Official estimates put the attendance at between five and six thousand and organisers confirmed this as a new record for the event.

The 6pm start was delayed by approximately fifteen minutes while marshals ensured everyone was safely accommodated on site.

No formal admission was charged for the event but entry point collections raised £4,250 (over twice the amount raised last year), every penny of which goes to charity as the display costs are covered by the council.

Cllr Mark Forsyth, Town Mayor (pictured above, centre right), whose chosen charities will benefit from the public donations said:

“We’re really pleased with the turnout and the public have been most generous. I know that BLEMSA and the Bristol Dyslexia Centre will be most grateful.”

More photos on PicasaWeb: album; slideshow

Businesses, staff and shoppers at Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre have come together in an early expression of Christmas spirit to collect around 300 shoeboxes for needy families in Eastern Europe.

Kumon Educational UK, which has a regional office in the town centre complex, has teamed up with Link Romania as part of its corporate social responsibility programme, and students have been busy filling shoeboxes with gifts ready to be sent to deprived families in Romania, Moldova and Albania in time for Christmas.

A shoebox display has been positioned near the entrance of the centre’s shopping mall for the last few weeks and Kumon’s Regional Manager Kate Sheldon says she is delighted with the response:

“We’d like to thank everyone who’s participated in this appeal and donated a shoebox. The response has been brilliant – overwhelming even – and we now have around 300 boxes piled up. This appeal provides the opportunity for us all to learn about the daily challenges faced by these communities, and is a great way to teach children how important it is to give to those less fortunate than themselves.”

The appeal officially ends today (Friday 6th) but Kate says that shoeboxes will continue to be accepted over the weekend as Link Romania representatives are not due to collect the consignment until early next week.

Since its foundation in 1991, Link Romania has brought relief to thousands of deprived people in Eastern Europe. Through the simple idea of filling a shoebox, anyone in the UK can send a Christmas gift to a family in Romania, Albania or Moldova. Many are desperately poor, living in appalling conditions and struggling to survive the terrible winters with no running water, heating or electricity. Large families spanning three generations may live together in a shack of just one or two rooms, sharing the same life of hardship under one roof.

Lisa Hector, Link Romania’s General Manager, says:

“We’re thrilled to be working with such a like-minded organisation. Kumon’s students can really help us to make a huge impact with our Family Shoebox Appeal. At the same time we’re also benefiting from Kumon helping to raise awareness of our organisation and our mission, and we are truly grateful.”

Advice on what to put in a shoebox and how to pack it is available on the Link Romania website.

Andrei, one of the world’s top ten mountain bike trials riders and current world record holder will perform a jaw-dropping stunt show on his Giant Trials frame, while the audience will get the chance to win a new Giant Talon 3 mountain bike.

“I’ve loved riding bikes since I was a kid and it’s great to be able to use my skills to show people just how much fun cycling can be.” said Andrei ahead of this weekend’s event.

The day time event will be followed by a launch party between 6pm – 8pm in the Giant cycle store.

Bradley Stoke’s Giant cycle store opened its doors on Saturday 15th August. It is operated by ZeroG Cycles of Bedminster, who have three other outlets in the Bristol area.

Bradley Stoke’s new Pets at Home superstore will open its doors at 9am today (Friday) at the Willow Brook Centre, followed later by an opening ceremony, when the winner of The Journal’s Pet Idol 2009 competition will make a star appearance.

VIP (Very Important Pet) ‘Albert’, an eleven week old Jack Russell puppy, will join store manager Russell Hardiman-Richards to officially open the new store at 10:30am.

Albert’s owner Kerry Tessler – of Primrose Close, Bradley Stoke – will be presented with a prize of £150 in Pets at Home gift vouchers for winning the keenly contested ’star pet’ competition.

Also attending the opening ceremony will be Beryl Casey from Hedgehog Rescue, who will talk about the work the charity undertakes amongst Pets at Home customers. She will be joined by John Morris and Dave Barker from South Gloucestershire Council, who will be talking to customers about the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve and the work of conservation volunteers on the site.

Elsewhere, pupils at Bradley Stoke Community School have taken part in a competition to draw their own pets. The winning sketches will be unveiled at the store today and prizes awarded for the best three entries.

Customers are invited to enjoy the opening celebrations taking place at the store on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th November. There will be free entertainment for kids, in the form of face painting and balloon modelling, and customers will be able to take advantage of a 10% discount during the store’s opening weekend (terms and conditions apply; see in store for details).

Pets at Home says it has invested over £350,00 in the new store and created 16 local jobs.

The vacancy arose when Cllr David Skeet (Conservative) resigned his position as a representative of the Meadowbank parish ward, following “criticism of his poor attendance record [at Council meetings] due to illness”.

The Liberal Democrat candidate is Sachin Singhal of Ormonds Close, Bradley Stoke. Mr Singhal works for a telecommunications company at Aztec West.

Ernie Brown of Mead Road, Stoke Gifford, is the Conservative candidate. Mr Brown is a retired aircraft engineer, who previously served in the Royal Navy and worked at Airbus, Filton.

Voting will take place on Thursday 26th November.

Candidate profiles can be seen on our Meadowbank By-election 2009 page.

A local resident has called for late night firework sales to be stopped in order to prevent a repeat of a 2008 incident in which alcohol-fueled youths fired rockets at homes in the town.

The resident told the October meeting of the Bradley Stoke Safer and Stronger Group that numerous properties between Baileys Court and Stoke Gifford had been targetted after youths purchased alcohol and fireworks from the Tesco Express store at Baileys Court.

A manager at Tesco Express is said to have told the resident that the shop imposes no restrictions on the hours during which fireworks can be purchased, meaning that sales can continue until the store closes at 11pm.

The resident questioned the need for late night sales of fireworks and called upon the store to change its policy.

Scott Lahive, manager of the Willow Brook Centre, who was also at the meeting, mentioned that sales of fireworks at the centre’s Tesco Extra store cease at 8pm and suggested that something similar could be done at the smaller Tesco stores in the town.

Local police said they would visit the town’s two Tesco Express stores and discuss the matter with managers.

The ever-popular Bradley Stoke Firework Display, organised by Bradley Stoke Town Council, takes place this year on Sunday (8th November) at the Jubilee Centre, Savages Wood Road. Gates open at 4:30pm with the display starting at 6pm.

Local community radio station Thornbury FM has begun its latest month-long broadcasting period using a re-positioned transmitter that extends its coverage as far as Bradley Stoke.

The station currently broadcasts for two 28-day sessions a year, but is campaigning for a permanent broadcasting licence that would allow it to transmit throughout the year.

Broadcasts can be heard on 87.7 FM between Monday 2nd November and Sunday 29th November.

The station is currently running a competition to choose a new name for itself that better reflects its increased coverage area. Suggestions can be made online until 14th November.

Plans are meanwhile afoot for Bradley Stoke to have its own community radio station – the Bradley Stoke Community Radio Association was recently awarded a £1,500 grant by South Gloucestershire Council, via the Southern Brooks Area Forum.

The centre is marking the 10th anniversary of its opening with a day of events that also includes performances by the Kamon Kung Fu group and the Fahrenheit dancers.

Free activities throughout the day will include a bouncy castle, velcro wall, surfboard simulator, children’s entertainer and a face painter.

Members of the public will be invited to show off their fancy footwork in a penalty shoot out, with the winner being rewarded with free centre membership.

The Heart Angels will be there too with the chance to win even more energizing prizes, including free entry to fitness classes and swimming.

Events get under way at 10am and run through until 4pm, with Bush and Troy appearing between 1 and 3pm.

More info: Schedule of Events [PDF, 177KB]

Related links:

• What’s On in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)
• Sport and Leisure in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)

The news is revealed in the recently published ‘draft’ minutes of a meeting of the Council’s Finance and Leisure Committee, held on Wednesday 21st October.

The committee chose to discuss an agenda item entitled ‘Community Centre Usage’ in closed session, meaning that the press and public were excluded from proceedings.

The minutes reveal that the confrontation occurred on 7th October, the first Wednesday after the youth club relocation on Monday 5th October.

The incident appears to have centred around  netballers entering the centre to shelter from bad weather and organise sign ups for the new season.

Youth workers “mindful of [child protection] legislation” are said to have expressed concern over the large number of netballers in the building alongside “the youth” (as the Town Clerk affectionately refers to the young people of our town).

Council members heard that the youth club may have been understaffed on the night in question due to the earlier resignation of a youth leader and absence of other youth workers due to holidays.

Concern was expressed over the general lack of youth supervision and a report that “boys and girls had been seen emerging from the same toilets”.

The incident is said to have led to acrimonious correspondence between youth workers and the netball club over the use of the centre’s toilets.

Councillors agreed that youth workers (or any other hirers) have no right to demand terms and conditions of other hirers of the centre and that in future the netballers should use the disabled toilets, leaving the other toilets for the sole use of “the youth”.

Related links:

• Bradley Stoke Youth Clubs (The Journal)
• Netball in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)

Pets at Home is looking for a star pet to help open its brand new Bradley Stoke store at the Willow Brook Centre on Friday 6th November.

The pet care superstore has teamed up with the Bradley Stoke Journal to offer one lucky reader the chance to win £150 worth of Pets at Home vouchers.

Readers are invited to send in a picture of their pet and explain why they feel it should be crowned Bradley Stoke Pet Idol 2009!

The winning VIP (Very Important Pet) and its owner will be invited to the Willow Brook Centre on Friday 6th November to officially open the new Pets at Home Bradley Stoke store.

Click here for details of how to enter the competition and win £150 worth of Pets at Home vouchers

This week’s public meeting of the Bradley Stoke Safer and Stronger Community Group is to hear a presentation on South Gloucestershire Council’s strategy for combating fly tipping.

A representative of the Aztec Hotel & Spa is also due to explain to the meeting how the hotel contributes to the local community.

The meeting will commence with a review of progress made on priority issues agreed in July, which included anti-social behaviour at the Baileys Court shops and wheelchair access issues at the Willow Brook Centre.

The Safer and Stronger Community Group (one of 20 in South Gloucestershire) was set up as part of the Neighbourhood Policing Model and South Gloucestershire Council’s Community Engagement initiative.

Participants include people who live and work in the area and representatives from the local police, Avon Fire & Rescue, NHS South Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire Council, Bradley Stoke Town Council, Southern Brooks Community Partnership and other local organisations.

The group now has its own website, where meeting agendas and minutes can be found, along with other useful community information.

This week’s meeting take place at the Baileys Court Activity Centre, Baileys Court Road on Tuesday (27th October), starting at 7pm.

Related links:

• Agenda for the 27th October 2009 meeting [MS Word]
• Minutes of the 21st July 2009 meeting [MS Word]

Students looking to embark upon courses at Bradley Stoke Community School’s (BSCS) new sixth form, due to open in September next year, have been asked to indicate their likely subject choices.

Questionnaires distributed at last week’s post-16 open evening were due to be handed in today, to help the school plan the range of courses to be offered.

A provisional list of 52 possible Level 3 (e.g. A-level & BTEC) courses was distributed at the meeting, from which students were asked to select up to four subjects plus a further ‘reserve’.

Courses will be run jointly with other schools in the Concorde Partnership’s southern area , namely Filton High School, Filton College and Patchway Community College.

Students have been told they must obtain five GCSEs at grade C or above in order to enrol on Level 3 courses, with a grade B in any subject they wish to follow.

The centre will also offer a limited number of Level 2 (e.g. GCSE)  courses as part of a ‘Consolidation Programme’ for students who need to re-sit GCSEs or develop their skills in new areas.

A final list of courses to be offered will be published by December and the deadline for applications has been provisionally set as 25th January 2010.

Students attending the centre will be eligible to apply for the government’s Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA), worth up to £30 per week (dependent on household income).

Building firm Thomas Vale Construction reports that work on the new post-16 centre is running slightly ahead of schedule due to the recent good weather. The company currently plans to hand over the completed building on 14th June 2010.

The Journal has learned that the Returning Officer at South Gloucestershire Council has received a valid request for an election to contest the vacant seat on Bradley Stoke Town Council created by the resignation of Cllr David Skeet (Conservative).

The request is understood to have been made by local Liberal Democrat supporters.

Voters in Bradley Stoke’s Meadowbank parish ward could be called to the polls for a second time in just over a year if more than one candidate applies to contest the seat.

The by-election, should it be necessary, will take place on Thursday 26th November.

Do you live in the Meadowbank parish ward? Check out the interactive map of parish ward boundaries on The Journal’s Contact your Councillor page.

Conservative-led Bradley Stoke Town Council is considering going green by purchasing an electric vehicle for use by its maintenance staff.

The Council currently operates a red two-stroke pickup van from its Brook Way Activity centre. The van can often be seen on the town’s roads en route to the Council’s other centres at Savages Wood Road and Baileys Court Road.

But the old stager’s days could be numbered as Councillors are due to discuss its replacement by an electric vehicle at tonight’s meeting of the Finance and Leisure Committee.

The meeting is also due to hear an update on “community centre usage”, which has been affected by the decision to move all youth clubs in the town to the Brook Way Activity Centre. Previous users of the centre have had to relocate to one of the other centres or, in at least one case, to non-Council venues.

Tonight’s meeting takes place at the Jubilee Centre, Savages Wood Road, starting at 7:30pm. The press and public are invited to attend.

Parents of children looking to start primary or secondary school in September 2010 are being told to avoid using the postal service to submit their applications.

Royal Mail workers are expected to strike on Thursday and Friday this week, which means that application forms sent through the post may fail to arrive in time for the deadline of 4:30pm on Friday 23rd October.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) is advising parents/carers to apply online or hand-deliver the application form to either its Chipping Sodbury office or one of its ‘one stop shops’ in Kingswood, Thornbury or Yate.

Bradley Stoke has some of the most popular schools in South Gloucestershire, many of which are regularly oversubscribed.

Figures published by SGC show that Bradley Stoke Community School received 221 ‘first preference’ applications for entry in September 2009, for an intake quota of 180 places.

St Mary’s and Baileys Court primary schools also received significantly more ‘first preference’ applications than the number of places available.

More information and related links:

• Apply for a place online or in person (SGC)
• Service information for customers (Royal Mail)
• Schools in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)

The Asian community in the South-West will be celebrating Diwali in Bradley Stoke’s Town Square this coming weekend.

Radio Mast FM, an Asian radio channel in the South-West, is staging a road show on Saturday afternoon (17th October) to mark the occasion of Diwali (festival of light) – celebrated by Hindus all over the world.

The theme of the event is “Diwali at Little India” and the organisers are promising live performances by Indian traditional dancers, Bhangra Dhol players and dancers, singers and non-stop Bollywood sounds by Radio Mast FM DJs.

The on-stage action will be accompanied by an Indian market in the Town Square featuring Indian Diwali sweet stalls, Indian designer jewellery, Indian clothing and make-up artists, henna painting, Indian eyebrow shaping, Indian guru fortune telling, Bollywood CDs & DVDs, fireworks for Diwali and Diwali Divas (Indian candle holders for Diwali).

A bouncy castle and face painting stall will keep the younger children entertained.

The event begins at 12.30 pm and will end with a grand finale around sunset, when traditional candles will be lit around the Town Square accompanied by a performance of the Indian Dandiya Raas (stick dance).

Radio Mast FM can be heard online 24/7 on www.bigqunlimited.com. The station, currently based on the Fishponds Road in Bristol, has hopes of gaining a digital broadcasting (DAB) licence for the South Gloucestershire area.