July 2013

Delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to all homes in Bradley Stoke

July 2013 • Issue 3

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LETTERS P8-9 | POLICE P10 | SPORT P25 | JOBS P27 | WHAT’S ON P28-29 | DIRECTORY P30 Find us on Facebook: BradleyStokeJournal Follow us on Twitter: @TheBSJournal

PLUS , IN YOUR 32-PAGE BRADLEY STOKE MAGAZINE l Jack Lopresti MP is fighting cancer l Jubilee Green ‘youth structure’ project to get under way soon l Former mayor quits Tories to become independent

Festival review & photos P14-19 Superfast broadband project

More disappointment for BS32 P3

Bradley Stoke war memorial plans

Ridicule in the national press P4

l BSCS student to shave head for cancer charity l Beaver Scouts train 30 new superheroes l Rugby club seeks stars of the future l WIN a £50 Boots voucher in our prize puzzle

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July 2013

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

Find us on Facebook: BradleyStokeJournal Follow us on Twitter: @TheBSJournal

About the Bradley Stoke Journal The Bradley Stoke Journal website and magazine are published by North Bristol Press, a trading name of Snowberry Media Ltd; company number 8451178 (registered in England and Wales); registered office 19 The Park, Bristol.

Our other publications include the Patchway Journal website and the Stoke Gifford 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 2013. Content published in our magazines or on our websites may not be reproduced in any form without our express written permission.

Facebook page proves big hit during festival Welcome to the third edition of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine, the only publication to be delivered free of charge, EVERY MONTH, to all homes in Bradley Stoke.

In this issue we have lots of reports and photos from last month’s fabulous Community Festival, which was once again blessed with fantastic weather for all three days of the event.

The Bradley Stoke Journal’s Facebook page has been tremendously popular over the last month, with our photographic coverage of local events proving a big hit. Our ‘fan’ count is now approaching 1,000 and the page had a ‘reach’ of more than 10,000 readers during a seven day period spanning the festival weekend.

Not to be outdone, our website www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk also continues to attract thousands of readers every month, and there has been some lively discussion on there about plans for a war memorial in Bradley Stoke town centre (see page 4 in this magazine).

So, until our next edition in August ... happy reading!

Get involved with your local newspaper!

If you have news that you would like to see featured in the magazine and/or on our website, please get in touch by email, phone or post (see contact details on the left).

We are also looking for people to get involved in the production of the town’s new local newspaper, so please contact us if you are interested in writing articles or taking photographs for us.

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July 2013

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3

News

No joy for Bradley Stoke in first phase of SGC broadband rollout

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opes that Bradley Stoke might be amongst the first areas in South Gloucestershire to benefit from a programme of government investment in superfast broadband infrastructure were dashed last month when South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) announced that the rural communities of Pucklechurch and Wick have been chosen to receive the upgrade in the first phase of the project.

Bradley Stoke broadband users on 01454 numbers, served from the Almondsbury exchange, are now unlikely to see any improvement in connection speeds before summer 2014 at the earliest.

The problem of slow broadband speeds affects the approximately 4,000 homes in

Bradley Stoke that aren’t covered

by Virgin Media’s cable service, meaning that they are dependent on BT infrastructure, even if using a service from another telecoms provider such as TalkTalk or Sky. Many local consumers experience speeds as low as 1 Mbps (compared to the national average of around 9 Mbps), meaning they are unable to use services like ‘catch up’ TV and movie streaming.

To compound the problem, few (if any) Bradley Stoke residents have so far benefited from BT’s self-financed upgrading of the Filton telephone exchange, announced in April 2011. The Journal understands that only one street cabinet in the town has so far been upgraded to provide the superfast service.

When we asked BT how many subscribers in Bradley Stoke were able to access the new service, the company declined to comment, saying the information was “commercially sensitive”.

BT’s own online broadband availability checker is currently quoting September 2013 as the projected availability date for its superfast service to 0117 numbers in south Bradley Stoke, although past experience suggests that this date could slip as it gets nearer.

Bradley Stoke town and district councillors have been campaigning for many years to see broadband services in the town improved, but have so far achieved very little.

In August 2010, a party of Bradley Stoke councillors joined local MP Jack Lopresti in a visit to Westminster to speak with the

Nice if you can get it. Councillors in Pucklechurch celebrate the news that villagers will have access to superfast broadband from spring 2014

then Communications Minister, Ed Vaizey, who promised to write to BT and Virgin Media.

Speaking at a recent committee meeting in Bradley Stoke, Cllr Brian Hopkinson said it was “disgusting” that nothing has been done to improve the situation.

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July 2013

News

War memorial plans ridiculed in national press

P

lans to turn two granite gate posts in the Town Square at the Willow Brook shopping centre into a war memorial for Bradley Stoke have attracted ridicule in the national press because no resident of the town has been killed in military action.

The project, promoted by the 1st Bradley Stoke Scout Group and Cllr Ben Walker, first came to light at the Bradley Stoke Festival on 8th June, where visitors to the Scouts’ stand were asked to participate in a “public consultation” to choose the wording for the inscription on one of the two black plaques that will constitute the memorial.

In a press release put out on 19th June, the Scouts revealed more details about the project and announced the winning phrase as the traditional “we will remember them”.

However, the need for a memorial has been questioned in some quarters, leading to suggestively disdainful headlines in the regional and national press.

The BBC led the way on 20th June with an online piece titled “Bradley Stoke war memorial to be erected for ‘those yet to die’“, in which the chairman of a local Royal British Legion county branch is quoted as saying the construction could only be called a ‘war memorial’ if local people had died in conflict.

This was followed by “Town

erects blank war memorial ‘for future deaths‘” in The Telegraph Online on 21st June and then “The town war memorial that has no names and has been left blank for future wars” in the Daily Mail Online on 22nd June.

Simulation of how the memorial will look. A black plaque will be added to each of the two existing granite gate posts in the town square.

Wartime connections

A reader poll on the Bradley Stoke Journal website which asked: “Should Bradley Stoke have a war memorial, even though nobody from the town has died in military conflict?” was showing 58% against the idea as we went to print. A number of reader comments on the website also question whether the Willow Brook Centre would be the best location for a memorial, because of the commercial surroundings and the fact that the land isn’t in public

Katherine Robinson, Beaver Scout Leader and an ex-Royal Naval Nurse, who is fronting the Scouts’ side of the initiative, points out in the press release that there are many wartime connections in the surrounding area, such as the former Bristol Aeroplane Company (BAC) at Filton. She also mentions that a decoy airfield (for Filton) was set up during WWII on farmland that now lies within the boundaries of Bradley Stoke.

She adds: “I felt it was a great shame that a town the size of ours does not have somewhere where we can hold a proper Remembrance parade. I view Remembrance Sunday as a very special event and I see it as my duty to ensure the next generation not only learns about it, but actively carries on the tradition of Remembrance.”

It is hoped to hold the inaugural Remembrance parade on Sunday 10th November 2013. An official dedication ceremony will take place on a date still to be confirmed, prior to the first parade.

ownership. Several contributors suggest Jubilee Green as a more appropriate location.

Read the discussion and join in at http://bit.ly/bsj-1307-1 A spokesperson for the Stoke Gifford Branch of the Royal British Legion, which covers Bradley Stoke, told The Journal: “The Royal British Legion is the national Custodian of Remembrance and the Stoke Gifford branch would support a suitable public location for Remembrance in Bradley Stoke.

Jack Lopresti, MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, comments: “I have been aware for some for us to pay our respects, time that there is a feeling in demonstrate our thanks and Bradley Stoke that the new appreciation for all those who town centre is missing a place paid the ultimate sacrifice in of remembrance, somewhere WW1.” where people could pause to “Bradley Stoke is now the pay their respects to the fallen largest town in our local area and reflect. Groups could and I think that it is right that parade or even perhaps raise a there is somewhere in the town flag on suitable occasions.” centre where on Armistice Day, “This has been fed back to Remembrance Sunday and me by local residents, town occasions like the Centenary of councillors and members of WW1, local people can pay their the local British Legion among respects.” others.”

“I was delighted to hear “A few months ago of the ongoing local Scouts’ I had discussions with campaign for a memorial, in representatives from the the form of a commemorative Heritage Lottery fund about plaque which you often see how they could help support elsewhere, for instance on the commemorations locally to the Filton Library. But I think mark the centenary of WW1. looking forward to next year’s Some sort of memorial for the WW1 commemorations, we as town centre was an option to a community in Bradley Stoke, consider.” working with the town council, “Very recently I wrote to the the local British Legion, schools Bradley Stoke Town Council and community groups, should to inquire over what plans have a local debate about how they had put in place to mark we mark this very important next year’s Centenary of WW1 anniversary and how we provide and to support a campaign for a permanent way to honour our a memorial. The Centenary nation’s fallen in the Bradley will be an important occasion Stoke town centre.”

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5

News

Jack Lopresti MP fighting cancer

J

ack Lopresti, MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, has announced that he has been diagnosed with bowel cancer and is undergoing treatment.

Prior to the diagnosis, the MP had been in and out of hospital with suspected appendicitis for three months, culminating in a major operation three weeks ago.

In a statement issued on 6th June, Mr Lopresti said: “I am to have three months chemotherapy.

I am not sure yet how I will be affected by the treatment, but it is my intention to get well as soon as possible and do as much constituency work as I can in the interim. I apologise in advance to all constituents if I am not out and about during the next three months as much as I normally am. I am looking forward to getting back into full-time action in September.”

“The future prognosis is positive, most of the cancer was removed

Jack Lopresti MP

during my recent operation and in my consultant’s own words they will ‘mop up’ any remaining cancer cells and are aiming for a complete cure and recovery.”

“I cannot praise enough the medical teams and staff at Frenchay and Southmead for the care I have so far received and that I was looked after wonderfully by them when I was admitted to Frenchay Hospital.”

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“I would like to place on the record my huge thanks to them and all my friends and family who have rallied round and been incredibly supportive in what has been a difficult few weeks.”

“I am very lucky to be supported by a dedicated and professional team both in Westminster and the constituency. My local office in the Willow Brook Centre, Bradley Stoke, is open every day 9 – 5, run by Liz Jarvis, my office manager, and Mike Cobb my caseworker. Please give them a call, or better still, pop in to the office (no appointment required) if we can help in anyway.”

“As far as my local and Westminster teams are concerned, it is business as usual. I will continue to serve the people of Filton and Bradley Stoke to the best of my ability, which I am always very honoured and proud to do.”

BSCS students raise funds for microloan charity Year 7 students from BSCS recently spent five hours at the Tesco Extra store, packing customers’ bags for charity.

Hollie Lawson, Poppy Taylor and Lucy Morgan led the way by organising the event.

Holly, Poppy and Lucy with helpers

After contacting Tesco and arranging the date, they then gathered two teams of supporters to cover the time.

The students chose to raise the money for DEKI, the microloan charity they have been supporting all year, and managed to raise a huge £246.56.

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“Chiropractic care was recommended to alleviate the side effects that are common to sufferers with Parkinson’s Disease. In the time I have been attending improvement in my health and general well-being to the extent my neurosurgeon stated on my last visit that there has been no deterioration in my condition whatsoever. Long may it continue.”

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Pauline Rideout

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7

News

Former mayor quits Conservatives to become independent

A

Bradley Stoke town councillor has quit the Conservatives and become independent after refusing to allow herself to be associated with what she describes as “politically induced child’s play”.

Cllr Charlotte Walker, who has just stood down following her year’s term as Mayor of Bradley Stoke, has dropped the local Conservative Party and become an independent member of the town council.

The news was revealed in a press release circulated by Ms Walker’s brother, Cllr Ben Walker, who himself resigned from the Conservative Party in May last year and switched to UKIP. The press release quotes Ms Walker as saying: “As I have expressed recently, I have tried to remain impartial to party politics during my time on Bradley Stoke Town Council.”

“Although some of my views may be deemed to meet those of certain political groups, I have always tried to make decisions based on what I feel is right for the residents of Bradley Stoke and not follow any political agenda.”

“However, in recent months it has become increasingly difficult to do so when associated with the Conservative Party. I have not, and will not, follow suit purely because I am told to do so or associate myself with politically induced child’s play. As a result of my unwillingness to tow the party line, it has been made clear to me that I cannot truly be part of the Conservative Party in Bradley Stoke.”

“Therefore as an elected individual on Bradley Stoke Town Council, I will no longer represent the Conservative Party and I will instead act as an Independent.”

“I understand for some individuals this may seem

undemocratic, however in order to represent the community to the best of my ability and to ensure residents views are heard between the raised voices of party politics, I feel this is the right decision.”

Asked by The Journal, what was meant by the phrase “politically induced child’s play”, Mr Walker told us that Ms Walker “would rather not elaborate at this point,” but he added that the remark “referred more to the ‘Conservative Group’ rather than the council itself”.

Ms Walker was rather more forthcoming when interviewed

first surfaced last year when she voted against inviting local Conservative MP Jack Lopresti to join her in opening the town council’s new office at the Jubilee Centre. More recently, at the town council’s AGM on 14th May, she joined the three UKIP members in opposing the selection of Cllr John Ashe (Conservative) as Vice-Chair for 2013/14.

Asked in the BBC interview if she might consider joining another party, Ms Walker said: “I can categorically state that I will not go to UKIP. I probably will stay as an independent.”

Local Conservatives issued the following statement: “During the latest meeting of the Bradley Stoke Conservatives, Cllr Charlotte Walker’s press release was discussed.”

“The release detailed her resignation from the Conservative Group to become an

independent councillor.”

“The Group unanimously agreed to thank Charlotte for her year as Chairman of the Town Council and to wish her all the best in the future.”

“It is noted by the Conservative Group that Charlotte’s comments were released by her brother, Ben Walker, who was also elected by the people to represent them as their Conservative councillor and then let them down by defecting to UKIP.” “UKIP have failed to gain a mandate from the residents of Bradley Stoke on the occasion of two by-elections since that time.”

“The Group would like to place on public record their thanks to the residents of Bradley Stoke for recognising our enthusiasm and energy in ensuring that we continue to build on the many improvements the Conservative group has brought to Bradley Stoke.”

“I think there was a little bit of fear that I would ... act as a mole.” on the BBC Radio Bristol Breakfast Show on Monday 27th May, where she referred to: “Games that have not allowed me to do what I can do best for the community, such as not being included in email circuits and [discussion of] plans for the future.” Adding: “I think it comes down to my family’s political associations. I think there was a little bit of fear that I would pass on some information and act as a mole.”

Indications that all was not well in Ms Walker’s relationship with the Conservative Party

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Letters and Opinions Too many South Glos councillors?

There were some very interesting comments in the June edition of The Journal regarding councillors and South Gloucestershire Council’s attitude to the public who pay their generous salaries and the council bills.

I am sure many of the South Glos tax payers are not aware of the expenses that a councillor is given! £10,000 to £11,000 per annum, plus extra expenses if they attend committee meetings, plus access to pension rights and we all know how generous they are compared to the private sector! The difference is, we all pay for it!

To qualify, you need only turn up to one council meeting every six months, and if there are two members of the household holding this position and collecting, it’s quite “a nice little earner”, more than some pensioners and low income people have as an annual income.

They should be made to sign in and out and only paid per attendance. If they do not like it, resign! No one forced them to become councillors.

We have too many councillors doing too little and are only interested in party cronyism and not service to the area and the people who misguidedly elected them, hence the campaign to reduce the number of councillors and save tens of thousands of pounds to the coffers and

property tax payer. Go online and have your say, or invest in a second class stamp!

We recently had two councillors who are supposed to represent Lakeside ward actually vote against a safety issue in the Elm Close/Brook Way area in favour of another proposal in another ward! Not Bradley Stoke, but same [political] party, of course.

Please try to attend the Safer and Stronger Community meetings and have your views heard. Unfortunately, not enough residents support it.

I would also like to suggest the Southern Brooks Area Forum, but due to poor Bradley Stoke representation, decisions are made by councillors from other areas, who do not have any interest in Bradley Stoke.

These forums are undemocratic, paid for with our property taxes, and condoned by South Gloucestershire Council.

The residents of Bradley Stoke contribute a great deal of money to the South Gloucestershire coffers and we have a right to expect our fair share in a democratic way via the town council and South Glos Council, NOT Winterbourne, NOT Stoke Gifford, NOT Patchway and NOT Little Stoke, to name just a few.

Fred Hillberg Bradley Stoke

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response we got from the article published in the June issue [Helping ‘make poverty history’ in Goa, India, page 18].

Apart from numerous calls about the article, more importantly we had offers of educational sponsorship and donations of paperback books plus unwanted gifts for us to sell on the Exmouth Indoor Market Stall and at the car boot sales we do for the charity.

It just goes to show how generous the readers of the Bradley Stoke Journal are, so a big thank you to your readers and a thank you to yourself as editor of an excellent publication.

Roger & Julia Worth Bradley Stoke

Correction Further to a comment in a reader letter printed in the May edition of the BSJ magazine [‘Why no reduction in council tax?’] asserting that all rubbish eventually ends up in landfill, we have been asked to point out that only 27% the household waste generated by South Gloucestershire residents was sent to landfill in 2011/12.

Disproportionate council cuts We heartily agree with sentiments expressed in the June edition of The Journal regarding council cuts. Our town is already looking shabby due to reduced street cleaning and rubbish collection. Regardless

Your Views

Do you have strong views about something that’s happening in Bradley Stoke?

Want to pass comment on something you’ve read in The Journal or another publication?

Would you like to take the opportunity to thank someone for a good deed or praise an achievement?

Whatever you want to say, write to The Journal and we’ll get your message to everyone in Bradley Stoke.

Send your letter to letters@ bradleystokejournal.co.uk or post it to: Reader Letters, Bradley Stoke Journal, 83 Snowberry Close, Bradley Stoke, Bristol BS32 8GB. of Mr Holcombe’s efforts it is impossible for one man to cover all of the town.

Surely, Tesco should take more responsibility, as it is their plastic bags/bottles and food containers that cause a lot of the problem.

As for inviting dog owners to dispose of their own doggy bags, what about all the irresponsible owners who will never bother

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Letters and Opinions

Almondsbury Allotment News

to pick it up? This is what we expect our councillors to enforce strongly!

We suggest that local councillors take a huge cut in their expense accounts thereby contributing more into the fund to make cleaning up our town a priority.

It appears they are only interested in it because of the good lifestyle they get out of it and not for the good of the people they are serving.

They should remember it is our hard earned money they are taking and not giving us value for.

Mr & Mrs M Perkins Bradley Stoke

By Joan at Allotment No. 8 At last some better weather has arrived and everything has started to grow. Returning from a weeks holiday in Devon at half term I was quite amazed at the difference to the allotment after just one week of warmer weather.

It was also very nice to see two new allotmenteers adjacent to my plot on our return.

The strawberry bed looks great with more and more strawberries forming, having looked at my diary for last year I can see that I picked the first strawberry on 1st June, but this year I think it’s going to be more like the end of June! A good indication of just how cold it’s been this year.

The potatoes have started to flower after surviving the frost in May, I hope the flowers indicate no long term damage. The fleece is off the beans and they have already started to flower even though they still have some way to go to reach the top of the canes. The hispi cabbage I planted towards the end of April

Tesco smokers not appreciated I regularly walk up the pedestrian footpath parallel to the Tesco filling station and outside the Tesco staff entrance with my young children. The children complain about the smoke that they inhale

as they walk past the Tesco employee smokers on the corner, where the delivery lorries pass.

There has recently been a lot of press coverage of ‘second hand’ cigarette smoke, especially with children and I am in agreement with them that having to be subjected to this is unacceptable.

Whilst I understand that there has to be a smoking area dedicated for those employees that smoke – isn’t there an alternative location away from the footpath so that non-smokers (and children) do not have to suffer? It’s not as if this footpath is out of the way – it’s a primary route for pedestrians from the Savages Wood Road end of the site.

My children also comment on the cigarette butt ends left all over the pavement and verge chippings and how disgusting it looks. I am amazed that Tesco management do not notice this themselves, bearing in mind that they have to pass it as they go through the staff entrance.

Steve, Sages Mead

9

is nearly ready for cutting and looks superb and with no attack of any kind unlike last years. I used some brassica fertilizer this time around the cabbage and purple sprouting and I think that’s made the difference.

The broad beans are covered in flowers and the root seeds I sowed in May are coming along very nicely. The berries on the fruit bushes seem to be increasing in size daily, I am waiting to see the colour so I can at last know what I have planted!

They are well netted against the pigeons that seem to like Hortham Lane.

This is the first year that we have been able to pick the rhubarb so we have made good use of it mixed with blackberries picked from the lanes of South Gloucestershire last year. Along with the spinach, chard, radishes and lettuce I feel the allotment is really starting to take off now.

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STOP PRESS: BSCS Race for Life

Computer Corner with Jonathan Thomas of JRT Computing Have you had a phone call in relation to your PC or Laptop being infected with a virus or running slowly? If so this is commonly known as the ‘Microsoft phone scam’.

Microsoft has nothing to do with it, but the software giant’s name is used by criminals in order to breach personal security and solicit money.

How it works Scammers call you, ask for you by name. They say they are a computer security expert from Microsoft or another legitimate tech company. They are plausible and polite, but officious. They say that you’re PC or laptop has been infected with malware, and that they can help you solve the problem.

What happens now depends on the particular strain of scam with which you have been targeted.

Some crooks will ask you to give them remote access to

July 2013

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your PC or Laptop, and then use the access to harness your personal data. Others get you to download malware that will do that task for you. A more straightforward scam is to simply ask for money in return for a lifetime of ‘protection’ from the malware they pretend is on your machine.

Here’s the important bit: no legitimate IT security pro is ever going to call you. For one thing, how would they know you own a PC and if you do, they can’t tell that your PC is infected? They’ve got your name from the phone book, or any one of the thousands of marketing lists on which your details reside. They know nothing about your home computing set up.

Basically, somebody is sitting in a room calling number after number hoping to find a victim.

Their hit rate is very good as a high percentage of households have some form of PC or

Laptop. It’s not personal, but it is ultimately dangerous to your financial and technological health.

What to do if you are called: 1. Number one: put the phone down. Get rid of the caller. It is not a legitimate call.

2. During your conversation, don’t provide any personal information. And certainly never hand over your credit card or bank details.

3. Whatever you do, don’t allow the caller to guide you to a certain webpage, or instruct you to change a setting on your PC or download software to allow them to gain access.

4: If you’ve got this far, take you’re PC or Laptop to a reputable repair centre for a system healthcheck to be carried out and make sure your security hasn’t been breached by these criminals.

See advert on page 26.

Students and staff from Bradley Stoke Community School (BSCS) staged their own local ‘Race for Life’ on Thursday 27th June, raising funds for Cancer Research.

Despite the rain, the runners’ enthusiasm wasn’t dampened and there was a fantastic atmosphere.

More photos on the Bradley Stoke Journal Facebook page

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News Bradley Stoke in Bloom progress report ‘Bradley Stoke in Bloom’ (BSiB) has recently been formed with the aim of making the town a better place to visit, work in and live. We hope to achieve this through tidying up some of the open green areas of the town and have some bolder projects in mind as well.

Following a series of public meetings, a steering group of local residents has been formed and an action plan is being put together.

It really is early days with a lot remaining to be done, and a lot of help/support will be needed.

BSiB had a stand at the recent Bradley Stoke Festival and the reaction from the people we spoke with was overwhelmingly positive.

We took the opportunity to promote the ‘grow a sunflower’ competition – really for the kiddies but open for all ages (to be judged in late August) and of course the ‘Best Front Garden in Bradley Stoke’ for which your

nominations are still welcome - either your own or for example a neighbour. Small can be beautiful and some of the best nominations so far are for really very small plots, so please don’t think you need a vast acreage to be in with a chance.

This will be judged in July.

BSiB have already received some generous financial and moral support from the local town council, Bradley Stoke Lions, Ambience Landscapes and Bradley Stoke Physio.

We’re keen to hear from you if you would like to participate, either directly in the working groups or contributing one of the skills we need such as photography or looking after the books. We also need ideas of which public parts of the town could do with a spruce up – we have a few in mind but all contributions are welcome. We can be contacted via email at: bsib@hotmail.co.uk.

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11

Advertising feature

Gromit Unleashed Shop and Wallace & Gromit Exhibition opens at The Mall A Gromit Unleashed shop and Wallace & Gromit Exhibition opens at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway this month giving visitors the chance to purchase exclusive Gromit Unleashed merchandise and explore a unique Wallace & Gromit Exhibition, making its first appearance in Bristol.

Open from 1st July, the Wallace & Gromit Exhibition will feature iconic film sets, a life- sized collection of Wallace’s inventions including the famous rocket from the film ‘A Grand Day Out,’ and a ‘Wallace & Gromit in Space’ exhibition.

Visitors will also get a chance to create their own Aardmaninspired clay aliens and draw ‘cracking inventions’ at the Create Stations.

The whole experience will be free to enter with invited donations to Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal. The shop will stock the full range of Gromit Unleashed merchandise and host one of the trail’s Passport Stops where visitors can stamp their free passports after completing the Gromit Unleashed Trail.

Children will also be able to climb aboard The Mall’s indoor train for a special Gromit Unleashed ride around The Mall in exchange for a £2 donation to The Grand Appeal charity.

Maria Crayton, Head of Marketing at The Mall, said: “We are delighted to be involved with the trail and are confident that the Gromit Unleashed Shop and Wallace & Gromit Exhibition will

be very popular with families and Wallace & Gromit fans of all ages.”

The Mall will become home to two giant Gromit sculptures as part of the 80-strong arts trail across Bristol. The 5ft Gromit sculptures designed by Cath Kidston and One Direction’s Zayn Malik will go on display at The Mall for 10 weeks from 1st July.

One Direction’s Zayn Malik

Once the trail has finished all 80 Gromit Unleashed sculptures will be auctioned to raise funds towards Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal to support the expansion of Bristol Children’s Hospital, one of the leading multi-disciplinary children’s hospitals in the UK. For further information and the latest news on the project, visit www.gromitunleashed.org.uk For more information about the Gromit Unleashed Exhibition & Shop visit www.mallcribbs.com

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July 2013

News

All ages kept busy at Jubilee Green

I

t’s been a very busy month at Friends of Jubilee Green we have been working hard on our projects and events. We have been involved with the Community Festival pre-school picnic, hosting the popular treasure trail around the park.

This year, we also encouraged the pre-school children to decorate flower pots and plant sunflowers to take home so they can enter the Bradley Stoke in Bloom (BSiB) competition.

The Youth Structure project is also now underway, you may not have seen any physical changes in the park but we have been busy. We have been working with the young people who attend the detached youth sessions at the Jubilee Centre and members of the Church of Christ the King Youth Group.

In May we all met to review the tender bids for the project and the young people unanimously chose

hammocks which sparked off discussions about what else could be included. We also used clay to explore how the cob walls could look and what type of seating could be achieved within the structure.

It was an informative, productive and enjoyable evening and there were requests to leave the temporary structure in place.

The physical building work is expected to begin mid July.

Clay will be used for the cob walls

Touchwood as the contractor for building the structure and improving the paths.

In June we all met in the park and held a hands on ‘mock up’ workshop where a life size temporary structure was erected by the youth using power tools guided by Touchwood. We were all able to explore the proposed design, climbing over it, jumping off it or just hanging out in

Libraries’ Summer Reading Challenge There’s a spine-tingling adventure waiting for children in South Gloucestershire libraries this summer!

The theme for the Summer Reading Challenge this year is ‘Creepy House’. The challenge begins in all South Gloucestershire Libraries on 13th July and runs until 14th September and it’s free to join in the fun.

Children are challenged to read just six books to collect their very own medal and certificate and be entered into our grand LibrariesWest prize draw for a chance to win a Kobo.

Visit any South Gloucestershire library this summer for children to take part in Creepy House and collect their own gold medal.

More: www.creepy-house.org.uk

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July 2013

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News

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News

BSCS student inspired to shave head for cancer charity

By Nikki Hallur mily Slocombe may seem to be a typical sixteen-yearold about to enter sixth form at Bradley Stoke Community School, but unlike most people her age, she is on a mission.

After watching her grandmother being diagnosed with cancer and go through chemotherapy, Emily decided to raise money and awareness about the disease.

Emily feels hair loss is a symbol of some of the struggles cancer patients face during their treatment, and wanted to show her support by donating her hair to The Little Princess Trust whilst at the same time collecting money for Cancer Research UK.

E

13

Emily recalls that her family were not behind her from the start: “At first mum and dad were against it, but once they realised how determined I was to do it, they began supporting me.”

One person who has been behind her decision from the beginning is Emily’s boyfriend, Hugh Raynor. Hugh is a fellow student at BSCS and says he is “very proud of Emily for the decision she has made.”

The Little Princess Trust is the same charity that Jessie J donated her hair to last month when she appeared with her head shaved on The Voice. We can confirm that Emily had been planning her head shaving before Jessie J revealed her hairstyle

Paralympian swimmer visits Busy Bees nursery

Emily Slocombe with boyfriend Hugh

on television, even though Emily does mention that a girl in the year above had done something similar before, which was quite inspiring to see. The decision for Emily has come out of personal circumstances and a desire to help more people.

Emily’s head shaving will take place on 6th July at Reflections in The Willow Brook Centre.

If you would like to show your support for the efforts of this local teenager, you can donate directly to her cause and to Cancer Research UK by visiting www.justgiving.com/ EmilySlocombe

Busy Bees nursery in Bradley Stoke welcomed local Paralympian swimmer Kate Grey to a morning of fun activities designed to encourage the children to be active and enjoy a health lifestyle.

The event also raised money for the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, which helps disadvantaged young people reach their potential and realise their dreams through mentoring from athletes.

The children loved asking Kate lots of questions, seeing all her medals and joining in an ‘Olympic’ lap of the garden.

Kate Grey (back row, left) at Busy Bees

specsavers.co.uk

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July 2013

Festival Report: Community Fair

By Nikki Hallur rowds gathered on the Jubilee field once again for the Bradley Stoke Community Festival on Friday and Saturday 7th/8th June.

Friday’s activities took place in the morning and were focussed on children’s entertainment, with stalls for face painting, a free circus workshop, and treasure hunt with teddy bear’s picnic. The bouncy castle and buckets and spades in the sand area were just a small taster of the games that would be available the next day.

C

Saturday was a full day event with stalls and activities to attract people of all ages. A stage was set up to provide music for people on the main field, whilst a smaller

stage was created on the grass for the dance performances that took place throughout the day. Across on the activity ‘demonstration’ field, Bradley Stoke Radio provided music and there were a variety of fair-style rides and games, such as merry-go-rounds and tombola.

The stalls were a key attraction enabling local businesses and charities to promote themselves.

Some of the stalls on the main field of the Jubilee Centre included: The Townswomen’s Guild, Bradley Stoke Lions Club, The South Glos Mines Research Group, Sweet Tracey Cakes, Bradley Stoke Twinning Association, Lulu Garland’s Dance School, The Stokes Cycling Club, Beavers, St Peter’s Hospice, Infinity Dance Group, Bradley Stoke Gymnastics Club, and the Cricket Club which hosted the popular ‘Beer Tent’.

The churches in the area provided free tea and coffee as well as cakes prepared by their members. They wanted to

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An enthralling display from the Harriers Acrobatic Gymnastics Club

encourage people to participate in the coffee mornings that take place across Bradley Stoke (in Christ the King and Holy Trinity on Friday mornings, and the Bradley Evangelical Church and Bridge Community Church on Thursday mornings) The stalls on the other side of the Jubilee Centre included

The ever-popular dance stage showed the choreographic skills of Bradley Stoke Gymnastics Club, followed by an interactive ‘bhangra’ session from the South Gloucestershire Asian Association.

Later on in the day there were more performances by local dance groups such as Infinity,

Starbucks, Bubblemania, who had bubbles flying out from their tent, as well as some of the local primary schools and The National Trust.

Young people made an impact on stage, with talented singers such as Sam Badcock starting off the performances, and a number of bands playing later on including Gecko Blasters, Astral Toasters and more.

Acro Gymnasts, Yasmins, Lulu Garland’s Dance School and Kathryn’s Dance Academy. There was also another cultural show by the South Gloucestershire Chinese Association.

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15

Festival Report: Demonstration Area

By Emma Roberts Many local groups were given their time to shine this year at the annual Bradley Stoke Festival. The demonstration area on Jubilee Green held a variety of performances ranging from a falconry display to a flag filled dance from the South West Winterguard Academy.

The day began with a fearsome taekwondo performance from the little pumas at Whitlock Martial Arts, whose ages range between four and seven, followed by a equally impressive performance

from the juniors and seniors.

The groups showed off their traditional and freestyle martial arts skills and finished with a mark of confidence involving a wood break from a few members.

Phil Whitlock, thirteen times British champion, has been

Show, was unable to fly the planes for safety reasons, however, with help from James at Bradley Stoke Radio, he was still able to put on an interesting display and show the audience a thing or two about building your own plane.

With the arena audience filling up, the South West Winterguard Academy didn’t seem phased as they stepped out with big smiles and brightly coloured outfits. The performance began with an upbeat warm up from the members, ranging between seven and 24, and finished with an audience participation dance which was sure to give many family members a good laugh for the rest of the day.

The community activity of colour guard is based on dance using flags but is also about personal development and building confidence. Ken Burrows has been working at the academy for over four years at Meadowbrook School and said he has noticed a considerable difference in members’ confidence levels since joining.

St Mary’s Rugby Club were raring to go with two performances scheduled for the afternoon. The team showed off their skills and also played an

teaching the classes for over five years at Bradley Stoke School.

Mr Whitlock said: “It’s not just about learning the art, it’s about building up confidence, but most importantly it’s about having fun and meeting new people.”

The model plane display shortly followed, unfortunately due to the windy weather, Lee McCrory from the Puffin Model Plane

energetic game of rugby. The club also held a cake sale, name the teddy competition and soak the coaches. Thomas and Tyrese, members at the club, said: “We get to play lots of games and we’ve made lots of friends, the coaches are fun, kind and crazy.”

Gerry Byrne, a coach, after being soaked by many of the young members said: “It’s

Young players from St Mary’s Old Boys RFC show off their skills

brilliant fun, all the kids are really nice, I get a real kick out of it.”

John Alcerman added to the variety of the demonstration area with a falconry display, which included many large and small birds including a hawk, an owl and a falcon. Mr Alcerman founded the company in 1978

and helps rehabilitates birds back into the wild.

The day ended on a high note with a performance from the Stokes Singers. The choir sang a variety of classical, show and modern songs. The group meets at Amberley Baptist Church and welcomes new members.

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Community Festival 2013 See our Facebook page for hundreds more photos

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July 2013

Bradley Stoke through the camera lens by Becky Ward On 9th June, I accompanied the Bradley Stoke Radio team to the inaugural Bradley Stoke Bed Push!!!

This featured eight determined teams, including the Hilton Hotel, Ben Walker’s Bradley Stoke Blazers, and the 1st Bradley Stoke Scouts. These teams deserve a special mention, my reasons for which I shall explain later.

First, I should explain what a bed push is, and why it is such an achievement that any teams actually reappeared at the finish line. A bed push is exactly this; teams of five take it in turns to push a bed around a set course, visiting five stations. The course was set along Webbs Wood Road and Baileys Court Road, starting and finishing at the Baileys Court Activity Centre. Challenges varied a great deal, so there was something for everyone; beer drinking (or squash for the little ones), cracker eating, apple bobbing, netball throwing (never before have I seen throwing a ball as such a challenge!) and a largely forgotten skills puzzle.

Crafts of choice ranged from ex-hospital beds, to logs tied together with rope. About twenty minutes after the beds set off, the Baileys Court Activity Centre car park filled with returning beds, exhausted runners and spectators, gathering for the most important part; the results!

Having forgotten the puzzle, and being slowest to complete the netball challenge, the Hilton Hotel managed to achieve an impressive, if somewhat miraculous, time of just thirteen minutes, securing the title of first.

Ben Walker’s Bradley Stoke Blazers came second, just one minute slower than the winners. This deserves a special mention, as it is highly likely that they completed half a lap more than everyone else, after missing the first station.

The 1st Bradley Stoke Scouts claimed third place with a time of fifteen minutes, having carried the bed a fair distance around the course, following a “speed-bump-meets-wheels” incident.

Of course, it’s not all about who wins, but the taking part. With this in mind, well done to everyone who was part of a team, and to those who supported them.

I think it was good to have something that

The victorious Bristol Hilton team

wasn’t quite so sports orientated, as in the past this was predominantly the focus of the Festival on the Sunday; the Bed Push offered a chance to let your hair down, and to have a laugh with friends and family in the sunshine. It proved to be a popular event that was designed to extend the entertainment factor of the festival weekend; and if that was its intention then I would say that it has wholeheartedly achieved its goal. It was good to see so many smiling faces at Baileys Court activity centre, some of which are featured here.

The event was very successful, considering it’s the first time it was run, and hopefully it will feature again in next year’s festival programme.

There is speculation that there will be a chance for the winning team to defend the title next year. It was a brilliant day and definitely one to be repeated.

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July 2013

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19

Festival Report: Sporting Events Football Festival

The 2013 Bradley Stoke Youth FC (BSYFC) Football Festival was made up of 13 local school teams of Year 1 children with 10 children per school playing in a series of matches in a 7-versus-7 format of 10 minutes duration.

The schools attending the event this year were: Almondsbury, St Mary’s (Bradley Stoke), St Mary’s (Thornbury), St Peter’s (Pilning), St Chad’s (Patchway), St Michael’s (Stoke Gifford), Iron Acton, Wheatfield, Holy Trinity, Bowsland Green, Olveston, Meadowbrook and Stoke Lodge.

All the Year 1 children participating in the Festival each received a medal and a goody bag.

All the schools won large cups with the top three teams winning a full set of football team kit and the 4th and 5th placed teams winning equipment packages.

The Best Teachers Awards and coaching equipment were awarded to Iron Acton and St Mary’s (Thornbury) The Festival and the school coaching program has been running for seven years and is supplied free of charge by Bradley Stoke Youth FC. The club would like to thank sponsors McDonalds, Hewlett Packard, Bradley Stoke Town Council, the Gloucestershire Football Association and Andy Baker Associates for supporting us this year’s event.

Caption: The winning Almondsbury team with Mayor Cllr Brian Hopkinson

Year 1 Festival of Football School Winners 1st

Almondsbury

Bradley Stoke Town Council School Link Community Award Winners

2nd

Wheatfield

Bradley Stoke Town Council School Link Coaches Award Winners

3rd

St Michael’s

BSYFC Festival of Football Achievement Award Winners

4th

Bowsland Green

BSYFC Festival of Football Club School Link Winners

5th

St Peter’s

BSYFC Festival of Football Performance Award Winners

They’re off for the 2013 Bradley Stoke 10k Run

Bradley Stoke 10k Run

A record field of 567 runners set out from the Jubilee Centre at 9.30am on Sunday 9th June, beating the previous record turn out by almost a hundred.

First home after completing the six-and-a-quarter mile course that takes in the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve, Bradley Stoke Way and Brook Way was Andrew Cooke (Bristol & West AC) in a time of 34:31.

Second place went to Peter Morton (Virgin Active Road Runners) in 36:13, with Martin Bartlett third in 36:32.

Martin also picked up the prize for the first Bradley Stoke resident to finish.

The ladies’ race was won by Hayley Bennett (Bristol & West AC) in 44:51, just seven seconds ahead of Jane Coleman (44:58) with Rosina Rowland (45:33) in third.

There was a special award for the oldest competitor, which was once again won by Ted Wiffill, who completed the course in 75:29.

For a full race report and links to more than 600 race photos, visit http://bit.ly/bs10k

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July 2013

News

Jubilee fashion show at Brook Court

By Nikki Hallur In May we went to visit the residents of McCarthy and Stone, newly built homes for later living located on Savages Wood Road near Tesco Extra. This month, we went again to see their first fashion show, which was to celebrate 60 years since the Queen’s coronation and to raise money for Bust, a local charity which supports breast cancer treatment.

Although most of the models for the fashion show were not residents, one of the ladies we spoke to last time, Mrs Sheila Fox, did participate in the show.

Many visitors, including friends and family, came in to enjoy the show and pay £2 towards raising money for Bust.

Visitors also got a raffle ticket for the chance to win a pampering gift basket. Bust was chosen as the charity for the fashion show because it deals with an issue which has affected people in the

Fashion show in the residents’ lounge at Brook Court

Mrs Sheila Fox, resident and model

community: it is a local charity which works with Southmead Hospital Breast Care Centre to help and support those dealing with breast cancer.

Just-In Limited of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, an independent company which provides clothing, jewellery and music for fashion shows across the region.

The fashion show took place in the main lounge, which also holds other events like film nights, coffee mornings and card game nights. It was organised by

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July 2013

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21

News

Superheroes of Bradley Stoke

T

he population of Bradley Stoke are a little safer after 30 new superheroes were trained by 1st Bradley Stoke Scout Group. The two Bradley Stoke Beaver colonies held a joint camp at Almondsbury over the Late May Bank Holiday weekend. Trained to climb like Spiderman and run like the Flash; the young people had a great time whilst learning new skills.

Saturday started with the Beavers joining together in groups where they were given their mission brief and a tour of the camp. After lunch the training began in earnest. Activities were linked to superheroes such as creating a Hulk T-shirt, Spiderman Climbing, Captain America Shield Design,

Iron Man Scavenger Hunt and Green Lantern Crate Stacking; where the young people balanced on towers of crates.

Success on each of the tasks was rewarded with a jigsaw piece and a superhero sticker for the

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individuals. Only when they had a full complement of stickers at the end of the weekend could the young people be classed as superheroes. By evening all the teams had successfully collected all the pieces and completed their jigsaws.

As the sun set over the Severn estuary, the trainees were fed by our superb kitchen team and had a traditional Scout campfire, complete with toasted marshmallows, before a superhero film and bed.

The Sunday sun woke the young people all too early, so there was plenty of time for them to clean themselves and their rooms. After breakfast and a traditional Scouts Own there was a room inspection and a game before the morning training. The fun of day one was followed up with some more training: Superman

Low-Ropes, Hawk Archery, Wolverine Tracking and Batman Laser Beams were all successfully negotiated in time for Lunch The superheroes got to put their training into practise early in the afternoon when they attacked their leaders in one of the best ways to cool off in the blazing sun; a water fight.

Throughout the weekend the teams and individuals earned points for teamwork, participation and (not many) for going to sleep on time Before the end of camp the superheroes were rewarded for their efforts with prizes and a unique badge specially designed and manufactured for the camp They went home tired and happy with a big thank you due to all the adults & parents that helped to make this one of the best camps we have ever done.

Antony March Beaver Scout Leader

Council awards £4,000 grant for August carnival Bradley Stoke Town Council has awarded a grant of £4,000 to Bradley Stoke Radio for it to “facilitate” a carnival to be held within Bradley Stoke on August Bank Holiday Monday (26th August 2013).

The money will be spent on training people in dance and costume manufacture (£1,600), materials and equipment (£1,200), hiring dancers and a

band to accompany the procession (£900) and publicity (£300).

The radio station says it will involve nine primary schools, one secondary school and ten voluntary organisations in the project.

The Journal understands that the procession will travel from the Jubilee Centre to Baileys Court, passing through a number of side streets along the way.

Zoe now, size 12

Zoe in 2009, size 28

You should always speak to your doctor before starting any weight loss programme.

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July 2013

News

Community centre showcases facilities

By Nikki Hallur atchway’s Coniston Community Centre and The Brooks Cafe held an Open Day on Monday 2nd June in order to showcase their new facilities and new cafe menu.

The cafe is run by the Southern Brooks Community Partnership, which hires out office space on the building’s top floor. The Community Centre itself is located off Coniston Road, along the 75 bus route going to and from Cribbs Causeway.

The building has new rooms which private hirers and community groups can use for meetings and activities. The centre also offers catering for business meetings through its cafe facilities, and has a range of electronic equipment which hirers can use. During the Open Day, various groups came together to showcase what goes on at Coniston

P

Coniston Community Centre, Coniston Road, Patchway

Community Centre – there were arts and crafts groups, a young people’s activity organiser as well as an NHS ‘quit smoking’ representative. The centre is a lively place full of activity and is supported largely by volunteers.

The chef at the cafe, Lee Hider, told me about the new menu

with the fresh soups and salads that are prepared daily, as well as paninis, breakfast options and more. He said that the cafe “has incredible volunteers although we could always do with more”.

He wanted to encourage people in the local community to come and talk to him about meal ideas for children, healthy recipes that are fun and easy to cook, as well as tips on getting kids to eat better. Lee said that he uses ingredients that are as organic and free-range as possible, supplied by local suppliers Tooty Fruity Direct. The youth activities run in the cafe allow kids aged 8 upwards to try their hand at cooking a meal with supervision, and the popular theme nights at the cafe are a sell-out, although the centre staff want to encourage more people to come and see what is on offer as there are always spaces available to

get involved with community activities.

Win Williams, the Centre Manager, showed us around the light and airy rooms, and we witnessed a Tai Chi taster session which was light-hearted and fun.

Coniston Community Centre also has a pre-school facility, rooms used for physiotherapy, and activities for young people aged 8-12; it will be running summer play schemes from 29th July.

For more information on activities or rooms, readers can visit www. conistoncommunitycentre.org. uk or call 0117 9236878.

Activities at Brooks Cafe Monday: Craft Club (knitting, sewing, crochet) 10-11.30am Tuesday: Breakfast Club with a bargain menu, 8.301am Wednesday: Breastfeeding Group providing support for mothers, 12.30-1pm Thursday: Story Box for under fives, 10am & Food Coop (buying together for food at wholesale prices), 12-3.30pm Friday: Drop In Job Club with job-hunting support, 1.30-3.30pm & Restaurant Night (last Friday of the month, 3-course meal for £8 with your own bottle of wine), from 6.30pm with booking recommended.

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23

Advertising feature

Ocean voted ‘best in the South West’ for lettings

O

n Friday 24th May, Ocean attended the Lettings Agency of the Year awards at Lancaster Hotel, London, and are pleased to announce that they were voted The Times and Sunday Times Medium Lettings Agent of the Year in Bristol and the South West.

The judges stated: “There is a thriving lettings industry in Bristol and competition among the local agents is strong but it is the agent that responds to its clients’ needs in the most innovative ways that comes out on top”.

The application process was via a very detailed entry form and a subsequent telephone interview. Ocean were then mystery-shopped and

judged by an independent panel of industry experts, including Christopher Haymer of the Property Ombudsmen team and Mark Hayward, chairman of the National Federation of Property Professionals.

The competition was fierce and Ocean were finally shortlisted against 13 other candidates in their category. It was obvious to the judges that there was a passion for the business at Ocean and its proposition was “in a different class”.

The judges then went on to say that Ocean are full of clever ideas, also ensuring they are active across all social media, keeping their blog up to date, making an app available to clients, and also

Staff at Ocean letting and Management

producing an in-house magazine.

In addition to this, Ocean also clinched a bronze award in the national customer service category. This is a huge achievement given the competition they were up against.

With the customer satisfaction rate sitting at 95%, the judges agreed they are “definitely an agent that has not lost sight of good customer service”.

Scott Hudson, one of the Directors of Ocean Letting & Management, said: “The awards

Ocean have won are a fantastic reflection of the hard work that everyone has put in and is a glowing tribute to the whole lettings team.”

“The awards are a massive achievement for Ocean as a company and will enable us to continue to grow and develop.”

“It will not stop here, we will continue to develop the service we provide to our customers further, ensuring we are always striving to do our best in everything we do.”

Best in the South West?

You be the judge Naturally, we’re delighted that Ocean has recently been named “Best Medium Sized EstateAgency” in the South West by a distinguished panel of independent experts.

But there’s someone else whose opinion matters even more to us. You. Since we started selling homes in Bristol 30 years ago, making our clients happy has always been our highest priority. And you can rest assured that winning one of our industry’s most prestigious awards won’t change that.

When you’re ready to judge for yourself what gives us the edge over other estate agents, we’d love to hear from you.

ocean

R O

01454 205070 oceanhome.co.uk

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July 2013

Bradley Stoke Beat Team PC Steven Palmer reports Bradley Stoke Festival The event took place on 8-9th June, at the Jubilee Centre. Some of the local policing team were patrolling there with a Community Police station and were able to advise on security issues around sheds.

On the Sunday we were assisting with traffic flow at the morning Sole Sisters fun run, and afternoon charity bed race around the Baileys Court area. The weather held out for a great weekend. This event was crime free, but local police advise those attending such events to please keep an eye on their valuable items and their children. Looking for lost ones does take up police resources.

Safer Community Group meetings No Policing priorities were raised in February, and again none were raised on 13th May for the next three months. The next meeting is on 15th August 2013 at Brook Way Community Centre, between 7-9pm, any members of the public are welcome to attend to raise issues with local Councillors, Council agencies and neighbourhood police, etc.

CRIME – Domestic burglaries The local policing team supported by response teams have been patrolling the town and working to continue to reduce crime in two key areas, that of domestic burglaries and thefts from motor vehicles.

Up until the end of May this year, there have been twelve dwelling burglaries, which includes a small spate at the start of the year. Since making some arrests this has dropped off recently. Two of these offences have been in empty premises where boilers were taken. Four of these were Asian victims where gold jewellery was targeted. We are looking to fit CCTV cameras to houses which are likely to

be repeat victims to identify offenders should they return. A new Neighbourhood Watch scheme has started in one of the streets which has been targeted to help reduce further incidents. We will always support anyone wanting to start a new scheme which will help reduce crime, please contact Bridget Whittle via the force webpage or any member of the Bradley Stoke team if you are interested in this.

Two new ‘no cold calling’ zones created in north Bradley Stoke In addition to this, Kirsty McKillop has created two new ‘NO Cold calling zones’ in the town at Woodlands Park Caravan site and the Oaktree Crescent/Stanshawes Close areas. So if any unsolicited callers attend they can be reported and their companies fined. This gives peace of mind to people who are vulnerable by age or from

being repeat victims of burglaries. There are currently four of these areas, Kirsty is looking to create more. Do not be forced into buying products at your door you don’t want. If you have issues with pushy sales people, close the door and call the police at the time on 101.

CRIME - Theft from motor vehicles There has been 27 offences in the first five months of the year in the town. Seven of these have been at the Willow Brook Centre.

Drivers are reminded to please clear any valuables from clear sight, before leaving their vehicles, and to please lock them too.

Sat Nav’s seem to be the most popular item, along with tools in works vans. However laptops and ipods are as ever in the list. The local team continue to use the vulnerable vehicle scheme and will send letters to the owners if valuables are found on view, if the owners are not spoken to at the time.

CRIME - Theft of pedal cycles There continues to be a high number of cycles being stolen all around Filton Sector, and in week commencing 17th June, all neighbourhood policing teams were targeting insecure cycles and tagging them with security advice labels. Areas such as Colleges and schools are the most likely targetted areas for thieves, but areas around local shops are also common place. Owners of cycles should fit quality D locks or similar items to secure their property and are advised to spend around 10% or more of the bike’s value towards security features.

Bradley Stoke remains as the second lowest beat area for crime in South Gloucestershire and is a very safe place to live, but everyone needs to remain vigilant and not be complacent about crime to keep it that way.

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

July 2013

t: 01454 300 400

info@bradleystokejournal.co.uk

25

Sport

Rugby club seeking stars of the future

N

orthwood Park on Trench Lane is home to St. Mary’s Old Boys (SMOB) RFC, Bradley Stoke’s local rugby club. Established for over 100 years, the club has every child age group up to under 17s, a girls’ team, ladies’ team and three senior men’s teams.

SMOB is proud to have produced international, professional and regional level child players. A recent example is Callum Braley, England U20 player and Bristol Rugby scrum half who inspired England’s thrilling comeback to clinch the IRB Junior World Championship last month. Callum started playing rugby at the age of 5 years at St Mary’s Old Boys and finished with the U16s only two years ago.

The minis section has players from five to twelve years old; each age group is led by their own CRB approved head coach

and assistants. Training up to 3.5 hours per week and playing in 17 or more local matches plus cup matches and rugby festivals, the club specialises in non contact tag and early years contact rugby, teaching respect, enjoyment, discipline, teamwork and sportsmanship to all players.

If you watched the demonstrations at the recent Bradley Stoke Festival or visited the club’s stand you will have

witnessed the passion and enthusiasm for the sport from players, parents and coaches alike, with some being ex-club players. Quotes from the players include “I like scoring tries”, “It’s fun to play in a team with my friends” and “Training is brilliant and our coaches make it lots of fun”.

Having a modern clubhouse bar, families are able to socialise

UWE Stadium construction set to start in September

Fitness Focus with Craig Rimmer Five best strategies to increase fat burn when training.

Lose fat fast by increasing your body’s use of fat for energy during workouts. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when trying to lose fat is to not take advantage of simple strategies that shift the body into fat burning mode.

1) Do high-intensity strength training with short rest periods Burn your fat by strength training and using compound movements. Perform moderate load strength training with short rest periods to achieve an optimal fat burning payoff.

2) Eat a low-glycemic meal before your workout Eating slow-digesting protein to produce a moderate increase in blood sugar will increase rate of fat burning by as much as 10 percent compared to a high-glycemic meal.

3) Avoid fructose prior to exercise Studies show that eating or drinking fructose before intense workouts will “tell” the body to burn carbohydrates rather than fat. Fructose also makes the cells more resistant to insulin, which is the opposite of what you want to happen for muscle development.

4) Take carnitine & fish oil pre-workout Take fish oil with carnitine to increase fat burning, while sparing glycogen for greater work capacity. Fish oil increases flood flow and insulin sensitivity. By combining fish oil with carnitine, you increase the transport of fat into the cells to be used for energy. The effect is a significant increase in fat burning.

5) Use caffeine to enhance fat burning Caffeine, either from green tea, coffee, or straight caffeine capsules, is a wellknown and safe fat burner available.

after training and games, as well as participate in a number of social and fundraising events such as the end of season dinner dance, players’ award ceremonies and Christmas parties.

Each year, a tour is organised to the coast; players and their families meet for a fancy dress walk, attend the renowned Kangaroo Court and play against the local teams.

Heading into the new school year and rugby season, St. Mary’s Old Boys RFC is commencing a number of initiatives to welcome future mini rugby stars and children who want to have fun, keep fit and make new friends.

Look out for green & black in the local community or use the contact details below to find out more about us and to speak to one of our inspirational coaches.

For more information, visit www.smobrugby.co.uk or follow @smobminis on Twitter.

Caffeine encourages the fat in your cells to leave so that it can be burned for fuel, and provides a superior dose of naturally occurring antioxidants that can improve recovery after a hard workout.

Craig Rimmer is a Personal Trainer from Filton who works at Anytime Fitness Bradley Stoke. t: 07841 712955 e: info@theptacademy.com w: www.theptacademy.com

Construction work on Bristol Rovers’ planned new 21,700-seater stadium in Stoke Gifford looks likely to finally get under way in September following the signing of an agreement relating to the future of the club’s present ground in Horfield.

The club recently announced that all parties have now signed the Section 106 agreement for the redevelopment of the Memorial Stadium site, where a new Sainsbury’s superstore will be built.

Once the Section 106 agreement has been ‘sealed’ by Bristol City Council, a three month judicial review period will begin, after which the club will be free to complete the sale of the Memorial Stadium site to Sainsbury’s.

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

26

www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk

t: 01454 300 400

July 2013

Competitions

Prize puzzle: Win a £50 Boots voucher Enter our free prize puzzle to win a £50 Boots voucher, kindly provided by the Willow Brook Centre in Bradley Stoke.

Your task is to find as many Bradley Stoke road names as you can in the wordsearch grid.

For roads that end in these common words: Avenue, Close, Crescent, Drive, Gate, Grove, Leaze, Mead, Place, Road, Walk or Way, only the first part of the road name is used.

For example, for Bradley Stoke Way, you would need to find Bradley Stoke only.

For road names that begin with The, look for the second part of the name only. For example, for The Park you would need to find Park.

Some letters appear in more than one road name.

To enter, send us the list of road names you have found by the closing date of 24th July 2013 - by email or post.

H O N E

Y

S U C

K L

E

P

J

U A

C

S

T R

E B

L

A

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I

H O X E N N R O H S

E

L

A H H

A

R O S S

M E

E

R E

V A R

T U A M M E

S

E G J

U N I

I

S

L R

P

E

R D I

P

A D P A R K H N H R

R

P

S D

S

Y

R R M N Y G A C

S

S

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L G

S

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E O E

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U N

L E

U

A H E

E S

R D E

A R

O A E

L O V

E

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R E D

E

O R R

E N O O A D R N K

N

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T E

A

S H P O P A M I O F

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T G

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O S G A N P

L

R K N

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E O D

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E K O T S

Y

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R M P P W R S M E

F

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A E W Y R R

E M N B

Entries to: 83 Snowberry Close, Bradley Stoke, BS32 8GB OR competitions@bradleystokejournal.co.uk

JRT Computing Ltd

WillowBrookCentre WillowBrookCentre.co.uk The prize will be awarded to the entrant finding the most names.

In the event of a tie, a draw will be made to determine the winner.

The winner will be announced on our website and in the August edition of the magazine.

The editor’s decision is final.

Anytime Fitness competition winner

PC / Laptop running slow?

Do you have a virus?

Are you looking for IT support?

Call 01454 610 516

www.jrtcomputing.co.uk

Leanne (right) receives her prize from Stephanie Bishop, Club Manager at the Anytime Fitness gym in Bradley Stoke

The Journal is pleased to announce that Leanne Robinson was the lucky winner of our exclusive prize draw to win a year’s free membership at the Anytime Fitness gym in Bradley Stoke.

Leanne’s entry was drawn out of the hat by Scott Lahive,

manager of the Willow Brook Centre, where the local Anytime Fitness gym is based.

Leanne, who lives in Fishponds, entered the competition after hearing about it through her dad, who received the BSJ magazine at his Bradley Stoke home.

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

July 2013

t: 01454 300 400

info@bradleystokejournal.co.uk

27

Advertising feature: Jobs

UK jobs market blooms in record spring Figures released for May 2013 show that there were 8% more opportunities on offer in May than in April. Annually, the growth in new positions stands at over 17% with the Reed Job Index achieving 165 points in May, the highest yet.

For further information, please contact our office on: 01454 275600 or to download a free copy of the latest Reed Job Index which includes regional data go to: www.reed.co.uk/jobindex

Job demand

Each month the Reed Job Index tracks the number of new job opportunities and the salaries on offer compared to the previous month and against a baseline of 100 set in December 2009. The Reed Job Index is based on data from the UK’s largest job board, reed.co.uk, which every day lists over 100,000 job opportunities from 10,000 recruiters across 37 career sectors throughout the UK.

Overall demand for staff grew in over 90% of the UK’s employment sectors in May, with a thirteen point rise across the UK compared to April, with one in four sectors making over 10% more job opportunities available. The index now stands at 165, 17% higher than May 2012 and 21% higher than the 2012 average.

Among the sectors enjoying the most notable growth were the education and health and medicine professions, both experiencing annual growth of around 60%. The training sector proved the biggest monthly riser, up by 26% compared with April.

Salaries

Overall, the Reed Salary Index now stands at 98, compared with 99 last month, meaning remuneration is at the same level it was this time last year.

Regions

On average, there are 8% more positions on offer in every UK region compared with last month, with the number of new opportunities available in the capital up 14% year on year.

About the Reed Job Index

The Reed Job Index is compiled by data drawn from online job vacancies and jobseeker activity on reed.co.uk. reed.co.uk is the UK’s largest commercial job board, with over 100,000 job opportunities from more than 10,000 recruiters at any one time. reed.co.uk is part of Reed Global, the international recruitment group of companies

Looking for a job in Bradley Stoke?

For all the latest vacancies, visit: www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk/jobs Follow @NthBristolJobs on Twitter

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

28

www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk

t: 01454 300 400

July 2013

What’s On Top tribute acts to feature at ‘Fake Festival’

This month’s special events in Bradley Stoke

A Fake Festival is a fabulous opportunity for families and local communities to enjoy a fun packed music day out together, meeting up with friends and listening to some great live bands. The tribute bands that perform at a Festival are chosen specifically to cover a wide range of age groups, so there is something for everyone to enjoy ... and on Saturday 24th August, one will take place in Keynsham (between Bristol and Bath).

Organiser Pete Marsh explains how he got involved: “I’ve been putting on gigs at Bristol venues for some time and am always looking for new opportunities to bring a range of live music to as many people as possible: holding a Fake Festival at Keynsham seemed the perfect idea.”

“The event will feature tributes to Oasis, U2 and Red

Highlights in July include the Willow Brook Centre’s ‘Popstars in the Square’ event on Friday 12th July and the Bradley Stoke Community Singers’ first concert at Bradley Stoke Community School on Tuesday 16th July.

The Popstars event, organised

by Southsound Radio, features

Hot Chilli Peppers plus five local support bands.”

“The main action takes place inside the Fake Festivals purpose-built performance marquee while outside is the ‘Entertainment Zone’, a large fenced area for entertainment stands to keep kids and festival goers amused plus the allimportant food stands that are essential for keeping the audience fed in true festival style.”

The Festival will be held at Keynsham RUFC; doors open at 12.30pm with music starting at 1pm. A free drink is on offer to all those arriving before 2pm.

For ticket information, see the advert below or visit www. fakefestivals.co.uk/festivaldetails.html?festival_id=114 Book before 25th July to secure early bird prices of £15 (adult), £8 (10-17 years) or £38 (family).

Britain’s Got Talent runner-up Ronan Parke and is a warm-up event for the Southmead Festival.

Another date for the diary is Tuesday 30th July, when the Willow Brook Centre stages ‘Animal Magic’, with tarantulas, lizards, skunks, frogs, parrots and mongooses all on show.

Inside marquee, Licensed bar & food

KEYNSHAM

16th JULY Starts at 7.00 in The main hall Bradley Stoke Community School Tickets available from BSCS Reception £4 Adults and £2 Under 18s & OAPs

3 top UK tributes:

oasis TRIBUTE: OASISH TRIBUTE:

– | 5 local support bands:

SIR PAUL, MARMALADE SKY, THE SEX BRISTOLS LOADED MADCHESTER, TAFIJAH ALLSTARS

SAT 24 AUG

12.3011.45PM  KEYNSHAM RUFC, BRISTOL ROAD BOX OFFICE: 0800 652 2852 www.fakefestivals.co.uk

ADULT (18+) £20.00 • YOUNG (10-17) £10.00 • CHILD (0-9) FREE • DOOR £25.00 (YOUNG £15.00) LOCAL TICKET OUTLET: BRISTOL TICKET SHOP, 26 UNION STREET, BRISTOL, BS21 2DP

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

July 2013

t: 01454 300 400

info@bradleystokejournal.co.uk

29

What’s On Sunday 7th July 7am - 5pm: Car Boot Sale (Trench Lane). One of the west’s largest car boot sales.

Summer Sundays (May-Sep) 7am5pm. Charge for sellers: Car £7; Van £10. Charge for buyers: Car: £1; Pedestrian: 50p. More info: http://bit.ly/dymNI0 [Further sales on 14th, 21st & 28th July] 9.30am: SCC Long Distance Cycle Ride. A long ride to Chew Valley Lake, with a picnic by the lake. About 50 miles. Meet at the Leisure Centre. More info: http://bit.ly/bsj-scc [Further rides on 13th, 14th, 17th, 21st, 27th, 28th & 31st July] 10.30am: Severnside Ramblers’ Walk: Tortworth & Countryside. Pleasant local countryside walk with nice views.

Visiting Tortworth lake (possible refreshments) and Tortworth Chestnut. No big climbs. A walk of about 10 miles. Meet in the Aldi car park – a car-sharing scheme is operated. More info: http:// bit.ly/bq1Hxd [Further walks on 12th, 13th, 14th, 18th, 21st, 26th, & 28th July]

Monday 8th July 6.30pm: Bradley Stoke Small Business Forum Meeting at the Aztec Hotel. We meet once a month to network, share skills and information, discuss a range of business related topics and support each other. New members and visitors are always welcome. More info: http:// www.bssbf.co.uk/

Tuesday 9th July 7pm: Southern Brooks Area Forum at Shield Road Primary School, Filton. Members of the public, local organisations, Parish & Town Councils are invited to attend their local area forum to help shape and influence decisions made by the Council that affect them. Local ward Councillors for the area will also be present along with Council Officers. There will also be an opportunity for members of the public to ask any questions of Councillors present on any matter in the area. Agenda: http:// bit.ly/11E8HSF

7.30pm: Willow Brook Townswomen’s Guild meets at the Jubilee Centre. Make new friends, get to know our area and get involved in local events and activities. We have interesting speakers, demonstrations, outings, arts and crafts and much, much more.

This month: This month: Quiz, bingo and pudding night. More info: 01454 617645; http://bit. ly/17LsCDQ

Wednesday 10th July 2pm: Bradley Stoke Women’s Institute (WI). A forward thinking, diverse and vibrant organisation that enables women to be listened to and act upon our concerns. We are always pleased to welcome visitors at our meetings, so please come along and see us – it might be just what you are looking for! This month: “More Living with the Boss” by Mrs Adams. More info: Innes Cole 0117 904 1940 7.30pm: BSTC Full Council Meeting at the Jubilee Centre.

The press and public are welcome to attend. Come along and have your say during the 15 minute public session at the start of the meeting. Agenda: http://bit. ly/8y63mM 7.30pm: South Gloucestershire Environment Forum at the Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre.

Protecting and enhancing the environment for future generations. Consultation on “A Forgotten Landscape: Restoring the Heritage of the Lower Severn Vale Levels”. More info: http:// bit.ly/120QkDW

Friday 12th July 7pm-9pm: Popstars on the Square at the Willow Brook Centre. Entertainment in the Town Square, courtesy of Southsound Radio. Featuring Britain’s Got Talent runner-up Ronan Parke, Ben Woodland and Jack Maynard. More info: http:// bit.ly/11ssZcZ 7pm-9pm: Madagascan Mix at Church of Christ the King.

Charity fundraiser involving music and small skits, to raise money for Madagascan orphans.

Tickets £5 adults, £11 for family.

More info: http://bit.ly/11PeZeR

Saturday 13th July 11am-2pm: Summer Fair at Baileys Court Primary School.

BBQ; teacher stocks; tea/coffee/ cakes; raffle, tombola; stalls; talent show. Entry £1 for adults; children free. More info: http:// bit.ly/iUEUWv

Tuesday 16th July 6pm: South Gloucestershire Cycle Forum at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre. We’d like you to be involved in increasing the level of cycling in South Gloucestershire. Why not participate through the cycle forums? Each forum meeting has a session devoted to promotion issues and a session for technical issues - for example cycle lanes, cycle tracks etc. More info: http://bit.ly/ Tb3IDZ 7pm: Bradley Stoke Community Singers Concert at Bradley Stoke Community School. Tickets available from BSCS reception. Refreshments available. Raffle. Adults £4; Under-18s and OAPs £2.

Tuesday 23rd July 2pm-4pm: Volunteering Drop-in Session at Bradley Stoke Library. Interested in volunteering? Then why not pop in for an informal chat with a volunteer advisor? More info: http://bit.ly/u8CsVN

Friday 26th July 9am-2pm: Bradley Stoke Farmers’ Market at the Willow Brook Centre. Producers from the surrounding countryside bringing a wide selection of locally grown/produced wares.

More info: http://bit.ly/aZSWPA 1.15pm - 7.15pm: Blood Donation Sessions at the Jubilee Centre.

Give blood – please don’t leave it to someone else. More info: http:// www.blood.co.uk/

Tuesday 30th July 10am-3pm: Animal Magic at the Willow Brook Centre.

Stephen Rowlands, animal expert and regular on the Alan

Titchmarsh TV show will be bringing along some of his favourite friends including tarantulas, lizards, skunks, frogs, parrots mongooses and many more. More info: http://bit.ly/ THvUfr

Thursday 1st August 10.30am-12.30pm: Creepy Creations Workshops at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre.

Junk modelling workshop for school-aged children. Children must be accompanied by an adult as tools will be used to sculpt wood and plastic. More info: http://bit.ly/X2LpPJ

Saturday 3rd August 10am-12pm: BSTC Councillor Surgery at the Willow Brook Centre. A chance for residents to speak with their councillors.

More info: http://bit.ly/ZDe5We 10am - 4pm: Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group Workday. Our annual haycut in Webbs Wood meadow. All workdays start at 10am and finish at 4pm, but you are welcome to leave earlier if needed. Wear old clothes and stout boots and bring a packed lunch. We provide all the equipment needed plus the essential tea, coffee and biscuits!

More info: http://bit.ly/bOxe9s Find details of more Bradley Stoke events on the What’s On page of the Bradley Stoke Journal website: http://bit.ly/ bsj-whatson If you have an event you would like us to publicise, please email details (including start/end time, location and contact for further info) to events@bradleystokejournal. co.uk Space limitations may mean that we can’t include your event on this page but we will always try to find space for it on our website.

Follow @TheBSJournal on Twitter to receive daily reminders of events in Bradley Stoke.

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

30

July 2013

www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk

Bradley Stoke Business Directory Advertise here for just £20 per month (when you sign up for three issues).

Price includes a free listing in our online directory at: www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk/town-guide Contact us now on 01454 300 400 to book your space BEAUTY SERVICES

CAKE MAKERS & DECORATORS

CARPENTERS & JOINERS

Sweet Tracey Cakes Stoke Gifford - Bristol

Wedding Cakes, Cake Pops, Cupcakes and all types of Celebration cakes, all beautifully handmade to order. www.sweettraceycakes.co.uk Contact Tracey on: 07821 436907 Email : sweettraceycakes@yahoo.co.uk LAUNDERETTES

Wash Shop Plus 11 The Parade, Patchway, Bristol BS34 5LP Tel : 0117 947 0284 www. patchwaylaunderette.co.uk Self service & service wash launderette Dry cleaning, Ironing service Tailor repairs & alterations Duvets & bedding washed Opening hours: Mon to Fri 10am to 4.30pm Saturday 10am to 1pm (last service 1 hour before closing time)

CARE SERVICES

BROADCARE For all your home care and support services within Bristol & S Glos areas: • Domestic cleaning, spring cleans • Gardening services • Home care (support and care for you or your relatives).

CRB/DBS checked & Insured Contact: Hilary Broad for an informal discussion of your requirements . tel: 01454 619554 / 07876 666458 or email: hilaryb66@btinternet.com

CARPET CLEANING

Jim Reid Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning

• LEATHER SUITES CLEANED • ORIENTAL RUGS CLEANED

Telephone: 01454 615349 Mobile: 07836 377697

Vacancy Part-Time Sales Consultant We’re looking for a salaried part-time sales consultant to sell advertising space. Initially, you will work 10 hours per week (mornings preferred), but there will be scope to increase this later in the year. You will work from home, using your own phone and computer. Excellent computer skills are essential for this role. Interested? Please phone the editor on 01454 300 400 for an initial chat.

email: jobs@bradleystokejournal.co.uk To advertise in this magazine or on our websites, phone The Journal’s sales team on 01454 300 400

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