Bradley Stoke

Bradley Stoke is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England, situated 6 miles (10 kilometres) north-northeast of Bristol city centre.

Bradley Stoke is part of the North Fringe of Bristol, an extensive area of housing and employment developed during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

High-interest rates during the early 1990s soon led to the collapse of the property market in the area with many new homes falling into negative equity.

This included the late provision of the road joining the north and south sides of the town, and also the completion of the doctors' surgery.

[10] The centre is situated on the original Tesco supermarket site, and the redevelopment was approved by South Gloucestershire Council on 13 November 2006.

[14] Additional services at the leisure centre include a gym, beauty salon, Soho Coffee and a skate park.

The town is served by the nearby Bristol Parkway railway station in Stoke Gifford and is a short distance from the Ministry of Defence, the Aviva Centre and the Abbeywood Retail Park.

Situated in the surrounding business parks are companies including RAC, Paragon, DHL, Greencore, Pukka Herbs, EE, GE Capital, HSS Hire, Zuken Technology Centre, and various hotels, production factories, courier services, warehouses and offices.

[citation needed] The further developments of the Willow Brook Centre and the addition of larger high street chains have increased the number of jobs available for local residents as well as boosted trade within Bradley Stoke.

[citation needed] Businesses continue to be interested in the further development of the town centre, such as the planning application to build drive-through commercial units adjacent to Bradley Stoke Way.

[citation needed] Despite the available employment opportunities, many residents commute from Bradley Stoke to central Bristol, The Mall in Cribbs Causeway or via the nearby motorway junction for work.

The festival hosts a variety of activities and events primarily aimed at young children and families involving live music, performances, sports and games.

The carnival hosted stilt walkers, a brass band, performers dressed in costumes, competitions and prizes and live music.

[22] Similarly to the Bradley Stoke Community Festival, Wheatfest is an annual event hosted by a local group Friends of Wheatfield Primary School.

Primarily aimed at young children and families, the Centre features a 38-tonne sandpit, dozens of deck chairs, and suspended decorations.

[23] The Town Council operates an annual fireworks display in early November to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night, in 2018 raising over £2000 in support of West of England MS Therapy Centre and the Stroke Association.

[24] Since 2016, the Willow Brook Centre has hosted the annual Stars of the Stokes Awards to recognise the local heroes in our community featuring special guest celebrities.

It is located in the main town square and is a generic memorial dedicated to “all members of our Armed Forces (and civilians who support them) who have died or suffered due to conflict.” It is a simple grey granite pillar with a poppy design at the top and an inscription in the middle (as voted for by nearly 250 local residents) – 'At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them'.

The aim was to create a focal point to hold Remembrance ceremonies for future generations with special involvement from the young people of the town.

The inaugural Bradley Stoke Remembrance Sunday Ceremony was held on the 9 November 2014, attended by many local uniformed youth groups and approximately 300 members of the public.

The lake, part of the Frome Valley Relief Sewer,[27] is home to many common species of waterfowl including nesting swans.

In May 2019, the Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group were awarded a grant of £25,000 from Enovert Community Trust to improve accessibility to the woodland through renovations to walkways.

The club joined the Bristol and District Cricket Association (B&D) in 1991, played its first game in 1992, won the Tony Hitch T/20 Trophy in 2019, and was promoted to the West of England Premier League in 2021.

Numerous Martial arts and fitness clubs provide classes within the town teaching Judo, Taekwondo, Bushido, Kung-fu and kickboxing.

[38] The supermarket, leisure centre, petrol filling station and nearby pub were hotspots for the most frequent crimes[39] Incidents involving arson,[40][41] threats towards children and multiple counts of indecent exposure were reported in the area.

Incidents included two counts of theft, destruction of wildlife housing, damage to the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve signage and installations.

Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre and library.
Three Brooks Lake, part of the Frome Valley Relief Sewer adjacent to the M4 motorway .