Bradley Stoke Journal, July/August 2020

Delivered FREE to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke

July/August 2020 • Issue 80

SCHOOLS P18 | BUSINESS P29, 34 | DIRECTORY P38

WE’RE BACK!

THANK YOU, ALL KEY WORKERS!

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Keeping you informed with essential local news during these extraordinary times

PLUS , IN YOUR 40-PAGE BRADLEY STOKE MAGAZINE

GETTING BACK ON OUR FEET Four-page special feature from South Gloucestershire Council Pages 19-22 Rainbow shed in a Bradley Stoke garden

Three Brooks Nature Reserve

Gipsy Patch Lane

A great asset during lockdown P14-15

New date set for bridge move

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l Coronavirus lockdown in Bradley Stoke l Plans go in for Aldi, Premier Inn and Costa l Local student’s ‘hero’ word art drawing l Rabbit Roundabout improvement work set to finish 3 months early l Traffic lights installed at Parkway Bridge to aid ‘social distancing’ l Best Front Garden competition launched l Stone ‘happiness snake’ just keeps on growing! l Meet the new mayor: Cllr Tony Griffiths l Change of hands for Bright Sparks pre-schools l Filton airfield arena could open by 2023 l Funds allocated for Brook Way resurfacing

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July/August 2020

News

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

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

About the Bradley Stoke Journal The Bradley Stoke Journal magazine is published by North Bristol Press, a trading name of Snowberry Media Ltd; company number 8451178 (registered in England and Wales); registered office: Equinox South, Great Park Road, Bradley Stoke, Bristol BS32 4QL. Our other publications include the Stoke Gifford Journal magazine and website, the Patchway Journal website and the Filton Journal website.

North Bristol Press is independent of any other media company or network operating in the Bristol area.

We accept no responsibility for anything stated by advertisers, who are themselves responsible for complying with all relevant legislation.

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editor or article author. © North Bristol Press 2020. Content published in our magazines or on our websites may not be reproduced in any form without our express written permission.

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

Send your letter to letters@bradleystokejournal.co.uk or post it to: Reader Letters, Bradley Stoke Journal, 83 Snowberry Close, Bradley Stoke, Bristol BS32 8GB Please include a phone number, in case we need to contact you.

Our next issue: September 2020 • Advertising copy deadline: Friday 14th August • Article copy deadline: Monday 17th August • The magazine will be distributed from Saturday 29th August

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e’re pleased to be back delivering our printed magazine following an enforced break of three months due to the coronavirus crisis.

First of all, our thoughts go out to those who have been affected by the illness, whether directly or through its impact on loved ones.

And secondly, a big ‘thank you’ to all the key workers who have kept critical services operating, often in very difficult circumstances.

The period since our last magazine was delivered has been quite extraordinary and the impact of the pandemic is likely to continue to affect our lives for years to come.

Perhaps the first noticeable consequence of the pandemic in the Stokes was the appearance, in early March of empty shelves in local supermarkets, due to panic buying of certain items.

Once the full lockdown came into effect on Monday 23rd March, heralded by the closure of pubs and gyms the previous Friday, local council services soon came under pressure. Kerbside recycling collections changed from weekly to fortnightly, garden waste collections were suspended and the local tips were closed.

Main roads, usually so busy at peak times, became eerily quiet and bus services were reduced to a skeleton service, principally for key workers without alternative means of transport.

With other exercise opportunities limited, the number of people seen walking and cycling around the Stokes rocketed and we have heard many people say how much they have enjoyed discovering footpaths and open spaces they never knew existed.

Great community spirit has been demonstrated through numerous volunteering initiatives, the weekly ‘Clap for our Carers’, decorating homes and gardens with ‘rainbow art’ and holding ‘socially distanced’

Pandemic timeline Early March Panic buying of toilet rolls and sanitiser in local stores 11th March First reported case of coronavirus in South Glos 16th March Public told to work from home where possible 18th March Some supermarkets impose limits on all food items 20th March Pubs, restaurants and gyms ordered to close 20th March Schools close to pupils, except the children of ‘key workers’ 23rd March Public ordered to ‘Stay at home and protect the NHS’ 5th April The Queen makes ‘We will succeed’ broadcast 16th April Lockdown extended for ‘at least another three weeks’ 27th April Nightingale Hospital opens at UWE Frenchay Campus 10th May PM unveils ‘conditional plan’ to reopen society 13th May Public allowed to exercise outside more than once a day 1st June Primary schools begin to reopen with limited class sizes 1st June Groups of up to six people may now meet in open spaces 15th June Most non-essential shops allowed to reopen 4th July Pubs and restaurants due to be allowed to reopen

street parties to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day. As we went to press, some further easing of lockdown restrictions was due to take place and we look forward to reporting about how the ‘new normal’ is taking shape in our next (September) magazine.

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Clockwise from top left: Baileys Court Inn – closed after 20th March; Baileys Court play area – closed after 23rd March; Socially distanced customer queue outside Tesco Express, Baileys Court; ‘Thank you, NHS’ street art on a cabinet in Brook Way; Rainbow banner in a Bradley Stoke garden

WE HOPE TO WELCOME YOU BACK

TO RIVERSIDE VERY SOON We are busy planning and preparing the club, to make a safe environment ready for when we’re allowed to welcome you all back...

Keep an eye on Facebook and our website for any updates.

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July/August 2020

Left: View of Premier Inn hotel and Beefeater restaurant (artist’s impression), with steps and ramp coming up from Great Stoke Way Right: View of the proposed Aldi store (artist’s impression), which will face into the car park and back onto Great Stoke Way

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new mixed-use development featuring an Aldi supermarket, a Costa drive-through, a Premier Inn hotel and a Beefeater restaurant could be built in Stoke Gifford.

A planning application for the proposed development, on vacant land to the rear of Sainsbury’s in Fox Den Road, has recently been submitted to South Gloucestershire Council by Baylis Estates Limited.

The move comes six months after a pre-application public consultation exercise that

involved neighbouring residents and local councillors.

Although the outline plans revealed last year included a gym, this has been removed from the submitted planning application and substituted with a ‘multiuse’ building. The applicant says this would “allow a range of different complementary uses to come forward in the future if the market allows”.

The application leaves open the possibility that construction of the multi-use building could be delayed until a second

phase. Should this be the case, its footprint would initially be occupied by a temporary ‘pocket park’.

Site location and access

The development site lies between Great Stoke Way (the dual carriageway leading to Abbey Wood Roundabout) and Fox Den Road (the road providing access to Sainsbury’s, The Range, Lidl, Bargain Buys and DW Fitness).

Vehicles would enter and leave the site via a single access point off Fox Den Road, close to the

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Sainsbury’s delivery yard.

Four pedestrian access points would be created, one off Great Stoke Way, two off Fox Den Road and a fourth off the footpath behind Sainsbury’s, which the applicant says would “completely open up the site and improve connectivity in the immediate area as the land is a block on movement currently”.

The Premier Inn hotel and Beefeater restaurant would be located in the north-east of the site, close to the large roundabout near the Aviva Centre, while

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News

Plans go in for Aldi, Premier Inn and Costa drive-through at Fox Den Road, Stoke Gifford Continued from facing page

the Costa drive-through would back onto Fox Den Road. The Aldi supermarket and multiuse building would both be on the north-west edge of the site, backing onto Great Stoke Way. A 265-space car park would occupy the centre of the site and 60 cycle spaces would be provided.

The proposed opening hours are given as: • Premier Inn – 24hrs seven days a week. Deliveries unrestricted.

• Beefeater – 6.30am to midnight hours seven days a week.

• Costa – 5am to 11pm seven days a week. Deliveries unrestricted.

• Aldi – 8am to 10pm Mon to Sat and 10am to 4pm Sun. A planning statement submitted as part of the application claims that the development could be expected to create a total of 125 new jobs (full- and part-time).

Justifying the inclusion of a Premier Inn hotel, the applicant states that the brand’s nearby sites at Emersons Green and Filton often experience full capacity on mid-week nights and cannot accommodate this demand.

Although the council’s long-term local plan calls for a significant element of ‘comparison shopping’ (for more expensive goods bought less

frequently) to be provided within the district centre, the applicant asserts that this requirement is “out of date, does not reflect the changing retail market, and is not achievable in this location”.

Public consultation on the proposals has been open on the South Gloucestershire Council website since 9th April 2020.

The feedback so far

Stoke Gifford Parish Council has objected to the application with reference to the location of vehicular access, expressing concerns that it will exacerbate congestion. It has requested that consideration be given to an access directly off the miniroundabout near to The Range.

The parish council and a number of other respondents, including South Gloucestershire Council’s tree officer, have expressed concern over the proposal to remove all the existing trees that are growing around the edges of the site. The tree officer says: “The scheme should incorporate the higher quality existing trees and then enhance with new planting, not remove everything and expect that [fewer] replanted trees can mitigate for their loss.

South Gloucestershire Council’s planning policy department has also raised

Aerial view of the site of the proposed mix-used development site, clearly visible as the large grassed area surrounded by trees (centre of image)

significant concerns over the type of retail space being proposed and has questioned whether the scheme would make efficient use of the land. Its response concludes: “The proposed development would not be in accordance with local or national planning policies, in that there is no assessment of the impact that the convenience units will have on

the wider retailing community (through an impact assessment).

Furthermore, given the location of the site, the design, layout, levels of parking and mixture of uses are not considered to currently demonstrate a proposal which is making the most efficient use of land, in line with the National Planning Policy Framework.” ● Planning ref: P20/05916/F

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July/August 2020

GPL bridge replacement: Recent work & forward plan May 2020 • Completion of pile cap works • Continuation of construction and testing of SPMT roadway • Waterproofing of the bridge • BT diversion works • Ducting in Strenco verge

Admiral’s Yard Self Storage

June 2020 • BT diversion works (ongoing) • Remove stage 2 sheet piles • Finish SPMT roadway, including tarmac

Ramp

July 2020 • Waterproofing to bridge • Back of abutment wall drainage work

Strenco

New bridge Tyres Direct

August 2020 • Commence culvert works • Highway drainage works (brought forward) • Apply anti-graffiti paint to bridge abutments “The site is currently operating on reduced staff levels so we can comply with current government guidelines on social distancing.”

Above: Aerial photo (May 2020) showing the almost-complete new concrete bridge within the Alun Griffiths site compound. Also visible (circled) are the pile caps (foundations for the new bridge) at the four corners of the existing bridge and a ramp that has been constructed up the railway embankment to provide vehicular access to the top of the bridge (for demolition and reinstatement).

South Gloucestershire Council statement on road closures and pedestrian access under the existing railway bridge Gipsy Patch Lane and Station Road junction Gipsy Patch Lane and the junction with Station Road need to remain closed until after the bridge move is complete and the road beneath the bridge has been lowered. The road and junction are expected to remain closed to vehicles until approximately July 2021.

This new timeframe takes into consideration the extra time needed to carry out work whilst observing the current government guidelines on coronavirus and social distancing.

It is not possible to reopen the road fully to all road users prior to the bridge move because of the extent of work that has already been completed. The road closure also needs to remain in place whilst Network Rail and Alun Griffiths continue with preparatory and highways work, such as the creation of the SPMT roadway.

Pedestrian access A footpath, suitable for pedestrians and dismounted cyclists only, has been reopened under the railway bridge on Gipsy Patch Lane and will remain open until further notice. The footpath is narrow and pedestrians are advised to take extra care should they need to use it.

However, the footpath will need to close when the bridge move takes place in the autumn. When this happens the free shuttle bus service will be reinstated for those pedestrians needing to make essential journeys either side of Gipsy Patch Lane. We will provide advance notice to the community when the footpath needs to close.

A

new date has been confirmed for the installation of the replacement railway bridge on Gipsy Patch Lane following the postponement of the work due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The new 4,500-ton concrete bridge, which has been constructed in a compound within the adjacent Horizon 38 business park, was due to be moved into place during a nine-day closure of the railway over Easter 2020.

However, the operation was called off because of the difficulty in adhering to government guidelines on social distancing, in particular the need to maintain a separation of two metres between members of the 150-strong team working on the project.

Since the postponement was announced in early April, Network Rail says it has continued to work hard behind the scenes with its stakeholders, contractor and supply chain to identify a new date when the Gipsy Patch Lane railway bridge can be manoeuvred into position.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has now revealed that the

bridge move will now take place between 24th October and 7th November 2020.

This longer 13-day period takes into consideration the extra time needed to carry out work whilst observing the current government guidelines on coronavirus and social distancing. Network Rail is also hoping to be able to complete some of the tasks on the railway that previously would have been carried out in separate follow up shifts.

A council spokesperson explained that rescheduling the railway closure has been a complex process that needed to take into account a range of factors, including: • The latest government guidance on coronavirus • The availability of a wide range of critical equipment, machinery and people, including the selfpropelled modular transporter (SPMT) units that will pick up and move the new bridge • Securing local accommodation for the 150 specialist railway engineering staff that will be working on the bridge replacement

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News

Rail bridge installation delayed until autumn Gipsy Patch Lane to remain closed until July 2021 Continued from facing page

• Co-ordination with other railway projects requiring line closures elsewhere on the national rail network • Consultation with train operating companies and freight operating companies because a closure impacts on train services, passengers and freight movements.

The delay to the bridge move will also have a knock on effect on the length of time that Gipsy Patch Lane is closed to motor vehicles. The road has been fully closed since 5th March 2020 and whereas it was originally anticipated that it would reopen

by November 2020, i.e. after eight months, this date has now been extended to July 2021 (see info panel on facing page).

SGC’s Cabinet member for transport, Cllr Steve Reade, said: “We are pleased to announce these new dates for the railway bridge move on Gipsy Patch Lane. We have all watched the project progress over the last 12 months and this will be a positive step towards reaching our goal of completing such an important transport project for the area.”

“We understand these new dates, particularly the length of closure for Gipsy Patch Lane, will bring with them an extended period of disruption.

We sincerely apologise for this and would like to take this opportunity to thank the local community for their continued patience and understanding.” ● SGC project webpage: southglos.gov.uk/CPmetrobus

Road closure in place at the bridge on Gipsy Patch Lane, Little Stoke

Replacement bridge constructed within the Alun Griffiths site compound

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July/August 2020

News

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rints of a remarkable drawing of a mask-wearing nurse created by a Bradley Stoke art student using the word ‘hero’ repeated thousands of times are now available to order in exchange for a donation to a local NHS charity.

The original ‘hero’ drawing was created in April, at the peak of the UK’s coronavirus emergency,

by Jessica Willcox-Drew, aged 18.

Jessica took around ten hours to create the work, using a 0.03mm fine liner pen on a dark blue background – the signature colour of the NHS. Currently completing a Level 3 foundation art diploma at SGS College WISE Campus before heading off to study drawing, painting & printmaking at university, Jessica says she found inspiration for her piece from another artist’s work posted on Instagram. But while that artist, Alexandria Lee, uses a celebrity’s name to form only the outline of their image, Jess took this one step further and decided

Left: Prints of the drawing are now available to order in exchange for a donation to Southmead Hospital Charity.

Facing page: Fine detail of the drawing, showing how it is formed of thousands of hand-drawn repetitions of the word ‘hero’.

to compose her entire drawing using just a single word, creating the different tones by layering.

She also wanted to use the picture to convey a message and chose the subject of the NHS to remind the amazing staff that we all appreciate what they are doing during the current coronavirus

pandemic.

Jess completed the drawing in her time off from being a ‘keyworker’ herself, at Bradley Stoke’s Tesco Extra store.

The drawing first attracted acclaim after being shared by family members in a Facebook group that features pictures of

NHS and frontline workers.

One NHS worker who saw the drawing on Facebook suggested that copies could be made to sell as small cards, raising funds for Southmead Hospital Charity, but this was difficult to arrange at the time due to the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

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News

Prints of local student’s ‘hero’ word art drawing now available to order All proceeds will go to Southmead Hospital Charity

Continued from facing page

A short while later, an article about the drawing on the Bradley Stoke Journal’s website went viral, attracting more than 45,000 views on our Facebook page and resulting in the story being picked up by the BBC and several other media outlets.

The image also found wider appreciation through being projected onto the sides of buildings around the world as part of an initiative organised by the #MakeItBlueCollective.

Now that lockdown has eased, and thanks to the generosity of Fishponds based Gemini Print, copies of Jessica’s drawing are now available to order in exchange for a donation to North Bristol NHS Trust Charitable Funds (the formal name for Southmead Hospital Charity).

Scan the QR code below to go directly to the GoFundMe page.

Everyone who makes a donation to obtain a print or set of cards will be entered into a draw, to be made on 1st August 2020, for the chance of winning Jess’s original drawing, with two prints being put up as consolation prizes.

The picture is available in three formats: • A3 print: £10 • A4 print: £8 • Pack of five A6 cards with envelopes: £7 To ensure that every penny goes to the nominated charity, orders must be place through a dedicated GoFundMe page set up by Jessica’s mum, Katherine Drew: https://gf.me/u/x8fnxr

Jessica Willcox-Drew with the original ‘hero’ word art drawing

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July/August 2020

News

Roundabout work set to finish 3 months early

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Great Stoke Roundabout: Construction phases with dates (updated May 2020)

ork on a scheme of major improvements at Great Stoke Roundabout (a.k.a. Rabbit Roundabout) is running three months ahead of schedule and is now expected to be completed by October, says South Glos Council.

Starting in January 2020 and originally planned to take 12 months, lighter traffic volumes during the coronavirus lockdown have allowed the council to bring forward some of the later phases of the project.

Work at the site has continued throughout the pandemic, with the council emphasising that its roadworks teams are classed as key workers and have been following “all current health and safety and government advice”.

As previously reported, work began with the Bradley Stoke Way arm of the roundabout, with 200 tonnes of material being excavated during the first six weeks of construction activity.

Prior to the start of lockdown on 23rd March, the reduction of the Bradley Stoke Way southbound approach to one lane and removal of the bus

lane resulted in serious traffic congestion during the morning peak and badly affected the reliability of the M1 MetroBus service.

At the end of April, the council reported that phases 1 & 2 of the scheme had been “nearly completed”. These two phases involved widening the Bradley Stoke Way southbound approach to the roundabout from two lanes to three, realigning underground cabling and street lights, and installing dropped kerbs and a pedestrian island ready for new Toucan crossings.

Work on phases 3 and 4, involving similar widening works on the Great Stoke Way (Parkway) side of the roundabout, commenced in May, with lane closures expected to be in place until August.

It was also announced that start of phase 6, on the western side of the roundabout (B4057 Winterbourne Road), was being brought forward from September to take advantage of the quieter roads.

In the first week of June, it was reported that the Bradley Stoke

Rabbit Roundabout: Improvements being implemented • Increasing all approaches to the roundabout from two lanes to three • Widening and changes to road markings on the roundabout • Toucan crossings on each of the four arms of the roundabout, prioritised for pedestrians and cyclists • New entry and exit points for cyclists to help them navigate the roundabout with clear traffic signs and road markings • Widening of shared use cycleways and footways

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News

Work on the scheme continued during the coronavirus lockdown

Way arm of the roundabout (phases 1, 2 and 5) had been fully completed, enabling the new shared-use footway/cycleways on Bradley Stoke Way to be opened up “to help with social distancing”.

Work on phases 3, 4 & 6 was reported to be going well, with a council spokesperson saying: “Due to the lower volumes of traffic currently on the roads we have been able to keep our temporary traffic management in place 24/7 instead of removing it each day, which has enabled us to complete works quicker than originally planned.”

The spokesperson added: “We are aiming to bring forward the resurfacing work on the roundabout to August, followed by installation of the new traffic signals in September.”

“We are aiming to have the new roundabout layout in place in time for the new school term in order to benefit from improved capacity and provisions for pedestrians and cyclists.

Depending on traffic levels, we currently expect to be fully finished on site by October.”

The latest update in mid-June confirmed that work on the B4057 west of the roundabout had been completed and work had now started on the B4057 to the east, meaning that all phases of the scheme are now either completed or under way.

The council’s statement concluded: “The construction aspects of the scheme are now due to be finished by the end of July, ahead of schedule.

Throughout August, we will carry out resurfacing and install new road markings in on the approaches and the roundabout itself. This will involve overnight road closures and we will publicise details of these as soon as possible.”

Lane closure on the Great Stoke Way northbound approach in June

The ‘completed’ Bradley Stoke Way arm. Road markings are still to be finished.

● For further information,

visit www.southglos.gov.uk/ majorroadworks or the Bradley Stoke Journal’s page at bit.ly/ gsr-improvements

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July/August 2020

News Council pulls A4174 ‘social distancing’ lane closure scheme after just five days

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ane closures on the A4174 Ring Road that were intended to facilitate easier ‘social distancing’ at a notorious pinch point for pedestrians and cyclists were removed after being in place for just five days following complaints that they caused gridlock for motorists.

The scheme, the first of its kind implemented by South Gloucestershire Council, involved cordoning off one of the two traffic lanes in each direction either side of the Station Road railway bridge, to create wider shared pedestrian and cycling lanes.

The lane restrictions, which were put in place on Friday 29th May, stretched between Abbey Wood Roundabout and Emma Chris Way (the side road leading to Filton railway station).

The measure was deemed necessary as the pavement narrows under the railway bridge, making social distancing very difficult if people were to

One lane in each direction was coned off during the short-lived scheme

pass each other there.

Announcing the scheme, Cllr Steve Reade, Cabinet member for planning, transport and strategic environment, said: “This period of lockdown has given us a once in a lifetime opportunity to look at how we use our roads and pathways and how we can

best adapt for changes in use as more people opt to get around by walking and cycling, adopting new travel and activity habits whilst being subject to social distancing.”

However, with very few, if any, pedestrians or cyclists being seen to use the coned-off

lanes, the scheme came under a barrage of criticism from road users and local councillors, including members of the ruling Conservative administration.

Days later, on 2nd June, the council announced quietly on Facebook: “Following feedback from residents, businesses and road users, we are today removing the temporary measures put in place on the A4174 Station Road in Filton.”

“Signs warning cyclists and pedestrians to take extra care along this section of the A4174 so they can remain two metres apart will be put up as soon as possible.”

Liberal Democrat opposition leader Cllr Claire Young said the administration had demonstrated “complete incompetence” by only doing “half a job” – “putting up cones, but without clear signage or changes to traffic lights in the area which would have enabled this to work.”

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News

Traffic lights installed at Parkway Bridge to support easier ‘social distancing’

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emporary traffic signals have been installed at Parkway Bridge in order to facilitate easier social distancing for pedestrians and cyclists passing under the structure.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) says the move is necessary because the extremely narrow pavements under the bridge constitute a ‘tight spot’ for people walking or cycling to nearby education establishments and places of work.

With more year groups having returned to school from Monday 15th June and increasing numbers of people returning to work as the Covid-19 (coronavirus) lockdown is eased, the council says there is an urgency to ensure footpaths and cycle routes are safe and can support social distancing.

The changes were implemented for an initial two-week trial period starting on Sunday 14th June.

Barriers have been used to create a single lane for traffic, controlled by temporary traffic signals. The extra space created either side of the lane is designated for people walking or cycling under the bridge, allowing them to keep a safe distance from each other.

Emphasising that the road changes are a temporary measure in response to the Covid-19 emergency situation, a council spokesperson said: “We are committed to developing a longer-term solution with stakeholders that provides safe access and/or additional facilities to divert pedestrians and cyclists away from the highway.”

“We will be monitoring, recording and reviewing the changes as more people return to work, businesses re-open and pupils return to school.”

The spokesperson added: “We anticipate these changes may cause delays for traffic in the area.

We apologise for any disruption; these measures are essential to

help people stay safe and control the spread of the virus.”

Cllr Steve Reade, SGC’s Cabinet member for planning, transport and strategic environment, said: “These changes are part of our emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic in order to help stop the spread of the virus and save lives in our local communities as lockdown eases.”

“The council has a statutory duty to make it as easy as possible to follow rules for social distancing in public places and we are currently working on several projects to make public space safer for everyone. These projects will also help to maintain some of the positive changes seen during this time, such as an increase in cycling and fewer cars on our roads.”

“We will be announcing additional projects across South Gloucestershire over the coming weeks, and due to the speed of their introduction they will be subject to regular constructive review.”

View from the south side of the bridge, showing the narrowed carriageway

Stoke Gifford ward councillor Brian Allinson has repeatedly called for a separate, parallel tunnel for pedestrians to be created through the railway embankment alongside Parkway Bridge, but funding for a scheme of this nature is yet to be found and its implementation likely to be years away.

SGC is inviting residents to leave feedback about the measures currently in place at Parkway Bridge scheme via sustrans.org.uk/space-to-move Implementation of the Parkway scheme came less than a fortnight after a similar social distancing initiative involving lane closures on the nearby

A4174 was abandoned after just five days (see facing page).

Comments on Facebook PT: Better for pedestrians to go one way on either side of the road.

Cyclists should use the road.

LF: Because the widened area is down the high kerb into the road it is not easy for bike/buggy/ wheelchair users to utilise.

KK: I travel through here with a pram and it’s always made me uneasy since the path is so narrow … I do feel safer now.

TB: Let’s see what chaos it causes once the traffic is back to normal! … Surely pedestrians and cyclists can use their common sense?

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News

Nature reserve a great asset during lockdown

By Sara Messenger, Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group

W

e’ve always known what an inspiring place our nature reserve is, we’re just sorry it took a lockdown for it to be appreciated by everyone. At 46ha it’s the largest local nature reserve in South Gloucestershire, and it’s surrounded by one of the largest housing estates in Europe (home to over 20,000 residents).

Whether your thing is just feeling the sun warming your face, cool ancient woodlands, open meadows, flowers, orchards, bug hunting, pond dipping, orienteering, butterfly or bird watching or just chilling by the water, we have it all and it’s right on your doorstep!

Although we have had our fair share of cancellations – workdays, birthday cakes, Earth

Hour and organised walks to name but a few, we have managed to get some things done. Some of the gates have either been removed or have been propped open, some paths were widened and bridges were cleared of encroaching vegetation. And although a group is required for a newt survey (traipsing around ponds in the dark on your own is not recommended!), it is easy to monitor our burgeoning slowworm population on your own. Our refugia have also given us an unexpected bonus as they are often used by small mammals and we have at times found up to three field voles and a shrew all huddled together beneath one of them, suggesting that we have a much higher population than we previously thought.

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Sponsored by SGC, eight leaves from each of our apple trees have been sent off for analysis to have their provenance determined. We hope to soon be able to replace ‘like for like’ some of the lost trees in the community orchard (located behind BSCS). A big ‘thank you’ too, to Michael Hunt, who nipped out one morning and, at the orchard, dug over Colin’s allotment just in time for what would have been his birthday.

Bird spotting

We aren’t the only ones who have been busy on the reserve – David Neale spotted red kites overhead (although I can’t print what was said when he wasn’t able to get a photo!) and a ring-necked parakeet was seen near the lake (thought to be an escapee from a local home).

In other news, our lake’s duckling population has increased by one – a couple rescued an ‘abandoned’ duckling from some overly attentive cats, but as it was almost fully grown, I took it down to the lake in the hope that our only resident mum (Matilda) will

add him to her small family. If you see her with three ducklings you’ll know she did.

We’ve also had reports of pollution in the water caused, we think, by heavy rain washing oil from the roads into the storm drains. Please do be aware that what goes down the street drains ends up in our brooks.

During lockdown the woodland school area was trashed and we’ve also had a surprisingly large number of reports of fires and barbecues (neither of which are ever allowed on the reserve without prior permission).

The seating area in Savages Wood is designed as an outdoor classroom, not a campfire pit.

Several areas have been turned into ‘outdoor pubs’ (notably the ‘scrape’ on the Tump that was cordoned off for the grizzled skipper butterfly). Thank you to our army of unsung heroes who clean up after them, but we’d prefer that if you’re going to use the reserve for drinking alcohol you didn’t leave behind broken bottles and empty cans (both are dangerous to people and

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News

animals). Also, if you’re going to pee in a public place, please try to be discreet, as there are some photos that I really don’t want on my computer!

Even though we are unsure how many organised walks we will be able to run this year, we are very grateful to Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC) for again granting us £2,000 for our service level agreement. The reserve is ‘owned’ by SGC but it is BSTC who give us the grant. Before the lockdown, Green Gym had also applied for a British Science Week grant to install a permanent star gazing bed with a compass and planisphere, but as that fund has now been closed, I am hoping that any underspend we have this year can be used for this project.

Lake life

If you’ve spotted something that looks like a cormorant or a shag at the lake, you could be right.

Although they are both usually sea birds, no one seems to have told them. We don’t mind –

unless you’re Himalayan balsam we’re fairly inclusive.

At the moment, the water level is very variable, but until it is de-silted there is not much we can do about it. As you may know, SGC has agreed to cover the cost of de-silting the lake this winter and there will be a small pot of money left over for other ‘improvements’.

Local architectural designer Jake Richardson has generously drawn us some plans for a very posh bird hide and I would like to see more educational boards, bird & bat boxes and a boardwalk enclosing a shallow ‘pond dipping area’ along with a hand operated water wheel and a solar fountain. Maybe I should find out just how ‘small’ the pot is before I add any more suggestions!

● Contact the Three Brooks

Nature Conservation Group… t: 07497 006676 e: info@three-brooks.info w: www.three-brooks.info and on Facebook too!

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Best Front Garden Competition 2020

Bradley Stoke in Bloom summer 2020 update

News

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

Entry forms are 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 17th 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 have been busy gardening during the Covid-19 pandemic, why not pick up an entry form and let us come and admire your handiwork?”

By Sara Messenger of Bradley Stoke in Bloom (BSiB) t’s been six months since I wrote an ‘in Bloom’ column and what a six months it has been! Although I sometimes felt that I was nailed to the spot as the Covid-19 storm raged around me, sweeping aside all that I thought I knew, Mother Nature was having none of it and seized the moment and bloomed.

The traffic that used to queue daily past our house no longer drowned out the dawn chorus and the resulting fumes no longer polluted the air. Our cherry tree sprang into life, its fruit still bright and clean while the bees and other insects seemed to buzz happily all day long.

In our garden we had nesting blackbirds, sparrows, blue tits and robins who were taking advantage of the increased insect population to feed their broods.

Although the lockdown prevented us from meeting as a group, I did manage to have a pair of secateurs or a trowel in my pocket on our allowed daily walks and do a few bits and pieces, and again at Easter and VE Day we appeared through the early morning mist to decorate our planters and the Manor Farm Roundabout. Although Treacle, the Manor Farm roundabout dog has gone missing, Debbie the heifer, complete with quarantine tape, made a very

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welcome return. The community herb garden had some spring additions, although we see a pigeon has set up home over one of the boxes and has generously supplied much fertilizer for the strawberries. Much as we may appreciate the gesture, we have moved away any plants that were in its firing line! The Brook Way wildflowers strips are regularly checked and debrambled for SGC. The Primrose Bridge ‘rainbow’ steps had yet another repaint and, despite the lockdown rules, scything the orchard was never going to be a problem, as most sensible people seeing me with a 2ft blade keep much more than 6ft away!

The RHS has abandoned its annual competitions for this year, which may be a good thing, as we were not sure how we could have topped the Gold that we scooped last year! However, we have decided to run our Best Front Garden Competition again as I don’t know about you, but I kept myself sane during lockdown by getting on with my garden ‘to do’ list, and judging by some of the wonderful gardens we saw on our daily walks, I wasn’t the only one using ‘garden therapy’.

Although you won’t be able to collect the entry forms from the town council office this year, you can still post them there once complete. The forms are available from our Facebook page, our

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Rainbow steps at Primrose Bridge (Close to the rear entrance gate into Wheatfield Primary School)

own website, or from the town council website. The closing date for applications is 4pm on Friday 17th July 2020 and we hope the judging will be done the following week.

And although we’ve been asked to consider running a back garden competition too, that won’t be possible this year for obvious reasons.

If you still feel your garden isn’t quite there yet, why not nominate one of your neighbours’ gardens instead?

THE TENNIS COURTS AT THE JUBILEE CENTRE HAVE NOW RE-OPENED AND ARE AVAILABLE FOR HIRE For more information and to check availability, please email bookings@bradleystoke.gov.uk

● How to contact BSiB…

t: 07582 634107 e: bsib@hotmail.co.uk w: bradleystokeinbloom.com and on Facebook too!

Our next magazine: Saturday 29th August

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July/August 2020

Schools

Stone ‘happiness snake’ just keeps on growing!

Credit: Steve Marshall

Credit: BSCS

Left: How the ‘happiness snake’ looked when it was started on 20th May Right: Three weeks later, when neighbouring school BSCS added some stones

CHILDREN from a local school have created a ‘happiness snake’ along the side of a local footpath to cheer people up during the current coronavirus emergency.

Located near the Ellicks Close footbridge (a.k.a. the tank bridge) in Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve, the colourful snake was created

by Year 3 pupils at the nearby Bowsland Green Primary School.

It is formed of a continuous line of painted pebbles and rocks, many of them decorated with

rainbows or hearts and messages in support of key workers.

A notice on display at the site asks members of the public to add their own stones to the installation and share a photo on social media using the hashtag #TeamBSGnake.

When it was started on 20th May, the snake consisted of just six rocks, but the number has since grown to over 500, stretching out over tens of metres along the path downstream of the bridge.

Credit: Nicky Pontin

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News

Meet the new mayor: Cllr Tony Griffiths

T

he newly appointed mayor for Bradley Stoke is Councillor Anthony Griffiths. Known by his preferred name, Tony was appointed as mayor during the town council’s annual general meeting (AGM) on 20th May 2020.

Due to the Covid-19 lockdown situation, and the need to follow the rules regarding social distancing, the AGM was held as a video conference meeting.

Using a virtual platform to host the AGM is a significant first for the town council, but possibly something we will get used to as this way of working has become the ‘new normal’ for so many of us in the past few months.

Tony has lived in Bradley Stoke for 13 years. He has served on the town council since May 2011 and currently represents the Bradley Stoke North ward.

Tony was an architectural technician and he served with the Royal Observer Corp, seeing active service in the Far East.

With his family, he ran two pubs and three restaurants and two of these are still operating in Manchester. For the past ten years, Tony worked as hospitality and facilitators manager, but he is now semi-retired and filling his time working as a cyber security consultant and fulfilling his councillor duties.

Tony has taken on the role of mayor during unprecedented times where the impact of Covid-19 has played a significant part in all our lives, locally, nationally and internationally. As a result, it is going to be a tough year in office with many planned projects and engagements having to be postponed or cancelled.

However, Tony is hoping the fireworks display in November will be able to go ahead. This year, the popular free display will have the added benefit of being pet-friendly without the loud bangs. Tony is also hoping it will be possible to hold an event in the spring, maybe a return to the

Cllr Tony Griffiths, mayor of Bradley Stoke for the civic year 2020-21

Proms on the Green.

The impact of the lockdown has had some positive benefits for Tony. The reduced level of traffic on the roads has made it a more pleasurable experience to get out and exercise on his bike. Tony is a keen cyclist, and, during the summer of 2018, he cycled from John O’Groats to Land’s End with a friend which raised over £5,000 for charity.

For the mayor’s charities for this year, Tony has decided to continue to support the Great Western Air Ambulance. It costs £3 million per year to run this essential service, equating to over £8,000 a day, with no funding other than from charitable sources. Tony’s second charity is Next Link, which supports victims of domestic abuse.

Tony is looking forward to his year in office and will continue to act for and help the people of Bradley Stoke in his new role. He would particularly like to support any local initiatives and organisations and he would welcome invitations to attend any functions or events you have planned.

We wish Cllr Griffiths a very happy, successful and safe year in office.

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Advertising

A wonderful option for retirement in Easter Compton

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he Abbeyfield Society was founded in 1956 by Richard Carr-Gomm, who recognised that many retired and older people were living alone and feeling isolated: a social issue still very prevalent today. His vision was to build friendly and supportive communities of people who want to live together in their later years.

Abbeyfield House in Easter Compton is the smallest of Abbeyfield’s five houses in Bristol and the surrounding areas, offering 13 onebedroom and studio apartments.

House manager Pauline Warbutton (left), gave us her insights into what makes Abbeyfield special.

stress away from running a home on your own and offer a new way of life. Many people tell us how they really started to live again when they joined us.

inclusive of utility bills, including council tax, and residents enjoy delicious home-cooked meals that they eat in our lovely dining room.

There’s a 24-hour team member on hand seven days a week, which residents and their families, find very reassuring. A handyman pops in if you need a picture hanging on the wall or any adaptations in your flat.

There’s a calendar of social events, daily coffee mornings, and trips to attractions or restaurants.

What sets Abbeyfield House apart?

It’s truly the next best thing to living in your own home. Our residents are encouraged to keep their independence and many are still very active in the community, attending church, gardening groups, meeting their friends and enjoying the local amenities.

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The residents have been truly amazing and were more than happy to stick to all the guidelines given to us by the wonderful team at our head office in Bristol. We introduced social distancing really early on along with split mealtimes, to avoid too many people being close together, and restrictions on visiting and outings. I can’t thank residents, families, volunteers and staff enough for their help and support during the crisis. I know we aren’t through it yet, but everyone is safe and well which just puts the biggest spring in our steps.

Residents are now able to see their families in our lovely garden, obviously still with distancing rules in place. It’s made a huge difference to our mental well-being that we can see our loved ones.

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News

VE Day carnival rearranged for May 2021

By Sara Messenger, Bradley Stoke Carnival Committee lthough our VE Day celebrations this year were not what we had planned, it was reassuring to see that the ‘Blitz Spirit’ that sustained so many through the darkest days of World War II continued to keep us buoyed in our own dark times.

Despite the coronavirus lockdown being in full effect, Bradley Stoke was able to tenderly celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day, which marked the end of World War II in Europe.

In 2021, we hope to recreate our planned day, which will include:

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• VE Day poster competition for schools & youth groups • Memories board, where people can share photos and stories of their families involvement in the 1945 VE Day and World War II • Parade with all the groups dressed in theme and the youth groups displaying their posters.

All children in parade would get a token of thanks. Trophy for best costumes • Themed ‘street party’ tea, Lindy Hop dancing and wartime songs • Vintage vendors, e.g. sweet shop / ice cream seller / bar Left: A ‘Welcome to Bradley Stoke’ planter decorated in a VE Day theme Right: One Bradley Stoke family’s lockdown-style VE Day celebration

Through our Facebook page (@BradleyStokeCarnival2020) we signed up to The Big Neighbourhood VE Day 75 Family Festival at Home and also the 9pm doorstep singalong of Vera Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again and were able to provide many children’s resources which proved very popular.

Many homes had displayed their bunting and the children’s beautifully coloured posters in their windows, and in the evening the heartfelt, if not always tuneful, rendition of We’ll Meet Again could be heard across the Stokes.

Our Close also hosted an afternoon tea party, although I was the only one who bought

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tea and cake, an error that was quickly rectified!

Bradley Stoke in Bloom of course decorated their planters and roundabouts and Bradley Stoke Radio hosted a five-hour VE Day special.

We were very grateful to receive loans/grants from both Bradley Stoke Town Council and South Gloucestershire Council to provide you all with VE Day celebrations, which we still intend to do, so we have

moved the date of the carnival to Saturday 8th May 2021.

We are a small committee and would welcome a few more members – no experience is necessary only a cheerful ‘can do’ attitude.

If you have any stories to share, are interested in having a stall, having your youth group take part, or are interested in joining our committee, please email us at bradleystokecarnival2020@ outlook.com

   

• Old-fashioned games, e.g. tug of war, coconut shy, quoits, three-legged race, egg & spoon, beacon relay, with prizes for competitive games (a tin of Spam!)

• Vintage fitness session, Punch and Judy show, vintage bus rides, hovercraft • Screening of episodes of the Dad’s Army series and the 2016 film Dad’s Army • Stalls decorated to stay in theme (community group / charity stalls are free) • VE Day themed costumed players available for photos

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News

Rainbows keeping busy in challenging times

By Catherine Dixon embers of the 1st Bradley Stoke Rainbows have been unable to meet in person since 16th March, but this certainly hasn’t stopped them being active!

As soon as we knew that we wouldn’t be meeting in person, we moved our meetings online and adapted our activities so that the girls could continue to enjoy Rainbow activities at home with their families. The first few weeks were challenging while we all got used to this new way of meeting, but we have got used to it and look forward to seeing each other each week. Even outside these weekly virtual meetings, the Rainbows have been working hard on Rainbow activities and between them have earned over 80 badges since the lockdown began – ranging from Nature to Booklover – with the girls coming up with some great ideas to meet

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the requirements of the badges while staying at home.

In one of our early online meetings we decided that we were going to take on a Charity Challenge to help support a local charity during the pandemic.

We voted and decided to raise money for Southmead Hospital Charity. Since then we have been walking, cycling, dancing and scooting to try and reach our fundraising target. We have now raised over £500 to support the charity’s Coronavirus Appeal.

If you would like to support our fundraising efforts please donate via our fundraising page, http://bit.ly/bsj-2020-07-a Saturday 6th June was our 30th birthday and we had planned to spend the day at Old Down Country Park followed by a sleepover, but due to the pandemic we moved our sleepover online instead. We set the girls and their families

Clockwise from top left: 30th birthday badge; Emily with her Rainbow Gold Award; Ella on a bike ride with mum; Celebrating the Rainbows’ 30th birthday at home

activities to complete throughout the day including making a birthday cake and building and sleeping in a den! As part of our celebrations we also presented Emily with her Rainbow Gold Award which is the highest award that a Rainbow can achieve and involves them completing

activities and badges from each of the Girlguiding programme themes.

We hope that we will be able to meet in person again soon, but in the meantime we will continue to offer the Rainbows activities and online meetings. ● Twitter: @BSRainbows

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MP’s Column

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by Jack Lopresti, member of parliament for Filton and Bradley Stoke

Protecting local jobs and our world leading manufacturing capability in aerospace Our aerospace industry in Filton and the South West of England is dynamic, innovative and world leading. It is a showcase of the best that British engineering has to offer the world, but as I am sure you will be aware this is an extremely challenging time for the aviation/aerospace industry. Whilst I am optimistic that our fantastic local aerospace companies such as Rolls-Royce, Airbus, and GKN will weather this storm, I want to ensure that they don’t merely survive, but continue to thrive.

However, we need intervention and Government support to protect jobs and skills for the future.

Firstly, it is imperative that we get the aviation industry up and running, to allow it to operate over the peak holiday period.

This cannot happen with a 14-day quarantine measure in place. I’m confident that there are better ways to ensure we are neither importing nor exporting fresh infections across international borders. We are Global Britain and a key part

of that is being open for business.

As such, I have written to Priti Patel and plan to offer constructive criticism to the Government that these measures are not necessary and that we need to find alternative ways of working.

Secondly, I look forward to hearing more from Government about Project Birch; their plan to help key industries which have been impacted by the coronavirus.

We must stand ready to assist viable aerospace and aviation companies encountering financial difficulty, to prevent the skills, manufacturing base, jobs, and economic productivity from leaving the UK and finding a new home elsewhere. If necessary, as a measure of last resort, this should even include Government loans, provided that the taxpayer is at the front of the queue of creditors.

Thirdly, an aircraft scrappage scheme, which has already been pioneered by other countries, could help safeguard jobs, reduce our emissions and kickstart our

aerospace industry again. A similar scheme worked wonders for our hard-hit car manufacturers after the recession, scrapping 330,000 cars in total, and accounting for a fifth of all cars sold in the year in which it was introduced. Such a scheme for aircraft would allow us to upgrade our ageing fleets of aircraft to be more environmentallyfriendly and would also result in a steady increase in orders placed with local businesses.

Lastly, in our own local area, I am supporting Aerospace Bristol’s ‘Return to Flight’ campaign, which is aiming to raise money to ensure the museum will be able to reopen once the lockdown measures have been eased.

This fantastic facility is the final resting place of Concorde, the most iconic commercial passenger plane aircraft ever designed, and Concorde could never have flown without the brilliance and dedication of engineers right here in South Gloucestershire. Bristol Aerospace proudly flies the flag

for our heritage and, as a STEM learning centre, looks to the future and serves as an inspiration to the next generation.

We need many more of our young people to embark on a career in engineering and aerospace and help to maintain our great tradition. To support Bristol Aero and to access some fun activities for you to do at home, please visit: www.aerospacebristol.org There are further measures we can take to support aviation and aerospace in the UK; I will be working with Government ministers, the management, and trade unions of local companies and will leave no stone unturned in finding ways of supporting our aviation/aerospace industry and protect, preserve and enhance our sovereign manufacturing capability in aerospace and defence. w: www.jacklopresti.com t: 01454 617783

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Ask the Doctor with Dr Sian Langdon of Bradley Stoke Surgery Covid-19: Great efforts made but the ‘war’ is not yet over “When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”

(Haruki Murakami, writing in ‘Kafka on the Shore’) The last article written for the Ask the Doctor column was by my colleague Dr Sophie Kilmartin in February. It would be fair to say that a lot has changed since then for us all!

The way that the NHS is now working has changed considerably, but as always, patients remain at the centre of all we do. In General Practice we changed how we worked virtually overnight. Gone were the pre-bookable appointments, long waits, busy waiting rooms, queues at reception and the pressures of 10-minute face to face appointments. Overnight we changed, evolved, developed.

Bradley Stoke Surgery was not

the only practice that changed in such a way, this was a national effort. Some practices had to change considerably, others less so, but we all did in some way. We are now remotely communicating with patients via phone, e-Consults, SMS and video consults. It has taken a bit of getting used to for both the clinicians and patients but

of a consult, an enquiry about if we had enough PPE and felt safe, biscuits and cards left in reception or the noise generated during the ‘Clap for Carers’ evenings. It is not easy seeing patients wearing PPE and yet our clinical teams have done so with a smile on their faces and given their absolute best care, as ever. I’ve never felt quite so

“ In General Practice we changed how we worked virtually overnight.” overall it seems to be working well. As always, we will see patients ‘face to face’ when it is clinically necessary to do so, although in different settings and wearing PPE. I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to every patient who acknowledged the effort the whole practice team made; whether that was with a simple spoken ‘thank you’ at the end

proud of my team or of being part of the NHS. It has been nice to hear that the long hours and personal sacrifice have at last been recognised by many.

Whilst locally Covid-19 does seem to be diminishing, the war, as they say, is not over. Please don’t forget that whilst the NHS coped with the first wave it is not clear what will happen if the disease increases once again.

We remain, as always, reliant on our patients, which is all of us after all, to listen to the guidance, isolate ourselves when symptomatic, wash our hands, keep our distance and self-manage mild febrile illness. Your GP practice is still there to help and support you but we remain busy. If you can manage your symptoms at home, please do. Use online 111 resources and NHS websites to help guide you.

Dr Sian Langdon Bradley Stoke Surgery www.bradleystokesurgery.nhs.uk

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Advertising

Change of hands for Bright Sparks pre-schools

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he Bright Sparks preschools in Stoke Lodge and Downend have changed hands and plans to make the settings more flexible for local families have been revealed.

The pre-schools, which are located within the grounds of Stoke Lodge Primary School and Stanbridge Primary School respectively, will be run by new managing director Vicky Ashbolt, an expert in nursery childcare, who plans to open the settings up to more age groups and extend opening hours.

Taking over from previous owner Karen Llewellyn, Vicky intends to extend the opening hours to 8am-6pm to help working parents. The settings will cater for children from threemonths to five-years and will be available year-round instead of just during term times.

Ms Ashbolt, who has worked for many years as a director at the locally based Mama Bear’s Day Nursery and Pre-School group, said: “Bright Sparks will continue to be an independent pre-school operator and retain its independent character. We will build on the organisation’s strengths, retain the existing staff, develop and encourage talent and continue Karen’s legacy.”

Both nurseries are currently still operating under their existing offerings but work is taking place to begin accepting children of all ages for longer

Vicky Ashbolt (front-most), managing director at Bright Sparks pre-schools, with other members of staff outside the firm’s Stoke Lodge setting

days. There are also plans to be able to provide hot meals, cooked on site for the children.

Vicky continued: “We hope to better meet the needs of local working families and their children with our new plans.

The extended opening hours will benefit working parents, as will the year-round provision.”

“I would like to thank Karen for her hard work and achievements. Bright Sparks is an important contributor to the local community; it has played a key role in the lives of thousands of young children and given employment to hundreds of local workers.

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We look forward to steering the organisation during this next phase of its development.”

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Get well · Stay well

T

July/August 2020

by Danny Brown, physiotherapist at Willow Brook Clinic

A new way and a new you

he last three months or so have brought many challenges and triumphs.

Many of us have found out more about ourselves and those we love in ways that we could never have expected.

Slowly and carefully our freedom is being returned as we navigate the way forward. Now it is time to breathe a little easier, be thankful for experiences shared, try not to be hard on ourselves and set some attainable goals to take you through the rest of the year. Goals must be personal to you and not just the generic ‘get fit and thin’ mantra that many adopt.

Small changes Current thinking encourages small changes. Each change creates a chance for another small change and before you know it, a big difference has been made. We have all heard them before – take the stairs, eat less sugar, go to bed a little earlier, walk more, smile, do a good deed, take time for yourself. What are you choosing to do?

Getting your body ‘right’ Looking after your joints and muscles is just as important as your general wellbeing regime. If you have any aches or niggling pains, these may

prevent you from achieving your other goals. Too many of us blame our mental state for lack of achievement, but sometimes it is actually our bodies that prevent us from achieving what we want. A physiotherapist is trained to look at all aspects of health and a skilled physiotherapist can help you to achieve your physical goals by getting your body ‘right’ before and while you are exercising, and while you are living your daily life.

Don’t let obstacles stand in your way. Take small steps to achieve results and visit your physiotherapist to make sure your body is ready to support your goals.

The Willow Brook Clinic East Offices The Willow Brook Centre www.willowbrookclinic.co.uk

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News Abbey Wood owners submit plans for Travelodge hotel and Greggs drive-through

T

he owners of the Abbey Wood Shopping Park have submitted a planning application for a Travelodge hotel and a Greggs drive-through on land close to the MoD Roundabout on the A4174 in Filton.

The proposed development site is a 0.4ha area of grassland located between the access road into the retail park and the A4174, just to the east of the existing McDonald’s restaurant.

The four-storey, 85-bed Travelodge and single-storey Greggs outlet would share a new 49-space car park, accessed from the existing road which leads into McDonald’s.

The applicant envisages that customers of the Greggs outlet will predominantly use the parking spaces in the day with

the guests of the hotel using these during the evening and morning hours. Registered hotel guests will be also be allowed to use the main parking area at the shopping park as an overspill.

Referring to South Glos Council’s local plan, which calls for more ‘comparison’ retail space to be provided within the Stoke Gifford District Centre, the applicant claims this requirement is out of step with market demand, and says this has been “exacerbated by Covid-19”.

Justifying the need for another hotel in the area, the applicant says the forthcoming YTL Arena in Filton is expected create a “significant level of demand”.

The development would create 25 full-time-equivalent jobs. ● Planning ref: P20/08495/F

Top: Visualisation of Travelodge & Greggs. Above: Aerial view showing site.

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July/August 2020

News

Filton airfield arena could open by 2023 Plans approved despite concerns over traffic

P

lans for a new 17,000 capacity concert arena on the former Filton Airfield site have been approved, despite concerns about its potential impacts on traffic congestion.

A suite of four planning applications submitted by YTL Developments (UK) Ltd gained approval from Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire Council back in March.

Due to the scale and nature of the project, the arena decision was subsequently referred to the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, who has the option of ‘calling in’ such applications for determination.

No ministerial ‘call in’ was announced within the required

period, leaving the way clear for the council decision to stand, subject to the signing of an S106 agreement for developer contributions towards local infrastructure and community facilities.

The main element of the scheme involves repurposing the enormous Brabazon Hangars to create a 17,080 capacity arena, with adjoining spaces for exhibitions & conventions, leisure facilities and food and drink outlets.

South Gloucestershire Council has also approved the construction of a pedestrian bridge over the adjacent railway line, the provision of a temporary car park for 2,000 vehicles and highway improvements to allow access for service vehicles.

DESIGN, BUILDING PLANS, EXTENSIONS, NEW BUILD, PLANNING APPLICATIONS, BUILDING REGULATIONS Tony Machado, Architectural Technologist Email: trmac@live.co.uk Tel: 01454 201070 • Mobile: 07815 713870

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Covering Bradley Stoke, the Stokes, Bristol, South Glos and beyond.

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Visualisation of the main entrance to the proposed YTL Arena at Filton Airfield

The development will create the UK’s third largest arena after Manchester and the O2 in London.

YTL says it hopes to attract a wide range of events to suit all interests, from music and sport to comedy and family entertainment.

Addressing concerns raised by Highways England that visitors travelling by car could have a “significant impact” on the road network during the evening peak commuter period, Bristol City Council has imposed a condition that arena events must not end between 3.30pm and 6.30pm or start before 8.30pm on weekdays.

Restrictions have also been imposed on the timings of arena events on Saturdays during the football season and for the duration of international cricket fixtures at the County Ground.

Speaking after the Bristol City Council decision on 4th March, YTL Arena Complex managing director Andrew Billingham said: “We’re delighted that the

council has entrusted us with this brilliant opportunity to put Bristol on the world stage. It is a huge step forward for our plans.”

“We are committed to delivering a venue that everyone can be proud of and that will benefit not just Bristol, but the whole of the wider city region.

This decision is a huge step forward in our plans to put Bristol on the world stage!”

A YTL spokesperson added: “There is a huge amount of work to be done now: with detailed designs and plans expected to take at least six months. This will be followed by a two-year construction phase. The target opening date is early 2023.”

Speaking on 9th April, Toby Savage, leader of South Gloucestershire Council, said: “The secretary of state’s decision is hugely welcome as it gives the green light to another wave of private sector investment from YTL into our area and the achievement, finally, of a worldclass arena and entertainment complex.”

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In Brief £13m funding to boost walking and cycling The West of England Combined Authority (Weca) has agreed a £13 million investment in measures to encourage cycling and walking in the region. It comes as Sport England reports that during lockdown the proportion of people cycling has doubled from 8 to 16 percent. £3 million will be used to underwrite the cost of short-term measures to help people maintain social distancing while walking and cycling. A further £10 million has been agreed for longer-term solutions to encourage active travel in the region.

West of England mayor Tim Bowles said: “During the lockdown many people have taken advantage of quieter roads to walk or cycle more regularly.

This new funding is helping to make sure we can safely move around our communities again, but also aims to create a long term, positive legacy of more cycling and walking in the region as restrictions ease. We have a real opportunity to capture the positive changes we have seen to improve the physical and mental health of residents and cut carbon emissions, improve air quality and ease congestion across the West of England.”

Local councils have been working with Weca to rapidly plan and implement measures such as widening pavements and installing pop-up cycle lanes to help people travel safely while social distancing is required. ● More at www.travelwest.info

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July/August 2020

Business www.FertilityBristol.com

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GKN AEROSPACE’S new global technology centre, located adjacent to the Village Hotel on the Horizon 38 business park, has been handed over to the company by joint site developers St Francis Group and iSec. The 110,000ft2 bespoke facility, including 40,000ft2 of office accommodation, has been pre-let to GKN with funding provided by BP Pension Fund.

Gareth Williams, development director at St Francis Group, said: “The global technology centre will enable GKN Aerospace to create a world leading facility for research particularly in the areas of wing configuration and construction, meaning intellectual property, skills and knowledge is retained in the UK.” Jane Leedham, estates director at GKN Aerospace, said: “For such a high-profile project with a continually evolving brief, it was essential that we

found a development partner with a delivery team that was both flexible and extremely capable. In return for a longterm commitment from GKN Aerospace, we were able to secure a bespoke research and development facility to rival all others.”

The global technology centre will focus on additive manufacturing, advanced composites, assembly and industry 4.0 processes to enable the high-rate production of aircraft structures.

The facility will serve as a base for GKN’s technology partnership in the Airbus ‘Wing of Tomorrow’ technology programme.

Further developments in the pipeline on the Horizon 38 site include a Volvo car dealership, for which planning permission was granted in January.

Work to create a new access and slip road into the site off the A38 is planned to start soon. ● horizon38.com

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July/August 2020

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News

Funds allocated for Brook Way resurfacing

L

ocal councillors have welcomed the allocation of funds to resurface Orpheus Avenue (Little Stoke) and part of Brook Way (Bradley Stoke) during the current financial year.

The decision was reached at a meeting of South Gloucestershire Council’s Cabinet on 8th June as part of a swathe of budget adjustments being made in response to the Covid-19 crisis.

With doubts over whether external contractors would be able to complete some highway maintenance schemes already scheduled for 2020/21, executive members agreed to reallocate funding of more than £560,000 to the Orpheus Avenue / Brook Way scheme, with any residual amount going to the country lane programme.

The main issues affecting schemes involving external contractors were said to be the difficulty in arranging accommodation for a travelling workforce and the increased number of parked cars in residential streets as a result of employees working from home or being on furlough.

The scheme in the Stokes will be carried out by the council’s own Streetcare team and is expected to have fewer issues with parked cars.

Almost half a mile of road – and adjoining footpaths – are set to be resurfaced. The Journal understands that the scheme includes the section of Brook Way between Christ the King Church and Sherbourne’s Brake (Beehive) Roundabout, and the full length of Orpheus Avenue.

Conservative councillors Roger Avenin and John Ashe, who represent Bradley Stoke South, said: “This is great news for our local communities. Brook Way and Orpheus Avenue are used by hundreds of residents each day and, as a result, are well worn so we are pleased to welcome the funding to restore the road and paths to a suitable standard.”

Cllr Keith Cranney points out a section of damaged road surface

Conservative councillors Brian Allinson, Ernie Brown and Keith Cranney, who represent the Stoke Gifford ward, including Little Stoke, added: “Collectively we want to thank the Cabinet for considering a scheme which we have all lobbied hard for. We will continue to push for more investment into infrastructure across Stoke Gifford and Little Stoke.”

Editor’s note South Gloucestershire Council had previously given an assurance that the same sections of road would be resurfaced ahead of the commencement of the eightmonth full closure of Gipsy Patch Lane in March 2020. However, on further investigation, the scheme was found to require more work than first anticipated and could only be carried out by closing the roads.

The council got as far as publishing closure notices for the work to be done in early February 2020, but by mid-January increased traffic congestion caused by the improvement works at Great Stoke Roundabout had become a serious issue throughout Bradley Stoke and the Orpheus Avenue / Brook Way scheme was postponed “until the major schemes in the area are complete”.

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July/August 2020

In Brief Update from Bradley Stoke Women’s Institute

Stokes Singers keen to resume rehearsals

Bradley Stoke WI usually meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 2pm at the Jubilee Centre, Savages Wood Road, Bradley Stoke. Meetings have been cancelled until further notice due to Covid-19 but once social distancing rules allow we will be resuming our monthly meetings, social events, book club, craft club and table tennis club. New members will be really welcome. Contact Janet Hunt, Secretary, Bradley Stoke WI on 07845 744351 for more information.

Unfortunately, Stokes Singers have had to cancel their weekly rehearsals due to Covid-19.

We have also had to cancel our summer concert and appearances at other community events. We hope that we can return to our Thursday evening practices in September but, obviously, we will have to abide by the Government guidelines. Please check our website, www.stokessingers.org. uk which is updated regularly and the local press to find out what is happening, or contact Gil, our membership secretary on 07790 909726

Bowlers primed to restart once regulations allow The government having changed the alert level to 3, could mean that in early July the town council might be in a position to open the bowling green at Baileys Court. If this happens, then Bradley Stoke Bowls Club

will set up a rink booking system for roll ups to comply with the social distancing requirements.

The club will also organise some competitions amongst members and, if allowed under the regulations, look into possibly playing some friendlies with other clubs. Details on joining and booking of rinks can be found on the club website bsbc. webs.com or our Facebook page @bradleystokebowls The club welcomes applications from bowlers and/ or anyone interested in finding out more about bowls. For new bowlers, we will provide socially distanced 1:1 introduction to bowling. If you are interested in learning more about bowling, please visit the club website.

On the passing of Pamela Violet Everard A ‘thank message’ you from Mr Terry Everard for all the kind condolences received from neighbours and friends following the sudden passing of his wife Pam on 26th May 2020.

“We started the business of Timber Supplies of Pretoria Road, Patchway in 1976 with firewood, then reclaimed timber and developed a DIY supply for the district employing local labour. With the support of the local customers we were able to retire to Devon in 1988 to return to Bradley Stoke in 2001 to live out our remaining years.”

“Thank you one and all.”

School uniform supplier opens at Simmonds View Multi-channel school uniform supplier Monkhouse Schoolwear Specialists has opened at Unit 1, Simmonds View, Stoke Gifford (previously occupied by a McColl’s supermarket).

The business has transferred from the firm’s former store in Henleaze, which traded as The Famous Schoolwear.

The shop unit had remained unoccupied since being severely damaged by fire in July 2013. ● www.monkhouse.com

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HANDYMAN SERVICES

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WASH SHOP Launderette 11 The Parade,Patchway Bristol BS34 5LP Tel : 0117 947 0284 www.patchwaylaunderette.co.uk

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Directory of Advertisers Accountants & Bookkeepers C & M Accountants, Page 2 Dunkley’s Accountants, Page 26 Architectural Services Holdfast Architectural Services, Page 39 T.M. Design, Page 32 Bathrooms JJ Plumbing & Building, Page 15 Builders Criterion Construction, Page 18 JJ Plumbing & Building, Page 15 Carpentry & Joinery J. Earle Carpentry & Joinery, Page 37 Northavon Carpentry, Page 30 Carpet Cleaners B Clean, Page 30 Bonne Fresh Clean, Page 14 Child Care Abacus Pre-School, Page 5 Ambourne House Day Nursery, Page 35 Banana Moon Day Nursery, Page 1 Bright Sparks Pre-School, Page 29 Meerkat Minding, Page 25 Children’s Activities Bristol Riding School, Page 16 Chiropractic Willow Brook Clinic, Page 9 Cleaning & Domestic Services Felina Contract Cleaning, Page 27 Niko’s Mobile Cleaning Ltd, Page 18 Domestic Appliance Repairs Kitchen & Laundry Appliance Care, Page 26 Education & Learning Kumon Study Programme, Page 32 Patchway Community School, Page 15 Electricians Ernest Till, Page 14 Estate Agents Ocean Estate Agents, Page 12 Financial Services Aspirations Financial Advice, Page 16 Foot Care Willow Brook Clinic, Page 9 Funeral Services F. Woodruff Funeral Directors, Page 11 Memorial Woodlands, Page 4 MW Funeral Directors, Page 31 Garage Services Bristol Caravans, Page 28 Filton Central Garage, Page 17 GH Motor Services, Page 39 LCM Automotive, Page 34 Gardening & Landscaping Services ColourFence, Page 33 Garretts Landscapes, Page 13 Painting Petals, Page 37 Plan-It Garden Design, Page 30 Professional Gardening Services, Page 38 Smart Patios, Page 9 Gyms & Health Clubs Riverside Leisure Club, Page 3 Hairdressing The Filton Barbers, Page 7

Healthcare Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Page 34 Home Improvements & Furnishings Door Express, Page 29 Garolla Roller Shutter Doors, Page 30 Launderettes Wash Shop Patchway, Page 37 Mortgages & Financial Advice Aspirations Financial Advice, Page 16 Painting & Decorating A. Worsfold, Page 37 Digby Decor, Page 37 Painting Petals, Page 37 Rick Murphy, Page 37 Pest Control Services Aman Pest Control, Page 37 PestBGone, Page 37 Pet Services & Supplies Rosie Posie Pet Services, Page 39 Pharmacies Bradley Stoke Pharmacy, Page 23 Physiotherapy The Physio Clinic, Page 10 Willow Brook Clinic, Page 9 Plasterers B & D Plastering, Page 34 Plumbing & Heating Bristol Plumbing & Heating, Page 8 Fastfix Heating, Page 33 JJ Plumbing & Building, Page 15 Low Cost Plumbing, Page 39 M.S.M Plumbing & Heating, Page 39 Panache Plumbing, Page 39 S. Berryman Plumbing & Heating, Page 39 Property Maintenance David Coombs Services, Page 37 HoldFast Handyman, Page 37 JJ Plumbing & Building, Page 15 Mark’s Gutter Cleaning, Page 39 P.J.R Plastics, Page 39 So Clear Gutter Clearing, Page 39 Public Notices South Glos Council, Pages 19-22 Retirement Homes Abbeyfield Bristol & Keynsham, Page 24 Rubbish Clearance Bradley Stoke Rubbish Clearance, Page 38 Self Storage Admiral’s Yard Self Storage, Page 11 Shopping Willow Brook Centre, Page 40 Solicitors Star Legal, Page 36 Sport & Leisure Bradley Stoke Town Council, Page 17 Bristol Riding School, Page 16 Taxis & Private Hire Z Cars, Page 10 Tiling Services Tileworx Tiling Services, Page 37 Window Cleaning Ultra Clear, Page 39 More in directory on BSJ website

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July/August 2020

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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

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July/August 2020

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PLUMBING & HEATING

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