As part of the SOS (Save Our Speedbird) emergency campaign, the Save Concorde Group will be hosting a public meeting into the imminent closure of public access to Concorde G-BOAF (216) at Filton Museum.

The meeting will take place on Saturday 4th September at 5pm at the Filton Leisure Centre, Elm Park, Filton [map]. Representatives from the Concorde Trust, Airbus, British Airways and the Bristol Aero Collection have been formally invited to take part in this opportunity for the public to show their support in our campaign to keep Concorde alive in Bristol.

Ben Lord, Chairman of Save Concorde Group, said:

“This meeting is incredibly important and long overdue. It is for the people of Bristol and those connected to Concorde to come and air their views. We’re delighted to be welcoming the MP for Filton, Jack Lopresti, who will be joining us on Saturday in support of this and we hope as many of the other invited officials are able to make it.”

“With the situation still remaining uncertain as to the future of Concorde, and the prospect of the current visitor centre being dismantled at the end of October, it is important this meeting is held in order to address the many points which continue to be unanswered.”

Mr Lord continued:

“Allegedly, Airbus has confirmed that it intends to remove Concorde G-BOAF (216) from the public in order to relocate the aircraft to one of its Brabazon hangars at Filton for ‘essential maintenance’. Airbus remain uncooperative to any calls from ourselves, the media or even politicians who have taken an interest in supporting this story, to explain exactly what’s happening to the aircraft and what it’s future is.”

“The frustrating factor in all of this is that the volunteers that have spent tireless amounts of hours showing the public around the attraction, previously worked on Concorde and are able to judge first hand the condition of the aircraft and they do not see why the plane needs to be removed from public display. It therefore makes no sense at all, that Airbus intends to spend £250,000 towards removing the plane from public display, when it is alleged they are closing the centre down in order to save costs!”

“One of the central tenets of the retirement of the Concorde fleet was that at least the airframes would be placed on public display for many years to come and in fact a contractual agreement is in place between BA and Airbus ensuring that Alpha Foxtrot is on display until 2013 by which point a permanent home should be available for her to be placed undercover.”

The Save Concorde Group looks forward to seeing as many people as possible on Saturday.

Officers attended at about 8pm and arrested a 26-year-old Bristol man.

Police subsequently searched a property in Bristol and seized car stereo equipment they suspected to be stolen.

Neighbourhood Sergeant Clive Johnson said: “Criminals have been targeting garages and sheds across South Gloucestershire to steal bicycles, tools and gardening equipment.”

“As well as being costly to replace, some of the tools could be used to break into your own or neighbour’s homes, so it’s important to have good quality locks and hinges on your outbuildings. Shed alarms are now widely available from around £15.”

“Marking property with your post code and registering it on the free national database www.immobilise.com also deters thieves.”

Officers were called in at about 7pm on Sunday 22nd August and found around 30 barrels of alcohol, bottles and bottling and labelling equipment.

Neighbourhood PC Ian Matthews said HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are investigating the incident.

He said: “It seems that vodka was being illegally made and bottled at this site. Tests will be carried out by HMRC to check the alcohol content, but indications suggest it would be seriously harmful to health if drunk.

“I would urge anyone who has bought ‘Chekov Imperial Vodka’ or ‘Chundoff Russian Vodka’ unusually cheaply to contact either police on 0845 456 7000 or HMRC on 0800 595000.”

Lisa Billard of HM Revenue & Customs said: “HMRC officers, working with police, have removed an illicit still from the fire-damaged alcohol plant. The fraudsters behind this have not only evaded duty and produced fake ‘UK excise duty paid’ stamps, but the vodka has been manufactured illegally using a known brand name and without the usual health and safety checks.

“Our enquiries are continuing. Anyone with information about the manufacture of illegal alcohol should call the Customs hotline on 0800 595000.” To find out more about how we are keeping you safe visit our Operation Relentless section.

The architect of a youth bus pass scheme is encouraging local youngsters to take advantage of the scheme before the school holidays end.

Cllr Sheila Cook, Conservative Cabinet Member for Children and Young People on South Gloucestershire Council, is appealing to local youngsters to take advantage of cheaper bus fares that are available to them, thanks to the council.

The district’s youth concessionary travel scheme entitles 14-18-year-olds in full time education to half adult bus fares on evening, weekend and school holiday journeys.

The scheme was the brainchild of Cllr Cook who first proposed a council motion on the subject back in 2006. She said:

“One of the biggest issues young people raise locally is transport, particularly its cost and how that discourages greater use of public transport, and so we have been determined to do something about it.

We are proud to be one of the few councils in the country to have introduced this sort of travel concession for local youngsters and we very much want them to take it up.

With just one week left of the summer holidays, it’s an ideal time to get hold of a pass, which will help access the huge range of activities available across the local area.

We have a special website for South Gloucestershire youngsters called ‘Youth Unlimited’ and all the information they need is on there.”

The roundabout, which provides access to the Aspects Leisure Park and to Asda, has seen a considerable increase in traffic levels and queuing during the rush hour due to the significant expansion of local retail facilities over recent years.

The scheme will include widening the ring road to three lanes on the approaches to the roundabout and a widening of the Marsham Way approach to provide an extra lane for traffic turning onto the ring road. Traffic lights will also be installedto control traffic on all the main approaches to the junction, with the exception of Leisure Road which will remain under give way operation.

Similar improvements made last year to the Deanery Road roundabout on the ring road resulted in a reduction in commuter journey times and a positive impact on road safety – reducing accident numbers by more than 30 per cent.

It is hoped that there will be a similar improvement at the Kingsfield roundabout, which is one of the district’s main accident concentration sites.

The work is starting on Monday 23rd August and will last for 15 weeks. Outside of peak hours, the ring road will be reduced to one lane on each of the approaches to the roundabout and a temporary speed limit of 30mph will be in force for the duration of the works.

In order to minimise disruption the council has arranged for longer working days for contractors, combined with overnight and weekend working where possible. In addition, essential maintenance work to a bridge on the ring road will be carried out at the same time.

Councillor Brian Allinson, executive member for planning, transportation and strategic environment, said: “This sort of scheme should only be installed where there is the strong evidence base to justify it.

“The area around Kingsfield roundabout has seen an unprecedented amount of new development in recent years and I believe that doing nothing at this junction would mean allowing traffic to worsen and eventually come to a near permanent standstill.

“Evidence we have gathered from recent improvements to the Deanery Road roundabout, shows that our changes have delivered a more efficient and a safer junction for commuters – reducing both journey times and personal injury accidents.

“We believe that our proposals for Kingsfield roundabout are likely to deliver similar results – desperately needed at this busy junction, which is suffering more and more from congestion and is sadly also one of the district’s main accident concentration sites.

“This proposed scheme is about ensuring that we are getting as many commuters through the junction as possible so that we can achieve the best possible journey times for our residents. It is also an important safety scheme aimed at protecting our road users.”

Jack Lopresti, the MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, teamed up with one of the most famous names in English women’s cricket to celebrate a new coaching initiative at a local cricket club.

Jack joined Charlotte Edwards MBE, the England Women’s cricket captain and ECB Coaching Ambassador, at the recent special lunch event, held at Frenchay Cricket Club.

The event was organised to mark the latest initiative to promote and expand women’s cricket at the club, by improving its coaching facilities and techniques – a three-day coaching session of girls’ cricket.

During the event, Jack and Charlotte met with officials from the club, as well as the Grade 2 coaches to learn more about how the club is promoting the sport to girls of all ages in the local area.

Speaking after the event, Jack said: “Encouraging our children to participate in sports is so important, and I was delighted to see how the cricket club is trying to get as many youngsters as possible involved in cricket.

“To see the determination at the club, and hear about the plans that they have for the future, was extremely impressive and should be commended.”

Earlier this year, the club was awarded more than £1,500 funding from the Southern Brooks Area Forum (SBAF), to help volunteers qualify as coaches and for the hire of indoor nets, for local girls of all ages to practice and develop their game.

The funding was given to help the development of girls’ cricket at the club. The coaches will help the growing girls’ section of the cricket club develop their skill, and hopefully enthusiasm for the game.

The Forum is designed to bring together councillors, representatives of community organisations and local residents to discuss local issues.

One of five similar forums, the SBAF covers Bradley Stoke South, Bradley Stoke North, Bradley Stoke Central & Stoke Lodge, Filton, Frenchay & Stoke Park, Patchway, Stoke Gifford and Winterbourne wards.

Unlock the secrets of the past and celebrate architecture and culture with all the family during this annual event which runs from Thursday 9th to Sunday 12th September at various locations across South Gloucestershire.

Some 26 properties and sites are taking part including Winterbourne Medieval Barn, Ram Hill Colliery in Coalpit Heath, the Rolls Royce Heritage Trust in Patchway, Thornbury Castle and St Mary’s Church in Yate, a grade I listed building dating from Norman times. They will all be opening their doors to the public for free and guided walks will take place at Thornbury Castle gardens and there will be free admission to the National Trust site at Dyrham Park on Saturday 11th.

Cllr Brian Allinson, executive member for planning, transportation and the strategic environment, said: “With so many historical treasures to explore in South Gloucestershire, I would encourage everyone to get out and about this September and discover England’s rich architectural and cultural heritage. This is the 14th year that South Gloucestershire Council has put a programme of local events together and as well as the firm favourites, the old police station in Chipping Sodbury, the 19th century Oldwood Pits in Rangeworthy and the grotto at Warmley House feature for the first time this year.”

Visitors will need to book on some of the tours and visits. A leaflet containing full details of the English Heritage event is available at libraries and main council offices or by calling 01454 863592. The leaflet may also be downloaded here [PDF, 760KB].

Related link: South Gloucestershire Museums and Heritage

The victim got off the number 49 bus at South View in Staple Hill at around 11.15pm.  Two men, aged between 17 and 19-years-old, then followed him before pushing him to the ground, assaulting him and stealing his wallet.

The suspects then ran off into Page Park, Staple Hill.

They are both described as white, medium build, and around 6 feet tall.  One had short fair hair, the other had dark blonde hair.  They were both wearing light-coloured hooded tops and dark jeans.

The victim was not seriously injured in the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to call police based at Staple Hill Police Station on 0845 456 7000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Results, revealed by the NHS Information Centre, show that 1,532 smokers successfully quit their habit through their local NHS Stop Smoking Service in 2009-10, exceeding the forecast mark by over 210 people.

June Martin, Head of Stop Smoking Service at NHS South Gloucestershire, said:

“It’s great to know that we have helped so many people to kick the habit. People are four times more likely to quit if they use the NHS Stop Smoking Service. It’s a free service which offers friendly advice and practical support to anyone who wants to quit.”

The positive figures follow-on from the successful launch of Smokefree South West in 2009, which aims to build on the work carried out by local NHS Stop Smoking Service teams to tackle smoking in the region. 13 of the 14 Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) across the South West exceeded their targets this in 2009/10.

Director of Smokefree South West, Fiona Andrews, said: “These new figures showcase the tremendous work being done by the NHS Stop Smoking Service advisers in South Gloucestershire whose tireless efforts aid people to quit smoking.

“It is also a fantastic tribute to all former smokers who have had the courage to become smoke free.

“The fact that more than 1,500 people have quit smoking in South Gloucestershire in one year is something we should celebrate, and demonstrates that people can have continued confidence to go to their local NHS Stop Smoking safe in the knowledge that they have helped many before them.

“As ever though, the top quality work cannot stop now. Smoking is still the single biggest contributor to health inequalities and premature death and disease in the UK.”

David Phillips a Director of Public Health in the South West, said:

“Combating the harm caused by tobacco and reducing the numbers of smokers is an ongoing priority for the NHS and we’re delighted to again see such positive, encouraging results in South Gloucestershire.

“The figures are a great indicator of the quality of the South Gloucestershire NHS Stop Smoking team who deliver such an outstanding support service right across area. We are sure that that they will continue to keep South Gloucestershire on the path to becoming smoke free.”

If you want to find your local NHS Stop Smoking Service, please ring: 0117 330 2439 or email the team on: NHSStopsmokingservice@sglos-pct.nhs.uk.

On the evening of Wednesday 28th April, Barry George Rubery returned to his home (Crossing Cottage) on the Latteridge Road, Iron Acton following a dinner with friends. He returned to the property at around 10:45pm and was found the following morning.

He had suffered serious head injuries and his hands and legs were bound together with electrical wire.

Barry’s family should have today been celebrating his birthday at Crossing Cottage; instead they are struggling to come to terms with their loss.

His granddaughter Shauna Rubery said: “Today would have been my gramps 69th birthday.

“Birthdays are very special in our family so I would always go to see him on his birthday. He would love to see us and we would love to make his day special for him. We can’t do that anymore and that makes us all very sad.

“Please help to catch those responsible, my gramps didn’t deserve this.”

Extensive investigations remain ongoing at present to find those responsible for such a brutal crime.

Detective Chief Inspector Garry Reeves leads this investigation he said: “Barry Rubery needlessly lost his life following this brutal crime. We are determined to find the people responsible for his death and we will continue to search for further information.

“I would urge anyone out there with information to contact us. It does not matter how small that piece of information is, or how insignificant you may feel it is, call us and let us decide.”

A £10,000 reward is being offered by Crimestoppers for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Barry’s murder.

Anyone with information about Barry’s murder is asked to contact the Operation Duxbury incident room on 0117 945 4057, or call Avon and Somerset Police on 0845 456 7000 or the Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.