Bradley Stoke Journal, June 2019

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

June 2019 • Issue 72

SCHOOLS P13 | POLICE P26 | BUSINESS P27 | SPORT P30 | WHAT’S ON P35, P36 | DIRECTORY P38

BRADLEY STOKE COMMUNITY FESTIVAL 7th-9th JUNE

Vandalism at Manor Farm

Follow us on Twitter: @TheBSJournal

Programme: P20-21

Bradley Stoke in Bloom

PLUS , IN YOUR 40-PAGE BRADLEY STOKE MAGAZINE

Gipsy Patch Lane

P6-7

Road closure set to cause gridlock

Find us on Facebook: BradleyStokeJournal

P4-5

l Consultation on new traffic calming measures l Speeding offences hit new heights on by-pass l Best Front Garden competition launched l Nature conservation group report for May l New play equipment installed at Jubilee park l Local election results for Bradley Stoke l Petty party politics return to town council at AGM l Church’s community fridge proving a big hit l Meet the new mayor: Cllr Tom Aditya l Appeals issued after spate of woodland fires l Bradley Stoke Ladies end season on a high l Town council offers FREE graffiti removal service

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June 2019

t: 01454 300 400

92

www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk

5

2

Proposed 20mph zone

N.B. Map annotations are indicative only. Refer to the formal consultation documents for definitive information.

You can view further details about the proposals online at: www.southglos.gov.uk/consultation Or by scanning the QR code (left)

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

June 2019

t: 01454 300 400

info@bradleystokejournal.co.uk

News Consultation on extra traffic calming measures for Stoke Lane & Little Stoke Lane

S

outh Gloucestershire Council has opened a public consultation of a swathe of additional traffic calming measures that it is proposing to implement on two busy roads through Little Stoke and Stoke Lodge.

According to a ‘statement of reasons’ published as part of the consultation, the proposed scheme is intended to encourage walking and cycling to schools.

The council says that funding has been made available to install additional traffic calming measures on Stoke Lane and Little Stoke Lane. It also wants to introduce an extended 20mph zone covering the full length of Stoke Lane and the northern end of Little Stoke Lane, plus all associated side roads.

The scheme is intended to help reduce speeds and improve road safety, particularly for school children walking from Patchway Community School and the

following primary schools: Holy Family, St Chad’s, Stoke Lodge and Little Stoke.

The proposed additional traffic calming measures include speed tables, speed cushions, additional speed limit signing and road markings. A number of additional dropped-kerb pedestrian crossings will also be created.

The council says it intends to implement the proposals during the current financial year (2019/20), subject to comments received during the consultation and subsequent public advertisement of traffic regulation orders.

Anyone wishing to comment on the scheme should respond by 14th June by completing a questionnaire that is available on the council’s website.

If you don’t have access to the internet and wish to have paper copies of all the consultation documents and a questionnaire to complete, phone 01454 863958.

Existing traffic calming on Stoke Lane (top) and Little Stoke Lane (above)

Great value in the heart of the community

WillowBrookCentre Great shopping in the heart of the community willowbrookcentre.co.uk

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

3

4

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t: 01454 300 400

June 2019

News

Gipsy Patch Lane railway bridge closure set to create traffic hell

R

esidents across the Stokes are bracing themselves for weeks of severe traffic congestion resulting from the planned closure of a major commuter route through the area.

Gipsy Patch Lane is set to be closed to motorised vehicles at the railway bridge in Little Stoke for four weeks from Monday 3rd June to enable BT to divert its underground cables ahead of the bridge being replaced over a 12day period spanning Easter 2020.

The new, much wider, concrete bridge will accommodate four lanes of traffic (one bus lane and one general traffic lane in each direction), along with shared-use paths on both sides of the road.

The surface of the highway under the bridge will be lowered by 1.7m to allow taller vehicles, including double-decker buses, to pass through safely.

The June closure comes ahead of a further planned eight-month full road closure at the bridge starting in early 2020.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC), which is responsible for the Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Extension (CPME) scheme, of which the bridge replacement

Matrix display sign positioned on the approach to the bridge in late May

work forms a major part, originally said that the June closure would apply to “all highway users”. However, it was recently revealed that a route under the bridge for pedestrians and dismounted cyclists will be maintained during the closure.

Signs giving notice of the upcoming June road closure and advising motorists to “seek other routes” were put out in the week commencing 20th May. To avoid confusion, SGC says it will promote just a single signed

diversion route, using Bradley Stoke Way and the A38 (see map below). However, it is widely anticipated that motorists with local knowledge and those using satnav equipment will attempt to use other diversion routes, which is likely to lead to significantly increased congestion on some smaller local roads.

Local councillors have expressed concern about the potential impact of the road closure on local businesses situated on Gipsy Patch Lane

Diversion route for June 2019 Gipsy Patch Lane closure

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Gipsy Patch Lane

The only signed route shown on the diversion map is one to the north via Bradley Stoke Way and the A38. Why isn’t there a signed diversion route to the south, e.g. via Stoke Gifford By-Pass, A4174 & A38?

The council considers that the A38 and Bradley Stoke Way to be the most appropriate diversion route at this time. However other potential routes, such as the route to the south via the Stoke Gifford Transport Link, could be signed in the future during the CPME works.

Will vehicular access to/from Station Road (from/to Gipsy Patch Lane) be maintained?

We anticipate that vehicular access at the junction with Gipsy Patch Lane will be maintained

by BT during the June closure, albeit with temporary traffic management for a period. There will need to be restrictions during the bridge works and when further details are confirmed we will publicise information in advance.

Have you considered temporarily opening up bus lanes to general traffic, particularly the dedicated left turn off Bradley Stoke Way onto A38 southbound?

In order to minimise congestion it is important to encourage as many people as possible to travel sustainably, including by public transport. Opening bus lanes to general traffic would result in bus and MetroBus journey times being negatively affected, therefore going against the principle of encouraging their use.

In a change to the original announcement, pedestrians and cyclists will be able to pass under the bridge during the June closure. This could encourage large numbers of motorists to park on the east side of the bridge and then walk through. Are any steps being planned to address nuisance parking in residential areas?

SGC has been working closely with major local employers to encourage employees to travel to work sustainably, thereby reducing reliance on private cars and the need to park nearby.

In addition, increased parking enforcement patrols will be undertaken in the area during the June closure.

Wa y

A38

Your questions answered

Winterbourne Road

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News More about the work being done during the June closure When BT talks about diverting underground cables, what exactly does this entail?

BT will excavate a new trench alongside their existing underground cables. This trench will be at the correct depth below the future lower road surface. BT’s diversion work includes relocating chambers and ducting to the east and west of the bridge works outside the extent of the proposed carriageway position once the additional CPME works on Gipsy Patch Lane are completed. Once all the ducts and new chambers are in place, BT will then draw new cables through this new ducting to connect up their network. The redundant ducting, cables and access chambers can then be abandoned and removed during the highway works required during the eight month closure.

Why are the other utilities (gas, electric, water) not diverting their services during the June closure? When will these be done?

The individual programmes for all the remaining affected utilities have all been able to be accommodated within the main 8 month closure next year.

and Station Road. Addressing this issue, a statement on the SGC website says: “Access to properties and side roads along Gipsy Patch Lane will be maintained … Businesses and shops along and near Gipsy Patch Lane will be open as normal.”

For the latest information on the Gipsy Patch Lane road

closure and the CPME project more widely, visit SGC’s dedicated webpage at www. southglos.gov.uk/CPmetrobus The Stoke Gifford Journal also maintains a dedicated ‘MetroBus Extension Build’ webpage at http://bit.ly/cpme-build and will be posting live updates on its Facebook page.

Griffiths revealed as bridge contractor Readers who attended any of the public drop-in information sessions staged by SGC at local venues during May will know that Alun Griffiths Ltd is Network Rail’s appointed ‘detailed design and build’ contractor for the Gipsy Patch Lane railway bridge demolition and replacement.

Familiar locally through their work on the North Fringe to Hengrove MetroBus highways scheme in Bradley Stoke and the Stoke Gifford By-Pass,

representatives from the firm’s railway division attended the drop-ins and presented an informative video illustrating the construction process that will be used at Gipsy Patch Lane. The video is also available to view on SGC’s dedicated CPME webpage.

Alun Griffiths Ltd is expected to set up its site compound on land adjacent to the bridge, within the Horizon 38 development, in September, with works then commencing from October.

Still from the Alun Griffiths Ltd video showing the bridge construction process

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June 2019

News

Dismay at Manor Farm Roundabout vandalism

By Sara Messenger of Bradley Stoke in Bloom (BSiB)

W

ell, what a month! We have done some work in places other than the Manor Farm Roundabout.

Not much, but some. We did some overtime and have given the community herb garden a replant. These are the large wooden planters outside Brook Way Activity Centre. Just for fun, we’ve added a few vegetables to one, for some colour. We have beetroot, chard and lettuce, and for the children, strawberries. For those with more sophisticated palates, you can choose anything from the spicy curry plants and wild garlic, to borage, fennel and rosemary. Or maybe parsley, basil, chives or thyme are more to your taste. Whichever you prefer you are welcome to come and snip off any that you fancy.

In another bit of overtime, we have managed to repair the bench at The Common East and on one sunny Sunday morning it was also repainted. Apart from the non-stop birdsong, it was amazingly quiet, until I found a dog to fuss and someone to talk to that is. Our new decoy ducks are still nameless, but Wheatfield School is intending to rectify that soon and will be running a competition to choose their new names, which we’re looking forward to. We might even be able to come up with a prize for the lucky winner.

Usually in the spring we remove the decoy ducks so as not to upset the drake, but as we’ve not had a breeding pair take up residence this year, we have left them where they are. This pond

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BSiB volunteers and friends welcome Debbie and Peppa back to Manor Farm

no longer has any fish, but it does have some very large tadpoles. I suspect they are thriving as, apart from a dragon fly larvae or two, they have no predators here.

We have, in agreement with SGC, been keeping an eye on their Brook Way wild flower strips, and gave our new recruit Kelly the task of pulling out the oilseed rape plants. This may not have been a good idea, as I think some of them were almost as tall as she is! We also discovered that the thistles I often admired were in fact not thistles but something else (not that I know what – it took me long enough to remember ‘brown side down, green side up’!). But I did remember the three birthdays we have this month in the group, Pepi, Jenny and Stevie. They couldn’t all make it this month so we had plenty of cake to work off in the afternoon.

And then there was the Manor Farm roundabout… We were so disappointed when we learned that Debbie the toy heifer, along with her new piggy friend Peppa, were gone. However, we received the bad news within just a few minutes of their disappearance, followed by photographs of the ‘cattle rustlers’ and reports of where they had been that evening.

In the morning, I’m not sure which woke them first, the loud thumping in their heads or the even louder clamouring on social media of a community outraged at the theft of ‘their Debbie’ and her companion Peppa. A few hours later, Debbie and Peppa’s unwanted adventure came to an end, when they were returned to the roundabout by an apologetic pair of adults. The pig had suffered some damage (her leg was left behind in the raid), and although we repaired her as best

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News Best Front Garden Competition 2019 Bradley Stoke in Bloom (BSiB) has opened entries for its annual Best Front Garden competition, now in its seventh year The competition has two categories: • Small garden (terraced or semi-detached house) • Large garden (detached house) Judging will take place in mid-July and the assessment categories are: ‘well kept frontage’, ‘quantity/quality of plants’, ‘outstanding character’ and ’well kept lawn, paths and driveway’.

Vandals struck again a week later, damaging Peppa beyond repair

we could, she still had a hole in her rump, which we covered with black tape. This looked a bit odd, so we decided to change her breed from a large white to a Gloucestershire Old Spot!

We returned them both to the roundabout and Debbie is now more securely attached to the gate. The experience taught me two things… ONE: I hadn’t realised until then how popular Debbie was. I know I smiled whenever I went past, but I wasn’t sure that it wasn’t just me!

And TWO: Bradley Stoke has a real community spirit, which cannot be broken by a single thoughtless act.

The company Cow & Gate heard the story and have sent us a couple of little toy cows. They are much too small to go out yet, so we’re going to wait until they’ve grown a bit.

Sadly, on the evening of

Saturday 18th May, the pig was again the target of vandals, and this time she was broken beyond repair. It seemed to be a busy night for vandals; two boys were seen destroying a bike outside the Brook Way Activity Centre; later on, glass bottles were heard being smashed at the Jubilee Centre play park and a wooden seat and bird boxes were also destroyed down by the Three Brooks lake. All the incidents have been reported to the police and it appears they are already investigating. I may have been called a ‘poor trusting fool’ for leaving Debbie on a roundabout, and maybe I am, but I’m also someone who now knows that she lives in a town that cares. ● How to contact BSiB… t: 07582 634107 e: bsib@hotmail.co.uk w: bradleystokeinbloom.com and on Facebook too!

Entry forms may be collected from the town council office at the Jubilee Centre.

They are also available to download from www.bradleystokeinbloom.com and the Bradley Stoke in Bloom page on Facebook. Alternatively, you can request one via email at bsib@hotmail.co.uk • Entries close on 12th July.

Sara Messenger of Bradley Stoke in Bloom says: “We hope this year to have many more entries, from both ‘old favourites’ and some ‘new faces’, so if you were busy gardening over the recent bank holiday weekend, why not pick up an entry form and let us come and admire your handiwork?”

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News

By-pass speeding offences hit new heights

P

olice mobile speed camera vans that pay regular visits to enforce the controversial 30mph limit on the Stoke Gifford By-Pass have detected the tenth highest number of offences across all speed camera sites in South Gloucestershire during the 2017 to 2018 financial year, the Journal can reveal.

And despite enforcement at the site being active only for the final six months of the year, it has detected the highest number of speeding offences across all mobile camera locations within the district.

The startling conclusions can be drawn from the response to a Freedom of Information request recently published by Avon and Somerset Police, which shows that 658 notices of intended prosecution were issued in relation to the Stoke Gifford site for offences detected over the period 21st September 2018

Yellow backing boards have been added to the speed limit signs (l-r: same location in September 2018 and May 2019)

(when enforcement commenced) to 31st March 2019.

Comparing this figure to the previously reported 307 offences recorded up to 22nd January 2019, the data also shows that the rate of detection accelerated significantly in the final two months of the financial year.

The news comes just as South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has complied with an obligation

to provide a formal response to a resident’s petition calling for the speed limit on the by-pass to be raised because “it has a speed limit that quite drastically does not match the engineering standard of the road”.

Alex Hosking’s petition ran on the SGC website from 22nd January 2019 to 23rd April 2019 and attracted 527 signatures.

Several Journal readers have commented that although the by-pass is a wide road, sweeping across open countryside for half-a-mile from its junction with Hambrook Lane to the A4174 Ring Road, it has a speed limit that is lower than the main road through densely populated parts of nearby Bradley Stoke.

Travelling south from Parkway North Roundabout (near Nuffield Health), the by-pass (officially named Rosedown Avenue) initially has a 40mph speed limit before changing to 30mph shortly before the traffic light-controlled junction with Hambrook Lane.

Between Hambrook Lane and the Oxleigh Way traffic lights (entrance to Highbrook Park) the road has the appearance of one which might be expected to have a higher speed limit of at least 40mph, save for the presence of street lighting columns.

Several readers who have been caught exceeding the speed limit have complained that the signage is inadequate, with just one set of signs at each end of the 30mph stretch. SGC has previously stated that legislation prevents it installing ‘repeater’ signs at intermediate locations.

It has however, recently added yellow backing boards to the existing signs (see photos above), bringing them in line with nearly all other speed limit signs on roads in the immediate vicinity.

Small ‘speed camera’ logo signs have also been added and there are plans to paint more 30mph ‘roundels’ on the road surface.

A further measure that the council has used to heighten

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News SGC’s response to the petition ‘Raise the speed limit on the Stoke Gifford By-Pass’, which attracted 529 signatures During the road design, it was established that existing site constraints meant that the vertical and horizontal alignment on the southern part of the by-pass fell below the desirable minimum for a road with a speed limit above 30mph, as specified in national standards. The 30mph speed limit was applied as a mitigation measure, which was envisaged to be an appropriate length as it was anticipated that the [housing] development on the southern part of the by-pass would have followed more closely than it has, thus naturally reducing traffic speeds.

This development will be accessed from Hambrook Lane and two new signalised junctions (one 4-arm crossroads and one 3-arm junction) on the by-pass between the Hambrook Lane junction and Oxleigh Way. Pedestrian/ cycle crossings on the by-pass are proposed at both new junctions in addition to those already present at Hambrook Lane and Oxleigh Way. Although there will be no frontage access from driveways onto the by-pass, the presence of four signalised junctions in a relatively short distance should make the character of the road feel more urban and traffic speeds should reduce. Works are expected to start on the new junctions this year.

You may be aware that the ‘30’ speed limit terminal signage on the by-pass has recently been upgraded by the addition of yellow backing boards. Speed camera logo signs have also been erected to inform road users of the possible presence of enforcement cameras. It is also proposed to lay ‘30’ markings on the road surface (known as ‘roundels’) at the southern end of the by-pass next to the speed limit terminal signs as an extra indication of the speed limit.

awareness of the 30mph limit is the occasional use of a vehicleactivated speed reminder sign.

Despite all the awareness and enforcement measures, some readers who have attempted to stick to the 30mph limit say they have experienced intimidatory tailgating or been subject to dangerous passing manoeuvres.

Reacting to the council’s response to his petition, Mr Hosking said: “If the speed limit is set correctly, you shouldn’t need yellow backing boards and speed camera logos. That just seems to be an admittance that there is

an issue. If the speed limit is set correctly, most drivers should naturally not feel comfortable exceeding that speed.”

“It still doesn’t really sound to me that the road is of a lower standard than many of the other 40mph limit urban roads in the district, especially like the road through Hambrook, where despite the 40mph speed limit, I’d be unlikely to go that fast.

It just feels too fast to go at the speed limit there most of the time, unless I intended to drive recklessly. That’s exactly how a speed limit should work.”

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June 2019

News

By Sara Messenger of the Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group

Pollution

On Wednesday 1st May, we received the unwelcome news that we had pollution in our brooks again, and it was again coming from Stoke Brook by Sherbourne’s Brake. Reg Ward kindly doubled back to get some photographs for us, as these are required as evidence, and it was reported to the Environment Agency. The oily pollution had travelled through Forty Acres (Stoke Gifford) and I believe they also reported the problem.

Although some areas still have oily patches, we think we have been lucky this time, as we haven’t found any signs of lasting damage,

Savages Wood paths

Unknown to us, our paths had, for some, become a bit of a campaign issue. We are well aware of the state of the paths

Members of the 1st Stoke Gifford Scout Group on a bat walk in the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve, Bradley Stoke

and have been lobbying the land owners (SGC) for many years for them to be improved; unfortunately their tree officers believed that a more solid path would have a negative impact on the tree roots and therefore the length of the trees’ lives.

Path making methods have improved over the years and we

were finally able to agree on a method which protects the tree roots while providing a path that does not resemble the Somme at its worst. In April 2018, we put together a grant application – which was unsuccessful, but after some tweaking, a second application was submitted in December 2018 which was

approved. We are very pleased to finally be able to announce that the Enovert Community Trust has given us a grant of £25,000 which will shortly be used to improve more than 500m of woodland paths at the northern end of the reserve in Savages Woods. The total project budget is £29,444, so the extra funding

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News

Nature conservation group report for May Continued from facing page

has come from a combination of match funding supplied from South Gloucestershire Council’s Member Awarded Funding (MAF) Streetcare budget, the Conservation Group’s own funding, which came from our small reserves, and £2,152 of further MAF funding from Cllr Brian Hopkinson.

The proposed project will see 550m surfaced path (stone to dust) link the northern and western paths. SGC will project manage the scheme, which we expect to start in the week commencing 17th June and we estimate that the contractor will be on site for up to three weeks.

Three SGC staff, myself and Rob Williams held a site meeting on Friday 24th May to look at the exact route through the woodland. Only a small part of the route has had to be changed as the gradients were felt to be too steep for wheelchairs, but otherwise we have stuck to the plan! If you’d like to see the route for yourselves just look for the painted arrows on the ground.

And I learned a new word: ‘epicormic’! This is when small shoots/leaves grow out from previously dormant buds on the side of a tree trunk, it’s usually only seen when the tree is under stress. Fortunately, we don’t seem to have too many of those.

The lakeside path is often very muddy, but Green Gym took the opportunity to use the bark chippings that were left over from

the lake island works and have spread those over the worst of the path. We are also intrigued, or maybe that should be confused, by the small central section of this path that was improved. We have no idea when this section will be completed. We would have preferred it to have been done in time for Bradley Stoke’s 10k race on 9th June, but in the absence of any communication we’re pegging our hopes on dry weather between now and then.

BSCS primary phase

Green Gym have again been clearing the school bank of bramble. Although a good habitat and food source, in good weather it can grow 3” a day, and it’s a never ending and tiresome task to try to keep the paths clear.

Clearing it from this area also allows more light into Savages Wood, which improves the undergrowth. We also cleared all the bramble from the primary school entrance and Andy Wright and I had a hugely enjoyable session with a class of very enthusiastic and knowledge pupils who came and planted wildflowers on the newly cleared bank. Each pupil was given a trowel and their own packet of seeds and a marker, and they set to work. Once finished, we had a lively discussion on the number of hearts that a worm has (seven) and the number of earwigs that can roll up (two) and I’m sure, much to their parents dismay, I introduced them to goose grass,

or, as I was solemnly informed: sticky weed! We are hoping that later in the year when the new hedging plants arrive they will return to help us plant them.

Bat walk

Another lively evening was had when we put on a bat walk just for the 1st Stoke Gifford Scouts. They learned about bats and I learned Scouts are louder than Girl Guides, but in a good way. With dusk still sometime away, we headed off into the woods, where our large fallen tree was our first stop. Having climbed all over it (but of course we’d completed our risk assessments) we then headed off for a stop at the pond to look for newts, then on to see the hedgelaying that we had done earlier in the year, before heading back into Savages Wood.

Here they found our second large fallen tree and kindly assessed its climbing potential for us (who

Pollution in Stoke Brook (again)

knew Scouts bounced?). Dusk was still refusing to grace us with her presence, so, after an inspection of the orchards and the old pump track, we called it a day and headed back. We may not have found many bats this time, but I think we found much fun and a very welcome donation to our tea fund.

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13

Schools

Schools’ career advice scheme set for expansion

W

est of England mayor Tim Bowles visited Stoke Gifford’s Abbeywood Community School on 20th May, where he took the opportunity to announce plans for the expansion of a scheme designed to inspire young people and make them better prepared for the world of work.

The Careers Hub initiative was launched by the West of England Combined Authority and Local Enterprise Partnership in September 2018, to initially work with 25 schools and colleges across the region.

Thanks to a successful start, the Hub has now been awarded a further £166,000 from the Careers & Enterprise Company, allowing it to work with all 70 mainstream schools and colleges across the West of England.

The schools and colleges will be supported to improve knowledge and understanding of career opportunities and experiences of the workplace for young people, allowing them to make more informed choices about their future careers.

Research has shown that young people who have regular, meaningful contact with employers while at school are more likely to find employment or pursue further education or training.

Regional mayor Tim Bowles said: “The Careers Hub is at the heart of my ambition for economic growth that benefits every resident. I want all our young people to realise their potential, by ensuring they know what the world of work can offer them, and that they have the right skills for our region’s employers.

“I’ve visited a number of the Hub schools and it’s fantastic to see how we’re nurturing and developing the raw talent of our region’s young people.”

Richard Bendry, associate senior leader at Abbeywood Community School, which became part of the Careers Hub in September 2018, said: “Careers education, information, advice and guidance has become a real focal point at Abbeywood.

West of England mayor Tim Bowles (fourth from right) on a visit to the Careers Hub at Abbeywood Community School

Since being supported by the Careers Hub, we have been able to improve careers provision for

our pupils. We have managed to do this with the support from our Enterprise Co-ordinator

and Enterprise Adviser, and by sharing best practice with other schools in the Careers Hub.”

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June 2019

Advertising

Dr Zena talks ‘smile styling’ Dr Zena from DentalCarePlus in Bradley Stoke tells us how straighter teeth can leave you smiling with confidence

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“At DentalCarePlus in Bradley Stoke we are introducing the latest in Invisalign treatments to patients seeking quicker treatment times and dentistry that is conservative.”

“We also have the added benefit of using one of the latest dental scanners to quickly scan and assess your teeth so that you no longer have to have big bulky moulds of your teeth taken.”

“We understand how selfconscious crooked, spaced, misaligned, crowded and discoloured teeth can make you feel and so our goal here at DentalCarePlus is to make your journey to your straighter, whiter and more confident smile as smooth and enjoyable as possible.”

Your ‘smile styling’ Dr Zena describes ‘smile styling’ as her way to get you to a more desirable smile. The key to smile styling for most adults is with the ABC approach: Aligning the teeth and straightening the social teeth which she describes as being the teeth that most adults are concerned with and wish to improve the appearance of being the most visible when smiling.

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Dr Zena feels this is the perfection phase of the shapes of the teeth and this is so much

“Join us for our summer open day on Thursday 18th July and have complimentary digital scans of your teeth showing you instant ‘before’ and ‘after’ smile simulations of your teeth as well as the latest smile view images.”

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Dr Zena of DentalCarePlus

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less invasive after the teeth are straightened – nearly always without needing any drilling injections.

“We have to always remember that every smile is unique. There’s no ‘one size fits all’ option when it comes to cosmetic dentistry.

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News

New play equipment installed at Jubilee park

B

radley Stoke Town Council (BSTC) says it has received “great reviews” from users of a new £16,000 suite of play equipment recently installed at the Beacon Play Area on the town’s Jubilee Green.

The new equipment, designed to offer physical challenges to young people from the ages of 3 up to teen ages, replaces items installed ten years ago that had become unsafe due to timber rot.

BSTC’s premises manager John Rendell told the Journal: “We are delighted with the fantastic new play challenge recently installed in the Beacon Play Area. It provides some much-needed play space for children and we have received great reviews from local users who regularly attend the site.”

‘Phase two’ of the upgrade is to install a community shelter which

parents can use in bad weather (whilst keeping an eye on their children using the play area). Mr Rendell says it is hoped that this will be installed “towards the end of July, in readiness for the busy summer months”.

He added: “This particular play area offers something different to the other more traditional play areas in the town and has always been extremely popular with local residents. It doesn’t have the more common metal swings, but it has a sand pit for the very young to enjoy, slides, a nest swing and a climbing net, along with the new play challenge.”

“We plan to continue to make improvements going forward to further enhance this popular play space for the benefit of all users.”

The play park is located on the green next to the Jubilee Centre, Savages Wood Road BS32 8HL.

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News South Glos Council, Bradley Stoke North ward Candidate Party Votes Sarah Lynn Pomfret Conservative Party 925 Franklin Owusu-Antwi Conservative Party 866 Jon Williams Liberal Democrats 503 David Michael Addison Labour Party 494 Fabrizio Fazzino Labour Party 485 Andy Ward Independent/Other 456 Ian Noel Joseph Liberal Democrats 343 Daniel John Elliott Independent/Other 297 South Glos Council, Bradley Stoke South ward Candidate Party Votes John Ashe Conservative Party 753 Roger Avenin Conservative Party 744 Kulwinder Singh Sappal Labour Party 423 Ravi Kumar Vinjamuri Labour Party 364 Elaine Ann Hardwick Independent/Other 293 Sue Hope Liberal Democrats 260 Marion Ward Independent/Other 258 Omar Aziz Beg Liberal Democrats 213 Bex Ward Independent/Other 93 South Glos Council, Stoke Gifford ward Candidate Party Brian John Allinson Conservative Party Keith Edward Cranney Conservative Party Ernest Derek Brown Conservative Party Jenny James Labour Party Brian Peter Mead Labour Party Tom Mewies Labour Party Pam Shipp Liberal Democrats John Paul Ford Liberal Democrats Bob Griffin Liberal Democrats Fred Hillberg Ukip

Votes 1452 1371 1317 926 752 733 628 590 575 477

Bradley Stoke Town Council, North ward Candidate Party Tony Griffiths Conservative Party Brian Hopkinson Conservative Party Elaine Ann Hardwick Independent/Other Fabrizio Fazzino Labour Party Andy Ward Independent/Other Franklin Owusu-Antwi Conservative Party David Michael Addison Labour Party Liny Tom Aditya Conservative Party Gurmit Singh Gupta Conservative Party Jansen Roy Conservative Party Terrence Port Independent/Other Simon Christopher Waters Labour Party Deanna Cohen Independent/Other Ben Walker Ukip

Votes 700 611 598 586 580 566 556 541 513 513 507 448 433 296

Bradley Stoke Town Council, South ward Candidate Party Roger Avenin Conservative Party Theresa Mary Cullen Conservative Party Ben Randles Conservative Party Michael John Hill Conservative Party Edward Mortimore Rose Conservative Party Tom Aditya Conservative Party Nikki Hallur Conservative Party Natalie Jane Field Labour Party John Philip Bradbury Labour Party Tom Bulkeley Labour Party Marion Sylvia Ward Independent/Other Dayley Patrick Lawrence Labour Party Kulwinder Sappal Labour Party Casey Hardwick Independent/Other Christine Jane Phillips Independent/Other Daniel Povey Independent/Other

Votes 1255 1168 1165 1110 1098 1082 1011 575 544 530 528 524 523 514 379 332

Local election results in Bradley Stoke Local elections held on Thursday 2nd May saw the Conservatives once again win all the Bradley Stoke seats on South Gloucestershire Council. Incumbents Sarah Pomfret, John Ashe and Roger Avenin all retained their seats. They were joined by Franklin OwusuAntwi, a town councillor since 2015.

The Tories, however, suffered a slight setback in the elections for Bradley Stoke Town Council, where they had held all 15 seats for the previous eight years. Here, two of the seats went to former mayors Elaine Hardwick and Andy Ward, both previously elected on a Conservative ticket but this time standing as independents following a fall out within the local party ranks.

One seat, in the North ward of the parish, went to Labour candidate Fabrizio Fazzino, giving the party its first representation on Bradley Stoke Town Council for 12 years.

Turnout ranged from 26 to 34 percent.

Bradley Stoke Town Council, Stoke Brook ward Candidate Party Votes John Ashe Conservative Party 304 Keith Edward Cranney Conservative Party 274 Jennifer James Labour Party 236

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17

News

Petty party politics return to town council at AGM

New faces in the Conservative group on Bradley Stoke Town Council (l-r): Cllr Michael Hill, Cllr Nikki Hallur and Cllr Ed Rose

F

ollowing the recent local elections, Bradley Stoke Town Council welcomed four new members at the new administration’s annual general meeting on Wednesday 15th May. But the presence of one new Labour member and two independents seemed to have rattled the majority Conservative group, which had enjoyed the luxury of holding all 15 seats on the council during the previous eight years.

Signs that everything was not going to be plain sailing emerged even before the meeting had started, with one of the new Conservatives suggesting that it wouldn’t be appropriate for party colleagues to appear alongside the sole Labour member in a ‘new faces’ photo for the Journal.

The theme continued once the meeting got under way, with veteran Conservative councillor Roger Avenin calling for proportional representation along party lines to be observed in the allocation of members to each of the council’s three committees. The request was ruled inadmissible by the town clerk who pointed out that there is no such requirement within the council’s standing orders (rule book). This cleared the way

for the three non-Conservative members to each volunteer to sit on all three committees.

Later in the meeting, the persistent Cllr Avenin raised the matter of proportionality again, suggesting that standing orders should be amended to incorporate this, as well as fixing the size of each committee.

When the town clerk remarked that “most parish council aren’t operated along party lines and that’s how it should be,” she received a swift rebuke from Cllr Avenin, who said it wasn’t her place to express opinions.

Officers were asked to report back to the next meeting with regard to the points raised.

The outgoing mayor, Cllr Ben Randles, welcomed everyone to the annual general meeting (AGM) and explained that it was his pleasure, as his last action in the role of mayor of the town, to present cheques to the two beneficiaries of the Mayor’s Charity Fund.

A total of £8,217.42 had been raised over the past year, to be split equally (£4,108.71 each) between the West of England MS Therapy Centre and the Stroke Association.

Amy Spencer, regional fundraising manager for the Stroke Association, attended the meeting and accepted their cheque.

The Only Cure for Litter is YOU KEEP Bradley Stoke

Cllr Fabrizio Fazzino (Labour)

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News

Church’s community fridge proving a big hit

A

new initiative to cut food waste and tackle food poverty has been started through the installation of a selfservice community fridge at a church in Stoke Lodge.

Café Church Bristol (formerly known as Amberley Road Baptist Church) has installed the fridge in a self-contained outhouse that has been built into a recess within the existing church building.

Three times a week, volunteers from the church collect unwanted produce from two local supermarkets (Marks & Spencer and Lidl) in order to restock the fridge. In the first week of operation, the partner stores provided large quantities of fresh fruit and veg, along with bread and other bakery products.

Unlike foodbanks, which require their users to be referred by local agencies through a voucher scheme, community fridges are open for everyone to

Far left: Church minister Andy Thomas and cafe manager Laura Smith (right) welcome guests to the official opening of the community fridge, which was performed

by Cllr Brian Hopkinson (left).

Left: The first visitors make their selections from the produce in the fullystocked fridge

use. They complement foodbanks by providing a source of fresh food (as opposed to long life products) and typically have more flexible opening hours.

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Local residents can also place their own excess food in the fridge, so that others can make use of it and prevent it going to waste. This might be fruit and veg from people who ‘grow their own’ and have more than they can use themselves, or food that would otherwise be disposed off before going on holiday.

The food collected from stores has gone past its ‘best before’ but is still good enough to eat.

Volunteers check the contents of the fridge twice a day, but say it is ultimately up to the person taking the food to check that it’s OK. No food past its ‘sell by date’ is allowed.

Full instructions for using the community fridge are displayed on notices within the outhouse.

There is a list of the types of food that can and cannot be donated and users are asked to record items going in or out in a logbook.

Church family worker Laura Smith said: “The main aim of the fridge is to reduce food waste.

1.9m tonnes of food is wasted by the food industry each year, meanwhile 8.4m people struggle to afford (healthy) food. When we saw these figures we knew we wanted to do something about it – hence the community fridge!”

Cafe Church Bristol also hosts a community cafe between 10am and 12.30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Drinks and light snacks are available at reasonable prices and there is a small soft play area for children.

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LOCATION Cafe Church Bristol 4a Amberley Road Stoke Lodge BS34 6BU

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19

Advertising

Time flies at Wise Owls! Now open at Holy Trinity Popular after-school and holiday club celebrates 5th birthday and has a fun-packed summer programme lined up Happy birthday Wise Owls!

Wise Owls celebrated its 5th birthday with open days at both of its Bradley Stoke sites at Baileys Court Activity Centre and Holy Trinity School. Reaching its 5th birthday has marked a real achievement for the Wise Owls team who enjoyed a party with the children while parents were invited to take a tour of the club and meet the excellent and caring team of staff.

Many former members of Wise Owls also returned to join in the celebrations including Alex Sell, one of Wise Owls first members.

Alex has now returned to the club for work experience as part of his Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Director Luci Walker commented: It is so rewarding for the children to want to come back to the club even after they have left. The children’s ideas and input have helped to make Wise Owls a success and for them to want to continue with this when they’re older is fantastic!’

Wise Owls at Holy Trinity Due to popular demand the after school and holiday club has now opened at Holy Trinity School. The new site provides a spacious, stimulating and secure environment with excellent facilities. Their new outdoor play equipment has been a big hit with the children and the club is looking forward to a fun packed summer!

The Wise Owls have an exciting summer programme planned with twice-weekly trips to local attractions, arts and craft Stoke Gifford Retirement Village

workshops and involvement with community projects.

They will be taking bookings for the summer holidays in June.

Details will be on our website www.wiseowlsclub.com

Wise Owls in the community Wise Owls Club prides itself in being a part of the local community and has recently taken part in a reading initiative at the Stoke Gifford Retirement Village. The children have really enjoyed reading to its residents and look forward to their monthly trips.

Wise Owls also joined up with Bradley Stoke in Bloom and the Great British Spring Clean over the May holidays! Our budding eco-warriors learnt about how to save the planet, while enjoying arts and crafts, cooking, fun and games!

Holy Trinity School

Join in the fun at Wise Owls Bookings are being taken for September at both sites; Baileys Court Activity Centre and Holy Trinity School There is a pick-up service from Baileys Court School, Holy Trinity School, Meadowbrook School, Stoke Lodge School, St Mary’s School and St Michael’s School.

If you would like to make an appointment to come and meet the staff and look around, please contact Luci on 07938192973 or email bradleystokewiseowlsclub@ gmail.com. Further details can be found on the website www. wiseowlsclub.com

Alex Sell on work experience

Language lesson

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June 2019

Bradley Stoke Community Festival, 7th–9th June Friday 7th June from 10.30am at the Jubilee Centre BS32 8HL

The Picnic in the Park, for parents and toddlers, starts at 10.30am and runs until 2pm at the Jubilee Centre. New for this year, Van Buren presents a magic show (at 11.30am) followed by juggling and entertainment alongside a bouncy castle. Hosted by Bradley Stoke Radio providing music and entertainment. Refreshments will be served during the morning with face painting also available.

Saturday 8th June 11.30am to 6.10pm at the Jubilee Centre BS32 8HL Jubilee Green hosts the King Ramps skate park half-pipe and displays will be given by pro riders throughout the festival. There will also be a street art demo with ‘have-a-go’ sessions for local children and adults. Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre will be providing fitness session displays.

On the main field, music will be provided by local bands Snow Blind, Vamp, Liquor & Poker, ELO Beatles Beyond (tributes), Ragged Union, Bad Wolf and a solo performance by Georgia Hinton of Bradley Stoke Community School. Local dance groups will perform in between the bands and include: Bradley Stoke Gymnastics Club, Yasmin’s, RedX Dance, Chinese Dance, Razzamataz and Stoke Gifford School of Dance, along with other local clubs and associations.

Fun rides for the children include trampolines, giant slides, football games, giant inflatables, Wipe Out, Bungee Run, Surf Simulator, a helter skelter and a kids’ go-kart circuit. Look out also for the Vertical Xtreme Climbing Wall alongside the Bradley Stoke Scouts providing longbow archery and other activities.

An exhibition on Jubilee Green will feature a range of arts & crafts stalls. Sideshows and community stalls will offer a wide range of local products and novelties.

The Bradley Stoke Youth FC Festival of Football Tournament for Year 1 children, with 13 schools and around 130 youngsters taking part, starts at 12.20pm on the top field soccer pitches (prizegiving at 3pm).

The Bradley Stoke Youth FC Under-8s will also be playing and training on one of the pitches.

Sunday 9th June from 9.30am at the Jubilee Centre & Baileys Court A 10k multi-terrain race organised by Sole Sisters starts at 9.30am from the Jubilee Centre (where it also finishes). Over 600 competitors are expected. The ‘Church in the Park’ outdoor service from the Bradley Stoke churches will again be held at the Jubilee Centre after the race, starting at 11.45am.

At Baileys Court Activity Centre, the cricket club will be celebrating the Cricket World Cup with a youth pairs tournament and a 10/10 match during the afternoon. There will also be a lunchtime BBQ, a batting & bowling competition, a skills workshop and evening entertainment in the clubhouse.

Also at Baileys Court Activity Centre, Bradley Stoke Bowls Club will offer ‘have a go’ sessions for visitors between 12pm and 4pm (see page 36).

Bradley Stoke Skate Park will be hosting its annual Festival competition along with the King Ramps half-pipe, demos and circus skills. Action takes place between 1pm and 5pm (see page 23).

Venues: Baileys Court Activity Centre, Baileys Court Road BS32 8BH • Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre, Fiddlers Wood Lane BS32 9BS

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Bradley Stoke Community Festival, 7th-9th June Saturday’s main arena programme At the Jubilee Centre, Savages Wood Road, Bradley Stoke BS32 8HL Band / Performance

Location

Time

Duration

Georgia Hinton (BSCS)

Music stage

11.30

30 minutes

Bradley Stoke Gymnastics Club

Dance stage

12.00

20 minutes

Vamp

Music stage

12.20

40 minutes

Yasmin’s

Dance stage

13.00

20 minutes

Snow Blind

Music stage

13.20

40 minutes

RedX Dance Group

Dance stage

14.00

20 minutes

Liquor & Poker

Music stage

14.20

40 minutes

Chinese Dance

Dance stage

15.00

20 minutes

ELO Beatles Beyond (tribute band)

Music stage

15.20

45 minutes

Razzamataz Dance

Dance stage

16.05

20 minutes

Ragged Union

Music stage

16.25

40 minutes

Stoke Gifford School of Dance

Dance stage

17.05

20 minutes

Bad Wolf

Music stage

17.25

45 minutes

Festival ends:18.10

For the latest Community Festival news, visit: • www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk • ‘Bradley Stoke Journal’ on Facebook

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June 2019

News

Lions’ life-saving bottles offered to shoppers

By Ailsa Young of Bradley Stoke Lions Club ou may have seen some of our Lions Club members at the Willow Brook Centre this Easter handing out our Lions’ ‘Message in a Bottle’. This is a small white and green plastic bottle which contains a form which someone on constant medication for any reason can fill in with their personal details, their medical condition, what medication they are on, any allergies, their doctor’s details and any health visitor’s details, plus a few other pieces of relevant information.

This essential information would then be readily available to the emergency services should the person suffer an accident or sudden illness at home and be unable to communicate with the ambulance personnel.

To ensure the emergency services know this information is on hand, the bottle is then

Y

Lions hand out ‘Message in a Bottle’ containers at the Willow Brook Centre

placed in the fridge, a green label is put on the outside of the fridge and another label is stuck on the inside of the front door, at eye level, to ensure that any emergency services personnel

are made aware the person has the bottle. This ensures that they can render safer and speedier first aid by short cutting timeconsuming fact-finding enquiries about the patient.

Having this information available could be a life saver, particularly for someone who is frail or elderly, or for someone whose first language is not English.

This is a service the Lions provide free of charge in the hope that lives can be saved by having a simple little bottle of information in a fridge!

If you do not already have a Message in a Bottle and feel that you need one or know of anyone whom you feel may need one, then please get in touch with the Bradley Stoke Lions on 0845 8336745 or 07737 106836.

The Lions’ Message in a Bottle is supported by the ambulance, police, fire & rescue services, emergency doctors and NHS primary care trusts.

July/August magazine Deadline for contributions: Monday 24th June

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June 2019

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23

Community Festival

Skate park skills and creative arts return to festival

D

uring this year’s festival weekend, Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC) youth workers and local young people are repeating and enhancing the successful formula of recent years. The mix of skate park skills and creative arts will include competitions, demonstrations and have-ago sessions at both the main Community Festival site (on Saturday 8th June) and at the skate park (on Sunday 9th June).

Saturday 8th June

The Jubilee Green side of Saturday’s festival will host, side by side, King Ramps skate park half-pipe and street art sessions, along with information on other BSTC youth work projects.

By popular demand, the street art demos and have-a-go painting sessions return, with artists (The Paintsmiths) working alongside youth workers and young volunteers. In recent years these sessions have proved extremely popular with children and young

BMX: Confirmation of the return to the festival of a prospective GB Olympic Team member is awaited

people, and last year children created about 50 individual pieces of artwork to proudly take home for display. The sessions have also led to community art projects like the large pieces displayed at Bradley Stoke skate park.

The King Ramps half-pipe returns and offers the chance to see some exceptional skate park demonstrations by top BMX, scooter and skateboard pro riders and skaters, as well as regular have-a-go sessions (with some equipment provided), music and an MC.

At the youth work tent, there will be the chance to find out about and discuss other Bradley Stoke youth work projects and developments, as well as signing up for Sunday’s skate park competition.

Sunday 9th June

The annual Festival Skate Park Competition features a mix of competitions in all skate park disciplines, interspersed with more pro rider demos, music, a circus skills workshop (popular with younger attendees) and much more.

The King Ramps half-pipe will be relocated alongside the skate park to provide extra capacity and there will be competitions for scooter, BMX, skateboard and inline skate disciplines.

The Sunday competition will run between 1pm and 5pm with registration between 11am and 12.30pm (but please try to get entry forms in before the day as it will greatly help with planning).

General information, including event poster/flier, competition entry and consent forms and the planned running order of the day can be found on the Bradley Stoke Town Council website www.bradleystoke.gov.uk and on the young people’s Facebook page (‘Bradley Stoke Skatepark’).

There will be separate competitions for BMX & skateboards with the following categories: 12 years old & younger; 13 to 16 years and 17+ years (and sponsored riders).

However, within the scooter competitions there is a slight change to the age groups, with competitions for 12 years old & younger, 13 to 15 years and 16+ (and sponsored riders).

There is a £3 entrance fee for each competition with an array of prizes to be won.

Wearing appropriate helmets is compulsory and a limited number will be available to loan.

All are welcome to both days, so come along and be amazed by some of the skills and talents of local young people, both as competitors and organisers.

‘Have-a-go’ street art session at the 2017 Community Festival

Young people’s involvement in planning and organising the festival is supported by Bradley Stoke Town Council’s youth development & participation worker and other youth work staff. If you are a young person living in the Bradley Stoke area and aged 11 to 19 who

would like to find out about our other youth work and youth participation projects, or would like to get involved as a young person or volunteer, please contact the youth development & participation worker on 07900 253826 or email graham.baker@ bradleystoke.gov.uk

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June 2019

News Bikers ‘get their legs over’ for local charity

I

f you are a motorcycle enthusiast, young or old, the West of England MS Therapy Centre in Wheatfield Drive, Bradley Stoke was the place to be on Sunday 12th May. Over 75 motorcycles, from modern Ducatis and chromed-up Harley Davidsons to vintage Triumphs and a rare Triton, all took part in the annual ‘GYLO (Get Yer Leg Over) for MS’ event, riding from Weston-Super-Mare to Bradley Stoke via the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Bikers enjoyed a well-earned BBQ with burgers donated by Asda Filton and local business Pit Stop Catering. Bristol blues trio ‘Trouble No More’ provided a rocking backing to the day.

Mark Whitehouse, Trustee of the West of England MS Therapy Centre who organised

the event with his brother John commented: “GYLO for MS raised just over £1,400 which will be used to help support local people living with MS and other neurological conditions by providing access to therapies and treatments which aim to improve their everyday lives. The success of the day was due largely to the amazing volunteers who marshalled, baked cakes, flipped burgers and photographed the event. The centre wishes to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to all of the neighbours and centre members who sacrificed their Sunday to help”.

If you would like some more information about the West of England MS Therapy Centre please contact 01454 201 686 or visit their website mstherapybristol.org.uk

The Journal: Serving the community 24/7 since 2008

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25

News

Meet the new mayor: Cllr Tom Aditya

C

ouncillor Tom Aditya has been elected as the new mayor of Bradley Stoke.

He was formally handed the chain of office on Wednesday 15th May at Bradley Stoke Town Council’s annual general meeting, held at the Jubilee Centre.

Tom, who represents the Bradley Stoke South ward, has been a councillor since 2011. He has served on various committees of the council and has chaired the Planning, Transport and Environment Committee and served as deputy mayor. Cllr Aditya takes on his new role, not only as the first Asian mayor in Bradley Stoke, but also in South Gloucestershire. He is also understood to be the first person of Indian origin to be elected to such a role in South West England.

Tom, a management consultant and financial advisor, is originally from Kerala, South India. He has studied at various places including the USA. He moved to the UK in 2002 and settled in Bradley Stoke. His wife works for the NHS (Renal Transplant) and his children attend local primary and secondary schools.

Tom is a passionate community campaigner and his interest in advocating social harmony stretches beyond the boundaries of Bradley Stoke. Since 2007, Tom has

been involved with South Gloucestershire Council’s Equalities Forum, which enabled him to reach out to various communities in the region. He was also a trustee of the Southern Brooks Community Partnership.

Currently, Tom serves as vice-chairman of the Police Strategic Advisory Group, the Community Engagement Forum and as a member of the Avon and Somerset Police Scrutiny Panel.

Tom is also the chairman of the Bristol Multi-Faith Forum. He told the Journal that he sincerely hopes his time in office as mayor will allow him to promote more community cohesion and he is keen to involve a wider sense of inclusion for all residents.

“I always admire diverse viewpoints on issues and wish to engage everyone interested in community matters.”

When asked about his vision for engaging a wider range of residents to become more actively involved in their community, Tom stated: “I believe politics should be first and foremost about getting things done for the people and not petty party politics. My approach has always been to provide excellent amenities for the residents and to deliver better quality services, whilst ensuring lower taxes, value for money, good governance and fairness for all. My aim is to make our town a better place to live

Newly elected mayor Cllr Tom Aditya (left) is congratulated by the previous year’s mayor, Cllr Ben Randles, after receiving the chain of office

and for the community to have a stronger voice.”

One of the areas Tom will be hoping to address is the continuing frustration residents face regarding the traffic issues in the town. The traffic congestion with the planned closure of Gipsy Patch Lane is likely to increase significantly and Tom is hoping to continue to campaign for bus lay-bys to help maintain the traffic flow and reduce some of the congestion.

Like many of our residents, Tom stresses how fortunate we are to have so many beautiful outdoor spaces, particularly natural wild spaces, to enjoy in Bradley Stoke. He will be actively campaigning to have the lake and streams of the Three Brooks

Nature Reserve dredged to remove the build-up of silt and so help reduce the levels of flooding in the vicinity and improve the year-round access for all.

Tom is also full of admiration for the work done by community volunteers such as Bradley Stoke in Bloom who work tirelessly to keep our town an attractive and pleasant environment in which to live.

Tom wishes to have his mayoral charities benefit the local residents and the town. He has requested that any interested voluntary organisations contact him before his final decision is made.

We wish Cllr Tom Aditya a very happy and successful time in office as mayor.

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June 2019

Police

Appeals issued after spate of woodland fires

T

he neighbourhood police team in Bradley Stoke is asking parents and carers to speak with their children about the dangers of starting fires after firefighters were called out five times over a period of less than two weeks to deal with small fires in a local wood.

Fire service crews from Patchway, Kingswood and Portishead fire stations attended the incidents, all of which were located in Savages Wood (behind Bradley Stoke leisure Centre).

Two of the incidents were separated by less than three hours (on Sunday 12th May).

High pressure hose reels were used to extinguish the fires in three of the incidents with an aqua backpack and a bucket being used in the other two. In all cases, it is thought that the fires had been started deliberately.

Police attendance was not required on 12th May, however,

following a further incident on 13th May, they were made aware that fire crews had spoken with teenagers who were in the area about “the risks and dangers of starting fires”.

On Friday 17th May, a member of the public called to report a tree stump had been set on fire in woodland near to the skate park. The call came in just before 7.30pm and patrolling officers attended within five minutes.

Fire crews put the fire out by 7.45pm. Police say there were a number of teenagers in the area at the time, however no one was able to identify those responsible for starting the fire.

The Kingswood crew that attended the 13th May incident tweeted a photo showing a pile of large aerosol cans on the woodland floor, with the message: “Spent time emptying and making these aerosol cans inoperable after the fire was out.”

Aftermath of a small unauthorised fire in Savages Wood that was attended by a crew from Kingswood Fire Station. A pile of aerosol cans lies on the ground, next to a high pressure hose. [Credit: @AFRSKingswood on Twitter]

It is not clear whether any aerosol cans had been thrown onto the fire. The Journal understands that staff at the nearby Tesco extra store have been asked to be on the alert after someone reported seeing boys buying a large quantity of hair spray aerosol cans at the self-service tills two days earlier.

There have also been reports of youths setting fire to aerosol cans and using them as flame throwers at the nearby skate park.

Anyone who can identify those responsible for starting these fires can get in touch with the neighbourhood team through the beat page on the police website, www.avonandsomerset.police.uk, or by calling 101.

Kirstie Webb, Risk Reduction Department manager for Avon Fire & Rescue Service, said: “For some young people, an interest and curiosity in fire can, on occasion, develop into something far more dangerous, putting themselves, their family, friends and homes at risk. We are working closely with the police and local youth workers to get to the heart of the issue and are doing everything we can to eliminate deliberate fires in the area.”

“As a service, we work with individual children at home or school. We do not punish

children, but help them to change their dangerous fire setting behaviour. Parents, schools or youth group are welcome to get in touch via our website and we will be in touch to help educate and influence younger children.”

A spokesperson for South Gloucestershire Council said: “We are aware of a number of recent unauthorised fires that have been lit in Savages Wood, part of the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve, in Bradley Stoke.

As landowners of the reserve, we would like to remind local residents and visitors that fires, including BBQs are not permitted on the public open space, unless authorised by the council.

Uncontrolled fires present a real danger to users of this reserve and have a negative impact on the ecology of the woodland.”

“The council promotes positive use of the woodland through activities such as Forest Schools.

These educational activities are carried out by trained staff.

Small, controlled fires relating to this activity are contained in a fire wok, which keeps the fire off the ground, so not to damage the woodland soils. These activities are monitored by the council to ensure best practice, for example ensuring the requirement to leave no trace of a fire is adhered to.”

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June 2019

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27

Business

Highlighting local firms’ roles in the UK’s new aircraft carrier project

By Jack Lopresti, MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke he most powerful and impactful things in the world can often be traced to their local roots. Behind all of the worthiest projects are dedicated people whose efforts stand invisibly behind to create something spectacular. This is particularly true of our new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, the largest warships the Royal Navy has ever built, as well as the various other ships that would escort them on exercise and operations.

I had the privilege of visiting HMS Prince of Wales at Rosyth in Scotland, to see for myself the fruits of the hard work of people across our local area. Of course, as many of you will know, the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Equipment and Support body (DE&S) is based at Abbey Wood and played a central role in

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delivering this vessel, including landing including procuring and take-off. the various sensors BAE Systems, and systems on the the lead member of ships and the aircraft the Aircraft Carrier that will fly from Alliance which built them. the Queen Elizabeth The mighty MT30 Class carriers, gas turbine engine used its networked which powers the visualisation suite ships was designed in Filton to bring and built by RollsJack Lopresti at Rosyth together the Ministry Royce and was tested of Defence and and will be serviced from their other partners working together site in Patchway. Rolls Royce on the ships for design reviews in Patchway employs staff from and approvals. Many of the right across our area and I am key decisions that shaped the proud to say that we are quite final delivery of this spectacular literally the driving force behind project were taken right here in Britain’s largest warship. our local area.

Thales, based in Stoke Gifford, L3 MAPPS, based out of the designed and delivered the Aztec West Business Park near FLYCO control tower on HMS Bradley Stoke, provided the Prince of Wales. Acting like an marine control systems – the IT airport’s air traffic control tower, and electronics which underpin this oversees the operations of the aircraft carrier and allow it all aircraft using the carrier, to move.

Babcock pulled together the wider designs and delivered the ship assembly process, and have produced critical components, including delivering more than 10,000 tonnes of materials to Rosyth for construction. They have offices in Bristol, as well as Stoke Gifford and Patchway.

These companies and others in our defence and aerospace sectors draw employees from virtually every community in South Gloucestershire.

Through their diligence, working together with partners elsewhere in Britain and indeed internationally, they have put together a warship that will help keep the rest of us safe from those that would do us harm as we go about our daily lives.

Thank you to the workers, loved ones, and wider communities across South Gloucestershire who have helped make this remarkable endeavour possible.

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June 2019

Ask the Doctor with Dr Faisal Siddiqui of Bradley Stoke Surgery Isolation and loneliness

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eneral practice has evolved over the last 20 years. At medical school, we were taught about communication skills and the importance of eliciting a patient’s deepest ideas, concerns and expectations. However, I do not recall being taught how to give patients advice on passages of life, from relationship counselling to bereavement. A GP role of the trusted confidant is not something I expected, but is one I now cherish and feel privileged to have.

However, in recent years, I have had increasing number of patients who report loneliness.

This is sadly common in my elderly patients but also those who are lot younger.

According to Age UK, more than 2 million people in England over the age of 75 live alone, and more than a million older people say they go for over a month

without speaking to a friend, neighbour or family member (source: NHS website).

But loneliness can be difficult for a GP to treat. There is no magic pill. A ten-minute consultation with a GP will barely scratch the surface of this problem. A deeper and more holistic method will be

Social prescribing seeks to address people’s needs in a holistic way. Studies have pointed to improvements in areas such as quality of life and emotional, mental and general wellbeing. It can also reduce levels of depression and anxiety.

Many models exist, but locally we are looking for a link worker

“More than a million older people say they go for over a month without speaking to a friend, neighbour or family member

”

needed. Building and fostering relationships with the wider community can go some way to meeting this.

Nonetheless, I am excited by some recent developments in primary care. NHS England has asked general practices to organise themselves into primary care networks. These networks will provide 100 percent of funding for “social prescribers”.

or social prescriber who will work with patients to access local resources for support.

Unfortunately, recruitment has not yet started, but I sincerely hope that the social prescribers will be working in surgeries in the next year. In the meantime, work is being done by other sectors. In particular the ‘One You South Gloucestershire’ service is being delivered

jointly by Southern Brooks Community Partnerships and South Gloucestershire Council, along with community partners. They are aiming to help patients feel more confident about managing their emotional and mental wellbeing, to get involved in local communities and feel less isolated. Patients are invited to workshops to connect with others and meet with a social prescriber. They are then signposted to local resources.

General practice is no longer just about GPs. We now have a vast number of multidisciplinary colleagues who work in surgeries. I look forward to welcoming our future social prescribers to this group, and further evolving and improving patient care. www.bradleystokesurgery.nhs.uk

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June 2019

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29

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News

South Gloucestershire honours unsung heroes

Marie Curie Five Stokes Fundraising Group: Group Community Award The fundraising group help raise vital funds locally for people living with a terminal illness and their families. They play an important role by taking part in all national Marie Curie fundraising campaigns such as the Great Daffodil Appeal and the Blooming Great Tea Party.

They also organise fundraising events and activities within South Gloucestershire. They act as ambassadors, helping to spread the word about the work of Marie

Curie and encouraging and supporting local people, clubs and organisations to fundraise as well.

David Bell: Long Service Award David has been Chair of The Splatts Abbey Wood Conservation Group for over a decade. Several years ago, he approached the University of the West of England with a view to involving students in looking after the woodland. This led to a highly successful partnership and the university providing the backbone of the conservation labour force at the woodland.

In addition, David is a founding trustee of Shopmobility South Gloucestershire since 2004. He has taken on press and media responsibility to raise the profile of the scheme which makes such a difference to the lives of local residents with limited mobility.

also saving many thousands of pounds. He also installed a new ‘Chicken Wood’ at the school.

This is home for the eight ‘school chickens’ which the children love interacting with and learning about their welfare. John also volunteers for the local scouts and as a fund raiser for the British Heart Foundation.

John Morris: Community Award John has been a Governor at Wheatfield Primary School for 13 years. He is very dedicated with his time, making the school a better environment for the children and has a great vision of what can be achieved with a bit of time and hard work. John’s enthusiasm is infectious, over 50 people attended one Saturday morning to transform the school, not only helping to enhance the space for the children but

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ommunity heroes from Bradley Stoke and Stoke Gifford were among nearly 30 volunteers honoured at the South Gloucestershire Council Chair’s 2019 Community Awards event held at South Gloucestershire and Stroud (SGS) College’s WISE Campus on Tuesday 23rd April.

The annual awards recognise and celebrate the valuable contribution local unpaid volunteers make to life in South Gloucestershire. These people give up their time freely to help others and bring our communities together, and were rewarded for their efforts at the special ceremony.

Local winners included the Marie Curie Five Stokes Fundraising Group, Bradley Stoke resident John Morris and David Bell (active in a number of groups working in the Stokes).

David Bell with Sara-Jane Watkins (SGS College) and Cllr Brian Allinson

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Marie Curie fundraising group members receive their award

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John Morris pictured at a British Heart Foundation event

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June 2019

Sport

Bradley Stoke Ladies end season on a high

By Martin Lee, manager of BSLFC he 2018/19 football season is now finished for both teams of Bradley Stoke Ladies FC (BSLFC), who competed in Division 2 of the Gloucestershire County Women’s Football League.

The first team had a great season, finishing in third place and missing out on second place by just one point in the very last match. Their last game was a great battle against confirmed league winners Cheltenham Town, which ended in a 0-0 draw. They were also the first team this season to keep a clean sheet against the title winners, which is a great achievement for the girls. Promotion may be on the cards, depending on how the league structure is next season, so be on the lookout for that.

The development team have worked really hard all season to

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ensure more girls are able to play regular football. Although things have been difficult at times, they have managed to finish the season as a team and things are looking positive for the future.

Their last game was played against Cotswolds Rangers and the girls gave it their all.

Bradley Stoke Ladies were also successful in applying for the Tesco Bags of Help grant scheme for May and June. You can support the club by putting your blue tokens in the BSLFC pot when you leave Tesco! It will go towards more funding for the club for next season, allowing girls and women throughout the area to keep playing football on a regular basis.

BSLFC will also have their usual stall at the Bradley Stoke Community Festival on Saturday 8th June. There will be various different games and fun for all, with lots of prizes to be won.

The first team squad, with manager Martin Lee and assistant manager Ross Lee, relaxing after their final match, against league winners Cheltenham Town

Please come and visit the stall to support the club – it is really appreciated by everyone involved.

Bradley Stoke Ladies are looking for new players for the 2019/20 season. We are a friendly team with a mix of abilities and ages. You can find us training on Tuesdays, from 6.30pm, on the grass at Bradley Stoke Community School, with matches played on Sundays once the season is back up and running in September.

You just have to be at least 16 years of age – so why not come along to a free taster training session? Training runs throughout the summer, with tournaments and pre-season friendlies still to be confirmed.

The club’s ethos is to allow all female players the opportunity to play football. We are an FA

Charter Standard Community Club and are very proud of this.

We welcome all players of all abilities and any age of 16 years old and above. If you are 15 years old, we still allow you to train with us, however you cannot sign to play in the league until you are 16 years old. The club has FA Level 2 qualified coaches to run training sessions and they are also members of the FA Licensed Coaches Club, to ensure their techniques are the most up-todate. We have female coaches at the club and the committee is dedicated to ensuring all females get the opportunity to develop and grow within a safe and funbased environment.

Come and give us a try and join in the enjoyment of being part of an established and growing local football club.

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

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Av Lim ail it ab ed ilit y

Don’t miss your chance to be part of Stoke Gifford Retirement Village With limited availability and homes starting at just £139,975*, there has never been a better time to pop in and see us.

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June 2019

News

Town council offers FREE graffiti removal service

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ecent years have seen tagging-style graffiti vandalism become an increasing problem in Bradley Stoke (although fortunately not yet at the levels common in some inner-city areas of Bristol).

Until now, local residents suffering a ‘spray can’ attack on their own private property have had to foot the bill for removal, with South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) quoting £76.70 per hour to do the job, but help is now at hand thanks to an initiative from Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC).

Deputy town clerk John Rendell explains: “The town council has identified the ongoing issues with graffiti around the town and the complications of property ownership that can arise when it appears. The town council is aware that SGC does have a department that offers a graffiti removal service to

A town council operative uses the new steam cleaning equipment on a wall

residents, but at a cost. However, the town council felt that this was something it could offer to residents free of charge.”

“Consequently, the council has purchased an SC3000 steam cleaner [at a cost of £3,882]

and devised a waiver document that will allow BSTC employees to attempt to clear the graffiti.

The machine has been in full operation for a couple of months now and we have already cleared several instances of graffiti on

private property.”

“We will still report all graffiti on non-council business property (such as Virgin Media and BT cabinets) and we hope that the respective organisations are able to clear these in good time, but at least we now have a procedure in place to ensure we can more efficiently tackle other instances of graffiti that may appear around the town.”

Residents can report graffiti to the town council by using the ‘Contact us’ webpage at www. bradleystoke.gov.uk/contactus.php or phoning the office on 01454 205020.

A suggestion that local ward councillors could be proactive in tracing the owners of private properties which have suffered graffiti vandalism, in order to make them aware of the council’s free removal service, was welcomed as an “excellent idea” at the Annual Town Meeting on 8th May.

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News More volunteers needed at retirement village library

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he new Stoke Gifford Retirement Village (SGRV), situated just off Coldharbour Lane, is in desperate need of more volunteers to work in its community library as well as other areas within the village.

The activities and facilities available to both the residents of the village and the wider community are mostly led by volunteers; either the residents themselves or members of the public. Having sufficient numbers of volunteers is therefore vital in keeping the activities running.

Laura Jones is the volunteer organiser at SGRV and she oversees recruiting and managing volunteers for the 70+ roles available. Although she already has numerous volunteers, particularly from the nearby University of the West of England, she is still in need of many more.

As the library is part of South Gloucestershire Libraries, anyone with an ‘Active’ card (resident or non-resident) can request, borrow and return books and DVDs at this library, or any of the other South Gloucestershire libraries. However, it is currently only able to open two mornings and one afternoon a week due to the low number of people able to work there.

Volunteering at the library would involve a variety of duties, including welcoming library customers and identifying their individual needs, actively seeking

to meet those needs and to enable customers to make full use of the facilities available.

Staff also support the systems and policies for the loan and management of stock, including self-service and use a variety of resources to provide information, including online services.

Merle Bathe-Taylor, one of the members of staff at the library, would recommend volunteering there as she says: “I enjoy helping people and being able to assist with their queries. It’s lovely to see visitors in the village using the facilities and being able to show them the work we do. Also, it’s important to feel valued and to have a purpose in retirement.

My role means that I meet new people and remain active in life.”

Janet Bacon, another volunteer, added: “I enjoy the variety of the role and being able to meet and talk to lots of different people.”

If working in the library doesn’t sound like the right role for you, there are plenty of other volunteering opportunities available at the village. At the moment they are particularly in need of activity assistants, inter-generational playgroup assistants, gym assistants and receptionists. You do not need to have any previous experience to volunteer for any of these roles.

If you would like to find out more about the volunteering roles available at the village,

Merle BatheTaylor and Janet Bacon, volunteers at the community library within the new Stoke Gifford Retirement Village

please contact Laura Jones at volunteering@extracare.org.uk or call 0117 332 5440. You can also attend their Volunteering Recruitment Fair which is taking place at the village on Thursday 6th June between 10am and 2pm.

The fair is open to everyone and

will provide the chance to discuss the volunteering roles available as well as meeting some of the staff and seeing the facilities at The Village. There will also be literature about the roles and volunteer applications available to take away for consideration.

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News Get well · Stay well

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June 2019

by Craig de Groot, chiropractor at Willow Brook Clinic

Walking fitness

itting exercise into our modern lifestyles can be difficult. There are always so many things on the ‘To Do’ list. We are not all talented enough to join a sports team or have the self-confidence to join a gym.

Exercise classes don’t always happen when we can make it, and it can become expensive.

For most of us, we are lucky enough to be able to walk.

Walking is one of the best forms of exercise available to us. It gets our heart rate up, it is gentle on the knees and hips and you don’t need any fancy equipment to walk. In Bradley Stoke and the surrounding areas we have lots of footpaths and parks to walk in – we should take advantage of them.

We have all heard about the 10,000 steps a day challenge.

You may have bought a pedometer, made a commitment to walking with a friend, possibly taking advantage of the light mornings and evenings, and the sunshine, and hopefully it is going well.

Here are a few tips to help you walk better, and if you are starting to walk regularly, these tips will help you stay injury free and enable you to get maximum benefit from your walking: • Hold your head high • Look forward, not at the ground • Move your shoulders naturally • Keep your chin parallel

to the ground • Keep your back straight, not arched forward or backward.

• Gently tighten your stomach muscles • Swing your arms freely with a slight bend in your elbows.

• Walk smoothly, rolling your foot from heel to toe • Walk in comfortable shoes • Enjoy walking and learning about your environment as you walk If you find any of these points difficult to achieve, and you are suffering neck, shoulder or back discomfort, consider seeing a chiropractor or physiotherapist to help with your posture and alignment and to set you on the path to pain-free walking.

Remember that walking is good for everyone, whatever your ability or talent.

Willow Brook Clinic www.willowbrookclinic.co.uk

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35

What’s On

Stokes Singers prepare for summer concert

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hings are warming up for our community choir as we move from spring into summer and our programme fills up, writes Sue Callow of Stokes Singers.

Our Singing Workshop at the end of April brought together 50 voices, including those new to part singing, and members of Stokes Singers, Crossbow Singers, Bradley Stoke Community Singers and the Good Afternoon Choir at Yate. Three songs in three-part harmony were taught by three musical directors and lots of cake was eaten, so it was a very enjoyable afternoon. Photos can be seen on the website www. stokessingers.org.uk and we hope to repeat this event later in the year with room for more participants to join us.

At the time of writing, we’re planning music for our set at the annual Stoke Gifford Fête on

Bank Holiday Monday 27th May. Then, on Thursday 13th June, we’ll be at Southmead Hospital from 7pm until 7.45pm as part of the Brunel Buskathon which raises funds for the hospital’s charity. The atrium has amazing acoustics and our musical directors Sian and Phil love the opportunity to perform there. It’s always good to see some friendly faces as patients, staff and visitors stop for a while to listen.

The biggest event of the summer for us is our own concert which will be at the Church of Christ the King, Bradley Stoke BS32 8EE on Saturday 29th June. ‘Summer Serenade’ is a mix of music ranging from gentle melodies to lively show tunes and we are looking forward to performing the songs we’ve been working on. Doors will open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.

Stokes Singers have chosen

St Mungo’s as the charity to receive donations from interval refreshments. St Mungo’s is a national charity “working together to fight homelessness and change someone’s life”. In Bristol, it runs rough sleeper outreach services and a range of housing and support services.

Their representative will explain more about their work during the evening. More information is also available at www.mungos.org Advance tickets for ‘Summer Serenade’ at £5 for adults and £2.50 for ages 5-16 are on sale at the start of June from choir members or from Gillian on the Stokes Singers number 07486 570910 – please note this is a new number and be prepared to leave a message. There will also be tickets available on the night at £6 for adults and £3 for children.

We look forward to seeing you at an event soon!

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June 2019

In Brief Community engagement forum in Bradley Stoke

Fine weather triggers busy start to bowls club season

Ladies’ running course for beginners starts soon

The next Community Engagement Forum (CEF) for Bradley Stoke, Stoke Lodge and The Common takes place at Baileys Court Activity Centre BS32 8BH on Wednesday 5th June, starting at 7pm.

South Gloucestershire Council’s CEFs, previously known as Safer and Stronger Community Groups, are about listening and responding to local people’s real issues. People in their communities know best what works for them and what their real needs are.

CEFs have been developed through working with various partner agencies including Avon & Somerset Police, Avon Fire & Rescue, health authorities, town & parish councils and local organisations.

To find out more, visit www. southglos.gov.uk/cef or phone the community engagement team on 01454 868113.

The largely fine weather has triggered a busy start to the Bradley Stoke Bowls Club season, writes Arthur Allan.

Playing on greens in good shape means a lot for bowlers reaccustoming to outdoors, after the benign conditions of indoors.

So far, both men’s league teams have won all their three games, the ladies faring less well.

Several new bowlers seem to be settling in well.

The Monday evening in-house league got off to a good start with the usual fish and chip supper, while the Friday Triples are due to start soon.

Club members are looking forward to hosting a beginners’ session as part of the Bradley Stoke Community Festival on Sunday 9th June, so do come along with your flat shoes!

For more information about the club’s future programme, visit our website www.bsbc.webs.com

Karen Gaman of Sole Sisters ladies-only north Bristol running club writes: The Sole Sisters Beginners’ Course is ideal for any ladies who want to start running, but don’t know how to begin.

Three times each year we offer a training course for women who wish to start running, have never run before or are returning after a long period of rest/illness/injury.

Our next course starts on Monday 3rd June.

We set a realistic training programme, it’s a gradual buildup of mileage which, at the end of six weeks you will be able to join one of our main groups and hopefully enjoy it with a certain amount of self-satisfaction.

Many of our current members started out on this course and are now running regular 10ks, half marathons and even full marathons, so what we offer is a trusted method.

The cost of the course is £15. Full details, along with a downloadable application form can be found on the Sole Sisters website at www.solesistersrc. co.uk/beginners-course For our first week, we will meet at Baileys Court Activity Centre, Bradley Stoke BS32 8BH. Please print off and complete the application form and bring it with you to the first session, or just turn up on the night.

Royal British Legion on the lookout for knitters The Stoke Gifford branch of the Royal British Legion is looking to recruit more people to knit its famous knitted poppies in time for the 2019/20 Poppy Appeal.

The knitted poppies are very popular and raise a great deal of money for the Poppy Appeal, but the branch struggles to keep up with demand.

There is no pressure to knit a certain number of poppies – any amount you can manage will greatly help.

If you are interested, please contact the branch via its email address rblstokegifford@gmail. com or phone Tony Peters on 07971 242845.

New members welcome at Little Stoke Ladies’ Club The Little Stoke Ladies’ Club (originally named Mothers’ Club) was formed in 1963 by a few young mums fed up with nothing going on in Little Stoke.

They met in a school classroom two evenings a month and, after a year of going through all the legal procedures, a play-school finally opened in the youth club building on Little Stoke Lane.

The name was changed to Ladies’ Club when they moved into the newly built community hall on Little Stoke Lane and they still meet there on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 7.30pm (except August).

The club has interesting speakers, open nights with quizzes and suppers, and organises a variety of trips.

All ladies are welcome; please come and join us, or ring Julie Hills on 0117 931 5007.

We hand-deliver 8,700 copies of this magazine As well as being delivered to ALL of the 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke, a further 500 copies of this magazine are left at public locations in Almondsbury, Bradley Stoke, Little Stoke, Patchway, Stoke Lodge, Stoke Gifford and Winterbourne.

These include community centres, shops, medical centres, takeaways and pubs.

Larger quantities are left at Bradley Stoke Library and on the customer service desk at the Bradley Stoke Tesco Extra store.

Residents of Stoke Lodge may pick up copies from the newsagents in Chelford Grove.

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

June 2019

t: 01454 300 400

MAGAZINE ADVERTISING

info@bradleystokejournal.co.uk

37

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

PAINTING & DECORATING

Advertise in this section for just £20 per month

Tell advertisers you found them in the Bradley Stoke Journal!

Advertise in this * space for just £20

Get your business noticed

EVERY MONTH We’re the only publication delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to all homes in Bradley Stoke

Circulation: 8,700 delivered plus 500 left at pick-up points *Price of a twelfth-page Business Directory advert, when committing to three monthly issues

CARPENTRY & JOINERY

M & D Property Maintenance Services All aspects of property maintenance undertaken, such as painting, decorating, kitchens, bathrooms, garden maintenance and construction marcus_borg@hotmail.co.uk davepomcrew@yahoo.co.uk

07950 263661 or 07966 873442 TILING SERVICES

PAINTING & DECORATING

Advertise in this section for just £20 per month

RICK MURPHY For a no obligation quote call Shayne on 07983 511 501 or 0117 960 5943 info@tileworxtilingservices.co.uk www.tileworxtilingservices.co.uk

Professional Wall & Floor Tiling

Northavon Carpentry

PAINTING & DECORATING (formerly of Inside Out) Interior and exterior painting All work guaranteed Call Rick for a free quote on

07816 854978

Email: r_murphy35@hotmail.com

GENERAL BUILDERS COMMERCIAL & DOMESTIC CARPENTRY CONTRACTORS ALL ASPECTS OF CARPENTRY

Fitted Bedrooms • Fitted Kitchens Traditional Style Stair Cases Garden Decking • Loft Conversions Purpose Made Joinery Solid Wood or Laminate Floorings

Tel: 01454 603992

Mob: 07811 424077 Visit our website at www.northavoncarpentry.co.uk

Ride On Cycles The Mobile Cycle Workshop That Comes to You Full range of servicing & repairs carried out by a City & Guilds quali�ied mechanic Contact Andy on: 01454 880872 07443 333219 andy@ride-on-cycles.co.uk www.ride-on-cycles.co.uk

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

38

www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk

Directory of Advertisers Accountants & Bookkeepers C & M Accountants, Page 6 Dunkley’s Chartered Accountants, Page 33 Bathrooms JJ Plumbing & Building, Page 7 Builders Criterion Construction, Page 36 JJ Plumbing & Building, Page 7 Car Dealerships Motorline Toyota Bristol North, Page 16 Carpentry & Joinery J. Earle Carpentry & Joinery, Page 37 Northavon Carpentry, Page 37 Carpet Cleaners B Clean, Page 24 Bonne Fresh Clean, Page 8 Child Care Abacus Pre-School, Page 1 Bradley Stoke Wise Owls Club, Page 19 Trinity Pre-School, Page 20 Children’s Activities Bradley Stoke Wise Owls Club, Page 19 Bristol Riding School, Page 20 Chiropractic Willow Brook Clinic, Page 11 Cleaning & Domestic Services Felina Contract Cleaning, Page 35 Mariola’s Angels, Page 23 Cycle Repairs Ride On Cycles, Page 37 Domestic Appliance Repairs Kitchen & Laundry Appliance Care, Page 11 Double Glazing See directory on BSJ website Driving Schools See directory on BSJ website Education & Learning Kumon Study Programme, Page 25 SGS College, Page 40 Electricians Ernest Till, Page 18 Estate Agents Ocean Estate Agents, Page 9 Events Freemasons of Bristol, Page 12 Friends of Baileys Court, Page 10 Financial Services Aspirations Financial Advice, Page 26 Foot Care Willow Brook Clinic, Page 11 Funeral Services F. Woodruff Funeral Directors, Page 2 MW Funeral Directors, Page 32 Garage Services Bristol Caravans, Page 21 Filton Central Garage, Page 30 LCM Automotive, Pages 1 & 24 Gardening & Landscaping Services ColourFence, Page 27 Garretts Landscapes, Page 13 Painting Petals, Page 37 Plan-It Garden Design, Page 30 Professional Gardening Services, Page 38 Smart Patios, Page 24 Gyms & Health Clubs See directory on BSJ website Hairdressers See directory on BSJ website

Healthcare Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Page 6 DentalCarePlus, Page 14 Home Improvements & Furnishings Abacus Garage Doors, Page 29 Door Express, Page 34 Garolla Roller Shutter Doors, Page 2 Launderettes See directory on BSJ website Locksmiths Lockforce Bristol, Page 39 Mortgages & Financial Advice Aspirations Financial Advice, Page 26 Opticians Specsavers, Page 15 Painting & Decorating A. Worsfold, Page 37 Digby Decor, Page 37 Painting Petals, Page 37 Rick Murphy, Page 37 Pet Services & Supplies Four Paws Pet Care, Page 39 Rosie Posie Pet Services, Page 39 Physiotherapy The Physio Clinic, Page 8 Willow Brook Clinic, Page 11 Plant Hire T. Edwards Plant, Page 38 Plasterers B & D Plastering, Page 33 Plumbing & Heating Bristol Plumbing & Heating, Page 28 JJ Plumbing & Building, Page 7 Low Cost Plumbing, Page 39 M.S.M Plumbing & Heating, Page 39 Panache Plumbing, Page 39 Proudfoot Plumbing, Page 39 S. Berryman Plumbing & Heating, Page 39 Property Sales Stoke Gifford Retirement Village, Page 31 Property Maintenance David Coombs Services, Page 37 JJ Plumbing & Building, Page 7 M & D Property Maintenance, Page 37 Mark’s Gutter Cleaning, Page 39 P.J.R Plastics, Page 39 Public Notices Bradley Stoke Town Council, Page 17 Restaurants Mercure Bristol North The Grange, Page 34 Rubbish Clearance Bradley Stoke Rubbish Clearance, Page 38 Self Storage Admiral’s Yard Self Storage, Page 7 Solicitors Bevan Evemy Solicitors, Page 34 Star Legal, Page 22 Slimming Clubs & Consultants Slimming World, Page 5 Sport & Leisure Bristol Riding School, Page 20 Taxis & Private Hire Bradley Stoke Cabs Ltd, Page 39 Z Cars, Page 9 Tiling Services Tileworx Tiling Services, Page 37 Window Cleaning Ultra Clear, Page 39

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

June 2019

t: 01454 300 400 PLANT HIRE

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

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

Price or day work

t: 07900 372349

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

GARDENING SERVICES

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

RUBBISH CLEARANCE

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

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

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

June 2019

t: 01454 300 400

PLUMBING & HEATING

info@bradleystokejournal.co.uk PLUMBING & HEATING

39

WINDOW CLEANING

PANACHE

BATHROOM, SHOWER & PLUMBING SPECIALIST

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

“Always on tap”

Call Darren on 07901 910361

Find Panache Plumbing on Facebook & FreeIndex

www.panacheplumbing.co.uk

Tell advertisers you found them in the Bradley Stoke Journal!

Advertise in this section for just £20 per month

TAXIS & PRIVATE HIRE

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

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

Taps, Washers Toilets, Cisterns Leaks, Blockages Tanks, Overflows Lead Pipes, Stopcocks….etc….

OAP DISCOUNTS and NO VAT

0117

957 5092 LOCKSMITH

Airport transfers Private trips Parcel deliveries Accounts welcome

We are open 24 hours & 7 days a week

Tel: 0117 901 2565 Bradley Stoke Cabs Ltd

Covering north Bristol and South Glos

www.bradleystokecabs.co.uk

GUTTERING, DOWNPIPES & FASCIA

PET SERVICES

P.J.R. Plastics

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

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

Advertise in this section for just £20 per month

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

Call or book online

Gutter Clearing Gutter Cleaning Fascia Cleaning Call or Book online

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

FREE day trips for the over fifties If you are over fifty and want to discover exciting new attractions as well as meet new people, then SGS College has the course for you.

Locations and dates available:

Held over a weekend, the Discover course will allow you to explore different locations and gain a qualification in English or maths at the same time.

The real fun begins on a Sunday, when you and your peers will be driven by coach to one of the exciting venues around the region. Whether you are a history enthusiast, a culinary connoisseur or a green-fingered gardener, you will find an experience that is right for you.

• Blenheim Palace – 29th/30th June - English course

• Roman Baths/American History Museum – 8th/9th June - English course

• All Aboard, Watersports Centre, Bristol – 13th/14th July - Maths course • Stratford-upon-Avon – 20th/21st July - English course For further information and to book your place please visit www.sgscol.ac.uk/discover or contact Sarah Kopera on 0117 909 2327

Booking is essential, as there are a limited number of places.

50+ W OF L EEKEN D EAR DISC NING, OVE AND R TRA Y VEL

FREE COURSE AND DAY TRIP