Keep Our SUBS* Public! [* Stroud's Subscription Rooms]

The Subs should be used by, and become an empowering hub for, ALL socio-economic groups, including vulnerable groups, community groups, the elderly and the young. The Subs can and should become a genuine community resource/space, showcasing a creative and caring community coming together to consolidate and extend what is rightfully ours, and to make available what should be accessible for all.

In conversations on our High Street, it is clear how passionately Stroudies feel about this issue. Many are uncomprehending, and some even horrified, that Stroud, of all places, should be contemplating transferring this much-loved community gem into the private sector.

With the active support of Stroud Town Council, the Stroud Trust has lodged an alternative bid, which would keep the centre run by, and open to, the whole community. Let's see all interested bidders and parties - including most importantly the District Council, Town Council and Ecotricity - come together with good faith and open mind to find a solution for the Subs' future that can serve and satisfy everyone's needs and aspirations.

If enough of us sign this petition, we can show Stroud District Council that the people of Stroud want the centre to be publicly owned by the community, as it has been historically, and to stay open full-time for the people of Stroud and its environs.