The South Glos Post

Residents of South Gloucestershire will be even safer as a result of the opening of an extended CCTV service covering the district.

An official opening on 29 September marks the completion of an 18 month project to provide state-of-the-art CCTV equipment across South Gloucestershire.

Brand new equipment has been installed in key locations including Kingswood, Staple Hill, Chipping Sodbury, Hanham, Filton, Cadbury Heath, Patchway and Thornbury.

South Gloucestershire Council has invested £300,000 in the scheme with the remaining funding coming from the Home Office. In order to ensure available funding had the maximum impact, the council reached an agreement with Bristol City Council to monitor the cameras on its behalf.

Heather Goddard, executive member for communities for South Gloucestershire Council, said: “Local people have told us how important an improved CCTV service is to them, and I am delighted to see the effect of the council’s investment. Thanks to hard work by councillors, local communities, the police, council departments, town and parish councils, residents in South Gloucestershire will be safer in our towns.”

Chief Superintendent Andy Francis of Avon and Somerset Constabulary added: “South Gloucestershire is generally a safe place to be, but there are particular times and places, especially in our major towns, where extra effort is needed.

“This new equipment will help us to identify and respond quickly and appropriately to crime and anti-social behaviour, to make the public even safer.”

Commenting on the improved system, Rhodri Briggs, CCTV coordinator at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “This new equipment is the very latest available, and will provide the clearest pictures possible. Already over a dozen incidents have been defused using it, and the equipment will provide a noticeable improvement in the service we provide.”

Source: South Gloucestershire Council

An exciting new project is being launched this weekend which will provide opportunities for local people to get out and about in their local natural environment.

Co-ordinated by South Gloucestershire Council, Wildways is a three year project funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces Programme which is managed by Natural England under the Access to Nature Scheme.

The project gets under way on Saturday 26 September with a Family Fun Day launch event in Page Park Staple Hill from 1pm – 4pm. Free activities include den building and nature games, owl encounters, family tree trail, the chance to press your own apple juice, as well as leaflets, maps and information about the wildlife and wild places on your doorstep. This launch event is being organised in partnership with Active South Gloucestershire who will be organising a fun run, Frisbee contest, Black Belt Academy taster sessions and providing information about the new Active card scheme.

Councillor Brian Allinson, South Gloucestershire Council’s executive member for planning, transportation and strategic environment said: “South Gloucestershire Council is delighted to be working with Natural England and the Big Lottery to deliver this exciting project which will provide fantastic opportunities for local people to get involved in the wild places on our doorstep. Local green spaces provide an important resource for health, well being and education as well as vital habitats for wildlife. Wildways will be working to connect people, communities and nature through an innovative programme of projects over the next three years throughout the Staple Hill, Kingswood and Cadbury Heath areas of South Gloucestershire.”

Wildways will be working with a range of partners including South Gloucestershire ‘Breakthrough’, Walk to Health Initiative, Avon Wildlife Trust, South Gloucestershire Disability Action Group and Children’s Play Link. Other plans for the project include the development of ecoteering trails, a youth bat mobile project, an extensive programme of guided walks and wildlife encounters, conservation programmes, bush craft and Forest School projects for children and young people, Community Woodland Festivals and the establishment of new community orchards and an orchard heritage research project.

Adrienne Greenway, Natural England’s Grants Adviser for Access to Nature in the South West said: “Many of us take for granted the benefits we enjoy from our natural environment, but not everyone has the same opportunities. The Access to Nature programme gives a greater number of people from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to experience nature at first hand. Wildways will help to encourage new people out onto local natural green spaces to experience and learn about their local natural environment by engaging in a wide variety of activities. This is a fantastic project and Natural England is delighted to support it.”

Source: South Gloucestershire Council