The Bradley Stoke Journal

The newly-built West of England Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Therapy Centre opened its doors to patients for the first time last week, following years of fundraising and planning.

Construction on the £1.13 million state-of-the-art treatment centre began in June last year and contractors Elliott UK officially handed over the building earlier this month.

Situated between Wheatfield Primary School and Bradley Stoke Way (close to Primrose Bridge), the new centre will provide support for up to 600 people with MS every year in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and surrounding areas.

The centre previously operated from a unit on an industrial estate in Nailsea, where it had been providing therapies for people with MS for more than 25 years.

The Bradley Stoke MS Therapy Centre will provide specialised physiotherapy, oxygen treatment, reflexology, aromatherapy, botox injections to relieve muscle spasms, acupuncture and counselling.

The new facility also has good relaxation facilities to provide space for social interaction ensuring people with MS can continue to live their lives.

More: New centre appeals for sponsorship to keep it running »

Help bring faster  broadband to Bradley Stoke – complete the online surveys by Wednesday!

Local residents have just a few more days to complete two crucial surveys that could determine whether Government and Council money will be used to improve the notoriously slow broadband speeds experienced by many residents and businesses in Bradley Stoke.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has agreed to add £2.2 million of its own money to the £710,000 allocated to the district by Broadband Delivery UK, the Government agency tasked with making the country’s broadband  the “best in Europe” by 2015.

The Government has given local Councils until the end of July to appoint a commercial telecommunications provider to install the necessary infrastructure and SGC is due to begin a “mini procurement competition” within the next few months.

The Council is currently undertaking a survey to capture data about residents and businesses’ current broadband service. The data will be used to encourage commercial suppliers to bid for the contract by demonstrating that residents and businesses in South Gloucestershire want access to faster, more reliable broadband services.

The surveys, which include a check of your current broadband speed, can be found here:

• Broadband survey for residents in South Gloucestershire
• Broadband survey for businesses in South Gloucestershire

More: Town Council’s lack of support is "disappointing" (Editor) »

Managers at the Willow Brook Centre say they are continuing to “refine and improve” traffic calming measures with the ongoing objective of reducing the speed of vehicles entering and leaving the site, thereby “improving the safety of customers who visit the Centre”.

The shopping centre announced its intention to implement measures to “help drivers obey the speed limits” last September and eight sets of speed cushions were duly installed in November.

In a statement issued this afternoon, the Centre confirms that three sets of the speed cushions were removed on Tuesday this week (21st February), “in order to aid traffic flow”, adding that the adjustments have been made in response to customer feedback.

Today’s statement also confirms a comment attributed to Centre Manager Scott Lahive in a recent Evening Post article that there have been 50 recorded incidents and near misses in the area since the development opened in October 2008.

Other measures that have been introduced at the Centre to reduce speed and increase safety include fencing, additional signage and hazard markings.

More: Plans to upgrade main pedestrian crossing at the Centre »

The Peacocks store at Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre has ceased trading today with the loss of 16 jobs.

The troubled fashion group went into administration on 18th January after failing to restructure debits of £240m.

Peacocks stores around the country had continued to trade since then whilst administrators at KPMG sought a buyer.

A press release put out by KPMG this afternoon revealed that the Peacocks brand and 388 of its stores had been acquired by Edinburgh Woollen Mill, adding:

“Unfortunately the remaining 224 stores were not included in the sale and have ceased trading with immediate effect, resulting in 3,100 redundancies.”

The Journal has been told that the Peacocks store in Yate will also close, with the loss of 14 jobs, but the Emersons Green branch will continue to trade.

The Peacocks store at the Willow Brook Centre first opened on 3rd June 2010.

More: Reaction from the Willow Brook Centre management »

Entries have now opened for the 2012 renewal of the Bradley Stoke 10k Run, to be held on Sunday 3rd June as part of the town’s Community Festival.

Organised by local ladies-only running club Sole Sisters, the race starts and finishes at the Jubilee Centre in Savages Wood Road.

The race route [map] takes in much of the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve as well as including stretches along Brook Way and Bradley Stoke Way.

Last year’s winner was Peter Morton of Esporta Health Club, who completed the course in a time of 35:26, with Frenchay Runners’ Jessie Sanzo the first woman home in 39:53.

The entry limit for this year’s race remains at 500. Entry fees are unchanged from 2011 at £13 (affiliated)/£15 (unaffiliated).

Organisers and competitors will no doubt be hoping for better weather than last year, when the race was run in heavy rain, a stark contrast to the warm sunshine enjoyed in previous years.

The new MS Therapy Centre in Bradley Stoke has been nominated as the official fundraising charity for this year’s race.

More: How to enter the 2012 Bradley Stoke 10k Run »