TEENAGERS - KICKING YOUR HEELS?

TEENAGERS - KICKING YOUR HEELS?

If so would you like to join the Armadillo zoom sessions, where you can meet up on line and take part in all sorts of social activities. Run by the team who run the Armadillo, funded by Yate Town Council - its FREE

New defibrillators in Yate

 Yate Town Council has launched three new defibrillators in our town centre - outside Poole Court, the Armadillo and  Sunnyside Lane sports facilities.

More are coming. You can't miss them, as they are bright yellow.  Thanks to Yate Councillor Ben Nutland who contributed his Member Allocated Funding to make this happen.

But they won't save lives unless we all know how to use them. So we have uploaded the Defibrillator instructions. Why not download them to your phone, so you know you have them with you if you ever need them? 

Yate Town Council and COVID19

A network of local groups including churches, voluntary groups and the town council are trying to provide support to the vulnerable. Please, being careful about social distancing, check on your elderly or vulnerable neighbours, Contact the town council if you need help. 

Council agrees to investigate flooding at Morrisons to Armadillo crossing

Some news. Earlier this week we blogged about flooding in the MIU car park. One resident asked Focus for an update on the terrible problems with flooding at the pedestrian lights from Morrisons to the Armadillo.

Waiting at Morrisons to cross when it has been raining you get soaked by passing cars and then often the pool of water is so deep it gets into people's shoes as they try to cross.

This has been going on for years -and the Focus Team have raised it any number of times with officials. South Glos has had various attempts to find the cause (it is not anything obvious and seems to date back to when Morrisons was part of Newman's factory and where the water went then - as one effort to solve it concluded all the water just goes into a soak away under Morrison's car park so when the water table is high it just sits there with nowhere to go!!)

But today we got a response from South Glos, which for the first time recognised how serious the problem is. They've run out of simple solutions - the next investigation will involve closing the road for two days whilst they dig up quite a big area and try to track what is going on.

S Glos say:
"As you have said it’s an issue that has been on-going on for some time now. We have tried to resolve this issue in the past and have recently utilised a lane closure in an attempt to determine the issue without much success. 

The next step would be to close the road and spend a good couple of days locating where the fault/faults are. A road closure will cause some disturbance but we believe it needs to be done. At present this is not a high priority, we have had some major floods over the last few weeks and we must tackle these first.

Its on the to do list and we will have to find a slot to do the work."

We have gone back to South Glos to suggest that it whilst nobody like road closures, we all want this sorted as soon as possible - doing it at the same time as they close Church Rd for resurfacing this summer would make sense (although if we have a dry summer that would be useless - it needs to be when there is water around......)

Our thanks to S Glos officers for replying so quickly - now to find a slot to do the investigations. 

Social initiatives grants from Frome Vale Area Forum

Some of the Community Grants from the Frome Vale Area Forum will go towards what could broadly be called "social initiatives" - projects to make people's lives a little bit better:

Yate Town Council's Dementia Friendly Towns Initiative and Community Car Share Scheme £3000

This grant will extend the work of the Development Worker in the areas of promoting dementia awareness and organising a community car scheme to provide a much needed resource for frail and vulnerable people.

Armadillo Youth Venue and Cafe - Apprenticeship £3000

The grant will contribute towards an already successful apprenticeship  scheme, part funding the cost of a Business Administration Apprentice for a year while they study for an NVQ level 2/3.

Sodbury and District Twinning Association - Youth Petanque project £475 

This money will part-fund an imaginative project for Key Stage 3 students and their families. It provides sport, French language and social skills, including pupils with special educational needs. Young people in Chipping Sodbury and Cesson are taking part in a project to talk about common topics and their cultures.

Cabinet Office Minister visits Armadillo

Cabinet Office Minister Mr Francis Maude visited the Armadillo Yate Youth Cafe on Thursday, February 12 to look round and to meet Yate councillors and young people to learn about youth engagement in the area.

MP Steve Webb also attended the visit to the social space for young people aged between 11 and 19,  and was shown a short film made by young people from the cafe called ‘Yate is Great’, a documentary promoting Yate.

Mr Maude was clearly impressed. He described the Armadillo as a "fantastic place" and said how important it is for towns to have social enterprises like this.

Steve Webb said:”I think it was a great opportunity for Francis to come and see what’s going on here and especially talk to some of the volunteers and young people. It was great to hear feedback from them, and what really came across was the mutual respect here between all the young people and the staff and a sense of ownership"

To find out more about the venue visit www.yatearmadillo.co.uk

If you haven't looked around the Armadillo, it's well worth a visit. Even if you're over 19,  you can look around on Saturday mornings when it is open for refreshments and a film, and on Thursdays you can have coffee and cake group with a film show.

 

Armadillo Senior Cafe and free film on Thursdays

The Armadillo Cafe will be open at 9.30 am for the Senior Coffee Morning every Thursday - serving all the hot & cold drinks, cakes/biscuits and lots of other goodies! As part of the Senior Coffee morning they will be showing a FREE film at 10.30 am for anyone interested in watching a film.

You can join the Armadillo Events Club group on Facebook to find out the films that will be on each week.

If you would like to reserve a seat, please call the office on 01454 869441

Would you like a stall at the Armadillo Christmas Fayre?

The Armadillo Youth Venue and Cafe is holding its Christmas Fayre on Saturday 6 December.

If you would be interested in having a stall at the event please contact Sophie Webber (Adminstration Apprentice) on 001454 869441 or email Sophie at sophie.webber@southglos.gov.uk

Royal Visit - photos now available

Photos from the Royal Visit to the Yate Armadillo Youth Venue and Cafe are now available on the Armadillo website - click on the Cafe icon, then Royal Visit.

Royal seal of approval for Armadillo

HRH The Earl of Wessex (Prince Edward) came to Yate on Tuesday 13th December to visit the Armadillo Youth Cafe and Venue. Despite a storm which delayed his helicopter flight, the Earl spent a long time talking to the young people and the organisers behind the venture.

There was some good coverage in the newspapers - check out the reports on the Gazette and Evening Post websites.

The Armadillo has its own website where photos of the visit are now available (click on the Cafe icon, then Royal Visit)

The purple-walled building is now a distinctive feature of Yate Town Centre. The Armadillo is the name local young people chose because of its shape. Here's a virtual tour of the building (photos from the Armadillo):

Royal visit to Yate to see Armadillo Youth Cafe 13 December

Prince Edward will be coming to Yate on Tuesday 13th December to visit the Armadillo Youth Cafe and Venue. Members of the public will be very welcome to see him arrive. There will be an unveiling ceremony in the garden so the public can see via fence. Free flags and drinks will be provided for the public.

Local councillors are asking schools to allow young people to come, and hope they will recognise the educational value, despite it being during the school day.

Cllr Chris Willmore said "This is an honour for residents who have backed the scheme from the start, to the young people who have made it a reality and to all those who have given time and money to make it happen. It is the first public visit by a member of the royal family to Yate for 20 years".

"We are surprised, and honoured at the recognition of our project. it is a real boost for our town and the visit of our young people and residents. We hope it will be a day to remember for young people, many of whom will be personally presented to the prince, who will spend time with young people in the cafe itself"

We'll publish more details - times etc - in due course.

Vote to get a community radio station in Yate!

Would you like a community radio in Yate?

If so, use your finger between 26 September and 23 October.

Go to http://communityforce.natwest.com/project/4548

(see instructions below on how to vote)
and vote for Yate Armadillo Community Radio.

If we get enough votes, we will get £6000 – enough to kit out a radio studio in the Armadillo, which will be led by young people, but will broadcast a full range of news, sports reports, adverts for local firms and groups – including live gigs by local bands. Unlike many community radio stations this will be youth led, a social enterprise giving a voice to our community. If you want in on this, vote today.

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!

You can then go to http://communityforce.natwest.com/project/4548, log in 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 us get as many votes as possible. So do please join in the fun and get posting!

Thank you for your support.

Armadillo wins major regional award

Yate's Armadillo Youth Venue and Cafe has won the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) West of England Building Excellence Award for the Best Community Building.

In a ceremony on Friday at Bristol’s Royal Marriott Hotel, Cllrs Chris Willmore and Ian Blair, the four young people on the committee and Armadillo manager James Dunn, together with the architect and the contractor, were presented with a trophy and certificates.

Chris Willmore commented "Many thanks are due to everyone on Yate Town Council, you all have a share of the credit for this, having the trust to let young people take such a leading role. It makes the project unique"

The project now goes forward to the national finals.

Chipping Sodbury School sports hall was among the other nominees in the same category.

LABC is an organisation that works with local authorities to encourage excellence in technical innovation, sustainability and high standards in the construction industry.

Armadillo's first live gig this Friday!

The Armadillo (Yate Youth Cafe and Venue, next to the Sports Centre) hosts its first live gig this Friday (17 June) 7 to 11pm, featuring

CONTRABAND SESSIONS

Full live band - Hip Hop / Electro / Reggae / Breaks

MC Frilla

Troy da hybrid Brown

DJ Skint

 plus

B-Boys

£2 entry, tickets available from the Armadillo Youth Cafe.
R.O.A.R., alcohol and drugs strictly prohibited
ID and/or search on entry may be required

Armadillo Open Day today - your chance to look round

Visitors of all ages checking out the new building today

Just a reminder that the new Yate Armadillo Youth Cafe and Venue is open for visitors to look round today (Saturday 23rd April) until 4pm. Why not combine it with a visit to the St George's Day celebrations at the Heritage Centre and the White Lion?

The Armadillo has landed - take a sneak preview on Saturday!

Yate's new Youth Cafe and Venue, the Armadillo, has been handed over by the builders - on time and on budget. It's being fitted out at the moment - the disco rig and the cinema gear all have to go in yet.

There's a chance to have a look round on Saturday (23rd April) from 11 am to 4 pm - people of all ages are welcome. You will be able to meet some of the team, and hear about the plans for the full opening in a few weeks time and future events - the first big gig will be in May.

Congratulations to the Project Board - Lib Dem councillors and young people working together - for pulling off this excellent project.

Watch out, there's an Armadillo about - and a cinema comes with it!

Yate's new Youth Cafe building finally has a name. It's going to be called Armadillo, because of its unusual shape. The £1.3 million project will open in April. And it will have a small CINEMA too - Yate's first for many years!

The 60-seater cinema will be funded by £35,000 that was left over when Merlin Housing Society took over South Gloucestershire's council houses in 2007. Each South Glos councillor had a share of the fund, and the Yate councillors decided to pool theirs and pay for the cinema.

Yate Town councillor Chris Willmore, who has been leading the campaign to bring cinema back to Yate, said it was great news."It won't be a commercial cinema but it will show the latest movies and will offer Saturday morning films for children, discounted mid-week films for pensioners and mother-and-baby showings. It will be run as an enterprise venture by young people and will be an income stream for the running costs of the cafe"

The youth cafe project is a joint venture between Yate Town Council and South Gloucestershire Council, and local young people have been heavily involved throughout the project.