The Bradley Stoke Journal

A charity Orienteering Challenge, suitable for families and accompanied children, is to be held next weekend in Bradley Stoke.

The event, which takes place in the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve between 11am and 4pm on Sunday 22nd August, will raise funds for the children’s charity Barnardo’s.

Families, teams and individuals can have a go at a timed circuit (with prizes to be won). For younger children and families, shorter ‘nature trails’ will be available, following five habitat themes.

Entry is set at just £1 per person, irrespective of team size and under-5s go free. Maps will be provided and refreshments will be available.

The event will be based at the entrance to Savage’s Woods between Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre and the Community School playing fields [map].

Organiser Leyla Roebuck says she had the idea for the event after doing some voluntary work at the charity’s Bristol office:

“Barnardo’s has always been a favourite of mine – I’m for anything that improves the quality of life in children.”

Barnardo’s South West spokesperson Martin Pitman told The Journal:

“I am delighted that one of our volunteer supporters has organised this interesting orienteering event in aid of Barnardo’s.

I know that Leyla, like us, is passionate about vulnerable and disadvantaged children and this seems like a great way to help whilst enabling the local community to join in the fun at the same time.”

Read more about the Three Brooks orienteering and nature trail »

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A fundraising campaign has begun to send a second child from Bradley Stoke to the USA for a life-changing operation.

Abigail Newton Smith, 8, suffers from cerebral palsy, mainly affecting her legs. She currently uses a wheelchair but wishes she could play football and tag with her friends.

Inspired by the story of Toby Cox,who is currently recovering from the same selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) operation at the St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Abigail’s family and friends have started the Footsteps 4 Abigail campaign to raise the £36,000 cost of the procedure.

Abigail, who weighed just 1lb 3oz when born 14 weeks prematurely, suffered bleeding on the brain and had to remain in hospital for six months.

She now attends Bowsland Green Primary School, where fellow pupils will soon be taking part in a sleepover to raise funds for the campaign. Two of Abigail’s support assistants at the school are also planning to take part in the Bristol Half Marathon to raise money for Abigail’s operation.

Other fundraising events already planned include a sponsored sky dive on Sunday 11th July and a Charity Ball Evening at the Hilton Hotel on Saturday 23rd October.

Also planned for October is a Funny Feet Day, where workers and students at local businesses, shops and schools will be sponsored to wear unusual/outrageous footwear.

Read on to find out more about the Footsteps 4 Abigail campaign and how your business could help »

Toby Cox, the young cerebral palsy sufferer from Bradley Stoke who travelled to the USA for an operation to help him walk unaided, is said to be “doing fine” three days after the procedure at St Louis Children’s Hospital.

Local people and businesses rallied round to raise the £38,000 required to pay for Toby’s travel and operation in response to the Help Toby Walk appeal started by Toby’s parents Donna and Ian Cox.

Writing on the appeal’s blog, Donna Cox says Toby has been in a lot of pain since the operation but he was able to sit up and have some breakfast yesterday (Sunday) morning.

Before leaving for the USA, Mrs Cox explained to The Journal that any money raised beyond the £38,000 target will go towards the cost of Toby’s post-operative physiotherapy, which, like the operation, will not be funded by the NHS.

Toby will also need paediatric exercise equipment at home that will enable him to establish strength and stamina in muscles that have not been used before.

The final fundraising event to be held before the family’s departure for the USA was a five-a-side football tournament organised by the Willow Brook Centre and Bradley Stoke Police.

Winners of the competition, which was contested by five local teams, were ‘Tesco Finest’ from Bradley Stoke’s Tesco Extra store.

Town Mayor Ben Walker was on hand to present the trophy (photo above) at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre. [See more photos of the football tournament on PicasaWeb].

Before leaving for the USA, Mrs Cox told The Journal:

“We would like to thank everyone who has helped us reach this fabulous fundraising figure, and are also very grateful for the monies now received for his aftercare.”

“We have been witness to some amazing efforts, both big and small, we have been humbled by the efforts some people have gone to to help our little boy, and I personally have been reduced to tears on many occasions by people’s words and kind thoughts.”

Ben Walker (Conservative) was elected the new Mayor of Bradley Stoke at last night’s Annual General Meeting of the Town Council.

He received the ceremonial chain of office from outgoing Mayor Mark Forsyth, who had previously announced that he had raised a total of £6,735 for his two nominated charities during his year in office.

The money in the Mayor’s Fund comes principally from  the Community Festival in June and the Fireworks Display in November (the latter attracting a record crowd in 2009).

Cheques for £3367.50 were presented to Pat Jones of the Bristol Dyslexia Centre (left photo) and John Francis of the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen’s Association (BLESMA).

Cllr Walker, who lives in Little Stoke and runs a building services company, represents the Lakeside parish ward of Bradley Stoke. His achievements as a Councillor include helping to form the Lakeside Residents’ Association and heading the recent negotiations towards the formation of a new bowls club at Baileys Court.

The new Mayor’s charity will be St Peter’s Hospice, which provides, within the wider Bristol area, specialist palliative care to adults suffering from life-threatening illness.

Related link: More photos from the Town Council AGM (PicasaWeb)

A community football tournament organised by the local police team is to help raise funds to send a five-year-old boy to the USA for a life-changing operation.

The Bradley Stoke Community Shield five-a-side football tournament, to be held on Saturday 5th June at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre, will raise money to help cerebal palsy sufferer Toby Cox.

Family and friends are currently trying to raise £36,000 to pay for an operation at the St. Louis Children’s Hospital that will hopefully remove the spasticity in his legs and allow Toby to walk unaided with a significantly improved level of comfort.

Officers based at Filton police station and staff from the Willow Brook Centre have joined in with the efforts to raise the money.

Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Paul Baxter said:

“We were already planning to run a football tournament as part of our efforts to bring the community together to make it safer and stronger.”

“When we heard about Toby, we immediately decided to make the event bigger and better in support of the campaign.”

Teams representing the neighbourhood police, the Willow Brook Centre, Tesco, Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre, teachers from Bradley Stoke Community School and Shirehampton Ladies’ football team will play in the contest.

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