Column by the leader of Stroud District Council, Doina Cornell.

THERE’S no doubting that Stroud District Council and the district as a whole has hit the headlines with a positive impact this week – our Animal Welfare Officers’ fine work in getting a badly injured dog the care he needs, and another TV appearance for the district on prime time television.

I would like to pay tribute to the Animal Welfare Officers and the wider Environmental Health Service in its care not just for Valentine, the dog who was abandoned with a broken leg outside a vets surgery at night but for the huge range of services they offer.

The council has an Animal Welfare Charter which was reviewed in January this year - stroud.gov.uk/environment/environmental-health/animal-welfare - which supports the view that all animals have the right to a life free from cruel treatment and unnecessary suffering.

Valentine’s story shows just how important it is to keep dogs’ microchip records up to date and the dangers of trading pets on selling websites.

Stroud district is once again on our television screens with Bisley doubling as Much Deeping in the BBC production of Pale Horse. In recent years we have seen some big productions visit our picturesque villages and the beautiful River Severn which featured in His Dark Materials and Cider With Rosie.

These two stories show some of the very different work that the council does – and there is a lot more. Car parks, planning, waste and recycling, environmental health, canal restoration, health and wellbeing, leisure centres, parks, benefits and money advice and council and social housing provision are just some of the services SDC provides.