The Bradley Stoke Journal

Did you know that there is a nature reserve in the heart of Bradley Stoke, home to an astonishing variety of wildlife and right on your doorstep?

A local nature conservation group is inviting residents to join them on a guided walk around the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve this coming Saturday (11th June), as part of the Bradley Stoke Community Festival celebrations.

The walk will be led by a professional ecologist who will introduce you to the different habitats on the reserve and to the wildlife that depends on them.  By the end of it you will be able to tell your cinnabar caterpillars from a cabbage white, learn why teasels are important to both goldfinches and billiard tables, and know why you shouldn’t eat anything with purple spots.

The group says it can’t predict in advance exactly what you will see (or hear) but promises a fascinating insight into the natural world.

The walk, which is free and open to everyone, commences from outside the Leisure Centre at 10am and will finish by 1pm, in plenty of time for you to join in the festival fun at the Jubilee Centre.

It will be conducted at a “fairly leisurely pace” and will mainly take place on surfaced paths, but please be aware that it will also take in the reserve’s woodlands and grasslands so terrain will be uneven and suitable footwear should be worn.

Related link: Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group

Bradley Stoke has plenty of events to keep the children occupied this Easter holiday, with activities on offer at the Leisure Centre, Library and Willow Brook Centre.

Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre’s Easter Holiday Programme (for children aged four to sixteen) runs from Monday 6th to Friday 17th April and includes activities ranging from trampolining to karate.

Bradley Stoke Library has a ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ session on Monday 6th April, suitable for seven and eight year olds, while Tuesday 7th April sees a ‘Spring on a String’ craft activity for four to ten year olds.

Easter craft sessions are being held at the Willow Brook Centre on Thursday 9th April and Thursday 16th April, with the first 125 children on each day receiving a free creme egg.

Thursday 9th April also sees an Easter Egg Hunt at Brook Way Activity Centre. The morning also features an Easter Bonnet competition and refreshments (including hot cross buns).

Outdoor types can join the Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group on Saturday 4th April for wildflower seeding in the meadow area by Sherbourne’s Brake.

More Information:

• Leisure Centre Easter Holiday Programme [PDF, 1.74MB]

The Neighbourhood Policing Team in Bradley Stoke has announced a clampdown on the illegal riding of mopeds, motorcycles and mini-mopeds in the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve.

The move follows complaints about the nuisance from families, dog walkers and people living nearby.

Signs positioned at entrances to the reserve, which have been in place for many years, clearly state that the riding of motorcycles is prohibited (see photo).

Neighbourhood PC Michael Friis confirms that “There are no rights of way for vehicles across this reserve. Only pedal cycles and walkers are permitted.”

He added: “Anyone caught riding any sort of motorbike in the nature reserve could find their vehicle seized and even crushed by police.”

Officers have a power under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act to seize a vehicle being used to cause alarm or in an anti-social manner.

The Police statement encourages motorcycling enthusiasts to find out about local clubs and authorised tracks from the Amateur Motorcycle Association (AMCA). Local motocross tracks may be found at Cheddar and Tormarton.

Related Links:

• The Journal’s Bradley Stoke Police page
• The Journal’s guide to walking and cycling in Bradley Stoke

Observant residents of Bradley Stoke may have noticed the appearance of a series of numbered oak posts at various locations throughout the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve. Enquiries by The Journal have revealed that the posts will form a permanent orienteering course (the first in South Gloucestershire) that is due to officially open in September.

A page on South Gloucestershire Council’s (SGC’s) website dedicated to the new orienteering course in Bradley Stoke explains that: “Orienteering is a challenging outdoor adventure sport that exercises both the mind and the body. The aim is to navigate in sequence between control points marked on a unique orienteering map and decide the best route to complete the course in the quickest time. It does not matter how young, old or fit you are, as you can run, walk or jog the course and progress at your own pace.”

A special orienteering map of the nature reserve has been surveyed and drawn by Dudley Budden of Bristol Orienteering Klub. Once the course opens, individual maps and activity packs for groups will be available from Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre. It will also be possible to download a copy of the map from the SGC website.

The Bradley Stoke Orienteering and Nature Trail was developed in partnership with Bristol Orienteering Klub, British Orienteering, Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group, BTCV and Castlebeck.

Funding has been provided through the BBC’s Breathing Places fund and South Gloucestershire Council’s Wild Roots project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.