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April 2019
In Brief
Police
New Little Stoke choir raises £1,000 for hospice
PCSO Archie joins the Stoke Gifford
The new branch of the charttopping Melody Makers choir, based at Little Stoke Community Hall, joined forces with over 60 of their singers to perform to a packed-out church in Henleaze on 2nd March. “It was so exciting to get all three choirs singing together for the first time at our fundraising gig. We were absolutely thrilled to have raised so much money for St Peter’s Hospice, who are our chosen
By Laura Mortimore rchie Flook, the new PCSO for Stoke Gifford and Little Stoke, has finished his training and tutoring and is now fully active within the local neighbourhood beat area. He is keen to establish a good relationship with the community and “make himself known” to local residents so that people will feel comfortable approaching him with any issues or concerns they may have. Working alongside beat manager Julie Rudyard, Archie’s job is to work with members of the community to make the area a safe place to live and work. Although his role is extensive, some of his key responsibilities are to: • Offer advice on crime prevention • Deal with anti-social behaviour • Talk with young people and visit schools • Make house visits to reassure people and gather intelligence • Provide support at large public gatherings • Attend Community Engagement Forums and beat surgeries Archie is thoroughly enjoying his new role, saying: “We are the main point of contact for
charity for 2019,” said Natalie Veal, choir leader. The choir performed a selection of their favourite pop and rock songs along with their band of professional musicians. “We were thrilled to have been invited to perform at Trinity Henleaze UR Church and support St Peter’s Hospice, and our new choir members loved performing with everyone for the first time. The choir members donated raffle prizes and lots of delicious cakes for a get-together afterwards and, along with ticket sales, we raised a whopping £1,000,” said Natalie. Melody Makers, now in its fourth year, recently opened a new choir that meets between 10.30am and 12pm in Little Stoke on Monday mornings (term-time only). They currently have 20 men and women who sing together at Little Stoke Community Hall and claim it’s a great way to start the week. Speaking about the new branch, Natalie said: “We love to welcome new members and recommend anyone to come and give us a try for a free taster rehearsal.” ● www.melodymakerschoir.co.uk
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the area which is a good task to be given. We have gone back to neighbourhood policing, which means we get to spend more time in the community speaking to the local residents. I get to stay with a job and see it through to the end.”
Recruitment ongoing
There has been some concern over the last few months about the lack of PCSOs on the streets of Stoke Gifford and Little Stoke as the year began without a single PCSO in the area. Hopefully members of the community will now be reassured as they see Archie out and about. Julie has also confirmed that recruitment is ongoing for the other PCSO position that is available. Julie and Archie have been given laptops so that they are able to work away from the station. This has been an invaluable resource for them as it means they can spend more time in the community. Julie said: “Having laptops that we can carry around with us gives us the opportunity to engage with the community as well as getting our admin work done. So, if you see us sitting in a café, we’re not just
having a cup of coffee! We’re also working, so come over and speak to us if you have an issue that you want to discuss”. One of the most important parts of Julie and Archie’s job is to hold weekly beat surgeries. These take place every Wednesday morning between 11am and 12.30pm at Little Stoke Community Hall, Little Stoke Lane. These drop-in surgeries provide residents with the opportunity to meet Julie and Archie and discuss any queries or issues they may have. So far, both Archie and Julie believe these to be successful and they are happy to discuss any issues, regardless of how small you may think they are – as Julie says: “If it is important to you, then it is important to us. We are both really passionate about Stoke Gifford and Little Stoke, and we want people to come and talk to us about what is happening in the community.” Some of Julie and Archie’s week is also spent working with schools in the local area. Julie often visits Abbeywood Community School to talk to students about knife crime, anti-social behaviour and to
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