Church, north nibleyChapel, st Mary’s Church,Westcote, Whiteway Colonyhall, slimbridge Village hall,Kingshill house, Dursley andPitchcombe Village hall.there is also anaccompanying exhibition ofWorld War 1 memorabilia.”

Business as Usual ispresented in collaborationwith the Wilson art Galleryand Museum, the soldiers of

Gloucestershire Museum, thehistory Press andGloucestershire archives andfunded by the heritageLottery Fund, thesummerfield trust and BPEsolicitors LLP

the Gloucestershireremembers World War oneproject helps individuals,groups and communitiesexplore and discover theirheritage during the Great War.through a range of innovativeresources workshops, tours,exhibitions, creative activities

and training, people canparticipate and engage withtheir heritage and local area.to get involved, be inspired,or to learn more, visitwww.glosremembers.co.uk

Business as usualeveryman Theatre studioTuesday 12th – Wednesday13th May, 7.45pmTickets: £10.50 (£9concessions) available fromthe Box office on 01242572573 or online atwww.everymantheatre.org.uk

BUSINESS AS USUALThe world premiere of a new play wiTh musica tale of courage and grit with a liberal smattering of humour!

Visitors to the Wilson,Cheltenham’s art galleryand museum, will now beable to add an excitinglevel of detail to their tripby accessing a brand newapp, Cotswolds arts &Crafts Museum, funded byarts Council England,devoted to the arts andCrafts Movement.the app, available todownload on itunes andgoogleplay, will allowvisitors to gain a deeperinsight into 50 objects inthe arts and CraftsMovement Collection atthe Wilson. it containsmany images from theWilson’s archivecollections that are notoften on display, featuresaudio interviews with artsand Crafts experts, oralhistory recordings frommakers of the period, andan all-new video aboutthe Winchcombe Pottery.the Wilson has workedclosely in partnership withthe University ofGloucestershire’s Facultyof Media, art &technology to create 3Dimages of key artefacts inthe collection for the app.the Wilson’s arts and

Crafts Movementcollection contains a hugebody of material –furniture, metalwork,jewellery, paintings and asubstantial archive – thatwas designed, made andused in the localCotswolds area. theCotswolds in the late 19thand early 20th centuriesbecame a hotbed ofdesigners and architects,artists and craftspeoplewanting to escape the cityand live a simple life.Using objects from thecollection, the app willbring the world they livedand worked in to life, andwill help create linksbetween the objects andthe Cotswolds locationswhere the designerscreated them.Jane Lillystone, Museum,arts and tourism Managercommented: “We arethrilled to be able to offeraccess to our collectionvia a mobile app. not onlydoes it allow us tobroaden access to theWilson’s collections, theidea that it will encouragevisitors to explore theCotswolds in a widercontext is very exciting.”

new aPP for Wilson gallery

FRee FilM sCReening Raising Funds FoR age uK

Britain's best loved familyfestival Wychwood alsounveils a jammed packedprogramme of workshops &activities for all agesincluding the Children'sLiterature Festival, yoga,circus skills, dance & more.

Plus even more acts are setto play the mainstage atWychwood this year as MadDog Mcrea, Dr & theMedics, the Edwin starrBand featuring angelo starrand more are added to thefestival. Wychwood will

showcase some of the besthomegrown talent as theBBC introducing stagereturns with a myriad ofmusicians from thesurrounding counties. theUK's best loved family festivalalso unveils its most eclecticfamily programme to datewith the Children'sLiterature Festival line-upfeaturing a Wychwood firstwith a band made entirely ofauthors along witheverything from claymodeling to willow weaving,

Ukulele performances tosamba and face painting tolaughter yoga. With over50 activities and workshopsto chose from and a diversemusical line-up there issomething for everyoneat Wychwood Festival2015.

The festival takes place atCheltenham Racecourse,29th - 31st May, weekendand day tickets are on salewith more information atwww.wychwoodfestival.com

Wychwood teams up with BBC introducing stage as over 30 acts are added to the festival


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

QuestionTimewith the

RegistRAtion is now ClosedAs the event is Full

A big thAnks toCheltenham town Football Club,

all our sponsors and panellists

ambrose rec ru i tmen tTechnical | Engineering | Logistics

World of Smile is an all-encompassing solution for houseand garden improvements. Tell uswhat exactly you provide?

World of Smile are unique in theconservatory market in that we go a stepor two further to being a one stop shop forthe home & garden. We offer everythingfrom furniture for the home to gardenimprovements, summerhouses and mostimportantly to me, creating a place yourfamily can grow in and enjoy for years!

In addition to all these services, we alsohave both a building and a conservatorycompany entwined with other wonderfulproducts to ensure you only need us tocomplete everything you need for yourhome.

Many homes in Cheltenham haveold style sash windows – what isan affordable way of replacingthem?

Sash window replacement is not justabout being affordable, it’s about using aproduct that you’re both satis5ed with andthat will enhance your home toboth increase its curb appeal whilst

ensuring you and your family stay warmand safe.

Apart from storage sheds, youprovide beautiful gardenbuildings. For someone looking atcreating additional home / of'cespace in the garden what do yousuggest?

At World of Smile, we try to be asbespoke as our customers spaces, lives anddesires are! This means that nothing is offlimits, we can build you a garden of5cethat’s 30ft long or a summerhouse for thebottom of the garden with leadedwindows and cedar roof-tops. We canmake your dream a reality no matter whatyour budget.

We have a showground to showcase allthese items, as the quality and standardsof these buildings is what sets us apart.This is something you can see for yourselfas soon as you enter the World of SmileLeisure Village on the Evesham Road.

How high spec are yourconservatories - can you alsocreate authentic orangerieswhich would work with periodproperties?

Whether you are looking for a lean-to,Georgian, Edwardian, Victorianconservatory or something a little morebespoke like a P-shaped conservatory, thenwe can create it for you, no project is toobig or too small for us. Orangeries havealso grown in popularity recently. Datingback to Renaissance Italy, orangeries were

used for growing exotic fruits and plants,and are a different take on a traditionalconservatory.

Our orangeries are individually madeand designed to complement the style ofyour home. Constructed with acombination of brick pillars and glass, theyoffer light-5lled and 6exible living spaces.A wide range of features and optionsmean you can have yours exactly as youwant it.

Summer is on its way and manypeople are looking for new gardenfurniture. What do yourecommend and how weatherproof are your products?

I think people nowadays wantsomething they don’t have to maintain, aswe are a time-starved generation who loveour free time.

This means one thing, compositematerial like Rattan furniture, whichrequires no painting or staining can liveoutside without the tired weather look thatthe delightful UK weather gives us. Peoplewill pay a little more to have a little moretime to just SIT and relax in the little timethey have

What home improvement do youfeel makes the most impactaesthetically on a property?

For me personally it’s the garden room.An extension of the family living space,conservatories have now evolved to beinga room the whole family can use all yearround, even in the coldest winter months

and hottest of summer days. A solid rooflooks really smart and also helps with fuelef5ciency due to better heat retention.I would say seven out of ten of theextensions or conservatories we build, nowhave composite roo5ng as it’s cheaperthan a single story extension but looks andacts just like a real roof.

How do your prices and servicescompare with that of yourcompetitors?

I think a lot of people went Internetcrazy with buying things online.Sometimes you got a winner but moreoften than not you would be left feelingshort changed in terms of quality andstandards. I myself have made the samemistake. At World of Smile we offer youthe opportunity to see what you aregetting by coming to visit us and seeingthe product for yourself so you can get areal idea of what your money is gettingyou.

We are very excited that now we havean online showroom and shop as well asour physical Leisure Village. This meansthat you can browse your product onlineand then come and see it in the 6esh atour Evesham Road Leisure Village or buyan item online that you have seen foryourself from the comfort of your ownsofa. This is a really unique selling point forus as we don’t know of anyone else in thearea or indeed anywhere, that offers thiskind of customer experience for thesetypes of products.

Be happy all year round at World oF SMIleWe talk to Managing Director Jon Burke, the man behind the smile

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RUGBY UNION / HORSE RACING / FOOTBALL / CRICKET


SPORT

Greenham at Newburyprobably the best of these.The Hannon trained Es-

tidhkaarwas a good secondin the Greenham showingthe same battling qualitieshe showed last seasongoing downby only a neckwith a number of welltouted three year olds welladrift. He is presently betterwin and place value at 7/1than 6/4 Gleneagles.The race is not simply

about two horses and ElmPark winner of the RacingPost Trophy at Doncasterlast back end must surelyrun a big race if his trainerAndrew Balding is happywith the ground and de-clares him.He will be suited by the

mile and has a very goodturn of foot which couldeasily see him home onSaturday.An interesting horse if he

were to be ‘supplemented’for the race is French raiderTerritories. Already awinner of his trial this yearin France, Andre Fabre histrainer does not tilt atwindmills and if running islikely to be a massiveplayer. Like ElmPark, Terri-tories would howeverprefer good ground.A forgotten outsidermay

be The Wow Signal who ifyou forgive his last run lastseason is surely overpricedat 25/1.Agreed there is a stamina

doubt but he does possessgood speed and attitudewhichmight see himMnish

in the Mrst four nonethe-less.The 1000 Guineas Meld

this year does not look tohave a super star waiting inthe wings. Lucida is verywell regarded, trained bythe master Jim Bolger inIreland and has alreadywon at Newmarket (lastseason).She is however a fairly

short price and would startfavourite in the absence ofFound. On the other handOsaila at around 14/1presently is much more ofa betting proposition.Winner of her trial at

Newmarket recently sherepresents the powerfulstable of Richard Hannonwith rider Frankie Dettorion board who arguably isriding better this seasonthan in recent seasons.In her trial she beat a

very nice Mlly inNew Prov-idence so is primed for avery good effort in an openrace.Both classics are of

course preludes to theDerby and Oaks in Juneand given that horses thatrun into the Mrst Mve or sixplaces in the Guineaswithout winning often goon to win the Derby orOaks it is worth keeping aneye on those horses‘running on’ at the Mnishon Saturday and Sunday.The National Hunt

season Mnished last Satur-day, with the already high-lighted as a horse to follow,Polly Peachum winningthe very last race of theseason. Move over Price-wise!

flat season moves up a gearHORSE RACING

>> ContinueD froM BaCK PaGe

Late shoW seaLs ninth Winin a roW for GLouCesterGloucester 42Newcastle Falcons 40

GLOUCESTER extended theirhome-winning run to ninegameswith a thrilling last-gaspsuccess at home to Newcastle.Newcastle were 27-13 in

front at half-time before thehome side launched a Mght-back.The Cherry and Whites,

who play Edinburgh in theEuropean Challenge CupMnal on Friday, picked up atry bonus-point.They trailed 40-23 with 10

minutes to go but ran in threetries to seal a famous win onhome soil at Kingsholm.Billy Twelvetrees touched

down twice, with DanRobson andHenry Purdy alsocrossing the line. Billy Burnslanded three penalties andthree conversions, withGreigLaidlaw adding another con-version.Gloucester’s director of

rugbyDavidHumphreys said:“You can't coach character,you can't coach spirit, and Ithink in the second-halftoday you saw the spirit that'sin this team.“In the build up to this

game we were aware we've aEuropean Cup Final onFriday.“That is a huge day out for

everybody associated withthe club, but at the same timewe knew we had to performtoday, we knew we had towin, to give us that momen-tum going into the game.“Over the season there are

gameswe felt we should have

won that we didn't win.“This was a game that

maybe we didn't deserve towin but we worked so hardand showed enormous spiritto come back and seal thevictory.”

* Gloucester have been Mned£5,000 and given a sus-pended two-point deductionfor Melding an incorrectly reg-istered player in a Premier-ship match.Argentine lock Mariano

Galarza, 28, did not hold reg-istration when selected forthe 23-6 defeat at Sale onMarch 29.

RUGBY UNION

Mertoglu is last-gasp hero for LeckhamptonYUSUF Mertoglu’s lastminute goal sealed the GMBsponsored Junior CharityCup for LeckhamptonRovers and deniedWelland aleague and cup double.Already crowned Chel-

tenham League DivisionThree champions, Wellandwent into the match asfavourites against leaguerunners-up Leckhampton.There were very few

goalscoring chances during awell-contested Mrst half atKayte Lane.Rovers goalkeeper Joe

Quiney was quick off his lineto deny Omar Elmougy after

Mark Taylor’s pass andElmougy saw another shotsaved.Jack Horrell’s free-kick was

deNected just wide for Leck-hampton before Quineypulled off another good stopto keep out Elmougy’s shotin the 40th minute and it re-mained goalless at the break.Taylor headed over from a

corner with the goal gapingtwo minutes into the secondhalf as Welland threatenedagain.Tim Rylatt saw an effort

well saved by Niall Hackingin the 63rd minute, butRovers were presented agolden chance to open thescoring in the 78th minute.

James Horrell saw his shothandled in the box by PaulEdwards and referee MickMcDermid pointed to thespot and showed a red cardto Edwards.The resulting penalty from

the normally reliable JamesHorrell was brilliantly savedby Hacking and the gamelooked to be heading intoextra-time.But Mertoglu raced onto a

long ball in the Mnal secondsand lifted the ball over theadvancing Hacking and intothe net after one bounce.Welland’s Stacey Brimmell

saw red after the Mnal whistlefor something he said to theofMcials, but Leckhampton

celebrated and both teamscan look forward to DivisionTwo football next season.

Leckhampton Rovers: JQuiney, A Summersby (PRodgers 86), James Horrell, JEckworth, C Edwards, JLawrence, T Rylatt, Y Mer-toglu, KMahon,MMullaney(M Lawrence 84). Subs notused: M Rawlings, D Boerby,T Woodley.

Welland: N Hacking, BPearson, J Williams, JGullick, J Fletcher, CTommey, P Edwards, MTaylor, O Elmougy, J Lush (SBrimmell 64), D Knapper (JHarding 74). Subs not used:T Soley, S Barnett, B Deakin.

Referee: MMcDermid.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE haslaunched its Mrst ever hardball disability cricket team.The brandnew sidewill taketo the Meld for the Mrst timeagainst Essex onMay 17 fol-lowing an intensive pre-season training programme.The team – who train at

Gloucester City Winget CC– has been formed through

a partnership between theGloucestershire CricketBoard (GCB) and commu-nity interest company SoFab Sports.GCB projects and pro-

grammes manager ChrisMunden said: “The forma-tion of our Mrst disabilityhard ball team is a hugelyexciting development. Ouraim is tomake cricket acces-sible for everyone, regardless

of age or ability and I amde-lighted that we now havesomewhere for people witha disability to play competi-tively.”Gloucestershire already

has a visually impairedcricket club – The Glouces-tershire Growlers – a softball team which started lastseason and are in theprocess of setting up a deafteam.

CRICKET

County’s first ever disability hardball team launched

CHELTENHAM LEAGUE FOOTBALL

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Leckhampton’s Yusef Mertoglu battles with Welland’s Dave Knapper

FOOTBALL


BISHOP'S Cleeve ended theirnine year stay in the South-ern League with a well-earned three points overlocal rivals ShortwoodUnited.A Joe Tustain penalty and

a brace from the returningJack Watts was enough tosecure the win and Fnish adifFcult season on a high.Wood started the game on

the front foot and domi-nated the early proceedingsand showing the signs of anin-form team.Steve Benbow was called

into action making out-standing saves to deny LewisSommers, Nick Humphreysand Matt Bennett as theCleeve defence came underconstant pressure.Bennett himself then

headed wide when un-marked from close rangebefore Wood had the ball inthe net only to be ruled outfor offside.

Young midFelder JohnDodd beat a couple of menthen shot from distance nar-rowly missing the targetbefore Aaron Drake had TomKing at full stretch from afree kick 25 yards out.The deadlock was broken

on half-time in controversialfashion when King went toroll the ball out and Cleevestriker Watts raised his legand the ball hit it and fellinto his path.King then tried to rugby

tackle Watts, but he kept hisfeet and rolled the ball intothe empty net. King was cau-tioned for remonstratingwith the referee.In the Frst minute of the

second half Tustain had thechance to double the leadwhen Jordy Bryan won theball in the midFeld beforesetting Tustain free howeverhis shot from distance sailedhigh and wide.It was 2-0 on 55 minutes

when Watts took his tally to16 for the season when he

unleashed a powerful shotpast King into the bottomcorner.On 59minutes Josh Klein-

Davies reduced the deFcitwhen he was allowed toomuch time to turn andshoot from 20 yards and aslight deGection saw it pastBenbow into the net.Cleeve then came under

pressure again as Shortwoodlooked to get back into thegame a series of corners andfree-kicks piled on the pres-sure but the defence ofAaron Drake, Jordan Stod-dart and Dan Sherry stoodFrm.At the other end Tustain

went close with a shot fromDistance and Bryan Fredwide from close range.On 79 minutes the game

was over as contest whenWatts danced his way intothe box and was tripped.Tustain drilled the penaltyhome against his formerclub making to restore thetwo goal advantage.

Shortwood substituteJames Singh was lucky toescape with only a cautionwhen he bundled intoBenbow late on leaving thekeeper down for a good Fveminutes.Boss Steve Cleal said: “To

end with a win is a nicefeeling and it was no morethan my lads deserved. Weshowed character desire andwe applied ourselves in everydepartment today I just wishwe had done it sooner andmore often.

“When I look at thisseason as a whole, we knewhow difFcult it would be andat times our lads simplyhaven’t been good enough.“I have used 57 players

this year and that tells astory, but I have loved everyminute of it in difFcult cir-cumstances and I’ve learnt alot about myself and thathas to be a positive step.“Some of the lads have de-

veloped over the season andhopefully every player haslearnt something about

themselves as an individualand as a footballer.“I want to thank all the

players who have put ashift in under difFcult cir-cumstances, plus my back-room staff Ali (Bulpitt,physio) and Patrick (Cleal,coach).“A big thank you has to go

to Derek Lightstone, assis-tant manager) the chairman(Dave Walker) and most im-portantly all the fans whohave supported us througheverything this season.”

SPORT

SOUTHERN LEAGUE FOOTBALL

Cleal so happy to finish season with derby win

Bredon Res 0Lakeside Res 6

FC LAKESIDE Reserves re-tained the Minor CharityCupwith a dominant displayagainst nineman Bredon Re-serves in the Fnal at KayteLane on Monday night.Eddie Farrel, who is best

known as a goalkeeper forLakeside’s Frst team, led theway with a hat-trick, whilehis strike partner RyanGourley scored twice andwas the game’s outstandingplayer.Bredon wasted a chance in

the opening seconds whenJoeMulrenan shot wide withthe goal gaping after a defen-sive mix-up and Lakesidecapitalised, Fring in fourgoals before half-time.The Cheltenham League

Division Five championsopened the scoring in the10th minute when RyanGourley slotted in his Frstafter a shot was blocked inthe six yard box.

Jamie Diamond made acouple of Fngertip saves todeny James Robson andRyan Gourley, but Farrel’sclinical Fnish made it 2-0after Gourley’s pass in the22nd minute.Max Gourley set up Farrell

for a delicate Gick at the nearpost to make it 3-0 in the41st minute and RyanGourley cracking in a superbfourth in stoppage time.Bredon’s hopes of mount-

ing a comeback were hit inthe 50th minute whenDaniel Spencer was sent offfor foul and abusive lan-guage.

Scott Jordan forced Lake-side goalkeeper Robert Jonesinto a diving parry, butBredon lost another player inthe 64th minute whenSammy Wood was shown asecond yellow card for a latechallenge. His Frst cautionhad arrived in the 38thminute for a lunge at AaronPugh.Farrel lobbed in Lakeside’s

Ffth with some style in the71st minute and MaxGourley tucked away thesixth in the 73rd minutewith an accurate low shot.Lakeside defeated An-

doversford Reserves after

extra-time in last year’s Fnal,when they were reduced to10 men themselves.Trevor Jones’ team com-

pleted an impressive secondsuccessive league and cupdouble in front of a healthycrowd and can look forwardto Division Four footballwith conFdence next term.

Bredon Reserves: JDiamond, J Gallagher (LSmith 71), D Spencer, BHaywood, I MacDuff, JGregory, R MacDuff (SHodgson 76), S Wood, SJordan, J Mulrenan (D Grove32), D Barber (I Ricketts 71).Subs not used: S Ditchburn.

FC Lakeside Reserves: RJones, A Pugh, S Gorry (CHindley 76), J Pugh, RGraham, W Arkell, HMansell, R Gourley, JRobson, M Gourley, E Farrel(A Pulham 72). Subs notused: S D’Souza, N Cross, SGourley.

Referee: I Butler.Star Man: Ryan Gourley.

Lakeside complete second double by hitting Bredon for sixCHELTENHAM LEAGUE FOOTBALL

TWO teams fromCheltenham’sc o m m u n i t yaward winningfootball club,LeckhamptonRovers FC, con-tested the Chel-tenham YouthFootball League Cup Finalfor the youngest age groupon Sunday.The Under-nine section

match, hosted by Chel-tenham Town atWhaddon Road, was a fan-tastic conclusion to theseason for the Mambas(winners) and PythonsUnder-nine teams.The excitement of

playing in front of arousing crowd atWhaddon Road soon dissi-pated as the teams battledto take control of aFercely competitive and

evenly matched game.The high quality defen-

sive performances keptchances to a minimumwith the game deadlockedat the interval.Both teams made

changes as the second halfunfolded with goal oppor-tunities becoming morefrequent.A Fne save from the

Mambas goalkeeper keptthe scores level, before thematch was Fnally decidedby a keenly struck free-kickwith the clock runningdown.

Leckhampton Rovers Mambas 1Leckhampton Rovers Pythons 0

Leckhampton Roverswinners at Youth Cup finals

YOUTH FOOTBALL

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Lakeside's Edward Farrel and Bredon's Daniel Spencer

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SPORT

IN WHAT is proving to beone of themost exciting ‘runins’ in the League’s historythe Division One title in theCheltenham League, spon-sored by Bristol StreetMotorsCheltenham Ford, will godown to a winner takes all@nal day decider betweenWhaddon United and FCLakeside.United saw their chance to

wrap up the title disappearlast Saturdaywhen theywentdown 3-1 at Upton Town.With Lakeside defeating

Newton FC 8-2 they go intothe @nal match a pointbehind United so only a winwill be good enough.With the top two setting

the pace for much of theseason it will be a @tting@nale to an enthrallingseason.As with Division One, the

second division title alsowent down to the last weekand Staunton andCorse blewtwo opportunities to take thetitle.With Northleach with-

drawing from the League lateon, Corse needed just threepoints from their @nal twomatches to take top spot.After being held to a draw

by Prestbury in mid-weekthey needed to beat FC Baro-metrics Reserves on Saturdayto overtake CheltenhamCivil Service Reserves.Rather than being a dead

rubber for Baros, they knew

victory would take themabove Corse and leave themin second place.In the end it was Baros'

desire that proved decisive onthe day.Supported by Wayne

O’Shea and his Serviceplayers, who watched anx-iously from the sideline,Baros won the game 4-2 tohand the title to Service,something they has given uphope of last Saturday.With Welland already

crowned Division Threechampions, LeckhamptonRovers cemented their placeas runners up following a 5-2win over Fintan Reserves.With a game to play Rovers

lead second placed Brock-worth Albion Reserves by sixpoints.The big game in Division

Four saw @rst play second asNorthway played Apperley.Steve Allsopp proved to be

the difference between theteams as he scored all fourNorthway goals in a 4-2 win.Victory for Northway

handed them the title andmeans Apperley will @nishsecond, edging out Chel-tenham Civil Service III ongoal difference.With one game left to play

Smiths Athletic Reservescould steal fourth placehowever they will need tobeat Northway and overturna six goal de@cit if they are toleapfrog Kings AFC Reserves.Kings beat Winchombe

Town Reserves 3-0 last Satur-

day to leave Town in bottomspot.There was frustration at the

top of Division Five whenKingshill Sports withdrewfrom the League at the 11thhour.With just three games left

to play their withdrawal hada profound impact at the topof the table as they had heldleaders FC Lakeside Reservesto a draw.With challengers Chel-

tenham Civil Service IVhaving beaten Kingshilltwice, the loss of six pointssaw themhaving to win bothof their last games ratherthan just one.Alas it was not to be for

Service whose 3-2 loss at thehands of Staunton and CorseReserves on Thursday nighthanded the title to Lakesidemuch to Service managerSimon Greenwood’s anger.With four of the six cham-

pions now decided DivisionSix will also go down to the@nal round of games. Al-though the title is MalvernVale’s to lose.Vale faced Cheltenham

United last Saturday in amust win game. United hadbeaten their opponents onEaster Monday 8-0 and wentinto the match high on [email protected] missing the serv-

ices of leading scorer DanStowe, and having threeplayers suspended, they tookthe game to United.Despite Vale having the

lion's share of possession inthe @rst 15 minutes, theyfailed to create any clear cutchances, for which theyalmost paid the price whenUnited's striker Chris Clavinwas sent throughon goal. For-tunately for Vale,Williams, ingoal, was quickly off his lineto smother the ball.

The warning signs madeVale shift up a gear as theybegan to rain in shots, fromdistance, on the United goal.However for every

wayward shot on the Unitedgoal came a near miss on theVale goal, as United took ad-vantage of Vale's pressinggame to launch quick attacksin response.The half ultimately saw the

sides cancel each other out,@nishing goalless. From therestart, Vale quickly lost pos-session as United pushedforward in numbers, but theattack broke down andwithin minutes Vale were infront.Picking up the ball in the

United half Grif@ths andIreland exchanged passesbefore Grif@ths placed hisshot into the far corner of thenet.Vale's leadwas doubled @ve

minutes later as Tuber@eld

stabbed the ball home fromclose range, latching on toAick header from King.It was clear United were

going to make Vale work tokeep their lead as theypressed in search of a routeback into the game, but itwas United's need to goforward that cost them athird.A defensive clearance set

Dow through on the Unitedgoal and he calmly chippedthe advancing United goal-keeper.To United's credit, the

de@cit did not deter them asthey continued to createchances against a resoluteVale defence.Vale were gifted a fourth

when a defensive mistakeallowed Turber@eld to raceclear before slotting the ballhome.With @fteen minutes left

on the clock, Vale roundedoff the scoring with a @fth,Grif@ths heading home fromclose range.The result means Vale trail

leaders Fintan Reserves by asingle point. With Fintan’sseason now over, Vale onlyneed to draw with CharltonRovers III next week to takethe title.With Rovers just one place

off the foot of the table theodds are stacked in their op-ponents favour and Vale willbe strong favourites to takethe title in their inauguralseason.

Cheltenham League round-upCHELTENHAM LEAGUE FOOTBALL

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CHAMPIONS CheltenhamCivil Service ended ChippingSodbury Town’s hopes of @n-ishing second with a 2-0victory at The Riding.It is likely to be Sodbury’s

last game in the MarcliffGloucestershire County Foot-ball League as they have @n-ished third in the table and

have acquired the necessaryground grading criteria toplay at step six next season,while Service have not.Sodbury could have

claimed something from thisgame but the difference wasin the @nishing and excellentdefending from Service.The visitors made a good

start and John Evans wasdenied from putting themahead by the legs of goal-keeper George Hale aftereight minutes.On 15 minutes the home

side had their @rst chance toopen the scoring as an in-swinging corner from the leftwas bundled off the line by

Cameron Smith.Jack Sklenar got the ball

into the Sodbury net after agood build up but it wasruled out for offside.In the 30th minute, Hale

read Smith’s free kick welland made the save look easy.On 34 minutes Justin

Cattle broke through theCheltenham defence andwith a clear shot on goallooked odds on to score butkeeper Tim Grif@ths hadother ideas as the striker shothe smothered the ball but itescaped back to Cattle whosesecond shot was pushedaway byGrif@ths for a corner.A rasping shot from James

Mackie a couple of minuteslater just cleared the visitorsbar.Sodbury had a free kick on

the left near the goal line thatwas pumped into the boxand looked all the way a goaluntil Chris Pates got back toclear the ball off the line.Two minutes before the

break Cheltenham stole thelead. Evans picked up the ballin mid@eld before threadingit through for Sklenar to runclear, round Hale and slidethe ball into an empty net.Sodbury were caught cold

two minutes into the secondhalf when Stuart Midwinterwas put clear to hammer the

ball past Hale for a 2-0 lead.Sklenar went very close to

making it 3-0 in the 48thminute his shot was just wideof the post.Evans should have made it

three in the 51st minutewhen Hale had ventured outto the edge of the box to tryand clear the ball as it loopedup for Evans to head at anempty goal but he only suc-ceeded in putting it wide.Chances were not coming

for the home side but on 72minutes Danny Coombeshad a great chance to pull agoal back for the home sidebut @red his shot straight atGrif@ths.

With still one @xture toplay AEK Boco secured therunners-up spot with a 3-2victory at Bishop’s Cleeve Re-serves.James Laver gave Boco the

lead on 10minutes and LiamPowell made that 2-0 on 20minutes with one of hisspecial free-kicks.Cleeve’s James Pickup

reduced the arrears in the25th minute from thepenalty spot and midwaythrough the second halfAdam Gill levelled the scorewith a header at the far post.Boco stole the three points

right on 90 minutes with agoal from Liam Crewe.

Championswin away, butit is Town whowill go up

COUNTY FOOTBALL

Cheltenham United's Ryan Bunningand Malvern Vale's Chris King


First two Flatclassics lookwide open

By JAMES dALy

THIS weekend sees the Hatracing season move up a gearwith the 2000 Guineas run onSaturday and the Gllies’ equiv-alent the 1000 Guineas run onSunday down the straightmileon Newmarket racecourse.Aidan O’Brien has had the

ante post favourites for bothraces for some time but whilstthe 2000 Guineas favouriteGleneagles has hardened inthe betting, Found, favouritefor Sunday’s race has driftedand there is some doubt abouther participation.Neither horse is good

betting value however andwhilst Gleneagles in particularmight be a very strong con-tender, ground riding quickwould not be ideal and he hasnot had a run this season.The trials for the 2000

Guineas all took place a coupleof weeks or so ago with the

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GARY Johnson has agreedto be Cheltenham Town’spermanent manager fortheir return to non-leaguefootball next season.Brought in for the Gnal

seven games of a turbulentcampaign for the club, theformer Yeovil Town andBristol City boss was unableto stave off the drop.A 1-0 home defeat by

Shrewsbury Town con-demned the Robins to theVanarama National Leaguenext term after 16 years inthe Football League.Johnson, who led Yeovil

to the Conference title in2002/03, will now setabout building a squad tochallenge for an immediatereturn to League Two witha heavily reduced budget.There are 14 players cur-

rently contracted beyondthe end of this season, butmajor changes are expectedon and off the pitch.Johnson, 59, will be as-

sisted by Russell Milton,who stepped up from hisacademy role to managethe club after the departureof Paul Buckle in Februaryafter only 79 days incharge.Cheltenham round off a

season to forget at AFCWimbledon on Saturday,with several of theiryounger players expectedto be given a run out.Their relegation fate was

sealed in front of the crowd

of more than 5,000, withShrewsbury’s win courtesyof Jean Louis Akpa-Akpro’sdeHected strike in the 20thminute sealing their pro-motion to League One.Johnson said: It’s always

very sad when a team getsrelegated, especially when ateam is relegated out of theleague and then has towork very hard to get backup.“Unfortunately, when

you’re second from bottomand you get relegated thenyou genuinely deserve tobe down there for whateverreason.“Over the season there

hasn’t been enough in theteam, there hasn’t been

enough to keep the club inthe League.“We’ve tried very hard

over the last few weeksrushing people in and weworked all hours god sendsand tried to get them doingthe same, unfortunatelythe losers amongst themare less than professional.“You have to tell a few

little home truths to peopleand some we’ve trustedand some we haven’t,we’ve had to use them andsome have let me down.“When a team goes

down something’s notright. From recruitment toquality, there’s also Gtnesslevels players need tomain-tain and they need to live

like professionals and actlike professionals and someof them, I think, found itvery hard to do that.“That is what I found

was disappointing morethan anything else, whenthe injuries came in andwhen you need people whohaven’t been available forcertain reasons.”Meanwhile, chairman

Paul Baker has conGrmedhe will stay on for theclub’s return to the Confer-ence.“It’s massively disap-

pointing to be relegated,but you can’t say it wasn’ton the cards,” Baker said.“It’s one to forget

because it’s been a dreadful

season, but we can nowlook forward and that’swhat I am going to do.“I am committed to

staying on and we need tomake sure we get our playerrecruitment right becausethat’s been dreadful for thepast 24 months, with oneor two exceptions.“The players aren’t good

enough and that’s why weare where we are. Peoplecan blame the board, forour decisions and yes, somehave been wrong.“We have got more

wrong than right thisseason, but over 16 yearswe’ve done a huge amountfor this club.”

CHELTENHAM TOWN:Carson; Berry, Brown,Deaman, Braham-Barrett;Burns, Sparrow (Hanks 68),Richards, Kotwica; Harrad,Manset (Sterling-James 61).Subs not used: Gould,Williams, Dale, Bowen,Lawrence.

SHREWSBURY TOWN:Leutwiler; Ellis, Goldson,Grandison, Demetriou;Gayle, Lawrence, Woods,Grant; Akpa Akpro (Barnett71), Collins (Mangan 71).Subs not used: Vernon, Hal-stead, Clark, Mandron,Smith.

REFEREE: T Kettle.ATTEANDANCE: 5,117(1,705 from Shrewsbury).

horsE racing

Johnson sET To accEpTchallEngE of bringingrobins back inTo lEaguE

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Gary Johnson

cheltenham standard 30th april 2015

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