The Bradley Stoke Journal

The organisers of a Community Fair to be held at the Willow Brook Centre on Saturday 2nd October are inviting local groups and businesses to book stalls.

The second “Community Showcase event for the Severnvale locality”, which will be held in a marquee erected in the Town Square, aims to promote “the many and various community groups and businesses with a community focus that operate in the local community”.

Winsome Barrett-Muir of organisers Southern Brooks Community Partnership (SBCP) says:

“People are invited to meet groups that are mainly run by volunteers and that enrich the communities around.”

“It’s an opportunity for local residents to find out in one place about the social groups, special interest groups, etc and for these groups to promote themselves and possibly recruit new members.”

Local groups wishing to get involved are invited to get in touch with SBCP on 01454 868570 to book a place.

The event runs from 11am to 2pm and is supported by the Willow Brook Centre, Matters Magazines and the Aztec Hotel & Spa.

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Thursday night’s International Women’s Day celebratory event  organised by Southern Brooks Community Partnership (SBCP), once again attracted a large and enthusiastic crowd to Bradley Stoke Community School (BSCS).

The evening kicked off with performances from the BSCS salsa band and a musical performance from local girl group ‘Raise Your Voice”.

This was followed by an international fashion show, choreographed by Furo Sefia of African Elegance, and featuring some stunningly colourful African and Asian costumes.

The awards ceremony for the Poetry and Photography competition (a new feature this year) began with a moving recital of four of the poems entered, before Cllr Heather Goddard, Executive Member for Communities at South Gloucestershire Council, announced the winners and presented the prizes.

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Conservative Councillors have welcomed the signing of an agreement between Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC), South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) and Southern Brooks Community Partnership (SBCP) that secures annual funding of £93,000 for youth work in Bradley Stoke.

Councillors claim that the new agreement will produce “better value for the money that both Councils put into youth services in the town”.

Under the ‘Commissioned Service Agreement’, £93,000 of  annual funding – made up of £60,000 from BSTC and £33,000 from SGC – will be paid to Southern Brooks Community Partnership to provide:

• A full-time qualified youth worker managing and co-ordinating the development and delivery of youth provision in Bradley Stoke, working closely with Bradley Stoke Youth Committee and South Gloucestershire Youth Service
• Four nights of centre-based youth sessions per week for the 13 – 19 age group
• Two centre-based activity sessions per week for the 10 – 13 aged group
• Two ‘detached’ youth sessions per week – where youth workers engage with young people ‘on the streets’

The agreement requires centre-based sessions to be provided for a minimum of 44 weeks per year.

Young people are said to have sat on the panel that chose the provider and quarterly reports will be provided to ensure that requirements are being met.

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Bradley Stoke has plenty of events to keep the children occupied this half term, with numerous activities on offer at the Leisure Centre and Library.

Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre’s February Holiday Programme (for children aged 2½ to 16) runs from Monday 15th to Friday 19th February and includes activities ranging from trampolining to golf.

Children aged 4 to 10 can join an event at Bradley Stoke Library on Monday 15th to celebrate the Chinese New Year (of the tiger). Drop in any time between 2:30 and 4pm to try Chinese crafts and activities.

The Dreamscheme programme (work, points, trips) comes to Bradley Stoke on Friday 19th, when young people aged 8 – 16 are invited to take part in a litter picking exercise around Kemperleye Way. Their hard work will be rewarded with pizza and a trip to the Jump soft play centre. Meet at Christ the King Church, Mautravers Close at 10am. More details on the Southern Brooks Community Partnership website.

Related links:

• What’s On in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)
• Youth Clubs in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)

Enrolment for Radio Workshops is now open – all ages welcome

Bradley Stoke Community Radio Association (BSCRA), under the guidance of Southern Brooks Community Partnership (SBCP), has announced that it has been successful in securing grant funding to provide radio workshops for the residents of Bradley Stoke.

The workshops are seen as the first step towards establishing a community radio station in Bradley Stoke, along the lines of the highly successful Gloss FM (formerly Thornbury FM).

Winsome Barrett-Muir of SBCP explains:

These workshops are suitable for all ages – you need only attend one. They will introduce you to a radio studio and the use of the recording equipment, how to put a programme together, how to conduct an interview and what is involved in setting up and managing a community radio station.

The workshops will be fun and enjoyable with plenty of opportunities for you to have a go in the studio. We’re expecting the workshops to be popular so please contact us at Southern Brooks Community Partnership to book a place.

The workshop dates are:

• Friday 26th February 2010, 9.30am – 3pm
• Saturday 27th February 2010, 10am – 3pm
• Monday 1st March 2010, 6pm – 9pm

All workshops will be held at Bradley Stoke Community School. Lunch and a crèche will be provided for those who require it.

To book a place, please email Winsome Barrett-Muir (winsomebmuir@sbcommunitypartnership.org.uk) or call the SBCP office on 01454 868570/1.

Ofcom defines community radio stations as “a new type of not-for-profit radio service, designed to operate on a small-scale and to deliver community benefits (‘social gain’) to one or more communities”.

To date, 214 such stations have been awarded licences, of which 159 are currently broadcasting.

More information and related links:

• Bradley Stoke Community Radio Workshops – Poster [PDF]
• Community Media Association
• Community Radio Toolkit