The Bradley Stoke Journal

Tesco Extra manager Oliver Hill is scheduled to address this week’s meeting of the Bradley Stoke Safer & Stronger Community Group to be held at Baileys Court Activity Centre on Tuesday evening (7pm start).

Meeting chair Julie Snelling of Southern Brooks Community Partnership says Mr Hill, who has managed the store since it opened in October last year, will pick up any issues that the public bring up about Tesco’s.

Rachel Sharvell-Jones, the new full-time youth worker for Bradley Stoke, will also be present at the meeting, as will Steve Shields of South Gloucestershire Council, who will have some news about planned changes to the district’s Safer & Stronger Communities Partnership Strategy.

The February meeting of the SSCG was well attended and five priority topics were agreed for the police to address – these can be seen on the Bradley Stoke Beat page of the Avon & Somerset Police website.

One of the priority topics – anti-social behaviour in Saxon Way – is sure to figure again in discussions as that road subsequently became one of those affected by the suspected arson attacks of Friday 6th March in which three cars were destroyed during the early hours.

Police Inspector Bob Evely sparked controversy at the last meeting when he refused to discuss concerns raised by local residents about the activities of sex film producer James Edwards at his property in The Coppice. The row was later compounded when the published minutes of the meeting contained no mention of the topic being tabled. A subsequent re-issue of the minutes corrected the omission.

Hundreds of defective shopping trolleys at the Tesco Extra store in Bradley Stoke are due to be replaced over the weekend, according to Customer Services Manager Matt Hill.

Wheel locking devices on the faulty ’shallow’ trolleys have been spontaneously seizing up ever since they were introduced when the new store opened last October.

Over the last week, most of the rogue trolleys have been chained up near the store entrance, with a notice apologising for “the inconvenience caused”.

Mr Hill told The Journal that a consignment of 400 replacement trolleys is expected to arrive this weekend.

Tesco trolleys were also discussed at the recent Bradley Stoke Safer & Stronger Group meeting, where residents complained about the number of discarded trolleys around the town. Willow Brook Centre Manager Scott Lahive was actioned to speak to Tesco about the issue and invite them to attend the next meeting in April.

Asked about the discarded trolley problem, Mr Hill said that Tesco employs a firm of contractors to recover stray trolleys, but added that they can only do so “when they know about them”.

Abandoned trolleys can be reported by phoning the store on 0845 6779088. Why not put the number in your mobile now?

Related Links: Get something Done About It! (The Journal)

In our PicasaWeb gallery:

• Bradley Stoke Christmas Lights [album; slideshow]
• Bradley Stoke Christmas 2008 [album; slideshow]

Useful holiday information:

• Christmas opening hours at our local shopping centres

The coming week sees a full programme of Christmas-themed events in Bradley Stoke.

Tuesday (16th December) sees Bradley Stoke Community School (BSCS) hosting a European Christmas Market from 5pm to 7:30pm. The event has been organised to celebrate the school’s designation as a specialist Performing Arts and Languages College (effective since September 2008). Students will plan, run and produce stock for their market stalls, with a range of cultural influences. On offer will be foreign language Christmas cards, a variety of European sweets and cakes, decorations, candles, jewellery and stocking filler stalls, along with mulled wine, hot drinks, mince pies and chestnuts. Music will be provided by the BSCS brass band and choir.

Bradley Stoke Library is running a Children’s Christmas Crafts Session on Saturday (20th December) between 10am and 12 noon. The event, at which which children will make Christmas cards and decorations, is aimed at four to nine year-olds.

A Christmas Novelty Orienteering Event takes place on Sunday (21st December) in the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve. The event, organised by Bristol Orienteering Klub (BOK), starts and finishes from Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre (start any time between 10am and 12 noon). People of all ages and abilities can enjoy an hour or so of lighthearted sporting fun, running or walking around the paths and woodland areas using a map (supplied) to navigate to a series of control points, where pre-placed markers can be found or clue questions can be answered. Santa Claus himself will be trying out parts of the courses and any competitor who punches their map using Santa’s special punch will receive an Christmas treat at the finish! Treats are also available to anyone wearing a festive or festively-decorated hat! More details on the BOK website.

Santa Claus has already been spotted around Bradley Stoke in the past couple of weeks. Our pictures (below) show him in the aisles of the Tesco Extra store and out and about on his sleigh, kindly provided by the 1st Bradley Stoke Scouts, who are raising funds for new camping equipment.

Less than two weeks after the opening of Bradley Stoke’s new Tesco Extra store in the Willow Brook Centre, the town’s old Tesco store is quickly being reduced to rubble.

Local firm Bath Demolition has the contract to tear down the redundant store, a task that is expected to take six weeks according to a source on site. Once the demolition is complete, the land will be transformed into much needed additional car parking for the Willow Brook Centre.

Many people will see the demolition of a building that is just 15 years old as a sad commentary on the inadequate planning that was a mark of Bradley Stoke’s early days. Backers of the £80 million Willow Brook Centre will probably be hoping that their investment lasts a little longer.

Removal of the old store will clear the way for a new bus lane that is to enter the town centre site from Bradley Stoke Way. Buses will run along the side of the main Willow Brook Centre building before skirting the new Town Square to emerge on the access road that leads from the Three Brooks roundabout.

Related Links: Ready for the scrapheap