The Bradley Stoke Journal

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) is inviting the public to comment on proposals to construct a new shared used footway/cycleway on the east side of Bradley Stoke Way, close to the Leisure Centre. The new path will run from the point at which the existing footway from the bridge over Patchway Brook (near Ellicks Close) emerges onto Bradley Stoke Way to the Pelican crossing on the same side of Bradley Stoke Way, close to the Leisure Centre.

The Council points out that pedestrians and cyclists would no longer have to cross and then re-cross Bradley Stoke Way in order to reach the Leisure Centre. It is also claimed that the new route would have advantages “in terms of personal security” over the alternative route down the Patchway Brook path and then up the path between Savages Wood and the Community School playing fields.

Relevant pages on the SGC website:

• Bradley Stoke Way, North of Leisure Centre – Shared Use Path
  • Consulatation Documents
  • Respond to the Consultation

The Pelican crossing on Bradley Stoke Way is due to be re-sited to line up with the axis of the new shopping mall currently under construction as part of Bradley Stoke’s new town centre.

The third running of the Bradley Stoke Festival Fun Run, on Sunday 8th June 2008, looks set to be the biggest yet. This year the race route has been accurately measured and has achieved the status of a certified multi-terrain 10km race with a UK Athletics permit.

The race starts close to the Leisure Centre and finishes at the Jubilee Centre, Savages Wood Road, which also acts as the Race HQ.

The race route consists of two loops, the first to the south of the town, the second to the north (on each occasion returning to the start point near the Leisure Centre), followed by a finishing stretch along the Three Brooks Nature Trail to the Jubilee Centre.

There is an entry limit of 300 runners and places are said to be going fast. Postal entries may be made using the application form on the Sole Sisters website. Entries will also be taken at the Community Fair on Saturday 7th June and at Race HQ on the day of the race, both subject to the availability of places. A £1 surcharge applies to “on the day” entries.

Karen Walsh of Sole Sisters told The Journal that there will be a total of 70 marshals along the race route, to ensure the runners a safe passage. Drinks stations will be provided where the course enters the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve below the Bradley Stoke Way bridge and on the Patchway Common side of Primrose Bridge.

The scheduled start time is 10:00 and the winner is expected to arrive at the Jubilee Centre at around 10:37 (based on last year’s race).

The Bradley Stoke Journal has produced an interactive map showing the route of the race together with recommended viewing points for spectators. The estimated time of arrival of the lead runners at each point is also shown.

Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC) and Southern Brooks Community Partnership (SBCP) are urging local community groups to showcase their activities at the town’s Community Fair that takes place between 1:30pm and 5:30pm on Saturday 7th June 2008.

Registered charities and community groups will be charged £10 per table, while the charge for commercial outfits will be £30.

A stallholder’s application form may be downloaded from the SBCP website.

The Community Fair is part of the town’s Community Festival that runs from 6th – 8th June. More information can be found on the Festival page of the BSTC website, including photos from Festivals in previous years.

TV crews were today once again in action at Baileys Court bowling green as they recorded members of Northavon Bowls Club removing equipment from the facility. In an ongoing dispute over the rental agreement for the green, Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC) had ordered the Club to remove its effects by 5pm on 28th May.

Despite today’s retreat, the bowlers are confident that legal action will eventually allow them to return to the green. A spokesperson for the Club revealed that it has recently used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain crucial documents from BSTC, which the Club claims strengthen its case against the Council.

Today’s events are expected to feature in tonight’s BBC and ITV regional news programmes and tomorrow’s Western Daily Press and Bristol Evening Post.

More photos of today’s events may be viewed in our PicasaWeb Gallery [album, slideshow].

Northavon Bowls Club is taking legal action in an attempt to regain access to the green at Baileys Court Activity Centre in Bradley Stoke. The Club has been prevented from using the green for several weeks in a dispute with Bradley Stoke Town Council over a proposed new rental agreement.

The Council decided at its Annual General Meeting on 22nd May to cease negotiations with the Club and ordered it to remove all its equipment from Baileys Court by 5pm on 28th May.

In a press release put out this evening, the Bowls Club says it will remove its equipment “under duress” tomorrow (27th May). The statement goes on to say that the Club is “prepared to pay the full cost attributable to its occupation of the premises”, but claims that the Council is “not prepared to make a fair assessment of those costs”.