Bradley Stoke Journal, July/August 2019

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Delivered FREE to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke

July/August 2019 • Issue 73

WHAT’S ON P10, P14, P18, P36 | SPORT P20-21, P25 | SCHOOLS P24 | BUSINESS P27 | DIRECTORY P38 Find us on Facebook: BradleyStokeJournal Follow us on Twitter: @TheBSJournal

PLUS , IN YOUR 40-PAGE BRADLEY STOKE MAGAZINE

Community heroes honoured… Pages 2 to 5

Community Festival

Gipsy Patch Lane

Reports and photos

Reflections on the 4-week closure P8-9

P20-23, P25

l Consultation launched on new waste strategy l £300k funding award paves the way to get MetroBus into Parkway l Working group formed to tackle “spike” in ASB l FREE summer holiday play scheme for 5-11s l Teddy bears’ picnic for pre-school leavers l Charity fundraising target in sight for store staff l Families give school grounds a makeover l Willow Brook backtracks over speed bumps l Four Bradley Stoke Scouts off to World Jamboree l MetroBus contractor used wrong type of asphalt l South Gloucestershire’s ‘county show’ returns on 3rd & 4th August

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July/August 2019

News

Local heroes honoured at the Stars of the Stokes Awards 2019

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Contact Us Editor: Stephen Horton info@bradleystokejournal.co.uk 01454 300 400 83 Snowberry Close Bradley Stoke Bristol BS32 8GB

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About the Bradley Stoke Journal The Bradley Stoke Journal magazine is published by North Bristol Press, a trading name of Snowberry Media Ltd; company number 8451178 (registered in England and Wales); registered office: Equinox South, Great Park Road, Bradley Stoke, Bristol BS32 4QL. Our other publications include the Stoke Gifford Journal magazine and website, the Patchway Journal website and the Filton Journal website. North Bristol Press is independent of any other media company or network operating in the Bristol area. We accept no responsibility for anything stated by advertisers, who are themselves responsible for complying with all relevant legislation. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editor or article author. © North Bristol Press 2019. Content published in our magazines or on our websites may not be reproduced in any form without our express written permission.

he fourth annual Stars of the Stokes awards evening was held at the Aztec Hotel & Spa on Friday 21st June. This year’s sparkling red-carpet event was hosted by ITV’s The Chase star, Paul Sinha, who presented the awards to the winners in each of seven categories. The evening recognises and rewards the achievements of members of our local community who either go out of their way to help others or face daily challenges of their own. Nominations are invited for people living or working in the Almondsbury, Bradley Stoke, Little Stoke, Stoke Lodge, Stoke Gifford, Patchway, Frampton Cotterell and Winterbourne areas for the following categories: Champion Carer, Parent / Guardian of the Year, Star Teacher, Achievement Against the Odds, Young Hero of the Year, Coach of the Year and Unsung Hero. This year, 130 people were nominated across the seven categories, with more than twenty nominations received in three of the categories. The evening celebrated twentysix of the leading lights in the community who were shortlisted and publicly thanked and acknowledged for their contributions. The event was created and managed by Andy Wynn, manager of the Willow Brook

Centre, who said: “It feels like Stars of the Stokes has come of age with so many worthy people being nominated. All the nominations are people who make a difference to others’ lives and are all people who deserve recognition. I wish we could recognise them all this evening. It is a privilege to read through the nominations and the process is incredibly rewarding and heartwarming. Everyone nominated is because someone, or some people, think that they make a difference to the community, that they make others’ lives better, or, that they do more than most and deserve recognition for what they do. Congratulations to everyone short-listed and, of course, to our winners.” Hosting the event, Paul Sinha commented on what an honour it was for him to present awards to people who make a real difference to their local community. As well as appearances on The Chase, Paul is a stand-up comedian and he certainly kept the room laughing with his funny and witty comments. The event was sponsored by the Bradley Stoke & Stoke Gifford Journals, Aztec Hotel & Spa, Carisway Facilities Management, Olympus Academy Trust, First Bus, Honeyfield Property Services and Tesco Extra, with support from Frome Valley Voice and Bradley Stoke Radio.

See lots more photos at ‘Stars of the Stokes Awards’ on Facebook

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Coach of the Year Award Winner: ISABELLE POTTERTON Isabelle lives in Charlton Hayes and was nominated for her work coaching Little Stoke Primary School football team. Isabelle felt shocked, completely overwhelmed and emotional to think that parents of Little Stoke Primary would take the time to vote for her. When she saw the other shortlisted nominees, Isabelle didn’t think that she could have won as they were very impressive people who dedicate a lot of their time to coaching other people. Isabelle thought the presentation evening was wonderful and she particularly enjoyed the magician. “Going to an event like this really showed me how much incredible work everyone does in the local community. I think it is an honour to have been nominated and would like to take this moment to thank everyone who nominated me. I only hope I can continue to make Little Stoke Primary proud.”

WB Guests BSJ BALLOON ADS.qxp_Layout 1 Above: 06/06/2019 22:17 Page 4 Top: pose for photos on the red carpet. Scene in the main hall.

Turn the page to read about the other six award winners…

Life changes in the heart of the community

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Champion Carer Award Winner: DEE CROWTHER

The Bailey Cooper Award for Young Heroes Winners: CHARLIE WHEELER AND SENNA HUKE

Dee from Stoke Gifford is described as “an angel in disguise” who looks after her double amputee husband, her 89-year-old mother and her grandchildren. She was nominated for her selflessness and the continued love and care she has for her family and community. Dee was very surprised to receive a phone call telling her she had been short-listed and actually thought Rebecca from the Willow Brook Centre was trying to sell her something! She felt the entire evening was a tremendous success. “Hearing about people of all ages, from 8 years old upwards being nominated for helping others uplifted my spirits. My husband had tears in his eyes when the two young boys in the Young Heroes category collected their award.” Dee wishes to thank her loving and caring family whose help she could not do without and for the caring community in which she lives.

Charlie and Senna, aged 7 and 8, recently ran a full 42km marathon to raise almost £1,000 for Wheatfield School. They planned and organised their runs themselves and ran three days a week, whatever the weather, to complete the distance. Charlie’s mum, Adrienne, said the boys were elated when they found out. “I don’t think it was until the moment their names were called as winners that they realised their achievement. They have embraced every element of the challenge they set and this was an amazing way to celebrate! It was a magical evening that they will never forget and has inspired them to continue to help others!” Adrienne said that it was humbling to hear of others’ accomplishments and sacrifices and to learn of so many modest, dedicated and hard-working people helping locally. The boys are already planning their next fundraising event which is sure to be another success.

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Unsung Hero Award Winner: PAIGE JOSHAM

Achievement Against the Odds Award Winner: ELLIE PATON

Paige lives in Patchway with her young family and was nominated for the amazing work she has done in setting up and maintaining a Facebook group which allows people to post free items that can be passed on to people in need. She has helped many families including those needing emergency refuge or social care and families struggling with poverty. Paige felt overwhelmed that people thought she was deserving of an award and she was shocked to win it. “The presentation evening was incredible from start to finish and to be able to share that with the admin team who work so hard with me every single day was the best part.” Paige thanks all the people who support her and the Facebook group and who work so hard to ensure it is a positive community group. She hopes it continues to grow and to support those families who need help.

Parent/Guardian of the Year Award Winners: IAN AND GERALDINE SATHERLEY Stoke Gifford couple Ian and Geraldine were nominated by their daughters for the way their entire lives revolve around helping their family. Ian is known as ‘Pop’ll fix it’ because of his vast skill set and Geraldine is described as an amazing mother and grandmother who goes above and beyond what the “average” parent does. Ian and Geraldine felt very emotional and humbled to be nominated as they believe, like many other parents, they always show love and give support where they can to their children and extended family. “It was a privilege to be part of the presentation evening and to share it with some of our family, we all enjoyed it immensely. Receiving the award from Paul Sinha was amazing. We are proud of our two daughters, their husbands and our grandchildren, and what they have achieved. We are very touched that our daughters entered us. Thanks to all those who organised the awards and the ceremony.”

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Ellie lives in Bradley Stoke. She was nominated for this award for displaying great courage and achieving success despite her personal battles coping with Asperger’s and supporting her mother through terminal cancer. Ellie was very excited and overwhelmed to be nominated. Although very proud, she was also very sad that her mum was not there to share the celebration with her. She described the event like being nominated for an Oscar with cameras popping up everywhere! “Being honoured with this award made me feel like someone has noticed me. For most of my life I felt like I was invisible. It feels truly amazing to have people take an interest in all the brave things I’ve done and gone through. To bring back happiness to my family and friends and to prove that when you suffer loss and tragedy, there is always hope. I really hope this award will help me enjoy more success in the future.”

Star Teacher Award Winner: EMILY STANDING Emily from Bradley Stoke is the Class 2 teacher at Holy Family Primary School in Stoke Lodge. She was one of 26 teachers nominated for the award for her amazing work relieving her class of the pressures associated with taking SATS tests. Emily was shocked and overwhelmed to be nominated but also very flattered to have someone appreciate the hard work that goes into teaching. She describes teaching not only as her job, but also as a huge part of her life that she enjoys each and every day. “The awards evening was so lovely. Everyone was made to feel special and a part of this amazing community. The sense of joy and pride in the room was lovely and the atmosphere was so enjoyable. It was clear that people had gone to great trouble to make it a fantastic event.” Emily extends her congratulations to all the nominees, especially the other teachers who will understand what a rewarding job it can be.

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July/August 2019

News

Consultation launched on new waste strategy Following the success of recent recycling initiatives, council’s new focus is “saving the planet’s precious resources”

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outh Gloucestershire Council’s (SGC’s) proposed new Resource and Waste Strategy, covering the period 2020 to 2030, incorporates aims to further improve recycling rates in the district, but also includes measures to reduce our consumption of raw materials, especially single-use plastics. A 14-week public consultation on the draft strategy document was approved at a Cabinet meeting on Monday 17th June. Ambitious, legally binding targets outlined in the document include recycling 65 percent of waste by 2035 and 70 percent of packaging by 2030. Current recycling rates are just under 60 percent, with the projected recycling rate for 2018-2019 being 58.3 percent. However, the council admits that the results of its annual waste

analysis in 2018 show that it “has more to do” in order to divert waste from the black bin into recycling. It is estimated there are (annually) 10,268 tonnes of food waste disposed of in the black bin that could be recycled. In an effort to reduce this, the council says it will continue to promote its weekly food waste collections and encourage residents to reduce avoidable food waste in line with national campaigns such as ‘Love Food Hate Waste’. The new strategy does not include any changes to kerbside collections, although from April next year bulky household items (such as sofas and mattresses) will be taken to a new facility to be shredded, removing metals, wood and rigid plastics for recycling. The remaining material will be sent for energy recovery,

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Cllr Rachael Hunt, SGC Cabinet member for communities, at Yate Sort-It Centre

with the aim of zero going to landfill. Proposed measures to promote sustainable alternatives to singleuse plastic items include sharing knowledge with businesses and communities and promoting the ‘Refill’ campaign locally. The local authority’s ruling group said in a statement: “Under Conservatives, the council has introduced weekly recycling collections at no additional cost to residents and has reduced the green bin tax forced on residents by the Liberal Democrats and Labour.” “Plans are also progressing to open a new recycling centre in Filton, following the purchase of land earlier this year.” The council’s current Waste Strategy, which runs from 2015

to 2020 and focuses on waste reduction, increasing re-use and increasing recycling, has been fully implemented and has resulted in: • A 23 percent reduction in residual waste (7,978 tonnes) between April – December 2018, compared to the previous year • A 16 percent increase in recycling (3,194 tonnes) in the same period Cllr Rachael Hunt, Cabinet member for communities, said: “The success in recent years to increase recycling across South Gloucestershire to record levels and adopt a more environmentally responsible attitude is very much down to the receptiveness of the public and I want to thank residents for supporting our work to improve

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News Resource and Waste Strategy 2020 and Beyond Foreword from the draft document put out for consultation Together with the community, we have made significant progress to reduce the amount of waste we produce. In 2014 the average household in South Gloucestershire created 1,071 kg of waste. By 2018 this had reduced to 1,001 kg, a saving equivalent to 70kg per household (nearly seven percent). At the same time, we have made huge strides to improve recycling, with 58.3 percent of waste recycled in 2018, making us one of the best performing authorities in England and already exceeding the national target of 50 percent by 2020. We want to take this opportunity to say thank you to residents for tackling the challenges of waste head on and working with us to make this amazing progress. In our previous Waste Strategy (2015 - 2020), we focused on moving waste away from energy recovery and disposal in landfill, prioritising recycling. Our progress has been very impressive in such a short period. As we look ahead to 2020 and beyond, our focus must now shift towards doing our bit to save our planet’s precious resources by reducing our consumption, especially of single-use items and ensuring our environment is protected for future generations. Climate change is closely linked to the use of raw materials. If we reduce the amount of raw materials we are using, we can reduce the effects of global warming on our environment. The time is right to focus on a circular economy for waste, moving away from the linear approach of ‘take-make-consume-throw away’ to a system where resources are minimised, regenerated and reused. A shift in how we view waste will also create new opportunities to empower our communities and deliver economic growth.

our local environment through a positive approach to recycling. “With this latest plan now going out to the public, we would ask residents to continue to support this approach by engaging with the consultation and telling us how they think we can improve.” Anyone wishing to comment on the strategy should respond by 27th September by completing

a questionnaire that is available on the council’s website at www. southglos.gov.uk/consultation If you don’t have access to the internet and wish to have paper copies of the consultation documents and a questionnaire to complete, phone 01454 868154. Paper copies of the completed questionnaire can be posted to the council or handed in at any library or One Stop Shop.

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July/August 2019

News

Reflections on the Gipsy Patch Lane closure

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FI TT ED !

+V AT

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FR OM *

esidents in the Stokes breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday 27th June when South Gloucestershire Council confirmed that Gipsy Patch Lane would reopen as planned in time for the morning peak on Monday 1st July. The busy commuter road had been closed at the Station Road railway bridge for fourweeks commencing Monday 4th June in order for BT to divert underground utilities ahead of the replacement of the bridge with a much wider concrete structure in 2020. The bridge replacement and associated highway works are being carried out as part of the Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Extension (CPME) scheme, which will provide an express bus service between The Mall and Bristol Parkway Station, also serving the upcoming development on the former Filton Airfield.

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The June closure was a precursor to an anticipated eightmonth full closure of the road planned for early 2020, either side of the main bridge replacement work over 12 days at Easter. The first day of the closure proved something of an anticlimax as the anticipated gridlock failed to materialise, perhaps because motorists had heeded warnings and adjusted their journey times or maybe because Mondays is traditionally a quiet day on the roads anyway. But signs of things to come were already apparent on Stoke Lane and Little Stoke Lane as traffic tailed back to Little Stoke Park during the morning peak. The situation was much worse the next day, Tuesday 4th June, with traffic tailed back on Bradley Stoke Way as far as the Willow Brook Centre and on Brook Way to Manor Farm Roundabout and some commuters reporting

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additional delays of up to 35min. A rainy Tuesday morning on 11th June, compounded with a major incident at the top of the M32, brought more misery, with reports of it taking 30min to pass along Braydon Avenue and gridlock surrounding the miniroundabout at the end of Stoke Lane, near the A38. But the low point came on Tuesday 25th June when heavy rain during the morning peak brought Bradley Stoke to a standstill in all directions with BBC Bristol reporting additional delays of 35min on Bradley Stoke Way, described by one motorist as being “like a car park”. Reader comments gathered after the closure indicate that Little Stoke Lane was a particular problem area with long queues forming at peak times and complaints of inconsiderate and rude behaviour from motorists towards pedestrians attempting to cross the road, even at designated crossings. Several readers have called for temporary traffic lights to be installed at the mini-roundabouts along this route during the 2020 closure, to ensure that each entry point is given a fair share of priority. Slightly further afield, readers reported long delays at Patchway Roundabout and the A38 northbound approach to the Aztec West Roundabout during the afternoon peak. Although Gipsy Patch Lane was naturally much quieter due

to the road closure, residents here reported inconsiderate parking by workers choosing to leave their cars on the east side of the bridge and walk through (an option that will not be available during the 2020 closure). Disappointment has been expressed that this issue was not adequately ‘policed’ as had been promised. The council was keen to stress that all businesses along Gipsy Patch Lane and its side roads remained open for business and signs were displayed to this effect. The extent to which these businesses may have suffered from a drop in trade is unclear at the time of writing. Readers have questioned why traffic signal replacement work at the Abbey Wood Roundabout on the A4174 was programmed to overlap with the Gipsy Patch Lane closure (said to have been planned long ago) and why it was not possible to open the bus-only left turn from Bradley Stoke Way onto the A38 southbound to general traffic (said to go against the principle of encouraging sustainable travel). Back at the bridge site, it was noted mid-way into the road closure that BT’s work close to the bridge seemed to have ground to a halt, suggesting that a problem had been encountered. By the end of the period, excavations had only been made to the west of the bridge with nothing at all done in the carriageway under or to the east of the bridge.

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Three weeks into the road closure and still no excavations under the bridge

Bradley Stoke Way “like a car park” on the morning of Tuesday 25th June

A statement issued by SGC towards the end of the closure explained: “Although Openreach has completed a lot of the planned work, unfortunately, due to unexpected ground conditions and locations of other live utility pipes and cables, Openreach has not completed it all. The remaining work to lower some of the ducts and cables will now be carried out during the main CPME construction programme in 2020. This avoids the need

whether there are any potential interventions that can be put in place for the next closure.” “Although our analysis of the collected data is continuing, our observations so far indicate that there has been variation on a day to day basis. On some days it has been quieter than expected, however, when incidents occur on the wider network, or if there is adverse weather such as heavy rain, then this has a significant impact on increasing congestion

to extend the current closure beyond 1st July.” In response to a query from the Journal about the impact of the recent closure on traffic flows, an SGC spokesperson replied: “The June closure has been extremely valuable in providing us with information for the main closure next year. We have monitored traffic levels in the area and we are using this data, together with data collected prior to the closure, to investigate

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during peak periods, which is often the case in the North Fringe area.” ● The full business case for the overall CPME scheme was approved by the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) on 14th June. The revised total cost is now £56.9 million (up from the original £35 million estimate in 2015). A cost breakdown in the Weca assessment report shows that the bridge replacement is costing £26.73 millon.

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News

£300k funding award paves the way to get MetroBus into Parkway

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decision by the West of England Combined Authority to allocate £300,000 towards the cost of a scheme to enhance bus/rail interchange facilities at Bristol Parkway Station has paved the way for work to begin in the coming months. A recent report by South Gloucestershire Council, which is leading the project, says the current facilities for interchange are “dated”. Furthermore, buses can only enter the station from the western entrance, limiting the options for future bus growth and the range of services available. The original MetroBus network, as described in the planning application for the North Fringe to Hengrove Package (NFHP) bus rapid transit scheme, included a route between Emersons Green and Bristol Parkway via UWE, but this was silently dropped during the construction phase. It later emerged that this was because MetroBus vehicles could not currently enter and leave the station via the eastern (Hunts Ground Road) entrance due to the constrained nature of the site. More recently, First Bus boss James Freeman explained

that the issue is actually one of buses coming in via the eastern entrance not being able to execute a turnaround manoeuvre so that they can go out the same way. Opening of the station’s eastern entrance for bus use is part of the proposed scheme. The main improvements and changes that will be made are: • Two new bus shelters for local bus services incorporating realtime information (RTI) displays, lighting and seating • Two new branded stops for MetroBus and local services, with new shelters and RTI units (to provide the capacity for MetroBus and local supporting additional bus calls on the forecourt) • An electronic information point and off-bus ticket dispenser • Changes to taxi and drop off provision • Remodelling of the station forecourt to allow the new bus stops and bus movements to be implemented • Re-alignment of part of the access road to the station from the east The estimated total cost of the scheme is £650,000, with the balance being made up of £150,000 from station operator GWR, £97,000 previously

provided from the NFHP MetroBus scheme (for shelter and iPoint) and £103,000 from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (£103,000). Designs have been completed and, now that funding has been confirmed, it is understood that GWR will undertake and complete the works during the 2019/20 financial year. There was never any plan for buses on the Hengrove Park to Cribbs Causeway route (now known as the M1) to make a diversion into and back out of

the station. Whether this might change in the future is open to speculation, but to do so would significantly add to M1 journey times which are already bettered by the less frequent T1 service. The Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Bus Extension (linking Parkway with The Mall) is not expected to be operational until 2022. Whether a commercial operator can be found to operate a MetroBus service to the station during the intervening two years remains an open question. ● www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk

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July/August 2019

News

News

CCTV zone set up near Jubilee Centre

Working group formed

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outh Gloucestershire Council has deployed a temporary CCTV camera on Savages Wood Road, near the Jubilee Centre. The camera’s installation was requested by the local police team to support the prevention and detection of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and to assist in the identification of anyone taking part in such activities. The move was supported by the police neighbourhood inspector and the council’s ASB and community safety team leader. The temporary camera is expected to be in place for a period of three months, with the ongoing need being reviewed at regular intervals. The council’s deployable CCTV cameras are not proactively monitored. Pre-recorded footage is reviewed reactively as and when incidents are reported to the ASB team via the police or members of the public.

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ocal organisations have formed a working group to coordinate a proactive approach to community concerns following a recent spike in antisocial behaviour, which has since reduced, and concerns regarding risk-taking behaviour in Bradley Stoke. Whilst levels of anti-social behaviour in Bradley Stoke are generally low, they do fluctuate and occasionally there is an increase which causes understandable concern and frustration. The group, which is formed of Avon & Somerset Police, Bradley Stoke Town Council, Bradley Stoke Community School, Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre, the Willow Brook Centre and other agencies, first met late in May and discussed a range of issues and incidents that have occurred recently across Bradley Stoke. Figures show an increase in anti-social behaviour in Bradley Stoke in recent months, although it was noted that reported cases are not on the scale that other areas of South Gloucestershire have witnessed in recent years. However, it was also noted that some comments made in recent weeks on social media, and in some Facebook groups, regarding the levels of anti-social behaviour do not reflect the level of reported cases and have created a perception that the issue is far worse than it is in reality. Where anti-social and risktaking behaviour is occurring,

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it has been found recently to be across a range of ages and has the involvement of young people from a whole range of different backgrounds. The group agreed a set of main concerns which it would seek to address over the coming months: • Hype on social media is, in effect, demonising young people in Bradley Stoke and ‘painting them all with the same brush’. • A relatively small group of young people are having a large effect on Bradley Stoke and the perception of young people as a whole. • Some evidence of small groups of young people in the area engaging in risky behaviour. • A lack of parental awareness over where their children are, who they are with and what they are actually doing. • A general lack of respect amongst a minority of young people in the area towards adults. • The availability of drugs to young people in the area.

Next steps

In order to tackle the main concerns, progress has already been made by several agencies, including the local police delivering assemblies on the dangers of carrying knives and local youth workers engaging with and challenging risky or antisocial behaviour when they see it. A community event (see poster on facing page) will be held at Willow Brook Centre on Wednesday 10th July, between 3.30pm and 7pm, to provide GENERAL BUILDERS COMMERCIAL & DOMESTIC CARPENTRY CONTRACTORS ALL ASPECTS OF CARPENTRY

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News

to tackle “spike” in ASB information and listen to community concerns. This event will include stands from several agencies who work with and support young people as well as those who deal with anti-social behaviour when it arises.

How can you help?

Anti-social behaviour is an issue for the community and the help of the community is needed. The group would encourage residents of Bradley Stoke: • To report all incidents of crime or criminal behaviour that they witness, by calling 999 if they are reporting the incident at the time it is happening. • To report all incidents of antisocial behaviour that they or their children witness, by calling 101 or reporting it via the Avon and Somerset Police website if they become aware of it after the event. • To attend, with their children of any age, the community event

at Willow Brook Centre on Wednesday 10th July. • To refrain from feeding hype on social media – this can have the opposite effect of fuelling antisocial behaviour. • To talk to their children about what happens when they are ‘out with their friends’; Where do they go? What do they do? Do parents know the people that they are with? Are they meeting people from outside of the area? • To engage with police beat surgeries at the Willow Brook Centre and Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre and pass on any concerns or suspicions that they have. • To encourage their children to be open with local agencies including the police, school staff and local youth workers to share their concerns and experiences.

● Editor’s note: This article is

reproduced from a press release put out by the working group.

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July/August 2019

News Summer play scheme for 5 to 11 yearolds starts on 29th July at Baileys Court

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he annual FREE summer play scheme for children aged 5 to 11 gets under way at the Elm Room, Baileys Court Activity Centre on 29th July. Running Monday through Friday until 23rd August, the play scheme is run by the Four Towns Play Association, which receives financial assistance from Bradley Stoke Town Council. The aim of the play scheme is to ensure children have fun over the school summer holiday and also to provide a break for parents. It is designed to support children in the local area to play and learn, in the presence of others, in a safe and child-friendly environment. Children attending the sessions take part in arts and crafts, sport and team games. There are also

visits from sports coaches, dance teachers and library staff. Sessions run from 10.30am to 12.30pm, closing for lunch and are back in operation from 1.30pm to 3.30pm. It is essential children are collected during the lunch period as the play scheme is not covered by insurance during that period. There is no need to book, just turn up and complete a registration form. The scheme runs on a first come first served basis, so please arrive promptly to avoid disappointment. Similar sessions are being held at venues in Patchway, Filton and Stoke Gifford. More information can be found on the Four Towns Play Association page on Facebook or by phoning Barbara on 01454 868571.

The Bradley Stoke Journal is an independent newspaper, produced without subsidy from the public purse

For children aged 5– 11 years Take part in team games, sports, arts and crafts and lots of fun! 29th July—23rd August 2019 (Mon-Fri only) At The Elm Room, Bailys Court Activity Centre, Baileys Court Rd, Bradley Stoke, Bristol BS32 8BH Morning Session: 10:30am– 12:30pm CHILDREN MUST BE COLLECTED FOR THE LUNCH PERIOD Afternoon Session: 1:30pm– 3:30pm This project has received financial assistance from Bradley Stoke Town Council

NO NEED TO BOOKJust complete a registration form on arrival For more info email: barbaraball@southernbrooks.org.uk or call 01454 868571

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MP’s Column

On the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings

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his month saw the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Operation Neptune, the Allied Forces’ landings at Normandy on D-Day, which led to the liberation of France and the defeat of the Nazis. However, this came at a cost of over 10,000 Allied casualties, including at least 4,414 confirmed dead fighting on the beaches of Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. A reminder, indeed, that freedom isn’t free and we should never take for granted the fact that we live in a free country. Events have been held across Europe remembering and honouring the sacrifices made and the heroic acts which helped claw our continent back from the brink and restore the vibrant liberal democracies that the citizens of Europe can now live, work and thrive in. It gave me great pleasure to see British service personnel deployed from the coasts of Somalia, Kabul in Afghanistan, the Baltic Sea and beyond, taking time away from their important duties to honour their forbears, whose mantle they have taken up to ensure people have the opportunity today to live free. I had the amazing privilege of attending the commemorative lunch organised by Blind Veterans, a fantastic charity

which works diligently to ensure that those who have lost their sight whilst serving our country are not alone and have the rehabilitation, training, advice, and emotional support they need. I was proud to be accompanying John Maloney, chair of the Stoke Gifford branch of the Royal British Legion, to this extremely well-attended event. I had the opportunity to meet and speak with many veterans and hear about the roles they played in D-Day and other war efforts, as well as the fulfilling lives they have been able to live after service. Whilst it is normally in November that we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, this experience and special anniversary has given me pause for thought and reflection. Gratitude is important and we must all recognise that none of us live free and happy on our own. We are all benefiting from sacrifices, both historic ones of brave armed forces personnel laying down their lives to keep our enemies from our shores, and contemporary ones of emergency service and hospital staff who give up public holidays with their families to keep us safe. None of us could ever repay the debts of honour and gratitude that we owe to those who came before us and

The Journal is proud to be Bradley Stoke’s only LOCALLY EDITED community news magazine

Jack Lopresti MP with RBL branch chair John Maloney on HMS Belfast

those who now strive in the spirit of public service and our national defence today. However, we can remember this and be humbled by and thankful for it. We should all take note that we live in a community that continues to make a strong contribution to the enduring legacy of free societies, protected by the service and sacrifice of the brave men and women of our armed forces. I want to personally thank everyone in our area who has either served in the armed forces, or worked for one of the many local companies whose products help to keep

these brave people safe and wellequipped whilst they protect us and our freedoms. It is worth recalling the immortal words of American president Ronald Reagan, given at Pointe Du Hoc, near Omaha Beach, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Normandy landings: “We will always remember; we will always be proud; we will always be prepared, so that we may be always free.” To read more about the good work of Blind Veterans, please visit their website at www.blindveterans.org.uk

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Bradley Stoke We have spaces available in our September 2019 Reception class – we accept children from the Catholic faith, other faiths and those with no faith background. If you would like more information on our school or would like to come and look around, please phone us on 01454 866390 or email admin@stmarysbs.org.uk

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July/August 2019

News

Teddy bears’ picnic for soon-to-be Reception pupils By Sharon Clark, headteacher at BSCS primary Phase

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n Wednesday 12th June, local pre-schoolers and their families were invited to a come on a bear hunt! The rain kindly stopped for long enough for us to hold our Teddy Bears’ Picnic in Savages Wood. The picnic had a ‘Going on a Bear Hunt’ theme with children creating their own ‘Bear Hunt’ books, listening to the story (whilst learning some Makaton signs to help retell it) and exploring a bear hunt trail around the woods. Tesco kindly donated biscuits and squash so we could share a snack with the children. The picnic was organised by pre-school and Reception teachers from Bradley Stoke and the surrounding areas, working in partnership with the South Gloucestershire Early Years Team, and is part of a bigger project focusing on transition from pre-school into reception. The project has gained sponsorship from a number of companies: Andrews Estate Agents, The Willow Brook Centre and Taylor-Wimpey; all of which have donated funds that have enabled us to buy sets of books and produce a leaflet of nursery rhymes to share with children. The children in the pre-schools working on the project will be sharing the stories and rhymes over the next term (We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, The Gingerbread Man, The Little Red Hen, The Three Billy Goats Gruff and Max the Brave) and their Reception teachers will also have a pack of the same books to share with them when they join their new schools in September. The aim is to encourage language development through the learning of the rhymes and stories and support the transition for children as they will hear stories and rhymes they are familiar with when they start in their new classes. As a group of schools and pre-schools, we have been working together for a number of years to strengthen the links

between our settings so we can all work together to ensure our children get a great start to their early education. If your child starts school this year, look out for a ‘Road to School’ sticker chart and ‘The Importance of Nursery Rhymes’ leaflet, both of which will be given to children in participating pre-schools and schools over the next few weeks. If your child starts school next year, when the summer arrives in 2020, look out for your invite to our next Teddy Bears’ Picnic event!

Netball, Tennis & 6-a-Side Courts available at The Jubilee Centre

We currently have availability for block bookers and one-off hires Why not visit our website: www.bradleystoke.gov.uk for details of our hire charges? For more informa�on, please contact Bradley Stoke Town Council on 01454 205021

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July/August 2019

News

Summer Reading Challenge for 2019 Get ready for an out-of–this-world adventure at the library this summer – it’s Space Chase, the Summer Reading Challenge 2019. Our super space family, the Rockets, need your help to track down books that have been nabbed by aliens! As you read six library books over the summer, collect special stickers (including some stinky ones!) to complete your mission folder and get your medal and certificate. It’s fun and free to take part! Please encourage your children to visit the library and sign up and see the difference the Summer Reading Challenge makes to their reading.

Activities at Bradley Stoke Library Monday 29th July, 10.30am to 11.30am Alien Invasion Look out the aliens are about! Drop-in craft session. Suitable for children aged 4-11 years.* Tuesday 6th August, 2pm to 3pm Out of this World – Fizz Pop Science Workshop Follow in the footsteps of Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins, astronauts from the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. This event must be booked – get your FREE ticket at www. southglosevents.eventbrite.co.uk – No ticket, no entry!

“My son really enjoyed the challenge and it kept him motivated to keep Monday 19th August, 10.30am to 11.30am reading over the school holidays which will really help when he goes Space Junk South Gloucestershire Libraries are looking for friendly and enthusiastic volunteers to join the team running Space Reading Challenge LetChase, your Summer imagination run wild – 2019. what will you create? back to school.” (parent, Cadbury Heath) Drop-in craft session. Suitable for children aged 4-11 years.* Volunteers will spend their time supporting children to do the Summer Reading Challenge, talking with “It was fun, cool, amazing and I loved it.” (child, Bradley Stoke) them aboutTuesday the books 27th they’reAugust, reading and helping at a range of fun activities in the library. This is a great 2pm to 3pm opportunitySpace to develop skills in communication, team working and creative projects, whilst having fun and Explorers This year’s Reading Challenge runs from Saturday 13th July to making new friends.this space, zoom in for astronaut crafts. Watch Saturday 14th September. Drop-in craft session. Suitable for children aged 4-11 years.* Mason, who volunteered last summer said “I've really enjoyed helping out this summer. It's been really good to develop mysupervision communicationrequired and problem-solving skills which I know will definitely be invaluable * Adult South Gloucestershire libraries are also staging FREE drop-in activity for me in the future. The excitement of reading that children still have or had gained by the end of the sessions throughout the school holidays (see panel for local events).summer reading challenge was a joy to see, and I was glad to be a part of that”.

More than 5,000 children took part in last year’s Summer Reading Challenge helped by 60 volunteers. The theme of this year’s challenge is Space Chase – our super space family, the Rockets, need children’s help to track down books that have been nabbed by Aliens! As children read 6 library books over the summer they collect special stickers to complete their mission. The closing date for applications is 30 June. Volunteers must be aged 13 or over. For more information ask a member of staff at any South Gloucestershire library, email libraryvolunteers@southglos.gov.uk or visit www.southglos.gov.uk/libraries. Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/sgloslibraries and follow us on Twitter @southgloslibs for the latest Space Chase mission updates.

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19

News

Charity fundraising target in sight for store staff

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taff at a Bradley Stoke food store are edging closer to their target of raising £1,000 for a national dementia research charity. Store manager Simon Lambert and the team at Food Warehouse, located in the town’s Willow Brook shopping centre, have been staging a number of fundraising initiatives over the last few weeks as part of parent company Iceland Foods’ pledge to donate £1 million to Alzheimer’s Research UK. Simon himself, whose elderly in-laws have both been affected by dementia, raised £175 for the charity by running the Bristol 10k on Sunday 5th May, with a further £180 being collected in store ahead of the race. He was supported in his preparations for the 10k by Anytime Fitness Bradley Stoke, who gave him a month’s free membership. This was followed by a special ‘charity week’ at the store starting 10th June, when staff wore Alzheimer Research UK T-shirts and decorated the store with promotional material from the charity. They also teamed up with the neighbouring Willow Brook Harvester business, who donated a free meal for four guests in their newly refurbished restaurant as a raffle prize.

Bradley Stoke mayor Tom Aditya called into the store on 15th June to support the initiative, hear first-hand about the staff’s fundraising efforts and draw the winning ticket in the Harvester raffle.

As we went to press, the store told us they had raised a total of around £750. The staff are now asking shoppers to help them bridge the gap by contributing to further in-store collections over the coming weeks.

Above: Bradley Stoke mayor Tom Aditya selects the winning ticket in the Harvester prize draw. Store manager Simon Lambert (holding bucket) is wearing his finisher’s medal from the Bristol 10k, which he ran in aid of Alzheimer’s Research UK.

We hand-deliver 8,700 copies of this magazine As well as being delivered to ALL of the 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke, a further 500 copies of this magazine are left at public locations in Almondsbury, Bradley Stoke, Little Stoke, Patchway, Stoke Lodge, Stoke Gifford and Winterbourne. These include community centres, shops, medical centres, takeaways and pubs. Larger quantities are left at Bradley Stoke Library and on the customer service desk at the Bradley Stoke Tesco Extra store. ● We’re proud to be the town’s ONLY locally edited magazine!

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July/August 2019

St Mary’s

BSCS Primary

Bowsland Green

Baileys Court

Meadowbrook

Holy Trinity

Wheatfield

Stoke Lodge

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Festival Bradley Stoke Youth FC Festival of Football

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n Saturday 8th June, Bradley Stoke Youth FC continued the success of their Schools’ Football Festival at the Jubilee Centre, which attracted 130 Year 1 children representing 13 different local primary schools. The Festival is the finale of the club’s School Link Program where BSYFC’s FA Qualified coaches go into the 13 schools and provide football coaching to all Year 1 children over a three-week period. The program starts in February and finishes in May ready for the festival in June. The Football Festival has been running since 2006 and over the years has developed into a major part of the town’s annual Community Festival, with over 1,900 children having now taken part. The School Link Programme started in 2007 and has grown over the years to become a major community activity with over 8,000 children having received football skills

coaching in their school. Each school receives a cup, which can be kept for a year, and is awarded on a points-scoring system based on things such as; attitude and approach of players and teachers, preparation and organisation, adhering to the guidelines and ensuring both boys and girls of all abilities are selected. The whole day is about participation and enjoyment to allow each child the opportunity to play football in a friendly environment. Every child receives a medal and a gift bag full of footballrelated essentials like shin pads, football socks, water bottle, baseball cap, activity play pack and sweets. As well as the cup, each school receives a bag of size 3 footballs to continue the football coaching at their school. The winning school also receives a new kit for their team. The Teacher Awards this year went to Baileys Court and St Peter’s.

Award

Recipient

BSYFC & McDonald’s 10 year Anniversary Community Award

Baileys Court

BSYFC & McDonald’s 10 year Anniversary Partnership Award

Holy Trinity

Bradley Stoke Town Council School Link Community Award

St Peter’s

Bradley Stoke Town Council School Link Coaches Award

Meadowbrook

Bradley Stoke Community Festival Respect Award

St Mary’s (Bradley Stoke)

BSYFC Festival of Football Achievement Award

Wheatfield

BSYFC Festival of Football Club School Link Winner

Iron Acton

BSYFC Festival of Football Performance Award

St Michael’s (Stoke Gifford)

BSYFC Festival of Football Achievement Award

St Mary’s (Thornbury)

BSYFC Festival of Football Club School Link Runner Up

Almondsbury

McDonald’s Festival of Football Winners (Cup #1)

BSCS Primary Phase

McDonald’s Festival of Football Winners (Cup #2)

Bowsland Green

McDonald’s Festival of Football Runner Up

Stoke Lodge

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July/August 2019

Festival Spectacular skate park skills and ‘have-a-go’ art sessions return to festival By Graham Baker, town council youth development worker

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n recent years, the Bradley Stoke Community Festival has seen our town council youth work team and local young people work together to organise an extremely successful two-day package of activities. Saturday saw the return of our popular street art workshops and the King Ramps skate half-pipe, with ‘have-a-go sessions’ and pro rider demos throughout the day. Strong winds presented an initial challenge setting up, especially building our 8ft x 16ft art wall, however, once up, the wall offered a useful windbreak for our art workshop activities. The art workshops involved children and young people painting a 4ft x 2ft board with the support of professional artists, youth workers and volunteers, and the queues soon started to build. Due to demand we continued until 6pm and, sadly, still had to turn people away. However, about 70 participants happily returned home clutching their original works of art. Meanwhile, spectators gathered for regular pro rider demos on the half-pipe with popular ‘have a go’ ride sessions for local young people. In addition, we promoted our usual youth work activities, but the gusty winds prevented our usual displays. On Sunday, we relocated to the skate park with the skate half-pipe being set up alongside the park to

provide important extra capacity. Soon, about 60 competitors, many accompanied by their family and friends, started to arrive and sign up for the competitions. There were more pro rider demos with the park open for use in between the competition runs. A circus skills workshop entertained and engaged not only the younger children, but older teenagers as well. Competitions were organised for all age categories and skate park disciplines (BMX, scooter and skateboard). We kicked off with the extremely busy junior scooter competition and managed to complete two rounds of runs before the rain descended. At first, we were hopeful that the rain would clear, and we could squeegee the park dry; unfortunately, though, the rain set in and eventually we had to call off the competition. There was disappointment all round, but we are looking to organise another skate competition soon. If you are a young person living in Bradley Stoke aged 11 to 19 who would like to find out more about our various youth activities or events, please contact Graham Baker on 07900 253826 or email graham.baker@bradleystoke. gov.uk If you are interested in volunteering or our soon-to-beadvertised part-time youth work jobs, please also use the above contact to discuss further.

Bristol Retail Business Awards 2019

Bristol Retail Business Awards 2019 THE FILTON BARBERS Your business has been nominated by the public and reached the final of the Bristol Retail Business Awards, part of England’s Business Awards. We’d like to feature your business at the Awards Ceremony and Dinner at the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TA at 6pm on Sunday 21st July 2019

In the category of: BEST BARBERS All shortlisted businesses are considered for consumer awards too. Mystery shopping will continue until the week before the ceremony. People can show their support for you by voting at the following link:

www.englandsbusinessawards.co.uk/bristol Voting will close on Friday 19th July 2019

Please vote for us: THE FILTON BARBERS If you have any questions, please contact the area representative for Bristol, Nadia Roberts, who will be visiting all nominated businesses and can be contacted at nadia.roberts@englandsbusinessawards.co.uk or on 07544 974465 or via the office on 020 819 17318.

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23

Festival Saturday

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July/August 2019

Schools Families give school grounds a makeover

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arents, pupils and staff at Stoke Lodge Primary School have spent some of their free time sprucing up the school’s grounds on two weekend workdays organised by the parent forum. A ‘spring clean up’ was held on Saturday 27th April, when the volunteers, armed with gardening tools, set about tidying up areas around the school that were looking a little tired. The children helped with litter picking and some planting of new shrubs and flowers. The group received donations of soil and plants from Tesco and Almondsbury Garden Centre, while Patchway Building Supplies kindly provided a tonne of top soil and a tonne of bark. The materials were soon used up by the busy volunteers, who said they had been a great help. Funds for further work were raised through a cake sale on Friday 3rd May and a ‘dress

down’ day on Friday 17th May, which generated £68 and £208 respectively. A second workday took place on Sunday 9th June, when tyres were filled with soil and planted up and the flower bed in the Key Stage 1 area was finished off. Michelle Grail, Year 4 representative on the parent forum, said: “The recent workdays were such a huge success and we have received many favourable comments about how much better the grounds are looking.” “We plan to hold regular ‘spring clean up’ days throughout the year, so that we can keep our school looking clean and tidy all year round.” The parent forum is a group of parents, teachers and community members that meets every term to improve communication with parents and carers and discuss ways of improving other aspects of the school.

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Festival Sole Sisters Bradley Stoke 10k report By Karen & Jo, marshal coordinators, Sole Sisters RC

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or the 13th consecutive year, Sole Sisters organised the Bradley Stoke 10k, which has now become an integral part of the festival weekend. From 6am on Sunday, members of Sole Sisters were either getting the Jubilee Centre set up as Race HQ or were out on the course delivering water, putting up warning signs and generally getting ready for 8am when the runners started arriving to pick up their race numbers. Six lead marshals gathered their own group of mile marshals, all equipped with goodie bags, and set off to their marshal stations covering the entire 10km (6-mile) route. Each year, we need between 80 and 100 marshals for the event, and that includes two water stations. The Bradley Stoke 10k has become a key race in the running community calendar and 545 entrants turned up for the race in

near perfect conditions (although it was still quite warm if you were running!) and we had a mixture of club and non-club runners. Sole Sisters would like to say a huge thank you to all the marshals who gave up their Sunday morning to support both us as a club and the runners. They were fantastic as always and as always we received amazing feedback. We would also like to thank the Bradley Stoke community for their patience and support whilst the race was on. Lower photo: Race winners Helen Newberry (2nd from left) and Sam Cotterell (right). Bradley Stoke 10k top finishers Male category 1. Sam Cotterell 34:48 2. Gary Hope 36:13 3. Sean Lee 37:16 Female category 1. Helen Newberry 36:17 2. Clare Meraz 42:17 3. Caroline Nicholas 42:47

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July/August 2019

In Brief Wheatfield Primary School

Our Anytime Fitness prize draw winner

Starting school in September 2020? We understand what an important decision choosing your child’s first school is. At Wheatfield, we are incredibly proud of our school and invite prospective families to come and find out why. Please join us for one of our five open events. During each session you will hear from key members of staff, have the opportunity to tour the school and meet some of our children. We hope you can join us and look forward to meeting you very soon. Tuesday 8th October

11.00am to 11.45am

Tuesday 8 October

6.30pm to 7.30pm

Wednesday 16 October

11.00am to 11.45am

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Thursday 7 November

11.00am to 11.45am

Monday 18th November

11.00am to 11.45pm

To Book a Place please call us on 01454 868610, or alternatively you can email us at: office@wheatfieldprimary.com Wheatfield Primary School Wheatfield Drive, Bradley Stoke Bristol BS32 9DB www.wheatfieldprimary.com Telephone 01454 868610

‘Children get off to a good start in Reception. They enjoy well-planned, purposeful activities that develop their academic and social skills. (Ofsted – January 2017)’

THE JOURNAL is pleased to announce that Stacey Bailey is the lucky winner of our exclusive prize draw to win a year’s free membership at the Anytime Fitness gym at Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre. The free-to-enter prize draw was featured in the May 2019 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (and also on our website), and the winner’s name was independently drawn out of the hat by a member of staff at the Willow Brook Centre. Anytime Fitness is located on the first floor of the town square shops and offices, above KFC. ● www.anytimefitness.co.uk/ bradley-stoke

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27

Business

New café opening soon in Little Stoke Park

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Left: Hayley Mannion at the counter of the new café. Right: View of the outside of the café within Little Stoke Park.

Place for two years and, more recently, at Café Nest within the Mothercare store at Cribbs Causeway. The new café will have a children’s area within its large indoor space and, in fine weather, tables will be placed on an outdoor terrace. There are also plans to have guest craft stalls displaying their products from time to time within the café.

The venue has underfloor heating and offers free wifi. Toilets and baby changing facilities are available within the community hall building. Arrangements are already in place for local cakemakers to supply the new café and a local baker is being sought to provide bread supplies. Hayley hopes the café will appeal to a wide range of users,

from early morning dog walkers to parents and toddlers visiting the park in the morning and early afternoon. She adds: “It will be somewhere that local residents can walk to instead of having to drive to Costa!” The café’s normal opening hours will be 8am to 3pm, Tuesday to Sunday. ● Find out more at ‘Little Stoke Community Café’ on Facebook.

FR

IE

N

D BO LY O TO K U A R TO

DA Y!

he operator of a new café that is set to open soon within the confines of Little Stoke Park says she is planning to offer a “really great facility for the local community”. Hayley Mannion, who lives just across the road from the park, says she had previously approached the parish council about operating a refreshment kiosk at the site. However, when the opportunity arose to take on a purpose-built café space within the recently extended Little Stoke Community Hall, she jumped at the chance to put in a bid for a larger-scale facility. As we went to press, the fitting out of the new Little Stoke Community Café was being completed, ready for a Grand Opening event between 12pm and 5pm on Saturday 20th July. Hayley has a wealth of experience in the catering trade, having worked in the café at Wild

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July/August 2019

In Brief Turning restrictions to be trialled at Hambrook

Disability Awareness Day event in Little Stoke Park

Town council grants awarded in June

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has announced plans to implement an Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) restricting some vehicle movements at the Hambrook traffic lights. This follows a government directive to improve air quality on this part of the A4174 ring road in the shortest time possible for nearby residents and all road users including motorists, bus passengers, cyclists and pedestrians An ETO is a trial which can be in place for a period up to 18 months, during which time consideration is given to making the order permanent. Members of the public will be able to provide feedback via a consultation which will open when the restrictions are implemented on Sunday 11th August 2019. For more details, search online for ‘Hambrook Air Quality Action’ or visit http://bit.ly/sgc-haqa

Residents of the Stokes are being asked to support a charity fundraising event that will take place in Little Stoke Park on the second weekend in July, writes Donna Tremayne of Chescombe Trust. FND Friends and Chescombe Trust are two small charities based in the local area that support people with disabilities. We are holding a 2km sponsored walk, supported by Gareth Chilcott (former Bath, England and British Lions rugby player). The event starts at 12pm on Sunday 14th July in Little Stoke Park and the date is significant because it is national Disability Awareness Day. Fundraising is vital to both charities to help provide support to those who use the services provided. Please come along and support us on the day by creating an amazing atmosphere. Two kilometres might not seem

Bradley Stoke Town Council’s Leisure, Youth & Amenities Committee awarded the following grants at its June meeting: • Grant Aid of £500 to the West of England MS Therapy Centre towards the running costs of the oxygen therapy treatment facility • Grant Aid of £320 to the Above & Beyond charity to purchase three visitor chairs for the chemotherapy day unit at Bristol Haematology & Oncology Centre • Youth Grant Aid of £500 to South Gloucestershire Hockey Club towards setting up a youth section in Bradley Stoke • Youth Grant Aid of £500 to Lifeskills towards the costs of Bradley Stoke children attending the Lifeskills Centre in Bristol ● Bradley Stoke Town Council has a range of grant funding streams which eligible groups and organisations can apply for. For more information, phone the office on 01454 205020.

far, but for people with disabilities it can be the equivalent of 10km or even a marathon. There will be a stall where you can buy a hot drink and cake whilst you cheer on those taking part. If your company or organisation is able to provide assistance we are looking for donations of tea, coffee, milk, sugar and cakes. As small charities, every penny raised really does help and with the support of our local community we really can make a difference. Please email dtremayne@ chescombetrust.co.uk for more information about the event.

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News

Willow Brook backtracks over speed bumps

B

radley Stoke’s Willow Brook shopping centre has removed a series of muchcriticised full-width speed bumps from its private access road and replaced them with softer ‘islandstyle’ speed bumps. The move came less than three months after the 50mm-high full-width bumps, widely condemned as being “overly harsh”, were fitted in mid-March. The U-turn leaves the traffic calming measures on the access road looking much the same as they did prior to March, albeit with two of the island bumps being relocated closer to the zebra crossing in the vicinity of the Tesco petrol filling station. The full-width bumps had been criticised, not only for the discomfort they caused to vehicle occupants and fears that they might be damaging to vehicle suspension and/or wheel alignment, but also because of the traffic queues that built up due to some drivers slowing almost to a halt to pass over them. Support for the new measures came from those particularly concerned about the safety of pedestrians using the zebra crossing and some drivers who had experienced oncoming vehicles swerving into the centre of the road to avoid the previous cushion-type bumps. The issues surrounding the new bumps, in particular their alleged role in causing “congestion on surrounding public roads” was raised by a town councillor at a

Full-width speed bumps (left) fitted in mid-March were replaced with softer cushion-type bumps in early June

committee meeting on 17th April and the town clerk was instructed to write to the Willow Brook Centre management to raise these concerns. A comprehensive reply from centre manager Andy Wynn was subsequently tabled at the council’s AGM on 15th May. Mr Wynn justified the introduction of the new bumps on road safety grounds and said the style of bump fitted was ‘industry standard’ for a road with a 10mph speed limit. A combination of seasonal factors had led to long tailbacks forming around the centre on the last Saturday in March, but traffic queues seemed to be “reducing week-on-week as more and more people adjust to driving over the bumps at the optimum speed of 8-10mph”. Councillors at the meeting seemed unconvinced by the reply, with one stating that he now chose to shop elsewhere and another claiming the council

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were being told to “get stuffed”. A face-to-face meeting with Mr Wynn was suggested as the way forward. However, before a meeting could be arranged, a further turn of events, on Sunday 2nd June, once again brought matters to a head. Perhaps because of the heavy rain that Sunday, many shoppers seemed to leave their shopping trip until late in the day, with the result that, at 4pm, when all the stores closed simultaneously, the entire Willow Brook Centre car park became gridlocked and took around 30 minutes to empty – it is assumed because of the throttling effect of the bumps along the exit route. Three days later, at around 9pm on Thursday 6th June, contractors were observed removing the new bumps and replacing them with ones of the previous style. A statement obtained from the centre the following said: “We have been monitoring traffic

levels over recent weeks in and around Willow Brook. Whilst there has been improvement in some areas, the level of queues experienced by our customers on Sunday evening, the second time that the combination of the levels of traffic and the speed bumps has led to such queues, was not acceptable. As such we reviewed plans on Monday morning and have removed the first two of the new bumps in favour of relocated island bumps either side of the pedestrian crossing.” The remaining full-width bumps were replaced the following day.

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July/August 2019

News

Nick Nelson, group Scout leader at the 1st Bradley Stoke Scout Group, who are on the lookout for more adult volunteers.

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By Nick Nelson, group chair at 1st Bradley Stoke Scout Group

I

became a member of the 1st Bradley Stoke Scout family as most do; my son joined as a Beaver and I was asked to join the parent rota, helping out the leaders as an extra pair of hands / set of eyes. My commitment was every 4 to 6 weeks – it was great fun, if not a little scary, and very different to my memories of being a Scout many (many) years ago. We didn’t even have Beavers then. Soon my son was off to camp with parents given the opportunity to join them. So now – with a Disclosure and Barring Service check – I was ‘promoted’ to ‘occasional helper’ and helped out for a night away under canvas, a first for my son and the first for many (many) years for me. Pirate camp meant making swords and canons and battles and cooked breakfast and hot chocolate and late nights and not brushing your teeth and everything! I was very tired at the end, more so than my son. After two years, it was time to move up to Cubs, so naturally, I followed with a different ask. Could I be a leader? As I didn’t have an instant answer, now I was a section assistant, helping to run the pack under the safe eye of the Cub leader. Lots more camps, lots more ‘wide games’, lots more boisterous 8- to 10½-year-olds. Beavers were quiet, Cubs liked to get muddy. If you ever need to think of a difficult task, try getting a Cub pack from one end of a field to the other. Herding cats doesn’t do it justice. We often joked that ending the night with the right number of Cubs was fine, they just might be a different collection of young people than we started with. But more fun things. I learnt to map read again (how fab is YouTube) and the hikes started to get longer, something I hadn’t done for many (many) years.

During this time, I closed my eyes for a moment and found myself in front of the group Scout leader. We need a new group chair and we think you would be fab. Don’t worry, its only six meetings a year, you won’t even notice it, so you can continue as a leader. I did actually believe him. He forgot that we were just about to expand, so I probably had that many meetings in the first week meeting everyone! Luckily, it’s a similar role to my day job, but managing volunteers is very different – how do you motivate someone who earns nothing? Answer – just ask them! Our adult volunteers are fantastic and will lean in to any ask. When I joined we had six sections, there are now eleven plus the Water Rats, the marching band and Scout Active Support unit. Again, after a few more years, my son moved on to Scouts and I joined Wednesday troop with him. Everything now got that

little bit more difficult. Hikes got longer, activities were harder and now we were making fire using flint and steels, something else I hadn’t done for many (many) years. I had homework (I can now knot a paracord bracelet in my sleep). We camped for longer and with less preparation. Making your bed in Scouts means first going to the wagon, getting a tent and putting it up yourself. Our Scouts quickly learn that camp friends need to include those who are really (really) good at putting up tents. In the rain. And wind. And mud. What do I get out of this? Fantastic development in managing others, solving

problems and ideas generation (what are we going to do this term?). Getting annoyed when young people don’t remember how to tie a knot, are being noisy and can’t remember your name (seriously, some of the young people have known me for 6 to 8 years!). But being elated when they get excited learning a new skill or when they show parochial care of their friends. Being the group chair is what I am good at. Being a Scout leader is what I love.

Inspired to volunteer?

If you want to find out more about scouting, please visit www.bradley-stoke-scouts.org.uk

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July/August 2019

News

T

he 1st Bradley Stoke Scout Group and Trident Explorer Unit (ESU) ware immensely proud to have four of their Scouts – Annabel, Catarina, Emilia and Ben – selected to be part of the UK contingent at the next World Scout Jamboree in North America between Saturday 20th July and Thursday 8th August. They all went through a tough selection process of an interview, practical challenges, knowledge test and general observations to gain their places. Over the last year they have had monthly meetings and team bonding events preparing themselves for their big trip, alongside plenty of group and personal fundraising needing to raise their target of £3,395. Each!

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A World Scout Jamboree is a gathering of Scouts from all over the world for an exciting programme of global development, peace, cultural understanding, adventure, friendship and fun. There will be tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world gathering at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia, USA. The event is being hosted by the Boy Scouts of America, Scouts Canada and Scouts of Mexico. This is the largest event delivered by Scouting worldwide and 45,000 young people and adult volunteers are expected to attend from over 150 countries. This is the pinnacle of Scouting and a once in a lifetime opportunity. Apart from the Jamboree experience, they

will also be spending time in New York City, Washington DC and Toronto (Canada)! We will provide an update of the experience when they return.

Catarina

I’ve been Scouting since I was 5½ years old and gone through all the sections of Scouting where I have tried so many activities and learnt a lot of life skills. I am very fortunate and proud to be selected to represent the UK contingent and Avon Scouts at the World Scout Jamboree. As part of this trip I have been fundraising by delivering the Bradley Stoke Journal, bag packing, running table stalls, car boot sales, undertaking challenges, gaining sponsorships and seeking donations. I am so excited about this fantastic adventure to see and try new things, to challenge myself and meet Scouts from all over the world and develop friendships and everlasting memories.

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News

Four Bradley Stoke Scouts off to World Jamboree Ben

I’m an Explorer Scout from Trident ESU and I am lucky enough to have been selected to go to the World Scout Jamboree this year. It will be a truly incredible experience and I can’t wait to go! Over the last few months I have been raising money to get me to the World Scout Jamboree, doing everything from bag packing to online fundraising. With the additional city visits after the camp there’s going to be a lot of traveling, but it’s going to be worth it. The First World Scout Jamboree was in 1920 and my great-grandfather was there. Recently, we found a medal he got at the 1920 WSJ. We don’t know what it symbolises, but I am proud to think that almost

100 years ago he had the same experience I am going to have, and to take a piece of that Scouting history with me is really special.

Emilia

I was fortunate enough to be selected for the 2019 World Scout Jamboree. It will last three weeks and all activities will be available to everyone throughout, including scuba diving, white water rapids and the world’s second largest zipline. The theme of the Jamboree is ‘Youth Lead’. Everyone is also required to achieve the selfimprovement badge before they go to the World Scout Jamboree. The badge includes five separate goals, four before and one after the Jamboree. These are

Physical, Spiritual, Intellectual, Social and Cultural. The point of this is so that we can improve ourselves in every way before and after the Jamboree to become better leaders and people. My motivation to apply is because I think it is the opportunity of a lifetime. To take part in something that involves other cultures, meet new people and get an understanding about the world and how people different from me is a rare opportunity and I intend to make the most of it. I enjoy being part of the team and I would love to learn new skills from the other members of the team going to the Jamboree. I don’t know what I want to be when I’m older – going to the Jamboree may give me some ideas as well as helping me choose my GCSEs. Right: Bag packing at Tesco

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July/August 2019

Ask the Doctor with Dr Sophie Kilmartin of Bradley Stoke Surgery Raising the issue of weight

W

e all want our children and the next generation to be as healthy as they can be, but sadly this may not always be the case in the future. Our public health teams have found that in South Gloucestershire one in five children in Reception class are overweight or obese and this increases to one in three children in Year 6. This is a very worrying trend and one that the public health teams are keen to try and improve. They are currently helping to support and advise local professionals working with children in a wide variety of different roles such as teachers, mentors, support workers as well as GPs. I wanted to share with you what I learned on one of their recent training sessions. The first thing we looked at was why tackling childhood weight issues are so important.

We are all aware of the expressions ‘puppy fat’ and ‘big bones’ and a lot of people feel that weight issues improve naturally as children grow. This is the case for some children, however being overweight as a child can lead to some real difficulties such as making it harder to access exercise, being

not realise there is a problem for their child as it is very hard to tell visually, especially as children have big growth spurts at times. The best way to check is to use the online calculator on NHS Choices which will give a clear indication if a child is a healthy weight, or see your GP who can use special body mass

“In South Gloucestershire, one in three children in school Year 6 are overweight or obese” at risk of stigma, bullying and low self-esteem and leading to physical complications such as breathing problems, bone and joint problems , high blood pressure, pre-diabetes and raised cholesterol. From the South Gloucestershire health and wellbeing online pupil survey in 2017 it is known that nearly 600 school children have been seriously bullied due to their size. Parents may

index centile charts appropriate for children and young people. If you do find out that your child is overweight, don’t panic – you are not alone and there is lots of help to support parents or carers to take action. Some parents may feel upset or worry they will be judged or criticised by professionals, but we all recognise that our modern lifestyles can make it difficult to maintain a healthy weight,

and we aim to help and support you. Simple changes such as limiting screen time to a maximum of two hours per day, swapping to water instead of squash and starting each day with a healthy breakfast can make a big difference. For further advice, Change4Life is an NHS supported website with recipes, activities and other information. For more support you can access the REACH programme which is a free, fun programme for families with children and young people aged 4-16 who are above a healthy weight. You can self-refer on the South Gloucestershire Council website or discuss with your GP. Dr Sophie Kilmartin Bradley Stoke Surgery www.bradleystokesurgery.nhs.uk

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35

News

MetroBus contractor used wrong type of asphalt on Bradley Stoke Way

A

new traffic lane on a main road through Bradley Stoke has had to be resurfaced less than three years after it was created due to substandard materials being used in its construction. What is now the southbound lane of Bradley Stoke Way between Patchway Brook Roundabout (near Aldi) and Savages Wood Roundabout (near the leisure centre) was created as part the MetroBus project by taking land from the adjacent verge. It received its final surfacing in September 2016 after which it was brought into service for general traffic. But on Tuesday 21st May 2019, South Gloucestershire Council announced on its StreetCare Facebook page that it would be closing the aforementioned stretch of road overnight for five nights from Monday 27th May “to carry out carriageway resurfacing”. The post attracted a torrent of comments with people demanding to know why “the best road in Bradley Stoke” and “the only road in the area without potholes” should need resurfacing. In reply to an enquiry from the Journal, an SGC spokesperson explained: “This is MetroBus remedial work that is being carried out at no cost to South Gloucestershire Council. The

contractor used the incorrect material specification for the stone mastic asphalt (SMA) which would result in a reduced life span of the surface.” Asked if the issue might affect other stretches of road created during the MetroBus project, the spokesperson added: “The issue of incorrect material being used during the MetroBus work applies only to the southbound section that is being resurfaced this week.” In the event, the road was closed only for three nights (Tuesday to Thursday), which was probably for the best as there were plenty of comments on social media complaining about noise, presumably originating from the road surface milling (material removal) machinery. The contractors attracted further wrath from local residents after the work had been completed by leaving their heavy plant machinery standing idle in on-street parking bays along Pear Tree Road for the next six days. ● MetroBus construction work in Bradley Stoke lasted for 27 months – starting in September 2015 with the closure of the Woodlands Lane junction and ending in December 2017 with the opening of the bus lane near Great Stoke Roundabout. MetroBus services didn’t start operating until January 2019.

Top: Contractors resurfacing Bradley Stoke Way on Wednesday 29th May. Above: Heavy plant machinery standing idle a week later in Pear Tree Road

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July/August 2019

Advertising

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This year will see Flyin Ryan returning to the Gregor Heating Main Arena. He will be performing all manner of motorcycle stunts including breathtaking jumps over vehicles, wheelies, freestyle jumps and a pyrotechnic finale to go out with a bang. We also have Wings of Wales back with their beautiful birds, sweeping our guests off their feet. The expansion continues with a brand new NFU Livestock Area.

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Bringing the heritage of the British countryside to the South Glos Showground. For the first time, the South Glos Show will be holding competitive livestock classes right on your doorstep. From British Whites to Gloucester Old Spots, the South Glos Show will be home to hundreds of cattle, sheep and pigs. Saturday 3rd August will see the South Glos Show’s first ever Dog Village. Visitors can bring along their furry friends to get involved with some fun doggy activities, including scent work and agility runs. The Friends of South Glos Strays will also be running a fun friendly Dog Show with classes to suit everyone and raising funds to help our local stray dogs! On Sunday 4th August, the Dog Village will be transformed and the South Glos Show will see its first ever Tartan Village. The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA) has teamed up with the South Gloucestershire Show to hold the first South West pipe band competition. Our nominated charity, the Bristol-based Jessie May Trust, which provides at home care for children with life-limiting conditions, will be back at the show this year. Jessie May will have a stand raising awareness of the charity and accepting charitable donations, with lots of fun activities for the public to get involved with. As if that wasn’t enough, the show will have lots more enter-

tainment, including brand new fashion style talks delivered by event sponsor John Lewis. Banana Brain Fun Show will be back in the Kids Zone to keep the children (and their parents) laughing over the weekend. The South Glos Show Music Festival will also be back, full of great music from local bands. Or perhaps you would like to experience off-roading? S J Cook & Sons will return to the showground with the Dacia Duster providing visitors with a first-hand off-roading 4x4 experience. Not forgetting our extensive range of exhibitors on offer over the weekend, with over 250 organisations joining us. Whether it’s a tasty treat in the Festival of Food or perhaps some TLC in Health and Wellbeing, there will be an endless variety of goods on offer. The South Glos Show 2019 will be held on Saturday 3th and Sunday 4th August; gates open at 10:30am. It is held on the South Glos Showground, Westerleigh, BS37 8QZ. Further information on this year’s South Glos Show can be found on the website www.southglosshow.co.uk For all enquiries, email the organisers on hello@ southglosshow.co.uk You can also find the latest updates on social media, just search for ‘southglosshow’ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Directory of Advertisers Accountants & Bookkeepers C & M Accountants, Page 25 Dunkley’s Chartered Accountants, Page 6 Architectural Services Outside In Properties, Page 7 Bathrooms JJ Plumbing & Building, Page 29 Builders Criterion Construction, Page 21 JJ Plumbing & Building, Page 29 Car Dealerships Motorline Toyota Bristol North, Page 31 Carpentry & Joinery J. Earle Carpentry & Joinery, Page 37 Northavon Carpentry, Page 12 Carpet Cleaners B Clean, Page 8 Bonne Fresh Clean, Page 29 Carpets & Flooring Phoenix Flooring Limited, Page 23 Child Care Banana Moon Day Nursery, Page 1 Bradley Stoke Wise Owls Club, Page 19 Trinity Pre-School, Page 24 Children’s Activities Bradley Stoke Wise Owls Club, Page 19 Bristol Riding School, Page 35 Chiropractic Willow Brook Clinic, Page 7 Cleaning & Domestic Services Mariola’s Angels, Page 36 Cycle Repairs Ride On Cycles, Page 21 Domestic Appliance Repairs Kitchen & Laundry Appliance Care, Page 2 Driving Schools 2nd2None Driving School, Page 1 Education & Learning St Mary’s Primary School, Page 15 Wheatfield Primary School, Page 26 Electricians Ernest Till, Page 32 Estate Agents Ocean Estate Agents, Page 28 Events South Gloucestershire Show, Page 40 Stoke Gifford Retirement Village, Page 10 Financial Services Aspirations Financial Advice, Page 12 Foot Care Willow Brook Clinic, Page 7 Funeral Services F. Woodruff Funeral Directors, Page 22 MW Funeral Directors, Page 13 Garage Services Bristol Caravans, Page 34 Filton Central Garage, Page 11 GH Motor Services, Page 37 LCM Automotive, Page 7 Gardening & Landscaping Services ColourFence, Page 14 Garretts Landscapes, Page 30 Painting Petals, Page 37 Plan-It Garden Design, Page 15 Professional Gardening Services, Page 38 Smart Patios, Page 21 Gyms & Health Clubs Anytime Fitness, Page 27

Hairdressers

Reflections, Page 18 The Filton Barbers, Page 22

Healthcare Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Page 25 Home Improvements & Furnishings Abacus Garage Doors, Page 8 Door Express, Page 6 Garolla Roller Shutter Doors, Page 32 Launderettes Wash Shop Patchway, Page 37 Locksmiths Lockforce Bristol, Page 39 Mortgages & Financial Advice Aspirations Financial Advice, Page 12 Opticians Specsavers, Page 33 Painting & Decorating A. Worsfold, Page 37 Digby Decor, Page 37 Painting Petals, Page 37 Rick Murphy, Page 37 Pest Control Services Aman Pest Control, Page 37 Pet Services & Supplies Four Paws Pet Care, Page 39 Rosie Posie Pet Services, Page 39 Physiotherapy The Physio Clinic, Page 35 Willow Brook Clinic, Page 7 Plant Hire T. Edwards Plant, Page 38 Plasterers B & D Plastering, Page 11 Plumbing & Heating JJ Plumbing & Building, Page 29 Low Cost Plumbing, Page 39 M.S.M Plumbing & Heating, Page 39 Panache Plumbing, Page 39 Proudfoot Plumbing, Page 39 S. Berryman Plumbing & Heating, Page 39 Property Maintenance David Coombs Services, Page 37 JJ Plumbing & Building, Page 29 M & D Property Maintenance, Page 37 Mark’s Gutter Cleaning, Page 39 P.J.R Plastics, Page 39 Restaurants The Swan at Tytherington, Page 17 Rubbish Clearance Bradley Stoke Rubbish Clearance, Page 38 Self Storage Admiral’s Yard Self Storage, Page 26 Solicitors Bevan Evemy Solicitors, Page 2 Star Legal, Page 4 Slimming Clubs & Consultants Slimming World, Page 9 Sport & Leisure Bradley Stoke Town Council, Page 16 Bristol Riding School, Page 35 Taxis & Private Hire Bradley Stoke Cabs Ltd, Page 39 Z Cars, Page 32 Tiling Services Tileworx Tiling Services, Page 37 Window Cleaning Ultra Clear, Page 39

Visit our online directory: www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk/directory

July/August 2019

PLANT HIRE

T. EDWARDS PLANT Digger and Driver Hire • • • • • • •

Site/garden clearance Footings Drainage/soakaways Driveway preparation Stump removal Fencing & turfing Narrow access equipment

Price or day work

t: 07900 372349

t.edwardsplant@gmail.com CPCS/CITB qualified & insured

GARDENING SERVICES

Professional Gardening Services • Fencing, Decking, Sheds, Greenhouses (supplied & erected) • Driveways, Patios, Pathways, Turfing • Garden Maintenance, Tree Lopping Free quotes & friendly, trustworthy service (work references supplied) Please call: 07804 608053 Email: profgarden60@yahoo.co.uk Website: profgarden.vpweb.co.uk

RUBBISH CLEARANCE

Bradley Stoke Rubbish Clearance Licensed waste carrier We load and clear Same day service Household, garden, garage & sheds cleared Single item jobs Cheaper than a skip No VAT

Contact Stuart or Sue on 0800 0234 995 (Freephone) or 07770 944727 stuart.thistlewood@yahoo.co.uk

To advertise in this magazine or on our websites, phone The Journal’s sales team on 01454 300 400


July/August 2019

t: 01454 300 400

PLUMBING & HEATING

info@bradleystokejournal.co.uk PLUMBING & HEATING

39

WINDOW CLEANING

PANACHE

BATHROOM, SHOWER & PLUMBING SPECIALIST

• Complete bathroom refurbishment • Ceramic tiling • Heating & general plumbing services • Clean & tidy workmanship • Competitive rates

“Always on tap”

Call Darren on 07901 910361

Find Panache Plumbing on Facebook & FreeIndex

www.panacheplumbing.co.uk

Tell advertisers you found them in the Bradley Stoke Journal!

Advertise in this section for just £20 per month

TAXIS & PRIVATE HIRE

Bradley Stoke Cabs Ltd • • • • All types of repair and replacement work Evening and weekend appointments available Fixed rates - no job too small

07967 567 394 Advertise in this section for just £20 per month

Taps, Washers Toilets, Cisterns Leaks, Blockages Tanks, Overflows Lead Pipes, Stopcocks….etc…. OAP DISCOUNTS and NO VAT

0117

957 5092 LOCKSMITH

Airport transfers Private trips Parcel deliveries Accounts welcome

We are open 24 hours & 7 days a week

Tel: 0117 901 2565 Bradley Stoke Cabs Ltd

Covering north Bristol and South Glos

www.bradleystokecabs.co.uk

GUTTERING, DOWNPIPES & FASCIA

PET SERVICES

P.J.R. Plastics

Replacement and Maintenance: ● Guttering, Downpipes ● UPVC Fascia Boards ● Soffits and Cladding ● Unblock & Gutter Cleaning All work guaranteed

Call Paul for free quote 01454 850201 or 07980 001109 Tell advertisers you found them in the Bradley Stoke Journal!

Advertise in this section for just £20 per month

Mark’s Gutter Cleaning • Gutter clearing • Gutter cleaning • Fascia cleaning • Patio cleaning

Call or book online

Gutter Clearing Gutter Cleaning Fascia Cleaning Call or Book online

www.marksguttercleaning.co.uk www.marksguttercleaning.co.uk Tel: 8528 Mob: 056558 Tel:0117 0117 370 3708528 Mob: 07543 07543056558 Serving North Bristol &Bristol South Glos Based in Downend, To advertise in this magazine or on our websites, phone The Journal’s sales team on 01454 300 400



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