The Bristol Six + Eight Magazine - February 2023

You may be concerned that increasingly, solicitors’ practices are becoming ‘law firms’ with a solicitor meeting the client, taking on a matter and then supervising paralegals and legal executives to carry out the work. Corfield Solicitors does not operate in this way; we simply offer three fully qualified solicitors, personally dealing with your matter from start to finish.

Deciding to leave his city centre firm, Jonathan Corfield established his own practice in Sneyd Park in 2009 where he and his wife have lived for many years and raised their family. Charles Corfield joined the practice later that year after graduating from Bristol University with a Masters in Law and both were later joined by Stuart Corfield when he also qualified as a solicitor.

Our fees are set in order to make a living rather than a fortune. No ‘extra costs’ are added for home visits. No additional ‘out of hours’ charges are made.

Lasting Powers of Attorney

One type of Both types of LPA LPA

Individual £400 £600 Couple £600 £900

Hourly Rate

For work carried out on a timed basis, our hourly rate for all three solicitors is £225. All prices exclusive of VAT.

£500 £750 £750 £1,125 £245.

Residential

Conveyancing &

Property

Issues

• Purchase & Sale

Freehold & Leasehold

Remortgage • Retirement property purchase • Probate property sale

Commercial Property • Purchase, Sale & Lease • Renewal, variation or surrender of leases • Rent Deposit Deeds & Rent Reviews • Licences to Assign

Local Authority planning agreements • Preparation of auction documentation • Options, conditional sales and pre-emption

Services for the

Elderly and Carers

• Home visiting • Nursing home & hospital visiting • Residential, Nursing care provision & funding issues • Retirement property purchase • Wills & Powers of Attorney

Wills Probate and Trusts

Joint & Single Wills

Codicils & updates

Provision of Executor services

Immediate assistance when a loved one has died

Probate & Administration

Trust administration assistance

Declaration of Trust

Powers of Attorney

Lasting Powers of Attorney

Registration of Enduring Powers of Attorney

General Powers of Attorney

Appointment of a Court of Protection deputy

Office: 2 The Avenue, Sneyd Park, Bristol, BS9 1PA Email: info@corfieldsolicitors.com

Or visit our website: www.corfieldsolicitors.com

Hello there and welcome to the latest issue of the magazine. Like a lot of people, I’m sure, I’ve been saying that the 2023 healthy eating and drinking starts once we’ve finished off all the festive goodies. For us, that should have been today, Friday 20th, as yesterday we saw off the last of a second Christmas pudding (ironically, won as a raffle prize) topped off with leftover cream from the tiramisu (see page 50). That virtue will be sorely tested now, as last night we won a post-Christmas hamper at an excellent charity quiz night (thank you Sara, Rufus and everyone at the Beehive) full of just the sort of things we should now be giving up. Wish me luck in my abstinence!

I hope you enjoy the magazine this month. There’s a new prize puzzle to get your teeth into, so the long-standing competition wordsearch is no longer. Of course for every person who says “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” there will be another person who will embrace “it’s time for a change” - put them together and you will simply prove, as Abraham Lincoln pointed out, that whatever you do “you can’t please all of the people all of the time”. Last month this was illustrated to me when my decision to bring Julian Lea Jones’ excellent long-running history notes to an end was not greeted warmly by all the fans of his articles - and I likewise suspect the retirement of the prize wordsearch, in the name of ringing a few changes, will not be universally popular with readers. Such are the dilemmas facing the Editor.

Clifton Suspension Bridge rarely looks anything other than lovely - and on the recent misty cold evenings it took on an almost ethereal look. Worthy of a front cover.

DEFIBRILLATOR LOCATIONS

The number of Automated External Defibrillators, or AED’s, in prominent, accessible 24/7 locations in our area continues to grow. Detailed below are the locations of the existing defibrillators accessible 24/7 that I am aware of in this area, together with the “what3words” locations for them.

• The Crafty Cow, 635 Gloucester Road, Horfield, BS7 0BJ clip.wiping.racks

• St Mary’s Church (Hulbert Rooms), Sneyd Park, BS9 1QJ zest.calm.insert

• 42 Westbury Lane, Coombe Dingle, BS9 2PP heat.shop.sofa

• Blaise Inn, 260 Henbury Road, Henbury BS10 7QR exists.sugars.buns

• Salvatore’s Barbers 19A Druid Hill, Stoke Bishop, BS9 1EW hulk.courier.bells

• The White Lion Passage Road, Westbury on Trym, BS9 3HN scale.miles.petty

• Methodist Church Hall, Westbury Hill, Westbury on Trym, BS9 3AA olive.belly.score

• Trinity United Reform Church, Waterford Road, Henleaze, BS9 4BT belts.edges.bucks

• Bristol Chiropractic, 2 Kellaway Avenue, Redland, BS6 7XR swept.salsa.reap

• The RAFA Club, 38 Eastfield, Westbury on Trym, BS9 4BE allow.quench.doll

• St Monica Court, Cote Lane, Westbury on Trym, BS9 3TL (part of St Monica complex). taking.clubs.tiger

• The Beehive Pub, Wellington Hill West, Henleaze, BS9 QY. cans.type.loving

• Avon Fire & Rescue (Southmead Fire Station), Southmead Road, Southmead, BS10 5DR. held.demand.deep

• Bristol Property Centre, 14 Chandos Road, Redland, BS6 6PE. wacky.relay.closes

• L’affinage Du Fromage, North View, Westbury Park, BS6 7PY. edgy.slap.invite

• Bristol Prison Site, 248 Gloucester Road, Horfield, BS7 8NZ moving.spoon.folds

• Westbury Park Primary School, Bayswater Avenue, Westbury Park, BS6 7NU bubble.trunk. waters

• Cafe on the Square, 136 Shirehampton Rd, Sea Mills, BS9 2DY. shaky.trail.motel

• Boyce’s Avenue, Clifton, BS8 4AA goad.chef.recall

• Redland Park United Reformed Church, Whiteladies Road, Redland, BS6 6SA stole.rust. prime

• Westbury Baptist Church Hall, Reedley Road, Westbury on Trym, BS9 3TE. demand.dose. aspect

• The George Inn, 4-6 High Street, Shirehampton, BS11 0DE. park.leaves.cotton

• Future Leap, 1-3 Gloucester Road, Bishopston, BS7 8AA. book.zebra.boat

• Charlton Road, Brentry, BS10 6JU. back.flats.hogs

• The Treble Chance, Greystoke Avenue, Southmead, BS10 6AG prove.liked.super

• The Downs Cafe, Stoke Road, Durdham Downs, BS9 1FG chemistry.costs.proof

Please, if you can, take a photo of this page on your phone and save it for emergency use, or cut the page out and keep for reference. The what3words location is given in red for each AED location.

What3Words is a location finding app available on iPhone and Android phones and tablets which allows you to name, pinpoint and share locations anywhere in the world by way of a unique 3 word identifier. It is increasingly being used by emergency services to help locate people and incidents, and using it will enable you to find the exact location of any of threse defibrillators in an emergency. Why not download the app to your phone now? Using what3words can save lives.

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Social Events for Seniors in 2023

Henleaze Senior Film Club

Monday 27 February at 2pm

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (PG) 2022

Enchanting tale of a British housekeeper who dreams of owning a Christian Dior dress. Starring Lesley Manville & Isabelle Huppert.

Monday 27 March at 2pm

Six Minutes to Midnight (12A) 2022

Based on the true story of a British finishing school for the daughters and goddaughters of the Nazi elite, in the late 1930s. Starring Judi Dench & Eddie Izzard.

Tickets: £4.00 including refreshments. Easy access, carers welcome. Details from 0117 435 0063. St. Peter’s Hall, The Drive, Henleaze BS9 4LD.

Welcome Wednesday

Friendly and free coffee afternoon on the last Wednesday of the month, 2-3.30pm at The Beehive Pub, Wellington Hill West, BS9 4QY. Meet new people, have fun, and find out what’s happening in your local area.

For more information please contact lisa.dicker@homeinstead.co.uk/ 0117 435 0063 or Amy: marketing@haroldstephens.co.uk

in partnership with

Nigel Harper

Album of the Month Turn The Car Around by Gaz Coombes

Scott Walker and David Bowie’s stronghold over their fellow recording artists remains as tight at the start of 2023 as it was last year. Having aided and abetted offerings from the likes of Jonathan Jeremiah and The Arctic Monkeys, now is the turn of Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes to mine from this particularly torch-lit well.

Put into practice, that influence lends Turn The Car Around a certain atmosphere; one of late-night self-examinations shrouded in cigarette smoke. Opening with the piano ballad Overnight Trains, the greatest song Suede (another band who worship at the alters of Walker and Bowie) forgot to write, that specific ambience envelopes the listener at every turn. The beat might be heavier on Don’t Say It’s Over, but a similar hallucinogenic fug hangs in the air.

Of course, this music comes from the same mind (and pen) as the music of his band and fans of the wonky power-pop made by peak Supergrass will find plenty to love here. Recent single Long Live The Strange, a celebration of the weird and wonderful, could easily sit on albums such as I Should Coco or In It For The Money. In fact, with such a quality back catalogue, it doesn’t do Coombes justice to frame this album in the context of other people’s music.

Taken as a whole, Turn The Car Around is concrete proof that Coombes is one of the finest songwriters ever produced by this country. If you need specific evidence, take Sonny The Strong, a song that builds with the introduction of each new element and adroitly tells the story of a forgotten boxer who, ‘had a fire raging inside.’ The composition, and album as a whole, is the work of a master still at the peak of their powers.

Next Step Autofiction by Suede

Though Britpop may have faded from fashion long ago, its offcuts still look pretty fancy in

the right hands. For instance, take the latest release from Suede.

Currently made up of Brett Anderson (vocals), Richard Oakes (guitars), Simon Gilbert (drums), Mat Osman (electric bass), Neil Codling (synthesizers/piano), Suede’s ninth studio album is return to the noisy and lithe form that made early songs such as Animal Nitrate and We Are The Pigs more than a match for anything that Oasis and Blur managed during the same period.

It’s that sense of urgency that makes Autofiction such an infectious listen. From opening anthem, She Still Leads Me, brimming with Oakes’ blistering guitar work and Anderson’s distinctive croon, this is the sound of a proper band making a proper noise. And it doesn’t let up either. Personality Disorder, That Boy On The Stage, Turn Off Your Brain And Yell… there’s a riot going on.

Being Suede, there’s also room for those poignant moments of beauty, here provided by the synth-driven ballad Driving Myself Home. Enjoyed as a whole, this is an album that can stand shoulder to shoulder with anything they put out in the 90s, and suggests that Suede have plenty of wear left in them.

Podcast of the Month The Rhino Podcast

There isn’t anything particularly groundbreaking about this podcast, it just delivers exactly what you would hope for from a record label that specialises in reissuing music. Interviews with the likes of Roddy Woomble (on Idlewild’s 2005 album Warnings/ Promises), David Crosby (on the 50th anniversary of If Only I Could Remember My Name) and Tony Visconti (discussing T.Rex’s Electric Warrior) brim with insight and make the most of the perspective formed by the passing of time.

Duncan Haskell

Geography

1. Name the five Great Lakes of North America.

2. Name the African countries from their capital cities - a) Abuja, b) Mogadishu, c) Windhoek.

3. Name the six countries that the River Rhine flows through.

4. By what name is Ayers Rock in Australia now officially known?

5. In which countries would you find these landmarks?

of length, starting with the shortest - a curling rink or “sheet”, a petanque pitch and a tennis court.

Slovakia

1. In what year did Czechoslovakia split to form Slovakia and the Czech Republic?

2. What three colours make up the Slovakian flag?

3. Name the capital city of Slovakia.

4. Slovakia is bordered by which five countries?

5. Name the main mountain range that covers much of northern Slovakia.

Car manufacturers - all with 5 letters

1. Which European manufacturer launched these in 1959 - and named them after the Latin for happiness?

Sport

1. Name the English Ryder Cup golfer who sadly died last month.

2. Which two rugby union club sides did Jonny Wilkinson play for in his career?

3. Name the last non-European Wimbledon Mens Singles Champion.

4. In which US state is the Indy 500 automobile race held?

5. Put these playing surfaces in order

2. Which USA manufacturer has its base in Austin, Texas?

3. Which UK manufacturer has won the Formula 1 Drivers Championship six times?

4. Which manufacturer, based in Nagoya, launched its first model, the LS, in 1989?

5. Which European country was the home of this 1953 PV445 Duett?

If a loved one has lost the capacity to make decisions before arranging Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs), you will need to apply to be a Deputy with the Court of Protection in order to assist them.

There are many difficulties in following this process which is not only costly but also time consuming and will sadly not always been granted:

• There is a lot of paperwork to complete:

• Two copies of application form

• An assessment of capacity form, usually completed by the individual’s GP or a witness statement

• Deputy’s declaration

• Information forms – for property and affairs and for personal welfare

• The application can take 3-6 months to finalise and until a Deputy order is made, their accounts are frozen. There could be further delays as medical evidence may be required. Some medical practitioners also charge for providing medical evidence.

• Once the court has appointed a Deputy, they will receive a Deputy order in which the exact powers are set out. These powers depend on the individual’s needs and can’t be exceeded. The powers may apply to any aspect of the individual’s life,

including their finances, personal welfare, medical treatment and social care interventions.

• As well as dealing with the individual’s day-to-day affairs the Deputy will have other ongoing responsibilities, for example, filling in an annual account and report accounting to the Court for all the financial transactions in the previous year.

• Initial and ongoing fees - £400 deputyship application (doubled if for both health & welfare and property & finance), potential £500 hearing fee, £320 ongoing deputyship supervision fee, £100 assessment fee if a new deputy.

The whole process can be both distressing and intrusive for the loved one’s family.

How do I avoid this?

The answer is simple – by making Lasting Powers of Attorney as soon as possible – it is never too early.

As award-winning vulnerable customer champions, we’re well-placed to help you make a plan to prepare for the future, whatever that may hold. If you would like to have a relaxed chat about your circumstances, or arrange LPAs, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

To book a complimentary meeting with Richard Higgs by calling 0117 3636 212 or email office@haroldstephens.co.uk.

Richard records regular video updates on a range of later life financial topics - search ‘Harold Stephens IFA’ on YouTube.

www.haroldstephens.co.uk

What happens if my family member doesn’t have Lasting Powers of Attorney in place?

Purple things

1. In a box of Quality Street what is inside the chocolate coating of a Big Purple One?

2. “When Doves Cry” was a hit record taken from which album, and by which artist(s)?

3. Name this “creature”.

blue morpho?

3. In the world of snacks, KP (the manufacturer of Hula Hoops) stands for Kirkby Partington - true or false?

4. Who has had UK number 1 albums in the 21st century with a) “Views” (2016), b) “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” (2019) and c) “Life for Rent” (2003) ?

5. What is the name of Boris and Carrie Johnson’s first child, born in 2020?

Who Am I?

Can you spot these well-known people?

4. In the natural world what is a Purple Emperor?

5. Only two countries have any purple in their national flag. Can you name the countries (clue - one is in the Caribbean, the other in Central America)?

History

1. King Richard III, found buried beneath a Leicester car park, reigned in which century?

2. The Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 was fought off the coast of which country?

3. The motto “deeds, not words” was used by which 20th century social and political movement?

4. Roy Hackett and Paul Stephenson led which 1963 campaign in Bristol?

5. When was Decimalisation Day, or D-Day, in the UK?

Pot Luck

1. Where in the human body would you find the patella?

2. Which of these is not a seabird - a black skimmer, a brown noddy or a

and finally

If you were able to drive in a dead straight line from Bristol to Beijing in China which of these countries would you not pass through - Kazakhstan, Romania or Nepal?

In this article, I complete my journey of the exploration of secondary schooling in 2022. In previous issues, I explored the ‘typical’ secondary school day, alongside current safeguarding and behaviour management systems and options for today’s pupils. Here, I take a wider look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this generation of pupils and explore how the holistic development of students is a significant aspect of secondary school education today.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools and colleges were shut to most pupils. This resulted in many students experiencing an unprecedented loss of learning – a third of their learning time according to recent studies. Supporting pupils with the impact of this has been a huge undertaking for schools, with many pupils suffering from significant academic short fallings in addition to mental health issues as a result of being out of a school setting for an extended period of time. According to The Children’s Society, 52% of young people have experienced a deterioration in mental health in the last five years, with one in six children likely to have a mental health condition today.

generations. Most secondary schools will have Special Educational Needs (SEN) departments as well as pastoral teams and behaviour departments to support pupils who require extra support. As a parent, I feel hugely grateful that my daughter has this support available to her should she need it.

During the periods of COVID-induced home schooling, some schools were able to maintain normal teaching hours using live teaching, whereas some significantly cut their teaching hours down, assigning time for ‘independent study’. Exam content and organisation were adjusted over the past few years to reflect this disrupted education. For 2023 examinations, GCSE, AS, and A level exams in England will largely return to pre-pandemic arrangements. As many of us know, pupils and teachers have had to work extremely hard to fill the gaps in learning – and social/oracy skills – that arose during this time in an effort to put current pupils on an equal footing with students of previous

Extra-curricular clubs – the value and appreciation of which has significantly grown since the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdowns – are offered at most schools. These can include photography, positive mental health, homework, debating, sports, book groups and chess, for example. Such clubs facilitate mixing with new people (so important after those COVID year-group bubbles), and enable pupils to build up their confidence and discover new interests. Other opportunities to learn away from the classroom are also an important feature of a secondary ‘holistic’ education and all help to enrich a student’s education and future employment prospects. They also support the development of many important life skills, such as problem solving and leadership experience. Current enrichment opportunities available at many schools include the Duke of Edinburgh award, STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) projects, Model United Nations activities, working in partnership with universities, or volunteering roles. The Bristol Education Partnership, a collaborative arrangement involving six state secondary schools and seven independent schools alongside many of the city’s colleges and two universities, was set up in 2019 with the aim of sharing best practice, overcoming disadvantage and opening up new opportunities for pupils. I had no idea that such projects were taking place in Bristol and they just go to show the range of fantastic opportunities available to many pupils in secondary schools today.

School dramatic and musical performances are still a big deal and year 11 and year 13 school proms have become a huge, expensive deal (wish me luck with two daughters!). School trips (some compulsory, some optional) – put to a halt during COVID but slowly reappearing on the radar again – seem much more exotic than I remember: trips to Russia, Barcelona, Iceland, World War battlefields, the Tate Modern and annual skiing trips sound far more appealing than

THE CHANGING FACE OF EDUCATION - GEORGIE MOUNTJOY

my day trip to see the regeneration of (a rainy) Cardiff Bay! Such planned trips are all part of the design to support pupils with the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that they can draw upon to be successful in society, their career and the world of work – ‘cultural capital’as Ofsted refers to it. They might also go some way towards helping many pupils overcome how ‘cheated’ they felt at missing out on significant ‘rites of passage’ during COVID lockdowns, such as proms and school camps. However, whilst COVID is no longer obstructing school trips, the current economic climate has resulted in many more families applying for financial support through school enabling funds than in previous years to help pupils to participate.

The focus on developing the social and cultural awareness of pupils – another part of their ‘holistic development’ – is reflected in many of the displays and resources that many secondary schools have around their buildings, which support and celebrate diversity and inclusion. Safeguarding teams might be chosen to represent diversity to make it easier for pupils to approach an individual if the need arose. Topics and textbooks are often selected to represent a school’s unique community. Recent displays in local schools have included identifying all of the different languages spoken (over 40 in my daughter’s school), welcoming Ukrainian refugees, encouraging a positive growth mindset (building on the ‘purple learning’ concept from primary school days where pupils are encouraged to understand themselves as learners and thinkers), celebrating ‘STEMinist’ heroines, observing World Autism Awareness Day and Black History Month, and celebrating the achievements of those ‘just like us’ – recognising role models who are dyslexic, LGBT+, or have ADHD, for example. This generation of teens seems far more understanding and accepting of how people are alike and how they are different and many have daily reminders in

their school environments of how important it is to be respectful of this. How reassuring, supportive and welcoming that must feel for someone experiencing questions about their sexuality or gender, or for someone who has just arrived from another country from difficult circumstances and started in a new school.

So I promised you more on school lunches when I first started this series of articles. I previously shared how most secondary schools today have a cashless system, with parents setting up an online account that children can access. Parents are able to use such a system to view what their child has eaten and can put any blocks on their account if necessary. Nowadays, the main difference with school lunches seems to be that there are many more healthy options available, more options catering for specific diets and more options representing world foods. Allergies have to be taken into account and catered for.

A less healthy diet is catered for too, with slush puppies, bacon rolls, pastries, pizza, fried potato wedges (aka chips under a pseudonym) all on offer. These seem to be the most popular choices – my daughter tells me the grapes go untouched when offered next to a cinnamon roll! However, vending machines and ice cream vans - around in my day – have now disappeared off the scene. Maybe such menus are a happy medium after the reactive culling of many food types following Jamie Oliver’s rebellion over the standards of school dinners in 2005, much to the average teen’s despair! Maybe it’s about students being given a chance to develop their self-discipline and responsibility over food choices they make (or parents limiting their options or money!). Coffee shops, serving Starbucks coffee, have set up in some secondary schools in the country so this might be the next large-scale, upmarket development of the secondary school cafeteria.

So what have I learnt about secondary school education in 2022? School communication is (mostly) efficient and effective through online apps but, as a parent, prepare to hear very little about the actual school day – unlike the daily photos, updates and messages from primary school online apps. This is almost made up for through WhatsApp parent groups – a slightly overwhelming phenomenon where everything is asked, shared, repeated and discussed again! Luckily these can be muted. Key focuses, as ever, continue to evolve, with DIRT (time spent improving work), flipped learning and cultural capital for future success representing the current ‘buzz’ words. Digital tools and technology are deeply embedded and are used to assist school management in every way – supporting teaching and learning in the classroom, distant learning, pupils with special educational needs, safeguarding and communication. It’s digital all the way – even with clocks! Pastoral care, positive behaviour management, the safeguarding of pupils, and school environments and resources that represent a whole school community are all top priorities. Teachers are highly accountable and responsible for many areas of a pupil’s development. Pupils have their views and opinions taken seriously and schools aim to reflect the 2022 culture of embracing diversity, supporting inclusion and showing respect to earn respect. Every child really does matter.

Post-COVID recovery is well underway, with schools having to support pupils with the aftereffects of this extremely difficult time. The impact of it hit most adults very hard so for the average adolescent, who would usually spend their days in school developing important social skills and their own ‘tribe’ of friends, it had even greater negative repercussions. As time goes on, hopefully the detrimental effects of this worldwide pandemic will start to dissipate and become a distant memory. Schools are there to support pupils for whom this might take a little longer or for those who require additional help.

The daily mile – such a positive aspect of primary school life – takes place in some secondary schools but sadly not all. PE is a compulsory subject but the obligatory two hours a week of exercise doesn’t seem quite enough to encourage a fit and healthy generation of teenagers.

This, however, is often supplemented by extracurricular sports clubs and events, which many pupils choose to attend. These are often run by the teachers themselves. Other extracurricular clubs, enrichment programmes, work experience and school trips all help to support the holistic development of students and contribute to their cultural development. This is a hugely important aspect of secondary schools alongside pupils’ academic progress. It’s all about enabling pupils to reach their absolute potential on a level playing field with their peers.

There is a huge variety of subjects and qualifications that can now be studied and pupils of today have to make decisions about the direction they want to take – academic or vocational; exam based or coursework based; technological or arts based; school, college or industry based – at a younger age than in years before, with significant financial implications to consider. Grades have been replaced by numbers and the number of stars next to ‘As’ keeps on growing to represent the very top scores. The elements in the periodic table don’t have to be learnt off by heart anymore using the periodic table song (google it!) but it does still help to know them…so no excuses! Pupils are still sticking chewing gum under their desks (unless it’s still there from the 1980s?), assemblies are still taking place - albeit without hymns for most schools - and year 9 is still the year that boys grow at an alarming rate and girls fall out with each other spectacularly!

In next month’s magazine, I will be examining what school – and all that it encompasses – was like in previous decades for a cross section of local folk based on their own personal accounts. Please do email me via Andy if you have a particular memory of school that you would like to share!

Executors – Choosing Correctly Is More

Important than You Might Think

Leila Goodarzi

When drafting your Will, choosing your executors is a key decision and one which is not always given sufficient thought. The ultimate remedy for choosing the wrong executor can mean a costly court application for their removal, so choosing wisely is important.

What Does an Executor Do?

Executors are responsible for administering your estate after you die. This involves:

• identifying and gathering in all the assets

• paying off any outstanding debts such as credit cards and mortgages

• reporting to HMRC and calculating any inheritance tax, as well as any capital gains and income taxes if applicable

• obtaining the Grant of Probate

• advertising for any creditors

• producing detailed estate accounts and making distributions according to your Will

These tasks can quickly become onerous, time-consuming and complicated - particularly if other issues arise, such as a claim being brought against the estate.

Beware Wearing Two Hats

Executors also have to be careful not to fall into the trap of unwittingly or otherwise promoting their own interests if they are also beneficiaries under the Will. Take this common example:

The son of the deceased is the executor and entitled under the Will to a half share of his parent’s house. He wants to purchase the

house. His brother, who is not an executor, inherits the other half under the Will. The executor brother needs to ensure that he purchases his brother’s half at the highest price that he could otherwise sell it for on the open market. If he does not, or deliberately tries to purchase at an undervalue, he is breaching his duties as executor and could ultimately be removed and held personally liable for the financial losses to the estate.

Traps like these are easy for innocent executors to fall into sometimes without realising. But the role of executor can also offer opportunities for executors with less integrity to potentially exploit. It is therefore vital to choose the right person(s) who have the required expertise and judgement.

How Should You Choose?

People often think that choosing friends or family members will be less expensive than a professional. Lay executors do not charge for their time but many will instruct solicitors to administer the estate on their behalf anyway, which often results in similar levels of costs to appointing a professional in the first place.

If you particularly want a certain friend or family member to be executor but also want the expertise of a professional, it does not have to be a binary choice and in some cases it can be advantageous to choose a combination of both. In deciding, some key factors to consider are:

• Bereavement – Lay executors are often mourning the loss of a relative or

friend at the same time as managing administrative executor’s duties. By choosing a professional, this emotional complication is removed.

• Technicalities – Professionals are well equipped to deal with complicated trusts and tax-related matters. The more complex an estate, the more the chance that a lay executor may find themselves instructing experienced advisors in any event.

• Disputes - If there is a prospect of a dispute arising on your death between family members then a professional

executor will be equipped to deal with this, whereas a lay executor may be a party to the dispute themselves and struggle to stay neutral or to deal with the added complexities of resolving a family dispute.

For further information, please contact Leila Goodarzi in VWV’s Private Client team on 0117 925 2020 or at lgoodarzi@vwv.co.uk

Join Our Executor Workshop

The session will run as an interactive workshop, which will cover executor duties and responsibilities.

Contact our Events team on 0117 992 9730 or at events@vwvplus.co.uk to register your place.

In Nick Hornby’s enthralling novel, Just Like You, Lucy meets Joseph in her local butcher’s. Lucy is an English teacher, a separated mother of two and he is . . . entirely different. Joseph can babysit her sons though and he’s a football coach and a hotshot FIFA player - they love him. But is there any future for Lucy and Joseph? Do they have any interests in common? Shakespeare? Forget it. And what about other attractions like the mature divorced novelist, or the girl Joseph meets at a party? This is an engaging, well-observed, thought-provoking novel with Brexit, racism and brilliant dialogue chucked in.

A practitioner of bizarre comedy, and of chums’ fishing with Paul Whitehouse, Bob Mortimer had no showbiz ambitions until he saw Vic Reeves on stage at a London pub. That was the start of it he tells us in his quirky, charming and highly entertaining autobiography, And Away . . . He’s been a TV star for decades now but back then he was just a shy solicitor. His early years are no less fascinating than his showbiz life and he binds everything together with a bald description of his treatment for and recovery from a heart condition in this funny and surprisingly poignant memoir.

Dating from 1932 and still available, Georges Simenon’s excellent mystery, The Madman of Bergerac, has Maigret jumping from a train in pursuit of a suspicious- looking passenger, whereupon someone shoots him. What’s going on? Of course, the detective inspector eventually finds out, despite being confined to a hotel bed to recover from his wound. People are summoned to his bedside for questioning and Madame Maigret, when not nursing her husband, is sent on investigative forays. As well as a long list of potential villains there are murders too, including strangely, someone who’s been dead for years. This is a terrific, page-turning read from the master.

If you like Stanley Tucci on television as he travels around Italy, introducing us to the food he loves, you’ll certainly enjoy Taste, his memoir/recipe book, which he subtitles ‘My Life Through Food’. The son of New York Italian parents, his packed lunches for school may leave you drooling, while his mother’s menu for Christmas Eve (seven types of fish) is simply staggering. The ‘Life’ side of his tale, involving family and film-making, is fascinating, amusing and occasionally tragic, but always full of the joy of life. Tips? Don’t expect good food on Italian film shoots and on British ones, go for the sausage baps.

In Heatwave, Victor Jestin’s riveting novella, it’s the hottest summer in years and Leonard, an awkward adolescent, a loner, is camping by the sea with his family. He fries in the sun and skulks at the edges of parties. One night though, he watches and does nothing as Oscar strangles himself with the rope of a playground swing. Without knowing why, Leonard buries Oscar in the sand. The next day the memory torments him. He has fights; a girl named Luce distracts him; and the heat is so oppressive it becomes another character in this disturbing story, part Catcher in the Rye, part Camus’ Outsider.

Avon Needs Trees is a Bristol-based charity that buys land in the Bristol-Avon river catchment area to create permanent woodlands. The charity began by creating woodland in Wiltshire and will soon begin planting at two exciting new sites, one in the Chew Valley, just south of Bristol and the other near Shepton Mallet. Over the coming two months, volunteers will help to plant thousands of native trees provided by the Woodland Trust.

Get out on the land!

Dave Wood, Director of Avon Needs Trees, who lives in the Chew Valley, explained: “We are very excited to embark on these two new projects, and one of them is by far our most ambitious project to date. This means that we need to mobilise hundreds of new volunteers in the region. With their help we will create woodlands that will stand for generations to come. So we are spreading the word and hope that people will sign up and become part of our growing community!”

People can find out more and register as volunteers at Avon Needs Trees’ website www.avonneedstrees.org.uk/volunteering.

Planting days happen during the week as well as Saturdays and Sundays so there are opportunities to suit everyone.

Avon Needs Trees volunteer Celia Stevens told us: “I love being an ANT volunteer. You get to be outside with a bunch of interesting people and learn so much. Knowing the trees you plant will make a real difference to the climate, improve biodiversity and offer wild places for future generations is a great feeling. I would really recommend it.”

Why plant woodlands in our region?

England is one of

the least densely forested countries in Europe with only 10% woodland¹ cover compared with an average of 38% in the European Union². The West Country has even less woodland at only 8%. Creating woodlands is a practical response to the climate and wildlife emergencies. The trees lock up carbon from the atmosphere and the woodland habitats provide a place for local wildlife to thrive. As the new trees grow, their leaves and canopies help slow the rate that rainfall runs off the land into rivers and this provides natural flood management.

New woodlands are planted with a variety of mainly broadleaf native trees for example, hornbeam, oak, willow, and alder. Some areas are left to regenerate naturally, allowing selfseeded saplings to flourish. Avon Needs Trees works with local communities to make sure the woodlands give something back, for example by planting a community orchard.

Avon Needs Trees ensure long-term care of their woodlands, including a year-round maintenance programme led by volunteers and overseen by the charity. People of all ages can enjoy the woodlands at wellbeing days, family days and forest school sessions. There are opportunities for groups to visit, colleagues to take part in a team ‘away day’ and local people to come along with their friends or family.

Find out more about Avon Needs Trees

Stay up to date by signing up for their newsletter at www.avonneedstrees.org.uk/ newsletter.

It’s also easy to register as a volunteer tree planter and get out planting this winter www.avonneedstrees.org.uk/volunteering. For group bookings and enquiries contact volunteer@avonnneedstrees.org.uk.

Sources

¹Woodland natural capital accounts - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

²Forest cover: international comparisonsForest Research

Photo credit

Canopy and Stars www.canopyandstars.co.uk

Local charity calls on people to join a growing community of tree planters

Delivering ‘Outstanding’, Reliable Care

“I cannot speak highly enough of the care my husband received from all of the Premier carers. From our initial meeting to discuss what we needed, to every single one of the care staff - I cannot fault them. I have used other care providers in the past, but Premier stand head and shoulders above the rest with their professionalism and calibre of carers. I would not hesitate to recommend them and indeed have already done so! ”

Janet S, April 2021

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DISHES - No. 13 - ITALY

After a visit to the Horn of Africa last month, and some (hopefully) tasty Somali samosas, this month the international cookery bandwagon comes a little closer to home with a visit to bella Italia. Last year we visited Italy properly for the first time and fell in love with Florence. And Pisa. And the people, and the language, and the food and, well, everything. We also discovered an enjoyable new game to play - a sweet twist on the “judge an Indian restaurant by the quality of their onion bhajis” test - “judge an Italian restaurant by the quality of their Tiramisu”. As games go it takes a bit of beating, and involved much sampling - but the results weren’t always obvious. We’d been directed towards a shop called Tiramisu King, which sold numerous different flavoured creamy, spongy desserts - but which only scored a semi-solid 7/10. As is often the case, the best fare in cities is found in the backstreets - which wasn’t difficult in Florence as most of the streets there are of the back variety. Suffice to say that we didn’t come home disappointed, and as a relatively recent convertee to tiramisu it is now well up there in my pudding top five.

If you’ve not tasted it, or not tried to make it, why not have a go? It is dead easy (as long as you have an electric whisk or don’t mind a cream-based RSI) and is easy to tailor to your likes in the flavour department. Most of the “traditional” recipes suggest using, amongst other ingredients, raw eggs and marsala - a fortified sweet wine which I’m not a fan of. This recipe does away with the eggs, and brings in

Baileys as an alcoholic substitution - but you could just as easily use Gran Marnier, Tia Maria, Amaretto, Irn Bru ... well, maybe not Irn Bru but you get the idea. It isn’t a healthy pudding - but what good pud is? A little goes a long way - as it is very rich. Give it a try - friends and family will love you for ever.

Ingredients - for 6 sensible portions

• 250g marscapone

• 400ml double / extra thick cream

• 5 level tbsp caster sugar

• 300ml black coffee (made with 2 heaped tbsp coffee granules dissolved in 300ml hot water)

• 75ml Baileys cream liqueur

• 200g sponge fingers

• 2 tsp cocoa powder

• 50g dark chocolate, finely grated

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl add the marscapone, cream, caster sugar and Baileys. Whisk them all together until very well blended and good and thick. The mixture should not readily fall off the spoon!

2. Make up your black coffee in a shallow bowl / dish, making sure the granules have all dissolved. Have a second glass dish alongside - this will be the one you make your pud in. I used one that was about 20cm x 15cm x 10cm.

3. One at a time, drop a sponge finger into

Italy Fact File

Location: Southern Europe - land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Vatican City and San Marino, and sea coasts on the Mediterranean (south and west) and the Adriatic (east and north east)

Capital: Rome

Population: almost 59 million

Official Language: Italian Comparative size: including the islands of Sardinia and Sicily, by area Italy is 25% larger than the UK.

Currency: the Euro Interesting? Italy has more World Heritage Sites than any other country

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DISHES - No. 13 - ITALY

the coffee, leave it for a couple of seconds to absorb some coffee juice then remove it (clean fingers or tongs!) and place it into your glass dish. Repeat this process until you have used up half the sponge fingers (and by default half the coffee) and created a bottom layer of sponge.

4. Now take your Baileys cream mixture and spoon half of it onto the bottom sponge layer and spread out with a spatula to get an even covering.

5. Carefully sprinkle about 2/3 of the grated chocolate over the first cream layer.

6. Now repeat the process, adding a second layer of coffee-soaked sponge fingers and then the remainder of the Baileys cream mixture. Smooth the surface.

7. Unless you are eating the tiramisu straight away (tempting, but content yourself with licking the bowl maybe) it is best to cover it loosely with foil and pop it into the fridge to chill for a few hours. If you are super organised and are making it the day before it will be even better chilled overnight as it

will aid the coffee absorbtion characteristics of your dessert.

8. Just before service dust the surface with cocoa powder and sprinkle with the remaining grated chocolate.

9. Eat - and enjoy the compliments.

“Serving suggestion” - I made a couple of extras in little individual dishes, but forgot the cocoa powder.

hello@howard-homes.co.uk 203 Whiteladies Road

www.howard-homes.co.uk

Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2XT

Market Comment

What will it take to make things happen in the property market this New Year? Because wishing is no longer enough!

This time last year Russia hadn’t set foot on Ukrainian soil, the chickens were still to come home to roost for Boris Johnson, we had hardly heard of Liz Truss and were barely out from Covid restrictions: nor had interest rates reached a 14-year high or the nurses, train drivers, postal workers, etc., embarked on strike action. Also, the property market was only showing tentative signs of cooling.

It is difficult to imagine now how the property sector could not have been greatly affected by all that has happened at home and abroad during 2023.

Yet despite all the political and economic turmoil, the property market is still active. If anything, the market has reached a more normal level of activity. It’s just that most activity is down to the doers and not the wait-and-seers.

There are two ways to sell property. The first is to let it happen. That has been fine over the past few years when all many had to do was to open the door to lots of openhouse viewers and then bask in the flood of cash offers that ensued.

The second way to sell a house is to make it happen. Now that the market has turned in favour of buyers, sellers can’t sit back; they have to take the initiative. So, to location, location, location as a strong buying feature we must add price, price, price and condition, condition, condition.

Just as the recent seasonal festivities wouldn’t happen without people taking control and putting up decorations and cooking meals, a property won’t sell without some effort from sellers to prepare it for the market. If that means setting a competitive asking price and keeping a welcoming exterior and neat and spotless interior, then so be it.

At Howard we are doers by nature, training and experience. But we can’t do it alone, we need a clients’ support and agreement. This teamwork is essential to get things done. Our advice - to make things happen in the property market in 2023, don’t be a wisher be a doer!

We wish all our clients and friends a very positive, healthy, and happy New Year.

hello@howard-homes.co.uk

www.howard-homes.co.uk

203 Whiteladies Road

Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2XT

CLIFTON - FOR SALE

OIEO £575,000

A delightful two double bedroom mews house situated in the heart of Clifton Village. South facing open terrace to the front of the property. Shower room, utility room and en-suite to main bedroom. Situated on a private road with residents’ agreement for parking.

CLIFTON - FOR SALE

GUIDE PRICE 693,000

A charming 4 bedroom house in the heart of Cliftonwood. Delightful rear garden with lawn and decking area. Living Room and separate Kitchen/Dining Room. Front courtyard and Parking space. Two Bathrooms, Cloakroom and Home Office area. Excellent central location. No onward chain.

REDLAND - SOLD GUIDE PRICE

£1,250,000

A detached 4 bedroom family home with adjoining 1 double bedroom annex. Set well back, with driveway and mature front garden. Excellent location for Cotham Park and Redland schools and Redland Railway Station through to Bristol Temple Meads. Similar properties required.

REDLAND - FOR SALE

GUIDE PRICE £325,000

Attractive first floor flat situated in the RPZ area of Redland. 592sq ft (55sq.m). Plenty of light from windows on three elevations. Two double bedrooms and bathroom, living/dining room and separate kitchen. Plenty of cafes, restaurants and shops within the area. No onward chain.

GARDENING TIPS FROM HILARY BARBER

Happy February gardening everyone! Here are your top tips for this month

1. This is your last chance to plant bare root raspberries this month. Remember to prune the canes of summer-fruiting types to 10in after planting, and autumn-fruiting varieties down to ground level. Currant bushes and gooseberries (usually container grown) can be planted up until late spring.

2. Seed potatoes are available now. Chit them (allow shoots to form) by placing them in a light, cool, frost-free place (usually in an egg box or similar so they stand upright

3. Vegetable seed beds can be prepared this month so you can start sowing as soon as the soil warms up. I shall also be preparing new beds and borders and digging in lots of organic matter to improve the soil

4. Prune wisteria (cut back the whippy growth to 2 buds, to encourage a good display of flowers) and any winter flowering shrubs which have finished flowering eg winter flowering honeysuckle (Lonicera purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’), Viburnum bodnantense, Cornus mas, Chimonanthes praecox

5. Also prune clematis tangutica and take the leaves off epimediums to expose the beautiful flowers coming through

6. Towards the end of the month, divide snowdrops and plant any bulbs in the green eg snowdrops, bluebells, winter flowering aconite (Eranthis hyemalis)

7. Put up bird nesting boxes this month - it’s the last chance before tits start looking for a suitable residence.

8. Make sure that you have cleaned and sterilised all your bird boxes and bird feeders for the new nesting season

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-andwildlife/advice/how-you-can-helpbirds/nestboxes/nestboxes-for-smallbirds/cleaning-nestboxes/

9. Prune hardy evergreen hedges and renovate overgrown deciduous hedges.

10. This is the last month to plant bare root trees and shrubs, as long as the ground isn’t frozen

11. Cut back deciduous grasses such as Miscanthus and Pennisetum, which have provided structural interest throughout the winter. Also remove dead grass from evergreen grasses.

12. Trim winter flowering heathers with shears as the flowers fade, preventing the plants from becoming leggy and bare.

Hilary Barber hilary.barber@blueyonder.co.uk www.facebook.com/HilaryBarberGardens www.instagram.com/hilarybarbergardens

Garden development, Therapeutic gardening and tutoring

Consumer Rights - The modern law.

Here is a summary of your remedies under The Consumer Rights Act 2015 which became law on 01 October 2015 and was introduced to simplify, strengthen and modernise the law, giving you clearer shopping rights.

Under the Consumer Rights Act all products must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. The rules also include digital content in this definition. So all products - whether physical or digital - must meet the following standards:

• Satisfactory quality: Goods shouldn’t be faulty or damaged when you receive them. You should ask what a reasonable person would consider satisfactory for the goods in question. For example, bargain-bucket products won’t be held to as high standards as luxury goods.

• Fit for purpose: The goods should be fit for the purpose they are supplied for, as well as any specific purpose you made known to the retailer before you agreed to buy the goods.

• As described: The goods supplied must match any description given to you, or any models or samples shown to you at the time of purchase.

If what you’ve bought doesn’t satisfy any one of the three criteria outlined above you have a claim against the retailer. What you can claim depends on how much time has passed since you made the purchase.

You have a legal right to reject goods that are of unsatisfactory quality, unfit for purpose or not as described, and get a full refund.This right is limited to 30 days from the date you buy your product. After 30 days, you will not be legally entitled to a full refund if your item develops a

fault, although some sellers may offer you an extended refund period.

If you are outside the 30-day right to reject, you have to give the retailer one opportunity to repair or replace any goods or digital content which are of unsatisfactory quality, unfit for purpose or not as described. You can state your preference, but the retailer can normally choose whichever would be cheapest or easier for it to do.

If the attempt at a repair or replacement is unsuccessful, you can then claim a refund or a price reduction if you wish to keep the product. You’re entitled to a full or partial refund instead of a repair or replacement if any of the following are true:

• the cost of the repair or replacement is disproportionate to the value of the goods or digital content

• a repair or replacement is impossible

• a repair or replacement would cause you significant inconvenience

• the repair would take an unreasonably long amount of time.

If a repair or replacement is not possible, or the attempt at repair fails, or the first replacement also turns out to be defective, you have a further right to receive a refund of up to 100% of the price you paid, or to reject the goods for a full refund. If you don’t want a refund and still want your product repaired or replaced, you have the right to request that the retailer makes further attempts at a repair or replacement.

If you discover the fault within the first six months after buying the product, it is presumed to have been there since the time of purchase - unless the retailer can prove otherwise. During this time, it’s up to the retailer to prove that the fault wasn’t there when you bought it - it’s not up to you to prove that it was.

Email: enquiries@lyonslaw.co.uk Website: www.lyonslaw.co.uk Telephone: 0117 950 6506

If a fault develops after the first six months, the burden is on you to prove that the product was faulty at the time of delivery. In practice, this may require some form of expert report, opinion or evidence of similar problems across the product range.

If you cannot achieve a satisfactory remedy with the retailer you could go to court but would be wise to take legal advice before you do so.

Edward Lyons

It’s Good To Talk

As we become more tech-reliant, we are doing more than ever with our phones, tablets and home speakers. In turn, technology is responding to make it quicker and easier for us to interact with our voices, rather than typing/tapping.

Every major provider has a “digital assistant” you can talk to - Apple devices have Siri, Android devices have Google Assistant, Microsoft has Cortana, and Amazon has the ubiquitous Alexa. Speak to them and they talk back to you, undertaking tasks, dictating, reminding, providing up to the minute information and more. You can ask them pretty well anything - from the weather forecast to last night’s football results, and they’re straight back with the answer. But they’re more than a novelty these days, they can prove seriously useful.

Personally, I find Siri most useful for getting it to perform phone/tablet tasks - especially if I’m doing something like driving and want to keep my eyes on the road and my hands

on the wheel. Siri will send text and email messages for you - you just tell it who to send to and speak the content of the message and it will call anyone in your contact list on request - a boon for many of my clients who are poor-sighted and struggle to type into a phone easily. It will give you directions to anywhere on the planet with full SatNav provided by Apple or Google maps. You can put appointments and events into your calendar and, (I rely on this one rather a lot!), ask it to remind you to do things.

And I’m starting to find Alexa seriously useful in the kitchen. Particularly her Shopping List. It’s usually when you’re in the kitchen you run low/out of food/ingredients. During the week, as I use something up I just tell Alexa to add it to the shopping list. At the weekend when I go to the shop, I open the Alexa app on my phone and there is my list. I no longer have to wander round for an hour trying to (fruitlessly) remember all the things I ran out of in the week - worth it for that alone!

Russell Isaac can be contacted on 0774 775 3764 or via www.ITHomeHelp.biz

... and just for fun, here’s a fruit and vegetable themed wordsearch for you. Twenty fruits and vegetables listed, only nineteen are in the grid - which one has been left out? Words can be written forwards, backwards, up, down or on a diagonal. Answer on page 61.

We have been extremely busy at the practice. There are many reasons for this. During covid a lot of people got pets. It is now believed that there are 2 million more pets in the UK than before covid. However there are 800 fewer vets!

Digging into these figures, we find some worrying data. Half of the vets leaving the profession in 2021 were under 35 years. This means they have only worked as a vet for a few years. I think there are a multitude of explanations for this. Over the last 20 years there has been an increase of corporate buy outs, this means the older vets are retiring earlier. The middle generation of vets may have become disillusioned by not being able to become a partner of a practice, and decided to work as a Locum. Higher pay, less responsibility. The graduates are coming into a profession with less support, and a higher work load. This leads to early burnout and disillusioned vets. The proportion of women in the profession has also increased, and there is no way around

the fact that many want to have children and work part time.

I have always worked in first opinion practice and love it! Every day is different, you don’t know what you will be faced with. This uncertainty can easily become stressful, especially when mixed with urgency. I am not so sure if the veterinary qualification prepares the students for this stress, nor teach the students how to build resilience in themselves. I have had final year students who have no idea about how many clients we see per day - sometimes it can be as many as 30.

I think you have to like people as much as animals to thrive in practice, and that can sometimes be a challenge. I love my job 80% of the time, and I don’t think that is bad after nearly 30 years.

Maria Lowe MRCVS Viking Vets

We are a small practice with an experienced and compassionate team of vets and nurses.

Our aim is to tailor make every regime for your pet to ensure the best treatment for both them and you.

We would be delighted to meet you and your pet and welcome the opportunity to show you around our practice.

If you are involved in any local events that are of a charitable / “not-for-profit” nature, including social groups, support networks, fundraisers, school events, concerts, talks, clubs etc, and would like some free publicity do please get in touch. Listings of up to 60 words per month will be published free of charge. From now on if your event / club / choir etc is “for-profit”, rather than charitable in nature, then the total cost of a monthly 75-word listing will be £50 + VAT for six-months or £75 + VAT for 12 months. You may change your listing without further charge at any time. To be included, or for more details, please get in touch - andy@bcmagazines.co.uk, 0117 259 1964 / 07845 986650 or write to 8 Sandyleaze, WoT, BS9 3PY, and I will be more than happy to help. If you have a dated event that is in the first half of the month you are strongly advised to get it listed in the previous month’s magazine as no guarantee can be given that the magazine will be delivered by the date of your event.

• Aikido for Kids: Westbury Aikido Club offers lessons for children, on Sunday mornings during term-time, at the Scout Hall (Northcote), Great Brockeridge BS9 3TY. See www.westburyaikido. club for more detail, or email reenee@ westburyaikido.club. The first lesson is free, so come along and give it a try!

• The Arts Society Bristol Would you like to join us for arts related lectures given by specialists in their own field? New members are welcome. The lecture on 14 February is on Maritime Art, and on 14 March is on Arts and Crafts in Cotswold Churches. Lectures are held at 8pm at Redmaids’ High School, Westburyon-Trym, BS9 3AW. See our website www.theartssociety-bristol.org.uk

• Interested in sharing the joy of reading? Our 20 year old Book Club welcomes new members. Would you like to join us? We meet at Amelia Lodge and members homes at 2pm last Friday of the month. If interested please contact Judith Barker jabarker14@gmail.com

• Bristol A Cappella is an award-winning mixed barbershop chorus who love to sing close harmony a cappella. Rehearsals are every Tuesday at 7:30pm at Victoria Methodist Church on Whiteladies Road. Email membership@ bristolacappella.co.uk to come along! For more info, visit our website at www.bristolacappella.co.uk/visit

• Bristol All Voices Allowed Choir are looking for new singers, men and women, beginners and more experienced singers, to join us. Rehearsals on Tuesdays, 6.30 – 8.00pm at Holy Trinity Church, Hotwells. Contact Chris on 07866 456 776.

• Bristol Bridge Club (BBC) has been running free online supervised sessions with some teaching all through the pandemic on Zoom, and will continue to do so every Saturday morning from 10am to 12 noon. To take part, go to the bridge club website www.bristolbridgeclub. co.uk and follow the link “Learn and Play”.

• Bristol Bridge Club weekly “Friendly Thursdays” for members and their guests. Join us for a relaxed pairs handicapped bridge session. Food is served from 6.30pm … followed by bridge around 7.15pm. The winning pair will receive a bottle of wine each. Just turn up on the night!

• Bristol Bridge Club are planning to run another beginners course starting February 27, 2023. It will be on Wednesday evening at 7pm. The cost will be £70 for ten lessons (£90 for ten lessons including a book BFA Beginning Bridge) or £8 a lesson. For further details, please email teaching@bristolbridgeclub.co.uk

• Bristol Brunel Probus Club. Retired? At a loose end? Looking for some friendship and entertainment? You’d be welcomed at our Bristol Brunel Probus Club. We meet every 2nd Tuesday of the month at BAWA [Filton] for lunch & a presentation / talk. Contact our Secretary D Waters on 0117-914-5465 for more details.

• Bristol’s Flower Club meets on Thursday afternoons in Henleaze at the Bradbury Hall, 117 Waterford Road, BS9 4BT. Annual membership is great value at £52 with inspiring floral demonstrations, optional creative hands-on practice classes and special ‘flowery’ events and social trips plus 10% discount off plants at Brackenwood Nursery. Check

us out on the second Thursday of the month for a Floral Demonstration with doors opening 1.30 for a 2pm start, and the fourth Thursday for an optional hands-on practice session with doors opening 1.15 for a 1.30pm start (every month except Dec and Aug when we take a break). Visitors are very welcome, and entry is £8. Contact Jenny York, Chair HDFC Email yorkjenny2@ yahoo.com or text/call 07880 700270

• Bristol Community Gamelan play the music of Java every Monday at Cotham School from 6.30-8.30. We play by numbers – only 1-6, without the 4 ! So no audtions, no need to read music. If you fancy a different musical experience, contact us via email on keithripley27@gmail.com

• Bristol French Circle / Cercle français de Bristol. Our session at 8pm on Thursday 9th February is always very special –it’s our Café Concert, where members present a poem, a text, a song, or anything else that inspires them, to the rest of the group, while everyone enjoys coffee and cake. We will follow this with a hybrid Zoom talk by one of our most enthusiastic and engaging speakers, Emilie Capulet, who will present Proust et la musique on Thursday 23 February at 8pm. I will give a petit cours at 7pm at BAWA, and we will watch Emilie’s talk on the big screen, while others watch from home. Please have a look at our website (www.cfbristol.org.uk) for the programme and updates, and do get in touch with Charlotte Taylor, the President, if you are interested in coming along - charlottejanetaylor10@ gmail.com / 07976 922636.

• The next meeting of the Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society will take place on Monday 27 February 2023 at the Apostle Room, Clifton Cathedral BS8 3BX at 7.45pm (refreshments available from 7.15). Professor Richard Coates will speak on “National and Local Surnames”. Offstreet parking available; no 9 bus runs close by. For further information contact johnregstevens@outlook.com

• Bristol Harmony West Gallery Choir & Band sing and play lively church and village music from the 18th century. We meet at St Edyth’s Church Hall in

Sea Mills on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month. No auditions but ability to read music is helpful. Ring Fritjof on 0117 924 3440 for more information, or see www.bristolharmony. wordpress.com. Please contact before attending so we can have music ready.

• Bristol Languages Tutor: French, Spanish & English Tuition. Qualified teacher with 12+ years tutoring experience. Lessons at home or online. Children, students, adults. Complete beginners, after-school clubs, conversation, practice and exam preparation (GCSE, A Level, Common Entrance etc.). Email: BristolLanguagesTutor@ gmail.com or Tel. 07825 600 402

• Bristol Male Voice Choir invite new and returning singers to join us at our weekly rehearsals, every Thursday from 7pm -9pm at St Andrew’s Methodist Church, Elm Park, Filton, Bristol BS34 7PS. We are a sociable and friendly group, singing a wide range of musical styles in our repertoire, and we look forward to seeing you - you don’t have to be a reader of music. Ffi see our website www.bristolmvc. org.uk or us on 07587 143 220.

• Bristol Morris Men practice on Thursday evenings from 8:15pm - 9:45pm in the Sports Hall at Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital (QEH), Berkely Place, Clifton BS8 1JX. New members are very welcome, whether you have any experience of dancing or none. Call Grant on (0117) 9442165.

• Bristol Phoenix Choir If you love singing we would love to hear from you! We are a friendly choir and we enjoy rehearsing and performing great choral works as well as shorter more intimate pieces. If you would like to sing with us please contact Jackie our membership secretary jackie.blackwell410@gmail.com

• Bristol Scrabble Club meets every Wednesday at 7.00 pm at Filton Community Centre, Elm Park, Filton BS34 7PS. New members welcome - first visit free so come and give it a try. For further information contact Sheila on 01179570792, 07435316458 or shinett@blueyonder.co.uk

• Bristol Shambhala Meditation Group

Probate Applications and Delays

Sophie Bridgen of AMD Solicitors discusses the latest news about delays and probate applications.

Often when a loved one passes away, a Grant of Probate is needed to deal with their assets. A Grant of Probate is a legal document, which provides Executors appointed under a Will the authority to deal with a person’s estate, collect in assets and distribute them as guided by the Will. Once an Executor has collected in details of assets and labilities, the next step is to apply for the Grant of Probate. This includes the preparation of Inheritance Tax forms (if tax is payable), which need to be sent to HMRC, and a Probate application to the Probate Registry who will then issue a Grant of Probate.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the average time for a Grant of Probate to be issued was two to three weeks. However over the past few years the Probate Registry has been reorganised, and been impacted by the pandemic by way of staff shortages and increased numbers of applications, which has resulted in a backlog of Probate applications. Timescales for the issuing of a Grant of Probate have increased substantially.

The minimum quoted time is 8 weeks but in certain cases a period of months has not been unusual, especially if the deceased died without a will.

Where Inheritance Tax needs to be paid, the Probate Registry demand that the Probate application is submitted to them 20 working days after the submission of Inheritance Tax forms to HMRC, which means the overall timescale is further extended. It is not possible for an application to be submitted sooner.

If any inheritance tax is due this generally needs to be paid prior to the probate application being submitted (it is not always the full bill that needs to be paid upfront but generally a substantial part is due before probate).

We understand that HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) have been taking and continue to take steps to reduce delays and get back to their preCovid workload by taking on more staff and making improvements to the online system.

Our Probate team understand that dealing with the affairs of a loved one after death can be incredibly overwhelming and stressful, particularly where delays occur. We will do our very best to help and guide you through the process as efficiently as possible

Our team are based in our Henleaze and Shirehampton branches. If you would like to get in touch, please telephone our Henleaze Road office on 0117 9621205 or email info@amdsolicitors.com.

www.amdsolicitors.com

offers meditation on Thursday evenings at the Friends’ Meeting House in Hampton Road from 7.15pm until 8.45pm and a qualified Meditation Instructor is available to talk you through the practice if this is required. In addition to meditation practice there is usually a reading, a discussion and a mindfulness of body exercise. Further information at bristol.shambhala.info

• Brunel Sinfonia Spring Concertcome and join the Brunel Sinfonia on Saturday 18th March at 7:30pm at Redland Hall, Redmaids’ High School. We’ll be performing Holst’s The Planets, joined by Bristol Cathedral Choir School. The choir will also perform Music of Stillness by Elaine Hagenberg. Other programme items include Night Ride and Sunrise by Sibelius, and The Space Between Stars by Ella Macens, Tickets available on the door, or in advance from https:// www.brunelsinfonia.org.uk/purchaseticket £15 adults, £12 concessions, £6 NUS and £3 U18s. There’s also a £6 First-timer ticket option if it’s your first time at a Brunel Sinfonia concert.

• Bristol Stitchers - Exploring fabric and stitch. A programme of monthly activities including talks and “Meet and Stitch” sessions, All taking place in Horfield BS7 8ST. Visit bristolstitchers. wordpress.com for more details.

• Bristol WNO Friends warmly invite you to The Apostle Room, Clifton Cathedral (Worcester Road entrance). Visitors always most welcome. Wednesday 15th February 2023 “From Travail to Triumph – Wagner’s first three operas”. Using many intriguing musical examples, David Martin illustrates three little known works while recounting the amazingly adventurous early life of Richard Wagner. 6.45 for 7.15 pm Refreshments available Easy parking. WNO Friends £8, Visitors £10. Further information from Melanie David tel: 01934 842014 email: melaniejdavid@btinternet.com

• City Voices Bristol rehearse on Monday nights at Red Maids High School, from 7.15-9.15pm. We are keen to welcome new members who would like to join a friendly and sociable group of people who love to sing! Our repertoire extends

from rock and pop to choral and musicals. If you would like more information, look at our website www.cityvoicesbristol.org or pop along on a Monday night to the Performing Arts Centre at Redmaids.

• Drawing for well-being: an opportunity to step back from the madness of life and engage with nature through drawing. All materials and coffee provided! No experience necessary. Come and find quiet, beauty and space at Trymwood Studios, Mondays and Fridays 11am - 12.30pm during termtime, registration essential. For more information please email Hannah and Lucy - info@trymwoodstudios.co.uk

• Filtones Choir is looking for new members to swell its ranks. Come and join us free for four weeks – no obligation – all voice ranges are welcome as we sing four- part harmony. You will not be subjected to an audition and, although it can be useful to read music, this is not an obstacle as we provide other audio aids for learning. We meet at St Teresa’s Community Rooms at the rear of the Church, 71 Gloucester Road North BS34 7PL from 1.45 to 3.45 p.m. every Wednesday. Just come along, or for more information please ring Dot on 0117 9690654 or 07870 984760 or Janet on 0117 9241534, or check out our website on www.thefiltones.weebly.com

• Fledglings at Trymwood Studios. Weekly nature-based workshops for 0-4 years and their carers. Singing, drama, engaging poetry and stories, and creative art-making - all with a changing nature theme. We meet in our Westbury-on-Trym studio and get outside into our wonderful gardens and meadow as much as possible. Your first taster session is free! Contact Hannah and Lucy at info@trymwoodstudios. co.uk or go to www.trymwoodstudios. co.uk

• Friends of the Downs & Avon Gorge (FOD+AG)www.friendsofthedowns.org

• Friends of Old Sneed Park Nature Reserve. Our next working party will be held on February 18th, 10am to 12 noon. Please bring your own tea/ coffee. Chocolate biscuits will always be provided. For more information, please email fospnr@gmail.com and our web

site is, oldsneedparknaturereserve.org

• Happy Days Memory Café - Tony on 0117 968 1002.

• Healing For Wellbeing. Feel more relaxed, peaceful, calmer. Drop-In sessions at Redland Meeting House, 126 Hampton Road. Thursdays 3.004.15 pm from 8th September. Donation basis. COVID safety: please wear a face mask if possible and do not attend if you have symptoms or have tested positive for COVID. Contact: Selina 0117 9466434 or selinanewton@yahoo.co.uk.

• Henleaze Bowling Club aims to provide a welcoming and social environment for members of all ages and experience to enjoy a game of bowls whether in competitive or friendly matches, and new members are very welcome. Free coaching is available. Contact details and other information can be found on www.henleazebowlingclub.org.uk

• Henleaze Choral Society (formerly BCCS (Bristol Cathedral Choir School) Choral Society) meets at the Henleaze Bowling Club in Grange Court Road, on Wednesdays from 7.30 to 9pm. We are a small, friendly, unauditioned choir singing varied music, from choral works to more modern pieces and we would welcome new members of all standards. For more information, please contact Kathy telephone 0117 9493628 or email www.bccschoralsociety.org.uk

• Henleaze Choral Society is giving a concert with orchestra and soloists on Saturday 18th March, at 7.30pm, at Trinity Henleaze URC, Waterford Rd, Henleaze. Programme includes Vivaldi- Gloria, Handel- The King Shall rejoice, DysonSongs of Praise, etc . Tickets £15 from choir members, at the door, by phone : Kathy 078553711/ Nigel 07817804037. Email henleazechoralsoc@gmail.com

• The Henleaze Concert Society ‘Under English Skies’ concert is on March 11th at 7:30 pm at the Trinity-Henleaze Unified Reformed Church, Waterford Road, Henleaze, Bristol BS9 4BT (doors open at 6.15, pre-concert talk at 6.45). We will hear some of the best loved music for strings: Vaughan Williams’ richly scored variations on the folk song Dives and

Lazarus, Elgar’s rapturous Introduction and Allegro, Finzi’s poignant and elegiac Romance, and Holst’s St Paul’s Suite inspired by traditional ballads and dances. Tickets at the door or visit henleazeconcertsociety.org.uk (annual membership £12; member’s ticket £15.00; non-member £18:00; under 25’s £5).

• Henleaze Lawn Tennis Club is a friendly and welcoming club for all ages and standards. We offer social and competitive play and a comprehensive coaching programme for all ages and levels. To find out more visit our website: www.henleazeltc.com or call Heather on 07891 520 456.

• Henleaze Senior Film Club. Monday 27th February at 2pm - presents “Mrs Harris Goes to Paris” (PG - 2022). Enchanting story of a British housekeeper who falls madly in love with a Christian Dior dress and decides she must have one of her own. Starring Lesley Manville. Tickets: £4.00 including refreshments. Carers welcome, easy access. For more information, please call 0117 435 0063.St. Peter’s Hall, The Drive, Henleaze BS9 4LD

• Keep fit with dance moves – at Horfield Methodist Church, BS7 8SN, Tuesday mornings, from 10:15 – 11:15 am & St Peter’s Church, Filton, BS34 7BQ, Tuesday afternoons, 2 – 3 pm. Improve your mobility, strength, coordination and general wellbeing whilst having fun and making new friends. Suitable for all ages. Try first session free. For further information contact Eileen Scott, on 07969929733, or email, scottyartois@hotmail.com

• Knit & Crochet Café - 07561 523 919brisknitcro@gmail.com

• Life Drawing/Painting/Portraits. Small informal group meets weekly, Thursday or Friday (TBC) mornings from midSeptember at St Peter’s Henleaze. Please contact Stella (9628717) or Liz (01454 418573) for details if you would be interested in joining us.

• The Little Black Box (Community) Choir seeks “shower singers!” Towel off, join us and set your voice free! Free first session. All voices welcome, no audition, no experience necessary. We sing everything from Kate Bush to

Rammstein via musical theatre, pop and even shanties. Mondays 7.15pm - 9.00pm (term time). Term starts Monday 19th September at Friends Meeting House, 126 Hampton Road, Redland, BS6 6JE.

• Menopause Matters - Tricia Worthington, 07962 892 060, tricia_worthington@msn.com

• Monday Afternoon Band and Wednesday Evening Band. Would you like to join a band playing on Monday afternoons or on Wednesday evenings? Both bands are in Redland, and we just play for fun, no sight reading, no concerts.We play a mixture of pop and swing. The bands would suit anyone who used to play an instrument and has taken it up again recently, or has been playing for a couple of years or more. Not suitable for complete beginners. For more information contact mondayafternoonband@gmail.com or wednesdayeveningband@gmail.com

• The Mosaic Singers - as our name suggests, we sing a broad and colourful range of lighter and popular songs. Some ability to read music is required. A warm welcome is assured at our Tuesday evening rehearsals in Stoke Bishop. Please phone David Vicary on 07973 460 994.

• Nordic4 - technique based Nordic walking teaching and fitness to individual needs. Beginner Tasters, Beginner Courses, small weekly Walking Fitness Groups differentiated for pace and terrain. Specialist sessions: Nordic4 Joints, Seasonal walks and 1:1 Support To Sport. www.nordic4. com. Booking online or by phone. Call Katie on 07970741320 or email katie. atkins@nordic4.com to find out more.

• North West Bristol Camera Club. Newcomers welcome for your enthusiasm, your expertise, or both. Come along to Sommerville, Westbury Fields, BS10 6TW, on a Tuesday evening. Full details of the Club at www.nwbcc.org. uk , or email Neville at nevwgoodman@ mac.com for information.

• The Out There Music Bristol Community Choir rehearses every Tuesday during term time from 8pm-9.45pm at Alma

Church, Clifton, BS8 2ES. There is no audition and we have an eclectic repertoire with a very warm welcome assured. For more details about the choir please visit www.outtheremusicbristol. co.uk - or you are welcome to come along to a rehearsal for a free taster session before deciding whether to join.

• The Out There Music Bristol Chamber Choir is a small auditioned choir singing a range of classical, popular, jazz and spiritual music which rehearses every Tuesday during term time from 6pm7.30pm at Alma Church, Clifton, BS8 2ES. Rehearsals will often include learning about the physiology of the voice and the technique required to apply this to the music. For more details about the choir please visit www.outtheremusicbristol.co.uk - or you are welcome to come along to a rehearsal for a free taster session before deciding whether to audition

.

• Pilates with Helen. Move better, get stronger, increase flexibility. The Bank Fitness, 73 Henleaze Road. All abilities: Mondays and Wednesdays 9.30-10.20am, Parent and baby: Wednesday 10.30-11.20am. Free taster session, join at any time. 07863346001 / HelenLangmead@hotmail.co.uk

Pilates classes at the Northcote Scout Hall; Mondays 9:30am (Improvers), 10:30am (Mixed ability - Beginners welcome); Tuesdays 9:30am (Improvers), 10:30am (Beginners). £8.50 per class booked as a course, or £12 single sessions. Classes are kept small, so must be booked in advance. Full details at www.mindbodypilates. org. Contact Leanne on 07817189474 / leanne@mindbodypilates.org

• Retired & Senior Volunteer Programme (RSVP-West) Schools Programme. If you love reading and books and the company of children, we would love to hear from you! Many children in Bristol schools benefit hugely by having individual time with our vetted and trained volunteers. A limited but regular commitment of time can provide you with pleasure and satisfaction as you see your support helping children to develop confidence and skill and a personal enjoyment of reading. (We are a completely

Heal the past. Be in the now. Embrace the future.

volunteer-led organisation and we do not charge any schools for our help.) If you want to know more please contact us - either by E mail at schools@rsvpwest.org.uk or telephone 0117 922 4392

• Royal Air Forces Association Veterans lunch is held at the RAFA Club, 38 Eastfield, Westbury On Trym, BS9 4BE on the 2nd Wednesday of every month, from 12 noon for 1pm till 3pm.Two course meal for just £6. Please contact 0117 947 0775 and leave a message let us know who wishes to attend. This lunch is for all service veterans, their wives, widows or dependants, not just ex-RAF.

• Rotary Club of Bristol meets Mondays 7.00pm for 7.30pm alternately at Bristol Hotel, Prince Street BS1 4QF and on Zoom. Further details: www. rotarybristol.org and / or contact Martina at mpeattie@btopenworld.com

• Enjoy Scottish Country Dancing at St. Monica’s Oatley Hall, Cote Lane, BS9 3UN on Thursday 7.30 - 10.00 p.m. £6.00 per session. New dancers welcome, come on your own or with a friend for fun, fitness and friendship. For information contact: Ros on 01225 319991 or Ruth on 0117 968 3057 or www.rscdsbristol.info

• Severnside Sub-Aqua Club is an active Bristol-based community SCUBA diving and snorkelling club. We offer training, experience and skills development with the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) from complete beginner to instructor level and welcome divers with existing qualifications from any agencies (including PADI). We met every Monday evening at the Cambria Yard, Avon Crescent, Bristol BS1 6XQ with weekly heated pool sessions at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School at Somerset Square, Redcliffe, Bristol BS1 6RT. See www.severnsidesac. com or email info@severnsidesac. com for details. One-off ‘try diving’ experience sessions also available for non-members including individuals and youth groups, Scouts and Guides, etc

• Singing to Remember - a singing group for people living with dementia is looking for new members to come along to their sessions in Henleaze.We meet every first, third and fifth Thursday

of the month at Trinity-Henleaze United Reformed Church on Waterford Road and offer people living with dementia and their carers a space where they can meet new people in a friendly, fun and social environment. Anyone wanting to find out more or to book a place ring Monica on 0117 9426095.

• Are you a calligrapher who would like to take it up again? The St Edyth’s Scribes are a long established group of self-led hobby calligraphers who meet every Friday at St Edyth’s Church Hall, Sea Mills, from 10am to noon and we are looking for a few more members. If you are interested please drop in and meet us, or for more information call Peter 0117 329 4516.

• Stoke Bishop Local History Group meets in Stoke Bishop Village Hall, 42 Stoke Hill, BS9 1EX. Talks start at 7:30. Our next talk is on 24th March when Michael Whitefield will be talking about “The Dispensaries - health care for the poor in Briatol 100 years ago.” All welcome. Annual membership now due £6. Visitors £3. Visitors welcome. For more details email sblocalhistory@gmail. com or call Jenny on 0117 968 6010.

• Taking a Tai Chi class works like gardening to help your body, mind and energy grow and flourish. The slow, gentle, standing movements of Tai Chi always bring a sense of peace and calm to your day. For friendly local classes with an experienced teacher contact: www.taichiworksbristol. co.uk or 07704478521.

• Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi. Recommended by Age UK Bristol. Easy exercise for better health and wellbeing. A slow movement sequence, sitting optional, designed to be accessible for anyone who likes or needs gentle exercise. Relaxing and meditative, beneficial for balance and flexibility. Classes in Redland/Westbury Park Wednesday and Thursday mornings 11.00 - 12.00. Cost £5. For more information or to book, please contact Selina Newton on 0117 9466434 or email: selinanewton@yahoo.co.uk.

• The Compassionate Friends Local Volunteer Peer Support for Bereaved Parents has a base in BS9 and arranges

local walks, one to one support over the phone and in person, and a facilitated small, friendly support group, all for parents bereaved of a child/children of any age from 1 month up. We meet on the second Monday of the month at Redland Library. Please contact Amanda at amamtcf@gmail.com for more details.

• Wednesday Keep Fit 10am - 11am St Peter’s Church Hall Henleaze £7, improve your health fitness and well being with this supple strength work out for everyone to enjoy! Contact Louisa on 0772 509 1429.

• Wednesday Chair Aerobics 11.15am12.15pm St Peter’s Church Hall Henleaze £7, work on your strength, stability and balance with this seated and standing exercise class. Contact Louisa on 0772 509 1429

• Welcome Wednesday - Friendly and free coffee afternoon on the last Wednesday of the month, 2-3.30pm at The Beehive Pub, Wellington Hill West, BS9 4QY. Meet new people, have fun, and find out what’s happening in your local area. Call 0117 435 0063 for more information.

• Westbury on Trym/Stoke Bishop/ Clifton Discussion Group are a merry band of retired people who meet at Westbury on Trym Baptist Church every Monday morning (0945) and like to challenge ourselves with topical debate on what’s happening in the world - near and far. We exist out of pure interest and conversation but mainly to help keep our older minds working a little bit faster and hopefully healthier. If you would like to join us and solve many of todays challenging issues whilst enjoying good company, tea and chocolate biscuits - please contact James Ball 01454 415165 or Ian Viney 0117 9501628. We would love to hear from you.

• Westbury Aikido Club - visit www. westburyaikido.club, or email reenee@westburyaikido.club

• Westbury Folk / Country Dancing - come along to have some fun folk dancing on Tuesdays 1:30 - 3:30 pm at Westbury College in College Road. All dances are called and refreshments are available. FFI contact Christine on 07775 628524

or codonnell100@btinternet.com

• Westbury Harriers. We are a friendly, inclusive running club based in Westbury-on-Trym (Bristol, BS9) that caters for all ages and abilities. Academy (8 – 11 years), Juniors (11+ years) and Adults / Masters. Say hello and join us on a training run to discover more. We look forward to welcoming you to Westbury Harriers! For more info, www.westburyharrriers.co.uk, or e-mail secretary@westburyharriers.co.uk

• Westbury Park Quilters Exhibition on Saturday 18 February 10am-4pm at St Peter’s Church Hall, The Drive, Henleaze BS9 4LD. Special guest, international quilter Jan Hassard. Admission £4, children free, disabled access. Drop in to see the quilts. Itching to stitch? Join in with demos, look for bargains from our sales table and tombola. Raffle for the WPQ-made ‘Rainbow’ quilt. ‘Popup’ café. westburyparkquilters.co.uk

• Westbury Park Women’s Institute meets on the first Tuesday of every month in the Girl Guide Hut on Westmoreland Road from 7.00pm to 9.30pm. We are an active and friendly group with a varied programme and extra sessions for craft, coffee, book clubs etc. Visitors are always welcome and for more information do call Sue on 07813 795 936 or email us on westburyparkwi@gmail.com

• Westbury Scottish Country Dance Club - Cheryl on 0117 401 2416, www.westburyscottish.org.uk

• West of England Bridge Club meet at the RAFA Club, 38 Eastfield, Henleaze. Thursday afternoon is for Improvers, and Monday afternoon is for more capable players - this is an EBUrecognised session. You may come alone to any afternoon session; a partner will be found. The three evening sessions are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and are open to pairs. For more information, go to our website at www.woebridgeclub.co.uk or contact our Secretary, Chris Frew, on 0117 962 5281.

Geography

1. Huron, Superior, Michigan, Erie, Ontario; 2a) Nigeria, b) Somalia, c) Namibia; 3. Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, Netherlands; 4. Uluru; 5. Venezuela (Angel Falls), USA (Devils Tower), France (Chateau de Chambord).

Sport

1. Barry Lane; 2. Newcastle Falcons and Toulon; 3. Lleyton Hewitt (2002); 4. Indiana; 5. petanque pitch (13 feet), tennis court (78 feet) curling sheet (150 feet) .

Slovakia

1. 1993; 2. red, blue and white; 3. Bratislava; 4. Poland (N), Ukraine (E), Hungary (S), Austria (SW) and Czech Republic (NW); 5. the Carpathians.

Car manufacturers

1. Skoda; 2. Tesla; 3. Lotus; 4. Lexus; 5. Volvo.

Purple Things

1. Hazelnut and caramel; 2. “Purple Rain” by Prince and the Revolution; 3. the Teletubby Tinky-Winky; 4. a butterfly; 5. Dominica and Nicaragua.

History

1. Fifteenth century; 2. Spain; 3. the Suffragettes (the Women’s Social and Political Union); 4. the Bristol Bus Boycott against the Bristol Omnibus Company for refusing to employ Black or Asian bus crews; 5. 15th February 1971.

Pot Luck

1. the knee; 2. a blue morpho - it is a butterfly; 3. false - it stands for Kenyon Produce; 4.a) Drake, b) Billie Eilish, c) Dido; 5. Wilfred.

Who Am I?

(clockwise from top left) - Penelope Keith, Arthur Scargill, Suzi Quatro and Pete Waterman.

and finally you would not pass through Nepal

Wordsearch - from page 44 The missing vegetable is the courgette.

Disclaimer

The Bristol Six + Eight is published by Bristol Community Magazines Ltd (Co. No. 08448649, registered at 8 Sandyleaze, Westbury on Trym, Bristol, BS9 3PY). The views expressed by contributors or advertisers in The Bristol Six + Eight are not necessarily those held by Bristol Community Magazines Ltd. The inclusion of any business or organisation in this magazine does not imply a recommendation of it, its aims or its methods. Bristol Community Magazines Ltd cannot be held responsible for information disclosed by advertisers, all of which are accepted in good faith, or for the performance of any advertiser in the carrying out of their business. Reasonable efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this magazine but no liability can be accepted for any loss or inconvenience caused as a result of inclusion, error or omission. All content is the copyright of Bristol Community Magazines Ltd and may not be reproduced without prior written consent from Bristol Community Magazines.

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