SDC Leader's blog - w/c 13 October 2025
"It was such a pleasure last week to visit the newly reopened towpath at Fromebridge, where volunteers from the Cotswold Canals Connected partnership have been hard at work on the new path itself, the extensive natural habitat works alongside it (including the new pond - not yet connected to its water source, but which will soon be water vole heaven!) and the restoration of Occupation Bridge. Thank you to the Stroud District Council canal team, and everyone from Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Stroud Valleys Project and the Cotswold Canals Trust who have been working so hard on this fantastic new nature and heritage reserve (work made possible due to the generosity of the partnership’s amazing funders – thank you). I’m looking forward to visiting again soon as the site continues to expand and flourish.
You may have seen that Stroud District Council is marking National Hate Crime Awareness Week: a time to stand together, speak out, and show that hate has no home in our district. We want to acknowledge and celebrate our diverse communities, and work with our partner organisations towards a district where kindness, respect and understanding thrive. If you or someone you know has been affected by hate crime, Gloucestershire Constabulary has a dedicated page on its website. Please don’t suffer in silence.
A quick shout out for the upcoming Stroudfunding information workshops, ahead of the next round of the Council’s crowdfunding scheme for community projects – find all the details here.
The next formal meetings for members are Development Control Committee on the 21st, and Full Council on the 23rd October – papers for these will be published on the 14th and 16th October respectively, and as always these and the recording of the event (viewable both live and subsequently) will be available from our website. "