A chance encounter between Susan Hartry of the Stokes Art Group (SAG) and Sara Messenger of the Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group (TBNCG) last spring sparked an idea for an art project. Sara explained that just as the River Severn has Sabrina Goddess of the River, the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve has a God called Trolletheus – named after two rusted and battered supermarket trolleys she and the TBNCG Team had dredged from the lake some time earlier. Susan picked up on this and suggested giving Trolletheus a face as a SAG project competition later in the year. Sara liked the idea and even agreed to judge it with adoption papers at the ready!

Both passionate about their respective groups, they soon realised they greatly complimented each other. After all, conservationists maintain our landscape and for centuries artists have enjoyed painting it!

The competition brief was split into two categories – one to create an image for Trolletheus and the second to create a landscape from any scene or feature from the reserve. The resulting unsigned collection was displayed at the Stokes Art Group end of year awards event, where Sara and fellow conservationist Ceri selected their favourite artwork from each category. Sara was thrilled that finally Trolletheus had a ‘face’ – though the look of surprise on her own face when she announced the artist was Susan Hartry was also worthy of a prize! Inspired by features of the reserve itself Susan’s Trolletheus, armoured with two supermarket trolleys, is based on the Turkey Oaks of Sherbourne’s Brake.

The winning landscape by Stokes Artist Sue Kelly, taken from her own photograph, represents a typical Three Brooks woodland scene familiar to those who go off the beaten track and enjoy the diverse variety of trees, plants, wildflowers and undergrowth found right on our doorstep.

The full collection can be viewed on the 2018 Project page of the SAG website.

More: How to book a free taster session with SAG »

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Have you visited the Three Books Lake recently? It is in a sorry state and the council does not appear to be in any hurry to do anything about it. More and more of the silt is building up and turning into a solid state i.e. land in which grass etc. can take root.
Where there is water, it is only 3 to 4 inches deep! The residents of Bradley Stoke stand to lose a valuable recreation facility and wildlife sanctuary, unless something is done.

The streams feeding the lake will also back up, as the water will have nowhere to go – we saw signs of this last winter.

It was interesting to read in October’s Journal magazine of the possibility of a company that can utilise the silt, thereby potentially offsetting some of the costs of dredging. That would be an excellent result. However, when you put the estimated costs of £100,000 in the context that some individuals employed by South Gloucestershire Council, at our expense, are paid that sum as an annual salary, and some twice that amount, I think the wishes of the residents of Bradley Stoke deserve some very serious consideration.

Fred Hillberg
Bradley Stoke

This letter originally appeared in the November 2018 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 33). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH (except August), to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

More: Statement from South Gloucestershire Council »

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A set of five new interpretation panels has been installed at places of particular interest within Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve.

The panels were funded by Wessex Water, which has recently completed a major tunnelling project within the reserve, as part of the Frome Valley Relief Sewer scheme.

The information on the panels was put together by volunteers from the Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group, who wanted to raise awareness about the plants and the wildlife – including swans and slow worms – which can be found within the reserve.

The interpretation panels have been placed around the reserve at separate locations, with each describing a different habitat. There is one at the lake, one on the Tump, one in the community orchard (behind BSCS), one in Savages Wood and another in Bowsland Meadow.

The panel in the community orchard was formally unveiled by Cllr Rachael Hunt, the newly appointed chair of South Gloucestershire Council, on Tuesday 22nd May, in the presence of several members of the conservation group.

• For more information, visit www.three-brooks.info

Photo: Panel unveiling in the community orchard. L-r: Jamie Bowkett (senior ecologist, Wessex Water), Robin Jones (chair, Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group) and Cllr Rachel Hunt (chair, South Gloucestershire Council).

More; Photo of the interpretation panel at the lake »

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Rob Williams of Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group writes:

As the snow disappeared  at the beginning of March and everybody breathed a sigh of relief that they could go back to work and school on the Monday, the melt-water was bringing an unwelcome delivery for our local nature reserves. Somewhere upstream of Forty Acres in Stoke Gifford, an oily substance had found its way into the Stoke Brook and was flowing downstream through the area.

The Environment Agency were contacted, as they are responsible for investigating pollution events in the water courses. South Gloucestershire Council and the town council were also informed and there were many messages and comments on the TBNCG Facebook page. The concern and interest from the public has been enormous.

The Environment Agency, along with Wessex Water, have spent many hours out searching for the source of the pollution. It may sound like a simple job to walk back up the brook until the culprit is found, but the brook is culverted under the railway and splits in several places. The oily substance is a light hydrocarbon and easily mixes with water, only showing on the surface where the water flow is slow. This means that booms or sponges in the brook won’t retain or absorb the oil and therefore haven’t been deployed.

The extent of the leak appears to be diminishing at the time of writing [mid-March] and there have been no visible effects on the local wildlife, yet. With events like this, it is very important that the public help by reporting direct to the Environment Agency. Investigations can then be conducted straight away.

If you spot a worsening of this spill, please phone 0800 807060 and quote incident reference number 1594021. Please also report any future spills on the same number.

Photo: A rainbow sheen on the surface of the water at one of the weirs on Stoke Brook is a tell-tale indicator of a pollution incident upstream in Stoke Gifford  or Filton

This article originally appeared in the April 2018 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine (on page 11). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to 9,200 homes in Bradley Stoke and Little Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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