Yate Cinema dream becomes reality

A 15 year campaign has come to fruition with the opening of Yate's very own multiplex cinema. Councillors and Liberal Democrat Focus Team members, led by former MP Steve Webb, campaigned for over 15 years to bring a cinema to Yate. 

Members of the Focus Team who fought so
hard to get the Cinema at the launch event

The developers say that we wouldn't have got the cinema if it wasn't for the massive support from local people and Yate Town Council. This shows what a community can achieve if it's determined enough for long enough. A big thank you to everyone who supported our campaign.

Flashback to 2014 - Yate Cinema campaigners celebrate
the announcement that the cinema is on its way

Beating the Bounds of Yate Common - Sunday 1 May

Beating the Bounds is a traditional local activity for Rogation Sunday, walking round the boundaries of the Common so that people know what they hold as a community asset. In some places they beat the bounds of an entire parish, or ride round the boundaries of larger parishes.

The Common was nearly sold off for housing some years ago, but a determined campaign by local people (many now in the Focus Team) kept it in public ownership. This gives beating the bounds of the Common a special meaning. Please bring your children to show them what a lovely area we have just on the edge of the town.

Please come and join the walk, which starts from the kissing gate opposite St Briavel's Drive at 3pm on Sunday 1 May. Dogs are welcome, and if you can bring a small child even better.  As long as they are don’t mind (too much) they get turned upside down at each kissing gate/corner and then given sweets, which is our take on the original practice of beating them with sticks and then giving them a coin.

Hands-on dementia reminiscence session 28 April

The Dementia Café at Yate Library from 2.30 to 3.30 pm on April 28th will be a real "hands on" session featuring items from Yate Heritage Centre's handling collection.

David Hardill (Community Heritage Officer) and Cherry will lead this session, which should bring back memories for many people.

St George's Day celebrations at Yate Heritage Centre

The Yate St George's Day Celebrations will take place tomorrow, 23rd April, at Yate & District Heritage Centre, Church Road, Yate, from 10.30 a.m. till 4.30 p.m.

There will be folk music, morris dancing, brass and wind bands and some of the best youth performers around. Visitors will be able to sample numerous activities and demonstrations of medieval life from St George, medieval archers, a monk, an armourer plus St George craft activities.

There will be a variety of other stalls, and wonderful refreshments from the Friends of Yate Heritage Centre as well as elsewhere in the church and White Lion. Please come and join in this free fun event!

Changes to Yate and Chipping Sodbury Night Bus service

The Yate and Chipping Sodbury Night Bus service changes from next week, 24 April. Previously the N47 bus ran three times a night from Bristol City Centre (0015, 0155 and 0335) in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday mornings.

The new 47A service will only run twice on each of those evenings (0131 and 0331) from Bristol City Centre, Broad Quay, but it will now call at Bristol Bus Station. It will no longer do the "North Yate Loop" as First Bus think this is uneconomic.

The town and parish councils have tried to persuade First Bus to run the third service, but they're just not interested, and no other company submitted anything like an affordable tender.

You can see full details of the timetable and a map of the new route here on the First Group website.

Yate Cinema here we come!

 

The Yate cinema that we've all been campaigning for over many years finally opens to the public on Friday 29 April - they're starting with "Captain America: Civil War" in 2D and 3D versions.

There will be a launch event the previous evening for an invited audience, so by the time we all get there we can be pretty sure that everything will work!

There are some special offers -  

• The Cineworld Unlimited Card for £16.90 per month. You can watch as many films as you want, anytime and receive 10% off food and drink.
• Save 10% on ticket prices online when you sign up to Mycineworld
• Movies For Juniors, Saturday and Sunday morning screenings of kids films at Cineworld for £1.75 (or only £3.25 for 3D)

Paul Crossley to stand for Police and Crime Commissioner

Paul Crossley, an experienced local community leader from Bath, has been announced as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Avon & Somerset Police & Crime Commissioner.

Local people across the Avon and Somerset force area will have the chance to vote for a new Commissioner in elections to be held on Thursday 5^th May 2016. The Commissioner’s role is to hold the service to scrutiny and account on their behalf,

Paul’s top priorities are to:

• improve the way public services and communities work together
• cut the costs of the Commissioner’s office.

Paul was the Leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council from 2002-7 and from 2011-15, turning it into one of the most successful Councils in the area with low unemployment, high investment, great schools and low crime.

Paul Crossley said: “I am delighted and honoured to have been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate. My experience running a large Council enables me to improve efficiency whilst cutting waste and bureaucracy. I have the highest regard for the people who make the Police their career. I want to help Avon and Somerset Police be the best and most effective Police Force in the country. My full manifesto will be issued at the start of the election in early April and I encourage all residents to have their say in the vote on May 5th”

Police Officers, PCSOs and Special Constables want to make a difference and keep us safe. Paul believes that they need the personnel, equipment and resources to do this. Since 2010 the number of police in our area has reduced by over 500. And far too much police time is spent on issues that should be addressed by other services, for example for those relating to people who are vulnerable or with mental health problems. Paul believes this is a shared responsibility across the public sector and much more partnership working is needed.As your Police and Crime Commissioner Paul Crossley would prioritise five areas:

• Closer working with Councils, Health and Social Services to ensure that people with mental health problems get the proper care they need rather than ending up in a police cell because there is nowhere else to go.
• Rejuvenate community schemes such as Neighbourhood Watch and Farm Watch to ensure that communities feel involved and want to work with community based policing. Encourage the work of the 'Street Pastor' schemes that help keep our city and town centres safe at night and also help people who have had a good night out get home safely
• Increase the use of restorative justice and work to ensure that proceeds from crime are reclaimed from criminals and returned to victims and communities affected by criminal behaviour. We must improve the resolution rate in solving crimes so that victims of crime can get closure on the event and not feel blighted by worry.
• Ensure that young people at risk of getting into a life of crime are diverted into positive channels for their lives.
• Reduce bureaucracy, to enable our police to spend more time working in the community and less behind a desk, and cut the size of the office of the PCC to save vital funds.

You can join Paul on Facebook.com/CllrPaulCrossley, email him at paul.n.crossley@btinternet.com and follow him on Twitter @paulncrossley

No central heating? Free advice session Monday 11 April

If you haven't got central heating, you could be entitled to a grant of up to £4000. There will be a free advice session at Shire Way Community Centre this coming Monday from 10 am to 4 pm. Or you can call the Warm and Well advice line on 0800 500 3076.

Brimsham Fields Big Spring Clean event tomorrow!

There will be a Big Spring Clean event at Brimsham Fields, Yate tomorrow (Sat 9th April). Meet at 2pm in the car park at the Coopers Drive end of the site. Come and keep your local park looking tidy!

Please check our previous post for other local Spring Clean events.

Local Big Spring Clean events

Residents and groups across South Gloucestershire are once again preparing to spring into action to clean up their neighbourhood and open spaces, helping to make South Gloucestershire a great place to live and work.

Everyone is welcome to join in. Friends, families, neighbours, parish and town councils, community and voluntary groups, church groups, schools, students, youth clubs, scouts, cadets, brownies, guides, and businesses are all invited to take action against litter in the South Gloucestershire Big Spring Clean 2016.

The Big Spring Clean is the perfect opportunity to venture down to your local open space, woodland, river, park or public garden and help to keep it clean and green.

There are lots of local Big Spring Clean events near us - please come along and help clean up areas that you live near or use:

•  Saturday 9 April - Tern Inn car park and surroundings, Heron Way from 10.00. Please help tidy up this area, especially if you park there to drop off or collect children at Raysfield School or Pre-School. Join Dodington Parish Councillors, staff and friends.
• Thursday 14 April - Yate Common 10.00 to 12.00. Come and help tidy up this local beauty spot. Meet at the Road to Nowhere entrance.
• Saturday 16 April - Abbotswood Spring Clean from 11.00. Take pride in your community and come along to the annual Abbotswood Spring Clean, meeting at 11am in the Shopping Centre - join Abbotswood Action Group and friends in this fun event.
• Sunday 17 April - Yate Common (again - there's a lot of it to clean!) 10.00 to 12.00

Lilliput Park Big Spring Clean this Tuesday

Please come and join members of Lilliput Conservation Group this Tuesday (4 April) from 10.00 am until 12.00. Litter pickers and bags will be provided - everyone welcome. Meet at the Kingfisher Road gate -  please wear suitable footwear.