St Annes station

When I stood for election in January this year, better public transport for the people of St Anne’s and the wider Brislington area was a key theme of my campaign. I had a lot of ideas on how things could be improved and, once elected, I set about trying to achieve as much as I could in the short time available to me before the scheduled elections in May 2020. There is one piece of good news however. A part of my campaign was the promise to keep up the pressure on WECA, our West of England Combined Authority, to develop plans for the re-instatement of a railway station at St Anne’s Park. I am very pleased to announce that this week myself and our local MP for Bristol East, Kerry McCarthy, have submitted a first stage application to the government under their “Restoring Your Railway” programme to look at the feasibility of building a new station (the old one is long gone).

Sadly, a lot has happened since then, and very little of it good! The ferry service which I helped to organise between Netham Lock and the Centre has had to be cancelled indefinitely.

The re-organisation of the 513/514 bus service which I persuaded the Council to undertake has also been put on hold. The future of public transport is a big unknown right now. If we are successful, the government will provide a grant of 75% of the costs for a full feasibility study to be carried out.

This is only the first stage. We know that St Anne’s part of the long-term ambitions for WECA but we want to bring that forward and make it a priority. If we succeed in this phase, there will be a full application process to be completed by the end of June, so the timescales are really tight, but we will do everything we can to try to bring this about for the people of Brislington, who are desperate for improved transport links at this time.

By Tim Rippington, Local Councillor Candidate (Brislington East)

DON’T MOVE IMPROVE

Call In The Experts To Get Your Home Improvments Under Way Today !

Plastering Extensions Decorating Carpentry Kitchens & Bathroom Fittings Small Jobs Undertaken Too!

Tel: 01173 257790 or 01275 595790 Advertising Tel: 07500 017236

A L & I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I SERVICES

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I BUILDING

10b High St Shirehampton Bristol, BS11 0DP E: Ron@alsbuildingservices.co.uk W: www.alsconstructionservices.co.uk

Leading housebuilder partners with RSPB to give tips for wildlife watching in Bristol, Somerset & Gloucestershire as lockdown continues

Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes have teamed up with long-term partner the RSPB to offer tips to people across Bristol, Gloucestershire and Somerset on bringing wildlife closer to home as the lockdown is eased but set to continue.

With the majority of us remaining at home, combined with a dramatic reduction in road traffic, many people are discovering the amazing wildlife on our doorsteps, and how important our gardens, balconies and outdoor spaces are, particularly in urban areas.

The RSPB, the UK's largest conservation charity, has worked with Barratt and David Wilson Homes to offer residents a practical guide to creating wildlife friendly areas, not only in gardens, but in smaller outdoor spots too, such as doorsteps, windowsills and balconies.

The show homes at Ladden Garden Village, Yate, from Barratt and David Wilson Homes, have been given a Gold award by the RSPB for their wildlife-friendly gardens, along with Silver for Great Oldbury (David Wilson Homes), and Great Oldbury (Barratt Homes), Stonehouse and Bronze for Sunningend View, Gloucester. The Ladden Garden Village show home gardens include a hedgehog highway, bird boxes and baths, a bug hotel, lavender hedges for bees and butterflies and a raised pond with child-safe grid.

Bringing Your Garden to Life, which has been shared with Barratt and David Wilson Homes customers across Bristol, Gloucestershire and So merset this week, outlines simple tips including:

Provide food - much of which comes from plants. Select plants rich in pollen and nectar such as lavender, native honeysuckle, wallflower and summer jasmine and offer a variety of shrubs, climbers, flowers, grass and trees

Provide water - the single most wildlife rich home you can offer in anything from an upturned dustbin lid or old sink to a bird bath or full-sized wildlife pond

Provide shelter - in the form of plants and shrubs but also log piles and nesting boxes for birds, bats, bees and hedgehogs. All can be bought readymade but the Barratt RSPB Garden Guide includes lots of advice on making your own Create a wildflower meadow on a windowsill -flowers such as corn marigold, cornflower, corn cockle and poppy will provide food for beneficial insects as well as birds. They can be grown in tubs adding a splash of colour and a welcome wildlife rest-stop to even the smallest of spaces Plant up seasonal hanging baskets and pots - choose plants that are attractive to wildlife and try to include some native varieties. Include some plants that flower early and late and insects will visit in spring and autumn as well as summer. Experiment with marigolds, verbena, fuchsias, heathers, dead-nettles, ivy and nasturtiums.