Poland and Taunton winger Aron Struminksi explains how he came to play for a country he had never previously visited.

Lukasz Grabowski was found outside the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital with serious head injuries.

Ronnie O'Sullivan remains on course for a record-breaking seventh UK Championship title after beating Jack Lisowski.

Aron Ruminski's grandfather was born in Poland but was so traumatised by World War II he cut all ties.

St Mary Redcliffe Church is getting truly festive this Christmas as its annual Christmas tree has got under way.

Treefest has over 75 local charities and organisations decorating or even making their own tree to showcase their good cause.

Last year, thousands of visitors enjoyed the diverse display and this year it's proving to be just colourful and fun.

There will also be a late opening tomorrow evening, from 6-8pm to give the fundraising a bigger boost.

Image source, St Mary Redcliffe Church

Image source, St Mary Redcliffe Church

Image source, St Mary Redcliffe Church

Image source, St Mary Redcliffe Church

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Leigh Boobyer

Stroud’s council has overspent its temporary accommodation budget by 240% by providing out-of-county temporary accommodation for the homeless, a council document says.

Housing committee Chair, Chas Townley, said the current regime of relying on hotels out of the district is “unsustainable”.

The budget for temporary accommodation is set at £50,000 but is currently overspent to the tune of £172,000, and the authority faces a shortage of social housing while 3,000 families sit on the waiting list.

To tackle the problems Stroud District Council are considering buying and converting an existing property within the district.

Meanwhile, Gloucester City Council recently approved plans to award landlords a lump sum of money for taking on the district’s homeless and giving them a home.

A report, presented to the authority’s cabinet, similarly said that there is a “reliance” on temporary accommodation hotels which is “costly and unsustainable”.

The waiting list for social housing in Gloucester currently stands at nearly 4,000.

Image source, ASPolice

Avon and Somerset Police have asked people who may have witnessed a potential GBH to contact them.

They have released a CCTV image of the incident - on Sunday 2 December, in Weston-super-Mare - when a 21-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy were attacked at 4.20am.

They believe a number of people may have witnessed the "two serious assaults" on Alexandra Parade.

The 21-year-old sustained serious injuries requiring treatment at hospital and the 17-year-old boy was treated at the scene by paramedics.

A 48-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of GBH and have since been released under investigation. Another man, aged 46, continues to be sought in connection with the offences.

Somerset County Council has slashed its budget for children with special educational needs.

Image source, Nasa

A project to blast 36,000 worms into space to take part in experiments organised by the Swindon-based UK Space Agency is set to finally take off this evening.

The launch of a SpaceX rocket was delayed after mouldy food was found among a research team's kit.

It was feared that thousands of worms being use for an experiment into muscular dystrophy could be "too old" when they reach the International Space Station (ISS), because of the delay.

But as long as the mission takes off tonight, scientists say, the worms will not have turned. Tomorrow will be another story!

The tiny round worms - pure descendants of a 1950s rubbish tip in Bristol will be observed to see how being in zero gravity affects their muscle content.

A Bristol restaurant which is entirely staffed by people living with dementia is being filmed for a new television series.

Based in the Old Fire Station in Silver Street, the pop-up restaurant is staffed by volunteers of all ages, directed by a Michelin starred chef.

Filming has already started for the Channel 4 series airing in March. The aim of the enterprise is to lessen the stigma of dementia and show that with support, people can continue to work.

James Craig
Politics reporter, BBC Somerset

The families of two disabled children in Somerset have launched a legal challenge against the county council - over cuts to services it agreed earlier this year.

The legal challenge centres on cuts which were voted through by Somerset County councillors in September, as part of a bid to rescue its financial position.

Now two Somerset families of children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) claim several of those are unlawful and are calling on the council to reverse them.

They argue the organisation failed to adequately consult with people who would be affected by measures including cutting funding for youth groups and axing jobs from the early years support service Getset.

Somerset is the latest in a growing number of areas around the country – including Bristol, Surrey and Hackney in London - where families of SEND children have launched legal action against the authorities.

Somerset County Council has said it “has made a series of difficult decisions over the past few months which has involved considerable engagement, and consultation where appropriate.”

It adds, “that does not mean we do not have enormous sympathy and understanding for all those who do no support these decisions.”

Thieves used a digger to smash through a wall and steal a cash machine from outside a supermarket.

It happened at the Co-op store in Highworth, Wiltshire, at about 1.15 this morning.

Officers later found the empty machine at a hangar at Idstone, and a van and a car, were found burnt-out at Foxhill, near Liddington.

Det Insp Paul Hacker said: "We would like to hear from anyone who may have seen a JCB being driven to the supermarket in Highworth possibly being closely followed by a car - this could have been an Audi."

He also appealed for anyone who saw the vehicles being set alight, to contact police.

A 17-year-old has been charged over the assaults of two police officers in Stroud on Monday.

The teenage girl was charged yesterday with two counts of assault by beating of an emergency worker and was bailed to appear at Cheltenham Youth Court on Friday 21 December.

The charges relate to an incident in which two officers were attacked while attending an incident in Wallbridge.

A task force identifies 17 steps to improve poor performance in South Gloucestershire's schools.

Press Association
Andrew Woodcock, Political Editor

Theresa May has appointed a former Remain-backing MP as Minister for Universities and Science, replacing Sam Gyimah, who quit last week in protest at her Brexit plan.

Chris Skidmore, MP for Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, backed Remain in the 2016 referendum, but has since been a loyalist over the Prime Minister's approach to Brexit and is expected to back her deal in next week's crunch Commons vote.

He warned, in a speech in March, against allowing the party to be dominated by those with "hard line" views on Brexit, in what was widely seen as a swipe at Eurosceptics like north east Somerset MP, Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Mr Skidmore, 37, has been Conservative MP for Kingswood since 2010.

Mrs May appointed him minister for the constitution in the Cabinet Office when she came to power in 2016 and moved him in a reshuffle this January to the post of vice-chairman of the Conservative Party with responsibility for policy.

There is a delay to trains in the Somerset area after a police incident.

Lines have now reopened in the Weston-super-Mare area but while the service recovers, all journeys on this route will remain subject to cancellations, delays and revisions, Network Rail says.

A normal service is expected to resume by 11:15.

Four-month-old 'Monkey' ate more than 100 of her owner's supplement tablets.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Stephen Sumner

Image source, LDRS

Dog owners could soon be fined up to £1,000 for allowing their dog to foul on commons, woodland and heaths across South Gloucestershire.

The council also wants to introduce new powers requiring dog owners and walkers to prove they have the means to clear up after their canines.

It is consulting on plans to bring in a public spaces protection order (PSPO) to bolster their enforcement powers.

Proposals include having authorised officers who may approach dog owners.

If they cannot prove they are able to pick up and dispose of mess they will have committed an offence, attracting a fee of up to £1,000 if convicted, or a £75-£100 fine "if paid promptly".

Landowners would be able to exclude their land from the order.

The consultation runs until January 11, 2019.