n MUSEUM NEWS

Museum of East Asian Art. The rise of China as a super power is worying to the democracies of the West but in the 1960s the country underwent a frightening period of internal strife known as the Cultural Revolution.

Ironically that terrifying period has by chance benefited Bath’s Museum of East Asian Art in Bennett Street.

Volunteer guide at the museum Pam Gates (pictured) explained that the museum’s founder Brian McElney was working in Hong Kong at the time and began to collect pottery and works of art seen as decadent by the Communist regime across the border.

and 29th April. Taster Session – Sat 10th June am, plus 2 follow-up sessions on 17th and 24th June. Don’t miss out on this opportunity; please contact Hester for more details: (email: hester2210@btinternet.com or mobile: 07470-822444)

Team Bath Netball: The Bath University based Blue & Golds play home games against Severn Stars on Sat April 8th at 4pm; London Pulse on Fri April 14 at 7.30pm; celtic Dragons on Fri 21st at 7.30pm. This is followed by an away game on Mon Sat 1st May against Strathclyde Sirens at 6pm.

The Packhorse Inn: The Packhorse Inn has celebrated the fifth anniversary of its reopening following the community buy-back and restoration

The anniversary party was held over the third week end of March with live music on all three days.

The highlight of the event was the cutting of the birthday cake by Brian Perkins who was born in 1930 in a first floor bedroom of the Packhorse. Members of Brian’s family were Landlords of the Inn going back to the early 1900’s.

Brian related many memories of the Inn, including WW2 when both

British and American troops were customers.

There was also talk of the several ghosts whose presence is still in evidence.

There was a wonderful atmosphere, especially in the garden in the warm early Spring sunshine on the Sunday.

It was Just like an English village inn should be and showed how much the Inn was needed and is appreciated by the community and the vision and hard work of those who brought the Packhorse back to life..

Rob Coles

He built up a collection which included works from across East Asia which he eventually brought to Bath forming the basis of the museum’s collection which opened to the public in 1993 as an education charity.

The collection has been added to by long-term loans and donations by the public over the years.

There is some exquisite artworks including items dating back thousands of years revealing how advanced civilisations were when Bath was still the preserve of neolithic hunters.

Student Games: University of Bath students won 11 medals, including gold for sporting scholar Leah Crisp, and set a host of personal bests when they competed in athletics, badminton, climbing and swimming at the 2023 BUCS Nationals in Sheffield.

Leading the way with 10 of the podium places was the Bath student swimming squad, who secured impressive fourth-placed finishes in the men’s, women’s and overall rankings after some superb performances at the BUCS Long Course Championships.

Twenty members of the team progressed into A finals, competing in a total of 30 individual and five relay finals.

Stand-out swims came from Santander Sporting Scholar Crisp whose three medals included 800m freestyle gold in 8:42.44 plus bronze in both the 400m freestyle and 1,500m freestyle.

Ivor Powell Sporting Scholar Cameron Brooker (Mechanical Engineering) won two individual medals, silver in the 200m freestyle and bronze in the 200m backstroke. He also played his part in the 4x100m freestyle, along with Aiden Symons-Brown, Miles Drabwell and

Lewis Maxwell, and the 4x100m medley relay, along with David Miller, Josh Gammon and Symons-Brown, where both teams were edged out to fourth by the smallest of margins.

First-time individual BUCS medallist Jemima Hall 200m freestyle, and Ekaterina Price 200m butterfly, posted lifetime bests to get onto the podium against strong international fields. Hall then teamed up with Jana Spinner, Maisie Gilford and Annabel Smith to bring home another bronze medal, this time in the women’s

4x100 freestyle. Gammon, backed up his BUCS short course success over the winter by winning two individual butterfly medals at the championships.

Katie Scott in the Badminton Championships, won bronze in the women’s singles. Scott also reached the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles with Cara Collins while Toby Dillingham and Santander Scholar William Jones reached the same stage in the men’s doubles. Kaylan Jensen was a quarter-finalist in the men’s singles too after winning two knockout matches in straight sets.

In Indoor Athletics Matthew Alvarez narrowly miss out on a men’s 200m medal by threehundredths of a second as he finished fourth in 21.94 – he had clocked a new PB of 21.79 in the semi-finals.

Esther Leong set a new indoor lifetime best of 3.83m to place fifth in the women’s pole vault and Biology fresher Evelyne Fonteyne was sixth in the high jump after clearing 1.69m, just 3cm off a podium place. Ben Sutton was 10th in the men’s long jump with a 6.47m effort, while Alex O’CallaghanBrown (Psychology) placed in the same position overall in the 400m with a new indoor PB of 49.15.

Santander Sporting Scholar Aleeya Sibbons ran 7.46 to qualify fourth-fastest for the women’s 60m final but had to pull out of the race.

Nine students also represented the University of Bath in the BUCS Climbing Championships. Kai Pheasant (Civil Engineering) and Aisha Suhaimi (Psychology) were the leading Bath athletes in the men’s and women’s competitions respectively.

Visit teambath.com/student to find out more.

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Sandpits: The Friends of Sandpits group has started planning a centenary celebration in August 2023 with an afternoon event, led by the Bath Area Play Project who have previously put on events in the park. To make it happen they need to raise £1,000.

To donate visit : https://gofund. me/4f5af355

The organisers are also seeking sponsorship from local businesses and are keen to hear any ideas or questions. Email Lynne Whitfield lbwhitfield38@gmail.com

Fight case: A fight outside Sainsbury’s Local at Monmouth Street, Bath, has been reported by Geoffrey Bennett for Somerset Live. They reported that a Michael McGowan, 37, of Teviot Road in Keynsham, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in October last year at Bristol Crown Court.

The incident happened in the middle of the day and involved McGowan intervening in an assault by a woman on Christopher Barry

The fracas ended when McGowan pushed a broken bottle into Christopher Barry’s head leaving him with a bloody wound.

The court heard McGowan had many previous convictions for violence. He pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and was sentenced to seven years and four months, comprising of four years and four months’ custody and three years’ extended licence. Traffic news: Motorway traffic heading south through Bath across Cleveland Bridge could soon be sent through Wiltshire instead reports John Wimperis.

Currently, A-roads take traffic from the M4 heading towards the Dorset coast through Bath and across the Georgian bridge, which has an 18-tonne weight limit in place.

But the Department for Transport is carrying out a study into how to improve the connection between the motorway and the coast.

This could potentially see the route be moved off the A46 and A36 in Bath, with traffic instead sent through Wiltshire on the A350.

A spokesperson for the Department of Transport said; “The study is approaching completion and work considering all corridors continues to be taken forward.

“We expect the findings of the study to be available in Spring 2023.”

By John Wimperis, Local

Saltford

Frome

Democracy

Reporter.

The burning of a children’s playground in Bath has been slammed as “selfish and antisocial” by a local councillor.

The climbing frame in the playground between Widcome’s primary schools was set alight in the afternoon on Saturday January 25. The fire melted plastic parts of the play equipment and burnt through ropes.

Councillor Alison Born, who represents Widcombe and Lyncombe on Bath and North East Somerset Council, said: “It’s really unbelievable that anyone would be so selfish and antisocial as to deprive local children of the chance to play by deliberately setting a fire. This serious and senseless crime was witnessed by a local resident, so we hope that the perpetrators will be caught.

“Widcombe play park is adjacent to the Widcombe primary schools and is very well used by local children as well as those who attend the schools but live further afield.

“Unfortunately, the council has now had to cordon off the equipment damaged by this thoughtless act of arson.”

Ed Knolleys, who chairs Widcombe Schools PTA said: “This playground is a very important part of the local community, providing safe outside space for children to play and families to meet.

“It’s shocking to see the equipment destroyed like this and upsetting for the children. I hope it can be restored as soon as possible so everyone can get back to enjoying this valuable community space”

The climbing frame had only been in the park for about five years. Ms Born said that she would be looking at what the council could do to restore the equipment.

She said: “I have immediately contacted the Parks department about making the equipment safe and to ask what the Council can do to replace the climbing frame.

“There is only a small budget for play equipment, but I will also investigate all other potential funding avenues and continue talking to local families about what they would like to see on site.”

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: “At just before 4pm on Saturday 25 February, we were called by Avon Fire and Rescue Service