The SouthGlos Post

A new school in South Gloucestershire, designed from start to finish by an architect from South Gloucestershire Council, has won a prestigious accolade.

The Local Authority Building Control (LABC) West of England Building Excellence Awards were held last week at Bristol’s Royal Marriott Hotel.

Acton Turville School won Best Sustainable Development for its innovative design and wealth of energy saving features.

The council’s architect, Nicole Muller, took on the brief to design the school and incorporated features such as a biomass boiler, a rainwater harvesting system and a living, sedum roof that slows down rainwater runoff and encourages biodiversity. She was supported by other members of the council’s property services team who provided technical backup.

The striking curved design of the building was complimented by the LABC judges who said:

“This is a well-designed building that satisfies the requirements of 21st century schooling, exceeds current energy saving requirements and provides a valuable multi-use facility for the village community.”

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Source: South Gloucestershire Council

Wick Golden Valley Local Nature Reserve in South Gloucestershire has been awarded a Green Flag by Keep Britain Tidy for the way in which it is managed.

The Green Flag is awarded annually to organisations that meet the national recognised standard for maintaining parks or open spaces and this is the third year in a row the site has won this prestigious award.

The reserve is owned by building materials company CEMEX and is managed in partnership with South Gloucestershire Council and the local community group, the Friends of Wick Golden Valley Local Nature Reserve.

The Green Flag Award is given to parks and open spaces which meet the following criteria:

• A welcoming place
• Healthy, safe and secure
• Clean and well maintained
• Sustainability
• Conservation and Heritage
• Community involvement
• Marketing
• Management

Cllr Janet Biggin, Chair of South Gloucestershire Council, said: “The nature reserve in Wick is such a unique place with such a diverse habitat so readily accessible to the local community and I am delighted that it has been chosen to receive this award. It was once an ochre processing factory which has become a haven for wildlife, with the remnants of its industrial past hidden amongst the vegetation. Visitors also flock to the woodland to follow the audio bat trail and the river provides a home for many birds including kingfishers and dippers, and it also supports otters and a wide variety of fish and aquatic life.”

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Source: South Gloucestershire Council

A Pilning man has been given an 18-month prison sentence after admitting selling counterfeit clothing, jewellery, handbags, films and games as well as possessing a “chipped” games console.

Kane Goodman, aged 36, of Wainbridge Crescent, Pilning, pleaded guilty at Bristol Crown Court last year to 17 charges under the Trade Marks Act 1994 for selling and possessing for sale counterfeit goods. He also pleaded guilty to one charge under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

In a hearing at Bristol Crown Court the scale of Goodman’s operation was revealed, involving transactions in the UK, Europe and the Far East.

The case was prosecuted by South Gloucestershire Council’s trading standards department after Goodman’s activities came to light during the course of an investigation into the sales of counterfeit films.

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Source: South Gloucestershire Council

The UK Youth Parliament Manifesto for South Gloucestershire has been formally launched by the two members representing South Gloucestershire and their deputies.

Members of the Youth Parliament (MYPs) George Tanner and Georgie Evans, along with Deputy Members (DMYPs) Dominic Foale and Alex Brown, are already working hard to fulfil their promises which saw them voted in earlier this year.

Aged between 14 and 15 years, all four representatives were voted in by young people across secondary schools, youth centres and youth projects across South Gloucestershire.

MYP George Tanner said: “I’m developing a campaign called ‘Don’t delete’ to remind young people to not delete evidence of cyber bullying, and to raise awareness of the issue with young people and adults.”

Read on for more details about our local MYPs

Police have renewed their appeal for information following the murder of Barry Rubery in Iron Acton on Wednesday 28th April.

Mr Rubery was brutally killed at his Crossing Cottage home on the Latteridge Road in Iron Acton following a night out with friends.

Today (Friday 23rd July) his family are holding his funeral at Westerleigh Crematorium near Yate. Philip and Julie Rubery said: “Today is one of the most difficult days for all of the family; we simply cannot put into words how it feels say goodbye to a much loved dad, and grandad.

“To lose our father in this way is just unimaginable and our devastation is beyond belief. Everyday is a struggle, and our lives will never be the same again.

“The whole families’ lives have been turned upside down by those people who brutally took our dad from us nearly three months ago. Those people have still not come forward. We would once again urge you to hand yourselves in and allow us to understand why we lost dad in this way.

“We would also ask anyone out there who has any information to think about how hard today is for all of us and come forward. All we want now are answers to allow us to continue to grieve. Thank you”

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Source: Avon and Somerset Police