Fundraisers are celebrating the success of a Stoke Gifford charity shop which has received thousands of bags of donations.

Barnardo’s opened a new store in Ratcliffe Drive (next to Tesco Express) last March. Since then the charity has received more than 5,000 bags of clothing, accessories, homeware, books, toys and games.

Barnardo’s has also been supported by a group of hard-working volunteers who contributed hundreds of hours to help with sorting the stock and serving customers.

The Stoke Gifford team celebrated their success by holding a party on Saturday, 11th March which featured face-painting, cupcakes, a tombola, a lucky dip and the cutting of a specially-decorated cake

The store is managed by Hannah Jones together with store associate Julie Britt. Hannah said:

“We wanted to arrange a special ‘thank you’ for everyone who has worked so hard during our first year.”

“We have an amazing team of ten volunteers aged from 14 to 76 years old who offer so much of their own time each week. Their commitment has played a vital role in our success.”

Hannah added:

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity and support of the local community throughout the past twelve months.”

“The number of donations has been fantastic, but we’ve also received some very unusual items – including a miniature set of Shakespeare books from the 1920s which were just three inches wide!”

“We look forward to receiving many more items which can be re-sold to support the charity’s work with the UK’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.”

More: Store still vacancies for potential volunteers to join »

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On the weekend of 20th-22nd June, a group of 16 current and former employees from the HP Bristol site in Stoke Gifford will be running from Plymouth to Poole along the South West Coast Path in a 48-hour non-stop relay, to raise money and awareness for this year’s HP Bristol site charity, Children’s Hospice South West.

Two years ago, the group ran the first section of the path, from Minehead to Perranporth, and last year they tackled the middle section, from Perranporth to Plymouth, raising over £6,000 for charity. This year’s effort will complete the route and, it is hoped, raise a further £3,000.

The relay will see pairs of runners tackling 4 to 6 mile sections of the 220-mile route, climbing a total of 34,895ft (10,636m) and crossing five rivers.  Everybody in the team will run between five and six times during the 48 hours.

HP has agreed to match up donations up to a total of £175 per employee, which could bring in £1,575 for the charity.

Today (Friday 13th June), some of the group were at the Sainsbury’s store in Stoke Gifford to raise additional funds and awareness for their charity run. Today also happens to be the first day of Children’s Hospice Week, a national awareness-raising and fundraising week for children with life-limiting conditions and the services, like children’s hospices, that support them.

To sponsor the runners, visit: www.justgiving.com/Coast-Path-Runners. Further information about the challenge can be found on the HP employees Charity run for Children’s Hospice South-West Facebook page.

Photo (l-r): Nick Hides, Andrea Tanner, Laura Loredo and Ersin Saracoglu at the Sainsbury’s store in Stoke Gifford.

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A Stoke Gifford man is running this weekend’s London Marathon in memory of his dad who passed away in 2011.

Paul Adams, 33, is taking on the 26.2-mile challenge along with partner Andrew Turner, on behalf of local charity St Peter’s Hospice, which cared for Paul’s dad Barry Adams in his final days.

Paul, a pension administrator at Aon Hewitt, said:

“My Dad passed away in 2011. His wish was to pass away at home surrounded by family and it was St Peter’s Hospice which made that possible for him. They provided the care and support he needed to make it happen and also supported us as a family during a very difficult time.”

“The care we received was invaluable and meant that his final days were spent at home in comfort.”

“I have always said I wanted to take part in the London Marathon at least once in my lifetime. Andrew and I applied last year and when we got in we decided as it was such a big event it would be a great opportunity to raise money for the amazing charity that helped my dad.”

“I have only taken part in 10ks before and have only been running for three years so this is going to be a huge challenge!”

“Andrew and I have been running at least three times a week – two shorter runs of around five miles during the week and then longer runs on the weekend ranging from five miles up to 18 miles. Training has kind of taken over our lives at the moment so we’re looking forward to weekends where we don’t have to run!”

The London Marathon is taking place on Sunday (13th April) and will start at Blackheath in Greenwich and end at The Mall at Westminster. Since the first marathon in 1981, £660 million has been raised for charity.

More: How to sponsor Paul and Andrew »

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The Stoke Gifford branch of the Royal British Legion (RBL) is holding its popular annual fundraising concert for the Poppy Appeal on Saturday (29th March) in the Church Rooms, North Road, Stoke Gifford.

The concert starts at 7.30pm, doors open at 7pm. Tickets are £6, (including refreshments), and can be ordered in advance from Terry Webber (0117 909 1486) or John Moloney (07802 535591).

This year, the concert features popular doo-wop singing trio ‘The Cat’s Pyjamas’ (pictured above).

Money raised for the Poppy Appeal goes to the RBL’s Welfare Fund which helps the Legion to provide welfare and support to current and ex-service personnel and their families. Nationally, the RBL spends £1.6 million EVERY week on its welfare work.

Branch press officer David Bell said:

“I hope the public will support this event again this year – our concerts are always very popular and help us raise much needed funds for the Poppy Appeal, which funds the important welfare work that the Royal British Legion does.”

Many are offering their services and facilities for free, including St Michael’s Church and The Cat’s Pyjamas themselves.

The Stoke Gifford Branch of the Royal British Legion is also planning another ‘Tri Services Military Event’ this year – on Sunday 7th September at the Mile Straight Sports and Social Club, New Road, Stoke Gifford.

This article originally appeared in the March 2014 edition of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine. The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to 9,250 homes in Bradley Stoke and Little Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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