We went along to say hello to the brand new recruits at Bradley Stoke’s first ever Guides, at Holy Trinity Church Rooms. Running since the beginning of September, the new unit has been made possible by joint leaders Emma Lerway, a newcomer to Bradley Stoke, and Anne Vaughan-Williams – who already runs one of the town’s very popular Brownie packs.
Emma ran her own Brownie unit in Manchester before moving to Bradley Stoke, and she was keen to continue her involvement with Girlguiding. When she contacted the District Commissioner to ask how she could help, she was told how desperate Bradley Stoke was for a guiding group – and that, as she says, was that!
Although the group is only in its third week, the girls had already made good friends and were evidently having a great time. Their main event this term is a trip to Bath in October where they will join in the ‘Great Guide Get-Away’ for a whole day of treasure hunts, crazy golf and no doubt finishing off the day with a bag of chips.
The uniform had changed dramatically since our time as Girl Guiders, but the ethos is still exactly the same. Members, aged 10 to 14, take part in a wide range of activities at their regular weekly meetings, and at special events or holidays. Guides do everything from playing fun games to adventure sports, and from taking part in community action projects to the performing arts. The girls can extend their knowledge and skills by working towards Guide interest badges covering many different hobbies and activities. They can also gain Challenge badges that recognise their participation in guiding over a period of time.
This group, and indeed all the local Guiding and Scouting units, rely on the goodwill and dedication of volunteers. Are you a local resident who has time to give – whether on a regular weekly basis or just occasionally? Would you like to be challenged by new experiences and achieve a sense of pride in accomplishment? Please call District Commissioners Liz Royle or Wendy Shore on 0117 985 3649 or 0117 983 6340 for more details on how you can help.
Three children at Holy Family RC Primary School in Stoke Lodge, Patchway, were excited to be picked to join the Head teacher, Dawn Breeze, on the visit of Pope Benedict XVI when he made his Papal visit on the 17th September. 
winning two silver and one bronze medals at the British National Judo Championships on Sunday 19th September.
Fundraising at Currys Megastore Cribbs Causeway for Footsteps4Abigail. Photo shows Abigail and the team getting ready to fundraise the weekend away. A fantastic £1,923 was raised over the 2 days thanks to the support of friends and Currys staff.
Emily Baber is is 16 years old and attends Bradley Stoke Community School. Next July, Emily is going to South India on a World Challenge. (Matters Magazines is also supporting Emma’s fellow students Joel Ip and Sam Beaumont – see story on this site back in August or the July/August & Sept editions of Matters Magazines). It will be a testing time for Emily but one she is determined to see through.
At the end of a well-supported ‘bike to school’ week, in which hundreds of local school children persuaded their parents to ditch the car and to cycle or scooter to school, Better By Bike have thrown down the gauntlet to local radio station JACK fm with The Big Bike Challenge.
Nearly 40 local children and teenagers took part in Saturday’s free bike decorating workshop at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre. 
Following the huge success of the 2007 Engage Cultural Festival, which is held every 3 years, South Gloucestershire Council is delighted to announce that they are holding another Engage Festival on Saturday 16 October 2010. This year’s venue is the WISE Campus in Filton College.
Following a hugely successful ‘Champions’ holiday club – which this year had a great Doctor Who theme – volunteers at Bradley Stoke Evangelical Church are launching a brand new term-time club for children aged 7 to 11.