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Do you remember a local orphanage?

I’m try to find out information about an orphanage which I lived at in the early 1950s in Bradford on Avon. If I remember rightly, it was on the Holt road near its junction with Woolley Street. I know I used to walk to it downhill from Christchurch School. Can any of your readers help?

If anyone can, please email me: pniw(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)freenetname.co.uk

Thank you.

(Contributed by: Paul Weston)

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Land at Kingston Farm – PROJECT LAUNCH EVENT

Friday 26 March, 2010 – 1.30pm to 8pm
St Margaret’s Hall, Bradford on Avon

We have an opportunity to release strategic land at Kingston Farm to create a mixed-use development comprising of housing, employment, community and amenity uses. Therefore you are cordially invited to join our project team to share your views on and aspirations for the future of Bradford on Avon.

With input from members of the public, other key stakeholders and our experienced urban design and development team, this strategic site will be an exemplar, sustainable extension to Bradford’s community. The focus of the launch event is not to present actual proposals, but rather to seek your views at the outset, so that your suggestions can inform and shape the design development process.

We look forward to seeing you there. Sarita Bansal, Community Engagement Team
Enquiries: sarita(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)landatkingstonfarm.co.uk   www.landatkingstonfarm.co.uk

(Contributed by: Sarita Bansal, Community Engagement Team)

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Download the Back the Bridge campaign flyer

The Back the Bridge campaign is distributing a flyer to households across the town, spelling out its views in favour of the proposed new footbridge between the Kingston Mills development and the town library.

The flyer says:

“The bridge will cost £850,000, of which the bridge supply, transport and erection costs £595,000. Linden Homes is paying £65,000 for the foundations. We are going to try to raise much of the money through grants from trusts and major donors – there will be no increases in Town council tax to fund the bridge.”

Click here to download a copy of the flyer.

(Contributed by: Back the Bridge)

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An Historic Core Zone for Bradford on Avon

People in Bradford on Avon want something done about the traffic; intimidation, difficulty crossing the road, air pollution, noise, etc.

But most of us are sometimes pedestrians and sometimes part of the traffic. And the town’s economy depends upon people wanting to come to Bradford to see it and to spend money here.

We don’t like the way traffic now affects the town, but we don’t want to be without it either. How can we solve this one?

A number of old towns facing similar problems have created an “Historic Core Zone” in their central areas. The idea is now being developed for Bradford on Avon. It started in the “Taming the Traffic” consultation that you may remember from about 18 months ago; as part of this an Action Group was set up to develop the idea.

Wiltshire Council has recently appointed consultants, Colin Buchanan, to develop proposals. What would an HCZ in Bradford mean? The idea is to re-think our streets so that pedestrians and cyclists would have greater priority.

Central Bradford would be somewhere where it would be pleasant just to stroll around on a summer evening. There are many possible ways of achieving this –

• widening footpaths and narrowing roads; and introducing “shared space”, without kerbs to separate pedestrian and vehicles;
• discouraging unnecessary journeys and designing the roads to reduce traffic speeds (a 20 mph limit is usual in other HCZs);
• making it less difficult to cross the road;
• using street-side parking to narrow the roadway and slow down traffic;
• keeping out heavy and over large lorries; and many more.

And it is not just about the relationship between pedestrians and motorists. An HCZ should also make the town look nicer: by reducing the number of street signs and of markings painted on the road, by careful choice of materials for paving and for lampposts and seats, and by planting of trees and bushes.

We will all have a chance to comment on the consultants’ proposals in a few months time. Meanwhile, for more information or to add your own comments, go to www.priorityforpeople.org.

(Contributed by: David Moss)

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Saved for history’s sake

Google has unveiled Streetview right across the UK today, and lots of Bradford on Avon is included.

Streetview is the system built into Google Maps which lets you zoom right in to street level and take a virtual walk down almost any street in the country.

The Google cameras – which were in the town last May – have recorded this shot of the old entrance to Lamb Yard, which is now under wraps erected by the builders of the Kingston Mills project.

Here’s a Google Streetview of the Town Bridge for you to dive right in and start exploring:

View Larger Map

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Local hosts wanted for visiting children from Chernobyl

Children born in the aftermath of the worst nuclear accident the world has ever seen are still feeling the effects over 20 years after it happened and future generations will not be able to escape its legacy.

Youngsters in Belarus breathe in infected air and eat infected food every day of their lives, but just one month away from their country could add two years to their lives and people in Bristol could help them to do this.

The Bath link of the national charity Chernobyl Children’s Life Line is looking for people who are willing to open their homes to children from Belarus for either two, or four weeks this summer.

The Chernobyl disaster in 1986 saw a reactor explode at the plant in the Ukraine, sending radioactive fallout over a huge area of eastern Europe the radiation cloud was carried north over Belarus, where 70% of the nuclear fallout landed. The ground was heavily contaminated – and will continue to be for thousands of years.

The people of Belarus live with radiation all around them. They drink contaminated water, wash with it and often eat food grown in the affected earth because that is all they can afford.

The children stay with host families in the UK for a month and are given health treatment and foods to build up their systems as well as being taken on trips and excursions that they would never be able to experience at home.

All we ask is that you can give food, love and a secure environment during their stay in our area. We raise the money for the air fares and give complete back up.

Don’t worry if you can’t speak Russian, there will be interpreters travelling with the children, and they are always available to help. Families that host children have such a wonderful time that they often remain with the group for many years..

Doctors in Minsk (the nation’s capital) say that the four weeks respite break can add up to two years to the children’s life expectancy. We are holding presentation evenings at: Claverton Down (11th March) and Keynsham (19th March).

Anyone who can help can email Andy March: bath(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)ccll.org.uk, or visit our web site: www.ccll.org.uk/bath to find out more.

(Contributed by: Andy March)

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Improved rail links for Bradford?

The BBC reports:

“Improvements are being proposed to some First Great Western rail services in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.”

“Five additional vehicles between Cardiff and Portsmouth are proposed to provide more seats for passengers from Trowbridge, Bradford-on-Avon, Westbury, Warminster and Salisbury.”

Find out more detail here: Network Rail proposes more seats and faster journeys (BBC News)

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Remembering Joyce Purcell

The Wiltshire Times has an obituary for long time Bradford resident Joyce Purcell, who died recently. Joyce was a former owner of Barton Farm. I will be creating a book of remembrances about her, and would encourage anyone with fond memories of Joyce to contact me at jimcumming(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)aol.com with their stories or pictures.

(Contributed by: Jim Cumming)

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Welcome to the new community website

Hello, and welcome to the new version of Bradford on Avon’s community website.

What’s different

• The site is simpler and easier to use.
• There’s no need to log in any more; all user accounts have been deleted.
• The business directory has been drastically simplified.
• The events calendar is now shared with the one maintained by Bradford on Avon Tourism Information Centre. To add events, click here.
• The following sections have been removed because they were hardly used: Youth News, Politics, Links list, Photo Gallery, Votes & Polls, and Classifieds.

Why we’ve changed things this way

Several reasons:

• Simplicity. We wanted to make a site that was easier to use and easier to maintain.
• Time. We look after this web site voluntarily, in our spare time. We needed something that was quicker and easier to manage.
• Easier contributions. Our old process for submitting articles was long-winded and hard for people to grasp. The new system is much simpler: go to the Submit page, fill the boxes, and click send. That’s it. There’s no need to sign up for a user account first.

There will probably be some hiccups and breakages as we settle in to the new system, so please forgive us if you see things that don’t make sense.

We’d love to know what you think, and if you have any suggestions or contributions. Please contact us with your thoughts. Thanks.

– Giles and Rich, website team

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New local web site examining alternative therapies

A brighter Bradford on Avon is a web site I’ve launched to help people to make an informed decision about their health care.

I’ve lived in Bradford on Avon for five years and have become shocked by the amount of alternative health care advertised in the town. I’ve always been vigilant for the promotion of misinformation locally because I host a popular skeptical podcast and misinformation is something that we talk about on the show quite often. However, my research in the town led me to uncover some rather shocking misinformation being promoted about health care that I felt needed to be countered with scientific facts and advice.

A brighter Bradford on Avon hasn’t been designed to tell people what to think or believe because we’re all free to believe what we want – it’s one of our basic human rights. However, without the correct information being available, people are less likely to make the correct decisions for their personal needs. Misinformation about your health can have devastating consequences.

The site offers insight into some of the more popular alternative therapies offered in the town, as well as informative articles and a look at popular health myths.

(Contributed by: Hayley Stevens)

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Bridge view restaurant proposed

A planning application has been made to build a restaurant on top of Building T at Kingston Mills, better known as the Lamb Building.

The proposed single-storey structure would have glass walls and a flat roof.

The Wiltshire Times has an article about the planning request here.

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Olive Tree opening soon

What used to be Canterbury House will be reopening as The Olive Tree (strapline: “A taste of Italy!”) in the near future.

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Partnership Officer – Job Vacancy

Bradford on Avon Community Area Partnership is looking for an enthusiastic, flexible individual to provide dedicated support to the partnership. This exciting new role includes the co-ordination of information, activities and work to engage local people and community groups and to ensure their voice is heard. Some evening and weekend work will be necessary. Please contact Elly Townsend on 01225 718450 or see http://jobs.wiltshire.gov.uk for more details.

Deadline for applications is the 12^th March 2010. Interviews are to take place on the 25^th March 2010.

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Bridge design approved

Wiltshire Council’s Planning Committee has just approved plans submitted by the Town Council for a cycle/footbridge across the Avon between the library and the new Kingston Mills development.

The proposal has been a source of controversy with some attacking it as being too expensive, and others saying it is a good design and worth the cost.

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Woolley St reopened

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New steps in Barton Farm

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Footbridge steps closed

Steps at the north end of the town footbridge have been closed off. Looks like the recent icy spell has made them unsafe.

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Have your say on proposals for a BoA Cycle Network

Residents of Bradford on Avon are invited to comment on Wiltshire Council’s proposals for a town cycle network.

The proposals have been drawn up by County Transport Planning Officers in consultation with Bradford on Avon Town Council and a small group of interested residents in the town. The proposals can be viewed at the Tourist Information Centre or Town Library, just ask at the counter to see the file. They are also online – click here to see them.

Cycling plays an important role in Wiltshire Council’s Local Transport Plan, particularly in terms of promoting sustainable transport and improving accessibility. Cycle routes have already been established in many of the larger towns throughout Wiltshire, including Chippenham, Trowbridge and Wootton Bassett and Wiltshire Council are keen to develop cycle networks in smaller towns such as Bradford on Avon.

In addition, initiatives led by local people in Bradford on Avon, such as Priority for People, are exploring ways of reducing the impact of traffic to make it a safer, more pleasant place for pedestrians and cyclists. Set against the current background of health concerns and the increase in obesity, encouraging cycling (and walking as many of the proposed routes will benefit pedestrians) is an important priority.

Traffic and speed surveys have been undertaken to help identify the type of facilities that will be most appropriate for each link on the cycle network. Route widths and gradients have also been assessed in terms of suitability for cycling. In addition, information such as route/path classification and land ownership have been gathered. The hilly nature of the town, particularly north of the river, has created a challenge as it is only possible to propose routes where gradients fall within the recommended guidelines. Accordingly, there are fewer routes in the north of the town.

The consultation closes on February 15th.

– Richard Craft

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About the new politics section on bradfordonavon.com

With the General Election so close that you can almost smell it, we’ve started a new section for local politics on bradfordonavon.com.

We’ve done this because we started getting submissions from local politicians – elected and standing for election – and weren’t sure what to do with them.

We want to make completely clear that this web site does not support or endorse any single political party. We are allowing those standing for election to have their say here, if they wish. All parties will be able to submit articles, which will be moderated and checked against the house rules in the usual way.

– Giles and Rich, site editors

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Snowbeings

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Sent in by Julia Warin.