The Bradley Stoke Journal

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

Deadline for Nominations and Entries: Saturday 9th January

Southern Brooks Community Partnership (SBCP) would like to remind readers of an important deadline in connection with their International Women’s Day event, which takes place in March.

Winsome Barrett-Muir of SBCP writes:

“Every year International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world to acknowledge and show appreciation for women and their role in society. In Bradley Stoke we have celebrated International Women’s day for the past six years. Last year we added the Outstanding Women’s Awards (OWAs) to the celebration. It’s a way to raise the profile of the many ways local women have contributed to the areas they live in. In a new town like Bradley Stoke this has helped tremendously in bringing people together to create a vibrant community. The award was created to acknowledge and celebrate these contributions.”

“This year we’re again running the OWAs and have added a poetry and photography competition to the event. For this anyone can take part, the theme is ‘A woman you know’ . Just write a poem or take a photograph of a woman who has had a positive influence on your life.”

“Last year three of the awards were won by residents of Bradley Stoke: the community award, the mentor award and the personal achievement award. All who were nominated felt appreciated and enjoyed the event . The deadline is fast approaching (Saturday 9th January) and we have some fantastic prizes for the winners, all we need are the nominations and the poems/photographs.”

Nomination and entry forms can be downloaded from Southern Brooks Community Partnership website or collected from local libraries.

Completed forms can be handed in at local libraries or posted to SBCP.

Why not take a few minutes to write a nomination and show someone you acknowledge their contributions?

More photos of the 2009 IWD event in Bradley Stoke [PDF, 2.7MB]

A poetry and photography competition is to be run in conjunction with an event that celebrates International Women’s Day (IWD)  in South Gloucestershire.

Southern Brooks Community Partnership (SBCP), which organises the annual IWD event at Bradley Stoke Community School, says:

We want to hear from you about one woman who has influenced your life; your mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, teacher, wife, daughter or even an historical figure, etc – a woman who has loved you, inspired you, supported you, believed in you, someone you love, a woman you know who has made a difference in your life.

The competition is open to men and women aged eleven and over, who are residents of South Gloucestershire.

Entries, which may be a photograph OR a poem OR both, must be received by Saturday 9th January 2010. Winners will be announced at the IWD event on Thursday 11th March 2010.

More information and entry form: International Women’s Day 2010 (SBCP)

Local charity group Southern Brooks Community Partnership (SBCP) is to run a training course leading to a professional qualification in community development.

The course will be of benefit to anyone who is directly engaged in community development work. It also caters for the increasing and diverse range of people who are involved in working and volunteering in the community. These include, workers in health, social care, education, community safety, housing, environmental development, childcare, library, open spaces and leisure services.

Successful completion of the course leads to the award of a Level 3 Certificate in Community Development. As a nationally recognised qualification, this allows access to the Dip/HE/Foundation degrees and the BA programme.

The course starts on Thursday 22nd October and consists of 20 one day per week sessions, concluding in May 2010.

SBCP Director Julie Snelling says that by the end of the course, attendees will have learned to:

• Understand the nature of different communities
• Understand the communities in which they live and work
• Enable communities to identify their needs
• Gain skills to work collectively with those communities
• Gain knowledge to support communities
• Refresh and update skills and knowledge
• Engage people in community development
• Work in partnerships
• Work with diversity
• Work with groups

Further Information: Certificate in Community Development [PDF]