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www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk
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May 2021
News
Sport
‘BS in Bloom’ volunteers quietly hatching plans
Grant’s double marathon for local football charity
Easter decorations on the ‘Welcome’ planter near Orpheus Avenue
By Sara Messenger of Bradley Stoke in Bloom (BSiB) ecently, we haven’t able to do much other than plan what we want to do when both the chill morning mist and lockdown are lifted. However, we did manage to put out a few Easter decorations and we are very pleased to report that this year none of the decorations hopped it! The Common East is keeping us busy; we are either tending the pond, removing unsafe dead trees, or adding more fruit trees and wildflowers to the small orchard that we have there. We have also secured a promise of some mechanical assistance from South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) to replough and replant the meadow. We’ve contacted SGC’s tree officers regarding the trees between The Common East and Cornfield Close. These were planted by SGC but are now too large and overshadow many of the gardens. In fact, several of them have come crashing down through residents’ fences. No one wants to see them all removed, just lowered to a more manageable height, and we are hopeful that soon we can all agree on a management plan.
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Our workdays are always on the third Saturday of the month, but this has clashed with the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh, so we postponed it to the following Saturday. His death has reminded us that we hoped to create a garden of remembrance, somewhere with a quiet seat and where anyone could plant a tree or some forget-me-nots in memory of someone they have lost. Although we have yet to agree on the perfect location, we were very pleased to receive from Hannah and Damien Jack a lovely gazebo frame in which we plan to install a couple of seats and to use roses, jasmine and honeysuckle as a living roof. In memory of the Duke of Edinburgh and his Greek heritage, we thought an almond tree would be an appropriate addition. In Greek tradition it is a symbol of love and hope with five sugared almonds being given to couples at their weddings as insurance for long life, happiness, prosperity, well-being and fertility. ● How to contact BSiB… t: 07582 634107 e: bsib@hotmail.co.uk w: bradleystokeinbloom.com and on Facebook too!
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personal trainer from Bradley Stoke is aiming to run 52 miles in a single day to raise funds for a local charity set up to honour the memory of two local footballers. Grant Rees will be taking on the ‘Two Legends, Two Marathons’ challenge on Sunday 25th April in aid of the Franklin Butt Foundation, a Patchwaybased charity which supports initiatives to help young children in the local community who are vulnerable or disadvantaged. The charity is named after Jason Franklin and Darren Butt, two former Patchway Town FC players who lost their lives in tragic circumstances in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Grant, who grew up in Patchway and was a teammate of Jason and Darren, says he dreamt up the fundraising
challenge as a way of keeping fit and healthy at a time when largescale organised sporting events are not able to take place due to Covid-19 restrictions. The double marathon will see him visit the grounds of every team that the successful Patchway Reserves played at during their double (league and cup) winning season in 2004/5, when both Jason and Darren were in the squad. Grant’s endurance run will be formed of 15 legs, on each of which he will be accompanied by five other runners (in compliance with current Covid-19 guidelines). Each leg is available for sponsorship by a local business and donations will also be made by the runners taking part. The final leg of the gruelling day will be from the Gloucestershire
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