The South Glos Post

South Gloucestershire Council has made a series of grants to groups across the district to help strengthen and improve communities.

This financial year, more than £38,000 has been distributed in two phases by the council to Safer and Stronger Community Groups (SSCGs) to fund crime prevention initiatives and to strengthen and improve the quality of community life.

In this latest phase £26,500 has been granted to a total of 15 approved applications including: almost £2,000 towards the provision of an after school club in Kingswood; £2,000 towards fencing for the newly refurbished play park in Charfield; £1,000 towards security shutters for the pavilion at the George V playing fields in Wickwar; £2,000 towards the provision of regular amateur boxing sessions for young people in Severn Beach and Wickwar; almost £2,000 towards youth activities at Wapley Common in Yate; £1,000 towards security lighting and an alarm system for the Wick and Abson village hall.

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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

South Gloucestershire police have seized suspected cannabis with an estimated street value of more than £300,000 in an operation in Wick.

Officers from the district’s Proactive Team acted on information from the community to plan the operation under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Police and Crime Scene Investigation officers went to a rented house in an isolated area on Tuesday September 08 2009.

Officers discovered a sophisticated ‘cannabis factory’ with around 570 well-established plants averaging around three feet in height.

PC Mike Steven said: “Officers arrived at the property just before 9am and were at the scene until about 6pm. There was no one there and we did not make any arrests on the day, but obviously our enquiries continue.

“This operation has successfully disrupted the production and supply of drugs in the area. We would always encourage local people who have any suspicions that a property in their area is used for criminal activity to contact police. We will act on your information.”

Anyone with information about the supply of illegal drugs in South Gloucestershire can contact their local station by calling 0845 456 7000. Alternatively call the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Source: Avon and Somerset Police