The Bradley Stoke Journal

The Willow Brook Centre has announced that it is suspending its Mummy’s Breakfast Morning club – just seven months after its inaugural meeting at the Harvester restaurant.

The club, which provided free hot drinks for mums and free activities for children, was previously held on the last Tuesday in every month.

Membership of the club also brought the benefit of discounts at selected stores within the Willow Brook Centre.

The club celebrated its 200th member in September but a source at the Centre told The Journal that it “wasn’t compatible with our revised marketing strategy”.

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At last something has been done to slow drivers down as they go in and out of our shopping complex. And it works. There was a long slow moving line of cars going in and out today (Saturday 28th November).

The newly installed speed bumps are definitely slowing down the traffic along the road behind Boots, Argos, etc.

Then they speed up once inside the car park!!! It’s still an accident waiting to happen. Until something is also done about the speed of vehicles inside the car park there is still the high risk of someone being badly injured, even killed, within the car park itself.

More speed bumps please on the roads inside the car park!

Related link: Traffic calming measures on the way at Willow Brook Centre

The Willow Brook Centre’s club for local mums has now signed up its 200th member.

The Mummy’s Breakfast Morning club has been a great success since it was launched in June 2011 and is held on the last Tuesday of each month.  The next date is Tuesday  27th September, from 9:30am until 11:30am.

The Harvester restaurant kindly provides the venue and mums can enjoy a free hot drink and entertainment for the kids.

Each month there are different offers and giveaways but as a regular event representatives from Boots will be on hand with the latest health and beauty tips together with free samples and gifts.

Adam Giles, General Manager at Harvester, said:

“We are so pleased at how many local Mums have embraced this new club and told their friends too.  My staff all look forward to the last Tuesday of the month – it’s a very lively and happy occasion for Mums and kids alike.”

Membership is free and mums can register by emailing their contact details to mummys@willowbrookcentre.co.uk.  The membership card will also entitle Mums to special offers and discounts at selected outlets.

Related link: What’s On in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)

The Willow Brook Centre car park in Bradley Stoke, Bristol, has been awarded the ‘Park Mark‘ Safer Parking Award.

Park Mark is an initiative of the Association of Chief Police Officers (APCO) aimed at reducing crime in public parking areas, a very welcome initiative as nationally, vehicle crime accounts for a high percentage of all crime (up to 20%), and it is estimated that 22% of vehicle crime occurs in parking areas [Ref: Home Office Study 266].

For Bradley Stoke shoppers, using a registered Park Mark Safer Parking car park means that the area has been vetted by the police and has measures in place in order to create a safe environment designed to deter criminal activity and anti-social behaviour.

Andy Oram, Operations Manager at the Willow Brook Centre, said:

“We are delighted to receive this nationally recognised award which as well as security is judged on cleanliness, layout and maintenance.”

“We are very proud that our free car park is now listed on the Park Mark website as a recommended place to park in Bradley Stoke.  Details, including directions, can be found at www.parkmark.co.uk.”

[Ed: We received this press release back in March but didn't publish it at the time because the bit about the Willow Brook centre car park being on the Park Mark website wasn't correct. Five months on it's still not there, although the centre now proudly displays a large Park Mark sign on the access road to the car park.]

Which department of a typical superstore would you expect to have the highest levels of anti-theft security?

Well at Tesco Extra Bradley Stoke it’s not the technology department (smartphones, compact cameras, satnavs, memory cards etc.) as you might expect but the fresh meat section!

Aisle 25 (fresh poultry, lamb & beef) on the lower floor of the Willow Brook Centre megastore is currently watched over by no fewer than four temporary security cameras (positioned on each corner of the aisle) with the pictures beamed onto two LCD screens on top of the refrigerated cabinets.

The Willow Brook Centre in Bradley Stoke is to undergo a rebranding facelift, according to a press release put out today.

The exercise, which will be implemented before the end of September 2011, is said to be “in response to local feedback”.

The Centre opened in October 2008 and all but one of its retail units are now occupied, with Excellence Spa being the latest addition.

Centre Manager Scott Lahive said:

“As the Centre has grown and developed, we wanted to introduce a stronger, more contemporary identity for it.  We also listened when our local community called for more prominent signage.”

“We’re introducing information points that will make our large range of shops and services clearer for our customers.”

“Our website will also be updated to include the new branding.”

The press release makes no reference to the out-of-date signs on roads around the new town centre, which South Gloucestershire Council said it wanted to renew back in March 2010.