Amplify Stroud

02/06/2026

WHIMSY AND POIGNANCY… AND BEES
— INDIE FILM-MAKING WITH SAM POPE

Ahead of the upcoming screening of “The Little Cinema in Gloucester” Sam Pope talks us through his experience of making films in Stroud, his plans for the future and the thought-provoking collection of short films he has assembled for Sunday 7 June at the Sherborne in Gloucester.

EMILY BAINBRIDGE - BEATING THE BOUNDS (2025)
JOE MURPHY - A FILM ABOUT DAD (2026)
PAUL DALY - MIRRORS (2022)
SAM POPE - THE LITTLE CINEMA IN GLOUCESTER (2025)

You can get tickets here
>>> https://tinyurl.com/sherborne-7june

Sam Pope is a film maker based in Stroud. On Sunday 7 June, he's screening THE LITTLE CINEMA IN GLOUCESTER at the Sherborne Cinema alongside three other indie films.

26/04/2026

STROUD MATERNITY UNIT is facing a threat of closure by stealth and has been under threat for the last five and a half years.

Read the article and add your name to the petition here.

What we are seeing is a countywide withdrawal of support for home birth and midwife-led birth units, leading to an increase in hospital admissions.

Some mothers are freebirthing (birthing without midwives) which puts them at increased risk.

Here we go again… WE ARE PROTESTING THE PROPOSED DOWNGRADING of Stroud Maternity Unit planned for this autumn — a move that represents a clear, back‑door attempt to close the unit entirely.

14/04/2026

RETURN OF THE GODDESS
by Kate Dineen

”The name Cuda has been on people’s lips in Stroud in recent years. She is our local Cotswolds face of the Mother Goddess who embraces us with the wisdom of the Divine Feminine.”\
— Kate Dineen

In this thought-provoking piece Kate explores the resurgence of the divine feminine amidst the death-throes of the Patriarchy, grounding it in the discovery of Cuda worship amongst the Dobunni tribe that lived here centuries ago.

Kate will be leading an exploration of Cuda worship at the Corinium Museum in Cirencester on SATURDAY 18 APRIL from 10.30am - with a generous discount available for Amplify readers.



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Amplify Stroud is dedicated to introducing new writers and giving a voice to the social history of Stroud. We work entirely voluntarily, on a shoestring, to bring you stories and articles that add texture, culture and background to living in Stroud.

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Thank you for reading

The name “Cuda” has been on people’s lips in Stroud in recent years. She is our local Cotswolds face of the Mother Goddess who embraces us with the wisdom of the Divine Feminine.

18/03/2026

This week's shock news that Stratford Park Lido's — Stroud's outdoor pool's — future is uncertain should be a wake up call to all of us to step up and do what we can save this beloved heritage asset.

Nikki Laine writes about what it means to her and what we can all do to help keep the lido alive.



https://amplifystroud.com/strouds-beloved-lido-is-facing-closure-what-can-we-do/

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Amplify Stroud is 100% volunteer run. Sign up and subscribe - upgrade to a paid account from as little as £5 a month to support new relevant local writing

Stratford Park's outdoor pool has been at the heart of our community life for nearly ninety years. Now it faces an uncertain future, and this week, we have the chance to make our voices heard.

08/02/2026

This is an important initiative to elevate disabled writers, photographers, filmakers, photojournalists, illustrators and other journalists. If this is you, please fill in the form before the end of February or consider donating to support the directory.

Through this newsletter, individuals from 73 countries are united in reshaping how the media views and includes disabled people.

You can also subscribe to the Jaldeep's Substack newsletter to keep yourself up to date and informed.

a step towards bridging the gap between news organisations and disabled journalists and editors

07/02/2026

DATELINE: 2 FEBRUARY 2026
WRITER: ROBIN LAYFIELD
TOPIC: “I AM THE WATER, THE WATER IS ME” — BLESSING THE FROME

On Sunday 1 February people came to Rodborough Fields from all over Stroud to mark the Celtic festival of Imbolc and to join in the blessing of the river Frome.

Robin Layfield takes us on a deeply personal journey of inspiration and celebration, of chanting and wishing, of practical magic and climate activism.

The blessing forms part of a global campaign to give rivers fundamental rights: to flow, to be understood as having sentience, to be free from pollution; to restoration and to be treated as living entities with legal guardians. to be free from pollution; to restoration and to be treated as living entities with legal guardians.

Read the article here:

>> https://amplifystroud.com/i-am-the-water-the-water-is-me-blessing-the-frome/

30/12/2025

Everyone needs a roof over their head. And while the housing crisis is a national issue, Stroud in particular is feeling the pinch. The local pressure for housing is in part driven by the town's rising popularity among ‘London leavers’ since the pandemic, and with local properties increasingly sought after by celebrities.

Amplify Stroud investigate concerns that some developers, squashed between the weight of planning bureaucracy and the steepening cost of construction, are using policy exemptions and planning revisions to build fewer affordable homes, despite the pressing need.

Read more at AmplifyStroud.Com

Article by Alexander Parnham-Cope

23/12/2025

In her latest post for Amplify Stroud, Emma Kernahan tells us about her experiences at the Trinity Rooms Community Hub, from joining in Christmas Dinner to seeing ghosts of the past when it was a World War 1 hospital ward.

Emma paints a picture of a place that is full of life and humour, kindness and community spirit and invites us all to step through the doors and join in the celebration.

Read the full piece here on Amplify Stroud
>> https://amplifystroud.com/the-ghost-of-christmas-future/

Sometimes I wonder if the Dickens family ever imagined they would still be flitting through the minds of so many millions of people, so far into the future.

11/12/2025

Nikki Laine interviews Ayoob "Ginge" Moolla about Rising Stars FC after 50 years of growth of the club.

A group of young boys come to the UK in the Summer of 1966. They go to the park at the weekends to play cricket but their heads are turned by the nationwide obsession with football.

The boys save up to buy a football and start playing in the park — 25-a-side, they have dreams of starting a club and joining the Sunday League.

Fifty years later Rising Stars FC takes the county championship.

There is a film screening TONIGHT (Thursday 11 Dec 6pm) at FOREST GREEN ROVERS. Tickets available from Stroud Film Festival.

A group of young boys come to the UK in the Summer of 1966. They go to the park at the weekends to play cricket but their heads are turned by the nationwide obsession with football.

11/12/2025

This is so important

Join us on Thursday for the opening night of our new exhibition.

‘The Silence Between Us’ is an exhibition exploring a young response to modern misogyny. Expressing the emotions that everyone feels being part of our society, regardless of gender. Aiming to bring attention to misogyny and to start a conversation without judgement and to create understanding instead of division.

Opening Thursday 11th Dec 6pm
Open 12th-18th Dec 11am-5pm