Adventurous Ashley Davies has travelled and lived all over the world - but wherever he goes Stroud is always just around the corner. James Davis met the man who has visited two other Strouds to find out how the younger towns measure up.

ASHLEY Davies has visited two other Strouds - one in Australia and one in America - but says neither compares to the one at the centre of these Five Valleys.

As a child, his father's job with an oil company took the family to the US and at one stage the family were looking for a home in Oklahoma.

"When we were there we saw a Stroud," said the former Marling School pupil who is 30. We went along to the Stroud Festival where we were the stars of the show for the day.

"It was just a small-time American town with about 3,000 people but I remember thinking it was a real community-spirit kind of place."

Born and bred in Stroud, Gloucestershire, Ashley touched base back home at various stages throughout his childhood.

Now working as an accountant for Disney, Ashley moved to Sydney with his Australian wife Lucinda three years ago and quickly realised a Stroud in New South Wales was a mere three hour drive.

"I had seen it on a map a few times before and really wanted to go up there," he said.

"The Stroud there was even smaller than the one in Oklahoma and only had about 550 people. It was very quiet - literally a two-street town.

"Apparently it was named by Robert Dawson who was the first local police superintendent as it reminded him of the Gloucestershire countryside. "I suppose it was green as far as Australia goes," he added.

While back for a family Christmas in King's Stanley, Ashley visited friends and a few of his favourite haunts.

"Of course this one is the best, I have lots of memories here," he said.

And his Stroud-spotting days are not over just yet.

"Apparently there is one near Toronto in Canada and I'd love to go there," he said. We'll see, one day maybe..."