Residents interested in becoming involved in a project to brighten up Bradley Stoke are being asked to attend a meeting this Tuesday (19th February), where the town’s proposed entry into the Britain in Bloom competition will be discussed.
Bradley Stoke Town Council has called the meeting after agreeing to make a budget of £14,000 available for the project, a sum reduced from the £18,000 originally announced last year.
The move follows the publication of a reader letter in The Journal in April 2011, in which a resident complained of the lack of flowers around Bradley Stoke and called on the community to get together to brighten the town up.
Cllrs Robert Jones and Elaine Hardwick have agreed to take the lead roles in organising the town’s entry into the competition.
In a discussion on the matter at the September 2012 Full Council meeting, Cllr Jones said:
“We have talked a lot about this in the past but have come up against a brick wall when we’ve asked South Gloucestershire Council to help.”
“Lots of other parish/town Councils have managed to do something. We should be looking to enter [the competition] and win our category within five years.”
Councillors say they hope that the project will eventually become self-financing, with Cllr Hardwick suggesting that local companies could be approached for sponsorship.
Bradley Stoke has a stiff task ahead if it wishes to compete with the neighbouring town of Thornbury, which was last year crowned Britain in Bloom ‘Champion of Champions’ by the Royal Horticultural Society.
However, Thornbury’s chances of retaining its crown could be affected by drastic cuts being considered by South Gloucestershire Council, which could see the complete withdrawal of a £328,000 budget spent annually on areas of streetcare that include the provision of flower displays, hanging baskets and shrub beds.
Tuesday’s meeting takes place at the Jubilee Centre, Savages Wood Road [BS32 8HL], at 7:30pm.
Can’t wait….
I’d rather they used the £14,000 budget they’ve allocated to this on paying for the rooms in the activity centre for the midwives/local mums(which has been cancelled due to lack of funds).
And the youth in the area who currently have no youth club provisions at all.
Seems crazy to me how flowers are more important than children/families.