Community Engagement Forum for Yate, Chipping Sodbury and Dodington - 31st January

The next Community Engagement Forum will be held on 31st January at Chipping Sodbury Town Hall from 7pm to 9pm.

This is your chance to talk to local councillors, the police and other services. You can raise issues, get them looked into, and get answers about local problems.

The meeting will include a presentation by the Alzheimer's Society.

Yate, Chipping Sodbury and Dodington Community Engagement Forum

The next Yate, Chipping Sodbury and Dodington Community Engagement Forum is being held at 7pm on Thursday 15 February at St Nicholas Church, Chargrove, Abbotswood, Yate BS37 4LG.

The meeting will include a drop in event "Your Community Cares" at 6.30 pm before the main meeting at where you can speak to representatives from the Police, Neighbourhood Watch, Next Link (domestic abuse), DH&I (drug and alcohol service) and the Anti-Social Behaviour Team.

For more information see www.southglos.gov.uk/cef

Time to nominate community heroes

Nominations are now open for The Chair’s Community Awards 2018. If you know a volunteer or group who has gone the extra mile to help your community, please nominate them using the forms available on this page by 5th January.

Suggested areas of contribution include community development, promoting equality, arts, sports, play, environment, working with older or young people, advice and advocacy and being a good neighbour. The chosen nominees will be notified in February and invited to a prestigious awards evening on 7 March to receive their awards. The Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, Dame Janet Trotter, attends the awards ceremony and selects an individual from the winners to receive a special Lord Lieutenant’s Award.

Yate, Chipping Sodbury and Dodington Community Engagement Forum 16 November

The Community Engagement Forum will be meeting 7 pm – 9 pm on 16 November at Poole Court, Poole Court Drive, Yate BS37 5PP.

This is your chance to talk directly to local Police and Fire and Rescue representatives, and Town/Parish and South Glos Councillors about issues of local concern.

There will also be a presentation about the work done by Abbotswood Action Group and the progress made in the Abbotswood area.

Grants advice sessions - updated

Are you a community group looking for advice on how to apply for Member Awarded Funding or Area Wide Grants?

If so, you can book a 30 minute slot on the dates and times below. The sessions take place at the Council Offices, Badminton Road, Yate, BS37 5AF.

There has been a lot of interest, so South Glos are running several extra sessions.

To book a place, please contact the team on 01454 865865 (Mon-Fri 9am to 4pm) or email grants@southglos.gov.uk. It would be useful to know when booking which subject area you are interested in.

• Wednesday 1 November 2017: 16:00 - 19:00 (30 minute slots)
• Monday 6 November 2017: 10:00 - 13:00 (30 minute slots)
• Friday 10 November 2017: 09:00 – 15:00 (30 minute slots)

Grants advice sessions

Are you a community group looking for advice on how to apply for Member Awarded Funding or Area Wide Grants?

If so, you can book a 30 minute slot between 10am and 1pm on Monday 6 November. The sessions take place at the Council Offices, Badminton Road, Yate, BS37 5AF.

To book a place, please contact the team on 01454 865865 (Mon-Fri 9am to 4pm) or email grants@southglos.gov.uk. It would be useful to know when booking which subject area you are interested in.

Update: South Glos have now organised two more sessions. You can now book for any of these dates:

• Wednesday 1 November 2017: 16:00 - 19:00 (30 minute slots)
• Monday 6 November 2017: 10:00 - 13:00 (30 minute slots)
• Friday 10 November 2017: 09:00 – 15:00 (30 minute slots)

 

Wildlife in your garden and nearby - new group for Shire Way and area

If you live off Shire Way or Rodford Way, you could be interested in a new group aimed at encouraging wildlife in gardens and nearby.

Local residents Clare and Mat Woodman said "The group will be launched to give people the chance to share ideas, tips and suggestions in helping to make the area more wildlife friendly and a wonderful place to live.  From backdoor wildernesses to public open spaces we all can play a part in helping to protect and nurture our outdoor areas.  In our busy lifestyles we sometimes lose contact with nature and our projects will be a chance to step back and enjoy the basics again"

"Gaining volunteers to help put up bird feeders and nest boxes along Shire Way will be one of our many initiatives. We're going to have the first meeting of the Shire Way Conservation Group on Tuesday 9th May 2017 at 7.00pm at Shire Way Community Centre - everyone will be welcome"

"The area already plays host to a variety of birds and animals including green woodpecker, tawny owl and goldfinch.  Part of our work will be to ensure the continuing protection of these species plus the additional support needed for the declining number of bees and hedgehogs affecting us nationwide"

"In collaboration with local councils we will be actively looking to develop roadside 'micro meadows' as well as working towards projects in other areas."

Dodington Parish Councillor Paul Hulbert, who is supporting the project, said "I've always concentrated on larger scale projects like Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve, but I'm keen to find out more about these important small scale initiatives closer to home"

"As well as our gardens we have a lot of green spaces in our part of the town, perfect for wildlife. This very local initiative could also be a way for families to get even small children interested in the natural world on their doorsteps"

"This will very much be an ongoing community based project, aiming to reach out to local schools, organisations and existing conservation groups to develop awareness and support. We're hoping to get local experts to come and speak to the group"

For further details please contact either Clare or Mat Woodman by phoning 07907 733056, by emailing clare_woodman@yahoo.co.uk or by checking out Shire Way Conservation Group on Facebook.

Yate, Chipping Sodbury and Dodington Community Engagement Forum 27 March

The next Community Engagement Forum for Yate, Chipping Sodbury and Dodington (which includes the rural part of Dodington Parish) is at 7pm on Monday 27th March at St Nicholas Family Centre, Abbotswood, Yate BS37 4LG.

Still time to nominate for South Glos Chair's Community Awards

There's still time to nominate a "local hero" for a Chair's Community Award. Do you know an unsung hero who is contributing in areas such as community development, promoting equality, arts, sports, play, environment, working with older or young people, advice and advocacy and being a good neighbour? Or a group doing the same? For the first time in 2017, the council is taking group nominations as well as individual ones.

You can find out more and download an application form on the South Glos website. The deadline is 16th January 2017.

Community Engagement Forum date moved

The Community Engagement Forum for Yate, Chipping Sodbury and Dodington (which replaces Safer Stronger and the Area Forum) has unavoidably had to be postponed to 21 November, 7 pm in the Main Hall at Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church, High Street, Chipping Sodbury.

• Mark King, the Head of Street Care and Transport for South Glos Council will be attending
• The meeting will also include an update on the Libraries consultation
• Plus how a Community Plan can benefit YOUR Community

If you have any issues or concerns you would like to raise please email your local chair via community.engagement@southglos.gov.uk

Below are just some of the concerns that have been raised by residents at CEF meetings which members of the group have been able to take forward on their behalf:

• Concerns from residents about Health Care provision in the area; Clinical Commission Group, North Bristol Trust and Sirona Health all attended the next meeting to answer residents questions.
• Speeding and Parking concerns in the area, work undertaken by Avon and Somerset Police, Community Speedwatch, Police Camera Van and South Gloucester Highways to investigate the concerns.
• Supermarket trollies being abandoned in the area, the group worked with local supermarkets and SGC departments to investigate ways to reduce the problem.
• Antisocial behaviour and damage to vehicles in Yate, investigated by Avon and Somerset Police

Safer Stronger meeting coming up

The next Yate and Chipping Sodbury Community Engagement Forum - formerly known as the Safer Stronger Community Group - will be held on Monday 4th July at 7pm in the St Nicholas Family Centre, Chargrove, Yate BS37 4LG.

Please come along and meet local councillors and council staff, the police, Avon Fire and Rescue and others to discuss local matters of concern and to try to come up with solutions.

Before the meeting - from 6pm - there will be a “Have a Safer Summer” event with advice from such agencies as the Police, Fire Brigade and Crime Prevention.

Grants for community groups

Local voluntary organisations, community groups and Parish Councils have until Wednesday 26th November to apply for a range of grant funding from South Gloucestershire Council - Community Grants, New Homes Bonus (NHB) and Positive Activities Subsidy (PAS) grants.  The final decisions on all three will be made by councillors at the area forum meeting in March.

Community Groups are aimed at projects that benefit local people. Generally the grants are less than £3,000 but more can be awarded if the Forum thinks it is justified.

New Homes Bonus funding is a grant which the council receives annually from central government, based on the number of homes built or brought back into use. This money would typically be used for larger projects. It's worth contacting your ward councillor to find out more, as the number of new homes built has varied greatly between the wards.

The Positive Activities Subsidy grant funding is to help local young people aged 13 to 19 (up to 25 for disabled people) to take part in, or initiate, activities.  Applications should be for projects which are accessible, affordable, wanted and valued by young people. Frome Vale has very little of this funding left to allocate.

To apply visit www.southglos.gov.uk/grants (free internet access is available at all South Gloucestershire libraries). For more information call the grants helpline on 01454 865865 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm) or email grants@southglos.gov.uk

Abbotswood Apple Day returns for 2014 - Saturday 18 October

After its success last year, Abbotswood Apple Day returns by popular demand. It's a real community event with lots of activities for all ages.  Come and join the fun from 11am to 3pm at Abbotswood precinct and St Nicholas Family Centre!

Nominate your community hero

There is still time to nominate your community heroes for the Chair's Community Awards, but hurry, the deadline for nominations is Friday 21 March.

The annual awards event celebrates the hard work and dedication of volunteers in the community who display outstanding commitment in giving up their time and effort to help others. Suggestions for nominations include those who have contributed to community development, promoting equality, arts, sports, play, environment, working with older or young people, advice and advocacy or have simply been a good neighbour. From charity fundraisers to local football club managers, sports coaches and arts festival organisers, these awards have seen South Gloucestershire Council honour the dedication and commitment of hundreds of unsung heroes across the district.

You can nominate online. The winners will be invited to a ceremony at the South Gloucestershire & Stroud College WISE campus in Filton on Sunday 18 May.

Does your group need a grant?

If you are involved in a voluntary group and would like a small grant to help you serve the local community, now is the time to apply for a South Gloucestershire Capital Grant.

Starting today, you can apply for up to £3000 (in the Frome Vale Area, there is no limit in Severn Vale although obviously the total funding available is limited). The decision on how much to award will be made by local councillors at the relevant Area Forum. The closing date is 10 June and you apply online. If you need help, ring the Grants Helpline on 01454 865865.

Join the Discover Festival

South Gloucestershire Council is currently planning the 2013 Discover Festival which will take place 12th September to 1st November 2013. The first Discover Festival in 2012 saw over 6,000 people attending 186 events across the local area and had themes around heritage, food, nature, arts, health and wellbeing, and also special events for people aged 50+. The Festival is organised by South Gloucestershire Council working in partnership with community groups and businesses.

For this year’s festival the council is inviting businesses, community groups or organisations to organise an open day, a talk, a walk, a taster session or a performance to promote their group or area to allow them to showcase their work and encourage new members to join. Previous examples of events at Discover include food tasting sessions, drawing classes, history talks, nature walks, workshops on tracing your family tree, and an open day at a local brewery.

If you are involved in a group or business that would like to organise an event you can register at www.southglos.gov.uk/registerfordiscover before Friday 3 May.

South Glos Capital Grants about to open for business

Are you a voluntary group working in South Gloucestershire? Do you serve your local community to make their lives better? And would a small grant from South Gloucestershire Council help you do it?

All these grants are designed for volunteer groups that want to develop projects and provide activities that meet local needs.  They can include art and culture, children and play, community safety, developing communities, enhancing the natural and built environment, learning activities, promoting equality and tackling poverty, sports, and supporting vulnerable people.

The Capital Grants have no lower limit and you can apply for up to £3000.

If you would like to apply for funding, applications can be made from Monday 29 April 2013. You have 6 weeks to apply (closing date is 10 June 2013) - lots of help is available.

Applications can be made online at the Council’s grants web page as soon as the scheme opens. Yopu are welcome to phone the Grants Helpline on 01454-865865 for an informal chat.

Yate & Chipping Sodbury Broadcasters Association needs board members

Could YOU become a Board Member for this exciting new venture?

Becoming a board member is one of the most challenging and rewarding volunteer assignments. Yate FM say "We want all of our board members to feel that their commitment of time, skill, and resources is valued and worthwhile"

Yate FM's Mission Statement is
“To reach out to all of the diverse groups in the community to give people a voice, enable talent to develop, provide training opportunities, access to equipment and to nurture a sense of inclusion.”

The project board will contain up to 7 individuals who represent the different interests of the group, including:
• Marketing and communication
• Finance / business management
• Legal / business management
• Networking and community development
• Fundraising / applying for grants
• Website and Design
• Broadcasting

The board, chosen for their skills, experience and knowledge would take responsibility for all financial, managerial and day-to-day business. The legal ownership rests with the board.

To express an interest - or just to find out more about Yate FM - please email admin@yatefm.co.uk.

You can also check out some of Yate Fm's first internet broadcasts here.

Get onto the airwaves with a NEW community radio station

Yate.FM is a new community, semi-automated internet radio station, for Yate and Chipping Sodbury, which will be online 24 hours a day. The station plays a mixture of music with live and pre-recorded shows.

The station is looking for local people, community and voluntary groups and those who work in the area to come forward with ideas for programmes, news, views, issues, events, music, poetry etc.

The next meeting will be next Thursday 27 April at 7.00 pm at Waves night club in Yate Shopping Centre . It will last about an hour and will be your chance to meet the team and find out more about community radio and Yate.FM in particular. You will also find out about the training courses that they will be running.

Yate.FM relies on the work of volunteers, not just on broadcasting but with the many essential behind the scenes tasks. Whilst they won't start broadcasting until later on in 2012, they are now recruiting volunteers to help in the planning and preparation prior to the launch.

If you would like to get involved in any way just come along to the meeting or email yatefm@uwclub.net. Yate FM is also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Yate.fm

Nominate your local sporting hero now

You have until Friday 28th October to nominate your local sporting hero for an "Active South Gloucestershire" sports award. There is a range of categories:

• Sportsman of the Year
• Sportswoman of the Year
• Young sportsperson of the Year (awarded to members of a Sport England ‘Accredited’ Sports Club)
• Young sportsman, sportswoman and disability sportsperson category
• Sports coach award
• The Sports Link award (awarded to a Sport England ‘accredited’ sports club which has done the most to promote club/school links. Proposals must be independent of the club)
• School sport award (separate primary and secondary school category, awarded to the school which has done the most to promote school sport and physical activity to young people. Proposals must be independent of the school)
• School sport award individual - primary and secondary category (proposals must be independent of the school)
• Team award (awarded to teams who have excelled i e school, adults, Sport England ‘accredited’ sports clubs)
• Personal Achievement Award - sponsored by the Active Partnership
• James Clifford Memorial Award (awarded to sporting and leisure industry professionals for innovation, creativity and / or provision of excellent customer service) James was the popular marketing manager for Circadian Trust (who run SouthGloucestershire Leisure & Sports centres) who sadly passed away this year.
• Community sport award - sponsored by Airbus UK (awarded for outstanding contribution to a lifetime of sport)

All nominees for the awards, which are sponsored by Airbus and the Active Partnership (a partnership between South Gloucestershire Council, South Gloucestershire Leisure Trust and NHS South Gloucestershire to increase participation in physical activity) must live within South Gloucestershire or be involved with a South Gloucestershire club or school.

You can find out more on the South Glos website.