fishpondsvoice December, 2020 — ISSUE 69
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Winter windows light up street A street advent calendar trail has replaced the usual Christmas lights switch-on party for residents of a Fishponds road this year. PAGE 19
Out of school care faces cash crisis Oldbury Court Out of School Clubs, which supports families at its base in Delabere Avenue and at schools, is facing a funding crisis because of Covid-19. PAGE 9
Schools, including Glenfrome Primary in Eastville, have filmed Christmas performances for parents, who are not allowed into school because of coronavirus rules. Report: Pages 6 & 7.
Make the path safe again CALLS are being made for lasting action to make the Bristol and Bath Railway Path safer after a recent spate of crimes, including robbery, sexual assault and a stabbing. Police have increased patrols and made two arrests – but a survey has found most users avoid the path after dark, because they don't feel safe.
A Fishponds man has written an open letter to Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees calling for action, after collecting details of more than 30 incidents. Duncan Edwards, a member of the Bristol Cyclists Facebook group, has used the path to commute to work and also regularly runs on it. Turn to Page 5
Barclays shuts Fishponds branch Barclays has shut its branch in Fishponds Road because of falling demand, leaving the area with just two banks. PAGE 16
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fishpondsvoice Publisher & Sales Caroline Galvin 07453 954261
Journalist Ken MCormick 07715 770377
Editor Linda Tanner 0777 0700579
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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 Fishponds 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 found on the Voice website here, or can be obtained by contacting the Publisher.
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December, 2020
n NEWS
Supermarket plan for bingo hall PLANS have been submitted to allow the bingo hall in Fishponds Road to be converted into a supermarket or DIY store. The application was made to Bristol City Council in September on behalf of the site's owners, Jersey-based Jacques L’Hyveuse LP. Current operators Buzz Bingo had not commented on the plans as the Voice went to press, although the plans make no mention of the venue closing permanently and say that no retail operator has been lined up to move in. Writing on behalf of the freehold owners, planning consultant Andrew Beard told the council: "The site has been closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and the entertainment economic market is subject to significant uncertainty. "This application is to secure a planning permission for retail use, should the need arise to secure alternative use. "There is no existing prospective operator, but being within the defined Fishponds Town Centre, retail use is considered wholly appropriate." The application says that the size of the building would "ideally lend itself to a further food store or a DIY unit" and frequently references the other supermarkets nearby. The main physical change in the application would be to create a loading bay for lorries bringing deliveries, which would arrive via the front entrance. The car park would retain more than 100 spaces for customers, including 18 disabled parking spaces, with new cycle space provision for staff and the public. Only two public comments had been made on the plans as of December 12, one in support and the other asking that the walkway between the car park and the Channons Hill Retail Park is kept open. The Voice asked Buzz Bingo whether it intended to leave the site in the near future but the company had not responded with a statement before we went to press. Anyone who wants to comment on the plans should search the planning section of the city council's website for application 20/04204/F, call 0117 922 3000 or write to Development Management, City Hall, Bristol City Council, PO Box 3399, Bristol, BS1 9NE.
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fishpondsvoice
December, 2020
3
n NEWS
£4.5m for CLF Post 16 building A PERMANENT sixth form for schools in east Bristol has moved a step closer. Bristol City Council has committed £4.5 million towards a Post 16 building for Cabot Learning Federation, which runs several secondary schools in east Bristol, on the site of the former Speedwell Fire Station. But until Government approval is received and the new sixth form built alongside Bristol Brunel Academy in Speedwell Road, some post-16 students will have to travel to other CLF sites for their lessons from next September. This could include sixth-formers being accommodated at King’s Oak Academy in Kingswood, Hanham Woods Academy and Digitech in Warmley.
Speedwell fire station in 2014, before it closed The funding pledge is the result of a deal reached by the council and CLF to provide 138 extra spaces for Year 7 students next year, to meet the needs of a population bulge in the area. The federation said in a statement: “CLF Post 16 students currently learn at both Bristol Brunel and John Cabot Academies. While the permanent build is ongoing, in addition to those two academies, some of our CLF Post 16 provision will be relocated to other local accommodation, including other nearby CLF academies, which will allow us to maintain the high standards our post-16 students
currently enjoy.” The council had hoped a new secondary school at Temple Quarter could be agreed in time to meet some of the demand for Year 7 places but delays mean it will not open before September 2023 at the earliest. The federation said: “All of the CLF schools in the area have grown gradually over recent years to continue to meet the demand for places from the local community. “The additional space for Year 7 students from September 2021 will be available at Bristol Brunel, John Cabot, and City Academies, with
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Bristol Metropolitan Academy maintaining current admission numbers." Council cabinet member for education Anna Keen said the new post-16 centre "is a much-needed improvement, having been consulted on with all parties, including pupils, in the area". Jenny Grinsted from BS5 Secondary Forum, which is campaigning for the Temple Quarter school, said: “In reality, this was the only possible solution to the immediate problem of 2021 secondary school places. While it’s a reasonable solution, it will still result in very large intakes in some East Bristol schools, and we remain concerned about how quality of education for the children there will be affected." The deal means that funding which would have been spent providing temporary accommodation for Year 7s at the Bristol secondary sites will go towards the proposed permanent sixth form. The fire station closed in 2015 and was demolished last year.
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n NEWS THE first patients of GP surgeries in the Fishponds area were due to start receiving calls to come and have coronavirus vaccinations from mid-December. NHS England said it was delivering batches of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine to surgeries in more than 100 areas on December 14 and 15, with GPs pooling resources to set up vaccination centres where nurses, paramedics, pharmacists and other NHS staff will work alongside GPs to vaccinate people aged 80 and over, as well as care home workers and residents. The NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, which coordinates GP healthcare in the region, had yet to confirm which surgeries would be used as vaccination hubs in Bristol as the Voice went to print. Patients were being urged not to call or visit their surgery to ask for a jab but instead to wait their turn to be to be asked, as the NHS works through people in priority groups. Royal College of GPs chair Professor Martin Marshall said: "We won’t be vaccinating everyone all at once – it will be a relatively small number at first – but as long as there is supply, GPs and our teams at selected sites will start vaccinating people this week, starting with our most vulnerable patients. “Patients will be contacted and invited for vaccination – we would urge them not
December, 2020
First Bristol patients receive Covid vaccine to contact their practice enquiring about vaccination; we will contact them." Vaccinations started at Southmead Hospital on December 8, with staff and elderly patients given the jab. Meanwhile, testing is continuing, with a drive-through centre having opened at Cleve Rugby Football Club's Hayfields ground in Cossham Street , Mangotsfield. The testing centre at UWE Bristol at Frenchay has been reclassified as a local testing site and offers only walk-up tests. Covid-19 case rates in most parts of Fishponds and in Bristol as a whole are falling – but the number of deaths is rising again. Over the seven days to December 8, a total of 574 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Bristol, a rolling case rate of 123.9 per 100,000 people – well below the average case rate for England, which stood at 166.3. Office for National Statistics local-level figures for the same week showed a total of 40 new confirmed Covid-19 cases in the local area. The only neighbourhood where case
numbers had risen was the ONS's Fishponds South area, which covers Hillfields and had 10 new cases. In Fishponds North, which includes the top of Fishponds Road, Manor Road and Oldbury Court, there were nine cases. There were also nine in Stapleton, six in Eastville – which includes Fishponds Road south west of Lodge Causeway on the ONS map - and six in Speedwell, which includes roads off Lodge Causeway and Mayfield Park. Since the start of the pandemic there had been 16,338 confirmed coronavirus cases in Bristol by December 8 – around one in every 28 people. The overall number of deaths with the virus in Bristol since the start of the pandemic now stands at 317. In the week to November 27 – the most recent for which figures were available – 19 people died with Covid-19 in Bristol. Over the two months to November 27, a total of 59 people died with Covid. That compares with just six people over the previous two months.
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December, 2020
5
n NEWS
Action after 'alarming' series of crimes From Page 1 Duncan has experienced suspicious behaviour while running on the path himself, and decided to compile a list of incidents, from those already published and by asking group members to contact him. He noticed "alarming" patterns of similar incidents happening in particular places along the path. One of the worst affected areas has been the stretch in Fishponds between Morrisons and the Forest Road bridge, near the Royal Mail delivery office, where muggings, intimidation and a sexual assault have been reported. Police arrested a 13-year-old boy on December 1 on suspicion of sexual assault in relation to one of the incidents, and have released him on bail while enquiries continue. Another hot spot is the old Mangotsfield station, where a man was robbed of an electric scooter at knifepoint and a woman was threatened with rape when she saw a teenage boy hiding in bushes, near where branches had been left on the path to knock cyclists off bikes. A 14-year-old boy has also been arrested in connection with an attack on a woman who was stabbed four times in the leg as she ran on the path near Brook Road in Warmley, close to Siston Common, on December 7. As well as collecting details of around 35 recent incidents, more than 600 people have responded to a survey Duncan posted in the Facebook group – and two thirds
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James Cleeton of transport charity Sustrans with his wife Pippa and son Jasper on the Bristol and Bath Railway path as cyclists rode the path in a show of solidarity on December 5 of them did not feel safe on the path after dark. He said: "There are people riding on the path from Bath, then going off at Mangotsfield and using the road – it's an arterial commuter route that's not safe enough to be used. "I felt like someone was going to be killed if it was allowed to go on." Duncan wrote to Mr Rees calling for regular police patrols, more lighting and CCTV for the path, particularly at the known trouble spots. A petition has also been launched by another path user on the e-petitions section of South Gloucestershire Council's website to improve the lighting on its section of the path. The Mayor wrote back to Duncan, saying that he regularly used the path himself and acknowledged the challenges with crime and anti-social behaviour there. Duncan said the letter contained some "platitudes" but said recent police action was a step in the right direction, which needed to be kept up. He said: "Continuing the
patrols is the number one thing, along with CCTV and slightly better lighting. "They have got a lot to do to get the confidence level up." Police say they have implemented a "problem solving plan" , including patrols and days of action, and "an increased emphasis on information sharing between Bristol East and South Gloucestershire neighbourhood policing teams". Path users have reported
more officers and PCSOs on the path in recent days. Neighbourhood Inspector Clive Summerill said the arrests were "a positive step forward". He added: “The local neighbourhood team continues to patrol the pathway and we’d encourage anyone who spots a crime in progress, or has concerns about groups of young people being intimidating, antisocial or blocking the path to call 101 as soon as possible, or 999 if they fear a crime is being committed. All reports will be thoroughly investigated.” Transport charity Sustrans helps care for the path. The charity's area director James Cleeton organised a sociallydistanced ride on December 5 fto show solidarity on the stretch between Fishponds and Easton. He said the path was "very busy" during the event, which had support from Easton ward councillor Afzal Shah and music from Fishponds residents.
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December, 2020
n NEWS
Schools find new ways to celebrate
Fox class at Chester Park Infant School preparing the Christmas video
Glenfrome Primary pupils filming their Christmas performance
SCHOOLS in the Fishponds, Eastville and Stapleton area are working out new ways to celebrate Christmas, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect all aspects of life. Traditional whole school nativities and pantomimes with
to minimise mixing between year groups means staff need to come up with innovative ways of bringing their communities together. At Chester Park infants and juniors, staff and pupils are creating a Christmas song from
audiences are out. Gone, too, are festive fairs, where parents mingle with staff over a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie, so the challenge is how to involve them. Even within schools, dividing children into bubbles
each class to share with parents and carers online. At the infant school, each class is performing a section of the nativity story, which will then be combined to create a wholeschool nativity to be shared with parents online.
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December, 2020
7
festive season Chester Park Junior School children are creating a performance using the poem 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, while staff have created a video to entertain the school community based on festive favourite Step Into Christmas. Chester Park Federation head teacher Mike McNama said: "Covid Christmas at school has been a little different to our normal Christmas celebrations, but through the engagement of technology we have been able to keep some of the traditional elements of a Chester Park Christmas; Father Christmas has visited us remotely this year, we have still had traditional Christmas dinner and Christmas jumper day, Christmas cards have been shared in bubbles and the school halls have been decked out including our traditional Christmas trees." Like many schools, Glenfrome Primary School in Eastville has
had to contend with coronavirus cases and year group 'bubbles' closing when a positive test is confirmed. The school's Year 1 bubble had to close the day after filming for their nativity finished. It was one of four closures since September, three of which came in October. Each time a bubble has to close, children move to online learning using the Google Classroom app, with parents who need laptops lent them by the school, thanks to a donation from Bristol firm Moving Experience. Volunteers have been delivering food packages to isolating children entitled to free school meals, with the school accessing grants and working with foodbanks, alongside a voucher scheme organised by the city council. Head teacher Inger O’Callaghan said: "Christmas has been very different at Glenfrome this year.
The staff performance at Glenfrome Primary "We are trying to keep it festive for the children, and still have Christmas lunch planned, with lots of sparkle in our dining hall, and a lovely Christmas tree to welcome the children in. "But we can’t really welcome anyone else in, so Glenfrome Christmas has gone online!" As well as a whole school performance of ’Twas the Night before Christmas, with every class learning one of the 14 verses, the school also filmed
a nativity, as staff felt sorry for parents who wouldn't get to see their children in costume. Mrs O'Callaghan added: "We have also filmed a staff song. It wouldn’t be the same without us all dressing up and looking ridiculous! "We hope that, despite the pandemic, our families who celebrate Christmas and all our community will be warm, safe and well fed this holiday."
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fishpondsvoice
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December, 2020
n NEWS
Covid hits mail deliveries Huge cocaine haul
ROYAL Mail has thanked customers for their "patience and understanding" after a combination of coronavirus cases and increased demand has delayed some deliveries. The Voice understands that at least nine members of staff based at the Fishponds delivery office in New Station Way have recently had positive tests for Covid-19, with more staff having to self-isolate after being advised by Test and Trace. It comes at a time when "exceptionally high volumes" of parcels, due to an increase in online Christmas shopping, are adding to usual Christmas rush. People living in the BS16 postcode area, which includes Fishponds, Stapleton, Frenchay, Downend and Mangotsfield, have commented on social media about delays, with some complaining of going up to a week without deliveries and others saying parcels have been prioritised over letters and cards. Claims have also been made that
when regular posties are off work there is no one to cover them. A Royal Mail spokesman confirmed there had been absences, adding: "The combination of greatly increased uptake of online Christmas shopping, in no small part driven by the recent lockdown, and the ongoing Covid restrictions mean that all delivery companies are experiencing exceptionally high volumes this year. "Every single parcel, letter and card is important to us. We remain grateful to all our customers for their patience and understanding as our dedicated workforce work hard to deliver these exceptional volumes, whilst also adhering to necessary social distancing measures." The spokesman said 33,000 temporary workers had been hired nationally for the peak to sort parcels, cards and letters. She added: "Throughout the pandemic, every decision we make puts the health of our people and customers first."
To advertise, contact Caroline on 07453 954261
SUSPECTED cocaine worth around £400,000 on the street has been seized in a raid by police in Fishponds. Four people – two from Bristol and two from Essex – have been arrested in connection with the find, which happened on November 3. Officers from Wiltshire police's Serious Organised Crime Unit and Operation Fortitude proactive response unit carried out the raid in connection to an investigation into drugs supply in the county. The cocaine seized A spokesperson for Wiltshire police by Wiltshire police in confirmed that the raid had taken place at Fishponds an address in Fishponds but the force would not reveal any further information about the location. Four people were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs: a 31-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man from Bristol, and two men, aged 35 and 21, from Essex. Serious Organised Crime Unit Detective Inspector Rab Macleod said: "This is one of the biggest seizures that we have had. "To have seized in excess of £400,000 worth of Class A drugs will no doubt have a substantial impact on the drugs community." The four suspects were taken into custody. *Two Bristol teenagers have been charged with being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs after heroin and cocaine were seized in another property in Fishponds. the pair, including a 19-year-old from Fishponds, were remanded in custody until January after the seizure in late November.
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fishpondsvoice
December, 2020
9
n NEWS
Out of school clubs face funds crisis AN APPEAL has been launched to support an organisation providing vital out of school care for Fishponds families. Oldbury Court Out of School Clubs has been looking after the children of working parents for 32 years, providing sessions before and after school for children attending eight schools in Fishponds, Downend and Staple Hill, as well as holiday clubs. More than 200 families usually rely on the club to provide care, both at its main site in Delabere Avenue in Oldbury Court and at schools. But the coronavirus pandemic has left it facing severe financial pressures. During lockdown the club furloughed some staff but others worked to ensure children of key workers could be looked after. While schools have now fully reopened, many parents working from home no longer use the club. And many of those who do have credit left over from fees paid before March. But rules on school bubbles and distancing mean the club has had to continue staffing at the same levels as before, while providing a quarter of its regular number of spaces and using more venues, which means costs are rising as its income falls. The non-profit community group's chair,
Graham Thompson, says it has so far had to make one member of staff redundant and had to cancel plans for holiday provision over Christmas. The club has had to ask parents to increase the fees they pay for each session and is rapidly using up its reserves. But Graham says it needs to raise more money, and ask parents to declare fees currently held in credit as a gift, if it is to run holiday clubs next spring and secure its future beyond the next six months. Graham said: "We have one family where
both parents work in Southmead Hospital, in covid wards. If there's no school holiday cover for them, what do they do?" Schools whose pupils use the OOSC's provision include Christ Church Infants and Juniors in Downend, Staple Hill Primary, Fishponds C of E Academy, Avanti Gardens, Frome Vale, and Chester Park Infants and Juniors. Parent Rebecca Oregan has two sons who use the out of school club. She said: "The OCOOSC provides a vital service. It allows parents and carers to go to work, safe in the knowledge that their children will be cared for and will learn and create a wide range of things in a fun, safe environment. "It would be such a shame if this facility was to close, and would impact so many families." An online fundraiser for the group has been launched at website GoFundMe by parent Hannah Spawls, who said: "These affordable childcare facilities are absolutely vital to so many families so please, please, donate if you can." To donate to the online appeal, visit uk.gofundme.com/f/save-oldbury-court-outof-school-clubs
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10
December, 2020
n PETER'S VISION
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A
S I write this our topsy turvy times seem to be continuing. We’re all hoping for enough normality to have the family Christmas that means so much to so many of us, as well as keeping safe too! At least the prospect of a vaccine is seemingly nearer each week that goes by, which keeps our hopes alive and now looks more like a light than just a flicker at the end of the tunnel. Our quest for sourcing the latest technologies for you our patients continues unabated. Those of you who regularly wear glasses will understand my excitement at this one. At last, we can look forward to wearing our glasses with the often required face mask or covering and be able to see clearly too! This new lens, our anti-fog lens, is a super and exciting development. Whatever you wear your glasses for, we’ve now the anti fog lens for you. Amazingly even when we hold this lens over a boiling kettle it stays fog free! Now this was just for demonstration of how amazing the lens is of course, and not something we’d recommend you try at home. The hallelujah moment for us glasses wearers is that if the lens can stay fog free in steam it will be amazingly clear going in and out on cold or wet days, as well as when wearing a face covering. These conditions used to be the nemesis of spectacle lenses, but no more! It was road safety week recently, a timely reminder that seeing clearly for driving is of vital importance. I appreciate that the world of routine eye checks has only recently been returning to normal, but it is our individual responsibility that we all make sure we can see clearly whatever we’re doing, particularly if our negative actions, such as driving without clear vision, could have catastrophic consequences for others too.
You & your loved ones are most welcome to come and see us whatever your eye care needs. Whether you’d like regular glasses or anti fog glasses for near, far or both, our expert teams are ready & waiting to help you! We just ask that you telephone first to book a time to come in, to help us keep you all safe. Please call our Henleaze practice on 0117 962 2474 or our Fishponds practice on 0117 965 4434. I’ll end on a cheerful note, I sincerely hope you all have an enjoyable Christmas and a relaxing family time. My thoughts and best wishes are with all of you particularly those who, as we have, lost a loved one this year. Here’s to a bright future and a Happy 2021 for us all!
We look forward to seeing you soon!
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Peter Turner is a Senior Optometrist at Turners Opticians in Bristol, and also works part time as a Senior Optometrist at the Bristol Eye Hospital.
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fishpondsvoice
December, 2020
11
n NEWS
'Remarkable' equestrian and activist hailed A STAPLETON teenager's achievements in riding and equalities activism have won her a nomination for a Bristol Young Heroes award. Tegan Vincent-Cooke took up riding at the age of four and is now aiming to compete at the Paralympics as Team GB's first black equestrian. She is also an activist against discrimination, and has given talks to live and online audiences. Tegan, 19, was diagnosed at birth with quadriplegic palsy, which causes difficulty in controlling arm and leg movement. She said: "I started riding because I’d recently started nursery and couldn’t be as involved in the sports as I’d liked, so my physiotherapist suggested that I try horse riding, as she’d heard that it was really beneficial physically and mentally for those with disabilities – and she was right.
"There’s still many difficulties that come with riding with a disability, and some restrictions. Also on bad days it can be difficult to ride when your body is fighting, or muscles are extremely tight." Tegan is now an accomplished dressage rider, having won national championships, and is aiming to compete for Great Britain in the 2024 Paralympics. Now training at Gatcombe Valley Equitation sports performance centre in Flax Bourton on her part loan horse Wish, Tegan is aiming to break through as an international rider. She said: "The big dream is the Paralympics. I’d love to not only win, and make myself and my team proud, but I’d also be the first black equestrian on Team GB – that’ll be an achievement in itself." Tegan's activism has included delivering talks at the 2018 Black Girl Convention for black women
in the region, and the 2019 TedX idea-sharing event in Bristol. She said: "Before I always educated others on disabilities and how we live normal lives. Also LGBTQ rights: it still shocks me that discrimination exists, shouldn’t we just be able to live and love who we want? "This year my eyes were opened to the Black Lives Matter movement, seeing the amount of racism going on is just painful to watch. "People should be able to live their lives how they want without receiving hate or judgement." The Bristol Young Heroes Awards are an annual celebration of young people who have "overcome challenges and adversity to either accomplish great things or make a significant contribution to the life of the city". Run by Community of Purpose, a Bristol community interest company, and in their seventh year, the awards
highlight the city’s "unsung young heroes". Chris Duncan, of Community of Purpose, said: "Tegan was shortlisted in the Super Hero award category because of her remarkable resilience and strength." Tegan's achievements were highlighted in an online awards ceremony on December 16, which included performances, interviews and appearances from some of Bristol’s best-known figures.
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fishpondsvoice
12
n NEWS
December, 2020
Owl lands at library Man and child knocked down A GIANT owl has perched on the side of Fishponds Library, thanks to a collaboration between an artist, street art festival Upfest and the city council. The wooden sculpture features quotes from a range of books suggested by local people, from classics such as Wuthering Heights to modern thrillers including The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It took more than six months for Bristol artist Tom Habben, who works under the name Mammoth Hands, to create, and aims to make the library at the corner of Hockey's Lane and Lower Station Road more visible. Tom said: “The engagement process has been fascinating, with the spectrum of quotes provided by the public becoming essential to the aesthetic of the sculpture, as most of my work is formed from responding to community and place.” Council cabinet member for libraries Asher Craig said: “It has been fantastic to work with Tom and the team at Upfest to bring this innovative project to life. The response from our library users has been amazing, and I would like to thank everyone who submitted a quote. “This sculpture, really makes the library stand out, and it will be a reminder of our mission and will hopefully start many conversations about books that have made a difference in people’s lives. We hope it may also encourage some people to visit the library for the very first time.”
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POLICE are trying to trace the driver of a car who drove off after knocking down a man who was carrying a two-year-old boy across a road in Fishponds. The incident happened on Forest Road, near the junction with Lodge Causeway, at about 5.15pm on Friday November 20. Police say the 53-year-old pedestrian "suffered a significant head injury". He has since been discharged from hospital, and has spoken to police officers about what happened. The boy suffered minor injuries. The driver of the dark grey estate car stopped at first, but then drove off. Police believe he may not have realised how badly injured the man was. Avon and Somerset police have called on anyone with information to come forward. Detective Sergeant Nicholas Lawson said: “Our investigation is continuing and we’re focussing on reviewing CCTV footage, speaking to witnesses and forensic enquiries. "We’re still appealing for the driver of the car to get in touch with us. "They may have panicked at the time, or not realised the extent of the injury caused to the pedestrian, but it’s vital they come forward now, not only to assist with our investigation but to help the family of those involved. "They are traumatised by what’s happened and want to know that the driver responsible is engaging with the police. “If this was you, please get in touch. "If you witnessed this collision, or have any other information about the driver or the vehicle, please also get in touch.” Anyone who can help should call 101 and quote the crime reference number 5220 262 327.
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Thanking all our clients for their D support over the PEN AN BACK O OWING last year and FOLL MENT OVERN T Y G wishing them SAFE ES IN a very MerryGUIDEL Christmas and Happy New Year Full government
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From our family to yours Thank you for the sacrifices you’ve made to keep everyone safe this year. We’ll continue to be here for you 24/7, whatever 2021 brings. We wish you a peaceful Christmas and a happy and hopeful New Year.
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fishpondsvoice
December, 2020
15
n NEWS
Rings stolen from two residents at care home INVESTIGATIONS are underway after rings were stolen from two residents with dementia at a Frenchay care home. One was pulled from the finger of an 84-year-old woman and four more were taken from a display frame in the room of a 97-year-old woman at Begbrook House in Sterncourt Road. Avon and Somerset police and the home's operator Barchester Healthcare are both investigating the thefts. But relatives of one victim say they were unaware there had been another theft on the same weekend until the Voice shared a police appeal for information. The 84-year-old woman had a gold full sovereign ring taken from her finger. Police say she has died since the incident and the ring was "of great sentimental value to her family". Fishponds resident Sheila Lockwood contacted the Voice
The gold sovereign ring stolen from a woman's finger
Rings stolen from Sheila Lockwood's mother
after seeing the appeal for information because her mother had also been a victim of theft at the home. Sheila's mum, who is 97, had her engagement ring, wedding ring, eternity ring and her mother's wedding ring in a frame on the wall of her room, because they no longer stayed on her fingers. They were taken between 6pm on October 17 and 9am on October 18.
Sheila said she had only been able to see her mother twice since the lockdown in March and at the time the thefts happened, visits were not allowed. She said: "Of all the things she has, it was always her rings she wanted to see." A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset police said: "Enquiries into both thefts are ongoing. We’re keeping an open mind as to whether they are linked and we’ve not been made aware of
any other similar occurrences taking place at the care home previously." Police called on anyone who had seen any of the rings or had any other information about the thefts to call them on 101, quoting crime reference number 5220 236 963 in relation to the sovereign ring and 5220 236 956 in relation to the other four rings. A spokesperson for Barchester Healthcare, which runs Begbrook House, said: "The team at Begbrook House Care Home is taking the alleged thefts very seriously. We are investigating internally and will be reporting our findings to family members directly. "We continue to make the home as comfortable and safe an environment for our residents and staff as possible, with the well-being of our residents at the forefront of everything we do."
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fishpondsvoice
16
n NEWS
Man is cleared of drugs charge A MAN who was charged with a drug offence after a cannabis factory was found in Fishponds has been cleared. Giedrius Zubelis, who was 37 at the time of the incident in January, was charged with being concerned in the production of a class B drug by police, who found the factory after being called to a house in Tyndale Avenue on January 4, on an unrelated matter. Zubelis, who lived in Tyndale Avenue at the time, was found not guilty of the charge by a jury after a Bristol Crown Court trial in September, which was held at the city's magistrates court for social distancing reasons.
December, 2020
Barclays pulls out of Fishponds BARCLAYS has closed its bank on Fishponds Road, leaving just two banks based in the area. The company said there had been a fall in counter transactions as most customers at the branch now banked online or used other branches. The nearest Barclays branch is now two miles away in Regent Street, Kingswood, with Lloyds and NatWest now the only banks remaining on Fishponds Road. None of the seven staff who worked at the branch have been made redundant – instead they have been offered alternative jobs elsewhere in the business. The branch closed on December 9 and within days, all of its signs had been removed. A notice in the window directs customers to the Kingswood and Broadmead branches, the post office at the Co-op in Straits parade and nearby cash machines. A Barclays spokesperson said: “The decision to close a branch is never an easy one. However,
Three days after its closure, signs had already been removed from the former Barclays bank on Fishponds Road
customers are increasingly using alternatives to branches to do their banking. As a result, we are seeing a sustained fall in branch visits across the UK. “This is reflected at our Fishponds branch, where there has been a 19 per cent reduction in counter transactions in the two years to March 2020. "In addition, almost nine out of ten (89 per cent) of our customers at the branch are also using different ways to bank.
“We will work with our customers and provide alternative options to ensure they can continue to manage their money and receive financial expertise when required.” Barclays says less than 10% of banking transactions now happen in its branches and more than half of customers with accounts based at Fishponds regularly use other branches, although 157 still regularly used it exclusively for their banking.
This year our open days will be held virtually. Whilst this will certainly be a different experience, we are excited to provide children and parents' of Reception an opportunity to discover Fishponds CE Academy. We hope you will gain a sense of the passion, enthusiasm and feel a warm welcome in our wonderful school. Tune in to talks from the Principal, Class Teachers, Admissions and Pastoral Team as well as seeing the facilities we have to offer.
Virtual Open Evenings for our prospective Reception children are on: Thursday 1st October 2020 @ 6pm on Zoom Wednesday 21st October 2020 @ 6pm on Zoom Tuesday 8th December 2020 @ 6pm on Zoom If you would like to register to attend, please email the School office on FishpondsCEAcademy@dbat.org.uk We will then contact you nearer the time with details on how to join the event on the day. For further details, please visit our School website: https://www.fishpondschurchacademy.bristol.sch.uk/
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fishpondsvoice
18
December, 2020
n THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH
Pace yourself for long run
A
RE you one of those people who during lockdown set themselves a personal goal? Recognising that I was going to be a lot less active than normal, I set myself the goal of walking five million steps by the end of the year. I am currently on target for this but only because I have also taken up running! This has enabled me, late in the evening, to get those crucial 14,000 steps a day when I have been too lazy! I’ve recently set myself the challenge of improving my 5k run time. At first this proved really difficult. However, I then had breakthrough when someone advised me thatrather than simply trying to run faster- I should instead focus on completing slightly longer runs at a modest pace. The theory is that the key to running faster for 5k is to be able to sustain pace for much longer distances. One of
the key mistakes people make is trying to go too fast in training – exactly what I was doing! Once you have a good long run endurance you can then go faster for shorter distances when needed. I think we would also be wise to apply this same principle to our whole lives as we continue to try to navigate this toughest of times that we all face. The temptation is to treat each day as a sprint where we place unrealistic expectations on ourselves and others. This will just result in weariness and burnout. Instead, just like my new approach to running 5k, we need to find our sustainable ‘long-run’ pace. I would suggest that this is where we need God’s help. As a church we have now returned to face-to-face socially distanced services (with many more watching online). Two weeks ago we had the joy of a baptismal service where four
individuals from the Fishponds community and beyond described how their lives have recently been transformed by Jesus from previous issues such as significant drug and alcohol addiction, unsettling words that had been spoken into their lives, and from years of homelessness. Each described how they had had a powerful encounter with Jesus. What was the effect on all who had the immense privilege of witnessing these baptisms? Well at least one effect was that it helped strengthen people in their efforts to find a sustainable ‘long-run pace’ through this toughest of times. They were strengthened by being reminded that the answer does not lie in trying to live life faster and faster, but to remind ourselves that God is truly with is. That He is real and that He is genuinely there for us as we run through the marathon of Covid-19.
Rev Dr Richard Pollard Team Leader, Fishponds Baptist Church
As a church team and Fishponds Foodbank team, please be assured that we are praying for the community of Fishponds, and are there for you all as together we encourage each other to find a sustainable long-run pace.
Wishing you all a safe and happy Christmas from all the Churches within the East Bristol Partnership For up to date information on the timing and format of the Services happening over Christmas please follow each church on Facebook or go to the following websites. Facebook is where you will find the most immediate and up to date information, any changes to Services due to Covid-19 will be posted here
East Bristol Partnership www.ebpbristol.wordpress.com All Saints Church, Fishponds www.allsaintsfishponds.co.uk St Aidan’s Church, St George www.staidansbristol.co.uk St John’s Church, Fishponds www.stjohnsfishponds.com St Mary’s Church, Fishponds www.stmarysfishponds.org.uk St Michael’s Church, Kingswood www.stmichaelstwomilehill.wordpress.com St Ambrose and St Leonards, Whitehall www.ebpbristol.wordpress.com You are all very warmly welcome to attend any of the Services happening over Christmas in our buildings or online – if you want zoom codes for any online services please message us on the church Facebook Page
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fishpondsvoice
December, 2020
19
n NEWS
Windows open on festive innovation WHEN a Fishponds street's regular Christmas light switchon party was cancelled due to coronavirus rules, residents looked for a new way to get festive. The Lodore Road Christmas lights display usually kicks off with a street gathering for mulled wine, mince pies and a chat, outside the home of the street's 'Mr Christmas', Pete Coombs, with donations and a raffle for children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent. This year rules on gatherings and social distancing mean that residents have had to try something different. The Street Advent Calendar Trail has seen homes in the road and neighbouring Grove Avenue, Brentry Road, Featherstone Road, Hawkesbury Road and Everest Road take it in turns to light up decorated windows – a new one each day – to mark the run-up to Christmas. People are being invited to
cash or cheques through the door.
come and view the windows and make a donation. A map and pictures of the windows are being shared on the Street Advent Calendar Trail Facebook page by resident Joanne Chambers, who said: "In 2020, things have to be a bit different. But we are still hoping to have some fun and bring the community together. "By Christmas we will have a trail of 25 houses in the local area displaying Christmas windows. Please enjoy finding
them all! "There have been some wonderful windows so far. The people who are doing windows have really enjoyed creating their displays and everyone has been swapping materials and ideas to help each other out. Families have been having a nightly walk around to catch the latest window." Donations to CLIC Sargent can be made at 34 Lodore Road, where money bags have been left at the gate for people to post
*Hundreds of people have joined up a group transforming their front windows into bright, colourful Christmas displays to raise money for the North Bristol Foodbank. The Winter Windowland Trail runs from December 19 to 23. Set up by Downend residents Nikki Holmes and Josie Vinyard, it has also drawn entries from residents of Staple Hill, Fishponds, Frenchay, Mangotsfield, Emersons Green and Kingswood. More details of the trail, including maps, can be found at the Downend and Staple Hill Winter Windowland Trail Facebook page. Maps can also be picked up at Melanie's Kitchen in Downend or The Card Shop and Bunch Florist in Staple Hill, in return for a small donation to the appeal.
CHRISTMAS is upon us again
Send for our pamphlet
“The Origins of Christmas” and learn more about this festival. Also available is our booklet
“Jesus Christ – His Life and Work”
which explains the true significance of Christ’s life and death, and His central part in fulfilling the true Christian hope – the Kingdom of God on Earth. All enquiries to The Household of Faith, 31 Mayfield Park North, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3NH 07506056660
CENTRE • PHONE NUMBER BRISTOL NORTH • DOWNEND • 0117 373 8367 Address 32A Downend Road, Downend, Bristol BS16 5UJ kipmcgrath.co.uk/centre kipmcgrath.co.uk/BristolNorth
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BLESS
ISE O N S S ACELE
LACE THIS P
GR H T I W E S PLAC
Bristol is calling. Share your song.
BEAT D
ROP
BEAT
In these extraordinary times, we can find strength and meaning in creativity
Share your words, poems, stories, memories, melodies or even songs describing your experience of this extraordinary year. As our city’s people have raised their voices through dark times before: together, we can write a new song for Bristol.
Get inspired at bristolbeacon.org #ANewSongForBristol @Bristol_Beacon BristolBeacon_anewsong_advert(180x250)#1.indd 1
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19/11/2020 14:32
fishpondsvoice
December, 2020
21
n NEWS
Meningitis can't crush Arthur's spirit LAST Christmas was very nearly Arthur Stone's last. The morning after Boxing Day he was rushed to Bristol Children's Hospital with meningococcal septicaemia, a form of bacterial meningitis. Arthur, from Staple Hill, was put into an induced coma while his body battled the virus. His hands and feet and much of his body turned black where the septicaemia had spread. After more than a week he woke up – but although he had survived the disease, it had claimed his legs below the knee and parts of his fingers, and left him in pain. Arthur faced a long period of treatment and rehabilitation. It was not until February that he was well enough to have the operation to amputate his lower legs and he had further operations, treatment and physiotherapy before he was finally able to return home in March – on the day after the coronavirus lockdown started. Facing a changed life, Arthur and his family – mum Serena Askew, dad Alex Stone and sisters Zelda and Nancy – turned to LimbPower. The disability charity showed Arthur's family they were "not alone", so in return the seven-year-old Staple Hill Primary pupil
Arthur Stone with his sisters Photo: Lisa Whiting decided to raise money for the charity. Superhero fan Arthur, his three-year-old sisters and school friend Solomon Short came up with the Winter Wonderwheels Challenge, aiming to travel a total of 20km (about 12.5 miles) by wheelchair, scooter and on foot. They set a target of £300 – but as word of the challenge and Arthur's story spread, donations flooded in. As the Voice went to print the total had topped £10,000, including online donations of more than £9,700 from 400 people, with gift aid of almost £2,000. Team Stone-Short did part of the challenge in Page Park, with the final lap
taking place in November at his school. Pupils made superhero masks, and Solomon and Arthur wore superhero costumes as they went through the finishing tape together. Arthur said: "I can’t believe how much we’ve raised for LimbPower, I never imagined in my wildest dreams we’d get to over £10,000!" Serena said: "It’s still very painful to recount the early days of Arthur’s illness - it came on so fast and with no real warning. To watch him lying there, fighting for his life as the sepsis spread over his body, is something I couldn’t have imagined in my worst nightmares: it is the most horrific thing. "Bristol Children’s Hospital saved Arthur’s life, not only the amazing nurses and doctors but also the hospital school, housekeeping and his play therapist." Babies are now routinely given a meningitis B vaccine. But children born before September 2015 were not vaccinated and the government has no 'catch-up' programme for older children. Serena wants more parents to be aware of the risks, adding: "It is more common than you think." To donate to the appeal, visit justgiving.com/ fundraising/serena-dawn-askew
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fishpondsvoice
22
December, 2020
n NEWS
Regional mayor set to bow out REGIONAL mayor Tim Bowles is to retire from politics. The former South Gloucestershire councillor was elected the first West of England Mayor in 2017. But he has announced that he will not seek re-election to the £65,000-a-year role, known as the Metro Mayor, when his term ends next spring. Conservative Mr Bowles leads the West of England Combined Authority, which is made up from Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset councils, and has a region-wide role in policies such as housing, transport and skills. Mr Bowles said Weca was "getting the region moving with a proper transport system", including the MetroWest rail network and Metrobus, and extra funding brought by Weca had directly created 4,000 new jobs
and 13,000 new qualifications. The region's Tories will now pick a candidate to succeed Mr Bowles. In November Labour announced that former Wansdyke MP Dan Norrishad been selected as the party's candidate. Mr Norris served on Bristol City Council and Avon County Council in the 1980s and 90s. The Liberal Democrats chose former Bristol West MP Stephen Williams, who was a minister in the coalition government from 2013-15, as their candidate in July. He also contested the 2017 Metro Mayor election. Elections are due to be held at the same time as Bristol's mayoral and council elections next May – but politicians are currently embroiled in a row over whether to allow North Somerset to join, with some parties calling for the poll to be delayed.
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Bins face 2021 ban COMMERCIAL bins which have been causing a hazard to Eastville residents could soon be banned from the pavement. The 11 large wheelie bins are left on the pavement opposite shops and takeaways on Fishponds Road, between the Freeland Buildings and East Park junctions. Waste is often dumped next to them, and the problem came to a head when an elderly resident slipped and fell in a slick of rotting food waste. Gloria Davey, of the East Park Residents Group, said a series of complaints had been made to the council over the past three years about the state of bins but, while Bristol Waste teams come out to clear mess from the street, nothing has been done about the bins themselves. Gloria contacted Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy about the problem and has now been told that the council is developing a new approach to commercial waste which, if approved, would remove all commercial bins from pavements across the city next year. Ms McCarthy said: "As well as being unsightly and sometimes creating littering problems, large commercial bins can obstruct pavements which causes particular issues for people with mobility issues. "I know East Park residents have been raising concerns about these waste bins on this stretch of Fishponds Road for some time, and I hope a solution can be reached soon." A Bristol City Council spokesperson said: “We are determined to work with communities and businesses to make our streets cleaner and, together with Bristol Waste, we are looking at a number of measures to improve the management and presentation of waste throughout the city’s streets.
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fishpondsvoice
December, 2020
23
n NEWS
Bid to reduce Acacia Road speed limit A BUSY road linking Hillfields and Staple Hill could have its speed limit cut to 20mph. South Gloucestershire Council is considering reducing the limit on Acacia Road from 30mph and introducing a series of speed bumps to slow traffic down. The council says there have been six accidents on the road in a five-year period, involving three pedestrians and a cyclist, with three resulting in serious injuries. A short consultation on the new speed limit and traffic calming measures was held before the Voice went to press. It follows a residents' petition raised two years ago by South Glos ward councillor Ian Boulton and his former colleague Shirley Potts. Acacia Road links Staple Hill High Street with Hillfields Avenue, and is used as a through route by drivers heading between Fishponds, Downend, Kingswood and beyond.
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Acacia Road in Staple Hill could become a 20mph zone The 20mph limit will extend the length of Acacia Road from Staple Hill High Street to the Bristol boundary, where it leads on to Hillfields Avenue, which is already subject to a 20mph limit. To slow traffic down the
council plans to install five sets of speed cushions – bumps in the middle of each lane – between the Upper Station Road junction and the High Street, by the railway path entrance, south of the Acacia Avenue junction and
Adelaide Place, Fishponds, Bristol BS16 2FX
outside the chip shop north of the Portland Street junction. A speed table – a single elongated bump, which stretches from kerb to kerb – would be installed between the Kensington Road and Southernhay junctions. Councillor Boulton said: “For some time we have been working with residents of Acacia Road and surrounding streets to raise the issue of speeding vehicles that have caused a number of casualties in recent years. "Not only do we have to consider residents of the road, we also need to remember the children from nearby primary and nursery schools who use this route. "As a result of the residents' concerns this proposal has now been prepared, which I hope will reduce the number of casualties on this busy road." The council will consider the results of the consultation before making a final decision on the scheme.
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fishpondsvoice
December, 2020
n NEWS
25
Back in time for Hillfields Yuletide STORIES from a century of Christmases in Hillfields are being brought to life this year. Some of the estate's youngest residents are joining those with longer memories to create the Hillfields Winter Trail, using decorations, memories, photos and video as part of the centenary celebrations, which started last year. Masters architecture and history students from the University of the West of England are working with nonprofit community education and heritage company Local Learning to create the trail, after hearing memories of older residents via phone and Zoom calls. The trail was set to launch with an event at Hillfields Library on December 18, from midday until 4pm. Part of the area, including
the library, will be decorated with the help of local residents and pupils of Minerva Primary Academy in the style of Christmases past, including paper chains, lanterns and cardboard houses. People are also being encouraged to decorate their homes in the same style. A 'Memory Tree' is being created for residents to hang festive memories on at the library, along with a collection point for old recipes and memories of food, for a collection being compiled by the students. Audio boxes are also being created for people to listen to residents' stories from past Christmases. A trail around Hillfields is being created, with 'selfie points' for people to take and send photos to compare with historic pictures and QR codes to scan
Hilary Bloor DSCh, MInstChP
A photo from a 1940s Christmas party in Hillfields collected for the winter trail project with smartphones will be set up around the area with links to videos created by the trail team. A map with historic features including the site of air raid shelters is being posted with videos and other features on the trail's website, which can be found at hillfieldswintertr. wixsite.com/hillfieldwintertrail. Information can also be found at the Hillfields Winter Trail Facebook page, on Instagram or
on Twitter at @Hillfieldstrail. UWE student Holly Roberts, who is working on the project, said: "The hope is to bring alive stories of the last 100 years to make connections between the past, present and future. "We hope you can come join us to celebrate. If you would like to get involved by decorating your house as part of the trail or would like more information please get in touch."
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fishpondsvoice
26
December, 2020
n FROM OUR MP
Shop staff deserve better SHOPWORKERS have played a key role throughout the pandemic, ensuring food, medicine and other essentials remained accessible in a time of crisis. They offered a reassuring presence on the front line and, for some, provided the only form of social interaction during an isolating and anxious time. This year, we’ve seen people come together and show real community solidarity. There have been record donations to those in need, and I’ve heard countless stories of neighbours delivering shopping for elderly neighbours or those isolating. However, there is no escaping the fact that 2020 has been challenging for everyone’s mental health and there’s no doubt that tensions have been aggravated and frustrations have often boiled over. Mask-wearing, social distancing and panic buying were flashpoints for violence in UK stores. Shopworkers, who played no part in establishing the rules
and regulations that customers had to abide by, were shouted at or assaulted for simply following orders from their managers or the law. In November I visited Straits Parade Co-op in Fishponds during Shopworkers’ Week. I met with staff and representatives from the retail union Usdaw to discuss their experiences of abuse and the measures they deem necessary to curb it. It is appalling to hear that some Bristol stores have become hot spots for incidents. There is no excuse for the violence that has occurred. The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) Crime Report 2020 showed that over the past year, there have been an estimated 50,338 incidents of violence and threats towards shopworkers in the UK. This represented a 40% increase in violence and abuse during the Covid-19 pandemic. So not only have shopworkers had to endure increasingly pressurised and difficult working
conditions as a consequence of coronavirus measures, they have also been subjected to an upturn in abuse. This must stop. Staff shouldn't be scared to go to work in our local shops. The Co-op have released their own data which suggests that “one in five customers admitted showing aggression towards front-line store staff during covid, despite the fact that 90% of the British public feel that shopworkers have provided an essential service”. This daily abuse has severe ramifications for workers’ mental and often physical well-being. Along with Usdaw and the Co-op, I am backing my colleague Alex Norris MP’s Assaults on Retail Workers (Offences) Bill, which would treat offences as aggravated when perpetrated against retail workers, leading to tougher penalties. The Government needs to support retail staff by backing
Kerry McCarthy MP for Bristol East
writes for Fishponds Voice this Bill too, and work should also be done with community groups to tackle the causes of crime. Shopworkers must be afforded the respect and consideration they so richly deserve. To contact Kerry, email kerry. mccarthy.mp@parliament.uk or call 0117 939 9901.
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fishpondsvoice
December, 2020
n NEWS THE West of England Combined Authority is asking people living and working in the region for their views to help shape the Spatial Development Strategy, a plan to make sure homes, employment spaces and vital transport links are planned in the right places over the next 20 years. As the region’s population grows and as people live longer, the amount and type of housing that is needed across the West of England is changing. Covid 19 has also altered the way many people are working, travelling and spending their leisure time. The strategy will help make sure residents have the homes they need, where they want to live with the connections to get to job opportunities, education and leisure across the region. It offers an opportunity to plan for a cleaner, greener recovery, ensuring new development is resilient, contributes towards reducing carbon emissions, and brings improvements for nature and sustainability. Residents and businesses can give their views via a survey on
27
Have your say on development of West of England region the West of England Combined Authority website. West of England Mayor Tim Bowles said: “This Spatial Development Strategy will make sure that over the next 20 years, we are building homes in the right places so that the West of England remains a great place to live and work. Importantly, it will also make sure we are building sustainable communities that are less reliant on cars, improving our environment and connecting our residents to jobs, education, businesses and leisure facilities right across the region.” The West of England Combined Authority is working with Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire councils, stakeholders and residents to develop the plan. Nicola Beech, Bristol City Council Cabinet Member for Spatial Planning and City Design,
said: “As we plan how to build a more sustainable and inclusive Bristol it’s really important that we hear what people value most. This plan will shape the west of England for years to come and so we want everyone to share what is important to them, whether that’s improving travel links, protecting green spaces, building homes, or anything else that will help us to create a more equal, sustainable and diverse region that reflects the priorities of those who live and work here.” The survey closes on 14 December 2020. Once the Spatial Development Strategy is agreed and published, it will form part of the ‘development plan’ alongside council’s own Local Plans and
Neighbourhood Plans which will be considered when determining planning applications across the region. For more information and the survey visit https://www. westofengland-ca.gov.uk/futureof-the-region/
e p a h s Help
E R U T U F THE R REGION U O F O We’re developing a Spatial Development Strategy to create a greener, more connected and inclusive place to live and work. Have your say to make sure new homes, employment spaces and transport are planned in the right places at www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/future-of-the-region For a paper copy or information in an alternative format, contact 0117 428 6210 or planning@westofengland-ca.gov.uk.
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28 December 2020 / January 2021
fishpondsvoice kingswoodvoice
December, 2020 21
n WILL & PROBATE ADVICE
This January make a difference to those you love AFTER the year we have all had, it has highlighted how the most important thing in our lives is the people we love and care about. 2020 and the threat of COVID hanging over us all, has also highlighted how important it is to have our legal affairs in order – to make a big difference to those we most love. It is only by having an up to date Will and Powers of Attorney in place, that if you became seriously ill you can make sure your wishes are followed. An out of date Will or no Will can mean those you love suffer the upset of the inheritance going to the wrong people or being wasted on legal disputes or paying care home fees or inheritance tax that could have been avoided. Not having up to date Lasting Powers of Attorney can mean
those you trust (who would most want to support you) are left feeling helpless and unable to make sure you got the support you would want. Lasting Powers of Attorney mean they can help you with decisions on where you live, what medical care you receive and managing you money and paying your bills – if you became too ill to do this yourself. Our local experts, Simpson Solicitors, will ensure this is all done properly for you. They can help you make sure your wishes are clear and legally valid, to support those you intended; preventing family fallout. If you have young or vulnerable members of your family, the Simpson’s service covers advice on how best to provide future provision for them in their particular circumstances. As well as advice for parents on appointing guardians to raise their children.
The service starts with a free advice meeting. Either face to face in the office, or if getting in is difficult for you it can be at your home, or by telephone or Zoom. Always in a COVID safe way. The award winning team (Law Firm of the Year 2020) also give you the promise of No Hidden Costs and include a free supported signing meeting and free life-long storage of your documents in their clear fixed prices. Michelle Baden-Daintree, says “Our service will let you make a big difference to those you love. The free meeting doesn’t just cover the Will. We will guide you through all the issues you should think about to prevent problems for your family. You will not feel rushed, as we take as long as you need” John Baden-Daintree, says “Book your free January meeting now by calling our friendly team on 0117 960 8594 and get 20% off our already competitive prices.
John and Michelle Baden-Daintree of Simpson Solicitors, Kings Chase Shopping Centre, Kingswood
0117 960 8594
www.simpsonsolicitors.com jbd@simpsonslawuk.com mbd@simpsonslawuk.com That way you’ll be remembered for all the right reasons and not for leaving a legal mess for your family to sort out”.
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BOOK YOUR FREE MEETING: Call 0117 960 8594 OR message@simpsonslawuk.com OR Michelle at Simpson Solicitors OR Kings Chase Shopping Centre offices in Kingswood (opposite Costa). If getting to us is difficult our FREE home visit service covers Bitton, Downend, Fishponds, Hanham, Kingswood, Oldland, St George, Staple Hill, Warmley, Willsbridge and surrounding areas.
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fishpondsvoice
December, 2020
29
n NATURE
Spare a thought for our hedgehogs Eastville Park's Young Rangers are raising awareness about a local endangered species - the hedgehog - and how we can make gardens and green spaces more hedgehog-friendly. Young Rangers Maya Loaiza and Tanika Small write here for the Voice. THEY’RE cute, they’re nocturnal and they’re the UK's only spiny mammal. Hedgehogs, with 5,000 spines and babies known as hoglets, are adored by all. So why has their population declined by 50% since the turn of the century? Numbers now stand at less than one million and they are vulnerable to extinction in the UK, so now is the perfect time to start making a difference. To help them, we first need to understand how they have been hindered. A combination of new farming techniques and the introduction of more walls and fences in urban areas has broken up their habitats: hedgehogs can travel up to two miles a night searching for food and mates. But that isn’t all. Populations of badgers, who regard hedgehogs as a delicacy, have boomed in the last 20 years. They compete for the same dwindling habitat, and have no trouble turfing
A hedgehog in Tanika Small's garden out a hedgehog. To top it all off, pesticides used on both farmland and our gardens are highly toxic to their little tummies. From November to March hedgehogs will drop their body temperature to match their surroundings as they enter a state of decreased physical activity due to the lack of food available. Hedgehogs need to put on enough fat through the summer to survive hibernation. A safe weight is 600g, which will ensure they have enough body fat to make it through the winter before waking up again in late March.
Underweight hedgehogs will not have enough energy to wake back up. It is important not to move or disturb a hibernating hedgehog (unless they are in a dangerous place or injured) as they will use vital energy waking up and moving elsewhere. How you can help: • Provide a shallow bowl of fresh water throughout the year (especially in summer) to help keep a hedgehog hydrated. • Provide a wooden hedgehog house • Create a hedgehog highway by putting a 13cm x 13cm hole in your fence. This allows them to travel through your garden, providing more accessible areas and routes to search for their food. • Let a section of your garden grow wild – don’t tidy leaves up and allow hedges to grow out, providing an environment they can thrive in. Hedgehogs play a huge role in nature, eating soil invertebrates, which helps the soil’s condition, and insects, making them a gardener’s best friend! Do what you can to help our spiky friends – and remember to keep your eyes peeled in March. The Parkie: Page 35
Happy Days Nurseries are recruiting in Bristol! Happy Days is an established provider of nursery childcare in the South West. Our mission is to provide high quality childcare, early year’s education and play experiences, which meet the individual needs of all children.
We are looking for qualified Childcare Practitioners for our Bristol Nurseries in Bradley Stoke, Thornbury, Cheswick Village (Stoke Gifford) and our new Lyde Green Nursery • Do you yearn for a new challenge for 2021? • Do you want a career not just a job – we’ll support your CPD you need to succeed • Discover the benefits of working within the early years sector • Are you a L2/L3 Childcare Practitioner looking for the next step in your career or looking to return to the early year’s sector? • Happy Days mentor and support their employees along the way • We can offer the choice of permanent or supply roles to suit your lifestyle
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“Happy Days, committed to safer recruitment” To advertise, contact Caroline on 07453 954261
Email: sales@fishpondsvoice.co.uk
Got News? Call Linda On 0777 0700579
fishpondsvoice
30
December, 2020
n PLANNING MATTERS WITH CHRIS GOSLING
I
T seems as if I have spent a lot of time this year writing about saving the High Street. It has not just been under attack from the internet and covid, but also through the de-regulation of the planning system. This has been happening in stages, which I have also reported on to endeavour to keep you up to date in how the public is being squeezed out of the planning system. Now it looks like everything is coming together in a cunning plan – or should that be a Cummings plan? I apologise if the following is all a bit technical. Let's start with a recap. The Use Classes were changed at the start of September in the name of simplification, flexibility and 'building back better'. At a stroke, this placed most of the uses that you find in town centres into a new, widespread Class E. This means that a closed-down travel agent, say, can re-open into anything within a range of commercial, business and services, without having to apply for planning permission. The result will be the market, rather than local authorities or the public, being allowed to determine
A farewell to the high street? which uses will be around in town centres on the other side of covid. It also made a swathe of carefully considered local planning policies designed to protect local centres redundant, but that was a side effect in a process of time-saving and expediency. More cynical minds than my own were anticipating a further proposal, and it turns out that that is what the government is now consulting on, up to the end of January. Following years of deregulation to allow the conversion of barns, offices, launderettes, amusement centres and many other uses into houses without requiring a planning application, now they propose to include everything that has been thrown into Class E, as long as it was in operation within this Use Class on September 1, 2020. This time, even conservation areas would be included in this liberalisation, subject to an assessment of the loss of the ground floor use. Excuse the deja vu, but
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detail is scant at the moment. The consultation is on general terms. Significantly no size limit has been put forward, so it could include a whole shop or even supermarket or just part of it. In just about every case, the value in rent or sale of a conversion to residential will be higher than maintaining the existing use. The premises do not have to be redundant to qualify, although surviving lockdown version 1 appears to be a prerequisite. The main proviso put forward is that the residential units created conform to the national space standards. Flooding impact, land contamination, transport impact, noise impact and failing to provide natural light for habitable rooms are all fair game for a refusal of the prior approval process that would be required, along with the new factor of fire safety. This suggests that if (when) these changes are brought in, such a prior approval application will require a raft of technical documentation in order to demonstrate that it stays on the right side of those controls. In the absence of those, refusals are likely to be arbitrary and lead to appeals. Of course, if the alternative is that a planning application would be refused on policy grounds (the policies protecting town centres and shops will not just disappear in the short term) the option that avoids a planning application becomes the only logical course. This will also throw up making a case based on the permitted development 'fallback' position that the government will have kindly provided. For me, all of this has nothing
Chrisgoslingplanning@gmail.com
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to do with real planning – ensuring that the right development happens in the right place and building a public/private consensus for that. The profession appears to be about to be undermined again, along with public involvement. The response to this among planners is growing. Planners are going to have to prove their worth, along with the system within which we operate. Otherwise we will continue to be sidelined, along with public participation. For too long, planning has been taken as part of the problem rather than part of the solution and blamed for many of the ills that it has not caused and cannot influence. Now that is something that you could ponder while searching for somewhere that still sells your daily essentials. Despite the high likelihood that this or something very much like it will come to pass, I hope that 2021 will prove a better year for you than the last one was, with less covid and less cynical and ill-thought out political input.
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fishpondsvoice
December, 2020
31
n VET BLOG
Protect pets from winter perils WINTER evenings are great to cosy down with a hot drink and a warm blanket! However, it is important to remember that winter brings a variety of hazards to our beloved pets. Here are some winter tips on how to keep your pets safe and warm this Christmas! As our evenings become darker, make sure you are staying safe and alert whilst walking your dogs. This can be made easier by using reflective collars and leads which will not only make your pooch look very dazzling, but also be more noticeable! Grit and salt on your dog's paws can make them sore, so it is important to wash it off after a walk. Check between their toes as little pieces can get lodged. Snow can also get stuck between toes, and can be painful. If you are worried that your dog may be in discomfort, please call the practice on Anti-freeze solution is poisonous to cats when ingested!
Just a small amount can cause kidney failure and is rapidly fatal. If your cat shows any signs of breathing difficulties, acts drunk and uncoordinated, is sleepy or depressed, is vomiting, having seizures or you simply have a suspicion that your cat may have ingested anti-freeze you should contact us immediately. We recommend you move your small furries inside when the temperature drops, but remember not to place them too close to radiators. They can suffer heat stress and can become ill if they overheat. If you keep your small
furries outside, give them extra bedding and consider moving their enclosure to a more sheltered location. Snow is a novelty for both humans and pets! Make sure to take care if your pet explores in the snow as dangerous objects or chemicals may be hidden underneath the snow. If you have any worries, please give our friendly team at Kingswood Vets4Pets a call on 0117 9616417
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fishpondsvoice
32
December, 2020
n MAYOR'S VIEW
Hope in spite of uncertainty 2020 has been a humbling year. It is a year where we have faced a crisis that has tested every system we depend on – education, health, food, transport, and our economy. It is a year that has thrown into sharp relief the inequalities we have lived with for too long. And it is a year that has forced us to live with uncertainty in every part of our lives – our health, our jobs, our education, our ability to see family and friends. We end this year with that uncertainty still hanging over our city. As I write, we do not yet know what restrictions might be in place over the Christmas period, or what further steps we may need to take to reduce the spread of the virus here in Bristol. It has been a year where so many of us have confronted loss. My thoughts and condolences are with all of those who have lost loved ones, and have not been able to grieve together in the way they would wish. I am also struck by the loss people have experienced in other areas of life: work, personal relationships, financial security, and community. The impact on our collective mental health has been as profound as the physical health effects of this virus. And yet, within this year of uncertainty and loss – there is hope.
Hope in the medics risking their lives to treat those who contracted the virus. Hope in the thousands of volunteers who stepped up through Can Do Bristol or the hundreds of mutual aid groups that are still binding neighbours together. Hope in the care workers looking after those who are among the most vulnerable with dedication and compassion. Hope in the public transport workers who have kept our city moving. Hope in the cleaners who have kept schools, workplaces and essential services clean and safe. Hope in the retail workers and food programmes who keep shops and homes supplied and people fed. Hope in the teachers and school staff who have kept children educated in unprecedented circumstances. Hope in the foster parents who provide love and a home for our city’s most vulnerable children. Hope in the children who adorned windows across the city with rainbows and messages of thanks to our frontline workers. I extend my thanks to everyone who has worked with compassion, skill and patience to nurture hope throughout our city during this testing year. And as the year draws to a close, we see hope again with the possibility
The Mayor’s View Each month Bristol mayor Marvin Rees shares his views with Fishponds Voice
of a viable vaccine. We are not there yet. We still need to keep our efforts strong in following guidance and making sure we avoid creating opportunities for this virus to spread. Keeping our distance, washing our hands, wearing masks all remain urgent and essential if we are to reduce the need for further and longer restrictions. If we do so, we can retain the hope that 2021 will be a year where we can harness our collective efforts to rebuild, renew, and celebrate Bristol as a city of hope.
Bristol Budget 21/22 Tell us your views on proposed council tax options Complete the survey online bristol.gov.uk/budget2021-2022. The council tax consultation closes on 28 December. For a paper copy or other alternative format email consultation@bristol.gov.uk or call 0117 922 2848. If you are on a low income, council tax reduction could help pay your council tax bill. Find out more at bristol.gov.uk/council-tax-reduction
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Email: sales@fishpondsvoice.co.uk
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fishpondsvoice
December, 2020
n NEWS
33
Singing bus driver Banksy artwork lightens the gloom auction halted A BUS driver on late-night 48 and 49 services through Fishponds is writing songs inspired by passengers' stories. Roger Brady performs under the name Jah Garvey – and passengers on his buses can be treated to a song on board. Roger, originally from Jamaica, started driving for bus operator First when he moved to Bristol in 2008, and is based at the Lawrence Hill depot. His latest song, Brand New Day, is a celebration of all the people who have carried on working through the pandemic and had clocked up more than 4,500 hits on YouTube as the Voice went to press. Roger has performed at festivals, carnivals and venues around the country.
He said: "I find my work as a driver a real inspiration for my music. For me, it is about supporting people by representing their lives through music and being able to encourage happiness and personal growth in every person I meet. "One of the routes I regularly drive is the service 48/49 – it’s a journey that is always full of both familiar and new faces. "Everyone who boards has a story to tell – not everyone will tell you their story, but you can catch moments of people's lives passing by. Brand New Day is about telling the story of workers, whatever their field, and the richness of everyday life when we are at work: something that I personally get to experience fully as a driver."
AN online auction of a Banksy mural removed from the side of a building in Eastville has been postponed. Bidding on the work, known as Masked Gorilla or Glitter Gorilla, had already reached more than £180,000 when the auction on the website of street art restoration company Exposed Walls was stopped. The firm blamed the latest coronavirus lockdown and its guidelines for museums and galleries, saying: "Since launching the auction we have been inundated with enquires to view the piece, however, we have not been able to arrange viewing appointments before the lockdown measures came into place. "We will relaunch the auction once further government guidance is available and we are in a position to arrange viewings." The stencilled image of a gorilla holding a pink mask first appeared on the side of the former North Bristol Social Club in Fishponds Road, in 2001. It was painted over around ten years later, after the building became the Jalalabad Islamic Centre. The painting was removed and restored in September, with the agreement of the centre's owner Saeed Ahmed. Mr Ahmed said he planned to donate a "large portion" of the money raised in the auction to local charities.
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FESTIVE WASTE COLLECTIONS Over the holidays your waste collection dates change slightly to allow for bank holidays. Check when we’ll be coming to you on the calendar below. Thank you and happy holidays!
Your usual collection day Fri 25 Dec Mon 28 Dec Tue 29 Dec Wed 30 Dec Thur 31 Dec Fri 1 Jan Mon 4 Jan Tue 5 Jan Wed 6 Jan Thur 7 Jan Fri 8 Jan Mon 11 Jan Tue 12 Jan Wed 13 Jan Thur 14 Jan Fri 15 Jan
Put yo with y ur TREE ou our fir t bin co st wheelie lle from 1 ction 2 Jan
Revised collection day Tue 29 Dec Wed 30 Dec Thur 31 Dec Sat 2 Jan Mon 4 Jan Tue 5 Jan
DOWNLOAD Never miss a collection – download your 2021 collection calendar from: bristolwastecompany.co.uk/festive
Wed 6 Jan Thur 7 Jan Fri 8 Jan Sat 9 Jan Mon 11 Jan Tue 12 Jan Wed 13 Jan
DON’T FORGET You can take trees to your nearest Recycling Centre. Garden and bulky waste services pause over the Christmas period. For top tips and festive hacks visit: bristolwastecompany.co.uk/festive
Thur 14 Jan Fri 15 Jan Sat 16 Jan
Normal collections from Mon 18 Januar y
Why not cut out and keep this advert as a handy reminder
fishpondsvoice
December, 2020
35
n FRIENDS OF EASTVILLE PARK
Park has helped us through a difficult year "IT means everything to us to have this park on our doorstep. "Somewhere so special that as soon as we walk into it, we feel a sense of relief at leaving all of our worries and concerns behind and embarking on a journey through a place so wonderfully diverse with so much wildlife and lovely walks beside the river." It’s always lovely to receive messages like this one from last week. It likely resonates with many who are lucky enough to live close by and those from further away who enjoy a visit to East Bristol's ‘jewel in the crown’. Over the last month or two we have seen a marked increase in visitors, who have been treated to a spectacular array of wildlife around the lake, in the woods and along the river. Although the otters have not made many appearances of late, the arrival of cormorants and an influx of many visiting bird varieties have been a big draw, and attracted many photographers who have managed to capture some incredible images which are all displayed on our Facebook group page. The picture shown – one of our herons with eyes much bigger than its belly – is a great example of those special moments that stop you in your tracks! The Friends of Eastville Park would like to thank everyone who has visited the park through difficult times during the past year. Everything considered, we have come through until now as well as could be expected, and with very
n LETTER
I WOULD like to say what a nice piece you reported on the Downend Tavern (November). It is a lovely little pub: one of the best in the area and beyond. I have drunk there since 1989, even if I was a little too young to legally be drinking there back then. When I got caught out, the landlord at the time, the very popular and sadly now deceased Jeff Boston, bought me a beer for my cheek: that was the day of my 18th birthday. Jeff was great, and his old time music hall nights every Thursday were so good, it was literally a squash to get in the door – something that wouldn’t be allowed in these troubled times, any more than the bricks on the bar, full of matches to light your
Picture: Neil Green few exceptions, we’ve all used the park well and responsibly. It’s been very noticeable how many more families are around, come rain or shine, and it’s lovely to see children really learning to appreciate the natural surroundings the park offers. As we approach winter, with autumn behind us, we are beginning to see the signs of the new season, when the park takes on a new look and, with temperatures dropping, we’ll all be wrapping up well against the cold! Although our group activities
cigarettes. When Jeff left, he took with him much of the memorabilia that covered almost every inch of the place. I wonder who can remember the hats all over the ceiling, the guns by the ranch doors on the way to the toilets and the banjo, amongst many other things, hanging above the bar? Although I would say those were the golden years and numbers, like with most pubs, dropped in recent years, it has always remained a Victorian gem, and very busy on music nights. Let’s hope it’s not closed for too long and, along with all our other local pubs, can recover. Cheers to them all! Neil Osborne
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have been limited this year, we haven’t been idle by any stretch of the imagination. We managed to get a Pop-up Café in before lockdown and have spent a lot of time on renovations at the Nissen Hut, with some great support from the Young Rangers. When the cafes start up again, we shall be without our driving force in the kitchen, June Pugsley, who is (unfortunately for us) moving away from the area. We wish you all the best, June, and want you to know that your expertise, management skills and
loveliness will be sorely missed. Our volunteering sessions, though limited in size and scope during the year have managed to continue with great results around the Community Garden thanks to regular weekly sessions with GoodGym and members of our community. Our 2021 calendar is doing very well, with around 700 waiting to be displayed on walls in the New Year! We have also linked up with Frenchay Christmas Tree Farm again and are delighted that so many of you have chosen to buy your trees from us, which raises much-needed funds for our work. The farm has been very generous in their support, so a big thank-you to Simon. A local community-led effort to make improvements to the Old Swimming Pool is being planned for the near future, so we should start to see some changes there going into the New Year and Spring. In lieu of our annual Santa's Grotto, we are busy preparing for a Christmas-themed Community Garden display, with lots of lights and fantastic characters as you’ve never seen them before. The display will open from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, until 7pm each day. We’d love you to come by and get just a little bit of the magic of Christmas. We hope everyone has a lovely Christmas and New Year and send you all our best wishes. The Parkie
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36
fishpondsvoice
December, 2020
n NEWS
Betsy wins first professional lead role AN actor who went to school in Fishponds and Stapleton is preparing to take on a starring role in her first professional Christmas pantomime. Betsy Pearce is set to perform in front of a socially-distanced audience in a production of Jack and the Beanstalk at the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne Minster, Dorset. The theatre is in an area currently under Tier 2 coronavirus restrictions, allowing the show to go ahead. Betsy, from Downend, won her role as Princess Apricot, who is held in Cloudland by the evil giant Blunderbore, before lockdown in March. She then faced a long, anxious wait to see whether it could go ahead before finally being sent a script a few weeks ago, so she could learn her lines and songs before heading to Dorset to join her fellow cast members in a bubble, a week before the first curtain-up. Betsy attended Gracefield Preparatory School in Overndale Road, Fishponds and Colstons School in Stapleton, where she won a drama scholarship, before training for three years on a full scholarship at the Urdang Academy in London, graduating last year. She started to learn her stagecraft in Downend, joining the First Steps & Carly
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Elizabeth School of Dance at the age of two and joining the Bristol School of Performing Arts aged eight. Betsy's role at Wimborne Minster is her first lead professional role. Audience numbers are restricted, with temperature checks on arrival and no interval. Betsy said: "I was overjoyed to be offered the role and then devastated when coronavirus hit and everything was on hold. "However the pantomime has been given the go ahead to open and I can't wait to
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perform. "My family and friends have all bought tickets and can't wait to come and watch this professional pantomime, produced by Made to Measure productions." Although this is Betsy's first professional lead role she has performed many times on stage in Bristol, including roles in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Annie, Never Forget, Joseph, and Jekyll & Hyde. She has also been in the cast of several pantomimes at the Bristol Hippodrome, with the high point sharing a stage with Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney in the 2008 production of Cinderella. Last year Betsy performed in Beauty and the Beast at the city's at Redgrave Theatre. But the step up to a lead role in this year, in a production which runs from December 18 to January 4, is all the more special after the disruption caused to theatres across the country by the pandemic. Betsy said: "I'm so excited to be able to perform this year, especially with so many theatres and productions cancelled. "I and many of my friends have worked so hard to be part of the arts and unfortunately, due to coronavirus, we have all had to put it on hold."
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fishpondsvoice
December, 2020
37
n SPORT
Looking back on four years at Harry Crook JANUARY marks four years since Downend Boxing Club moved in to the Harry Crook Centre. During the lockdown, members and volunteers have been sharing memories online, and it is amazing to see how much has taken place in a relatively short space of time. The empty hall looked a daunting sight when we first saw it in 2016, due to it needing redecorating. However, through the wonderful and tireless efforts of the volunteers, the hall took on a new lease of life. A generous grant from Bristol City Council's sport department followed, and a full-size international ring and state-of-the art weight apparatus was installed. Within three weeks of opening, the centre played host to the West of England regional youth championships, and numerous prestigious tournaments have followed, including National Association of Boys and Girls Clubs championship stages, and a
Mayor Marvin Rees and Hillfields ward councillors Craig Cheney and Anna Keen with Craig Turner at a pre-Covid visit to the Harry Crook Centre
fantastic tournament when Bristol select met a County Wexford select in 2018. Visitors from Ireland were also made welcome at the centre for the annual Bristol/County Cork exchange tournament, where the teams were fed and watered ahead of the tournament. We hosted boxers from the RAF and Army when they were
deployed in the area, and an international training day followed, when young people from Ireland, Wales and England enjoyed training, both in the hall and court area of the centre. As a result, the England talent team brought an open talent day to the centre, and the best young athletes from all over the country attended to showcase their talent.
The centre also serves as an England Boxing educational venue, with coaches and officials attending to gain vital qualifications and safeguarding knowledge. Around 40 new coaches from across the country have attended and qualified since 2016. Four of our young people have boxed for England whilst we have been at Harry Crook, with numerous national and international medals won. More importantly, scores of young people have gained a healthy alternative to knife and gang violence that we hear so much about, and gone on to careers and better lifestyles, thanks to the discipline that boxing offers. Not bad for a small former boys' club: I’m sure former Lord Mayor of Bristol, Alderman Harry Crook, would have approved. Craig Turner
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
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December, 2020
38
n ON THE TREATMENT TABLE
What lockdown did to lifestyles
I
’M very much a “people person” – so I’m delighted to share with you the results of some very interesting research by the British Chiropractic Association. They managed to get the views of 10,000 people who were asked about their experiences during the first Covid-19 lockdown. For example, how did they manage with changes to their exercise, diet and sleep patterns? The survey, conducted by OnePoll and the BCA, investigated lifestyle habits and routines to understand the biggest changes to the population’s physical wellbeing as a result of lockdown and the impact continued restrictions may have. The study looked at areas including exercise, sedentary habits, sleep quality and diet. Across all age groups, people have been more sedentary since March, on average spending 11 hours a day sitting. All age groups have found exercise the most challenging routine to stick to and that’s what they want to most improve in 2021. Interestingly, this new research revealed that 18 to 24-year-olds have experienced the biggest impact to their physical well-being, as a result of lockdown lifestyle changes. Most chiropractic patients
have successfully set new routines for themselves with this younger age group the most proactive – but they’ve also been the worst at sticking to a new regime. The figures show that 79% have now dropped the schedules they had set up in March, when the first lockdown began. There are so many great nuggets of information contained within this report and I wanted to share just a few of them here: • Nearly two thirds (57%) of people are spending more time sitting down than before lockdown and only a third have kept to their wellbeing routines. • Men are 41% more likely to stick to new routines than women (23%). • Exercise and getting outside each day are the hardest routines to stick to, with 42% not finding time for these during the week. • With 43% of us working from home during lockdown, more than a quarter have experienced new symptoms of back, shoulder and neck pain. • To manage feelings of tension and back pain, 25% of people have purchased self-support tools, 15% have consulted their GP and 10% have consulted with a chiropractor – nearly half of those polled haven’t sought any support
yet (46%). While facts and figures are useful, nothing quite beats coming up with a plan of action and sticking to it! At Cleve Chiropractic, we’re privileged to have Catherine Quinn, the current BCA president, among our team of consultants – and she’s been busy drawing up a list of helpful tips to promote better back health: • Build a routine that’s realistic and works for your lifestyle. Incorporating movement into your day is so important, but many of us set unmanageable goals for exercise. • Our bodies love variation, so try to mix up the position you work in – if you work at a desk or table, consider a laptop stand which will allow you work standing up. • A great night’s sleep is a game changer – it’s all too easy to scroll through TikTok and Instagram reels when you’re in bed. Try to protect the hour before you go to bed as your personal wind down time and avoid blue light tech. • With changing lockdown restrictions and generally poorer weather on the way, getting outside to exercise or going to the gym is harder. To look after your back health there are lots of easy exercises you can do at home.
with Tim Button, Doctor of Chiropractic at Cleve Chiropractic and Next Step in Mangotsfield
0117 957 5388
drtimbutton@ clevechiropractic.com www.clevechiropractic.com facebook.com/clevechiro twitter.com/clevechiro
We’ve created some bitesize videos with simple stretches and exercises. You can find them On our facebook page, under the videos tab. Finally, I’m delighted to say that we have remained open during this second lockdown. We have all the required PPE and risk assessments in place – we’re very COVID secure and many patients have remarked on how safe and clean the clinic feels.
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