Fishponds Voice August 2022

fishpondsvoice August, 2022 — ISSUE 89

FREE EVERY MONTH IN THE GREATER FISHPONDS AREA

Best in show

Fishponds enjoys summer of fun A child tries on police kit at a Roma celebration at May Park school, one of a host of community events across the area this summer.

PAGE 15

Australian collie Jake, pictured with owners Michelle Foxall and Finley Saunders, won the Best in Show prize at the Barton Hill RFC Community Day in Speedwell.

More pictures: Page 11

Vassall Centre plans go in

Bus services face 'cliff edge' THE boss of bus operator First has apologised for the "unacceptable" level of cancellations across the network.

But passengers are being warned that services, already cut back earlier in the year, will face further cuts in the autumn when the withdrawal of government funding pushes them over a "cliff edge".

The 48 and 49 services from Fishponds to the

city centre, Downend and Staple Hill are among those to be hit by cancellations.

First West of England managing director Doug Claringbold told a council meeting: “The level of service that First has been delivering has not been acceptable because of the level of cancellations, largely driven by a shortage of trained bus drivers."

Turn to page 3

Plans for the first phase of redevelopment of the Vassall Centre have been submitted to Bristol City Council.

PAGE 8

Warning as pets are targeted A cat owner who has seen two pets shot and a third poisoned is appealing for help to find the culprits.

PAGE 17

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EDITORIAL Ken McCormick 07715 770377 news@fishpondsvoice.co.uk

August, 2022

n NEWS

ADVERTISING Shaun Edwards Tel 07540 383 870 sales@fishpondsvoice.co.uk

Linda Tanner news@fishpondsvoice.co.uk PUBLISHER Brookfield Publishing Tel 07540 383 870 sales@fishpondsvoice.co.uk Facebook fishpondsvoice

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LOCAL INFORMATION Bristol City Council

http://www.bristol.gov.uk 0117 922 2000

Police

www.avonandsomersetpolice.uk general enquiries: 101 Emergency: 999

NHS 111

Safer Stronger team sscg@southglos.gov.uk 01454 868009

Anti social behaviour team

asbreporting@southglos.gov.uk 01454 868582 Streetcare/litter/vandalism etc streetcare@southglos.gov.uk

Environment/trading standards

Fire

www.avonfire.gov.uk General enquiries: 0117 926 2061 Emergency: 999

01454 868001

Well Aware

Health and social care information www.wellaware.org.uk Tel: (freephone) 0808 808 5252

COMPLAINTS

Despite our best efforts, we sometimes get things wrong. We always try to resolve issues informally at first but we also have a formal complaints procedure. If you have a complaint about anything in the Kingswood Voice, contact the publisher using the details below. We aspire to follow the Code of Conduct of the NUJ (National Union of Journalists), which holds journalists to a high standard of behaviour. Further details of the complaints process can be obtained by contacting the Publisher.

A member of the

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Fishponds Voice is independent. We cannot take responsibility for content or accuracy of adverts, and it is advertisers’ responsibility to conform to all relevant legislation. We cannot vouch for any services offered. Opinions are not necessarily those of the editor. Fishponds Voice is distributed each month to local residents in Fishponds and the surrounding areas. If for some reason you do not get a copy, please get in touch or collect one from local pick-up points. Feedback is welcomed, call Brookfield Publishing on 07540 383870 or email news@fishpondsvoice. co.uk. This month 8,000 copies will be distributed in Fishponds and the local area.

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Bristol's Clean Air Zone date announced BRISTOL'S mayor has confirmed the date when drivers of older, more polluting vehicles will be charged to drive into the city centre.

The city's Clean Air Zone will start operating on November 28.

From that date, drivers of cars, vans and taxis with petrol engines made before 2006 and diesel engines made before 2016 will have to pay £9 a day to enter an area including Broadmead, Cabot Circus, the Centre, Temple Quay and Spike Island.

Larger vehicles, such as lorries and buses, which do not meet Euro 6 diesel engine standards will be charged £100 a day.

The charges will be in force 24 hours a day, every day, to drive in an area from Old Market, Bond Street and Temple Way to Hotwell Road and Brunel Way, and from Marlborough Road to Coronation Road.

The zone was originally due to come into force in October last year, but has faced repeated delays and will now start four weeks before Christmas.

Mayor Marvin Rees described the zone as "one of the most farreaching" in the UK. He said: “This is a major milestone on our journey to clean air.

"Poor air quality has a major impact on the health of everyone in the city and the Clean Air Zone will help us tackle this issue and meet government targets for cleaner air in 2023.

"Most drivers on Bristol roads won’t need to pay the daily charge but if you do then you may be eligible for financial support to upgrade your vehicle."

Drivers can check if their vehicles will be charged online at gov.uk/ clean-air-zones.

The council says two thirds of vehicles currently on the road will not need to pay the charge.

It has allocated £42 million of funding to support residents on low incomes living in the zone and businesses operating in it, with an interest-free loan or grant to replace vehicles that do not meet the zone’s emission standards.

People who are granted financial support and are waiting for a replacement vehicle will have an exemption from charges until next July.

More than 3,800 applications for support have been received, with people eligible for help being contacted from August.

The council is also encouraging people to switch to greener forms of transport with "sustainable travel" initiatives, including free bus tickets and e-bike trials.

For more information on these and the CAZ, visit bristol.gov.uk/ streets-travel/bristol-caz or call 0117 922 2000.

The announcement comes as government figures show carbon dioxide emissions from Bristol traffic fell by 20% in Bristol because of the lockdown, from 556,100 tonnes in 2019 to 443,400 in 2020.

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August, 2022

3

n NEWS

'Big choices' ahead on bus services' future From page 1 Mr Norris issued a statement on July 18 in which he said the 5, which runs from Downend through Oldbury Court, along Channons Hill, Blackberry Hill and through Stapleton to Eastville and St Werburgh's on its way to the city centre, was one of four services First was planning to cut as part of a 'network review' now under way.

Those services also include the Y5, which links Fishponds to Pucklechurch and Yate.

First said talk of cutting the services was "speculation" - but Mr Norris's office said the company had proposed to withdraw both the 5 and Y5 completely, which would leave Fishponds with the 48, 49, 48a and 17 services, having lost the Y2 at the end of April.

Mr Norris, who has regional responsibility for transport as head of the West of England Combined Authority, said severe bus driver shortages and the withdrawal from October of government funding to support

services through the pandemic, was a "cliff-edge" which would affect commercial and subsidised services, as passenger numbers have yet to recover from preCovid levels and costs to run buses are up.

He said: "I am sorry that people will feel these cuts in October, when private bus companies withdraw their services on the less profitable routes.

"When it comes to funding, I will always step in to save vital buses where I can, but there isn’t an unlimited pot of cash and even if there was, I can’t magic up drivers."

Mr Norris is holding a consultation with passengers, called Big Choices on Buses, which is taking place in August.

Starting with public meetings, the consultation also includes an online survey asking passengers what they value most in terms of frequency, reliability and cost of services.

People are also being encouraged to organise their own neighbourhood consultation

New way to pay on bus ONE aspect of using buses that has become easier is paying the fare.

Operator First West of England and the West of England Combined Authority have teamed up to launch Tap On, Tap Off (TOTO), which allows people to pay for their bus travel using a contactless card or other payment device, such as a smartphone, without having to Metro Mayor Dan Norris and First buy a ticket.

MD Doug Claringbold launch the Passengers tap their card or Tap On, Tap Off system device against the reader when they get on the bus and just before they get off – a system already used in London.

First then works out the correct fare for each journey and ensures customers never pay more than the relevant day ticket each day they travel, no matter how many journeys they make. It also ensures each extra day costs less for people travelling more than once a week.

Customers will not need to know which zone they are in or which ticket to buy and can check what they have been charged online.

First West of England managing director Doug Claringbold said: "With Tap On, Tap Off, customers will have the peace of mind of knowing their costs will be capped, and in boarding more quickly through not having to buy a ticket, everyone who uses the new system will be contributing to faster journeys."

Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: "If it’s good enough for the capital, then it’s the very least that we should expect here in our region."

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events to ensure as many people as possible have their say – both those who use buses and those who don't.

Asked about the prospect of the 5 and Y5 being axed, a First West of England spokesperson said: “As a condition of transitional funding arrangements, bus operators must undertake full network reviews to assess the viability of all routes once funding ends in the autumn.

“This is currently taking place in the West of England, but we must stress no decisions have been made and it would be inappropriate to comment on speculation at this stage.

“Like all other bus operators in the UK, we must adapt our networks to match the postpandemic demand for services."

In early July both Mr Norris and First West of England spoke about reliability at a South Gloucestershire Council scrutiny commission meeting on bus services.

Mr Claringbold said: "The level of service that First has been delivering has not been acceptable because of the level of cancellations, largely driven by a shortage of trained bus drivers.

"In October we need to have a timetable which is robust, so there will have to be some planned changes to bring us back into line where our resources meet the services we operate.

“We are not prepared to run a non-reliable service."

Mr Claringbold said there was a significant gap between the current taxpayer subsidy to run up to 90 per cent of the pre-

covid network and the number of customers now using buses, which has only recovered to 75% of levels before the pandemic.

He said: “People’s lives are different now. We need different people to use the bus.

“About 95% of our passengers are travelling again but they are not travelling as much.

“The serial commuters who were travelling five to six days a week are travelling two or three days.”

The scrutiny commission meeting also heard from Mr Norris and Stagecoach West MD Rachel Geliamassi that while some passengers would suffer in the short term, innovative ways of taking people where they needed to go were in the pipeline.

These include running services on request, like taxis, and using minibuses, which can be driven by people with less training, in rural areas. £105 million of government money has been awarded for Weca’s Bus Service Improvement Plan to forge an “enhanced partnership” with operators - but this is not allowed to be spent on supporting existing routes.

'Big Choices' public meetings are taking place at 6.30pm-8.30pm on August 1 at Yate Parish Hall, August 2 at Southdown Methodist Church, Bath, August 3 at St Augustine’s Church, Whitchurch, and August 4 at Brook Way Activity Centre, Bradley Stoke.

• What do you think of the area's bus services?

Write to us at news@ fishpondsvoice.co.uk.

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August, 2022

n NEWS

Galleries to be demolished and redeveloped BRISTOL'S city centre will undergo another major transformation when the Galleries shopping centre is shut, demolished and redeveloped.

Plans have been unveiled to replace the indoor mall and car park with 450 new homes, offices, student flats, a hotel, shops, and cafes, including a 28-storey apartment tower that would become the tallest building in Bristol.

The Galleries, which opened in Broadmead in 1991, would close in 2024 if the plans go ahead, with the new homes, offices and shops ready by 2027.

Developers Deeley Freed have published details of the plans, which they have been working on for two years, as part of a consultation, which runs until August 15.

They said: "The shopping centre is facing significant challenges, including a 35% drop in footfall from pre-pandemic levels.

"The current situation, accelerated by the pandemic, isn’t sustainable. However, it provides an exciting opportunity to reinvent this city centre site, and address many of the city’s priorities.

“We’re really keen to get your feedback.

Are we going in the right direction, can these proposals be improved, and have we missed

How the new development could look.

Picture: Deeley Freed anything?”

The tower block would be two storeys taller than Castle Park View, another tower recently built overlooking the park from the east. Much of the frontage along the park, currently shut off from the street, will be open for new shops and cafes.

Deeley Freed says the new tower would have 240 flats and the development would also include accommodation for 800

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students, 230 other apartments, a 300-room hotel, offices and ‘flexible workspace’ with the potential to accommodate 2,800 workers and 5,200 square metres of space for shops and cafes. At least one in five of the new homes would be classed as ‘affordable’ - for belowmarket rent or shared ownership schemes.

Behind the redevelopment scheme is Deeley Freed, a property developer headed

by David Freed, who currently also leads the Society of Merchant Venturers.

After the initial public consultation ends the developers plan to hold more public engagement events this autumn, before submitting an outline planning application early next year.

More details can be found on the website galleriesfuture.com.

Once Bristol's flagship shopping centre, within seven years of opening the Galleries faced a bigger rival at the Mall, Cribbs Causeway.

The opening of Cabot Circus in 2008 saw many major chains move out and the centre lost more than a third of its value between 2011, when it was sold for £50.1 million, and 2019, when it was sold for £32m.

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August, 2022

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Award for Nadia's 'life-changing' work AN educator's tireless work to help children who have newly arrived in the UK has won her a national award.

Nadia El Jarad, a learning support assistant at Fairfield High School, has been awarded the Pearson National Teaching Award Certificate of Excellence for her work supporting the health, wealth and welfare of pupils whose first language is not English, known as English as an Additional Language or EAL. The school in Allfoxton Road, Horfield, which has hundreds of pupils from Eastville, has School of Sanctuary status under the Bristol City of Sanctuary scheme for the way it welcomes and supports refugees.

Nadia's daily "devotion and passion" in engaging students and their families with school life led to a fellow learning support assistant nominating her for a Pearson award, professional awards which have been celebrating excellence for nearly 25 years.

Author Michael Morpurgo wrote a letter on behalf of the awards to Nadia, in which he described her work as "life-enhancing and life-changing".

He said: “For a child to have a great teacher like you is so important. You open

Fairfield High School principal Nick Lewis presented Nadia El Jarad with her certificate at a surprise ceremony doors, shine a light.”

Fairfield EAL lead Jo Hall said: “Nadia has infinite kindness and serenity that she shows to every person she meets.

"She works tirelessly to engage students and their families with Fairfield school life.

"She nurtures all who know her, often with a delicious food parcel she brings from home, and always has time to listen and to wish you well.

"She is totally committed to improving the lives for refugees and new arrivals to this country."

Nadia did not know she had been nominated until school principal Nick Lewis gave her the certificate in a surprise presentation.

She said: "I am honoured and humbled to accept this teaching award following my continuing efforts in English language for the EAL students in secondary education.

"Teaching languages is my passion, and the real pleasure lies in knowing that my help and support makes a difference to children's lives every single day.

"Teachers have faced new challenges over the last two years since the pandemic began, but we still continue to strive to help the next generation of children with their secondary education.

"I express sincere thanks and gratitude to my bright and hard-working students, my supportive co-workers, and my loving family."

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August, 2022

6

n NEWS

School told by inspectors to improve

A SPECIALIST academy for children outside mainstream schools has been told to improve by the education watchdog.

Ofsted inspectors visited St Matthias Academy, a pupil referral unit in Alexandra Park, in March.

It was the first time the school, which has 66 pupils aged from 7 to 16 on its roll, and also has sites in Brentry and Easton, had been inspected since being taken over by the Learn@ Multi Academy Trust in 2017.

Its predecessor, St Matthias Park Pupil Referral Service, was judged to be good at its last inspection in 2014.

This time the inspection team said the school required improvement in all four areas graded in the report: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

Their report said: "School

leaders and local governors have an overgenerous view of the quality of education at St Matthias.

"Ineffective monitoring has led to delays in identifying and addressing the issues quickly enough.

"There are weaknesses in the curriculum, including in reading and mathematics. This means that too many pupils are not receiving a good quality of education.

"Trust leaders know precisely what needs to be done. However, it is early days and more work is needed to secure the necessary improvements."

The inspectors praised some aspects of the academy, saying pupils "feel safe and happy", while safeguarding arrangements, behaviour and attendance were good.

They said: "Teachers and pupils have strong relationships.

"Pupils are confident that adults will sort out the rare incidents of bullying that occur.

However, some pupils with social, emotional and mental health difficulties do not behave as well as they could, and at times learning is disrupted."

The report said school leaders "want pupils to succeed" and provided a wide range of activities, including music and art, construction skills and fitness lessons.

The inspectors said: "Staff have a deep understanding of the challenges pupils face.

They prioritise helping pupils overcome obstacles caused by physical and mental health difficulties."

However they said the quality of education varied between the sites and the curriculum did not consistently meet pupils' needs.

A spokesperson for the school said: "We were pleased

that this latest Ofsted report recognised that our pupils felt safe and happy at the school, and it was noted that our dedicated staff prioritised helping pupils overcome the obstacles they may face.

"We accept that some improvements are required at the school in light of this inspection, although we are proud of the fact that, despite the significant challenges to staffing during the pandemic, our young people continued to receive a quality education.

"We will continue to implement a robust action plan to meet all the necessary requirements laid out in this report, including the creation of a Quality of Teaching lead, a full review of the curriculum and additional training for staff.

"We look forward to evidencing these changes in the coming weeks and months."

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August, 2022

8

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Plans go in for new Vassall Centre THE charity aiming to redevelop the Vassall Centre in Oldbury Court has submitted plans for the first part of the project to the city council.

Bristol Charities wants to demolish the centre's current buildings – put up during the Second World War as a military hospital – and replace them with a new "accessible multigenerational neighbourhood and disability centre".

Details of the plans were unveiled by Bristol Charities earlier this year, as it invited residents and people who use the centre to look at them, ask questions and comment.

The main change to come out of the consultations is that the plans now include eight units of extra care supported housing, for people with learning disabilities who need support workers: these will be built above the community facilities which will be next to the "heart" of the development.

How the new development's 'heart', cafe and hub could look Some buildings have been resited and Bristol Charities is also stressing that groups using the centre will not lose any facilities they currently have, including space for conferences.

If the plans are approved, work on the site would take place in two phases, with the buildings on the west of the site, next to Vassall Road, demolished next year to build the hub, cafe, gateway, nursery and housing for

older people.

The eastern half of the site, next to Willow Bed Close, would then make way for the affordable housing in phase two of the development.

The plans had not been published on the city council's website as the Voice went to print, but Bristol Charities says they will include a total of 90 new affordable homes for older people in need, families and

smaller households, as well as the specialist supported housing.

Along with the new residents and the disability charities based at the centre, all of whom Bristol Charities hopes to keep as tenants, a reception area, café, nursery and "community gateway building", built around a landscaped outdoor space, will be open to all.

Bristol Charities chief executive Julian Mines said: "We have consulted extensively with the disability organisations at the centre, local residents and the wider community, listened carefully and revised our approach in response to their views and concerns.

"We have a real opportunity to create something very special at the redeveloped Vassall Centre – a focal point for the local community, an enhanced centre for disabled communities across Bristol and a chance to meet some pressing housing needs across the city."

Help us improve the way we let our homes Accessing council and social housing We are currently reviewing the way we let council and social housing. We want to ensure people have homes that meet their needs, giving priority to those who need it most, and making the application process easier.

The review gives us the opportunity to look at who is housed, and why, and develop options for how to let social housing in the future. ●

Should we move to a system where the council takes more direct action to help someone find a home?

●

Should we make changes to priority groups, including giving top priority to care leavers and under-occupiers?

●

Should we extend the use of lettings policies that give priority to local people, and where should we introduce them?

We now need to hear from you, especially if you live in social housing or are currently on the waiting list.

We need your views: www.ask.bristol.gov.uk/housing-allocations The consultation is live until Friday 7 October. If you would like this information in another language or accessible format, please email lettings.review@bristol.gov.uk or call 0117 352 1444.

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Got News? Call Ken On 07715 770377 12/07/2022 12:44

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August, 2022

9

n NEWS

Rain can't dampen community spirit MORE than 500 people defied heavy rain to join in the fun at the Vassall Centre Summer Fayre.

Stalls and entertainment were moved inside for the event on July 2, with organisers offering people paper towels to dry their faces when they arrived.

A fire engine from Avon Fire and Rescue Service was a hit with children, who were able to sit in it and try on the helmets.

There was entertainment from the Same Same But Different puppet show and country band Sweet Surrender, plus stalls from charities based at the centre, community groups, Indian cuisine and cakes.

Lead organiser and Vassall Centre service manager Charity Wallis said: "I’m so delighted the fayre was such a success.

"We received so many compliments about how lovely it was to have everyone together and the feeling of community spirit.

Children check out the fire engine

The puppet show was popular "We had everyone from young to old and people with disabilities all enjoying the day despite the atrocious weather.

"All the charities and organisations involved reached their fundraising goals for the day, with most selling out of everything they had on offer.

"We are really looking forward to holding more community events and would like to thank everyone who came or was involved on the day."

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August, 2022

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August, 2022

11

n NEWS

Rugby club hosts community festival

COMEDY, music, a dog show and old-fashioned sports day were all part of the fun at Barton Hill Rugby Club's Community Day. The event at Barton Fields in Speedwell also featured stalls, fairground rides and raffles raising money for good causes.

The entertainment included The Go Gets, a 1960s-style Bristol go go dance group, joined by local legend Disco Dancing Bob. They were followed by two hours of comedy hosted by Bristol stand-up comedian Mark Olver, who performs in comedy clubs, large venues and TV studios all over the UK but, like the Go Gets, appeared free at the community day.

Mark even brought some friends with him to perform – rising stars Greg Winfield, Burt Comedian, Claire Rammelkamp and Harry Creffield.

Following the comedy was the dog show, with winners of six categories given prizes donated

by Jason Smith, the owner of Redfield Pet Supplies, who also judged the competition.

An 'old school' sports day raised money for mental health charities Mind and LooseHeadz.

Mandy Bryant from the Barton Hill RFC Club Charity Cafe, who helped run the event on June 25, said: "The kids loved the sports day and everyone who

Community cafe customers enjoy the event

Comedian Mark Olver hosted a two-hour comedy showcase took part got a medal.

"Overall a good afternoon was had by all. There was dancing, laughing, dogs, bargains and plenty of community spirit.

"There was something for everyone – stalls, fairground rides, games, raffles and entertainment. It may have been a damp start but that did not stop the fun."

The event also included a presentation to one of the children who has been bought specialist medical equipment by

the charity cafe, which is run by volunteers from noon to 3pm every Monday and Wednesday

at the rugby club, and has so far raised more than £37,000, for equipment not available on the NHS and for Mind.

Bob Turner, who attended the event, said: "I think the afternoon was fantastic, like a mini-festival – thanks to all who made it happen."

The event, supported by Tesco, Morrisons and FareShare Southwest, raised just over £512 for the charity cafe.

Classes include: Flowers, fruit, vegetables, cookery, crafts & photography, Children’s classes.

Light Refreshments, Raffle, Competitions.

Admission: £1 Adults (Under 16’s free) Schedules and entry forms available from various outlets including ‘The Pet Shop’ and ‘Elmwood Nurseries’ Via our website: www.activatefishponds.co.uk (events/horticultural show) or phone 0117 9584164

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fishpondsvoice

August, 2022

n NEWS A FISHPONDS-based charity says it is "shocked" to hear that Bristol City Council staff went through the social media posts of parents whose children have special educational needs and disabilities.

The West of England Centre for Inclusive Living joined opposition councillors and campaigners in criticising the decision to compile details of critical posts about poor quality SEND provision, as well as personal photos of the people making them.

WECIL, which is based at the Vassall Centre in Oldbury Court and provides a range of services for SEND children, said in a statement: "We are genuinely shocked to learn of surveillance of parents and carers of disabled children and will seek discussion with the council on this matter immediately."

Leaked council documents showed one council commissioning manager was "working hard to uncover concrete evidence" about the identity of someone who was calling for other parents to join her in taking legal action against

13

'Shock' at council monitoring of parents' social media posts the council.

The officer's email included Facebook posts, tweets, Freedom of Information act requests, and articles critical of the council’s SEND provision, and said the council's external communications team had deduced the identity of the person involved by comparing pictures with "wedding photos on (their) personal Facebook site".

The council, which has been criticised for poor SEND provision, including a 2019 Ofsted report which described some care as “disturbingly poor”, says it carried out the monitoring "at the request of the Bristol Parents Carer Forum", a charity representing local parents.

The forum denied making the request, saying: "We would like to clarify that the parent carer forum has not asked Bristol City Council to collect data about

parents and carers of children and young people with SEND." However the council said the surveillance stemmed from a row in which it said some forum members were “campaigning” online last year, and claimed this conflicted with them representing the forum.

A council spokesperson said: "We received an email from BPCF on October 7, 2021, requesting that Bristol City Council supply evidence to substantiate concerns that members of BPCF were carrying out online campaigning and lobbying activities, which seemed in conflict with them representing the forum at strategic meetings as part of the SEND improvement partnership.

"BCC accessed BCCadministrated and publicly available social media pages in order to supply the relevant information to BPCF as

requested."

Green shadow cabinet lead for education Christine Townsend said: “The SEND system has been in free-fall in this city for many years.

“It is frankly baffling that amid this ongoing crisis, several senior council officers have apparently been told to spend valuable time and effort monitoring and investigating social media accounts of SEND parents — including someone’s wedding photos — to gather ‘evidence’ for some purpose, information then shared with various other staff members and an external organisation."

Liberal Democrat Councillor Tim Kent said: "Like many people I am very concerned that officers have used precious time to covertly monitor social media."

By Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service

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fishpondsvoice

August, 2022

n TURNERS VISION

Dry eye doesn’t need to mean the end for contact lenses ANYONE with dry eye knows the symptoms can be anything from a minor nuisance to a major, life-altering issue. At Turners Opticians, we’ve helped hundreds of patients gain relief from their dry eye since we launched our specialist dry eye clinic in 2013.

The problem has always been contact lenses for people living with dry eye. For most, they’ve been an absolute no-no. When ultra moist soft lenses came on the market, many of our patients happily returned to contact lens wear.

For some, though, even that wasn’t enough to keep them comfortable.

That’s why we’ve been offering an alternative lens for a number of years now – the scleral lens.

A scleral lens sits gently over the whole cornea, resting on the white of your eye and keeping a liquid reservoir under the lens to keep your eye moist all day. They are available as both single vision distance and multi-focal contact lenses and are an absolute revelation for some patients.

As the name suggests, dry eye disease is a condition whereby your tears cannot keep your eyes moist. A lack of tear production or poor tear quality most often comes down to age. However, diet, medications, and certain medical and inflammatory conditions can also cause it.

The tears produced by a dry eye sufferer literally evaporate too quickly, causing the eyes to become irritated and red. Allergies, wind, and smoke all make it worse, and sufferers typically are sensitive to light, have blurred vision, tired eyes, or the sensation that there’s something in one or both eyes.

All of which leads to difficulties with contact lenses. Rigid gas permeable lenses provide great vision for the wearer, but someone with dry eyes may struggle with them.

Soft lenses are a good, comfortable choice for dry eye sufferers with extended wear or daily disposable options. While daily disposable contact lenses can be effective for dry eyes, they aren’t always the best choice.

Scleral lenses go further as they don’t directly touch the surface of the cornea, which makes them a comfortable option for anyone with dry eye. The gap between the lens and cornea creates a pocket of fluid that provides all-day moisture for the eye’s surface.

Everyone’s dry eye situation is unique, making some contact lens options more effective than others. Someone may struggle with daily disposable lenses but find another option that works better for their needs. When you see a contact lens specialist Optometrist at Turners Opticians, they are well placed to assess your eyes and , after completing a thorough eye health exam, recommend the best contact lenses for you.

Do take care of your eyes, and come to see us for your glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses. Our expert team is ready and waiting to give you the time you deserve to look after your eye health and vision.

Please call to book a time to come in. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Ginny Ginny Allwood is an Associate Specialist Optometrist at Turners Opticians in Bristol

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fishpondsvoice

August, 2022

n NEWS SCHOOL trips, camps and a picnic were among the celebrations of the end of a memorable academic year at May Park Primary School.

Pupils were able to explore their curiosity during a trip to Oxford University's Natural History and Pitt Rivers museums, and get active at the home of cricket, Lord’s.

Year 6 pupils finished their time at the school by having a camp in the leafy school grounds, which also hosted a picnic celebrating Roma culture and the school's Summer Extravaganza of Fairytales, featuring singing, dancing and acting by children.

Pupils also found inventive ways to cool down during the recent heatwave, from "fishing" for Numicon maths shapes to Trying on some police kit during the Gypsy, Roma and traveller culture picnic

15

Trips and picnic end a memorable year A trip to Lord's

turning drawers into cooling foot baths.

Year 4 pupils had an outside reading session with school principal Vanetta Spence.

A school spokesperson said:

"We have been so impressed with the resilience, adaptability and initiative they have shown."

"Thank you to all of our wonderful children and staff for another vibrant year at May Park

Primary School.

"We’d also like to take this opportunity to wish local children and parents a restful summer break."

Open events 2022-23

Thursday 13th October 2022 9-11am Thursday 3rd November 2022 9-11am Thursday 17th November 2022 5:30-7pm Thursday 1st December 2022 9-11am Thursday 5th January 2023 9-11am To advertise, contact Shaun Tel 07540 383 870

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August, 2022

16

n NEWS

Help Fishponds to party ORGANISERS of Fishponds' own free festival, Party in the Ponds, are seeking volunteers to help make this year's return a big success.

The community event is making a comeback after missing two years because of the pandemic.

This year's event, on September 3, is at its new site in Vassalls Park, after it outgrew its previous home in Fishponds Park.

It will include music from Da Fuchaman, The Real SkaDub, Deamscape and Angel Upfront, dance shows on a separate stage from acts including 344 Dance Studio, MF Dance Studio and V Dance Academy, and a performance by Bristol Met pupils.

Organisers of the not-for-profit event need a team of around 25 people to help set up and steward the event. The volunteers would work four-hour shifts, leaving plenty of time to enjoy the party before or afterwards. Anyone who is interested in stepping up to help should email tommy.trueman@hotmail.co.uk for more details.

Party in the Ponds will take place from noon to 7pm on September 3 on a site near the park's children's play area, close to the Oldbury Court Road entrance.

Stalls will serve a variety of food, from Jamaican and Mexican cuisine to vegan, popcorn, cakes and ice cream, as well as crafts. clothes and games.

There will also be a huge raffle, with prizes from food and booze to art and boat trips donated by dozens of Bristol businesses.

If this year's event is a success, organisers hope to move next year's to its previous mid-June slot, which would enable the programme to run for longer.

For more information about the event, email partyintheponds@ gmail.com, visit the Party in the Ponds Facebook page or partyintheponds.co.uk website.

Survey to put Oldbury Court on the map PEOPLE are being asked what they like about life on the Oldbury Court estate – and what could be improved.

A small group of Fishponds residents has come together to launch an online survey as the first stage of a bid to make the case for local improvements in the area.

The confidential survey, which is open to all and aimed particularly at people living on the estate, asks people questions about facilities from shops, buses, parking and parks to schools, housing, litter and things for children and young people to do.

It also asks people to say what they think would make it a better place to live, the cost of living, work they do in the community and whether they would like to be part of a "neighbourhood action group" to bring people together.

Organisers will go through the results, produce a report about them and make the case for local improvements.

Lori Streich, who lives near Oldbury Court, is one of the people who have set up the survey.

She said: "We need to know what people want, what they like and don't like, in order to make a bid for more resources for the area.

"Ideally a community organisation will come out of it – a lot of people are saying they would like one.

"There are a lot of street-based groups, which started with the lockdown – one of the things covid did was it brought people together on a street-by-street basis – but what we need is a neighbourhood group for the area as a whole, to give Oldbury Court more influence and help deal with issues like litter and the cost of living."

Lori said areas with no community-based organisations often missed out on funding to other areas where groups put together bids.

She added: "We want to help put Oldbury Court on the map.

"A lot of people who don't live in the area just think it's a park.

"With a good response we can make the case for more resources for the area."

The survey can be found online until the middle of September at surveymonkey.com/r/DTN9QCC. People who are not online can find paper copies at the Vassall Centre reception.

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August, 2022

17

n NEWS

Owner left 'shattered' after third cat is attacked A CAT owner who has seen two pets shot and a third poisoned is appealing for help to find the culprits.

Jo Hughes is also calling on anyone who does not like cats in their gardens to use more humane methods of keeping them away.

Police are investigating the latest attack, in which Jo's sevenyear-old cat Sparky was shot sometime before 6am on July 20.

The pellet is lodged near his spine and cannot be removed.

He was examined and x-rayed by a vet, who also found internal bruising and bleeding.

Sparky's treatment has cost more than £1,500 so far.

It is the second time one of Jo's cats has been shot: Sparky's brother Coal was shot in the leg four years ago.

And in October last year another cat, Candy, was poisoned, suffering organ failure which meant she had to be put to sleep. She was less than a year old.

The attacks have left Jo, a finance manager, "shattered"

An x-ray shows where the pellet has lodged (circled in red)

and her 13-year-old son Ollie very upset.

She said: "I can't even put it into words – I just don't like human beings any more."

All three of the cats – and Candy's sister, Floss – are former feral cats who have been rehomed.

Jo believes whoever is responsible probably lives close to her home in Field View Drive, Downend, which is off Frenchay Road, between Lincombe Barn and the Oldbury Court estate in Fishponds.

She says an air rifle was heard going off nearby when police visited to investigate the previous shooting.

Jo said: "I'm hoping it's not a gang of teenagers who are going out shooting things – it's probably someone who doesn't like cats in their garden, who doesn't realise the damage they are causing.

"My concern is that other cats are being injured too, because surely it can’t just be one family of cats being hurt.

"I don't have any enemies, so it's not somebody targeting me.

"I do understand that cats can be a pain if they come into your garden and you don’t want them, but squirt water at them with a hosepipe or water pistol, or put citrus down.

"Don’t hurt them – you don't realise how much damage you are causing."

An Avon & Somerset police spokesperson said Sparky had been shot "at close range with an air weapon".

The spokesperson added:

Sparky bandaged after being shot "Officers are investigating the incident and are appealing for witnesses who may have seen or heard anything to come forward.

"The neighbourhood team are not aware of any other similar

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incidents in recent months."

Anyone with information should call 101 and quote the crime reference number 5222 173 029.

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August, 2022

18

n ADVERTISING FEATURE

Brunel’s SS Great Britain presents: Your Ticket to Taste the World READY to embark on a global voyage of taste without leaving Bristol?

Already known as the ‘world’s smelliest museum’ with hundreds of sights, sounds and smells experienced by visitors every day, Brunel’s SS Great Britain is about to get tasty this summer with a brand new activity, ‘Dishes of Discovery’.

They’re inviting visitors to taste the world, offering them the chance to sample delicacies inspired by Victorian voyages to destinations visited by the ship in the 18th Century.

From 23 July to 4 September, visitors who step aboard the SS Great Britain will taste historic recipes from Mumbai, Cape Town and Crimea discovering how the world’s first great ocean liner connected people and places around the world.

The dishes have been created by Bristol-based social enterprise, Travelling Kitchen, whose team worked with the ship’s archivists to explore historic recipes from around the globe. The dishes created include a zingy Melon and Ginger Jam from Cape Town, traditional Borsch from Crimea and a tropical green coriander and coconut chutney from Mumbai - and are typical of those that passengers would have encountered as they disembarked in the faraway destinations.

Your usual favourites at Brunel’s SS Great Britain are open all summer long, too. Don’t forget to visit the two hands-on museums, historic dockyard, dramatic dry dock and the ship herself. And remember - you can enjoy coming back time and time again with your ticket. It’s valid for a year!

Use your tastebuds to explore the world this summer at Brunel’s SS Great Britain as you discover flavours from the ship’s lesser-known destinations.

Plan your adventure at ssgreatbritain.org/summer2022

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August, 2022

fishpondsvoice

19

n NEWS

Man arrested after sex assault A MAN has been arrested after a serious sexual assault on a woman in Speedwell.

Police were called to Barton Fields in the early hours of June 27 following reports that a woman had been attacked.

A 22-year-old man was arrested soon afterwards and has since been released under investigation.

Police say they want to trace any potential witnesses to the incident, which happened at the Charlton Road end of the playing fields, shortly after midnight.

A spokesperson said: "We are especially interested in speaking to the three people who helped the victim in the aftermath of the incident."

Detectives also want to hear from anyone with CCTV footage from the nearby area.

A police cordon was put up in the area while investigations were carried out.

The spokesperson added: "Officers are providing support to the victim, and she is also being offered specialist help and advice from trained professionals at The Bridge sexual assault referral centre."

Anyone with information about the incident should call 101 or go online and quote the crime reference number 5222 151955.

Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Rogue landlord fined AN Eastville man has been ordered to pay compensation to a tenant he illegally evicted from a flat after they complained about the poor state of a flat he owned.

Bristol City Council's Rogue Landlord Unit took Tahir Aziz, of Glen Park, to court after the occupier of a studio flat he owned in Lawrence Hill was locked out of the flat during a covid lockdown.

The council said Aziz failed to provide the tenant with a tenancy agreement and did little to resolve complaints about disrepair and a significant leak that caused water damage to the flat.

The tenant complained to the council but when Aziz found out, he told the man to leave the flat.

A council spokesperson said: "On a date shortly after the announcement of the third national COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in England, the victim returned home to find the door to his flat nailed shut, leaving him homeless. Mr Aziz did not respond to requests from the police to give access to the property."

The victim complained again to the council, whose tenancy relations officers opened an investigation into the illegal eviction, and Aziz was prosecuted under the Protection from Eviction Act. The spokesperson said Aziz repeatedly denied knowing who the tenant was and ignored a recommendation to seek legal advice.

He was fined £345, ordered to pay costs of £775 and compensation of £1,200 to the tenant, after pleading guilty to unlawful eviction at Bristol Magistrates Court on June 27.

In addition to the court-ordered compensation, the tenant could now sue Aziz for damages.

Anyone who wants to report a rogue landlord can do so online at bristol.gov.uk/housing/report-rogue-landlord or call 0117 352 5010.

Council cabinet member for housing Tom Renhard said: "The manner of this eviction had serious implications for the renter, both personally and professionally, and it is unacceptable that they should be left facing homelessness through the illegal acts of a landlord."

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August, 2022

20

n ADVERTISING FEATURE

Visit Bristol Zoo Gardens for the very last time this summer MANY of you will remember visiting Bristol Zoo Gardens as a child, and may have brought your children… or even grandchildren.

From 21 July, Bristol Zoo Gardens is marking its last chapter, before closing on Saturday 3 September, with its BIG Summer Send-Off celebration event.

The centrepiece of the final summer programme is ‘Wilder’, a specially-commissioned wooden clad gorilla sculpture, which is taller than the largest giraffe ever recorded, and as wide as three king size beds.

Sitting tall on the main lawn, ‘Wilder’ delights visitors with surprise movements throughout the day as she ‘eats’ lettuce, sprays unsuspecting families with water and reveals her baby ‘Monty-Alan’ – a name inspired by the national park in Equatorial Guinea where Bristol Zoological Society works to protect western lowland gorillas in the wild.

The Zoo is also running ‘Into The Wild' theatre shows where

children get to wear animal-eared headphones and dance around to fun conservation-inspired music, stories and games.

BIG Summer Send-Off also features a ‘Past, Present, Future’ timeline exhibition on the Zoo's historic top terrace. It will include poems, pictures, and stories on ribbons, shared by visitors.

For a chance to feature on the timeline, Bristol Zoo Gardens is asking people to share their favourite memories using the hashtag #TheZooAndYou, and tag Bristol Zoo Gardens on Facebook @ BristolZooGardens and Instagram @bristolzoo.

As well as all of these exciting events, Bristol Zoo Gardens is home to incredible animal species, including the famous gorilla troop, red pandas, penguins and sloths.

Enjoy a final special day out to Bristol Zoo Gardens this summer!

For information and tickets for Bristol Zoo Gardens and its BIG Summer Send-Off, go to bristolzoo. org.uk.

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August, 2022

fishpondsvoice

21

n NEWS

New school almost ready Mayor replacement pledge PUPILS from Frenchay C of E Primary School have had a look at how their new school is shaping up.

A group of children visited the £11 million school, which is being built on the site of the former Frenchay Hospital and is due to open Frenchay Primary School pupils with council in September, and school leaders and builders with teachers and leaders from South Gloucestershire Council.

The school is designed to 'Passivhaus' standards of environmental performance, to be highly energy efficient, insulated and have a very low carbon impact, including triple glazing, solar panels, low energy LED lighting, air-source heat pumps and a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system.

It will have capacity for 420 pupils and was commissioned by the council to respond to increased demand in the area.

Head teacher Katherine Marks said: “My staff and I are so excited about starting the new school year in this brand new building. The pupils who visited the site were fascinated to see how the school is coming together, layer by layer, as well as to meet some of the builders and hearing from them how they are making our new school."

A WORKING group setting up Bristol’s new council system to replace the elected mayor will ask the public about how it should work.

The cross-party group of councillors – called the ‘committees committee’ - has met for the first time to begin thrashing out details of how Bristol City Council should be run from 2024.

In May a referendum saw voters opt to scrap the current mayoral system and go back to a committee-based system.

The committees committee has 12 councillors from different parties – four Labour, four Green, two conservatives, one Lib Dem and one from the Knowle Community Party.

Eastville ward councillors Marley Bennett and Lorraine Francis are among the committee's members.

It will be led by Labour's Helen Holland, the cabinet member for adult social care, who told a council meeting in July: "We’re going to be meeting very regularly and we’ve had loads of meetings put into our diaries.

"How we engage with people and how we bring the city in to discuss how this will go forward is right up there on our agenda.

“There will be regular updates from the committees committee.

"Probably by the autumn there will be open sessions, where we will be looking for views from the city. We do want regular updates going out from the council about what we’re doing."

The council has been run by a directly-elected mayor since 2012, and will be for two more years until the current mayor, Marvin Rees, finishes his second term.

The working group is likely to study what has happened in Sheffield, which voted in a referendum last year to go back to a committee-run council: its new system has been in place since May.

PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FRAUD Fraud and cybercrime are the most common criminal offences in the UK. As the threat continues to grow and evolve, it’s important to remember one thing - most of it can be prevented.

By following just a few steps, you can make it harder for fraudsters to steal your money or personal information when online, on the phone or at your front door.

To advertise, contact Shaun Tel 07540 383 870

Email: sales@fishpondsvoice.co.uk

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August, 2022

22

n MESSAGE FROM AVON & SOMERSET PCC

Protect yourself against cyber fraud AS I’ve mentioned before, I am the national police and crime commissioner lead for economic and cybercrime and, along with my team, I continue to work with Avon and Somerset Police and partners to raise awareness of the signs of fraud and prevent local people from becoming victims in the first place.

As part of this work, we have distributed fraud protection postcards to over 160,000 households across 60 postcodes in Avon and Somerset.

You can find this postcard in this edition of the Voice,, for you to cut out and keep beside your phone, pin on your fridge or by your front door. I want local people to use this postcard, so if and when a scammer contacts you, you know how to spot the signs of fraud and protect yourself. The postcard is also available on my website to download and print.

Moving on, I’m delighted to tell

you about the fantastic results of the latest Operation Scorpion, the regional crackdown on drugs.

Colleagues across the South West region carried out operations to disrupt drug supply and prevent drug crime, alongside carrying out preventative, educational and engagement work within communities.

In Avon and Somerset there were almost 700 acts of disruption, including 17 arrests for drugrelated offences, 12 warrants in relation to properties and people linked to drug supply, two county lines disrupted, thousands of pounds worth of class A drugs and cannabis seized and 147 visits or safeguarding checks to addresses of vulnerable people.

These results are sending a strong message to both criminals and our communities that we are intent on making the South West no place for drugs.

The first priority in my police

and crime plan is preventing and fighting crime, and not only does this include important enforcement activity but also education work, to make our communities a safer place.

Finally, local businesses can now access Police CyberAlarm, a free tool designed to help organisations understand and monitor the threat they face from malicious cyber activity.

Police CyberAlarm, which is government funded, acts like a CCTV camera and monitors the traffic seen by business connections to the internet. The tool will show local businesses how they are being attacked, the source of the attack and will also help law enforcement identify current threats to take action against cyber criminals.

Police CyberAlarm can benefit any business with a computer network, including SMEs, not for profit organisations, public

With Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Shelford

and private sector, charities, education establishments and local government. More information about this tool is on my website, avonandsomerset-pcc.gov.uk.

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August, 2022

fishpondsvoice

23

n NEWS

Frenchay hosts 'perfect English village show' FRENCHAY Common came alive with thousands of visitors as the village's flower show returned for the first time since the pandemic.

The 77th Frenchay Flower Show on July 9 had more than 150 competition classes ranging from flowers, fruit and vegetables to cake, home produce, paintings, photos, scarecrows and sock puppets.

Organisers estimate that nearly 3,500 people attended the show.

There were displays from Starlight Cheerleaders and the Winterbourne Down Border Morris, music from Westerly Winds and the Marshfield Brass Band and stalls from a variety of local groups.

The flower show combined for the first time with the Frenchay Car and Motorcycle Show, which had 38 classic and vintage cars and more than 20 motorbikes.

Frenchay Village CIC and Frenchay and Hambrook Horticultural Society combined to put on the event, which returned after missing two years due to covid restrictions and included new adaptations including extra space and ventilation in the main show marquee.

Frenchay and Hambrook Horticultural Society chairman Joe Beasant said: "The weather couldn't have been better, with blue skies and a light breeze all day, and exhibits were plentiful, despite the early date in the season.

"Thank you to those who worked so hard to organise the show, get well soon to those on the team who succumbed to covid just before the show and thank you to all of those who attended."

Flower show committee chairman Philip Whitby-Coles said: "Any concerns we may have had about people coming to support the show after two years of pandemic restrictions proved totally unfounded. Huge queues quickly formed at both entry gates and very soon the common was full, with literally thousands of enthusiastic visitors.

"When they had all gone home, there was not one scrap of litter on our beautiful common – much respect for that."

Car and Motorcycle Show coordinator Andy Maxwell said the event had been a "perfect English village show".

He added: "There was huge interest in the vehicles displayed with owners very happy to speak with anyone who showed interest about the history of their vehicle, tales of barn finds, restorations and adventures they and their vehicles have shared."

Highlights included a 1957 Mercedes 190SL, a 1958 MGA, a 1947 Bentley Mk6 Special and a 1930’s Riley Special.

The vehicle show ran from 2003 to 2019 at Frenchay Museum before combining with the flower show this year.

Anyone who would like to exhibit next year can email vehiclesattheshow@ frenchayflowershow.com.

A date for next year's Frenchay Flower Show has already been set for July 15.

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Visitors at the Frenchay Flower Show

Show princesses Darcey Jeffries, Freya Mai Bateman, Alice Lambert and Emma Lambert opened the event

A 1964 Triumph Herald with period police markings and an eye-catching 1960 Humber Hawk

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Visitors view the produce in a show tent

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August, 2022

24

n FRIENDS OF EASTVILLE PARK

It's all hotting up for our park community

THE park was eerily quiet on the hottest day ever recorded just a couple of weeks ago and it was difficult not to compare the emptiness to those times at the height of Covid lockdown when it was not unusual to walk through the park and see no one for a long while. With temperatures already heading for 30 degrees during the morning commute and school run, by mid-morning the only sights and sounds were those of the wildlife at the lake and in the woodlands. The calls of geese across the lake an ominous siren of warning for the approaching afternoon of intense heat. The ducks were already working hard to cool themselves with regular dips below the surface and it was quite a spectacle as they showed off their synchronised swimming skills. In the river, the occasional dog could be seen splashing around in the cool water and the lightening blue streak of a kingfisher making way upstream is always a delightful moment. It probably didn’t have to work too hard to catch its meal today in a river that is close to being at its lowest level for quite some time. As the lack of rainfall takes its toll, the fields and verges are all losing a lot of their colour but there’s plenty of time for a decent downpour to bring everything back to life!

Access around the park for people with reduced mobility is frequently a topic of discussion among the Friends group and if only

There's always something going on at the park on a sunny day the wheels of process could turn more quickly, we’d be much further along with initiatives to improve the number of benches and also address some access issues on pathways. Whilst some new benches have recently been installed, we’re only about halfway with the programme but hope work is completed quite soon now.

We’re supporting a proposal from group members to repair and upgrade the structures around the lake that allow the birds to exit the water when the water level is low - they’ve been having a hard time of it lately! We are continuing to press the council about the perilous state of the edging stones around the lake and, in the meantime we are getting a working party to tidy up the weeds around the lake edge.

EastvillePark FoodClub at the Nissen Hut has got off to a great start and we’re full of confidence that the club will grow to meet the need in our local community. With over forty members already, the sessions are very busy at times but it’s a lovely atmosphere and we’re looking at ways to open it up with exciting activities alongside providing affordable food.

The monthly Pop-Up community café is a very special way of showing off our amazing volunteers who put in so much hard work to make for a great event. Come along and support us on 20th Aug for fabulous food and live music!

We are delighted to let everyone know that Friends of Eastville Park has been granted charity status. We are now registered as a CIO ( Community Interest Organisation). It’s been a long slog getting here but we are lucky to have Christina on the committee and she knows her way around all the forms that the process requires. Being a CIO gives us the foundation for going forward and developing the Community Hub. It opens doors to partnerships and access to funding that we wouldn’t normally have and allows us to explore new ideas and projects.

With a Heritage Lottery bid on the horizon, this status will give the trustees the confidence to ‘think big’ and believe that anything is possible!

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fishpondsvoice

August, 2022

25

n NEWS

Bristol Met ends year with prom and eco day

BRISTOL Metropolitan Academy held its first Eco Day to focus minds on the environment.

Events with a green theme included a jumble sale, scavenger hunt, bike-to-work breakfast and a sponsored litter pick.

Fruit, vegetables and flowers from the garden cultivated by the school's Eco Club were available to brighten up classrooms and the school canteen offered meals completely free of animal products.

Pupils also heard from and got to question politicians, with Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy and city councillor Lorraine Francis both visiting to talk about championing the environment in national and local politics.

The event was organised by Year 9 student Sophie Shattock, 14, a member of the Eco Club.

Eco coordinator Gwinear Lloyd said: "The Eco Club and particularly Sophie did a fantastic job in organising our first ever Eco Day.

Eco coordinator Gwinear Lloyd at the Eco Day event

Year 11 pupils at the leavers' prom at the Bristol Marriott hotel "We wanted to raise awareness of green issues in the school, raise money for the WWF and our Eco garden – and have fun!"

• The school's Year 11 leavers were dressed to the nines for their leavers' prom.

Around 140 Bristol Metropolitan academy Y11s turned out in the finest to celebrate the end of their school year at the Bristol Marriott hotel on College Green.

A school spokesperson described them as "true ambassadors for the Academy with perfect behaviour during what was a truly brilliant night".

• Year 9 pupils have been taking part in the Airbus Youth Programme, attending the plane maker's Filton base over 12 weeks to learn about aviation and the theory of flight.

They put their knowledge into practice to design and build their own drones, which they flew around an obstacle course.

• Bristol Met students also took first place overall in the All Aboard Watersports 2022 School

The Bristol Met Storm Angels Tornado team Games held in Bristol's Floating Harbour.

First place finishes in rowing and catamaraning, and a third place in individual sailing brought the school the overall win.

• And the school's cheerleaders, the Storm Angel Cheer Girls, competed at Future Cheer Nationals in Bournemouth in

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Bristol Met had two teams, the level 1 Tornados and level 2 Hurricanes.

PE teacher Helena Ford said: "After lots of extra training and last-minute changes they really performed their routines fantastically and had an amazing experience at such a big event."

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August, 2022

26

n MAYOR'S VIEW

Taking Pride in Bristol IT has been wonderful to see people being able to gather together again for the festivals and celebrations that make Bristol such an amazing place to live in and visit in summer. It has been wonderful to see such flagship events as the Harbour Festival, St Paul’s Carnival and the Bristol Balloon Fiesta back in action after the pandemic.

And I write this month’s column the day after the city enjoyed fabulous weather for Bristol Pride.

Once again, Pride provided an opportunity for the city to celebrate and to secure LGBTQ+ people’s hard-fought rights. I want to send again my thanks to the organisers for two weeks of brilliant events – culminating in the Pride Parade and the festival on The Downs. It was a fantastic day, with tens of thousands of people marching, visiting the

From

organisations represented at the community tent, and enjoying entertainment across five stages in the sunshine.

At the festival, just before Carly Rae Jepsen took to the stage, I announced another opportunity for Bristol to come together again.

Despite winning the Eurovision Song Contest in May, incredibly sadly, Ukraine won’t host the contest in 2023. The BBC have been asked to take on Eurovision next year. And as a global and diverse City of Sanctuary that has for many years extended the hand of welcome to those fleeing conflict, Bristol can be the caretaker of next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

We’re working in partnership with YTL Arena Bristol on a bid to bring Eurovision to the Brabazon Hangers. We have the perfect site, where we can custom-build

the perfect Eurovision Song Contest, with sustainability, inclusion and legacy at its core.

We know that the city and region’s tourism and hospitality sector would Each month Bristol mayor benefit from such a huge Marvin Rees shares his views event, as we know how important events and with Fishponds Voice festivals like these are to Bristol’s economy. To give just one example, the Bristol Light Festival the world to our city, and leave brought a £3.4 million benefit them with life-long memories of to local businesses in the city. their time in Bristol. I know that Across the region, Bristol’s visitor if we’re given the opportunity, economy is worth more than we can do the same with the £2.33 billion, and supports over Eurovision Song Contest in 2023.

45,000 jobs.

I hope you all get to enjoy a As a city, we have a brilliant summer of events – from phenomenal track record on family gatherings and smaller putting on events that celebrate community-based festivities to Bristol’s history and our diverse the many major events planned communities. We put on shows that attract people from all over across the city.

The Mayor’s View

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August, 2022

fishpondsvoice

n NEWS

27

Young boxing talent

Schools say farewell CHESTER Park Infant and Junior schools have said goodbye to two long-standing staff members, with around 50 years' service between them.

Learning support assistant Jenny Donatien has worked at the junior school for the past 22 years, starting as a supply teacher before being asked to stay with her class and going on to work with three different head teachers and some "exceptional" colleagues.

Jenny has led the school choir, directed and produced many Christmas productions and had a big part in the school's work on inclusion and integrating with the community.

She said: "The highlights of my many years are the awesome children and parents I had the pleasure of working with.

"I have many cherished memories of leading the school choir and attending concerts at the Colston Hall and The Royal Albert Hall.

"I will miss my Chester Park family greatly, and wish them all the best in their future endeavours."

Sarah Hutton's connection with Chester Park started in 1993 as a parent, and she became clerk to the infant school's governors in 1996, supporting the secretary from 1999 before taking over the role in 2003, which then developed into becoming the school's business manager.

Sarah said: "I can't believe where the time has gone, from being a parent in the playground to working in the infant school office.

"No two days have been the same, which has made for an interesting and varied time spent working. I shall really miss the staff team and the daily bustle that goes with infant school life."

Chester Park Federation head teacher Mike McNama said: "Both members of staff have contributed to the success of Chester Park over the years and will be missed."

FISHPONDS-based boxers helped school children learn more about the sport.

Downend Boxing Club gave an introduction to Olympicstyle boxing as part of Chester Park Infant and Junior schools' sports week in July.

Boxer MacKenzie Lawrence, 16, demonstrated some techniques with coaches Claire Holloway and Craig Turner, who taught children about the rules before holding a ‘tag boxing’ tournament, where participants have to try to tap Coach Claire Holloway supervises each other on the shoulder the ‘tag boxing’ tournament instead of throwing punches.

Year 3 teacher Louise Sherman said: "The energy and enthusiasm kept the children engaged even during the heat.

"Every child was able to access a variety of sports throughout the week and the feedback was amazing from both adults and children."

Meanwhile the boxing club is preparing for its next tournament, the Riviera Box Cup in Torbay on August 13-14.

Hoping to take gold will be 14-year-old Vinnie Bush, Mya Das (15), Jake Edwards (16), Alexa Smith (17), Andrew Cutting (18), Geovanni Davino (20), Jasmine Pool (21), Jay Holloway (18), Riley Catley (19), Talal Attia (20) and Usamah Zaman (22).

Craig said: "The guys are well prepared for the competition and have worked well through the hot weather."

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Get ready for Bristol’s Clean Air Zone

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fishpondsvoice

August, 2022

n NEWS

29

Tributes to museum organist Vernon TRIBUTES have been paid to the organist whose "sensitive and lovely" playing entertained visitors to Fishponds' Glenside Hospital Museum.

Vernon Hendy died on July 15, shortly after suffering a stroke. He was 82.

Born at his aunt’s house in Downend Road, Fishponds, on November 20, 1939, Vernon spent his childhood in nearby Forest Road.

His father taught him to play the piano and he later took up the organ, taking lessons from Garth Benson, the celebrated organist, at St Mary Redcliffe.

The family attended the Salvation Army in Channons Hill, then Morley Congregational Chapel in Lodge Causeway.

When he married Vera (nee Evans, also of Fishponds) in 1963, they first lived in Lincombe Road, Downend, until 1988, then Manor Place, off Malmains Drive in Frenchay.

When he left school, Vernon spent five years in an apprenticeship with Old Market building firm William Cowling, but when his father heard of a vacancy for a fitter at Glenside Hospital in 1959, Vernon began a 34-year association with the hospital on the engineering staff.

In 1967 he discovered the hospital chapel

Vernon Hendy pictured at the Glenside Hospital Museum organ earlier this year. had an organ and started playing it in his lunch breaks.

After the hospital closed in 1994, he played the organ each week while visitors looked around Glenside Hospital Museum, continuing until three days before his stroke last month.

Museum chair of trustees Anwyl CooperWillis said: "His playing was sensitive and lovely. So many visitors commented on the enjoyment they received from the lovely organ music.

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"He was always a quiet but happy presence to the rest of us volunteers. His absence and the silence of the organ is such a gap in our museum."

Vernon's organ-playing was held in high regard at many local churches throughout his life. After Morley closed in 1980, he was organist at Christ Church Downend for 16 years, before moving to Nailsea in 2002 and helping out in many churches, including Shirehampton Methodist and churches in Yatton, Tickenham, Backwell and Nailsea.

President of the Bristol and District Organists Association in 2009/10 – a rare honour for an amateur organist – he played many organs around the country, including the one at St Paul’s Cathedral, for a birthday present.

Vernon will be sadly missed by daughters Kathryn and Gill, sons-in-law Ian and Rob and grandchildren Dom, Miranda, Ben and Dan, as well as his sister Christine and her family.

Vernon’s funeral will take place at Christ Church Nailsea on Wednesday August 3 at noon.

All are welcome. Donations in lieu of flowers to Glenside Hospital Museum or the Stroke Association.

Kathryn King

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30

August, 2022

n NEWS FROM OUR MP

Backlog Britain MY constituency office has been busy in recent weeks, trying to help people get their passports in time to go on their summer holidays.

Most of the constituents who have contacted me did the right thing in applying early but, only days before they were due to travel, still hadn’t got their documents.

MPs' staff are spending hours on hold to the Passport Office.

While I'm glad we've been able to help in most cases, it really shouldn't require an MP's intervention.

This is just one example of Backlog Britain. I'm also dealing with delays with people getting their driving licences; in one case my constituent needed their licence back to be able to take up a new job and contacted me in desperation, when the job offer was about to be rescinded.

HMRC is also struggling, and it's taking much longer for people

to receive tax refunds.

These delays are bad enough, but the problems in the health service are potentially deadly.

We’ve been hearing of people waiting hours for ambulances to arrive and of logjams outside hospitals, as patients wait to be transferred from ambulances to A&E and then onto wards.

The average ambulance response time for category two calls – the most serious conditions – is now 40 minutes, more than double the 18 minute target. One in ten is kept waiting almost an hour and a half.

Recently, every ambulance service in the UK reached ‘black alert’, the highest alert level, due to heatwave pressures and massive delays outside hospitals.

Constituents – many of them – have also contacted me in despair about not being able to find an NHS dentist. Some are struggling to get a GP appointment, which is another reason why A&E is so

stretched.

All this shows what happens when you aren't prepared to fund public services. Everyone praised our NHS staff during the pandemic, but it's easy to clap.

What our NHS needs is proper investment and a workforce that is valued and rewarded.

Politicians – or rather, certain politicians – need to stop portraying civil servants as a burden rather than as hard-working people, providing essential services.

The soon-to-be-ex Prime Minister called in May for 90,000 civil service jobs to be cut, to fund the cost-of-living crisis and future tax cuts. Several candidates to replace him have been falling over themselves to go even further.

It’s very easy to denigrate civil servants and to talk about slashing 'red tape'. But these pen-pushers are the people who process our passports, driving

Kerry McCarthy MP for Bristol East

writes for Fishponds Voice

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fishpondsvoice

August, 2022

n HISTORY MIKE JEMPSON catches a glimpse of Bristol's railway history through the pages of an old newspaper FOUND in a dusty bag at Glenside Museum, an Evening Post souvenir to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the original Great Western Railway, in 1985.

With appropriate deference to the late trainspotter and journalist David Harrison, who compiled the fascinating special edition, here are some steam train stories that deserve a fresh airing.

It was on 30 July 1833 that Bristol businessmen met in the Guildhall to try and raise the almost £3 million (at least £155 million at today’s prices) that Isambard Kingdom Brunel reckoned it would cost to build a railway to London.

Getting plans approved by Parliament was also costly. The first Great Western Bill only just scraped through the Commons after 57 days of parliamentary time. But it was then scuppered by vested interests in the Lords. Both the owners of companies running horse drawn coaches and canals predicted their ruin; sheep farmers were afraid the smoke would ruin their wool; and gamekeepers worried for their stock. Extraordinary as it might seem, Eton College also objected on the grounds that it would “excite revolutionary ideas in the minds of schoolboys”.

A second bill passed in 1835, and work started in earnest.

The line from Bristol to London was completed in 1841, and the following year Queen Victoria took the train to Bristol.

The final link involved the construction of the Box Tunnel. It would cost 100 men their lives. Up to 4,000 of them were winched down shafts to work 16 hours a day, using crude tools and gunpowder and lit by a tonne of tallow candles every week. Some 300 horses were used to remove the rocks and earth they excavated. Begun in the winter of 1838, it would take almost three years to burrow through almost two miles of rock, clay and sand. At the time it was the longest railway tunnel in the world.

The one enduring, and costly, error with the GWR was Brunel’s insistence it should be a broad gauge line, while the rest of the country’s trains ran on narrower gauges. It was not until 1893 that

31

Tales from the Age of Steam

A stricken passenger is carried from his carriage the GWR was made completely compatible with the burgeoning railway system.

GWR management expected total staff compliance with their rules, at the risk of instant dismissal.

Driver error or train crashes, and there were plenty, could result in imprisonment. Demands to reduce working hours from 12 a day to 10, or to be paid for compulsory overtime, were met with intransigence. It is small wonder railwaymen formed the union that became ASLEF. In truth, the GWR was a service for the business elites who travelled first class. For others, in its early days, there was nothing romantic about their journeys.

Open-topped second class carriages sat immediately behind the engine. Passengers were locked in with no heating, little lighting, and no toilets, and were showered by sparks, cinders and smut – particles of soot. In bad weather, conditions could be appalling, with sometimes fatal consequences. In January 1845 one hapless man was frozen stiff when he was lifted out at Bath, and left to die on the platform.

GWR rules said: "No member of staff may give assistance to third class passengers".

They fared even worse, being only allowed to travel after dark, on goods trains. One man froze to death within 45 minutes of leaving Temple Meads.

Accidents were frequent in the early days of rail travel and fatalities among railway workers were high.

It was not until the 1871 Regulation of Railways Act that an inspectorate began properly to investigate safety issues.

Gradually the names of the locomotives that serviced the south west added to the romance of the railways – the Flying Dutchman, the

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Full steam ahead on The Bristolian

Lithograph of The Box Tunnel by John C Bourne Zulu, the Cornish Riviera, and the Cheltenham Spa Express or Flyer.

The Bristolian became the fastest on the line between the two world wars, averaging 88 mph on its 105-minute journey to London.

Its 4.30pm service was known as the Honeymoon Train, as it whisked happy couples off after their wedding breakfasts.

Those working on the railway dreamt up less salubrious nicknames for other trains – there was the Flying Pig, the Mopper Up and the Bacca.

Life on the branch lines that gradually sprung up in the west was more idyllic.

The Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway seems to have been a relaxed affair, with tales of drivers halting to pick mushrooms

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to fry on their shovels. Apparently one guard would leap off to down a quick pint with the crossing keeper at Kenn Road in Clevedon, while another whole crew stopped off at Clapton-on-Gordano to celebrate at a wedding party.

All of which makes sense of the warning printed on Victorian rail tickets: "This ticket is given subject to there being room on arrival of the train, the precise hour of which will not be guaranteed."

Perhaps little has changed since the Age of Steam, after all.

*Glenside Hospital Museum is open from 10am-1pm on Wednesdays and 10am4pm on Saturdays. www. glensidemuseum.org.uk

Got News? Call Ken On 07715 770377

Chester Park Infant School Are you looking for a school for your child?

Enquire now 0117 3773047 Experienced and caring staff who provide exceptional education to all children.

Engaging outdoor learning areas and equipment!

Vibrant and safe learning spaces where children thrive.

A Meaningful Curriculum that is designed to promote independence and lifelong learning skills.

Regular forest school sessions to develop resilience, social development and emotional skills!

Is your child due to start Reception Year in 2023?

Come and see what Chester Park can offer your child

Open Evening Wednesday 12th October 2022 - 6.30-8pm Do you have a child born between 1st September 2018 and 31st August 2019? If so, we will be holding an Open Evening for you to view Chester Park, the Headteacher will give a talk at 6.30pm and you will be able to tour the schools and talk to teaching staff.

Book now call 0117 3773047 or email chesterparki@bristol-schools.uk “Adults form positive and caring relationships with pupils.

Pupils trust adults in the school and feel valued and respected” - Ofsted 2019

Positive, Resilient, Meaningful

fishpondsvoice

August, 2022

33

n LETTERS Seeing the positive side of lockdown LOCKDOWN – what are the first feelings you associate with the word?

Negative, right?

Being a mental health advocate and first aider, as well as the recruitment and Skye Taynton training lead for Bristol charity Suicide Prevention UK, I wanted to introduce a positive spin on its impact.

Many people ask me if the demand on our service, which runs patrols around Bristol, working alongside emergency services to intervene with anyone who is contemplating suicide, and a telephone helpline, has increased since lockdown.

The answer is yes, but I want to focus on how this is a positive, rather than a negative.

The impact lockdown 2020 had on our mental health and wellbeing, is undeniable.

People who had not previously suffered with mental health illness found themselves anxious to leave the house, afraid to close the 2m distance between loved ones, and found a dark cloud of depression looming after basic human needs and routines were restricted or forbidden.

But people started openly talking about their mental health, realising others felt the same. We said words like anxiety, diagnosis, depression, suicide: we started to break the stigma.

In turn, we validated people's feelings, because we empathised

with them.

We started up groups on social media offering help, and these groups still exist. That sense of community, of helping others, became and is still higher than ever before.

After everything we took for granted was stripped away, we now appreciate the little things – it's never felt so good to hug your parents, or playfully push your sibling.

We ask our children “how was school” and we stop to listen, instead of hastily bundling them into the back seat.

We realised how resilient we are, how strong we can be as individuals, and ‘immediate’ family units were reborn. We bought inflatable pools, and had BBQs in the garden, we splashed, and screeched, and we later played board games or had film night, together.

So let's remember the positive changes lockdown 2020 helped us implement. It robbed us of many things, but also taught us a lot.

If you are struggling with your mental health, and you need to talk, call our free national helpline on 0800 689 5652.

Stroke charity seeks volunteers BRISTOL After Stroke is an independent local charity helping people in Bristol, South Gloucestershire and surrounding areas to rebuild their lives.

We provide information, practical support, friendship and counselling in the months and years following a stroke.

We run a stroke support group, currently bi-weekly, at Lyde Green Community Centre

on a Wednesday afternoon and are looking for volunteers to help support the group leaders and members.

Our groups provide an opportunity for anyone who has been affected by stroke to meet others affected by stroke and make new friends, take part in stimulating and enjoyable activities which will support rehabilitation.

Some of the activities that the members have done recently have included tai-chi and art, as well as first aid training.

Our volunteers may have a special interest or skill that they wish to share with the group, and they can also help the group leader with planning activities.

For more information please contact me at lucy.stockall@ Bristolafterstroke.org.uk or call 07485 302868.

You can find out more about the charity at www.

Bristolafterstroke.org.uk.

Lucy Stockall Volunteer Coordinator Bristol After Stroke

Nobody wants your dirty recycling IF you don’t wash your recycling, it just gets burned or buried in a big hole in the ground.

Despite virtually every household and business having special bins to put their recycling in, the sad fact is that we’re just not very good at it.

If fact, the recycling rate for England has stalled at around 44% for the last few years, meaning that more than half of all rubbish still goes to landfill, or sent is for 'energy recovery' - the harmlesssounding term for 'setting fire to

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your rubbish to generate electricity and stacks of CO2'.

The greatest problem from both domestic and commercial waste is contamination.

Paper and cardboard can’t be recycled if a load is filled with takeaway cartons that still contain pizza crusts and leftovers. And if a lorry-load of paper waste is deemed to be too contaminated for recycling, it gets dumped.

The threshold is very low – about 3% - meaning that just a few households or businesses throwing food waste in with the cardboard in the belief that “they’ll all sort it out at the other end” could mean tonnes of waste heading for the furnace instead.

They can’t sort it out at the other end – that’s your job!

The same goes for plastic – a quick rinse under the tap could mean the difference between recycling and landfill.

These are difficult times and with utility bills going through the roof, those of us on water meters are watching out for every last drop.

So rather than rinsing out an empty tin, jar or plastic packet, dunk your messy recycling in the washing-up water at the end of the wash, or perhaps have a bucket of water outside the back door for just that purpose.

Or – and controversial opinion here – if you can’t clean your recyclable goods, then don’t.

Instead put it in with your general waste, where it won’t contaminate the recycling for the rest of your street.

Sometimes we have to think outside the box. And if that box is filled with leftover chippy tea, then put it in the rubbish bin, please.

Contact us now! — Free initial consultation

Freephone 0800 781 8783

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August, 2022

n PLANNING MATTERS WITH CHRIS GOSLING I HAVE been wanting to write for some time about short-term lets like Airbnb, and the impact that they have.

Airbnb started as an opportunity for people to rent their spare bedrooms on a nightly basis. It was clear in planning terms that the house in question, whether owned or rented, was still being used as a house and not traditional bed and breakfast accommodation. It was, to all intents and purposes, the equivalent of having a guest staying. That meant an occasional change that could reasonably be regarded as insignificant, rather than a material change of use that would require planning permission.

Then something changed.

Whole flats and houses were let, on the same short-term basis, with the owner living somewhere else.

In planning terms, this created a difficulty: the property was still being used as a house, by an individual or small group of people, but the occupants were changing regularly.

The amount of coming and

Up in the air going alone would arguably change the way the building was being used by occupiers and experienced by neighbours.

Crucially, though, the only available record of this was through the website. And this only advertised the availability of the property, rather than providing proof of the change of use.

There were other factors at play with what are now classed as short-term lets. One of these, naturally, was what constituted short term. If tenants decided to move on after a few months, it would not make the property itself a “short term let”.

A clearer definition began to emerge from the responses to the problem. In this country, the first to take action was the London mayor’s office, in the absence of any national controls.

What London decides has no direct bearing outside the capital, although I understand that it is widely believed its 90-day limit

on how long properties can be let short-term, in one calendar year, applies everywhere.

Imagine the difficulties of anyone but the owner being able to keep track of that. Up to that threshold there is nothing planning enforcement can do.

Proof of occupation needs to reach a standard that will stand up in court. Elsewhere in the country the issue is whether a material change of use from a house or flat to something else has occurred.

The stakes may be higher in the capital, but the downsides are the same everywhere.

We are unfortunately far from any kind of solution to this situation.

At the end of June, a public consultation was launched to take views on the impact of shortterm lets, with the government apparently trying to steer a course between promoting tourism and having tourist towns and villages virtually empty out of season.

The effects are not just

confined to tourist hotspots.

Many councils have been trying to tighten things up by increasing council tax on second homes.

But following recent events, it remains to be seen who will be in charge of the country, what their priorities will be and whether this consultation ends up leading anywhere.

Everything seems to be up in the air: not least Airbnb.

Chrisgoslingplanning@gmail.com

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August, 2022

35

n NEWS FROM THE METRO MAYOR

This summer, let’s explore local THERE’S no place like home when it comes to our summer holidays, for the staycation is back.

With the ever-growing cost of living, not to mention the chaos at the Passport Office wrecking even the best-laid holiday plans, many are choosing to play it safe this year and sit out their summer getaway here in the UK. After two years of ‘stay at home’ orders and jumping around the living room with fitness guru Joe Wicks, who fully knew that the solitude of the West of England could help recharge all our batteries?

Who realised that we could all feel reinvigorated by strolling through the gorgeous hills of the South West countryside – a walker’s paradise – from which you can see for miles?

And who appreciated that from adventure parks to nature parks, from festivals to sporting activities, all the family can have a healthy dose of wholesome fun right here in our amazing region?

The secret is now well and truly out. From play and learning at family-friendly favourites like Wild Place Project to the hidden gem that is Radstock Museum, our area is jam-packed with top places to explore.

That’s why, this year, I’ve encouraged all of you to make the most of our fantastic local attractions and get behind them as our pandemic-hit tourism sector gets back on its feet.

My Explore Local campaign has already helped bring thousands of tourists back to our great region, but there is a way to go yet.

And so, if this to be the summer of the great British ‘staycation’ - this a phrase that’s bandied about every year, but it’s fair to say that it’s never been more fitting – let’s take full advantage by visiting the truly amazing attractions we have locally. The UK may well be the staycation nation, but there is no better staycation destination than the West of England!

This summer I’ve been busy visiting many of our great attractions. There are too many highlights to mention but some deserve a special shout out.

In Bath I immersed myself in the spooky history of how Mary Shelley penned her bestselling Frankenstein novel in the city. I should warn you, this one ain’t for the faint-hearted – so children will love it!

I got a sneak peek of a brand-new (and free!) outdoor photography gallery from Bristol’s Royal Photographic Society, too. And I’ve enjoyed

Metro Mayor

Dan Norris

writes for the Voice tea rooms and character in abundance in our beautiful historic market towns.

We’re lucky to live in such a brilliant part of the world. While an exotic escape may be off the cards this year, have no fear.

Let’s all get out there, soak in the atmosphere (and sun) and enjoy a staycation like no other.

We should all fall back in love with holidaying at home here in the very special West of England. And a big bonus of keeping it local and travelling less far is that we can help save the planet too.

I hope you have a great holiday.

n NEWS

Cash for extra patrols AVON and Somerset police have been given £717,000 for extra patrols and "problem-solving work" in 34 areas, including Fishponds Road.

The money from the Home Office's ‘Grip’ scheme is to pay for highvisibility patrols in areas where serious violence is statistically most likely to occur. They include the Eastville end of Fishponds Road and nearby Stapleton Road, in Easton.

The force received £660,000 last year under the scheme, aimed at supporting police forces in areas most affected by serious violence.

It says a combination of enforcement, education and prevention work resulted in 119 fewer street-based violent crimes and 17 fewer serious violent crimes than would have been expected in the areas covered by the patrols between April last year and this March – a 3% fall in serious violence.

Avon and Somerset police lead for serious violence, Superintendent Steve Kendall, said: "We have numerous examples from the last year of our officers being in the right locations at the right times to break-up fights, arrest wanted offenders, locate knives, arrest people carrying weapons and de-escalate arguments and situations that would otherwise have been likely to lead to violent behaviour.

“Crucially we have also been there for members of the public to approach us with information or concerns, enabling us to directly respond to them."

People are also being encouraged to use a new online tool called StreetSafe to anonymously tell the police about public places where they feel or have felt unsafe.

StreetSafe has been introduced as part of the Government’s response to tackling violence against women and girls, but anyone can use it to help identify areas where there are fears caused by antisocial behaviour and other problems including lack of street lighting, abandoned buildings and vandalism.

It can be used by searching online for StreetSafe or visiting police. uk/pu/notices/streetsafe/street-safe/.

To advertise, contact Shaun Tel 07540 383 870

A Team approach to healthcare.

Supporting Premiership Football, Rugby, 2012 Olympics and World Athletic Championship 2017 Chiropractic & Physiotherapy Back & Leg Pain, Sciatica Sports Massage Headaches & Migraines Trapped Nerves Repetitive Strain Injuries Occupational Injuries Sports Injury Specialist Competitively priced

The practice of pain relief Member of the British Chiropractic Association

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CLEVE CHIROPRACTIC 20A Cossham St, Mangotsfield, Bristol BS16 9EN

Contact

0117 957 5388

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36

August, 2022

n ON THE TREATMENT TABLE

Look out for me on the TV!

S

O finally I can tell everyone about E4 coming to Cleve Chiropractic last year to film us working in the

clinic!

I have been treating the Dark Angels, the amazing hip-hop dance sensational group, for around eight years – they’re the current British and World champion group from South Bristol.

The group is run by my patient and friend Charlie Bedford and his wife Steph. I met Charlie when he was still dancing but was struggling with huge back issues that he thought would end his dancing career.

Needless to say we got him back on his feet to compete at the annual World hip-hop championships one more time before he retired to concentrate on coaching his team. Charlie asked me to go to Florida to help treat the whole squad that year and, never one to turn down a trip to go to the sunshine state, I jumped at the chance.

It was great fun and, although the team didn't win that year, they did really well. Ever since then, I have helped to look after all the dancers at the Dark Angel Academy.

In 2020, they made it to the finals of the BBC's Greatest Dancer with Oti Mabuse as their captain.

with Tim Button, Doctor of Chiropractic at Cleve Chiropractic and Next Step in Mangotsfield

0117 957 5388

drtimbutton@cleve chiropractic.com www.clevechiropractic.com facebook.com/clevechiro twitter.com/clevechiro Subsequently, E4 contacted the group to follow their journey post-Covid to the British hip-hop finals.

The show started with a surprisingly gritty first episode following individual members of the group and how their personal lives interact with dancing. Viewers also see how much support they get from the community in Knowle West.

Cleve Chiro was featured in Episode 2. Inevitably one of the dancers, Ruby, hurts her knee and decides it’s time to see me for some rehab. The film crew follow Ruby’s journey as she worries that she will be unable to make the competition that is only a few weeks.

n NEWS

Summer fair is a success A SCHOOL summer fair has raised more than £2,000 to support children's activities.

The fair at Avanti Gardens School in College Road on July 9 raised an "incredible" total of £2,261 for the school's parent teacher association, which organised it.

Chloe Scholefield, of the PTA, said: "It was a busy fair, with many parents, children and members of the local community making the most of the sunshine and fun activities.

"The free bouncy castles were in constant demand, as was the craft area – making magic wands was definitely a favourite.

"The food stalls were incredible, with fresh samosas, cake and ice lollies.

"The PTA would like to thank everyone who donated, helped out in advance and on the day and to everybody that came along and joined in."

To advertise, contact Shaun Tel 07540 383 870

Ruby, who is one of the main dancers, presents at the clinic with the full TV crew in tow – on a boiling hot day when we’re still wearing full PPE. I remember my glasses kept steaming up so I took them off and spent most of the time slightly squinting.

Ruby had two problems, with pain behind the kneecap and a pinched meniscus.

The TV show doesn't show it well as it reduces the drama, but we pretty much fix it there and then with a couple of top sports injury manipulations that work fast for these things. I saw her a couple more times to make sure but she makes it through to the finals simply enough – which was as much a relief for me as it was

for her!

The whole series is a wonderful example of how great Bristol is and what a superb culture we have here, as well as highlighting the Dark Angels as the UK's top hip-hop dance academy. I thoroughly recommend catching up with it if you haven’t already. Just use the All 4 app and search ‘Dark Angels’.

A fabulous experience.

Catherine, Lucy and I from the clinic will be working at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this month. I will tell you all about it next time!

Waiting list shake-up PEOPLE who live in Fishponds could be prioritised for social housing in the area under a shake-up of the city council's growing waiting list.

The area is one of seven where locals could be given priority over people from other areas, with young people leaving care also being made priority cases.

Other proposed changes could see people who refuse certain offers of housing removed from Bristol’s waiting list. Almost 18,000 households are on the list for social housing, which is growing rapidly as private rents become increasingly unaffordable.

The city council is consulting the public on a major shake-up of how it allocates social housing, and one option to cut the number of people on the waiting list, now under consultation, is by penalising anybody who rejects an offer of a new home assigned to them by the council, having already failed to bid for one on the council’s Home Choice website within a prescribed time limit.

The council has launched a survey, at www.ask.bristol.gov.uk/ housing-allocations, revealing its proposed steps for a social housing shake-up. It is open for comments until October 7.

By Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service

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August, 2022

37

n NEWS

Therapy service needs new home A THERAPY service based in Fishponds is looking for a new home.

Bristol Creative Therapy Centre is a community interest company formed in March by qualified therapists Nuria Del Real Iglesias, Kathleen Taylor and Jill Young, after they were made redundant.

They organise 94 sessions of play therapy, dance movement psychotherapy, small groups and parent/child therapy sessions each month.

Kathleen said: "For a good number of years we have been working for the community improving children’s mental health and well-being. We are all passionate about continuing our work, especially as children’s mental health needs continue to escalate.

"So many children are struggling with adverse childhood experiences, yet due to thresholds and waiting lists, many children are unable to access help and the support that they need, which is why BCTC is committed to offering an affordable, accessible and professional service, aiming to meet children’s emotional needs."

The service currently has a temporary base at the Vassall Centre in Oldbury Court but from next year they will need to find new premises, as the centre anticipates that its redevelopment will be getting underway.

Kathleen said: "We have seen great transformations in children's well-being and their families when they receive the right support to

Therapists Nuria Del Real Iglesias, Kathleen Taylor and Jill Young at their current home in the Vassall Centre

navigate their difficulties.

"We are looking for low cost permanent premises so we can continue to offer this vital service to the community."

The therapists have called on anyone who knows of any low-cost premises they could use to get in touch by email at bristolcreativetherapy@gmail. com or by calling 0749 853 1213.

For more information about the service visit www.bristolcreativetherapycentre.org.

Free camps for Ukrainian kids REFUGEE children from Ukraine are being offered free places at summer camps.

The local branch of school sports provider Premier Education is running a multisports camp at Christ Church Infants School in Downend.

The company, which also works with Fishponds Academy and Christ Church Junior School, is providing five weeks of summer sports and activities.

It is offering free places to Ukrainian refugee children aged between five and 11 at all of its camps, including the one in Downend.

Director Luke Gibbons said: "This is a great initiative that hopes to assist with integrating Ukrainian children who have had to flee the war into Fishponds and Bristol Society.

Anyone who wants to find out more about the scheme should visit premier-education.com/ summer-camps-for-ukrainiankids.

A WARM WELCOME AWAITS AT QUARRY HOUSE NURSING HOME Providing top quality, best value, holistic care Quarry House in Fishponds offers safe and nurturing care We are now enabling close contact visits in the home, every resident is able to have an essential care giver, and there is no isolation required for new residents from the community.

We still have a varied activity schedule which keeps life interesting and happy.

We also ensure: • Strict Infection Control measures approved by Public Health England are fully implemented • Care staff wear PPE at all times and we have ensured a high volume of supply • Skilled nurses are on site 24/7 and respiratory equipment is at hand • Safe face-to-face visits where possible

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Give us a call on 0117 969 0990 or visit our website at bristolcarehomes.co.uk To advertise, contact Shaun Tel 07540 383 870

Email: sales@fishpondsvoice.co.uk

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August, 2022

38

nW HAT’S ON IN OUR AREA From 23 July until 4 September 2022. n DISHES OF DISCOVERY AT BRUNEL’S SS GREAT BRITAIN - Already known as the ‘world’s smelliest museum’ with hundreds of sights, sounds and smells, Brunel’s SS Great Britain is about to get tasty this summer. Embark on a global voyage of taste without leaving Bristol as you sample delicacies inspired by Victorian voyages to destinations visited by the ship.

July 30 n ICE CREAM & BAKE SALE, face painting, Elsa from Frozen and teddy tombola, Christ Church Centre, Quaker's Road, 2-4pm. Free entry.

July 31 n LAZY SUNDAY AFTERNOON CONCERT in Page Park, with The Dings Jazzmen, 2pm on the Bandstand. More information from the Bean Tree Cafe.

August 3 PLAYDAY 2022. Fun-filled day of activities for children at the Community Hub in Eastville Park.

More details www.playday.org.uk

August 3-20 n INSANE ROOT THEATRE presents Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the old lido, Eastville Park. Open air performance at 6pm and 8.30pm, Wednesdays Fridays and Saturdays, 7.30pm Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Suitable for ages 10+, tickets from insaneroot.org.uk/midsummer with discounts for residents.

August 6 FILM CLUB in the Nissen Hut in Eastville Park, 7.30pm. The Duke: A taxi driver steals a priceless Goya portrait.

August 13 n FISHPONDS HORTICULTURAL SHOW, 2pm, the Beechwood Club, Beechwood Road. Flowers, fruit, veg, cookery, photography, crafts and children's classes. £1 entry, under-16s free. More details online at activatefishponds.co.uk or by calling 0117 958 4164.

August 14 n ERNIE'S JOURNEY FREE THEATRE SHOW, picnic and circus workshop for children aged 4 to 11, Hillfields Community Garden, 11.30am-3.30pm. For more information visit fb.me/ e/25FtKYX3A.

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August 16 n DOWNEND GARDENING IN RETIREMENT CLUB, 10.15am, Assembly Hall, Salisbury Road. Nonmembers welcome, £3 including tea/coffee.

August 20 n HILLFIELDS COMMUNITY GARDEN VOLUNTEER GROUP, 10.30am-noon. Friendly group, all ages welcome, no tools or experience needed. Activities for children. More details from hillfieldscommunitygarden@gmail. com August 22 n HILLFIELDS COMMUNITY GARDEN MINI EXPLORERS, 10-11am. Friendly playgroup with gardening, stories, songs, crafts and activities for children aged 2-4, parents/carers and siblings. Free – no need to book in advance. More details from hillfieldscommunitygarden@gmail. com.

September 3 n PARTY IN THE PONDS, VASSALLS PARK, OLDBURY COURT, noon-7pm. Free event with music, dance and a huge variety of stalls: Jamaican, Mexican, vegan, cakes, candy floss and ice cream;

face painting, wood carving, crafts and games.

September 5 n HILLFIELDS COMMUNITY GARDEN WILD WOMEN, 7-9pm.

Supportive group for women of all ages, sharing seasonal food and drink, and exploring simple mindfulness techniques. No need to book, just turn up on the day. More information from hillfieldswildwomen@gmail.com.

REGULAR EVENTS Wednesday n BRISTOL SCRABBLE CLUB meets every Wednesday evening at 7pm until 10pm at Filton Community Centre, Elm Park, Filton BS34 7PS. New members welcomefirst visit free so come along and give us a try. For further information contact Sheila on 01179570792 or 07435316458 or email shinett@ blueyonder.co.uk Friday n EASTVILLE PARK FOODCLUB OPEN FOR COLLECTIONS, every Friday 12-1.30pm (please note change of opening hours). To enquire about membership, email eastvilleparkfoodclub@gmail.com or call 07591 748548.

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House, Garden, Office Clearance -- Plus other House, Garden, Office Clearance Plus all other Plus Your Other Waste Removal Needs too!

Plus All All Your Other Waste Removal Needs too!

On-average Average cheaper than a skip.

On cheaper than aa skip.

OnAverage cheaper than skip. removal On average cheaper waste removal On cheaper than aa skip wastewaste removal -Average On average cheaper than than skipa skip

07592 003 Tel: 07592 506 003003 Tel: 07592 506 Tel:Tel: 07592 506506 003

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A Local company offering a professional, friendly service

• Boiler installations - Vaillant specialist • Boiler service & breakdown • Gas Safety Inspections • Summer special - Combi Boiler service £60 + VAT • Unvented Hot water cylinder installation & repair • General plumbing service & repair

• FULLY INSURED • LICENSED WASTE CARRIER

HOUSE & RUBBISH CLEARANCE

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Heating Services

OVEN CLEANING

PLUMBING

 

1/4 Load 1/4 £99 1/4 Load Load £99 £99 Half Half £149 Half Load Load Load £149£149 3/4 Load 3/4 £199 3/4 Load Load £199£199 Full Load Full £249 Full Load Load £249£249

www.junkmonsters.co.uk www.junkmonsters.co.uk

PAINTING & DECORATING

HYPNOTHERAPY

Want to

Feel relaxed and free from anxiety and stress Have a good night’s sleep Stop smoking, lose weight Overcome fear of flying, dentists or other phobias Get relief from migraine, irritable bowl syndrome

Hypnotherapy can help For more information and a free initial consultation contact Gerry Monaghan Solution Focused Hypnotherapist

Tel/text: 07599 207 299

www.gerrymonaghanhypnotherapist.com

J L Painting & Decorating Jason Lee Qualified Painter & Decorator No Job too small Free No obligation quote Telephone:

07474573780 0117 2792264 e: jl.painting.decorating@outlook.com

PLUMBING

ADVERTISE HERE

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS

PLUMBING

CREST HEATING & PLUMBING

From as little as

£20.00

BOILERS, BATHROOMS AND GENERAL PLUMBING

+VAT

Per month

OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE HONEST & RELIABLE

E-MAIL:

TEL: 07765 250816

sales@fishpondsvoice.co.uk To advertise, contact Shaun Tel 07540 383 870

* TAPS, WASHERS * BALL VALVES * LEAKS, WASTES * OVERFLOWS, DRIPS * LEAD PIPES * TOILETS, FLUSHES

Email: sales@fishpondsvoice.co.uk

56746

Got News? Call Ken On 07715 770377

Rajani Superstore WWW.RAJANIS.CO.UK

Maggs Lane, Fishponds Trading Estate, Bristol, BS5 7EW www.rajanis.co.uk Tel: 0117 965 5201

LARGE RANGE OF SUMMER STOCK AVAILABLE

FERTILIZER BAGS

TOP SOIL & GARDEN TRELLIS

PLANT SEEDS

NET CURTAINS

GARDEN EQUIPMENT

GARDEN FURNITURE

NOW LICENSED TO SELL ALCOHOL

CAR WASH

VISIT OUR INSTORE CAFE WHICH SERVES SANDWICHES, LUNCHES, FULL ENGLISH BREAKFASTS HOT AND COLD DRINKS

OPENING HOURS:

Monday to Saturday 9am - 6pm Sunday and Bank Holiday 10am - 4pm