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News Councillor Column
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Northavon Carpentry
Art group gives ‘God of the Three Brooks’ a face
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the bells and whistles that I would hope can be somehow winter-proofed and can remain open to give an opportunity for recycling to be amassed outside of the regular collections. As I said before, South Gloucestershire is performing very well when it comes to recycling, and it is again very much down to our residents for backing our initiatives and adopting a high environmental sensitivity for this success. But it is never a good idea to rest on your laurels and we, as local councillors, are always looking to find ways to make life easier for residents and businesses. Having a new larger centre would mean more people are able to use it at any given time. Cllr Sarah Pomfret South Gloucestershire councillor for Bradley Stoke Central & Stoke Lodge ward
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March 2019
News
On recycling rates and a new Sort It centre pring does look like it is upon us, with temperatures even nudging into the double figures, but it was only a few weeks ago when South Gloucestershire was under a blanket of snow. Not quite the ‘Beast from the East’ we saw in 2018, but enough to have caused disruption, on our roads, to our schools and with the services run by the Council – most notably waste and recycling collection. The past few years have been great in South Gloucestershire in terms of recycling, with levels at an all-time high, weekly collections and reductions in the green bin charge. Our residents have been very supportive of all these changes and having them on board has really made a difference! Sadly, this didn’t help when collections couldn’t run, but it is worth noting that South Gloucestershire missed considerably fewer collections than any of our neighbouring local authorities. I, and other local councillors, pressed the council staff to make every effort to make sure we caught up. I am delighted that this month, we are launching a campaign for a new ‘bigger and better’ Sort It centre (see page 3) that would serve the Bradley Stoke community as well as our neighbours in Patchway, Charlton Hayes and Stoke Gifford – a site with all
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chance encounter between Susan Hartry of the Stokes Art Group (SAG) and Sara Messenger of the Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group (TBNCG) last spring sparked an idea for an art project. Sara explained that just as the River Severn has Sabrina Goddess of the River, the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve has a God called Trolletheus – named after two rusted and battered supermarket trolleys she and the TBNCG Team had dredged from the lake some time earlier. Susan picked up on this and suggested giving Trolletheus a face as a SAG project competition later in the year. Sara liked the idea and even agreed to judge it with adoption papers at the ready! Both passionate about their respective groups, they soon realised they greatly complimented each other. After all, conservationists maintain our landscape and for centuries artists have enjoyed painting it! The competition brief was split into two categories – one to create an image for Trolletheus and the second to create a landscape from any scene or feature from the reserve. The resulting unsigned collection was displayed at the Stokes Art Group end of year awards event, where Sara and fellow conservationist Ceri selected their favourite artwork from each category. Sara was thrilled that finally Trolletheus had a ‘face’ - though the look of surprise on her own face when she announced the artist was Susan Hartry was also worthy of a prize! Inspired by features of the reserve itself Susan’s Trolletheus, armoured with two supermarket trolleys, is based on the Turkey Oaks of Sherbourne’s Brake. The winning landscape by Stokes Artist Sue Kelly, taken from her own photograph, represents a typical Three Brooks woodland scene familiar to those who go off the beaten track
and enjoy the diverse variety of trees, plants, wildflowers and undergrowth found right on our doorstep. The full collection can be viewed on the 2018 Project page of the SAG website. Susan is always keen to promote the Stokes Art Group – but also art itself. She said: “Too many people genuinely believe they can’t do art so it is more a confidence issue rather than a lack of ability that stops them even trying. Art as a pastime suits all abilities, budgets, and in degrees the constraints of spare time. It has many facets and in any form is all absorbing so a great way to relax and de-stress and can easily fit in to our daily lives at home, on holiday, lunch time at work, in the park, on a walk, even on the Bus. Tutorial resources are also plentiful, from attending tutored classes to painting alongside like-minded people such as the SAG.” The SAG is a small self-funded art group for local artists and welcomes all abilities. For more information or to contact the SAG to book a free taster session, visit their website at http://bit. ly/stokesart Regular Journal contributor Sara of TBNCG said: “This ancient site, now called the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve, is right at the heart of the Stokes and offers residents beautiful green space for gentle walking, rambling, running, and so much more. For conservation group members, it gives the added benefit of working outdoors which is always good for the body and soul as a great way to exercise without thinking about it, as well as putting aside the stresses and strains of everyday life; meeting new people and making new friends. All at the same time as contributing something beneficial to the local area and community. In brief, making a difference and having the feel good factor.” ● Find out more about TBNCG at www.three-brooks.info
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