101 is the new number to contact Avon and Somerset Police when it’s less urgent than 999, replacing the 0845 number. Launched in the South West today and across the rest of the country by the end of 2011, 101 will become the number to contact the police for non-emergencies.
It should be used for reporting a crime that does not need an urgent response, contacting a local officer, getting crime prevention advice, making an appointment with a police officer, telling us about local policing issues in your area, or any other non-emergency.
It is hoped that the introduction of a nationwide and simple number will reduce the number of calls to 999; currently approximately one in four 999 calls to Avon and Somerset Police are genuine emergencies and one in four calls are inappropriate. The rest are calls needing police assistance that could have been dealt with by the non-emergency number.
Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham said: “We want our communities to be able to contact us quickly and easily when they need us. Using the correct number will help us respond to our calls in the most effective way. “999 is well-established as the number to call in an emergency but in the past every police force has had a different phone number for non-emergencies. The introduction of 101 will provide a simple and easy to remember number for the public to contact us and so enable us to provide a better service to the public.”
101 is just one of the many ways that the public can contact the police. Other ways include by email at www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/contact or in person at Have Your Say meetings, beat surgeries and personal appointments.
Calls to 101 will cost 15p per call, irrespective of how long that call may last and applies to landlines and mobile phones. People who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired will be able to textphone 18001 101.
Members and supporters of Bradley Stoke Town Football Club flocked to the Jubilee Centre on Saturday 17th September to celebrate the official opening of the club’s new official ‘Clubhouse’ – the ‘Hornets’ Nest’.
Manager Nick Potter, explained that at the beginning of this year, the club set our a 10 year plan to take Bradley Stoke Town Football Club up to County standard. A bar is recognised as being a great way not only to bring in revenue, but also to attract more players, as proceeds from the clubhouse enable players’ membership fees to be reduced. Nick told us “If we get promotion every year, it will take us five years to reach County Standard.” 
Bradley Stoke Town Football Club is delighted to announce that on Saturday 17th September 2011, their new Clubhouse location at the Jubilee Centre, Bradley Stoke will be officially launched. The Club’s nickname is “The Hornets” so it was fitting that the Clubhouse will be called “The Hornets Nest”. The event begins at 7.30pm and there will be a BBQ, Quiz and other entertainment until 10.30. The team would like to invite interested members of Bradley Stoke to help them celebrate the opening of this facility.
Just a reminder that this year’s children’s summer reading challenge finishes this Sunday 18th September, so if you have not been back into the library to claim your medal get down there quickly!
The Stokes Cycling Club launches its first mountain bike ride, ten miles long, on this Saturday (17th September), leaving at midday from the Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre. Anyone reasonably fit with a mountain bike, is welcome to join in (children must be accompanied).
The Black and Blues are Bradley Stoke’s non-league netball team. Formed in 2004, the Black and Blues meet up to play for fun and fitness, once a week on a Wednesday at The Bradley Stoke Community School, Bradley Stoke from 7.30 to 9pm. They play throughout the year, with the exception of December.
This week Bradley Stoke Radio begin training a new cohort of budding journalists, DJ’s and producers with free training at their community station based in The Willow Brook Centre. The course covers a variety of radio broadcasting skills from feature making, presentation skills, editing, production and interview skills. The community station welcomes new members offering the chance to train and become a presenter in time for their next FM broadcast planned for December 2011. The station is completely run by volunteers and broadcasts online 365 days a year with live shows every day and can be heard every Sunday 1-2pm on BCfm 93.2fm.
For those of you who don’t already know we have been delighted to welcome Becky Hodson to the Matters Magazines family. Becky is now working on her fifth edition of the popular community magazine Filton Matters that is distributed free to 9,000 households in Filton, Monks Park and parts of Horfield.
Calling all families with children up to to 8 years!