Stoke Gifford Journal

Local residents have four days to enjoy a funfair that opened tonight in Little Stoke Park.

Described by the parish council as a “small fun fair”, the attraction nonetheless includes dodgems, a ghost train and a number of other rides, as well as attractions for smaller children.

Opening times advertised by the council are :

• Thursday 16th May: 6pm-9pm
• Friday 17th May: 6pm-9pm
• Saturday 18th May: 1pm-9pm*
• Sunday 19th May: 1pm-6pm*

(*funfair advertising states 2pm-9pm for weekend).

More photos on PicasaWeb (The Journal).

Coming soon: The Stoke Gifford Village Fete at the Trust Grounds on Bank Holiday Monday 27th May (2pm to 5pm). Fun and games for all the family plus  a Fun Dog Show in association with Bristol Dog Action Welfare Group (DAWG) from 2pm to 4pm.

Attractions include swing-boats; tea and cake; archery; barbecue; Punch & Judy; quad bikes; bouncy castles; Taekwon-do demonstration; brass band; stalls; coconut shy; candy floss; art and crafts and lots more.

The fete is sponsored by Stoke Gifford Trust Committee, Stoke Gifford Parish Council and Stoke Gifford Scout Group.

For more details, visit: www.stokegiffordtrust.org.uk.

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Millions of pounds of transport investment in South Gloucestershire have been given the green light today, including money for two schemes in the Stoke Gifford area.

Councillors on South Gloucestershire Council’s (SGC’s) Policy and Resources Committee have given the green light to buy up the remaining land not already under council ownership along the route of the flagship £102m North Fringe to Hengrove rapid transit scheme, including the Stoke Gifford Transport Link road (known locally as the Stoke Gifford By-Pass).

Councillors also agreed to spend £4m to make capacity improvements to the Filton Roundabout and Gipsy Patch Lane junctions on the A38, to improve commuter journey times.

Cllr Brian Allinson (Stoke Gifford), Conservative Lead Member and Chairman of the Planning, Transport and Strategic Environment Committee, said:

“This is major financial commitment for the council and once again demonstrates our ongoing commitment to do what we can to tackle traffic congestion, promote public transport and improve air quality and journey times in and around our communities.”

“South Gloucestershire continues to be a sought after location to live and do business and by providing the necessary transport infrastructure improvements, including at critical junctions, we can make sure that this growth is as sustainable as possible.”

“The more land we can buy up now from willing landowners along the rapid transit route, including along the Stoke Gifford Transport Link road, the sooner that we can be ready to start construction work because we can minimise the amount of land that will be subject to the lengthy Compulsory Purchase process.”

Source: Press release from the Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council

More information and related links:

• Agenda for the meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee on 13th May (SGC)
• North Fringe to Hengrove Rapid Transit Package (Bradley Stoke Journal)
• Interactive map of the rapid transit route (Bradley Stoke Journal)

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This Sunday (5th May), Leigh Morse of Little Stoke will take on the challenge of the Bristol 10k in aid of Allergy UK.

Leigh has been braving the cold winter weather and pounding the local streets to clock up the training miles, as these will see him through on the day. He has even faced and conquered injury to take part! This will be Leigh’s first 10k and he is both excited and nervous but cannot wait to soak up the atmosphere and absorb the crowd’s chants as they cheer him along and across the finish line.

With over 11,000 runners taking part, the event is now one of the fastest growing and popular of its kind in the UK. Leigh wants to raise as much money and awareness of Allergy UK as possible as he knows the impact of the vital services they provide.

Leigh said:

“I was inspired to do something for my daughter, Amelia, who suffers from numerous allergies – the worse being a peanut allergy.”

“As a family it was very difficult to deal with at first but there is help available through organisations like Allergy UK.”

“I am hoping to raise over £250. My training/sponsorship has been on hold due to a knee injury but now I am raring to go!”

Rebecca Carey, Fundraising Manager for Allergy UK, said:

“I am so impressed with Leigh’s commitment and dedication to help Allergy UK raise awareness and money for the vital services we provide. The money raised will make a huge difference to all those with allergies and food intolerance. Leigh’s enthusiasm and passion are so humbling!”

Allergy UK is the leading national medical charity providing advice, information and support to people with allergies and food intolerance. The organisation makes a difference by providing a dedicated helpline (01322 619898) and information and guidance to empower sufferers so that they can manage their symptoms and receive appropriate diagnosis and treatment.

To find out about Allergy UK visit www.allergyuk.org or to support Leigh visit: www.justgiving.com/Leigh-Morse

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Bristol Rovers FC have announced the passing of a further milestone in their project to build a new 21,700-seater stadium on land near the University of the West of England in Stoke Gifford.

A message on the club’s website says the three month period during which the granting of planning permission could have been challenged through a judicial review has now expired, leaving the way open for construction to start.

However, the club must still wait for the same milestone to be reached on Sainsbury’s plans to redevelop their current ground, the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, the proceeds from which will finance the new stadium.

On that front, club chairman Nick Higgs reports:

“Things are also progressing with the Section 106 [agreement] on the Sainsbury’s development at the current Memorial Stadium site, and we hope that will be signed in the very near future.”

Work on the new stadium is expected to take 18 months to complete, allowing Rovers to move to the stadium in time for the start of the 2015/16 season.

Preliminary work stared earlier this year, when contractors moved onto the site to drill a series of boreholes to test ground conditions.

Related link: UWE Stadium (The Journal)

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Network Rail is inviting young people and their families from across the West of England area to its state-of-the-art maintenance training centre in Stoke Gifford to experience life as a railway apprentice and meet the people and high-tech kit involved in keeping Britain’s rail network running.

The company is seeking 50 new apprentices to join its ranks along the Western route, where billions of pounds is being invested in electrifying and upgrading the railway over the next few years. With this and further investment across Britain, today’s apprentice could tomorrow be part of one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the country.

Those attending will have the chance to speak to current and past apprentices, engineers and recruiters about the scheme and the opportunities available.

Michelle Palin, who heads up recruitment for the Network Rail scheme said:

“It’s a very exciting time to work on the Great Western route with electrification, Reading station development and Crossrail. We need more highly skilled people to help us meet the challenges of a busier network and focus on improving performance and increasing capacity. The apprenticeship is just the start of our learning programme. The Bristol training centre is evidence of the quality of training our people of all levels are offered and we’re committed to developing our workforce.”

“Many of our apprentices go on to be team leaders and managers and take up the opportunity to further their education with a foundation degree in engineering, which we fund and support. I look forward to meeting lots of young men and women and their families to showcase the exciting opportunities available.”

More: Apprentices will be paid £14,000 in third year »

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