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Staff anger at new parking fine system at RUH
Becky Feather Reporter
THERE is said to be “absolute uproar” among staff at the Royal United Hospital in Bath about the threat of fines from a new parking firm.
An employee, who asked to remain anonymous, contacted the Bath Echo to highlight that fines will be issued from Thursday 1st August by Saba, which recently took over the parking contract at the RUH’s Combe Park site.
Fines, or notices of parking charges will be £80, reduced to £40 if paid within 14 days.
The employee told us:
“After recently having to reapply for our parking permits due to the criteria being tightened, we were assured parking for staff would become a lot easier as there would be less permits issued; however, this has not been the case and parking is still massively oversubscribed.
“All official parking spaces in the staff car parks are taken up by 7.40am each morning, meaning that anyone who starts work later than this has to park on the grass verges or at the end of the rows of cars.
“Parking there doesn’t cause an obstruction; however, it isn’t an official parking space but staff have no other choice.
“The RUH has just sent out an email to staff stating that employees who aren’t parked in an official parking space will be fined an eyewatering £40 by Saba on each occasion, rising to £80 if not paid within 14 days.
“The fine will also apply if parking that costs between £1 and £1.50 per day isn’t paid for on Saba’s app within 90 minutes; however, the app often doesn’t work and takes several attempts to get it to recognise your details.
“Staff who can’t get to the hospital by 7.40am can look forward to fines of £200 per week!”
The employee added: “The RUH aren’t taking any responsibility for what’s happening to their employees, instead telling us we
(parking fines) in the staff car parks.
It follows the introduction of the hospital’s new parking system earlier this year, and a “settling-in period” to allow everyone to get used to the changes.
The email said that any queries or disputes will be handled by Saba and the independent appeals service POPLA, not the RUH.
to take it up with Saba ourselves.
“The RUH chose Saba as the parking provider and must have known about these charges but still chose to go ahead with the contract.”
They added: “The motto of the RUH regarding its employees is ‘You matter’ but that obviously isn’t true as they are allowing Saba to do this to their hardworking employees, many of whom are already struggling financially.
“Many people have family commitments that mean they aren’t able to get to work by 7.40am, even though their shift doesn’t start until 9am, to secure an official parking space.
“There’s absolute uproar among staff about these fines being introduced and the staff are extremely stressed and worried.”
The Bath Echo has seen the email that staff were sent by the RUH on Wednesday, 24th July, notifying them that from Thursday 1st August, Saba will start to issue notices of parking charges
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It explained that notices of parking charges will apply for parking in an “unacceptable way” and for not paying. These will be placed on windscreens in a bright yellow envelope which should not be ignored.
“Unacceptable” parking includes on yellow lines or yellow crosshatched areas, by ‘no stopping’ signs, blocking access routes (car, pedestrian or cycle), obstructing access barriers, blocking other drivers in, parking on the grass or on verges, and parking in areas people are not entitled to park in, such as Blue Badge spaces and drop-off areas.
The email adds that there will be a 90-minute grace period to allow people enough time to park and pay.
The Bath Echo asked the RUH to respond to the concerns and a spokesperson told us: “The pressures in the car park have significantly eased since our new parking system was introduced earlier this year, with better availability of spaces for staff arriving for shifts at any time.
“We are introducing notices
of parking charges in our staff car parks in line with the terms and conditions that applied for all staff when they requested a permit and to respond to staff complaints about a small number of people continuing to park in an obstructive way.
“We genuinely hope no one gets fined and are doing all we can to encourage staff to park in line with the rules, including making sure our yellow lines are clearly visible. We also support alternative ways to travel to work, including promoting public transport discounts, our cycle to work scheme, and free trial periods for e-bikes.”
The RUH also clarified that notices of parking charges will apply for unacceptable parking in specific obstructive or damage-causing circumstances, not simply for parking outside a marked bay.
However, the signs clearly state that “Vehicles must be fully parked within a marked bay”. Money from any notices of parking charges will go to the RUH, minus a small admin fee for Saba.
There are several staff car parks for RUH staff, including one that is currently up for sale. The hospital leases the site, which is in front of the St John’s Foundation Almshouse accommodation at Combe Park. The sale is being marketed by property agents JLL as a “freehold development or investment opportunity”.
Vehicles parked within the car parks at the Royal United Hospital
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Property searched as part of substance enquiry
A 73-YEAR-OLD has been released under investigation by police following an incident in Bath on Monday 29th July in which members of the public fell ill.
Police, fire and ambulance crews were sent to Stall Street in the city centre and a cordon was put in place after a woman in possession of a plastic bag had approached members of the public, who then felt ill.
A woman was arrested that same day after CCTV of the scene was reviewed, and she has since been released under investigation.
Chief Inspector Scott Hill, of the Bath Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “In the early stages of this incident it was unclear what had happened.
“Emergency services have extensive plans for responding to such incidents and these were carried out to make sure treatment was available to anyone who needed it and the wider public were kept safe.
“One person needed to go to hospital after experiencing breathing difficulties and itchy eyes. We were pleased to learn
“The arrested woman was questioned and property searched as part of our usual enquiries seeking to establish whether any crime had occurred.
“We will always be evidenceled, and at this stage of our investigation, it would appear this was an isolated incident and there was seemingly no intentional attempt to harm anybody.
“We are aware there has been a number of speculative comments published, particularly on social media, suggesting this incident was a deliberate act seeking to cause harm and therefore wanted to be transparent about the status of our investigation.
“Further enquiries will be carried out but we hope updating the public of the current investigative progress helps reassure anyone with concerns about what happened.
“Officers carrying out regular patrols in Bath will be happy to stop and talk to anyone if there are any ongoing concerns we can assist with.”
Council doesn't contest legal action against LTN
John Wimperis Local Democracy Reporter
BATH & North East Somerset Council has not contested a legal challenge to block a controversial liveable neighbourhood in Bath.
The local authority had planned to close three roads near the Circus and in the Lansdown area of the city to through traffic as part of its Liveable Neighbourhood programme, also known as Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), which aims to make residential roads safer and more pleasant routes for walking and cycling. But locals warned it would “sacrifice the health and safety of school children” as closing one of the roads could push displaced traffic past primary schools.
A High Court case brought by locals to secure an injunction to stop the scheme had been set to take place on Thursday 8th August.
But the council said on Wednesday it would not contest the case — although it will seek to bring back the plans “as soon as possible”.
The council said that putting the scheme on pause for the hearing
had caused it to lose its slot with the contractors set to install the bollards, which it said had been “carefully scheduled” to take place during the school holidays and avoid other work on the road networks.
The council had originally planned to begin the work on Monday 5th August.
In a statement, a council spokesperson said: “We are therefore not contesting the hearing that was due to take place on Thursday 8th August as we would not have been able to proceed with the project immediately, whatever the outcome. We are now taking the opportunity provided by this pause to remedy any specific minor technical issues brought to our attention during the legal proceedings.
“We will be introducing a new ETRO [experimental traffic regulation order] for Lower Lansdown as soon as possible.
Councillor Manda Rigby, the council’s cabinet member for transport, added: “We thank the residents involved for raising the issues that they have now so we can rectify any needing further clarification before proceeding.
“We will be bringing forward a
new ETRO in the very near future. We are committed to the delivery of our Liveable Neighbourhoods programme which aims to bring significant health and wellbeing benefits to our communities.”
It planned to install bollards across Winifred’s Lane, at the top of Cavendish Road, on Monday with a “no right turn” sign to stop people turning from Cavendish Road onto Sion Hill. This would take traffic away from Lansdown Crescent, one of the city’s most expensive streets.
But locals had warned it will funnel those cars along Sion Hill Place and along Julian Road, right past children’s schools. Over 2,700 people have signed a petition against the plan.
A representative of a nearby residents association told the
Local Democracy Reporting Service in February: “The council seems willing to sacrifice the health and safety of school children and thousands of Bath residents to extend the privilege of a few extremely privileged people on Lansdown Crescent.”
The plans would also see bollards installed across Catharine Place and a major overhaul of Gay Street, blocking through traffic from passing the junction with George Street.
The Circus Area Residents Association (CARA) has supported the plans, stating in January: “The ongoing and unabated increase that significant parts of our catchment area are evidencing in terms of visitor/ tourist footfall will be more safely and effectively managed as a result of these improvements.
“Alongside a reduction in unnecessary and intrusive ‘ratrunning’, such innovations would be to the benefit of residents and local businesses alike and assist in improving our city’s environment as a whole.”
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New post box approved for Combe Down
Bath & North East Somerset Council has raised no objection to Royal Mail’s plans to install a new post box at Hillyer Grove at the Mulberry Park development at Combe Down.
Livemore, on behalf of Royal Mail, had consulted the council about the proposal for land which it said appears to be privately owned and is not within a conservation area.
Beware rogue traders
Police have warned residents about rogue traders cold calling on Bloomfield Road and the surrounding area. They said: “The men involved offer landscaping work and will take photos of both the outside and inside of your house."
If you are a customer of either Schmidt Bath Limited or M&P Kitchens Limited (both trading as “Schmidt Bath”) of 1 Park Road, Bath, BA1 3EE, from 2020 to present, we would like to hear more about your experience. We would also like to hear from people who have received quotes for projects, as well as any suppliers to the two companies named above. Please get in touch with us by emailing schmidt@ beaconinvestigations.co.uk
Long range forecast: (16th to 22nd August)
Expected to stay mostly warm with a chance of heavy showers, resulting in fresher air. Changeable weather likely, though staying mostly pleasant.
Emergency services at the scene of the cordon
she was well enough to return home a few hours later.
M&S submits planning application for SouthGate relocation
Bath Preservation Trust acquires Thomas Gainsborough paintings
THE Bath Preservation Trust has acquired four Thomas Gainsborough paintings of the Tugwell family, which will be going on display at No. 1 Royal Crescent next month.
The four portraits, which were acquired under the Acceptance in Lieu scheme, will be celebrated in Being There, an exhibition that also features contemporary portraiture by 18 British artists working today.
The exhibition in The Gallery at No.1 Royal Crescent will be open to the public from 14th September 2024 to 23rd February 2025.
Once the exhibition closes, the paintings will be integrated into the future development of the historic museum.
Thomas Gainsborough was commissioned by a prosperous provincial manufacturer in around 1760 to undertake the group of four portraits.
They depict clothier Humphrey Tugwell, his wife Elizabeth and sons William and Thomas.
a wealthy, upwardly mobile manufacturing family. Few comparable sets of portraits by Gainsborough survive, making these pre-eminent depictions of middle-class sitters and ones with strong local significance to the story of Bath and Bradfordon-Avon.
he once called home.
“Thanks to the Acceptance in Lieu scheme, this acquisition will allow No.1 Royal Crescent to display the artworks, giving access to these historic portraits for residents and visitors to Bath for the first time.
M&S has now submitted a planning application for the old Debenhams building in SouthGate in Bath as it prepares to invest £17 million in turning it into its new flagship store.
Last month M&S announced that it was relocating from its current site at Stall Street into the nearby former department store which has been empty since 2021.
The retailer said the move is part of its rotation strategy to make sure it has the right stores in the right place, with the right space for customers.
The plans that have now been submitted to Bath & North East Somerset Council involve minor alterations to the ground floor façade of the vacant store at 17 Southgate Place.
The site occupies a key corner plot within the SouthGate development, which was completed in 2009.
The proposals involve closing four entrances, to be replaced by
The planning reference is 24/02890/FUL. The deadline for comments is 30th August. There is also an application for the display of nine internally illuminated lettering signs for which the planning reference is 24/02951/AR.
Since Debenhams closed, the building has been subject to other planning applications from Southgate Limited Partnership associated with maintaining the retail use; most recently, an application to enable the mixed use of the upper floors and an extension to the roof was approved last summer.
Meanwhile the Stall Street branch of M&S will continue trading until the new one opens, and staff will have the opportunity to relocate.
The retailer has said it will work with B&NES Council on the future use of the current M&S store.
The Tugwells were prominent figures in the life of Bradford-onAvon, where Humphrey Tugwell owned a dye house, mill and pin factory. The Wiltshire town is only six miles from the city of Bath, where Gainsborough established himself permanently in 1760.
The four portraits, still in their original carved Carlo Maratta frames, have remained with the sitters’ descendants and have never previously been sold.
Bath Preservation Trust has been allocated the portraits for display at No.1 Royal Crescent through the Acceptance in Lieu scheme.
Dr Amy Frost, Senior Curator for Bath Preservation Trust, said: “It is exceptionally rare for a set of four portraits of members of the same family by Thomas Gainsborough to survive together.
“Rarer still is the fact that the sitters are not aristocratic visitors to fashionable Bath, but middleclass manufacturers from a small West Country town.
“This set of Gainsborough portraits are remarkable for capturing two generations of
“This is a highly significant acquisition for No.1 Royal Crescent, and we eagerly look forward to sharing these with the public.”
Patrizia Ribul, Director of Museums for Bath Preservation Trust, added: “Thomas Gainsborough would have been living in Bath at the time he undertook the Tugwell commissions, so it is fantastic that we now have the opportunity to display them here in the heart of the city.
“It is a very exciting year for all of our museums here at Bath Preservation Trust. No.1 Royal Crescent is launching its first temporary exhibition since the pandemic; the Museum of Bath Architecture reopened on 30th March; Beckford’s Tower reopened on 29th June following a £3.9 million refurbishment; and the Herschel Museum of Astronomy is undergoing consultation on potential redevelopment.”
Culture Minister, Sir Chris Bryant, said: “Thomas Gainsborough is one of the titans of British art, so it is only right that these portraits by him are displayed in the city
COLUMN | Councillor Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council
CONGRATULATIONS
to our area’s recently elected MPs. Our local authority now covers three Parliamentary constituencies, and we will work closely with Wera Hobhouse, Anna Sabine, and Dan Norris. The new government has many challenges to address, not least of which is the crisis in council funding.
MPs and councils will work with the government to ensure our region gets a fairer deal. Our economic strategy is delivering positive results. We announced a partnership with the University of Bath to
develop a vision for Bath Quays North, a 2.2-hectare city-centre brownfield site.
The Memorandum of Understanding we signed gives the council and the university the opportunity to discuss possibilities for the site which could include new space for research, innovation and enterprise activities.
Our Bath Quays South development, No.1 Bath Quays, is almost fully let - securing hundreds of jobs in the city, generating real economic benefit and renewal.
Alongside development, we take
our responsibility for improving biodiversity seriously.
Last year, before it became a national requirement, the council adopted a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) policy.
Developers are required to replace any biodiversity lost during building, plus an additional 10 per cent, by creating new habitats such as grassland, woodland, hedgerows or tree lines and to manage the habitat for at least 30 years. BNG can be delivered on-site as part of the development, off-site by creating new habitats and paying someone else to manage
it or enhancing existing landscapes by purchasing biodiversity units.
In Charlcombe Valley, a group of amazing volunteers are transforming former grazing land, which the council owns, into a new community-run wildlife site, including a species-rich meadow. Bath’s heritage and cultural sites should enrich everyone’s lives.
“Their delicacy, sensitivity and vibrancy are a delight. It is as if the sitters are in the room with you.”
Michael Clarke CBE, Chair, Acceptance in Lieu Panel, said:
“I am delighted that these four portraits of Humphrey Tugwell and members of his family by Thomas Gainsborough have been allocated to the Bath Preservation Trust for display at the Royal Crescent, Bath through the Acceptance in Lieu Scheme.
“Gainsborough was one of the greatest English portrait painters and based himself in fashionable Bath from 1759 to 1773. Tugwell was a highly successful merchant in nearby Bradford-on-Avon and made an important contribution to the development of the cloth trade in that town.
“These portraits of Tugwell, his wife, and two of their children will greatly enhance the collection at No.1 Royal Crescent.
“They demonstrate the major role played by the AIL scheme in securing works of art for public collections around the country.
“I hope that this allocation encourages others to use the Scheme and to continue to support our national collections.”
The Roman Baths, Victoria Art Gallery and Parade Gardens can be accessed free of charge by all B&NES residents, thanks to the council’s Discovery Card, which
provides discounts to restaurants, spas and other attractions. Sign up for your free Discovery Card online at https://beta.bathnes. gov.uk/apply-for-discoverycard or ask for one at one of several collection locations. Finally, congratulations must go to University of Bath based swimmers Tom Dean and Kieran Bird and their teammates and coaches on a magnificent achievement in the men’s 4x200m freestyle at the Paris 2024 Olympics – an amazing accomplishment.
I WONDER how many readers will remember this room in the building at the end of Abbeygate Street. It opened in this style in 1965, when Evans Fish Restaurant decided to go up market. The Evans family had had a fish and chip
shop at 8 Abbeygate Street since the early 20th century and by the late 1920s they had expanded into No. 7. Some time about 1950 they also moved into what was then 6 Abbeygate Street, though confusingly it is now called 7-8 Abbeygate Street. At the time, it was a conventional fish restaurant, but in 1965, the company decided to open something very new – an elegant dining space for fish and chips enthusiasts.
The fish was nicely presented with waitress service and, as can be seen from this picture, the room was decorated to give an 18th-century ambience. It was called the Georgian Room. There was also a modern room, based very much on the style of an American diner, for those who wanted something less formal and was selfservice. It was very popular with families and Evans called it the Contemporary
COLUMN | From the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner
Your Voice Matters: PCC Clare Moody launches public consultation on policing priorities. Avon and Somerset’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Clare Moody, is reaching out to residents across the region to help shape the future of local policing. As part of an ongoing commitment to engage with the community, the PCC is hosting public forums across Avon and Somerset. These forums, running from August 15th to October 20th,
2024, are crucial for ensuring the Police and Crime Plan reflects the needs of local people.
One of the core responsibilities of the Police and Crime Commissioner is to create a Police and Crime Plan, a strategic blueprint that guides the direction of policing across Avon and Somerset. This plan sets the priorities for Avon and Somerset Police but also underpins how the Chief Constable will be held responsible, how resources will be allocated, and how the
Police and Crime Commissioner ensures that the police service maintains its legitimacy in the eyes of the public. Drawing from experiences on the campaign trail, Clare Moody has identified key areas of focus for the plan. These priorities are based on the pressing issues faced by the Avon and Somerset Police, as well as the concerns voiced by residents. The PCC is now asking the public to weigh in on her proposals and to offer their perspectives on how the
Room. Today it is hard to see what a revelation this was to Bath residents but there was really nothing like it apart from the Berni Oliver (now Belushi’s) but that was pitched at the sherry-drinkers market. In fact, it may have been the Oliver which gave Evans’ the idea. Sixty years on we now have a huge variety of eating places, with cuisine from across the globe, and a wide range of prices.
The launch of this public consultation is on 12th August.
For more information about the forums and to participate in the consultation, visit the Police and Crime Plan 2024 – 2029 page on the Avon and Somerset PCC’s website: https://bit.ly/3yvf8zK
police, communities, and partners can collaborate to meet these goals. The forums are designed to be inclusive and accessible, inviting anyone with an interest in local policing to attend. They provide a valuable opportunity for residents to influence how policing is delivered in their areas, share insights on what would work best for their communities, and learn more about the consultation on council tax and police funding. For those unable to attend in person, an online survey will also be available, allowing for broad participation.
An elegant dining space for fish and chip enthusiasts at the Evans Fish Restaurant
Congratulations to Charlotte Barker for winning £20! You can find the answers to last issue's crossword on page 20.
2 Islands known for giant tortoises (9)
8 "This is horrible!" (2,2)
9 Diana Rigg's Emma --- (4) 10 Early "Enterprise" engineer (7) 11 Noncontagious skin condition (6) 12 Clone (4) 15 Old fellow (6) 16 Visiting the area (2,4) 17 Where Paddington was originally (4)
18 Palestinian leader Mahmoud --- (5)
21 Put up with (5)
23 Huge expanse (5)
25 Hero of "Pride and Prejudice" (5)
28 "I'm already doing this" (2,2)
29 Italian fashion house (6)
31 Potatoes au --- (6)
32 Continuous dull pain (4)
Corpulent (5)
The two of us (3,3,1)
Entering our competition - via email or post
For your chance to win £20, submit your full name, postal address and answers by email to puzzles@bathecho.co.uk or via post to:
The winner will be the first randomly opened entry with the correct answers on 21/08/2024. The winner will be notified using the details they provide when entering the competition.
Food & Drink
Tasty Dates For Your Diary
Wake up to a sensory shake-up at Mantra (Bladud Buildings, top of George Street) where two culinary worlds collide to present Bath's most unique breakfast menu. Masala omelettes, Eggs Royale with Tandoori Salmon, the Mumbai Combo, the Paneer Tikka Naanwich, Tandoori bacon butties, a breakfast dosa... it's all going on (and much, much more!) at 50% off the whole new Breakfast Menu until Saturday 17th August. www.mantraofbath.co.uk
The Gainsborough Bath Spa (Beau Street) is celebrating Afternoon Tea Week (12th - 18th August) with a unique History and Heritage Afternoon Tea: British teatime classics meet unique east-meets-west savoury treats accompanied by tales that reveal an intriguing insight into Bath's days gone by. Want to turn it into a party? Skip
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the tea and opt for Champagne instead (from £40pp; booking essential).
https://bit.ly/4daniwl
Enjoy 50% off the a la carte menu at Japanese-themed foodie hotspot Robun (George Street) every Sunday - Thursday until Thursday 29th August. And little people can join the party too! Kids can eat free between noon - 6pm every Monday - Saturday and all day Sunday until Sunday 1st September (terms and conditions apply to both offers; visit website for details). www.robun.co.uk
Tuesday 13th August is Tapas Night at No 3 Cafe (High Street, Weston): a glorious, one-off celebration of classic, Spanishthemed small plates including albondigas, Patatas Bravas and the tantalising Cheesecake with a Spanish Twist. Sounds tasty?
Recipe: Focaccia
Si! Booking essential; message the cafe on Instagram (@no3_ cafebath) or Facebook, or drop by the cafe in person (£25pp). facebook.com/coffeegirls3
Enjoy a free cheese board with every first drink ordered at craft beer/cider/wine/cheese/ charcuterie hotspot Kingsmead Bottle (Kingsmead Square) on the last Thursday of every month. https://bit.ly/3LS8Kpt
Much-loved, super-pretty neighbourhood pub The Richmond Arms (Richmond Place) has extended its opening hours.
Take a trip up the Lansdown slopes any Thursday-Saturday from 4pm - 10pm and/or 10.30am - 5pm on Sundays and make merry with cheese and charcuterie on the menu throughout the week, pizza on Fridays and coffee, pastries and
cannoli on Sundays, with fresh pasta served on an occasional basis (remember, the Richmond doubles up as Pasta Laboratory HQ too). Drinks? This is a pub –what do you expect? Cheers! www.therichmondbath.co.uk
The next Dumpling Dojo session at Budo (Bath's only Japanese Izakaya and Sake Bar, Argyle Street) takes place on Wednesday 21st August: create and savour the most delicious dumplings and master the art of Japanese (and, sometimes, Korean) cookery in uniquely characterful surroundings. www.budobath.co.uk/events/
Explore a selection of rums from Takamaka, the Seychelles and Jamaica at Amathus Drinks (Green Street) on Friday 23rd August when a fun, informative tasting event ('the Seychelles vs Jamaica', no less!) hosted by
Dean McGregor from Jamaica's Hampden Estate will showcase the fascinating variations of rums from different countries (£36pp). https://bit.ly/3SEtzbL
Make the most of the last Bank Holiday weekend of the year at The Brew House (James Street West), when a rather splendid party (food, drink, live music –the whole shebang) dominates proceedings for the whole three days from Friday 23rd - Monday 25th August. https://bit.ly/4cbexRr
Melissa regularly reviews restaurants across Bath and the surrounding area. You can find out more at: www.theprandialplayground.uk
Follow Melissa on X Find her @ThePigGuide
This classic Italian loaf – luxuriously rich, satisfyingly crunchy and really easy to make – is the perfect antipasto feast centrepiece... and the perfect vehicle for Italian-themed staycation sandwiches, sliced lengthways and filled with prosciutto or salami and plenty of Italian cheese.
Ingredients (makes 2 small loaves)
• 500g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 x 7g sachet dried fast action yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• Around 5 tbsp good olive oil
• A couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary
Method
• Tip the flour into the bowl of a food processor or a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and the dried yeast and shift around to combine before gradually adding 350-400ml lukewarm water and 2 tbsp of olive oil, processing or mixing until you have a sticky dough.
• Tip the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for around 5-10 minutes until silky and shape it into a ball. Lightly grease the mixing bowl with a slick of olive oil and plonk the dough back into it. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm, draughtfree place to prove for around an hour, by which time the dough will have doubled in size. Meanwhile, oil two shallow baking tins (brownie tins are perfect).
• When the hour is up, knock the air out of the dough, tip it back onto the floured work service, divide it in half and stretch to fill your tins. Cover with the tea towel and leave to prove again for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220c/200c fan/gas mark 7.
• Bring the dough back out of hiding and press your fingers (or the handle of a wooden spoon) across the top to form dimples. Push sprigs of rosemary into the dimples, drizzle the surface with 2-3 tbs olive oil and a generous amount of salt and bake for around 20 minutes until golden – the bread should make a hollow sound when you tap the base with your fingers.
• Tip your finished Focaccia onto a wire rack, drizzle it with yet more olive oil and allow to cool down a bit before cutting into squares or slices. Left with a leftover loaf? Wrap it in cling film and freeze for up to 3 months.
I dotted my Focaccia with a little handful of sundried tomatoes and a sprinkling of olives before baking – a highly recommended optional extra.
Held on Radford Mill Organic Farm. With food grown and cooked on site, a natural amphitheatre, under cover stages, campfire sessions, open mic, yoga, tai chi, dance and singing.
Bath Guitar Festival 2024
Weston Studio, University of Bath 13th – 16th August
Bath Guitar Festival is back for 2024, and this year’s classical concert line-up features some of the most celebrated guitarists, plus talented artists from the Young Artist Platform.
Willow Dragonfly Workshop
Newton Farm 16th August, 10am – 12pm
During the morning, you will learn all about the basic techniques in willow weaving and weave your own unique dragonfly to decorate your home or garden.
Two Tunnels Railway Races
Brickfields Park
18th August
A race with the longest underground section for each race distance in the UK. With an ultra marathon, 50km relay, marathon, half marathons, 10kms, 5km, 2km and 500m Colourburst races.
Batheaston Blast Music Event
Batheaston Hall
10th August, 3-9pm
Get ready for an unforgettable experience featuring a full day of music and fun. Embark on a journey through the decades with a Daytime Disco and an evening of live music performances.
Book cleaning in the House
Dyrham Park
13th August, 11.30am – 2.30pm
Staff and volunteers will be cleaning, checking and recording books from the collection normally housed in the Plod Chamber. This collection includes Shakespeare, Ovid and Byron.
British Bird of Prey Day
The Bird of Prey Project
17th August, 10am – 4pm
Join this day in Newton St Loe featuring native species flying displays, guest speakers, interactive activities, stallholders and more. Be inspired by British wildlife. Tickets from £7.
The Mountain Within Me + Q&A
St Michael’s Place
20th August, 6pm
After suffering a catastrophic and almost fatal spinal cord injury, professional rugby player Ed Jackson's world changed forever. The Mountain Within Me follows Ed's journey on his recovery.
Pirate Taxi
Friday 9th August - Thursday 22nd August 2024
Beckford’s Tower 11th August, 3pm & 7pm
Join this incredible and engaging circus show on the paddock below Beckford's Tower by award-winning performers Pirates of the Carabina and their aerial show.
A Evening with Lucinda Light
The Forum
15th August, 7.30pm
Lucinda Light shines as a radiant beacon of love and light, dedicated to sharing her compassionate heart and profound insights on Emotional Intelligence (EQ).
Cider Racenight with The Wurzels
Bath Racecourse
17th August, 3.40pm
A summer’s evening of live entertainment featuring The Wurzels along with some exhilarating live horseracing. All situated within the main Grandstand enclosures.
The History Boys Theatre Royal 22nd – 31st August
The History Boys follows this bright bunch of boys in pursuit of sex, sport and a place at university, lifting the lid on staffroom rivalries and the anarchy of adolescence.
Romeo and Juliet
Bath Abbey
12th – 31st August
Let the passion, drama and magic of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece Romeo and Juliet unfold around you in Antic Disposition's brand new promenade production.
Sarah Rees Brennan & Tasha Suri Topping & Company Booksellers 15th August, 7pm
Join Toppings in Bath to celebrate the publication of Long Live Evil with fantasy icons Sarah Rees Brennen and Tasha Suri, author of The Oleander Sword.
Bath Pride
Great Pulteney Street 18th August
From noon-5pm there is a family picnic at the Holburne Museum, which will include live music acts and charity stalls. From 1pm-2pm, there will be a Pride march through the city.
Bath in the 1850s vs today BRLSI
22nd August, 2-4pm
In this free walk, explore some Bath locations and compare them to how they looked in the 1850-60s. The group will also look at two medieval buildings before widening the walk across the city.
Theatre Review Sister Act – Theatre Royal, Bath
won’t be found – a convent!
SISTER Act explodes onto the stage at Theatre Royal Bath in a riot of colour, glitter and it is truly “Fabulous Baby”.
The music by Alan Menken is well known alongside the lyrics of Glenn Slater; whilst the movie may have made them famous earworms, here they are belted and relished by an exuberant company who appear to be having the very best time.
This sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, sisterhood and music tells the hilarious story of a disco diva whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a murder. Under protective custody, she is hidden in the one place she
Disguised as a nun and under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own.
The company is led by the excellent Landi Oshinowo as Deloris Van Cartier and Wendi Peters as Mother Superior. Their relationship grows with great care and the need to save the church becomes a central goal.
Alfie Parker is a wonderful Eddie Souther, the lonely and muchridiculed “Steady Eddie”. His performance draws us into his world and his delivery of “I could be that guy” is quite something.
Supported by excellent choreography by Alistair David, it is an absolute show-stopper.
Eloise Runnette as Sister Mary Roberts uplifts proceedings further whilst the overall production and cast never falters. The infectious energy brings the full house to a standing ovation, a wonderful escape for a couple of hours. Grab a ticket before they all go!
Sister Act is showing at Theatre Royal Bath until 17th August. Box office: 01225 448844
Interested in sponsoring this section? Get in touch: advertise@bathecho.co.uk
SouthGate Bath hosts storytelling sessions for children
NEARLY 300 children from Bath have taken part in storytelling sessions, designed to inspire a love of reading, thanks to the SouthGate shopping centre.
New research reveals that reading for enjoyment among 8 – 18-yearolds in the UK is at its lowest since 2005, almost two decades.
According to the National Literacy Trust, reading for enjoyment is proven to build a child’s confidence as well as make them feel happy and relaxed, yet only two in five children and young people from the South West say they enjoy reading in their free time.
The events were organised by SouthGate Bath as part of the Young Readers Programme, an award-winning initiative between its co-owner British Land and the National Literacy Trust, that aims to encourage children to read outside of the classroom.
280 children from St Martin’s Garden Primary School, St Michael’s Junior Church School and Roundhill Primary School listened to stories from a professional storyteller and took part in a range of fun activities including a craft and bookmark-
making session.
Each child was also given a book of their choice to take home for free.
2024 marks the 13th year of British Land’s partnership with the National Literacy Trust, and since the programme launched at SouthGate Bath, it has supported more than 2,690 school children and seen more than 8,000 books donated across Bath.
The Young Readers Programme is especially designed to provide additional support and help with the development of children in underprivileged areas by giving them better access to books.
The National Literacy Trust research revealed that fewer young people who received free school meals (FSMs) said they enjoyed reading when compared to their peers who did not receive free meals.
Guy Henderson, centre director at SouthGate Bath, said:
“Supporting our community is at the heart of what we do, so we are incredibly proud of the Young Readers Programme and all the local children and families we have been able to support over many years. It’s such a rewarding initiative, hearing how
the children are inspired by the stories and activities and seeing just how excited they are to take their own book home.
“This is a programme that really makes a difference and we’re so pleased to be a part of it for another brilliant year.”
Martin Galway, Head of School Programmes at the National
Literacy Trust, said: “Reading has an ongoing powerful role in many children’s lives and is crucial in building confidence and improving literacy skills.
“Through the Young Readers Programme, we have partnered with British Land for the last 13 years – giving children from socioeconomically disadvantaged
backgrounds the opportunity to experience enchanting storytelling events, and to choose books that speak to their interests and passions. Our goal is to spark a love of reading that will stay with them forever, which in turn will provide them with essential life skills they need to succeed and reach their own goals.”
Bath Rugby charity reacts to growing crisis facing SEND students Performing arts students take part in Disneyland Paris event
LOCAL charity Bath Rugby Foundation has said recent figures revealed by ITV News into the growing crisis for SEND students are “startling”.
An investigation by ITV News uncovered the issues being faced by many families with children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
It revealed that not only are children being excluded from education due to unmet needs, but their families are also battling bureaucratic hurdles to secure the necessary support.
The research showed that 58% of children with SEND are “forced out” of school because their needs are unmet.
Jonno Wood, Alternative Learning Manager at Bath Rugby Foundation, said: “We recently learnt from ITV that nearly 60% of Special Educational Needs students are having to take time out of school because their needs are not being met. And what’s worse is that a lot of those families are having to fight their local authority to even get the educational need recognised.”
Jonno pointed out a critical flaw in the current education system, saying: “It’s an example of how we are so focused on exam results as a country that we are letting down our most vulnerable in education.
“This exam-centric approach
neglects the individual requirements of SEND students, leading to their exclusion and long-term educational disadvantages.”
For over 20 years, Bath Rugby Foundation has been helping to address this problem through a multifaceted approach. Its strategy involves three steps:
• Ensuring Attendance: The first priority is getting students to attend the Alternative Learning Hub. This involves overcoming various obstacles that prevent regular school attendance.
ensures that the unique needs of each student are met.
• Focusing on Qualifications: By emphasising the importance of qualifications, Bath Rugby Foundation helps students achieve tangible outcomes. This focus not only facilitates educational progress but also boosts the students’ confidence and future prospects.
SIXTEEN students from the Stagecoach Performing Arts in Bath recently performed in the “Dance the Dream” event, lining the iconic Main Street at the Disneyland Park in Paris.
More than 1,000 people from 28 Stagecoach Performing Arts schools across the country attended the event.
incredible opportunity for our students. Performing on a stage at Disneyland Paris, participating in a singing workshop with Disney professionals, and being part of a ‘pre-parade’ in front of thousands of people was truly magical.
“We are immensely proud of our students, it was great to see them perform.”
• Identifying Necessary Skills: Recognising and developing the specific skills each individual needs to access education is crucial. This
approach
Bath Rugby Foundation helps students who have been out of school for extended periods, sometimes up to 12 months, reintegrate into the classroom. By providing tailored support and a nurturing environment, the foundation enables students to gain qualifications and transition to meaningful next steps in their educational journeys.
The “Dance the Dream” event provides the students with a chance to come together and showcase their talents overseas, whilst building on their creativity and courage for life skills that will benefit them both on and off the stage.
Stagecoach Bath Principal Sandra Mayo said: “This was an
In the 35 years since launching, Stagecoach Performing Arts has seen more than one million students get involved.
The company is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.
THE National Trust has submitted a revised planning application for its £17 million refurbishment and alterations project at the Grade I listed Assembly Rooms.
The project includes a new Georgian visitor experience, due to open in late 2026 at the Grade I listed site in Bennett Street.
A number of changes have emerged during investigative works which have led to additional planning and listed building consent applications.
Bath & North East Somerset Council had been expected to make a decision on the project by the end of February this year, but the revised application will further delay the permission that the National Trust is anticipating. It is still hoped that construction work will begin in 2025.
A report says that the wider design team, including the experience design consultants, have been “digesting the discoveries” made during investigative works last year and the spaces uncovered following the strip-out of 20thcentury partitions in the area of the former Fashion Museum.
The report says: “This improved understanding of surviving fabric and condition has now been coordinated into the evolving
design for the new visitor interpretation planned for this area.”
The “intrusive and degrading” elements of the Fashion Museum are to be removed and the lower octagon vaults restored to their former condition.
Electrical cabling and heating pipework will be removed and there will be discreet replacement of cabling to support lighting and information panels.
The Assembly Rooms housed the world-famous Fashion Museum until 2022 and had been let to the council since 1937 but the National Trust enforced a break clause to take it back.
The council has plans to open a new Fashion Museum with a purpose-built collections study centre at the old Post Office on New Bond Street but last year suffered a setback after its bid for £20 million of Levelling Up funding from the Government failed.
The latest planning application reference for the Assembly Rooms is 24/02631/FUL and there is also a listed building consent application.
The deadline for comments is 30th August and the council’s new target date for making a decision is 17th September.
Proposals for bus lane on Keynsham Bypass remain despite opposition
THE West of England Combined Authority is set to continue with a controversial proposal for 24/7 bus lanes on the Keynsham Bypass and a speed reduction of 50mph.
One local councillor said he was dismayed as there had been “overwhelming” opposition to the scheme.
Last summer WECA consulted on a range of ideas for the A4 between Bristol and Bath including bus lanes.
In its summary of the feedback, published on 18th July, WECA says: “Overall, the majority of residents in all areas other than Saltford support the project aim for better walking, wheeling and cycling networks; however, only the majority of Bristol residents support the aim of better public transport links through dedicated bus lanes.
“Despite this, Bristol residents were not supportive of making existing bus lanes 24 hours or new bus lanes in the Brislington area.”
The report continues: “The Bath & North East Somerset section will retain the bus lane along the Keynsham Bypass as well as the speed limit reduction due to the benefits to bus journey times and air quality/emissions respectively.
“Elements have been removed from the B&NES section due to engagement feedback, such as shortening the length of the bus lane on Newbridge Road and the proposed yellow lines and footpath alterations in Saltford.
“However, it should be noted the scheme is not set in stone as both Bristol and B&NES sections move into the next stages of design and further consultation.”
COLUMN | Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath
JULY was one of the most exciting months in Bath this year - and there have been many to choose from!
Whether I was dancing away at the Bath Carnival or celebrating spectacular Bath residents competing in the Paris Olympic Games, there has certainly been lots to smile about.
Including my first engagement in Bath since being re-elected, where I met staff and clients of Seetec Pluss. The brilliant organisation supports people who are unemployed by providing training courses, qualifications, mental health support and assistance with job applications. Their work is essential to tackling unemployment and creating opportunities in our city. I will make sure that the new government continues to support their operations.
I was also delighted to be invited to formally open the new Optical Express eye care clinic in Bath. The impressive clinic, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, aims to significantly improve access to eye care in the city and the South West. I’m incredibly pleased that my constituents will now have access to these facilities, especially at a time when healthcare services can feel few and far between.
It’s clear that the Conservatives' dismal legacy of mismanagement has left many of our public services needing dire improvement. Since returning to Parliament, I have not only written to our Health Secretary to transform our city’s local health and social care services, and called on the new government to drastically improve children’s mental health
The walking, wheeling and cycling path along the Keynsham Bypass has been dropped from the scheme.
The report explains: “This is due to the cost of implementation and the effect on biodiversity along the route.
“This has been replaced by a segregated bi-directional cycle track and widened footways along Durley Hill to connect Keynsham to/from the segregated cycle track between Hicks Gate and Brislington Park and Ride.
“The walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure that is proposed on Bath Road (Keynsham) will remain, to connect Keynsham to/from Saltford and Bath via the Bristol and Bath Railway Path.”
Adding a bus lane between Broadmead roundabout and Saltford was not popular with respondents either but has not been removed from the proposals.
However, following feedback received during the public engagement, the shared use paths on Manor Road and Grange Road will not be taken forward.
Neither will proposed double yellow lines shown on Norman Road and High Street.
The traffic island outside The Crown pub on the A4 that was shown in the plans last summer as being removed will be retained.
The Liberal Democrat councillor for Keynsham North ward, George Leach, said: “I am dismayed that, despite overwhelming public responses in opposition to these plans, WECA and Mayor Dan Norris are continuing to move forward with the absurd plan to reduce the Keynsham Bypass to a single lane in exchange for a bus service that only uses the bypass at best every nine minutes.”
Cllr Leach attended a WECA briefing and said he had challenged the combined authority on its “lack of transparency and democratic accountability”.
He said: “WECA’s own engagement survey results significantly contradict the plans they intend to take forward and I am calling on Mayor Dan Norris to halt these plans in their current form and revise to reflect the feedback residents in Keynsham and across the wider A4 corridor have actually given.
“WECA have stated they will set up a community engagement body with an intention to have the first meeting in September 2024 but, as this body lacks any power, it risks being nothing more than a talking shop unless WECA confers some actual authority to it, which I would encourage them to do.”
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services, but I have also demanded a fairer deal for rail passengers. We deserve a world-class rail network to be proud of. Yet too often, we pay expensive rail fares for trains that simply don’t turn up on time. It shouldn’t be too much to ask for a rail network that gets us from A to B, affordably, reliably and sustainably. As the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Energy and Climate Change, I firmly believe that sustainability must be at the heart of our policy decisions. In fact, I recently brought this important call directly to the Prime Minister’s door, urging Keir Starmer to support the proposals made in the Climate and Nature Bill. It was a pleasure to bring this to light alongside my like-minded Liberal Democrat colleagues on the steps of No.10 and made
me hopeful for the climate progress we can make in the new Parliament. Luckily, the good cheer does not stop in July. Looking ahead to August, there are so many exciting things to anticipate. This month marks Bath’s first ever Pride event on the 18th.
It represents a spectacular opportunity to showcase the inclusivity and diversity of our community. I am truly looking forward to seeing the fantastic celebration and I hope this becomes a tradition we can commemorate each year. Also set to keep us busy over the summer holidays are some wonderful, family-friendly events all across the city. The American Museum & Gardens, in particular, is hosting plenty of workshops, tours and exhibitions for
all ages, from a LEGO Build & Play weekend to a Summer Adventure Trail. There are also free crafting activities at Herschel Museum of Astronomy and Victoria Art Gallery, as well as a family nature trail at Westonbirt Arboretum. As many of us enjoy some well-deserved rest after a busy school year and embrace the fun of the summer holidays, I would like to take a moment to thank those in our city who make Bath a place to be proud of. In the midst of such disgraceful scenes of violence and prejudice in parts of the country, it is especially welcome to see the compassion and warmth in our own community. For any support you may need, I will continue to be on hand at office@werahobhouse.co.uk.
Keynsham Bypass, where the bus lanes are set to be implemented
Work is getting under way at the Assembly Rooms in Bath
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England’s top nurse returns to RUH 25 years after his first day
THE Royal United Hospital in Bath has welcomed back England’s most senior nurse, more than two decades after he started his career there.
It was over 25 years ago that Duncan Burton ironed his bright white nursing tunic and arrived for his first day as a registered nurse at the RUH.
Duncan was recently named as the new Chief Nursing Officer for England, and on Tuesday 30th July, he returned to the Respiratory ward in Bath where it all began.
Duncan said: “I have very fond memories from the RUH and working here helped to make me the person I am today.
“This is the first time I’ve returned to the hospital, but I still have many friends from my time here and it’s been great to come back and visit.
“I remember my first day, feeling a bit scared but so excited to get started. I was really proud to get my blue epaulettes for my tunic,
which marked that I was now a registered nurse.
“My time here taught me to try different things and take on new challenges, and there were many opportunities to learn new things and develop.
“However, back then, I never would have believed that I’d go on to become the Chief Nursing Officer for England one day.”
After several years on the Respiratory ward, Duncan took a new job on the Neurology ward.
Then, in 2002 the bright lights of the city beckoned and he moved to London to become a junior charge nurse in acute admissions.
Duncan’s varied career has since seen him gain experience in many roles, settings and specialties varying from infectious diseases to emergency care, and from Director of Nursing roles to Regional Chief Nurse, and then Deputy Chief Nursing Officer at NHS England, all leading to his latest appointment as Chief Nursing Officer for England.
Duncan added: “It has been brilliant to hear from RUH staff and to see that in many ways the RUH has evolved and is still, in some ways, the same as it was 25 years ago.
“It feels like it has the same sense of community, and I’ve heard so much enthusiasm from the nurses I’ve met here.
“With a career in nursing, the opportunities are vast and varied. My advice to nursing colleagues at RUH is to embrace every opportunity, support each other, and try different things to achieve your goals.”
The RUH also welcomed Donna Ockenden, Chair of the independent review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, on the visit with Duncan. Together they toured Maternity services, which were rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) earlier this year. They also visited the Neonatal
Work begins on orthopaedic hub at Sulis Hospital in Peasedown
CONSTRUCTION work is under way at the Sulis Elective Orthopaedic Centre near Bath, which will treat an extra 3,750 NHS patients a year. The centre at Peasedown St John is a highly anticipated addition to the Sulis Hospital Bath and is set to open later this year.
The hospital, based at Bath Business Park, has been part of the Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH) family since 2021. It will treat non-emergency orthopaedic NHS patients across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire as well as the wider South West region.
As well as a reduction in waiting times for NHS patients, the region will also benefit from the 100 jobs that Sulis Hospital is recruiting to staff the new orthopaedic centre. Elective surgery is at less risk of being cancelled because the hospital does not perform urgent, non-planned operations.
Facilities at the new modular building will include two new modular theatres, additional inpatient beds, and the conversion of two existing theatres to laminar flow theatres.
The official breaking of the ground event was commemorated on Wednesday 24th July.
Vinci Building and Integrated Health Projects (IHP) are delivering the project and the regional director Russell Flowers presented a plaque to commemorate the achievement.
The hospital has achieved accreditation as an elective surgical hub through NHS England’s Getting It Right First
Time scheme and has a Care Quality Commission rating of ‘Outstanding’ for care and ‘Good’ overall.
Among those commemorating the breaking of ground was Simon Milner, Hospital Director at Sulis Hospital. He said: “It’s wonderful to be at the breaking ground stage of this development, which has been eagerly awaited by all. At Sulis, we’re proud to reaffirm our commitment to increase capacity and help improve NHS patients’ access to high-quality year-round elective orthopaedic care.
“As part of the RUH family, we’re able to give so much back to the local community and we’re keen to pioneer a new way of thinking in healthcare that can benefit everyone.”
Paul Doyle, transformation director of the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (BSW ICB), added: “Patients from the three acute hospitals in Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire will benefit significantly from
Unit to hear about the familycentred care provided there. RUH Chief Nursing Officer Toni Lynch said: “It has been really special to welcome Duncan and Donna to the RUH, and we have felt proud to show what we do here.
“Ultimately it was a chance to share the great work our dedicated and talented colleagues do every single day, to ensure we are making a difference for the people we care for.”
Care company marks 38 years of service
A LOCAL home care company which has been supporting residents for nearly 40 years is celebrating its latest milestone.
Featherbed Homecare and its sister company Featherbed Care started life as an agency for nannies back in 1986, from founder Sally Carpenter’s home in Featherbed Lane, Clutton.
The company changed direction back in the 1990s and began to offer care services across the region.
our joint work to create the Sulis Elective Orthopaedic Centre.
“Building on the strong reputation of the existing Sulis Hospital, our ambition is to be an exemplar regionally and nationally, providing quick access and high-quality care to our population and beyond. This spade in the ground moment marks an exciting progression towards that ambition.”
Andrew Hollowood, Chief Medical Officer, Royal United Hospitals Bath, said: “We all want to achieve the best possible outcomes for the people in our care.
“One of the ways we can do this is to reduce the time people wait for elective surgery, so they can get on the road to recovery and a better quality of life more quickly.
“Today is a significant milestone for this goal as construction work begins on the Sulis Elective Orthopaedic Centre. I’m looking forward to welcoming our patients to the Centre when it opens later this year.”
Featherbed, which is still under the ownership of Ms Carpenter, offers live-in care services to people who wish to stay in their own homes with a private live-in carer.
The company has purposely stayed small throughout the years, enabling everyone to know each other well and be able to provide the best care and support possible.
Sally said: “All we want to do is provide an excellent and affordable service where people can stay secure and happy in their own homes for as long as they wish.
“Finding the right carer is the most important factor and we are so fortunate to have many excellent carers who have been with the agency for a long time.
“Our fully trained and experienced carers help people with all sorts of illnesses, such as MS, Parkinson’s, Motor Neurone, strokes, and cancer.
“One service that is close to my heart is Palliative care and being able to support someone at the end of their life knowing that they
are in the secure and familiar surroundings of their own home.
“We are like one big family, which is how we will continue. Unlike other agencies, many do not visit their clients or support their carers.
Sally recalls the early days when the nanny agency provided companions to the elderly.
She added: “We had a wonderful team of local older ladies who lived with clients as companion carers but that all changed when the Care Act came in.
“At that time there weren’t that many agencies providing live-in care but suddenly once the Act came in there seemed to be an explosion of men in suits opening care agencies
“We will continue to do everything possible to provide our clients an excellent, friendly, and affordable service.”
Featherbed Care is registered with the Care Quality Commission and is rated Good.
RUH staff with Duncan Burton, right, and Donna Ockenden, fourth from the right | Photo courtesy of the RUH
Hospital charity looking for individuals to blaze the way at Firewalk event
RUHX, official hospital charity of the Royal United Hospitals Bath, is calling out for brave ‘soles’ to walk across burning hot coals at their Firewalk event.
The Firewalk takes place on Friday 13th September at the Lansdown Cricket Club, which neighbours the hospital. Daredevil firewalkers will seek mind over matter to complete their challenge of a lifetime, walking across temperatures of 1,200-1,600 degrees Fahrenheit.
event with a real sense of achievement, for conquering the coals as well as for raising life-changing funds for their local hospital.
Sponsorship raised from the challenge will help to fund extra extraordinary care for every patient at the hospital, through state-of-the-art facilities, technologies and equipment, research programmes at the hospital, as well as supporting staff to do what they do best.
The event is guided by an internationally certified instructor, who will deliver training at the start of the evening to teach the art of firewalking and support everyone taking part to feel empowered as they take on their fiery challenge. Firewalkers will leave the
RUHX hopes the event will ‘spark’ the imagination of supporters.
Ellie Wilkinson, Events & Community Officer at RUHX said: “This is an incredible opportunity for local people to do something extraordinary to support their hospital.
“Firewalking is not an easy challenge, but with lots of encouragement from us on
the night and training from our Firewalk instructor, anyone can do it!
“It’s also a great team bonding experience for friends or colleagues to take on and make unforgettable memories together on the night.” Tickets are limited, so book quickly to avoid missing out.
Registration costs £30 with a pledge to raise £200 for the Royal United Hospitals Bath. Everyone taking part will receive a free t-shirt and support from the RUHX team to reach their fundraising target. Sign up now at https://ruhx. org.uk/events/firewalk/
Taking part in a firewalk in aid of the RUHX charity
Photos courtesy of RUHX
Sponsored by Goughs Solicitors www.goughs.co.uk
Tracy Park golf club and hotel announces September closure
Becky Feather Reporter
THE Tracy Park hotel and golf club near Bath is to close to the public at the end of September after being sold to a private buyer, it has been revealed.
Tracy Park, with its two championship 18-hole golf courses and Grade II listed 40-bed hotel, had been on the market with a guide price of £12 million.
It had been marketed by HMH Golf & Leisure as “one of the last remaining genuine leisure development opportunities available”.
The 240-acre estate was the home of the Tracy family for 300 years until it was developed into a golf hotel in 1974.
In 2021 it was reported that the current owners, the Shaw family, had hopes of turning the estate, which is in the Green Belt and Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, into one of the region’s finest four-star hotel and leisure complexes.
But on Thursday, 25th July the general manager Greg Shaw broke the news to golf club members that the business would be closing at the end of September and spoke of his family’s heartbreak at the decision.
In an email he said: “As many of you are aware, Tracy Park was placed on the market earlier this spring with the purpose to either find a new owner who can help
retain the long-term future of the heritage asset or to demonstrate that our vision to develop the site as being the only viable option.
“Over the past few months, many potential purchasers and operators have viewed the property and had access to the historical trading figures and comprehensive planning applications and feedback.
“Regrettably, all leisure operators have similarly concluded that under the planning constraints and current business model, Tracy Park is not a viable operation.
“However, the current ownership have been approached by a private individual and a sale of Tracy Park has been agreed.
“With regret, I have to inform you this is on the provision that all business operations on the property are to cease as of Monday 30th September 2024.
“Therefore it is with a very heavy heart I have to announce that Tracy Park Golf Club will be closing on Monday 30th September 2024.
“I understand that this will be a massive shock to many members and will undoubtedly cause a great deal of sadness and for this I am truly sorry.”
Mr Shaw continued: “As a family, when starting the new chapter at Tracy Park in 2019, our full intention and focus was to develop Tracy Park into a premier golf and leisure destination, yet after £300,000 investment in planning reports and applications, we have received
very little sign of encouragement or belief that this ambition will be realised under current planning constraints.
“This, compounded with trading losses over the last two financial years of £456,000, and a particularly poor quarter one this financial year, mainly due to terrible weather conditions, mean we have had to detach our emotional ambitions and make the difficult business decision that the best option is to sell the property.”
Members have been told they are able to cancel their membership before the end of September if they wish.
Price of former Newbridge House care home drops to £1.5 million
THE price of a former 20-bed care home in the Newbridge area of Bath has been dropped to £1.5 million, after it was put on the market back in 2022 for £2.5 million.
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has reduced the price of Newbridge House, which operated as a residential care home for many years.
The detached Edwardian property, of traditional brick and Bath stone elevations, sits on a site of around 0.58 acres with gardens to the side and rear. Accommodation, which is set over four floors, has retained many of its period features including a full-length balcony and rear elevation offering panoramic views over Bath to the south.
Oliver McCarthy, Director at Care at Christie & Co, commented: “This is a fantastic opportunity for a buyer to acquire a large, impressive care home in a beautiful part of Bath.
“Although it will ideally be purchased by a care operator who will bring much-needed care provision back into the locality, it now has C2 use, so can also be transformed into a residential dwelling should the buyer wish.”
The former Newbridge House care home is on the market for offers in excess of £1.5 million. Planning permission was approved back in February to convert the former care home into a single residential dwelling.
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Mr Shaw added: “We fully endeavour to operate the business to its normal functionality until 30th September, however there may be restrictions to some services depending on available staffing levels.
“At this point, I do ask all members to treat our staff with kindness and respect as they are currently having to deal with this sad development so I ask that all questions be communicated directly to me and not the team who have worked hard to try and make the business a success.
“Personally, I would finally like to say a big thank you to all of you for the support, warmth, custom
and friendship shown to me and my family over the past five years.
“We are absolutely heartbroken to have to leave Tracy Park where we have started our young family, and had dearly hoped that this would be where we would raise that family, but sadly it will not be the case. I do hope that for those of you who wish to stay on until the end of September treat this time as a celebration of friendship and good golf, no matter how hard it may be at times.
“Once again, at this time I would like to thank you all and also apologise for having to communicate this very upsetting news.”
Bath branch of Carpetright closes
THE Bath branch of Carpetright is one of more than 200 stores that has closed after the company went into administration.
The store was based at Mero Retail Park on Lower Bristol Road. The joint administrators have completed a sale of 54 stores and two logistics hubs to CWHP Ltd, part of the Tapi Group. This saves the brand and the jobs of more than 300 staff, but at least 1,000 jobs are lost.
Among the stores that are being transferred to flooring retailer Tapi are the ones at Aldermoor Way in Longwell Green, Spitfire Retail Park in Trowbridge and Bath Road in Chippenham.
The Bristol Eagleswood Warehouse at Bradley Stoke is also on PriceWaterhouseCooper’s (PwC) transfer list.
Alongside Bath, other stores to close in the region include Centaurus Road in Cribbs Causeway, and the branches at Wessex Fields Retail Park at Frome and New Park Street,
Devizes.
Carpetright, which had its headquarters in Purfleet in Essex, was founded in 1988 and sold carpets, flooring and beds. Owned by Nestware Holdings, it filed a notice to appoint administrators last month. The company had been hit by challenging trading conditions, predominantly due to changing consumer preferences and a drop in home improvement spending post-pandemic.
The business was also impacted by a cyber-attack in April of this year which left it unable to trade for a period of time.
The Tracy Park estate is located in Wick, near Bath
Off-licence to sell alcohol until 3am despite nightclub’s objection
John Wimperis Local Democracy Reporter
AN off-licence in Bath will be able to open and sell alcohol until 3am, despite a nearby nightclub’s objections.
The Best One convenience store by Bog Island had applied to Bath & North East Somerset Council to extend its licensed hours, which previously only ran until midnight.
Pankaj Raichura, who also runs the Best One at the end of Broad Street, said he was trying to continue to grow his business after challenges during the Covid pandemic.
His licensing consultant Bill Donne told councillors on Bath & North East Somerset Council’s licensing sub-committee on 1st August: “Many of you may not be out at three o’clock in the morning but it’s a vibrant nighttime economy — and not just for drinkers going to drinking establishments.”
He said that the shop was expecting to sell to workers getting off shift late, such as taxi drivers.
Mr Raichura added that the shop mostly sold cigarettes, vapes, and crisps late at night rather than alcohol — and people leaving the
nearby Labyrinth nightclub came in for snacks because they didn’t want to queue for the burger van, not buy more alcohol.
But Labyrinth’s site director
John Mason, who denied his objection was “vexatious”, said the nightclub worked to ensure the health of safety of patrons by supporting schemes such as the safe bus, not serving people who were drunk, and having trained security staff.
He warned that access to alcohol from a nearby off-licence late at night could cause unnecessary issues, stating: “People don’t need to access alcohol on an offlicence, unregulated.”
Local councillor Paul Roper (Kingsmead, Liberal Democrat) also spoke against the plans, saying he was concerned they could lead people to “sit on the street and smash bottles” after leaving nightclubs. Although he
said he had been there earlier in the day, he was unable to remember the name of the shop whose application he was objecting to when asked.
He said that while canvassing during the local elections he had heard concerns from nearby residents about people urinating in their cellars, but he accepted that no neighbours have submitted objections to the application.
He added: “I didn’t speak to any residents about the application specifically. My engagement with the electorate is during the election and canvassing.”
Mr Donne said that Pankaj Raichura was an experienced retailer and added that the police had not objected to the application.
Conditions of the licence suggested by the police, such as having security on the door after 1am, were accepted by the applicant.
Mr Donne said: “The concentration of anti-social behaviour is located on York Street and outside one of the objectors’ premises.”
Councillors on the subcommittee granted the licence, subject to a condition requiring the shop to display a sign asking people to respect neighbours.
Retrospective bid for takeaway food van
A PLANNING application has been submitted to Bath & North East Somerset Council to carry on using a private car park in Oldfield Park as a venue for selling hot food from a van every day.
Cyril Catering Ltd’s retrospective application is to change the site in Lorne Road to a mixed-use car park and stationing hot food takeaway vehicle.
The ‘King Grill’ van began selling burgers, wraps and chips from the car park at the start of May.
Although the car park is accessed from Lorne Road, it is on the corner of Brougham Hayes and Lower Bristol Road.
The car park is currently leased to a local employer from 6am to 5pm, Mondays to Fridays, and can accommodate nine parking spaces. Spaces are sometimes also rented out separately at the weekends. The plan is to keep it as a private car park between 6am and 5pm during the week and to rent out a few car parking spaces at weekends.
The mobile hot food takeaway vehicle will be stationed and operated from the site between 5pm and 11pm Monday to Friday and between noon and 11pm on Saturdays and Sundays. The generator is described as “superquiet” due to noise-reducing
casing and acoustic panelling.
The applicant says the use of the site, for a “limited” number of hours a week, by the mobile takeaway van, along with the coming and going of customers, is unlikely to have an impact on people living nearby within the context of the general activity and background noise at the site. It is within a local centre directly next to housing, student accommodation and other shops and services, and is said to be a highly accessible location to which the vast majority of customers can and will travel by sustainable methods.
The site is directly next to Lower Bristol Road, one of the main traffic routes into the city centre. The application says that all waste will be removed on a daily basis and disposed of as business waste. The application also states that the proposed change of use will help to support the establishment of a small business that will employ two to three part-time staff.
Anyone wishing to comment has until 21st August. The planning reference is 24/02906/FUL.
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Residents say council's latest parking consultation is ‘rigged’
John Wimperis Local Democracy Reporter
MIDSOMER Norton locals have accused Bath & North East Somerset Council of running a “rigged and undemocratic” consultation on its plan to get rid of their free car parking.
The town’s South Road car park is currently free, but the council plans to start charging people to park there, on the same basis as the “emissions-based charges” people pay in Bath’s car parks. The plan, which will also see charges introduced in Radstock’s free Church Street and Waterloo Road car parks among other price increases across the district, is currently open for public consultation.
But the survey has been panned by locals as “rigged”. Local councillor Shaun Hughes (Midsomer Norton North, Independent) said: “It feels like it’s designed to lead you down a path where at the end of it you have effectively agreed.”
Where the consultation asks how long people should be able to park for free in Midsomer Norton or Radstock they are only able to select from options for: “no free parking,” “up to 30 mins,” “one hour,” or “two hours” — with no option to say parking should remain totally free.
There is an option to explain your choice, in which one Midsomer Norton local wrote: “This survey is rigged and undemocratic because there is no option for free parking.
“I cannot move on unless I make a decision about something I totally disagree with.”
Councillor Hughes added: “To complete the questionnaire you
have basically got to agree that parking charges should be there. “I’m inundated at the moment from residents complaining about it.”
An option on another question does allow you to say you “fully oppose” the plan for parking charges in the towns.
But another question, which asks how often people park in car parks in different areas, has “about once a week” as the most frequent option. But many people use the cars daily — for which there is no option on the survey.
One local business owner told the Local Democracy Reporting Service in January she has no parking for her business and relies on the car park. She said she may have to close her business without the free parking.
Councillor Hughes said: “They may as well have done a survey that said do you want parking charges? A) Yes and B) Yes.”
But, in an email to Councillor Hughes, a council officer stated:
“Due to the complexity of the proposals the online feedback form is separated into specific questions which is designed to help respondents provide exact feedback for each proposal, as well as any additional information they feel is appropriate.
“This feedback form has been designed in consultation with other council services to ensure that the questions remain neutral so that responses reflect respondent own views.”
On the question about how long people should be able to park for free for, the officer added: “This question is included to find out from respondents how long a period of free parking they would like to see should the proposals
be implemented.
“To add an option for no parking charges here may introduce confusion as the question of their support to the proposal of charges themselves is asked in an earlier question.”
On the question about frequency of using the car parks, they said: “The aim here is to get a broad understanding of typical frequency and location and how this might reflect choices, rather than to record accurately the unique habits of individuals.”
Under the plans, parking at the car parks would be free for the first half hour. Two hours' parking would cost 80p for electric vehicles and the least polluting non-diesel cars, but diesel cars and cars producing higher carbon emissions would be charged extra — with two hours’ parking costing the most polluting diesel cars 50p more.
The charges would apply from 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday. Pay and display machines look
up a vehicle’s emissions from the DVLA and charge based on how much carbon is emitted or, if this information is not available, the capacity of the engine.
The proposed charges would come into force in October and go up again in October 2025.
Emissions-based parking was first introduced in car parks in Bath in September 2023, intending to tackle air quality issues in the city.
But Councillor Hughes said there was no evidence of such air quality issues in the Midsomer Norton area and told a meeting of the council on 18th July that rolling out the policy to Midsomer Norton would be “a tax on the poor”.
Ending free parking in the Midsomer Norton and Radstock car parks is part of a wider set of updates to parking charges through which the council hopes to make £195,000 a year.
This will also see emissionsbased charges out to all on
street pay and display locations in Bath, all council car parks in Keynsham, The Shallows car park at the Saltford beauty spot, and hotel parking permits.
Current car parking prices in Bath will also go up under the plans. The plans will also mean motorbikes and scooters will need to pay to park the first time.
Announcing the consultation, the council’s cabinet member for transport Manda Rigby said: “Our aim is to improve air quality, reduce congestion and encourage other ways to travel across Bath and North East Somerset and these proposals would be another step in the right direction to achieve this.
“We know the effect pollutants from vehicle emissions have, and this is one of a number of policies we’ve implemented to improve air quality and encourage more people to use sustainable transport, like Bath’s Clean Air Zone and our liveable neighbourhoods.”
New Southdown HMO refused as area already has too many
PLANS to turn a semi-detached property in Southdown into a house in multiple occupation (HMO) have been refused as there are already too many in the area.
A planning application was submitted to Bath & North East Somerset Council for 32 The Oval which is near the junction with Chestnut Grove.
The proposal for the three-bed house involved building a singlestorey rear and loft dormer extensions and changing the use to a six-bed HMO.
The property currently has parking for one car and one extra space was being proposed. Ten objections were submitted relating to housing mix, HMO density, parking impacts and Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) non-compliance.
Local councillor Jess David (Liberal Democrat, Moorlands) had highlighted her concerns
about the loss of another family home to an extended HMO property.
She said: “There are already several large and smaller-sized HMO properties around The Oval,
as noted in residents’ comments.
“The area has very limited space for on-street parking and is already heavily congested with visibility issues around junctions and difficulty for vehicles and
buses passing each other. “There are frequently vehicles parked on pavements. From my observations in the ward, HMO properties bring with them additional vehicles compared to
unconverted dwellings.
“This has an unfair impact on other residents and people using the surrounding streets, and I would object to this proposal on these grounds.”
HMOs are considered unacceptable if they represent 10% or more of households within a 100-metre radius. Planning officers said the proposal for 32 The Oval would result in 13 HMOs within a 100-metre radius which is 12.9% concentration. They said that the proposals would be contrary to supporting a balanced community, would result in an unacceptable loss of accommodation in terms of mix and would fail to be an energyefficient HMO.
The rear extension was considered acceptable, but not the side dormer which it was considered would cause harm to the character and appearance of the area.
There are plans to roll-out the emissions-based parking charges currently in place in Bath
The new HMO would have taken the surrounding area above the permitted 10% threshold
LTN has ‘eroded trust in politicians’
John Wimperis Local Democracy Reporter
THE closure of a busy Bath road to through traffic as a Liveable Neighbourhood has “eroded trust in politicians” and caused more congestion and pollution, a former local GP has warned councillors.
Bollards were installed across Sydney Road where it becomes Sydney Place in April as part of Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Liveable Neighbourhood programme (also called Low Traffic Neighbourhoods or LTNs), which aims to make the street “a safer and more pleasant walking and cycling route”.
But the scheme has been controversial — with around 4,000 people singing a petition against it — and has even been debated in Parliament.
Sydney Road locals attended Bath & North East Somerset Council’s previous full meeting in May to praise the scheme as making their road “freed from the tyranny of the motor vehicle”.
But at the local authority’s most recent full meeting on Thursday 18th July, four people from surrounding and impacted areas warned it had done more harm than good.
Dr Ian Orpen, who lives in Bathampton and was a GP in Bath for 30 years, told the meeting: “The Sydney Road LTN has been an object lesson in how not to make changes to how lives are led.”
He said: “It has further eroded trust in politicians. To be clear, I have no objection to Liveable Neighbourhoods as I have seen, where they have been thought through, they bring real benefit.
“Also, I see the administration’s ambition in tackling the climate emergency as laudable.”
But he warned: “If you choose the wrong place for intervention you cause harm and at times outright danger.
“To suggest that Sydney Road, which at the time of the trial carried one third of the traffic from the A36 into Bath is a rat run,
does not stand up to scrutiny. It was designated a trunk road until declassified at the request of the council.
“This technicality does not alter how the road is seen or is used by the public. The disbenefits of the scheme should have been obvious without a trial, such as displaced traffic onto neighbouring roads, thereby generating rat runs, congestion, and increased pollution.
“Delivering change always generates opposition. It is deeply unfortunate that the council chose to ignore the views of many whose lives would be affected by the proposal.”
The scheme is officially in place on a trial period, while a consultation is run and traffic data collected.
Dr Orpen added that the trial was taking place while major roadworks were happening on the A36, lowering the amount of traffic on the road and impacting the validity of the trial data.
Alan Morely, who lives near the bottom of North Road which joins the A36 just before Sydney Road, said: “As a result of the closure, we now have more traffic queueing in front of our houses, particularly during school runs.”
He added that people on the road had not realised that closing Sydney Road was a possibility when the scheme was designed, so took no part in the design workshops.
But now he warned: “Some residents have seen a significant increase in the number of emergency vehicles using sirens.
Others perceive an increase in the average road speed going up North Road and we also see traffic turning in Sydney Road — Kennet House had its post knocked over — and we see e-scooters going through the bollards into oncoming traffic.”
He said: “In general, people are in favour of Liveable Neighbourhoods as most of us walk and some cycle everywhere within the city.
“However, we cannot disinvest the motorcar so any measures to reduce its impact should be for the benefit of the majority
Looking down Sydney Place, with the LTN restriction in place to the right
and minimise disruption to daily lives.”
Neil McCabe added: “56 households on New Sydney Place undoubtedly benefit from the LTN — however 163 households on Darlington Street, Sydney Place, and Beckford Road will directly suffer from a 50% increase in traffic and consequent pollution.”
A statement read out on behalf of Daniel Selwood, who lives on the edge of the Bathwick Estate but was unable to attend the meeting, said: “Near misses are happening the whole time because of the Sydney Road LTN. We see it daily. It is a near miss at the moment, it is not always going to be a near miss.”
It added: “Their Liveable Neighbourhood has become our unliveable neighbourhood.”
Sydney Road is part of Bath & North East Somerset Council’s programme of Liveable Neighbourhoods which they are rolling out.
Three are permanently in place — two in Bath and one in Queen Charlton — while the Sydney Road scheme is still in its trial period. Supporters of the scheme have urged the council to make it permanent.
Malcolm Robinson, who lives on the road, told the council meeting in May: “The Sydney Road LTN creates a small safe space to move around without fear of being run down by a rat runner from Bathampton trying to get to Waitrose before it closes.”
NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR A GRANT OF PREMISES LICENCE UNDER THE LICENSING ACT 2003
TORS VODKA LTD applied to Bath & North East Somerset Council on 30.07.24 for a licence to use the premises consisting of one chalet (included in the plan of the official Bath Christmas Market) for the sale by retail of alcohol for consumption off the premises Monday to Wednesday 10:00 – 19:00, Thursday to Saturday 10:00 – 20:00 and Sundays 10:00 – 18:00 during the period of the Official Bath Christmas Market only.
Notification of the application made to the Licensing Authority is available on a register at www.bathnes.gov.uk/licensingregister.
Representations should be made in writing to: Bath & North East Somerset Council Licensing Services Lewis House Manvers Street Bath BA1 1JG or by email to licensing@bathnes.gov.uk by 4th September 2024
Representations made will be disclosed in an open meeting should a hearing be necessary.
It is an offence knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement in connection with an application and is subject to a fine of any amount on summary conviction for the offence.
Dated: 09/08/2024
If you would like to announce a birth, death or marriage in a future issue, or publish a public notice, please email us: advertise@bathecho.co.uk
LICENSING ACT 2003
Application for a Premises Licence to be granted TAKE NOTICE, Tower Pig Ltd, has made an application, pursuant to Section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003, for a Premises Licence to be granted in respect of the premises detailed below. A statement of the licensable activities proposed to be carried on is as follows:
Provision of regulated entertainment live music indoors and outdoors Saturday 19:30 to 22:30. Provision of regulated entertainment recorded music indoors and outdoors Thursday 12:00 to 22:30, Friday 12:00 to 22:30, Saturday 12:00 to 22:30 and Sunday 12:00 to 18:00. Supply of alcohol Thursday 12:00 to 22:30, Friday 12:00 to 22:30, Saturday 12:00 to 22:30 and Sunday 12:00 to 18:00.
A copy of the application can be viewed at The Council Offices, Cannards Grave Road, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 5BT.
Any person who wishes to make representations in relation to this application must do so in writing to ‘Licensing, The Council Offices, Cannards Grave Road, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 5BT’. The final date for representations is 23:59hrs on 16/08/2024.
Representations made will be disclosed in an open meeting should a hearing be necessary.
It is an offence to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement in connection with an application and the maximum fine for which a person is liable on summary conviction is Level 5 on the standard scale.
Dated 16/07/2024
Bath City FC
Golden night in Paris for Team Bath swimmers
Becky Feather Reporter
TOM Dean won the third Olympic gold of his career to date and Kieran Bird claimed his first as the University of Bath-based swimmers helped Team GB retain their men’s 4x200m freestyle title in Paris on Tuesday 30th July.
Dean teamed up with Duncan Scott and former Aquatics GB Bath Performance Centre training partners James Guy and Matt Richards to win Britain’s first swimming gold medal of the Games in the Paris La Defense Arena.
The quartet have dominated the event in recent years, winning gold at both the rescheduled Tokyo Games in 2021 and at the 2023 World Championships in
Japan.
Bird – who, like Dean, has trained at the Team Bath Sports Training Village since 2018 – also received a gold medal, along with Jack McMillan, after teaming up with Guy and Dean to make impressive progress through the earlier heats.
The success for Dean and Bird, coached by David McNulty and Jamie Main respectively, means that 15 medals have now been won in total by Bath Performance Centre swimmers at the past four Olympic Games.
Bird is also the 12th athlete to be crowned as Olympic Champion while training at the University of Bath, which is a UK Sportaccredited Elite Training Centre.
Stephen Baddeley, Director of Sport at the University of Bath, said: “Congratulations to Tom, Kieran, their team-mates
and coaches on a magnificent achievement.
“To go into an Olympic Games as defending champions and preevent favourites provides a huge amount of pressure but they have taken that in their stride and once again delivered when it matters most.”
He added: “It has been a memorable day all round with this success following the superb silver-medal success of Prisca Awiti-Alcaraz in the judo and
fellow Bath alumna Becky Wilde reaching the women’s double scull final on her Olympic debut. Congratulations all.”
Wera Hobhouse, the Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, commended Guy and Dean, saying: “What a spectacular win for Bath-based legends, Tom Dean and James Guy!
“History has been made with their phenomenal performance.
Defending the 4x200m freestyle relay gold medal is an immense achievement.
“They have done what no British relay team has ever done before.
“I could not be prouder of the team and all they have achieved.
“It is an honour to share our city with these local legends and a great testament to the facilities we have in Bath which have helped shape such unstoppable athletes.”
Ukrainian parkour champion welcomed to city
A FORMER world champion in parkour was welcomed to Bath last week thanks to B&NES Council’s Friendship Agreement with the Ukrainian City of Oleksandriya.
Bohdan Kolmakov, who won gold medals in speed at both The World Games and the inaugural Parkour World Championships in 2022, was on an official visit organised by Zhenya Shkil through local group, the Friends of Oleksandriya.
Kolmakov visited Bath to discuss arrangements for several parkour events he will be running later this year in support of the Friends’ fundraising campaign, which aims to raise money for a school bus for Oleksandriya.
During his visit Bohdan met Stephen Baddeley, Director of
and the Chair of Bath & North East Somerset Council, Councillor Karen Walker, and visited the Roman Baths and Bath Abbey. Councillor Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “The Friendship Agreement has been effective in strengthening links between our communities and I would like to thank Zhenya Shkil for organising the trip on behalf of the Friends of Oleksandriya.
Sports at the University of Bath, and Amy Hartnell-Saunders from Baskervilles Gymnastics. Both organisations will host parkour events in the autumn.
During his two-day visit, Bohdan also met the Mayor of Bath, Councillor Michelle O’Doherty
“We were delighted to welcome Bohdan to Bath and we look forward to his return visit in the autumn in support of the Friends’ fundraising campaign.”
The Friendship Agreement was signed last year and although not legally binding, provides a framework to establish and strengthen cultural and other
community ties, fostering cooperation based on respect, equality and mutual benefit. It also promotes awareness between the two communities and identifies environmental, social, cultural, educational, health and wellbeing and other opportunities for joint working. Local residents have welcomed more than 380 refugees under the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme and the local authority has played a role alongside charities and voluntary groups to help those guests integrate into the community.
Oleksandriya is a central Ukraine city with a population of approximately 80,000, located in Kirovohrad Oblast within the Kirovohrad region, roughly 350km from Kyiv.
Saturday 10th August – 3pm Bath City v Boreham Wood (Away) League
Saturday 17th August – 3pm
Bath City v Welling United (Home) League
Sunday 18th August
Bath City Women v Frampton Rangers (Away) Friendly
Tuesday 20th August – 7.45pm
Bath City v Torquay United (Home) League
Bath Cricket Club (1ST XI)
Saturday 10th August – 12pm Bath 1st XI v Taunton St Andrews (Home) WEPL
Saturday 17th August – 12pm Bath 1st XI v Bridgwater (Away) WEPL
Sunday 18th August – 1.30pm Bath Wanderers 1st XI v Taunton Deane (Away) WEPL
Lansdown Cricket Club (1ST XI) Saturday 10th August – 12pm Lansdown v Potterne (Away) P1
Sunday 11th August – 2pm Lansdown (W) v Claverham (Yatton) (Away) Somerset Women's T20 Blitz Saturday 17th August – 12pm Lansdown v Bedminster
Sunday 18th August – 2pm Lansdown (W) v Taunton (Away) Somerset Women's T20 Blitz
Wera Hobhouse MP with Olympians following the Tokyo Olympics in 2021
Anastasia Slastikova, Zhenya Shkil, Cllr Karen Walker, Cllr Michelle O’Doherty, Bohdan Kolmakov and Maria Slastikova
