By local ballooning enthusiast Paul Mackley.

With the warm weather we saw briefly over Easter hopefully set to return, it will soon be that time of year when the city of Bristol’s skies start to fill with hot air balloons. But did you know there are some balloons based a little closer to home?

The Purple Rain Balloon Team is based in Bradley Stoke, and when the wind direction is right and the conditions are good, we have been known to fly from the Jubilee Centre playing fields.

The balloon is flown by Paul and Carol and we fly purely for fun (we aren’t commercial and don’t do paid flights, I’m afraid).

However, there is one way to come and fly with us and that is to join our ground crew. We are always looking for people to come along and join in the fun. We fly locally and also attend most of the country’s biggest balloon festivals, including the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. So, if you are interested in hot air balloons and want to get more involved, don’t hesitate to get in touch or even come and say hello if you see us around.

We are particularly looking for someone who can drive a vehicle with a trailer, but anyone interested in balloons is welcome. We always look after our crew the best we can, with flights, breakfast etc., as well as the opportunity to come along to events.

Check out our Facebook page ‘Purple Rain Balloon Team’ or send me a email at PaulMackley13@btinternet.com

This article originally appeared in the May 2019 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 14). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH (except August), to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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By Donna Carl, 1st Bradley Stoke Scouts Beaver leader.

I give up two evenings a week, and the odd weekend to run a Beaver colony with lots of six to eight year olds, and two other leaders to keep me sane, as well as some fantastic young leaders, and it’s safe to say I love it!

I’m now in my 4th year of being a Beaver Scout leader. I started by responding to an advert when my local group was expanding and were looking for leaders. I didn’t think they would be interested in me as I don’t have any of my own children, and I wasn’t part of Scouting growing up. Being of a certain age, and a girl, I wasn’t allowed to join my brother when he went to Cubs, even though I really wanted to.

Fast forward some 40-ish years and thankfully Scouting is now available to both boys and girls, and the same for leaders. Despite my initial reluctance of thinking I might be judged or looked at oddly for wanting to join a youth organisation when I didn’t have any youth, I couldn’t have been more wrong. I applied, went through a relatively straightforward selection process and background checks, and was very soon welcomed into the Scouting family. Before I knew it, I had 18 very boisterous, very loud, very energetic six and seven year olds, whose parents had entrusted into my care for one hour a week. I had the help and support of a great team, who were old hands, and who knew the ropes and could put together a varied programme. Despite my initial reluctance of wondering how I would cope, not only did I cope, but I loved it! The Beaver age is such a great age, they are still exploring the world and get joy from the simplest of things. That joy is infectious!

It’s great to see the changes in them as they start their route through Scouts, and often they join as a shy, insecure child, who doesn’t want to leave their parents and they will leave us two years later as a confident eight-year-old that has learnt both practical and life skills and is rapidly gaining that independence and confidence to try new things, wanting to push themselves to achieve more and more. It really makes me feel proud to see just how far they come in such a relatively short time.

Inspired to volunteer? Find out more &raquo

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Have you ever wondered what Rotary is all about? Would you like to meet new people for friendship and social engagements? Would you like to make a difference to your community and the wider world? asks Karen Holley of Bradley Stoke Rotary Club.

We would like to give you the opportunity to find out, and therefore we are sending out an open invitation for you to join us at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre on Tuesday 21st May, between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

Why not come along to meet our members and enjoy a glass of wine and some nibbles?

We are very proud of what we achieve and who we support. Behind the scenes, a lot of local people have benefited from our efforts. All this happens through friendship and support, so please come and say ‘Hello’ – a warm friendly greeting awaits you.

For more information, please contact Karen Holley by email on karenholley454@hotmail.com or phone 07540 458119.

See also: Bradley Stoke Rotary Club on Facebook

Photo: Members of Bradley Stoke Rotary Club presenting a donation to a school in Cape Town.

This article originally appeared in the May 2019 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 29). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH (except August), to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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A popular nursery in Bradley Stoke has installed an automated external defibrillator (AED) as part of its commitment to safeguard children, staff, parents and visitors in the event of a cardiac arrest.

During Family Safety Week (1st April to 5th April), Busy Bees in Ferndene (near Aldi) installed the AED as part of a nationwide campaign that has seen Busy Bees introduce more than 350 AEDs in its nurseries throughout the UK. The industry-leading scheme will help boost the survival chances of people who have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

To mark the installation of the AED, the nursery held various activities for the children to take part in, including ‘Road safety week’, ‘Safety in the home’ and ‘Keeping ourselves safe and healthy’.

The AED, supplied by Cardiac Science, has both adult and paediatric pads. It was specially chosen as it provides both text and voice prompts to the rescuer to enable them to remain focused during the high-pressure situation.

Jayne Hannabuss, nursery manager at Busy Bees in Bradley Stoke, said:

“Protecting and safeguarding the children in our care is our top priority and that’s why we’ve undertaken this potentially lifesaving initiative. We see it as part of our commitment to best practice and to deliver outstanding care to our children, as well as to protect staff, parents and visitors.”

“Although we hope that our defibrillator never has to be used, it means that if the worst-case scenario happens, we are able to increase the survival chance of anyone who has a cardiac arrest inside or within minutes of our nursery.”

For more information about Busy Bees in Bradley Stoke, visit www.busybeeschildcare.co.uk, email bristolbradleystoke.manager@busybees.com or call Jayne on 01454 202888.

This article originally appeared in the May 2019 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 18). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH (except August), to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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