To make life easier over the holiday period, we’ve rounded up some important information in the Gloucestershire area to make sure you aren’t caught short this Christmas.

Pharmacy and Hospital opening times and numbers

Most pharmacies across Gloucestershire will be open over Christmas and New Year. If your closest pharmacy isn’t listed here, it’s a good idea to contact them to find out when they’re open.

Christmas Eve

Boots, High Street, Stroud: 01453 764292 10am - 4pm

Lloyds Pharmacy, Rowcroft Medical Centre, Stroud: 01453 764513 6pm - 7pm

Lloyds Pharmacy, Dudbridge Road, Stroud: 01453 436009 10am - 4pm

Superdrug, High Street, Stroud: 01453 764079 10am - 4pm and 6pm - 7pm

Tesco, Stratford Road, Stroud: 01453 568647 10am - 4pm

Boots, Cricklade Street, Cirencester: 01285 653019 10am-4pm

Boots, 70-72 Parsonage Street, Dursley: 01453 542275 9am-1pm and 2pm-5.30pm

Berkeley Pharmacy ,14 Market Place, Berkeley: 01453 810316 9am-1pm

Lloyds Pharmacy, 43 Long Street, Wotton-under-Edge: 01453 843171 9am-5pm

Christmas Day

Lloyds Pharmacy, Locking Hill, Stroud: 01453 750532 6pm - 7pm

G Horton Limited, 7 Market Place, Cirencester: 01285 653042 12pm-1pm

Boxing Day Boots

High Street, Stroud: 01453 764292 10am - 4pm

Lloyds Pharmacy, Dudbridge Road, Stroud: 01453 436009 9am - 5pm

Boots, Cricklade Street, Cirencester: 01285 653019 10am-4pm

Boots, 70-72 Parsonage Street, Dursley: 01453 542275 12pm-1pm

Hospital phone numbers

Gloucestershire Royal Hospital: 0300 422 2222

Southmead Hospital: 0117 950 5050

Bristol Royal Infirmary: 0117 923 0000

Stroud General Hospital: 0300 421 8080

Cirencester Hospital: 0300 421 6200

Please note that all pharmacy opening times are available at nhs.uk

Weather

The good news is that temperatures have risen slightly from the bitter cold that swept through Gloucestershire earlier this month, however those hoping for a white Christmas will be disappointed. Temperatures are set to be around 10-11 degrees and cloudy throughout Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with the chance of some showers on Boxing Day.

Roads and Traffic

Today has been dubbed ‘Frantic Friday’ by the RAC, who expect around 1.25 million will be making their way somewhere for the Christmas weekend. The RAC are urging people not to leave their journeys until the time when commuters will be heading home from work, to avoid major road disruption and extremely high volumes of traffic.

Christmas Eve is also expected to be a particularly busy day on the roads for people travelling in Gloucestershire, and it is urged that people allow themselves enough time to reach their destinations.

Bad news for motorists over Christmas - the £100 million project on the M5 will be continuing, meaning a carriage reduction to one lane and 30mph speed limit around the Oldbury Viaduct.

Rail Travel

With rail work continuing over Christmas in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Southampton, services across the entire country will be affected. Most importantly for people in the South West heading into the capital, no trains will be entering or leaving London Paddington. Some will be redirected to Marylebone, but it is advisable to check this beforehand.

Limited rail service will be running on Christmas Eve, with last trains operating earlier than usual.

RMT have called a number of strike dates throughout Christmas and the New Year that will affect CrossCountry, South Western, and Island Line rail services. For the exact dates and latest news, check http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/today.aspx

Check all rail services online at www.nationalrail.co.uk

Bin Collections

Christmas is the time of year when households accumulate as much waste in a single day as they normally do in a couple of weeks. With Christmas day falling on a Monday this year, many councils have made changes to their schedules. Be sure not to miss bin collection day and read the following information.

Gloucester City Council

If your refuse or recycling collections were on December 25, they have been moved to Wednesday December 27.

If your collections were on Boxing Day, the 26th, they will be collected on Thursday December 28.

And if your collections were supposed to be on New Year's Day, they have been moved to January 2.

Cheltenham Borough Council

Changes have been made to the collection of rubbish in CBC up until Monday, January 15.

Collections on Monday December 25 to be moved to Wednesday December 27.

To view the rest of the schedule, visit: www.cheltenham.gov.uk/info/5/bins_and_recycling/941/bank_holiday_refuse_collections

Stroud District Council

If your normal collection day is Tuesday, December 26, this will move to Saturday, December 30.

Tewkesbury Borough Council

Fortnightly refuse and caddy collections will be made on Friday December 29, while recycling bins will be emptied on Thursday December 21 and Friday January 5.

Forest of Dean District Council

Collections due between December 25 and December 29, and January 1 and January 5, have all been moved back a day with the exception of collections due on Christmas Day - which will be on December 27.

Cotswold District Council

Collection dates are specific to your postcode within this district, but as with other councils there will be no collections on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year's Day.

Supermarkets

As everyone prepares for the last minute dash to the supermarket, make sure you know what is open and when near you.

Tesco

Superstore Cheltenham

24: 10am – 4pm

25: CLOSED

26: 9am – 6pm

Superstore Gloucester

24: 10am – 4pm

25: CLOSED

26: 9am – 6pm

Sainsbury’s

Tewkesbury Road, Cheltenham

24: 10am – 4pm

25: CLOSED

26: 9am - 6pm

Gloucester Quays Superstore

24: 11am – 5pm

25:CLOSED

26: 10am – 5pm

Cirencester Road, Cheltenham

24: 7am – 9pm

25: CLOSED

26: 9am – 9pm

Dudbridge Road, Stroud

24: 10am – 4pm

25: CLOSED

26: 9am – 5pm

Dursley Superstore

24: 10am – 4pm

25:CLOSED

26: 9am – 5pm

Aldi – All stores

24: open from 9.30am, purchases from 10am – 4pm

25/26: CLOSED

Asda

Gloucester

24: 10am - 4pm

25: CLOSED

26: 9am - 6pm

Cheltenham

24: 10am-4pm

25: CLOSED

26: 9am - 6pm

Quedgley

24: 10am-4pm

25: CLOSED

26: 9am-6pm

Morrisons

Abbeydale, Up Hatherley and Metz Way

24: 10am - 4pm

25: CLOSED

Waitrose

Honeybourne Way, Cheltenham

24: 10am-4pm

25: CLOSED

26: CLOSED