Buildings, particularly historic ones, and physical features are important to a place, but I’ve always felt that it is people who make a town or city.

Over the centuries, Gloucester has seen many real-life characters – from Aethelflaed, the Saxon Warrior Queen, to Jemmy Wood, Britain’s first millionaire (and the inspiration for Scrooge in Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’), to William Henley, the poet who wrote ‘Invictus’ and (because he had lost a leg) inspired the character Long John Silver in ‘Treasure Island’.

During modern times, the city has had more than its fair share of personalities too. The city’s long-serving Town Crier, Alan Myatt, is undoubtedly Gloucester’s biggest character. Charity fundraiser and multiple world record holder Jamie McDonald isn’t too far behind him. Tash Frootko, the driving force behind Gloucester’s ‘Rainbow Streets’, is another larger-than-life figure making a difference in the city. Stuntman Dick Sheppard, strongman Eddie Fry (known as the ‘Pocket Hercules’) and boxer Hal Bagwell are all fondly remembered for their exploits.

Diverse communities produce memorable characters

Gloucester Rugby Club has seen many characters over the years – from Peter Ford to Mike Nicholls, and Mike Teague to Phil Vickery. The city’s diverse communities have also produced some memorable personalities like Mew Ning Chan of the Chinese Women’s Guild, Imam Hassan of the Ryecroft Street Mosque and Carol Francis, the first black Sheriff of Gloucester and a leading light behind community radio station, Gloucester FM.

Local politics has also produced some memorable individuals like former City MP Sally Oppenheim-Barnes, who passed away at the start of the year, and long-serving councillor Pam Tracey. If there’s a guaranteed way to set social media alight amongst a certain section of the population, it’s by mentioning ‘Chummy’ – Gloucester’s first transvestite – who is remembered with affection by many.

Documenting the stories of these Gloucester figures, and many more, has been a project my friend Matt Cass and I have been working on for the past year or so. Our research has been compiled into a book called ‘100 Gloucester Characters’, which is available from The Folk of Gloucester and The Cavern in Westgate Street priced at £15, or from Amazon.