A “exclusive” report in yesterday’s Sun [Dad aged 22 runs off with schoolgirl, 15] claims that Jack Saxton has “gone on the run” with Alyx Leighton, who turned 15 two weeks ago.

The report says that Alyx had printed out a route from Bradley Stoke to Glasgow and searched online for B&Bs before her disappearance.

Avon and Somerset Police are yet to make a statement on the matter, despite the Sun claiming that police are “concerned because Alyx’s underage”.

Opticians group Specsavers looks set to take the final remaining “under offer” unit at Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook shopping centre.

The company has recently started advertising for staff, saying it will “shortly be opening a busy, friendly store in Bradley Stoke”.

Card Factory, Brantano (shoes), ZeroG (cycles) and Pets at Home are the other companies that are expected to open in the next few months.

A couple walking home came upon a group of men near the entrance of the Jubilee Centre. One threatened the man with a knife, and he was then beaten and kicked by five others. When the alarm was raised they ran off towards Little Stoke Lane.

Police say there had been reports of nuisance behaviour in Wrington Close just before midnight, and it’s believed these were the men involved in the assault.

The suspects are all white. The man with the knife is described as 5ft 5ins tall, of small build with blond or gingery spiky hair shaved at the sides. He was wearing a white or grey tracksuit.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Staple Hill police on 0845 456 7000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

The area around the Jubilee Centre has been the focus of a number of crimes in recent months.

A suspected arson attack in March saw three cars set ablaze within the space of an hour, including one vehicle on a drive in The Beeches, just yards from the Jubilee Centre.

May saw a number of newly planted trees along the edge of Savages Wood Road destroyed by vandals.

More recently, a van leased by Bradley Stoke Town Council for use by its newly-appointed Mobile Cleansing Operative (MCO) had its windscreen kicked in when parked overnight in the car park of the Jubilee Centre.

Residents of homes surrounding the centre fear that vandalism and anti-social behaviour will increase once the new Beacon Play Park opens on Jubilee Green next month.

The new Brantano shoe store at Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre is to open next month.

Fitting out of the shop began earlier this week and posters put up on the doors today give the opening date as Tuesday 21st July.

Brantano was revealed by The Journal as a potential tenant in October last year.

The store occupies unit 2 in the new retail terrace at the development, despite the plan on the official Willow Brook Centre website showing it in unit 5.

The company has been advertising for staff for the new store since February and recently held a recruitment event at the Willow Brook Centre.

Pets at Home are thought to be likely to be the tenants of the only other “under offer” unit in the retail terrace.

Related Link: New Town Centre Jobs (The Journal)

The size of the police team covering Bradley Stoke is set to increase next month when a new Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) starts work.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) announced back in April that it was investing an additional £150,000 to “more than double the Council-funded uniformed police profile locally in response to concerns about community safety, anti-social behaviour and other forms of crime across the district”.

The money was to fund one additional PCSO for each of the the police teams in Filton, Kingswood, Bradley Stoke, Yate and Hanham.

The Journal understands that Bradley Stoke’s new PCSO has been undertaking training since mid-May and will be ready to join the beat team next month.

Further reinforcement of the local police team could take place after Avon and Somerset Police asked Bradley Stoke Town Council if they would like to part-fund a “dedicated” part-time police officer for the town.

The police have suggested that the Town Council might like to pay £12,500 p.a. towards the cost of employing former beat manager Claire Fletcher for 24 hours per week.

It is understood that WPC Fletcher has been on maternity leave and now wishes to return to work in a part-time role. The beat manager role in Bradley Stoke has since been taken on by PC Steven Palmer.

The Journal has also heard that there are plans to have the new “dedicated” police officer based at the town’s new Willow Brook shopping centre. The beat team previously had an office within Bradley Stoke Community School but that arrangement has since been ended, leaving the team to return to their original base at Filton Police Station.

Councillors responded favourably to the proposal at last week’s meeting of the Finance Committee, with Cllrs Robert Jones and Brian Hopkinson describing the offer as “a no brainer at this cost”. The extra money could easily be found from the Council’s reserves according to Cllr Jones.

Cllr Julian Barge however saw things differently, saying that he thought police funding should be the responsibility of central government. He also observed that as police cover is expected 24 hours a day, the quota of 24 hours per week represents only one full day in seven.

In the end Councillors agreed to the proposal “in principle” and further negotiations with the police will now take place.

Cllr Jones later commented:

“As recently as 2006 the local police team consisted of just a single constable before Jason [Green] joined the team later that year. If the plans discussed at finance on Wednesday come to fruition then we will have seen the number of police officers doubled and the number of PCSOs tripled since 2007 thanks to a positive partnership and increased funding from both councils [SGC and BSTC] and Avon and Somerset police.”

A public exhibition is being held this week to display the latest information about plans to allow vehicles to use the hard shoulder on motorways in the Bradley Stoke area.

Work on the M4/M5 Managed Motorway scheme, announced by Geoff Hoon, Secretary of State for Transport, earlier this year, is due to begin in Spring 2010 and be fully operational in 2012.

The project aims to ease congestion on the busiest parts of Bristol’s motorway network and will see drivers being able to use the hard shoulder as an extra lane during peak hours.

The ‘hard shoulder running’ scheme will be implemented on the M4 between the top of the M32 and the Almondsbury Interchange and on the M5 between Cribbs Causeway and the Almondsbury Interchange.

A similar scheme is already in operation on an eleven mile stretch of the M42 south of Birmingham. The speed limit for all lanes is reduced to 50mph when the hard shoulder is in use, while a red cross on signs over the hard shoulder tells drivers when the lane is closed.

The exhibition will be held on Friday 26th June (10:00 - 16:00) and Saturday 27th June (08:30 - 15.30) at:

Cribbs Business Centre
Hollywood Tower Mansion
Hollywood Lane
Cribbs Causeway
BS10 7TW

Representatives of the Highways Agency and their consultants will be at the exhibition to answer any questions.

Members of Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC) have criticised the town’s Twinning Association after the group retrospectively applied for a grant towards the cost of a meal at which visitors from the twin town of Champs-sur-Marne were entertained earlier this year.

Residents of the French town visited Bradley Stoke over the weekend of 2nd/3rd May and took part in a meeting that involved the then-Mayor Robert Jones and staff of Bradley Stoke Community School.

Before flying back to Paris, the French visitors were treated to a meal at a pub in the vicinity of Bristol Airport.

The Twinning Association then submitted a retrospective application for Grant Aid of £250, which was considered at the BSTC Planning Committee on 27th May.

The Committee rejected the request on the grounds that it “didn’t conform to the requirements of Grant Aid applications”, but recommended that an ex-gratia payment of £125 be made under the Council’s policy of ‘match funding’.

The meeting was also told that a grant of £400 to the Association had been approved in 2006 but remained unpaid on the later orders of Council (in 2007) “pending further financial information”.

The matter led to a heated debate at last week’s meeting of Full Council, where some Councillors were critical of the fact that the guests had been entertained in North Somerset rather than at a local hostelry.

Cllr Julian Barge was particularly critical of the Association, claiming that it had “virtually disintegrated” and “needed to get  its act together”. He said the group should be asked to provide a list of its officials and members and provide the Council with sight of its accounts.

In the end Councillors voted to approve the £125 payment, with five votes for and three abstentions.

Cllrs Roger Avenin and Brian Hopkinson, who had been selected as the Council’s representatives on the Twinning Association’s Committee at the Council’s AGM, were instructed to meet with the Association to discuss the Council’s concerns.

Anne Clark, Chair of the Twinning Association, told The Journal that she was was unaware of the Council’s discussions and expressed disappointment on being told of the critical comments made by Councillors.

She added that the Association would be holding its AGM in the next few weeks and looked forward to receiving support from the Council’s representatives.

The Journal Comments

The Twinning Association may have lost its way in the last few years but the Council has done little or nothing to help. The last mention of the Association in the Council’s Annual Report was back in 2005/2006.

Almost ten years after the signing of the twinning agreement in 2000, there is no information about the Twinning Association to be found on the Council’s website.

Let’s hope that Cllrs Avenin and Hopkinson can sort out this mess in time for the 10th anniversary celebrations next year.

Related Link: Bradley Stoke Twinning Association (The Journal)

Inter-city coach services between Cardiff and London have become more accessible for Bradley Stoke residents with the introduction of a stop at the Frenchay campus of the University of the West of England (UWE).

Megabus.com, owned by the Stagecoach Group, offers nine journeys per day to London and eight to Cardiff from the new stop, which is located at the bus terminal within the campus.

Timetabled journey times are 2 hours 20 minutes to London and 1 hour 20 minutes to Cardiff.

Tickets can be purchased online or by phone, with prices starting at £1 per journey (plus 50p booking fee).

The UWE Frenchay campus can be reached from Bradley Stoke using the 312 Thornbury to Fishponds service.

Related Link: Bus Services in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)

The Bradley Stoke Community Festival six-a-side Cricket Tournament, held at Baileys Court on Sunday (14th June), saw Holy Trinity defeat the Indian 1st X1 in the final by 43 runs to 41 with just one ball remaining.

A total of five teams contested the tournament, with Mayor’s Maidens, Bradley Bruisers and hosts Bradley Stoke Cricket Club completing the starting line-up.

The Mayor’s Maidens team, made up of Bradley Stoke Mayor Mark Forsyth, Councillors Roger Avenin, Brian Hopkinson, Robert Jones and Benjamin Walker and Council Premises Manger John Rendell put up a brave fight against more experienced opposition. Spirited performances from (relative) youngsters Jones and Rendell were however unable to bring the underdogs further than the round robin stage.

The action on the pitch, which lasted from 1pm to 7pm was interspersed with playing demonstrations from the BSCC youth section and accompanied by the sounds of the Bristol East & Kingswood Band.

Entertainment laid on for all the family included a football shoot-out, bouncy castle, barbecue and a karaoke competition in the clubhouse.

More photos of the cricket tournament: album; slideshow

Scores of local bikers and skaters took part in the annual Skate Park Competition held on Sunday (14th June) by the Leisure Centre.

The competition, organised by Southern Brooks Community Partnership, formed part of the Bradley Stoke Community Festival.

Local bike store Crucial BMX sponsored the event and provided the judges.

More Skate Park Competition photos: album; slideshow

A record field of 334 runners contested the 2009 Bradley Stoke 10k Run in warm conditions on the final day of the town’s three-day Community Festival.

The race started and finished at the Jubilee Centre in Savages Wood Road and featured ‘chip’ timing for the first time in its short history.

Bradley Stoke Mayor Mark Forsyth got the race under way at 10am and the runners streamed out of the Jubilee Centre car park, along Savages Wood Road and down Brook Way before turning left onto the Three Brooks Path just before the Braydon Avenue roundabout.

The race route took the runners to the south of the town before they headed up Bradley Stoke Way and back into the nature reserve, where they passed the lakes once more before heading up to Primrose Bridge. From there the runners headed down Brook Way before turning right to rejoin the Three Brooks Path, which took them back up to the Jubilee Centre.

Victory in the race went to Gary Hope of Gloucester club Severn AC, national champion at 5000m in the 40+ category, who finished over a minute ahead of his closest rival in a time of 33:36. Second place went to Andrew Harrison of Team Moti (35:00), followed by Peter Morton (36:13).

The winner’s time was nearly two minutes faster than the winning time in last year’s race (held over a slightly different course as the race then started near the Leisure Centre).

First woman home was Joanne Heuze of Cardiff club Village Vipers in a time of 41:17, with Elizabeth Smith of Westbury Harriers second (41:57) and Naomi Eaton of Weston AC third (42.02).

In keeping with the community-oriented spirit of the race, the prize giving ceremony was held back until the last of the fun runners had crossed the finish line - in a time of around 90 minutes.

Organising club Sole Sisters estimates that two-thirds of the runners came from the local community. Full race results are expected to appear on the club’s website later today (Monday).

Take a look in our PicasaWeb gallery for nearly 400 photos of the 2009 Bradley Stoke 10k Run, taken at the start/finish and around the course.

Fine weather brought out the crowds once more for the main day of Bradley Stoke’s annual Community Festival at the Jubilee Centre in Savages Wood Road.

The action got underway at 11am when the first matches in the Festival of Football kicked off on the upper pitch. Youngsters from local schools battled it out in a competition where marks for fair play were the deciding factor rather than the number of goals scored.

Music and dance acts in the main arena started at 12:30pm, with the action alternating between the main stage in the car park and a dance floor that had been set up in the arena.

Star guest Sir Geoff Hurst arrived a little late at around 2:45pm and took part in a question and answer session with local children before introducing the football prize-giving ceremony, where all participants received a medal and goodie bag.

Over on the Jubilee Green, Professor Panic’s Circus and traditional fairground rides entertained the younger children, while a mini-arena hosted performances from the Academy of Historical Swordsmen, Taekwon-do and the Bollywood Dancers.

Local bands and dance groups were scheduled to play on in the main arena until around 8:30pm.

Tomorrow (Sunday 14th) sees another full day of events, which gets underway with the Bradley Stoke 10k Run at 10am from the Jubilee Centre. Organisers Sole Sisters Running Club report that the race is now full, with the last few places being snapped up this afternoon at the Community Fair. Take a look at our interactive map of the race route to see where you can cheer on the runners between 10am and approx 11:20am.

The Festival focus then switches to Baileys Court, where an outdoor church service (11am) will be followed by a family picnic and the annual six-a-side cricket tournament (1pm) featuring a team of Town Councillors headed by Mayor Mark Forsyth.

Youngsters not wishing to miss out on the sporting action can head over to the Leisure Centre, where a Skate Park competition starts at noon. Anyone wishing to enter on the day should arrive a little earlier though, as a disclaimer form will have to be completed with a parent or carer’s signature.  A BBQ and music will be provided to accompany the action on the ramps.

More photos from today on PicasaWeb: album; slideshow

Police investigating a series of tyre slashing incidents in Saxon Way have been told that students from Bradley Stoke Community School (BSCS) were seen loitering around one of the vehicles that was later discovered to have been  damaged.

The news is revealed in the latest issue of the BSCS school newsletter, in which headmaster Dave Baker appeals to parents and/or children to come forward with information.

The Examiner reported back in May that some twenty cars in Bradley Stoke had been damaged by having screws or nails hammered into their tyres. Avon and Somerset Police later made an appeal for information, citing that four vehicles had been targeted in Saxon Way alone between 23rd April and 4th May.

Anyone with information about those responsible is asked to contact the Neighbourhood Team at Filton Police Station on 0845 456 7000.

The annual Picnic in the Park runs from 11am to 2pm - organised by South Glos Children & Young People Information Service - with entertainment from Professor Panic’s Circus, face painting and storytelling by the Bradley Stoke Library.

Saturday (13th June) sees a packed programme of music and dance events at the Jubilee Centre, with the action starting at 12:30pm and running through to 8:30pm.

A special children’s zone will be created on the Jubilee Green, with Professor Panic’s Big Top providing the centre piece along with fairground rides, inflatables, mountain climbing wall, face painting, oversized games such as Jenga and Lennie the Land Train to take everyone around the Festival site.

Over 60 community, local business, information and food stalls will form the annual Community Fair in the Jubilee Centre Arena, while a schools football tournament will take place on the upper pitch.

Sunday (14th June) kicks off with the Bradley Stoke 10k Run at 10am (from the Jubilee Centre), followed by a series of events at Baileys Court Activity Centre - including an open-air church service, family picnic and six-a-side cricket tournament.

More Festival information in The Journal:

• Bradley Stoke Community Festival
• Saturday’s programme of events
• Sunday’s programme of events
• Interactive map of the festival venues
• Interactive map of the Bradley Stoke 10k Run race route

Bradley Stoke police say they have caught around 40 motorists breaking the speed limit in Woodlands Lane after a resident raised concerns at a Safer & Stronger Community Group (SSCG) meeting in April.

The meeting actioned the local beat team to carry out speed checks in the area, which were subsequently implemented during the last two weeks in May.

Police say they have prosecuted around 30 drivers for speeding offences and dealt with a further ten offenders by sending them on speed awareness courses.

Elsewhere in the town, a vehicle activated speed check sign is in position on Brook Way (opposite the surgery), following complaints made at an earlier SSCG meeting by parents of children attending Wheatfield Primary School.

Other priorities raised at the April SSCG meeting were noise and vandalism during the early hours in Manor Farm Crescent and motorbikes using footpaths, particularly around Saxon Way and Winsbury Way.

The police say they are looking to set up a Community Speed Watch group and are asking for interested volunteers to contact them to find out more details of what is involved.

More Information and Related Links:

• Bradley Stoke Police Newsletter, June 2009 [PDF, 213KB]
• Bradley Stoke Police (The Journal)

Local cycle specialists ZeroG are to open a store at Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre.

The group, which already has stores in Bristol city centre, Bedminster and Downend, says it will open in Bradley Stoke in about a month’s time.

It is understood that the new store will occupy mall unit 10, which is the corner unit at the Bradley Stoke Way end of the complex, next to Reflections hairdressing.

Thanks to the Journal reader who tipped us off after hearing a ZeroG advert currently airing on Bristol’s Original Radio.