Bank Holiday Monday (27th May) saw the annual Stoke Gifford Fête take place in the Trust Grounds, North Road. There was an excellent turnout, with an estimated 1,500 people attending the event, which included a fun dog show and (new for this year) donkey rides.

Although the strong winds and rain meant the inflatable slide and bouncy castle had to be deflated, the sun did reappear, and they were able to go back up again. The ominous grey clouds and occasional rain shower didn’t seem to put people off as the community came together to enjoy the event.

Madelynne, aged 5, who attended the fête, said:

“I had a great time – my favourite thing was going on the swing ride with my cousin Poppy!”.

Tanya Booth, treasurer of the Stoke Gifford Trust Committee, said:

“A great time was had by all at the Stoke Gifford Fête today. Filton Concert Brass entertained along with the Stokes Singers. Swingboats and tea cup rides entertained the children with appearances by Paddington, Paw Patrol and Mr Incredible. Marky Jay entertained with ‘Monkey Magic’ and Stoke Gifford Taekwondo demonstrated their skills.”

“Several visitors commented on how great it was to have a ‘whole community’ event with everyone represented, from the British Legion to the local pre-school, Guides and Scouts, WI, Little Stoke Garden Society and Short Mat Bowls to name but a few.”

“The event was organised by Stoke Gifford Trust who would like to thank local businesses, Stoke Gifford Scout Group, St Michael’s Church, parish councillors and other local groups and residents for their help in putting on the event.”

“We would also like to thank Stoke Gifford Parish Council for their generous grant of £1,000 towards the cost of the event.”

More: Volunteers always needed »

Share this article:

Discussion is open - be the first to comment - click here to respond.

The new Stoke Gifford Retirement Village (SGRV), situated just off Coldharbour Lane, is in desperate need of more volunteers to work in its community library as well as other areas within the village.

The activities and facilities available to both the residents of the village and the wider community are mostly led by volunteers; either the residents themselves or members of the public. Having sufficient numbers of volunteers is therefore vital in keeping the activities running.

Laura Jones is the volunteer organiser at SGRV and she oversees recruiting and managing volunteers for the 70+ roles available. Although she already has numerous volunteers, particularly from the nearby University of the West of England, she is still in need of many more.

As the library is part of South Gloucestershire Libraries, anyone with an ‘Active’ card (resident or non-resident) can request, borrow and return books and DVDs at this library, or any of the other South Gloucestershire libraries. However, it is currently only able to open two mornings and one afternoon a week due to the low number of people able to work there.

Volunteering at the library would involve a variety of duties, including welcoming library customers and identifying their individual needs, actively seeking to meet those needs and to enable customers to make full use of the facilities available. Staff also support the systems and policies for the loan and management of stock, including self-service and use a variety of resources to provide information, including online services.

Merle Bathe-Taylor, one of the members of staff at the library, would recommend volunteering there as she says:

“I enjoy helping people and being able to assist with their queries. It’s lovely to see visitors in the village using the facilities and being able to show them the work we do. Also, it’s important to feel valued and to have a purpose in retirement. My role means that I meet new people and remain active in life.”

Janet Bacon, another volunteer, added:

“I enjoy the variety of the role and being able to meet and talk to lots of different people.”

More: Volunteering Recruitment Fair on Thursday 6th June »

Share this article:

Discussion is open - be the first to comment - click here to respond.

The annual Stoke Gifford Village Fête will be held at the Trust Grounds, North Road [BS34 8PE], from 2pm to 5pm on Bank Holiday Monday, 27th May 2019, writes Tanya Booth of the Stoke Gifford Trust.

This year there will be traditional rides, bouncy castles, donkey rides, entertainer Marky Jay, barbecue, tea and cake, side shows, craft stalls and much more. Paw Patrol, Paddington and Mr Incredible will be visiting too. Filton Concert Brass Band will be playing, Stokes Singers will be singing and Stoke Gifford Taekwondo will be staging a demonstration.

The stalls will include the WI cake stall, Little Stoke Garden Society plants and crafts, cupcakes, sweets and cards.

The Fun Dog Show is always popular at the top of the field, run by DAWG (a Bristol greyhound and lurcher rescue charity) and volunteers. There is an entry fee of just £1 per dog and judging starts at 1pm.

The aim of the fête is to provide a fun afternoon for the people of Stoke Gifford. The Trust Hall, Poplar Rooms and field are run by a registered charity after the land was left to the people of Stoke Gifford in the 1940s. This is a way of the trustees carrying out their charitable aims by providing a fun event for the village where local clubs and groups can take part too.

The fête is financed by donations on the day and a grant of £1,000 towards this from Stoke Gifford Parish Council. We do not seek to make a profit but need to cover the cost of putting on the event. The 1st Stoke Gifford Scout Group helps by providing tents, a barbecue and volunteers and members of St Michael’s Church and local businesses are among the many volunteers needed. Any surplus taken is used for future events.

There isn’t a formal charge to enter, but we do ask for donations on entry and for the activities and refreshments. There is no parking on site (other than for Blue Badge holders) and local streets become full early, so we suggest you leave your cars at home if possible. If there is heavy rain, the event will not go ahead for safety reasons – please check our website and Facebook page for updates on the day.

More: Volunteers needed to help on the day »

Share this article:

Discussion is open - be the first to comment - click here to respond.

A Brownie from Stoke Gifford has donated a box of cat food, treats and toys to Bristol Cats Protection as part of her work towards gaining the newly introduced Charity interest badge.

Ruth (aged 8), and her family, adopted a cat from the charity in August last year and so, when choosing a charity to support, she was keen to continue helping local cats. She made a poster about the charity and put a collection box inside the Stoke Gifford Toy Library for a month.

In early April, she visited the Bedminster Cats Protection charity shop to hand over the goodies kindly donated by Stoke Gifford residents.

Sarah, manager at the store, was very pleased to receive the goodies and was impressed by Ruth’s efforts with her poster and collection box. Ruth said:

“I love my cat, Nala, and wanted to do more to help other cats who don’t yet have homes. I thought they would like some treats and toys to help cheer them up while they are waiting to be adopted.”

Hedgehog, assistant leader at 1st Stoke Gifford Brownies, said:

“The Charity badge is just one of the exciting new interest badges that can be earned by Brownies as part of the new Girlguiding programme. I’d like to thank the residents of Stoke Gifford who supported Ruth in her efforts, and hope they’ll be happy to do so again if another Brownie decides to hold a collection in future.”

Girlguiding units across the area are always looking for volunteers to help deliver their programme of activities – if you’d like to find out more, please contact fromevalleydivision@girlguidingbsg.org.uk

• The toy library, opened in autumn 2018, is housed within an old telephone kiosk at The Green, Stoke Gifford. It works on a self-service basis and is unlocked by volunteers each day.

More: Photo of the collection box in the toy library »

Share this article:

Discussion is open - be the first to comment - click here to respond.