The Bradley Stoke Journal

Panoramic photographs of virtually every street in Bradley Stoke have today been made available on the Google Street View website.

The search engine and mapping giant has extended its controversial street scene recording service to cover 95% of the homes in the UK.

Launched in the UK in March 2009, the service previously covered the central Bristol conurbation, but didn’t extend beyond Filton to the north.

Images of the area around the new Tesco Extra store in Bradley Stoke show the new town centre still under construction, meaning that the pictures were taken sometime before October 2008.

Google has come under fire from critics who claim that the detailed pictures represent an invasion of privacy but the company counters this by pointing out that Street View only shows imagery visible from public roads. The service also uses technology that automatically blurs both faces and licence plates.

To use Street View, go to Google Maps, type in an address or post code and drag the yellow ‘peg man’ symbol onto a street shown in the main map display.

Spotted something interesting or bizarre in the Street View images of Bradley Stoke? Leave a comment on this post to share your discovery.

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A charity looking to build an MS Therapy Centre on land off Bradley Stoke Way has made a U-turn over the proposed arrangements for vehicular access into the site.

In plans approved last year, the Moonstone Appeal said it would construct a new ‘left in, left out’ access road into the site from Bradley Stoke Way. This arrangement was consistent with conditions imposed on an earlier planning application following opposition from local Councillors and residents over proposals for the site to be accessed from Wheatfield Drive.

In a new planning application for a ‘respite care  centre for MS sufferers and their carers’ that would sit alongside the MS Therapy Centre, the charity says it has had to revise access arrangements for the site:

Unfortunately due to the presence of an underground [oil] pipeline along the northern boundary of the site, between the site and the carriageway of Bradley Stoke Way, it is not viable to develop an access into the site in the location proposed in the previously consented applications.

The move is likely to spark renewed opposition from residents, Councillors and the Governors of the nearby Wheatfield Primary School, all of whom have previously raised objections to any proposals that involve accessing the site from Wheatfield Drive.

There may also be some disappointment over the proposed use of the second building on the site as Wheatfield Primary School and local residents had expressed the wish that a pre-school nursery might be provided.

Complications caused by the presence of the underground oil pipeline were anticipated in a resident’s consultation response to the previous planning application, in which it was claimed that to divert it would cost between £150k and £200k. Planning officers at South Gloucestershire Council acknowledged the comment but said that it was a matter between the applicant and the owner of the pipeline (Esso) and could not influence the granting of permission.

The charity has previously said that it needs to begin work on construction of the MS Therapy Centre by Spring 2010 in order to satisfy conditions imposed on it by already-agreed funding sources.

Consultation on the latest planning application runs until Monday 29th March.

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Students at Bradley Stoke Community School (BSCS) have been paying tribute to year 9 pupil Ryan Abrahams, who passed away last Tuesday.

Ryan, who was born with a rare muscular disorder and relied on a motorized wheelchair to get around, was active in a number of sports (including wheelchair football and table top cricket) and was awarded the South Gloucestershire Young Disability Sportsperson of the Year title in 2009.

Writing in the school newsletter, headteacher Dave Baker says:

“Ryan …  showed resilience and a fighting spirit despite the challenges of being in a wheelchair with all the frustrations and limitations that gave him. He will be remembered as a happy and friendly member of our school and wider community where he was involved in so many different things, especially sport and football in particular.”

Floral tributes from staff and pupils have been placed in Ryan’s reserved parking place in front of the main school entrance and a non-uniform day is being held on Monday (1st March), when students will be encouraged to wear football tops “in a fitting tribute to a boy who loved football”.

Related link: Photos of the floral tributes at BSCS

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Two Muslim women from Bradley Stoke feature in a innovative photographic exhibition that opens today (Monday 15th) at Bristol Central Library.

The Building the Bridge project, which aims to to build understanding between the city’s Muslims and the wider community, celebrates ordinary Muslims living in Bristol. Each of the twelve subjects is photographed beside a city landmark or in a place that holds a special resonance for them.

Lara Almasri (pictured above, left), a Civil Engineer, is shown in her Bradley Stoke home, while student Majida Islam Khan (right) is seen inside the Council House in Bristol.

A strong theme running through the exhibition is a conviction that Islam is a religion of peace and that the actions of terrorists are abhorrent. Organisers say they aim to counter media stereotypes and provide the wider community with a greater understanding of their Muslim neighbours.

Zaheer Shabir, Chair of the Building the Bridge Programme Board, said:

“The individuals featured have been selected as a typical cross section of the Muslim community, which has deep roots in Bristol.”

“I hope that this exhibition gives you an insight into the aspirations and hopes of the Muslim community. I believe that through their words these individuals reflect Islam’s core teachings of peace, love and tolerance.”

The Building the Bridge exhibition will be at the Bristol Central Library for two weeks. It will then move to Easton Community Centre, where it will remain for a further two weeks.

A book featuring the photographs from the exhibition will be distributed to community and youth groups, mosques and other community venues to ensure that the project can be enjoyed by and is accessible to as many people as possible.

Full interviews with Lara and Majida can be found on the Building the Bridge page in our Faith and Religion section.

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Enrolment for Radio Workshops is now open – all ages welcome

Bradley Stoke Community Radio Association (BSCRA), under the guidance of Southern Brooks Community Partnership (SBCP), has announced that it has been successful in securing grant funding to provide radio workshops for the residents of Bradley Stoke.

The workshops are seen as the first step towards establishing a community radio station in Bradley Stoke, along the lines of the highly successful Gloss FM (formerly Thornbury FM).

Winsome Barrett-Muir of SBCP explains:

These workshops are suitable for all ages – you need only attend one. They will introduce you to a radio studio and the use of the recording equipment, how to put a programme together, how to conduct an interview and what is involved in setting up and managing a community radio station.

The workshops will be fun and enjoyable with plenty of opportunities for you to have a go in the studio. We’re expecting the workshops to be popular so please contact us at Southern Brooks Community Partnership to book a place.

The workshop dates are:

• Friday 26th February 2010, 9.30am – 3pm
• Saturday 27th February 2010, 10am – 3pm
• Monday 1st March 2010, 6pm – 9pm

All workshops will be held at Bradley Stoke Community School. Lunch and a crèche will be provided for those who require it.

To book a place, please email Winsome Barrett-Muir (winsomebmuir@sbcommunitypartnership.org.uk) or call the SBCP office on 01454 868570/1.

Ofcom defines community radio stations as “a new type of not-for-profit radio service, designed to operate on a small-scale and to deliver community benefits (‘social gain’) to one or more communities”.

To date, 214 such stations have been awarded licences, of which 159 are currently broadcasting.

More information and related links:

• Bradley Stoke Community Radio Workshops – Poster [PDF]
• Community Media Association
• Community Radio Toolkit

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