Another episode of flooding in Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve, on the morning of Friday 11th October, saw paths covered in several feet of water, making them impassable for children walking to school and commuters using the Concorde Way cycling route.

The incident has brought renewed calls for South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) to expedite dredging of the Three Brooks Lake (a.k.a The Duck Pond) to remove the high levels of silt that have accumulated since the task was last carried
out in 2005.

In a response reported in our November 2018 magazine, SGC said it was “still in the investigation stage of the [de-silting] project” and was “awaiting an estimate and method statement” from its selected contractor. It added that it was “still in the process of identifying and securing funding”.

The current town mayor Tom Aditya identified the issue as a priority when he took office in May and the town council subsequently wrote to SGC asking it to “investigate the desilting of the lake at the as a matter of urgency”.

The town council’s letter added: “It has been observed that one day the lake can be flooded and then a couple of days later there is significant amounts of mud exposed with the water levels very low. This would indicate that the lake is not doing what it was designed for i.e. an attenuation pond. The flooding, in turn, causes damage to the paths surrounding the lake.”

However, a response received from SGC’s chief executive officer insists that “the lake is not an attenuation pond, it is an amenity lake”, referring to details in the consent granted by the National Rivers Authority in 1993 ahead of the creation of the water feature.

More: SGC "still exploring the options for funding the work" »

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By Katherine Robinson of the 1st Bradley Stoke Scout Group.

Members of the 1st Bradley Stoke Scout Group are busy preparing for the town’s annual Remembrance parade and ceremony on Sunday 10th November. We are expecting record numbers of parade participants again this year with ten other local youth groups joining us. Our own Scout group will, of course, have all its sections represented and will be joined by the Trident and Solar Explorer Units, 1st Little Stoke Scout Group, 1st Stokeway Rainbows, 1st Bradley Stoke Rainbows, Brownies and Guides, 2nd Bradley Stoke Brownies, 2nd Winterbourne Brownies and 1st Little Stoke Brownies.

Representatives from our local town and county councils will be present and the Reverend Paul Hinckley will be representing the churches of Bradley Stoke.

Once again, the excellent Filton Concert Brass band will join us in the town square to complement our own Scout marching band who will be accompanying the parade.

This year, our young people are going to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

Ahead of the event, our Scouts, Cubs, Beavers and Explorer Scouts will be giving the war memorial its annual wash and brush-up while helping with the Royal British Legion’s annual Poppy Appeal. We will also once again be making window displays for the Willow Brook Centre main entrance.

We would like to extend an invitation to all members of our community to attend the ceremony. You are very welcome to lay a wreath or cross at the memorial (a small sand box will be put out next to the memorial nearer the day).

Please note: The bus stop at the Willow Brook Centre will be temporarily relocated to the front of Boots for the morning. Traffic in and around the parade route from the Jubilee Centre to the town square will be temporarily halted while the parade moves through the town. We apologise in advance for any disruption this may cause and respectfully ask that members of the public remain patient while our volunteers keep our young people safe. This is not a military parade and as such timings and parade content may vary on the day.

More information: Map of the parade route

More: Full details of local Remembrance parades and ceremonies »

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The team from Aztec Hotel & Spa joined forces with local Bristol charity Street Life on Saturday 14th September to serve a delicious meal to the homeless community in the city.

This marked the seventh time the hotel has worked with the charity since 2017 and the third time they have provided the food as well as serving the meals.

The hotel’s kitchen team prepared 180 portions of a hearty beef stew and mashed potatoes followed by a choice of either profiteroles or fresh fruit salad. While the chefs moved on to prepare dishes for the hotel’s restaurant, The Curious Kitchen, seven members of staff from across the hotel headed out with other Street Life volunteers to serve the meals to the community.

For over 20 years, Street Life has been providing hot meals, drinks, soup, cold meal packs and clothing on the streets of Bristol. Operated by City Church, the weekly community project recognises the importance of helping those in the city who do not have the same access to facilities as others. Members of the local community, businesses and schools support the charity by volunteering their Saturday evening.

The beef stew was a welcomed new dish for the charity and was incredibly well received. One recipient said: “This is the best meal I’ve ever had.”

Gareth Ireland, general manager of the Aztec Hotel & Spa, said:

“Our aim when we started working with Street Life was to build an ongoing relationship with them. They provide such an invaluable service to the city and we are honoured to be able to assist in any way we can. The team all love being involved and giving something back to help such a worthy cause. We are looking forward to being able to work with Street Life for many years to come.”

More: "Team fitted perfectly in with the charity’s culture" »

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Bradley Stoke Wise Owls after school and holiday club enjoyed a fun-packed summer holiday programme and as part of ‘Heroes Week’ welcomed some special visitors from Avon and Somerset Constabulary.

PC Leanne Weeks and Special Sergeant Harry Gregory came along to the club in their riot van! They answered questions from the children and demonstrated some of their equipment, whilst educating the children about some serious issues in a fun and exciting way.

Vicky Norris from Wise Owls said:

“The children had an amazing time today. They loved being able to go into a real life riot van and setting off the sirens. We would like to say a big thank you to Leanne and Harry for providing such an interactive and exciting event for the children to enjoy.”

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This article originally appeared in the October 2019 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 17). 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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