A fence bordering Juniper Way and the Three Brooks Nature Reserve has been vandalised by youths.

The fence, which runs into the motorway boundary a short distance away, has had panels kicked out of it.

The damage was spotted by a reader of The Bradley Stoke Examiner who said it had only recently been repaired after a similar incident in 2008.

The incident took place on Saturday night and involved a group of youths who were “no older than 15″.

This is the latest example of the vandalism blighting the town at the moment with other incidents including nails being driven into car tyres.

Virgin Media say they could cable Bradley Stoke – but need your help to find out if there is demand for the service.

The firm partially cabled the town with its high-speed fibre-optic network as it was being built over the last 20 years.

But parts of the town were not cabled and have now been left with very slow ADSL services from either the Almondsbury and Filton exchanges.

Virgin Media’s network, though, can supply broadband with download speeds ranging from 10Mb to 50Mb.

Now, we have the chance to bring Bradley Stoke’s broadband into the 21st Century if we can convince Virgin Media enough of us would take up their service.

Our broadband campaign has already seen a motion from the town’s Conservative councillors passed by South Gloucestershire Council calling for faster internet.

Town mayor Robert Jones is backing our final push for faster broadband.

“This is fantastic news,” councillor Jones said. “It is important that high speed broadband is available to everyone that wants it and I’m pleased that Virgin Media is addressing the issue here in Bradley Stoke”

“I’d like to congratulate the Bradley Stoke Examiner for the success of their campaign and I’m proud to have been associated with it from the start.

“I encourage every resident to sign up now and send a clear message that the demand is sufficient for this to go ahead.”

Jon James, executive director of broadband at Virgin Media, said: “The Examiner’s done a great job championing the cause for faster broadband in Bradley Stoke.

“We’re now keen to establish exactly how much interest there is in the area so we can determine the viability of extending our network.

“More and more communities want access to faster broadband speeds so their families can enjoy the many benefits the internet has to offer.”

All you need to do to help us ensure Virgin Media completes its broadband roll-out in Bradley Stoke is e-mail cablemystreet@virginmedia.co.uk

Note: When you e-mail Virgin Media can you please remember to include your full postal address.

The more people that e-mail Virgin Media now will mean the more likely the company is to finish cabling Bradley Stoke.

As well as supplying ultra-fast broadband, Virgin Media also provides TV through its network with the UK’s most advanced TV on demand service and is the only TV platform to carry BBC iPlayer.

It is the second largest provider of pay TV, was the first to launch a high definition TV service and offers a high-specification, HD-ready V+ personal video recorder.

• Broadband in Bradley Stoke
• Examiner campaign for faster broadband
→ On the web: Virgin Media homepage

Work on the £150,000 Jubilee Green play area in Bradley Stoke will get under way this week.

The flagship scheme was funded in partnership by the National Lottery, Bradley Stoke Town Council and South Gloucestershire Council.

The play park, which was previously hoped to be open in time for the Bradley Stoke Festival, has been more than twelves months in planning.

Contractors will arrive on site on Tuesday, 19 May 2009 with construction expected to last up to six weeks.

The scheme has been pencilled in for opening on Friday, 24 July 2009 – a few weeks after the festival is due to take place.

A town council spokesman said: “We are delighted the hard work of both councils and their partners are now coming to fruition.”

“We will be announcing plans for events to coincide with the park’s opening in due course.”

Out-going mayor Robert Jones’ charity appeal for the the National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease (NACC) is expected to have raised more than £5,000.

The exact amount is due to be revealed at Bradley Stoke Town Council’s annual general meeting on Wednesday.

The cash was raised at various events during the past year including the Bradley Stoke Festival and November’s fireworks display.

Councillor Jones, a Crohn’s Disease sufferer, said: “I’m delighted with the total raised and very grateful to everyone who has donated.

“My thanks also to the volunteers from NACC who have helped out with the collections and supported Council’s events in the past year.”

NACC Avon Group Chair, Georgie Bigg, said: “It’s been a fantastic opportunity for our group of volunteers to get involved in local activities and helps fund raise.

“It’s good to know so many people will benefit.”

The AGM gets under way at 7.30pm at the Jubilee Centre on Savages Wood Road.

Bradley Stoke’s new dental surgery, situated on the first floor of The Willow Brook Centre, finally opens for business on Monday.

The NHS-contract practice, which is run by Phoenix Dental, has two full-time dentists and a hygienist.

The surgery also boasts “digital X-rays, dedicated decontamination room and a patient information system”.

The dental practice will close an obvious gap in healthcare in Bradley Stoke with patients, until now, forced to find treatment in other nearby towns.

• Guide to healthcare in Bradley Stoke
→ On the web: Bradley Stoke Dental Surgery

Bradley Stoke’s monthly councillor surgeries could move from the town’s leisure centre to the Willow Brook Centre.

The proposal will be heard at the town council’s annual general meeting which will take place on Wednesday, 20 May 2009.

The move would give the councillors more visability at a centre which, according to figures for February 2009, has a footfall of more than 70,000-per-month.

The council had been planning an office move to the centre but that has been put on hold while they consider an alternative to redevelop the nearby Jubilee Centre.

The meeting will also see a mayor elected for 2009/10 as well as the formation of the youth sub-committee ratified.

The meeting gets under way at 7.30pm at the Jubilee Centre on Savages Wood Road.

Bradley Stoke residents are being urged to support a charity walk on Sunday in aid of the National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s.

The spring stroll through the Three Brooks Nature Reserve gets under way from 1pm from the town square at the Willow Brook Centre.

The circular walk runs up Brook Way, through the nature reserve then back to the Jubilee Centre.

The route is 3.5 miles long and should take around an-hour-and-a-quarter to complete.

Organisers say there will be marshals along the wheelchair-friendly route and there will be fun activities at the end.

You can register for the walk by calling 0845 434 8513, by e-mailing avonnorthsomerset@groups.nacc.org.uk or by turning up on the day.

Donations can be made via the Just Giving website.

→ Download and print more information for the walk (pdf, 2.05mb)

• Organisers are looking for marshals to help direct walkers. If you go to the Jubilee Centre at midday you will be given a high-vis jacket and instructions.