Delight as new Specsavers opens in Tetbury

1. New Specsavers officially opened in the town 

There were celebrations in Tetbury on Tuesday, May 7 as the town’s mayor and Town Crier joined the team at Specsavers to officially open the new store. 

Locally owned and run by four directors, Cobi Williams, Rizwan Choonara, Jo Bryan and Jake Henderson, the store on Long Street, just a couple of doors down from The Close Hotel, is now welcoming customers for both eye and hearing tests. 

Jake Henderson Tetbury Manager said:  "It was fantastic to have the Tetbury Town Mayor, Councillor Liz Farnham and Tetbury Town Crier, Tony Evans to help us with our official opening,

‘We’ve also received a really warm welcome from the local community and are looking forward to welcoming customers to the store for all their eye and ear care needs. It’s been lots of hard work to get to this point but it’s all worth it when it comes together and we saw our first customer come through the door.’

Complete with four testing rooms, including a sound-proofed audiology room, as well as a comprehensive range of frames and the latest state-of-the-art equipment, the 11-strong team is on hand to help. F

amiliar faces to Specsavers, Cobi, Rizwan and Jo also run Specsavers in Stroud and are joined by new optical director, Jake who previously worked at Specsavers in Cowley. Between them, they bring a total of 65 years’ experience. 

Jake concluded: "As well as our optical and audiology services, we’ll be looking to get more involved with the local community and supporting causes and initiatives. 

"It’s important to the whole team that we give back, so it’s definitely something we’ll be doing as we get to know Tetbury and its residents.’

A truly typical Tetbury welcome was given to the New store as a few people who walked past during the opening said to Jake and his team so glad that you're here, and welcome to Tetbury I will be in soon.

The new store is situated in the former Lloyds bank building. And fits in perfectly with the ethos of Tetbury By being stylish friendly and welcoming.

To make an eye test or hearing appointment, you can visit the store at 12 Long Street, Tetbury, GL8 8AQ, by calling 01666 330660 or visiting https://www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/tetbury 

2. Jazz Defenders at Tetbury Goods Shed 

Today,  Saturday 18 May Tetbury Goods Shed are delighted to present The Jazz Defenders.

Led by one of the UK’s most formidable jazz pianists, George Cooper, The Jazz Defenders are a group born from a deep love of Blue Note jazz, drawing on a wealth of inspiration to craft their own raw and vibrant compositions.

The hard bop recordings of Horace Silver, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan and Art Blakey were highly regarded for a reason – catchy horn lines and incredible musicianship combined with Rudy Van Gelder’s engineering skills mean they will forever be regarded as classics of the genre.

The Jazz Defenders are a group that defend the legacy of those recordings whilst creating its own original identity and distinction.

The music they produce together is a modern soul jazz slant on this classic hard bop, effortlessly channelling the spirit of the golden Blue Note era of jazz.

 The group’s brainchild, pianist and composer George Cooper, has at a young age already amassed a comprehensive repertoire of musical credits including Hans Zimmer, Nigel Kennedy, U2, Slum Village, MF Doom,

The Brand New Heavies, The Haggis Horns, Abstract Orchestra and Lack of Afro.Tickets are Individual £12.50-£16.50. Group ticket price £38.00-£76.00 For more information or to book your tickets, please visit the new website: www.tetburygoodsshed.co.uk. Please note:  tickets on the door on the night will cost £20.00 and £16.00 respectively.

3. All invited to church event 

You are all invited to iSing Pop Celebrate, on Sunday, the 19th of May in St Marys’School Hall starting at 4:00 pm until 5:30 pm

This is for all the Family where are you will be exploring the best of bible stories and ask questions big and little, and enjoy time together with crafts, chatting and sharing iSingPOP song and prayers. And if that's not enough there will be a special Easter chick hunt in the churchyard. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.Please bring your own cup. All are welcome as this is run by Tetbury Area Churches together : Saint Mary's, Christ Church, Five Valleys Christian Fellowship and Saint Michaels Catholic Church.

4. Hospital hike taking place on Sunday

The Tetbury Hospital Hike will take place on Sunday 19th May 2024. This will be a very rare opportunity to see glorious Estcourt Park (By kind permission of Juddmonte Farms) by either running or walking through their beautiful private grounds.

The Start/Finish will be in the field near the St. John the Baptist. church, Church Lane, Shipton Moyne, GL8 8PW.

This will be a great day out for all the family with live entertainment by Route 44, Bar open 12.00pm onwards to purchase wine and beer plus tea/coffee and homemade cakes, Well behaved dogs on leads, are welcome too.

Walkers and runners to start between 10am and 11am. Entry fee which includes on hog roast and all accompaniments are, 20 Pound per adult. 15 Pound per child 16 and under. 

Numbers are limoted, so please book early to avoid disappointment there are 2 Route options available - 5 miles and 7 miles. Proceeds will go towards medical equipment and upgrades to the hospital facilities. To book or for more information Please Visit www.friendsoftetburyhospital.co.uk

5. Special concert at the Goods Shed 

Tetbury Goods Shed are delighted to present on Sunday May 19 Sunday Special – The Bookshop Band. Special pre-release concert. 

Step into the enchanting world of The Bookshop Band at Tetbury Goods Shed, where the songs unfold like chapters in a grand literary saga.In collaboration with the award-winning Bath bookshop, Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights, Ivor Novello-nominated composers Beth Porter and Ben Please write songs inspired by the books of the visiting authors.

The band are about to re-emerge in full force, and there is a buzz surrounding the anticipated release of their first album in seven years.Produced by none other than Pete Townshend (The Who), it features songs inspired by authors Margaret Atwood, Robert Macfarlane and Philip Pullman.

To book a ticket or for further information, please visit www.tetburygoodsshed.co.uk Tickets cost adult advance £12 under 25 advance £10 

PLEASE NOTE:  On the door on the night tickets will cost £16 and £13.Doors open at 5.30pm. for a 6.00pm start

6. Annual meeting of the council 
 

On Monday 20th of May there will be the annual meeting of the Council which will take place in the accessible library, it is at this meeting that the new Mayor and Deputy will be appointed by the council.

And also the new committees will be formed.

7. Fun theatre event 
 Tetbury Goods Shed are delighted to present on 22nd May 2024 Playtime Theatre A Woodland Wonder –

Join Ratty and her friends for  fun and gentle introduction to theatre with play along story telling, original music puppetry, theatre games, movement, craft and lots of imaginative play. As she learns about the environment.

 Ratty has a lot of ideas but sometimes things dont go according to plan..... can you help her by playing along and working together? There will be silliness, play acting, craft and music......expect to play, watch, laugh and make . Join Sidney and Tristan of the  Last Baguette  fame for a fun relaxed participatory theatre session. Suitable to 2 – 6 years of age.

To book a ticket or for further information, please visit www.tetburygoodsshed.co.uk Tickets cost

 just £5.00. Sessions last one hour and are for 2-6 year olds and their grown ups.

 Just 25 spaces available (under 12 months of age are also free but do not need to be booked in advance)

A Parent or Responsible Adult to accompany their Children as they are not able to care for unaccompanied children. Doors Open at 9:45AM for a 10:00am start

8. Talk with vet 

On Wednesday 22 May Tetbury Goods Shed are delighted to present  a Talk with vet Nick Thompson. Natural feeding and holistic pet care.  

Nick Thompson has been fighting for responsible, species-appropriate raw food feeding for pets for over 25 years. His tireless drive for healthy pets from birth to graceful old age brought him to raw feeding in the mid-1990s.

In 1999, Nick established his specialist practice, Holisticvet (www.holisticvet.co.uk). Now based near Bath, he offers homeopathy, natural nutrition and herbal medicine and a lot of good old-fashioned common sense for dogs and horses.

His pet topics are gastroenterology and the microbiome and the misuse of pharmaceuticals in medicine.

He loves researching all aspects of human and animal nutrition.

The talk is brought to the Shed in conjunction with The Tetbury Pet Shop, owned by partner team, Amelia and Alastair, The Tetbury Pet Shop (www.thetetburypetshop.co.uk) opened its doors at 7 Long Street in October 2022.

Their mission is to bring great products to the community, with a strong health-based ethos. 

The fantastic Tetbury Pet Shop team all care deeply for animals and have a combined experience of 60 years in the industry.

To book a ticket or for further information, please visit www.tetburygoodsshed.co.uk 

9. Unique reason to visit Tetbury 

Something unique and another good reason to visit Tetbury on the next bank holiday Monday, 27 as the town celebrates return of the world famous Tetbury Woolsack races, is that Tetbury stunning St Mary's Church will be offering on Monday 

May 27th Tours of the Church Tower, from 10:00am – 2:00pm (last tour commences at 1:20 pm)you will be able to, learn about bell ringing. 

Visit the belfry, and of course be able to see Tetbury and Highgrove from “above” with the most stunning and breathtaking view. The cost is a nominal, Adults : £5.00, and 16 and Under : £1.00 (All children must be accompanied by an adult)

Tetbury business Flooring South West (FSW ) owner James Padden who is  so proud to be the main sponsor of the return of the Woolsack races is looking forward to this amazing Day  said I would like to sign the amazing dedicated team of volunteers who have put this extravaganza together and I echo the words of the team we still need volunteers for the day for Tetbury Woolsack 2024.

You don’t have help all day, just a timeslot so you can still enjoy it yourself too ! Without volunteers, traditional community events like this wouldn’t happen so we really appreciate any help we can get.

So if you would like to get involved or want more information then please email tetburywoolsackraces@gmail.com And there's still time to be a competitor so If you’re interested please email competitors@tetburywoolsack.co.uk