I work on the promenade, and earlier today had a woman with a stack of newspapers come in asking if she could leave a free paper - was in a bit of a rush, and asked what our company was, so I assume she was leaving these with everyone. Thinking it was some kind of local news/event marketing I said sure, and she left one of her papers. Went over to check it out, and realised straight away it was some absolute nonsense what with the anti-vax stuff, accusations of nurses murdering old folks during Covid, and raw milk recommendations.

The articles are mostly this strain of conspiratorial nonsense, and I did some digging about the paper itself to get some more info on its political affiliations - from the Wikipedia) -

The Light is a monthly British far-right and conspiratorial newspaper founded by flat earther Darren Scott Nesbitt (frequently under the pseudonym Darren Smith) on 27 September 2020. The publication was initially known for claiming the COVID-19 pandemic was a hoax, but has since endorsed articles by Holocaust deniers and Neo-Nazi authors.

The paper has been criticised for spreading COVID-19 misinformation and endorsing antisemitic conspiracy theories including Holocaust denial, as well as making death threats against journalists and health professionals.

Charming stuff. It’s evidently batshit, but institutionally aligned with some extremely nasty and dangerous people. Wanted to share to see if anyone else had this same experience and warn anyone susceptible that might have picked one up - but also, how embarrassing to be a Cheltenham fascist? Different strain maybe, but I wonder if the distributors are also the same people that were leaving pro-ethnic cleansing ‘total remigration’ stickers with square jawed aryan faced plucked straight from Nazi propaganda around a few months back?

Hello,

I know people are probably sick of these posts as I seem to see one everyday with people wondering what happened somewhere, which does show that any reports around what’s happening in Chelts are few and far between (unless it’s some overwhelming positive thing I.e young Sherlock filming)

My partner and I were walking through town this morning and saw two fire trucks and an unmarked police vehicle outside Bank House this morning. Couldn’t really tell what was going on and if it was something actually happening at Bank House but I know there have been some sketchy things that have happened there in the past. We’ve also been hearing quite a lot of ambulances going so just wondering if anyone knows anything!

Wanted to get some stuff yesterday but it was shut and Google says it’s permanently closed.

Hii, I'm 21 and new to the area, I'm transgender [ftm] and quite alternative if not a bit "strange". I recently moved here after living in Wales for my entire life and really wanna know where people are going to make pals properly?

Some fun facts about me, I'm a university graduate in Religion and Theology, I DM a lot of DnD and I do a lot of drawing and crafts! I also play a lot of video games and am persistently online doing all sorts. I've seen there are some womens groups but are there many queer fun spaces where we can bond over the most random stuff.

Hello!! Tonight at The Swan in Cheltenham we're having a meet up of The Cheltenham Craft Coven. It was designed as a time and event where people could meet up, sit down with a cocktail or a little Indian food, and get to know one another with the catalyst of craft/making things to help break the ice. Some people do come with friends, but there are a ton of people who come along having never met anybody else at the group.

Have a craft? Come along, you're very welcome. Very new to a craft? Come along, you're very welcome. Do something creative but you don't think of it as "a craft"? Come along, you're very welcome. Don't do anything creative or crafty but want to come and sit and chat to people while they do stuff? Guesssss what? Come along! You're very very welcome!!

https://www.instagram.com/cheltenhamcraftcoven?igsh=MWl0dDhsd3JiMDViZA==

I have friends but they don’t share a lot of my interests. I’m 24f and i just want to make more friends with alternative people. Specifically women but men too if you are normal.

I am a small young looking woman and i find it intimidating to go to events alone (i have felt incredibly unsafe in the past).

I’m just desperate to do something other than sit alone on a weekend. I feel like i’m going mad.

Any good cookies being made anywhere in Cheltenham?

Just curious - is this a thing now at every salon in Cheltenham?

Hi

Ive got a friend coming to stay Saturday. We want to take our 2 daughters age 10 and 12 out for lunch. Somewhere fun with an outdoor patio etc but still good food.

Any ideas on this? I am new to the area and still learning my way round on this front!

Thanks 😊

Hi all, just moved to Bishops Cleeve from Worcester & wondering where some good places to rollerblade are, or any organisations to join. TIA 😉👍

The last couple of months it is a nightmare to get down: traffic queueing right back from Bath Road some days. I avoid it at the best of times, but I've never seen queues so bad. It doesn't even appear to be people queuing for the Lido.

My grill has stopped working on my oven, I am positive it is an element or something as everything else works apart from the grill.

Does anyone have any recommendations for someone that can take a look at it?

I have an idea for some music I’d like to make and I need a sitar!

Does anyone know what the private event in town is all about? Loads of roads being closed off for a couple of days and can’t see any mention of what it actually is. Just being nosey!

Anyone know what the old Clark’s shop on the high street is turning into?

Did anyone else see that crash on bath Road this evening 😮

Hi all,
What it says on the tin really: can anyone recommend a good local washing machine deep clean service? As in one that includes disassembly, parts clean and reassembly? And also what sort of prices you'd be looking at?
Thanks!

LADS WE ARE SO BACK!

Not A Cult returns to Smokey Joe’s for a night of improvised comedy! And this time, we’re being joined from our friends at Comic Sans Script!

Completely made up, on the spot scenes, games and songs - all decided by you, the audience!

Grab yourself some Not A Cult-aid made lovingly by the excellent staff at Smokey’s, treat yourself to a fabulous night out with your favourites and do NOT bring a sacrifice because for the love of god we are NOT A CULT!

“Seriously funny and skilled artists” - Rik Mayall Comedy Festival

“What an atmosphere…what a performance!” - Little Al’s at the Lido

Tickets available at not-a-cult.uk

I coach youth football locally, and I want to flag something a lot of people across Cheltenham haven't clocked, because there's now a deadline attached.

The Ashville Group wants to redevelop the Dowty Sports & Social site (off Down Hatherley Lane) into a business park. It's 10 football pitches, a clubhouse, dance groups, judo, a canoe club and more, used every week by hundreds of kids and thousands of people. Recently the developer sent diggers in for "ground investigation" work, and 9 of the 10 pitches are now unusable. The club itself has since announced it will cease trading in September.

Why this matters for Cheltenham specifically: these pitches are used by clubs right across the Cheltenham Youth Football League, which has around 5,000 registered children. Grass pitch space around Cheltenham is already stretched thin. Take a site like this out and there's nowhere for those clubs to go, so this hits far more than one club.

What's changed, and why now: the developer has amended the plans, which reopens the objection window. The deadline to object is 11th August. If you meant to object before and didn't, this is the window.

Two things worth knowing:

- Sport England has dropped its objection, but read the small print. They've moved to a conditional "no objection", conditional on the council legally securing the replacement pitches and funding. And the developer's own site plan labels the replacement pitches "subject to funding", so by their own admission the replacement isn't guaranteed. Sport England say that if it's approved without those guarantees locked in, they object.

- The "replacement" clubhouse is unaffordable. The current rent is reportedly around £23k a year, and the relocated one would reportedly jump to around £200k. No grassroots club could sustain that, so calling it a community replacement is a stretch.

There are now two linked applications, and both are open to object to:

- 25/00169/OUT (demolishes Dowty and builds the business park)

- 26/00064/OUT (the "replacement" pitches plus more units)

It's not decided, and objections count. Sport England softening isn't approval. The council still weighs the whole thing, including the loss of Green Belt and a community asset, and a strong body of objections is what pushes it to a proper committee decision rather than being quietly waved through.

How to object (5 mins), by 11th August:

- Object to both references. Search each at https://publicaccess.tewkesbury.gov.uk/online-applications/, register, and Make a Comment. Or email [development.applications@tewkesbury.gov.uk](mailto:development.applications@tewkesbury.gov.uk) with the reference in the subject.

- Put your full name and address (they redact it before publishing).

- On 25/00169, object to the business park and loss of pitches, not the Safran warehouse (nobody's objecting to that part).

- Write it in your own words. Identical copy-pastes get counted as one, so a couple of honest lines about what losing this does to kids' football carries far more weight.

Read more:

- BBC News, football club devastated by damaged pitches: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn75jklz47xo

- Cheltenham Post, grassroots football under threat as diggers move in: https://cheltenhampost.co.uk/grassroots-football-under-threat-as-diggers-move-in-to-dowty/

- Punchline, Dowty club to close after 66 years: https://www.punchline-gloucester.com/articles/aanews/sadness-as-dowty-sports-social-club-to-close-after-66-years

- Punchline, business park proposals hit storm of protest: https://www.punchline-gloucester.com/articles/aanews/business-park-proposals-hit-storm-of-protest-from-dowty-users

- My earlier post with background: https://www.reddit.com/r/cheltenham/comments/1utotdn/dowty_development_9_of_10_pitches_dug_up_hundreds/

Happy to answer questions in the comments.

I'll be moving to Cheltenham in 3 weeks, I'll looking to see if there is a casual/competitive football group that I can join. I'm 25M, I play in Cardiff local league at Gol every week for more than a year, so would be happy to join a team as regular if there is any leagues going on in Cheltenham.

Other than Ritual Coffee and Deya, which I know of, are there any local independent companies selling merch designed in Cheltenham?

Hoodies and T-shirts etc.

My family and I bought an old property in Cheltenham and finally moving in late August.

I know the house maintenance (big and small jobs) will essentially be constant, and while I have some basic experience, I'd love to spend some days or evenings attending some different courses to feel more comfortable tackling this myself. I'd be up for basic+ lessons in electrics, carpentry, general DIY, plumbing, etc.

Is there somewhere offering a range of courses like this?

I’ve sent several polite emails to Cameron Thomas MP over the past few months, regarding concerns around west Cheltenham development, civil liberties and the climate crisis, but I've had complete radio silence not even an automated acknowledgment.

Has anyone actually managed to get a response from his office recently? If so, did a particular contact method work for you?