LOOKING back on some of the stories the Gazette has reported through the years...

January 1997

A NEW breakaway fundraising group for diabetics was set up in Thornbury after a disagreement among members of an existing diabetic support group.

The Thornbury branch of the Southmead Diabetic Fund was set up by Bill Critchlow, former chairman of Thornbury and District Diabetic Support Group, after a disagreement over management of the group.

Mr Critchlow, himself a diabetic, said the group had already collected over £1,000 to help equip a new unit for diabetics at Southmead Hospital.

A REVIEW of fire safety procedures was to be undertaken by Stroud District Council after a Cam family needed hospital treatment following a blaze at their home.

A woman and her two children were lucky enough to escape when their council home caught fire.

The family were taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation, with the daughter being detained overnight.

The blaze was believed to have been caused by an electrical fault, resulting in fire prevention measures to be reviewed by council officers.

The family was provided with bed and breakfast accommodation while repairs were carried out on their home.

January 2007

YOUNGSTERS were urged to stay clear of railway tracks in South Gloucestershire following a rise in trespassing offences.

British Transport Police revealed incidents of trespassing, track obstruction and vandalism were on the up in the region’s railways.

They said that consequences of their actions could be fatal, as well as costly to the industry.

The month beforehand, the Gazette reported a woman was cautioned for allegedly holding up a high-speed train on a Yate railway crossing with a fake gun and machete.

Officers said they were working with Network Rail and train operating companies to tackle crime on the railways, and had begun warning youngsters of the dangers of the railways during the half-term holidays.

RESIDENTS and community leaders in Littleton-on-Severn were making final preparations for a new planning battle against a property developer.

Bath-based Tull Properties had lost their controversial bid to turn the former Electrotech microchip factory at Whale Warf on the banks of the Severn into a mini business park.

South Gloucestershire Council served notice on the company requiring it to undo unauthorised alterations at the site including the removal of a woodland area, construction of a car park and the installation of external lights.