Saturday morning in Stroud is always a spectacle, and last weekend was no exception. Families queued at stalls selling doughnuts, the smell of Thai food filled the air and a lone woman strode past carrying a large piece of cardboard bearing the words “stop racism”. In every direction beautiful wooded hills appeared through gaps between buildings, while on the restored canal, a dog in a life jacket floated past on a paddleboard.
“There are all sorts of things going on here, but everyone has the aim of keeping Stroud independent and local,” says Dominic Salter. A Stroudie for 30 years, he is typical of this former industrial town where adaptability, innovation and local pride are the norm. Salter is one of the bosses of the