How to contact KBA

For information about Kingswood Business Association, please contact the Chair, Chris Ford.

RaymarshFord Chartered Accountants, Ground Floor, 41 High Street, Kingswood, Bristol BS15 4AA
Tel: 0117 911 8948 or 07880 837 436
Email

Latest KBA News

Report on Visit by Insp Deryck Rees to KBA

Shortly after his appointment as District Inspector for Kingswood, Insp Deryck Rees attended a meeting of the Kingswood Business Association, at which he introduced himself and was able to answer questions raised by Members of the KBA.

A number of issues were raised and Insp. Rees has given an update on progress which has been made on these issues and others which he had prioritised since his appointment.

Staff from the Neighbourhood team now monitor CCTV cameras most evenings to provide local knowledge to the general CCTV staff. Last week this resulted in a young male being seen stealing from a car and he was arrested just a short time later.

There has been an increased visible police presence in Regent Street and surrounding areas, in particular in the shops and two prolific young ASB offenders have been the focus of attention and ASB proceedings are well underway.

Youths riding bikes aggressively on the pavement around High Street/Regent Street have also been targeted and this problem seems to have been stopped. This included one young man being given bail conditions not to be on a bicycle!

Discussions are underway to establish a system of sharing information amongst traders so that persistent shop-lifters etc can be banned quickly and simply and all shops notified in accordance with “best practice” to make it clear that such crime will not be tolerated.

Further ideas and plans are being discussed and will be publicised once they have been fully formulated and are ready to be implemented.

Chris Farrell
Kingswood business Association

Wedding Belles

Silver Bridals now has a brand new collection of wedding dresses priced at £599.

Owner Lisa Stanley is proud to announce that Silver Bridals is now stocking Hollywood Dreams dresses, their new Chic collection - the only stockist in Bristol.

Visit www.silverbridals.co.uk to find out more...

Tell Us Your Crime Concerns

Kingswood Business Association invites you to share your thoughts on crime in Kingswood, using a simple survey form.

They'll use the findings to steer discussions with Police, South Glos Council and other agencies, to promote Kingswood as a better place to live, work and to do business.

Please use this survey form to let Kingswood Business Association know your concerns.

Either email your responses to or drop your form in to any of the KBA members in the High Street.

Click here to see who they are.

Help Support Breakthrough Breast Cancer

MKP Storage Limited & Interlink Express Bristol is joining forces to help raise money for the Geopost UK Pink Parcel Challenge supporting Breakthrough Breast Cancer and they'd really appreciate your support.

Geopost UK Limited came up with the idea that by joining all its UK sites together by mileage and dividing the mileage by the number of sites, it came to the figure of 31.5 miles.

All the sites were challenged to raise at least £10 per mile to help support Breakthrough Breast Cancer with Geopost matching £ for £ eveything that is raised. It has set a target of £50,000.00

To date, we have raised £38,118.29 - that's 76% of our target.

In September, five riders from the Kingswood depot took to the streets on their bikes riding some 30 miles to Weston Super Mare.

Through wind and rain and even some scary moments along the roads, they reached their destination in 2 hours 51 minutes and 50 seconds, riding an average of 9.22 miles per hour.

Please help us to reach our target and make a small donation to this fantastic cause.

If you have already donated, Thank You for your support.

It's easy to donate online with a credit or debit card - just go to my JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/interlink-bristo

JustGiving sends your donation straight to Breakthrough Breast Cancer and automatically reclaims Gift Aid on all eligible donations, so what you give is worth even more. Please join us in supporting Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Thank you.

Everyone at MKP Storage Limited & Interlink Express Bristol

Business 4 Business Network

The network group was established as a sub-group of the Kingswood Business Association.

Members of Business 4 Business Network are encouraged to join the KBA but this is not mandatory.

The networking group was formed to focus attention on B2B commercial matters.

Fundamentally we meet to create more business with other local businesses.

See the calendar on the right for dates of upcoming meetings.

Chris Skidmore MP supports objections to Sainsbury's

Local MP Chris Skidmore has continued to back Kingswood Business Association and local residents’ campaign against the proposed Sainsbury’s store on High Street, Kingswood.

The first application by Sainsbury’s was opposed by a petition of over 1000 residents. Now with a new application submitted, residents have had to gather a new petition to continue the fight.

After studying the new plans, local MP Chris Skidmore has written to the council opposing the plans.

In his letter to South Gloucestershire Council, Chris states:

Although I have previously expressed my opposition to the building of a new Sainsbury’s store on Kingswood High Street, in light of new development I feel I must contact you to reiterate my opposition to this planning application.

Along with my constituents I am keen to see the old Kingswood College building put to some use, however I do not believe that these proposals are the answer. Putting a new supermarket on an already extremely busy and overdeveloped High Street will not only make the area significantly less safe for both motorists and pedestrians, but also have a large detrimental impact on local businesses. These businesses include two excellent local convenience stores which already serve the local community and who would likely see a drop in trade should these plans go ahead.

In my previous opposition to these plans I also made clear the negative impact this would have on the nearby library, which is used by senior citizens and local children. I understand that the new planning application includes plans to remove vital car parking spaces from the front of the library, without which many residents would be unable to access this key local facility.

I would be very grateful if these comments could be taken into account, when considering the planning application.

Proposed Redevelopment at Kings Chase

Building upon the undoubted success of the Boswell coffee shop installed last year, the owners of Kings Chase Shopping Centre now wish to construct an extension to provide 2 new shops to the rear of the mall.

See the Kings Chase page for more details...

Lucky Dennis wins £25

Kingswood resident Dennis Noble recently won a £25 voucher to spend at KBA member Kingswood Autopart, and was presented with his prize by Manager Mike Roberts.

To enter the competition, Dennis used MyKingswood.co.uk to guess how many spark plugs were in a big sweet jar in the shop.

What is the Kingswood Business Association?

The purpose of Kingswood Business Association is to work as a united body with aims that reflect the local needs and aspirations of member businesses.

We meet on the second Wednesday of every month at the Royal British Legion on Regent Street in Kingswood.

All businesses in Kingswood are invited to contribute to its future success on an economic level through involvement in the Business Association.

You are welcome to come along to our next meeting to discuss issues affecting your business, and meet other local business representatives.

Click here to download our invitation letter [PDF, 120kB]

Click here to download our information flyer [PDF, 120kB]

Our committee consists of the following members:

• Chair - Chris Ford, RaymarshFord Chartered Accountants
• Vice Chair - Daniel Moss, Greens Pet Shop
• Treasurer - Richard Cox, Lloyds Bank
• Minutes Secretary - None elected – TBC
• Exec Officer Lisa Stanley, Silver Bridals
• Exec Officer Mark Loader, Norton Tax Shops (empty shops contact)
• Exec Officer Steve Lane, Quality Carpets
• Exec Officer Chris Farrell, Middleton Feet (Safer & Stronger Group contact)
• Exec Officer Claire Jaggard, MyKingswood.co.uk (website contact)

Benefits of Membership

• All Kingswood Business Association members have access to the facilities of GWE Business West. Visit their website for business news and information: www.gwebusinesswest.co.uk
• Networking opportunities with other local businesses
• The opportunity to contribute to the future success of Kingswood
• Free basic text advert on www.MyKingswood.co.uk
• Free financial healthcheck from Norton Tax Shops

Useful Information for Businesses

Business Information Solutions

The South Gloucestershire Library Enquiry Centre offers a range of business information solutions to support intending, new and established businesses.

Provided on behalf of South Gloucestershire by Somerset County Council the service provides access to business databases, industry overviews, business directories and journals. We provide a free enquiry service to all business users.

Click here to download a pdf with more information.

Helping councils and suppliers work together

Suppliers: this regional portal gives you a one-stop shop window on contract opportunities from a growing number of councils in the South West. Even without registering, you can use the portal to look for information about existing contracts and new opportunities.

Visit www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk to find out more.