Help win money for local projects

You can help support local projects by voting for them on the Nat West Community Force website.

Projects in our area include:

• Armadillo youth cafe, Yate - kitting out a radio studio, to be led by young people, which will broadcast a full range of news, sports reports, adverts for local firms and groups and gigs by local bands
• Crossbow Pre-School - renovating the community hall, which they and many other community groups use
• Friends of Ram Hill Colliery - preserving a wall
• Great Western Air Ambulance - covering the cost of 6 missions
• Paul's Place, Coalpit Heath - a year long sports project, to support up to 50 disabled people to visit a leisure centre regularly to use the gym, play team games and do yoga and relaxation
• St Saviours Church Hall - refurbishing the church hall, which is heavily used by the local community
• The Seven Angels Animal Sanctuary, Westerleigh - expanding and improving their sanctuary for unwanted farm animals

If you are unable to access the online site to vote, contact the Nat West CommunityForce helpline on 0800 2100 246. Or if you need minicom etc. call 0800 0155 545. They will be happy to let you know which charities, projects and groups have applied in your area.

You will be able to see all of the applications made in your local area.

Each person can vote up to three times, in any area. You can only vote once for each cause. You may decide only to vote for one cause, or may pick up to three. Multiple voting is controlled by way of email address therefore you will be required to register before you can vote.

How to vote

To register please go to https://communityforce.natwest.com/user/register and put in your email address and a password. Once complete an email will be sent to you, please click the link to register. You are now ready to vote! Go to the projects you want to vote for and click to vote.

Please get your colleagues to join in. Why not post it to your Facebook, Twitter, blog or other page?

Links to the CommunityForce site can be posted on social media sites etc. This is a great way to help get as many votes as possible. So do please join in the fun and get posting!

NHS consultation - meeting tonight

North Bristol NHS Trust plan to become a Foundation Trust from December 2012. They want to know your views on the plans and are holding a meeting at Frenchay Hospital tonight, Wednesday 28 September. The meeting runs from 7pm to 8.30pm in the Monica Britton Museum. More information is available on the Trust's website.

Main View to be resurfaced

Weather permitting, Main View, Coalpit Heath will be resurfaced on Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th September.

Scrap metal thefts - police appeal for help

Avon and Somerset Police are asking for your help to reduce scrap metal thefts.

Scrap metal theft is an increasing problem across the country and our local force has been targetting the problem as part of "Operation Relentless".You can read updates on the police website.

At last week's Safer Stronger Community Group meeting in Coalpit Heath, local beat manager Finbar Simmons asked local people to help prevent thefts, by improving their security and not leaving metal out, and to pass on any information they have to the police. For more detailed advice, please check this page.

Is your home safe for winter?

Avon Fire and Rescue Service want to help you make sure you stay safe this winter. At the recent Safer Stronger Community Group meeting in Coalpit Heath they highlighted a number of services:

• Home Fire Safety Visits
• Firework safety
• Electric blanket testing - take your blankets to Yate Fire Station between 9.30am and 4pm on Friday 14 October to have them tested for free

You can also find out more on their website about other winter safety issues like chimney fires.

Facilities for young people

Are you a young person looking for activities in Frampton Cotterell and Coalpit Heath? Or could you or your business help support youth activities in our area?

Fromeside Youth Centre offers a range of activities for different ages. During the day they hold training sessions and run an inclusion project for young people referred from their schools. On Monday there is a youth club for years 8 to 12, on Tuesday an after school club for years 7 and 8. On Wednesday and Thursday the youth workers work in the local area away from the centre itself and the centre plays host to an autism group on Thursdays. On Friday the centre is open to young people in years 8-13. For more information on this and all the other South Glos-run Youth Centres, including the Brockeridge Youth Centre, go to the Youth Unlimited website.

At the recent Safer Stronger Community Group meeting in Coalpit Heath, youth worker Charlie Williams explained some of the work being done at Fromeside Youth Centre. They have won grants for a new hard court area outside and an indoor skate park but are always looking for more support. Please contact your local Focus Team if you can help.

Claire Young has been looking into activities for young people from Coalpit Heath. Some already go to the Brockeridge Centre but it lacks capacity to extend the sessions. Claire is speaking to another venue.

'Taste' is back

The annual 'Taste' South Gloucestershire Local Food & Drink Festival is back for its 7th year from Friday 23rd September until Sunday 9th October. You might want to tour the Wickwar or Cotswold Spring Breweries, visit Chipping Sodbury Farmers' Market or get money-saving meat preparation tips at the Tortworth Estate shop. For more information, take a look at the online version of the leaflet.

Footes Lane resurfacing

Footes Lane will be resurfaced from 19th-21st September. The work will be carried out between 7am and 5pm and traffic will be controlled with what South Glos call "signing and guarding". Bad weather or other problems may lead to the work being delayed.

Westerleigh Road roadworks

Watch out for delays on Westerleigh road between Henfield Road and Folly Brook road. Temporary traffic lights will be used as and when required for the installation of telecommunications duct and cables. The work is planned to end by 8th October.

Well done to local groups

Community groups in the Ladden-Frome area had a successful night at the recent Area Forum. Grants were awarded to:

• Fascinating Rhythm - Enhancing equipment and performance - £1,325.00 
• Tytherington Village Shop - Extension for the Village Shop - £2,000.00 
• St Saviours Church Hall - Church Hall refurbishment - £2,000.00 
• Dodington Parish Band - Music and uniforms - £1,950.00 
• Friends of Ram Hill Colliery - Conservation of wall at Ram Hill Colliery - £1,250.00 
• Westerleigh Village Hall - Health and Safety Iniative - £1,225.00 
• South Gloucestershire Mines Research Group - Serridge Engine Site - North Side Preservation - £1,250.00 
• The Manor Hall, Coalpit Heath - Community Play Area - £2,000.00 
• King George V Memorial Hall - Sanding and Polishing of Hall Floor - £2,000.00 

The next round of revenue grants will launch on 24th October with a closing date of 5th December. You can find out more on the South Glos website.

Planning committee to decide on Box Hedge Farm application

The application to allow outdoor activities to be run at Box Hedge Farm is to be decided by the planning committee. It is likely that the site inspection will take place on 14^th October so it can be considered at the Development Control (West) meeting on 27^th October.

Don't lose your vote

The Register of Electors forms are arriving on our doormats. Don't forget to return yours! If you aren't on the electoral register you can't vote in elections - and the register also gets checked if you apply for credit.

It doesn't take long to fill out the form. If there are no changes you can simply do it by telephone or online. Remember that if you won't want your details used for marketing, you need to tick the right-hand column on the form, confirm that to the person on the telephone or tick the box on the online-form.

Find out more about local heritage

From Thursday 8th - Sunday 11th September you have the chance to find out more about local heritage. Local sites featured include Ram Hill Colliery (left) and St Saviour's Church. For more information about sites here and elsewhere visit the Heritage Open Days website.

Badminton Road street light switch-off - an update

Earlier in the year we reported that South Glos were planning on turning some of the lights on Badminton Road off in the early hours to save money and help the environment. Your Focus Team was concerned though that no consultation with residents was planned and got agreement that the change should be delayed until local people had had a chance to comment on the proposals.

It's now been agreed that the changes won't be made until April 2012 so that consultation can take place during the autumn and winter. A South Glos officer will attend a meeting of each of the Parish Councils and each of the Safer Strong Community Groups affected. They will write to local people to let them know about the Parish meeting.

Countryside at risk

Your Focus Team is worried that more of our countryside could be at risk.

The Public Inquiry to consider the plans for future development in South Gloucestershire, the Core Strategy, will not go ahead in October as planned. The Inspector appointed by the Government has told the council it must think again about how many homes will be needed, in the light of the latest population forecasts and the Minister's view that development should go ahead where possible. He also wants the Council to put forward proposals for the development of Filton Airfield and to justify the Green Belt boundaries.

It is really important to get the Core Strategy in place as the Minister has indicated he will be minded to give permission for planning applications when Councils have not got up to date plans. South Glos Council has written to the Inspector saying they can be ready for a Public Inquiry in February. Local people will be invited to workshops to discuss possible new proposals and there will then be public consultation on any changes towards the end of the year.

The Inspector's letter and the Council's response can be viewed on the South Glos website.

Bags for cardboard - out of stock, more promised

South Glos seems to have been taken by surprise by the demand for the bags for cardboard recycling.  According to this page all distribution points are out of stock at the time of writing. There will be a second wave of bags available in mid-September.

Sadly we know some residents didn't even realise the bags were available. Officers say it would be too expensive to notify everyone with a tag on their bin, so people who don't read blogs like this one or the local papers may well have missed out. We know from the surveys we did in the spring and winter that many of you were concerned about the lack of containers for cardboard. Let's hope that when the next batch of bags becomes available everyone who wants one can get one.