The Bradley Stoke Journal

Bradley Stoke Town Council has been told by Royal Mail that it has no plans to provide a larger post office in the town.

The news, revealed during public questions at a recent Council committee meeting, will come as a disappointment to the vast majority of the 273 people who responded to a recent Council consultation to assess demand for better post office facilities in Bradley Stoke.

The survey, conducted between August and October this year, saw 92.7% of respondents express the view that there is a need for a larger post office in Bradley Stoke, with 76.6% specifically calling for a post office to be provided at the Willow Brook Centre.

The results of the consultation were sent to the Royal Mail, Tesco, the Willow Brook Centre and the local MP.

Speaking at this month’s meeting of the Leisure, Youth & Amenities Committee, Town Clerk Sharon Petela said a response had now been received from someone “high up” in Royal Mail.

According to Mrs Petela, who said she didn’t have the letter to hand as she was planning to reveal its content at the next Full Council meeting in January, the response could be summed up as: “nothing’s going to happen”.

More: Royal Mail to look at Pear Tree Road queuing time issue »

Feel you need to shake things up in the New Year? You’re not alone – with 2012 fast approaching let this be the year you achieve your health and fitness goals, whatever they are!

If you’re one of the many people who set new personal health and fitness goals at this time of the year, why not enter our exclusive Free Prize Draw competition to win a year’s free membership of the new Anytime Fitness 24-hour gym that opens soon at the Willow Brook Centre?

Hurry! Entries close at midnight on Saturday 31st December 2011.

Click HERE to enter the Anytime Fitness Free Prize Draw

Craig Rimmer, personal trainer at Anytime Fitness, says we’re all susceptible to a little ‘over indulgence’ at Christmas but those of us serious about staying in shape need to plan ahead and ensure it doesn’t become another spiral of weight gain and “I’ll start tomorrow” excuses.

Craig’s top five tips for getting back into shape in 2012 are:

1) Get back into the gym and do something! Don’t put it off, even if you don’t feel like breaking records straight away, get back in and start establishing a routine so you gain one of the most valuable tools for training – consistency!

Read on for the remainder of Craig’s top five tips for 2012 »

Southern Brooks Community Partnership (SBCP) has announced the opening of the nomination period for the 2012 Outstanding Women’s Awards, which are to be presented as part of the local International Women’s Day celebrations.

The aim of the awards is to celebrate the many contributions that women and girls make to their families and communities – improving the lives and wellbeing of those around them.

Nominations are welcomed for women living in the Southern Brooks area, which includes Bradley Stoke, Filton, Patchway and Stoke Gifford.

Awards will be presented under the following three categories:

Community Award

For women who have taken on the role of community leaders either through their volunteering efforts, examples include running a toddler group, youth or ladies’ group etc, or by going beyond their work specification or leading a pressure campaign to make changes benefiting their community. For women who have demonstrated leadership activities that have benefited their communities.

Business Woman’s Award

For women who have either set up or managed a local business which has grown significantly; or have developed their employees, or women who have mentored others in business and are role models in their fields. For women making a positive impact on the communities that they work in.

More: Young Woman’s Award and how to nominate »

Happy Christmas to all our readers from The Journal team!

Thanks for your continued support in 2011, which has seen our annual readership exceed ONE MILLION pageviews for the first time*.

We’ll continue to update the website over the festive period, so don’t forget to check back soon for the latest stories and information from Bradley Stoke’s premier news source.

If you’re looking for information about opening hours at the Willow Brook Centre and Tesco Extra, check out our Holiday Opening Hours page.

The page also lists the opening times for the two Bradley Stoke Tesco Express Stores, Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre, Bradley Stoke Library, together with information about refuse collections and bus services over the festive period.

Tesco Extra and the two Bradley Stoke Tesco Express stores are closed on Christmas Day but if you find you’ve forgotten an essential component of your Christmas dinner, you can head over to the Costcutter or Spar convenience stores in Patchway (opening times in the Patchway Journal).

Details of Christmas church services today and tomorrow can be found in our What’s On guide, Bradley Stoke’s most comprehensive guide to local events. For more information about the venues, follow the links on our Faith and Religion page.

* based on figures from our raw website logs.

Photo: THAT spectacularly-decorated house in Orpheus Avenue, Little Stoke, where a charity collection has so far raised £510 for the Jessie May Trust.

More: Meet the people behind the Little Stoke Christmas lights! »

South Gloucestershire Council is inviting residents to have their say on a number of proposed casualty reduction measures on Bradley Stoke Way, in the vicinity of the Willow Brook Centre.

The consultation comes after two school-age children were seriously injured in separate traffic accidents along this stretch of road earlier this year.

A public petition for improved safety measures on the road, started after the second incident (in September), was signed by more than 3,900 people and resulted in the issue being debated at a meeting of South Gloucestershire Council last week.

A meeting in October attended by the Council’s transport chief, Council officers, local Councillors, local police and headteachers of local schools outlined a number of proposed safety measures for the road and these have now been formalised in the plans that are the focus of the current consultation.

The main component of the proposed scheme is the provision of a new signal-controlled (toucan) pedestrian crossing on Bradley Stoke Way, close to the pedestrian access point from Wheatfield Drive. This new crossing will replace the two existing uncontrolled crossing points where the recent accidents occurred.

The proposals also include an extension of the existing 30mph speed limit northwards by 260m, so that it includes the new crossing. It is also proposed that the 30mph limit be extended south of the Savages Wood Roundabout to include the existing toucan crossing between Snowberry Close and Champs Sur Marne.

More: New northbound bus lane to be introduced »