The Week In - Issue 774 - 29th March 2023

THE WEEK IN East Bristol & North East Somerset Anniversary edition

FREE

29th March 2023

Read by more than 40,000 people each week

150 Years of Easter eggs: made in the West of England The chocolate Easter egg is celebrating a very special anniversary this year.

2023 marks 150 years since the inventive manufacturers at the famous West of England chocolate company J. S. Fry & Sons, with factories first in Bristol and then at Somerdale, Keynsham, designed the very first commercial hollow chocolate Easter eggs.

In 1873, the Fry family hit upon the idea of making chocolate by mixing cocoa butter with cocoa mass and sugar. This made a smooth paste which could be poured into egg moulds, producing the hollow chocolate Easter egg we all know to this day.

Today a staggering 180 million chocolate eggs are purchased for Easter every year.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris is encouraging local residents to celebrate the egg-stra special anniversary. He says: “This Easter everyone can feel rightly proud about our manufacturing history. After all, chocolate Easter eggs have brought huge joy to the world. There is a fascinating history around chocolate in our region that you can learn about at local museums and of course there are plenty of shops to buy tasty Easter treats too, including ethically sourced fairtrade products.”

The Mayor is also ‘egging on’ locals who can afford it to donate chocolate eggs to good causes including the many foodbanks accepting these as donations.

Mayor Norris said: “Help celebrate the 150th birthday of the chocolate egg we all know and love - an idea hatched in our very own West of England region! I love it when something that starts out as a new idea in our great region goes global - now as well as back in 1873.

Let’s keep this tradition going!”

In acknowledging our local history of chocolate manufacturing in the 18th and 19th centuries, Mayor Norris says we also need to recognise its ugly side, because sugar and cocoa beans grown on Caribbean plantations exploited and abused people of African descent forced into slave labour.

Production of a giant chocolate egg.

Despite the closure of the Fry’s/Cadbury Believed to be at Somerdale during the 1950s. factory at Keynsham just over 12 years ago, the region is today home to many independent commitment from chocolate companies to learn from chocolate makers - using creative talent and ethical the past actions, both good and bad, of their practices including fairly traded chocolate. The predecessors is important.

Souvenir copies This supplement has been commissioned by the West of England Combined Authority as part of Metro Mayor Dan Norris's campaign marking the chocolate Easter egg's 150th anniversary. For more information, visit https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/eggs150/ A limited edition keepsake version of this supplement has also been produced on high grade paper. Copies will soon be available on a first come, first served basis from our office in Keynsham or by sending £2.25 for postage to The Week In Community, 8 Temple Court, Keynsham BS31 1HA.

We are indebted to local historians Hugh Evans and Alan Hillman for their inside knowledge and loan of many of the items you see pictures of in the West of England Regional Mayor Dan Norris

following pages.

Easter and eggs through the ages While it may be 150 years since the first chocolate Easter egg was produced, the connection between eggs and Easter dates back to early history.

The word Easter is derived from Eostre, the AngloSaxon Goddess of the Dawn. As dawn was to the rebirth of the day, Easter has been associated since pagan times with the rebirth of spring, and a very common symbol of rebirth was the egg.

Consecrated eggs were thought to be a part of Christian church ceremonies until the 4th century when they were then banned for Lent. But this also coincided with the peak laying time for eggs, leading to a widespread glut.

So hard boiling and then decorating eggs to be used as gifts then became common. This practice is still observed in many countries – particularly in eastern Europe. Decorated eggs to are synonymous with Easter in countries from Greece to Ukraine, Russia and the Baltic States. While many traditional decorations featured pagan symbols of sun worship, Christian observance subsequently saw the introduction of the cross or the fish.

The culmination of the tradition of decorated eggs as gifts must surely have come in the 19th century with the fabulous, jewelled creations of Carl Fabergé for the Russian royal family. The most famous are his 52 ‘Imperial’ eggs, 46 of which survive, made for the

Russian Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II as Easter gifts for their wives and mothers. Those surviving masterpieces now reside in the Kremlin Armoury, fine arts museums or in the hands of wealthy private collectors. In 2014, one of the originally ‘lost’ eggs was rediscovered in the home of an American scrap dealer who had originally planned to melt it down for its precious metals. The ‘Third Imperial Egg’ was subsequently sold to a private collector. Although the price was not revealed, estimates at the time were of over $30m.

For those not able to run to a Fabergé egg, the more traditional gifts were egg-shaped toys for children and, particularly during Victorian times, an egg-shaped box filled with gifts and chocolates. That is not say these eggs could not be luxurious. The cardboard egg boxes were often wrapped in satin with ribbons and bows.

And Easter eggs were not only for personal gifts. In this country, Pace Egging was a popular Easter tradition which was maintained in some parts until relatively recently. In Lancashire, eggs were wrapped in onion skins and hard boiled before being decorated. They were then handed to Pace Eggers – a group of wildly dressed characters and mummers with their faces blackened who formed a procession through the streets as they sang Easter songs. They would then

Faberge’s Third Imperial Egg. Credit: Wartski

find the nearest grassy slope for an egg-rolling competition.

This part of the Easter tradition has survived in many locations outside Lancashire and indeed Vale Street in Totterdown (officially the steepest residential street in the country) has also staged egg rolling events at Easter.

Chocolate Easter egg origins Giving chocolate eggs as an Easter gift was actually quite common in the 19th century, particularly in European countries. But these were carved out of solid chocolate. It took the combination of two innovations before we arrived at something that resembles today’s chocolate Easter eggs.

First, the Dutch confectionary maker Coenraad van

2

Houten created a hydraulic press in 1828 that separated cocoa mass into cocoa butter and its solids.

But it was almost half a century later before the eureka moment for the Easter egg. J.S. Fry was a family company in Bristol which had been selling drinking chocolate since the mid 1750s. It was Joseph Fry’s grandsons who actually discovered that by mixing cocoa butter with their own cocoa mass and sugar they could make a paste which could be poured into moulds to make a hollow egg.

The outer ‘crocodile skin’ design still common on Easter eggs today was no accident either. The earliest moulds were created this way to hide any flaws in the chocolate. Once the use of moulds became common practice, it wasn’t just chocolate eggs which were used to celebrate Easter. Other chocolate animals, such as pigs and fish were particularly common across Europe, as was, and still is, the bunny.

Just as in Victorian times when cardboard eggs were richly decorated gifts, once hollow chocolate eggs became the norm, much of the same effort went into the wrapping and packaging. In the post-war years, and once chocolate was no longer

rationed, it was technology which was transferred from the lightbulb industry which led to the lavish designs of the Easter egg boxes. The example on the left is a Fry’s Easter egg from 1961.

The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

THE WEEK IN East Bristol & North East Somerset

29th March 2023

Issue 774

FREE

Read by more than 40,000 people each week

Plans to bring back ancient tradition of grazing cattle on Siston Common Plans to reintroduce the centuries-old tradition of grazing cattle on Siston Common have been announced.

About one third of the sprawling common is affected by the proposal which would see up to 20 cows grazing on the part that runs from the underpass nearest The Horseshoe pub and the one that goes under the A4174 Ring Road that leads towards Stanley Road.

South Gloucestershire Council, which has launched a consultation into the plans, says the return of grazing to the common will help to recreate conditions that will enable important and increasingly rare wildflowers and meadow grasses to re-establish.

It also says that grazing is a more cost-effective, natural, and lower carbon approach than using machinery.

“From initial conversations with local people, we believe there is support for grazing animals here. However, we want to capture a wider range of views and understand what concerns people may have. With a greater understanding of the views of local people, we can better plan whether and how we take these proposals forward.”

Some concerns that have already been flagged up locally include that common land should not be fenced; that when cattle were last on the common, they were supervised by a herdsman and taken in at night; and that there is an ongoing problem with motorbikes being ridden over this part of the common.

The council stresses that the cattle will be selected for their docile temperaments and hardiness and will be happy living outside during warmer months and sharing the space with the public. There will not be any bulls or cows nursing calves, and there are no plans to restrict dog walking.

With the planned installation of new fencing and replacement of some old fence lines, plus additional cattle grids, the cattle will be kept away from the surrounding roads.

The council adds that the presence of grazing animals is part of the rich cultural heritage of the area and their return will help to reconnect the community with its historic and cultural past. It is also likely to attract new visitors and the council

Also in this week’s issue

Suspended sentence for illegal dog breeder . . . page 7

Concerns as near misses continue at throughabout . . . page 8

This old photo shows a herdsman driving cattle on Siston Common

says that well-used and well-loved local spaces tend to attract far less vandalism and misuse.

The council hopes to establish a volunteer ‘stockwatcher’ group, who together with the existing Friends of Siston Commons, can keep an eye on the animals and quickly report any concerns.

Any plans for new fence lines will ultimately need permission from the Environment Secretary as it will affect access to common land.

The consultation is on the council’s website and runs until 5th June. The council says it is interested in hearing from everyone with an interest in Siston Common, “whether you live locally and walk on the common every day, or just drive past it once in a while”.

The plans have been warmly welcomed by the Friends of Siston Commons. See page 20

Keynsham spring show success . . . page 14

Two found guilty of Brislington murder . . . page 16

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The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

Bright orange shutter is reported to planning enforcement A bright orange roller shutter that has been installed outside the old Wright Butcher’s shop in Keynsham High Street may not exactly be in keeping with the project to improve the look of the town’s conservation area.

Last week it emerged that the shutter has been reported to Bath & North East Somerset Council’s planning enforcement by a local councillor.

There are unconfirmed reports that the empty unit is to become a convenience store.

Meanwhile on the other side of the street last week, Keynsham Conservative Club – known these days as The Club @ 22 - was losing its controversial blue façade. The building was being painted a shade of grey to complement the grey that the neighbouring Old Bank pub is now.

After painting both their listed frontages blue, the two establishments lost their retrospective

planning applications and were told by B&NES Council they would have to repaint them in colours deemed more suitable in the heritage area.

Keynsham Conservative Club went to appeal but the planning inspector agreed with the council’s decision, saying that the blue was “a deep modern colour” at odds with the colours used on most of the painted buildings within the conservation area which are mostly more muted and pick up on hues and tones that would have been used historically.

The four-year Keynsham High Street Heritage Action Zone is a partnership programme between Historic England, B&NES Council and Keynsham Town Council “to make the most of the history and heritage of Keynsham” and “generate economic growth and improve quality of life in the town centre”.

The programme is currently focused on

The orange shutter

Temple Street where works are being carried out including new paving, planters, cycle parking and seating. Some shopfront

improvements are also planned.

The partnership programme is due to finish in March 2024.

The Conservative Club was being repainted last week

The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

5

Tribute to pub landlord Keynsham High Street came to a halt last Wednesday to pay

cortege then continued to a ceremony at Haycombe

tribute to local pub landlord Simon Sherwell.

Crematorium in Bath.

More than 100 mourners joined a procession from his pub

Simon, who was just 41, died suddenly last month.

the Old Bank, along the High

Fundraising events took place during February including a

Street and to the Memorial

charity football match at Keynsham Town Football Club,

Park gates on Bath Hill. The

which The Old Bank sponsors.

THE WEEK IN Barrs Court, Bitton, Brislington, Cadbury Heath, Compton Dando, Corston, Downend, Emersons Green, Fishponds, Hanham, Hillfields, Keynsham, Kingswood, Longwell Green, Mangotsfield, Marksbury, North Common, Oldland Common, Pucklechurch, Saltford, Staple Hill, Stockwood, St George, Warmley, Whitchurch, Wick, Willsbridge.

16,000 copies are distributed through retail outlets, libraries, pubs, community centres each week.

Verified pick-up rate of 97%.

The Week In Community Ltd, 8 Temple Court, Keynsham. BS31 1HA 0117 986 0381. www.theweekin.co.uk ISSN: 2052-9767 Publisher Editor Contributors

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Tory MP and London Mayor unite against climate action delayers Kingswood MP Chris Skidmore joined forces with an unlikely ally last week to combat climate change action delayers.

He shared a stage at a Green Alliance event in London and then co-wrote an article for The Guardian with Labour’s London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Their message was that party politics must be put aside, not only to achieve the goal of Net Zero but to take advantage of the opportunity for a thriving economy built around green energy.

Last year, Mr Skidmore was commissioned by then Prime Minister Liz Truss to produce an independent review of Net Zero and the Government is due to publish its

response to his recommendations this week. In The Guardian article the two politicians said they wanted to set an example of what is possible through crossparty working.

At last Monday’s Green Alliance meeting at St Martin-in-the-Field, Mr Skidmore also told the audience that he now cared more “about conserving the environment than Conservatism”. He has been MP for Kingswood since 2010 but announced earlier this year that he will not be standing at the next General Election. The Kingswood constituency will no longer exist at that point following the latest review by the Boundary Commission.

@theweekineditor the_week_in_news No material in this publication, nor its associated website (www.theweekin.co.uk) may be reproduced without the written permission of The Week In. All rights reserved.

The Week In is regulated by IMPRESS: The Independent Monitor for the Press CIC. As such, we adhere to the IMPRESS complaints procedure. A copy of this procedure can be found on our website or can be sent upon written request to the address above.

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The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

Illegal dog breeder receives suspended two-year jail sentence A Kingswood man who illegally bred dogs and kept them

The Criminal Behaviour Order

in appalling conditions has received a sentence of 24

bans him from future involvement

months, suspended for 21 months, and ordered to do 150

in

hours’ community service.

advertising or distribution of

A 10-year Criminal Behaviour Order was also placed against

animals. There will also be

Atilla Kovacs last week after he was convicted at Bristol

restrictions in place which will

Crown Court on six counts of causing unnecessary suffering,

prevent him from having more

one count of failing to ensure the needs of an animal are met,

than two domestic pets which

and one count of breeding dogs without a licence.

must

The convictions follow an investigation by Bristol Trading

microchipped. He must also

Standards which resulted in the rescue of seven dogs. The

notify the local authority in

investigation began in April 2020 after concerns were raised

relation to any future changes of

about pregnant dogs and puppies being illegally imported into

address.

the UK to an address occupied by Kovacs. A number of

Marvin Rees, the Mayor of

individuals and addresses, both in Bristol and outside of the

Bristol, said “Unlicensed puppy

UK, were also identified.

dealers and breeders like this

Officers found seven dogs being kept in bare cages in a

sadly always prioritise profit over

shipping container in Kovacs' garden in Two Mille Hill Road.

animal welfare. We refuse to tolerate such activities in Bristol

result. They can also be at risk of congenital health problems

The dogs were immediately seized due to the poor conditions

and hope the court verdict sends a clear message to anyone

and may not have been vaccinated correctly.

they were being kept in, which was causing them serious

who thinks they can make money from this illegal and

“If you are planning to buy a new puppy, make sure you do

suffering.

abhorrent trade.

your research and find a legitimate breeder and always ensure

Kovacs had entered a guilty plea to the charges brought

“Puppies bought from unlicensed breeders are often reared

that you see the puppy interacting with its mother. If you are

against him.

in appalling conditions and are likely to suffer ill health as a

able to, please consider adopting.”

The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

the

be

importation,

photographed

sale,

and

7

Concern as near misses continue at throughabout Ongoing concerns about near misses on the throughabout at Warmley have been flagged up.

At Oldland Parish Council’s meeting last Tuesday member Jon Parker spoke of his recent experiences at the throughabout, primarily when crossing the A4174 Ring Road from Wraxall Road towards Mount Hill.

He said vehicles frequently appear to find themselves in the wrong lane and make lastminute lane changes, causing nearby vehicles to swerve or brake heavily to avoid an impact.

He also noted that drivers have to watch two or three sets of traffic lights, some with lens shutters, which can cause confusion, and regularly observes vehicles at speed, despite the 30mph limit, from the three to two-lane

process it is following to assess the safety and performance of the junction, including what specific criteria it is using to judge these aspects.

Last November we reported that South

between Longwell Green and Lyde Green.

The council said the £6.9m Wraxall Road throughabout had been successful in dealing with congestion.

There was a fatality at the throughabout on

sections.

Cllr Parker said that since the throughabout went live in October 2021 he had heard and read many accounts of similar incidents and recognised that South Gloucestershire Council has made modifications in an attempt to improve safety.

The parish council agreed to ask South Gloucestershire Council what structured

Gloucestershire Council had scrapped plans for more throughabouts along the Ring Road

Easter Day last year involving a teenage moped rider.

Ring Road waste problem South Gloucestershire Council says a total of 600 bin bags of rubbish have been collected from the A4174 Ring Road in the last four weeks, along with five tonnes of bulky waste.

Fly-tipped items included in the clear-up operation an 80in flatscreen TV, mattresses, dozens of pipe lagging tubes,

furniture, a water butt and a wheelbarrow.

The council said: “The clean-up, costing more than £50,000, has seen 20 of our StreetCare crew tackling the rubbish.

Disappointingly it has started to build up again already along the Hicks Gate section which was cleared at the beginning of March. Please take your litter home.”

Council staff set dates for strike action Social workers and occupational therapists working for South Gloucestershire Council are set to strike next week after voting for action in a dispute over pay enhancements.

The staff are due to walk out for three days of action from Tuesday 4th to Thursday 6th April. In the strike ballot, 94% voted yes to taking action.

The public service union UNISON has been in formal dispute with the council since July 2022 over its decision to pay a market forces supplement to staff in Children’s Services, but not to those doing the same jobs in Adult Services or those in the 0-25 team.

Rachael Darbishire, a social worker and UNISON steward, said: “I have worked for South Gloucestershire Council since qualifying as a social worker in 2020. I joined amidst the global pandemic and saw colleagues work so hard to continue providing support and care in incredibly challenging conditions.

8

“The council then announced that children’s social workers were to receive a £3,000 annual retention payment. Initially this was seen as a good thing, until those in adult social care were not given the same.

This has left adult social workers at the council feeling less valued.”

The union’s regional organiser Michael Sweetman said: “Strike action is always a last resort and we’re hoping that this clear vote for action will bring the council back to the negotiating table.”

This week a spokesperson for South Gloucestershire Council said: “UNISON has informed us of their intention to call members who are social workers and occupational therapists, mainly within adult social care, to take strike action on 4, 5 and 6 April. We will continue to listen to our workforce and engage with trade unions and have robust plans in place to minimise any potential impact to residents.”

The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

Back garden housing plans recommended for refusal A developer wanting to build five houses in a back garden in Hanham has been advised to withdraw the plans because of “significant concerns”.

The outline plans for land behind 63A Abbots Road involve creating a new access off narrow cul-de-sac Crossleaze Road to serve a new development of two three-bed houses and three four-bed properties, with parking for 10 cars.

So far there have been more than 20 objections from local residents as well as Hanham Abbots Parish Council.

South Gloucestershire Council’s principal planning officer says the principle of development is acceptable but has highlighted “significant concerns that the proposed development represents overdevelopment of the site”.

And a council highways officer is recommending refusal on the basis of substandard access and road safety issues.

Crossleaze Road has no footpath and is just 3.3 metres wide outside what would be the entrance to the new homes.

The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

Public Living Room coming to Keynsham A Camerados Public Living Room is opening in Keynsham in a space provided by Community at 67 in Queens Road.

It will be somewhere people can pop in for a cuppa and a chat with others and to get some light relief from day-to-day life.

It will launch on Tuesday 11th April and will be open from 12.30pm to 4pm.

Public Living Rooms have been springing up in communities across the UK. They are open to everyone and are set up by local people who are part of the Camerados movement. They are spaces where people can relax, connect with others and be themselves. Those who come to a Public Living Room get a warm welcome, a cup of tea and a feeling Members of Community at 67 looking of community, but never judgement or forward to the new Public Living Room anyone trying to fix them.

The first Public Living Room was set up in Sheffield in 2016 cafés. They have also sprung up outside of the UK in and now they can be found across the UK in public spaces Baltimore in the States, in Auckland in New Zealand and in such as disused shops and as pop-ups in town centres, as well Freetown in Sierra Leone. as in hospitals, universities, libraries, community centres and Find out more about Camerados at www.camerados.org

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LETTERS Do we really need this cycle lane?

Dear Editor From what people tell me they have witnessed, not just rumour, someone stumbles or falls on Keynsham High Street almost every day!

As the letter last week pointed out it is not about meeting design and planning requirements but having a duty of care to residents. If Bath & North East Somerset Council are going to reject insurance claims for a fall, then they could at least actually rectify the problem which clearly exists.

How and why did we end up with this issue in the first place? It all began with a one-way system, including cycle lane, that in the delivered format the majority of residents did not want anyway. Then we had the High Street scheme that incorporates the offending kerb lip. However, there is one line of defence B&NES could take and that is use the zebra crossing!

Why is there a cycle lane anyway? The cyclists I speak to tell me they have differing tactics for getting around. Some don't cycle on the High Street at all and feel safer to go around via Back Lane if they are going for example from the library to St John’s Church.

Others cycle to the High Street, dismount and then lock their bicycle to a post whilst they shop. A few who do bravely cycle on the cycle lane tell people to get out the way which isn't exactly good for the community

spirit and could be potentially confrontational.

Why don't we just have cycle parking at each end of the High Street? If you can ride a bicycle, then you can walk the last few metres to a shop! Perhaps we should have pedestrianised the street after all, or with access for buses and taxis only?

The crux of the issue is that if there was no cycle lane as a distraction, and a proper kerb edge, everyone would know where they stood - literally!

Chris Oliver

Open letter to First’s Managing Director Dear Editor In Issue 770 it was reported that you will be increasing the X39 service between Bath and Bristol.

May I suggest that at least some of these extra services could be routed through Keynsham where they could pick up farepaying passengers from five additional bus stops; passengers either travelling on to Bath or Bristol.

This would also provide an important social benefit to people in the Unity Road/Wellsway area who currently need to catch the airport bus just to reach Keynsham town centre if they wish to catch the 349 into Bristol, and have to change again to pick up the airport bus to take them back.

I note that the Brislington Park and Ride is to be operated by one of your competitors. It might be of at least some compensating benefit to your shareholders to consider reintroducing some X39s through Keynsham.

M Harris, Keynsham

Demand Responsive Transport meeting The cycle lane (which is now cracking up in places)

10

Dear Editor I’ve just been informed that the public

meeting due to be held Thursday 30th March at Hungerford Road Community Centre to learn about DRT, the demand responsive transport scheme due to start five days later, has been cancelled.

This was the only opportunity being offered to bus users to learn about this revolutionary scheme to replace traditional bus services. It has been suggested by some industry experts that the scheme is doomed to failure. This cancellation seems to add credence to this view. It has to be asked what difficulties WECA have encountered that it was necessary to cancel this meeting?

Alan Peters

Concerns for Keynsham East’s bus service Dear Editor I read with interest and a wry smile the letter in Issue 773 titled ‘Buses at election time’ and whilst what was said may well be true, it doesn’t help the residents of Keynsham East who currently rely solely on public transport to go about their daily business.

With the start of April fast approaching, it would be helpful that the on-going situation with regard to buses specifically on the Chandag Estate is made clear. Over recent weeks there has been much said by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), local councillors and Bath & North East Somerset Council about what might happen, but there is no firm information, only a lot of blaming one another or the Government.

What is clear is that the services currently operated by Stagecoach and CT coaches will soon cease because the funding has been cut.

First Bus have thankfully decided to preserve the former 178 service, now rebranded 522, but this as before only goes along the Wellsway, leaving many Chandag residents a very long walk to catch a bus.

There has been speculation about a 519 Keynsham run-around service but that may well be temporary and there are no details

about routes or timetable in the public domain. Having spoken to both bus crews and other passengers, nobody is certain about the future service. Metro Mayor Dan Norris is pinning his hope that the new ondemand WESTlink service will appease the situation but this assumes that passengers are switched on to pre-planning their journeys and making arrangements via phone, mobile app, or computer. The proof will be in the pudding. Once again there is no clear information on routes/zones or even an introduction date.

One simple solution would be rerouting the new 522 service around the Chandag Estate, as was the case with the 178 a few years ago.

At the time First Bus said it rerouted this to travel only along the Wellsway to improve efficiency (reduce costs) by increasing driver journeys. Is this logic still relevant today with the much-revised 522 route? As well as providing a regular service and potentially picking up more passengers, it would also avoid the problem at the New Inn end of the Wellsway where the road narrows, occasionally forcing some large vehicles to mount the narrow pavement.

However, this option might undermine the decision to introduce the WESTlink service.

With the May elections looming, perhaps the candidates could nail their colours to the mast and tell us the electorate what is happening.

Cynthia Withyman A frustrated bus user

More direct action needed in tackling litter Dear Becky Litter is awful to see, but how do we catch the brainless litterers?

South Gloucestershire Council is currently lecturing the population about littering and places great store on its occasional prosecution of easy targets.

A few large signs have for a long time been

The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

LETTERS displayed on the Ring Road and appear to encourage the reporting of witnessed littering – ‘Stop litter. Report it. 01454 868000’.

This South Glos Streetcare general office number may eventually be answered, probably by someone unfamiliar with any reporting procedure.

Suggestion: change the wording on signs to include a mobile number to which you could send your dashcam video or personal mobile phone footage (taken safely and legally).

This could provide sufficient evidence for at least a letter threatening enforcement.

Maybe more and effective direct action is needed from those who value our environment?

Robin Champion

Fine the council for littering our roads Dear Editor I read with interest the letter in Issue 771 on the impact of litter and appreciate its sentiment.

However, I am fed up with the public taking all the blame. It is not only the public that need to be more responsible about litter dropping, it is also the local authority.

The Mangotsfield Sort it Centre backs onto the Ring Road (A4174). This part of the Ring Road is covered in large plastic sheeting, etc. You telling me this comes from people throwing it out of their car windows in passing! Rubbish from this centre is finding its way onto the Ring Road, the fact the bin lorries go there to be emptied is a factor.

I know on rubbish collection days you can

guarantee I will see squashed milk cartons, squashed plastic bottles, etc. littering the roads. This is not the public; this is the bin lorries. The local authority (South Gloucestershire Council) want the public to recycle our waste but our recycling ends up in the road as litter.

I see road cones, plastic barriers, piles of sand all left by the local authority after carrying out works. They do not clear up after themselves.

So, before the council blame the public for littering, they should get their own house in order. I think the council need to be fined for littering as well.

S Freeman, Bitton resident

Reopened loos need better signage Dear Editor I was pleased last year to see that the Keynsham public toilets had been reopened in Ashton Way car park. Since then the Lib Dems have made much of this in their publicity literature (full disclosure: I am a member of the Green Party). Clearly the toilets have successfully been reopened, but this is not quite the same as the reopening being a success.

Bath & North East Somerset Council appears to have hoped that the toilets would be used about 5,000 times per year (14 times per day, an unambitious figure). Since May 2022, the toilets have only been used 2,073 times (figures from B&NES, 13th March). If this continues, then that means the toilets will be used seven to eight times a day after a capital cost of £12,500 and a net running cost of about £2,700 per year.

It would be wrong to call this initiative an outright failure, but the under-utilisation of the toilets is disappointing and requires action. A low-cost change that might improve things would be better signage (which is currently minimal).

Unfortunately the toilet reopening fits the pattern of the current council. The refurbishment of the High Street was also a good idea, but it was very badly implemented: the poor design has led to many injuries (documented in this newspaper) and the building works took far too long, almost certainly contributing to several shops closing. Even more worryingly, it appears that no lessons were learned, as the refurbishment of Temple Street is already causing problems.

Increasingly people tell me that there is little reason to come to Keynsham – if this goes on, no one will be using the toilets at all!

Edmund Cannon

Motorists don’t need another tax Dear Editor Philip Gannaway (Letters, Issue 773) thinks motorists should have a surcharge levied on

Sudoku 1-Easy

road tax to pay for bus services.

I say no, motorists already pay VAT on fuel, repairs and fuel duty tax as well as road tax.

The state of our roads surfaces is dreadful when did you last see a road being resurfaced?

Buses will never tempt motorists out of their cars, what we need in Bristol is a tram or light rail system running at high frequency.

Henry Hannon Warmley

Fuel duty legislation Dear Editor Philip Gannaway’s letter in last week’s edition makes an interesting point about the funding of local bus services and how we persuade people to move away from their cars. He correctly highlights that the current set-up is a mess and suggests a nationwide levy on car drivers through a levy of car tax.

But there is already a scheme in place to make the cost of driving more expensive and, by definition, alternative means of transport

more

appealing.

But

alas,

successive governments have turned their backs on it for fear of losing, or perhaps in the hope of gaining votes.

It is the Fuel Duty Escalator. According to the House of Commons library, because fuel duty is expressed in cash, rather than percentage terms, it should be increased by the rate of inflation each year to maintain its real value. But this has not happened since 1999. The Labour Government suspended the annual rise in favour of sporadic rises when conditions allowed and in the first year Letters continued on page 12

SUNDAY CHEMISTS Sunday 2nd April

2 -Hard

Boots, Gallagher Retail Park, Longwell Green (10.30am-4pm) Asda, Longwell Green (10am-4pm) Sainsbury’s, Emersons Green Retail Park (9.30am-4.30pm) Keynsham Pharmacy, 15 Station Road, BS31 2BH (10am-4pm) Tesco, Callington Road, Brislington (10am to 4pm) Morrisons, 688-718 Fishponds Road, Fishponds (10am-4pm) Boots, Avonmeads Retail Park, St Philips Causeway (11am-5pm)

The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

11

LETTERS of the Coalition Government in 2010 it was reduced by 1p a litre. Fuel duty has been frozen ever since (although as Chancellor, Rishi Sunak announced a temporary cut of 5p a litre in 2022).

The Office of Budget Responsibility has calculated the cumulative cost of freezing fuel duty since 2010, factoring in decreased car usage as a consequence of the annual rise. The figure they arrived at is £65bn! That would buy a lot of buses.

D James

Such havoc for such little progress Dear Editor I am amazed that nine weeks after work started in Temple Street in Keynsham that so

little progress has been made.

In fact it appears that with all the disruption, noise and dust for traders and customers alike, that only a relatively small section of pavement has been extended a little and repaved in this time.

Keynsham residents know only too well how long the High Street “improvements” took with such a disappointing result. I really do despair at the way in which these public contracts proceed, causing havoc and resulting in little improvement.

Hazel Powe Keynsham

Severn Estuary Energy Transformation Dear Editor There is something to report after a The cycle lane (which is campaign of detailed letters and to the now cracking uppapers in places) dozen or so figures and bodies who might have some influence on the question of harnessing the tidal power of the Severn Estuary.

Indeed, we can thank West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris and Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford, North East Somerset MP Jacob Rees-Mogg and Bath MP Wera Hobhouse for their courteous and curiously concerted interest in these letters and papers.

Overall, they recognised the importance of

exploring ways and means for such harnessing, especially as a potential way of helping our country become energy selfsufficient in the face of the emergence of a hugely adverse international market for fossil fuels.

The letters and papers laid out in depth the way Severn Estuary Energy Transformation (SEET) could contribute to this end. In response, the Government’s Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Department Minister Graham Stuart wrote on 29th November 2022 that: “The Government recognises the huge potential of tidal energy in achieving Net Zero.”

He went on to affirm that: “The Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the tidal range energy in the bays and estuaries around our coastlines, including barrage schemes and other alternatives.

“Of course, any such proposal would need to demonstrate strong evidence of value for money in the context of other low-carbon technologies, as well as details of its associated energy system benefits and environmental impact mitigation strategies before the Government could take a view on its potential or on the funding models appropriate for exploration.”

Of course, from our point of view, we only have the resources of mere thought without

Crossword ACROSS

DOWN

1. Fibrous tissue (8)

1. Scottish lake (4)

5. Sediment (4)

2. Highest point (4)

7. Disconcert (9)

3. Electronic message (1-4)

9. Keep secret (4)

access to the vast grant schemes available to such bodies as Western Gateway. A body to whom letters and detailed papers have been twice sent and to which there has not even been the courtesy of an acknowledgment.

So, it seems SEET is running against the tide.

Indeed, in his recent Budget Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced huge support for Great British Nuclear as it pays well toward energy self-sufficiency and contributes to Net Zero. Of course, it too contributes present risk of being indefensible against attack, while its operations cannot but contribute day by day to the appalling build-up of nuclear waste to bind and blight our future generations. While SEET may not obviate the need for some nuclear generation, it would certainly reduce the scale to which it need be invested and operated.

Although a mere Canute-like voice, we have at least the ear of The Week In, our absolutely essential local community newspaper. Canute, of course, was not actually trying to hold back the tide, but simply demonstrating that no matter if you are a King, or Chancellor, you cannot ever hold back the tide. Could it be that Canute had something to say on renewables?

Siri & Terry Edwards of Keynsham

School praised for ‘great care and kindness’

4. Number in trio (5)

Ofsted has praised leaders and staff at The Park Primary

5. Rich and juicy (4)

School in Kingswood for their “great care and kindness

6. Carpenter's framework (8)

towards pupils and their families”.

14. Heartbeat (5) 15. Bury (5)

7. Alpine plant (9)

16. Carries (5)

8. Brine (4,5)

17. Bailiff (5)

11. Celebrated (5)

18. Saying (5)

12. Additional (5)

19. Speak slowly (5)

13. Sails (anag.) (5)

10. Mess (4) 11. Takes flight (5)

22. Expel (4) 24. Small US coin (4) 26. Lawyer (9) 27. Smear (4) 28. Course of study (8)

14. Forgiven (8)

In a report published on Friday, the education watchdog also said that pupils, parents and carers are proud to be part of the school community and the values of aspiration, resilience, responsibility and collaboration are woven through every aspect of school life.

The inspector, who visited the 496-pupil school in

20. Wrecked buildings (5)

Hollow Road in February, said leaders have created a

21. Spin around (5)

curriculum that is designed well, with the teaching of

23. Grave (4)

mathematics a strength of the school.

24. Fizzy drink (4)

Pupils are said to display positive attitudes towards

25. Hence (4)

learning and those with special educational needs or disability are well supported.

12

The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

MP pilloried over dumping of sewage in rivers A tongue-in-cheek action with a serious message saw campaigners drawing attention to the continued dumping of raw sewage into local rivers by Wessex Water.

As part of ‘Mogg Watch’ – a grassroots network of North East Somerset MP Jacob Rees-Mogg’s constituents - and

Keys stolen in burglary A home in Hanham High Street was burgled on Saturday 18th March between 5.30am and 6am.

The resident was alerted by dogs barking and discovered an entry door to the property had been opened without force. The suspect took keys to the property and vehicle keys, subsequently stealing the owner’s van from the driveway. This was found undamaged the next day in nearby New Walk.

Anyone with information or CCTV is asked to contact the police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Window smashed The bathroom window of a home in Seymour Road in Staple Hill was smashed during the night of Tuesday 14th March.

Police say it is unknown whether this was criminal damage or an attempt to break in.

The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

Extinction Rebellion’s Dirty Water campaign, a masked ‘Mogg on the Bog’ posed by the River Chew.

Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg was one of the MPs who voted down a House of Lords’ amendment that would have forced water companies to make continuous improvements to reduce the amount of sewage dumped in rivers and seas.

Rich Prior, from Extinction Rebellion Keynsham, said: “I’m shocked that our own MP is not doing more to protect our local rivers. Can he not see for his own eyes how bad a problem this is? He should have come down here to see the disgusting sewage waste left high and dry on local riverbanks after the recent floods.”

Mogg Watch is part of MP Watch, which scrutinises the voting records, speeches and finances of MPs. Their work claims that Jacob Rees-Mogg has consistently acted in support of the interests of big oil.

Campaigner Julia Thomas, from Keynsham, said: “He has voted against action on climate change, has called for ‘every last drop of gas and oil to be extracted from the North Sea’, and has declared himself in favour of fracking. He has spoken out against support for people struggling with the cost of living crisis, all the while making huge sums of money from investing in Russian Gas. In 2014, he was referred to the Parliamentary standards watchdog for failing to disclose interests in a company with millions of pounds invested in energy companies.”

MP Watch’s website also celebrates “good practice” by MPs. Kingswood’s Conservative MP Chris Skidmore, who serves as the Prime Minister’s Net Zero tsar, is praised for his review: “Although it has considerable blind spots, The Skidmore Review should be welcomed as a solid rebuttal of ‘delayism’, a positive exposition of the benefits and opportunities to be gained from a rapid decarbonisation, and the importance of the role of Government in precipitating change.

“The Review also rightly recognises that we cannot achieve our Net Zero targets without restoring nature and that it is

"unsustainable resource use that is driving nature degradation”.

Bath’s Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse is also praised: “In February 2019, Hobhouse was made the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for the environment and climate change. In this capacity, Hobhouse pushed for an end to most carbon emissions by 2030, and for Net Zero carbon emissions to be achieved by 2045 at the latest.

“This became the policy position of the Liberal Democrats at their conference in September 2019, where Hobhouse gave a keynote speech on tackling the climate crisis. Among the proposals that she has promoted to meet these targets, Hobhouse has called for a permanent ban on fracking, for increased investment in renewable energy, for greater powers to be given to local authorities to cut emissions, and for all airport expansion to be halted until a replacement can be found for jet fuel.”

The North East Somerset MP courted further controversy last week during Boris Johnson’s appearance in front of the House of Commons Privileges Committee. During a hearing last Wednesday into whether Johnson had misled the House, which supporters of the former Prime Minister had already branded a kangaroo court, Mr Rees-Mogg tweeted: “Boris is doing very well against the marsupials.”

13

Spring show success Keynsham’s first ever Spring Show was attended by over 1,000 people at the weekend.

With queues forming outside the Scout HQ on Ashton Way

14

on Saturday, the ribbon cutting was performed by Bake Off winner Giuseppe Dell’Anno who had earlier judged the cookery competitions. There were more than 350 entries for

the different competition entries including horticulture, arts and handicrafts. Children also had their own competition categories including making models from recycled material.

The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

Council monitors road changes near recycling centre after reports of dangerous U-turns Some drivers heading for Mangotsfield Sort It recycling centre since the new slip road opened have been doing dangerous U-turns at the nearby traffic lights.

The new road layout opened on 9th March and South Gloucestershire Council says it is monitoring how the scheme is working.

There are now dedicated lanes for the

recycling centre from the A4174 Ring Road and the Warmley/Siston direction but motorists coming along Carsons Road from Mangotsfield have to turn right at the traffic lights and drive down Carsons Road Link, around the A4174 Ring Road’s Siston Hill roundabout and then back up on the other side to access the new entrance. They used to be able to turn right into the old entrance in

The new entrance on Carsons Road

Carsons Road.

Reports on social media have highlighted that some drivers are doing U-turns at the traffic lights to save time, and it has been suggested that bollards might prevent such manoeuvres.

One witness said: “This is crazy, dangerous and held up all the traffic behind them on those lights who just wanted to turn right.

Surely this isn't being left like this?”

This week a spokesperson for South Gloucestershire Council told us: “The slip road has been built to reduce the impact of queuing traffic on Carsons Road which had a knock-on effect on the local road network at busy times.

The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

“The slip road opened on 9th March and people are currently adapting to the new layout. As part of the scheme, we are carrying out monitoring and will conduct further reviews over the coming weeks.

“There is no right turn into the Sort It recycling centre from Mangotsfield and new road signs and markings are in place to guide traffic through the updated layout.

“Residents travelling from Mangotsfield must use the roundabout on the A4174 Ring Road to access the new site entrance.

Alternatively, they can join the Ring Road at another junction, such as Shortwood or Warmley/Kingswood.”

15

Two men found guilty of Brislington murder Two men have been convicted of murder following the death of a 32-year-old man in Brislington, while a third has been convicted of manslaughter.

Aranit Lleshi died of injuries he sustained during a violent clash between two groups over a cannabis factory in May 2022. The factory, set up inside a property in Bloomfield Road, contained around £95,000 of cannabis.

A jury at Bristol Crown Court heard how the criminal group who “owned” the cannabis crop were protecting it from another group who intended to steal it. Aranit Lleshi was part of the group protecting the crop.

Following a trial, Brikel Palaj, 33, of Plumstead, London, and Radian Lika, 35, of

Nikola Palaj

Brikel Palaj

Islington, London have been found guilty of murder. Nikola Palaj, 28, of Plumstead, London, was found guilty of manslaughter.

In addition, 34-year-old Kastriot Mhillaj, of no fixed address, admitted a charge of violent disorder prior to the trial starting. They will all be sentenced at a date to be confirmed.

Aranit’s brother Sadik Lleshi, 35, of Tottenham, London, was found not guilty of violent disorder, while Rinush Behari, 33, of Woolwich in London, was found not guilty of murder and violent disorder.

DCI Phil Walker said: “This was a horrendous incident played out on a spring evening in a quiet residential street and witnessed by those who lived there, as well as those passing by.

Radian Lika

“These two groups, who are both from the London area, engaged in extreme levels of violence, using any weapons they could lay their hands on. CCTV footage shown to the jury during the trial captured Brikel Palaj and Radian Lika going into a nearby supermarket to buy four large kitchen knives – a deliberate purchase to cause serious harm.

“The fact a young man has lost his life in this incident is a tragedy, and our thoughts remain with his family.

“This was a vast and complex investigation in which we had to trace the movements of both groups in the hours and days leading up to this fatal incident. It involved examining and securing many hours of CCTV footage, so we could piece together the movements and the motives of those involved, overlaying this with intelligence gathered and analysis of mobile phones used by the defendants.

“We’d like to thank all the witnesses who provided statements and evidence in this case, as well as the Bloomfield Road community for their patience and continued support of the police investigation.”

Stella Waata, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the CPS South West Complex Casework Unit, said: “The violence used by those involved in this incident was ferocious and must have been frightening for those that witnessed it. While incidents like this are rare, it shows the risk posed by organised crime groups and why we and our police partners are determined to work together to dismantle them. They bring untold misery to

Aranit Lleshi was murdered

our communities, and we will robustly prosecute cases, particularly those involving weapons. I would like to thank the local community for supporting the investigation and those who came forward as witnesses.”

DCI Walker added: “We’d encourage anyone with suspicions about a property in their neighbourhood being used for illegal drug activity to report their observations and concerns to the police – either by calling 101, contacting us online, or providing information anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers.”

At the end of the trial last week the family of Aranit Lleshi issued a tribute saying the death of their son, brother, and uncle had a huge impact. “We are distraught and have lost a huge part of our own lives. My mother and father have died inside and will never be able to overcome how their youngest son was brutally murdered.

“My brother Sadik had to witness his youngest brother be brutally murdered and has since suffered nightmares, anxiety, and depression.”

Tackling potholes in South Glos South Gloucestershire Council says that 17% more potholes have been filled since the start of January compared to this time last year. People are encouraged to report a pothole in the district online at https://orlo.uk/Report_A_Pothole_BMmba

One of the many potholes in Tower Road South in Warmley

16

The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

Bus services withdrawn? Why not run your own?

This weekend sees the end of Keynsham’s ‘around town’ bus services.

The number 663, 664 & 665 routes used to receive financial support from the Bath & North East Somerset Council. But earlier this year the council went back on an previous undertaking to increase the transport levy it pays to the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) and the Keynsham services were among those B&NES decided to chop.

It did subsequently find money to keep some supported services beyond 1st April but these were predominantly in Bath.

Next week also sees timetable changes on commercial services operated in the area by First and Stagecoach which will see some new or reinstated bus routes but the loss of evening services around Park Estate in Keynsham as well as between Downend and Yate.

So while people living in housing areas in the south west and south east of Keynsham are finding themselves increasingly isolated without a car, Regional Mayor Dan Norris announced a new scheme last week which may help to plug the gap. A £2m fund has been set up to help community groups or parish councils run their own local bus services.

WESTlocal is designed to meet specific needs of the local community. Some examples of the types of schemes people could set up include bus routes operated on fixed routes and timetables, or pre-booked minibus services to key locations such as supermarkets, shopping centres, local towns, schools and transport interchanges.

Financial support for the scheme comes from money awarded to the West of England

Combined Authority (along with North Somerset Council) through the Government’s Bus Service Improvement Scheme (BSIP). Critically, and as was the case with the council supported bus services which will cease next week, BSIP money cannot be used to replace failing bus routes, but only for new and innovative projects.

Mayor Norris said: “No two West of England communities are the same, and it’s because of this fantastic and wide diversity that I love our great region. But it also presents very real challenges, for no single transport solution can meet every community’s needs. The main local concern may be getting pupils to school, older people to the supermarket, workers to a large local employer at the start and end of shifts, or linking up a group of villages - or something else entirely.

“Last year, I held a series of very wellattended public meetings right across the West of England, listening carefully to the direct and forthright feedback of many thousands of local people. What it told me was that local communities are best placed to know their own unique challenges and to be most motivated to find the best transport solution for their particular needs. As a result, I’m setting up WESTlocal to unleash the power of local people working together."

While the first obvious concern for schools or parish councils might be a lack of

The 663,664 and 665 services will cease this weekend

experience of running buses, WECA says it will help applicants to work in partnership with organisations, such as the Community Transport Association, or with local bus and minibus operators.

The deadline for funding applications is not until April 2024 but any schemes that are

ready to go prior to that date will be able to start sooner.

The first step for any community group is to submit an expression of interest. That, along with more information on WESTlocal is available at https://www.westofenglandca.gov.uk/what-we-do/transport/westlocal/

Public Notice

Choir in concert with brass band The South Gloucestershire Good Afternoon Choir will present their first concert of the year at Holy Trinity Church in Kingswood on Saturday (1st April).

The choir is led by Matt Finch with more than 60 enthusiastic members who are busy preparing their programme for the concert which will support their chosen charity Dementia UK. The Good Afternoon Choirs were started

by Bath-based Grenville Jones 13 years ago and there are now 23 across the South West of England with over 900 members ‘Singing in the Afternoon’.

There are no auditions and members of the

South Gloucestershire Good Afternoon Choir come from in and around the area.

They meet every Wednesday afternoon from 2pm to 4pm at Kingswood Community Centre.

The special guests for Saturday’s concert will be Oldland Brass. Many pieces are arranged specially for them by their leader Bob Lavis.

The concert starts at 7.30pm (doors open 7pm). Tickets priced £8 are on sale from members of South Gloucestershire Good Afternoon Choir or by calling 01761 472468. They will also be available on the door on the night of the concert.

The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

17

Change of tactics in fight for urgent care The fight for a minor injury unit at Cossham Hospital in Kingswood is set to change tactics.

At a meeting of South Gloucestershire Council’s Health Scrutiny Committee earlier this month, regional health chiefs revealed that national guidance has changed and that existing minor injury units (MIUs) should be replaced with “urgent care centres”.

Readers of The Week In are among the thousands who have petitioned for Cossham

Hospital’s once promised minor injury unit (MIU) to open, one of the reasons being that people in the Kingswood area cannot easily get to the unit at Southmead Hospital or the MIU at Yate, which is not always open because of capacity issues.

However, last April the NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) refused to reconsider providing a minor injury unit at Cossham, saying it was not part of their urgent care strategy. This sparked concerns particularly as the CCG did not conduct a health inequalities study, despite the fact that Kingwood has a lower life expectancy than both the South Gloucestershire and England averages and other health-related issues.

The cross-party Health Scrutiny Committee subsequently called for a review of the situation.

Since then the CCG has been replaced by the NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board and representatives are due to attend a hybrid meeting of the Health Scrutiny SubCommittee tomorrow.

Members of the public are

invited to have their say, either online or by going along to the meeting which starts at 9am at Kingswood Civic Centre.

In advance of the meeting, committee member Cllr Andrea Reid said the challenge now is to ensure the new urgent care centres

are accessible to more areas. She said: “I'm hoping that the members of the Integrated Care Board will see this as an opportunity to rebuild trust with South Gloucestershire residents and take them along on their new journey with them.”

‘Refer delayed community hospital to Health Secretary’ Barbara Harris, who has been at the forefront of the campaign to get a promised community hospital built at Frenchay, is calling for South Gloucestershire Health Council’s Scrutiny Committee to refer the issue to the Secretary of State Steve Barclay.

Mrs Harris, of the Save Frenchay Community Hospital group, is due to give evidence at tomorrow’s sub-committee meeting. She said that 40% of the beds at Southmead Hospital are occupied by “bed blockers” which equates to 320 beds exactly the number of acute beds lost when the old Frenchay Hospital was demolished.

Frenchay Hospital closed in 2014 when the new hospital at Southmead opened. Much of the site at Frenchay has become housing but the land reserved for a community hospital/rehabilitation unit remains undeveloped. The current proposal for a rehabilitation unit began in 2012.

Campaigners are concerned that the proposed 40 to 50 rehabilitation beds at

Barbara Harris

Frenchay will not solve the problems of the loss of 320 beds, especially as the population of South Gloucestershire continues to rise.

The Save Frenchay Community Hospital group want the issue referred to the Health Secretary so that the Independent Reconfiguration Panel can check the proposal for viability and adequacy.

Donations still needed for next aid mission to Ukraine The Brislington-based charity Hope for Ukraine says its mascot Dillon (meaning Ray of Hope), who has accompanied previous humanitarian aid trips to Ukraine in the last 12 months, has his suitcase packed and his passport ready all set for the next trip.

But more items are still needed for the next lorry that will be heading over to a depot in Romania soon from where the aid will be taken on to the charity’s contacts in Chernivsti in Ukraine.

Hope for Ukraine says: “The people of Ukraine need your help more than ever, so please check out our website or Facebook page for what we are looking to send, and

18

other ways you can help.”

The shopping list includes items such as non-perishable food, tools and related construction items, generators, blankets, sleeping bags, toiletries and underwear.

There is a donation point at St John’s Hall office in Keynsham open Monday to Friday from 10am to noon until Easter.

There is also one at Community at 67 in Queens Road which will be open on Saturdays from 10am to noon until Easter.

To find out more visit https://hopeforukraine.org.uk/, go to https://www.facebook.com/Hopeforukrain ebristol or call 07933 712584.

Mascot Dillon

The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

More roadworks on the A4 The A4 between Keynsham and Saltford has seen several delays in recent weeks because of roadworks, and more delays are expected from Monday 3rd to Tuesday 11th April because of planned work by Wales & West Utilities.

There will be two-way signals near the rugby

club on the A4 near Corston while work is carried out to repair a pipe.

Bath & North East Somerset Council has agreed for the firm to carry out the work during the school Easter holidays, when the roads will be slightly quieter, and it will only affect one weekend.

Keynsham Repair Café Volunteers at Keynsham Repair Café, a free, pop-up, monthly repair event with a café at Keynsham Baptist Church, can help to fix everyday household items and clothing and say their fix it rate success is over 80%.

The café is held every second Saturday

(coinciding with Keynsham Farmers’ Market) from 10am to noon.

Where volunteers can't fix something they try to offer advice on parts or other places to try.

Find out more at keynshamrepaircafe.wixsite.com/home

Situations Vacant

Vacancy to fill?

Advertising in The Week In is an effective and low cost option.

Call Tracy on 0117 986 0381.

The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

19

The Community Page

Friends group highlight benefits of cattle grazing The Friends of Siston Commons are very excited at the

commons in the 1960s and remembered how

prospect of seeing cattle graze on Siston Common West -

the grass was shorter where the cows grazed.

that’s the part of Siston Common between the underpass

It was covered in wildflowers, making it look

nearest The Horseshoe pub and the underpass that leads

as if it was sprinkled with jewels! There were

towards Stanley Road.

clouds of butterflies. It was a natural

We have been working hard recently clearing existing fence

ecosystem which has almost disappeared

lines and repairing one of the fences which will help cattle to

from here but we now have the opportunity to

be safe. It will be great in the future if those commoners who

bring it back.

have a legal right to graze animals will be able to do so.

The Friends of Siston Commons (FOSC)

There are known benefits to having animals graze on

were formed in 2016 following a well-

commons as they have done historically and do so on other

attended meeting at the Grange School where

commons now, very successfully. They help to create habitats

local people met with South Gloucestershire

for wildflowers, birds and insects, thus increasing the

officials to discuss the neglected state of the

biodiversity,

helping

commons in Siston. An extremely detailed

nature conservation which

report was commissioned and produced by

is so vital now.

the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group which explained

The ancient commons in the parish of Siston are a crucial

It is shocking how much

exactly how each area of the commons should be managed.

component in that plan and grazing animals will play an

has been lost within our

FOSC volunteers have worked tirelessly since then and in

extremely important part in restoring the natural habitats for

lifetime. I met a lady a

close cooperation with Matthew Lipton, the South

future generations and maintaining that link for us humans

couple of years ago, who

Gloucestershire biodiversity assets and commons manager,

of seeing how animals play their part.

loves wildflowers. She

as well as David Tibbatts, the project officer of the Common

Ros Mahoney

had grown up on the

Connections plan.

FOSC

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The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

Easter eggs in the West of England For many people in this part of the world, the history of J.S. Fry and Cadbury’s will not need explaining. But when it comes to the region’s association with the chocolate Easter egg, that is only part of the story. While production actually transferred to Bourneville long before the Cadbury’s factory in Keynsham closed, Bristol does have a much wider connection with chocolate Easter eggs.

Names like Packer’s, Elizabeth Shaw, Carson’s, Weber’s and Swann’s form part of the broad history of chocolate making in Bristol. Thanks to historian Hugh Evans’ archives we are able to bring some of that history back to life in this supplement, while some remains lost in the annals of time.

The first three brands listed in the preceding paragraph actually share a history as well as a rather ‘exotic’ link to Easter eggs. Anyone who followed the corporate saga of Cadbury and Kraft, following the decision to close the Somerdale factory in 2007, may be surprised to know that this is nothing new. The chocolate company H.J. Packer was formed in 1884 when Edward Packer took his Stapleton business into a partnership with H.J. Burrows. But trade did not meet expectations and the business was snapped up a couple of years later by entrepreneur Bruce Cole who relocated the business to Greenbank in 1902.

Ten years later, Packer’s parent company bought a Scottish producer of high-end chocolates called Carson’s. In 1913, that business was relocated to Shortwood. Carson’s became the biggest producer of

The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023

liquor chocolates but in 1961, the factory was sold to Robinson’s and production transferred to the Greenbank site. In addition to Carson’s eggs, another Easter egg link was established following the acquisition in 1968 of Elizabeth Shaw (best known for their mint chocolates) and the contract awarded a few years later to produce eggs and novelties for Lindt.

The corporate churn continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s with takeovers which saw various owners including Imperial, Hanson and a management buyout.

Rising costs eventually saw chocolate production moved away from Greenbank in 2006 to other parts of what is now a Polish confectionary organisation.

The history of chocolate maker Weber is less well documented. As can be seen from the picture below we know they made cream-filled eggs. There are records in the Bristol City Council archives relating to planning and building works at their factory in Goodneston Road, Fishponds. There is also testimony given to Somerdale’s archivist Hugh Evans who regularly gives talks under his ‘Chocolate Dinosaurs’ banner.

Hugh writes: “I have a coupon in my collection indicating that by 1913, Swann’s Chocolate Works had an address in Fishponds. This is the only artefact I have ever seen relating to Swann’s. The photo on the right is reputedly Mr Weber holding the delivery horse, but I cannot be sure.

brothers who ran the business, Arnold and Walter, who were presumably sons of Robert Weber. One of them had a son called Basil who joined the RAF in World War Two and was killed. During the war, she told me that her family were never short of sugar (enough said!) and that they would swap sugar for other items like cheese with neighbours.”

Bill Williams at Weber’s

The photo is believed to be of Mr Weber

Which came first? The creme egg or the creme egg?

“Swann’s was at some point owned by Weber’s. One of our Chocolate Dinosaur talks celebrates the other chocolate businesses of Bristol who operated alongside Fry's. A few years ago, an elderly lady (Mrs Doris Golding, née Williams) came up after one of our talks and thanked us for highlighting the Weber business as she had never heard anyone else mention that company.

Her father, Bill Williams, had worked for Weber’s from 1926 until he retired in 1956, having previously worked at Packer’s. The photo is of him moving a sack of sugar, presumably at the Fishponds factory.

“Mrs Golding recounted how her father was a part-time firewatcher and at weekends he used to take her around with him. She remembered her father talking about two

Cadbury’s Creme Eggs have always been controversial. In more recent times it has been about how early they go on sale or their perceived shrinking size. But there has also been debate about who made the first one – Fry’s or Cadbury’s?

The story is a little complicated by the fact that despite the two companies merging in 1919, both retained many of their own brands after that point.

But while J.S. Fry & Sons can claim many firsts, including the first chocolate Easter egg, it is Cadbury’s which wins the accolade for the first creme-filled egg in 1923. The Fry creme egg did not appear until five years later. The two brands were sold alongside each other up until the early 1970s.

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Keynsham Fry’s factory worker shares her memories with the Mayor It looks like someone has sneaked in to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory and taken some photographs. But this is the real-life Fry’s Keynsham factory a dream job for locals with a sweet tooth.

As part of his campaign marking the chocolate Easter egg’s 150th birthday, Metro Mayor Dan Norris has come up with a sweet idea to specially enlist a former Keynsham Fry’s factory worker, Glenis Gainard, to reveal what life was really like at the West of England’s most famous chocolate company.

Sweet memories Going through never before seen photos together, Glenis - now in her 69th year and having spent 34 of them working at the Fry’s (and later Cadbury’s) factory until 2001 – explained to Mr Norris how she got caught in the Great Flood of

1968 during her interview (talk about a tough first day!).

The Mayor learnt how Fry’s staff enjoyed a sports hall, sports ground, and even had their own cricket and netball teams. They would battle it out with other chocolate factory workers. Glenis recalls: “We would play the Cadbury’s team in Bournville Birmingham a lot – they were our big rivals!”

But it wasn’t just the amenities on offer that set Fry’s apart. Mr Norris learnt how Glenis, who joined Fry’s fresh out of school at just 15, was paid to go North Radstock College one day a month for two whole years to get qualified. They would even help pay for workers’ holidays – Glenis went to Spain for a grand total of £20 each summer – and enrolled all their workers in the company’s very generous pension programme at 18, meaning Glenis could

Glenis Gainard

retire from the company at just 47 in 2001!

‘Best years of my life’ She had a variety of jobs over the years - post girl, making the first chocolate coins after decimalisation in 1970s and getting to see delicious chocolate eggs being made on the factory floor included – but there were two highlights.

“Appearing on a float in Bristol for Fry’s 250th anniversary celebrations in 1978 – that was fun! And working in the factory’s youth club – best years of my life, hands down.”

The golden era of chocolate making in Keynsham might be over, but Glenis has fond memories of her time working at the factory. “I enjoyed so many amazing hours at Fry’s, particularly working in the youth club - I’d go back there today if I could!”

Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “The pictures showing what life was really like for the men and women working in Somerdale are incredible! It was great to chat with Glenis on all things chocolate and to learn so much about her work at this most remarkable of West of England firms on this more remarkable of chocolate anniversaries.”

Working at Somerdale

Easter eggs at Radstock Museum

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The Week in • Wednesday 29th March 2023