Jim Fern Joy Goodenough Skip Walker Katie Jarvis Pete Hendy
Questions answered by Katie Jarvis, chief writer for Cotswold Life magazine, in 2003

 

Why do you live here? What brought you to Stroud?

I've never lived in Stroud as such, but I've been in the area since I was 10 years old - in fact, I went to Stroud High School. My real connection with the town began when I went to work for the Stroud News and Journal between 1987 and1989 - one of the best times of my life.

What do you love/like best about Stroud?

I love the way Stroud has so many different types of people: you can find everyone from a tweed-clad "hunting, shooting, fishing" gentleman to an alternative therapist: they're all here.

What do you hate about Stroud?

The perception of some who think Stroud is a dump. It isn't.

What do you think is Stroud's best physical feature?

I love the beautiful School of Science and Art in Lansdown. Isn't that just like Stroud? You wander down a seemingly ordinary road and, if you open your eyes and look about you, you see something wonderful and inspiring.

What do you think is Stroud's best communal feature?

Tricky; I like the Sub Rooms' forecourt and all its street entertainment, and I love the farmers' market. I admire those who are prepared to have "sit-ins" in order to protect what they love about Stroud. But overall, I would have to nominate the Stroud passion for the peace movement. Stroud might be a small town in a Cotswold valley, but it's far from being an "island".

What would you change about Stroud if you had a magic wand?

Nothing! Some people long for a big John Lewis or a Marks and Sparks. But the whole point of Stroud is that it's true to itself. It is what it is without apology, and that's what makes it wholesome.

 From January 2016, this website is managed by Stroud Local History Society

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