The Bradley Stoke Journal

Town Councillors have urged residents concerned by proposed changes to bus services in Bradley Stoke to attend tonight’s Southern Brooks Area Forum meeting in Filton.

Residents attending last week’s Town Council Planning Committee meeting were advised that the changes were a commercial decision by the operator, Wessex Connect, and not South Gloucestershire Council (SGC).

Protests by bus users and Journal readers have already resulted in an amendment to the originally proposed route of the new peak-hours-only U8 service that replaces the hourly 71 service from 18th September. The new U8 service will now additionally pass through the south of Bradley Stoke, enabling that area to at least maintain a link with Bristol city centre at peak times.

The recent changes can be seen by comparing the (original) version 2 and (latest) version 4 issues of the U8 timetable on the UWE website, although Cllr Keith Cranney warns that “the situation is liable to change from day to day.”

Town Councillors agreed to “write to Wessex Connect raising concerns, on behalf of the residents of Bradley Stoke, with regard to the withdrawal of bus services from the town.”

The Southern Brooks Area Forum meeting takes place tonight (Tuesday 30th) at Filton Community Association, Elm Park, Filton BS34 7PS [map], starting at 7pm.

The main business of the Area Forum meeting will be to allocate the £26,607 of capital grant funding available to voluntary organisations in the Southern Brooks area, which includes Bradley Stoke, Filton, Frenchay, Patchway, Stoke Gifford and Winterbourne, for the 2011/2012 financial year.

Read about the Bradley Stoke groups that have applied for grants »

Four Bradley Stoke organisations will be hoping to win a share of a £28,161 grant fund at this Tuesday’s meeting of the Southern Brooks Area Forum in Winterbourne.

A total of 26 applications totalling £43,888 have been received from organisations in the Bradley Stoke, Filton, Patchway, Stoke Gifford, Winterbourne, Frenchay and Stoke Park areas covered by the Forum.

The South West Winterguard Academy (SWWA), which meets at Meadowbrook Primary School and promotes ‘Colourguard’ (a dance based activity using flags and other equipment), is asking for £2,168 to cover the cost of hall rental, equipment, travel and insurance.

Bradley Stoke Bowls Club (BSBC), based at Baileys Court,  is looking for £2,500 (half the annual cost of green and room rental that it pays to Bradley Stoke Town Council) so that it can reduce its membership fees and hopefully attract new members.

Bradley Stoke Community Radio Association (BSCRA), which has recently occupied a studio at the Willow Brook Centre, wants £3,000 to pay for the official licences that it needs to broadcast over a 28-day period covering the Community Festival in June.

Finally, the Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group (TBNCG) is seeking £400 to pay for bee friendly flowers that will be planted in the community orchard behind Bradley Stoke Community School.

Read on to find out how Council officers have assessed the bids »

A number of clubs and organisations that operate in Bradley Stoke will tonight (Tuesday 31st) learn the fate of grant applications made to South Gloucestershire Council’s Southern Brooks Area Forum.

The Forum, which has £23k to allocate from its Capital Grant Funding scheme, has received 17 applications totalling £37k.

Organisations with Bradley Stoke links that have applied for funding include South West Winterguard Academy, Bradley Stoke Community Radio Association, 1st Bradley Stoke Scout Group and Bradley Stoke Bowls Club.

The Winterguard Academy, which meets at Meadowbrook Primary School, is a group that promotes a dance-based activity called ‘colourguard’ – using flags and other equipment to perform a routine to music. They are looking for £2,000 to purchase equipment.

Bradley Stoke Community Radio Association is asking for £3,000 to purchase recording equipment so that it can create programmes and interviews for a radio broadcast planned for October. They say they will work with Bradley Stoke Community School and the local youth service to run workshops to train young people to use the radio equipment to produce jingles. The association previously received a grant of £1,500 from the forum and was recently awarded £400 by Bradley Stoke Town Council.

Read on for details of two more organisations that could win grants tonight »

A meeting of the Southern Brooks Area Forum this evening (Tuesday 2nd March) will allocate funding of £29,220 to a selection of projects proposed by local voluntary organisations under the Small Grant Scheme.

A total of 27 applications have been received, from organisations which include:  Four Towns Play Association (£3,000 for equipment, staff training and publicity), Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group (£391 for bat walk equipment), Holy Trinity Youth Group (£3,000 for equipment) and Willow Brook Townswomen’s Guild (£500 for hall hire).

Area forums, organised by South Gloucestershire Council (SGC), give local people the opportunity to talk about issues and concerns that affect their neighbourhoods. They champion local needs and aspirations and gather the views of residents about specific community issues.

Other items on tonight’s agenda include a presentation on emergency planning and consultation on the South Gloucestershire Compact, a partnership agreement between the statutory sectors and the voluntary and community sector.

The meeting takes place at Patchway Community College, Hempton Lane, Patchway (7pm start).

More info: Agenda (SGC)

The Finance Committee of Bradley Stoke Town Council considered applications for funding from local organisations and community groups at its recent December meeting.

Organisations having their existing service level agreements confirmed were:

• Bradley Stoke Town FC & Bradley Stoke Youth FC (£1,945)
• Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group (£1500)
• Four Towns and Vale Link Community Transport (£2,764)
• Victim Support Avonvale (£848)
• South Gloucestershire Chinese Association (£1,764)
• Patchway, Filton and the Stokes Volunteer Centre (£1,158)

The following new service level agreements were agreed:

• Bouncing Babies/Tiddlers Toy Library (£1,700)

An application from Southern Brooks Community Partnership to have its Bradley Stoke community work covered by a service level agreement was rejected on the grounds that “the information and accounts received did not justify [it]“. The Council agreed to continue to fund this work on a “bills submitted” basis.

The Council’s Planning Committee also has the power to make “grant aid” awards of up to £500 to “worthwhile local community groups” on an ad-hoc basis. In the financial year 2008/2009, a total of £3,450 was donated to:

• Bradley Stoke Youth FC
• Bradley Stoke Library
• Stokes Women’s Group
• The Big Why (Christ the King Youth Group)
• Southern Brooks Domestic Abuse Support Group
• Tiddlers Toy Library
• Sole Sisters
• National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease

New applications for grant aid may be made via the Town Council office.