The Bradley Stoke Journal

Did you know that there is a nature reserve in the heart of Bradley Stoke, home to an astonishing variety of wildlife and right on your doorstep?

A local nature conservation group is inviting residents to join them on a guided walk around the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve this coming Saturday (11th June), as part of the Bradley Stoke Community Festival celebrations.

The walk will be led by a professional ecologist who will introduce you to the different habitats on the reserve and to the wildlife that depends on them.  By the end of it you will be able to tell your cinnabar caterpillars from a cabbage white, learn why teasels are important to both goldfinches and billiard tables, and know why you shouldn’t eat anything with purple spots.

The group says it can’t predict in advance exactly what you will see (or hear) but promises a fascinating insight into the natural world.

The walk, which is free and open to everyone, commences from outside the Leisure Centre at 10am and will finish by 1pm, in plenty of time for you to join in the festival fun at the Jubilee Centre.

It will be conducted at a “fairly leisurely pace” and will mainly take place on surfaced paths, but please be aware that it will also take in the reserve’s woodlands and grasslands so terrain will be uneven and suitable footwear should be worn.

Related link: Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group

Entries for the Bradley Stoke 10k Run, which forms part of next weekend’s Community Festival, have passed the 400 mark, leaving less than a hundred places to be filled before the runners cross the start line on Sunday morning (12th June).

Penny Greenwood of organising club Sole Sisters says the race is gearing up to be a predominantly local affair:

“More than 50% of all of our current entries are from ‘Stokes’ residents, with another 30% from other parts of Bristol.”

“We do also have runners coming from outer Bristol regions and other parts of the South of England, including Portsmouth, Devon, Plymouth, Berkshire etc., which is great.”

“The entries are predominantly non-club runners and range in age across the whole spectrum.”

Entries for the race can still be made by post (race packs for entrants in Bradley Stoke will be hand-delivered later in the week) and it will also be possible to enter at the Community Festival on Saturday (11th June), where the Sole Sisters stand will open at 10am.

Entries on the day of the race will also be accepted, subject to the entry limit of 500 not being reached.

The start time for this year’s race has been brought forward by half-an-hour to 9:30am, in an effort to minimise disruption for local residents and provide cooler conditions for the participants. The organisers ask anyone without a prior entry to arrive by 8:30am.

Read on for details of the race route and best spectator points »

Local runners, joggers and walkers are being encouraged to get their entries in for the 2011 renewal of the Bradley Stoke 10k Run, to be held on Sunday 12th June as part of the town’s Community Festival.

Entries for the increasingly popular event have been open since March and banners advertising the race have appeared around town over the last few days.

Organised by local ladies-only running club Sole Sisters, the race starts and finishes at the Jubilee Centre in Savages Wood Road.

The race route [map] takes in much of the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve as well as including stretches along Brook Way and Bradley Stoke Way.

Last year’s winner was Will New of Cheltenham & County Harriers, who completed the course in a time of 35:26, while local lady Rozanne de Villiers was the first woman home in 48:09.

The entry limit for this year’s race remains at 500, having last year been raised from 350. Entry fees are £13 (affiliated)/£15 (unaffiliated) and all finishers will receive a free technical t-shirt and goody bag.

Read on for more information and entry form for the BS 10k Run »

Another record field of 418 runners contested the 2010 Bradley Stoke 10k Run in fine conditions on Sunday (13th June), the final day of the town’s Community Festival.

As last year, the race started and finished at the Jubilee Centre in Savages Wood Lane, with the Jubilee Green being used for competitor car parking.

Bradley Stoke Mayor Ben Walker sounded the horn to start the race at 10am and promptly joined the field to take part in the event for the third successive year.

Running in aid of his mayoral charity, St Peter’s Hospice, Cllr Walker teamed up with his Conservative colleague Jack Lopresti, the newly-elected MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, who ran the race in aid of the Stoke Gifford branch of the Royal British Legion.

The pair finished together (see photo) in a time of 63:46, placing them around the 350th mark.

Many other runners ran on behalf of the race’s official fundraising charity, the Nicola Corry Support Foundation.

Local residents turned out in force to support the runners as they followed the multi-terrain route along the pavements and tracks of  Bradley Stoke.

Read on for details of the race winners and photo links »

Fine weather once again drew a large crowd to Saturday’s Community Fair at Bradley Stoke’s Jubilee Centre.

Action on the upper football field began at 10:30 with a tournament for local school children, with the main music and dance programme following at 11:30am.

Tribute band ABBA Now were the headline act on the main stage, supported by Pantz, Smokestack Shakers, Uncle Buck and The Echoes.

Music performances were interspersed with dance and gymnastic displays in the main arena.

The Jubilee Green was packed with business and community stalls together with fairground rides and a second performance arena.

Football star Matt Le Tissier visited the fair between 12:30pm and 2:30pm, signing autographs and chatting with representatives of the Bradley Stoke teams.

A surprise visitor was Britain’s Got Talent finalist Paul Burling, who lives in Bradley Stoke. He was seen towards the end of the day signing autographs and posing for photographs with fans.

Tomorrow (Sunday 13th) sees another full day of events, which gets underway with the Bradley Stoke 10k Run at 10am from the Jubilee Centre. Organisers Sole Sisters Running Club told The Journal they had received 418 entries by Saturday evening and will accept further entries on race day, subject to a safety limit of 500. Take a look at our interactive map of the race route to see where you can cheer on the runners between 10am and approx 11:20am.

The Festival focus then switches to Baileys Court, where an outdoor church service (11am) will be followed by a family picnic and the annual six-a-side cricket tournament.

Youngsters not wishing to miss out on the sporting action can head over to the Leisure Centre, where a Skate Park competition starts at noon. A BBQ and music will be provided to accompany the action on the ramps.

Lots more photos from today on PicasaWeb: album; slideshow