The Stroke Association is organising it’s 3^rd charity Castle 2 Castle Cycling Challenge on Sunday 11 September 2011.  Cyclists can enjoy an historic ride through the beautiful villages of Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, travelling between Berkeley Castle and Chepstow castle and crossing over the old Severn Bridge.

There are five routes.   You can choose the 42 mile circular route starting from either Berkeley Castle or Chepstow Castle or the 21 mile route starting at one castle and finishing at the other.   If this sounds a little too far the why not try the 10 mile Berkeley Castle ‘loop’, starting and finishing at the castle.

At each castle and along the route there will be water stops and access to refreshments and toilet facilities.

Whichever route chosen, C2C 2011 promises to be a great day out for families, and teams of friends and work colleagues.

Steve Chesworth, Regional Fundraising Manager of the Stroke Association in the South West says: “By taking part in this challenge, your fundraising efforts will help us to combat stroke in people of all ages through research and campaigning and by offering support to people who have been affected.  Regular exercise can significantly reduce your risk of stroke by helping to lower your blood pressure. High blood pressure is the single biggest risk factor for stroke.  Taking part in Castle 2 Castle challenge will not only help you to lower your risk of stroke but will also help raise funds to enable The Stroke Association to continue to offer support to people in Bristol and South Gloucestershire.”

Places are available for a £10 registration fee (£20 for families) and participants are asked to raise a minimum of £50 (£90 per family). 

For a free information pack and to become involved in this exciting event please contact the C2C Events Team  on 0117 953 1200 or email:  c2ccyclingchallenge@stroke.org.   Alternatively, to register direct on-line log on to www.stroke.org.uk/castle2castle

NB: 

• 150,000 strokes a year in England & Wales – one every five minutes
• Third most common cause of death in England & Wales…and the number one cause of severe adult disability
• Kills three times more women than breast cancer in UK
• At any one time there are over a quarter of a million people disabled by stroke
• Around 1,000 people under 30 have a stroke each year – babies, teenagers and young adults.

Volunteers from Bradley Stoke Radio will be entertaining shoppers in The Willow Brook Centre on Saturday 3rd September. Since the launch of the station in June this year Bradley Stoke Radio has had a successful short broadcast on FM and since then have continued to broadcast online via their website bradleystokeradio.org.uk. To promote Bradley Stoke Radio’s online schedule and free radio skills training courses starting in September the team will be at The Willow Brook Centre from 10 am – 4pm on Saturday 3rd September with their outside broadcast. There will be the chance to visit the station, make dedications and requests during the day or to just sit back and enjoy the music in one of the local restaurants at The Willow Brook Centre.

Bradley Stoke Radio training course starts from 10th September with courses available on Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings. The course will include – introduction to radio, editing and production skills, interview skills, presenting skills and masterclasses from experienced presenters and producers from industry. The training is FREE to all members, membership costs just £5 per year (£2.50 for concessions).

For more information about the event or training course contact admin@bradleystokeradio.org.uk or call 01454 616055.

The Friends of Jubilee Green are delighted to announce the addition of a 50 foot inflatable assault course at this Saturday’s ‘Summer of Fun’ event designed for children aged 5 to 12, and their families.
Following the hugely popular preschoolers’ event held at the beginning of the summer holidays, this weekend’s event offers a variety of free and low-cost activities, from arts and craft (collage making, bracelets and hairbands), hoolahooping workshops, skipping workshops and competition, parachute games, football fun, free bicycle checks and a tuck shop run by volunteers from Holy Trinity church.

Local residents are invited to bring along a picnic to make the most of this morning.

At the end of this event there will also be a family bike ride, commencing at the Jubilee Centre from 12 noon, to a park in Stoke Gifford and back.

This event has received funding from Bradley Stoke Town Council. In the case of rain, the event will still go ahead but will be limited to indoor activities.

Looking for an exciting challenge? Want to make new friends and help others? Then why not join Avon and Somerset’s Police Cadets.  It’s a new volunteer scheme being piloted in the South Gloucestershire area for 14 to 17-year-olds who are keen to find out about what the police do and play a part in making their community safer.

 So what’s the deal?

 • You meet once a week for two hours during school term time

 • You’ll learn basic drill and get involved in crime reduction activities

 • There will be opportunities to help at big events, such as Badminton Horse Trials

 • You’ll get fit and have the chance to try lots of outdoor activities

 • Police officers and other volunteers will run the scheme

 • Leadership, first aid and self-defence skills are also up for grabs

 • You’ll meet new people of all ages and be part of a big team

 • It can help you gain useful qualifications

 If this sounds great … don’t delay, apply today! As it’s a pilot scheme, applicants must live or go to school/college in the South Gloucestershire area. An application form is downloadable from the website: www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/recruitment/PoliceStaffVolunteers/cadets.aspx

We were delighted to hear from local resident Susan Hartry who, unable to find a local Art group, has contacted us to help find some like-minded locals who may be interested in joining her to create one!

“For some time now I have been looking for a local Art Group to join within the various North Bristol Stokes communities. Patchway have a successful Art Group but it would appear, to my disappointment, that there is a lack of Community Art Groups, Clubs or Societies here – actually none at all.  So… if anyone else, like me, would like to have a Stokes Art Group to belong to, probably based in Bradley Stoke, then please, please, get in touch. If enough people show an interest a meeting can then be arranged to discuss further.

“In the short term it would be good to start with a group of practicing artists, but once established and within a short time to welcome beginners thus introducing the wider community to have a go at Art. Who knows, in the long term there could even be a Stokes Art Exhibition to show off all our master pieces!!

“If you wish to register an interest, please send an email to me at  stokesart@fsmail.net stating  whether you are a Happy Amateur or Professional Artist. I will reply to each email to confirm receipt, and in a few weeks write again to all with news of whether the idea seems to be viable, or not, together with information on how we could take the idea further.”

If this sounds like something you would be interested in, why not make contact with Susan?  She is looking forward to hearing from you!

Last Sunday was the 29^th Amnesty International Garden Party at Goldney Hall in Clifton which has been promoted locally. Despite forcasts of heavy rain, over 600 people attended the event, which celebrated Amnesty International’s 50^th Birthday. Performances from Feral Beryl, Cindy Stratton, Ramblin Tyme and Westerly Winds were well received in the beautiful orangery and the event ended with a lovely performance by People of Note Choir.

Between the rainstorms was glorious sunshine and plenty of time for some outdoor entertainment from magicians and storytellers. There were games and raffles and possibly more cake than was humanly possible to eat.

In total around £5,000 was rasied for Amnesty International and the Bristol Amnesty group would like to say a big thank you to everyone who attended, performed, or helped in anyway to make the day so wonderful. They look forward to seeing you again at their 30^th Garden Party next year!

Trick-shot ace Rob Brown is throwing down a bold challenge to golfers teeing off in a special charity day at Thornbury Golf Centre to be held on 23 September.

Golfers are being invited to sign up for a fourball Stableford event to be played over the scenic 18-hole Marlwood Course at Thornbury.  Rob will be taking on allcomers in a longest drive competition – and will play with the proverbial one hand tied behind his back… perhaps by using a putter against a driver or even a 5ft-long shafted driver against an iron!

Those attending will also pick up some ‘magic’ tricks from Rob when he performs a spectacular show during the evening when a post-event dinner and prizegiving ceremony will be held.

The day is being held in aid of Cancer Research UK and the cost to play in the competition is £40 per player or £160 per team of four.

Mel Drake, General Manager of Thornbury Golf Centre, said: “We warmly invite golfers from all over the south-west to visit Thornbury and take part in what should be a great day’s golf and entertainment, all in aid of an extremely worthwhile cause.  We are hugely proud of our outstanding facilities at Thornbury, including the challenging Marlwood Course enjoying stunning panoramic views over the Severn Estuary and distant Cotswolds, and our comfortable clubhouse – we are sure all our visitors will enjoy a memorable golfing experience.”

Nick Rixton, Local Business Manager, of sponsors City Motors, told us: “We are pleased to be associated with what should be a hugely enjoyable day’s golf and entertainment and help raise lots of money for an extremely worthwhile cause like Cancer Research UK.”

If you are interested in entering please contact Luke Frary at Thornbury Golf Centre on 01454 280042 or email l.frary@thornburygc.co.uk.